The Project Gutenberg eBook of The 2008 CIA World Factbook

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Title: The 2008 CIA World Factbook

Author: United States. Central Intelligence Agency

Release date: June 25, 2009 [eBook #29233]

Most recently updated: January 5, 2021

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Al Haines

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE 2008 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK ***

Produced by Al Haines

THE CIA WORLD FACTBOOK 2008

CONTENTS

Countries and Locations

Field Listings

Rank Orders

Appendixes

Notes and Definitions

History of the World Factbook

Contributors and Copyright Information

Purchasing Information

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What's New

- Country information has been updated as of 18 December 2008.

- In the People category, two new fields provide information on education in terms of opportunity and resources. "School Life Expectancy" is an estimate of the total number of years of schooling (primary to tertiary) that a child can expect to receive, assuming that the probability of his or her being enrolled in school at any particular future age is equal to the current enrollment ratio at that age. "Education expenditures" provides an estimate of the public expenditure on education as a percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

- In order to help policymakers understand the nature and global dimensions of the current financial crisis, The World Factbook has added five new fields to the Economy category. "Central bank discount rate" provides the annualized interest rate a country's central bank charges commercial, depository banks for loans to meet temporary shortages of funds. "Commercial bank prime lending rate" provides a simple average of annualized interest rates commercial banks charge on new loans, denominated in the national currency, to their most credit-worthy customers. "Stock of money" also known as "M1," comprises the total quantity of currency in circulation (notes and coins) plus demand deposits denominated in the national currency, held by nonbank financial institutions, state and local governments, nonfinancial public enterprises, and the private sector of the economy. "Stock of quasi money" comprises the total quantity of time and savings deposits denominated in the national currency, held by nonbank financial institutions, state and local governments, nonfinancial public enterprises, and the private sector of the economy. When added together with "M1" the total money supply is known as "M2." "Stock of domestic credit" is the total quantity of credit, denominated in the domestic currency, provided by banks to nonbanking institutions.

- In the Geography category, two new fields focus on the increasingly vital resource of water: "Total renewable water resources" and "Freshwater withdrawal."

- Revision of some individual country maps, first introduced in the 2001 edition, is continued in this edition. Several regional maps have also been updated to reflect boundary changes and place name spelling changes.

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The World Factbook (2008) - Country Listing

[Transcriber's note: To search on a country in this file, prefix the country's name with "@", e.g. "@Afghanistan". "Afghanistan" will find all occurrences; prefixing it with "@" will find the correct location.]

World

A

Afghanistan

Akrotiri

Albania

Algeria

American Samoa

Andorra

Angola

Anguilla

Antarctica

Antigua and Barbuda

Arctic Ocean

Argentina

Armenia

Aruba

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Atlantic Ocean

Australia

Austria

Azerbaijan

B

Bahamas, The

Bahrain

Baker Island description under United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belarus

Belgium

Belize

Benin

Bermuda

Bhutan

Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Bouvet Island

Brazil

British Indian Ocean Territory

British Virgin Islands

Brunei

Bulgaria

Burkina Faso

Burma

Burundi

C

Cambodia

Cameroon

Canada

Cape Verde

Cayman Islands

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

China

Christmas Island

Clipperton Island

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Colombia

Comoros

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Congo, Republic of the

Cook Islands

Coral Sea Islands

Costa Rica

Cote d'Ivoire

Croatia

Cuba

Cyprus

Czech Republic

D

Denmark

Dhekelia

Djibouti

Dominica

Dominican Republic

E

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Estonia

Ethiopia

European Union entry follows Taiwan

F

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Faroe Islands

Fiji

Finland

France

French Polynesia

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

G

Gabon

Gambia, The

Gaza Strip

Georgia

Germany

Ghana

Gibraltar

Greece

Greenland

Grenada

Guam

Guatemala

Guernsey

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Guyana

H

Haiti

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Holy See (Vatican City)

Honduras

Hong Kong

Howland Island description under United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Hungary

I

Iceland

India

Indian Ocean

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Ireland

Isle of Man

Israel

Italy

J

Jamaica

Jan Mayen

Japan

Jarvis Island description under United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Jersey

Johnston Atoll description under United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Jordan

K

Kazakhstan

Kenya

Kingman Reef description under United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Kiribati

Korea, North

Korea, South

Kosovo

Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan

L

Laos

Latvia

Lebanon

Lesotho

Liberia

Libya

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

M

Macau

Macedonia

Madagascar

Malawi

Malaysia

Maldives

Mali

Malta

Marshall Islands

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mayotte

Mexico

Micronesia, Federated States of

Midway Islands description under United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Moldova

Monaco

Mongolia

Montenegro

Montserrat

Morocco

Mozambique

N

Namibia

Nauru

Navassa Island

Nepal

Netherlands

Netherlands Antilles

New Caledonia

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

Niue

Norfolk Island

Northern Mariana Islands

Norway

O

Oman

P

Pacific Ocean

Pakistan

Palau

Palmyra Atoll description under United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Panama

Papua New Guinea

Paracel Islands

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Pitcairn Islands

Poland

Portugal

Puerto Rico

Q

Qatar

R

Romania

Russia

Rwanda

S

Saint Helena

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

San Marino

Sao Tome and Principe

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Serbia

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Singapore

Slovakia

Slovenia

Solomon Islands

Somalia

South Africa

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Southern Ocean

Spain

Spratly Islands

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Suriname

Svalbard

Swaziland

Sweden

Switzerland

Syria

T

Taiwan entry follows Zimbabwe

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Thailand

Timor-Leste

Togo

Tokelau

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Turks and Caicos Islands

Tuvalu

U

Uganda

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

V

Vanuatu

Venezuela

Vietnam

Virgin Islands

W

Wake Island

Wallis and Futuna

West Bank

Western Sahara

Y

Yemen

Z

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Taiwan

European Union

=====================================================================

Code Field Description

2001 GDP (purchasing power parity) 2002 Population growth rate (%) 2003 GDP - real growth rate (%) 2004 GDP - per capita (PPP) 2006 Dependency status 2007 Diplomatic representation from the US 2008 Transportation - note 2010 Age structure (%) 2011 Geographic coordinates 2012 GDP - composition by sector (%) 2013 Radio broadcast stations 2015 Television broadcast stations 2018 Sex ratio (male(s)/female) 2019 Heliports 2020 Elevation extremes (m) 2021 Natural hazards 2022 People - note 2023 Area - comparative 2024 Military service age and obligation (years of age) 2025 Manpower fit for military service 2026 Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually 2028 Background 2030 Airports - with paved runways 2031 Airports - with unpaved runways 2032 Environment - current issues 2033 Environment - international agreements 2034 Military expenditures (% of GDP) 2038 Electricity - production (kWh) 2042 Electricity - consumption (kWh) 2043 Electricity - imports (kWh) 2044 Electricity - exports (kWh) 2046 Population below poverty line (%) 2047 Household income or consumption by percentage share (%) 2048 Labor force - by occupation (%) 2049 Exports - commodities (%) 2050 Exports - partners (%) 2051 Administrative divisions 2052 Agriculture - products 2053 Airports 2054 Birth rate (births/1,000 population) 2055 Military branches 2056 Budget 2057 Capital 2058 Imports - commodities (%) 2059 Climate 2060 Coastline (km) 2061 Imports - partners (%) 2062 Economic aid - donor 2063 Constitution 2064 Economic aid - recipient 2065 Currency (code) 2066 Death rate (deaths/1,000 population) 2068 Dependent areas 2070 Disputes - international 2075 Ethnic groups (%) 2076 Exchange rates 2077 Executive branch 2078 Exports 2079 Debt - external 2080 Fiscal year 2081 Flag description 2085 Roadways (km) 2086 Illicit drugs 2087 Imports 2088 Independence 2089 Industrial production growth rate (%) 2090 Industries 2091 Infant mortality rate (deaths/1,000 live births) 2092 Inflation rate (consumer prices) (%) 2093 Waterways (km) 2094 Judicial branch 2095 Labor force 2096 Land boundaries (km) 2097 Land use (%) 2098 Languages (%) 2100 Legal system 2101 Legislative branch 2102 Life expectancy at birth (years) 2103 Literacy (%) 2105 Manpower available for military service 2106 Maritime claims 2107 International organization participation 2108 Merchant marine 2109 National holiday 2110 Nationality 2111 Natural resources 2112 Net migration rate (migrant(s)/1,000 population) 2113 Geography - note 2115 Political pressure groups and leaders 2116 Economy - overview 2117 Pipelines (km) 2118 Political parties and leaders 2119 Population 2120 Ports and terminals 2121 Railways (km) 2122 Religions (%) 2123 Suffrage 2124 Telephone system 2125 Terrain 2127 Total fertility rate (children born/woman) 2128 Government type 2129 Unemployment rate (%) 2137 Military - note 2138 Communications - note 2140 Government - note 2142 Country name 2144 Location 2145 Map references 2146 Irrigated land (sq km) 2147 Area (sq km) 2149 Diplomatic representation in the US 2150 Telephones - main lines in use 2151 Telephones - mobile cellular 2153 Internet users 2154 Internet country code 2155 HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%) 2156 HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 2157 HIV/AIDS - deaths 2172 Distribution of family income - Gini index 2173 Oil - production (bbl/day) 2174 Oil - consumption (bbl/day) 2175 Oil - imports (bbl/day) 2176 Oil - exports (bbl/day) 2177 Median age (years) 2178 Oil - proved reserves (bbl) 2179 Natural gas - proved reserves (cu m) 2180 Natural gas - production (cu m) 2181 Natural gas - consumption (cu m) 2182 Natural gas - imports (cu m) 2183 Natural gas - exports (cu m) 2184 Internet hosts 2185 Investment (gross fixed) (% of GDP) 2186 Public debt (% of GDP) 2187 Current account balance 2188 Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2193 Major infectious diseases 2194 Refugees and internally displaced persons 2195 GDP (official exchange rate) 2196 Trafficking in persons 2198 Stock of direct foreign investment - at home 2199 Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad 2200 Market value of publicly traded shares 2201 Total renewable water resources (cu km) 2202 Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) () 2203 Geographic overview 2204 Economy of the area administered by Turkish Cypriots 2205 School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) (years) 2206 Education expenditures (% of GDP) 2207 Central bank discount rate (%) 2208 Commercial bank prime lending rate (%) 2209 Stock of money 2210 Stock of quasi money 2211 Stock of domestic credit

======================================================================

Rank Orders

[Transcriber's note: To search on a rank order in this file, prefix the rank's name with "@", e.g. "@Population". "Population" will find all occurrences; prefixing it with "@" will find the correct location.]

Rank Order pages are presorted lists of data from selected Factbook data fields. Rank Order pages are generally given in descending order - highest to lowest - such as Population and Area. The two exceptions are Unemployment Rate and Inflation Rate, which are in ascending - lowest to highest - order. Rank Order pages are available for the following 55 fields in six of the nine Factbook categories.

Geography

Area - total

People

Population

Population growth rate

Birth rate

Death rate

Infant mortality rate

Life expectancy at birth - total

Total fertility rate

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS - deaths

Economy

GDP (purchasing power parity)

GDP - real growth rate

GDP - per capita

Labor force

Unemployment rate

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of money

Stock of quasi money

Stock of domestic credit

Investment (gross fixed)

Public debt

Industrial production growth rate

Electricity - production

Electricity - consumption

Oil - production

Oil - consumption

Oil - exports

Oil - imports

Oil - proved reserves

Natural Gas - production

Natural Gas - consumption

Natural Gas - exports

Natural Gas - imports

Natural Gas - proved reserves

Current account balance

Exports

Imports

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt - external

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

Market value of publicly traded shares

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use

Telephones - mobile cellular

Internet hosts

Internet users

Transportation

Airports

Railways - total

Roadways - total

Waterways

Merchant marine - total

Military

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

Factbook fields with Rank Order pages are easily identified with a small bar chart icon to the right of the data field title.

Not all Rank Order pages include the same number of entries because information for a particular field is not available for all countries. In addition, not all data fields are suitable for displaying as Rank Order pages, such as those containing textual information. Textual information is more readily viewed by clicking on the Field Listing icon next to the Data field title. The other icon next to the data field title provides the definition of the field.

All of the 'Rank Order' pages can be downloaded as tab-delimited data files and can be opened in other applications such as spreadsheets and databases. To save a Rank Order page in a spreadsheet, first click on the 'Download Datafile' choice above the Rank Order page you selected; then, at the top of your browser window, click on 'File' and 'Save As'. After saving the file, open the spreadsheet, find the saved file, and 'Open' it.

Additional Rank Order pages being considered for future updates of the

Factbook Web site include:

Median age

Literacy

Population below the poverty line

This page was last updated on 20 November, 2008

=====================================================================

Appendixes

Appendix A - Abbreviations

Appendix B - International Organizations and Groups

Appendix C - Selected International Environmental Agreements

Appendix D - Cross-Reference list of Country Data Codes

Appendix E - Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data Codes

Appendix F - Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names

Appendix G - Weights and Measures

======================================================================

Notes and Definitions

In addition to the regular information updates, The World Factbook 2008 features several new additions. In the Geography category, two new fields focus on the increasingly vital resource of water: "Total renewable water resources" and "Freshwater withdrawal."

In the Economy category, the Factbook has added three fields: "Stock of direct foreign investment - at home", "Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad", and "Market value of publicly traded shares." Additionally, the data for GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP) has been rebased using new PPP conversion rates, benchmarked to the year 2005, which were released on 17 December 2007 by the International Comparison Program (ICP). The 2005 PPP data replace previous estimates, many from studies dating to 1993 or earlier. The preliminary ICP report provides estimates of internationally comparable price levels and the relative purchasing power of currencies for 146 countries. The 2005 benchmark revises downward the size of the world economy in PPP terms from the previous estimates, and changes the relative sizes of many of the world's economies.

Concise descriptions of the major religions mentioned in the Factbook have been added to the Notes and Definitions. France 's redesignation of some of its overseas possessions caused the five former Indian Ocean island possessions making up Iles Eparses to be incorporated into the French Southern and Antarctic Lands, while two new Caribbean entities, St. Barthelemy and St. Martin, were created.

Revision of some individual country maps, first introduced in the 2001 edition, is continued in this edition. The revised maps include elevation extremes and a partial geographic grid. Several regional maps have also been updated to reflect boundary changes and place name spelling changes.

Abbreviations: This information is included in Appendix A: Abbreviations, which includes all abbreviations and acronyms used in the Factbook, with their expansions.

Acronyms: An acronym is an abbreviation coined from the initial letter of each successive word in a term or phrase. In general, an acronym made up solely from the first letter of the major words in the expanded form is rendered in all capital letters (NATO from North Atlantic Treaty Organization; an exception would be ASEAN for Association of Southeast Asian Nations). In general, an acronym made up of more than the first letter of the major words in the expanded form is rendered with only an initial capital letter (Comsat from Communications Satellite Corporation; an exception would be NAM from Nonaligned Movement). Hybrid forms are sometimes used to distinguish between initially identical terms (ICC for International Chamber of Commerce and ICCt for International Criminal Court).

Administrative divisions: This entry generally gives the numbers, designatory terms, and first-order administrative divisions as approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN). Changes that have been reported but not yet acted on by the BGN are noted.

Age structure: This entry provides the distribution of the population according to age. Information is included by sex and age group (0-14 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over). The age structure of a population affects a nation's key socioeconomic issues. Countries with young populations (high percentage under age 15) need to invest more in schools, while countries with older populations (high percentage ages 65 and over) need to invest more in the health sector. The age structure can also be used to help predict potential political issues. For example, the rapid growth of a young adult population unable to find employment can lead to unrest.

Agriculture - products: This entry is an ordered listing of major crops and products starting with the most important.

Airports: This entry gives the total number of airports or airfields recognizable from the air. The runway(s) may be paved (concrete or asphalt surfaces) or unpaved (grass, earth, sand, or gravel surfaces) but may include closed or abandoned installations. Airports or airfields that are no longer recognizable (overgrown, no facilities, etc.) are not included. Note that not all airports have accommodations for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control.

Airports - with paved runways: This entry gives the total number of airports with paved runways (concrete or asphalt surfaces) by length. For airports with more than one runway, only the longest runway is included according to the following five groups - (1) over 3,047 m, (2) 2,438 to 3,047 m, (3) 1,524 to 2,437 m, (4) 914 to 1,523 m, and (5) under 914 m. Only airports with usable runways are included in this listing. Not all airports have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control.

Airports - with unpaved runways: This entry gives the total number of airports with unpaved runways (grass, dirt, sand, or gravel surfaces) by length. For airports with more than one runway, only the longest runway is included according to the following five groups - (1) over 3,047 m, (2) 2,438 to 3,047 m, (3) 1,524 to 2,437 m, (4) 914 to 1,523 m, and (5) under 914 m. Only airports with usable runways are included in this listing. Not all airports have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control.

Appendixes: This section includes Factbook-related material by topic.

Area: This entry includes three subfields. Total area is the sum of all land and water areas delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines. Land area is the aggregate of all surfaces delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines, excluding inland water bodies (lakes, reservoirs, rivers). Water area is the sum of the surfaces of all inland water bodies, such as lakes, reservoirs, or rivers, as delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines.

Area - comparative: This entry provides an area comparison based on total area equivalents. Most entities are compared with the entire US or one of the 50 states based on area measurements (1990 revised) provided by the US Bureau of the Census. The smaller entities are compared with Washington, DC (178 sq km, 69 sq mi) or The Mall in Washington, DC (0.59 sq km, 0.23 sq mi, 146 acres).

Background: This entry usually highlights major historic events and current issues and may include a statement about one or two key future trends.

Birth rate: This entry gives the average annual number of births during a year per 1,000 persons in the population at midyear; also known as crude birth rate. The birth rate is usually the dominant factor in determining the rate of population growth. It depends on both the level of fertility and the age structure of the population.

Budget: This entry includes revenues, expenditures, and capital expenditures. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.

Capital: This entry gives the name of the seat of government, its geographic coordinates, the time difference relative to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and the time observed in Washington, DC, and, if applicable, information on daylight saving time (DST). Where appropriate, a special note has been added to highlight those countries that have multiple time zones.

Central bank discount rate: This entry provides the annualized interest rate a country's central bank charges commercial, depository banks for loans to meet temporary shortages of funds.

Climate: This entry includes a brief description of typical weather regimes throughout the year.

Coastline: This entry gives the total length of the boundary between the land area (including islands) and the sea.

Commercial bank prime lending rate: This entry provides a simple average of annualized interest rates commercial banks charge on new loans, denominated in the national currency, to their most credit- worthy customers.

Communications: This category deals with the means of exchanging information and includes the telephone, radio, television, and Internet host entries.

Communications - note: This entry includes miscellaneous communications information of significance not included elsewhere.

Constitution: This entry includes the dates of adoption, revisions, and major amendments.

Coordinated Universal Time (UTC): UTC is the international atomic time scale that serves as the basis of timekeeping for most of the world. The hours, minutes, and seconds expressed by UTC represent the time of day at the Prime Meridian (0 deg. longitude) located near Greenwich, England as reckoned from midnight. UTC is calculated by the Bureau International des Poids et Measures (BIPM) in Sevres, France. The BIPM averages data collected from more than 200 atomic time and frequency standards located at about 50 laboratories worldwide. UTC is the basis for all civil time with the Earth divided into time zones expressed as positive or negative differences from UTC. UTC is also referred to as "Zulu time." See the Standard Time Zones of the World map included with the Reference Maps.

Country data codes: see Data codes.

Country map: Most versions of the Factbook provide a country map in color. The maps were produced from the best information available at the time of preparation. Names and/or boundaries may have changed subsequently.

Country name: This entry includes all forms of the country's name approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (Italy is used as an example): conventional long form (Italian Republic), conventional short form (Italy), local long form (Repubblica Italiana), local short form (Italia), former (Kingdom of Italy), as well as the abbreviation. Also see the Terminology note.

Crude oil: See entry for oil.

Current account balance: This entry records a country's net trade in goods and services, plus net earnings from rents, interest, profits, and dividends, and net transfer payments (such as pension funds and worker remittances) to and from the rest of the world during the period specified. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.

Data codes: This information is presented in Appendix D: Cross-

Reference List of Country Data Codes and Appendix E: Cross-Reference

List of Hydrographic Data Codes.

Date of information: In general, information available as of 1 January 2007 was used in the preparation of this edition.

Daylight Saving Time (DST): This entry is included for those entities that have adopted a policy of adjusting the official local time forward, usually one hour, from Standard Time during summer months. Such policies are most common in mid-latitude regions.

Death rate: This entry gives the average annual number of deaths during a year per 1,000 population at midyear; also known as crude death rate. The death rate, while only a rough indicator of the mortality situation in a country, accurately indicates the current mortality impact on population growth. This indicator is significantly affected by age distribution, and most countries will eventually show a rise in the overall death rate, in spite of continued decline in mortality at all ages, as declining fertility results in an aging population.

Debt - external: This entry gives the total public and private debt owed to nonresidents repayable in foreign currency, goods, or services. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.

Dependency status: This entry describes the formal relationship between a particular nonindependent entity and an independent state.

Dependent areas: This entry contains an alphabetical listing of all nonindependent entities associated in some way with a particular independent state.

Diplomatic representation: The US Government has diplomatic relations with 189 independent states, including 187 of the 192 UN members (excluded UN members are Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and the US itself). In addition, the US has diplomatic relations with 2 independent states that are not in the UN, the Holy See and Kosovo, as well as with the EU.

Diplomatic representation from the US: This entry includes the chief of mission, embassy address, mailing address, telephone number, FAX number, branch office locations, consulate general locations, and consulate locations.

Diplomatic representation in the US: This entry includes the chief of mission, chancery, telephone, FAX, consulate general locations, and consulate locations.

Disputes - international: This entry includes a wide variety of situations that range from traditional bilateral boundary disputes to unilateral claims of one sort or another. Information regarding disputes over international terrestrial and maritime boundaries has been reviewed by the US Department of State. References to other situations involving borders or frontiers may also be included, such as resource disputes, geopolitical questions, or irredentist issues; however, inclusion does not necessarily constitute official acceptance or recognition by the US Government.

Distribution of family income - Gini index: This index measures the degree of inequality in the distribution of family income in a country. The index is calculated from the Lorenz curve, in which cumulative family income is plotted against the number of families arranged from the poorest to the richest. The index is the ratio of (a) the area between a country's Lorenz curve and the 45 degree helping line to (b) the entire triangular area under the 45 degree line. The more nearly equal a country's income distribution, the closer its Lorenz curve to the 45 degree line and the lower its Gini index, e.g., a Scandinavian country with an index of 25. The more unequal a country's income distribution, the farther its Lorenz curve from the 45 degree line and the higher its Gini index, e.g., a Sub-Saharan country with an index of 50. If income were distributed with perfect equality, the Lorenz curve would coincide with the 45 degree line and the index would be zero; if income were distributed with perfect inequality, the Lorenz curve would coincide with the horizontal axis and the right vertical axis and the index would be 100.

Economy: This category includes the entries dealing with the size, development, and management of productive resources, i.e., land, labor, and capital.

Economy - overview: This entry briefly describes the type of economy, including the degree of market orientation, the level of economic development, the most important natural resources, and the unique areas of specialization. It also characterizes major economic events and policy changes in the most recent 12 months and may include a statement about one or two key future macroeconomic trends.

Education expenditures: This entry provides the public expenditure on education as a percent of GDP

Electricity - consumption: This entry consists of total electricity generated annually plus imports and minus exports, expressed in kilowatt-hours. The discrepancy between the amount of electricity generated and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is accounted for as loss in transmission and distribution.

Electricity - exports: This entry is the total exported electricity in kilowatt-hours.

Electricity - imports: This entry is the total imported electricity in kilowatt-hours.

Electricity - production: This entry is the annual electricity generated expressed in kilowatt-hours. The discrepancy between the amount of electricity generated and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is accounted for as loss in transmission and distribution.

Elevation extremes: This entry includes both the highest point and the lowest point.

Entities: Some of the independent states, dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, and governments included in this publication are not independent, and others are not officially recognized by the US Government. "Independent state" refers to a people politically organized into a sovereign state with a definite territory. "Dependencies" and "areas of special sovereignty" refer to a broad category of political entities that are associated in some way with an independent state. "Country" names used in the table of contents or for page headings are usually the short-form names as approved by the US Board on Geographic Names and may include independent states, dependencies, and areas of special sovereignty, or other geographic entities. There are a total of 266 separate geographic entities in The World Factbook that may be categorized as follows:

INDEPENDENT STATES

194 Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and

Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The

Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize,

Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil,

Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon,

Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China,

Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the

Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech

Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,

Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia,

Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana,

Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy

See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland,

Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati,

North Korea, South Korea, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia,

Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,

Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta,

Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of

Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique,

Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria,

Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay,

Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda,

Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,

Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,

Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia,

Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan,

Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania,

Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia,

Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay,

Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

OTHER

2 Taiwan, European Union

DEPENDENCIES AND AREAS OF SPECIAL SOVEREIGNTY

6 Australia - Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island

2 China - Hong Kong, Macau

2 Denmark - Faroe Islands, Greenland

9 France - Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna

2 Netherlands - Aruba, Netherlands Antilles

3 New Zealand - Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau

3 Norway - Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard

17 UK - Akrotiri, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory,

British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dhekelia, Falkland Islands,

Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands,

Saint Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and

Caicos Islands

14 US - American Samoa, Baker Island*, Guam, Howland Island*, Jarvis

Island*, Johnston Atoll*, Kingman Reef*, Midway Islands*, Navassa

Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll*, Puerto Rico, Virgin

Islands, Wake Island (* consolidated in United States Pacific Island

Wildlife Refuges entry)

MISCELLANEOUS

6 Antarctica, Gaza Strip, Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands, West Bank, Western Sahara

OTHER ENTITIES

5 oceans - Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Southern Ocean

1 World

266 total

Environment - current issues: This entry lists the most pressing and important environmental problems. The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry:

Acidification - the lowering of soil and water pH due to acid precipitation and deposition usually through precipitation; this process disrupts ecosystem nutrient flows and may kill freshwater fish and plants dependent on more neutral or alkaline conditions (see acid rain).

Acid rain - characterized as containing harmful levels of sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxide; acid rain is damaging and potentially deadly to the earth's fragile ecosystems; acidity is measured using the pH scale where 7 is neutral, values greater than 7 are considered alkaline, and values below 5.6 are considered acid precipitation; note - a pH of 2.4 (the acidity of vinegar) has been measured in rainfall in New England.

Aerosol - a collection of airborne particles dispersed in a gas, smoke, or fog.

Afforestation - converting a bare or agricultural space by planting trees and plants; reforestation involves replanting trees on areas that have been cut or destroyed by fire.

Asbestos - a naturally occurring soft fibrous mineral commonly used in fireproofing materials and considered to be highly carcinogenic in particulate form.

Biodiversity - also biological diversity; the relative number of species, diverse in form and function, at the genetic, organism, community, and ecosystem level; loss of biodiversity reduces an ecosystem's ability to recover from natural or man-induced disruption.

Bio-indicators - a plant or animal species whose presence, abundance, and health reveal the general condition of its habitat.

Biomass - the total weight or volume of living matter in a given area or volume.

Carbon cycle - the term used to describe the exchange of carbon (in various forms, e.g., as carbon dioxide) between the atmosphere, ocean, terrestrial biosphere, and geological deposits.

Catchments - assemblages used to capture and retain rainwater and runoff; an important water management technique in areas with limited freshwater resources, such as Gibraltar.

DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane) - a colorless, odorless insecticide that has toxic effects on most animals; the use of DDT was banned in the US in 1972.

Defoliants - chemicals which cause plants to lose their leaves artificially; often used in agricultural practices for weed control, and may have detrimental impacts on human and ecosystem health.

Deforestation - the destruction of vast areas of forest (e.g., unsustainable forestry practices, agricultural and range land clearing, and the over exploitation of wood products for use as fuel) without planting new growth.

Desertification - the spread of desert-like conditions in arid or semi- arid areas, due to overgrazing, loss of agriculturally productive soils, or climate change.

Dredging - the practice of deepening an existing waterway; also, a technique used for collecting bottom-dwelling marine organisms (e.g., shellfish) or harvesting coral, often causing significant destruction of reef and ocean-floor ecosystems.

Drift-net fishing - done with a net, miles in extent, that is generally anchored to a boat and left to float with the tide; often results in an over harvesting and waste of large populations of non-commercial marine species (by-catch) by its effect of "sweeping the ocean clean."

Ecosystems - ecological units comprised of complex communities of organisms and their specific environments.

Effluents - waste materials, such as smoke, sewage, or industrial waste which are released into the environment, subsequently polluting it.

Endangered species - a species that is threatened with extinction either by direct hunting or habitat destruction.

Freshwater - water with very low soluble mineral content; sources include lakes, streams, rivers, glaciers, and underground aquifers.

Greenhouse gas - a gas that "traps" infrared radiation in the lower atmosphere causing surface warming; water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, hydrofluorocarbons, and ozone are the primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere.

Groundwater - water sources found below the surface of the earth often in naturally occurring reservoirs in permeable rock strata; the source for wells and natural springs.

Highlands Water Project - a series of dams constructed jointly by Lesotho and South Africa to redirect Lesotho's abundant water supply into a rapidly growing area in South Africa; while it is the largest infrastructure project in southern Africa, it is also the most costly and controversial; objections to the project include claims that it forces people from their homes, submerges farmlands, and squanders economic resources.

Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC) - represents the 145,000 Inuits of Russia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland in international environmental issues; a General Assembly convenes every three years to determine the focus of the ICC; the most current concerns are long-range transport of pollutants, sustainable development, and climate change.

Metallurgical plants - industries which specialize in the science, technology, and processing of metals; these plants produce highly concentrated and toxic wastes which can contribute to pollution of ground water and air when not properly disposed.

Noxious substances - injurious, very harmful to living beings.

Overgrazing - the grazing of animals on plant material faster than it can naturally regrow leading to the permanent loss of plant cover, a common effect of too many animals grazing limited range land.

Ozone shield - a layer of the atmosphere composed of ozone gas (O3) that resides approximately 25 miles above the Earth's surface and absorbs solar ultraviolet radiation that can be harmful to living organisms.

Poaching - the illegal killing of animals or fish, a great concern with respect to endangered or threatened species.

Pollution - the contamination of a healthy environment by man-made waste.

Potable water - water that is drinkable, safe to be consumed.

Salination - the process through which fresh (drinkable) water becomes salt (undrinkable) water; hence, desalination is the reverse process; also involves the accumulation of salts in topsoil caused by evaporation of excessive irrigation water, a process that can eventually render soil incapable of supporting crops.

Siltation - occurs when water channels and reservoirs become clotted with silt and mud, a side effect of deforestation and soil erosion.

Slash-and-burn agriculture - a rotating cultivation technique in which trees are cut down and burned in order to clear land for temporary agriculture; the land is used until its productivity declines at which point a new plot is selected and the process repeats; this practice is sustainable while population levels are low and time is permitted for regrowth of natural vegetation; conversely, where these conditions do not exist, the practice can have disastrous consequences for the environment.

Soil degradation - damage to the land's productive capacity because of poor agricultural practices such as the excessive use of pesticides or fertilizers, soil compaction from heavy equipment, or erosion of topsoil, eventually resulting in reduced ability to produce agricultural products.

Soil erosion - the removal of soil by the action of water or wind, compounded by poor agricultural practices, deforestation, overgrazing, and desertification.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation - a portion of the electromagnetic energy emitted by the sun and naturally filtered in the upper atmosphere by the ozone layer; UV radiation can be harmful to living organisms and has been linked to increasing rates of skin cancer in humans.

Waterborne diseases - those in which bacteria survive in, and are transmitted through, water; always a serious threat in areas with an untreated water supply.

Environment - international agreements: This entry separates country participation in international environmental agreements into two levels - party to and signed, but not ratified. Agreements are listed in alphabetical order by the abbreviated form of the full name.

Environmental agreements: This information is presented in Appendix C: Selected International Environmental Agreements, which includes the name, abbreviation, date opened for signature, date entered into force, objective, and parties by category.

Ethnic groups: This entry provides an ordered listing of ethnic groups starting with the largest and normally includes the percent of total population.

Exchange rates: This entry provides the official value of a country's monetary unit at a given date or over a given period of time, as expressed in units of local currency per US dollar and as determined by international market forces or official fiat. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 4217 alphabetic currency code for the national medium of exchange is presented in parenthesis.

Executive branch: This entry includes several subfields. Chief of state includes the name and title of the titular leader of the country who represents the state at official and ceremonial functions but may not be involved with the day-to-day activities of the government. Head of government includes the name and title of the top administrative leader who is designated to manage the day-to-day activities of the government. For example, in the UK, the monarch is the chief of state, and the prime minister is the head of government. In the US, the president is both the chief of state and the head of government. Cabinet includes the official name for this body of high-ranking advisers and the method for selection of members. Elections include the nature of election process or accession to power, date of the last election, and date of the next election. Election results includes the percent of vote for each candidate in the last election.

Exports: This entry provides the total US dollar amount of merchandise exports on an f.o.b. (free on board) basis. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.

Exports - commodities: This entry provides a listing of the highest- valued exported products; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value.

Exports - partners: This entry provides a rank ordering of trading partners starting with the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value.

Flag description: This entry provides a written flag description produced from actual flags or the best information available at the time the entry was written. The flags of independent states are used by their dependencies unless there is an officially recognized local flag. Some disputed and other areas do not have flags.

Flag graphic: Most versions of the Factbook include a color flag at the beginning of the country profile. The flag graphics were produced from actual flags or the best information available at the time of preparation. The flags of independent states are used by their dependencies unless there is an officially recognized local flag. Some disputed and other areas do not have flags.

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): This entry provides the annual quantity of water in cubic kilometers removed from available sources for use in any purpose. Water drawn-off is not necessarily entirely consumed and some portion may be returned for further use downstream. Domestic sector use refers to water supplied by public distribution systems. Note that some of this total may be used for small industrial and/or limited agricultural purposes. Industrial sector use is the quantity of water used by self-supplied industries not connected to a public distribution system. Agricultural sector use includes water used for irrigation and livestock watering, and does not account for agriculture directly dependent on rainfall. Included are figures for total annual water withdrawal and per capita water withdrawal.

GDP (official exchange rate): This entry gives the gross domestic product (GDP) or value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year. A nation's GDP at official exchange rates (OER) is the home-currency-denominated annual GDP figure divided by the bilateral average US exchange rate with that country in that year. The measure is simple to compute and gives a precise measure of the value of output. Many economists prefer this measure when gauging the economic power an economy maintains vis-à-vis its neighbors, judging that an exchange rate captures the purchasing power a nation enjoys in the international marketplace. Official exchange rates, however, can be artificially fixed and/or subject to manipulation - resulting in claims of the country having an under- or over-valued currency - and are not necessarily the equivalent of a market-determined exchange rate. Moreover, even if the official exchange rate is market-determined, market exchange rates are frequently established by a relatively small set of goods and services (the ones the country trades) and may not capture the value of the larger set of goods the country produces. Furthermore, OER-converted GDP is not well suited to comparing domestic GDP over time, since appreciation/depreciation from one year to the next will make the OER GDP value rise/fall regardless of whether home- currency-denominated GDP changed.

GDP (purchasing power parity): This entry gives the gross domestic product (GDP) or value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year. A nation's GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates is the sum value of all goods and services produced in the country valued at prices prevailing in the United States. This is the measure most economists prefer when looking at per- capita welfare and when comparing living conditions or use of resources across countries. The measure is difficult to compute, as a US dollar value has to be assigned to all goods and services in the country regardless of whether these goods and services have a direct equivalent in the United States (for example, the value of an ox-cart or non-US military equipment); as a result, PPP estimates for some countries are based on a small and sometimes different set of goods and services. In addition, many countries do not formally participate in the World Bank's PPP project that calculates these measures, so the resulting GDP estimates for these countries may lack precision. For many developing countries, PPP-based GDP measures are multiples of the official exchange rate (OER) measure. The difference between the OER- and PPP- denominated GDP values for most of the wealthy industrialized countries are generally much smaller.

GDP - composition by sector: This entry gives the percentage contribution of agriculture, industry, and services to total GDP. The distribution will total less than 100 percent if the data are incomplete.

GDP - per capita (PPP): This entry shows GDP on a purchasing power parity basis divided by population as of 1 July for the same year.

GDP - real growth rate: This entry gives GDP growth on an annual basis adjusted for inflation and expressed as a percent.

GDP methodology: In the Economy category, GDP dollar estimates for countries are reported both on an official exchange rate (OER) and a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis. Both measures contain information that is useful to the reader. The PPP method involves the use of standardized international dollar price weights, which are applied to the quantities of final goods and services produced in a given economy. The data derived from the PPP method probably provide the best available starting point for comparisons of economic strength and well- being between countries. In contrast, the currency exchange rate method involves a variety of international and domestic financial forces that may not capture the value of domestic output. Whereas PPP estimates for OECD countries are quite reliable, PPP estimates for developing countries are often rough approximations. In developing countries with weak currencies, the exchange rate estimate of GDP in dollars is typically one-fourth to one-half the PPP estimate. Most of the GDP estimates for developing countries are based on extrapolation of PPP numbers published by the UN International Comparison Program (UNICP) and by Professors Robert Summers and Alan Heston of the University of Pennsylvania and their colleagues. GDP derived using the OER method should be used for the purpose of calculating the share of items such as exports, imports, military expenditures, external debt, or the current account balance, because the dollar values presented in the Factbook for these items have been converted at official exchange rates, not at PPP. One should use the OER GDP figure to calculate the proportion of, say, Chinese defense expenditures in GDP, because that share will be the same as one calculated in local currency units. Comparison of OER GDP with PPP GDP may also indicate whether a currency is over- or under-valued. If OER GDP is smaller than PPP GDP, the official exchange rate may be undervalued, and vice versa. However, there is no strong historical evidence that market exchange rates move in the direction implied by the PPP rate, at least not in the short- or medium-term. Note: the numbers for GDP and other economic data should not be chained together from successive volumes of the Factbook because of changes in the US dollar measuring rod, revisions of data by statistical agencies, use of new or different sources of information, and changes in national statistical methods and practices.

GNP: Gross national product (GNP) is the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year, plus income earned by its citizens abroad, minus income earned by foreigners from domestic production. The Factbook, following current practice, uses GDP rather than GNP to measure national production. However, the user must realize that in certain countries net remittances from citizens working abroad may be important to national well-being.

GWP: This entry gives the gross world product (GWP) or aggregate value of all final goods and services produced worldwide in a given year.

Geographic coordinates: This entry includes rounded latitude and longitude figures for the purpose of finding the approximate geographic center of an entity and is based on the locations provided in the Geographic Names Server (GNS), maintained by the National Geospatial- Intelligence Agency on behalf of the US Board on Geographic Names.

Geographic names: This information is presented in Appendix F: Cross- Reference List of Geographic Names. It includes a listing of various alternate names, former names, local names, and regional names referenced to one or more related Factbook entries. Spellings are normally, but not always, those approved by the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN). Alternate names and additional information are included in parentheses.

Geography: This category includes the entries dealing with the natural environment and the effects of human activity.

Geography - note: This entry includes miscellaneous geographic information of significance not included elsewhere.

Gini index: See entry for Distribution of family income - Gini index

Government: This category includes the entries dealing with the system for the adoption and administration of public policy.

Government - note: This entry includes miscellaneous government information of significance not included elsewhere.

Government type: This entry gives the basic form of government. Definitions of the major governmental terms are as follows. (Note that for some countries more than one definition applies.):

Absolute monarchy - a form of government where the monarch rules unhindered, i.e., without any laws, constitution, or legally organized opposition.

Anarchy - a condition of lawlessness or political disorder brought about by the absence of governmental authority.

Authoritarian - a form of government in which state authority is imposed onto many aspects of citizens' lives.

Commonwealth - a nation, state, or other political entity founded on law and united by a compact of the people for the common good.

Communist - a system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single - often authoritarian - party holds power; state controls are imposed with the elimination of private ownership of property or capital while claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people (i.e., a classless society).

Confederacy (Confederation) - a union by compact or treaty between states, provinces, or territories, that creates a central government with limited powers; the constituent entities retain supreme authority over all matters except those delegated to the central government.

Constitutional - a government by or operating under an authoritative document (constitution) that sets forth the system of fundamental laws and principles that determines the nature, functions, and limits of that government.

Constitutional democracy - a form of government in which the sovereign power of the people is spelled out in a governing constitution.

Constitutional monarchy - a system of government in which a monarch is guided by a constitution whereby his/her rights, duties, and responsibilities are spelled out in written law or by custom.

Democracy - a form of government in which the supreme power is retained by the people, but which is usually exercised indirectly through a system of representation and delegated authority periodically renewed.

Democratic republic - a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them.

Dictatorship - a form of government in which a ruler or small clique wield absolute power (not restricted by a constitution or laws).

Ecclesiastical - a government administrated by a church.

Emirate - similar to a monarchy or sultanate, but a government in which the supreme power is in the hands of an emir (the ruler of a Muslim state); the emir may be an absolute overlord or a sovereign with constitutionally limited authority.

Federal (Federation) - a form of government in which sovereign power is formally divided - usually by means of a constitution - between a central authority and a number of constituent regions (states, colonies, or provinces) so that each region retains some management of its internal affairs; differs from a confederacy in that the central government exerts influence directly upon both individuals as well as upon the regional units.

Federal republic - a state in which the powers of the central government are restricted and in which the component parts (states, colonies, or provinces) retain a degree of self-government; ultimate sovereign power rests with the voters who chose their governmental representatives.

Islamic republic - a particular form of government adopted by some Muslim states; although such a state is, in theory, a theocracy, it remains a republic, but its laws are required to be compatible with the laws of Islam.

Maoism - the theory and practice of Marxism-Leninism developed in China by Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung), which states that a continuous revolution is necessary if the leaders of a communist state are to keep in touch with the people.

Marxism - the political, economic, and social principles espoused by 19th century economist Karl Marx; he viewed the struggle of workers as a progression of historical forces that would proceed from a class struggle of the proletariat (workers) exploited by capitalists (business owners), to a socialist "dictatorship of the proletariat," to, finally, a classless society - Communism.

Marxism-Leninism - an expanded form of communism developed by Lenin from doctrines of Karl Marx; Lenin saw imperialism as the final stage of capitalism and shifted the focus of workers' struggle from developed to underdeveloped countries.

Monarchy - a government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of a monarch who reigns over a state or territory, usually for life and by hereditary right; the monarch may be either a sole absolute ruler or a sovereign - such as a king, queen, or prince - with constitutionally limited authority.

Oligarchy - a government in which control is exercised by a small group of individuals whose authority generally is based on wealth or power.

Parliamentary democracy - a political system in which the legislature (parliament) selects the government - a prime minister, premier, or chancellor along with the cabinet ministers - according to party strength as expressed in elections; by this system, the government acquires a dual responsibility: to the people as well as to the parliament.

Parliamentary government (Cabinet-Parliamentary government) - a government in which members of an executive branch (the cabinet and its leader - a prime minister, premier, or chancellor) are nominated to their positions by a legislature or parliament, and are directly responsible to it; this type of government can be dissolved at will by the parliament (legislature) by means of a no confidence vote or the leader of the cabinet may dissolve the parliament if it can no longer function.

Parliamentary monarchy - a state headed by a monarch who is not actively involved in policy formation or implementation (i.e., the exercise of sovereign powers by a monarch in a ceremonial capacity); true governmental leadership is carried out by a cabinet and its head - a prime minister, premier, or chancellor - who are drawn from a legislature (parliament).

Presidential - a system of government where the executive branch exists separately from a legislature (to which it is generally not accountable).

Republic - a representative democracy in which the people's elected deputies (representatives), not the people themselves, vote on legislation.

Socialism - a government in which the means of planning, producing, and distributing goods is controlled by a central government that theoretically seeks a more just and equitable distribution of property and labor; in actuality, most socialist governments have ended up being no more than dictatorships over workers by a ruling elite.

Sultanate - similar to a monarchy, but a government in which the supreme power is in the hands of a sultan (the head of a Muslim state); the sultan may be an absolute ruler or a sovereign with constitutionally limited authority.

Theocracy - a form of government in which a Deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler, but the Deity's laws are interpreted by ecclesiastical authorities (bishops, mullahs, etc.); a government subject to religious authority.

Totalitarian - a government that seeks to subordinate the individual to the state by controlling not only all political and economic matters, but also the attitudes, values, and beliefs of its population.

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT): The mean solar time at the Greenwich Meridian, Greenwich, England, with the hours and days, since 1925, reckoned from midnight. GMT is now a historical term having been replaced by UTC on 1 January 1972. See Coordinated Universal Time.

Gross domestic product: see GDP

Gross national product: see GNP

Gross world product: see GWP

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: This entry gives an estimate of the percentage of adults (aged 15-49) living with HIV/AIDS. The adult prevalence rate is calculated by dividing the estimated number of adults living with HIV/AIDS at yearend by the total adult population at yearend.

HIV/AIDS - deaths: This entry gives an estimate of the number of adults and children who died of AIDS during a given calendar year.

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: This entry gives an estimate of all people (adults and children) alive at yearend with HIV infection, whether or not they have developed symptoms of AIDS.

Heliports: This entry gives the total number of heliports with hard- surface runways, helipads, or landing areas that support routine sustained helicopter operations exclusively and have support facilities including one or more of the following facilities: lighting, fuel, passenger handling, or maintenance. It includes former airports used exclusively for helicopter operations but excludes heliports limited to day operations and natural clearings that could support helicopter landings and takeoffs.

Household income or consumption by percentage share: Data on household income or consumption come from household surveys, the results adjusted for household size. Nations use different standards and procedures in collecting and adjusting the data. Surveys based on income will normally show a more unequal distribution than surveys based on consumption. The quality of surveys is improving with time, yet caution is still necessary in making inter-country comparisons.

Hydrographic data codes: see Data codes

Illicit drugs: This entry gives information on the five categories of illicit drugs - narcotics, stimulants, depressants (sedatives), hallucinogens, and cannabis. These categories include many drugs legally produced and prescribed by doctors as well as those illegally produced and sold outside of medical channels.

Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) is the common hemp plant, which provides hallucinogens with some sedative properties, and includes marijuana (pot, Acapulco gold, grass, reefer), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, Marinol), hashish (hash), and hashish oil (hash oil).

Coca (mostly Erythroxylum coca) is a bush with leaves that contain the stimulant used to make cocaine. Coca is not to be confused with cocoa, which comes from cacao seeds and is used in making chocolate, cocoa, and cocoa butter.

Cocaine is a stimulant derived from the leaves of the coca bush.

Depressants (sedatives) are drugs that reduce tension and anxiety and include chloral hydrate, barbiturates (Amytal, Nembutal, Seconal, phenobarbital), benzodiazepines (Librium, Valium), methaqualone (Quaalude), glutethimide (Doriden), and others (Equanil, Placidyl, Valmid).

Drugs are any chemical substances that effect a physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral change in an individual.

Drug abuse is the use of any licit or illicit chemical substance that results in physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral impairment in an individual.

Hallucinogens are drugs that affect sensation, thinking, self- awareness, and emotion. Hallucinogens include LSD (acid, microdot), mescaline and peyote (mexc, buttons, cactus), amphetamine variants (PMA, STP, DOB), phencyclidine (PCP, angel dust, hog), phencyclidine analogues (PCE, PCPy, TCP), and others (psilocybin, psilocyn).

Hashish is the resinous exudate of the cannabis or hemp plant (Cannabis sativa).

Heroin is a semisynthetic derivative of morphine.

Mandrax is a trade name for methaqualone, a pharmaceutical depressant.

Marijuana is the dried leaf of the cannabis or hemp plant (Cannabis sativa).

Methaqualone is a pharmaceutical depressant, referred to as mandrax in

Southwest Asia and Africa.

Narcotics are drugs that relieve pain, often induce sleep, and refer to opium, opium derivatives, and synthetic substitutes. Natural narcotics include opium (paregoric, parepectolin), morphine (MS-Contin, Roxanol), codeine (Tylenol with codeine, Empirin with codeine, Robitussin AC), and thebaine. Semisynthetic narcotics include heroin (horse, smack), and hydromorphone (Dilaudid). Synthetic narcotics include meperidine or Pethidine (Demerol, Mepergan), methadone (Dolophine, Methadose), and others (Darvon, Lomotil).

Opium is the brown, gummy exudate of the incised, unripe seedpod of the opium poppy.

Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) is the source for the natural and semisynthetic narcotics.

Poppy straw is the entire cut and dried opium poppy-plant material, other than the seeds. Opium is extracted from poppy straw in commercial operations that produce the drug for medical use.

Qat (kat, khat) is a stimulant from the buds or leaves of Catha edulis that is chewed or drunk as tea.

Quaaludes is the North American slang term for methaqualone, a pharmaceutical depressant.

Stimulants are drugs that relieve mild depression, increase energy and

activity, and include cocaine (coke, snow, crack), amphetamines

(Desoxyn, Dexedrine), ephedrine, ecstasy (clarity, essence, doctor,

Adam), phenmetrazine (Preludin), methylphenidate (Ritalin), and others

(Cylert, Sanorex, Tenuate).

Imports: This entry provides the total US dollar amount of merchandise imports on a c.i.f. (cost, insurance, and freight) or f.o.b. (free on board) basis. These figures are calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms.

Imports - commodities: This entry provides a listing of the highest- valued imported products; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value.

Imports - partners: This entry provides a rank ordering of trading partners starting with the most important; it sometimes includes the percent of total dollar value.

Independence: For most countries, this entry gives the date that sovereignty was achieved and from which nation, empire, or trusteeship. For the other countries, the date given may not represent "independence" in the strict sense, but rather some significant nationhood event such as the traditional founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation, establishment, fundamental change in the form of government, or state succession. Dependent areas include the notation "none" followed by the nature of their dependency status. Also see the Terminology note.

Industrial production growth rate: This entry gives the annual percentage increase in industrial production (includes manufacturing, mining, and construction).

Industries: This entry provides a rank ordering of industries starting with the largest by value of annual output.

Infant mortality rate: This entry gives the number of deaths of infants under one year old in a given year per 1,000 live births in the same year; included is the total death rate, and deaths by sex, male and female. This rate is often used as an indicator of the level of health in a country.

Inflation rate (consumer prices): This entry furnishes the annual percent change in consumer prices compared with the previous year's consumer prices.

International disputes: see Disputes - international

International organization participation: This entry lists in alphabetical order by abbreviation those international organizations in which the subject country is a member or participates in some other way.

International organizations: This information is presented in Appendix B: International Organizations and Groups which includes the name, abbreviation, date established, aim, and members by category.

Internet country code: This entry includes the two-letter codes maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in the ISO 3166 Alpha-2 list and used by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to establish country-coded top-level domains (ccTLDs).

Internet hosts: This entry lists the number of Internet hosts available within a country. An Internet host is a computer connected directly to the Internet; normally an Internet Service Provider's (ISP) computer is a host. Internet users may use either a hard-wired terminal, at an institution with a mainframe computer connected directly to the Internet, or may connect remotely by way of a modem via telephone line, cable, or satellite to the Internet Service Provider's host computer. The number of hosts is one indicator of the extent of Internet connectivity.

Internet users: This entry gives the number of users within a country that access the Internet. Statistics vary from country to country and may include users who access the Internet at least several times a week to those who access it only once within a period of several months.

Introduction: This category includes one entry, Background.

Investment (gross fixed): This entry records total business spending on fixed assets, such as factories, machinery, equipment, dwellings, and inventories of raw materials, which provide the basis for future production. It is measured gross of the depreciation of the assets, i.e., it includes investment that merely replaces worn-out or scrapped capital.

Irrigated land: This entry gives the number of square kilometers of land area that is artificially supplied with water.

Judicial branch: This entry contains the name(s) of the highest court(s) and a brief description of the selection process for members.

Labor force: This entry contains the total labor force figure.

Labor force - by occupation: This entry lists the percentage distribution of the labor force by occupation. The distribution will total less than 100 percent if the data are incomplete.

Land boundaries: This entry contains the total length of all land boundaries and the individual lengths for each of the contiguous border countries. When available, official lengths published by national statistical agencies are used. Because surveying methods may differ, country border lengths reported by contiguous countries may differ.

Land use: This entry contains the percentage shares of total land area for three different types of land use: arable land - land cultivated for crops like wheat, maize, and rice that are replanted after each harvest; permanent crops - land cultivated for crops like citrus, coffee, and rubber that are not replanted after each harvest; includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber; other - any land not arable or under permanent crops; includes permanent meadows and pastures, forests and woodlands, built-on areas, roads, barren land, etc.

Languages: This entry provides a rank ordering of languages starting with the largest and sometimes includes the percent of total population speaking that language.

Legal system: This entry contains a brief description of the legal system's historical roots, role in government, and acceptance of International Court of Justice (ICJ) jurisdiction.

Legislative branch: This entry contains information on the structure (unicameral, bicameral, tricameral), formal name, number of seats, and term of office. Elections includes the nature of election process or accession to power, date of the last election, and date of the next election. Election results includes the percent of vote and/or number of seats held by each party in the last election.

Life expectancy at birth: This entry contains the average number of years to be lived by a group of people born in the same year, if mortality at each age remains constant in the future. The entry includes total population as well as the male and female components. Life expectancy at birth is also a measure of overall quality of life in a country and summarizes the mortality at all ages. It can also be thought of as indicating the potential return on investment in human capital and is necessary for the calculation of various actuarial measures.

Literacy: This entry includes a definition of literacy and Census Bureau percentages for the total population, males, and females. There are no universal definitions and standards of literacy. Unless otherwise specified, all rates are based on the most common definition - the ability to read and write at a specified age. Detailing the standards that individual countries use to assess the ability to read and write is beyond the scope of the Factbook. Information on literacy, while not a perfect measure of educational results, is probably the most easily available and valid for international comparisons. Low levels of literacy, and education in general, can impede the economic development of a country in the current rapidly changing, technology- driven world.

Location: This entry identifies the country's regional location, neighboring countries, and adjacent bodies of water.

Major infectious diseases: This entry lists major infectious diseases likely to be encountered in countries where the risk of such diseases is assessed to be very high as compared to the United States. These infectious diseases represent risks to US government personnel traveling to the specified country for a period of less than three years. The degree of risk is assessed by considering the foreign nature of these infectious diseases, their severity, and the probability of being affected by the diseases present. The diseases listed do not necessarily represent the total disease burden experienced by the local population.

The risk to an individual traveler varies considerably by the specific location, visit duration, type of activities, type of accommodations, time of year, and other factors. Consultation with a travel medicine physician is needed to evaluate individual risk and recommend appropriate preventive measures such as vaccines.

Diseases are organized into the following six exposure categories shown in italics and listed in typical descending order of risk. Note: The sequence of exposure categories listed in individual country entries may vary according to local conditions.

food or waterborne diseases acquired through eating or drinking on the local economy:

Hepatitis A - viral disease that interferes with the functioning of the liver; spread through consumption of food or water contaminated with fecal matter, principally in areas of poor sanitation; victims exhibit fever, jaundice, and diarrhea; 15% of victims will experience prolonged symptoms over 6-9 months; vaccine available.

Hepatitis E - water-borne viral disease that interferes with the functioning of the liver; most commonly spread through fecal contamination of drinking water; victims exhibit jaundice, fatigue, abdominal pain, and dark colored urine.

Typhoid fever - bacterial disease spread through contact with food or water contaminated by fecal matter or sewage; victims exhibit sustained high fevers; left untreated, mortality rates can reach 20%.

vectorborne diseases acquired through the bite of an infected arthropod:

Malaria - caused by single-cell parasitic protozoa Plasmodium; transmitted to humans via the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito; parasites multiply in the liver attacking red blood cells resulting in cycles of fever, chills, and sweats accompanied by anemia; death due to damage to vital organs and interruption of blood supply to the brain; endemic in 100, mostly tropical, countries with 90% of cases and the majority of 1.5-2.5 million estimated annual deaths occurring in sub- Saharan Africa.

Dengue fever - mosquito-borne (Aedes aegypti) viral disease associated with urban environments; manifests as sudden onset of fever and severe headache; occasionally produces shock and hemorrhage leading to death in 5% of cases.

Yellow fever - mosquito-borne viral disease; severity ranges from influenza-like symptoms to severe hepatitis and hemorrhagic fever; occurs only in tropical South America and sub-Saharan Africa, where most cases are reported; fatality rate is less than 20%.

Japanese Encephalitis - mosquito-borne (Culex tritaeniorhynchus) viral disease associated with rural areas in Asia; acute encephalitis can progress to paralysis, coma, and death; fatality rates 30%.

African Trypanosomiasis - caused by the parasitic protozoa Trypanosoma; transmitted to humans via the bite of bloodsucking Tsetse flies; infection leads to malaise and irregular fevers and, in advanced cases when the parasites invade the central nervous system, coma and death; endemic in 36 countries of sub-Saharan Africa; cattle and wild animals act as reservoir hosts for the parasites.

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis - caused by the parasitic protozoa leishmania; transmitted to humans via the bite of sandflies; results in skin lesions that may become chronic; endemic in 88 countries; 90% of cases occur in Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Peru; wild and domesticated animals as well as humans can act as reservoirs of infection.

Plague - bacterial disease transmitted by fleas normally associated with rats; person-to-person airborne transmission also possible; recent plague epidemics occurred in areas of Asia, Africa, and South America associated with rural areas or small towns and villages; manifests as fever, headache, and painfully swollen lymph nodes; disease progresses rapidly and without antibiotic treatment leads to pneumonic form with a death rate in excess of 50%.

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever - tick-borne viral disease; infection may also result from exposure to infected animal blood or tissue; geographic distribution includes Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe; sudden onset of fever, headache, and muscle aches followed by hemorrhaging in the bowels, urine, nose, and gums; mortality rate is approximately 30%.

Rift Valley fever - viral disease affecting domesticated animals and humans; transmission is by mosquito and other biting insects; infection may also occur through handling of infected meat or contact with blood; geographic distribution includes eastern and southern Africa where cattle and sheep are raised; symptoms are generally mild with fever and some liver abnormalities, but the disease may progress to hemorrhagic fever, encephalitis, or ocular disease; fatality rates are low at about 1% of cases.

Chikungunya - mosquito-borne (Aedes aegypti) viral disease associated with urban environments, similar to Dengue Fever; characterized by sudden onset of fever, rash, and severe joint pain usually lasting 3-7 days, some cases result in persistent arthritis.

water contact diseases acquired through swimming or wading in freshwater lakes, streams, and rivers:

Leptospirosis - bacterial disease that affects animals and humans; infection occurs through contact with water, food, or soil contaminated by animal urine; symptoms include high fever, severe headache, vomiting, jaundice, and diarrhea; untreated, the disease can result in kidney damage, liver failure, meningitis, or respiratory distress; fatality rates are low but left untreated recovery can take months.

Schistosomiasis - caused by parasitic trematode flatworm Schistosoma; fresh water snails act as intermediate host and release larval form of parasite that penetrates the skin of people exposed to contaminated water; worms mature and reproduce in the blood vessels, liver, kidneys, and intestines releasing eggs, which become trapped in tissues triggering an immune response; may manifest as either urinary or intestinal disease resulting in decreased work or learning capacity; mortality, while generally low, may occur in advanced cases usually due to bladder cancer; endemic in 74 developing countries with 80% of infected people living in sub-Saharan Africa; humans act as the reservoir for this parasite.

aerosolized dust or soil contact disease acquired through inhalation of aerosols contaminated with rodent urine:

Lassa fever - viral disease carried by rats of the genus Mastomys; endemic in portions of West Africa; infection occurs through direct contact with or consumption of food contaminated by rodent urine or fecal matter containing virus particles; fatality rate can reach 50% in epidemic outbreaks.

respiratory disease acquired through close contact with an infectious person:

Meningococcal meningitis - bacterial disease causing an inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord; one of the most important bacterial pathogens is Neisseria meningitidis because of its potential to cause epidemics; symptoms include stiff neck, high fever, headaches, and vomiting; bacteria are transmitted from person to person by respiratory droplets and facilitated by close and prolonged contact resulting from crowded living conditions, often with a seasonal distribution; death occurs in 5-15% of cases, typically within 24-48 hours of onset of symptoms; highest burden of meningococcal disease occurs in the hyperendemic region of sub-Saharan Africa known as the "Meningitis Belt" which stretches from Senegal east to Ethiopia.

animal contact disease acquired through direct contact with local animals:

Rabies - viral disease of mammals usually transmitted through the bite of an infected animal, most commonly dogs; virus affects the central nervous system causing brain alteration and death; symptoms initially are non-specific fever and headache progressing to neurological symptoms; death occurs within days of the onset of symptoms.

Manpower available for military service: This entry gives the number of males and females falling in the military age range for a country (defined as being ages 16-49) and assumes that every individual is fit to serve.

Manpower fit for military service: This entry gives the number of males and females falling in the military age range for a country (defined as being ages 16-49) and who are not otherwise disqualified for health reasons; accounts for the health situation in the country and provides a more realistic estimate of the actual number fit to serve.

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually: This entry gives the number of males and females entering the military manpower pool (i.e., reaching age 16) in any given year and is a measure of the availability of military-age young adults.

Map references: This entry includes the name of the Factbook reference map on which a country may be found. Note that boundary representations on these maps are not necessarily authoritative. The entry on Geographic coordinates may be helpful in finding some smaller countries.

Maritime claims: This entry includes the following claims, the definitions of which are excerpted from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which alone contains the full and definitive descriptions:

territorial sea - the sovereignty of a coastal state extends beyond its land territory and internal waters to an adjacent belt of sea, described as the territorial sea in the UNCLOS (Part II); this sovereignty extends to the air space over the territorial sea as well as its underlying seabed and subsoil; every state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles; the normal baseline for measuring the breadth of the territorial sea is the mean low-water line along the coast as marked on large-scale charts officially recognized by the coastal state; the UNCLOS describes specific rules for archipelagic states.

contiguous zone - according to the UNCLOS (Article 33), this is a zone contiguous to a coastal state's territorial sea, over which it may exercise the control necessary to: prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration, or sanitary laws and regulations within its territory or territorial sea; punish infringement of the above laws and regulations committed within its territory or territorial sea; the contiguous zone may not extend beyond 24 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured (e.g. the US has claimed a 12-nautical mile contiguous zone in addition to its 12-nautical mile territorial sea).

exclusive economic zone (EEZ) - the UNCLOS (Part V) defines the EEZ as a zone beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea in which a coastal state has: sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources, whether living or non-living, of the waters superjacent to the seabed and of the seabed and its subsoil, and with regard to other activities for the economic exploitation and exploration of the zone, such as the production of energy from the water, currents, and winds; jurisdiction with regard to the establishment and use of artificial islands, installations, and structures; marine scientific research; the protection and preservation of the marine environment; the outer limit of the exclusive economic zone shall not exceed 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.

continental shelf - the UNCLOS (Article 76) defines the continental shelf of a coastal state as comprising the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin, or to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured where the outer edge of the continental margin does not extend up to that distance; the continental margin comprises the submerged prolongation of the landmass of the coastal state, and consists of the seabed and subsoil of the shelf, the slope and the rise; wherever the continental margin extends beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline, coastal states may extend their claim to a distance not to exceed 350 nautical miles from the baseline or 100 nautical miles from the 2500 meter isobath; it does not include the deep ocean floor with its oceanic ridges or the subsoil thereof.

exclusive fishing zone - while this term is not used in the UNCLOS, some states (e.g., the United Kingdom) have chosen not to claim an EEZ, but rather to claim jurisdiction over the living resources off their coast; in such cases, the term exclusive fishing zone is often used; the breadth of this zone is normally the same as the EEZ or 200 nautical miles.

Market value of publicly traded shares: This entry gives the value of shares issued by publicly traded companies at a price determined in the national stock markets on the final day of the period indicated. It is simply the latest price per share multiplied by the total number of outstanding shares, cumulated over all companies listed on the particular exchange.

Median age: This entry is the age that divides a population into two numerically equal groups; that is, half the people are younger than this age and half are older. It is a single index that summarizes the age distribution of a population. Currently, the median age ranges from a low of about 15 in Uganda and Gaza Strip to 40 or more in several European countries and Japan. See the entry for "Age structure" for the importance of a young versus an older age structure and, by implication, a low versus a higher median age.

Merchant marine: Merchant marine may be defined as all ships engaged in the carriage of goods; or all commercial vessels (as opposed to all nonmilitary ships), which excludes tugs, fishing vessels, offshore oil rigs, etc. This entry contains information in four fields - total, ships by type, foreign-owned, and registered in other countries.

Total includes the number of ships (1,000 GRT or over), total DWT for those ships, and total GRT for those ships. DWT or dead weight tonnage is the total weight of cargo, plus bunkers, stores, etc., that a ship can carry when immersed to the appropriate load line. GRT or gross register tonnage is a figure obtained by measuring the entire sheltered volume of a ship available for cargo and passengers and converting it to tons on the basis of 100 cubic feet per ton; there is no stable relationship between GRT and DWT.

Ships by type includes a listing of barge carriers, bulk cargo ships, cargo ships, chemical tankers, combination bulk carriers, combination ore/oil carriers, container ships, liquefied gas tankers, livestock carriers, multifunctional large-load carriers, petroleum tankers, passenger ships, passenger/cargo ships, railcar carriers, refrigerated cargo ships, roll-on/roll-off cargo ships, short-sea passenger ships, specialized tankers, and vehicle carriers.

Foreign-owned are ships that fly the flag of one country but belong to owners in another.

Registered in other countries are ships that belong to owners in one country but fly the flag of another.

Military: This category includes the entries dealing with a country's military structure, manpower, and expenditures.

Military - note: This entry includes miscellaneous military information of significance not included elsewhere.

Military branches: This entry lists the service branches subordinate to defense ministries or the equivalent (typically ground, naval, air, and marine forces).

Military expenditures: This entry gives spending on defense programs for the most recent year available as a percent of gross domestic product (GDP); the GDP is calculated on an exchange rate basis, i.e., not in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP).

Military service age and obligation: This entry gives the required ages for voluntary or conscript military service and the length of service obligation.

Money figures: All money figures are expressed in contemporaneous US dollars unless otherwise indicated.

National holiday: This entry gives the primary national day of celebration - usually independence day.

Nationality: This entry provides the identifying terms for citizens - noun and adjective.

Natural gas - consumption: This entry is the total natural gas consumed in cubic meters (cu m). The discrepancy between the amount of natural gas produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes and other complicating factors.

Natural gas - exports: This entry is the total natural gas exported in cubic meters (cu m).

Natural gas - imports: This entry is the total natural gas imported in cubic meters (cu m).

Natural gas - production: This entry is the total natural gas produced in cubic meters (cu m). The discrepancy between the amount of natural gas produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes and other complicating factors.

Natural gas - proved reserves: This entry is the stock of proved reserves of natural gas in cubic meters (cu m). Proved reserves are those quantities of natural gas, which, by analysis of geological and engineering data, can be estimated with a high degree of confidence to be commercially recoverable from a given date forward, from known reservoirs and under current economic conditions.

Natural hazards: This entry lists potential natural disasters.

Natural resources: This entry lists a country's mineral, petroleum, hydropower, and other resources of commercial importance.

Net migration rate: This entry includes the figure for the difference between the number of persons entering and leaving a country during the year per 1,000 persons (based on midyear population). An excess of persons entering the country is referred to as net immigration (e.g., 3.56 migrants/1,000 population); an excess of persons leaving the country as net emigration (e.g., -9.26 migrants/1,000 population). The net migration rate indicates the contribution of migration to the overall level of population change. High levels of migration can cause problems such as increasing unemployment and potential ethnic strife (if people are coming in) or a reduction in the labor force, perhaps in certain key sectors (if people are leaving).

Oil - consumption: This entry is the total oil consumed in barrels per day (bbl/day). The discrepancy between the amount of oil produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes, refinery gains, and other complicating factors.

Oil - exports: This entry is the total oil exported in barrels per day (bbl/day), including both crude oil and oil products.

Oil - imports: This entry is the total oil imported in barrels per day (bbl/day), including both crude oil and oil products.

Oil - production: This entry is the total oil produced in barrels per day (bbl/day). The discrepancy between the amount of oil produced and/or imported and the amount consumed and/or exported is due to the omission of stock changes, refinery gains, and other complicating factors.

Oil - proved reserves: This entry is the stock of proved reserves of crude oil in barrels (bbl). Proved reserves are those quantities of petroleum which, by analysis of geological and engineering data, can be estimated with a high degree of confidence to be commercially recoverable from a given date forward, from known reservoirs and under current economic conditions.

People: This category includes the entries dealing with the characteristics of the people and their society.

People - note: This entry includes miscellaneous demographic information of significance not included elsewhere.

Personal Names - Capitalization: The Factbook capitalizes the surname or family name of individuals for the convenience of our users who are faced with a world of different cultures and naming conventions. The need for capitalization, bold type, underlining, italics, or some other indicator of the individual's surname is apparent in the following examples: MAO Zedong, Fidel CASTRO Ruz, George W. BUSH, and TUNKU SALAHUDDIN Abdul Aziz Shah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah. By knowing the surname, a short form without all capital letters can be used with confidence as in President Castro, Chairman Mao, President Bush, or Sultan Tunku Salahuddin. The same system of capitalization is extended to the names of leaders with surnames that are not commonly used such as Queen ELIZABETH II. For Vietnamese names, the given name is capitalized because officials are referred to by their given name rather than by their surname. For example, the president of Vietnam is Tran Duc LUONG. His surname is Tran, but he is referred to by his given name - President LUONG.

Personal Names - Spelling: The romanization of personal names in the Factbook normally follows the same transliteration system used by the US Board on Geographic Names for spelling place names. At times, however, a foreign leader expressly indicates a preference for, or the media or official documents regularly use, a romanized spelling that differs from the transliteration derived from the US Government standard. In such cases, the Factbook uses the alternative spelling.

Personal Names - Titles: The Factbook capitalizes any valid title (or short form of it) immediately preceding a person's name. A title standing alone is not capitalized. Examples: President PUTIN and President BUSH are chiefs of state. In Russia, the president is chief of state and the premier is the head of the government, while in the US, the president is both chief of state and head of government.

Petroleum: See entries under Oil.

Petroleum products: See entries under Oil.

Pipelines: This entry gives the lengths and types of pipelines for transporting products like natural gas, crude oil, or petroleum products.

Political parties and leaders: This entry includes a listing of significant political organizations and their leaders.

Political pressure groups and leaders: This entry includes a listing of a country's political, social, labor, or religious organizations that are involved in politics, or that exert political pressure, but whose leaders do not stand for legislative election. International movements or organizations are generally not listed.

Population: This entry gives an estimate from the US Bureau of the Census based on statistics from population censuses, vital statistics registration systems, or sample surveys pertaining to the recent past and on assumptions about future trends. The total population presents one overall measure of the potential impact of the country on the world and within its region. Note: Starting with the 1993 Factbook, demographic estimates for some countries (mostly African) have explicitly taken into account the effects of the growing impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These countries are currently: The Bahamas, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Population growth rate: The average annual percent change in the population, resulting from a surplus (or deficit) of births over deaths and the balance of migrants entering and leaving a country. The rate may be positive or negative. The growth rate is a factor in determining how great a burden would be imposed on a country by the changing needs of its people for infrastructure (e.g., schools, hospitals, housing, roads), resources (e.g., food, water, electricity), and jobs. Rapid population growth can be seen as threatening by neighboring countries.

Ports and terminals: This entry lists major ports and terminals primarily on the basis of the amount of cargo tonnage shipped through the facilities on an annual basis. In some instances, the number of containers handled or ship visits were also considered.

Public debt: This entry records the cumulative total of all government borrowings less repayments that are denominated in a country's home currency. Public debt should not be confused with external debt, which reflects the foreign currency liabilities of both the private and public sector and must be financed out of foreign exchange earnings.

Radio broadcast stations: This entry includes the total number of AM,

FM, and shortwave broadcast stations.

Railways: This entry states the total route length of the railway network and of its component parts by gauge: broad, standard, narrow, and dual. Other gauges are listed under note.

Reference maps: This section includes world and regional maps.

Refugees and internally displaced persons: This entry includes those persons residing in a country as refugees or internally displaced persons (IDPs). The definition of a refugee according to a United Nations Convention is "a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution." The UN established the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1950 to handle refugee matters worldwide. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has a different operational definition for a Palestinian refugee: "a person whose normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948 and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict." However, UNHCR also assists some 400,000 Palestinian refugees not covered under the UNRWA definition. The term "internally displaced person" is not specifically covered in the UN Convention; it is used to describe people who have fled their homes for reasons similar to refugees, but who remain within their own national territory and are subject to the laws of that state.

Religions: This entry is an ordered listing of religions by adherents starting with the largest group and sometimes includes the percent of total population. The core characteristics and beliefs of the world's major religions are described below.

Baha'i - Founded by Mirza Husayn-Ali (known as Baha'u'llah) in Iran in 1852, Baha'i faith emphasizes monotheism and believes in one eternal transcendent God. Its guiding focus is to encourage the unity of all peoples on the earth so that justice and peace may be achieved on earth. Baha'i revelation contends the prophets of major world religions reflect some truth or element of the divine, believes all were manifestations of God given to specific communities in specific times, and that Baha'u'llah is an additional prophet meant to call all humankind. Bahais are an open community, located worldwide, with the greatest concentration of believers in South Asia.

Buddhism - Religion or philosophy inspired by the 5th century B.C. teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (also known as Gautama Buddha "the enlightened one"). Buddhism focuses on the goal of spiritual enlightenment centered on an understanding of Gautama Buddha's Four Noble Truths on the nature of suffering, and on the Eightfold Path of spiritual and moral practice, to break the cycle of suffering of which we are a part. Buddhism ascribes to a karmic system of rebirth. Several schools and sects of Buddhism exist, differing often on the nature of the Buddha, the extent to which enlightenment can be achieved - for one or for all, and by whom - religious orders or laity.

Basic Groupings

Theravada Buddhism: The oldest Buddhist school, Theravada is practiced mostly in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, and Thailand, with minority representation elsewhere in Asia and the West. Theravadans follow the Pali Canon of Buddha's teachings, and believe that one may escape the cycle of rebirth, worldly attachment, and suffering for oneself; this process may take one or several lifetimes.

Mahayana Buddhism, including subsets Zen and Tibetan Buddhism: Forms of Mahayana Buddhism are common in East Asia and Tibet, and parts of the West. Mahayanas have additional scriptures beyond the Pali Canon and believe the Buddha is eternal and still teaching. Unlike Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana schools maintain the Buddha-nature is present in all beings and all will ultimately achieve enlightenment.

Christianity - Descending from Judaism, Christianity's central belief maintains Jesus of Nazareth is the promised messiah of the Hebrew Scriptures, and that his life, death, and resurrection are salvific for the world. Christianity is one of the three monotheistic Abrahamic faiths, along with Islam and Judaism, which traces its spiritual lineage to Abraham of the Hebrew Scriptures. Its sacred texts include the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament (or the Christian Gospels).

Basic Groupings

Catholicism (or Roman Catholicism): This is the oldest established western Christian church and the world's largest single religious body. It is supranational, and recognizes a hierarchical structure with the Pope, or Bishop of Rome, as its head, located at the Vatican. Catholics believe the Pope is the divinely ordered head of the Church from a direct spiritual legacy of Jesus' apostle Peter. Catholicism is comprised of 23 particular Churches, or Rites - one Western (Latin- Rite) and 22 Eastern. The Latin Rite is by far the largest, making up about 98% of Catholic membership. Eastern-Rite Churches, such as the Maronite Church and the Ukrainian Catholic Church, are in communion with Rome although they preserve their own worship traditions and their immediate hierarchy consists of clergy within their own rite. The Catholic Church has a comprehensive theological and moral doctrine specified for believers in its catechism, which makes it unique among most forms of Christianity.

Mormonism (including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints): Originating in 1830 in the United States under Joseph Smith, Mormonism is not characterized as a form of Protestant Christianity because it claims additional revealed Christian scriptures after the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. The Book of Mormon maintains there was an appearance of Jesus in the New World following the Christian account of his resurrection, and that the Americas are uniquely blessed continents. Mormonism believes earlier Christian traditions, such as the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant reform faiths, are apostasies and that Joseph Smith's revelation of the Book of Mormon is a restoration of true Christianity. Mormons have a hierarchical religious leadership structure, and actively proselytize their faith; they are located primarily in the Americas and in a number of other Western countries.

Orthodox Christianity: The oldest established eastern form of Christianity, the Holy Orthodox Church, has a ceremonial head in the Bishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), also known as a Patriarch, but its various regional forms (e.g., Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox) are autocephalous (independent of Constantinople's authority, and have their own Patriarchs). Orthodox churches are highly nationalist and ethnic. The Orthodox Christian faith shares many theological tenets with the Roman Catholic Church, but diverges on some key premises and does not recognize the governing authority of the Pope.

Protestant Christianity: Protestant Christianity originated in the 16th century as an attempt to reform Roman Catholicism's practices, dogma, and theology. It encompasses several forms or denominations which are extremely varied in structure, beliefs, relationship to state, clergy, and governance. Many protestant theologies emphasize the primary role of scripture in their faith, advocating individual interpretation of Christian texts without the mediation of a final religious authority such as the Roman Pope. The oldest Protestant Christianities include Lutheranism, Calvinism (Presbyterians), and Anglican Christianity (Episcopalians), which have established liturgies, governing structure, and formal clergy. Other variants on Protestant Christianity, including Pentecostal movements and independent churches, may lack one or more of these elements, and their leadership and beliefs are individualized and dynamic.

Hinduism - Originating in the Vedic civilization of India (second and first millennium B.C.), Hinduism is an extremely diverse set of beliefs and practices with no single founder or religious authority. Hinduism has many scriptures; the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Bhagavad-Gita are among some of the most important. Hindus may worship one or many deities, usually with prayer rituals within their own home. The most common figures of devotion are the gods Vishnu, Shiva, and a mother goddess, Devi. Most Hindus believe the soul, or atman, is eternal, and goes through a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth (samsara) determined by one's positive or negative karma, or the consequences of one's actions. The goal of religious life is to learn to act so as to finally achieve liberation (moksha) of one's soul, escaping the rebirth cycle.

Islam - The third of the monotheistic Abrahamic faiths, Islam originated with the teachings of Muhammad in the 7th century. Muslims believe Muhammad is the final of all religious prophets (beginning with Abraham) and that the Qu'ran, which is the Islamic scripture, was revealed to him by God. Islam derives from the word submission, and obedience to God is a primary theme in this religion. In order to live an Islamic life, believers must follow the five pillars, or tenets, of Islam, which are the testimony of faith (shahada), daily prayer (salah), giving alms (zakah), fasting during Ramadan (sawm), and the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj).

Basic Groupings

The two primary branches of Islam are Sunni and Shia, which split from each other over a religio-political leadership dispute about the rightful successor to Muhammad. The Shia believe Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, Ali, was the only divinely ordained Imam (religious leader), while the Sunni maintain the first three caliphs after Muhammad were also legitimate authorities. In modern Islam, Sunnis and Shia continue to have different views of acceptable schools of Islamic jurisprudence, and who is a proper Islamic religious authority. Islam also has an active mystical branch, Sufism, with various Sunni and Shia subsets.

Sunni Islam accounts for over 75% of the world's Muslim population. It recognizes the Abu Bakr as the first caliph after Muhammad. Sunni has four schools of Islamic doctrine and law - Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali - which uniquely interpret the Hadith, or recorded oral traditions of Muhammad. A Sunni Muslim may elect to follow any one of these schools, as all are considered equally valid.

Shia Islam represents 10-20% of Muslims worldwide, and its distinguishing feature is its reverence for Ali as an infallible, divinely inspired leader, and as the first Imam of the Muslim community after Muhammad. A majority of Shia are known as "Twelvers," because they believe that the 11 familial successor imams after Muhammad culminate in a 12th Imam (al-Mahdi) who is hidden in the world and will reappear at its end to redeem the righteous.

Variants

Ismaili faith: A sect of Shia Islam, its adherents are also known as "Seveners," because they believe that the rightful seventh Imam in Islamic leadership was Isma'il, the elder son of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq. Ismaili tradition awaits the return of the seventh Imam as the Mahdi, or Islamic messianic figure. Ismailis are located in various parts of the world, particularly South Asia and the Levant.

Alawi faith: Another Shia sect of Islam, the name reflects followers' devotion to the religious authority of Ali. Alawites are a closed, secretive religious group who assert they are Shia Muslims, although outside scholars speculate their beliefs may have a syncretic mix with other faiths originating in the Middle East. Alawis live mostly in Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey.

Druze faith: A highly secretive tradition and a closed community that derives from the Ismaili sect of Islam; its core beliefs are thought to emphasize a combination of Gnostic principles believing that the Fatimid caliph, al-Hakin, is the one who embodies the key aspects of goodness of the universe, which are, the intellect, the word, the soul, the preceder, and the follower. The Druze have a key presence in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.

Jainism - Originating in India, Jain spiritual philosophy believes in an eternal human soul, the eternal universe, and a principle of "the own nature of things." It emphasizes compassion for all living things, seeks liberation of the human soul from reincarnation through enlightenment, and values personal responsibility due to the belief in the immediate consequences of one's behavior. Jain philosophy teaches non-violence and prescribes vegetarianism for monks and laity alike; its adherents are a highly influential religious minority in Indian society.

Judaism - One of the first known monotheistic religions, likely dating to between 2000-1500 B.C., Judaism is the native faith of the Jewish people, based upon the belief in a covenant of responsibility between a sole omnipotent creator God and Abraham, the patriarch of Judaism's Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh. Divine revelation of principles and prohibitions in the Hebrew Scriptures form the basis of Jewish law, or halakhah, which is a key component of the faith. While there are extensive traditions of Jewish halakhic and theological discourse, there is no final dogmatic authority in the tradition. Local communities have their own religious leadership. Modern Judaism has three basic categories of faith: Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform/Liberal. These differ in their views and observance of Jewish law, with the Orthodox representing the most traditional practice, and Reform/Liberal communities the most accommodating of individualized interpretations of Jewish identity and faith.

Shintoism - A native animist tradition of Japan, Shinto practice is based upon the premise that every being and object has its own spirit or kami. Shinto practitioners worship several particular kamis, including the kamis of nature, and families often have shrines to their ancestors' kamis. Shintoism has no fixed tradition of prayers or prescribed dogma, but is characterized by individual ritual. Respect for the kamis in nature is a key Shinto value. Prior to the end of World War II, Shinto was the state religion of Japan, and bolstered the cult of the Japanese emperor.

Sikhism - Founded by the Guru Nanak (born 1469), Sikhism believes in a non-anthropomorphic, supreme, eternal, creator God; centering one's devotion to God is seen as a means of escaping the cycle of rebirth. Sikhs follow the teachings of Nanak and nine subsequent gurus. Their scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib - also known as the Adi Granth - is considered the living Guru, or final authority of Sikh faith and theology. Sikhism emphasizes equality of humankind and disavows caste, class, or gender discrimination.

Taoism - Chinese philosophy or religion based upon Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, which centers on belief in the Tao, or the way, as the flow of the universe and the nature of things. Taoism encourages a principle of non-force, or wu-wei, as the means to live harmoniously with the Tao. Taoists believe the esoteric world is made up of a perfect harmonious balance and nature, while in the manifest world - particularly in the body - balance is distorted. The Three Jewels of the Tao - compassion, simplicity, and humility - serve as the basis for Taoist ethics.

Zoroastrianism - Originating from the teachings of Zoroaster in about the 9th or 10th century B.C., Zoroastrianism may be the oldest continuing creedal religion. Its key beliefs center on a transcendent creator God, Ahura Mazda, and the concept of free will. The key ethical tenets of Zoroastrianism expressed in its scripture, the Avesta, are based on a dualistic worldview where one may prevent chaos if one chooses to serve God and exercises good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. Zoroastrianism is generally a closed religion and members are almost always born to Zoroastrian parents. Prior to the spread of Islam, Zoroastrianism dominated greater Iran. Today, though a minority, Zoroastrians remain primarily in Iran, India, and Pakistan.

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: This entry gives the dollar value for the stock of all financial assets that are available to the central monetary authority for use in meeting a country's balance of payments needs as of the end-date of the period specified. This category includes not only foreign currency and gold, but also a country's holdings of Special Drawing Rights in the International Monetary Fund, and its reserve position in the Fund.

Roadways: This entry gives the total length of the road network and includes the length of the paved and unpaved portions.

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary): School life expectancy (SLE) is the total number of years of schooling (primary to tertiary) that a child can expect to receive, assuming that the probability of his or her being enrolled in school at any particular future age is equal to the current enrollment ratio at that age. Caution must be maintained when utilizing this indicator in international comparisons. For example, a year or grade completed in one country is not necessarily the same in terms of educational content or quality as a year or grade completed in another country. SLE represents the expected number of years of schooling that will be completed, including years spent repeating one or more grades.

Sex ratio: This entry includes the number of males for each female in five age groups - at birth, under 15 years, 15-64 years, 65 years and over, and for the total population. Sex ratio at birth has recently emerged as an indicator of certain kinds of sex discrimination in some countries. For instance, high sex ratios at birth in some Asian countries are now attributed to sex-selective abortion and infanticide due to a strong preference for sons. This will affect future marriage patterns and fertility patterns. Eventually, it could cause unrest among young adult males who are unable to find partners.

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: This entry gives the cumulative US dollar value of all investments in foreign countries made directly by residents - primarily companies - of the home country, as of the end of the time period indicated. Direct investment excludes investment through purchase of shares.

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: This entry gives the cumulative US dollar value of all investments in the home country made directly by residents - primarily companies - of other countries as of the end of the time period indicated. Direct investment excludes investment through purchase of shares.

Stock of domestic credit: This entry is the total quantity of credit, denominated in the domestic currency, provided by banks to nonbanking institutions. The national currency units have been converted to US dollars at the closing exchange rate on the date of the information.

Stock of money: This entry, also known as "M1," comprises the total quantity of currency in circulation (notes and coins) plus demand deposits denominated in the national currency, held by nonbank financial institutions, state and local governments, nonfinancial public enterprises, and the private sector of the economy. The national currency units have been converted to US dollars at the closing exchange rate on the date of the information.

Stock of quasi money: This entry comprises the total quantity of time and savings deposits denominated in the national currency, held by nonbank financial institutions, state and local governments, nonfinancial public enterprises, and the private sector of the economy. When added together with "M1" the total money supply is known as "M2." The national currency units have been converted to US dollars at the closing exchange rate on the date of the information.

Suffrage: This entry gives the age at enfranchisement and whether the right to vote is universal or restricted.

Telephone numbers: All telephone numbers in The World Factbook consist of the country code in brackets, the city or area code (where required) in parentheses, and the local number. The one component that is not presented is the international access code, which varies from country to country. For example, an international direct dial telephone call placed from the US to Madrid, Spain, would be as follows: 011 [34] (1) 577-xxxx, where 011 is the international access code for station-to- station calls; 01 is for calls other than station-to-station calls, [34] is the country code for Spain, (1) is the city code for Madrid, 577 is the local exchange, and xxxx is the local telephone number. An international direct dial telephone call placed from another country to the US would be as follows: international access code + [1] (202) 939- xxxx, where [ 1] is the country code for the US, (202) is the area code for Washington, DC, 939 is the local exchange, and xxxx is the local telephone number.

Telephone system: This entry includes a brief general assessment of the system with details on the domestic and international components. The following terms and abbreviations are used throughout the entry:

Arabsat - Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Riyadh, Saudi

Arabia).

Autodin - Automatic Digital Network (US Department of Defense).

CB - citizen's band mobile radio communications.

Cellular telephone system - the telephones in this system are radio transceivers, with each instrument having its own private radio frequency and sufficient radiated power to reach the booster station in its area (cell), from which the telephone signal is fed to a telephone exchange.

Central American Microwave System - a trunk microwave radio relay system that links the countries of Central America and Mexico with each other.

Coaxial cable - a multichannel communication cable consisting of a central conducting wire, surrounded by and insulated from a cylindrical conducting shell; a large number of telephone channels can be made available within the insulated space by the use of a large number of carrier frequencies.

Comsat - Communications Satellite Corporation (US).

DSN - Defense Switched Network (formerly Automatic Voice Network or

Autovon); basic general-purpose, switched voice network of the Defense

Communications System (US Department of Defense).

Eutelsat - European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Paris).

Fiber-optic cable - a multichannel communications cable using a thread of optical glass fibers as a transmission medium in which the signal (voice, video, etc.) is in the form of a coded pulse of light.

GSM - a global system for mobile (cellular) communications devised by the Groupe Special Mobile of the pan-European standardization organization, Conference Europeanne des Posts et Telecommunications (CEPT) in 1982.

HF - high frequency; any radio frequency in the 3,000- to 30,000-kHz range.

Inmarsat - International Maritime Satellite Organization (London); provider of global mobile satellite communications for commercial, distress, and safety applications at sea, in the air, and on land.

Intelsat - International Telecommunications Satellite Organization

(Washington, DC).

Intersputnik - International Organization of Space Communications

(Moscow); first established in the former Soviet Union and the East

European countries, it is now marketing its services worldwide with

earth stations in North America, Africa, and East Asia.

Landline - communication wire or cable of any sort that is installed on poles or buried in the ground.

Marecs - Maritime European Communications Satellite used in the

Inmarsat system on lease from the European Space Agency.

Marisat - satellites of the Comsat Corporation that participate in the

Inmarsat system.

Medarabtel - the Middle East Telecommunications Project of the

International Telecommunications Union (ITU) providing a modern

telecommunications network, primarily by microwave radio relay, linking

Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia,

Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen; it was initially started in

Morocco in 1970 by the Arab Telecommunications Union (ATU) and was

known at that time as the Middle East Mediterranean Telecommunications

Network.

Microwave radio relay - transmission of long distance telephone calls and television programs by highly directional radio microwaves that are received and sent on from one booster station to another on an optical path.

NMT - Nordic Mobile Telephone; an analog cellular telephone system that was developed jointly by the national telecommunications authorities of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden).

Orbita - a Russian television service; also the trade name of a packet- switched digital telephone network.

Radiotelephone communications - the two-way transmission and reception of sounds by broadcast radio on authorized frequencies using telephone handsets.

PanAmSat - PanAmSat Corporation (Greenwich, CT).

SAFE - South African Far East Cable

Satellite communication system - a communication system consisting of two or more earth stations and at least one satellite that provide long distance transmission of voice, data, and television; the system usually serves as a trunk connection between telephone exchanges; if the earth stations are in the same country, it is a domestic system.

Satellite earth station - a communications facility with a microwave radio transmitting and receiving antenna and required receiving and transmitting equipment for communicating with satellites.

Satellite link - a radio connection between a satellite and an earth station permitting communication between them, either one-way (down link from satellite to earth station - television receive-only transmission) or two-way (telephone channels).

SHF - super high frequency; any radio frequency in the 3,000- to 30,000-MHz range.

Shortwave - radio frequencies (from 1.605 to 30 MHz) that fall above the commercial broadcast band and are used for communication over long distances.

Solidaridad - geosynchronous satellites in Mexico's system of international telecommunications in the Western Hemisphere.

Statsionar - Russia's geostationary system for satellite telecommunications.

Submarine cable - a cable designed for service under water.

TAT - Trans-Atlantic Telephone; any of a number of high-capacity submarine coaxial telephone cables linking Europe with North America.

Telefax - facsimile service between subscriber stations via the public switched telephone network or the international Datel network.

Telegraph - a telecommunications system designed for unmodulated electric impulse transmission.

Telex - a communication service involving teletypewriters connected by wire through automatic exchanges.

Tropospheric scatter - a form of microwave radio transmission in which the troposphere is used to scatter and reflect a fraction of the incident radio waves back to earth; powerful, highly directional antennas are used to transmit and receive the microwave signals; reliable over-the-horizon communications are realized for distances up to 600 miles in a single hop; additional hops can extend the range of this system for very long distances.

Trunk network - a network of switching centers, connected by multichannel trunk lines.

UHF - ultra high frequency; any radio frequency in the 300- to 3,000-

MHz range.

VHF - very high frequency; any radio frequency in the 30- to 300-MHz range.

Telephones - main lines in use: This entry gives the total number of main telephone lines in use.

Telephones - mobile cellular: This entry gives the total number of mobile cellular telephone subscribers.

Television broadcast stations: This entry gives the total number of separate broadcast stations plus any repeater stations.

Terminology: Due to the highly structured nature of the Factbook database, some collective generic terms have to be used. For example, the word Country in the Country name entry refers to a wide variety of dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, uninhabited islands, and other entities in addition to the traditional countries or independent states. Military is also used as an umbrella term for various civil defense, security, and defense activities in many entries. The Independence entry includes the usual colonial independence dates and former ruling states as well as other significant nationhood dates such as the traditional founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation, establishment, or state succession that are not strictly independence dates. Dependent areas have the nature of their dependency status noted in this same entry.

Terrain: This entry contains a brief description of the topography.

Time difference: This entry is expressed in The World Factbook in two ways. First, it is stated as the difference in hours between the capital of an entity and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) during Standard Time. Additionally, the difference in time between the capital of an entity and that observed in Washington, D.C. is also provided. Note that the time difference assumes both locations are simultaneously observing Standard Time or Daylight Saving Time.

Time zones: Ten countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, and the United States) and the island of Greenland observe more than one official time depending on the number of designated time zones within their boundaries. An illustration of time zones throughout the world and within countries can be seen in the Standard Time Zones of the World map included in the Reference Maps section of The World Factbook.

Total fertility rate: This entry gives a figure for the average number of children that would be born per woman if all women lived to the end of their childbearing years and bore children according to a given fertility rate at each age. The total fertility rate (TFR) is a more direct measure of the level of fertility than the crude birth rate, since it refers to births per woman. This indicator shows the potential for population change in the country. A rate of two children per woman is considered the replacement rate for a population, resulting in relative stability in terms of total numbers. Rates above two children indicate populations growing in size and whose median age is declining. Higher rates may also indicate difficulties for families, in some situations, to feed and educate their children and for women to enter the labor force. Rates below two children indicate populations decreasing in size and growing older. Global fertility rates are in general decline and this trend is most pronounced in industrialized countries, especially Western Europe, where populations are projected to decline dramatically over the next 50 years.

Total renewable water resources: This entry provides the long-term average water availability for a country in cubic kilometers of precipitation, recharged ground water, and surface inflows from surrounding countries. The values have been adjusted to account for overlap resulting from surface flow recharge of groundwater sources. Total renewable water resources provides the water total available to a country but does not include water resource totals that have been reserved for upstream or downstream countries through international agreements. Note that these values are averages and do not accurately reflect the total available in any given year. Annual available resources can vary greatly due to short-term and long-term climatic and weather variations.

Trafficking in persons: Trafficking in persons is modern-day slavery, involving victims who are forced, defrauded, or coerced into labor or sexual exploitation. The International Labor Organization (ILO), the UN agency charged with addressing labor standards, employment, and social protection issues, estimates that 12.3 million people worldwide are enslaved in forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, sexual servitude, and involuntary servitude at any given time. Human trafficking is a multi-dimensional threat, depriving people of their human rights and freedoms, risking global health, promoting social breakdown, inhibiting development by depriving countries of their human capital, and helping fuel the growth of organized crime. In 2000, the US Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), reauthorized in 2003 and 2005, which provides tools for the US to combat trafficking in persons, both domestically and abroad. One of the law's key components is the creation of the US Department of State's annual Trafficking in Persons Report, which assesses the government response (i.e., the current situation) in some 150 countries with a significant number of victims trafficked across their borders who are recruited, harbored, transported, provided, or obtained for forced labor or sexual exploitation. Countries in the annual report are rated in three tiers, based on government efforts to combat trafficking. The countries identified in this entry are those listed in the 2007 Trafficking in Persons Report as Tier 2 Watch List or Tier 3 based on the following tier rating definitions:

Tier 2 Watch List countries do not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but are making significant efforts to do so, and meet one of the following criteria:

1. they display high or significantly increasing number of victims,

2. they have failed to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons, or,

3. they have committed to take action over the next year.

Tier 3 countries neither satisfy the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking nor demonstrate a significant effort to do so. Countries in this tier are subject to potential non-humanitarian and non-trade sanctions.

Transnational issues: This category includes four entries - Disputes - international, Refugees and internally displaced persons, Trafficking in persons, and Illicit drugs - that deal with current issues going beyond national boundaries.

Transportation: This category includes the entries dealing with the means for movement of people and goods.

Transportation - note: This entry includes miscellaneous transportation information of significance not included elsewhere.

UTC (Coordinated Universal Time): See entry for Coordinated Universal

Time.

Unemployment rate: This entry contains the percent of the labor force that is without jobs. Substantial underemployment might be noted.

Waterways: This entry gives the total length of navigable rivers, canals, and other inland bodies of water.

Weights and Measures: This information is presented in Appendix G: Weights and Measures and includes mathematical notations (mathematical powers and names), metric interrelationships (prefix; symbol; length, weight, or capacity; area; volume), and standard conversion factors.

Years: All year references are for the calendar year (CY) unless indicated as fiscal year (FY). The calendar year is an accounting period of 12 months from 1 January to 31 December. The fiscal year is an accounting period of 12 months other than 1 January to 31 December.

Note: Information for the US and US dependencies was compiled from material in the public domain and does not represent Intelligence Community estimates.

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

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CIA - The World Factbook — History

A Brief History of Basic Intelligence and The World Factbook

The Intelligence Cycle is the process by which information is acquired, converted into intelligence, and made available to policymakers. Information is raw data from any source, data that may be fragmentary, contradictory, unreliable, ambiguous, deceptive, or wrong. Intelligence is information that has been collected, integrated, evaluated, analyzed, and interpreted. Finished intelligence is the final product of the Intelligence Cycle ready to be delivered to the policymaker.

The three types of finished intelligence are: basic, current, and estimative. Basic intelligence provides the fundamental and factual reference material on a country or issue. Current intelligence reports on new developments. Estimative intelligence judges probable outcomes. The three are mutually supportive: basic intelligence is the foundation on which the other two are constructed; current intelligence continually updates the inventory of knowledge; and estimative intelligence revises overall interpretations of country and issue prospects for guidance of basic and current intelligence. The World Factbook , The President's Daily Brief , and the National Intelligence Estimates are examples of the three types of finished intelligence.

The United States has carried on foreign intelligence activities since the days of George Washington but only since World War II have they been coordinated on a government-wide basis. Three programs have highlighted the development of coordinated basic intelligence since that time: (1 ) the Joint Army Navy Intelligence Studies (JANIS), (2 ) the National Intelligence Survey ( NIS ), and (3) The World Factbook .

During World War II, intelligence consumers realized that the production of basic intelligence by different components of the US Government resulted in a great duplication of effort and conflicting information. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 brought home to leaders in Congress and the executive branch the need for integrating departmental reports to national policymakers. Detailed and coordinated information was needed not only on such major powers as Germany and Japan , but also on places of little previous interest. In the Pacific Theater, for example, the Navy and Marines had to launch amphibious operations against many islands about which information was unconfirmed or nonexistent. Intelligence authorities resolved that the United States should never again be caught unprepared.

In 1943, Gen. George B. Strong (G-2), Adm. H. C. Train (Office of Naval Intelligence—ONI), and Gen. William J. Donovan (Director of the Office of Strategic Services—OSS ) decided that a joint effort should be initiated. A steering committee was appointed on 27 April 1943 that recommended the formation of a Joint Intelligence Study Publishing Board to assemble, edit, coordinate, and publish the Joint Army Navy Intelligence Studies (JANIS). JANIS was the first interdepartmental basic intelligence program to fulfill the needs of the US Government for an authoritative and coordinated appraisal of strategic basic intelligence. Between April 1943 and July 1947, the board published 34 JANIS studies. JANIS performed well in the war effort, and numerous letters of commendation were received, including a statement from Adm. Forrest Sherman, Chief of Staff, Pacific Ocean Areas, which said, "JANIS has become the indispensable reference work for the shore-based planners."

The need for more comprehensive basic intelligence in the postwar world was well expressed in 1946 by George S. Pettee, a noted author on national security. He wrote in The Future of American Secret Intelligence (Infantry Journal Press, 1946, page 46) that world leadership in peace requires even more elaborate intelligence than in war. "The conduct of peace involves all countries, all human activities—not just the enemy and his war production."

The Central Intelligence Agency was established on 26 July 1947 and officially began operating on 18 September 1947. Effective 1 October 1947, the Director of Central Intelligence assumed operational responsibility for JANIS. On 13 January 1948, the National Security Council issued Intelligence Directive (NSCID) No. 3, which authorized the National Intelligence Survey ( NIS ) program as a peacetime replacement for the wartime JANIS program. Before adequate NIS country sections could be produced, government agencies had to develop more comprehensive gazetteers and better maps. The US Board on Geographic Names (BGN) compiled the names; the Department of the Interior produced the gazetteers; and CIA produced the maps.

The Hoover Commission's Clark Committee, set up in 1954 to study the structure and administration of the CIA, reported to Congress in 1955 that: "The National Intelligence Survey is an invaluable publication which provides the essential elements of basic intelligence on all areas of the world. There will always be a continuing requirement for keeping the Survey up-to-date." The Factbook was created as an annual summary and update to the encyclopedic NIS studies. The first classified Factbook was published in August 1962, and the first unclassified version was published in June 1971. The NIS program was terminated in 1973 except for the Factbook , map, and gazetteer components. The 1975 Factbook was the first to be made available to the public with sales through the US Government Printing Office (GPO). The Factbook was first made available on the Internet in June 1997. The year 2008 marks the 61st anniversary of the establishment of the Central Intelligence Agency and the 65th year of continuous basic intelligence support to the US Government by The World Factbook and its two predecessor programs.

The Evolution of The World Factbook

National Basic Intelligence Factbook produced semiannually until 1980.

Country entries include sections on Land, Water, People, Government,

Economy, Communications, and Defense Forces.

1981—Publication becomes an annual product and is renamed The World Factbook. A total of 165 nations are covered on 225 pages.

1983—Appendices (Conversion Factors, International Organizations) first introduced.

1984—Appendices expanded; now include: A. The United Nations, B.

Selected United Nations Organizations, C. Selected International

Organizations, D. Country Membership in Selected Organizations, E.

Conversion Factors.

1987—A new Geography section replaces the former separate Land and Water sections. UN Organizations and Selected International Organizations appendices merged into a new International Organizations appendix. First multi-color-cover Factbook.

1988—More than 40 new geographic entities added to provide complete world coverage without overlap or omission. Among the new entities are Antarctica, oceans (Arctic, Atlantic , Indian, Pacific), and the World. The front-of-the-book explanatory introduction expanded and retitled to Notes, Definitions, and Abbreviations. Two new Appendices added: Weights and Measures (in place of Conversion Factors) and a Cross- Reference List of Geographic Names. Factbook size reaches 300 pages.

1989—Economy section completely revised and now includes an Overview briefly describing a country's economy. New entries added under People, Government, and Communications.

1990—The Government section revised and considerably expanded with new entries.

1991—A new International Organizations and Groups appendix added. Factbook size reaches 405 pages.

1992—Twenty new successor state entries replace those of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia . New countries are respectively: Armenia , Azerbaijan , Belarus , Estonia , Georgia , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Latvia , Lithuania , Moldova , Russia , Tajikistan , Turkmenistan , Ukraine , Uzbekistan ; and Bosnia and Hercegovina , Croatia , Macedonia , Serbia and Montenegro , Slovenia . Number of nations in the Factbook rises to 188.

1993—Czechoslovakia 's split necessitates new Czech Republic and Slovakia entries. New Eritrea entry added after it secedes from Ethiopia . Substantial enhancements made to Geography section.

1994—Two new appendices address Selected International Environmental Agreements. The gross domestic product (GDP) of most developing countries changed to a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis rather than an exchange rate basis. Factbook size up to 512 pages.

1995—The GDP of all countries now presented on a PPP basis. New appendix lists estimates of GDP on an exchange rate basis. Communications category split; Railroads, Highways, Inland waterways, Pipelines, Merchant marine, and Airports entries now make up a new Transportation category. The World Factbook is first produced on CD- ROM.

1996—Maps accompanying each entry now present more detail. Flags also introduced for nearly all entities. Various new entries appear under Geography and Communications. Factbook abbreviations consolidated into a new Appendix A. Two new appendices present a Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes and a Cross-Reference List of Hydrogeographic Data Codes. Geographic coordinates added to Appendix H, Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names. Factbook size expands by 95 pages in one year to reach 652.

1997—A special edition for the CIA's 50 th anniversary. A schema or Guide to Country Profiles introduced. New color maps and flags now accompany each country profile. Category headings distinguished by shaded backgrounds. Number of categories expanded to nine—the current number—with the addition of an Introduction (for only a few countries) and Transnational Issues (which includes Disputes— international and Illicit drugs). The World Factbook introduced onto the Internet.

1998—The Introduction category with two entries, Current issues and Historical perspective, expanded to more countries. Last year for the production of CD-ROM versions of the Factbook.

1999—Historical perspective and Current issues entries in the Introduction category combined into a new Background statement. Several new Economy entries introduced. A new physical map of the world added to the back-of-the-book reference maps.

2000—A new "country profile" added on the Southern Ocean. The Background statements dramatically expanded to over 200 countries and possessions. A number of new Communications entries added.

2001—Background entries completed for all 267 entities in the Factbook. Several new HIV/AIDS entries introduced under the People category. Revision begun on individual country maps to include elevation extremes and a partial geographic grid. Weights and Measures appendix deleted.

2002—New entry on Distribution of Family income—Gini index added. Revision of individual country maps continued (process still ongoing).

2003—In the Economy category, petroleum entries added for oil production, consumption, exports, imports, and proved reserves, as well as natural gas proved reserves.

2004—Additional petroleum entries included for natural gas production, consumption, exports, and imports. In the Transportation category, under Merchant marine, subfields added for foreign-owned vessels and those registered in other countries. Descriptions of the many forms of government mentioned in the Factbook incorporated into the Notes and Definitions.

2005—In the People category, a Major infectious diseases field added for countries deemed to pose a higher risk for travelers. In the Economy category, entries included for Current account balance, Investment, Public debt, and Reserves of foreign exchange and gold. The Transnational issues category expanded to include Refugees and internally displaced persons. Category headings receive distinctive colored backgrounds. These distinguishing colors are used in both the printed and online versions of the Factbook. Size of the printed Factbook reaches 702 pages.

2006—In the Economy category, national GDP figures now presented at Official Exchange Rates (OER) in addition to GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP).

2007—In the Government category, the Capital entry significantly expanded with up to four subfields, including new information having to do with time. The subfields consist of the name of the capital itself, its geographic coordinates , the time difference at the capital from coordinated universal time (UTC), and, if applicable, information on daylight saving time (DST). Where appropriate, a special note is added to highlight those countries with multiple time zones. A Trafficking in persons entry added to the Transnational issues category. A new appendix, Weights and Measures, (re)introduced to the online version of the Factbook.

2008—In the Geography category, two fields focus on the increasingly vital resource of water: Total renewable water resources and Freshwater withdrawal. In the Economy category, three fields added for: Stock of direct foreign investment—at home, Stock of direct foreign investment—abroad, and Market value of publicly traded shares. Concise descriptions of the major religions mentioned in the Factbook included in the Notes and Definitions.

This page was last updated on 8 October, 2008

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Why don't you include information on entities such as Tibet or

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Also included in the Factbook are entries on parts of the world whose status has not yet been resolved (e.g., West Bank, Spratly Islands). Specific regions within a country or areas in dispute among countries are not covered.

What do you mean when you say that a country is "doubly landlocked"?

A doubly landlocked country is one that is separated from an ocean or an ocean-accessible sea by two intervening countries. Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein are the only countries that fit this definition.

Why is the area of the United States described as "slightly larger than China" in the Factbook , while other sources list China as larger in area than the United States?

It all depends on whether one is looking at total area (land and water) when making the comparison (which is the criterion used by the Factbook) or just land area (which excludes inland water features such as rivers or lakes).

Total area (combining land and water)

United States = 9,826,630 sq km

China = 9,596,960 sq km

Land only (without any water features)

United States = 9,161,923 sq km

China = 9,326,410 sq km

Why has The World Factbook dropped the four French departments of

Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion, and French Guiana?

The reason the four entities are no longer in The World Factbook is because their status has changed. While they are overseas departments of France, they are also now recognized as French regions, having equal status to the 22 metropolitan regions that make up European France. In other words, they are now recognized as being part of France proper. Their status is somewhat analogous to Alaska and Hawaii vis-a-vis the contiguous United States. Although separated from the larger geographic entity, they are still considered to be an integral part of it.

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The Factbook staff applies the names and spellings from the Chiefs of State link on the CIA Web site. The World Factbook is prepared using the standard American English computer keyboard and does not use any special characters, symbols, or most diacritical markings in its spellings. Surnames are always spelled with capital letters; they may appear first in some cultures.

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The names of some geographic features provided in the Factbook differ from those used in other publications. For example, in Asia the Factbook has Burma as the country name, but in other publications Myanmar is used; also, the Factbook uses Sea of Japan whereas other publications label it East Sea. What is your policy on naming geographic features?

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US Federal agencies are required by the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 (Public Law 94-168) and by Executive Order 12770 of July 1991 to use the International System of Units, commonly referred to as the metric system or SI. In addition, the metric system is used by over 95 percent of the world's population.

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We have two sets of GDP dollar estimates in The World Factbook , one derived from purchasing power parity (PPP) calculations and the other derived using official exchange rates (OER). Other sources probably use one of the two. See the Notes and Definitions section on GDP and GDP methodology for more information.

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Because of rounding, percentage distributions do not always add precisely to 100%. Rounding of numbers always results in a loss of precision—i.e., error. This error becomes apparent when percentage data are totaled, as the following two examples show:

Original Data Rounded to whole integer

Example 1 43.2 43

30.4 30

26.4 26

—— —

100.0 99

Example 2 42.8 43

31.6 32

25.6 26

—— —

100.0 101

When this occurs, we do not force the numbers to add exactly to 100, because doing so would introduce additional error into the distribution.

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In deciding on the number of digits to present, the Factbook staff assesses the accuracy of the original data and the needs of US Government officials. All of the economic data are processed by computer—either at the source or by the Factbook staff. The economic data presented in The Factbook, therefore, follow the rounding convention used by virtually all numerical software applications, namely, any digit followed by a "5" is rounded up to the next higher digit, no matter whether the original digit is even or odd. Thus, for example, when rounded to the nearest integer, 2.5 becomes 3, rather than 2, as occurred in some pre-computer rounding systems.

Why do you list "Independence" dates for countries like France,

Germany, and the United Kingdom?

For most countries, this entry presents the date that sovereignty was achieved and from which nation, empire, or trusteeship. For other countries, the date may be some other significant nationhood event such as the traditional founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation, establishment, or state succession and so may not strictly be an "Independence" date. Dependent entities have the nature of their dependency status noted in this same entry.

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The Factbook Web site now features "Rank Order" pages for selected Factbook entries. "Rank Order" pages are available for those data fields identified with a small bar chart icon located next to the title of the data entry. In addition, all of the "Rank Order" pages can be downloaded as tab-delimited data files that can be opened in other applications such as spreadsheets and databases.

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@Afghanistan

Introduction

Afghanistan

Background:

Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 Communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan Communist regime, touching off a long and destructive war. The USSR withdrew in 1989 under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-Communist mujahedin rebels. A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, a US, Allied, and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. The UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. In December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan and the National Assembly was inaugurated the following December. Despite gains toward building a stable central government, a resurgent Taliban and continuing provincial instability - particularly in the south and the east - remain serious challenges for the Afghan Government.

Geography

Afghanistan

Location:

Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran

Geographic coordinates:

33 00 N, 65 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 647,500 sq km land: 647,500 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 5,529 km border countries: China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km, Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

Terrain:

mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m

Natural resources:

natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones

Land use:

arable land: 12.13% permanent crops: 0.21% other: 87.66% (2005)

Irrigated land:

27,200 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

65 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 23.26 cu km/yr (2%/0%/98%) per capita: 779 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts

Environment - current issues:

limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification; air and water pollution

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest divide the northern provinces from the rest of the country; the highest peaks are in the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor)

People

Afghanistan

Population:

32,738,376 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 44.6% (male 7,474,394/female 7,121,145) 15-64 years: 53% (male 8,901,880/female 8,447,983) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 383,830/female 409,144) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 17.6 years male: 17.6 years female: 17.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.626% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

45.82 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

19.56 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 154.67 deaths/1,000 live births male: 158.88 deaths/1,000 live births female: 150.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 44.21 years male: 44.04 years female: 44.39 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

6.58 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.01% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria animal contact disease: rabies note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Afghan(s) adjective: Afghan

Ethnic groups:

Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%,

Baloch 2%, other 4%

Religions:

Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1%

Languages:

Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashto (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 28.1% male: 43.1% female: 12.6% (2000 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 8 years male: 11 years female: 4 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Afghanistan

Country name:

conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan conventional short form: Afghanistan local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Afghanestan local short form: Afghanestan former: Republic of Afghanistan

Government type:

Islamic republic

Capital:

name: Kabul geographic coordinates: 34 31 N, 69 11 E time difference: UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

34 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis,

Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Daykundi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghor,

Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khost, Kunar,

Kunduz, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nimroz, Nuristan, Paktika,

Paktiya, Panjshir, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e Pul, Takhar, Uruzgan,

Wardak, Zabul

Independence:

19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 19 August (1919)

Constitution:

new constitution drafted 14 December 2003-4 January 2004; signed 16 January 2004

Legal system:

based on mixed civil and Sharia law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); Vice Presidents Ahmad Zia MASOOD and Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; former King ZAHIR Shah held the honorific, "Father of the Country," and presided symbolically over certain occasions but lacked any governing authority; the honorific is not hereditary; King ZAHIR Shah died on 23 July 2007 head of government: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); Vice Presidents Ahmad Zia MASOOD and Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004) cabinet: 25 ministers; note - under the new constitution, ministers are appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly elections: the president and two vice presidents are elected by direct vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); if no candidate receives 50% or more of the vote in the first round of voting, the two candidates with the most votes will participate in a second round; a president can only be elected for two terms; election last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Hamid KARZAI elected president; percent of vote - Hamid KARZAI 55.4%, Yunus QANUNI 16.3%, Ustad Mohammad MOHAQQEQ 11.6%, Abdul Rashid DOSTAM 10.0%, Abdul Latif PEDRAM 1.4%, Masooda JALAL 1.2%

Legislative branch:

the bicameral National Assembly consists of the Wolesi Jirga or House of People (no more than 249 seats), directly elected for five-year terms, and the Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102 seats, one-third elected from provincial councils for four-year terms, one-third elected from local district councils for three-year terms, and one-third nominated by the president for five-year terms) note: on rare occasions the government may convene a Loya Jirga (Grand Council) on issues of independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity; it can amend the provisions of the constitution and prosecute the president; it is made up of members of the National Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and district councils elections: last held 18 September 2005 (next to be held for the Wolesi Jirga by September 2009; next to be held for the provincial councils to the Meshrano Jirga by September 2008) election results: the single non-transferable vote (SNTV) system used in the election did not make use of political party slates; most candidates ran as independents

Judicial branch:

the constitution establishes a nine-member Stera Mahkama or Supreme Court (its nine justices are appointed for 10-year terms by the president with approval of the Wolesi Jirga) and subordinate High Courts and Appeals Courts; there is also a minister of justice; a separate Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission established by the Bonn Agreement is charged with investigating human rights abuses and war crimes

Political parties and leaders:

Afghanistan Peoples' Treaty Party [Sayyed Amir TAHSEEN];

Afghanistan's Islamic Mission Organization [Abdul Rasoul SAYYAF];

Afghanistan's Islamic Nation Party [Toran Noor Aqa Ahmad ZAI];

Afghanistan's National Islamic Party [Rohullah LOUDIN];

Afghanistan's Welfare Party [Meer Asef ZAEEFI]; Afghan Social

Democratic Party [Anwarul Haq AHADI]; Afghan Society for the Call to

the Koran and Sunna [Mawlawee Samiullah NAJEEBEE]; Comprehensive

Movement of Democracy and Development of Afghanistan Party [Sher

Mohammad BAZGAR]; Democratic Party of Afghanistan [Tawos ARAB];

Democratic Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Kabir RANJBAR]; Elites People

of Afghanistan Party [Abdul Hamid JAWAD]; Freedom and Democracy

Movement of Afghanistan [Abdul Raqib Jawid KOHISTANEE]; Freedom

Party of Afghanistan [Ilaj Abdul MALEK]; Freedom Party of

Afghanistan [Dr. Ghulam Farooq NEJRABEE]; Hizullah-e-Afghanistan

[Qari Ahmad ALI]; Human Rights Protection and Development Party of

Afghanistan [Baryalai NASRATI]; Islamic Justice Party of Afghanistan

[Mohammad Kabir MARZBAN]; Islamic Movement of Afghanistan [Mohammad

Ali JAWID]; Islamic Movement of Afghanistan Party [Mohammad Mukhtar

MUFLEH]; Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Khalid FAROOQI];

Islamic Party of the Afghan Land [Mohammad Hassan FEROZKHEL];

Islamic People's Movement of Afghanistan [Ilhaj Said Hussain

ANWARY]; Islamic Society of Afghanistan [Ustad RABBANI]; Islamic

Unity of the Nation of Afghanistan Party [Qurban Ali URFANI];

Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Karim KHALILI]; Islamic

Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan [Ustad Mohammad MOHAQQEQ];

Labor and Progress of Afghanistan Party [Zulfiqar OMID]; Muslim

People of Afghanistan Party [Besmellah JOYAN]; Muslim Unity Movement

Party of Afghanistan [Wazir Mohammad WAHDAT]; National and Islamic

Sovereignty Movement Party of Afghanistan [Ahmad Shah AHMADZAI];

National Congress Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Latif PEDRAM];

National Country Party [Ghulam MOHAMMAD]; National Development Party

of Afghanistan [Dr. Aref BAKTASH]; National Freedom Seekers Party

[Abdul Hadi DABEER]; National Independence Party of Afghanistan [Taj

Mohammad WARDAK]; National Islamic Fighters Party of Afghanistan

[Amanat NINGARHAREE]; National Islamic Front of Afghanistan [Pir

Sayed Ahmad GAILANEE]; National Islamic Moderation Party of

Afghanistan [Qara Bik Eized YAAR]; National Islamic Movement of

Afghanistan [Sayed NOORULLAH]; National Islamic Unity Party of

Afghanistan [Mohammad AKBAREE]; National Movement of Afghanistan

[Ahmad Wali MASOOUD]; National Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Rashid

ARYAN]; National Patch of Afghanistan Party [Sayed Kamal SADAT];

National Peace Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Shah Mohammood Popal

ZAI]; National Peace & Islamic Party of the Tribes of Afghanistan

[Abdul Qaher SHARIATEE]; National Peace & Unity Party of Afghanistan

[Abdul Qader IMAMI]; National Prosperity and Islamic Party of

Afghanistan [Mohammad Osman SALEKZADA]; National Prosperity Party

[Mohammad Hassan JAHFAREE]; National Solidarity Movement of

Afghanistan [Pir Sayed Eshaq GAILANEE]; National Solidarity Party of

Afghanistan [Sayed Mansoor NADREEI]; National Sovereignty Party

[Sayed Mustafa KAZEMI]; National Stability Party [Mohammad Same

KHAROTI]; National Stance Party [Habibullah JANEBDAR]; National

Tribal Unity Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Shah KHOGYANI];

National United Front [Burhanuddin RABBANI] (a coalition); National

Unity Movement [Sultan Mohammad GHAZI]; National Unity Movement of

Afghanistan [Mohammad Nadir AATASH]; National Unity Party of

Afghanistan [Abdul Rashid JALILI]; New Afghanistan Party [Mohammad

Yunis QANUNI]; Peace and National Welfare Activists Society [Shamsul

Haq Noor SHAMS]; Peace Movement [Shahnawaz TANAI]; People's

Aspirations Party of Afghanistan [Ilhaj Saraj-u-din ZAFAREE];

People's Freedom Seekers Party of Afghanistan [Feda Mohammad EHSAS];

People's Liberal Freedom Seekers Party of Afghanistan [Ajmal

SUHAIL]; People's Message Party of Afghanistan [Noor Aqa WAINEE];

People's Movement of the National Unity of Afghanistan [Abdul Hakim

NOORZAI]; People's Party of Afghanistan [Ahmad Shah ASAR]; People's

Prosperity Party of Afghanistan [Ustad Mohammad ZAREEF]; People's

Sovereignty Movement of Afghanistan [Hayatullah SUBHANEE]; People's

Uprising Party of Afghanistan [Sayed Zahir Qayed Omul BELADI];

People's Welfare Party of Afghanistan [Mia Gul WASIQ]; People's

Welfare Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Zubair PAIROZ]; Progressive

Democratic Party of Afghanistan [Wali ARYA]; Republican Party

[Sebghatullah SANJAR]; Solidarity Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Khaleq

NEMAT]; The Afghanistan's Mujahid Nation's Islamic Unity Movement

[Saeedullah SAEED]; The People of Afghanistan's Democratic Movement

[Sharif NAZARI]; Tribes Solidarity Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad

Zarif NASERI]; Understanding and Democracy Party of Afghanistan

[Ahamad SHAHEEN]; United Afghanistan Party [Mohammad Wasil RAHIMEE];

United Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Wahidullah SABAWOON]; Young

Afghanistan's Islamic Organization [Sayed Jawad HUSSINEE]; Youth

Solidarity Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Jamil KARZAI]; note -

includes only political parties approved by the Ministry of Justice

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: religious groups; tribal leaders

International organization participation:

ADB, CP, ECO, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IDB, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITSO,

ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SAARC, SACEP, SCO

(guest), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Said Tayeb JAWAD chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-6410 FAX: [1] (202) 483-6488 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador William B. WOOD embassy: The Great Masood Road, Kabul mailing address: U.S. Embassy Kabul, APO, AE 09806 telephone: [93] 0700 108 001 FAX: [93] 0700 108 564

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), red, and green, with the national emblem in white centered on the red band and slightly overlapping the other two bands; the center of the emblem features a mosque with pulpit and flags on either side, below the mosque are numerals for the solar year 1298 (1919 in the Gregorian calendar, the year of Afghan independence from the UK); this central image is circled by a border consisting of sheaves of wheat on the left and right, in the upper-center is an Arabic inscription of the Shahada (Muslim creed) below which are rays of the rising sun over the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning "God is great"), and at bottom center is a scroll bearing the name Afghanistan

Economy

Afghanistan

Economy - overview:

Afghanistan's economy is recovering from decades of conflict. The economy has improved significantly since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 largely because of the infusion of international assistance, the recovery of the agricultural sector, and service sector growth. Real GDP growth exceeded 7% in 2007. Despite the progress of the past few years, Afghanistan is extremely poor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid, agriculture, and trade with neighboring countries. Much of the population continues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and jobs. Criminality, insecurity, and the Afghan Government's inability to extend rule of law to all parts of the country pose challenges to future economic growth. It will probably take the remainder of the decade and continuing donor aid and attention to significantly raise Afghanistan's living standards from its current level, among the lowest in the world. International pledges made by more than 60 countries and international financial institutions at the Berlin Donors Conference for Afghan reconstruction in March 2004 reached $8.9 billion for 2004-09. While the international community remains committed to Afghanistan's development, pledging over $24 billion at three donors' conferences since 2002, Kabul will need to overcome a number of challenges. Expanding poppy cultivation and a growing opium trade generate roughly $4 billion in illicit economic activity and looms as one of Kabul's most serious policy concerns. Other long-term challenges include: budget sustainability, job creation, corruption, government capacity, and rebuilding war torn infrastructure.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$35 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$8.842 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

11.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 38% industry: 24% services: 38% note: data exclude opium production (2005 est.)

Labor force:

15 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 80% industry: 10% services: 10% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

40% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:

53% (2003)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $715 million expenditures: $2.6 billion note: Afghanistan has also received $273 million from the Reconstruction Trust Fund and $63 million from the Law and Order Trust Fund (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

21 March - 20 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

13% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

18.14% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.426 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$958.6 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$20.06 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins

Industries:

small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

839 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

1.088 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

230 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 36.3% hydro: 63.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

5,036 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

4,534 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

20 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

20 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

49.55 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

NA

Exports:

$274 million; note - not including illicit exports or reexports (2006)

Exports - commodities:

opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems

Exports - partners:

India 22.8%, Pakistan 21.8%, US 20.5%, Tajikistan 7.2% (2007)

Imports:

$3.823 billion (2006)

Imports - commodities:

capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products

Imports - partners:

Pakistan 36.8%, US 11%, India 5%, Germany 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$2.775 billion (2005)

Debt - external:

$8 billion in bilateral debt, mostly to Russia; Afghanistan has $500 million in debt to Multilateral Development Banks (2004)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

afghani (AFA)

Currency code:

AFA

Exchange rates:

afghanis (AFA) per US dollar - NA (2007), 46 (2006), 47.7 (2005), 48 (2004), 49 (2003)

Communications

Afghanistan

Telephones - main lines in use:

280,000 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

5.4 million (2008)

Telephone system:

general assessment: limited landline telephone service; an increasing number of Afghans utilize mobile-cellular phone networks in major cities domestic: aided by the presence of multiple providers, mobile-cellular telephone service is improving rapidly international: country code - 93; five VSAT's installed in Kabul, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, and Jalalabad provide international and domestic voice and data connectivity (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 21, FM 5, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pashto, Dari (Afghan

Persian), Urdu, and English) (2006)

Radios:

167,000 (1999)

Television broadcast stations:

at least 7 (1 government-run central television station in Kabul and regional stations in 6 of the 34 provinces) (2006)

Televisions:

100,000 (1999)

Internet country code:

.af

Internet hosts:

31 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

580,000 (2007)

Communications - note:

Internet access is growing through Internet cafes as well as public "telekiosks" in Kabul (2005)

Transportation

Afghanistan

Airports:

46 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 12 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 34 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Heliports:

9 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 466 km (2007)

Roadways:

total: 42,150 km paved: 12,350 km unpaved: 29,800 km (2006)

Waterways:

1,200 km (chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT) (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Kheyrabad, Shir Khan

Military

Afghanistan

Military branches:

Afghan Armed Forces: Afghan National Army (ANA, includes Afghan

National Army Air Corps) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

22 years of age; inductees are contracted into service for a 4-year term (2005)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 7,431,147 females age 16-49: 7,004,819 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 4,234,180 females age 16-49: 3,946,685 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 371,451 female: 351,295 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Afghanistan

Disputes - international:

Pakistan has built fences in some portions of its border with Afghanistan which remains open in some areas to foreign terrorists and other illegal activities

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 132,246 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in south and west due to drought and instability) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

world's largest producer of opium; poppy cultivation increased 17% to a near-record 202,000 hectares in 2007; good growing conditions pushed potential opium production to a record 8,000 metric tons, up 42% from last year; if the entire opium crop were processed, 947 metric tons of heroin potentially could be produced; drug trade is a source of instability and the Taliban and other antigovernment groups participate in and profit from the drug trade; widespread corruption impedes counterdrug efforts; most of the heroin consumed in Europe and Eurasia is derived from Afghan opium; vulnerable to drug money laundering through informal financial networks; regional source of hashish

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Akrotiri

Introduction

Akrotiri

Background:

By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers - Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The southernmost and smallest of these is the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Western Sovereign Base Area.

Geography

Akrotiri

Location:

Eastern Mediterranean, peninsula on the southwest coast of Cyprus

Geographic coordinates:

34 37 N, 32 58 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 123 sq km note: includes a salt lake and wetlands

Area - comparative:

about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

total: 47.4 km border countries: Cyprus 47.4 km

Coastline:

56.3 km

Climate:

temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters

Environment - current issues:

shooting around the salt lake; note - breeding place for loggerhead and green turtles; only remaining colony of griffon vultures is on the base

Geography - note:

British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus; of the Sovereign Base Area land, 60% is privately owned and farmed, 20% is owned by the Ministry of Defense, and 20% is SBA Crown land

People

Akrotiri

Population:

approximately 15,700 live on the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia including 7,700 Cypriots, 3,600 Service and UK-based contract personnel, and 4,400 dependents

Languages:

English, Greek

Government

Akrotiri

Country name:

conventional long form: Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area conventional short form: Akrotiri

Dependency status:

a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus

Capital:

name: Episkopi Cantonment (base administrative center for Akrotiri and Dhekelia) geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Constitution:

Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960, functions as a basic legal document

Legal system:

the Sovereign Base Area Administration has its own court system to deal with civil and criminal matters; laws applicable to the Cypriot population are, as far as possible, the same as the laws of the Republic of Cyprus

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Richard LACEY (since 26 April 2006); note - reports to the British Ministry of Defense elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the administrator is appointed by the monarch

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:

the flag of the UK is used

Economy

Akrotiri

Economy - overview:

Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Akrotiri. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.

Currency (code):

euro (EUR) adopted 1 January 2008; note - the Cypriot pound (CYP) formerly used

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.4286 (2007), 0.46019 (2006), 0.4641 (2005), 0.4686 (2004), 0.5174 (2003)

Communications

Akrotiri

Radio broadcast stations:

AM NA, FM 1, shortwave NA (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia) (2006)

Television broadcast stations:

0 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia) (2006)

Military

Akrotiri

Military - note:

Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British Forces on

Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Albania

Introduction

Albania

Background:

Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a dilapidated physical infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997. In the 2005 general elections, the Democratic Party and its allies won a decisive victory on pledges of reducing crime and corruption, promoting economic growth, and decreasing the size of government. The election, and particularly the orderly transition of power, was considered an important step forward. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still one of the poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure. Albania has played a largely helpful role in managing inter-ethnic tensions in southeastern Europe, and is continuing to work toward joining NATO and the EU. Albania, with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been a strong supporter of the global war on terrorism.

Geography

Albania

Location:

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece in the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north

Geographic coordinates:

41 00 N, 20 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 28,748 sq km land: 27,398 sq km water: 1,350 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:

total: 717 km border countries: Greece 282 km, Macedonia 151 km, Montenegro 172 km, Kosovo 112 km

Coastline:

362 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter

Terrain:

mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 20.1% permanent crops: 4.21% other: 75.69% (2005)

Irrigated land:

3,530 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

41.7 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.71 cu km/yr (27%/11%/62%) per capita: 546 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)

People

Albania

Population:

3,619,778 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 23.6% (male 447,126/female 406,757) 15-64 years: 66.9% (male 1,239,819/female 1,180,720) 65 years and over: 9.5% (male 160,241/female 185,115) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 29.5 years male: 28.9 years female: 30.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.538% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

15.22 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.44 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-4.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 19.31 deaths/1,000 live births male: 19.74 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 77.78 years male: 75.12 years female: 80.71 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.02 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Albanian(s) adjective: Albanian

Ethnic groups:

Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb, Macedonian, Bulgarian) (1989 est.) note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from 1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)

Religions:

Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10% note: percentages are estimates; there are no available current statistics on religious affiliation; all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice

Languages:

Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach,

Romani, Slavic dialects

Literacy:

definition: age 9 and over can read and write total population: 98.7% male: 99.2% female: 98.3% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 11 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

2.9% of GDP (2002)

Government

Albania

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Albania conventional short form: Albania local long form: Republika e Shqiperise local short form: Shqiperia former: People's Socialist Republic of Albania

Government type:

emerging democracy

Capital:

name: Tirana (Tirane) geographic coordinates: 41 19 N, 19 49 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Berat, Diber, Durres, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Korce, Kukes, Lezhe, Shkoder, Tirane, Vlore

Independence:

28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 28 November (1912)

Constitution:

adopted by popular referendum on 22 November 1998; promulgated 28 November 1998

Legal system:

has a civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; has accepted jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court for its citizens

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President of the Republic Bamir TOPI (since 24 July 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Sali BERISHA (since 10 September 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by parliament elections: president elected by the People's Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); four election rounds held between 8 and 20 July 2007 (next election to be held in 2012); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Bamir TOPI elected president; People's Assembly vote, fourth round (three-fifths majority (84 votes) required): Bamir TOPI 85 votes, Neritan CEKA 5 votes

Legislative branch:

unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 seats; 100 members are elected by direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 3 July 2005 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PD 56, PS 42, PR 11, PSD 7, LSI 5, other 19

Judicial branch:

Constitutional Court, Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term), and multiple appeals and district courts

Political parties and leaders:

Agrarian Environmentalist Party or PAA [Lufter XHUVELI]; Christian

Democratic Party or PDK [Nard NDOKA]; Communist Party of Albania or

PKSH [Hysni MILLOSHI]; Democratic Alliance Party or AD [Neritan

CEKA]; Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Legality Movement

Party or PLL [Ekrem SPAHIA]; Liberal Union Party or BLD [Arjan

STAROVA]; Movement for National Development or LZhK [Dashamir

SHEHI]; National Front Party (Balli Kombetar) or PBK [Artur ROSHI];

New Democratic Party or PDR [Genc POLLO]; Party of National Unity or

PUK [Idajet BEQIRI]; Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Social

Democracy Party of Albania or PDSSh [Paskal MILO]; Social Democratic

Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI]; Socialist Movement for Integration

or LSI [Ilir META]; Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA]; Union for

Human Rights Party or PBDNj [Vangjel DULE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Citizens Advocacy Office [Kreshnik SPAHIU]; Confederation of Trade

Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kastriot MUCO]; Front for Albanian

National Unification or FBKSH [Gafur ADILI]; Mjaft Movement; Omonia

[Jani JANI]; Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania or BSPSH

[Gezim KALAJA]

International organization participation:

BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO

(correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI,

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Aleksander SALLABANDA chancery: 2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 223-4942 FAX: [1] (202) 628-7342

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. John L. WITHERS, II embassy: Rruga e Elbasanit, Labinoti #103, Tirana mailing address: US Department of State, 9510 Tirana Place, Dulles, VA 20189-9510 telephone: [355] (4) 2247285 FAX: [355] (4) 2232222

Flag description:

red with a black two-headed eagle in the center

Economy

Albania

Economy - overview:

Lagging behind its Balkan neighbors, Albania is making the difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. The government has taken measures to curb violent crime, and recently adopted a fiscal reform package aimed at reducing the large gray economy and attracting foreign investment. The economy is bolstered by annual remittances from abroad of $600-$800 million, mostly from Albanians residing in Greece and Italy; this helps offset the towering trade deficit. Agriculture, which accounts for more than one-fifth of GDP, is held back because of lack of modern equipment, unclear property rights, and the prevalence of small, inefficient plots of land. Energy shortages and antiquated and inadequate infrastructure contribute to Albania's poor business environment, which make it difficult to attract and sustain foreign investment. The completion of a new thermal power plant near Vlore and improved transmission line between Albania and Montenegro will help relieve the energy shortages. Also, the government is moving slowly to improve the poor national road and rail network, a long-standing barrier to sustained economic growth. On the positive side, macroeconomic growth was strong in 2003-07 and inflation is low and stable.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$20.87 billion note: Albania has a large gray economy that may be as large as 50% of official GDP (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$10.62 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$5,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 21.2% industry: 20.5% services: 58.3% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

1.09 million (not including 352,000 emigrant workers) (September 2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 58% industry: 15% services: 27% (September 2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

13.2% official rate, but may exceed 30% due to preponderance of near-subsistence farming (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

25% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.4% highest 10%: 24.4% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

26.7 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

23.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $2.782 billion expenditures: $3.155 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

51.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

14.1% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$2.707 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$6.433 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$7.341 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products

Industries:

food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower

Industrial production growth rate:

4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

2.892 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

3.607 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

2.8 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 2.9% hydro: 97.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

6,425 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

30,900 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

748.9 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:

24,860 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

199.1 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

30 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

30 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

849.5 million cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$1.202 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.076 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco

Exports - partners:

Italy 72%, Greece 8.8%, China 2.7% (2007)

Imports:

$3.999 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals

Imports - partners:

Italy 27.6%, Greece 14.8%, Turkey 7.4%, China 6.8%, Germany 5.6%,

Switzerland 5%, Russia 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA: $318.7 million note: top donors were Italy, EU, Germany (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.162 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.55 billion (2004)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

lek (ALL) note: the plural of lek is leke

Currency code:

ALL

Exchange rates:

leke (ALL) per US dollar - 92.668 (2007), 98.384 (2006), 102.649 (2005), 102.78 (2004), 121.863 (2003)

Communications

Albania

Telephones - main lines in use:

353,600 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.3 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: despite new investment in fixed lines, the density of main lines remains low with roughly 10 lines per 100 people; cellular telephone use is widespread and generally effective; combined fixed line and mobile telephone density is approximately 75 telephones per 100 persons domestic: offsetting the shortage of fixed line capacity, mobile phone service has been available since 1996; by 2003, two companies were providing mobile services at a greater density than some of Albania's neighbors; Internet broadband services initiated in 2005; Internet cafes are popular in Tirana and have started to spread outside the capital international: country code - 355; submarine cable provides connectivity to Italy, Croatia, and Greece; the Trans-Balkan Line, a combination submarine cable and land fiber-optic system, provides additional connectivity to Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Turkey; international traffic carried by fiber-optic cable and, when necessary, by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 13, FM 46, shortwave 1 (2005)

Radios:

1 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations:

65 (3 national, 62 local); 2 cable networks (2005)

Televisions:

700,000 (2001)

Internet country code:

.al

Internet hosts:

10,162 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

10 (2001)

Internet users:

471,200 (2006)

Transportation

Albania

Airports:

11 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 8 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 339 km; oil 207 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 447 km standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 18,000 km paved: 7,020 km unpaved: 10,980 km (2002)

Waterways:

43 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 24 by type: cargo 22, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Turkey 1) registered in other countries: 2 (Panama 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore

Military

Albania

Military branches:

Land Forces Command (Army), Naval Forces Command, Air Defense

Command, General Staff Headquarters (includes Logistics Command,

Training and Doctrine Command) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

19 years of age (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 944,592 females age 16-49: 908,527 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 798,454 females age 16-49: 767,143 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 36,340 female: 33,077 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.49% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Albania

Disputes - international:

the Albanian Government calls for the protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians in neighboring countries, and the peaceful resolution of interethnic disputes; some ethnic Albanian groups in neighboring countries advocate for a "greater Albania," but the idea has little appeal among Albanian nationals; the mass emigration of unemployed Albanians remains a problem for developed countries, chiefly Greece and Italy

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Albania is a source country for women and girls trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; it is no longer considered a major country of transit; Albanian victims are trafficked to Greece, Italy, Macedonia, and Kosovo, with many trafficked onward to Western European countries; children were also trafficked to Greece for begging and other forms of child labor; approximately half of all Albanian trafficking victims are under age 18; internal sex trafficking of women and children is on the rise tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Albania is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007, particularly in the area of victim protection; the government did not appropriately identify trafficking victims during 2007, and has not demonstrated that it is vigorously investigating or prosecuting complicit officials (2008)

Illicit drugs:

increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest Asian opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to a lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe; limited opium and growing cannabis production; ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and expanding in Europe; vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional trafficking in narcotics, arms, contraband, and illegal aliens

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Algeria

Introduction

Algeria

Background:

After more than a century of rule by France, Algerians fought through much of the 1950s to achieve independence in 1962. Algeria's primary political party, the National Liberation Front (FLN), has dominated politics ever since. Many Algerians in the subsequent generation were not satisfied, however, and moved to counter the FLN's centrality in Algerian politics. The surprising first round success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the December 1991 balloting spurred the Algerian army to intervene and postpone the second round of elections to prevent what the secular elite feared would be an extremist-led government from assuming power. The army began a crackdown on the FIS that spurred FIS supporters to begin attacking government targets. The government later allowed elections featuring pro-government and moderate religious-based parties, but did not appease the activists who progressively widened their attacks. The fighting escalated into an insurgency, which saw intense fighting between 1992-98 and which resulted in over 100,000 deaths - many attributed to indiscriminate massacres of villagers by extremists. The government gained the upper hand by the late-1990s and FIS's armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in January 2000. However, small numbers of armed militants persist in confronting government forces and conducting ambushes and occasional attacks on villages. The army placed Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA in the presidency in 1999 in a fraudulent election but claimed neutrality in his 2004 landslide reelection victory. Longstanding problems continue to face BOUTEFLIKA in his second term, including the ethnic minority Berbers' ongoing autonomy campaign, large-scale unemployment, a shortage of housing, unreliable electrical and water supplies, government inefficiencies and corruption, and the continuing activities of extremist militants. The 2006 merger of the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) with al-Qaida (followed by a name change to al-Qaida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb) signaled an increase in bombings, including high-profile, mass-casualty suicide attacks targeted against the Algerian government and Western interests. Algeria must also diversify its petroleum-based economy, which has yielded a large cash reserve but which has not been used to redress Algeria's many social and infrastructure problems.

Geography

Algeria

Location:

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia

Geographic coordinates:

28 00 N, 3 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 2,381,740 sq km land: 2,381,740 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 6,343 km border countries: Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km, Mauritania 463 km, Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western Sahara 42 km

Coastline:

998 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm

Climate:

arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer

Terrain:

mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m highest point: Tahat 3,003 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc

Land use:

arable land: 3.17% permanent crops: 0.28% other: 96.55% (2005)

Irrigated land:

5,690 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

14.3 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 6.07 cu km/yr (22%/13%/65%) per capita: 185 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season

Environment - current issues:

soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming practices; desertification; dumping of raw sewage, petroleum refining wastes, and other industrial effluents is leading to the pollution of rivers and coastal waters; Mediterranean Sea, in particular, becoming polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion, and fertilizer runoff; inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)

People

Algeria

Population:

33,769,668 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 26.3% (male 4,528,919/female 4,349,746) 15-64 years: 68.7% (male 11,699,701/female 11,509,619) 65 years and over: 5% (male 779,467/female 902,217) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 26 years male: 25.8 years female: 26.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.209% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

17.03 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.62 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 28.75 deaths/1,000 live births male: 31.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.77 years male: 72.13 years female: 75.49 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.82 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1%; note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

9,100 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Algerian(s) adjective: Algerian

Ethnic groups:

Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1% note: almost all Algerians are Berber in origin, not Arab; the minority who identify themselves as Berber live mostly in the mountainous region of Kabylie east of Algiers; the Berbers are also Muslim but identify with their Berber rather than Arab cultural heritage; Berbers have long agitated, sometimes violently, for autonomy; the government is unlikely to grant autonomy but has offered to begin sponsoring teaching Berber language in schools

Religions:

Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%

Languages:

Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 69.9% male: 79.6% female: 60.1% (2002 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 13 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

5.1% of GDP (1999)

Government

Algeria

Country name:

conventional long form: People's Democratic Republic of Algeria conventional short form: Algeria local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash Sha'biyah local short form: Al Jaza'ir

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Algiers geographic coordinates: 36 45 N, 3 03 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

48 provinces (wilayat, singular - wilaya); Adrar, Ain Defla, Ain

Temouchent, Alger, Annaba, Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Blida,

Bordj Bou Arreridj, Bouira, Boumerdes, Chlef, Constantine, Djelfa,

El Bayadh, El Oued, El Tarf, Ghardaia, Guelma, Illizi, Jijel,

Khenchela, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mila, Mostaganem, M'Sila,

Naama, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi, Relizane, Saida, Setif, Sidi

Bel Abbes, Skikda, Souk Ahras, Tamanghasset, Tebessa, Tiaret,

Tindouf, Tipaza, Tissemsilt, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen

Independence:

5 July 1962 (from France)

National holiday:

Revolution Day, 1 November (1954)

Constitution:

8 September 1963; revised 19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised 3 November 1988, 23 February 1989, 28 November 1996, and 12 November 2008

Legal system:

socialist, based on French and Islamic law; judicial review of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of various public officials, including several Supreme Court justices; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA (since 28 April 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed OUYAHIA (since 23 June 2008) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a third term under 2008 amendment to constitution); election last held 8 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2009); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA reelected president for second term; percent of vote - Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA 85%, Ali BENFLIS 6.4%, Abdellah DJABALLAH 5%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the National People's Assembly or Al-Majlis Al-Shabi Al-Watani (389 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Council of Nations (Senate) (144 seats; one-third of the members appointed by the president, two-thirds elected by indirect vote; to serve six-year terms; the constitution requires half the council to be renewed every three years) elections: National People's Assembly - last held 17 May 2007 (next to be held in 2012); Council of Nations (Senate) - last held 28 December 2006 (next to be held in 2009) election results: National People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FLN 136, RND 61, MSP 52, PT 26, RCD 19, FNA 13, other 49, independents 33; Council of Nations - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FLN 29, RND 12, MSP 3, RCD 1, independents 3, presidential appointees (unknown affiliation) 24; note - Council seating reflects the number of replaced council members rather than the whole Council

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:

Ahd 54 [Ali Fauzi REBAINE]; Algerian National Front or FNA [Moussa

TOUATI]; Islamic Salvation Front or FIS (outlawed April 1992) [Ali

BELHADJ, Dr. Abassi MADANI, Rabeh KEBIR]; National Democratic Rally

(Rassemblement National Democratique) or RND [Ahmed OUYAHIA];

National Entente Movement or MEN [Ali BOUKHAZNA]; National

Liberation Front or FLN [Abdelaziz BELKHADEM, secretary general];

National Reform Movement or Islah (formerly MRN) [Mohamed BOULAHIA];

National Renewal Party or PRA [Mohamed BENSMAIL]; Rally for Culture

and Democracy or RCD [Said SADI]; Renaissance Movement or EnNahda

Movement [Fatah RABEI]; Socialist Forces Front or FFS [Hocine Ait

AHMED]; Social Liberal Party or PSL [Ahmed KHELIL]; Society of Peace

Movement or MSP [Boudjerra SOLTANI]; Workers Party or PT [Louisa

HANOUNE]

note: a law banning political parties based on religion was enacted

in March 1997

Political pressure groups and leaders:

The Algerian Human Rights League or LADDH [Hocine ZEHOUANE]; SOS

Disparus [Nacera DUTOUR]; Somoud [Ali MERABET]

International organization participation:

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BIS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,

IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,

ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC,

OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO,

UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Abdallah BAALI chancery: 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-2800 FAX: [1] (202) 667-2174

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador David D. PEARCE embassy: 05 Chemin Cheikh Bachir, El-Ibrahimi, El-Biar 16000 Algiers mailing address: B. P. 408, Alger-Gare, 16030 Algiers telephone: [213] 770-08-2000 FAX: [213] 21-60-7355

Flag description:

two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white; a red, five-pointed star within a red crescent centered over the two-color boundary note: the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam (the state religion)

Economy

Algeria

Economy - overview:

The hydrocarbons sector is the backbone of the economy, accounting for roughly 60% of budget revenues, 30% of GDP, and over 95% of export earnings. Algeria has the eighth-largest reserves of natural gas in the world and is the fourth-largest gas exporter; it ranks 14th in oil reserves. Sustained high oil prices in recent years have helped improve Algeria's financial and macroeconomic indicators. Algeria is running substantial trade surpluses and building up record foreign exchange reserves. Algeria has decreased its external debt to less than 10% of GDP after repaying its Paris Club and London Club debt in 2006. Real GDP has risen due to higher oil output and increased government spending. The government's continued efforts to diversify the economy by attracting foreign and domestic investment outside the energy sector, however, has had little success in reducing high unemployment and improving living standards. Structural reform within the economy, such as development of the banking sector and the construction of infrastructure, moves ahead slowly hampered by corruption and bureaucratic resistance.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$222.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$131.6 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$6,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 8.2% industry: 61.5% services: 30.3% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

9.38 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture 14%, industry 13.4%, construction and public works 10%, trade 14.6%, government 32%, other 16% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:

11.8% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

25% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 26.8% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

35.3 (1995)

Investment (gross fixed):

24.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $57.03 billion expenditures: $40.53 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

18% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$55.43 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$28.59 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

NA

Agriculture - products:

wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle

Industries:

petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing

Industrial production growth rate:

5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

33.12 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

26.91 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

300 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

382 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 99.7% hydro: 0.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

2.173 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

279,800 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

1.844 million bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:

13,110 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

12.2 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

85.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

26.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

59.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

4.502 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$32.05 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$60.51 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97%

Exports - partners:

US 29.4%, Italy 13.8%, Spain 9.6%, Canada 8.4%, France 7.4%,

Netherlands 5% (2007)

Imports:

$26.25 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods

Imports - partners:

France 18.7%, China 9%, Italy 8.5%, Spain 6%, US 5.5%, Germany 5.3%,

Russia 4.6%, Turkey 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$370.6 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$110.6 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$3.957 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$12.04 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$851 million (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Algerian dinar (DZD)

Currency code:

DZD

Exchange rates:

Algerian dinars (DZD) per US dollar - 69.9 (2007), 72.647 (2006), 73.276 (2005), 72.061 (2004), 77.395 (2003)

Communications

Algeria

Telephones - main lines in use:

3.068 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

27.563 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: a weak network of fixed-main lines, which remains low at less than 10 telephones per 100 persons, is partially offset by the rapid increase in mobile cellular subscribership; in 2007, combined fixed-line and mobile telephone density surpassed 90 telephones per 100 persons domestic: privatization of Algeria's telecommunications sector began in 2000; three mobile cellular licenses have been issued and, in 2005, a consortium led by Egypt's Orascom Telecom won a 15-year license to build and operate a fixed-line network in Algeria; the license will allow Orascom to develop high-speed data and other specialized services and contribute to meeting the large unfulfilled demand for basic residential telephony; Internet broadband services began in 2003 with approximately 200,000 subscribers in 2006 international: country code - 213; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; microwave radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and Tunisia; participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations - 51 (Intelsat, Intersputnik, and Arabsat) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 25, FM 1, shortwave 8 (1999)

Radios:

7.1 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

46 (plus 216 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

3.1 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.dz

Internet hosts:

477 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

3.5 million (2007)

Transportation

Algeria

Airports:

150 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 52 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 98 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 44 under 914 m: 25 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 1,532 km; gas 13,861 km; liquid petroleum gas 2,408 km; oil 6,878 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 3,973 km standard gauge: 2,888 km 1.435-m gauge (283 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,085 km 1.055-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 108,302 km paved: 76,028 km (includes 645 km of expressways) unpaved: 32,274 km (2004)

Merchant marine:

total: 33 by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 8, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 9, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 18 (Jordan 7, UK 11) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Djendjene, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran,

Skikda

Military

Algeria

Military branches:

National Popular Army (ANP; includes Land Forces), Algerian National

Navy (MRA), Air Force (QJJ), Territorial Air Defense Force (2005)

Military service age and obligation:

19-30 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (6 months basic training, 12 months civil projects) (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 9,736,757 females age 16-49: 9,590,978 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 8,141,864 females age 16-49: 8,215,895 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 374,365 female: 360,942 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.3% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Algeria

Disputes - international:

Algeria, and many other states, rejects Moroccan administration of Western Sahara; the Polisario Front, exiled in Algeria, represents the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic; Algeria's border with Morocco remains an irritant to bilateral relations, each nation accusing the other of harboring militants and arms smuggling; Algeria remains concerned about armed bandits operating throughout the Sahel who sometimes destabilize southern Algerian towns; dormant disputes include Libyan claims of about 32,000 sq km still reflected on its maps of southeastern Algeria and the FLN's assertions of a claim to Chirac Pastures in southeastern Morocco

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 90,000 (Western Saharan Sahrawi, mostly living in Algerian-sponsored camps in the southwestern Algerian town of Tindouf) IDPs: undetermined (civil war during 1990s) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Algeria is a transit country for men and women trafficked from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude; Algerian children are trafficked internally for the purpose of domestic servitude or street vending tier rating: Tier 3 - Algeria did not report any serious law enforcement actions to punish traffickers who force women into commercial sexual exploitation or men into involuntary servitude in 2007; the government again reported no investigations of trafficking of children for domestic servitude or improvements in protection services available to victims of trafficking; Algeria still lacks victim protection services, and its failure to distinguish between trafficking and illegal migration may result in the punishment of victims of trafficking (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@American Samoa

Introduction

American Samoa

Background:

Settled as early as 1000 B.C., Samoa was "discovered" by European explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899 treaty in which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago. The US formally occupied its portion - a smaller group of eastern islands with the excellent harbor of Pago Pago - the following year.

Geography

American Samoa

Location:

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand

Geographic coordinates:

14 20 S, 170 00 W

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 199 sq km land: 199 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Rose Island and Swains Island

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

116 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds; annual rainfall averages about 3 m; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October); little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain:

five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island)

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Lata Mountain 964 m

Natural resources:

pumice, pumicite

Land use:

arable land: 10% permanent crops: 15% other: 75% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

typhoons common from December to March

Environment - current issues:

limited natural fresh water resources; the water division of the government has spent substantial funds in the past few years to improve water catchments and pipelines

Geography - note:

Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the South

Pacific Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough seas and protected by

peripheral mountains from high winds; strategic location in the

South Pacific Ocean

People

American Samoa

Population:

64,827 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 34.4% (male 11,337/female 10,946) 15-64 years: 61.8% (male 20,335/female 19,728) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 1,161/female 1,320) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 22.8 years male: 22.7 years female: 23 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.236% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

23.66 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.13 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-7.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 10.46 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.69 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.47 years male: 70.55 years female: 76.56 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.35 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: American Samoan(s) (US nationals) adjective: American Samoan

Ethnic groups:

native Pacific islander 91.6%, Asian 2.8%, white 1.1%, mixed 4.2%, other 0.3% (2000 census)

Religions:

Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%, Protestant and other 30%

Languages:

Samoan 90.6% (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages), English 2.9%, Tongan 2.4%, other Pacific islander 2.1%, other 2% note: most people are bilingual (2000 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 98% female: 97% (1980 est.)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

American Samoa

Country name:

conventional long form: Territory of American Samoa conventional short form: American Samoa abbreviation: AS

Dependency status:

unincorporated and unorganized territory of the US; administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Pago Pago geographic coordinates: 14 16 S, 170 42 W time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three districts and two islands* at the second order; Eastern, Manu'a, Rose Island*, Swains Island*, Western

Independence:

none (territory of the US)

National holiday:

Flag Day, 17 April (1900)

Constitution:

ratified 2 June 1966, effective 1 July 1967

Legal system:

NA

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Togiola TULAFONO (since 7 April 2003) cabinet: Cabinet made up of 12 department directors elections: under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as American Samoa, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; however, they may vote in Democratic and Republican presidential primary elections; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 4 and 18 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2012) election results: Togiola TULAFONO reelected governor; percent of vote - Togiola TULAFONO 56.5%, Afoa Moega LUTU 43.5%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Fono or Legislative Assembly consists of the House of Representatives (21 seats; 20 members are elected by popular vote and 1 is an appointed, nonvoting delegate from Swains Island; members serve two-year terms) and the Senate (18 seats; members are elected from local chiefs to serve four-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2010); Senate - last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2012) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independents 18 note: American Samoa elects one nonvoting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held on 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2010); results - Eni F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA reelected as delegate

Judicial branch:

High Court (chief justice and associate justices are appointed by the US Secretary of the Interior)

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Party [Oreta M. TOGAFAU]; Republican Party [Tautai A. F.

FAALEVAO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Population Pressure LAS (addresses the growing population pressures)

International organization participation:

Interpol (subbureau), IOC, SPC, UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (territory of the US)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (territory of the US)

Flag description:

blue, with a white triangle edged in red that is based on the fly side and extends to the hoist side; a brown and white American bald eagle flying toward the hoist side is carrying two traditional Samoan symbols of authority, a war club known as a "Fa'alaufa'i" (upper; left talon), and a coconut fiber fly whisk known as a "Fue" (lower; right talon); the combination of symbols broadly mimics that seen on the US Great Seal and reflects the relationship between the United States and American Samoa

Economy

American Samoa

Economy - overview:

American Samoa has a traditional Polynesian economy in which more than 90% of the land is communally owned. Economic activity is strongly linked to the US with which American Samoa conducts most of its commerce. Tuna fishing and tuna processing plants are the backbone of the private sector, with canned tuna the primary export. Transfers from the US Government add substantially to American Samoa's economic well being. Attempts by the government to develop a larger and broader economy are restrained by Samoa's remote location, its limited transportation, and its devastating hurricanes. Tourism is a promising developing sector. note: as a territory of the US, American Samoa does not treat the US as an external trade partner

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$510.1 million (2003 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$333.8 million (2005)

GDP - real growth rate:

3% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$5,800 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Labor force:

17,630 (2005)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 34% industry: 33% services: 33% (1990)

Unemployment rate:

29.8% (2005)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $121 million (37% in local revenue and 63% in US grants) expenditures: $127 million (FY96/97)

Fiscal year:

1 October - 30 September

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

NA%

Agriculture - products:

bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit, yams, copra, pineapples, papayas; dairy products, livestock

Industries:

tuna canneries (largely supplied by foreign fishing vessels), handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

180 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

167.4 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

4,053 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

4,066 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$445.6 million (FY04 est.)

Exports - commodities:

canned tuna 93% (2004 est.)

Exports - partners:

Indonesia 28.2%, India 22.3%, Australia 15.3%, Japan 11.2%, NZ 7.1% (2006)

Imports:

$308.8 million (FY04 est.)

Imports - commodities:

materials for canneries 56%, food 8%, petroleum products 7%, machinery and parts 6% (2004 est.)

Imports - partners:

Australia 66%, Samoa 13.8%, NZ 10.8% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

important financial support from the US, more than $40 million in 1994

Debt - external:

$NA

Currency (code):

US dollar (USD)

Currency code:

USD

Exchange rates:

the US dollar is used

Communications

American Samoa

Telephones - main lines in use:

10,400 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2,200 (2004)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: good telex, telegraph, facsimile, and cellular telephone services; domestic satellite system with 1 Comsat earth station international: country code - 1-684; satellite earth station - 1 (Intelsat-Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005)

Radios:

57,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2006)

Televisions:

14,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.as

Internet hosts:

1,923 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

NA

Transportation

American Samoa

Airports:

3 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 221 km (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Pago Pago

Military

American Samoa

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 806 female: 781 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues

American Samoa

Disputes - international:

Tokelau periodically asserts claims to American Samoa's Swains

Island (Olohega), such as in its 2006 draft independence constitution

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Andorra

Introduction

Andorra

Background:

For 715 years, from 1278 to 1993, Andorrans lived under a unique co-principality, ruled by French and Spanish leaders (from 1607 onward, the French chief of state and the Spanish bishop of Urgel). In 1993, this feudal system was modified with the titular heads of state retained, but the government transformed into a parliamentary democracy. Long isolated and impoverished, mountainous Andorra achieved considerable prosperity since World War II through its tourist industry. Many immigrants (legal and illegal) are attracted to the thriving economy with its lack of income taxes.

Geography

Andorra

Location:

Southwestern Europe, between France and Spain

Geographic coordinates:

42 30 N, 1 30 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 468 sq km land: 468 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

total: 120.3 km border countries: France 56.6 km, Spain 63.7 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers

Terrain:

rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Riu Runer 840 m highest point: Coma Pedrosa 2,946 m

Natural resources:

hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead

Land use:

arable land: 2.13% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.87% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

avalanches

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; overgrazing of mountain meadows contributes to soil erosion; air pollution; wastewater treatment and solid waste disposal

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; straddles a number of important crossroads in the Pyrenees

People

Andorra

Population:

82,627 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 15.5% (male 6,606/female 6,192) 15-64 years: 72.5% (male 31,313/female 28,563) 65 years and over: 12% (male 4,906/female 5,047) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 38.9 years male: 39.2 years female: 38.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.899% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.59 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.59 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

13.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 3.68 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.76 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 82.67 years male: 80.35 years female: 85.14 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.32 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Andorran(s) adjective: Andorran

Ethnic groups:

Spanish 43%, Andorran 33%, Portuguese 11%, French 7%, other 6% (1998)

Religions:

Roman Catholic (predominant)

Languages:

Catalan (official), French, Castilian, Portuguese

Literacy:

definition: NA total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100%

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 11 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

2.3% of GDP (2006)

Government

Andorra

Country name:

conventional long form: Principality of Andorra conventional short form: Andorra local long form: Principat d'Andorra local short form: Andorra

Government type:

parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains as its chiefs of state a coprincipality; the two princes are the president of France and bishop of Seo de Urgel, Spain, who are represented locally by coprinces' representatives

Capital:

name: Andorra la Vella geographic coordinates: 42 30 N, 1 31 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

7 parishes (parroquies, singular - parroquia); Andorra la Vella, Canillo, Encamp, Escaldes-Engordany, La Massana, Ordino, Sant Julia de Loria

Independence:

1278 (formed under the joint suzerainty of the French Count of Foix and the Spanish Bishop of Urgel)

National holiday:

Our Lady of Meritxell Day, 8 September (1278)

Constitution:

Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in 1991, approved by referendum 14 March 1993, effective 28 April 1993

Legal system:

based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: French Coprince Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by Philippe MASSONI (since 26 July 2002) and Spanish Coprince Bishop Joan Enric VIVES i SICILIA (since 12 May 2003); represented by Nemesi MARQUES i OSTE (since 30 July 2003) head of government: Executive Council President Albert PINTAT SANTOLARIA (since 27 May 2005) cabinet: Executive Council or Govern designated by the Executive Council president elections: Executive Council president elected by the General Council and formally appointed by the coprinces for a four-year term; election last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held in April-May 2009) election results: Albert PINTAT SANTOLARIA elected executive council president; percent of General Council vote - NA

Legislative branch:

unicameral General Council of the Valleys or Consell General de las Valls (28 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, 14 from a single national constituency and 14 to represent each of the seven parishes; to serve four-year terms) elections: last held on 24 April 2005 (next to be held in March-April 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - PLA 41.2%, PS 38.1%, CDA-S21 11%, other 9.7%; seats by party - PLA 14, PS 12, CDA-S21 2

Judicial branch:

Tribunal of Judges or Tribunal de Batlles; Tribunal of the Courts or

Tribunal de Corts; Supreme Court of Justice of Andorra or Tribunal

Superior de Justicia d'Andorra; Supreme Council of Justice or

Consell Superior de la Justicia; Fiscal Ministry or Ministeri

Fiscal; Constitutional Tribunal or Tribunal Constitucional

Political parties and leaders:

Andorran Democratic Center Party (formerly Democratic Party or PD) and Century 21 or CDA and S21 [Enric TARRADO]; Liberal Party of Andorra or PLA [Albert PINTAT SANTOLARIA] (formerly Liberal Union or UL); Social Democratic Party or PS [Jaume BARTUMEU CASSANY] (formerly part of National Democratic Group or AND)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

CE, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, OIF,

OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, Union Latina, UNWTO, WCO, WHO, WIPO,

WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Carles FONT-ROSSELL chancery: 2 United Nations Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 750-8064 FAX: [1] (212) 750-6630

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Andorra; the US Ambassador to Spain is accredited to Andorra; US interests in Andorra are represented by the Consulate General's office in Barcelona (Spain); mailing address: Paseo Reina Elisenda de Montcada, 23, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; telephone: [34] (93) 280-2227; FAX: [34] (93) 280-6175

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red with the national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; the coat of arms features a quartered shield note: similar to the flags of Chad and Romania, which do not have a national coat of arms in the center, and the flag of Moldova, which does bear a national emblem

Economy

Andorra

Economy - overview:

Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do economy, accounts for more than 80% of GDP. An estimated 11.6 million tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra's duty-free status and by its summer and winter resorts. Andorra's comparative advantage has recently eroded as the economies of neighboring France and Spain have been opened up, providing broader availability of goods and lower tariffs. The banking sector, with its partial "tax haven" status, also contributes substantially to the economy. Agricultural production is limited - only 2% of the land is arable - and most food has to be imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep raising. Manufacturing output consists mainly of cigarettes, cigars, and furniture. Andorra is a member of the EU Customs Union and is treated as an EU member for trade in manufactured goods (no tariffs) and as a non-EU member for agricultural products.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.77 billion (2005)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

3.5% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$38,800 (2005)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Labor force:

42,420 (2005)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 0.3% industry: 20.3% services: 79.4% (2005)

Unemployment rate:

0% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $333.5 million expenditures: $386.6 million (2005)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.2% (2005)

Agriculture - products:

small quantities of rye, wheat, barley, oats, vegetables; sheep

Industries:

tourism (particularly skiing), cattle raising, timber, banking, tobacco, furniture

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

NA kWh

Electricity - consumption:

NA kWh

Electricity - exports:

NA kWh

Electricity - imports:

NA kWh; note - most electricity supplied by Spain and France;

Andorra generates a small amount of hydropower

Electricity - production by source:

NA

Exports:

$148.7 million f.o.b. (2005)

Exports - commodities:

tobacco products, furniture

Imports:

$1.879 billion (2005)

Imports - commodities:

consumer goods, food, electricity

Economic aid - recipient:

$0

Debt - external:

$NA

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Andorra

Telephones - main lines in use:

37,200 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

68,500 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections between exchanges international: country code - 376; landline circuits to France and Spain

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 15, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

16,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

0 (1997)

Televisions:

27,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ad

Internet hosts:

23,368 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

58,900 (2007)

Transportation

Andorra

Roadways:

total: 270 km

Military

Andorra

Military branches:

no regular military forces, Police Service of Andorra

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 18,685 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 14,976 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 412 female: 395 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of France and Spain

Transnational Issues

Andorra

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Angola

Introduction

Angola

Background:

Angola is rebuilding its country after the end of a 27-year civil war in 2002. Fighting between the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), led by Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS, and the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), led by Jonas SAVIMBI, followed independence from Portugal in 1975. Peace seemed imminent in 1992 when Angola held national elections, but UNITA renewed fighting after being beaten by the MPLA at the polls. Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost - and 4 million people displaced - in the quarter century of fighting. SAVIMBI's death in 2002 ended UNITA's insurgency and strengthened the MPLA's hold on power. President DOS SANTOS has announced legislative elections will be held in September 2008, with presidential elections planned for sometime in 2009.

Geography

Angola

Location:

Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geographic coordinates:

12 30 S, 18 30 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 1,246,700 sq km land: 1,246,700 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 5,198 km border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of discontiguous Cabinda Province), Republic of the Congo 201 km, Namibia 1,376 km, Zambia 1,110 km

Coastline:

1,600 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April)

Terrain:

narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Morro de Moco 2,620 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium

Land use:

arable land: 2.65% permanent crops: 0.23% other: 97.12% (2005)

Irrigated land:

800 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

184 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.35 cu km/yr (23%/17%/60%) per capita: 22 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau

Environment - current issues:

overuse of pastures and subsequent soil erosion attributable to population pressures; desertification; deforestation of tropical rain forest, in response to both international demand for tropical timber and to domestic use as fuel, resulting in loss of biodiversity; soil erosion contributing to water pollution and siltation of rivers and dams; inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the province of Cabinda is an exclave, separated from the rest of the country by the Democratic Republic of the Congo

People

Angola

Population:

12,531,357 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 43.6% (male 2,760,264/female 2,707,665) 15-64 years: 53.6% (male 3,416,914/female 3,302,552) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 151,609/female 192,353) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18 years male: 18 years female: 18 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.136% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

44.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

24.44 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

1.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 182.31 deaths/1,000 live births male: 194.38 deaths/1,000 live births female: 169.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 37.92 years male: 36.99 years female: 38.9 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

6.2 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

3.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

240,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

21,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Angolan(s) adjective: Angolan

Ethnic groups:

Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, mestico (mixed European and native African) 2%, European 1%, other 22%

Religions:

indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15% (1998 est.)

Languages:

Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 67.4% male: 82.9% female: 54.2% (2001 est.)

Education expenditures:

2.4% of GDP (2005)

Government

Angola

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Angola conventional short form: Angola local long form: Republica de Angola local short form: Angola former: People's Republic of Angola

Government type:

republic; multiparty presidential regime

Capital:

name: Luanda geographic coordinates: 8 50 S, 13 14 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

18 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Bengo, Benguela,

Bie, Cabinda, Cuando Cubango, Cuanza Norte, Cuanza Sul, Cunene,

Huambo, Huila, Luanda, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Malanje, Moxico,

Namibe, Uige, Zaire

Independence:

11 November 1975 (from Portugal)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 11 November (1975)

Constitution:

adopted by People's Assembly 25 August 1992

Legal system:

based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law; modified to accommodate political pluralism and increased use of free markets; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS (since 21 September 1979); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS (since 21 September 1979); Antonio Paulo KASSOMA was named prime minister by MPLA on 26 September 2008 cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by universal ballot for a five-year term (eligible for a second consecutive or discontinuous term) under the 1992 constitution; President DOS SANTOS originally elected (in 1979) without opposition under a one-party system and stood for reelection in Angola's first multiparty elections 29-30 September 1992 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS 49.6%, Jonas SAVIMBI 40.1%, making a run-off election necessary; the run-off was not held because SAVIMBI's National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) repudiated the results of the first election; the civil war resumed leaving DOS SANTOS in his current position as the president

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (220 seats; members elected by proportional vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 5-6 September 2008 (next to be held in September 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - MPLA 81.6%, UNITA 10.4%, PRS 3.2%, ND 1.2%, FNLA 1.1%, other 2.5%; seats by party - MPLA 191, UNITA 16, PRS 8, ND 2, FNLA 3

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court and separate provincial courts (judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders:

Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Analia de Victoria PEREIRA]; National Front for the Liberation of Angola or FNLA [disputed between Ngola KABANGU and Lucas NGONDA]; National Union for the Total Independence of Angola or UNITA (largest opposition party) [Isaias SAMAKUVA]; Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola or MPLA (ruling party in power since 1975) [Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS]; Social Renewal Party or PRS [Eduardo KUANGANA] note: about a dozen minor parties participated in the 1992 elections but only won a few seats; they and more than 100 other smaller parties have little influence in the National Assembly

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda or FLEC [N'zita

Henriques TIAGO, Antonio Bento BEMBE]

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory),

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer),

OPEC, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Josefina Perpetua Pitra DIAKITE chancery: 2108 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 785-1156 FAX: [1] (202) 785-1258 consulate(s) general: Houston, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Dan MOZENA embassy: number 32 Rua Houari Boumedienne (in the Miramar area of Luanda), Luanda mailing address: international mail: Caixa Postal 6468, Luanda; pouch: US Embassy Luanda, US Department of State, 2550 Luanda Place, Washington, DC 20521-2550 telephone: [244] (222) 64-1000 FAX: [244] (222) 64-1232

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and black with a centered yellow emblem consisting of a five-pointed star within half a cogwheel crossed by a machete (in the style of a hammer and sickle)

Economy

Angola

Economy - overview:

Angola's high growth rate is driven by its oil sector, with record oil prices and rising petroleum production. Oil production and its supporting activities contribute about 85% of GDP. Increased oil production supported growth averaging more than 15% per year from 2004 to 2007. A postwar reconstruction boom and resettlement of displaced persons has led to high rates of growth in construction and agriculture as well. Much of the country's infrastructure is still damaged or undeveloped from the 27-year-long civil war. Remnants of the conflict such as widespread land mines still mar the countryside even though an apparently durable peace was established after the death of rebel leader Jonas SAVIMBI in February 2002. Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for most of the people, but half of the country's food must still be imported. In 2005, the government started using a $2 billion line of credit, since increased to $7 billion, from China to rebuild Angola's public infrastructure, and several large-scale projects were completed in 2006. Angola also has large credit lines from Brazil, Portugal, Germany, Spain, and the EU. The central bank in 2003 implemented an exchange rate stabilization program using foreign exchange reserves to buy kwanzas out of circulation. This policy became more sustainable in 2005 because of strong oil export earnings; it has significantly reduced inflation. Although consumer inflation declined from 325% in 2000 to under 13% in 2007, the stabilization policy has put pressure on international net liquidity. Angola became a member of OPEC in late 2006 and in late 2007 was assigned a production quota of 1.9 million barrels a day, somewhat less than the 2-2.5 million bbl Angola's government had wanted. To fully take advantage of its rich national resources - gold, diamonds, extensive forests, Atlantic fisheries, and large oil deposits - Angola will need to implement government reforms, increase transparency, and reduce corruption. The government has rejected a formal IMF monitored program, although it continues Article IV consultations and ad hoc cooperation. Corruption, especially in the extractive sectors, and the negative effects of large inflows of foreign exchange, are major challenges facing Angola.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$95.46 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$61.36 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

16.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$7,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 9.5% industry: 65.8% services: 24.6% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

7.148 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 85% industry and services: 15% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:

extensive unemployment and underemployment affecting more than half the population (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:

70% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

9.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $20.18 billion expenditures: $15.53 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

12% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

12.2% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

19.57% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

17.7% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$4.153 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$7.216 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.385 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

bananas, sugarcane, coffee, sisal, corn, cotton, manioc (tapioca), tobacco, vegetables, plantains; livestock; forest products; fish

Industries:

petroleum; diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, feldspar, bauxite, uranium, and gold; cement; basic metal products; fish processing; food processing, brewing, tobacco products, sugar; textiles; ship repair

Industrial production growth rate:

23.9% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

3.513 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

3.084 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 36.4% hydro: 63.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

1.91 million bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - consumption:

55,640 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

1.23 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

19,550 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

9.035 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

680 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

680 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

269.8 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$13.58 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$45.03 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

crude oil, diamonds, refined petroleum products, gas, coffee, sisal, fish and fish products, timber, cotton

Exports - partners:

US 32.1%, China 32%, France 5.9%, Taiwan 5.3%, South Africa 4.5% (2007)

Imports:

$12.29 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and electrical equipment, vehicles and spare parts; medicines, food, textiles, military goods

Imports - partners:

Portugal 19.7%, US 10.9%, China 10.5%, Brazil 10.3%, South Africa 6.6%, France 6.3%, UK 4.6%, Germany 4.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$441.8 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$11.2 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$8.357 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$17.23 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$227 million (2006 est.)

Currency (code):

kwanza (AOA)

Currency code:

AOA

Exchange rates:

kwanza (AOA) per US dollar - 76.6 (2007), 80.4 (2006), 88.6 (2005), 83.541 (2004), 74.606 (2003)

Communications

Angola

Telephones - main lines in use:

98,200 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

3.307 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: system inadequate; fewer than one fixed-line per 100 persons; combined fixed line and mobile telephone density exceeded 25 telephones per 100 persons in 2007 domestic: state-owned telecom had monopoly for fixed-lines until 2005; demand outstripped capacity, prices were high, and services poor; Telecom Namibia, through an Angolan company, became the first private licensed operator in Angola's fixed-line telephone network; Angola Telecom established mobile-cellular service in Luanda in 1993 and the network has been extended to larger towns; a privately-owned, mobile-cellular service provider began operations in 2001 international: country code - 244; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 29 (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 21, FM 6, shortwave 7 (2001)

Radios:

815,000 (2000)

Television broadcast stations:

6 (2000)

Televisions:

196,000 (2000)

Internet country code:

.ao

Internet hosts:

3,562 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

100,000 (2007)

Transportation

Angola

Airports:

232 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 31 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 201 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 30 914 to 1,523 m: 95 under 914 m: 69 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 234 km; liquid petroleum gas 85 km; oil 896 km; oil/gas/water 5 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,761 km narrow gauge: 2,638 km 1.067-m gauge; 123 km 0.600-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 51,429 km paved: 5,349 km unpaved: 46,080 km (2001)

Waterways:

1,300 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 6 by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Spain 1) registered in other countries: 6 (Bahamas 6) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Cabinda, Lobito, Luanda, Namibe

Military

Angola

Military branches:

Angolan Armed Forces (FAA): Army, Navy (Marinha de Guerra, MdG),

Angolan National Air Force (FANA) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years plus time for training (2001)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,856,492 females age 16-49: 2,755,864 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,430,658 females age 16-49: 1,371,689 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 142,791 female: 139,539 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

5.7% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Angola

Disputes - international:

Cabindan separatists continue to return to the Angolan exclave from exile in neighboring states and Europe since the 2006 ceasefire and peace agreement

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 12,615 (Democratic Republic of Congo) IDPs: 61,700 (27-year civil war ending in 2002; 4 million IDPs already have returned) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

used as a transshipment point for cocaine destined for Western Europe and other African states, particularly South Africa

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Anguilla

Introduction

Anguilla

Background:

Colonized by English settlers from Saint Kitts in 1650, Anguilla was administered by Great Britain until the early 19th century, when the island - against the wishes of the inhabitants - was incorporated into a single British dependency, along with Saint Kitts and Nevis. Several attempts at separation failed. In 1971, two years after a revolt, Anguilla was finally allowed to secede; this arrangement was formally recognized in 1980, with Anguilla becoming a separate British dependency.

Geography

Anguilla

Location:

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic

Ocean, east of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates:

18 15 N, 63 10 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 102 sq km land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about half the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

61 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds

Terrain:

flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Crocus Hill 65 m

Natural resources:

salt, fish, lobster

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mostly rock with sparse scrub oak, few trees, some commercial salt ponds) (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to October)

Environment - current issues:

supplies of potable water sometimes cannot meet increasing demand largely because of poor distribution system

Geography - note:

the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles

People

Anguilla

Population:

14,108 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 24.8% (male 1,795/female 1,706) 15-64 years: 67.6% (male 4,569/female 4,970) 65 years and over: 7.6% (male 510/female 558) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 32.3 years male: 31.3 years female: 33.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.332% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

13.11 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.39 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

14.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 3.54 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.01 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 80.53 years male: 78.01 years female: 83.12 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.75 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Anguillan(s) adjective: Anguillan

Ethnic groups:

black (predominant) 90.1%, mixed, mulatto 4.6%, white 3.7%, other 1.5% (2001 census)

Religions:

Anglican 29%, Methodist 23.9%, other Protestant 30.2%, Roman Catholic 5.7%, other Christian 1.7%, other 5.2%, none or unspecified 4.3% (2001 census)

Languages:

English (official)

Literacy:

definition: age 12 and over can read and write total population: 95% male: 95% female: 95% (1984 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 11 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4% of GDP (2005)

Government

Anguilla

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Anguilla

Dependency status:

overseas territory of the UK

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: The Valley geographic coordinates: 18 13 N, 63 03 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:

Anguilla Day, 30 May (1967)

Constitution:

Anguilla Constitutional Order 1 April 1982; amended 1990

Legal system:

based on English common law

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Andrew N. GEORGE (since 10 July 2006) head of government: Chief Minister Osbourne FLEMING (since 3 March 2000) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from among the elected members of the House of Assembly elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor

Legislative branch:

unicameral House of Assembly (11 seats; 7 members elected by direct popular vote, 2 ex officio members, and 2 appointed; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 21 February 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - AUF 38.9%, AUM 19.4%, ANSA 19.2%, APP 9.5%, independents 13%; seats by party - AUF 4, ANSA 2, AUM 1

Judicial branch:

High Court (judge provided by Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court)

Political parties and leaders:

Anguilla United Front or AUF [Osbourne FLEMING, Victor BANKS] (a

coalition of the Anguilla Democratic Party or ADP and the Anguilla

National Alliance or ANA); Anguilla United Movement or AUM [Hubert

HUGHES]; Anguilla Progressive Party or APP [Roy ROGERS]; Anguilla

Strategic Alternative or ANSA [Edison BAIRD]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:

blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Anguillan coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts three orange dolphins in an interlocking circular design on a white background with blue wavy water below

Economy

Anguilla

Economy - overview:

Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and remittances from emigrants. Increased activity in the tourism industry has spurred the growth of the construction sector, contributing to economic growth. Anguillan officials have put substantial effort into developing the offshore financial sector, which is small, but growing. In the medium term, prospects for the economy will depend largely on the tourism sector and, therefore, on revived income growth in the industrialized nations as well as on favorable weather conditions.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$108.9 million (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$108.9 million (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

10.2% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$8,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 4% industry: 18% services: 78% (2002 est.)

Labor force:

6,049 (2001)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture/fishing/forestry/mining 4%, manufacturing 3%, construction 18%, transportation and utilities 10%, commerce 36%, services 29% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

8% (2002)

Population below poverty line:

23% (2002)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $22.8 million expenditures: $22.5 million (2000 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.3% (2006 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

9.76% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$23.57 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$470.1 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$447.7 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

small quantities of tobacco, vegetables; cattle raising

Industries:

tourism, boat building, offshore financial services

Industrial production growth rate:

3.1% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:

NA kWh

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: NA hydro: NA nuclear: NA other: NA

Current account balance:

-$42.87 million (2003 est.)

Exports:

$13 million (2006)

Exports - commodities:

lobster, fish, livestock, salt, concrete blocks, rum

Exports - partners:

UK, US, Puerto Rico, Saint-Martin (2006)

Imports:

$143 million (2006)

Imports - commodities:

fuels, foodstuffs, manufactures, chemicals, trucks, textiles

Imports - partners:

US, Puerto Rico, UK (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$9 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external:

$8.8 million (1998)

Currency (code):

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code:

XCD

Exchange rates:

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003) note: fixed rate since 1976

Communications

Anguilla

Telephones - main lines in use:

6,200 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1,800 (2002)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: modern internal telephone system international: country code - 1-264; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; microwave radio relay to island of Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:

3,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (1997)

Televisions:

1,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ai

Internet hosts:

205 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

16 (2000)

Internet users:

3,000 (2002)

Transportation

Anguilla

Airports:

3 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 175 km paved: 82 km unpaved: 93 km (2004)

Ports and terminals:

Blowing Point, Road Bay

Military

Anguilla

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,538 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,929 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 103 female: 103 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

Anguilla

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Antarctica

Introduction

Antarctica

Background:

Speculation over the existence of a "southern land" was not confirmed until the early 1820s when British and American commercial operators and British and Russian national expeditions began exploring the Antarctic Peninsula region and other areas south of the Antarctic Circle. Not until 1840 was it established that Antarctica was indeed a continent and not just a group of islands. Several exploration "firsts" were achieved in the early 20th century. Following World War II, there was an upsurge in scientific research on the continent. A number of countries have set up a range of year-round and seasonal stations, camps, and refuges to support scientific research in Antarctica. Seven have made territorial claims, but not all countries recognize these claims. In order to form a legal framework for the activities of nations on the continent, an Antarctic Treaty was negotiated that neither denies nor gives recognition to existing territorial claims; signed in 1959, it entered into force in 1961.

Geography

Antarctica

Location:

continent mostly south of the Antarctic Circle

Geographic coordinates:

90 00 S, 0 00 E

Map references:

Antarctic Region

Area:

total: 14 million sq km land: 14 million sq km (280,000 sq km ice-free, 13.72 million sq km ice-covered) (est.) note: fifth-largest continent, following Asia, Africa, North America, and South America, but larger than Australia and the subcontinent of Europe

Area - comparative:

slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US

Land boundaries:

0 km note: see entry on Disputes - international

Coastline:

17,968 km

Maritime claims:

Australia, Chile, and Argentina claim Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) rights or similar over 200 nm extensions seaward from their continental claims, but like the claims themselves, these zones are not accepted by other countries; 21 of 28 Antarctic consultative nations have made no claims to Antarctic territory (although Russia and the US have reserved the right to do so) and do not recognize the claims of the other nations; also see the Disputes - international entry

Climate:

severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean; East Antarctica is colder than West Antarctica because of its higher elevation; Antarctic Peninsula has the most moderate climate; higher temperatures occur in January along the coast and average slightly below freezing

Terrain:

about 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock, with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountain ranges up to nearly 5,000 meters; ice-free coastal areas include parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the Antarctic Peninsula area, and parts of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciers form ice shelves along about half of the coastline, and floating ice shelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,555 m highest point: Vinson Massif 4,897 m note: the lowest known land point in Antarctica is hidden in the Bentley Subglacial Trench; at its surface is the deepest ice yet discovered and the world's lowest elevation not under seawater

Natural resources:

iron ore, chromium, copper, gold, nickel, platinum and other minerals, and coal and hydrocarbons have been found in small uncommercial quantities; none presently exploited; krill, finfish, and crab have been taken by commercial fisheries

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (ice 98%, barren rock 2%) (2005)

Natural hazards:

katabatic (gravity-driven) winds blow coastward from the high interior; frequent blizzards form near the foot of the plateau; cyclonic storms form over the ocean and move clockwise along the coast; volcanism on Deception Island and isolated areas of West Antarctica; other seismic activity rare and weak; large icebergs may calve from ice shelf

Environment - current issues:

in 1998, NASA satellite data showed that the Antarctic ozone hole was the largest on record, covering 27 million square kilometers; researchers in 1997 found that increased ultraviolet light passing through the hole damages the DNA of icefish, an Antarctic fish lacking hemoglobin; ozone depletion earlier was shown to harm one-celled Antarctic marine plants; in 2002, significant areas of ice shelves disintegrated in response to regional warming

Geography - note:

the coldest, windiest, highest (on average), and driest continent; during summer, more solar radiation reaches the surface at the South Pole than is received at the Equator in an equivalent period; mostly uninhabitable

People

Antarctica

Population:

no indigenous inhabitants, but there are both permanent and summer-only staffed research stations note: 28 nations, all signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, operate through their National Antarctic Program a number of seasonal-only (summer) and year-round research stations on the continent and its nearby islands south of 60 degrees south latitude (the region covered by the Antarctic Treaty); these stations' population of persons doing and supporting science or engaged in the management and protection of the Antarctic region varies from approximately 4,000 in summer to 1,000 in winter; in addition, approximately 1,000 personnel, including ship's crew and scientists doing onboard research, are present in the waters of the treaty region; peak summer (December-February) population - 4,219 total; Argentina 667, Australia 200, Brazil 40, Bulgaria 15, Chile 237, China 70, Czech Republic 20, Ecuador 26, Finland 20, France 100, France and Italy jointly 45, Germany 90, India 65, Italy 90, Japan 125, South Korea 70, NZ 85, Norway 44, Peru 28, Poland 40, Romania 3, Russia 429, South Africa 80, Spain 28, Sweden 20, Ukraine 24, UK 205, US 1,293, Uruguay 60 (2007-2008); winter (June-August) station population - 1,088 total; Argentina 176, Australia 62, Brazil 12, Chile 96, China 29, France 26, France and Italy jointly 13, Germany 9, India 25, Italy 2, Japan 40, South Korea 18, NZ 10, Norway 7, Poland 12, Russia 148, South Africa 10, Ukraine 12, UK 37, US 337, Uruguay 9 (2008); research stations operated within the Antarctic Treaty area (south of 60 degrees south latitude) by National Antarctic Programs: year-round stations - 38 total; Argentina 6, Australia 3, Brazil 1, Chile 4, China 2, France 1, France and Italy jointly 1, Germany 1, India 1, Japan 1, South Korea 1, NZ 1, Norway 1, Poland 1, Russia 5, South Africa 1, Ukraine 1, UK 2, US 3, Uruguay 1 (2008); a range of seasonal-only (summer) stations, camps, and refuges - Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, UK, US, and Uruguay (2007-2008); in addition, during the austral summer some nations have numerous occupied locations such as tent camps, summer-long temporary facilities, and mobile traverses in support of research (March 2008 est.)

Government

Antarctica

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Antarctica

Government type:

Antarctic Treaty Summary - the Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961, establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica; the 30th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was held in Delhi, India in April/May 2007; at these periodic meetings, decisions are made by consensus (not by vote) of all consultative member nations; at the end of 2007, there were 46 treaty member nations: 28 consultative and 18 non-consultative; consultative (decision-making) members include the seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica as national territory (some claims overlap) and 21 non-claimant nations; the US and Russia have reserved the right to make claims; the US does not recognize the claims of others; Antarctica is administered through meetings of the consultative member nations; decisions from these meetings are carried out by these member nations (with respect to their own nationals and operations) in accordance with their own national laws; the years in parentheses indicate when a consultative member-nation acceded to the Treaty and when it was accepted as a consultative member, while no date indicates the country was an original 1959 treaty signatory; claimant nations are - Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant consultative nations are - Belgium, Brazil (1975/1983), Bulgaria (1978/1998) China (1983/1985), Ecuador (1987/1990), Finland (1984/1989), Germany (1979/1981), India (1983/1983), Italy (1981/1987), Japan, South Korea (1986/1989), Netherlands (1967/1990), Peru (1981/1989), Poland (1961/1977), Russia, South Africa, Spain (1982/1988), Sweden (1984/1988), Ukraine (1992/2004), Uruguay (1980/1985), and the US; non-consultative members, with year of accession in parentheses, are - Austria (1987), Belarus (2006), Canada (1988), Colombia (1989), Cuba (1984), Czech Republic (1962/1993), Denmark (1965), Estonia (2001), Greece (1987), Guatemala (1991), Hungary (1984), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Romania (1971), Slovakia (1962/1993), Switzerland (1990), Turkey (1996), and Venezuela (1999); note - Czechoslovakia acceded to the Treaty in 1962 and separated into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993; Article 1 - area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel and equipment may be used for scientific research or any other peaceful purpose; Article 2 - freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue; Article 3 - free exchange of information and personnel, cooperation with the UN and other international agencies; Article 4 - does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force; Article 5 - prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes; Article 6 - includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees 00 minutes south and reserves high seas rights; Article 7 - treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance notice of all expeditions and of the introduction of military personnel must be given; Article 8 - allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own states; Article 9 - frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations; Article 10 - treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the treaty; Article 11 - disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ; Articles 12, 13, 14 - deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations; other agreements - some 200 recommendations adopted at treaty consultative meetings and ratified by governments include - Agreed Measures for Fauna and Flora (1964) which were later incorporated into the Environmental Protocol; Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980); a mineral resources agreement was signed in 1988 but remains unratified; the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed 4 October 1991 and entered into force 14 January 1998; this agreement provides for the protection of the Antarctic environment through six specific annexes: 1) environmental impact assessment, 2) conservation of Antarctic fauna and flora, 3) waste disposal and waste management, 4) prevention of marine pollution, 5) area protection and management and 6) liability arising from environmental emergencies; it prohibits all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific research; a permanent Antarctic Treaty Secretariat was established in 2004 in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Legal system:

Antarctica is administered through meetings of the consultative member nations; decisions from these meetings are carried out by these member nations (with respect to their own nationals and operations) in accordance with their own national laws; US law, including certain criminal offenses by or against US nationals, such as murder, may apply extraterritorially; some US laws directly apply to Antarctica; for example, the Antarctic Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. section 2401 et seq., provides civil and criminal penalties for the following activities, unless authorized by regulation of statute: the taking of native mammals or birds; the introduction of nonindigenous plants and animals; entry into specially protected areas; the discharge or disposal of pollutants; and the importation into the US of certain items from Antarctica; violation of the Antarctic Conservation Act carries penalties of up to $10,000 in fines and one year in prison; the National Science Foundation and Department of Justice share enforcement responsibilities; Public Law 95-541, the US Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, as amended in 1996, requires expeditions from the US to Antarctica to notify, in advance, the Office of Oceans, Room 5805, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520, which reports such plans to other nations as required by the Antarctic Treaty; for more information, contact Permit Office, Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia 22230; telephone: (703) 292-8030, or visit their website at www.nsf.gov; more generally, access to the Antarctic Treaty area, that is to all areas between 60 and 90 degrees south latitude, is subject to a number of relevant legal instruments and authorization procedures adopted by the states party to the Antarctic Treaty

Economy

Antarctica

Economy - overview:

Fishing off the coast and tourism, both based abroad, account for Antarctica's limited economic activity. Antarctic fisheries in 2005-06 (1 July-30 June) reported landing 128,081 metric tons (estimated fishing from the area covered by the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which extends slightly beyond the Antarctic Treaty area). Unregulated fishing, particularly of Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides), is a serious problem. The CCAMLR determines the recommended catch limits for marine species. A total of 36,460 tourists visited the Antarctic Treaty area in the 2006-07 Antarctic summer, up from the 30,877 visitors the previous year (estimates provided to the Antarctic Treaty by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO); this does not include passengers on overflights). Nearly all of them were passengers on commercial (nongovernmental) ships and several yachts that make trips during the summer. Most tourist trips last approximately two weeks.

Communications

Antarctica

Telephones - main lines in use:

0; note - information for US bases only (2001)

Telephone system:

general assessment: local systems at some research stations domestic: commercial cellular networks operating in a small number of locations international: country code - none allocated; via satellite (including mobile Inmarsat and Iridium systems) to and from all research stations, ships, aircraft, and most field parties (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

FM 2, shortwave 1 (information for US bases only); note - many research stations have a local FM radio station (2007)

Radios:

NA

Television broadcast stations:

1 (cable system with 6 channels; American Forces Antarctic Network-McMurdo - information for US bases only) (2002)

Televisions:

several hundred at McMurdo Station (US) note: information for US bases only (2001)

Internet country code:

.aq

Internet hosts:

7,748 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

NA

Transportation

Antarctica

Airports:

27 (2008)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 27 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 6 (2008)

Heliports:

53 note: all year-round and seasonal stations operated by National Antarctic Programs stations have some kind of helicopter landing facilities, prepared (helipads) or unprepared (2007)

Ports and terminals:

there are no developed ports and harbors in Antarctica; most coastal stations have offshore anchorages, and supplies are transferred from ship to shore by small boats, barges, and helicopters; a few stations have a basic wharf facility; US coastal stations include McMurdo (77 51 S, 166 40 E), and Palmer (64 43 S, 64 03 W); government use only except by permit (see Permit Office under "Legal System"); all ships at port are subject to inspection in accordance with Article 7, Antarctic Treaty; offshore anchorage is sparse and intermittent; relevant legal instruments and authorization procedures adopted by the states parties to the Antarctic Treaty regulating access to the Antarctic Treaty area, to all areas between 60 and 90 degrees of latitude south, have to be complied with (see "Legal System"); The Hydrographic Committee on Antarctica (HCA), a special hydrographic commission of International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), is responsible for hydrographic surveying and nautical charting matters in Antarctic Treaty area; it coordinates and facilitates provision of accurate and appropriate charts and other aids to navigation in support of safety of navigation in region; membership of HCA is open to any IHO Member State whose government has acceded to the Antarctic Treaty and which contributes resources and/or data to IHO Chart coverage of the area; members of HCA are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, NZ, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, UK, and US (2007)

Military

Antarctica

Military - note:

the Antarctic Treaty prohibits any measures of a military nature, such as the establishment of military bases and fortifications, the carrying out of military maneuvers, or the testing of any type of weapon; it permits the use of military personnel or equipment for scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes

Transnational Issues

Antarctica

Disputes - international:

the Antarctic Treaty freezes, and most states do not recognize, the land and maritime territorial claims made by Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom (some overlapping) for three-fourths of the continent; the US and Russia reserve the right to make claims; no claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west; the International Whaling Commission created a sancturary around the entire continent to deter catches by countries claiming to conduct scientific whaling; Australia has established a similar preserve in the waters around its territorial claim

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Antigua and Barbuda

Introduction

Antigua and Barbuda

Background:

The Siboney were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak Indians populated the islands when COLUMBUS landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were succeeded by the English who formed a colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981.

Geography

Antigua and Barbuda

Location:

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic

Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates:

17 03 N, 61 48 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 442.6 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km) land: 442.6 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km

Area - comparative:

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

153 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain:

mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands, with some higher volcanic areas

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m

Natural resources:

NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism

Land use:

arable land: 18.18% permanent crops: 4.55% other: 77.27% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Total renewable water resources:

0.1 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.005 cu km/yr (60%/20%/20%) per capita: 63 cu m/yr (1990)

Natural hazards:

hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

water management - a major concern because of limited natural fresh water resources - is further hampered by the clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a large western harbor

People

Antigua and Barbuda

Population:

84,522 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 27.2% (male 11,670/female 11,318) 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 26,138/female 29,859) 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 2,408/female 3,129) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 29.5 years male: 28 years female: 30.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.305% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

16.78 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.14 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 17.49 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.21 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 74.25 years male: 72.33 years female: 76.26 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.08 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s) adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan

Ethnic groups:

black 91%, mixed 4.4%, white 1.7%, other 2.9% (2001 census)

Religions:

Anglican 25.7%, Seventh Day Adventist 12.3%, Pentecostal 10.6%,

Moravian 10.5%, Roman Catholic 10.4%, Methodist 7.9%, Baptist 4.9%,

Church of God 4.5%, other Christian 5.4%, other 2%, none or

unspecified 5.8% (2001 census)

Languages:

English (official), local dialects

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling total population: 85.8% male: NA% female: NA% (2003 est.)

Education expenditures:

3.9% of GDP (2002)

Government

Antigua and Barbuda

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda

Government type:

constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government

Capital:

name: Saint John's geographic coordinates: 17 07 N, 61 51 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip

Independence:

1 November 1981 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day (National Day), 1 November (1981)

Constitution:

1 November 1981

Legal system:

based on English common law

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Louisse LAKE-TACK (since 17 July 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Winston Baldwin SPENCER (since 24 March 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general chosen by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (17 seats; members appointed by the governor general) and the House of Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 23 March 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ALP 4, UPP 13

Judicial branch:

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction); member Caribbean Court of Justice

Political parties and leaders:

Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD]; Barbudans for a Better Barbuda [Ordrick SAMUEL]; Barbuda People's Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; Barbuda People's Movement for Change [Arthur NIBBS]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin SPENCER] (a coalition of three parties - Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement or ACLM, Progressive Labor Movement or PLM, United National Democratic Party or UNDP)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's

Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL]

International organization participation:

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU,

ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU,

WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Deborah Mae LOVELL chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 362-5122 FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225 consulate(s) general: Miami

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Antigua and Barbuda; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda

Flag description:

red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black band

Economy

Antigua and Barbuda

Economy - overview:

Antigua has a relatively high GDP per capita in comparison to most other Caribbean nations. It has experienced solid growth since 2003, driven by a construction boom in hotels and housing that which should wind down in 2008. Tourism continues to dominate the economy, accounting for more than half of GDP. The dual-island nation's agricultural production is focused on the domestic market and constrained by a limited water supply and a labor shortage stemming from the lure of higher wages in tourism and construction. Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the medium term will continue to depend on income growth in the industrialized world, especially in the US, which accounts for slightly more than one-third of tourist arrivals. Since taking office in 2004, the SPENCER government has adopted an ambitious fiscal reform program, but will continue to be saddled by its debt burden with a debt-to-GDP ratio exceeding 100%.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.526 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.089 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$18,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3.8% industry: 22% services: 74.3% (2002 est.)

Labor force:

30,000 (1991)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 7% industry: 11% services: 82% (1983)

Unemployment rate:

11% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $123.7 million expenditures: $145.9 million (2000 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

10.44% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$294.8 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$902 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.002 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock

Industries:

tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances)

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

105 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

97.65 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

4,109 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

157.7 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

4,556 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$-211 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$84.3 million (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum products, bedding, handicrafts, electronic components, transport equipment, food and live animals

Exports - partners:

Spain 34%, Germany 20.7%, Italy 7.7%, Singapore 5.8%, UK 4.9% (2006)

Imports:

$522.8 million (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil

Imports - partners:

US 21.1%, China 16.4%, Germany 13.3%, Singapore 12.7%, Spain 6.5% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$7.23 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$359.8 million (June 2006)

Currency (code):

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code:

XCD

Exchange rates:

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003) note: fixed rate since 1976

Communications

Antigua and Barbuda

Telephones - main lines in use:

37,500 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

110,200 (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: good automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-268; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; satellite earth stations - 2; tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

36,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (1997)

Televisions:

31,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ag

Internet hosts:

2,215 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

16 (2000)

Internet users:

60,000 (2007)

Transportation

Antigua and Barbuda

Airports:

3 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 1,165 km paved: 384 km unpaved: 781 km (2002)

Merchant marine:

total: 1,146 by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 50, cargo 651, carrier 4, chemical tanker 5, container 392, liquefied gas 12, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 20 foreign-owned: 1,113 (Australia 1, Colombia 2, Cyprus 18, Denmark 19, Estonia 23, France 1, Germany 941, Greece 3, Iceland 12, Italy 1, Latvia 13, Lithuania 5, Netherlands 20, NZ 2, Norway 8, Poland 2, Russia 4, Slovenia 6, Sweden 1, Switzerland 8, Turkey 6, UK 9, US 8) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Saint John's

Military

Antigua and Barbuda

Military branches:

Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 19,560 females age 16-49: 18,977 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 15,591 females age 16-49: 15,542 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 744 female: 742 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Transnational Issues

Antigua and Barbuda

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

considered a minor transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as an offshore financial center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Arctic Ocean

Introduction

Arctic Ocean

Background:

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and the recently delimited Southern Ocean). The Northwest Passage (US and Canada) and Northern Sea Route (Norway and Russia) are two important seasonal waterways. A sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes circumscribes the Arctic Ocean.

Geography

Arctic Ocean

Location:

body of water between Europe, Asia, and North America, mostly north of the Arctic Circle

Geographic coordinates:

90 00 N, 0 00 E

Map references:

Arctic Region

Area:

total: 14.056 million sq km note: includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, Northwest Passage, and other tributary water bodies

Area - comparative:

slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US

Coastline:

45,389 km

Climate:

polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow

Terrain:

central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack that, on average, is about 3 meters thick, although pressure ridges may be three times that thickness; clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from the New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends to the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about 50% continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge)

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Fram Basin -4,665 m highest point: sea level 0 m

Natural resources:

sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales)

Natural hazards:

ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually ice locked from October to June; ships subject to superstructure icing from October to May

Environment - current issues:

endangered marine species include walruses and whales; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage; thinning polar icepack

Geography - note:

major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); strategic location between North America and Russia; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and western Russia; floating research stations operated by the US and Russia; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean; snow cover lasts about 10 months

Economy

Arctic Ocean

Economy - overview:

Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals.

Transportation

Arctic Ocean

Ports and terminals:

Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay (US)

Transportation - note:

sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route (Eurasia) are important seasonal waterways

Transnational Issues

Arctic Ocean

Disputes - international:

the littoral states are engaged in various stages of demonstrating the limits of their continental shelves beyond 200 nautical miles from their declared baselines in accordance with Article 76, paragraph 8, of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea; record summer melting of sea ice in the Arctic has restimulated interest in maritime shipping lanes and sea floor exploration

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Argentina

Introduction

Argentina

Background:

In 1816, the United Provinces of the Rio Plata declared their independence from Spain. After Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay went their separate ways, the area that remained became Argentina. The country's population and culture were heavily shaped by immigrants from throughout Europe, but most particularly Italy and Spain, which provided the largest percentage of newcomers from 1860 to 1930. Up until about the mid-20th century, much of Argentina's history was dominated by periods of internal political conflict between Federalists and Unitarians and between civilian and military factions. After World War II, an era of Peronist authoritarian rule and interference in subsequent governments was followed by a military junta that took power in 1976. Democracy returned in 1983, and has persisted despite numerous challenges, the most formidable of which was a severe economic crisis in 2001-02 that led to violent public protests and the resignation of several interim presidents. The economy has recovered strongly since bottoming out in 2002.

Geography

Argentina

Location:

Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between

Chile and Uruguay

Geographic coordinates:

34 00 S, 64 00 W

Map references:

South America

Area:

total: 2,766,890 sq km land: 2,736,690 sq km water: 30,200 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US

Land boundaries:

total: 9,861 km border countries: Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,261 km, Chile 5,308 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 580 km

Coastline:

4,989 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest

Terrain:

rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Laguna del Carbon -105 m (located between Puerto San Julian and Comandante Luis Piedra Buena in the province of Santa Cruz) highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,960 m (located in the northwestern corner of the province of Mendoza)

Natural resources:

fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium

Land use:

arable land: 10.03% permanent crops: 0.36% other: 89.61% (2005)

Irrigated land:

15,500 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

814 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 29.19 cu km/yr (17%/9%/74%) per capita: 753 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

San Miguel de Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the pampas and northeast; heavy flooding

Environment - current issues:

environmental problems (urban and rural) typical of an industrializing economy such as deforestation, soil degradation, desertification, air pollution, and water pollution note: Argentina is a world leader in setting voluntary greenhouse gas targets

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between the South Atlantic and the South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); diverse geophysical landscapes range from tropical climates in the north to tundra in the far south; Cerro Aconcagua is the Western Hemisphere's tallest mountain, while Laguna del Carbon is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere

People

Argentina

Population:

40.482 million (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 25.8% (male 5,341,642/female 5,095,325) 15-64 years: 63.5% (male 12,807,458/female 12,884,745) 65 years and over: 10.8% (male 1,784,652/female 2,568,176) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 29.7 years male: 28.8 years female: 30.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.068% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

18.11 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.43 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 11.78 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.36 years male: 73.11 years female: 79.77 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.37 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.7% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

130,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

1,500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Argentine(s) adjective: Argentine

Ethnic groups:

white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry), Amerindian, or other non-white groups 3%

Religions:

nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%

Languages:

Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.2% male: 97.2% female: 97.2% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 14 years female: 16 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

3.8% of GDP (2004)

Government

Argentina

Country name:

conventional long form: Argentine Republic conventional short form: Argentina local long form: Republica Argentina local short form: Argentina

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Buenos Aires geographic coordinates: 34 36 S, 58 40 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends third Saturday in March; note - a new policy of daylight saving time was initiated by the government on 30 December 2007

Administrative divisions:

23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 autonomous city* (distrito federal); Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Capital Federal*, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Cordoba, Corrientes, Entre Rios, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego - Antartida e Islas del Atlantico Sur, Tucuman note: the US does not recognize any claims to Antarctica

Independence:

9 July 1816 (from Spain)

National holiday:

Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)

Constitution:

1 May 1853; amended many times starting in 1860

Legal system:

mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER (since 10 December 2007); Vice President Julio COBOS (since 10 December 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER (since 10 December 2007); Vice President Julio COBOS (since 10 December 2007) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 28 October 2007 (next election to be held in 2011) election results: Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER elected president; percent of vote - Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER 45%, Elisa CARRIO 23%, Roberto LAVAGNA 17%, Alberto Rodriguez SAA 8%

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate (72 seats; members are elected by direct vote; presently one-third of the members elected every two years to serve six-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; members are elected by direct vote; one-half of the members elected every two years to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 28 October 2007 (next to be held in 2009); Chamber of Deputies - last held last held 28 October 2007 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA; seats by bloc or party - FV 12, UCR 4, CC 4, other 4; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA; seats by bloc or party - FV 5, UCR 10, PJ 10, PRO 6, CC 16, FJ 2, other 31; note - Senate and Chamber of Deputies seating reflect the number of replaced senators and deputies, rather than the whole Senate and Chamber of Deputies

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (the nine Supreme Court judges are appointed by the president with approval of the Senate) note: the Supreme Court currently has two unfilled vacancies, and the Argentine Congress is considering a bill to reduce the number of Supreme Court judges to five

Political parties and leaders:

Coalicion Civica (a broad coalition loosely affiliated with Elisa CARRIO); Front for Victory or FV (a broad coalition, including elements of the UCR and numerous provincial parties) [Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER]; Interbloque Federal or IF (a broad coalition of approximately 12 parties including PRO); Justicialist Front or FJ; Justicialist Party or PJ (Peronist umbrella political organization); Radical Civic Union or UCR [Gerardo MORALES]; Republican Proposal or PRO (including Federal Recreate Movement or RECREAR [Ricardo LOPEZ MURPHY] and Commitment for Change or CPC [Mauricio MACRI]); Socialist Party or PS [Ruben GIUSTINIANI]; Union For All [Patricia BULLRICH]; several provincial parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Argentine Association of Pharmaceutical Labs (CILFA); Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association); Argentine Rural Confederation or CRA (small to medium landowners' association); Argentine Rural Society (large landowners' association); Central of Argentine Workers or CTA (a radical union for employed and unemployed workers); General Confederation of Labor or CGT (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); Roman Catholic Church other: business organizations; Peronist-dominated labor movement; Piquetero groups (popular protest organizations that can be either pro or anti-government); students

International organization participation:

AfDB (nonregional members), Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CAN

(associate), FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur,

MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN,

UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina

(observer), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO,

ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Hector Marcos TIMERMAN chancery: 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 238-6400 FAX: [1] (202) 332-3171 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Earl Anthony WAYNE embassy: Avenida Colombia 4300, C1425GMN Buenos Aires mailing address: international mail: use embassy street address; APO address: US Embassy Buenos Aires, Unit 4334, APO AA 34034 telephone: [54] (11) 5777-4533 FAX: [54] (11) 5777-4240

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top), white, and light blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face known as the Sun of May

Economy

Argentina

Economy - overview:

Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Although one of the world's wealthiest countries 100 years ago, Argentina suffered during most of the 20th century from recurring economic crises, persistent fiscal and current account deficits, high inflation, mounting external debt, and capital flight. A severe depression, growing public and external indebtedness, and a bank run culminated in 2001 in the most serious economic, social, and political crisis in the country's turbulent history. Interim President Adolfo RODRIGUEZ SAA declared a default - the largest in history - on the government's foreign debt in December of that year, and abruptly resigned only a few days after taking office. His successor, Eduardo DUHALDE, announced an end to the peso's decade-long 1-to-1 peg to the US dollar in early 2002. The economy bottomed out that year, with real GDP 18% smaller than in 1998 and almost 60% of Argentines under the poverty line. Real GDP rebounded to grow by an average 9% annually over the subsequent five years, taking advantage of previously idled industrial capacity and labor, an audacious debt restructuring and reduced debt burden, excellent international financial conditions, and expansionary monetary and fiscal policies. Inflation, however, reached double-digit levels in 2006 and the government of President Nestor KIRCHNER responded with "voluntary" price agreements with businesses, as well as export taxes and restraints. Multi-year price freezes on electricity and natural gas rates for residential users stoked consumption and kept private investment away, leading to restrictions on industrial use and blackouts in 2007.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$526.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$260 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

8.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$13,100 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 9.5% industry: 34% services: 56.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

16.03 million note: urban areas only (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 1% industry: 23% services: 76% (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate:

8.5% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

23.4% (January-June 2007)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1% highest 10%: 35% (January-March 2007)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

49 (2006)

Investment (gross fixed):

24.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $48.99 billion expenditures: $61.23 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

56.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8.8% official rate; actual rate may be double the official rate (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

11.05% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$33.93 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$45.92 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$72.55 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock

Industries:

food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel

Industrial production growth rate:

7.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

109.4 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

97.72 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

2.628 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

10.27 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 52.2% hydro: 40.8% nuclear: 6.7% other: 0.2% (2001)

Oil - production:

790,800 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

525,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

339,900 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

23,380 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

2.587 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

44.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

44.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

2.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

1.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

446 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$7.438 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$55.78 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

soybeans and derivatives, petroleum and gas, vehicles, corn, wheat

Exports - partners:

Brazil 19.1%, China 9.4%, US 7.9%, Chile 7.6% (2007)

Imports:

$42.53 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, motor vehicles, petroleum and natural gas, organic chemicals, plastics

Imports - partners:

Brazil 34.6%, US 12.6%, China 12%, Germany 5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$99.66 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$46.12 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$135.8 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$65.31 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$26.26 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$79.73 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Argentine peso (ARS)

Currency code:

ARS

Exchange rates:

Argentine pesos (ARS) per US dollar - 3.1105 (2007), 3.0543 (2006), 2.9037 (2005), 2.9233 (2004), 2.9006 (2003)

Communications

Argentina

Telephones - main lines in use:

9.5 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

40.402 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: by opening the telecommunications market to competition and foreign investment with the "Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1998," Argentina encouraged the growth of modern telecommunications technology; fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being installed between all major cities; major networks are entirely digital and the availability of telephone service is improving; fixed-line telephone density is gradually increasing reaching nearly 25 lines per 100 people in 2007; mobile telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly and has reached a level of 100 telephones per 100 persons domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network; more than 110,000 pay telephones are installed and mobile telephone use is rapidly expanding; broadband services are gaining ground international: country code - 54; landing point for the Atlantis-2, UNISUR, and South America-1 optical submarine cable systems that provide links to Europe, Africa, South and Central America, and US; satellite earth stations - 112; 2 international gateways near Buenos Aires (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 260 (includes 10 inactive stations), FM (probably more than 1,000, mostly unlicensed), shortwave 6 (1998)

Radios:

24.3 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

42 (plus 444 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

7.95 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.ar

Internet hosts:

3.813 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

33 (2000)

Internet users:

9.309 million (2007)

Transportation

Argentina

Airports:

1,272 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 154 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 26 1,524 to 2,437 m: 65 914 to 1,523 m: 50 under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1,118 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 44 914 to 1,523 m: 515 under 914 m: 556 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 28,657 km; liquid petroleum gas 41 km; oil 5,607 km; refined products 3,052 km; unknown (oil/water) 13 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 31,902 km broad gauge: 20,858 km 1.676-m gauge (141 km electrified) standard gauge: 2,885 km 1.435-m gauge (26 km electrified) narrow gauge: 7,922 km 1.000-m gauge; 237 km 0.750-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 231,374 km paved: 69,412 km (includes 734 km of expressways) unpaved: 161,962 km (2004)

Waterways:

11,000 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 46 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 9, chemical tanker 2, container 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 24, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 14 (Brazil 1, Chile 7, Spain 2, UK 4) registered in other countries: 19 (Liberia 3, Panama 8, Paraguay 5, Uruguay 3) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Arroyo Seco, Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, La Plata, Punta Colorada,

Rosario, San Lorenzo-San Martin

Military

Argentina

Military branches:

Argentine Army (Ejercito Argentino), Navy of the Argentine Republic

(Armada Republica; includes naval aviation and naval infantry),

Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Argentina, FAA) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-24 years of age for voluntary military service (18-21 requires parental permission); no conscription (2001)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 10,029,488 females age 16-49: 9,889,002 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 8,352,147 females age 16-49: 8,366,781 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 348,310 female: 332,944 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military - note:

the Argentine military is a well-organized force constrained by the country's prolonged economic hardship; the country has recently experienced a strong recovery, and the military is implementing a modernization plan aimed at making the ground forces lighter and more responsive (2008)

Transnational Issues

Argentina

Disputes - international:

Argentina continues to assert its claims to the UK-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands in its constitution, forcibly occupying the Falklands in 1982, but in 1995 agreed no longer to seek settlement by force; territorial claim in Antarctica partially overlaps UK and Chilean claims; unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations; uncontested dispute between Brazil and Uruguay over Braziliera/Brasiliera Island in the Quarai/Cuareim River leaves the tripoint with Argentina in question; in 2006, Argentina went to the ICJ to protest, on environmental grounds, the construction of two pulp mills in Uruguay on the Uruguay River, which forms the boundary; both parties presented their pleadings in 2007 with Argentina's reply in January and Uruguay's rejoinder in July 2008; the joint boundary commission, established by Chile and Argentina in 2001 has yet to map and demarcate the delimited boundary in the inhospitable Andean Southern Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Argentina is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; most victims are trafficked within the country, from rural to urban areas; child sex tourism is a problem; foreign women and children, primarily from Paraguay, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic, are trafficked to Argentina for commercial sexual exploitation; Argentine women and girls are also trafficked to neighboring countries, Mexico, and Western Europe for sexual exploitation; a significant number of Bolivians, Peruvians, and Paraguayans are trafficked into the country for forced labor in sweatshops, agriculture, and as domestic servants tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - despite some progress, Argentina remains on the Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly in terms of providing adequate assistance to victims and curbing official complicity with trafficking activity, especially on the provincial and local levels; the Argentine Congress has demonstrated progress by enacting much-needed and first-ever federal anti-trafficking legislation (2008)

Illicit drugs:

a transshipment country for cocaine headed for Europe; some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area; law enforcement corruption; a source for precursor chemicals; increasing domestic consumption of drugs in urban centers, especially cocaine base and synthetic drugs

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Armenia

Introduction

Armenia

Background:

Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy, over the centuries Armenia came under the sway of various empires including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. During World War I in the western portion of Armenia, Ottoman Turkey instituted a policy of forced resettlement coupled with other harsh practices that resulted in an estimated 1 million Armenian deaths. The eastern area of Armenia was ceded by the Ottomans to Russia in 1828; this portion declared its independence in 1918, but was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Muslim Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution. Turkey imposed an economic blockade on Armenia and closed the common border because of the Armenian separatists' control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas.

Geography

Armenia

Location:

Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey

Geographic coordinates:

40 00 N, 45 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 29,743 sq km land: 28,454 sq km water: 1,289 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:

total: 1,254 km border countries: Azerbaijan-proper 566 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

highland continental, hot summers, cold winters

Terrain:

Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Debed River 400 m highest point: Aragats Lerrnagagat' 4,090 m

Natural resources:

small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, bauxite

Land use:

arable land: 16.78% permanent crops: 2.01% other: 81.21% (2005)

Irrigated land:

2,860 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

10.5 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.95 cu km/yr (30%/4%/66%) per capita: 977 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts

Environment - current issues:

soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT; the energy crisis of the 1990s led to deforestation when citizens scavenged for firewood; pollution of Hrazdan (Razdan) and Aras Rivers; the draining of Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), a result of its use as a source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies; restart of Metsamor nuclear power plant in spite of its location in a seismically active zone

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Geography - note:

landlocked in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains; Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan) is the largest lake in this mountain range

People

Armenia

Population:

2,968,586 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 18.7% (male 296,401/female 259,594) 15-64 years: 70.3% (male 975,438/female 1,111,989) 65 years and over: 11% (male 128,398/female 196,766) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 31.1 years male: 28.4 years female: 34 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.077% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

12.53 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.34 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-4.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.15 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.14 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 20.94 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.82 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 72.4 years male: 68.79 years female: 76.55 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.35 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

2,600 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Armenian(s) adjective: Armenian

Ethnic groups:

Armenian 97.9%, Yezidi (Kurd) 1.3%, Russian 0.5%, other 0.3% (2001 census)

Religions:

Armenian Apostolic 94.7%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi (monotheist with elements of nature worship) 1.3%

Languages:

Armenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4% (2001 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.4% male: 99.7% female: 99.2% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 12 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.2% of GDP (2001)

Government

Armenia

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Armenia conventional short form: Armenia local long form: Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun local short form: Hayastan former: Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, Armenian Republic

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Yerevan geographic coordinates: 40 10 N, 44 30 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

11 provinces (marzer, singular - marz); Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Geghark'unik', Kotayk', Lorri, Shirak, Syunik', Tavush, Vayots' Dzor, Yerevan

Independence:

21 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 21 September (1991)

Constitution:

adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995; amendments adopted through a nationwide referendum 27 November 2005

Legal system:

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Serzh SARGSIAN (since 9 April 2008) head of government: Prime Minister Tigran SARGSIAN (since 9 April 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 19 February 2008 (next to be held February 2013); prime minister appointed by the president based on majority or plurality support in parliament; the prime minister and Council of Ministers must resign if the National Assembly refuses to accept their program election results: Serzh SARGSIAN elected president; percent of vote - Serzh SARGSIAN 52.9%, Levon TER-PETROSSIAN 21.5%, Artur BAGHDASARIAN 16.7%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov (131 seats; members elected by popular vote, 90 members elected by party list and 41 by direct vote; to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 12 May 2007 (next to be held in the spring of 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - HHK 33.9%, Prosperous Armenia 15.1%, ARF (Dashnak) 13.2%, Rule of Law 7.1%, Heritage Party 6%, other 24.7%; seats by party - HHK 64, Prosperous Armenia 18, ARF (Dashnak) 16, Rule of Law 9, Heritage Party 7, independent 17

Judicial branch:

Constitutional Court; Court of Cassation (Appeals Court)

Political parties and leaders:

Armenian National Movement or ANM [Ararat ZURABYAN]; Armenian

People's Party [Tigran KARAPETYAN]; Armenian Ramkavar Azadagan Party

Alliance or HRAK (includes former Dashink Party, National Revival

Party, and Ramkavar Liberal Party); Armenian Revolutionary

Federation ("Dashnak" Party) or ARF [Hrant MARKARYAN]; Heritage

Party [Raffi HOVHANNISYAN]; National Democratic Party [Shavarsh

KOCHARIAN]; National Democratic Union or NDU [Vazgen MANUKIAN];

National Unity Party [Artashes GEGHAMYAN]; People's Party of Armenia

[Stepan DEMIRCHYAN]; Prosperous Armenia [Gagik TSAROUKYAN]; Republic

Party [Aram SARKISYAN]; Republican Party of Armenia or HHK [Serzh

SARGSIAN]; Rule of Law Party (Orinats Yerkir) [Artur BAGHDASARIAN];

Union of Constitutional Rights [Hrant KHACHATURYAN]; United Labor

Party [Gurgen ARSENYAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Aylentrank (Impeachment) [Nikol PASHINYAN]; Yerkrapah Union [Manvel

GRIGORIAN]

International organization participation:

ACCT (observer), ADB, BSEC, CE, CIS, CSTO, EAEC (observer), EAPC,

EBRD, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,

MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIF (associate member), OPCW,

OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Tatoul MARKARIAN chancery: 2225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 319-1976 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2982 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Marie L. YOVANOVITCH embassy: 1 American Ave., Yerevan 0082 mailing address: American Embassy Yerevan, US Department of State, 7020 Yerevan Place, Washington, DC 20521-7020 telephone: [374](10) 464-700 FAX: [374](10) 464-742

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, and orange

Economy

Armenia

Economy - overview:

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia has made progress in implementing many economic reforms including privatization, price reforms, and prudent fiscal policies. The conflict with Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian-dominated region of Nagorno-Karabakh contributed to a severe economic decline in the early 1990s. By 1994, however, the Armenian Government launched an ambitious IMF-sponsored economic liberalization program that resulted in positive growth rates. Economic growth has averaged over 13% in recent years. Armenia has managed to reduce poverty, slash inflation, stabilize its currency, and privatize most small- and medium-sized enterprises. Under the old Soviet central planning system, Armenia developed a modern industrial sector, supplying machine tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics, in exchange for raw materials and energy. Armenia has since switched to small-scale agriculture and away from the large agroindustrial complexes of the Soviet era. Nuclear power plants built at Metsamor in the 1970s were closed following the 1988 Spitak Earthquake, though they sustained no damage. One of the two reactors was re-opened in 1995, but the Armenian government is under international pressure to close it due to concerns that the Soviet era design lacks important safeguards. Metsamor provides 40 percent of the country's electricity - hydropower accounts for about one-fourth. Economic ties with Russia remain close, especially in the energy sector. The electricity distribution system was privatized in 2002 and bought by Russia's RAO-UES in 2005. Construction of a pipeline to deliver natural gas from Iran to Armenia is halfway completed and is scheduled to be commissioned by January 2009. Armenia has some mineral deposits (copper, gold, bauxite). Pig iron, unwrought copper, and other nonferrous metals are Armenia's highest valued exports. Armenia's severe trade imbalance has been offset somewhat by international aid, remittances from Armenians working abroad, and foreign direct investment. Armenia joined the WTO in January 2003. The government made some improvements in tax and customs administration in recent years, but anti-corruption measures will be more difficult to implement. Despite strong economic growth, Armenia's unemployment rate remains high. Armenia will need to pursue additional economic reforms in order to improve its economic competitiveness and to build on recent improvements in poverty and unemployment, especially given its economic isolation from two of its nearest neighbors, Turkey and Azerbaijan.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$17.17 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$7.974 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

13.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$5,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 17.2% industry: 36.4% services: 46.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

1.2 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 46.2% industry: 15.6% services: 38.2% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

7.1% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

26.5% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 41.3% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

37 (2006)

Investment (gross fixed):

33.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $1.666 billion expenditures: $1.735 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.4% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

17.52% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.507 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$765.2 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.256 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

fruit (especially grapes), vegetables; livestock

Industries:

diamond-processing, metal-cutting machine tools, forging-pressing machines, electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, jewelry manufacturing, software development, food processing, brandy

Industrial production growth rate:

3.2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

5.544 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

4.539 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

322.6 million kWh; note - exports an unknown quantity to Georgia; includes exports to Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

400.6 million kWh; note - imports an unknown quantity from Iran (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 42.3% hydro: 27% nuclear: 30.7% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

41,090 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

44,670 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

2.05 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

2.05 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006)

Current account balance:

-$571.4 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

pig iron, unwrought copper, nonferrous metals, diamonds, mineral products, foodstuffs, energy

Exports - partners:

Russia 17.5%, Germany 14.7%, Netherlands 13.5%, Belgium 8.7%, Georgia 7.6%, US 6.6%, Switzerland 4.3%, Bulgaria 4.1%, Ukraine 4% (2007)

Imports:

$2.807 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

natural gas, petroleum, tobacco products, foodstuffs, diamonds

Imports - partners:

Russia 15.1%, Ukraine 7.7%, Kazakhstan 7.4%, Germany 6.8%, China 6%,

France 4.6%, US 4.5%, Iraq 4.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $180 million (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.657 billion (December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.372 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$42.8 million (2005)

Currency (code):

dram (AMD)

Currency code:

AMD

Exchange rates:

drams (AMD) per US dollar - 344.06 (2007), 414.69 (2006), 457.69 (2005), 533.45 (2004), 578.76 (2003)

Communications

Armenia

Telephones - main lines in use:

603,900 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1,185,400 (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: telecommunications investments have made major inroads in modernizing and upgrading the outdated telecommunications network inherited from the Soviet era; now 100% privately owned and undergoing modernization and expansion; mobile-cellular services monopoly terminated in late 2004 and a second provider began operations in mid-2005 domestic: reliable modern landline and mobile-cellular services are available across Yerevan in major cities and towns; significant but ever-shrinking gaps remain in mobile-cellular coverage in rural areas international: country code - 374; Yerevan is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable through Iran; additional international service is available by microwave radio relay and landline connections to the other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, through the Moscow international switch, and by satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 3 (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 9, FM 16, shortwave 1 (2006)

Radios:

850,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

48 (private television stations alongside 2 public networks; major Russian channels widely available) (2006)

Televisions:

825,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.am

Internet hosts:

26,081 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

9 (2001)

Internet users:

172,800 (2006)

Transportation

Armenia

Airports:

12 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 10 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 2,036 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 839 km broad gauge: 839 km 1.520-m gauge (828 km electrified) note: some lines are out of service (2006)

Roadways:

total: 7,700 km paved: 7,700 km (includes 1,561 km of expressways) (2006)

Military

Armenia

Military branches:

Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Nagorno-Karabakh Self Defense Force

(NKSDF), Air Force and Air Defense (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-27 years of age for voluntary or compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 809,576 females age 16-49: 870,864 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 637,776 females age 16-49: 729,846 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 30,548 female: 29,170 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

6.5% of GDP (FY01)

Transnational Issues

Armenia

Disputes - international:

Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh and since the early 1990s, has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan - Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues to mediate dispute; over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh; Azerbaijan seeks transit route through Armenia to connect to Naxcivan exclave; border with Turkey remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh dispute; ethnic Armenian groups in Javakheti region of Georgia seek greater autonomy; Armenians continue to emigrate, primarily to Russia, seeking employment

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 113,295 (Azerbaijan) IDPs: 8,400 (conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, majority have returned home since 1994 ceasefire) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Armenia is primarily a source country for women and girls trafficked to the UAE and Turkey for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; Armenian men and women are trafficked to Turkey and Russia for the purpose of forced labor tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Armenia is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for a fourth consecutive year; its efforts to increase compliance with the minimum standards were assessed based on its commitments to undertake future actions, particularly in the areas of improving victim protection and assistance; while the government elevated anti-trafficking responsibilities to the ministerial level, adopted a new National Action Plan, and drafted a National Referral Mechanism, it has yet to show tangible progress in identifying and protecting victims or in tackling trafficking complicity of government officials; the Armenian Government made some notable improvements in its anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts, but it failed to demonstrate evidence of investigations, prosecutions, convictions, and sentences of officials complicit in trafficking (2008)

Illicit drugs:

illicit cultivation of small amount of cannabis for domestic consumption; minor transit point for illicit drugs - mostly opium and hashish - moving from Southwest Asia to Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Aruba

Introduction

Aruba

Background:

Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990.

Geography

Aruba

Location:

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela

Geographic coordinates:

12 30 N, 69 58 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 193 sq km land: 193 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

68.5 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate:

tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain:

flat with a few hills; scant vegetation

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m

Natural resources:

NEGL; white sandy beaches

Land use:

arable land: 10.53% permanent crops: 0% other: 89.47% (2005)

Irrigated land:

0.01 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:

hurricanes; lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

a flat, riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches; its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean; the temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit)

People

Aruba

Population:

101,541 note: estimate based on a revision of the base population, fertility, and mortality numbers, as well as a revision of 1985-1999 migration estimates from outmigration to inmigration, which is assumed to continue into the future; the new results are consistent with the 2000 census (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 19.4% (male 9,933/female 9,747) 15-64 years: 70.3% (male 34,123/female 37,228) 65 years and over: 10.4% (male 4,189/female 6,321) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 37.6 years male: 35.8 years female: 39.3 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.501% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

12.81 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.65 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

9.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 14.26 deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.92 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 75.06 years male: 72.03 years female: 78.14 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.85 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Aruban(s) adjective: Aruban; Dutch

Ethnic groups:

mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%, other 20%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 80.8%, Protestant 9%, other (includes Hindu, Muslim,

Confucian, Jewish) 5.6%, none or unspecified 4.6%

Languages:

Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 66.3%, Spanish 12.6%, English (widely spoken) 7.7%, Dutch (official) 5.8%, other 2.2%, unspecified or unknown 5.3% (2000 census)

Literacy:

definition: NA total population: 97.3% male: 97.5% female: 97.1% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4.8% of GDP (2005)

Government

Aruba

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Aruba

Dependency status:

member country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Oranjestad geographic coordinates: 12 31 N, 70 02 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Independence:

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

National holiday:

Flag Day, 18 March (1976)

Constitution:

1 January 1986

Legal system:

based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980); represented by Governor General Fredis REFUNJOL (since 11 May 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed for a six-year term by the monarch; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by the Staten for four-year terms; election last held in 2005 (next to be held by 2009) election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA

Legislative branch:

unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 23 September 2005 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - MEP 43%, AVP 32%, MPA 7%, RED 7%, PDR 6%, OLA 4%, PPA 2%; seats by party - MEP 11, AVP 8, MPA 1, RED 1

Judicial branch:

Common Court of Justice of Aruba (judges are appointed by the monarch)

Political parties and leaders:

Aliansa/Aruban Social Movement or MSA [Robert WEVER]; Aruban Liberal Organization or OLA [Glenbert CROES]; Aruban Patriotic Movement or MPA [Monica ARENDS-KOCK]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA [Benny NISBET]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Mike EMAN]; People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson O. ODUBER]; Real Democracy or PDR [Andin BIKKER]; RED [Rudy LAMPE]; Workers Political Platform or PTT [Gregorio WOLFF]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: environmental groups

International organization participation:

Caricom (observer), ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITUC, UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WFTU, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Henry BAARH, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Netherlands Antilles is accredited to Aruba

Flag description:

blue, with two narrow, horizontal, yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner

Economy

Aruba

Economy - overview:

Tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy, with offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important. The rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities. Over 1.5 million tourists per year visit Aruba, with 75% of those from the US. Construction continues to boom, with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level. In addition, the country's oil refinery reopened in 1993, providing a major source of employment, foreign exchange earnings, and growth. Tourist arrivals have rebounded strongly following a dip after the 11 September 2001 attacks. The island experiences only a brief low season, and hotel occupancy in 2004 averaged 80%, compared to 68% throughout the rest of the Caribbean. The government has made cutting the budget and trade deficits a high priority.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.258 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$2.258 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.4% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$21,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 0.4% industry: 33.3% services: 66.3% (2002 est.)

Labor force:

41,500 (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA% note: most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining

Unemployment rate:

6.9% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $507.9 million expenditures: $577.9 million (2005 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

46.3% of GDP (2005)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.4% (2005)

Central bank discount rate:

5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

11.01% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$640.9 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$792.9 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.348 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

aloes; livestock; fish

Industries:

tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

800 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

744 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

2,356 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

7,102 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

233,300 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

238,200 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006)

Exports:

$124 million f.o.b.; note - includes oil reexports (2006)

Exports - commodities:

live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment

Exports - partners:

Panama 29.7%, Colombia 17%, Netherlands Antilles 13.2%, US 11.3%,

Venezuela 10.9%, Netherlands 9.2% (2007)

Imports:

$1.054 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

US 54.6%, Netherlands 12%, UK 4.7% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$11.3 million (2004)

Debt - external:

$478.6 million (2005 est.)

Currency (code):

Aruban guilder/florin (AWG)

Currency code:

AWG

Exchange rates:

Aruban guilders/florins (AWG) per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.79 (2006), 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003)

Communications

Aruba

Telephones - main lines in use:

38,700 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

105,700 (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern fully automatic telecommunications system domestic: increased competition through privatization; 3 wireless service providers are now licensed international: country code - 297; landing site for the PAN-AM submarine telecommunications cable system that extends from the US Virgin Islands through Aruba to Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and the west coast of South America; extensive interisland microwave radio relay links (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:

50,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (1997)

Televisions:

20,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.aw

Internet hosts:

17,661 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

NA

Internet users:

24,000 (2007)

Transportation

Aruba

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas

Military

Aruba

Military branches:

no regular indigenous military forces; the Netherlands maintains a detachment of marines, a frigate, and an amphibious combat detachment in the neighboring Netherlands Antilles (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 24,585 females age 16-49: 25,742 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 20,173 females age 16-49: 21,062 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 705 female: 719 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Transnational Issues

Aruba

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity; relatively high percentage of population consumes cocaine

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Introduction

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Background:

These uninhabited islands came under Australian authority in 1931; formal administration began two years later. Ashmore Reef supports a rich and diverse avian and marine habitat; in 1983, it became a National Nature Reserve. Cartier Island, a former bombing range, became a marine reserve in 2000.

Geography

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Location:

Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean, midway between northwestern Australia and Timor island

Geographic coordinates:

12 14 S, 123 05 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 5 sq km land: 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island

Area - comparative:

about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

74.1 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

tropical

Terrain:

low with sand and coral

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 3 m

Natural resources:

fish

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all grass and sand) (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards

Environment - current issues:

illegal killing of protected wildlife by traditional Indonesian fisherman, as well as fishing by non-traditional Indonesian vessels, are ongoing problems

Geography - note:

Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983;

Cartier Island Marine Reserve established in 2000

People

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Population:

no indigenous inhabitants note: Indonesian fishermen are allowed access to the lagoon and fresh water at Ashmore Reef's West Island; access to East and Middle Islands is by permit only

Government

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Dependency status:

territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Attorney-General's Department

Legal system:

the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where applicable, apply

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (territory of Australia)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (territory of Australia)

Flag description:

the flag of Australia is used

Economy

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Economy - overview:

no economic activity

Transportation

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Ports and terminals:

none; offshore anchorage only

Military

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force

Transnational Issues

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Disputes - international:

as the closest Australian territory to Indonesia, these islands became the target of human traffickers for the landing of illegal immigrants; in 2001, the Australian government removed these islands from the Australian Migration Zone making illegal arrivals ineligible for temporary visas and entry into Australia

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Atlantic Ocean

Introduction

Atlantic Ocean

Background:

The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than the Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). The Kiel Canal (Germany), Oresund (Denmark-Sweden), Bosporus (Turkey), Strait of Gibraltar (Morocco-Spain), and the Saint Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US) are important strategic access waterways. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth world ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Atlantic Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude.

Geography

Atlantic Ocean

Location:

body of water between Africa, Europe, the Southern Ocean, and the Western Hemisphere

Geographic coordinates:

0 00 N, 25 00 W

Map references:

Political Map of the World

Area:

total: 76.762 million sq km

note: includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait,

Denmark Strait, part of the Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Labrador

Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, almost all of the

Scotia Sea, and other tributary water bodies

Area - comparative:

slightly less than 6.5 times the size of the US

Coastline:

111,866 km

Climate:

tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur from May to December, but are most frequent from August to November

Terrain:

surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait, and coastal portions of the Baltic Sea from October to June; clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyre in the southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Milwaukee Deep in the Puerto Rico Trench -8,605 m highest point: sea level 0 m

Natural resources:

oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious stones

Natural hazards:

icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from October to May; persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to September; hurricanes (May to December)

Environment - current issues:

endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions, turtles, and whales; drift net fishing is hastening the decline of fish stocks and contributing to international disputes; municipal sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil, and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste and municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea

Geography - note:

major chokepoints include the Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar, access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits include the Strait of Dover, Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage; the Equator divides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean

Economy

Atlantic Ocean

Economy - overview:

The Atlantic Ocean provides some of the world's most heavily trafficked sea routes, between and within the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Other economic activity includes the exploitation of natural resources, e.g., fishing, dredging of aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and production of crude oil and natural gas (Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and North Sea).

Transportation

Atlantic Ocean

Ports and terminals:

Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona

(Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco), Colon

(Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland),

Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands,

Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille

(France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy),

New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway),

Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam

(Netherlands), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Stockholm (Sweden)

Transportation - note:

Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways; significant domestic commercial and recreational use of Intracoastal Waterway on central and south Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico coast of US; the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of littoral states and offshore Atlantic waters as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea off West Africa, the east coast of Brazil, and the Caribbean Sea; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargoes stolen; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen

Transnational Issues

Atlantic Ocean

Disputes - international:

some maritime disputes (see littoral states)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Australia

Introduction

Australia

Background:

Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name of Great Britain. Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the 1990s, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. Long-term concerns include climate-change issues such as the depletion of the ozone layer and more frequent droughts, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef.

Geography

Australia

Location:

Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific

Ocean

Geographic coordinates:

27 00 S, 133 00 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 7,686,850 sq km land: 7,617,930 sq km water: 68,920 sq km note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

25,760 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north

Terrain:

mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m

Natural resources:

bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum note: Australia is the world's largest net exporter of coal accounting for 29% of global coal exports

Land use:

arable land: 6.15% (includes about 27 million hectares of cultivated grassland) permanent crops: 0.04% other: 93.81% (2005)

Irrigated land:

25,450 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

398 cu km (1995)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 24.06 cu km/yr (15%/10%/75%) per capita: 1,193 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires

Environment - current issues:

soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site; limited natural fresh water resources

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living

Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate

Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered

Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the

Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,

Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; the invigorating sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor" affects the city of Perth on the west coast, and is one of the most consistent winds in the world

People

Australia

Population:

21,007,310 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 18.8% (male 2,022,151/female 1,919,002) 15-64 years: 67.9% (male 7,233,555/female 7,038,722) 65 years and over: 13.3% (male 1,266,166/female 1,527,714) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 37.1 years male: 36.4 years female: 37.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.221% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

12.55 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.68 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

6.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.82 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 81.53 years male: 79.16 years female: 84.02 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.78 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

14,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Australian(s) adjective: Australian

Ethnic groups:

white 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%

Religions:

Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%, Buddhist 1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 12.7%, none 15.3% (2001 Census)

Languages:

English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 20 years male: 20 years female: 21 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4.5% of GDP (2005)

Government

Australia

Country name:

conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia conventional short form: Australia

Government type:

federal parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Canberra geographic coordinates: 35 17 S, 149 13 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in October; ends last Sunday in March note: Australia is divided into three time zones

Administrative divisions:

6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

Dependent areas:

Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling)

Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands,

Norfolk Island, Macquarie Island

Independence:

1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)

National holiday:

Australia Day, 26 January (1788); ANZAC Day (commemorated as the

anniversary of the landing of troops of the Australian and New

Zealand Army Corps during World War I at Gallipoli, Turkey), 25

April (1915)

Constitution:

9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901

Legal system:

based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Quentin BRYCE (since 5 September 2008) head of government: Prime Minister Kevin RUDD (since 3 December 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Julia GILLARD (since 3 December 2007) cabinet: prime minister nominates, from among members of Parliament, candidates who are subsequently sworn in by the governor general to serve as government ministers elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is sworn in as prime minister by the governor general

Legislative branch:

bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats; 12 members from each of the six states and 2 from each of the two mainland territories; one-half of state members are elected every three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms while all territory members are elected every three years) and the House of Representatives (150 seats; members elected by popular preferential vote to serve terms of up to three-years; no state can have fewer than 5 representatives) elections: Senate - last held 24 November 2007 (next to be held no later than 2010); House of Representatives - last held 24 November 2007 (next to be called no later than 2010) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 37, Australian Labor Party 32, Australian Greens 5, Family First Party 1, other 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Australian Labor Party 83, Liberal Party 55, National Party 10, independents 2

Judicial branch:

High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general)

Political parties and leaders:

Australian Democrats [Lyn ALLISON]; Australian Greens [Bob BROWN];

Australian Labor Party [Kevin RUDD]; Country Liberal Party [Jodeen

CARNEY]; Family First Party [Steve FIELDING]; Liberal Party [Malcolm

TURNBULL]; The Nationals [Warren TRUSS]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: business groups; environmental groups; social groups; trade unions

International organization participation:

ADB, ANZUS, APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group,

BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IEA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, Paris

Club, PCA, PIF, SAARC (observer), Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNHCR, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Dennis J. RICHARDSON chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000 FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert D. McCALLUM, Jr. embassy: Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600 mailing address: APO AP 96549 telephone: [61] (02) 6214-5600 FAX: [61] (02) 6214-5970 consulate(s) general: Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Flag description:

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant known as the Commonwealth or Federation Star, representing the federation of the colonies of Australia in 1901; the star depicts one point for each of the six original states and one representing all of Australia's internal and external territories; on the fly half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four larger, seven-pointed stars

Economy

Australia

Economy - overview:

Australia has an enviable, strong economy with a per capita GDP on par with the four dominant West European economies. Robust business and consumer confidence and high export prices for raw materials and agricultural products are fueling the economy, particularly in mining states. Australia's emphasis on reforms, low inflation, a housing market boom, and growing ties with China have been key factors behind the economy's 16 solid years of expansion. Drought, robust import demand, and a strong currency have pushed the trade deficit up in recent years, while infrastructure bottlenecks and a tight labor market are constraining growth in export volumes and stoking inflation. Australia's budget has been in surplus since 2002 due to strong revenue growth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$773 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$908.8 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$37,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3% industry: 26.4% services: 70.6% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

10.95 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 3.6% industry: 21.2% services: 75.2% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

4.4% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 25.4% (1994)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

30.5 (2006)

Investment (gross fixed):

27.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $321.9 billion expenditures: $315.8 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Public debt:

15.6% of GDP note: the Commonwealth government eliminated its net debt in 2006, but continues a gross debt issue to support the market for risk-free securities (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

10.02% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$298.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$667.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.312 trillion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits, cattle, sheep, poultry

Industries:

mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel

Industrial production growth rate:

4.1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

244.2 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

220 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 90.8% hydro: 8.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0.9% (2001)

Oil - production:

600,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - consumption:

966,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

337,400 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

615,000 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

1.5 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

43.62 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

29.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

19.91 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

5.689 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

849.5 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$56.78 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$142.1 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

coal, iron ore, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat, machinery and transport equipment

Exports - partners:

Japan 18.9%, China 14.2%, South Korea 8%, US 6%, NZ 5.6%, India 5.5%, UK 4.2% (2007)

Imports:

$160 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products

Imports - partners:

China 15.5%, US 12.8%, Japan 9.6%, Singapore 5.6%, Germany 5.2%, UK 4.3%, Thailand 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $2.123 billion (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$26.91 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$826.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$315 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$280.6 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$804.1 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

Australian dollar (AUD)

Currency code:

AUD

Exchange rates:

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)

Communications

Australia

Telephones - main lines in use:

9.76 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

21.26 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: excellent domestic and international service domestic: domestic satellite system; significant use of radiotelephone in areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellular telephones international: country code - 61; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable with links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; the Southern Cross fiber optic submarine cable provides links to New Zealand and the United States; satellite earth stations - 19 (10 Intelsat - 4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean, 2 Inmarsat - Indian and Pacific Ocean regions, 2 Globalstar, 5 other) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

25.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

104 (1997)

Televisions:

10.15 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.au

Internet hosts:

11.134 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

571 (2002)

Internet users:

11.24 million (2007)

Transportation

Australia

Airports:

461 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 317 over 3,047 m: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 138 914 to 1,523 m: 143 under 914 m: 13 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 144 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 109 under 914 m: 16 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate/gas 469 km; gas 26,719 km; liquid petroleum gas 240 km; oil 3,720 km; oil/gas/water 110 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 38,550 km broad gauge: 3,727 km 1.600-m gauge standard gauge: 20,519 km 1.435-m gauge (1,877 km electrified) narrow gauge: 14,074 km 1.067-m gauge (2,453 km electrified) dual gauge: 230 km dual gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 812,972 km paved: 341,448 km unpaved: 471,524 km (2004)

Waterways:

2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling river systems) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 50 by type: bulk carrier 12, cargo 5, chemical tanker 1, container 1, liquefied gas 4, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 8, roll on/roll off 5 foreign-owned: 24 (Canada 9, France 1, Germany 2, Japan 1, Netherlands 2, Norway 1, Singapore 1, UK 5, US 2) registered in other countries: 28 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Belize 1, Bermuda 1, Dominica 2, Fiji 1, Marshall Islands 1, NZ 1, Panama 4, Singapore 12, Tonga 1, US 1, Vanuatu 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Brisbane, Dampier, Fremantle, Gladstone, Hay Point, Melbourne,

Newcastle, Port Hedland, Port Kembla, Port Walcott, Sydney

Military

Australia

Military branches:

Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army, Royal Australian

Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Special Operations Command (2006)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age for voluntary military service (with parental consent); no conscription; women allowed to serve in Army combat units in non-combat support roles (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 4,999,988 females age 16-49: 4,870,043 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 4,137,176 females age 16-49: 4,022,588 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 144,934 female: 137,511 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.4% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Australia

Disputes - international:

Timor-Leste and Australia agreed in 2005 to defer the disputed portion of the boundary for fifty years and to split hydrocarbon revenues evenly outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area covered by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty; dispute with Timor-Leste hampers creation of a revised maritime boundary with Indonesia in the Timor Sea; regional states continue to express concern over Australia's 2004 declaration of a 1,000-nautical mile-wide maritime identification zone; Australia asserts land and maritime claims to Antarctica; in 2004 Australia submitted its claims to Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to extend its continental margins covering over 3.37 million square kilometers, expanding its seabed roughly thirty percent more than its claimed exclusive economic zone; since 2003, Australia has led the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) to maintain civil and political order and reinforce regional security

Illicit drugs:

Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of licit opiate products; government maintains strict controls over areas of opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate; major consumer of cocaine and amphetamines

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Austria

Introduction

Austria

Background:

Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995 have altered the meaning of this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.

Geography

Austria

Location:

Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia

Geographic coordinates:

47 20 N, 13 20 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 83,870 sq km land: 82,444 sq km water: 1,426 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Maine

Land boundaries:

total: 2,562 km border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330 km, Switzerland 164 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers

Terrain:

in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m

Natural resources:

oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 16.59% permanent crops: 0.85% other: 82.56% (2005)

Irrigated land:

40 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

84 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 3.67 cu km/yr (35%/64%/1%) per capita: 448 cu m/yr (1999)

Natural hazards:

landslides; avalanches; earthquakes

Environment - current issues:

some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,

Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere

People

Austria

Population:

8,205,533 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 14.8% (male 621,326/female 592,131) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 2,783,531/female 2,753,389) 65 years and over: 17.7% (male 599,415/female 855,741) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 41.7 years male: 40.7 years female: 42.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.064% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

8.66 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.91 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

1.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.48 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 79.36 years male: 76.46 years female: 82.41 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.38 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

10,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Austrian(s) adjective: Austrian

Ethnic groups:

Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians, Slovenes, Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or unspecified 2.4% (2001 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%, unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census)

Languages:

German (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian 2.2%, Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includes Slovene, official in Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: NA female: NA

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

5.4% of GDP (2005)

Government

Austria

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Austria conventional short form: Austria local long form: Republik Oesterreich local short form: Oesterreich

Government type:

federal republic

Capital:

name: Vienna geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland,

Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria),

Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria),

Tirol (Tyrol), Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)

Independence:

976 (Margravate of Austria established); 17 September 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire proclaimed); 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed)

National holiday:

National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the passage of the law on permanent neutrality

Constitution:

1920; revised 1929; reinstated 1 May 1945; note - during the period 1 May 1934-1 May 1945 there was a fascist (corporative) constitution in place

Legal system:

civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

16 years of age; universal; note - reduced from 18 years of age in 2007

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) (since 8 July 2004) head of government: Chancellor Werner FAYMANN (SPOe) (since 2 December 2008); Vice Chancellor Josef PROELL (OeVP) (since 2 December 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); presidential election last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2010); chancellor formally chosen by the president but determined by the coalition parties forming a parliamentary majority; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER 47.6% note: government coalition - SPOe and OeVP

Legislative branch:

bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 seats; members chosen by state parliaments with each state receiving 3 to 12 members according to its population; members serve a five- or six-year term) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: National Council - last held 28 September 2008 (next to be held by September 2013) election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe 29.3%, OeVP 26%, FPOe 17.5%, BZOe 10.7%, Greens 10.4%, other 6.1%; seats by party - SPOe 57, OeVP 51, FPOe 34, BZOe 21, Greens 20

Judicial branch:

Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Stefan PETZNER];

Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wilhelm MOLTERER]; Freedom Party of

Austria or FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE]; Social Democratic Party

of Austria or SPOe [Werner FAYMANN]; The Greens [Alexander VAN DER

BELLEN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Austrian Trade Union Federation or OeGB (nominally independent but primarily Social Democratic); Federal Economic Chamber; OeVP-oriented Association of Austrian Industrialists or IV; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action other: three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP representing business, labor, farmers, and other nongovernment organizations in the areas of environment and human rights

International organization participation:

ACCT (observer), ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional

members), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN,

EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM

(guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE,

Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN,

UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNWTO,

UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Deputy Chief of Mission Andreas Riecken chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035 telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700 FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador David F. GIRARD-DICARLO embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [43] (1) 31339-0 FAX: [43] (1) 3100682

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red

Economy

Austria

Economy - overview:

Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. The Austrian economy also benefits greatly from strong commercial relations, especially in the banking and insurance sectors, with central, eastern, and southeastern Europe. The economy features a large service sector, a sound industrial sector, and a small, but highly developed agricultural sector. Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and proximity to the new EU economies. The outgoing government has successfully pursued a comprehensive economic reform program, aimed at streamlining government and creating a more competitive business environment, further strengthening Austria's attractiveness as an investment location. It has implemented effective pension reforms; however, lower taxes in 2005-06 led to a small budget deficit in 2006 and 2007. Boosted by strong exports, growth nevertheless reached 3.3% in both 2006 and 2007, although the economy may slow in 2008 because of the strong euro, high oil prices, and problems in international financial markets. To meet increased competition - especially from new EU members and Central European countries - Austria will need to continue restructuring, emphasizing knowledge-based sectors of the economy, and encouraging greater labor flexibility and greater labor participation by its aging population.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$322 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$373.9 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$39,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1.6% industry: 30.3% services: 68% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

3.566 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 3% industry: 27% services: 70% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:

4.4% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

5.9% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 22.5% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

26 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

20.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $177.5 billion expenditures: $179.9 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

59.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.2% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

6.3% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

NA note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders

Stock of quasi money:

NA

Stock of domestic credit:

$599.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber

Industries:

construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

5.7% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

59.31 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

62.35 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

15.51 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

22.13 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 29.3% hydro: 67.2% nuclear: 0% other: 3.5% (2001)

Oil - production:

24,920 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

289,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

46,300 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

313,500 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

50 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

1.848 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

8.436 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

2.767 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

9.658 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

16.14 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$12.03 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$162.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs

Exports - partners:

Germany 29.8%, Italy 8.8%, US 4.9%, Switzerland 4.3% (2007)

Imports:

$160.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

Germany 45.5%, Italy 7.1%, Switzerland 5%, Netherlands 4.3% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $1.498 billion (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$18.22 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:

$752.5 billion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$222.9 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$208.1 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$126.3 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Austria

Telephones - main lines in use:

3.374 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

9.768 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: highly developed and efficient domestic: fixed-line subscribership has been in decline since the mid-1990s with mobile-cellular subscribership eclipsing it by the late 1990s; the fiber-optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 15; in addition, there are about 600 VSATs (very small aperture terminals) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 65 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:

6.08 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

10 (plus more than 1,000 repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:

4.25 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.at

Internet hosts:

2.806 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

37 (2000)

Internet users:

4.277 million (2007)

Transportation

Austria

Airports:

55 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 25 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 15 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 26 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 2,722 km; oil 663 km; refined products 157 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 6,383 km standard gauge: 5,924 km 1.435-m gauge (3,772 km electrified) narrow gauge: 371 km 1.000-m gauge; 88 km 0.760-m gauge (25 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 107,262 km paved: 107,262 km (includes 1,677 km of expressways) (2006)

Waterways:

358 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 4 by type: cargo 2, container 2 foreign-owned: 2 (Netherlands 2) registered in other countries: 4 (Cyprus 1, Malta 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna

Military

Austria

Military branches:

Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK)

Military service age and obligation:

18-35 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for male or female voluntary service; service obligation 7 months of training, followed by an 8-year reserve obligation (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,986,411 females age 16-49: 1,944,834 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,617,385 females age 16-49: 1,583,886 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 50,869 female: 48,246 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Austria

Disputes - international:

while threats of international legal action never materialized in 2007, 915,220 Austrians, with the support of the newly elected Freedom Party, signed a petition in January 2008, demanding that Austria block the Czech Republic's accession to the EU unless Prague closes its nuclear power plant in Temelin, bordering Austria

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; increasing consumption of European-produced synthetic drugs

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Azerbaijan

Introduction

Azerbaijan

Background:

Azerbaijan - a nation with a majority-Turkic and majority-Muslim population - was briefly independent from 1918 to 1920; it regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (largely Armenian populated). Azerbaijan has lost 16% of its territory and must support some 600,000 internally displaced persons as a result of the conflict. Corruption is ubiquitous, and the government has been accused of authoritarianism. Although the poverty rate has been reduced in recent years, the promise of widespread wealth from development of Azerbaijan's energy sector remains largely unfulfilled.

Geography

Azerbaijan

Location:

Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and

Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range

Geographic coordinates:

40 30 N, 47 30 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 86,600 sq km land: 86,100 sq km water: 500 sq km note: includes the exclave of Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy was abolished by Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Maine

Land boundaries:

total: 2,013 km border countries: Armenia (with Azerbaijan-proper) 566 km, Armenia (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 221 km, Georgia 322 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-proper) 432 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 179 km, Russia 284 km, Turkey 9 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (713 km)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

dry, semiarid steppe

Terrain:

large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point: Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, bauxite

Land use:

arable land: 20.62% permanent crops: 2.61% other: 76.77% (2005)

Irrigated land:

14,550 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

30.3 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 17.25 cu km/yr (5%/28%/68%) per capita: 2,051 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

droughts

Environment - current issues:

local scientists consider the Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) (including Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be the ecologically most devastated area in the world because of severe air, soil, and water pollution; soil pollution results from oil spills, from the use of DDT pesticide, and from toxic defoliants used in the production of cotton

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan exclave are landlocked

People

Azerbaijan

Population:

8,177,717 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 24.6% (male 1,061,318/female 947,607) 15-64 years: 68.6% (male 2,753,277/female 2,855,406) 65 years and over: 6.8% (male 208,293/female 351,816) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 27.9 years male: 26.3 years female: 29.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.723% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

17.52 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.32 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-1.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.14 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 56.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 62.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 49.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 66.31 years male: 62.2 years female: 71 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.05 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

1,400 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Azerbaijani(s) adjective: Azerbaijani

Ethnic groups:

Azeri 90.6%, Dagestani 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other 3.9% (1999 census) note: almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region

Religions:

Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.) note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan; percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower

Languages:

Azerbaijani (Azeri) 90.3%, Lezgi 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other 3.3%, unspecified 1% (1999 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.8% male: 99.5% female: 98.2% (1999 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 11 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

2.1% of GDP (2006)

Government

Azerbaijan

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Azerbaijan conventional short form: Azerbaijan local long form: Azarbaycan Respublikasi local short form: Azarbaycan former: Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Baku (Baki, Baky) geographic coordinates: 40 23 N, 49 52 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

59 rayons (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11 cities (saharlar; sahar -

singular), 1 autonomous republic (muxtar respublika)

rayons: Abseron Rayonu, Agcabadi Rayonu, Agdam Rayonu, Agdas Rayonu,

Agstafa Rayonu, Agsu Rayonu, Astara Rayonu, Balakan Rayonu, Barda

Rayonu, Beylaqan Rayonu, Bilasuvar Rayonu, Cabrayil Rayonu,

Calilabad Rayonu, Daskasan Rayonu, Davaci Rayonu, Fuzuli Rayonu,

Gadabay Rayonu, Goranboy Rayonu, Goycay Rayonu, Haciqabul Rayonu,

Imisli Rayonu, Ismayilli Rayonu, Kalbacar Rayonu, Kurdamir Rayonu,

Lacin Rayonu, Lankaran Rayonu, Lerik Rayonu, Masalli Rayonu,

Neftcala Rayonu, Oguz Rayonu, Qabala Rayonu, Qax Rayonu, Qazax

Rayonu, Qobustan Rayonu, Quba Rayonu, Qubadli Rayonu, Qusar Rayonu,

Saatli Rayonu, Sabirabad Rayonu, Saki Rayonu, Salyan Rayonu, Samaxi

Rayonu, Samkir Rayonu, Samux Rayonu, Siyazan Rayonu, Susa Rayonu,

Tartar Rayonu, Tovuz Rayonu, Ucar Rayonu, Xacmaz Rayonu, Xanlar

Rayonu, Xizi Rayonu, Xocali Rayonu, Xocavand Rayonu, Yardimli

Rayonu, Yevlax Rayonu, Zangilan Rayonu, Zaqatala Rayonu, Zardab

Rayonu

cities: Ali Bayramli Sahari, Baki Sahari, Ganca Sahari, Lankaran

Sahari, Mingacevir Sahari, Naftalan Sahari, Saki Sahari, Sumqayit

Sahari, Susa Sahari, Xankandi Sahari, Yevlax Sahari

autonomous republic: Naxcivan Muxtar Respublikasi

Independence:

30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:

Founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, 28 May (1918)

Constitution:

adopted 12 November 1995

Legal system:

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Ilham ALIYEV (since 31 October 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Artur RASIZADE (since 4 November 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Yaqub EYYUBOV (since June 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 October 2008 (next to be held in October 2013); prime minister and first deputy prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly election results: Ilham ALIYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Ilham ALIYEV 88.7%, Igbal AGHAZADE 2.9%, five other candidates with smaller percentages note: several political parties boycotted the election due to unfair conditions; OSCE observers concluded that the election did not meet international standards

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis (125 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 6 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Yeni 58, Azadliq coalition 8, CSP 2, Motherland 2, other parties with single seats 9, independents 42, undetermined 4

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:

Azadliq (Freedom) coalition (Popular Front Party, Liberal Party,

Citizens' Development Party); Azerbaijan Democratic Party or ADP

[Sardar JALALOGLU]; Azerbaijan Democratic Reforms Party (ADRP) Youth

Movement [Ramin HAJILI]; Azerbaijan Popular Front or APF, now split

in two [Ali KARIMLI, leader of "Reform" APF party; Mirmahmud

MIRALI-OGLU, leader of "Classic" APF party]; Azerbaijan Public Forum

[Eldar NAMAZOV]; Citizens' Development Party [Ali ALIYEV]; Civil

Solidarity Party or CSP [Sabir RUSTAMKHANLY]; Dalga Youth Movement

[Vafa JAFAROVA]; Green Party [Mais GULALIYEV and Tarana MAMMADOVA];

Hope (Umid) Party [Iqbal AGAZADE]; Ireli Youth Movement [Jeyhun

OSMANLI, Roya TALIBOVA, Farhad MAMMADOV, Elnara GARIBOVA, Elnur

MAMMADOV, Ziya ALIYEV]; Justice Party [Ilyas ISMAILOV]; Liberal

Party of Azerbaijan [Lala Shovkat HACIYEVA]; Magam Youth Movement

[Emin HUSEYNOV]; Motherland Party [Fazail AGAMALI]; Musavat

(Equality) [Isa GAMBAR, chairman]; Musavat Party Youth Movement

[Elnur MAMMADLI]; National Democratic Party or Grey Wolves

(Nationalist, Pan-Turkic) [Iskender HAMIDOV]; Open Society Party

[Rasul GULIYEV, in exile in the US]; Party for National Independence

of Azerbaijan or PNIA [Ayaz RUSTAMOV]; Popular Front Party Youth

Movement [Seymur KHAZIYEV]; Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan or

SDP [Araz ALIZADE and Ayaz MUTALIBOV (in exile)]; Turkish

Nationalist Party [Vugar BAYTURAN]; United Azerbaijan Party [Karrar

ABILOV]; United Azerbaijan National Unity Party [Hajibaba AZIMOV];

United Party [Tahir KARIMLI]; Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party [President

Ilham ALIYEV]; Yeni Azerbaijan Party Youth Movement [Ramil HASANOV];

Yox (No) Youth Movement [Ali ISMAYILOV]

note: opposition parties regularly factionalize and form new parties;

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (self-proclaimed); Karabakh Liberation Organization; Sadval, Lezgin movement; Talysh independence movement; Union of Pro-Azerbaijani Forces or UPAF

International organization participation:

ADB, BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS

(observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Yashar ALIYEV chancery: 2741 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 337-3500 FAX: [1] (202) 337-5911 Consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Anne E. DERSE embassy: 83 Azadlig Prospecti, Baku AZ1007 mailing address: American Embassy Baku, US Department of State, 7050 Baku Place, Washington, DC 20521-7050 telephone: [994] (12) 4980-335 through 337 FAX: [994] (12) 4656-671

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered in red band

Economy

Azerbaijan

Economy - overview:

Azerbaijan's high economic growth in 2006 and 2007 is attributable to large and growing oil exports. Azerbaijan's oil production declined through 1997, but has registered an increase every year since. Negotiation of production-sharing arrangements (PSAs) with foreign firms, which have committed $60 billion to long-term oilfield development, should generate the funds needed to spur future industrial development. Oil production under the first of these PSAs, with the Azerbaijan International Operating Company, began in November 1997. A consortium of Western oil companies began pumping 1 million barrels a day from a large offshore field in early 2006, through a $4 billion pipeline it built from Baku to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. By 2010 revenues from this project will double the country's current GDP. Azerbaijan shares all the formidable problems of the former Soviet republics in making the transition from a command to a market economy, but its considerable energy resources brighten its long-term prospects. Baku has only recently begun making progress on economic reform, and old economic ties and structures are slowly being replaced. Several other obstacles impede Azerbaijan's economic progress: the need for stepped up foreign investment in the non-energy sector, the continuing conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, pervasive corruption, and elevated inflation. Trade with Russia and the other former Soviet republics is declining in importance, while trade is building with Turkey and the nations of Europe. Long-term prospects will depend on world oil prices, the location of new oil and gas pipelines in the region, and Azerbaijan's ability to manage its energy wealth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$64.66 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$31.32 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

23.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$8,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 6.2% industry: 63.3% services: 30.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

5.243 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 41% industry: 7% services: 52% (2001)

Unemployment rate:

1% official rate (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

24% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 29.5% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

36.5 (2001)

Investment (gross fixed):

20% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $6.755 billion expenditures: $8.572 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

6.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

16.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

13% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

19.13% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$4.261 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$2.593 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$5.726 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco; cattle, pigs, sheep, goats

Industries:

petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore; cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles

Industrial production growth rate:

25% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

23.8 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

27.5 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

800 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

500 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 89.7% hydro: 10.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

1.099 million bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - consumption:

160,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

795,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports:

4,267 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

7 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

9.77 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

9.77 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2005)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

849.5 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$9.019 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$21.27 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs

Exports - partners:

Turkey 17.4%, Italy 15.5%, Russia 8.7%, Iran 7.2%, Indonesia 6.4%,

Israel 6.1%, Georgia 5.7%, US 4.8%, France 4.3% (2007)

Imports:

$6.045 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals

Imports - partners:

Russia 17.6%, Turkey 10.9%, Germany 8.2%, Ukraine 8.2%, UK 7.2%,

Japan 5.2%, China 4.9%, US 4.7% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $223.4 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$4.273 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$2.439 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$7.829 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$4.912 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Azerbaijani manat (AZN)

Currency code:

AZM

Exchange rates:

Azerbaijani manats (AZN) per US dollar - 0.8581 (2007), 0.8934 (2006), 4,727.1 (2005), 4,913.48 (2004), 4,910.73 (2003) note: on 1 January 2006 Azerbaijan revalued its currency, with 5,000 old manats equal to 1 new manat

Communications

Azerbaijan

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.254 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

4.3 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: inadequate; requires considerable expansion and modernization; teledensity of 15 main lines per 100 persons is low; mobile-cellular penetration is increasing and is currently about 50 telephones per 100 persons domestic: fixed-line telephony and a broad range of other telecom services are controlled by a state-owned telecommunications monopoly and growth has been stagnant; more competition exists in the mobile-cellular market with three providers in 2006; satellite service connects Baku to a modern switch in its exclave of Naxcivan international: country code - 994; the old Soviet system of cable and microwave is still serviceable; satellite earth stations - 2 (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

175,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (1997)

Televisions:

170,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.az

Internet hosts:

6,995 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

1.036 million (2007)

Transportation

Azerbaijan

Airports:

35 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 27 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 7 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 3,857 km; oil 2,436 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,122 km broad gauge: 2,122 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 59,141 km paved: 29,210 km unpaved: 29,931 km (2004)

Merchant marine:

total: 89 by type: cargo 26, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker 46, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 3 registered in other countries: 3 (Malta 2, Panama 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Baku (Baki)

Military

Azerbaijan

Military branches:

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

men between 18 and 35 are liable for military service; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; length of military service is 18 months and 12 months for university graduates (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,278,888 females age 16-49: 2,291,770 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,696,167 females age 16-49: 1,923,556 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 94,402 female: 89,686 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Azerbaijan

Disputes - international:

Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh and since the early 1990s has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan; over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh; Azerbaijan seeks transit route through Armenia to connect to Naxcivan exclave; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues to mediate dispute; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia have ratified Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while Iran continues to insist on an even one-fifth allocation and challenges Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon exploration in disputed waters; bilateral talks continue with Turkmenistan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; Azerbaijan and Georgia continue to discuss the alignment of their boundary at certain crossing areas

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 2,400 (Russia) IDPs: 580,000-690,000 (conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Azerbaijan is primarily a source and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; women and some children from Azerbaijan are trafficked to Turkey and the UAE for the purpose of sexual exploitation; men and boys are trafficked to Russia for the purpose of forced labor; Azerbaijan serves as a transit country for victims from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Moldova trafficked to Turkey and the UAE for sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Azerbaijan is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons, particularly efforts to investigate, prosecute, and punish traffickers; to address complicity among law enforcement personnel; and to adequately identify and protect victims in Azerbaijan; the government has yet to develop a much-needed mechanism to identify potential trafficking victims and refer them to safety and care; poor treatment of trafficking victims in courtrooms continues to be a problem (2008)

Illicit drugs:

limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; small government eradication program; transit point for Southwest Asian opiates bound for Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Bahamas, The

Introduction

Bahamas, The

Background:

Lucayan Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher COLUMBUS first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492. British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973, The Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking and investment management. Because of its geography, the country is a major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly shipments to the US and Europe, and its territory is used for smuggling illegal migrants into the US.

Geography

Bahamas, The

Location:

Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba

Geographic coordinates:

24 15 N, 76 00 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 13,940 sq km land: 10,070 sq km water: 3,870 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

3,542 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream

Terrain:

long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m

Natural resources:

salt, aragonite, timber, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 0.58% permanent crops: 0.29% other: 99.13% (2005)

Irrigated land:

10 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

NA

Natural hazards:

hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive flood and wind damage

Environment - current issues:

coral reef decay; solid waste disposal

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain of which 30 are inhabited

People

Bahamas, The

Population:

307,451 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 26.4% (male 40,608/female 40,506) 15-64 years: 66.9% (male 101,150/female 104,457) 65 years and over: 6.7% (male 8,472/female 12,258) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 28.4 years male: 27.6 years female: 29.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.57% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

17.06 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.22 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-2.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 23.67 deaths/1,000 live births male: 28.89 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 65.72 years male: 62.5 years female: 69 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.13 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

5,600 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Bahamian(s) adjective: Bahamian

Ethnic groups:

black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%

Religions:

Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%, Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other Christian 15.2%, none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census)

Languages:

English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.6% male: 94.7% female: 96.5% (2003 est.)

Education expenditures:

3.6% of GDP (2000)

Government

Bahamas, The

Country name:

conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas conventional short form: The Bahamas

Government type:

constitutional parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Nassau geographic coordinates: 25 05 N, 77 21 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

Administrative divisions:

21 districts; Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bimini, Cat Island,

Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's Harbour, Green Turtle Cay,

Harbour Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps Bay, Long Island, Marsh

Harbour, Mayaguana, New Providence, Nichollstown and Berry Islands,

Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay

Independence:

10 July 1973 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 10 July (1973)

Constitution:

10 July 1973

Legal system:

based on English common law

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Arthur D. HANNA (since 1 February 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Hubert A. INGRAHAM (since 4 May 2007) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime minister's recommendation elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16 seats; members appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the prime minister and the opposition leader to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (41 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms); the government may dissolve the Parliament and call elections at any time elections: last held 2 May 2007 (next to be held by May 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - FNM 49.86%, PLP 47.02%; seats by party - FNM 23, PLP 18

Judicial branch:

Privy Council in London; Courts of Appeal; Supreme (lower) Court;

Magistrates' Courts

Political parties and leaders:

Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert INGRAHAM]; Progressive Liberal

Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Friends of the Environment other: trade unions

International organization participation:

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory),

ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory),

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Cornelius A. SMITH chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2668 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ned L. SIEGEL embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau, New Providence mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau; US Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC 20521-3370 telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours) FAX: [1] (242) 328-2206

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side

Economy

Bahamas, The

Economy - overview:

The Bahamas is one of the wealthiest Caribbean countries with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism together with tourism-driven construction and manufacturing accounts for approximately 60% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs half of the archipelago's labor force. Steady growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels, resorts, and residences had led to solid GDP growth in recent years, but tourist arrivals have been on the decline since 2006. Financial services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian economy and, when combined with business services, account for about 36% of GDP. However, since December 2000, when the government enacted new regulations on the financial sector, many international businesses have left The Bahamas. Manufacturing and agriculture combined contribute approximately a tenth of GDP and show little growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors. Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily on the fortunes of the tourism sector. Tourism, in turn, depends on growth in the US, the source of more than 80% of the visitors.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$8.553 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$6.586 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$28,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3% industry: 7% services: 90% (2001 est.)

Labor force:

181,900 (2006)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture 5%, industry 5%, tourism 50%, other services 40% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:

7.6% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:

9.3% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: 27% (2000)

Budget:

revenues: $1.03 billion expenditures: $1.03 billion (FY04/05)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.4% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

5.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

5.5% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.274 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$4.324 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$7.395 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

citrus, vegetables; poultry

Industries:

tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

2.05 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

1.793 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

26,830 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

transshipments of 38,740 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

69,780 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$1.442 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$674 million (2006)

Exports - commodities:

mineral products and salt, animal products, rum, chemicals, fruit and vegetables

Exports - partners:

US 20.4%, Singapore 15.5%, Spain 14.5%, Poland 14.3%, Germany 6.6%,

Guatemala 5.7%, Switzerland 5.2% (2007)

Imports:

$2.401 billion (2006)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals

Imports - partners:

US 26.7%, South Korea 14.1%, Japan 13.5%, Italy 7.5%, Singapore 5.2%, Venezuela 4.5%, Spain 4.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$4.78 million (2004)

Debt - external:

$342.6 million (2004 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Bahamian dollar (BSD)

Currency code:

BSD

Exchange rates:

Bahamian dollars (BSD) per US dollar - 1 (2007), 1 (2006), 1 (2005), 1 (2004), 1 (2003)

Communications

Bahamas, The

Telephones - main lines in use:

132,900 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

374,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern facilities domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed; the Bahamas Domestic Submarine Network links 14 of the islands and is designed to satisfy increasing demand for voice and broadband internet services international: country code - 1-242; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic submarine cable that provides links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2006)

Radios:

215,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (2006)

Televisions:

67,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.bs

Internet hosts:

41 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

19 (2000)

Internet users:

120,000 (2007)

Transportation

Bahamas, The

Airports:

62 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 24 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 38 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 22 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 2,717 km paved: 1,560 km unpaved: 1,133 km (2002)

Merchant marine:

total: 1,223 by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 210, cargo 226, carrier 2, chemical tanker 88, combination ore/oil 12, container 65, liquefied gas 77, passenger 109, passenger/cargo 35, petroleum tanker 209, refrigerated cargo 119, roll on/roll off 16, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 51 foreign-owned: 1,150 (Angola 6, Belgium 15, Bermuda 12, Brazil 2, Canada 84, China 10, Croatia 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 25, Denmark 67, Finland 9, France 30, Germany 44, Greece 209, Hong Kong 30, Iceland 1, Indonesia 2, Ireland 2, Isle of Man 1, Italy 4, Japan 87, Jordan 2, Kenya 1, Malaysia 13, Monaco 15, Montenegro 2, Netherlands 9, Nigeria 2, Norway 189, Poland 17, Russia 4, Saudi Arabia 16, Singapore 17, Slovenia 1, South Africa 1, Spain 14, Sweden 4, Switzerland 1, Thailand 5, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Turkey 8, UAE 23, UK 56, US 106, Venezuela 1) registered in other countries: 12 (Bolivia 1, Panama 9, Peru 1, Portugal 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point

Military

Bahamas, The

Military branches:

Royal Bahamian Defense Force: Land Force, Navy, Air Wing (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 80,200 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 50,282 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 3,016 female: 3,024 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.5% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Bahamas, The

Disputes - international:

disagrees with the US on the alignment the northern axis of a potential maritime boundary; continues to monitor and interdict drug dealers and Haitian and Cuban refugees in Bahamian waters

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe; offshore financial center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Bahrain

Introduction

Bahrain

Background:

In 1783, the al-Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the Persians. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its independence in 1971. Bahrain's small size and central location among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. Facing declining oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and refining and has transformed itself into an international banking center. King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa, after coming to power in 1999, pushed economic and political reforms to improve relations with the Shia community. Shia political societies participated in 2006 parliamentary and municipal elections. Al Wifaq, the largest Shia political society, won the largest number of seats in the elected chamber of the legislature. However, Shi'a discontent has resurfaced in recent years with street demonstrations and occasional low-level violence.

Geography

Bahrain

Location:

Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates:

26 00 N, 50 33 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 665 sq km land: 665 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

161 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined

Climate:

arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers

Terrain:

mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m

Natural resources:

oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls

Land use:

arable land: 2.82% permanent crops: 5.63% other: 91.55% (2005)

Irrigated land:

40 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

0.1 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.3 cu km/yr (40%/3%/57%) per capita: 411 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

periodic droughts; dust storms

Environment - current issues:

desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land, periods of drought, and dust storms; coastal degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations; lack of freshwater resources (groundwater and seawater are the only sources for all water needs)

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic location in Persian Gulf, through which much of the Western world's petroleum must transit to reach open ocean

People

Bahrain

Population:

718,306 note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 26.4% (male 95,709/female 93,747) 15-64 years: 69.8% (male 288,957/female 212,706) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 14,224/female 12,963) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 29.9 years male: 33 years female: 26.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.337% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

17.26 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.36 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female total population: 1.25 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 15.64 deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 74.92 years male: 72.41 years female: 77.5 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.53 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

fewer than 600 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Bahraini(s) adjective: Bahraini

Ethnic groups:

Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census)

Religions:

Muslim (Shia and Sunni) 81.2%, Christian 9%, other 9.8% (2001 census)

Languages:

Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.5% male: 88.6% female: 83.6% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 14 years female: 16 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.9% of GDP (1991)

Government

Bahrain

Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Bahrain conventional short form: Bahrain local long form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn local short form: Al Bahrayn former: Dilmun

Government type:

constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Manama geographic coordinates: 26 14 N, 50 34 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

5 governorates; Asamah, Janubiyah, Muharraq, Shamaliyah, Wasat note: each governorate administered by an appointed governor

Independence:

15 August 1971 (from UK)

National holiday:

National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 was the date of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 was the date of independence from British protection

Constitution:

adopted 14 February 2002

Legal system:

based on Islamic law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

20 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa (since 6 March 1999); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the monarch, born 21 October 1969) head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman al-Khalifa (since 1971); Deputy Prime Ministers ALI bin Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, MUHAMMAD bin Mubarak al-Khalifa, Jawad al-ARAIDH cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch elections: the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch:

bicameral legislature consists of the Consultative Council (40 members appointed by the King) and the Council of Representatives or Chamber of Deputies (40 seats; members directly elected to serve four-year terms) elections: Council of Representatives - last held November-December 2006 (next election to be held in 2010) election results: Council of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - al Wifaq (Shia) 17, al Asala (Sunni Salafi) 5, al Minbar (Sunni Muslim Brotherhood) 7, independents 11; note - seats by party as of February 2007 - al Wifaq 17, al Asala 8, al Minbar 7, al Mustaqbal (Moderate Sunni pro-government) 4, unassociated independents (all Sunni) 3, independent affiliated with al Wifaq (Sunni oppositionist) 1

Judicial branch:

High Civil Appeals Court

Political parties and leaders:

political parties prohibited but political societies were legalized per a July 2005 law

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Shia activists; Sunni Islamist legislators other: several small leftist and other groups are active

International organization participation:

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA,

NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Houda Ezra Ibrahim NUNU chancery: 3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 342-1111 FAX: [1] (202) 362-2192 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador J. Adam ERELI embassy: Building #979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club), Block 331, Zinj District, Manama mailing address: PSC 451, Box 660, FPO AE 09834-5100; international mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama telephone: [973] 1724-2700 FAX: [973] 1727-0547

Flag description:

red, the traditional color for flags of Persian Gulf states, with a white serrated band (five white points) on the hoist side; the five points represent the five pillars of Islam

Economy

Bahrain

Economy - overview:

With its highly developed communication and transport facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with business in the Gulf. Petroleum production and refining account for over 60% of Bahrain's export receipts, over 70% of government revenues, and 11% of GDP (exclusive of allied industries), underpinning Bahrain's strong economic growth in recent years. Aluminum is Bahrain's second major export after oil. Other major segments of Bahrain's economy are the financial and construction sectors. Bahrain is focused on Islamic banking and is competing on an international scale with Malaysia as a worldwide banking center. Bahrain is actively pursuing the diversification and privatization of its economy to reduce the country's dependence on oil. As part of this effort, in August 2006 Bahrain and the US implemented a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the first FTA between the US and a Gulf state. Continued strong growth hinges on Bahrain's ability to acquire new natural gas supplies as feedstock to support its expanding petrochemical and aluminum industries. Unemployment, especially among the young, and the depletion of oil and underground water resources are long-term economic problems.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$24.01 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$19.66 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$33,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 0.3% industry: 43.6% services: 56% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

437,000 note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 1% industry: 79% services: 20% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:

15% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

22.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $5.418 billion expenditures: $4.968 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

31.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.3% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8.35% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$4.169 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$10.63 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$10.32 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish

Industries:

petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron pelletization, fertilizers, Islamic and offshore banking, insurance, ship repairing, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

5.2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

9.233 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

8.742 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

48,610 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

32,830 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

238,900 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

221,500 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

124.6 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

11.33 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

11.33 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

92.03 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$2.907 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$13.79 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles

Exports - partners:

Saudi Arabia 3.5%, US 2.5%, UAE 2.5% (2007)

Imports:

$10.93 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

crude oil, machinery, chemicals

Imports - partners:

Saudi Arabia 37.7%, Japan 7.2%, US 6.2%, Germany 4.7%, UK 4.5%, UAE 4.2%, China 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$103.9 million (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$4.101 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$7.858 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$13.31 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$7.72 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$21.12 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Bahraini dinar (BHD)

Currency code:

BHD

Exchange rates:

Bahraini dinars (BHD) per US dollar - 0.376 (2007), 0.376 (2006), 0.376 (2005), 0.376 (2004), 0.376 (2003)

Communications

Bahrain

Telephones - main lines in use:

194,200 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.116 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern system domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile-cellular telephones international: country code - 973; landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and US; tropospheric scatter to Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; satellite earth station - 1 (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

338,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

4 (1997)

Televisions:

275,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.bh

Internet hosts:

2,621 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

250,000 (2007)

Transportation

Bahrain

Airports:

3 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 20 km; oil 52 km (2007)

Roadways:

total: 3,498 km paved: 2,768 km unpaved: 730 km (2003)

Merchant marine:

total: 9 by type: bulk carrier 4, container 4, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 6 (Kuwait 5, UAE 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Mina' Salman, Sitrah

Military

Bahrain

Military branches:

Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF): Ground Force (includes Air Defense),

Naval Force, Air Force, National Guard

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age for voluntary military service; 15 years of age for NCOs, technicians, and cadets; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 210,938 females age 16-49: 170,471 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 171,536 females age 16-49: 142,714 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 6,543 female: 6,429 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

4.5% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Bahrain

Disputes - international:

none

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Bahrain is a destination country for men and women trafficked for the purposes of involuntary servitude and commercial sexual exploitation; men and women from Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia migrate voluntarily to Bahrain to work as laborers or domestic servants where some face conditions of involuntary servitude such as unlawful withholding of passports, restrictions on movements, non-payment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse; women from Thailand, Morocco, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia are trafficked to Bahrain for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Bahrain is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to show evidence of increased efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly efforts that enforce laws against trafficking in persons, and that prevent the punishment of victims of trafficking; during 2007, Bahrain passed a comprehensive law prohibiting all forms of trafficking in persons; the government also established a specialized anti-trafficking unit within the Ministry of Interior to investigate trafficking crimes; however, the government did not report any prosecutions or convictions for trafficking offenses during 2007, despite reports of a substantial problem of involuntary servitude and sex trafficking (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Bangladesh

Introduction

Bangladesh

Background:

Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of Bangladesh in the 16th century; eventually the British came to dominate the region and it became part of British India. In 1947, West Pakistan and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from India (largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of Pakistan. East Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955, but the awkward arrangement of a two-part country with its territorial units separated by 1,600 km left the Bengalis marginalized and dissatisfied. East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed Bangladesh. A military-backed caretaker regime suspended planned parliamentary elections in January 2007 in an effort to reform the political system and root out corruption; the regime has pledged new democratic elections by the end of 2008. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.

Geography

Bangladesh

Location:

Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India

Geographic coordinates:

24 00 N, 90 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 144,000 sq km land: 133,910 sq km water: 10,090 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Iowa

Land boundaries:

total: 4,246 km border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km

Coastline:

580 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)

Terrain:

mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m

Natural resources:

natural gas, arable land, timber, coal

Land use:

arable land: 55.39% permanent crops: 3.08% other: 41.53% (2005)

Irrigated land:

47,250 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

1,210.6 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 79.4 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%) per capita: 560 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season

Environment - current issues:

many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; waterborne diseases prevalent in surface water; water pollution, especially of fishing areas, results from the use of commercial pesticides; ground water contaminated by naturally occurring arsenic; intermittent water shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and central parts of the country; soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; severe overpopulation

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty into the Bay of Bengal

People

Bangladesh

Population:

153,546,896 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 33.4% (male 26,364,370/female 24,859,792) 15-64 years: 63.1% (male 49,412,903/female 47,468,013) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 2,912,321/female 2,529,502) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 22.8 years male: 22.8 years female: 22.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.022% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

28.86 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.15 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 57.45 deaths/1,000 live births male: 58.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 56.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 63.21 years male: 63.14 years female: 63.28 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.08 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

13,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

650 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations water contact disease: leptospirosis animal contact disease: rabies note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Bangladeshi(s) adjective: Bangladeshi

Ethnic groups:

Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) (1998)

Religions:

Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)

Languages:

Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 43.1% male: 53.9% female: 31.8% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 8 years male: 8 years female: 8 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

2.7% of GDP (2005)

Government

Bangladesh

Country name:

conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh conventional short form: Bangladesh local long form: Gana Prajatantri Banladesh local short form: Banladesh former: East Bengal, East Pakistan

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Dhaka geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 24 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet

Independence:

16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh

National holiday:

Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh

Constitution:

4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended many times

Legal system:

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002) note: the country has a caretaker government until a general election is held; Iajuddin AHMED remains as President and Minister of Defense, and all other Cabinet portfolios are held by Caretaker Advisers (CAs); the Chief CA, Fakhruddin AHMED, is roughly equivalent to a prime minister elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election scheduled for 16 September 2002 was not held since Iajuddin AHMED was the only presidential candidate; he was sworn in on 6 September 2002 (next election NA); following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Iajuddin AHMED declared president-elect by the Election Commission; he ran unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies; members serve five-year terms; note - parliament not in session during the extended caretaker regime elections: last held 1 October 2001 (the scheduled January 2007 election has been postponed until 29 December 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance partners 41%, AL 40%, other 19%; seats by party - BNP 193, AL 58, JI 17, JP (Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 2, JP (Manzur) 4, other 12; note - the election of October 2001 brought to power a majority BNP government aligned with three other smaller parties - JI, IOJ, and Jatiya Party (Manzur)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders:

Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or

BCP [Manjurul A. KHAN]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda

ZIA]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI];

Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Matiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya

Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party

(Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]; Liberal Democratic Party or

LDP [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY and Oli AHMED]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Advocacy to End Gender-based Violence through the MoWCA (Ministry of Women's and Children's Affairs) other: environmentalists; Islamist groups; religious leaders; teachers; union leaders

International organization participation:

ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT,

MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO,

UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador M. Humayun KABIR chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183 FAX: [1] (202) 244-7830/2771 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador James F. MORIARTY embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212 mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000 telephone: [880] (2) 885-5500 FAX: [880] (2) 882-3744

Flag description:

green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the hoist side of center; the red disk represents the rising sun and the sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush vegetation of Bangladesh

Economy

Bangladesh

Economy - overview:

The economy has grown 5-6% over the past few years despite inefficient state-owned enterprises, delays in exploiting natural gas resources, insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and inefficiently-governed nation. Although more than half of GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single-most-important product. Garment exports and remittances from Bangladeshis working overseas, mainly in the Middle East and East Asia, fuel economic growth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$208.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$72.42 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 19% industry: 28.7% services: 52.3% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

69.4 million note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $4.8 billion in 2005-06. (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 63% industry: 11% services: 26% (FY95/96)

Unemployment rate:

2.5% (includes underemployment) (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

45% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.7% highest 10%: 27.9% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

33.4 (2000)

Investment (gross fixed):

24.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $7.01 billion expenditures: $9.464 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Public debt:

37.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

9.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

16% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$8.444 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$32.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$40.15 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry

Industries:

cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar

Industrial production growth rate:

8.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

22.78 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

21.37 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 93.7% hydro: 6.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

6,746 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

89,940 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

1,351 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

83,220 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

28 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

15.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

15.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

141.6 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$804.7 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$12.45 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood

Exports - partners:

US 23%, Germany 13%, UK 9.1%, France 5.5%, Belgium 4% (2007)

Imports:

$16.67 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement

Imports - partners:

China 15%, India 14.3%, Kuwait 8.3%, Singapore 6.2%, Hong Kong 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.321 billion (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$5.278 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$21.23 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$4.971 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$104 million (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$3.61 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

taka (BDT)

Currency code:

BDT

Exchange rates:

taka (BDT) per US dollar - 69.893 (2007), 69.031 (2006), 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004), 58.15 (2003)

Communications

Bangladesh

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.187 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

34.37 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: inadequate for a modern country; fixed-line telephone density remains less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly and is approaching 25 per 100 persons domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities international: country code - 880; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 6; international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 15, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006)

Radios:

6.15 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

15 (1999)

Televisions:

770,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.bd

Internet hosts:

1,440 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

10 (2000)

Internet users:

500,000 (2007)

Transportation

Bangladesh

Airports:

16 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 2,644 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,768 km broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 239,226 km paved: 22,726 km unpaved: 216,500 km (2003)

Waterways:

8,370 km note: includes up to 3,060 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 40 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 27, container 5, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4 foreign-owned: 1 (China 1) registered in other countries: 10 (Comoros 2, Honduras 1, Malta 2, Panama 2, Singapore 2, Togo 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Chittagong, Mongla Port

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of Bangladesh as high risk for armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen

Military

Bangladesh

Military branches:

Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy,

Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini, BAF) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

16 years of age for voluntary military service; 17 years of age for officers (both with parental consent); conscription legally possible in emergency, but has never been implemented (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 41,199,340 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 31,968,168 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 1,311,850 female: 1,246,012 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.5% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Bangladesh

Disputes - international:

discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange territory for 51 small Bangladeshi exclaves in India and 111 small Indian exclaves in Bangladesh, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's fencing and walling off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint Bangladesh-India boundary commission resurveyed and reconstructed 92 missing pillars in 2007; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; after 21 years, Bangladesh resumes talks with Burma on delimiting a maritime boundary

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 26,268 (Burma) IDPs: 65,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Barbados

Introduction

Barbados

Background:

The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.

Geography

Barbados

Location:

Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela

Geographic coordinates:

13 10 N, 59 32 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 431 sq km land: 431 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

97 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Terrain:

relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, fish, natural gas

Land use:

arable land: 37.21% permanent crops: 2.33% other: 60.46% (2005)

Irrigated land:

50 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

0.1 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.09 cu km/yr (33%/44%/22%) per capita: 333 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

Environment - current issues:

pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

easternmost Caribbean island

People

Barbados

Population:

281,968 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 19.3% (male 27,270/female 27,193) 15-64 years: 71.7% (male 99,357/female 102,683) 65 years and over: 9% (male 9,856/female 15,609) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 35.4 years male: 34.2 years female: 36.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.36% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

12.48 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.58 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 11.05 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.21 years male: 71.2 years female: 75.24 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.65 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

2,500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial) adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)

Ethnic groups:

black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%

Religions:

Protestant 63.4% (Anglican 28.3%, Pentecostal 18.7%, Methodist 5.1%, other 11.3%), Roman Catholic 4.2%, other Christian 7%, other 4.8%, none or unspecified 20.6% (2008 est.)

Languages:

English

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 99.7% male: 99.7% female: 99.7% (2002 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2001)

Education expenditures:

6.9% of GDP (2005)

Government

Barbados

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Barbados

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Bridgetown geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

11 parishes and 1 city*; Bridgetown*, Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas

Independence:

30 November 1966 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

Constitution:

30 November 1966

Legal system:

English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996) head of government: Prime Minister David THOMPSON (since 16 January 2008) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21 seats; members appointed by the governor general - 12 on the advice of the Prime Minister, 2 on the advice of the opposition leader, and 7 at his discretion) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Assembly - last held 15 January 2008 (next to be called in 2013) election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - DLP 52.5%, BLP 47.3%; seats by party - DLP 20, BLP 10

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service

Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services); Caribbean Court of

Justice is the highest court of appeal

Political parties and leaders:

Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Mia MOTTLEY]; Democratic Labor Party or

DLP [David THOMPSON]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP [David

COMISSIONG]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union or BSTU [Patrick FROST]; Barbados

Union of Teachers or BUT [Herbert GITTENS]; Congress of Trade Unions

and Staff Associations of Barbados or CTUSAB, (includes the BWU,

NUPW, BUT, and BSTU) [Leroy TROTMAN]; Barbados Workers Union or BWU

[Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMISSIONG];

National Union of Public Workers [Joseph GODDARD]

International organization participation:

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU,

ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,

UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200 FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York consulate(s): Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Mary M. OURISMAN embassy: U.S. Embassy, Wildey Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael BB 14006 mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown BB 11000; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055 telephone: [1] (246) 227-4399 FAX: [1] (246) 431-0179

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)

Economy

Barbados

Economy - overview:

Historically, the Barbadian economy was dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities. However, production in recent years has diversified into light industry and tourism, with about three-quarters of GDP and 80% of exports being attributed to services. Growth has rebounded since 2003, bolstered by increases in construction projects and tourism revenues - reflecting its success in the higher-end segment. The country enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the region and an investment grade rating which benefits from its political stability and stable institutions. Offshore finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners and thrive from having the same time zone as eastern US financial centers and a relatively highly educated workforce. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$5.31 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$3.739 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$18,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 6% industry: 16% services: 78% (2000 est.)

Labor force:

128,500 (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 10% industry: 15% services: 75% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate:

10.7% (2003 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $847 million (including grants) expenditures: $886 million (2000 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

12% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

10.8% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.478 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$2.717 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$3.533 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

sugarcane, vegetables, cotton

Industries:

tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

Industrial production growth rate:

-3.2% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:

1.003 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

939.9 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

1,111 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

8,674 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

1,750 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

10,710 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

2.2 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

29.17 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

29.17 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

141.6 million cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$254 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$385 million (2006)

Exports - commodities:

manufactures, sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components

Exports - partners:

Trinidad and Tobago 15.5%, Jamaica 13.5%, UK 9.4%, US 9.3%, Brazil 8.3%, Saint Lucia 7.2%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.5% (2007)

Imports:

$1.586 billion (2006)

Imports - commodities:

consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components

Imports - partners:

US 30.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 27.6%, UK 6.5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$2.07 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$620 million (2007)

Debt - external:

$668 million (2003)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$5.513 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

Barbadian dollar (BBD)

Currency code:

BBD

Exchange rates:

Barbadian dollars (BBD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)

Communications

Barbados

Telephones - main lines in use:

134,900 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

237,100 (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: fixed-line teledensity of roughly 50 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of about 85 per 100 persons domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-246; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; satellite earth stations - 1 (Intelsat -Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:

237,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (plus 2 cable channels) (2004)

Televisions:

76,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.bb

Internet hosts:

104 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

19 (2000)

Internet users:

160,000 (2005)

Transportation

Barbados

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 1,600 km paved: 1,600 km (2004)

Merchant marine:

total: 85 by type: bulk carrier 15, cargo 50, chemical tanker 7, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 80 (Canada 9, Greece 12, India 1, Iran 2, Lebanon 1, Norway 38, Sweden 7, Syria 1, UK 9) registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Bridgetown

Military

Barbados

Military branches:

Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command, Barbados Coast Guard (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service (younger requires parental consent); no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 75,265 females age 16-49: 75,389 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 58,556 females age 16-49: 58,143 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 2,157 female: 2,155 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Military - note:

the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role of the land element is to defend the island against external aggression; the Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2007)

Transnational Issues

Barbados

Disputes - international:

Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago abide by the April 2006 Permanent Court of Arbitration decision delimiting a maritime boundary and limiting catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea

Illicit drugs:

one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Belarus

Introduction

Belarus

Background:

After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first president, Alexandr LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion continue.

Geography

Belarus

Location:

Eastern Europe, east of Poland

Geographic coordinates:

53 00 N, 28 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 207,600 sq km land: 207,600 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Kansas

Land boundaries:

total: 3,306 km border countries: Latvia 171 km, Lithuania 680 km, Poland 605 km, Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental and maritime

Terrain:

generally flat and contains much marshland

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m

Natural resources:

forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay

Land use:

arable land: 26.77% permanent crops: 0.6% other: 72.63% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,310 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

58 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.79 cu km/yr (23%/47%/30%) per capita: 286 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes

People

Belarus

Population:

9,685,768 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 14.4% (male 717,885/female 677,254) 15-64 years: 70.9% (male 3,333,699/female 3,531,920) 65 years and over: 14.7% (male 459,627/female 965,383) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 38.4 years male: 35.4 years female: 41.3 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.393% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

9.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

13.92 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 6.53 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 70.34 years male: 64.63 years female: 76.4 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.3% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

15,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

1,000 (2001 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Belarusian(s) adjective: Belarusian

Ethnic groups:

Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish 3.9%, Ukrainian 2.4%, other 1.1% (1999 census)

Religions:

Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant,

Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)

Languages:

Belarusian, Russian, other

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.8% female: 99.4% (1999 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 14 years female: 15 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

6.1% of GDP (2006)

Government

Belarus

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Belarus conventional short form: Belarus local long form: Respublika Byelarus' local short form: Byelarus' former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:

republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship

Capital:

name: Minsk geographic coordinates: 53 54 N, 27 34 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

6 provinces (voblastsi, singular - voblasts') and 1 municipality* (horad); Brest, Homyel', Horad Minsk*, Hrodna, Mahilyow, Minsk, Vitsyebsk note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers

Independence:

25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 3 July (1944); note - 3 July 1944 was the date Minsk was liberated from German troops, 25 August 1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union

Constitution:

15 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective 27 November 1996; revised again 17 October 2004 removing presidential term limits

Legal system:

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20 July 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Sergey SIDORSKIY (since 19 December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since December 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; first election took place 23 June and 10 July 1994; according to the 1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999, however, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a November 1996 referendum; subsequent election held 9 September 2001; an October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits and allowed the president to run in a third election, which was held on 19 March 2006; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 82.6%, Aleksandr MILINKEVICH 6%, Aleksandr KOZULIN 2.3%; note - election marred by electoral fraud

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobranie consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64 seats; 56 members elected by regional councils and eight members appointed by the president, to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Palata Predstaviteley - last held 28 September 2008 (next to be held fall of 2012); international observers widely denounced the elections as flawed and undemocratic based on massive government falsification; pro-LUKASHENKO candidates won all 110 seats election results: Soviet Respubliki - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Palata Predstaviteley - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Constitutional Court (half of the judges appointed by the president and half appointed by the Chamber of Representatives)

Political parties and leaders:

pro-government parties: Agrarian Party or AP [Mikhail SHIMANSKY]; Belarusian Communist Party or KPB; Belarusian Patriotic Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Nikolay ULAKHOVICH, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus [Sergey GAYDUKEVICH]; Party of Labor and Justice [Viktor SOKOLOV]; Social-Sports Party [Vladimir ALEXANDROVICH] opposition parties: Belarusian Christian Democracy Party (unregistered) [Pavel SEVERINETS]; Belarusian Party of Communists or PKB [Sergey KALYAKIN]; Belarusian Party of Labor (unregistered) [Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV, Leonid LEMESHONAK]; Belarusian Popular Front or BPF [Vintsyuk VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Gramada [Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH]; Belarusian Social Democratic Party Hramada (People's Assembly) or BSDPH [Aleksandr KOZULIN; Anatoliy LEVKOVICH, acting]; Green Party [Oleg GROMYKO]; Party of Freedom and Progress (unregistered) [Vladimir NOVOSYAD]; United Civic Party or UCP [Anatoliy LEBEDKO]; Women's Party "Nadezhda" [Valentina MATUSEVICH, chairperson] other opposition includes: Christian Conservative BPF [Zyanon PAZNIAK]; Ecological Party of Greens [Mikhail KARTASH]; Party of Popular Accord [Sergey YERMAKK]; Republican Party [Vladimir BELAZOR]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs [Sergey MATSKEVICH]; Belarusian

Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Aleksandr YAROSHUK]; Belarusian

Helsinki Committee [Tatiana PROTKO]; Belarusian Organization of

Working Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]; Charter 97 [Andrey SANNIKOV]; For

Freedom (unregistered) [Aleksandr MILINKEVICH]; Lenin Communist

Union of Youth (youth wing of the Belarusian Party of Communists or

PKB); National Strike Committee of Entrepreneurs [Aleksandr

VASILYEV, Valery LEVONEVSKY]; Partnership NGO [Nikolay ASTREYKA];

Perspektiva kiosk watchdog NGO [Anatol SHUMCHENKO]; Vyasna [Ales

BYALATSKY]; Women's Independent Democratic Movement [Ludmila

PETINA]; Youth Front (Malady Front) [Dmitriy DASHKEVICH, Sergey

BAKHUN]; Zubr youth group [Vladimir KOBETS]

International organization participation:

BSEC (observer), CEI, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMSO, Interpol, IOC,

IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

(observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Mikhail KHVOSTOV chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 986-1604 FAX: [1] (202) 986-1805 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jonathan MOORE embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya Street, Minsk 220002 mailing address: PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723 telephone: [375] (17) 210-12-83, 217-7347, 217-7348 FAX: [375] (17) 234-7853

Flag description:

red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on the hoist side bears Belarusian national ornamentation in red

Economy

Belarus

Economy - overview:

Belarus has seen little structural reform since 1995, when President LUKASHENKO launched the country on the path of "market socialism." In keeping with this policy, LUKASHENKO reimposed administrative controls over prices and currency exchange rates and expanded the state's right to intervene in the management of private enterprises. Since 2005, the government has re-nationalized a number of private companies. In addition, businesses have been subject to pressure by central and local governments, e.g., arbitrary changes in regulations, numerous rigorous inspections, retroactive application of new business regulations, and arrests of "disruptive" businessmen and factory owners. A wide range of redistributive policies has helped those at the bottom of the ladder; the Gini coefficient is among the lowest in the world. Because of these restrictive economic policies, Belarus has had trouble attracting foreign investment. Nevertheless, GDP growth has been strong in recent years, reaching nearly 7% in 2007, despite the roadblocks of a tough, centrally directed economy with a high, but decreasing, rate of inflation. Belarus receives heavily discounted oil and natural gas from Russia and much of Belarus' growth can be attributed to the re-export of Russian oil at market prices. Trade with Russia - by far its largest single trade partner - decreased in 2007, largely as a result of a change in the way the Value Added Tax (VAT) on trade was collected. Russia has introduced an export duty on oil shipped to Belarus, which will increase gradually through 2009, and a requirement that Belarusian duties on re-exported Russian oil be shared with Russia - 80% will go to Russia in 2008, and 85% in 2009. Russia also increased Belarusian natural gas prices from $47 per thousand cubic meters (tcm) to $100 per tcm in 2007, and plans to increase prices gradually to world levels by 2011. Russia's recent policy of bringing energy prices for Belarus to world market levels may result in a slowdown in economic growth in Belarus over the next few years. Some policy measures, including tightening of fiscal and monetary policies, improving energy efficiency, and diversifying exports, have been introduced, but external borrowing has been the main mechanism used to manage the growing pressures on the economy.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$103.5 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$44.77 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

8.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$10,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 8.7% industry: 40.6% services: 50.6% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

4.3 million (31 December 2005)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 14% industry: 34.7% services: 51.3% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:

1.6% officially registered unemployed; large number of underemployed workers (2005)

Population below poverty line:

27.1% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.4% highest 10%: 23.5% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

29.7 (2002)

Investment (gross fixed):

30.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $20.75 billion expenditures: $20.87 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8.4% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

10% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8.58% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$4.065 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$6.823 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$12.16 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk

Industries:

metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers, motorcycles, televisions, synthetic fibers, fertilizer, textiles, radios, refrigerators

Industrial production growth rate:

5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

29.91 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

30.43 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

5.789 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

10.15 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 99.5% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0.4% (2001)

Oil - production:

33,700 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

179,700 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

256,400 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:

394,100 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

198 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

164 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

21.76 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

21.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

2.832 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$2.876 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$24.47 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals, textiles, foodstuffs

Exports - partners:

Russia 36.5%, Netherlands 17.8%, UK 6.3%, Ukraine 6.1%, Poland 5%,

Latvia 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$28.32 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, metals

Imports - partners:

Russia 59.9%, Germany 7.6%, Ukraine 5.4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$53.76 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$4.266 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$7.347 billion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR)

Currency code:

BYB/BYR

Exchange rates:

Belarusian rubles (BYB/BYR) per US dollar - 2,145 (2007), 2,144.6 (2006), 2,150 (2005), 2,160.26 (2004), 2,051.27 (2003)

Communications

Belarus

Telephones - main lines in use:

3.672 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

5.96 million (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: Belarus lags behind its neighbors in upgrading telecommunications infrastructure; state-owned Beltelcom is the sole provider of fixed-line local and long distance service; fixed-line teledensity of roughly 35 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of about 60 per 100 persons; modernization of the network progressing with roughly two-thirds of switching equipment now digital domestic: fixed-line penetration is improving although rural areas continue to be underserved; 3 GSM wireless networks are experiencing rapid growth; strict government controls on telecommunications technologies international: country code - 375; Belarus is a member of the Trans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line, and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); 3 fiber-optic segments provide connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine; worldwide service is available to Belarus through this infrastructure; additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik earth stations (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)

Radios:

3.02 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

2.52 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.by

Internet hosts:

68,118 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

23 (2002)

Internet users:

6 million (2007)

Transportation

Belarus

Airports:

67 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 36 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 22 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 7 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 31 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 27 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 5,250 km; oil 1,528 km; refined products 1,730 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 5,512 km broad gauge: 5,497 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified) standard gauge: 15 km 1.435 m (2006)

Roadways:

total: 94,797 km paved: 84,028 km unpaved: 10,769 km (2005)

Waterways:

2,500 km (use limited by location on perimeter of country and by shallowness) (2003)

Ports and terminals:

Mazyr

Military

Belarus

Military branches:

Belarus Armed Forces: Land Force, Air and Air Defense Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2005)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,491,643 females age 16-49: 2,528,779 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,727,974 females age 16-49: 2,093,106 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 64,232 female: 60,788 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Belarus

Disputes - international:

Boundary demarcated with Latvia and Lithuania in 2006; 1997 boundary delimitation treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and diminishing border security

Illicit drugs:

limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to and via Russia, and to the Baltics and Western Europe; a small and lightly regulated financial center; new anti-money-laundering legislation does not meet international standards; few investigations or prosecutions of money-laundering activities

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Belgium

Introduction

Belgium

Background:

Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy.

Geography

Belgium

Location:

Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the

Netherlands

Geographic coordinates:

50 50 N, 4 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 30,528 sq km land: 30,278 sq km water: 250 sq km

Area - comparative:

about the size of Maryland

Land boundaries:

total: 1,385 km border countries: France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km

Coastline:

66.5 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: geographic coordinates define outer limit continental shelf: median line with neighbors

Climate:

temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy

Terrain:

flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: North Sea 0 m highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m

Natural resources:

construction materials, silica sand, carbonates

Land use:

arable land: 27.42% permanent crops: 0.69% other: 71.89% note: includes Luxembourg (2005)

Irrigated land:

400 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

20.8 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 7.44 cu km/yr (13%/85%/1%) per capita: 714 cu m/yr (1998)

Natural hazards:

flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes

Environment - current issues:

the environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, extensive animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) had slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

crossroads of Western Europe; most West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and NATO

People

Belgium

Population:

10,403,951 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 16.3% (male 864,287/female 828,435) 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 3,476,802/female 3,416,383) 65 years and over: 17.5% (male 751,745/female 1,066,299) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 41.4 years male: 40.2 years female: 42.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.106% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.22 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.38 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 79.07 years male: 75.9 years female: 82.38 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.65 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

10,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Belgian(s) adjective: Belgian

Ethnic groups:

Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 75%, other (includes Protestant) 25%

Languages:

Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 16 years male: 16 years female: 16 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

6% of GDP (2004)

Government

Belgium

Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium conventional short form: Belgium local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie local short form: Belgique/Belgie

Government type:

federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Brussels geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

10 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Dutch: provincies, singular - provincie) and 3 regions* (French: regions; Dutch: gewesten); Brussels* (Bruxelles) capital region; Flanders* region (five provinces): Antwerpen (Antwerp), Limburg, Oost-Vlaanderen (East Flanders), Vlaams-Brabant (Flemish Brabant), West-Vlaanderen (West Flanders); Wallonia* region (five provinces): Brabant Wallon (Walloon Brabant), Hainaut, Liege, Luxembourg, Namur note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities

Independence:

4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I ascended to the throne)

National holiday:

21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King LEOPOLD I

Constitution:

7 February 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993 to create a federal state

Legal system:

based on civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993); Heir Apparent Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch head of government: Prime Minister Yves LETERME (20 March 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers are formally appointed by the monarch elections: the monarchy is hereditary and constitutional; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch and then approved by parliament

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in Dutch, Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly elected by popular vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members serve four-year terms) and a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch, Chambre des Representants in French (150 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 10 June 2007 (next to be held no later than June 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - CDV/N-VA 19.4%, Open VLD 12.4%, MR 12.3%, VB 11.9%, PS 10.2%, SP.A-Spirit 10%, CDH 5.9%, Ecolo 5.8%, Groen! 3.6%, Dedecker List 3.4%, FN 2.3%, other 2.8%; seats by party - CDV/N-VA 9, Open VLD 5, MR 6, VB 5, PS 4, SP.A-Spririt 4, CDH 2, Ecolo 2, Groen! 1, Dedecker List 1, FN 1 (note - there are also 31 indirectly elected senators); Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CDV/N-VA 18.5%, MR 12.5%, VB 12%, Open VLD 11.8%, PS 10.9%, SP.A-Spirit 10.3%, CDH 6.1%, Ecolo 5.1%, Dedecker List 4%, Groen! 4%, FN 2%, other 2.8%; seats by party - CDV/N-VA 30, MR 23, VB 17, Open VLD 18, PS 20, SP.A-Spirit 14, CDH 10, Ecolo 8, Dedecker List 5, Groen! 4, FN 1 note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six governments each with its own legislative assembly

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) or Cour de

Cassation (in French) (judges are appointed for life by the

government; candidacies have to be submitted by the High Justice

Council)

Political parties and leaders:

Flemish parties: Christian Democratic and Flemish or CDV [Marianne

THYSSEN]; Dedecker List [Jean-Marie DEDECKER]; Flemish Liberals and

Democrats or Open VLD [Bart SOMERS]; Groen! [Mieke VOGELS] (formerly

AGALEV, Flemish Greens); New Flemish Alliance or N-VA [Bart DE

WEVER]; Social Progressive Alternative or SP.A [Caroline GENNEZ];

VlaamsProgressieven (Flemish Progressives) or VP [Bettina GEYSEN] -

formerly Spirit; Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) or VB [Bruno

VALKENIERS]

Francophone parties: Ecolo (Francophone Greens) [Jean-Michel JAVAUX,

Isabelle DURANT, Claude BROUIR]; Humanist and Democratic Center or

CDH [Joelle MILQUET]; National Front or FN [Daniel HUYGENS]; Reform

Movement or MR [Didier REYNDERS]; Socialist Party or PS [Elio DI

RUPO]; other minor parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Christian, Socialist, and Liberal Trade Unions; Federation of Belgian Industries other: numerous other associations representing bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical professions; various organizations represent the cultural interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as Pax Christi and groups representing immigrants

International organization participation:

ACCT, ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members),

Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA,

EU, FAO, G-9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS

(observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen

Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary),

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB

(nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Dominique STRUYE DE SWIELANDE chancery: 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-6900 FAX: [1] (202) 333-3079 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York consulate(s): Atlanta

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Sam FOX embassy: 27 Boulevard du Regent [Regentlaan], B-1000 Brussels mailing address: PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE 09710 telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111 FAX: [32] (2) 511-2725

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red note: the design was based on the flag of France

Economy

Belgium

Economy - overview:

This modern, private-enterprise economy has capitalized on its central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north. With few natural resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. Roughly three-quarters of its trade is with other EU countries. Public debt is more than 85% of GDP. On the positive side, the government has succeeded in balancing its budget, and income distribution is relatively equal. Belgium began circulating the euro currency in January 2002. Economic growth in 2001-03 dropped sharply because of the global economic slowdown, with moderate recovery in 2004-07. Economic growth and foreign direct investment are expected to slow down in 2008, due to credit tightening, falling consumer and business confidence, and above average inflation. However, with the successful negotiation of the 2008 budget and devolution of power within the government, political tensions seem to be easing and could lead to an improvement in the economic outlook for 2008.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$376.5 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$453.6 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$36,200 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1.1% industry: 24.5% services: 74.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

4.94 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 2% industry: 25% services: 73% (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate:

7.5% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

15.2% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.4% highest 10%: 28.4% (2006)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

28 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

21.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $220.1 billion expenditures: $221 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

84.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.8% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

6.98% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

NA note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders

Stock of quasi money:

NA

Stock of domestic credit:

$767.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk

Industries:

engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum

Industrial production growth rate:

2.8% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

82.94 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

85.54 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

9.035 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

15.78 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 38.4% hydro: 0.6% nuclear: 59.3% other: 1.8% (2001)

Oil - production:

8,671 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

628,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

528,700 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

1.119 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

17.39 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

17.34 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006)

Current account balance:

$3.282 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$322.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs

Exports - partners:

Germany 19.5%, France 16.7%, Netherlands 11.9%, UK 7.6%, US 5.7%,

Italy 5.2% (2007)

Imports:

$323.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, transportation equipment, oil products

Imports - partners:

Germany 17.7%, Netherlands 17.6%, France 11.2%, UK 6.2%, US 5.4%,

Ireland 4.9%, China 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $1.978 billion (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$16.51 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.313 trillion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$678.2 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$540.1 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$422.7 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Belgium

Telephones - main lines in use:

4.668 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

10.23 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: highly developed, technologically advanced, and completely automated domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable network; limited microwave radio relay network international: country code - 32; landing point for a number of submarine cables that provide links to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 7 (Intelsat - 3) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 7, FM 79, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

8.075 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

4.72 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.be

Internet hosts:

3.841 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

61 (2000)

Internet users:

5.22 million (2007)

Transportation

Belgium

Airports:

43 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 27 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 15 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 1,562 km; oil 158 km; refined products 535 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 3,536 km standard gauge: 3,536 km 1.435-m gauge (2,950 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 152,256 km paved: 119,079 km (includes 1,763 km of expressways) unpaved: 33,177 km (2006)

Waterways:

2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 79 by type: bulk carrier 20, cargo 9, chemical tanker 1, container 6, liquefied gas 20, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 11, roll on/roll off 10 foreign-owned: 6 (Denmark 4, France 2) registered in other countries: 111 (Bahamas 15, Cyprus 2, France 6, Gibraltar 2, Greece 16, Hong Kong 3, Liberia 4, Luxembourg 7, Malta 15, Mozambique 2, Netherlands 2, Netherlands Antilles 1, Panama 2, Portugal 1, Portugal 7, Russia 4, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 8, Vanuatu 4) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Antwerp, Gent, Liege, Zeebrugge

Military

Belgium

Military branches:

Belgian Armed Forces: Land Operations Command, Naval Operations

Command, Air Operations Command (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription suspended (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,407,128 females age 16-49: 2,340,039 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,973,167 females age 16-49: 1,915,990 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 64,659 female: 61,881 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Belgium

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

growing producer of synthetic drugs and cannabis; transit point for US-bound ecstasy; source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine, heroin, hashish, and marijuana entering Western Europe; despite a strengthening of legislation, the country remains vulnerable to money laundering related to narcotics, automobiles, alcohol, and tobacco; significant domestic consumption of ecstasy

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Belize

Introduction

Belize

Background:

Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include an unsustainable foreign debt, high unemployment, growing involvement in the South American drug trade, growing urban crime, and increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS.

Geography

Belize

Location:

Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and

Mexico

Geographic coordinates:

17 15 N, 88 45 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 22,966 sq km land: 22,806 sq km water: 160 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries:

total: 516 km border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km

Coastline:

386 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm in the north, 3 nm in the south; note - from the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's territorial sea is 3 nm; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act, 1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for negotiating a definitive agreement on territorial differences with Guatemala exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November); dry season (February to May)

Terrain:

flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Doyle's Delight 1,160 m

Natural resources:

arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 3.05% permanent crops: 1.39% other: 95.56% (2005)

Irrigated land:

30 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

18.6 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.15 cu km/yr (7%/73%/20%) per capita: 556 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and coastal flooding (especially in south)

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

only country in Central America without a coastline on the North Pacific Ocean

People

Belize

Population:

301,270 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 38.4% (male 58,987/female 56,674) 15-64 years: 58.1% (male 88,521/female 86,450) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 5,095/female 5,543) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 20.1 years male: 20 years female: 20.3 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.207% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

27.84 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.77 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 23.65 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.35 deaths/1,000 live births female: 20.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 68.19 years male: 66.39 years female: 70.08 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.44 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

2.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

3,600 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Belizean(s) adjective: Belizean

Ethnic groups:

mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other 9.7% (2000 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%, Anglican 5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist 3.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), other 14%, none 9.4% (2000)

Languages:

Spanish 46%, Creole 32.9%, Mayan dialects 8.9%, English 3.9% (official), Garifuna 3.4% (Carib), German 3.3%, other 1.4%, unknown 0.2% (2000 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 76.9% male: 76.7% female: 77.1% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 13 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

5.3% of GDP (2004)

Government

Belize

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Belize former: British Honduras

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Belmopan geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo

Independence:

21 September 1981 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 21 September (1981)

Constitution:

21 September 1981

Legal system:

English law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG, Sr. (since 17 November 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Dean BARROW (since 8 February 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar VEGA (since 12 February 2008) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12 seats; members appointed by the governor general - 6 on the advice of the prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 1 each on the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and Evangelical Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Belize Better Business Bureau, and the National Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee; to serve five-year terms) and the House of Representatives (31 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 6 February 2008 (next to be held in 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UDP 25, PUP 6

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Judicature (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders:

National Alliance for Belizean Rights or NABR; National Reform Party

or NRP [Cornelius DUECK]; People's National Party or PNP [Wil

MAHEIA]; People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United Democratic

Party or UDP [Dean BARROW]; Vision Inspired by the People or VIP

[Paul MORGAN]; We the People Reform Movement or WTP [Hipolito

BAUTISTA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR

[Gustavo PERERA]; Association of Concerned Belizeans or ACB [David

VASQUEZ]; National Trade Union Congress of Belize or NTUC/B [Rene

GOMEZ]

International organization participation:

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, ITUC,

LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Nestor MENDEZ chancery: 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-9636 FAX: [1] (202) 332-6888 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert J. DIETER embassy: Floral Park Road, Belmopan City, Cayo District mailing address: P.O. Box 497, Belmopan City, Cayo District, Belize telephone: [501] 822-4011 FAX: [501] 822-4012

Flag description:

blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom edges; centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat of arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a mahogany tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland

Economy

Belize

Economy - overview:

In this small, essentially private-enterprise economy, tourism is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by exports of marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and garments. The government's expansionary monetary and fiscal policies, initiated in September 1998, led to sturdy GDP growth averaging nearly 4% in 1999-2007. Oil discoveries in 2006 bolstered the economic growth in 2006 and 2007. Major concerns continue to be the sizable trade deficit and unsustainable foreign debt. In February 2007, the government restructured nearly all of its public external commercial debt, which will reduce interest payments and relieve liquidity concerns. A key short-term objective remains the reduction of poverty with the help of international donors.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.444 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.274 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$7,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 21.3% industry: 13.7% services: 65% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

113,000 note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 22.5% industry: 15.2% services: 62.3% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:

9.4% (2006)

Population below poverty line:

33.5% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

19.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $307 million expenditures: $344 million (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

12% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

14.33% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$323.9 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$549 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$877.6 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber; garments

Industries:

garment production, food processing, tourism, construction, oil

Industrial production growth rate:

0.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

213.5 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

193.3 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 59.9% hydro: 40.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

3,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

7,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

1,960 bbl/day (2006)

Oil - imports:

7,122 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

6.7 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$43 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$429 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses, wood

Exports - partners:

US 28.7%, UK 16.3%, Thailand 5.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.4%, Finland 4.2%,

Spain 4% (2007)

Imports:

$642 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco

Imports - partners:

US 31.2%, Mexico 13.6%, Cuba 8.5%, Guatemala 8%, Russia 4.6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$12.91 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$109 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.2 billion (June 2005 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Belizean dollar (BZD)

Currency code:

BZD

Exchange rates:

Belizean dollars (BZD) per US dollar - 2 (2007), 2 (2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)

Communications

Belize

Telephones - main lines in use:

33,900 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

118,300 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: above-average system; fixed-line teledensity of 12 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of about 40 per 100 persons domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay international: country code - 501; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth station - 8 (Intelsat - 2, unknown - 6) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2006)

Radios:

133,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

5 (2006)

Televisions:

41,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.bz

Internet hosts:

2,751 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

32,000 (2007)

Transportation

Belize

Airports:

44 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 40 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 27 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 3,007 km paved: 575 km unpaved: 2,432 km (2006)

Waterways:

825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 216 by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 32, cargo 152, chemical tanker 2, container 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 12, roll on/roll off 5, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 178 (Australia 1, China 71, Croatia 2, Cyprus 1, Estonia 6, Greece 1, Iceland 2, Italy 3, Japan 8, South Korea 1, Latvia 12, Norway 3, Peru 1, Russia 31, Singapore 2, Spain 1, Turkey 15, Ukraine 7, UAE 5, UK 5) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Belize City, Big Creek

Military

Belize

Military branches:

Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, BDF Air Wing, BDF Volunteer Guard (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; laws allow for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient; conscription has never been implemented; volunteers typically outnumber available positions by 3:1 (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 74,605 females age 16-49: 72,926 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 54,627 females age 16-49: 53,500 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 3,580 female: 3,449 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.4% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Belize

Disputes - international:

OAS-initiated Agreement on the Framework for Negotiations and Confidence Building Measures saw cooperation in repatriation of Guatemalan squatters and other areas, but Guatemalan land and maritime claims in Belize and the Caribbean Sea remain unresolved; the Line of Adjacency created under the 2002 Differendum serves in lieu of the contiguous international boundary to control squatting in the sparsely inhabited rain forests of Belize's border region; Honduras claims Belizean-administered Sapodilla Cays in its constitution but agreed to a joint ecological park under the Differendum

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer of cannabis, primarily for local consumption; money-laundering activity related to narcotics trafficking and offshore sector

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Benin

Introduction

Benin

Background:

Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960, as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged. KEREKOU stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006 and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni, a political outsider and independent. YAYI has begun a high profile fight against corruption and has strongly promoted accelerating Benin's economic growth.

Geography

Benin

Location:

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and

Togo

Geographic coordinates:

9 30 N, 2 15 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 112,620 sq km land: 110,620 sq km water: 2,000 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries:

total: 1,989 km border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644 km

Coastline:

121 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

Terrain:

mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m

Natural resources:

small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber

Land use:

arable land: 23.53% permanent crops: 2.37% other: 74.1% (2005)

Irrigated land:

120 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

25.8 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.13 cu km/yr (32%/23%/45%) per capita: 15 cu m/yr (2001)

Natural hazards:

hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March

Environment - current issues:

inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands

People

Benin

Population:

8,532,547 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 45.5% (male 1,978,897/female 1,901,005) 15-64 years: 51.9% (male 2,195,667/female 2,236,458) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 91,213/female 129,307) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 17.1 years male: 16.7 years female: 17.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.01% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

39.8 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.69 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 66.2 deaths/1,000 live births male: 69.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 62.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 58.56 years male: 57.42 years female: 59.76 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.58 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

68,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

5,800 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Beninese (singular and plural) adjective: Beninese

Ethnic groups:

Fon and related 39.2%, Adja and related 15.2%, Yoruba and related 12.3%, Bariba and related 9.2%, Peulh and related 7%, Ottamari and related 6.1%, Yoa-Lokpa and related 4%, Dendi and related 2.5%, other 1.6% (includes Europeans), unspecified 2.9% (2002 census)

Religions:

Christian 42.8% (Catholic 27.1%, Celestial 5%, Methodist 3.2%, other Protestant 2.2%, other 5.3%), Muslim 24.4%, Vodoun 17.3%, other 15.5% (2002 census)

Languages:

French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 34.7% male: 47.9% female: 23.3% (2002 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 7 years male: 9 years female: 6 years (2001)

Education expenditures:

4.4% of GDP (2004)

Government

Benin

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Benin conventional short form: Benin local long form: Republique du Benin local short form: Benin former: Dahomey

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Porto-Novo (official capital) geographic coordinates: 6 29 N, 2 37 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Cotonou (seat of government)

Administrative divisions:

12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou

Independence:

1 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday:

National Day, 1 August (1960)

Constitution:

adopted by referendum 2 December 1990

Legal system:

based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Thomas YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Thomas YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); runoff election held 19 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2011) election results: Thomas YAYI Boni elected president; percent of vote - Thomas YAYI Boni 74.5%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI 25.5%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 31 March 2007 (next to be held by March 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FCBE 35, ADD 20, PRD 10, other and independents 18

Judicial branch:

Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court or

Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance for Dynamic Democracy or ADD; Alliance of Progress Forces

or AFP; African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou

FAGBOHOUN]; Benin Renaissance or RB [Rosine SOGLO]; Democratic

Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Force Cowrie for an

Emerging Benin or FCBE; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD

[Theophile NATA]; Key Force or FC [Lazare SÈHOUÉTO]; Movement for

the People's Alternative or MAP [Olivier CAPO-CHICHI]; Rally for

Democracy and Progress or RDP [Dominique HOUNGNINOU]; Social

Democrat Party or PSD [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Union for the Relief or UPR

[Issa SALIFOU]; Union for Democracy and National Solidarity or UDS

[Sacca LAFIA]

note: approximately 20 additional minor parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: economic groups; environmentalists; political groups; teachers' unions and other educational groups

International organization participation:

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional),

WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN chancery: 2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6656 FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Gayleatha B. BROWN embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou telephone: [229] 21-30-06-50 FAX: [229] 21-30-03-84

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side

Economy

Benin

Economy - overview:

The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade. Growth in real output has averaged around 5% in the past seven years, but rapid population growth has offset much of this increase. Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products, and encourage new information and communication technology. Specific projects to improve the business climate by reforms to the land tenure system, the commercial justice system, and the financial sector were included in Benin's $307 million Millennium Challenge Account grant signed in February 2006. The 2001 privatization policy continues in telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture though the government annulled the privatization of Benin's state cotton company in November 2007 after the discovery of irregularities in the bidding process. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, with Benin benefiting from a G8 debt reduction announced in July 2005, while pressing for more rapid structural reforms. An insufficient electrical supply continues to adversely affect Benin's economic growth though the government recently has taken steps to increase domestic power production.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$12 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$5.433 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 33.2% industry: 14.5% services: 52.3% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

5.38 million (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

37.4% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 29% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

36.5 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

19.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $959.2 million expenditures: $1.211 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA

Stock of money:

$1.324 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$627.2 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$520.6 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, cashews; livestock

Industries:

textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement

Industrial production growth rate:

4.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

120 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

595 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

590 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 14.2% hydro: 85.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

9,232 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

6,484 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

16,830 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

8 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

1.133 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$441 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$586 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

cotton, cashews, shea butter, textiles, palm products, seafood

Exports - partners:

China 24.7%, India 8.2%, Niger 6.6%, Togo 5.4%, Nigeria 5.3%,

Belgium 4.6% (2007)

Imports:

$1.085 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products

Imports - partners:

China 44.5%, France 8.2%, US 6.5%, Thailand 6.3%, Malaysia 4.8% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$374.7 million (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.209 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.2 billion (2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Currency code:

XOF

Exchange rates:

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Communications

Benin

Telephones - main lines in use:

110,300 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.895 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: inadequate; fixed-line network characterized by aging, deteriorating equipment with fixed-line teledensity stuck at 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership is increasing domestic: system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular connections; multiple mobile-cellular providers international: country code - 229; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 7 (Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 34, shortwave 1 (2007)

Radios:

660,000 (2000)

Television broadcast stations:

6 (2007)

Televisions:

66,000 (2000)

Internet country code:

.bj

Internet hosts:

848 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

4 (2002)

Internet users:

150,000 (2007)

Transportation

Benin

Airports:

5 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Railways:

total: 758 km narrow gauge: 758 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 16,000 km paved: 1,400 km unpaved: 14,600 km (2006)

Waterways:

150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005)

Ports and terminals:

Cotonou

Military

Benin

Military branches:

Benin Armed Forces (FAB): Army (l'Arme de Terre), Benin Navy (Forces

Navales Beninois, FNB), Benin People's Air Force (Force Aerienne

Populaire de Benin, FAPB) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

21 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; in practice, volunteers may be taken at the age of 18; both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript tour of duty - 18 months (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,908,457 females age 16-49: 1,882,421 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,173,742 females age 16-49: 1,162,113 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 97,543 female: 94,008 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.7% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Benin

Disputes - international:

in September 2007, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) intervened to attempt to resolve the dispute over two villages along the Benin-Burkina Faso border that remain from 2005 ICJ decision; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; in 2005, Nigeria ceded thirteen villages to Benin, but border relations remain strained by rival cross-border gang clashes; talks continue between Benin and Togo on funding the Adjrala hydroelectric dam on the Mona River

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 9,444 (Togo) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point used by Nigerian traffickers for narcotics destined for Western Europe; vulnerable to money laundering due to poorly enforced financial regulations

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Bermuda

Introduction

Bermuda

Background:

Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists headed for Virginia. Tourism to the island to escape North American winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism continues to be important to the island's economy, although international business has overtaken it in recent years. Bermuda has developed into a highly successful offshore financial center. Although a referendum on independence from the UK was soundly defeated in 1995, the present government has reopened debate on the issue.

Geography

Bermuda

Location:

North America, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, east of

South Carolina (US)

Geographic coordinates:

32 20 N, 64 45 W

Map references:

North America

Area:

total: 53.3 sq km land: 53.3 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about one-third the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

103 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter

Terrain:

low hills separated by fertile depressions

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Town Hill 76 m

Natural resources:

limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism

Land use:

arable land: 20% permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (55% developed, 45% rural/open space) (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

hurricanes (June to November)

Environment - current issues:

sustainable development

Geography - note:

consists of about 138 coral islands and islets with ample rainfall, but no rivers or freshwater lakes; some land was leased by US Government from 1941 to 1995

People

Bermuda

Population:

66,536 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 18% (male 6,055/female 5,954) 15-64 years: 69.1% (male 22,795/female 23,189) 65 years and over: 12.8% (male 3,728/female 4,815) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 41 years male: 40.1 years female: 41.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.546% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

11.15 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.98 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 7.87 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.3 years male: 76.15 years female: 80.48 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.88 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.297% (2005)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

163 (2005)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

392 (2005)

Nationality:

noun: Bermudian(s) adjective: Bermudian

Ethnic groups:

black 54.8%, white 34.1%, mixed 6.4%, other races 4.3%, unspecified 0.4% (2000 census)

Religions:

Anglican 23%, Roman Catholic 15%, African Methodist Episcopal 11%, other Protestant 18%, other 12%, unaffiliated 6%, unspecified 1%, none 14% (2000 census)

Languages:

English (official), Portuguese

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 98% female: 99% (2005 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

1.2% of GDP (2006)

Government

Bermuda

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bermuda former: Somers Islands

Dependency status:

overseas territory of the UK

Government type:

parliamentary; self-governing territory

Capital:

name: Hamilton geographic coordinates: 32 17 N, 64 47 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

Administrative divisions:

9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire, Hamilton, Hamilton*, Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint George's, Sandys, Smith's, Southampton, Warwick

Independence:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:

Bermuda Day, 24 May

Constitution:

8 June 1968; amended 1989 and 2003

Legal system:

English law

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Sir Richard GOZNEY (since 12 December 2007) head of government: Premier Ewart BROWN (since 30 October 2006); Deputy Premier Paula COX cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed premier by the governor

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; members appointed by the governor, the premier, and the opposition) and the House of Assembly (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve up to five-year terms) elections: last general election held 18 December 2007 (next to be held not later than 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 52.5%, UBP 47.3%; seats by party - PLP 22, UBP 14

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts

Political parties and leaders:

Progressive Labor Party or PLP [Ewart BROWN]; United Bermuda Party or UBP [Kim SWAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Bermuda Employer's Union [Eddie SAINTS]; Bermuda Industrial Union or

BIU [Derrick BURGESS]; Bermuda Public Services Union or BPSU [Ed

BALL]; Bermuda Union of Teachers [Michael CHARLES]

International organization participation:

Caricom (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ITUC, UPU, WCO, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Consul General Gregory W. SLAYTON consulate(s) general: Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire DVO3 mailing address: P. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; American Consulate General Hamilton, US Department of State, 5300 Hamilton Place, Washington, DC 20520-5300 telephone: [1] (441) 295-1342 FAX: [1] (441) 295-1592, [1] (441) 296-9233

Flag description:

red, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Bermudian coat of arms (white and green shield with a red lion holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of the ship Sea Venture off Bermuda in 1609) centered on the outer half of the flag

Economy

Bermuda

Economy - overview:

Bermuda enjoys the third highest per capita income in the world, more than 50% higher than that of the US. Its economy is primarily based on providing financial services for international business and luxury facilities for tourists. A number of reinsurance companies relocated to the island following the 11 September 2001 attacks and again after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, contributing to the expansion of an already robust international business sector. Bermuda's tourism industry - which derives over 80% of its visitors from the US - continues to struggle but remains the island's number two industry. Most capital equipment and food must be imported. Bermuda's industrial sector is small, although construction continues to be important; the average cost of a house in June 2003 had risen to $976,000. Agriculture is limited with only 20% of the land being arable.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$4.5 billion (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

4.6% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$69,900 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1% industry: 10% services: 89% (2002 est.)

Labor force:

38,360 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture and fishing 3%, laborers 17%, clerical 19%, professional and technical 21%, administrative and managerial 15%, sales 7%, services 19% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

2.1% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:

19% (2000)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $738 million expenditures: $665 million (FY04/05)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.8% (November 2005)

Agriculture - products:

bananas, vegetables, citrus, flowers; dairy products, honey

Industries:

international business, tourism, light manufacturing

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

675.6 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

619.8 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

4,566 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

4,378 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$763 million (2006)

Exports - commodities:

reexports of pharmaceuticals

Exports - partners:

Spain 13.8%, Germany 11.7%, Switzerland 8.8%, Denmark 6.6%, UK 6% (2007)

Imports:

$1.162 billion (2006)

Imports - commodities:

clothing, fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, chemicals, food and live animals

Imports - partners:

South Korea 36.4%, US 15.7%, Germany 13.2%, Italy 11.8% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$90,000 (2004)

Debt - external:

$160 million (FY99/00)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$2.125 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

Bermudian dollar (BMD)

Currency code:

BMD

Exchange rates:

Bermudian dollars (BMD) per US dollar - 1.0000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar)

Communications

Bermuda

Telephones - main lines in use:

57,700 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

60,100 (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: good domestic: fully automatic digital telephone system; fiber optic trunk lines international: country code - 1-441; landing point for the Atlantica-1 telecommunications submarine cable that extends from the US to Brazil; satellite earth stations - 3 (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005)

Radios:

82,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (2005)

Televisions:

66,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.bm

Internet hosts:

1,628 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

20 (2000)

Internet users:

48,000 (2007)

Transportation

Bermuda

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 447 km paved: 447 km note: public roads - 225 km; private roads - 222 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 137 by type: bulk carrier 23, chemical tanker 3, container 22, liquefied gas 33, passenger 24, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 18, refrigerated cargo 9 foreign-owned: 115 (Australia 1, China 10, France 1, Germany 22, Greece 9, Hong Kong 4, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Japan 2, Nigeria 11, Norway 5, Sweden 20, UK 3, US 23) registered in other countries: 50 (Bahamas 12, Marshall Islands 4, Philippines 34) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Hamilton, Saint George

Military

Bermuda

Military branches:

Bermuda Regiment (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-23 years of age; eligible men required to register for conscription as needed into the Bermuda Regiment, which is largely voluntary; term of service 39 months (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 15,623 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 12,682 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 426 female: 445 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.11% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

Bermuda

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Bhutan

Introduction

Bhutan

Background:

In 1865, Britain and Bhutan signed the Treaty of Sinchulu, under which Bhutan would receive an annual subsidy in exchange for ceding some border land to British India. Under British influence, a monarchy was set up in 1907; three years later, a treaty was signed whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal affairs and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs. This role was assumed by independent India after 1947. Two years later, a formal Indo-Bhutanese accord returned the areas of Bhutan annexed by the British, formalized the annual subsidies the country received, and defined India's responsibilities in defense and foreign relations. A refugee issue of over 100,000 Bhutanese in Nepal remains unresolved; 90% of the refugees are housed in seven United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps. In March 2005, King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK unveiled the government's draft constitution - which would introduce major democratic reforms - and pledged to hold a national referendum for its approval. In December 2006, the King abdicated the throne to his son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel WANGCHUCK, in order to give him experience as head of state before the democratic transition. In early 2007, India and Bhutan renegotiated their treaty to allow Bhutan greater autonomy in conducting its foreign policy, although Thimphu continues to coordinate policy decisions in this area with New Delhi. In July 2007, seven ministers of Bhutan's ten-member cabinet resigned to join the political process, and the cabinet acted as a caretaker regime until democratic elections for seats to the country's first parliament were completed in March 2008. The king ratified the country's first constitution in July 2008.

Geography

Bhutan

Location:

Southern Asia, between China and India

Geographic coordinates:

27 30 N, 90 30 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 47,000 sq km land: 47,000 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about one-half the size of Indiana

Land boundaries:

total: 1,075 km border countries: China 470 km, India 605 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas

Terrain:

mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Drangme Chhu 97 m highest point: Kula Kangri 7,553 m

Natural resources:

timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbonate

Land use:

arable land: 2.3% permanent crops: 0.43% other: 97.27% (2005)

Irrigated land:

400 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

95 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.43 cu km/yr (5%/1%/94%) per capita: 199 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

violent storms from the Himalayas are the source of the country's name, which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon; frequent landslides during the rainy season

Environment - current issues:

soil erosion; limited access to potable water

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

landlocked; strategic location between China and India; controls several key Himalayan mountain passes

People

Bhutan

Population:

682,321 note: the Factbook population estimate is consistent with the first modern census of Bhutan, conducted in 2005; previous Factbook population estimates for this country, which were on the order of three times the total population reported here, were based on Bhutanese government publications that did not include the census (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 30.8% (male 107,360/female 103,093) 15-64 years: 63.7% (male 231,323/female 203,649) 65 years and over: 5.4% (male 19,561/female 17,335) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 23.5 years male: 24.1 years female: 22.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.301% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

20.56 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.54 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 51.92 deaths/1,000 live births male: 53.1 deaths/1,000 live births female: 50.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 65.53 years male: 64.75 years female: 66.35 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.48 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

fewer than 100 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Bhutanese (singular and plural) adjective: Bhutanese

Ethnic groups:

Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35% (includes Lhotsampas - one of several

Nepalese ethnic groups), indigenous or migrant tribes 15%

Religions:

Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25%

Languages:

Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects, Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 47% male: 60% female: 34% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 11 years female: 10 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

7% of GDP (2005)

Government

Bhutan

Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Bhutan conventional short form: Bhutan local long form: Druk Gyalkhap local short form: Druk Yul

Government type:

in transition to constitutional monarchy; special treaty relationship with India

Capital:

name: Thimphu geographic coordinates: 27 29 N, 89 36 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

20 districts (dzongkhag, singular and plural); Bumthang, Chhukha,

Chirang, Daga, Gasa, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi, Mongar, Paro,

Pemagatsel, Punakha, Samchi, Samdrup Jongkhar, Shemgang, Tashigang,

Tashi Yangtse, Thimphu, Tongsa, Wangdi Phodrang

Independence:

1907 (became a unified kingdom under its first hereditary king)

National holiday:

National Day (Ugyen WANGCHUCK became first hereditary king), 17

December (1907)

Constitution:

ratified 23 July 2008

Legal system:

based on Indian law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel WANGCHUCK (since 14 December 2006); note - King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK abdicated the throne on 14 December 2006 and his son immediately succeeded him head of government: Prime Minister Jigme THINLEY (since 9 April 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsog) nominated by the monarch, approved by the National Assembly; members serve fixed, five-year terms; note - there is also a Royal Advisory Council (Lodoi Tsokde), members nominated by the monarch elections: the monarch is hereditary, but democratic reforms in July 1998 grant the National Assembly authority to remove the monarch with two-thirds vote; election of a new National Assembly occurred in March 2008; the leader of the majority party is nominated as the prime minister

Legislative branch:

new bicameral Parliament consists of the non-partisan National Council (25 seats; 20 members elected by each of the 20 electoral districts (dzongkhags) for four-year terms and 5 members nominated by the King); and the National Assembly (47 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote for five-year terms) elections: National Council elections last held on 31 December 2007 and 29 January 2008 (next to be held by December 2012); National Assembly elections last held on 24 March 2008 (next to be held by March 2013) election results: National Council - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - DPT 67%, PDP 33%; seats by party - DPT 45, PDP 2

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Appeal (the monarch); High Court (judges appointed by the monarch); note - the draft constitution establishes a Supreme Court, which will serve as chief court of appeal

Political parties and leaders:

Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party (Druk Phuensum Tshogpa) or DPT

[Jigme THINLEY]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Sangay NGEDUP]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

United Front for Democracy (exiled) other: Buddhist clergy; ethnic Nepalese organizations leading militant antigovernment campaign; Indian merchant community

International organization participation:

ADB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF,

Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, NAM,

OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none; note - the Permanent Mission to the UN for Bhutan has consular jurisdiction in the US; address: 763 First Avenue, New York, NY 10017; telephone [1] (212) 682-2268; FAX [1] (212) 661-0551 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US and Bhutan have no formal diplomatic relations, although informal contact is maintained between the Bhutanese and US Embassy in New Delhi (India)

Flag description:

divided diagonally from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is orange; centered along the dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from the hoist side

Economy

Bhutan

Economy - overview:

The economy, one of the world's smallest and least developed, is based on agriculture and forestry, which provide the main livelihood for more than 60% of the population. Agriculture consists largely of subsistence farming and animal husbandry. Rugged mountains dominate the terrain and make the building of roads and other infrastructure difficult and expensive. The economy is closely aligned with India's through strong trade and monetary links and dependence on India's financial assistance. The industrial sector is technologically backward, with most production of the cottage industry type. Most development projects, such as road construction, rely on Indian migrant labor. Model education, social, and environment programs are underway with support from multilateral development organizations. Each economic program takes into account the government's desire to protect the country's environment and cultural traditions. For example, the government, in its cautious expansion of the tourist sector, encourages visits by upscale, environmentally conscientious tourists. Detailed controls and uncertain policies in areas such as industrial licensing, trade, labor, and finance continue to hamper foreign investment. Hydropower exports to India had a major impact on growth in 2007.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$3.359 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.308 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

22.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$5,200 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 22.3% industry: 37.9% services: 39.8% (2006)

Labor force:

NA note: major shortage of skilled labor

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 63% industry: 6% services: 31% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

2.5% (2004)

Population below poverty line:

31.7% (2003)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $272 million expenditures: $350 million note: the government of India finances nearly three-fifths of Bhutan's budget expenditures (2005)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Public debt:

81.4% of GDP (2004)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.9% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

14% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$381.1 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$220.3 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$169.9 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, corn, root crops, citrus, foodgrains; dairy products, eggs

Industries:

cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages, calcium carbide, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

9.3% (1996 est.)

Electricity - production:

4.475 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

528.8 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

3.644 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

11 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 0.1% hydro: 99.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

1,250 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

1,152 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$116 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$350 million f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

electricity (to India), cardamom, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit, precious stones, spices

Exports - partners:

India 58.6%, Hong Kong 30.1%, Bangladesh 7.3% (2007)

Imports:

$320 million c.i.f. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

fuel and lubricants, grain, aircraft, machinery and parts, vehicles, fabrics, rice

Imports - partners:

India 74.5%, Japan 7.4%, Sweden 3.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$941.2 million; note - substantial aid from India (2006)

Debt - external:

$713.3 million (2006)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

ngultrum (BTN); Indian rupee (INR)

Currency code:

BTN; INR

Exchange rates:

ngultrum (BTN) per US dollar - 41.487 (2007), 45.279 (2006), 44.101 (2005), 45.317 (2004), 46.583 (2003) note: the ngultrum is pegged to the Indian rupee

Communications

Bhutan

Telephones - main lines in use:

29,900 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

149,400 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: urban towns and district headquarters have telecommunications services domestic: very low teledensity; domestic service is very poor especially in rural areas; wireless service available since 2003 international: country code - 975; international telephone and telegraph service via landline and microwave relay through India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 9, shortwave 1 (2007)

Radios:

37,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2007)

Televisions:

11,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.bt

Internet hosts:

9,046 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

NA

Internet users:

40,000 (2007)

Transportation

Bhutan

Airports:

2 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 8,050 km paved: 4,991 km unpaved: 3,059 km (2003)

Military

Bhutan

Military branches:

Royal Bhutan Army (includes Royal Bodyguard and Royal Bhutan Police) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 190,104 females age 16-49: 167,289 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 146,063 females age 16-49: 131,193 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 7,847 female: 7,530 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Bhutan

Disputes - international:

Bhutan cooperates with India to expel Indian Nagaland separatists; lacking any treaty describing the boundary, Bhutan and China continue negotiations to establish a common boundary alignment to resolve territorial disputes arising from substantial cartographic discrepancies, the largest of which lie in Bhutan's northwest and along the Chumbi salient

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Bolivia

Introduction

Bolivia

Background:

Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR, broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history has consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and countercoups. Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and illegal drug production. In December 2005, Bolivians elected Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES president - by the widest margin of any leader since the restoration of civilian rule in 1982 - after he ran on a promise to change the country's traditional political class and empower the nation's poor majority. However, since taking office, his controversial strategies have exacerbated racial and economic tensions between the Amerindian populations of the Andean west and the non-indigenous communities of the eastern lowlands.

Geography

Bolivia

Location:

Central South America, southwest of Brazil

Geographic coordinates:

17 00 S, 65 00 W

Map references:

South America

Area:

total: 1,098,580 sq km land: 1,084,390 sq km water: 14,190 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than three times the size of Montana

Land boundaries:

total: 6,940 km border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,423 km, Chile 860 km, Paraguay 750 km, Peru 1,075 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid

Terrain:

rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m

Natural resources:

tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 2.78% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 97.03% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,320 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

622.5 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.44 cu km/yr (13%/7%/81%) per capita: 157 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

flooding in the northeast (March-April)

Environment - current issues:

the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the international demand for tropical timber are contributing to deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and poor cultivation methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture); desertification; loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used for drinking and irrigation

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru

People

Bolivia

Population:

9,247,816 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 33.5% (male 1,580,887/female 1,519,960) 15-64 years: 61.8% (male 2,800,457/female 2,912,375) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 192,701/female 241,436) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 22.6 years male: 21.9 years female: 23.3 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.383% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

22.31 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.35 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-1.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 49.09 deaths/1,000 live births male: 52.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 45.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 66.53 years male: 63.86 years female: 69.33 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.67 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

4,900 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Bolivian(s) adjective: Bolivian

Ethnic groups:

Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry) 30%,

Aymara 25%, white 15%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5%

Languages:

Spanish 60.7% (official), Quechua 21.2% (official), Aymara 14.6% (official), foreign languages 2.4%, other 1.2% (2001 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.7% male: 93.1% female: 80.7% (2001 census)

Education expenditures:

6.4% of GDP (2003)

Government

Bolivia

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia conventional short form: Bolivia local long form: Republica de Bolivia local short form: Bolivia

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: La Paz (administrative capital) geographic coordinates: 16 30 S, 68 09 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Sucre (constitutional capital)

Administrative divisions:

9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija

Independence:

6 August 1825 (from Spain)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 6 August (1825)

Constitution:

2 February 1967; revised in August 1994; possible referendum on new constitution to be held in 2008

Legal system:

based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21 years of age, universal and compulsory (single)

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22 January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 18 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma elected president; percent of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma 53.7%; Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez 28.6%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana 7.8%; Michiaki NAGATANI Morishit 6.5%; Felipe QUISPE Huanca 2.2%; Guildo ANGULA Cabrera 0.7%

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 seats; members are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130 seats; 70 members are directly elected from their districts and 60 are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PODEMOS 13, MAS 12, UN 1, MNR 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 73, PODEMOS 43, UN 8, MNR 6

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges appointed for 10-year terms by National Congress); District Courts (one in each department); provincial and local courts (to try minor cases); Constitutional Tribunal (five primary or titulares and five alternate or suplente magistrates appointed by Congress; to rule on constitutional issues); National Electoral Court (six members elected by Congress, Supreme Court, the President, and the political party with the highest vote in the last election for 4-year terms)

Political parties and leaders:

Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Franz BARRIOS]; Movement Toward

Socialism or MAS [Juan Evo MORALES Ayma]; Movement Without Fear or

MSM [Juan DEL GRANADO]; National Revolutionary Movement or MNR

[Mirta QUEVEDO]; National Unity [Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana]; Poder

Democratico Nacional or PODEMOS [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA Ramirez];

Social Alliance [Rene JOAQUINO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB other: Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions

International organization participation:

CAN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,

IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent),

ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINURCAT,

MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI,

UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Erika DUENAS chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4410 FAX: [1] (202) 328-3712 consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Oklahoma City, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Krishna URS embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, Casilla 425, La Paz mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032 telephone: [591] (2) 216-8000 FAX: [591] (2) 216-8111

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band note: similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band

Economy

Bolivia

Economy - overview:

Bolivia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Latin America. Following a disastrous economic crisis during the early 1980s, reforms spurred private investment, stimulated economic growth, and cut poverty rates in the 1990s. The period 2003-05 was characterized by political instability, racial tensions, and violent protests against plans - subsequently abandoned - to export Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large northern hemisphere markets. In 2005, the government passed a controversial hydrocarbons law that imposed significantly higher royalties and required foreign firms then operating under risk-sharing contracts to surrender all production to the state energy company, which was made the sole exporter of natural gas. The law also required that the state energy company regain control over the five companies that were privatized during the 1990s - a process that is still underway. In 2006, higher earnings for mining and hydrocarbons exports pushed the current account surplus to about 12% of GDP and the government's higher tax take produced a fiscal surplus after years of large deficits. Debt relief from the G8 - announced in 2005 - also has significantly reduced Bolivia's public sector debt burden. Private investment as a share of GDP, however, remains among the lowest in Latin America, and inflation reached double-digit levels in 2007.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$39.75 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$13.19 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$4,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 14.5% industry: 30.5% services: 55% (2006 est.)

Labor force:

4.377 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 40% industry: 17% services: 43% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

7.5% in urban areas; widespread underemployment (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

60% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.3% highest 10%: 47.2% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

59.2 (2006)

Investment (gross fixed):

16.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $5.723 billion expenditures: $5.495 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

46.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

12.86% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$3.032 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$4.729 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$4.759 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice, potatoes; timber

Industries:

mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco, handicrafts, clothing

Industrial production growth rate:

1.1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

5.668 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

5.092 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 44.4% hydro: 54% nuclear: 0% other: 1.5% (2001)

Oil - production:

61,790 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

31,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

18,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports:

8,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

465 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

14.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

11.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

750.4 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$1.796 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$4.49 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum, zinc ore, tin

Exports - partners:

Brazil 46%, US 9.8%, Japan 7.6%, Argentina 5.8%, South Korea 4.8%,

Peru 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$3.249 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans

Imports - partners:

Brazil 29.9%, Argentina 16.2%, Chile 10.5%, US 9.8%, Peru 8.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$582.9 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$5.318 billion (31 October 2007)

Debt - external:

$4.495 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$6.88 billion (31 December 2004)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$2.2 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

boliviano (BOB)

Currency code:

BOB

Exchange rates:

bolivianos (BOB) per US dollar - 7.8616 (2007), 8.0159 (2006), 8.0661 (2005), 7.9363 (2004), 7.6592 (2003)

Communications

Bolivia

Telephones - main lines in use:

678,200 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

3.254 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: privatization begun in 1995; reliability has steadily improved; new subscribers face bureaucratic difficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other cities; mobile-cellular telephone use expanding rapidly; fixed-line teledensity of 7 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of 35 per 100 persons domestic: primary trunk system, which is being expanded, employs digital microwave radio relay; some areas are served by fiber-optic cable; mobile cellular systems are being expanded international: country code - 591; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999)

Radios:

5.25 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

48 (1997)

Televisions:

900,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.bo

Internet hosts:

68,428 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

9 (2000)

Internet users:

1 million (2007)

Transportation

Bolivia

Airports:

1,061 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 16 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1,045 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 57 914 to 1,523 m: 183 under 914 m: 800 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 4,860 km; liquid petroleum gas 47 km; oil 2,475 km; refined products 1,589 km; unknown (oil/water) 247 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 3,504 km narrow gauge: 3,504 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 62,479 km paved: 3,749 km unpaved: 58,730 km (2004)

Waterways:

10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 23 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 11, carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 7, refrigerated cargo 1, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 7 (Bahamas 1, China 1, Iran 1, Singapore 1, Syria 2, Taiwan 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Puerto Aguirre (inland port on the Paraguay/Parana waterway at the Bolivia/Brazil border); Bolivia has free port privileges in maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay

Military

Bolivia

Military branches:

Bolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Bolivian

Navy (Armada Boliviana; includes marines), Bolivian Air Force

(Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for 12-month compulsory military service; when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as 14; 15-19 years of age for voluntary premilitary service, provides exemption from further military service (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,295,746 females age 16-49: 2,366,828 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,600,219 females age 16-49: 1,815,514 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 107,051 female: 103,620 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.9% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Bolivia

Disputes - international:

Chile and Peru rebuff Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, but Chile offers instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile for Bolivian natural gas and other commodities; an accord placed the long-disputed Isla Suárez/Ilha de Guajará-Mirim, a fluvial island on the Río Mamoré, under Bolivian administration in 1958, but sovereignty remains in dispute

Illicit drugs:

world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and Peru) with an estimated 29,500 hectares under cultivation in 2007, a slight increase over 2006; third largest producer of cocaine, estimated at 120 metric tons of potential pure cocaine in 2007; transit country for Peruvian and Colombian cocaine destined for Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Europe; cultivation generally increasing since 2000, despite eradication and alternative crop programs; weak border controls; some money-laundering activity related to narcotics trade, especially along the borders with Brazil and Paraguay; major cocaine consumption (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Bosnia and Herzegovina

Introduction

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Background:

Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of sovereignty in October 1991 was followed by a declaration of independence from the former Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992 after a referendum boycotted by ethnic Serbs. The Bosnian Serbs - supported by neighboring Serbia and Montenegro - responded with armed resistance aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic lines and joining Serb-held areas to form a "Greater Serbia." In March 1994, Bosniaks and Croats reduced the number of warring factions from three to two by signing an agreement creating a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 21 November 1995, in Dayton, Ohio, the warring parties initialed a peace agreement that brought to a halt three years of interethnic civil strife (the final agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December 1995). The Dayton Peace Accords retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's international boundaries and created a joint multi-ethnic and democratic government charged with conducting foreign, diplomatic, and fiscal policy. Also recognized was a second tier of government comprised of two entities roughly equal in size: the Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska (RS). The Federation and RS governments were charged with overseeing most government functions. The Office of the High Representative (OHR) was established to oversee the implementation of the civilian aspects of the agreement. In 1995-96, a NATO-led international peacekeeping force (IFOR) of 60,000 troops served in Bosnia to implement and monitor the military aspects of the agreement. IFOR was succeeded by a smaller, NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR) whose mission was to deter renewed hostilities. European Union peacekeeping troops (EUFOR) replaced SFOR in December 2004; their mission is to maintain peace and stability throughout the country. EUFOR's mission changed from peacekeeping to civil policing in October 2007, with its presence reduced from nearly 7,000 to 2,500 troops.

Geography

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Location:

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Croatia

Geographic coordinates:

44 00 N, 18 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 51,209.2 sq km land: 51,197 sq km water: 12.2 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries:

total: 1,538 km border countries: Croatia 932 km, Montenegro 249 km, Serbia 357 km

Coastline:

20 km

Maritime claims:

no data available

Climate:

hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along coast

Terrain:

mountains and valleys

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Maglic 2,386 m

Natural resources:

coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand, forests, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 19.61% permanent crops: 1.89% other: 78.5% (2005)

Irrigated land:

30 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

37.5 cu km (2003)

Natural hazards:

destructive earthquakes

Environment - current issues:

air pollution from metallurgical plants; sites for disposing of urban waste are limited; water shortages and destruction of infrastructure because of the 1992-95 civil strife; deforestation

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

within Bosnia and Herzegovina's recognized borders, the country is divided into a joint Bosniak/Croat Federation (about 51% of the territory) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska or RS (about 49% of the territory); the region called Herzegovina is contiguous to Croatia and Montenegro, and traditionally has been settled by an ethnic Croat majority in the west and an ethnic Serb majority in the east

People

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Population:

4,590,310 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 14.7% (male 347,679/female 326,091) 15-64 years: 70.6% (male 1,634,053/female 1,606,341) 65 years and over: 14.7% (male 277,504/female 398,642) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 39.4 years male: 38.2 years female: 40.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.666% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

8.82 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.54 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

6.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 9.34 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.33 years male: 74.74 years female: 82.19 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.24 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

900 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s) adjective: Bosnian, Herzegovinian

Ethnic groups:

Bosniak 48%, Serb 37.1%, Croat 14.3%, other 0.6% (2000) note: Bosniak has replaced Muslim as an ethnic term in part to avoid confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of Islam

Religions:

Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%, other 14%

Languages:

Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.7% male: 99% female: 94.4% (2000 est.)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina local long form: none local short form: Bosna i Hercegovina former: People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Government type:

emerging federal democratic republic

Capital:

name: Sarajevo geographic coordinates: 43 52 N, 18 25 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

2 first-order administrative divisions and 1 internationally supervised district* - Brcko district (Brcko Distrikt)*, the Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Federacija Bosna i Hercegovina) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska; note - Brcko district is in northeastern Bosnia and is an administrative unit under the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina; the district remains under international supervision

Independence:

1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia; referendum for independence completed 1 March 1992; independence declared 3 March 1992)

National holiday:

National Day, 25 November (1943)

Constitution:

the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995 in Paris, included a new constitution now in force; note - each of the entities also has its own constitution

Legal system:

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age, universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Chairman of the Presidency Nebojsa RADMANOVIC (chairman since 6 November 2008; presidency member since 1 October 2006 - Serb); other members of the three-member presidency rotating (every eight months): Haris SILAJDZIC (presidency member since 1 October 2006 - Bosniak); and Zeljko KOMSIC (presidency member since 1 October 2006 - Croat) head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Nikola SPIRIC (since 11 January 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the council chairman; approved by the National House of Representatives elections: the three members of the presidency (one Bosniak, one Croat, one Serb) are elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term, but then ineligible for four years); the chairmanship rotates every eight months and resumes where it left off following each national election; election last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in 2010); the chairman of the Council of Ministers is appointed by the presidency and confirmed by the National House of Representatives election results: percent of vote - Nebojsa RADMANOVIC with 53.3% of the votes for the Serb seat; Zeljko KOMSIC received 39.6% of the votes for the Croat seat; Haris SILAJDZIC received 62.8% of the votes for the Bosniak seat note: President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Borjana KRISTO (since 21 February 2007); Vice Presidents Spomenka MICIC (since NA 2007) and Mirsad KEBO (since NA 2007); President of the Republika Srpska: Rajko KUSMANOVIC (since 28 December 2007)

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or Skupstina consists of the national House of Representatives or Predstavnicki Dom (42 seats, 28 seats allocated for the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and 14 seats for the Republika Srpska; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation, to serve four-year terms); and the House of Peoples or Dom Naroda (15 seats, 5 Bosniak, 5 Croat, 5 Serb; members elected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Representatives and the Republika Srpska's National Assembly to serve four-year terms); note - Bosnia's election law specifies four-year terms for the state and first-order administrative division entity legislatures elections: national House of Representatives - elections last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in 2010); House of Peoples - last constituted in January 2003 (next to be constituted in 2007) election results: national House of Representatives - percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition - SDA 9, SBH 8, SNSD 7, SDP 5, SDS 3, HDZ-BH 3, HDZ1990 2, other 5; House of Peoples - percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition - NA note: the Bosniak/Croat Federation has a bicameral legislature that consists of a House of Representatives (98 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in October 2010); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party/coalition - SDA 28, SBH 24, SDP 17, HDZ-BH 8, HDZ100 7, other 14; and a House of Peoples (58 seats - 17 Bosniak, 17 Croat, 17 Serb, 7 other); last constituted December 2002; the Republika Srpska has a National Assembly (83 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in the fall of 2010); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party/coalition - SNSD 41, SDS 17, PDP 8, DNS 4, SBH 4, SPRS 3, SDA 3, other 3; as a result of the 2002 constitutional reform process, a 28-member Republika Srpska Council of Peoples (COP) was established in the Republika Srpska National Assembly including eight Croats, eight Bosniaks, eight Serbs, and four members of the smaller communities

Judicial branch:

BH Constitutional Court (consists of nine members: four members are selected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Representatives, two members by the Republika Srpska's National Assembly, and three non-Bosnian members by the president of the European Court of Human Rights); BH State Court (consists of nine judges and three divisions - Administrative, Appellate and Criminal - having jurisdiction over cases related to state-level law and appellate jurisdiction over cases initiated in the entities); a War Crimes Chamber opened in March 2005 note: the entities each have a Supreme Court; each entity also has a number of lower courts; there are 10 cantonal courts in the Federation, plus a number of municipal courts; the Republika Srpska has five municipal courts

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance of Independent Social Democrats or SNSD [Milorad DODIK];

Bosnian Party or BOSS [Mirnes AJANOVIC]; Civic Democratic Party or

GDS [Ibrahim SPAHIC]; Croat Christian Democratic Union of Bosnia and

Herzegovina or HKDU [Marin TOPIC]; Croat Party of Rights or HSP

[Zvonko JURISIC]; Croat Peasants Party or HSS [Marko TADIC];

Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina or HDZ-BH

[Dragan COVIC]; Croatian Democratic Union 1990 or HDZ1990 [Bozo

LJUBIC]; Croatian Democratic Union 100 or HDZ100; Croatian Peoples

Union [Milenko BRKIC]; Democratic National Union or DNZ [Rifet

DOLIC]; Democratic Peoples Alliance or DNS [Marko PAVIC]; Liberal

Democratic Party or LDS [Rasim KADIC]; New Croat Initiative or NHI

[Kresimir ZUBAK]; Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina or SBH [Haris

SILAJDZIC]; Party for Democratic Action or SDA [Sulejman TIHIC];

Party of Democratic Progress or PDP [Mladen IVANIC]; Serb Democratic

Party or SDS [Mladen BOSIC]; Serb Radical Party of the Republika

Srpska or SRS-RS [Milanko MIHAJLICA]; Serb Radical Party-Dr.

Vojislav Seselj or SRS-VS [Radislav KANJERIC]; Social Democratic

Party of BIH or SDP [Zlatko LAGUMDZIJA]; Social Democratic Union or

SDU [Sejfudin TOKIC]; Socialist Party of Republika Srpska or SPRS

[Petar DJOKIC]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: displaced persons associations; student councils; war veterans

International organization participation:

BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS (observer),

OIC (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,

UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Bisera TURKOVIC chancery: 2109 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 337-1500 FAX: [1] (202) 337-1502 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Charles L. ENGLISH embassy: Alipasina 43, 71000 Sarajevo mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [387] (33) 445-700 FAX: [387] (33) 659-722 branch office(s): Banja Luka, Mostar

Flag description:

a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly side with a yellow isosceles triangle abutting the band and the top of the flag; the remainder of the flag is medium blue with seven full five-pointed white stars and two half stars top and bottom along the hypotenuse of the triangle

Economy

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Economy - overview:

Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked next to Macedonia as the poorest republic in the old Yugoslav federation. Although agriculture is almost all in private hands, farms are small and inefficient, and the republic traditionally is a net importer of food. The private sector is growing and foreign investment is slowly increasing, but government spending, at nearly 40% of adjusted GDP, remains unreasonably high. The interethnic warfare in Bosnia caused production to plummet by 80% from 1992 to 1995 and unemployment to soar. With an uneasy peace in place, output recovered in 1996-99 at high percentage rates from a low base; but output growth slowed in 2000-02. Part of the lag in output was made up in 2003-07 when GDP growth exceeded 5% per year. National-level statistics are limited and do not capture the large share of black market activity. The konvertibilna marka (convertible mark or BAM)- the national currency introduced in 1998 - is pegged to the euro, and confidence in the currency and the banking sector has increased. Implementing privatization, however, has been slow, particularly in the Federation, although more successful in the Republika Srpska. Banking reform accelerated in 2001 as all the Communist-era payments bureaus were shut down; foreign banks, primarily from Western Europe, now control most of the banking sector. A sizeable current account deficit and high unemployment rate remain the two most serious macroeconomic problems. On 1 January 2006 a new value-added tax (VAT) went into effect. The VAT has been successful in capturing much of the gray market economy and has developed into a significant and predictable source of revenues for all layers of government. Bosnia and Herzegovina became a full member of the Central European Free Trade Agreement in September 2007. The country receives substantial reconstruction assistance and humanitarian aid from the international community but will have to prepare for an era of declining assistance.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$27.7 billion note: Bosnia has a large informal sector that could also be as much as 50% of official GDP (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$14.78 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$6,100 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 10.2% industry: 23.9% services: 66% (2006 est.)

Labor force:

1.026 million (2001)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Unemployment rate:

45.5% official rate; grey economy may reduce actual unemployment to 25-30% (31 December 2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:

25% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.9% highest 10%: 21.4% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

26.2 (2001)

Budget:

revenues: $7.094 billion expenditures: $7.137 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

34% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.6% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7.17% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$5.13 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$5.597 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$8.895 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables; livestock

Industries:

steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite, vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden furniture, tank and aircraft assembly, domestic appliances, oil refining

Industrial production growth rate:

6.7% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

12.84 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

8.501 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

5.123 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

3.015 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 53.5% hydro: 46.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

27,590 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

27,370 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

400 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2005)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006)

Current account balance:

-$1.939 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$4.243 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

metals, clothing, wood products

Exports - partners:

Croatia 21%, Slovenia 16.5%, Italy 16.1%, Germany 13.3%, Austria 9.6%, Hungary 5.7% (2007)

Imports:

$9.947 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

Croatia 24.7%, Slovenia 13.3%, Germany 13.1%, Italy 10.4%, Austria 7%, Turkey 6.5%, Hungary 5.4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$546.1 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$4.525 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$6.734 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

konvertibilna marka (convertible mark) (BAM)

Currency code:

BAM

Exchange rates:

konvertibilna markas (BAM) per US dollar - 1.4419 (2007), 1.5576 (2006), 1.5727 (2005), 1.5752 (2004), 1.7329 (2003) note: the convertible mark is pegged to the euro

Communications

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.065 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.45 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: post-war reconstruction of the telecommunications network, aided by a internationally sponsored program under ERBD, resulted in sharp increases in the number of main telephone lines available; mobile cellular subscribership has been increasing rapidly domestic: fixed-line teledensity roughly 25 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density exceeds 50 per 100 persons international: country code - 387; no satellite earth stations (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 8, FM 16, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

940,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

33 (plus 277 repeaters) (September 1995)

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.ba

Internet hosts:

56,032 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

3 (2000)

Internet users:

1.055 million (2007)

Transportation

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Airports:

28 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 20 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 12 (2007)

Heliports:

5 (2007)

Railways:

total: 608 km standard gauge: 608 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 21,846 km paved: 11,425 km (4,714 km of interurban roads) unpaved: 10,421 km (2006)

Waterways:

Sava River (northern border) open to shipping but use limited (2006)

Ports and terminals:

Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanski Brod, Bosanski Samac, and Brcko (all inland waterway ports on the Sava), Orasje

Military

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Military branches:

Bosnia and Herzegovina Armed Forces (OSBiH): Army of Bosnia and

Herzegovina, Air and Air Defense Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina

(Zrakoplovstvo i Protuzracna Obrana, ZPO) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age for voluntary military service in the Federation and in the Republika Srpska; conscription abolished January 2006; 4-month service obligation (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,212,007 females age 16-49: 1,170,645 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 996,225 females age 16-49: 962,927 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 30,246 female: 28,189 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

4.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Disputes - international:

sections along the Drina River remain in dispute between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia; discussions continue with Croatia on several small disputed sections of the boundary related to maritime access that hinder final ratification of the 1999 border agreement

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 7,269 (Croatia) IDPs: 131,600 (Bosnian Croats, Serbs, and Muslims displaced in 1992-95 war) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

increasingly a transit point for heroin being trafficked to Western Europe; minor transit point for marijuana; remains highly vulnerable to money-laundering activity given a primarily cash-based and unregulated economy, weak law enforcement, and instances of corruption

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Botswana

Introduction

Botswana

Background:

Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. Four decades of uninterrupted civilian leadership, progressive social policies, and significant capital investment have created one of the most dynamic economies in Africa. Mineral extraction, principally diamond mining, dominates economic activity, though tourism is a growing sector due to the country's conservation practices and extensive nature preserves. Botswana has one of the world's highest known rates of HIV/AIDS infection, but also one of Africa's most progressive and comprehensive programs for dealing with the disease.

Geography

Botswana

Location:

Southern Africa, north of South Africa

Geographic coordinates:

22 00 S, 24 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 600,370 sq km land: 585,370 sq km water: 15,000 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 4,013 km border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

semiarid; warm winters and hot summers

Terrain:

predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m

Natural resources:

diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver

Land use:

arable land: 0.65% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.34% (2005)

Irrigated land:

10 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

14.7 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.19 cu km/yr (41%/18%/41%) per capita: 107 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure visibility

Environment - current issues:

overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country

People

Botswana

Population:

1,842,323 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 35.2% (male 329,418/female 318,160) 15-64 years: 60.9% (male 566,239/female 556,286) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 29,165/female 43,055) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 21.2 years male: 21 years female: 21.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.434% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

22.96 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

14.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

5.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 44.01 deaths/1,000 live births male: 44.94 deaths/1,000 live births female: 43.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 50.16 years male: 51.28 years female: 49.02 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.66 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

37.3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

350,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

33,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural) adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)

Ethnic groups:

Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including

Kgalagadi and white 7%

Religions:

Christian 71.6%, Badimo 6%, other 1.4%, unspecified 0.4%, none 20.6% (2001 census)

Languages:

Setswana 78.2%, Kalanga 7.9%, Sekgalagadi 2.8%, English 2.1% (official), other 8.6%, unspecified 0.4% (2001 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 81.2% male: 80.4% female: 81.8% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 12 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

8.7% of GDP (2007)

Government

Botswana

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Botswana conventional short form: Botswana local long form: Republic of Botswana local short form: Botswana former: Bechuanaland

Government type:

parliamentary republic

Capital:

name: Gaborone geographic coordinates: 24 45 S, 25 55 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

9 districts and 5 town councils*; Central, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Jwaneng*, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*, Northeast, Northwest, Selebi-Pikwe*, Southeast, Southern

Independence:

30 September 1966 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day (Botswana Day), 30 September (1966)

Constitution:

March 1965, effective 30 September 1966

Legal system:

based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA (since 1 April 2008); Vice President Mompati MERAFHE (since 1 April 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA (since 1 April 2008); Vice President Mompati MERAFHE (since 1 April 2008) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president indirectly elected for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held in October 2009); vice president appointed by the president election results: Festus G. MOGAE elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 52%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body with 8 permanent members consisting of the chiefs of the principal tribes, and 7 non-permanent members serving 5-year terms, consisting of 4 elected subchiefs and 3 members selected by the other 12 members) and the National Assembly (63 seats, 57 members are directly elected by popular vote, 4 are appointed by the majority party, and 2, the President and Attorney-General, serve as ex-officio members; members serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly elections last held 30 October 2004 (next to be held in October 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - BDP 51.7%, BNF 26.1%, BCP 16.6%, other 5%; seats by party - BDP 44, BNF 12, BCP 1

Judicial branch:

High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in each district)

Political parties and leaders:

Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO];

Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Otlaadisa KOOSALETSE]; Botswana

Democratic Party or BDP [Festus G. MOGAE]; Botswana National Front

or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO]; Botswana Peoples Party or BPP; MELS

Movement of Botswana or MELS; New Democratic Front or NDF

note: a number of minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the

BAM but did not capture any parliamentary seats - includes the

United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; the Independence

Freedom Party or IFP [Motsamai MPHO]; the Botswana Progressive Union

[D. K. KWELE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

First People of the Kalahari (Bushman organization); Pitso Ya Ba

Tswana; Society for the Promotion of Ikalanga Language (Kalanga

elites)

other: diamond mining companies

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,

ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS,

UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Lapologang Caesar LEKOA chancery: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 244-4990 FAX: [1] (202) 244-4164

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen J. NOLAN embassy: Embassy Enclave (off Khama Crescent), Gaborone mailing address: Embassy Enclave, P. O. Box 90, Gaborone telephone: [267] 395-3982 FAX: [267] 395-6947

Flag description:

light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center

Economy

Botswana

Economy - overview:

Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest economic growth rates since independence in 1966, though growth slowed to 4.7% annually in 2006-07. Through fiscal discipline and sound management, Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita GDP of nearly $15,000 in 2007. Two major investment services rank Botswana as the best credit risk in Africa. Diamond mining has fueled much of the expansion and currently accounts for more than one-third of GDP and for 70-80% of export earnings. Tourism, financial services, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are other key sectors. On the downside, the government must deal with high rates of unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially was 23.8% in 2004, but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%. HIV/AIDS infection rates are the second highest in the world and threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains. An expected leveling off in diamond mining production overshadows long-term prospects.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$26.04 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$12.31 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$14,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1.6% industry: 51.5% (including 36% mining) services: 46.9% (2006 est.)

Labor force:

288,400 formal sector employees (2004)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Unemployment rate:

7.5% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

30.3% (2003)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

63 (1993)

Investment (gross fixed):

19.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $4.741 billion expenditures: $3.816 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Public debt:

5.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

7.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

14.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

16.22% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.026 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$4.336 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

NA

Agriculture - products:

livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers, groundnuts

Industries:

diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock processing; textiles

Industrial production growth rate:

4.2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

979 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

2.574 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

1.959 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

11,640 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

14,500 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$1.973 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$5.025 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

diamonds, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles

Exports - partners:

European Free Trade Association (EFTA) 87%, Southern African Customs

Union (SACU) 7%, Zimbabwe 4% (2006)

Imports:

$3.403 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper products, metal and metal products

Imports - partners:

Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 74%, EFTA 17%, Zimbabwe 4% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$70.89 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$9.79 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$408 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$3.947 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

pula (BWP)

Currency code:

BWP

Exchange rates:

pulas (BWP) per US dollar - 6.2035 (2007), 5.8447 (2006), 5.1104 (2005), 4.6929 (2004), 4.9499 (2003)

Communications

Botswana

Telephones - main lines in use:

136,900 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.427 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: the system is expanding with the growth of mobile-cellular service and participation in regional development; system is fully digital with fiber-optic cables linking the major population centers in the east; fixed-line connections declined in recent years and now stand at roughly 8 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density currently is about 80 per 100 persons domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations; mobile-cellular service is growing fast international: country code - 267; international calls are made via satellite, using international direct dialing; 2 international exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001)

Radios:

252,720 (2000)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (1 state-owned, 1 private)

Televisions:

31,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.bw

Internet hosts:

6,374 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

11 (2001)

Internet users:

80,000 (2007)

Transportation

Botswana

Airports:

85 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 74 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 54 under 914 m: 17 (2007)

Railways:

total: 888 km narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 25,798 km paved: 8,410 km unpaved: 17,388 km (2005)

Military

Botswana

Military branches:

Botswana Defense Force: Ground Forces, Air Wing (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 is the apparent age of voluntary military service; the official qualifications for determining minimum age are unknown (2001)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 487,853 females age 16-49: 464,278 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 290,093 females age 16-49: 257,700 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 23,007 female: 22,551 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.3% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Botswana

Disputes - international:

Botswana still struggles to seal its border from thousands of Zimbabweans who flee economic collapse and political persecution; Namibia has long supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to, plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River at Kazungula crossing, thereby de facto recognizing the short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Bouvet Island

Introduction

Bouvet Island

Background:

This uninhabited volcanic island is almost entirely covered by glaciers and is difficult to approach. It was discovered in 1739 by a French naval officer after whom the island was named. No claim was made until 1825, when the British flag was raised. In 1928, the UK waived its claim in favor of Norway, which had occupied the island the previous year. In 1971, Norway designated Bouvet Island and the adjacent territorial waters a nature reserve. Since 1977, it has run an automated meteorological station on the island.

Geography

Bouvet Island

Location:

island in the South Atlantic Ocean, southwest of the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa)

Geographic coordinates:

54 26 S, 3 24 E

Map references:

Antarctic Region

Area:

total: 49 sq km land: 49 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

29.6 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 4 nm

Climate:

antarctic

Terrain:

volcanic; coast is mostly inaccessible

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: South Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Olav Peak 935 m

Natural resources:

none

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (93% ice) (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

covered by glacial ice; declared a nature reserve Norway

People

Bouvet Island

Population:

uninhabited

Government

Bouvet Island

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bouvet Island

Dependency status:

territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice and Police from Oslo

Legal system:

the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply

Flag description:

the flag of Norway is used

Economy

Bouvet Island

Economy - overview:

no economic activity; declared a nature reserve

Communications

Bouvet Island

Internet country code:

.bv

Internet hosts:

6 (2008)

Communications - note:

automatic meteorological station

Transportation

Bouvet Island

Ports and terminals:

none; offshore anchorage only

Military

Bouvet Island

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of Norway

Transnational Issues

Bouvet Island

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Brazil

Introduction

Brazil

Background:

Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil became an independent nation in 1822 and a republic in 1889. By far the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil overcame more than half a century of military intervention in the governance of the country when in 1985 the military regime peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers. Brazil continues to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of its interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool, it is today South America's leading economic power and a regional leader. Highly unequal income distribution and crime remain pressing problems.

Geography

Brazil

Location:

Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean

Geographic coordinates:

10 00 S, 55 00 W

Map references:

South America

Area:

total: 8,511,965 sq km land: 8,456,510 sq km water: 55,455 sq km note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than the US

Land boundaries:

total: 16,885 km border countries: Argentina 1,261 km, Bolivia 3,423 km, Colombia 1,644 km, French Guiana 730 km, Guyana 1,606 km, Paraguay 1,365 km, Peru 2,995 km, Suriname 593 km, Uruguay 1,068 km, Venezuela 2,200 km

Coastline:

7,491 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin

Climate:

mostly tropical, but temperate in south

Terrain:

mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico da Neblina 3,014 m

Natural resources:

bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber

Land use:

arable land: 6.93% permanent crops: 0.89% other: 92.18% (2005)

Irrigated land:

29,200 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

8,233 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 59.3 cu km/yr (20%/18%/62%) per capita: 318 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south

Environment - current issues:

deforestation in Amazon Basin destroys the habitat and endangers a multitude of plant and animal species indigenous to the area; there is a lucrative illegal wildlife trade; air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and several other large cities; land degradation and water pollution caused by improper mining activities; wetland degradation; severe oil spills

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador

People

Brazil

Population:

196,342,592 note: Brazil conducted a census in August 2000, which reported a population of 169,799,170; that figure was about 3.3% lower than projections by the US Census Bureau, and is close to the implied underenumeration of 4.6% for the 1991 census; estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 27% (male 26,986,909/female 25,961,947) 15-64 years: 66.8% (male 64,939,225/female 66,157,812) 65 years and over: 6.3% (male 5,182,987/female 7,113,707) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 28.3 years male: 27.5 years female: 29 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.228% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

18.72 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.35 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 23.33 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 71.71 years male: 68.15 years female: 75.45 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.22 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

660,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

15,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Brazilian(s) adjective: Brazilian

Ethnic groups:

white 53.7%, mulatto (mixed white and black) 38.5%, black 6.2%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 0.9%, unspecified 0.7% (2000 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic (nominal) 73.6%, Protestant 15.4%, Spiritualist 1.3%, Bantu/voodoo 0.3%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.2%, none 7.4% (2000 census)

Languages:

Portuguese (official and most widely spoken language); note - less common languages include Spanish (border areas and schools), German, Italian, Japanese, English, and a large number of minor Amerindian languages

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 88.6% male: 88.4% female: 88.8% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 14 years female: 15 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

4% of GDP (2004)

Government

Brazil

Country name:

conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil conventional short form: Brazil local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil local short form: Brasil

Government type:

federal republic

Capital:

name: Brasilia geographic coordinates: 15 47 S, 47 55 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins third Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in February note: Brazil is divided into four time zones, including one for the Fernando de Noronha Islands

Administrative divisions:

26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins

Independence:

7 September 1822 (from Portugal)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 7 September (1822)

Constitution:

5 October 1988

Legal system:

based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age; note - military conscripts do not vote

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Luiz Inacio "LULA" DA SILVA (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Luiz Inacio "LULA" DA SILVA (since 1 January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 1 October 2006 with runoff 29 October 2006 (next to be held 3 October 2010 and, if necessary, 31 October 2010) election results: Luiz Inacio "LULA" DA SILVA (PT) reelected president - 60.83%, Geraldo ALCKMIN (PSDB) 39.17%

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; 3 members from each state and federal district elected according to the principle of majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third and two-thirds elected every four years, alternately) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Federal Senate - last held 1 October 2006 for one-third of the Senate (next to be held in October 2010 for two-thirds of the Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in October 2010) election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PFL 6, PSDB 5, PMDB 4, PTB 3, PT 2, PDT 1, PSB 1, PL 1, PPS 1, PRTB 1, PP 1, PCdoB 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PMDB 89, PT 83, PFL 65, PSDB 65, PP 42, PSB 27, PDT 24, PL 23, PTB 22, PPS 21, PCdoB 13, PV 13, PSC 9, other 17; note - as of 1 January 2008: Federal Senate - seats by party - PMDB 20, DEM (formerly PFL) 14, PSDB 13, PT 12, PTB 6, PDT 5, PR 4, PRB 2, PSB 2, PCdoB 1, PP 1, PSOL 1; Chamber of Deputies - seats by party - PMDB 90, PT 83, PSDB 64, DEM (formerly PFL) 62, PP 41, PR 34, PSB 28, PDT 23, PTB 21, PPS 17, PV 13, PCdoB 13, PSC 7, PAN 4, PSOL 3, PMN 3, PTC 3, PHS 2, PTdoB 1, PRB 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Federal Tribunal or STF (11 ministers are appointed for life by the president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher Tribunal of Justice; Regional Federal Tribunals (judges are appointed for life); note - though appointed "for life," judges, like all federal employees, have a mandatory retirement age of 70

Political parties and leaders:

Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Federal Deputy Michel

TEMER]; Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Roberto JEFFERSON]; Brazilian

Renewal Labor Party or PRTB [Jose Levy FIDELIX da Cruz]; Brazilian

Republican Party or PRB [Vitor Paulo Araujo DOS SANTOS]; Brazilian

Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Senator Sergio GUERRA]; Brazilian

Socialist Party or PSB [Governor Eduardo Henrique Accioly CAMPOS];

Christian Labor Party or PTC [Daniel TOURINHO]; Communist Party of

Brazil or PCdoB [Jose Renato RABELO]; Democratic Labor Party or PDT

[Carlos Roberto LUPI]; the Democrats or DEM (formerly Liberal Front

Party or PFL) [Federal Deputy Rodrigo MAIA]; Freedom and Socialism

Party or PSOL [Heloisa HELENA]; Green Party or PV [Jose Luiz de

Franca PENNA]; Humanist Party of Solidarity or PHS [Paulo Roberto

MATOS]; Labor Party of Brazil or PTdoB [Luis Henrique de Oliveira

RESENDE]; Liberal Front Party or PFL (now known as the Democrats or

DEM); National Mobilization Party or PMN [Oscar Noronha FILHO];

Party of the Republic or PR [Sergio TAMER]; Popular Socialist Party

or PPS [Federal Deputy Fernando CORUJA]; Progressive Party or PP

[Francisco DORNELLES]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Vitor Jorge

Abdala NOSSEIS]; Workers' Party or PT [Ricardo Jose Ribeiro BERZOINI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Landless Workers' Movement or MST other: labor unions and federations; large farmers' associations; religious groups including evangelical Christian churches and the Catholic Church

International organization participation:

AfDB (nonregional members), BIS, CAN (associate), CPLP, FAO, G-15,

G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,

IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MINUSTAH,

NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS,

UNMIT, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio de Aguiar PATRIOTA chancery: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 238-2700 FAX: [1] (202) 238-2827 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Clifford M. SOBEL embassy: Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, Distrito Federal Cep 70403-900, Brasilia mailing address: Unit 3500, APO AA 34030 telephone: [55] (61) 3312-7000 FAX: [55] (61) 3225-9136 consulate(s) general: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo consulate(s): Recife

Flag description:

green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars (one for each state and the Federal District) arranged in the same pattern as the night sky over Brazil; the globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)

Economy

Brazil

Economy - overview:

Characterized by large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil's economy outweighs that of all other South American countries and is expanding its presence in world markets. Having weathered 2001-03 financial turmoil, capital inflows are regaining strength and the currency has resumed appreciating. The appreciation has slowed export volume growth, but since 2004, Brazil's growth has yielded increases in employment and real wages. The resilience in the economy stems from commodity-driven current account surpluses, and sound macroeconomic policies that have bolstered international reserves to historically high levels, reduced public debt, and allowed a significant decline in real interest rates. A floating exchange rate, an inflation-targeting regime, and a tight fiscal policy are the three pillars of the economic program. From 2003 to 2007, Brazil ran record trade surpluses and recorded its first current account surpluses since 1992. Productivity gains coupled with high commodity prices contributed to the surge in exports. Brazil improved its debt profile in 2006 by shifting its debt burden toward real denominated and domestically held instruments. "LULA" DA SILVA restated his commitment to fiscal responsibility by maintaining the country's primary surplus during the 2006 election. Following his second inauguration, "LULA" DA SILVA announced a package of further economic reforms to reduce taxes and increase investment in infrastructure. The government's goal of achieving strong growth while reducing the debt burden is likely to create inflationary pressures.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.849 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.314 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$9,500 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 5.5% industry: 28.7% services: 65.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

99.23 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 20% industry: 14% services: 66% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:

9.3% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

31% (2005)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.9% highest 10%: 44.8% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

56.7 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

17.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $244 billion expenditures: $219.9 billion (FY07)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

45.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.6% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

17.85% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

43.72% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$131.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$792.8 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.377 trillion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef

Industries:

textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment

Industrial production growth rate:

4.9% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

437.3 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

402.2 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

2.034 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

40.47 billion kWh; note - supplied by Paraguay (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 8.3% hydro: 82.7% nuclear: 4.4% other: 4.6% (2001)

Oil - production:

2.277 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2.372 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

481,100 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

648,800 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

12.18 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

9.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

19.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

10 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

347.7 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$1.712 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$160.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee, autos

Exports - partners:

US 16.1%, Argentina 9.2%, China 6.8%, Netherlands 5.6%, Germany 4.6% (2007)

Imports:

$120.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil, automotive parts, electronics

Imports - partners:

US 15.7%, China 10.5%, Argentina 8.6%, Germany 7.2%, Nigeria 4.4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$191.9 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$180.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Debt - external:

$229.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$248.9 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$107.1 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$711.1 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

real (BRL)

Currency code:

BRL

Exchange rates:

reals (BRL) per US dollar - 1.85 (2007 est.), 2.1761 (2006), 2.4344 (2005), 2.9251 (2004), 3.0771 (2003)

Communications

Brazil

Telephones - main lines in use:

39.4 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

120.98 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: good working system; fixed-line connections have remained relatively stable in recent years and stand at about 20 per 100 persons; less expensive mobile cellular technology is a major driver in expanding telephone service to the low-income segment of the population with mobile-cellular telephone density reaching nearly 65 per 100 persons domestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 64 earth stations; mobile-cellular usage has more than tripled in the past 5 years international: country code - 55; landing point for a number of submarine cables that provide direct links to South and Central America, the Caribbean, the US, Africa, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region east), connected by microwave relay system to Mercosur Brazilsat B3 satellite earth station (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1,365, FM 296, shortwave 161 (of which 91 are collocated with AM stations) (1999)

Radios:

71 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

138 (1997)

Televisions:

36.5 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.br

Internet hosts:

9.573 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

50 (2000)

Internet users:

50 million (2007)

Transportation

Brazil

Airports:

4,263 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 718 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 25 1,524 to 2,437 m: 167 914 to 1,523 m: 467 under 914 m: 52 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 3,545 1,524 to 2,437 m: 83 914 to 1,523 m: 1,555 under 914 m: 1,907 (2007)

Heliports:

16 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate/gas 244 km; gas 12,070 km; liquid petroleum gas 351 km; oil 5,214 km; refined products 4,410 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 29,295 km broad gauge: 4,932 km 1.600-m gauge (939 km electrified) standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge narrow gauge: 23,773 km 1.000-m gauge (581 km electrified) dual gauge: 396 km 1.000 m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails) (78 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 1,751,868 km paved: 96,353 km unpaved: 1,655,515 km (2004)

Waterways:

50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 136 by type: bulk carrier 19, cargo 22, carrier 1, chemical tanker 7, container 11, liquefied gas 12, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker 45, roll on/roll off 7 foreign-owned: 25 (Chile 1, Denmark 2, Germany 6, Greece 1, Mexico 1, Norway 5, Spain 9) registered in other countries: 8 (Argentina 1, Bahamas 2, Ghana 1, Liberia 3, Marshall Islands 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Guaiba, Ilha Grande, Paranagua, Rio Grande, Santos, Sao Sebastiao,

Tubarao

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the Atlantic Ocean as a significant risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen

Military

Brazil

Military branches:

Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brasil (MB), includes

Naval Air and Marine Corps (Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais)), Brazilian

Air Force (Forca Aerea Brasileira, FAB) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

21-45 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 9 to 12 months; 17-45 years of age for voluntary service; an increasing percentage of the ranks are "long-service" volunteer professionals; women were allowed to serve in the armed forces beginning in early 1980s when the Brazilian Army became the first army in South America to accept women into career ranks; women serve in Navy and Air Force only in Women's Reserve Corps (2001)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 52,449,957 females age 16-49: 52,375,921 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 39,263,710 females age 16-49: 44,109,056 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 1,666,791 female: 1,608,363 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Brazil

Disputes - international:

unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations; uncontested boundary dispute with Uruguay over Isla Brasilera at the confluence of the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada rivers, that form a tripoint with Argentina; the Itaipú Dam reservoir covers over a once contested section of Brazil-Paraguay boundary west of Guaira Falls on the Rio Parana; an accord placed the long-disputed Isla Suárez/Ilha de Guajará-Mirim, a fluvial island on the Río Mamoré, under Bolivian administration in 1958, but sovereignty remains in dispute

Illicit drugs:

second-largest consumer of cocaine in the world; illicit producer of cannabis; trace amounts of coca cultivation in the Amazon region, used for domestic consumption; government has a large-scale eradication program to control cannabis; important transshipment country for Bolivian, Colombian, and Peruvian cocaine headed for Europe; also used by traffickers as a way station for narcotics air transshipments between Peru and Colombia; upsurge in drug-related violence and weapons smuggling; important market for Colombian, Bolivian, and Peruvian cocaine; illicit narcotics proceeds earned in Brazil are often laundered through the financial system; significant illicit financial activity in the Tri-Border Area

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@British Indian Ocean Territory

Introduction

British Indian Ocean Territory

Background:

Formerly administered as part of the British Crown Colony of Mauritius, the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) was established as an overseas territory of the UK in 1965. A number of the islands of the territory were later transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Between 1967 and 1973, former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius, but also to the Seychelles. Negotiations between 1971 and 1982 resulted in the establishment of a trust fund by the British Government as compensation for the displaced islanders, known as Chagossians. Beginning in 1998, the islanders pursued a series of lawsuits against the British Government seeking further compensation and the right to return to the territory. In 2006 and 2007, British court rulings invalidated the immigration policies contained in the 2004 BIOT Constitution Order that had excluded the islanders from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia. In 2008, the House of Lords, as the final court of appeal in the UK, ruled in favor of the British Goverment by overturning the lower court rulings and finding no right of return on the part of the Chagossians.

Geography

British Indian Ocean Territory

Location:

archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about halfway between Africa and Indonesia

Geographic coordinates:

6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E

Map references:

Political Map of the World

Area:

total: 54,400 sq km land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km water: 54,340 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands

Area - comparative:

land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

698 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds

Terrain:

flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation)

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m

Natural resources:

coconuts, fish, sugarcane

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility

People

British Indian Ocean Territory

Population:

no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and 1970s; in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in November 2004, approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors were living on the island of Diego Garcia

Government

British Indian Ocean Territory

Country name:

conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT

Dependency status:

overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London

Legal system:

the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Colin ROBERTS (since July 2008); Administrator Joanne YEADON (since December 2007); note - both reside in the UK and are represented by the officer commanding British Forces on Diego Garcia cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:

white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag

Economy

British Indian Ocean Territory

Economy - overview:

All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where a joint UK-US military facility is located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installation are performed by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the native Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. The territory earns foreign exchange by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps.

Electricity - production:

NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military

Electricity - consumption:

NA kWh

Currency (code):

US Dollar (USD)

Communications

British Indian Ocean Territory

Telephones - main lines in use:

NA

Telephone system:

general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: country code (Diego Garcia) - 246; international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

NA

Television broadcast stations:

1 (1997)

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.io

Internet hosts:

89 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Transportation

British Indian Ocean Territory

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

note: short section of paved road between port and airfield on Diego Garcia

Ports and terminals:

Diego Garcia

Military

British Indian Ocean Territory

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016

Transnational Issues

British Indian Ocean Territory

Disputes - international:

Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in 2001, the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1967 and 1973 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; in May 2007, the UK Court of Appeals upheld the May 2006 High Court of London judgment reversing the UK government's 2004 Orders of Council that banned habitation on the islands; a small group of Chagossians visited Diego Garcia in April 2006; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest viable island in the chain

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@British Virgin Islands

Introduction

British Virgin Islands

Background:

First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib Indians, the Virgin

Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and then annexed by the

English in 1672. The islands were part of the British colony of the

Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were granted autonomy in 1967.

The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US

Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.

Geography

British Virgin Islands

Location:

Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates:

18 30 N, 64 30 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 153 sq km land: 153 sq km water: 0 sq km note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke

Area - comparative:

about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

80 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds

Terrain:

coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m

Natural resources:

NEGL

Land use:

arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)

Environment - current issues:

limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments)

Geography - note:

strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico

People

British Virgin Islands

Population:

24,041 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 20% (male 2,432/female 2,366) 15-64 years: 74.4% (male 9,178/female 8,715) 65 years and over: 5.6% (male 697/female 653) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 32 years male: 32.1 years female: 31.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.88% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

14.72 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.37 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

8.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.07 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 15.2 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17.23 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 77.07 years male: 75.88 years female: 78.32 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.71 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander

Ethnic groups:

black 83.4%, white 7%, mixed 5.4%, Indian 3.4%, other 0.8% (1991 census)

Religions:

Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, other 2%, none 2% (1991)

Languages:

English (official)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA%

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 17 years male: 15 years female: 19 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

3.7% of GDP (2006)

Government

British Virgin Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI

Dependency status:

overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Road Town geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:

Territory Day, 1 July (1956)

Constitution:

13 June 2007

Legal system:

English law

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor David PEAREY (since 18 April 2006) head of government: Premier Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 23 August 2007) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the House of Assembly elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed premier by the governor

Legislative branch:

unicameral House of Assembly (13 elected seats and 1 non-voting ex officio member in the attorney general; members are elected by direct popular vote, 1 member from each of nine electoral districts, 4 at-large members; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 20 August 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - VIP 45.2%, NDP 39.6%, independent 15.2%; seats by party - VIP 10, NDP 2, independent 1

Judicial branch:

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of

Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a

resident of the islands and presides over the High Court);

Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction

Political parties and leaders:

Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National

Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory

MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

The Family Support Network; The Women's Desk other: environmentalists

International organization participation:

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:

blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful)

Economy

British Virgin Islands

Economy - overview:

The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 820,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 2005. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, made the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the US dollar as its currency since 1959.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$853.4 million (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$839.7 million (2003)

GDP - real growth rate:

1% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$38,500 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.)

Labor force:

12,770 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 0.6% industry: 40% services: 59.4% (2005)

Unemployment rate:

3.6% (1997)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $204.7 million expenditures: $180.4 million (2004)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2% (2005)

Agriculture - products:

fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish

Industries:

tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

45 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

41.85 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

650 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

649.8 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$134.3 million (1999)

Exports:

$25.3 million (2002)

Exports - commodities:

rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand

Exports - partners:

Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)

Imports:

$187 million (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:

building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery

Imports - partners:

Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$NA

Debt - external:

$36.1 million (1997)

Currency (code):

US dollar (USD)

Currency code:

USD

Exchange rates:

the US dollar is used

Communications

British Virgin Islands

Telephones - main lines in use:

11,700 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

8,000 (2002)

Telephone system:

general assessment: worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-284; connected via submarine cable to Bermuda; the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable provides connectivity to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:

9,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (plus 1 cable company) (1997)

Televisions:

4,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.vg

Internet hosts:

465 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

16 (2000)

Internet users:

4,000 (2002)

Transportation

British Virgin Islands

Airports:

3 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 200 km paved: 200 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Road Town

Military

British Virgin Islands

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 7,101 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,921 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 184 female: 179 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

British Virgin Islands

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Brunei

Introduction

Brunei

Background:

The Sultanate of Brunei's influence peaked between the 15th and 17th centuries when its control extended over coastal areas of northwest Borneo and the southern Philippines. Brunei subsequently entered a period of decline brought on by internal strife over royal succession, colonial expansion of European powers, and piracy. In 1888, Brunei became a British protectorate; independence was achieved in 1984. The same family has ruled Brunei for over six centuries. Brunei benefits from extensive petroleum and natural gas fields, the source of one of the highest per capita GDPs in Asia.

Geography

Brunei

Location:

Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia

Geographic coordinates:

4 30 N, 114 40 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 5,770 sq km land: 5,270 sq km water: 500 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries:

total: 381 km border countries: Malaysia 381 km

Coastline:

161 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or to median line

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid, rainy

Terrain:

flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Bukit Pagon 1,850 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, timber

Land use:

arable land: 2.08% permanent crops: 0.87% other: 97.05% (2005)

Irrigated land:

10 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

8.5 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.09 per capita: 243 cu m/yr (1994)

Natural hazards:

typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are rare

Environment - current issues:

seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

close to vital sea lanes through South China Sea linking Indian and Pacific Oceans; two parts physically separated by Malaysia; almost an enclave within Malaysia

People

Brunei

Population:

381,371 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 27.2% (male 53,400/female 50,333) 15-64 years: 69.6% (male 132,895/female 132,391) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 5,927/female 6,425) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 27.5 years male: 27.5 years female: 27.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.785% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

18.39 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

3.28 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 12.69 deaths/1,000 live births male: 15.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 75.52 years male: 73.32 years female: 77.83 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.94 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Bruneian(s) adjective: Bruneian

Ethnic groups:

Malay 66.3%, Chinese 11.2%, indigenous 3.4%, other 19.1% (2004 est.)

Religions:

Muslim (official) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%, other (includes indigenous beliefs) 10%

Languages:

Malay (official), English, Chinese

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.7% male: 95.2% female: 90.2% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 14 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

5.2% of GDP (2000)

Government

Brunei

Country name:

conventional long form: Brunei Darussalam conventional short form: Brunei local long form: Negara Brunei Darussalam local short form: Brunei

Government type:

constitutional sultanate

Capital:

name: Bandar Seri Begawan geographic coordinates: 4 53 N, 114 56 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

4 districts (daerah-daerah, singular - daerah); Belait, Brunei and Muara, Temburong, Tutong

Independence:

1 January 1984 (from UK)

National holiday:

National Day, 23 February (1984); note - 1 January 1984 was the date of independence from the UK, 23 February 1984 was the date of independence from British protection

Constitution:

29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended under a State of Emergency since December 1962, others since independence on 1 January 1984)

Legal system:

based on English common law; for Muslims, Islamic Sharia law supersedes civil law in a number of areas; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age for village elections; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967) cabinet: Council of Cabinet Ministers appointed and presided over by the monarch; deals with executive matters; note - there is also a Religious Council (members appointed by the monarch) that advises on religious matters, a Privy Council (members appointed by the monarch) that deals with constitutional matters, and the Council of Succession (members appointed by the monarch) that determines the succession to the throne if the need arises elections: none; the monarch is hereditary

Legislative branch:

Legislative Council met on 25 September 2004 for first time in 20 years with 21 members appointed by the Sultan; passed constitutional amendments calling for a 45-seat council with 15 elected members; Sultan dissolved council on 1 September 2005 and appointed a new council with 29 members as of 2 September 2005; council met in March 2006 and in March 2007 elections: last held in March 1962 (date of next election NA)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court - chief justice and judges are sworn in by monarch for three-year terms; Judicial Committee of Privy Council in London is final court of appeal for civil cases; Sharia courts deal with Islamic laws (2006)

Political parties and leaders:

National Development Party or NDP [YASSIN Affendi] note: Brunei National Solidarity Party or PPKB [Abdul LATIF bin Chuchu] and People's Awareness Party or PAKAR [Awang Haji MAIDIN bin Haji Ahmad] were deregistered; parties are small and have limited activity

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, C, EAS, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB,

IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent),

ITSO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Angela SHIM chancery: 3520 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 237-1838 FAX: [1] (202) 885-0560

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador William E. TODD embassy: Third Floor, Teck Guan Plaza, Jalan Sultan, Bandar Seri Begawan, BS8811 mailing address: PSC 470 (BSB), FPO AP 96507; P.O. Box 2991, Bandar Seri Begawan BS8675, Negara Brunei Darussalam telephone: [673] 222-0384 FAX: [673] 222-5293

Flag description:

yellow with two diagonal bands of white (top, almost double width) and black starting from the upper hoist side; the national emblem in red is superimposed at the center; the emblem includes a swallow-tailed flag on top of a winged column within an upturned crescent above a scroll and flanked by two upraised hands

Economy

Brunei

Economy - overview:

Brunei has a small well-to-do economy that encompasses a mixture of foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation, welfare measures, and village tradition. Crude oil and natural gas production account for just over half of GDP and more than 90% of exports. Per capita GDP is among the highest in Asia, and substantial income from overseas investment supplements income from domestic production. The government provides for all medical services and free education through the university level and subsidizes rice and housing. Brunei's leaders are concerned that steadily increased integration in the world economy will undermine internal social cohesion. Plans for the future include upgrading the labor force, reducing unemployment, strengthening the banking and tourist sectors, and, in general, further widening the economic base beyond oil and gas.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$19.64 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$12.39 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

0.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$51,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 0.9% industry: 71.6% services: 27.5% (2005 est.)

Labor force:

180,400 (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 2.9% industry: 61.1% services: 36% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:

4% (2006)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $3.765 billion expenditures: $4.815 billion (2004 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

0.4% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

5.5% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$2.674 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$4.258 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$2.38 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, vegetables, fruits; chickens, water buffalo, cattle, goats, eggs

Industries:

petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction

Industrial production growth rate:

1.8% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:

3.1 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

2.924 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

180,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

13,200 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

200,000 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

304 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

1.1 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

13.8 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

3.99 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

9.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

390.8 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$7.101 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$6.767 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

crude oil, natural gas, refined products, clothing

Exports - partners:

Japan 32.8%, Indonesia 24.4%, Australia 13.4%, South Korea 12.2%, US 5.5% (2007)

Imports:

$2 billion c.i.f. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals

Imports - partners:

UK 46.4%, Singapore 19.5%, Malaysia 11.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$770,000 (2004)

Debt - external:

$0 (2005)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Bruneian dollar (BND)

Currency code:

BND

Exchange rates:

Bruneian dollars (BND) per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.5886 (2006), 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003)

Communications

Brunei

Telephones - main lines in use:

79,200 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

339,800 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: service throughout the country is excellent; international service is good to Southeast Asia, Middle East, Western Europe, and the US domestic: every service available international: country code - 673; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; the Asia-America Gateway submarine cable network, scheduled for completion by late 2008, will provide new links to Asia and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 2 (transmitting on 18 different frequencies), shortwave 0 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) station transmits two FM signals with English and Nepali service) (2006)

Radios:

329,000 (1998)

Television broadcast stations:

4 (includes 2 UHF stations broadcasting a subscription service) (2006)

Televisions:

201,900 (1998)

Internet country code:

.bn

Internet hosts:

14,950 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

199,532 (2007)

Transportation

Brunei

Airports:

2 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports:

3 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 672 km; oil 463 km (2007)

Roadways:

total: 3,650 km paved: 2,819 km unpaved: 831 km (2005)

Waterways:

209 km (navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 8 by type: liquefied gas 8 foreign-owned: 1 (UK 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Lumut, Muara, Seria

Military

Brunei

Military branches:

Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF): Royal Brunei Land Forces, Royal Brunei Navy, Royal Brunei Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age (est.) for voluntary military service; non-Malays are ineligible to serve (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 108,356 females age 16-49: 110,153 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 91,297 females age 16-49: 93,228 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 3,223 female: 3,182 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

4.5% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Brunei

Disputes - international:

Brunei and Malaysia agreed in September 2008 to resolve their offshore and deepwater seabed dispute, resume hydrocarbon exploration, and renounce any territorial claims on land; Brunei established an exclusive economic fishing zone encompassing Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands in 1984, but makes no public territorial claim to the offshore reefs; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants

Illicit drugs:

drug trafficking and illegally importing controlled substances are serious offenses in Brunei and carry a mandatory death penalty

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Bulgaria

Introduction

Bulgaria

Background:

The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.

Geography

Bulgaria

Location:

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and

Turkey

Geographic coordinates:

43 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 110,910 sq km land: 110,550 sq km water: 360 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Tennessee

Land boundaries:

total: 1,808 km border countries: Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia 318 km, Turkey 240 km

Coastline:

354 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers

Terrain:

mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Musala 2,925 m

Natural resources:

bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 29.94% permanent crops: 1.9% other: 68.16% (2005)

Irrigated land:

5,880 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

19.4 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 6.92 cu km/yr (3%/78%/19%) per capita: 895 cu m/yr (2003)

Natural hazards:

earthquakes, landslides

Environment - current issues:

air pollution from industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals, detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and resulting acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical plants and industrial wastes

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia

People

Bulgaria

Population:

7,262,675 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 13.8% (male 514,238/female 489,608) 15-64 years: 68.6% (male 2,449,812/female 2,532,845) 65 years and over: 17.6% (male 520,962/female 755,210) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 41.1 years male: 38.9 years female: 43.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.813% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

9.58 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

14.3 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-3.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 18.51 deaths/1,000 live births male: 22 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 72.83 years male: 69.22 years female: 76.66 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.4 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

346 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Bulgarian(s) adjective: Bulgarian

Ethnic groups:

Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including

Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001 census)

Religions:

Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian 1.2%, other 4% (2001 census)

Languages:

Bulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.2% male: 98.7% female: 97.7% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4.5% of GDP (2005)

Government

Bulgaria

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria conventional short form: Bulgaria local long form: Republika Balgariya local short form: Balgariya

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Sofia geographic coordinates: 42 41 N, 23 19 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Blagoevgrad, Burgas,

Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo, Kurdzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana,

Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen,

Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofiya, Sofiya-Grad, Stara Zagora,

Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol

Independence:

3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday:

Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)

Constitution:

adopted 12 July 1991

Legal system:

civil and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Georgi PARVANOV (since 22 January 2002); Vice President Angel MARIN (since 22 January 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Sergei STANISHEV (since 16 August 2005); Deputy Prime Ministers Ivaylo KALFIN, Daniel VULCHEV, and Emel ETEM (since 16 August 2005) and Meglena PLUGCHIEVA (since 25 April 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 and 29 October 2006 (next to be held in 2011); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) nominated by the president and elected by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly election results: Georgi PARVANOV reelected president; percent of vote - Georgi PARVANOV 77.3%, Volen SIDEROV 22.7%; Sergei STANISHEV elected prime minister, result of legislative vote - 168 to 67

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 25 June 2005 (next to be held in June 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - CfB 31.1%, NMS2 19.9%, MRF 12.7%, ATAKA 8.2%, UDF 7.7%, DSB 6.5%, BPU 5.2%, other 8.7%; seats by party - CfB 83, NMS2 53, MRF 33, UDF 20, ATAKA 17, DSB 17, BPU 13, independents 4; note - seats by party as of January 2008 - CfB 82, NMS2 36, MRF 34, Bulgarian New Democracy 16, DSB 16, UDF 16, BPU 13, ATAKA 11, independents 16

Judicial branch:

Supreme Administrative Court; Supreme Court of Cassation; Constitutional Court (12 justices appointed or elected for nine-year terms); Supreme Judicial Council (consists of the chairmen of the two Supreme Courts, the Chief Prosecutor, and 22 other members; responsible for appointing the justices, prosecutors, and investigating magistrates in the justice system; members of the Supreme Judicial Council elected for five-year terms, 11 elected by the National Assembly and 11 by bodies of the judiciary)

Political parties and leaders:

ATAKA (Attack Coalition) (coalition of parties headed by the Attack

National Union); Attack National Union [Volen SIDEROV]; Bulgarian

Agrarian National Union-People's Union or BANU [Anastasia MOZER];

Bulgarian New Democracy [Borislav RALCHEV]; Bulgarian People's Union

or BPU (coalition of UFD, IMRO, and BANU); Bulgarian Socialist Party

or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV]; Citizens for the European Development of

Bulgaria or GERB [Tsvetan TSVETANOV]; Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB

(coalition of parties dominated by BSP) [Sergei STANISHEV];

Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Ivan KOSTOV]; Internal

Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or IMRO [Krasimir

KARAKACHANOV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed

DOGAN]; National Movement for Stability and Progress or NMSS [Simeon

SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA] (formerly National Movement Simeon II or NMS2);

New Time [Emil KOSHLUKOV]; Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Petar

STOYANOV]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan SOFIYANSKI];

United Democratic Forces or UtDF (a coalition of center-right

parties dominated by UDF)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB; Podkrepa Labor Confederation other: numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas

International organization participation:

ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU

(new member), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IFC,

IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,

ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE,

PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL,

WCO, WEU (associate affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Latechezar PETKOV chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-0174 FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Nancy McELDOWNEY embassy: 16 Kozyak Street, Sofia 1407 mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, US Department of State, 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740 telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100 FAX: [359] (2) 937-5320

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red note: the national emblem, formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe, has been removed

Economy

Bulgaria

Economy - overview:

Bulgaria, a former communist country that entered the EU on 1 January 2007, has experienced strong growth since a major economic downturn in 1996. Successive governments have demonstrated commitment to economic reforms and responsible fiscal planning, but have failed so far to rein in rising inflation and large current account deficits. Bulgaria has averaged more than 6% growth since 2004, attracting significant amounts of foreign direct investment, but corruption in the public administration, a weak judiciary, and the presence of organized crime remain significant challenges.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$86.71 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$39.61 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$11,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 6.2% industry: 32.3% services: 61.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.593 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 8.5% industry: 33.6% services: 57.9% (2nd qtr. 2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

7.7% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

14.1% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 25.4% (2005)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

31.6 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

29.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $16.84 billion expenditures: $15.35 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

10.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

9.8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4.58% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

10% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$15.58 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$17.03 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$25.18 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

vegetables, fruits, tobacco, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets; livestock

Industries:

electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel

Industrial production growth rate:

14% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

43.15 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

30.5 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

7.534 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

3.054 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 47.8% hydro: 8.1% nuclear: 44.1% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

3,661 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

109,600 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

50,530 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:

158,400 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

15 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

5.6 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

5.179 billion cu m (2005)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$8.53 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$18.44 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels

Exports - partners:

Turkey 11.5%, Germany 10.3%, Italy 10.2%, Greece 9.1%, Belgium 6.2%,

Romania 4.9% (2007)

Imports:

$28.67 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials

Imports - partners:

Russia 12.3%, Germany 12.3%, Italy 8.7%, Ukraine 7.2%, Turkey 6.9%,

Greece 6.2%, Romania 4.5%, Austria 4.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$742 million (2005-06 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$17.38 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$34.88 billion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$33.91 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$559 million (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$10.32 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

lev (BGN)

Currency code:

BGN

Exchange rates:

leva (BGN) per US dollar - 1.4366 (2007), 1.5576 (2006), 1.5741 (2005), 1.5751 (2004), 1.7327 (2003)

Communications

Bulgaria

Telephones - main lines in use:

2.3 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

9.897 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: an extensive but antiquated telecommunications network inherited from the Soviet era; quality has improved; the Bulgaria Telecommunications Company's fixed-line monopoly terminated in 2005 when alternative fixed-line operators were given access to its network; a drop in fixed-line connections in recent years has been more than offset by a sharp increase in mobile-cellular telephone use fostered by multiple service providers; the number of cellular telephone subscriptions now exceeds the population domestic: a fairly modern digital cable trunk line now connects switching centers in most of the regions; the others are connected by digital microwave radio relay international: country code - 359; submarine cable provides connectivity to Ukraine and Russia; a combination submarine cable and land fiber-optic system provides connectivity to Italy, Albania, and Macedonia; satellite earth stations - 3 (1 Intersputnik in the Atlantic Ocean region, 2 Intelsat in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001)

Radios:

4.51 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:

3.31 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.bg

Internet hosts:

513,470 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

200 (2001)

Internet users:

1.899 million (2007)

Transportation

Bulgaria

Airports:

214 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 131 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 95 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 83 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 72 (2007)

Heliports:

4 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 2,500 km; oil 339 km; refined products 156 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 4,294 km standard gauge: 4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,710 km electrified) narrow gauge: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 40,231 km paved: 39,587 km (includes 331 km of expressways) unpaved: 644 km (2005)

Waterways:

470 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 74 by type: bulk carrier 37, cargo 14, chemical tanker 5, container 6, liquefied gas 2, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 65 (Germany 63, Ireland 1, Russia 1) registered in other countries: 31 (Comoros 2, Malta 5, Panama 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 15, Slovakia 6) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Burgas, Varna

Military

Bulgaria

Military branches:

Bulgarian Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Bulgarian Air

Forces (Bulgarski Voennovazdyshni Sily, BVVS) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-27 years of age for voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 9 months; as of May 2006, 67% of the Bulgarian Army comprised of professional soldiers; conscription ended as of 1 January 2008; Air and Air Defense Forces and Naval Forces became fully professional at the end of 2006 (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,701,979 females age 16-49: 1,691,092 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,364,029 females age 16-49: 1,401,348 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 39,477 female: 37,339 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Bulgaria

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

major European transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and, to a lesser degree, South American cocaine for the European market; limited producer of precursor chemicals; some money laundering of drug-related proceeds through financial institutions

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Burkina Faso

Introduction

Burkina Faso

Background:

Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Current President Blaise COMPAORE came to power in a 1987 military coup and has won every election since then. Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Recent unrest in Cote d'Ivoire and northern Ghana has hindered the ability of several hundred thousand seasonal Burkinabe farm workers to find employment in neighboring countries.

Geography

Burkina Faso

Location:

Western Africa, north of Ghana

Geographic coordinates:

13 00 N, 2 00 W

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 274,200 sq km land: 273,800 sq km water: 400 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Colorado

Land boundaries:

total: 3,193 km border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 549 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers

Terrain:

mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m

Natural resources:

manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, phosphates, pumice, salt

Land use:

arable land: 17.66% permanent crops: 0.22% other: 82.12% (2005)

Irrigated land:

250 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

17.5 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.8 cu km/yr (13%/1%/86%) per capita: 60 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

recurring droughts

Environment - current issues:

recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black, Red, and White Voltas

People

Burkina Faso

Population:

15,264,735 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 46.3% (male 3,549,034/female 3,521,684) 15-64 years: 51.1% (male 3,885,124/female 3,922,198) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 154,476/female 232,219) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 16.7 years male: 16.5 years female: 16.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.109% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

44.68 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

13.59 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 86.02 deaths/1,000 live births male: 93.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 78.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 52.55 years male: 50.67 years female: 54.49 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

6.34 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

4.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

300,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

29,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural) adjective: Burkinabe

Ethnic groups:

Mossi over 40%, other approximately 60% (includes Gurunsi, Senufo,

Lobi, Bobo, Mande, and Fulani)

Religions:

Muslim 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian (mainly Roman

Catholic) 10%

Languages:

French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 21.8% male: 29.4% female: 15.2% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 5 years male: 5 years female: 4 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4.2% of GDP (2006)

Government

Burkina Faso

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Burkina Faso local long form: none local short form: Burkina Faso former: Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta

Government type:

parliamentary republic

Capital:

name: Ouagadougou geographic coordinates: 12 22 N, 1 31 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

45 provinces; Bale, Bam, Banwa, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou,

Boulkiemde, Comoe, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Ioba, Kadiogo,

Kenedougou, Komondjari, Kompienga, Kossi, Koulpelogo, Kouritenga,

Kourweogo, Leraba, Loroum, Mouhoun, Nahouri, Namentenga, Nayala,

Noumbiel, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga,

Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Tuy, Yagha, Yatenga, Ziro,

Zondoma, Zoundweogo

Independence:

5 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday:

Republic Day, 11 December (1958)

Constitution:

2 June 1991 approved by referendum, 11 June 1991 formally adopted; last amended January 2002

Legal system:

based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987) head of government: Prime Minister Tertius ZONGO (since 4 June 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 13 November 2005 (next to be held in 2010); in April 2000, the constitution was amended reducing the presidential term from seven to five years, enforceable as of 2005; prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the legislature election results: Blaise COMPAORE reelected president; percent of popular vote - Blaise COMPAORE 80.3%, Benewende Stanislas SANKARA 4.9%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (111 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly election last held 6 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CDP 73, ADF-RDA 14, UPR 5, UNIR-MS 4, CFD-B 3, UPS 2, PDP-PS 2, RDB 2, PDS 2, PAREN 1, PAI 1, RPC 1, UDPS 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Appeals Court

Political parties and leaders:

African Democratic Rally-Alliance for Democracy and Federation or

ADF-RDA [Gilbert OUEDRAOGO]; Citizen's Popular Rally or RPC [Antoine

QUARE]; Coalition of Democratic Forces of Burkina or CFD-B [Amadou

Diemdioda DICKO]; Congress for Democracy and Progress or CDP [Roch

Marc-Christian KABORE]; Movement for Tolerance and Progress or MTP

[Nayabtigungou Congo KABORE]; Party for African Independence or PAI

[Philippe OUEDRAOGO]; Party for Democracy and Progress/Socialist

Party or PDP/PS [Ali LANKOANDE]; Party for Democracy and Socialism

or PDS [Felix SOUBEIGA]; Party for National Rebirth or PAREN [Oumar

DJIGUIMDE]; Rally for the Development of Burkina or RDB [Antoine

KARGOUGOU]; Rally of Ecologists of Burkina Faso or RDEB [Ram

OUEDRAGO]; Republican Party for Integration and Solidarity or PARIS

[Cyril GOUNGOUNGA]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS

[Fidele HIEN]; Union for Rebirth - Sankarist Movement or UNIR-MS

[Benewende STANISLAS]; Union for the Republic or UPR [Toussaint Abel

COULIBALY]; Union of Sankarist Parties or UPS [Ernest Nongma

OUEDRAOGO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Burkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB [Tole SAGNON]; Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights or MBDHP [Chrysigone ZOUGMORE]; Group of 14 February [Benewende STANISLAS]; National Confederation of Burkinabe Workers or CNTB [Laurent OUEDRAOGO]; National Organization of Free Unions or ONSL [Paul KABORE] other: watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities

International organization participation:

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UN Security Council

(temporary), UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIS, UNOCI,

UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Paramanga Ernest YONLI chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577 FAX: [1] (202) 667-1882

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Jeanine E. JACKSON embassy: 602 Avenue Raoul Follereau, Koulouba, Secteur 4 mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou 01; pouch mail - US Department of State, 2440 Ouagadougou Place, Washington, DC 20521-2440 telephone: [226] 50-30-67-23 FAX: [226] 50-30-38-90

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center note: uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy

Burkina Faso

Economy - overview:

One of the poorest countries in the world, landlocked Burkina Faso has few natural resources and a weak industrial base. About 90% of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture, which is vulnerable to periodic drought. Cotton is the main cash crop and the government has joined with three other cotton producing countries in the region - Mali, Niger, and Chad - to lobby in the World Trade Organization for fewer subsidies to producers in other competing countries. Since 1998, Burkina Faso has embarked upon a gradual but successful privatization of state-owned enterprises. Having revised its investment code in 2004, Burkina Faso hopes to attract foreign investors. Thanks to this new code and other legislation favoring the mining sector, the country has seen an upswing in gold exploration and production. While the bitter internal crisis in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire is beginning to be resolved, it is still having a negative effect on Burkina Faso's trade and employment. In 2007 higher costs for energy and imported foodstuffs, as well as low cotton prices, dampened a GDP growth rate that had averaged 6% in the last 10 years. Burkina Faso received a Millennium Challenge Account threshold grant to improve girls' education at the primary school level, and appears likely to receive a grant in the areas of infrastructure, agriculture, and land reform.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$17.41 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$6.977 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,200 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 29.7% industry: 19.4% services: 50.9% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

5 million note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 90% industry and services: 10% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

77% (2004)

Population below poverty line:

46.4% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 32.2% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

39.5 (2007)

Investment (gross fixed):

21.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $1.415 billion expenditures: $1.847 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

-0.2% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA

Stock of money:

$1.051 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$663 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$905.1 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock

Industries:

cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold

Industrial production growth rate:

5.2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

611.6 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

509.3 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 69.9% hydro: 30.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

8,470 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

8,446 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$706 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$617 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

cotton, livestock, gold

Exports - partners:

China 29.6%, Singapore 15.7%, Thailand 7.2%, Ghana 6.4%, Niger 4.8% (2007)

Imports:

$1.296 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

capital goods, foodstuffs, petroleum

Imports - partners:

Cote d'Ivoire 25.8%, France 20.6%, Togo 7.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$659.6 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.029 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.33 billion (2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Currency code:

XOF

Exchange rates:

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Communications

Burkina Faso

Telephones - main lines in use:

94,800 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.611 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: services only fair; in 2006 the government sold a 51 percent stake in the national telephone company and ultimately plans to retain only a 23 percent stake in the company; fixed-line connections stand at less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage, fostered by multiple providers, is increasing rapidly from a low base domestic: microwave radio relay, open-wire, and radiotelephone communication stations international: country code - 226; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 26, shortwave 3

Radios:

394,020 (2000)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (1 national, 2 private)

Televisions:

131,340 (2002)

Internet country code:

.bf

Internet hosts:

116 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Internet users:

80,000 (2006)

Transportation

Burkina Faso

Airports:

33 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 17 (2007)

Railways:

total: 622 km narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge note: another 660 km of this railway extends into Cote D'Ivoire (2006)

Roadways:

total: 92,495 km paved: 3,857 km unpaved: 88,638 km (2004)

Military

Burkina Faso

Military branches:

Army, Air Force of Burkina Faso (Force Aerienne de Burkina Faso,

FABF), National Gendarmerie (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory military service; 20 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,364,288 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,115,948 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 176,358 female: 173,856 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.2% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Burkina Faso

Disputes - international:

in September 2007, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) intervened to attempt to resolve the dispute over two villages along the Benin-Burkina Faso border that remain from 2005 ICJ decision; in recent years citizens and rogue security forces rob and harass local populations on both sides of the poorly-defined Burkina Faso-Niger border; despite the presence of over 9,000 UN forces (UNOCI) in Cote d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic conflict continues to spread into neighboring states who can no longer send their migrant workers to work in Ivorian cocoa plantations

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Burma

Introduction

Burma

Background:

Britain conquered Burma over a period of 62 years (1824-1886) and incorporated it into its Indian Empire. Burma was administered as a province of India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony; independence from the Commonwealth was attained in 1948. Gen. NE WIN dominated the government from 1962 to 1988, first as military ruler, then as self-appointed president, and later as political kingpin. Despite multiparty legislative elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory, the ruling junta refused to hand over power. NLD leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG SAN SUU KYI, who was under house arrest from 1989 to 1995 and 2000 to 2002, was imprisoned in May 2003 and subsequently transferred to house arrest. After Burma's ruling junta in August 2007 unexpectedly increased fuel prices, tens of thousands of Burmese marched in protest, led by prodemocracy activists and Buddhist monks. In late September 2007, the government brutally suppressed the protests, killing at least 13 people and arresting thousands for participating in the demonstrations. Since then, the regime has continued to raid homes and monasteries and arrest persons suspected of participating in the pro-democracy protests. The junta appointed Labor Minister AUNG KYI in October 2007 as liaison to AUNG SAN SUU KYI, who remains under house arrest and virtually incommunicado with her party and supporters.

Geography

Burma

Location:

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand

Geographic coordinates:

22 00 N, 98 00 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 678,500 sq km land: 657,740 sq km water: 20,760 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 5,876 km border countries: Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km

Coastline:

1,930 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April)

Terrain:

central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 14.92% permanent crops: 1.31% other: 83.77% (2005)

Irrigated land:

18,700 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

1,045.6 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 33.23 cu km/yr (1%/1%/98%) per capita: 658 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes

People

Burma

Population:

47,758,180 note: estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 25.7% (male 6,236,484/female 6,038,576) 15-64 years: 68.9% (male 16,300,380/female 16,627,045) 65 years and over: 5.4% (male 1,098,344/female 1,457,352) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 27.8 years male: 27.2 years female: 28.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.8% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

17.23 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.23 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 49.12 deaths/1,000 live births male: 55.53 deaths/1,000 live births female: 42.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 62.94 years male: 60.73 years female: 65.28 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.92 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

330,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

20,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis animal contact disease: rabies note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Burmese (singular and plural) adjective: Burmese

Ethnic groups:

Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%,

Mon 2%, other 5%

Religions:

Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%

Languages:

Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89.9% male: 93.9% female: 86.4% (2006 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 8 years male: 8 years female: 8 years (2001)

Education expenditures:

1.2% of GDP (2001)

Government

Burma

Country name:

conventional long form: Union of Burma conventional short form: Burma local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of Myanmar) local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma note: since 1989 the military authorities in Burma have promoted the name Myanmar as a conventional name for their state; this decision was not approved by any sitting legislature in Burma, and the US Government did not adopt the name, which is a derivative of the Burmese short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw

Government type:

military junta

Capital:

name: Rangoon (Yangon) geographic coordinates: 16 48 N, 96 09 E time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Nay Pyi Taw is administrative capital

Administrative divisions:

7 divisions (taing-myar, singular - taing) and 7 states (pyi ne-myar, singular - pyi ne) divisions: Ayeyarwady, Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing, Tanintharyi, Yangon states: Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Mon, Rakhine, Shan

Independence:

4 January 1948 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 4 January (1948); Union Day, 12 February (1947)

Constitution:

30 May 2008

Legal system:

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992) head of government: Prime Minister, Lt. Gen THEIN SEIN (since 24 October 2007) cabinet: Cabinet is overseen by SPDC; military junta assumed power 18 September 1988 under name State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) elections: none

Legislative branch:

unicameral People's Assembly or Pyithu Hluttaw (485 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never allowed by junta to convene (junta has announced plans to hold elections in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NLD 392 (opposition), SNLD 23 (opposition), NUP 10 (pro-government), other 60

Judicial branch:

remnants of the British-era legal system are in place, but there is no guarantee of a fair public trial; the judiciary is not independent of the executive

Political parties and leaders:

National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE, AUNG SAN SUU KYI];

National Unity Party or NUP (pro-regime) [TUN YE]; Shan

Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [HKUN HTUN OO]; and other

smaller parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Ethnic Nationalities Council or ENC (based in Thailand); Federation of Trade Unions-Burma or FTUB (exile trade union and labor advocates); National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma or NCGUB (self-proclaimed government in exile) ["Prime Minister" Dr. SEIN WIN] consists of individuals, some legitimately elected to the People's Assembly in 1990 (the group fled to a border area and joined insurgents in December 1990 to form parallel government in exile); Kachin Independence Organization or KIO; Karen National Union or KNU; Karenni National People's Party or KNPP; National Council-Union of Burma or NCUB (exile coalition of opposition groups); United Wa State Army or UWSA; Union Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (pro-regime, a social and political mass-member organization) [HTAY OO, general secretary]; 88 Generation Students (pro-democracy movement) [MIN KO NAING] other: several Shan factions

International organization participation:

ADB, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO

(correspondent), ITU, NAM, OPCW (signatory), SAARC (observer), UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires MYINT LWIN chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-3344 FAX: [1] (202) 332-4351 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Larry M. DINGER embassy: 110 University Avenue, Kamayut Township, Rangoon mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546 telephone: [95] (1) 536-509, 535-756, 538-038 FAX: [95] (1) 650-306

Flag description:

red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 14, white, five-pointed stars encircling a cogwheel containing a stalk of rice; the 14 stars represent the seven administrative divisions and seven states

Economy

Burma

Economy - overview:

Burma, a resource-rich country, suffers from pervasive government controls, inefficient economic policies, and rural poverty. The junta took steps in the early 1990s to liberalize the economy after decades of failure under the "Burmese Way to Socialism," but those efforts stalled, and some of the liberalization measures were rescinded. Despite Burma's increasing oil and gas revenue, socio-economic conditions have deteriorated due to the regime's mismanagement of the economy. Lacking monetary or fiscal stability, the economy suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances - including rising inflation, fiscal deficits, multiple official exchange rates that overvalue the Burmese kyat, a distorted interest rate regime, unreliable statistics, and an inability to reconcile national accounts to determine a realistic GDP figure. Most overseas development assistance ceased after the junta began to suppress the democracy movement in 1988 and subsequently refused to honor the results of the 1990 legislative elections. In response to the government of Burma's attack in May 2003 on AUNG SAN SUU KYI and her convoy, the US imposed new economic sanctions in August 2003 including a ban on imports of Burmese products and a ban on provision of financial services by US persons. Further, a poor investment climate hampers attracting outside investment slowing the inflow of foreign exchange. The most productive sectors will continue to be in extractive industries, especially oil and gas, mining, and timber with the latter especially causing environmental degradation. Other areas, such as manufacturing and services, are struggling with inadequate infrastructure, unpredictable import/export policies, deteriorating health and education systems, and endemic corruption. A major banking crisis in 2003 shuttered the country's 20 private banks and disrupted the economy. As of 2007, the largest private banks operated under tight restrictions limiting the private sector's access to formal credit. Moreover, the September 2007 crackdown on prodemocracy demonstrators, including thousands of monks, further strained the economy as the tourism industry, which directly employs about 500,000 people, suffered dramatic declines in foreign visitor levels. In November 2007, the European Union announced new sanctions banning investment and trade in Burmese gems, timber and precious stones, while the United States expanded its sanctions list to include more Burmese government and military officials and their family members, as well as prominent regime business cronies, their family members, and associated companies. Official statistics are inaccurate. Published statistics on foreign trade are greatly understated because of the size of the black market and unofficial border trade - often estimated to be as large as the official economy. Though the Burmese government has good economic relations with its neighbors, better investment and business climates and an improved political situation are needed to promote serious foreign investment, exports, and tourism.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$91.13 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$13.53 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 42.4% industry: 18.9% services: 38.7% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

29.26 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 70% industry: 7% services: 23% (2001)

Unemployment rate:

5.2% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

32.7% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 32.4% (1998)

Investment (gross fixed):

13.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: NA expenditures: NA (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

35% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

12% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

17% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$598 billion note: This number reflects the vastly overvalued official exchange rate of 5.38 kyat per dollar. At the unofficial black market rate of 1305 kyat per dollar, the stock of kyats would equal only US$2.465 billion and Burma's velocity of money (the number of times money turns over in the course of a year) would be six, in line with the velocity of money for other countries in the region. (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$216.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$887.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane; hardwood; fish and fish products

Industries:

agricultural processing; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; cement, construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer; natural gas; garments, jade and gems

Industrial production growth rate:

9% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

5.961 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

4.289 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 44.5% hydro: 43.4% nuclear: 0% other: 12.1% (2002)

Oil - production:

21,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

43,140 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

5,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - imports:

22,180 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

50 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

12.6 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

3.62 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

9.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

283.2 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$1.427 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$6.122 billion f.o.b. note: official export figures are grossly underestimated due to the value of timber, gems, narcotics, rice, and other products smuggled to Thailand, China, and Bangladesh (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

natural gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice, clothing, jade and gems

Exports - partners:

Thailand 44.3%, India 14.5%, China 7.1%, Japan 5.7% (2007)

Imports:

$2.942 billion f.o.b. note: import figures are grossly underestimated due to the value of consumer goods, diesel fuel, and other products smuggled in from Thailand, China, Malaysia, and India (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

fabric, petroleum products, fertilizer, plastics, machinery, transport equipment; cement, construction materials, crude oil; food products, edible oil

Imports - partners:

China 33.7%, Thailand 19.1%, Singapore 15.5%, South Korea 5.8%,

Indonesia 5.2%, Malaysia 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$144.7 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.262 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$7.022 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

kyat (MMK)

Currency code:

MMK

Exchange rates:

kyats (MMK) per US dollar - 1,296 (2007), 1,280 (2006), 5.761 (2005), 5.7459 (2004), 6.0764 (2003) note: unofficial exchange rates ranged in 2004 from 815 kyat/US dollar to nearly 970 kyat/US dollar, and by yearend 2005, the unofficial exchange rate was 1,075 kyat/US dollar; data shown for 2003-05 are official exchange rates

Communications

Burma

Telephones - main lines in use:

503,900 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

214,200 (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government domestic: system barely capable of providing basic service; cellular phone system is grossly underdeveloped with a subscribership base of less than 1 per 100 persons international: country code - 95; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2, Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and ShinSat (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 3 (2007)

Radios:

4.2 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

4 (2008)

Televisions:

320,000 (2000)

Internet country code:

.mm

Internet hosts:

108 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 note: as of September 2000, Internet connections were legal only for the government, tourist offices, and a few large businesses (2000)

Internet users:

40,000 (2007)

Transportation

Burma

Airports:

86 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 25 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 61 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 32 (2007)

Heliports:

4 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 2,790 km; oil 558 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 3,955 km narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 27,000 km paved: 3,200 km unpaved: 23,800 km (2006)

Waterways:

12,800 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 24 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 17, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 3 (Cyprus 1, Germany 1, Japan 1) registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Moulmein, Rangoon, Sittwe

Military

Burma

Military branches:

Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw): Army, Navy, Air Force (Tatmadaw

Lay) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service for both sexes; forced conscription of children, although officially prohibited, reportedly continues (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 13,402,788 females age 16-49: 13,437,042 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 9,031,046 females age 16-49: 9,396,547 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 423,809 female: 415,843 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Burma

Disputes - international:

over half of Burma's population consists of diverse ethnic groups who have substantial numbers of kin in neighboring countries; Thailand must deal with Karen and other ethnic refugees, asylum seekers, and rebels, as well as illegal cross-border activities from Burma; Thailand is studying the feasibility of jointly constructing the Hatgyi Dam on the Salween River near the border with Burma; citing environmental, cultural, and social concerns, China is reconsidering construction of 13 dams on the Salween River but energy-starved Burma with backing from Thailand remains intent on building five hydro-electric dams downstream, despite identical regional and international protests; India seeks cooperation from Burma to keep Indian Nagaland separatists, such as the United Liberation Front of Assam, from hiding in remote Burmese Uplands; after 21 years, Bangladesh resumes talks with Burma on delimiting a maritime boundary in January 2008

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 503,000 (government offensives against ethnic insurgent groups near the eastern borders; most IDPs are ethnic Karen, Karenni, Shan, Tavoyan, and Mon) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Burma is a source country for women, children, and men trafficked for the purpose of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; Burmese women and children are trafficked to East and Southeast Asia for commercial sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, and forced labor; Burmese children are subjected to conditions of forced labor in Thailand as hawkers, beggars, and for work in shops, agriculture, fish processing, and small-scale industries; women are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation to Malaysia and China; some trafficking victims transit Burma from Bangladesh to Malaysia and from China to Thailand; internal trafficking occurs primarily from villages to urban centers and economic hubs for labor in industrial zones, agricultural estates, and commercial sexual exploitation; military and civilian officials continue to use a significant amount of forced labor; ethnic insurgent groups also used compulsory labor of adults and unlawful recruitment of children; the military junta's gross economic mismanagement, human rights abuses, and its policy of using forced labor are the top causal factors for Burma's significant trafficking problem tier rating: Tier 3 - Burma does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; military and civilian officials remain directly involved in significant acts of forced labor and unlawful conscription of child soldiers (2008)

Illicit drugs:

remains world's second-largest producer of illicit opium with an estimated production in 2008 of 340 metric tons, an increase of 26%, and cultivation in 2008 was 22,500 hectares, a 4% increase from 2007; production in the United Wa State Army's areas of greatest control remains low; Shan state is the source of 94% of poppy cultivation; lack of government will to take on major narcotrafficking groups and lack of serious commitment against money laundering continues to hinder the overall antidrug effort; major source of methamphetamine and heroin for regional consumption; currently under Financial Action Task Force countermeasures due to continued failure to address its inadequate money-laundering controls (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Burundi

Introduction

Burundi

Background:

Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office, triggering widespread ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. More than 200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen years. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally displaced or became refugees in neighboring countries. An internationally brokered power-sharing agreement between the Tutsi-dominated government and the Hutu rebels in 2003 paved the way for a transition process that led to an integrated defense force, established a new constitution in 2005, and elected a majority Hutu government in 2005. The new government, led by President Pierre NKURUNZIZA, signed a South African brokered ceasefire with the country's last rebel group in September of 2006 but still faces many challenges.

Geography

Burundi

Location:

Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geographic coordinates:

3 30 S, 30 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 27,830 sq km land: 25,650 sq km water: 2,180 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:

total: 974 km border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 233 km, Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level); average annual temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade but is generally moderate as the average altitude is about 1,700 m; average annual rainfall is about 150 cm; two wet seasons (February to May and September to November), and two dry seasons (June to August and December to January)

Terrain:

hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Lake Tanganyika 772 m highest point: Heha 2,670 m

Natural resources:

nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone

Land use:

arable land: 35.57% permanent crops: 13.12% other: 51.31% (2005)

Irrigated land:

210 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

3.6 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.29 cu km/yr (17%/6%/77%) per capita: 38 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

flooding, landslides, drought

Environment - current issues:

soil erosion as a result of overgrazing and the expansion of agriculture into marginal lands; deforestation (little forested land remains because of uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel); habitat loss threatens wildlife populations

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed; the Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most remote headstream of the White Nile

People

Burundi

Population:

8,691,005 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 46.3% (male 2,021,320/female 1,998,502) 15-64 years: 51.2% (male 2,210,157/female 2,240,921) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 87,600/female 132,505) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 16.7 years male: 16.4 years female: 17 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.443% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

41.72 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

12.91 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

5.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 60.77 deaths/1,000 live births male: 67.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 53.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 51.71 years male: 50.86 years female: 52.6 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

6.4 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

6% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

250,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

25,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Burundian(s) adjective: Burundian

Ethnic groups:

Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000

Religions:

Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%), indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10%

Languages:

Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along Lake

Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 59.3% male: 67.3% female: 52.2% (2000 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 7 years male: 8 years female: 7 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

5.1% of GDP (2005)

Government

Burundi

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Burundi conventional short form: Burundi local long form: Republique du Burundi/Republika y'u Burundi local short form: Burundi former: Urundi

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Bujumbura geographic coordinates: 3 22 S, 29 21 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

17 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura Mairie, Bujumbura Rurale, Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Mwaro, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi

Independence:

1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

Constitution:

28 February 2005; ratified by popular referendum

Legal system:

based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

NA years of age; universal (adult)

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Pierre NKURUNZIZA (since 26 August 2005); First Vice President Yves SAVINGUVU - Tutsi (since 9 November 2007); Second Vice President Gabriel NTISEZERANA - Hutu (since 9 February 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Pierre NKURUNZIZA (since 26 August 2005); First Vice President Yves SAVINGUVU - Tutsi (since 9 November 2007); Second Vice President Gabriel NTISEZERANA - Hutu (since 9 February 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by president elections: the president is elected by popular vote to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); note - the constitution adopted in February 2005 permits the post-transition president to be elected by a two-thirds majority of the parliament; vice presidents nominated by the president, endorsed by parliament election results: Pierre NKURUNZIZA was elected president by the parliament by a vote of 151 to 9; note - the constitution adopted in February 2005 permits the post-transition president to be elected by a two-thirds majority of the legislature

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament or Parlement, consists of a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (minimum 100 seats, 60% Hutu and 40% Tutsi with at least 30% being women; additional seats appointed by a National Independent Electoral Commission to ensure ethnic representation; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and a Senate (54 seats; 34 members elected by indirect vote to serve five-year terms, with remaining seats assigned to ethnic groups and former chiefs of state) elections: National Assembly - last held 4 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010); Senate - last held 29 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CNDD-FDD 58.6%, FRODEBU 21.7%, UPRONA 7.2%, CNDD 4.1%, MRC-Rurenzangemero 2.1%, others 6.2%; seats by party - CNDD-FDD 59, FRODEBU 25, UPRONA 10, CNDD 4, MRC-Rurenzangemero 2; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CNDD-FDD 30, FRODEBU 3, CNDD 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court; High Court of

Justice (composed of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court)

Political parties and leaders:

governing parties: Burundi Democratic Front or FRODEBU [Leonce NGENDAKUMANA]; National Council for the Defense of Democracy - Front for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD-FDD [Jeremie NGENDAKUMANA]; Unity for National Progress or UPRONA [Aloys RUBUKA] note: a multiparty system was introduced after 1998, included are: National Council for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD [Leonard NYANGOMA]; National Resistance Movement for the Rehabilitation of the Citizen or MRC-Rurenzangemero [Epitace BANYAGANAKANDI]; Party for National Redress or PARENA [Jean-Baptiste BAGAZA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Observatoire de lutte contre la corruption et les malversations economiques or OLUCOME [Gabriel RUFYIRI] (anti-corruption pressure group) other: Hutu and Tutsi militias (loosely organized)

International organization participation:

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, EAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNAMID,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Celestin NIYONGABO chancery: Suite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 342-2574 FAX: [1] (202) 342-2578

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia Newton MOLLER embassy: Avenue des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura mailing address: B. P. 1720, Bujumbura telephone: [257] 223454 FAX: [257] 222926

Flag description:

divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels (top and bottom) and green panels (hoist side and fly side) with a white disk superimposed at the center bearing three red six-pointed stars outlined in green arranged in a triangular design (one star above, two stars below)

Economy

Burundi

Economy - overview:

Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy is predominantly agricultural with more than 90% of the population dependent on subsistence agriculture. Economic growth depends on coffee and tea exports, which account for 90% of foreign exchange earnings. The ability to pay for imports, therefore, rests primarily on weather conditions and international coffee and tea prices. The Tutsi minority, 14% of the population, dominates the government and the coffee trade at the expense of the Hutu majority, 85% of the population. An ethnic-based war that lasted for over a decade resulted in more than 200,000 deaths, forced more than 48,000 refugees into Tanzania, and displaced 140,000 others internally. Only one in two children go to school, and approximately one in 15 adults has HIV/AIDS. Food, medicine, and electricity remain in short supply. Burundi's GDP grew around 5% annually in 2006-07. Political stability and the end of the civil war have improved aid flows and economic activity has increased, but underlying weaknesses - a high poverty rate, poor education rates, a weak legal system, and low administrative capacity - risk undermining planned economic reforms. Burundi will continue to remain heavily dependent on aid from bilateral and multilateral donors; the delay of funds after a corruption scandal cut off bilateral aid in 2007 reduced government's revenues and its ability to pay salaries.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.907 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.001 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 33.7% industry: 20.9% services: 45.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.99 million (2002)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 93.6% industry: 2.3% services: 4.1% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

68% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.7% highest 10%: 32.8% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

42.4 (1998)

Investment (gross fixed):

24.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $264.2 million expenditures: $335.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8.3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

10.12% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

16.84% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$208.7 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$141 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$342 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, cotton, tea, corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc (tapioca); beef, milk, hides

Industries:

light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imported components; public works construction; food processing

Industrial production growth rate:

6.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

87 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

120.9 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

40 million kWh; note - supplied by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 0.6% hydro: 99.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2,956 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

2,635 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$101 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$44 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides

Exports - partners:

Germany 31.3%, Pakistan 6.8%, Belgium 5.8%, Sweden 4.3%, Rwanda 4.3%, France 4.2%, Sudan 4% (2007)

Imports:

$272 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

capital goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

Saudi Arabia 17%, Kenya 11.4%, Belgium 8.7%, France 6.1%, Uganda 5.4%, Germany 5.4%, India 4.8%, Pakistan 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$365 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$177.1 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.2 billion (2003)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Burundi franc (BIF)

Currency code:

BIF

Exchange rates:

Burundi francs (BIF) per US dollar - 1,065 (2007), 1,030 (2006), 1,138 (2005), 1,100.91 (2004), 1,082.62 (2003)

Communications

Burundi

Telephones - main lines in use:

35,000 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

250,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: primitive system; telephone density one of the lowest in the world; fixed-line connections stand at well less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage is increasing but remains at a meager 3 per 100 persons domestic: sparse system of open-wire, radiotelephone communications, and low-capacity microwave radio relay international: country code - 257; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:

440,000 (2001)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2001)

Televisions:

25,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.bi

Internet hosts:

162 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

60,000 (2006)

Transportation

Burundi

Airports:

8 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 12,322 km paved: 1,286 km unpaved: 11,036 km (2004)

Waterways:

mainly on Lake Tanganyika (2005)

Ports and terminals:

Bujumbura

Military

Burundi

Military branches:

National Defense Force (Forces de Defense Nationales, FDN): Army (includes Naval Detachment and Air Wing), Gendarmerie (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

16 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; children as young as 10 years of age have been conscripted into the armed forces; the enrollment of children is still not prohibited (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,878,544 females age 16-49: 1,851,676 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,083,899 females age 16-49: 1,062,488 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 98,105 female: 98,533 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

5.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Burundi

Disputes - international:

Burundi and Rwanda dispute sections of border on the Akanyaru/Kanyaru and the Kagera/Nyabarongo rivers, which have changed course since the 1960s, when the boundary was delimited; cross-border conflicts among Tutsi, Hutu, other ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces persist in the Great Lakes region

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 9,849 (Democratic Republic of the

Congo)

IDPs: 100,000 (armed conflict between government and rebels; most

IDPs in northern and western Burundi) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Burundi is a source country for children trafficked for the purposes of child soldiering, domestic servitude, and commercial sexual exploitation; a small number of Burundian children may be trafficked internally for domestic servitude or commercial sexual exploitation; in early 2008, Burundian children were allegedly trafficked to Uganda, via Rwanda, for agricultural labor and commercial sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Burundi is on the Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year for its failure to provide sufficient evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007; the government's inability to provide adequate protective services to children accused of association with armed groups and to conduct anti-trafficking law enforcement activities continue to be causes for concern; Burundi has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Cambodia

Introduction

Cambodia

Background:

Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers, descendants of the Angkor Empire that extended over much of Southeast Asia and reached its zenith between the 10th and 13th centuries. Attacks by the Thai and Cham (from present-day Vietnam) weakened the empire, ushering in a long period of decline. The king placed the country under French protection in 1863 and it became part of French Indochina in 1887. Following Japanese occupation in World War II, Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953. In April 1975, after a five-year struggle, Communist Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh and evacuated all cities and towns. At least 1.5 million Cambodians died from execution, forced hardships, or starvation during the Khmer Rouge regime under POL POT. A December 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost 13 years of civil war. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic elections and a ceasefire, which was not fully respected by the Khmer Rouge. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some semblance of normalcy under a coalition government. Factional fighting in 1997 ended the first coalition government, but a second round of national elections in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition government and renewed political stability. The remaining elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Some of the remaining Khmer Rouge leaders are awaiting trial by a UN-sponsored tribunal for crimes against humanity. Elections in July 2003 were relatively peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending political parties before a coalition government was formed. In October 2004, King SIHANOUK abdicated the throne due to illness and his son, Prince Norodom SIHAMONI, was selected to succeed him. Local elections were held in Cambodia in April 2007, and there was little in the way of pre-election violence that preceded prior elections. National elections are scheduled for July 2008.

Geography

Cambodia

Location:

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand,

Vietnam, and Laos

Geographic coordinates:

13 00 N, 105 00 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 181,040 sq km land: 176,520 sq km water: 4,520 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Oklahoma

Land boundaries:

total: 2,572 km border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km

Coastline:

443 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain:

mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m

Natural resources:

oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential

Land use:

arable land: 20.44% permanent crops: 0.59% other: 78.97% (2005)

Irrigated land:

2,700 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

476.1 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 4.08 cu km/yr (1%/0%/98%) per capita: 290 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts

Environment - current issues:

illegal logging activities throughout the country and strip mining for gems in the western region along the border with Thailand have resulted in habitat loss and declining biodiversity (in particular, destruction of mangrove swamps threatens natural fisheries); soil erosion; in rural areas, most of the population does not have access to potable water; declining fish stocks because of illegal fishing and overfishing

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap

People

Cambodia

Population:

14,241,640 note: estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 33.2% (male 2,389,668/female 2,338,838) 15-64 years: 63.2% (male 4,372,480/female 4,627,895) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 193,338/female 319,421) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 21.7 years male: 21 years female: 22.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.752% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

25.68 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 56.59 deaths/1,000 live births male: 63.76 deaths/1,000 live births female: 49.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 61.69 years male: 59.65 years female: 63.83 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.08 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

2.6% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

170,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

15,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Cambodian(s) adjective: Cambodian

Ethnic groups:

Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4%

Religions:

Theravada Buddhist 95%, other 5%

Languages:

Khmer (official) 95%, French, English

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 73.6% male: 84.7% female: 64.1% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 10 years female: 9 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

1.7% of GDP (2004)

Government

Cambodia

Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Cambodia conventional short form: Cambodia local long form: Preahreacheanachakr Kampuchea (phonetic pronunciation) local short form: Kampuchea former: Khmer Republic, Democratic Kampuchea, People's Republic of Kampuchea, State of Cambodia

Government type:

multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Phnom Penh geographic coordinates: 11 33 N, 104 55 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

20 provinces (khaitt, singular and plural) and 4 municipalities* (krong, singular and plural) provinces: Banteay Mean Cheay, Batdambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Spoe, Kampong Thum, Kampot, Kandal, Kaoh Kong, Krachen, Mondol Kiri, Otdar Mean Cheay, Pouthisat, Preah Vihear, Prey Veng, Rotanah Kiri, Siem Reab, Stoeng Treng, Svay Rieng, Takev municipalities: Keb, Pailin, Phnum Penh (Phnom Penh), Preah Seihanu (Sihanoukville)

Independence:

9 November 1953 (from France)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 9 November (1953)

Constitution:

promulgated 21 September 1993

Legal system:

primarily a civil law mixture of French-influenced codes from the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) period, royal decrees, and acts of the legislature, with influences of customary law and remnants of communist legal theory; increasing influence of common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: King Norodom SIHAMONI (since 29 October 2004) head of government: Prime Minister HUN SEN (since 14 January 1985) [co-prime minister from 1993 to 1997]; Permanent Deputy Prime Minister MEN SAM AN (since 25 September 2008); Deputy Prime Ministers SAR KHENG (since 3 February 1992); SOK AN, TEA BANH, HOR NAMHONG, NHEK BUNCHHAY (since 16 July 2004); BIN CHHIN (since 5 September 2007); KEAT CHHON, YIM CHHAI LY (since 25 September 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers in theory appointed by the monarch; in practice named by the prime minister elections: the monarch is chosen by a Royal Throne Council; following legislative elections, a member of the majority party or majority coalition is named prime minister by the Chairman of the National Assembly and appointed by the king

Legislative branch:

bicameral, consists of the National Assembly (123 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Senate (61 seats; 2 members appointed by the monarch, 2 elected by the National Assembly, and 57 elected by parliamentarians and commune councils; members serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly - last held 27 July 2008 (next to be held in July 2013); Senate - last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2011) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CPP 58%, SRP 22%, others 20%; seats by party - CPP 90, SRP 26, others 7; Senate - percent of vote by party - CPP 69%, FUNCINPEC 21%, SRP 10%; seats by party - CPP 45, FUNCINPEC 10, SRP 2

Judicial branch:

Supreme Council of the Magistracy (provided for in the constitution and formed in December 1997); Supreme Court (and lower courts) exercises judicial authority

Political parties and leaders:

Cambodian People's Party or CPP [CHEA SIM]; National United Front

for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia or

FUNCINPEC [KEV PUT REAKSMEI]; Norodom Ranariddh Party or NRP

[Norodom RANARIDDH]; Sam Rangsi Party or SRP [SAM RANGSI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Cambodian Freedom Fighters or CFF; Partnership for Transparency Fund or PTF (anti-corruption organization); Students Movement for Democracy; The Committee for Free and Fair Elections or Comfrel other: human rights organizations; vendors

International organization participation:

ACCT, ADB, APT, ARF, ASEAN, EAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO

(subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires MENG EANG NAY chancery: 4530 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-7742 FAX: [1] (202) 726-8381

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Carol A. RODLEY embassy: #1, Street 96, Sangkat Wat Phnom, Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh mailing address: Box P, APO AP 96546 telephone: [855] (23) 728-000 FAX: [855] (23) 728-600

Flag description:

three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (double width), and blue with a white three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat outlined in black in the center of the red band note: only national flag to incorporate an actual building in its design

Economy

Cambodia

Economy - overview:

From 2001 to 2004, the economy grew at an average rate of 6.4%, driven largely by an expansion in the garment sector and tourism. The US and Cambodia signed a Bilateral Textile Agreement, which gave Cambodia a guaranteed quota of US textile imports and established a bonus for improving working conditions and enforcing Cambodian labor laws and international labor standards in the industry. With the January 2005 expiration of a WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, Cambodia-based textile producers were forced to compete directly with lower-priced producing countries such as China and India. Better-than-expected garment sector performance led to more than 9% growth in 2007. Its vibrant garment industry employs more than 350,000 people and contributes more than 70% of Cambodia's exports. The Cambodian government has committed itself to a policy supporting high labor standards in an attempt to maintain buyer interest. In 2005, exploitable oil and natural gas deposits were found beneath Cambodia's territorial waters, representing a new revenue stream for the government if commercial extraction begins. Mining also is attracting significant investor interest, particularly in the northeastern parts of the country, and the government has said opportunities exist for mining bauxite, gold, iron and gems. In 2006, a US-Cambodia bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) was signed and the first round of discussions took place in early 2007. The tourism industry continues to grow rapidly, with foreign arrivals reaching 2 million in 2007. In 2007 the government signed a joint venture agreement with two companies to form a new national airline. The long-term development of the economy remains a daunting challenge. The Cambodian government is working with bilateral and multilateral donors, including the World Bank and IMF, to address the country's many pressing needs. The major economic challenge for Cambodia over the next decade will be fashioning an economic environment in which the private sector can create enough jobs to handle Cambodia's demographic imbalance. More than 50% of the population is less than 21 years old. The population lacks education and productive skills, particularly in the poverty-ridden countryside, which suffers from an almost total lack of basic infrastructure.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$26.19 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$8.604 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

10.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 31% industry: 26% services: 43% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

7 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 75% industry: NA% services: NA%

Unemployment rate:

2.5% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:

35% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 34.8% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

41.7 (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):

19.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $1.015 billion expenditures: $1.168 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

5.25% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$513.6 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$2.309 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.131 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, rubber, corn, vegetables, cashews, tapioca

Industries:

tourism, garments, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles

Industrial production growth rate:

15% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

1.163 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

1.178 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

110 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 65% hydro: 35% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

3,736 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

3,618 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

NA

Current account balance:

-$506.3 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$4.089 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

clothing, timber, rubber, rice, fish, tobacco, footwear

Exports - partners:

US 58.1%, Germany 7.3%, UK 5.2%, Canada 4.6%, Vietnam 4.5% (2007)

Imports:

$5.424 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

petroleum products, cigarettes, gold, construction materials, machinery, motor vehicles, pharmaceutical products

Imports - partners:

Thailand 23.1%, Vietnam 16.9%, China 15%, Hong Kong 10.4%, Singapore 7.5%, Taiwan 7.2%, South Korea 4.8% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$698.2 million pledged in grants and concession loans for 2007 by international donors (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.143 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$3.89 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

riel (KHR)

Currency code:

KHR

Exchange rates:

riels (KHR) per US dollar - 4,006 (2007), 4,103 (2006), 4,092.5 (2005), 4,016.25 (2004), 3,973.33 (2003)

Communications

Cambodia

Telephones - main lines in use:

37,500 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.583 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: mobile-phone systems are widely used in urban areas to bypass deficiencies in the fixed-line network; fixed-line connections stand at well less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage, aided by increasing competition among service providers, is increasing and stands at nearly 20 per 100 persons domestic: adequate landline and/or cellular service in Phnom Penh and other provincial cities; mobile-phone coverage is rapidly expanding in rural areas international: country code - 855; adequate but expensive landline and cellular service available to all countries from Phnom Penh and major provincial cities; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 17, shortwave NA (2003)

Radios:

1.34 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

9 (including 2 TV relay stations with French and Vietnamese broadcasts); excludes 18 regional relay stations (2006)

Televisions:

94,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.kh

Internet hosts:

1,230 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

70,000 (2007)

Transportation

Cambodia

Airports:

17 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Railways:

total: 602 km narrow gauge: 602 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 38,257 km paved: 2,406 km unpaved: 35,851 km (2004)

Waterways:

2,400 km (mainly on Mekong River) (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 626 by type: bulk carrier 41, cargo 530, carrier 3, chemical tanker 10, container 8, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 11, refrigerated cargo 15, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 467 (Canada 2, China 193, Cyprus 7, Egypt 13, Gabon 1, Greece 3, Hong Kong 8, Indonesia 2, Japan 1, South Korea 22, Latvia 1, Lebanon 8, Netherlands 1, Romania 1, Russia 83, Singapore 4, Syria 48, Taiwan 1, Turkey 26, Ukraine 34, UAE 2, US 6) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Phnom Penh, Kampong Saom (Sihanoukville)

Military

Cambodia

Military branches:

Royal Cambodian Armed Forces: Royal Cambodian Army, Royal Khmer

Navy, Royal Cambodian Air Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

conscription law of October 2006 requires all males between 18-30 to register for military service; 18-month service obligation (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,759,034 females age 16-49: 3,784,333 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,581,045 females age 16-49: 2,676,075 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 185,959 female: 182,558 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Cambodia

Disputes - international:

Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of boundary with missing boundary markers and claims of Thai encroachments into Cambodian territory; maritime boundary with Vietnam is hampered by unresolved dispute over sovereignty of offshore islands; Thailand accuses Cambodia of obstructing inclusion of Thai areas near Preah Vihear temple ruins, awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962, as part of a planned UN World Heritage site

Illicit drugs:

narcotics-related corruption reportedly involving some in the government, military, and police; limited methamphetamine production; vulnerable to money laundering due to its cash-based economy and porous borders

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Cameroon

Introduction

Cameroon

Background:

The former French Cameroon and part of British Cameroon merged in 1961 to form the present country. Cameroon has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry. Despite a slow movement toward democratic reform, political power remains firmly in the hands of President Paul BIYA.

Geography

Cameroon

Location:

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial

Guinea and Nigeria

Geographic coordinates:

6 00 N, 12 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 475,440 sq km land: 469,440 sq km water: 6,000 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than California

Land boundaries:

total: 4,591 km border countries: Central African Republic 797 km, Chad 1,094 km, Republic of the Congo 523 km, Equatorial Guinea 189 km, Gabon 298 km, Nigeria 1,690 km

Coastline:

402 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm

Climate:

varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north

Terrain:

diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Fako 4,095 m (on Mt. Cameroon)

Natural resources:

petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 12.54% permanent crops: 2.52% other: 84.94% (2005)

Irrigated land:

260 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

285.5 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.99 cu km/yr (18%/8%/74%) per capita: 61 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes

Environment - current issues:

waterborne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa; throughout the country there are areas of thermal springs and indications of current or prior volcanic activity; Mount Cameroon, the highest mountain in Sub-Saharan west Africa, is an active volcano

People

Cameroon

Population:

18,467,692 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 41.1% (male 3,826,232/female 3,757,859) 15-64 years: 55.7% (male 5,164,338/female 5,122,817) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 274,821/female 321,625) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 19 years male: 18.9 years female: 19.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.218% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

34.59 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

12.41 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 64.57 deaths/1,000 live births male: 69.39 deaths/1,000 live births female: 59.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 53.3 years male: 52.54 years female: 54.08 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.41 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

6.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

560,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

49,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis animal contact disease: rabies (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Cameroonian(s) adjective: Cameroonian

Ethnic groups:

Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1%

Religions:

indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%

Languages:

24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 67.9% male: 77% female: 59.8% (2001 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 9 years male: 10 years female: 8 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.3% of GDP (2006)

Government

Cameroon

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon conventional short form: Cameroon local long form: Republique du Cameroun/Republic of Cameroon local short form: Cameroun/Cameroon former: French Cameroon, British Cameroon, Federal Republic of Cameroon, United Republic of Cameroon

Government type:

republic; multiparty presidential regime

Capital:

name: Yaounde geographic coordinates: 3 52 N, 11 31 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est, Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest

Independence:

1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday:

Republic Day (National Day), 20 May (1972)

Constitution:

20 May 1972 approved by referendum, adopted 2 June 1972; revised January 1996

Legal system:

based on French civil law system, with common law influence; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

20 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982) head of government: Prime Minister Ephraim INONI (since 8 December 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from proposals submitted by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 October 2004 (next to be held by October 2011); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Paul BIYA reelected; percent of vote - Paul BIYA 70.9%, John FRU NDI 17.4%, Adamou Ndam NJOYA 4.5%, Garga Haman ADJI 3.7%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (180 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - the president can either lengthen or shorten the term of the legislature elections: last held 22 July 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RDCP 140, SDF 14, UDC 4, UNDP 4, MP 1, vacant 17; note - vacant seats will be determined in a yet to be scheduled by-election after the Supreme Court nullified results in five districts note: the constitution calls for an upper chamber for the legislature, to be called a Senate, but it has yet to be established

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); High Court of Justice (consists of nine judges and six substitute judges, elected by the National Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:

Cameroonian Democratic Union or UDC [Adamou Ndam NJOYA]; Cameroon

People's Democratic Movement or RDPC [Paul BIYA]; Movement for the

Defense of the Republic or MDR [Dakole DAISSALA]; Movement for the

Liberation and Development of Cameroon or MLDC [Marcel YONDO];

National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Maigari BELLO

BOUBA]; Progressive Movement or MP; Social Democratic Front or SDF

[John FRU NDI]; Union of Peoples of Cameroon or UPC [Augustin

Frederic KODOCK]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Human Rights Defense Group [Albert MUKONG, president]; Southern

Cameroon National Council [Ayamba Ette OTUN]

International organization participation:

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, C, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,

IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph FOE-ATANGANA chancery: 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-8790 FAX: [1] (202) 387-3826

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Janet E. GARVEY embassy: Avenue Rosa Parks, Yaounde mailing address: P. O. Box 817, Yaounde; pouch: American Embassy, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520 telephone: [237] 2220 15 00; Consular: [237] 2220 16 03 FAX: [237] 2220 16 00 Ext. 4531; Consular FAX: [237] 2220 17 52 branch office(s): Douala

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band note: uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy

Cameroon

Economy - overview:

Because of its modest oil resources and favorable agricultural conditions, Cameroon has one of the best-endowed primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Still, it faces many of the serious problems facing other underdeveloped countries, such as a top-heavy civil service and a generally unfavorable climate for business enterprise. Since 1990, the government has embarked on various IMF and World Bank programs designed to spur business investment, increase efficiency in agriculture, improve trade, and recapitalize the nation's banks. In June 2000, the government completed an IMF-sponsored, three-year structural adjustment program; however, the IMF is pressing for more reforms, including increased budget transparency, privatization, and poverty reduction programs. In January 2001, the Paris Club agreed to reduce Cameroon's debt of $1.3 billion by $900 million; debt relief now totals $1.26 billion. International oil and cocoa prices have a significant impact on the economy.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$40.24 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$20.65 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,200 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 43.9% industry: 15.8% services: 40.3% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

6.674 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 70% industry: 13% services: 17% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:

30% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:

48% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 35.4% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

44.6 (2001)

Investment (gross fixed):

17.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $4.179 billion expenditures: $3.297 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Public debt:

15.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.1% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

15% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$2.616 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.698 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, cocoa, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, root starches; livestock; timber

Industries:

petroleum production and refining, aluminum production, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, ship repair

Industrial production growth rate:

3.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

3.903 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

3.323 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 2.7% hydro: 97.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

87,400 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - consumption:

24,500 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

108,800 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

50,750 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

200 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

20 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

20 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

135.1 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$325 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$3.827 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton

Exports - partners:

Spain 19.8%, Italy 15.7%, France 11.7%, South Korea 9.4%,

Netherlands 6.1%, US 5.7% (2007)

Imports:

$3.714 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel, food

Imports - partners:

France 23.4%, Nigeria 12.8%, China 9%, Belgium 5.8%, US 4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$413.8 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.932 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$2.554 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States

Currency code:

XAF

Exchange rates:

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)

Communications

Cameroon

Telephones - main lines in use:

130,700 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

4.536 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: fixed-line connections stand at less than 1 per 100 persons; equipment is old and outdated, and connections with many parts of the country are unreliable; mobile-cellular usage, in part a reflection of the poor condition and general inadequacy of the fixed-line network, increased more than 6-fold between 2002 and 2007 reaching a subscribership base of 25 per 100 persons domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter international: country code - 237; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (2001)

Radios:

2.27 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2001)

Televisions:

450,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.cm

Internet hosts:

69 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Internet users:

370,000 (2006)

Transportation

Cameroon

Airports:

45 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 11 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 34 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 8 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 27 km; liquid petroleum gas 5 km; oil 1,110 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 987 km narrow gauge: 987 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 50,000 km paved: 5,000 km unpaved: 45,000 km (2004)

Waterways:

navigation mainly on Benue River; limited during rainy season (2005)

Ports and terminals:

Douala, Limboh Terminal

Military

Cameroon

Military branches:

Cameroon Armed Forces: Army, Navy (includes naval infantry), Air

Force (Armee de l'Air du Cameroun, AAC) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; the government makes periodic calls for volunteers (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 4,321,175 females age 16-49: 4,228,625 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,567,428 females age 16-49: 2,498,990 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 212,205 female: 207,545 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.3% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Cameroon

Disputes - international:

Joint Border Commission with Nigeria reviewed 2002 ICJ ruling on the entire boundary and bilaterally resolved differences, including June 2006 Greentree Agreement that immediately ceded sovereignty of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon with a full phase-out of Nigerian control and patriation of residents in 2008; Cameroon and Nigeria agree on maritime delimitation in March 2008; sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty, which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 20,000-30,000 (Chad); 3,000 (Nigeria); 24,000 (Central African Republic) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Cameroon is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; most victims are children trafficked within country, with girls primarily trafficked for domestic servitude and sexual exploitation; both boys and girls are also trafficked within Cameroon for forced labor in sweatshops, bars, restaurants, and on tea and cocoa plantations; children are trafficked into Cameroon from neighboring states for forced labor in agriculture, fishing, street vending, and spare-parts shops; Cameroon is a transit country for children trafficked between Gabon and Nigeria, and from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia; it is a source country for women transported by sex-trafficking rings to Europe tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cameroon is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking in 2007, particularly in terms of efforts to prosecute and convict trafficking offenders; while Cameroon reported some arrests of traffickers, none of them were prosecuted or punished; the government does not identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations nor does it monitor the number of victims it intercepts (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Canada

Introduction

Canada

Background:

A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across an unfortified border. Canada faces the political challenges of meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care and education services, as well as responding to separatist concerns in predominantly francophone Quebec. Canada also aims to develop its diverse energy resources while maintaining its commitment to the environment.

Geography

Canada

Location:

Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the conterminous US

Geographic coordinates:

60 00 N, 95 00 W

Map references:

North America

Area:

total: 9,984,670 sq km land: 9,093,507 sq km water: 891,163 sq km

Area - comparative:

somewhat larger than the US

Land boundaries:

total: 8,893 km border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)

Coastline:

202,080 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north

Terrain:

mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Logan 5,959 m

Natural resources:

iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 4.57% permanent crops: 0.65% other: 94.78% (2005)

Irrigated land:

7,850 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

3,300 cu km (1985)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 44.72 cu km/yr (20%/69%/12%) per capita: 1,386 cu m/yr (1996)

Natural hazards:

continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow east of the mountains

Environment - current issues:

air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,

Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic

Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,

Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; approximately 90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km of the US border

People

Canada

Population:

33,212,696 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 16.3% (male 2,780,491/female 2,644,276) 15-64 years: 68.8% (male 11,547,354/female 11,300,639) 65 years and over: 14.9% (male 2,150,991/female 2,788,945) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 40.1 years male: 39 years female: 41.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.83% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.29 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.61 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

5.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 5.08 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 81.16 years male: 78.65 years female: 83.81 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.57 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

56,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

1,500 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Canadian(s) adjective: Canadian

Ethnic groups:

British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3% (including United Church 9.5%, Anglican 6.8%, Baptist 2.4%, Lutheran 2%), other Christian 4.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other and unspecified 11.8%, none 16% (2001 census)

Languages:

English (official) 59.3%, French (official) 23.2%, other 17.5%

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 17 years male: 17 years female: 17 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

5.2% of GDP (2002)

Government

Canada

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Canada

Government type:

constitutional monarchy that is also a parliamentary democracy and a federation

Capital:

name: Ottawa geographic coordinates: 45 25 N, 75 42 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November note: Canada is divided into six time zones

Administrative divisions:

10 provinces and 3 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia,

Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest

Territories*, Nova Scotia, Nunavut*, Ontario, Prince Edward Island,

Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*

Independence:

1 July 1867 (union of British North American colonies); 11 December 1931 (recognized by UK)

National holiday:

Canada Day, 1 July (1867)

Constitution:

made up of unwritten and written acts, customs, judicial decisions, and traditions; the written part of the constitution consists of the Constitution Act of 29 March 1867, which created a federation of four provinces, and the Constitution Act of 17 April 1982, which transferred formal control over the constitution from Britain to Canada, and added a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as procedures for constitutional amendments

Legal system:

based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Michaelle JEAN (since 27 September 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Stephen HARPER (since 6 February 2006) cabinet: Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister usually from among the members of his own party sitting in Parliament elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister for a five-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Commons is automatically designated prime minister by the governor general

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (105 seats; members appointed by the governor general with the advice of the prime minister and serve until reaching 75 years of age) and the House of Commons or Chambre des Communes (308 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve a maximum of five-year terms starting in 2009 elections) elections: House of Commons - last held 14 October 2008 (next to be held 19 October 2009) election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Conservative Party 37.6%, Liberal Party 26.2%, New Democratic Party 18.2%, Bloc Quebecois 10%, Greens 6.8%, other 1%; seats by party - Conservative Party 143, Liberal Party 76, New Democratic Party 37, Bloc Quebecois 50, other 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Canada (judges are appointed by the prime minister through the governor general); Federal Court of Canada; Federal Court of Appeal; Provincial Courts (these are named variously Court of Appeal, Court of Queens Bench, Superior Court, Supreme Court, and Court of Justice)

Political parties and leaders:

Bloc Quebecois [Gilles DUCEPPE]; Conservative Party of Canada

[Stephen HARPER] (a merger of the Canadian Alliance and the

Progressive Conservative Party); Green Party [Elizabeth MAY];

Liberal Party [Stephane DION]; New Democratic Party [Jack LAYTON]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: agricultural sector; automobile industry; business groups; chemical industry; commercial banks; communications sector; energy industry; environmentalists; public administration groups; steel industry; trade unions

International organization participation:

ACCT, ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), APEC,

Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS,

C, CDB, CE (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ESA (cooperating state), FAO,

G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAFTA, NAM (guest),

NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF

(partner), SECI (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO,

UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael WILSON chancery: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001 telephone: [1] (202) 682-1740 FAX: [1] (202) 682-7701 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tucson consulate(s): Anchorage, Houston, Philadelphia, Princeton (New Jersey), Raleigh, San Jose (California)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador David H. WILKINS embassy: 490 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1G8 mailing address: P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburgh, NY 13669-0430; P.O. Box 866, Station B, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5T1 telephone: [1] (613) 688-5335 FAX: [1] (613) 688-3082 consulate(s) general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg

Flag description:

two vertical bands of red (hoist and fly side, half width), with white square between them; an 11-pointed red maple leaf is centered in the white square; the official colors of Canada are red and white

Economy

Canada

Economy - overview:

As an affluent, high-tech industrial society in the trillion-dollar class, Canada resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and affluent living standards. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which includes Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. Given its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant, Canada enjoys solid economic prospects. Top-notch fiscal management has produced consecutive balanced budgets since 1997, although public debate continues over the equitable distribution of federal funds to the Canadian provinces. Exports account for roughly a third of GDP. Canada enjoys a substantial trade surplus with its principal trading partner, the US, which absorbs 80% of Canadian exports each year. Canada is the US's largest foreign supplier of energy, including oil, gas, uranium, and electric power. During 2007, Canada enjoyed good economic growth, moderate inflation, and the lowest unemployment rate in more than three decades.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.271 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.432 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$38,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.1% industry: 28.8% services: 69.1% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

17.95 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture 2%, manufacturing 13%, construction 6%, services 76%, other 3% (2006)

Unemployment rate:

6% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

10.8%; note - this figure is the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO), a calculation that results in higher figures than found in many comparable economies; Canada does not have an official poverty line (2005)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 24.8% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

32.1 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

22.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $569.3 billion expenditures: $556.2 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Public debt:

64.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

6.1% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$391.6 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.381 trillion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$2.382 trillion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy products; forest products; fish

Industries:

transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, fish products, petroleum and natural gas

Industrial production growth rate:

0.3% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

612.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

530 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

50.12 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

19.66 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 28% hydro: 57.9% nuclear: 12.9% other: 1.3% (2001)

Oil - production:

3.425 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2.371 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

2.225 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

1.229 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

178.6 billion bbl note: includes oil sands (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

187 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

92.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

107.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

13.2 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

1.648 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$12.67 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$431.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, natural gas, electricity, aluminum

Exports - partners:

US 78.9%, UK 2.8%, China 2.1% (2007)

Imports:

$386.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, crude oil, chemicals, electricity, durable consumer goods

Imports - partners:

US 54.1%, China 9.4%, Mexico 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $3.9 billion (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$41.08 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$758.6 billion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$527.4 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$514.7 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$1.481 trillion (2005)

Currency (code):

Canadian dollar (CAD)

Currency code:

CAD

Exchange rates:

Canadian dollars (CAD) per US dollar - 1.0724 (2007), 1.1334 (2006), 1.2118 (2005), 1.301 (2004), 1.4011 (2003)

Communications

Canada

Telephones - main lines in use:

21 million (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

18.749 million (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: excellent service provided by modern technology domestic: domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations international: country code - 1; submarine cables provide links to the US and Europe; satellite earth stations - 7 (5 Intelsat - 4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean, and 2 Intersputnik - Atlantic Ocean region) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 245, FM 582, shortwave 6 (2004)

Radios:

32.3 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

80 (plus many repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

21.5 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.ca

Internet hosts:

5.119 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

760 (2000 est.)

Internet users:

28 million (2007)

Transportation

Canada

Airports:

1,343 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 509 over 3,047 m: 18 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 149 914 to 1,523 m: 248 under 914 m: 78 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 834 1,524 to 2,437 m: 68 914 to 1,523 m: 356 under 914 m: 410 (2007)

Heliports:

11 (2007)

Pipelines:

crude and refined oil 23,564 km; liquid petroleum gas 74,980 km (2006)

Railways:

total: 48,068 km standard gauge: 48,068 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 1,042,300 km paved: 415,600 km (includes 17,000 km of expressways) unpaved: 626,700 km (2006)

Waterways:

636 km note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with United States (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 175 by type: bulk carrier 60, cargo 13, carrier 1, chemical tanker 10, combination ore/oil 1, container 2, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 64, petroleum tanker 12, roll on/roll off 6 foreign-owned: 17 (Germany 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 3, US 10) registered in other countries: 206 (Australia 9, Bahamas 84, Barbados 9, Cambodia 2, Cyprus 2, Denmark 1, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 44, Liberia 7, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 6, Norway 7, Norway 3, Panama 18, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Spain 1, Spain 3, Taiwan 2, Vanuatu 5) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Fraser River Port, Halifax, Hamilton, Montreal, Port-Cartier, Quebec

City, Saint John (New Brunswick), Sept-Isles, Vancouver

Military

Canada

Military branches:

Canadian Forces: Land Forces Command (LFC), Maritime Command (MARCOM), Air Command (AIRCOM), Canada Command (homeland security) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age for male and female voluntary military service (with parental consent); 16 years of age for reserve and military college applicants; Canadian citizenship or permanent residence status required; maximum 34 years of age; service obligation 3-9 years (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 8,072,010 females age 16-49: 7,813,462 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 6,646,281 females age 16-49: 6,417,924 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 227,435 female: 215,556 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Canada

Disputes - international:

managed maritime boundary disputes with the US at Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Gulf of Maine including the disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; Canada, the US, and other countries dispute the status of the Northwest Passage; US works closely with Canada to intensify security measures for monitoring and controlling legal and illegal movement of people, transport, and commodities across the international border; sovereignty dispute with Denmark over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland; commencing the collection of technical evidence for submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in support of claims for continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from its declared baselines in the Arctic, as stipulated in Article 76, paragraph 8, of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

Illicit drugs:

illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market and export to US; use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant large quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors; increasing ecstasy production, some of which is destined for the US; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering because of its mature financial services sector

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Cape Verde

Introduction

Cape Verde

Background:

The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century; Cape Verde subsequently became a trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. Following independence in 1975, and a tentative interest in unification with Guinea-Bissau, a one-party system was established and maintained until multi-party elections were held in 1990. Cape Verde continues to exhibit one of Africa's most stable democratic governments. Repeated droughts during the second half of the 20th century caused significant hardship and prompted heavy emigration. As a result, Cape Verde's expatriate population is greater than its domestic one. Most Cape Verdeans have both African and Portuguese antecedents.

Geography

Cape Verde

Location:

Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal

Geographic coordinates:

16 00 N, 24 00 W

Map references:

Political Map of the World

Area:

total: 4,033 sq km land: 4,033 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Rhode Island

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

965 km

Maritime claims:

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and very erratic

Terrain:

steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mt. Fogo 2,829 m (a volcano on Fogo Island)

Natural resources:

salt, basalt rock, limestone, kaolin, fish, clay, gypsum

Land use:

arable land: 11.41% permanent crops: 0.74% other: 87.85% (2005)

Irrigated land:

30 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

0.3 cu km (1990)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.02 cu km/yr (7%/2%/91%) per capita: 39 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

prolonged droughts; seasonal harmattan wind produces obscuring dust; volcanically and seismically active

Environment - current issues:

soil erosion; deforestation due to demand for wood used as fuel; water shortages; desertification; environmental damage has threatened several species of birds and reptiles; illegal beach sand extraction; overfishing

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location 500 km from west coast of Africa near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site

People

Cape Verde

Population:

426,998 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 36.1% (male 77,533/female 76,489) 15-64 years: 57.4% (male 120,208/female 125,009) 65 years and over: 6.5% (male 10,226/female 17,533) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 20.6 years male: 19.9 years female: 21.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.595% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

23.95 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.26 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-11.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.58 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 42.55 deaths/1,000 live births male: 48.66 deaths/1,000 live births female: 36.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 71.33 years male: 67.99 years female: 74.76 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.17 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.035% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

775 (2001)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

225 (as of 2001)

Nationality:

noun: Cape Verdean(s) adjective: Cape Verdean

Ethnic groups:

Creole (mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1%

Religions:

Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs), Protestant (mostly

Church of the Nazarene)

Languages:

Portuguese, Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West African words)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 76.6% male: 85.8% female: 69.2% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 11 years female: 12 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

6.3% of GDP (2006)

Government

Cape Verde

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Cape Verde conventional short form: Cape Verde local long form: Republica de Cabo Verde local short form: Cabo Verde

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Praia geographic coordinates: 14 55 N, 23 31 W time difference: UTC-1 (4 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

17 municipalities (concelhos, singular - concelho); Boa Vista,

Brava, Maio, Mosteiros, Paul, Praia, Porto Novo, Ribeira Grande,

Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Cruz, Sao Domingos, Sao Filipe, Sao

Miguel, Sao Nicolau, Sao Vicente, Tarrafal

Independence:

5 July 1975 (from Portugal)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 5 July (1975)

Constitution:

25 September 1992; a major revision on 23 November 1995 substantially increased the powers of the president; a 1999 revision created the position of national ombudsman (Provedor de Justica)

Legal system:

based on the legal system of Portugal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Pedro Verona PIRES (since 22 March 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Jose Maria Pereira NEVES (since 1 February 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 12 February 2006 (next to be held in February 2011); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly and appointed by the president election results: Pedro PIRES reelected president; percent of vote - Pedro PIRES (PAICV) 51.2%, Carlos VIEGA (MPD) 48.8%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PAICV 52.3%, MPD 44%, UCID 2.7%; seats by party - PAICV 41, MPD 29, UCID 2

Judicial branch:

Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Supremo Tribunal de Justia

Political parties and leaders:

African Party for Independence of Cape Verde or PAICV [Jose Maria

Pereira NEVES, chairman]; Democratic Alliance for Change or ADM [Dr.

Eurico MONTEIRO] (a coalition of PCD, PTS, and UCID); Democratic

Christian Party or PDC [Manuel RODRIGUES]; Democratic Renovation

Party or PRD [Victor FIDALGO]; Democratic and Independent Cape

Verdean Union or UCID [Antonio MONTEIRO]; Movement for Democracy or

MPD [Agostinho LOPES]; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Dr.

Eurico MONTEIRO]; Party of Work and Solidarity or PTS [Isaias

RODRIGUES]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Joao ALEM]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: environmentalists; political pressure groups

International organization participation:

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Fatima Lima VEIGA chancery: 3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 965-6820 FAX: [1] (202) 965-1207 consulate(s) general: Boston

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Marianne M. MYLES embassy: Rua Abilio Macedo n6, Praia mailing address: C. P. 201, Praia telephone: [238] 2-60-89-00 FAX: [238] 2-61-13-55

Flag description:

five unequal horizontal bands; the top-most band of blue - equal to one half the width of the flag - is followed by three bands of white, red, and white, each equal to 1/12 of the width, and a bottom stripe of blue equal to one quarter of the flag width; a circle of 10, yellow, five-pointed stars, each representing one of the islands, is centered on the red stripe and positioned 3/8 of the length of the flag from the hoist side

Economy

Cape Verde

Economy - overview:

This island economy suffers from a poor natural resource base, including serious water shortages exacerbated by cycles of long-term drought. The economy is service-oriented, with commerce, transport, tourism, and public services accounting for about three-fourths of GDP. Although nearly 70% of the population lives in rural areas, the share of food production in GDP is low. About 82% of food must be imported. The fishing potential, mostly lobster and tuna, is not fully exploited. Cape Verde annually runs a high trade deficit, financed by foreign aid and remittances from emigrants; remittances supplement GDP by more than 20%. Economic reforms are aimed at developing the private sector and attracting foreign investment to diversify the economy. Future prospects depend heavily on the maintenance of aid flows, the encouragement of tourism, remittances, and the momentum of the government's development program. Cape Verde became a member of the WTO in July 2008.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.603 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.428 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.9% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$3,200 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 9.3% industry: 16.7% services: 74% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

120,600 (1990)

Unemployment rate:

21% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:

30% (2000)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

37% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $436.1 million expenditures: $449.7 million (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.4% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

8.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

10.55% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$574 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$689 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.049 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

bananas, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, coffee, peanuts; fish

Industries:

food and beverages, fish processing, shoes and garments, salt mining, ship repair

Industrial production growth rate:

7.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

47 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

43.71 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2,117 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

1,785 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$132.6 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$76.5 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

fuel, shoes, garments, fish, hides

Exports - partners:

Spain 37.2%, Portugal 29.9%, Morocco 7%, US 6.6% (2007)

Imports:

$743.6 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, industrial products, transport equipment, fuels

Imports - partners:

Portugal 40.7%, Netherlands 10.9%, France 6.5%, Spain 5.6%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.9%, Brazil 4.7%, Italy 4.7% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$160.6 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$398 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$325 million (2002)

Currency (code):

Cape Verdean escudo (CVE)

Currency code:

CVE

Exchange rates:

Cape Verdean escudos (CVE) per US dollar - 81.235 (2007), 87.946 (2006), 88.67 (2005), 88.808 (2004), 97.703 (2003)

Communications

Cape Verde

Telephones - main lines in use:

71,600 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

148,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: effective system, extensive modernization from 1996-2000 following partial privatization in 1995 domestic: major service provider is Cabo Verde Telecom (CVT); fiber-optic ring, completed in 2001, links all islands providing Internet access and ISDN services; cellular service introduced in 1998; broadband services launched in 2004 international: country code - 238; landing point for the Atlantis-2 fiber-optic transatlantic telephone cable that provides links to South America, Senegal, and Europe; HF radiotelephone to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 22 (plus 12 repeaters), shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios:

100,000 (2002 est.)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (plus 7 repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:

15,000 (2002 est.)

Internet country code:

.cv

Internet hosts:

20 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Internet users:

37,000 (2007)

Transportation

Cape Verde

Airports:

8 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 8 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 1,350 km paved: 932 km unpaved: 418 km (2000)

Merchant marine:

total: 8 by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 5 foreign-owned: 2 (Spain 1, UK 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Porto Grande

Military

Cape Verde

Military branches:

People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARP): Army, Coast Guard (includes maritime air wing) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age (est.) for selective compulsory military service; 14-month conscript service obligation (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 103,650 females age 16-49: 103,553 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 83,082 females age 16-49: 88,832 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 5,566 female: 5,441 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.7% of GDP (2005)

Transnational Issues

Cape Verde

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

used as a transshipment point for Latin American cocaine destined for Western Europe; the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Cayman Islands

Introduction

Cayman Islands

Background:

The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries, and were administered by Jamaica after 1863. In 1959, the islands became a territory within the Federation of the West Indies, but when the Federation dissolved in 1962, the Cayman Islands chose to remain a British dependency.

Geography

Cayman Islands

Location:

Caribbean, three-island group (Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman) in Caribbean Sea, 240 km south of Cuba and 268 km northwest of Jamaica

Geographic coordinates:

19 30 N, 80 30 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 262 sq km land: 262 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

160 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April)

Terrain:

low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: The Bluff (Cayman Brac) 43 m

Natural resources:

fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism

Land use:

arable land: 3.85% permanent crops: 0% other: 96.15% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

hurricanes (July to November)

Environment - current issues:

no natural fresh water resources; drinking water supplies must be met by rainwater catchments

Geography - note:

important location between Cuba and Central America

People

Cayman Islands

Population:

47,862 note: most of the population lives on Grand Cayman (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 19.9% (male 4,774/female 4,759) 15-64 years: 71.1% (male 16,594/female 17,434) 65 years and over: 9% (male 2,022/female 2,279) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 37.8 years male: 37.4 years female: 38.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.449% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

12.43 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.83 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

16.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 7.1 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.16 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 80.32 years male: 77.68 years female: 83 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.89 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Caymanian(s) adjective: Caymanian

Ethnic groups:

mixed 40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of various ethnic groups 20%

Religions:

Church of God 26%, United Church 11.8% (Presbyterian and Congregational), Roman Catholic 11%, Baptist 8.7%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.2%, Anglican 5.7%, Pentacostal 5.3%, other Christian 2.7%, non-denominational 5.8%, other 3.8%, none 9.8%, unspecified 1.1% (1999 census)

Languages:

English 95%, Spanish 3.2%, other 1.8% (1999 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1970 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 12 years female: 13 years (2001)

Education expenditures:

2.8% of GDP (2005)

Government

Cayman Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Cayman Islands

Dependency status:

overseas territory of the UK

Government type:

British crown colony

Capital:

name: George Town (on Grand Cayman) geographic coordinates: 19 18 N, 81 23 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western

Independence:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:

Constitution Day, first Monday in July

Constitution:

1959; revised 1962, 1972, and 1994

Legal system:

British common law and local statutes

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Stuart JACK (since 23 November 2005) head of government: Leader of Government Business Kurt TIBBETTS (since 18 May 2005) cabinet: Executive Council (three members appointed by the governor, four members elected by the Legislative Assembly) elections: the monarch is hereditary; the governor is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or coalition is appointed by the governor Leader of Government Business

Legislative branch:

unicameral Legislative Assembly (18 seats; 3 appointed members from the Executive Council and 15 elected by popular vote; to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 11 May 2005 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPM 9, UDP 5, independent 1

Judicial branch:

Summary Court; Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders:

United Democratic Party or UDP [McKeeva BUSH]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Kurt TIBBETTS]; note - no national teams (loose groupings of political organizations) were formed for the 2000 elections

Political pressure groups and leaders:

National Trust other: environmentalists

International organization participation:

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:

blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Caymanian coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms includes a pineapple and turtle above a shield with three stars (representing the three islands) and a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto HE HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS

Economy

Cayman Islands

Economy - overview:

With no direct taxation, the islands are a thriving offshore financial center. More than 68,000 companies were registered in the Cayman Islands as of 2003, including almost 500 banks, 800 insurers, and 5,000 mutual funds. A stock exchange was opened in 1997. Tourism is also a mainstay, accounting for about 70% of GDP and 75% of foreign currency earnings. The tourist industry is aimed at the luxury market and caters mainly to visitors from North America. Total tourist arrivals exceeded 2.1 million in 2003, with about half from the US. About 90% of the islands' food and consumer goods must be imported. The Caymanians enjoy one of the highest outputs per capita and one of the highest standards of living in the world.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.939 billion (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

0.9% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$43,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1.4% industry: 3.2% services: 95.4% (1994 est.)

Labor force:

23,450 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 1.4% industry: 12.6% services: 86% (1995)

Unemployment rate:

4.4% (2004)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $423.8 million expenditures: $392.6 million (2004)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.4% (2004)

Agriculture - products:

vegetables, fruit; livestock; turtle farming

Industries:

tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction, construction materials, furniture

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

546.1 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

546.1 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2,767 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

2,818 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$2.52 million (2004)

Exports - commodities:

turtle products, manufactured consumer goods

Exports - partners:

mostly US (2006)

Imports:

$866.9 million (2004)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, manufactured goods

Imports - partners:

US, Netherlands Antilles, Japan (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$390,000 (2004)

Debt - external:

$70 million (1996)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$130 million (2005)

Currency (code):

Caymanian dollar (KYD)

Currency code:

KYD

Exchange rates:

Caymanian dollars (KYD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 0.8496 (2006)

Communications

Cayman Islands

Telephones - main lines in use:

38,000 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

33,800 (2004)

Telephone system:

general assessment: reasonably good system domestic: liberalization of telecom market in 2003; introduction of competition in the mobile-cellular market in 2004 international: country code - 1-345; landing point for the MAYA-1 submarine telephone cable network that provides links to the US and parts of Central and South America; submarine cable provides connectivity to Jamaica; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:

36,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

4 with cable system (2004)

Televisions:

7,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ky

Internet hosts:

4,648 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

16 (2000)

Internet users:

22,000 (2007)

Transportation

Cayman Islands

Airports:

3 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 785 km paved: 785 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 109 by type: bulk carrier 30, cargo 2, chemical tanker 42, petroleum tanker 15, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 7 foreign-owned: 107 (Denmark 3, Germany 15, Greece 16, Italy 4, Japan 13, Norway 1, Singapore 10, UK 3, US 42) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Cayman Brac, George Town

Military

Cayman Islands

Military branches:

no regular military forces; Royal Cayman Islands Police Force (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 11,790 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 9,577 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 336 female: 336 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

Cayman Islands

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

offshore financial center; vulnerable to drug transshipment to the US and Europe

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Central African Republic

Introduction

Central African Republic

Background:

The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments - civilian rule was established in 1993 and lasted for one decade. President Ange-Felix PATASSE's civilian government was plagued by unrest, and in March 2003 he was deposed in a military coup led by General Francois BOZIZE, who established a transitional government. Though the government has the tacit support of civil society groups and the main parties, a wide field of candidates contested the municipal, legislative, and presidential elections held in March and May of 2005 in which General BOZIZE was affirmed as president. The government still does not fully control the countryside, where pockets of lawlessness persist. Unrest in neighboring nations, Chad, Sudan, and the DRC, continues to affect stability in the Central African Republic as well.

Geography

Central African Republic

Location:

Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geographic coordinates:

7 00 N, 21 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 622,984 sq km land: 622,984 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 5,203 km border countries: Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 467 km, Sudan 1,165 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers

Terrain:

vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Oubangui River 335 m highest point: Mont Ngaoui 1,420 m

Natural resources:

diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 3.1% permanent crops: 0.15% other: 96.75% (2005)

Irrigated land:

20 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

144.4 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.03 cu km/yr (80%/16%/4%) per capita: 7 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common

Environment - current issues:

tap water is not potable; poaching has diminished the country's reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges; desertification; deforestation

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa

People

Central African Republic

Population:

4,444,330 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 41.3% (male 922,053/female 911,601) 15-64 years: 54.6% (male 1,206,121/female 1,221,158) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 71,597/female 111,800) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.7 years male: 18.4 years female: 19 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.509% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

33.13 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

18.04 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 82.13 deaths/1,000 live births male: 88.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 75.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 44.22 years male: 44.14 years female: 44.29 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

13.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

260,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

23,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Central African(s) adjective: Central African

Ethnic groups:

Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%,

Yakoma 4%, other 2%

Religions:

indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15% note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority

Languages:

French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 48.6% male: 64.8% female: 33.5% (2000 est.)

Education expenditures:

1.4% of GDP (2006)

Government

Central African Republic

Country name:

conventional long form: Central African Republic conventional short form: none local long form: Republique Centrafricaine local short form: none former: Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire abbreviation: CAR

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Bangui geographic coordinates: 4 22 N, 18 35 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular - prefecture economique), and 1 commune**; Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui**, Basse-Kotto, Haute-Kotto, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo, Lobaye, Mambere-Kadei, Mbomou, Nana-Grebizi*, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha-Mbaere*, Vakaga

Independence:

13 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday:

Republic Day, 1 December (1958)

Constitution:

ratified by popular referendum 5 December 2004; effective 27 December 2004

Legal system:

based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Francois BOZIZE (since 15 March 2003 coup) head of government: Prime Minister Faustin-Archange TOUADERA (since 22 January 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: under the new constitution, the president elected to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 13 March and 8 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010); prime minister appointed by the political party with a parliamentary majority election results: Francois BOZIZE elected president; percent of second round balloting - Francois BOZIZE (KNK) 64.6%, Martin ZIGUELE (MLPC) 35.4%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (105 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 13 March 2005 and 8 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - KNK 42, MLPC 11, RDC 8, PSD 4, FPP 2, ADP 2, LONDO 1, independents 34, other 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court (3 judges

appointed by the president, 3 by the president of the National

Assembly, and 3 by fellow judges); Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts;

Inferior Courts

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP [Jacques MBOLIEDAS];

Central African Democratic Rally or RDC [Andre KOLINGBA]; Civic

Forum or FC [Gen. Timothee MALENDOMA]; Democratic Forum for

Modernity or FODEM [Charles MASSI]; Liberal Democratic Party or PLD

[Nestor KOMBO-NAGUEMON]; Londo Association or LONDO; Movement for

Democracy and Development or MDD [David DACKO]; Movement for the

Liberation of the Central African People or MLPC [Ange-Felix

PATASSE] (the party of deposed president); National Convergence or

KNK; Patriotic Front for Progress or FPP [Abel GOUMBA]; People's

Union for the Republic or UPR [Pierre Sammy MAKFOY]; National Unity

Party or PUN [Jean-Paul NGOUPANDE]; Social Democratic Party or PSD

[Enoch LAKOUE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Monam (combating gender-base violence)

International organization participation:

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC (observer), OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Emmanuel TOUABOY chancery: 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-7800 FAX: [1] (202) 332-9893

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Frederick B. COOK embassy: Avenue David Dacko, Bangui mailing address: B. P. 924, Bangui telephone: [236] 61 02 00 FAX: [236] 61 44 94 note: the embassy is currently operating with a minimal staff

Flag description:

four equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; a yellow five-pointed star to the hoist side of the blue band

Economy

Central African Republic

Economy - overview:

Subsistence agriculture, together with forestry, remains the backbone of the economy of the Central African Republic (CAR), with more than 70% of the population living in outlying areas. The agricultural sector generates more than half of GDP. Timber has accounted for about 16% of export earnings and the diamond industry, for 40%. Important constraints to economic development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor transportation system, a largely unskilled work force, and a legacy of misdirected macroeconomic policies. Factional fighting between the government and its opponents remains a drag on economic revitalization. Distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal. Grants from France and the international community can only partially meet humanitarian needs.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$3.007 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.714 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 55% industry: 20% services: 25% (2001 est.)

Labor force:

1.857 million (2006)

Unemployment rate:

8% (23% for Bangui) (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 47.7% (1993)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

61.3 (1993)

Budget:

revenues: $250 million expenditures: $273 million (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

0.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

5.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

15% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$218.3 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$47.58 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$320.2 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc (tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber

Industries:

gold and diamond mining, logging, brewing, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles

Industrial production growth rate:

3% (2002)

Electricity - production:

110 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

102.3 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 19.8% hydro: 80.2% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2,322 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

2,057 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006)

Current account balance:

-$77 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$146.7 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco

Exports - partners:

Belgium 22.7%, Indonesia 19.3%, Italy 7.7%, France 7.1%, Spain 6.9%,

Democratic Republic of the Congo 6.8%, China 4.9%, Turkey 4.7% (2007)

Imports:

$237.3 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals

Imports - partners:

France 16.6%, Netherlands 13%, Cameroon 9.7%, US 6.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $95.29 million; note - traditional budget subsidies from France (2005 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.153 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States

Currency code:

XAF

Exchange rates:

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 481.8 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)

Communications

Central African Republic

Telephones - main lines in use:

12,000 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

130,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: limited telephone service; fixed-line connections for well less than 1 per 100 persons coupled with mobile-cellular usage of only about 3 per 100 persons; most fixed-line and cellular telephone services are concentrated in Bangui domestic: network consists principally of microwave radio relay and low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication international: country code - 236; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:

283,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2001)

Televisions:

18,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.cf

Internet hosts:

21 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Internet users:

13,000 (2006)

Transportation

Central African Republic

Airports:

51 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 48 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 13 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 24,307 km (2000)

Waterways:

2,800 km (primarily on the Oubangui and Sangha rivers) (2006)

Ports and terminals:

Bangui, Nola, Salo, Nzinga

Military

Central African Republic

Military branches:

Central African Armed Forces (Forces Armees Centrafricaines, FACA):

Ground Forces, General Directorate of Gendarmerie Inspection (DGIG),

Military Air Service, National Police (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,032,828 females age 16-49: 999,330 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 534,141 females age 16-49: 495,303 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 54,655 female: 54,420 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Central African Republic

Disputes - international:

periodic skirmishes over water and grazing rights among related pastoral populations along the border with southern Sudan persist

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 7,900 (Sudan); 3,700 (Democratic

Republic of the Congo); note - UNHCR resumed repatriation of

Southern Sudanese refugees in 2006

IDPs: 197,000 (ongoing unrest following coup in 2003) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Central African Republic is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; the majority of victims are children trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, street vending, and forced agricultural, mine, market and restaurant labor; to a lesser extent, children are trafficked from the Central African Republic to Cameroon, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo; rebels conscript children into armed forces within the country tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Central African Republic is on the Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in 2007; efforts to address trafficking through vigorous law enforcement measures and victim protection efforts were minimal, though awareness about trafficking appeared to be increasing in the country; the government does not actively investigate cases, work to identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, or rescue and provide care to victims; the government has not taken measures to reduce demand for commercial sex acts (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Chad

Introduction

Chad

Background:

Chad, part of France's African holdings until 1960, endured three decades of civil warfare as well as invasions by Libya before a semblance of peace was finally restored in 1990. The government eventually drafted a democratic constitution, and held flawed presidential elections in 1996 and 2001. In 1998, a rebellion broke out in northern Chad, which has sporadically flared up despite several peace agreements between the government and the rebels. In 2005, new rebel groups emerged in western Sudan and made probing attacks into eastern Chad, despite signing peace agreements in December 2006 and October 2007. Power remains in the hands of an ethnic minority. In June 2005, President Idriss DEBY held a referendum successfully removing constitutional term limits and won another controversial election in 2006. Sporadic rebel campaigns continued throughout 2006 and 2007, and the capital experienced a significant rebel threat in early 2008.

Geography

Chad

Location:

Central Africa, south of Libya

Geographic coordinates:

15 00 N, 19 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 1.284 million sq km land: 1,259,200 sq km water: 24,800 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than three times the size of California

Land boundaries:

total: 5,968 km border countries: Cameroon 1,094 km, Central African Republic 1,197 km, Libya 1,055 km, Niger 1,175 km, Nigeria 87 km, Sudan 1,360 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

tropical in south, desert in north

Terrain:

broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Djourab Depression 160 m highest point: Emi Koussi 3,415 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold, limestone, sand and gravel, salt

Land use:

arable land: 2.8% permanent crops: 0.02% other: 97.18% (2005)

Irrigated land:

300 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

43 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.23 cu km/yr (17%/0%/83%) per capita: 24 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic droughts; locust plagues

Environment - current issues:

inadequate supplies of potable water; improper waste disposal in rural areas contributes to soil and water pollution; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

Geography - note:

landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the Sahel

People

Chad

Population:

10,111,337 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 47% (male 2,408,638/female 2,346,984) 15-64 years: 50.1% (male 2,317,406/female 2,746,104) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 123,561/female 168,644) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 16.4 years male: 15.2 years female: 17.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.195% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

41.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

16.39 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-3.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.84 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 100.36 deaths/1,000 live births male: 106.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 94 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 47.43 years male: 46.4 years female: 48.5 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.43 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

4.8% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

200,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

18,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Chadian(s) adjective: Chadian

Ethnic groups:

Sara 27.7%, Arab 12.3%, Mayo-Kebbi 11.5%, Kanem-Bornou 9%, Ouaddai 8.7%, Hadjarai 6.7%, Tandjile 6.5%, Gorane 6.3%, Fitri-Batha 4.7%, other 6.4%, unknown 0.3% (1993 census)

Religions:

Muslim 53.1%, Catholic 20.1%, Protestant 14.2%, animist 7.3%, other 0.5%, unknown 1.7%, atheist 3.1% (1993 census)

Languages:

French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic total population: 25.7% male: 40.8% female: 12.8% (2000 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 6 years male: 7 years female: 4 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

1.9% of GDP (2005)

Government

Chad

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Chad conventional short form: Chad local long form: Republique du Tchad/Jumhuriyat Tshad local short form: Tchad/Tshad

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: N'Djamena geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 15 02 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

18 regions (regions, singular - region); Batha,

Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti, Chari-Baguirmi, Guera, Hadjer-Lamis, Kanem,

Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mandoul, Mayo-Kebbi Est,

Mayo-Kebbi Ouest, Moyen-Chari, Ouaddai, Salamat, Tandjile, Ville de

N'Djamena, Wadi Fira

Independence:

11 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 11 August (1960)

Constitution:

passed by referendum 31 March 1996; a June 2005 referendum removed constitutional term limits

Legal system:

based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno (since 4 December 1990) head of government: Prime Minister Youssof Saleh ABBAS (since 16 April 2008) cabinet: Council of State, members appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote to serve five-year term; if no candidate receives at least 50% of the total vote, the two candidates receiving the most votes must stand for a second round of voting; last held 3 May 2006 (next to be held by May 2011); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno reelected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY 64.7%, Delwa Kassire KOUMAKOYE 15.1%, Albert Pahimi PADACKE 7.8%, Mahamat ABDOULAYE 7.1%, Brahim KOULAMALLAH 5.3%; note - a June 2005 national referendum altered the constitution removing presidential term limits and permitting Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno to run for reelection

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly (155 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - the 1996 constitution called for a Senate that has never been formed elections: National Assembly - last held 21 April 2002 (next to be held by 2009); note - legislative elections, originally scheduled for 2006, were first delayed by National Assembly action and subsequently by an accord, signed in August 2007, between government and opposition parties election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MPS 110, RDP 12, FAR 9, RNDP 5, UNDR 5, URD 3, other 11

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Magistrate Courts

Political parties and leaders:

Federation Action for the Republic or FAR [Ngarledjy YORONGAR];

National Rally for Development and Progress or RNDP [Delwa Kassire

KOUMAKOYE]; National Union for Democracy and Renewal or UNDR [Saleh

KEBZABO]; Party for Liberty and Development or PLD [Ibni Oumar

Mahamat SALEH]; Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS [Mahamat Saleh

AHMAT, chairman]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Lol

Mahamat CHOUA]; Union for Renewal and Democracy or URD [Gen. Wadal

Abdelkader KAMOUGUE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

rebel groups

International organization participation:

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC,

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Mahamat Adam BECHIR chancery: 2002 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 462-4009 FAX: [1] (202) 265-1937

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Louis NIGRO embassy: Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena mailing address: B. P. 413, N'Djamena telephone: [235] 251-62-11, [235] 251-70-09, [235] 251-77-59 FAX: [235] 251-56-54

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red note: similar to the flag of Romania; also similar to the flags of Andorra and Moldova, both of which have a national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; design was based on the flag of France

Economy

Chad

Economy - overview:

Chad's primarily agricultural economy will continue to be boosted by major foreign direct investment projects in the oil sector that began in 2000. At least 80% of Chad's population relies on subsistence farming and livestock raising for its livelihood. Chad's economy has long been handicapped by its landlocked position, high energy costs, and a history of instability. Chad relies on foreign assistance and foreign capital for most public and private sector investment projects. A consortium led by two US companies has been investing $3.7 billion to develop oil reserves - estimated at 1 billion barrels - in southern Chad. Chinese companies are also expanding exploration efforts and plan to build a refinery. The nation's total oil reserves have been estimated to be 1.5 billion barrels. Oil production came on stream in late 2003. Chad began to export oil in 2004. Cotton, cattle, and gum arabic provide the bulk of Chad's non-oil export earnings.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$15.26 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$7.095 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

1.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,500 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 21.5% industry: 47.8% services: 30.6% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

3.747 million (2006)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 80% (subsistence farming, herding, and fishing) industry and services: 20% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

80% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

11.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $1.864 billion expenditures: $1.749 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

5.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

15% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$874.5 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$55.23 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$82.81 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels

Industries:

oil, cotton textiles, meatpacking, brewing, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials

Industrial production growth rate:

2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

95 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

88.35 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

156,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - consumption:

1,352 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

176,700 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

1,492 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

1.5 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$171 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$4.201 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

oil, cattle, cotton, gum arabic

Exports - partners:

US 89.5%, Japan 3.7%, China 3.4% (2007)

Imports:

$1.158 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods, foodstuffs, textiles

Imports - partners:

France 20.4%, Cameroon 16.1%, US 10.9%, China 10%, Germany 7.5%,

Saudi Arabia 4.4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $379.8 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$969 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.6 billion (2005 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$4.5 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States

Currency code:

XAF

Exchange rates:

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 480.1 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)

Communications

Chad

Telephones - main lines in use:

13,000 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

918,400 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: primitive system with high costs and low telephone density; fixed-line connections for only about 1 per 1000 persons coupled with mobile-cellular usage of only about 9 per 100 persons domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations international: country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 5 (2001)

Radios:

1.67 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2001)

Televisions:

10,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.td

Internet hosts:

5 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Internet users:

60,000 (2006)

Transportation

Chad

Airports:

55 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 7 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 48 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 21 under 914 m: 11 (2007)

Pipelines:

oil 250 km (2007)

Roadways:

total: 33,400 km paved: 267 km unpaved: 33,133 km (2002)

Waterways:

Chari and Legone rivers are navigable only in wet season (2006)

Military

Chad

Military branches:

Armed Forces: Chadian National Army (Armee Nationale du Tchad, ANT), Chadian Air Force (Force Aerienne Tchadienne, FAT), Gendarmerie (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

20 years of age for conscripts, with 3-year service obligation; 18 years of age for volunteers; no minimum age restriction for volunteers with consent from a guardian; women are subject to 1 year of compulsory military or civic service at age of 21 (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,906,545 females age 16-49: 2,258,758 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,066,565 females age 16-49: 1,279,318 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 116,824 female: 117,831 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

4.2% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Chad

Disputes - international:

since 2003, Janjawid armed militia and the Sudanese military have driven hundreds of thousands of Darfur residents into Chad; Chad remains an important mediator in the Sudanese civil conflict, reducing tensions with Sudan arising from cross-border banditry; Chadian Aozou rebels reside in southern Libya; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty, which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 234,000 (Sudan); 54,200 (Central African Republic) IDPs: 178,918 (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Chad is a source, transit, and destination country for children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; the majority of children are trafficked within Chad for involuntary domestic servitude, forced cattle herding, forced begging, forced labor in petty commerce or the fishing industry, or for commercial sexual exploitation; to a lesser extent, Chadian children are also trafficked to Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and Nigeria for cattle herding; children may also be trafficked from Cameroon and the Central African Republic to Chad's oil producing regions for sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Chad is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking in 2007; Chad was destabilized during 2007 by civil conflict leading to a declared state of emergency in February 2008, and a steady influx of refugees fleeing Sudan and the Central African Republic; the government demonstrated insufficient overall efforts to combat trafficking; Chad has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Chile

Introduction

Chile

Background:

Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern Chile was under Inca rule while Araucanian Indians (also known as Mapuches) inhabited central and southern Chile. Although Chile declared its independence in 1810, decisive victory over the Spanish was not achieved until 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-83), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its present northern regions. It was not until the 1880s that the Araucanian Indians were completely subjugated. A three-year-old Marxist government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown in 1973 by a military coup led by Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990. Sound economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth, reduced poverty rates by over half, and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation.

Geography

Chile

Location:

Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between

Argentina and Peru

Geographic coordinates:

30 00 S, 71 00 W

Map references:

South America

Area:

total: 756,950 sq km land: 748,800 sq km water: 8,150 sq km note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana

Land boundaries:

total: 6,339 km border countries: Argentina 5,308 km, Bolivia 860 km, Peru 171 km

Coastline:

6,435 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200/350 nm

Climate:

temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south

Terrain:

low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m

Natural resources:

copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 2.62% permanent crops: 0.43% other: 96.95% (2005)

Irrigated land:

19,000 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

922 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 12.55 cu km/yr (11%/25%/64%) per capita: 770 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis

Environment - current issues:

widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions

People

Chile

Population:

16,454,143 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 23.6% (male 1,987,962/female 1,899,489) 15-64 years: 67.6% (male 5,556,867/female 5,563,666) 65 years and over: 8.8% (male 602,789/female 843,370) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 31.1 years male: 30.1 years female: 32.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.905% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

14.82 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.77 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 7.9 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 77.15 years male: 73.88 years female: 80.59 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.95 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

26,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

1,400 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Chilean(s) adjective: Chilean

Ethnic groups:

white and white-Amerindian 95.4%, Mapuche 4%, other indigenous groups 0.6% (2002 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 70%, Evangelical 15.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.1%, other

Christian 1%, other 4.6%, none 8.3% (2002 census)

Languages:

Spanish (official), Mapudungun, German, English

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.7% male: 95.8% female: 95.6% (2002 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 14 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.2% of GDP (2006)

Government

Chile

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Chile conventional short form: Chile local long form: Republica de Chile local short form: Chile

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Santiago geographic coordinates: 33 27 S, 70 40 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in October; ends second Sunday in March

Administrative divisions:

15 regions (regiones, singular - region); Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania, Arica y Parinacota, Atacama, Biobio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos, Los Rios, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region Metropolitana (Santiago), Tarapaca, Valparaiso note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica

Independence:

18 September 1810 (from Spain)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 18 September (1810)

Constitution:

11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 1989, 1991, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2005

Legal system:

based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; note - in June 2005, Chile completed overhaul of its criminal justice system to a new, US-style adversarial system

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11 March 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11 March 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 11 December 2005, with runoff election held 15 January 2006 (next to be held in December 2009) election results: Michelle BACHELET Jeria elected president; percent of vote - Michelle BACHELET Jeria 53.5%; Sebastian PINERA Echenique 46.5%

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (38 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve eight-year terms; one-half elected every four years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 11 December 2005 (next to be held in December 2009); Chamber of Deputies - last held 11 December 2005 (next to be held in December 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPD 20 (PDC 6, PS 8, PPD 3, PRSD 3), APC 17 (UDI 9, RN 8), independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPD 65 (PDC 21, PPD 22, PS 15, PRSD 7), APC 54 (UDI 34, RN 20), independent 1; note - as of 8 January 2008: Senate - seats by party - CPD 18, (PDC 5, PS 8, PPD 2, PRSD 3), APC 16 (UDI 9, RN 7), independent 4; Chamber of Deputies - seats by party - CPD 57 (PDC 16, PPD 19, PS 15, PRSD 7), APC 53 (UDI 33, RN 20), independent 10.

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the president and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates provided by the court itself; the president of the Supreme Court is elected every three years by the 20-member court); Constitutional Tribunal

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance for Chile (Alianza) or APC (including National Renewal or

RN [Carlos LARRAIN Pena] and Independent Democratic Union or UDI

[Hernan LARRAIN Fernandez]); Coalition of Parties for Democracy

(Concertacion) or CPD (including Christian Democratic Party or PDC

[Soledad ALVEAR], Socialist Party or PS [Camilo ESCALONA Medina],

Party for Democracy or PPD [Sergio BITAR Chacra], Radical Social

Democratic Party or PRSD [Jose Antonio GOMEZ Urrutia]); Communist

Party or PC [Guillermo TEILLIER]; Humanist Party [Marilen CABRERA

Olmos]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Roman Catholic Church; United Labor Central or CUT includes trade unionists from the country's five largest labor confederations other: revitalized university student federations at all major universities

International organization participation:

APEC, BIS, CAN (associate), FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,

IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES,

LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW,

PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina,

UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Mariano FERNANDEZ chancery: 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 785-1746 FAX: [1] (202) 887-5579 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Paul E. SIMONS embassy: Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Las Condes, Santiago mailing address: APO AA 34033 telephone: [56] (2) 330-3000 FAX: [56] (2) 330-3710, 330-3160

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; a blue square the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of the white band; the square bears a white five-pointed star in the center representing a guide to progress and honor; blue symbolizes the sky, white is for the snow-covered Andes, and red represents the blood spilled to achieve independence note: design was influenced by the US flag

Economy

Chile

Economy - overview:

Chile has a market-oriented economy characterized by a high level of foreign trade. During the early 1990s, Chile's reputation as a role model for economic reform was strengthened when the democratic government of Patricio AYLWIN - which took over from the military in 1990 - deepened the economic reform initiated by the military government. Growth in real GDP averaged 8% during 1991-97, but fell to half that level in 1998 because of tight monetary policies implemented to keep the current account deficit in check and because of lower export earnings - the latter a product of the global financial crisis. A severe drought exacerbated the recession in 1999, reducing crop yields and causing hydroelectric shortfalls and electricity rationing, and Chile experienced negative economic growth for the first time in more than 15 years. Despite the effects of the recession, Chile maintained its reputation for strong financial institutions and sound policy that have given it the strongest sovereign bond rating in South America. Between 2000 and 2007 growth ranged between 2%-6%. Throughout these years Chile maintained a low rate of inflation with GDP growth coming from high copper prices, solid export earnings (particularly forestry, fishing, and mining), and growing domestic consumption. President BACHELET in 2006 established an Economic and Social Stabilization Fund to hold excess copper revenues so that social spending can be maintained during periods of copper shortfalls. This fund probably surpassed $20 billion at the end of 2007. Chile continues to attract foreign direct investment, but most foreign investment goes into gas, water, electricity and mining. Unemployment has exhibited a downward trend over the past two years, dropping to 7.8% and 7.0% at the end of 2006 and 2007, respectively. Chile deepened its longstanding commitment to trade liberalization with the signing of a free trade agreement with the US, which took effect on 1 January 2004. Chile claims to have more bilateral or regional trade agreements than any other country. It has 57 such agreements (not all of them full free trade agreements), including with the European Union, Mercosur, China, India, South Korea, and Mexico.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$232.8 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$163.8 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$14,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 4.8% industry: 51.2% services: 44% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

7.167 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 13.6% industry: 23.4% services: 63% (2003)

Unemployment rate:

7% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

18.2% (2005)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 45% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

54.9 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

20.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $44.96 billion expenditures: $30.51 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

4.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.4% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8.67% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$16.6 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$80.42 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$127.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

grapes, apples, pears, onions, wheat, corn, oats, peaches, garlic, asparagus, beans; beef, poultry, wool; fish; timber

Industries:

copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles

Industrial production growth rate:

11.1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

50.37 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

45.52 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

1.628 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 47% hydro: 51.5% nuclear: 0% other: 1.4% (2001)

Oil - production:

11,610 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

253,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

32,500 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

222,900 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

150 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

1.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

4.2 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

2.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

97.97 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$7.2 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$67.64 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, chemicals, wine

Exports - partners:

China 14.8%, US 12.5%, Japan 10.5%, Netherlands 5.8%, South Korea 5.7%, Italy 5.1%, Brazil 5% (2007)

Imports:

$43.99 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, electrical and telecommunications equipment, industrial machinery, vehicles, natural gas

Imports - partners:

US 16.7%, China 11.2%, Brazil 10.3%, Argentina 9.9% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$0 (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$16.84 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$57.6 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$91.49 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$24.68 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$174.6 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Chilean peso (CLP)

Currency code:

CLP

Exchange rates:

Chilean pesos (CLP) per US dollar - 526.25 (2007), 530.29 (2006), 560.09 (2005), 609.37 (2004), 691.43 (2003)

Communications

Chile

Telephones - main lines in use:

3.379 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

13.955 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: privatization begun in 1988; most advanced telecommunications infrastructure in South America; modern system based on extensive microwave radio relay facilities; fixed-line connections have dropped in recent years as mobile-cellular usage continues to increase, reaching a level of 85 telephones per 100 persons domestic: extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations international: country code - 56; submarine cables provide links to the US and to Central and South America; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 180 (8 inactive), FM 64, shortwave 17 (1 inactive) (1998)

Radios:

5.18 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

63 (plus 121 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

3.15 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.cl

Internet hosts:

847,215 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

7 (2000)

Internet users:

5.57 million (2007)

Transportation

Chile

Airports:

358 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 79 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 25 under 914 m: 19 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 279 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 49 under 914 m: 216 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 2,550 km; gas/liquid petroleum gas 42 km; liquid petroleum gas 539 km; oil 1,002 km; refined products 757 km; unknown (oil/water) 97 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 6,585 km broad gauge: 2,831 km 1.676-m gauge (1,317 km electrified) narrow gauge: 3,754 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 80,505 km paved: 16,745 km (includes 2,414 km of expressways) unpaved: 63,760 km (2004)

Merchant marine:

total: 44 by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 7, chemical tanker 8, container 1, liquefied gas 2, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 3 registered in other countries: 40 (Argentina 7, Brazil 1, Cyprus 1, Isle of Man 6, Marshall Islands 4, Norway 2, Panama 12, Singapore 6, Venezuela 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Coronel, Huasco, Lirquen, Puerto Ventanas, San Antonio, San Vicente,

Valparaiso

Military

Chile

Military branches:

Army of the Nation, Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile, includes naval

air, marine corps, and Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine

Directorate (Directemar)), Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Chile,

FACh), Carabineros Corps (Cuerpo de Carabineros) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-45 years of age for voluntary male and female military service, although the right to compulsory recruitment is retained; service obligation - 12 months for Army, 22 months for Navy and Air Force (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 4,242,912 females age 16-49: 4,182,509 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,542,448 females age 16-49: 3,500,059 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 147,518 female: 141,139 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.7% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Chile

Disputes - international:

Chile and Peru rebuff Bolivia's reinvigorated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, but Chile has offered instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile to Bolivian gas and other commodities; Chile rejects Peru's unilateral legislation to change its latitudinal maritime boundary with Chile to an equidistance line with a southwestern axis favoring Peru, in October 2007, Peru took its maritime complaint with Chile to the ICJ; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine and British claims; the joint boundary commission, established by Chile and Argentina in 2001, has yet to map and demarcate the delimited boundary in the inhospitable Andean Southern Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur)

Illicit drugs:

transshipment country for cocaine destined for Europe and the region; economic prosperity and increasing trade have made Chile more attractive to traffickers seeking to launder drug profits, especially through the Iquique Free Trade Zone, but a recent anti-money-laundering law improves controls; imported precursors passed on to Bolivia; domestic cocaine consumption is rising, making Chile a significant consumer of cocaine

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@China

Introduction

China

Background:

For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.

Geography

China

Location:

Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam

Geographic coordinates:

35 00 N, 105 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 9,596,960 sq km land: 9,326,410 sq km water: 270,550 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than the US

Land boundaries:

total: 22,117 km border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km regional borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0.34 km

Coastline:

14,500 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north

Terrain:

mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m

Natural resources:

coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)

Land use:

arable land: 14.86% permanent crops: 1.27% other: 83.87% (2005)

Irrigated land:

545,960 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

2,829.6 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 549.76 cu km/yr (7%/26%/68%) per capita: 415 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence

Environment - current issues:

air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain; water shortages, particularly in the north; water pollution from untreated wastes; deforestation; estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development; desertification; trade in endangered species

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

world's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US); Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak

People

China

Population:

1,330,044,544 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 20.1% (male 142,085,665/female 125,300,391) 15-64 years: 71.9% (male 491,513,378/female 465,020,030) 65 years and over: 8% (male 50,652,480/female 55,472,661) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 33.6 years male: 33.1 years female: 34.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.629% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

13.71 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.03 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.11 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 21.16 deaths/1,000 live births male: 19.43 deaths/1,000 live births female: 23.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.18 years male: 71.37 years female: 75.18 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.77 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

840,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

44,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis animal contact disease: rabies note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Chinese (singular and plural) adjective: Chinese

Ethnic groups:

Han Chinese 91.5%, Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uyghur, Tujia, Yi, Mongol, Tibetan, Buyi, Dong, Yao, Korean, and other nationalities 8.5% (2000 census)

Religions:

Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2% note: officially atheist (2002 est.)

Languages:

Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90.9% male: 95.1% female: 86.5% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 11 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

1.9% of GDP (1999)

Government

China

Country name:

conventional long form: People's Republic of China conventional short form: China local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo local short form: Zhongguo abbreviation: PRC

Government type:

Communist state

Capital:

name: Beijing geographic coordinates: 39 55 N, 116 23 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: despite its size, all of China falls within one time zone

Administrative divisions:

23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities (shi, singular and plural) provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang; (see note on Taiwan) autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang Uygur, Xizang (Tibet) municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau

Independence:

221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Manchu Dynasty replaced by a Republic); 1 October 1949 (People's Republic established)

National holiday:

Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China, 1

October (1949)

Constitution:

most recent promulgation 4 December 1982

Legal system:

based on civil law system; derived from Soviet and continental civil code legal principles; legislature retains power to interpret statutes; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003); Vice President XI Jinping (since 15 March 2008) head of government: Premier WEN Jiabao (since 16 March 2003); Executive Vice Premier LI Keqiang (17 March 2008), Vice Premier HUI Liangyu (since 17 March 2003), Vice Premier ZHANG Deijiang (since 17 March 2008), and Vice Premier WANG Qishan (since 17 March 2008) cabinet: State Council appointed by National People's Congress (NPC) elections: president and vice president elected by National People's Congress for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 15-17 March 2008 (next to be held in mid-March 2013); premier nominated by president, confirmed by National People's Congress election results: HU Jintao elected president by National People's Congress with a total of 2,963 votes; XI Jinping elected vice president with a total of 2,919 votes

Legislative branch:

unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (2,987 seats; members elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses, and People's Liberation Army to serve five-year terms) elections: last held December 2007-February 2008; date of next election - NA election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - 2,987

Judicial branch:

Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National People's Congress); Local People's Courts (comprise higher, intermediate, and basic courts); Special People's Courts (primarily military, maritime, railway transportation, and forestry courts)

Political parties and leaders:

Chinese Communist Party or CCP [HU Jintao]; eight registered small parties controlled by CCP

Political pressure groups and leaders:

the China Democracy Party; the Falungong spiritual movement note: no substantial political opposition groups exist, although the government has identified the organizations listed above as subversive groups

International organization participation:

ADB, AfDB (nonregional members), APEC, APT, Arctic Council (observer), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, CDB, EAS, FAO, G-24 (observer), G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador ZHOU Wenzhong chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-2500 FAX: [1] (202) 328-2582 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Clark T. RANDT, Jr. embassy: 55 An Jia Lou Lu, 100600 Beijing mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002 telephone: [86] (10) 8531-3000 FAX: [86] (10) 8531-3300 consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau, Shanghai, Shenyang

Flag description:

red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner

Economy

China

Economy - overview:

China's economy during the last quarter century has changed from a centrally planned system that was largely closed to international trade to a more market-oriented economy that has a rapidly growing private sector and is a major player in the global economy. Reforms started in the late 1970s with the phasing out of collectivized agriculture, and expanded to include the gradual liberalization of prices, fiscal decentralization, increased autonomy for state enterprises, the foundation of a diversified banking system, the development of stock markets, the rapid growth of the non-state sector, and the opening to foreign trade and investment. China has generally implemented reforms in a gradualist or piecemeal fashion, including the sale of minority shares in four of China's largest state banks to foreign investors and refinements in foreign exchange and bond markets in 2005. After keeping its currency tightly linked to the US dollar for years, China in July 2005 revalued its currency by 2.1% against the US dollar and moved to an exchange rate system that references a basket of currencies. Cumulative appreciation of the renminbi against the US dollar since the end of the dollar peg reached 15% in January 2008. The restructuring of the economy and resulting efficiency gains have contributed to a more than tenfold increase in GDP since 1978. Measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis, China in 2007 stood as the second-largest economy in the world after the US, although in per capita terms the country is still lower middle-income. Annual inflows of foreign direct investment in 2007 rose to $75 billion. By the end of 2007, more than 5,000 domestic Chinese enterprises had established direct investments in 172 countries and regions around the world. The Chinese government faces several economic development challenges: (a) to sustain adequate job growth for tens of millions of workers laid off from state-owned enterprises, migrants, and new entrants to the work force; (b) to reduce corruption and other economic crimes; and (c) to contain environmental damage and social strife related to the economy's rapid transformation. Economic development has been more rapid in coastal provinces than in the interior, and approximately 200 million rural laborers have relocated to urban areas to find work. One demographic consequence of the "one child" policy is that China is now one of the most rapidly aging countries in the world. Deterioration in the environment - notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table, especially in the north - is another long-term problem. China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and economic development. In 2007 China intensified government efforts to improve environmental conditions, tying the evaluation of local officials to environmental targets, publishing a national climate change policy, and establishing a high level leading group on climate change, headed by Premier WEN Jiabao. The Chinese government seeks to add energy production capacity from sources other than coal and oil as its double-digit economic growth increases demand. Chinese energy officials in 2007 agreed to purchase five third generation nuclear reactors from Western companies. More power generating capacity came on line in 2006 as large scale investments - including the Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze River - were completed.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$7.099 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$3.251 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

11.9% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$5,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 11.3% industry: 48.6% services: 40.1% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

800.7 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 43% industry: 25% services: 32% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

4% unemployment in urban areas; substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

8% note: 21.5 million rural population live below the official "absolute poverty" line (approximately $90 per year); and an additional 35.5 million rural population above that but below the official "low income" line (approximately $125 per year) (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 34.9% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

47 (2007)

Investment (gross fixed):

42.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $674.3 billion expenditures: $651.6 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

18.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

3.33% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7.47% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$2.09 trillion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$3.437 trillion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$4.653 trillion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, apples, cotton, oilseed; pork; fish

Industries:

mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals, coal; machine building; armaments; textiles and apparel; petroleum; cement; chemicals; fertilizers; consumer products, including footwear, toys, and electronics; food processing; transportation equipment, including automobiles, rail cars and locomotives, ships, and aircraft; telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch vehicles, satellites

Industrial production growth rate:

13.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

3.256 trillion kWh (2007)

Electricity - consumption:

2.859 trillion kWh (2006)

Electricity - exports:

14.04 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

4.771 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 80.2% hydro: 18.5% nuclear: 1.2% other: 0.1% (2001)

Oil - production:

3.725 million bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - consumption:

7.578 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

79,060 bbl/day (2007)

Oil - imports:

3.19 million bbl/day (2007)

Oil - proved reserves:

16 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

69.27 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

70.51 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

2.69 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

3.92 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

2.265 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$371.8 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.22 trillion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery, electrical products, data processing equipment, apparel, textile, steel, mobile phones

Exports - partners:

US 19.1%, Hong Kong 15.1%, Japan 8.4%, South Korea 4.6%, Germany 4% (2007)

Imports:

$904.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, oil and mineral fuels, plastics, LED screens, data processing equipment, optical and medical equipment, organic chemicals, steel, copper

Imports - partners:

Japan 14%, South Korea 10.9%, Taiwan 10.5%, US 7.3%, Germany 4.7% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.641 billion (FY07)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.534 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$363 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$758.9 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$93.75 billion ( 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$4.477 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)

Currency (code):

Renminbi (RMB); note - also referred to by the unit yuan (CNY)

Currency code:

CNY

Exchange rates:

Renminbi yuan (RMB) per US dollar - 7.61 (2007), 7.97 (2006), 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004), 8.277 (2003)

Communications

China

Telephones - main lines in use:

365.4 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

547.286 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: domestic and international services are increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and many towns; nonetheless, by the end of 2006, more than 95% of China's villages had been connected to the telephone network; China continues to develop its telecommunications infrastructure, and is partnering with foreign providers to expand its global reach; 3 of China's 6 major telecommunications operators are part of an international consortium which, in December 2006, signed an agreement with Verizon Business to build the first next-generation fiber optic submarine cable system directly linking the US mainland and China domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular telephone systems have been installed; mobile-cellular subscribership is increasing rapidly; the number of Internet users reached 253 million in 2008; a domestic satellite system with 55 earth stations is in place international: country code - 86; a number of submarine cables provide connectivity to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the US; satellite earth stations - 7 (5 Intelsat - 4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean; 1 Intersputnik - Indian Ocean region; and 1 Inmarsat - Pacific and Indian Ocean regions) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 369, FM 259, shortwave 45 (1998)

Radios:

417 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

3,240 (of which 209 are operated by China Central Television, 31 are provincial TV stations, and nearly 3,000 are local city stations) (1997)

Televisions:

400 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.cn

Internet hosts:

14.306 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

3 (2000)

Internet users:

253 million (2008)

Transportation

China

Airports:

467 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 403 over 3,047 m: 58 2,438 to 3,047 m: 128 1,524 to 2,437 m: 130 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 67 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 64 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 26 (2007)

Heliports:

35 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 26,344 km; oil 17,240 km; refined products 6,106 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 75,438 km standard gauge: 75,438 km 1.435-m gauge (20,151 km electrified) (2005)

Roadways:

total: 1,930,544 km paved: 1,575,571 km (includes 41,005 km of expressways) unpaved: 354,973 km (2005)

Waterways:

124,000 km navigable (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 1,826 by type: barge carrier 4, bulk carrier 451, cargo 689, carrier 2, chemical tanker 69, combination ore/oil 1, container 162, liquefied gas 44, passenger 8, passenger/cargo 83, petroleum tanker 244, refrigerated cargo 33, roll on/roll off 10, specialized tanker 9, vehicle carrier 17 foreign-owned: 20 (Ecuador 1, Greece 2, Hong Kong 12, Indonesia 1, Japan 2, South Korea 1, Norway 1) registered in other countries: 1,441 (Bahamas 10, Bangladesh 1, Belize 71, Bermuda 10, Bolivia 1, Cambodia 193, Cyprus 10, France 5, Georgia 10, Germany 2, Honduras 3, Hong Kong 324, India 1, Indonesia 2, Kiribati 15, South Korea 1, Liberia 11, Malta 12, Marshall Islands 7, Mongolia 1, Norway 36, Panama 532, Philippines 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 94, Sierra Leone 15, Singapore 14, Thailand 1, Tuvalu 16, unknown 39) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Dalian, Guangzhou, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen,

Tianjin

Military

China

Military branches:

People's Liberation Army (PLA): Ground Forces, Navy (includes marines and naval aviation), Air Force (includes airborne forces), and Second Artillery Corps (strategic missile force); People's Armed Police (PAP); PLA Reserve Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-22 years of age for selective compulsory military service, with 24-month service obligation; no minimum age for voluntary service (all officers are volunteers); 18-19 years of age for women high school graduates who meet requirements for specific military jobs (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 375,009,345 females age 16-49: 354,314,328 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 313,321,639 females age 16-49: 295,951,438 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 10,760,380 female: 9,710,032 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

4.3% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

China

Disputes - international:

continuing talks and confidence-building measures work toward reducing tensions over Kashmir that nonetheless remains militarized with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; China and India continue their security and foreign policy dialogue started in 2005 related to the dispute over most of their rugged, militarized boundary, regional nuclear proliferation, and other matters; China claims most of India's Arunachal Pradesh to the base of the Himalayas; lacking any treaty describing the boundary, Bhutan and China continue negotiations to establish a common boundary alignment to resolve territorial disputes due to cartographic discrepancies; Chinese maps show an international boundary symbol off the coasts of the littoral states of the South China Seas, where China has interrupted Vietnamese hydrocarbon exploration; China asserts sovereignty over the Spratly Islands together with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" eased tensions in the Spratly's but is not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties; Vietnam and China continue to expand construction of facilities in the Spratly's and in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord on marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; China occupies some of the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; China and Taiwan continue to reject both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared equidistance line in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation; certain islands in the Yalu and Tumen rivers are in dispute with North Korea; North Korea and China seek to stem illegal migration to China by North Koreans, fleeing privations and oppression, by building a fence along portions of the border and imprisoning North Koreans deported by China; China and Russia have demarcated the once disputed islands at the Amur and Ussuri confluence and in the Argun River in accordance with their 2004 Agreement; China and Tajikistan have begun demarcating the revised boundary agreed to in the delimitation of 2002; the decade-long demarcation of the China-Vietnam land boundary is expected to be completed by the end of 2008, while the maritime boundary delimitation and fisheries agreements in the Gulf of Tonkin, ratified in June 2004, have been implemented; citing environmental, cultural, and social concerns, China has reconsidered construction of 13 dams on the Salween River, but energy-starved Burma, with backing from Thailand, remains intent on building five hydro-electric dams downstream despite regional and international protests; Chinese and Hong Kong authorities met in March 2008 to resolve ownership and use of lands recovered in Shenzhen River channelization, including 96-hectare Lok Ma Chau Loop; Hong Kong developing plans to reduce 2,000 out of 2,800 hectares of its restricted Closed Area by 2010

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 300,897 (Vietnam); estimated 30,000-50,000 (North Korea) IDPs: 90,000 (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: China is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor; the majority of trafficking in China occurs within the country's borders, but there is also considerable international trafficking of Chinese citizens to Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America; Chinese women are lured abroad through false promises of legitimate employment, only to be forced into commercial sexual exploitation, largely in Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan; women and children are trafficked to China from Mongolia, Burma, North Korea, Russia, and Vietnam for forced labor, marriage, and prostitution; some North Korean women and children seeking to leave their country voluntarily cross the border into China and are then sold into prostitution, marriage, or forced labor tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - China is on the Tier 2 Watch List for the fourth consecutive year for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly in terms of punishment of trafficking crimes and the protection of Chinese and foreign victims of trafficking; victims are sometimes punished for unlawful acts that were committed as a direct result of their being trafficked, such as violations of prostitution or immigration/emigration controls; the Chinese Government continued to treat North Korean victims of trafficking solely as economic migrants, routinely deporting them back to horrendous conditions in North Korea; additional challenges facing the Chinese Government include the enormous size of its trafficking problem and the significant level of corruption and complicity in trafficking by some local government officials (2008)

Illicit drugs:

major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle region of Southeast Asia; growing domestic drug abuse problem; source country for chemical precursors, despite new regulations on its large chemical industry

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Christmas Island

Introduction

Christmas Island

Background:

Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement began by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park.

Geography

Christmas Island

Location:

Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia

Geographic coordinates:

10 30 S, 105 40 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 135 sq km land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

138.9 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical with a wet season (December to April) and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds

Terrain:

steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Murray Hill 361 m

Natural resources:

phosphate, beaches

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park) (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard

Environment - current issues:

loss of rainforest; impact of phosphate mining

Geography - note:

located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean

People

Christmas Island

Population:

1,402 (July 2007 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA

Population growth rate:

0% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Death rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

NA

Infant mortality rate:

total: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

NA (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Christmas Islander(s) adjective: Christmas Island

Ethnic groups:

Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10% note: no indigenous population (2001)

Religions:

Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997)

Languages:

English (official), Chinese, Malay

Literacy:

NA

Government

Christmas Island

Country name:

conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island conventional short form: Christmas Island

Dependency status:

non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Attorney-General's Department

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: The Settlement geographic coordinates: 10 25 S, 105 43 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (territory of Australia)

Independence:

none (territory of Australia)

National holiday:

Australia Day, 26 January (1788)

Constitution:

Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as amended by the

Territories Law Reform Act of 1992

Legal system:

under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia

Legislative branch:

unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held 20 October 2007 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court

Political parties and leaders:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

none

International organization participation:

none

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (territory of Australia)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (territory of Australia)

Flag description:

territorial flag; divided diagonally from upper hoist to lower fly; the upper triangle is green with a yellow image of the Golden Bosun Bird superimposed, while the lower triangle is blue with the Southern Cross constellation, representing Australia, superimposed; a centered yellow disk displays a green map of the island note: the flag of Australia is used for official purposes

Economy

Christmas Island

Economy - overview:

Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993, but closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, expected to begin operations in the near future.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$NA

Labor force:

NA

Budget:

revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Agriculture - products:

NA

Industries:

tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: NA hydro: NA nuclear: NA other: NA

Exports:

$NA

Exports - commodities:

phosphate

Exports - partners:

Australia, NZ (2006)

Imports:

$NA

Imports - commodities:

consumer goods

Imports - partners:

principally Australia (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$NA

Currency (code):

Australian dollar (AUD)

Currency code:

AUD

Exchange rates:

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)

Communications

Christmas Island

Telephones - main lines in use:

NA

Telephone system:

general assessment: service provided by the Australian network domestic: GSM mobile telephone service replaced older analog system in February 2005 international: country code - 61-8; satellite earth station - 1 (Intelsat provides telephone and telex service) (2005)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2006)

Radios:

1,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

0 (TV broadcasts received via satellite from mainland Australia) (2006)

Televisions:

600 (1997)

Internet country code:

.cx

Internet hosts:

1,821 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

464 (2001)

Transportation

Christmas Island

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 140 km paved: 30 km unpaved: 110 km (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Flying Fish Cove

Military

Christmas Island

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of Australia

Transnational Issues

Christmas Island

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Clipperton Island

Introduction

Clipperton Island

Background:

This isolated island was named for John CLIPPERTON, a pirate who made it his hideout early in the 18th century. Annexed by France in 1855, it was seized by Mexico in 1897. Arbitration eventually awarded the island to France, which took possession in 1935.

Geography

Clipperton Island

Location:

Middle America, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,120 km southwest of Mexico

Geographic coordinates:

10 17 N, 109 13 W

Map references:

Political Map of the World

Area:

total: 6 sq km land: 6 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about 12 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

11.1 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees C, wet season (May to October)

Terrain:

coral atoll

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Rocher Clipperton 29 m

Natural resources:

fish

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all coral) (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

reef 12 km in circumference

People

Clipperton Island

Population:

uninhabited

Government

Clipperton Island

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Clipperton Island local long form: none local short form: Ile Clipperton former: sometimes called Ile de la Passion

Dependency status:

possession of France; administered directly by the Minister of Overseas France

Legal system:

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Flag description:

the flag of France is used

Economy

Clipperton Island

Economy - overview:

Although 115 species of fish have been identified in the territorial waters of Clipperton Island, the only economic activity is tuna fishing.

Transportation

Clipperton Island

Ports and terminals:

none; offshore anchorage only

Military

Clipperton Island

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues

Clipperton Island

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Introduction

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Background:

There are 27 coral islands in the group. Captain William KEELING discovered the islands in 1609, but they remained uninhabited until the 19th century. From the 1820s to 1978, members of the CLUNIE-ROSS family controlled the islands and the copra produced from local coconuts. Annexed by the UK in 1857, the Cocos Islands were transferred to the Australian Government in 1955. The population on the two inhabited islands generally is split between the ethnic Europeans on West Island and the ethnic Malays on Home Island.

Geography

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Location:

Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway from Australia to Sri Lanka

Geographic coordinates:

12 30 S, 96 50 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 14 sq km land: 14 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of West Island and Home Island

Area - comparative:

about 24 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

26 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical with high humidity, moderated by the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year

Terrain:

flat, low-lying coral atolls

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m

Natural resources:

fish

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

cyclone season is October to April

Environment - current issues:

fresh water resources are limited to rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs

Geography - note:

islands are thickly covered with coconut palms and other vegetation; site of a World War I naval battle in November 1914 between the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney and the German raider SMS Emden; after being heavily damaged in the engagement, the Emden was beached by her captain on North Keeling Island

People

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Population:

596 (July 2007 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA

Population growth rate:

0% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Death rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

NA (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Cocos Islander(s) adjective: Cocos Islander

Ethnic groups:

Europeans, Cocos Malays

Religions:

Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.)

Languages:

Malay (Cocos dialect), English

Literacy:

NA

Government

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Dependency status:

non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Attorney-General's Department

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: West Island geographic coordinates: 12 10 S, 96 50 E time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (territory of Australia)

Independence:

none (territory of Australia)

National holiday:

Australia Day, 26 January (1788)

Constitution:

Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23 November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992

Legal system:

based upon the laws of Australia and local laws

Suffrage:

NA

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator (nonresident) Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) cabinet: NA elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia

Legislative branch:

unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire Council (7 seats) elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held in May 2007 (next to be held in May 2009)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court

Political parties and leaders:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

The Cocos Islands Youth Support Centre

International organization participation:

none

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (territory of Australia)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (territory of Australia)

Flag description:

the flag of Australia is used

Economy

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Economy - overview:

Grown throughout the islands, coconuts are the sole cash crop. Small local gardens and fishing contribute to the food supply, but additional food and most other necessities must be imported from Australia. There is a small tourist industry.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$NA

Labor force:

NA

Labor force - by occupation:

note: the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage workers; tourism employs others

Unemployment rate:

60% (2000 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Agriculture - products:

vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts

Industries:

copra products and tourism

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: NA hydro: NA nuclear: NA other: NA

Exports:

$NA

Exports - commodities:

copra

Exports - partners:

Australia (2006)

Imports:

$NA

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

Australia (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$NA

Currency (code):

Australian dollar (AUD)

Currency code:

AUD

Exchange rates:

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)

Communications

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Telephones - main lines in use:

287 (1992)

Telephone system:

general assessment: connected within Australia's telecommunication system; a local mobile-cellular network is in operation domestic: NA international: country code - 61; telephone, telex, and facsimile communications with Australia and elsewhere via satellite; satellite earth station - 1 (Intelsat) (2001)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:

300 (1992)

Television broadcast stations:

4 (2007)

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.cc

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

NA

Transportation

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 22 km paved: 10 km unpaved: 12 km (2006)

Ports and terminals:

Port Refuge

Military

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of Australia; the territory has a five-person police force

Transnational Issues

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Colombia

Introduction

Colombia

Background:

Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A 40-year conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups and illegal paramilitary groups - both heavily funded by the drug trade - escalated during the 1990s. The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, and violence has been decreasing since about 2002, but insurgents continue attacks against civilians and large swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence. More than 32,000 former paramilitaries had demobilized by the end of 2006 and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) as a formal organization had ceased to function. Still, some renegades continued to engage in criminal activities. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its administrative departments. However, neighboring countries worry about the violence spilling over their borders.

Geography

Colombia

Location:

Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama

Geographic coordinates:

4 00 N, 72 00 W

Map references:

South America

Area:

total: 1,138,910 sq km land: 1,038,700 sq km water: 100,210 sq km note: includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, and Serrana Bank

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 6,309 km border countries: Brazil 1,644 km, Ecuador 590 km, Panama 225 km, Peru 1,800 km, Venezuela 2,050 km

Coastline:

3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448 km)

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands

Terrain:

flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes Mountains, eastern lowland plains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico Cristobal Colon 5,775 m note: nearby Pico Simon Bolivar also has the same elevation

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold, copper, emeralds, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 2.01% permanent crops: 1.37% other: 96.62% (2005)

Irrigated land:

9,000 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

2,132 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 10.71 cu km/yr (50%/4%/46%) per capita: 235 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional earthquakes; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil and water quality damage from overuse of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle emissions

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

only South American country with coastlines on both the North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea

People

Colombia

Population:

45,013,672 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 29.4% (male 6,688,530/female 6,531,768) 15-64 years: 65.1% (male 14,292,647/female 15,017,204) 65 years and over: 5.5% (male 1,072,644/female 1,410,881) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 26.8 years male: 25.9 years female: 27.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.405% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

19.86 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.54 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 19.51 deaths/1,000 live births male: 23.18 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 72.54 years male: 68.71 years female: 76.5 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.49 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

190,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

3,600 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Colombian(s) adjective: Colombian

Ethnic groups:

mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 90%, other 10%

Languages:

Spanish

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.8% male: 92.9% female: 92.7% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 13 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4.7% of GDP (2006)

Government

Colombia

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Colombia conventional short form: Colombia local long form: Republica de Colombia local short form: Colombia

Government type:

republic; executive branch dominates government structure

Capital:

name: Bogota geographic coordinates: 4 36 N, 74 05 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

32 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital district* (distrito capital); Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca, Atlantico, Bogota*, Bolivar, Boyaca, Caldas, Caqueta, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Choco, Cordoba, Cundinamarca, Guainia, Guaviare, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Narino, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindio, Risaralda, San Andres y Providencia, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes, Vichada

Independence:

20 July 1810 (from Spain)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 20 July (1810)

Constitution:

5 July 1991; amended many times

Legal system:

based on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled after US procedures was enacted into law in 2004 and reached full implemention in January 2008; judicial review of executive and legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7 August 2002); Vice President Francisco SANTOS (since 7 August 2002); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7 August 2002); Vice President Francisco SANTOS (since 7 August 2002) cabinet: Cabinet consists of a coalition of the three largest parties that supported President URIBE's reelection - the PSUN, PC, and CR - and independents elections: president and vice president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 28 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2010) election results: President Alvaro URIBE Velez reelected president; percent of vote - Alvaro URIBE Velez 62%, Carlos GAVIRIA Diaz 22%, Horacio SERPA Uribe 12%, other 4%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Senate or Senado (102 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (166 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2010); House of Representatives - last held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2010) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PSUN 20, PC 18, PL 18, CR 15, PDI 10, other parties 21; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 35, PSUN 33, PC 29, CR 20, PDA 8, other parties 41

Judicial branch:

four roughly coequal, supreme judicial organs; Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (highest court of criminal law; judges are selected by their peers from the nominees of the Superior Judicial Council for eight-year terms); Council of State (highest court of administrative law; judges are selected from the nominees of the Superior Judicial Council for eight-year terms); Constitutional Court (guards integrity and supremacy of the constitution; rules on constitutionality of laws, amendments to the constitution, and international treaties); Superior Judicial Council (administers and disciplines the civilian judiciary; resolves jurisdictional conflicts arising between other courts; members are elected by three sister courts and Congress for eight-year terms)

Political parties and leaders:

Colombian Conservative Party or PC [Efrain Jose CEPEDA Sarabia]; Alternative Democratic Pole or PDA [Carlos GAVIRIA Diaz]; Liberal Party or PL [Cesar GAVIRIA Trujillo]; Radical Change or CR [German VARGAS Lleras]; Social National Unity Party or U Party [Carlos GARCIA Orjuela] note: Colombia has 15 formally recognized political parties, and numerous unofficial parties that did not meet the vote threshold in the March 2006 legislative elections required for recognition

Political pressure groups and leaders:

National Liberation Army or ELN; Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC note: two largest insurgent groups active in Colombia

International organization participation:

BCIE, CAN, Caricom (observer), CDB, FAO, G-3, G-24, G-77, IADB,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,

IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES,

LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG,

UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU,

WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Carolina BARCO Isakson chancery: 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-8338 FAX: [1] (202) 232-8643 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Washington, DC

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador William R. BROWNFIELD embassy: Calle 24 Bis No. 48-50, Bogota, D.C. mailing address: Carrera 45 No. 24B-27, Bogota, D.C. telephone: [57] (1) 315-0811 FAX: [57] (1) 315-2197

Flag description:

three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double-width), blue, and red note: similar to the flag of Ecuador, which is longer and bears the Ecuadorian coat of arms superimposed in the center

Economy

Colombia

Economy - overview:

Colombia's economy has experienced positive growth over the past five years despite a serious armed conflict. In fact, 2007 is regarded by policy makers and the private sector as one of the best economic years in recent history, after 2005. The economy continues to improve in part because of austere government budgets, focused efforts to reduce public debt levels, an export-oriented growth strategy, improved domestic security, and high commodity prices. Ongoing economic problems facing President URIBE include reforming the pension system, reducing high unemployment, and funding new exploration to offset declining oil production. The government's economic reforms and democratic security strategy, coupled with increased investment, have engendered a growing sense of confidence in the economy. However, the business sector continues to be concerned about failure of the US Congress to approve the signed FTA.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$327.7 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$171.6 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

8.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$7,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 11.5% industry: 36% services: 52.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

20.5 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 22.7% industry: 18.7% services: 58.5% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

11.2% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

49.2% (2005)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 7.9% highest 10%: 34.3% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

53.8 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

22.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $63.69 billion expenditures: $64.96 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

52.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

11.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

15.38% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$21.81 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$27.25 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$85.34 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; forest products; shrimp

Industries:

textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear, beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds

Industrial production growth rate:

9.8% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

51.83 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

39.58 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

876.7 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

39.4 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 26% hydro: 72.7% nuclear: 0% other: 1.3% (2001)

Oil - production:

550,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - consumption:

265,400 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

276,100 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

12,480 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

1.506 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

7.22 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

7.22 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

122.9 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$5.862 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$30.58 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum, coffee, coal, nickel, emeralds, apparel, bananas, cut flowers

Exports - partners:

US 35.4%, Venezuela 17.4%, Ecuador 4.3% (2007)

Imports:

$31.17 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity

Imports - partners:

US 26.2%, China 10.1%, Mexico 9.3%, Brazil 7.3%, Venezuela 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$511.1 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$20.95 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$41.39 billion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$56.19 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$10.38 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$56.2 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Colombian peso (COP)

Currency code:

COP

Exchange rates:

Colombian pesos (COP) per US dollar - 2,013.8 (2007), 2,358.6 (2006), 2,320.75 (2005), 2,628.61 (2004), 2,877.65 (2003)

Communications

Colombia

Telephones - main lines in use:

7.936 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

33.941 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern system in many respects; telecommunications sector liberalized during the 1990s; multiple providers of both fixed-line and mobile-cellular services; fixed-line connections stand at about 18 per 100 persons; mobile cellular usage is about 75 per 100 persons; competition among cellular service providers is resulting in falling local and international calling rates and contributing to the steep decline in the market share of fixed line services domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system; domestic satellite system with 41 earth stations; fiber-optic network linking 50 cities international: country code - 57; submarine cables provide links to the US, parts of the Caribbean, and Central and South America; satellite earth stations - 10 (6 Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 3 fully digitalized international switching centers) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 454, FM 34, shortwave 27 (1999)

Radios:

21 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

60 (1997)

Televisions:

4.59 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.co

Internet hosts:

1.554 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

18 (2000)

Internet users:

12.1 million (2007)

Transportation

Colombia

Airports:

934 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 103 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 39 914 to 1,523 m: 42 under 914 m: 12 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 831 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 216 under 914 m: 580 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 4,329 km; oil 6,140 km; refined products 3,145 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 3,304 km standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 3,154 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 164,257 km (2005)

Waterways:

18,000 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 17 by type: cargo 13, petroleum tanker 3, specialized tanker 1 registered in other countries: 6 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Panama 4) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Santa Marta, Turbo

Military

Colombia

Military branches:

National Army (Ejercito Nacional), National Navy (Armada Nacional,

includes Naval Aviation, Naval Infantry (Infanteria de Marina,

Colmar), and Coast Guard), Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de

Colombia, FAC) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-24 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; service obligation - 18 months (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 11,478,109 females age 16-49: 11,809,279 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 8,056,336 females age 16-49: 9,919,952 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 442,403 female: 433,192 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Colombia

Disputes - international:

in December 2007, ICJ allocates San Andres, Providencia, and Santa Catalina islands to Colombia under 1928 Treaty but does not rule on 82°W meridian as maritime boundary with Nicaragua; managed dispute with Venezuela over maritime boundary and Venezuelan-administered Los Monjes Islands near the Gulf of Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics, guerrilla, and paramilitary activities penetrate all neighboring borders and have caused Colombian citizens to flee mostly into neighboring countries; Colombia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Jamaica, and the US assert various claims to Bajo Nuevo and Serranilla Bank

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 1.8-3.5 million (conflict between government and illegal armed groups and drug traffickers) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

illicit producer of coca, opium poppy, and cannabis; world's leading coca cultivator with 167,000 hectares in coca cultivation in 2007, a 6% increase over 2006, producing a potential of 535 metric tons of pure cocaine; the world's largest producer of coca derivatives; supplies cocaine to most of the US market and the great majority of other international drug markets; in 2007, aerial eradication dispensed herbicide to treat over 153,000 hectares with another 67,000 hectares manually eradicated, but aggressive replanting on the part of coca growers means Colombia remains a key producer; a significant portion of non-US narcotics proceeds are either laundered or invested in Colombia through the black market peso exchange; important supplier of heroin to the US market; opium poppy cultivation is estimated to have fallen 25% between 2006 and 2007 with a corresponding estimated 27% decline in the yield of pure heroin to 1.9 metric tons; (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Comoros

Introduction

Comoros

Background:

Comoros has endured more than 20 coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997, the islands of Anjouan and Moheli declared independence from Comoros. In 1999, military chief Col. AZALI seized power in a bloodless coup, and helped negotiate the 2000 Fomboni Accords power-sharing agreement in which the federal presidency rotates among the three islands, and each island maintains its own local government. AZALI won the 2002 Presidential election, and each island in the archipelago elected its own president. AZALI stepped down in 2006 and President SAMBI took office. Since 2006, Anjouan's President Mohamed BACAR has refused to work effectively with the Union presidency. In 2007, BACAR effected Anjouan's de-facto secession from the Union, refusing to step down in favor of fresh Anjouanais elections when Comoros' other islands held legitimate elections in July. The African Union (AU) initially attempted to resolve the political crisis by applying sanctions and a naval blockade on Anjouan, but in March 2008, AU and Comoran soldiers seized the island. The move was generally welcomed by the island's inhabitants.

Geography

Comoros

Location:

Southern Africa, group of islands at the northern mouth of the

Mozambique Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern

Madagascar and northern Mozambique

Geographic coordinates:

12 10 S, 44 15 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 2,170 sq km land: 2,170 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

340 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)

Terrain:

volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low hills

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Le Karthala 2,360 m

Natural resources:

NEGL

Land use:

arable land: 35.87% permanent crops: 23.32% other: 40.81% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Total renewable water resources:

1.2 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.01 cu km/yr (48%/5%/47%) per capita: 13 cu m/yr (1999)

Natural hazards:

cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April); Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano

Environment - current issues:

soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel

People

Comoros

Population:

731,775 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 42.4% (male 155,662/female 154,520) 15-64 years: 54.6% (male 197,178/female 202,231) 65 years and over: 3% (male 10,203/female 11,981) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.7 years male: 18.5 years female: 19 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.803% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

35.78 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.76 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 68.58 deaths/1,000 live births male: 76.65 deaths/1,000 live births female: 60.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 63.1 years male: 60.72 years female: 65.55 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.9 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.12% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Comoran(s) adjective: Comoran

Ethnic groups:

Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava

Religions:

Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2%

Languages:

Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of Swahili and Arabic)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 56.5% male: 63.6% female: 49.3% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 8 years male: 9 years female: 7 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

3.8% of GDP (2002)

Government

Comoros

Country name:

conventional long form: Union of the Comoros conventional short form: Comoros local long form: Union des Comores local short form: Comores

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Moroni geographic coordinates: 11 42 S, 43 14 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

3 islands and 4 municipalities*; Grande Comore, Anjouan, Domoni*, Fomboni*, Moheli, Moroni*, Mutsamudu*

Independence:

6 July 1975 (from France)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 6 July (1975)

Constitution:

23 December 2001

Legal system:

French and Islamic law in a new consolidated code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI (since 26 May 2006) head of government: President Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI (since 26 May 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: as defined by the 2001 constitution, the presidency rotates every four years among the elected presidents from the three main islands in the Union; election last held 14 May 2006 (next to be held by May 2010); prime minister appointed by the president; note - the post of prime minister has been vacant since May 2002 election results: Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI elected president; percent of vote - Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI 58.0%, Ibrahim HALIDI 28.3%, Mohamed DJAANFAMI 13.7%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Assembly of the Union (33 seats; 15 deputies are selected by the individual islands' local assemblies and 18 by universal suffrage; to serve for five years); elections: last held 18 and 25 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CdIA 12, CRC 6; note - 15 additional seats are filled by deputies from local island assemblies

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Cour Supremes (two members appointed by the president, two members elected by the Federal Assembly, one elected by the Council of each island, and others are former presidents of the republic)

Political parties and leaders:

Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros or CRC [AZALI Assowmani];

Camp of the Autonomous Islands or CdIA (a coalition of parties

organized by the islands' presidents in opposition to the Union

President); Front National pour la Justice or FNJ [Ahmed RACHID]

(Islamic party in opposition); Mouvement pour la Democratie et le

Progress or MDP-NGDC [Abbas DJOUSSOUF]; Parti Comorien pour la

Democratie et le Progress or PCDP [Ali MROUDJAE]; Rassemblement

National pour le Development or RND [Omar TAMOU, Abdoulhamid

AFFRAITANE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: environmentalists

International organization participation:

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AMF, AU, COMESA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC,

Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Representative to the US and Ambassador to the UN Mohamed TOIHIRI chancery: Mission to the US, 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 418, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 750-1637

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador to Madagascar is accredited to Comoros

Flag description:

four equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), white, red, and blue with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist; centered within the triangle is a white crescent with the convex side facing the hoist and four white, five-pointed stars placed vertically in a line between the points of the crescent; the horizontal bands and the four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago - Mwali, Njazidja, Nzwani, and Mahore (Mayotte - territorial collectivity of France, but claimed by Comoros) note: the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam

Economy

Comoros

Economy - overview:

One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is made up of three islands that have inadequate transportation links, a young and rapidly increasing population, and few natural resources. The low educational level of the labor force contributes to a subsistence level of economic activity, high unemployment, and a heavy dependence on foreign grants and technical assistance. Agriculture, including fishing, hunting, and forestry, contributes 40% to GDP, employs 80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports. The country is not self-sufficient in food production; rice, the main staple, accounts for the bulk of imports. The government - which is hampered by internal political disputes - is struggling to upgrade education and technical training, privatize commercial and industrial enterprises, improve health services, diversify exports, promote tourism, and reduce the high population growth rate. The political problems caused the economy to contract in 2007. Remittances from 150,000 Comorans abroad help supplement GDP.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.262 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$442 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

-1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,100 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 40% industry: 4% services: 56% (2001 est.)

Labor force:

144,500 (1996 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate:

20% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line:

60% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $27.6 million expenditures: $NA (2001 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

5.36% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

10.5% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$76.68 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$23.39 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$45.09 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

vanilla, cloves, ylang-ylang, perfume essences, copra, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca)

Industries:

fishing, tourism, perfume distillation

Industrial production growth rate:

-2% (1999 est.)

Electricity - production:

20 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

18.6 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 90.6% hydro: 9.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

712.3 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

755.4 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$8 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$32 million f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), cloves, copra

Exports - partners:

Turkey 38%, France 27.5%, Singapore 9.2%, Saudi Arabia 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$143 million f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods, petroleum products, cement, transport equipment

Imports - partners:

France 18.2%, UAE 10.8%, South Africa 8.5%, Pakistan 7.2%, Kenya 5.7%, China 5.4%, India 5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$25.23 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external:

$232 million (2000 est.)

Currency (code):

Comoran franc (KMF)

Currency code:

KMF

Exchange rates:

Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar - 361.4 (2007), 391.8 (2006), 395.6 (2005), 396.21 (2004), 435.9 (2003) note: the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677 Comoran francs per euro

Communications

Comoros

Telephones - main lines in use:

19,100 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

40,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communication stations; fixed-line connections only about 3 per 100 persons; mobile cellular usage about 5 per 100 persons domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay international: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communications to Madagascar and Reunion

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:

90,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

NA

Televisions:

1,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.km

Internet hosts:

8 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

21,000 (2006)

Transportation

Comoros

Airports:

4 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 880 km paved: 673 km unpaved: 207 km (2002)

Merchant marine:

total: 136 by type: bulk carrier 15, cargo 87, carrier 2, chemical tanker 5, container 2, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 8, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 68 (Bangladesh 2, Bulgaria 2, Cyprus 1, Greece 6, India 2, Kenya 1, Kuwait 1, Lebanon 4, Norway 1, Pakistan 4, Philippines 1, Russia 12, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 1, Syria 4, Turkey 8, Ukraine 8, UAE 7, US 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Mayotte, Mutsamudu

Military

Comoros

Military branches:

National Development Army (AND): Comoran Security Force; Comoran

Federal Police (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 167,850 females age 16-49: 167,362 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 121,550 females age 16-49: 131,015 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 7,901 female: 7,894 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.8% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Comoros

Disputes - international:

claims French-administered Mayotte and challenges France's and Madagascar's claims to Banc du Geyser, a drying reef in the Mozambique Channel; in May 2008, African Union forces are called in to assist the Comoros military recapture Anjouan Island from rebels who seized it in 2001

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Introduction

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Background:

Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the Republic of the Congo gained its independence in 1960, but its early years were marred by political and social instability. Col. Joseph MOBUTU seized power and declared himself president in a November 1965 coup. He subsequently changed his name - to MOBUTU Sese Seko - as well as that of the country - to Zaire. MOBUTU retained his position for 32 years through several sham elections, as well as through the use of brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi, led in May 1997 to the toppling of the MOBUTU regime by a rebellion backed by Rwanda and Uganda and fronted by Laurent KABILA. He renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but in August 1998 his regime was itself challenged by a second insurrection again backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Troops from Angola, Chad, Namibia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe intervened to support KABILA's regime. A cease-fire was signed in July 1999 by the DRC, Congolese armed rebel groups, Angola, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe but sporadic fighting continued. Laurent KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and his son, Joseph KABILA, was named head of state. In October 2002, the new president was successful in negotiating the withdrawal of Rwandan forces occupying eastern Congo; two months later, the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and establish a government of national unity. A transitional government was set up in July 2003. Joseph KABILA as president and four vice presidents represented the former government, former rebel groups, the political opposition, and civil society. The transitional government held a successful constitutional referendum in December 2005 and elections for the presidency, National Assembly, and provincial legislatures in 2006. KABILA was inaugurated president in December 2006. The National Assembly was installed in September 2006. Its president, Vital KAMERHE, was chosen in December. Provincial assemblies were constituted in early 2007, and elected governors and national senators in January 2007.

Geography

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Location:

Central Africa, northeast of Angola

Geographic coordinates:

0 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 2,345,410 sq km land: 2,267,600 sq km water: 77,810 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US

Land boundaries:

total: 10,730 km border countries: Angola 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 459 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km

Coastline:

37 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors

Climate:

tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season (April to October), dry season (December to February); south of Equator - wet season (November to March), dry season (April to October)

Terrain:

vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m

Natural resources:

cobalt, copper, niobium, tantalum, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower, timber

Land use:

arable land: 2.86% permanent crops: 0.47% other: 96.67% (2005)

Irrigated land:

110 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

1,283 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.36 cu km/yr (53%/17%/31%) per capita: 6 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes

Environment - current issues:

poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and gold) causing environmental damage

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note:

straddles equator; has narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands

People

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Population:

66,514,504 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 47.1% (male 15,711,817/female 15,594,449) 15-64 years: 50.4% (male 16,672,399/female 16,875,468) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 674,766/female 985,607) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 16.3 years male: 16.1 years female: 16.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.236% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

43 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

11.88 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

1.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 83.11 deaths/1,000 live births male: 91.14 deaths/1,000 live births female: 74.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 53.98 years male: 52.22 years female: 55.8 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

6.28 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

4.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

1.1 million (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

100,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, plague, and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) water contact disease: schistosomiasis animal contact disease: rabies (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Congolese (singular and plural) adjective: Congolese or Congo

Ethnic groups:

over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population

Religions:

Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other (includes syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs) 10%

Languages:

French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language),

Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba total population: 67.2% male: 80.9% female: 54.1% (2001 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 9 years male: 10 years female: 8 years (2003)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Country name:

conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo conventional short form: none local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo local short form: none former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire abbreviation: DRC

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Kinshasa geographic coordinates: 4 19 S, 15 18 E time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

10 provinces (provinces, singular - province) and 1 city* (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Orientale, Sud-Kivu note: according to the Constitution adopted in December 2005, the current administrative divisions will be subdivided into 26 new provinces by 2009

Independence:

30 June 1960 (from Belgium)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 30 June (1960)

Constitution:

18 February 2006

Legal system:

a new constitution was adopted by referendum 18 December 2005; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Joseph KABILA (since 17 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency which he retained through the 2003-06 transition; he was subsequently elected president in October 2006 head of government: Prime Minister Adolphe MUZITO (since 10 October 2008) cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president elections: under the new constitution the president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 30 July 2006 and 29 October 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Joseph KABILA elected president; percent of vote (second round) - Joseph KABILA 58%, Jean-Pierre BEMBA Gombo 42% note: Joseph KABILA succeeded his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, following the latter's assassination in January 2001; negotiations with rebel leaders led to the establishment of a transitional government in July 2003 with free elections held on 30 July 2006 and 29 October 2006 confirming Joseph KABILA as president

Legislative branch:

bicameral legislature consists of a National Assembly (500 seats; 61 members elected by majority vote in single-member constituencies, 439 members elected by open list proportional-representation in multi-member constituencies; to serve five-year terms) and a Senate (108 seats; members elected by provincial assemblies to serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly - last held 30 July 2006 (next to be held in 2011); Senate - last held 19 January 2007 (next to be held by 2012) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPRD 111, MLC 64, PALU 34, MSR 27, FR 26, RCD 15, independents 63, others 160 (includes 63 political parties that won 10 or fewer seats); Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPRD 22, MLC 14, FR 7, RCD 7, PDC 6, CDC 3, MSR 3, PALU 2, independents 26, others 18 (political parties that won a single seat)

Judicial branch:

Constitutional Court; Appeals Court or Cour de Cassation; Council of State; High Military Court; plus civil and military courts and tribunals

Political parties and leaders:

Christian Democrat Party or PDC [Jose ENDUNDO]; Congolese Rally for

Democracy or RCD [Azarias RUBERWA]; Convention of Christian

Democrats or CDC; Forces of Renewal or FR [Mbusa NYAMWISI]; Movement

for the Liberation of the Congo or MLC [Jean-Pierre BEMBA]; People's

Party for Reconstruction and Democracy or PPRD [Joseph KABILA];

Social Movement for Renewal or MSR [Pierre LUMBI]; Unified Lumumbist

Party or PALU [Antoine GIZENGA]; Union for Democracy and Social

Progress or UDPS [Etienne TSHISEKEDI]; Union of Mobutuist Democrats

or UDEMO [MOBUTU Nzanga]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

MONUC - UN organization working with the government; FARDC (Forces

Armees de la Republique du Congo) - Army of the Democratic Republic

of the Congo which commits atrocities on citizens; FDLA (Forces

Democratiques de Liberation du Rwanda) - Rwandan militia group

International organization participation:

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF,

IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF,

OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009: note - Consular Office at 1726 M Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691 FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador William GARVELINK embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828 telephone: [243] (81) 225-5872 FAX: [243] (81) 301-0561

Flag description:

sky blue field divided diagonally from the lower hoist corner to upper fly corner by a red stripe bordered by two narrow yellow stripes; a yellow, five-pointed star appears in the upper hoist corner

Economy

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Economy - overview:

The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - is slowly recovering from two decades of decline. Conflict, which began in August 1998, dramatically reduced national output and government revenue, increased external debt, and resulted in the deaths of more than 3.5 million people from violence, famine, and disease. Foreign businesses curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment. Conditions began to improve in late 2002 with the withdrawal of a large portion of the invading foreign troops. The transitional government reopened relations with international financial institutions and international donors, and President KABILA has begun implementing reforms, although progress is slow and the International Monetary Fund curtailed their program for the DRC at the end of March 2006 because of fiscal overruns. Much economic activity still occurs in the informal sector, and is not reflected in GDP data. Renewed activity in the mining sector, the source of most export income, boosted Kinshasa's fiscal position and GDP growth. Government reforms and improved security may lead to increased government revenues, outside budget assistance, and foreign direct investment, although an uncertain legal framework, corruption, and a lack of transparency in government policy are continuing long-term problems.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$19.03 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$10.14 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 55% industry: 11% services: 34% (2000 est.)

Labor force:

15 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $700 million expenditures: $2 billion (2006 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

16.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

5.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA

Stock of money:

$597 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$677.9 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$559.5 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products

Industries:

mining (diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, coltan zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement, commercial ship repair

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

7.243 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

5.158 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

1.799 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

6 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 1.8% hydro: 98.2% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

22,160 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

10,460 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

19,820 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

8,220 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

180 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

991.1 million cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$402 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.587 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

diamonds, copper, crude oil, coffee, cobalt

Exports - partners:

Belgium 23.6%, China 21.7%, US 9.8%, Finland 9.1%, Brazil 9.1%,

France 6.8%, Zambia 6% (2007)

Imports:

$2.263 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels

Imports - partners:

South Africa 22.5%, Belgium 10.3%, Zambia 8.9%, Zimbabwe 7.5%,

France 6.8%, Kenya 6.3%, US 4.1%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.828 billion (2005)

Debt - external:

$10 billion (2006 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Congolese franc (CDF)

Currency code:

CDF

Exchange rates:

Congolese francs (CDF) per US dollar - NA (2007), 464.69 (2006), 437.86 (2005), 401.04 (2004), 405.34 (2003)

Communications

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Telephones - main lines in use:

9,700 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

6.592 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: inadequate; state-owned fixed-line operator has been unable to expand fixed-line connections and there are now fewer than 10,000 connections - less than 1 per 1000 persons; given the backdrop of a wholly inadequate fixed-line infrastructure, the use of cellular services has surged and subscribership in 2007 reached 6.6 million - 10 per 100 persons domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001)

Radios:

18.03 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

4 (2001)

Televisions:

6.478 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.cd

Internet hosts:

3,211 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2001)

Internet users:

230,400 (2007)

Transportation

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Airports:

237 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 26 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 211 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 95 under 914 m: 99 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 62 km; oil 71 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 5,138 km narrow gauge: 3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 153,497 km paved: 2,794 km unpaved: 150,703 km (2004)

Waterways:

15,000 km (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 1 by type: petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Congo, Republic of the 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa,

Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka

Military

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Military branches:

Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Forces

d'Armees de la Republique Democratique du Congo, FARDC): Army,

National Navy (La Marine Nationale), Congolese Air Force (Force

Aerienne Congolaise, FAC) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-45 years of age for military service

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 14,101,263 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 8,562,989 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 783,762 female: 780,922 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.5% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Disputes - international:

heads of the Great Lakes states and UN pledged in 2004 to abate tribal, rebel, and militia fighting in the region, including northeast Congo, where the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), organized in 1999, maintains over 16,500 uniformed peacekeepers; members of Uganda's Lords Resistance Army forces continue to seek refuge in Congo's Garamba National Park as peace talks with the Uganda government evolve; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area; Uganda and DROC dispute Rukwanzi island in Lake Albert and other areas on the Semliki River with hydrocarbon potential; boundary commission continues discussions over Congolese-administered triangle of land on the right bank of the Lunkinda river claimed by Zambia near the DROC village of Pweto

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 132,295 (Angola); 37,313 (Rwanda); 17,777 (Burundi); 13,904 (Uganda); 6,181 (Sudan); 5,243 (Republic of Congo) IDPs: 1.4 million (fighting between government forces and rebels since mid-1990s; most IDPs are in eastern provinces) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Democratic Republic of the Congo is a source and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; much of this trafficking occurs within the country's unstable eastern provinces and is perpetrated by armed groups outside government control tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Democratic Republic of the Congo is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007; while some significant initial advances were noted, the government's capacity to apprehend, convict, or imprison traffickers remained weak; the government lacks sufficient financial, technical, and human resources to effectively address not only trafficking crimes, but also to provide basic levels of security in some parts of the country (2008)

Illicit drugs:

one of Africa's biggest producers of cannabis, but mostly for domestic consumption; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Congo, Republic of the

Introduction

Congo, Republic of the

Background:

Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government took office in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, and ushered in a period of ethnic and political unrest. Southern-based rebel groups agreed to a final peace accord in March 2003, but the calm is tenuous and refugees continue to present a humanitarian crisis. The Republic of Congo was once one of Africa's largest petroleum producers, but with declining production it will need new offshore oil finds to sustain its oil earnings over the long term.

Geography

Congo, Republic of the

Location:

Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon

Geographic coordinates:

1 00 S, 15 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 342,000 sq km land: 341,500 sq km water: 500 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Montana

Land boundaries:

total: 5,504 km border countries: Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km, Central African Republic 467 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Gabon 1,903 km

Coastline:

169 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator

Terrain:

coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 1.45% permanent crops: 0.15% other: 98.4% (2005)

Irrigated land:

20 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

832 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.03 cu km/yr (59%/29%/12%) per capita: 8 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

seasonal flooding

Environment - current issues:

air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable; deforestation

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

about 70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them

People

Congo, Republic of the

Population:

3,903,318 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 46.1% (male 906,345/female 894,568) 15-64 years: 51% (male 989,126/female 1,002,682) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 45,560/female 65,037) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 16.7 years male: 16.5 years female: 17 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.696% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

41.76 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

12.28 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-2.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 81.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 86.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 75.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 53.74 years male: 52.52 years female: 55 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.92 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

4.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

90,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

9,700 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) animal contact disease: rabies (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Congolese (singular and plural) adjective: Congolese or Congo

Ethnic groups:

Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%

Religions:

Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%

Languages:

French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 83.8% male: 89.6% female: 78.4% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 9 years male: 10 years female: 8 years (2003)

Education expenditures:

1.9% of GDP (2005)

Government

Congo, Republic of the

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of the Congo conventional short form: Congo (Brazzaville) local long form: Republique du Congo local short form: none former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Brazzaville geographic coordinates: 4 15 S, 15 17 E time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou, Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha

Independence:

15 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 15 August (1960)

Constitution:

approved by referendum 20 January 2002

Legal system:

based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA); head of government: Prime Minister Isidore MVOUBA (since 7 January 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 10 March 2002 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent of vote - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO 89.4%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU 2.7%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (66 seats; members are elected by indirect vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (137 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 11 July 2002 (next to be held in July 2008); National Assembly - last held 24 June and 5 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FDU 56, other 10; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PCT 46, MCDDI 11, UPADS 11, MAR 5, MSD 5, independents 37, other 22

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders:

Action Movement for Renewal or MAR; Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel MAMPOUYA]; Congolese Labour Party or PCT; Movement for Solidarity and Development or MSD; Pan-African Union for Social Development or UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Rally for Democracy and Social Progress or RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Rally for Democracy and the Republic or RDR [Raymond Damasge NGOLLO]; Union for Democracy and Republic or UDR; United Democratic Forces or FDU [Sebastian EBAO]; many less important parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC; General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC; Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; Union of Congolese Socialist Youth or UJSC

International organization participation:

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,

UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Serge MOMBOULI chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500 FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Allan EASTHAM embassy: Boulevard de la Revolution, BDEAC Building, 4th Floor, Brazzaville; note - a new embassy is expected to open in 2009 mailing address: B.P. 1015, Brazzaville telephone: [242] 281-1481, [242] 281-3368; note - until the new embassy in Brazzaville becomes operational, some duties will still be handled in the US embassy in Kinshasha, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Flag description:

divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is red note: uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy

Congo, Republic of the

Economy - overview:

The economy is a mixture of subsistence agriculture, an industrial sector based largely on oil, and support services, and a government characterized by budget problems and overstaffing. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports. In the early 1980s, rapidly rising oil revenues enabled the government to finance large-scale development projects with GDP growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa. The government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil earnings through oil-backed loans that have contributed to a growing debt burden and chronic revenue shortfalls. Economic reform efforts have been undertaken with the support of international organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. However, the reform program came to a halt in June 1997 when civil war erupted. Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when the war ended in October 1997, publicly expressed interest in moving forward on economic reforms and privatization and in renewing cooperation with international financial institutions. Economic progress was badly hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in December 1998, which worsened the republic's budget deficit. The current administration presides over an uneasy internal peace and faces difficult economic challenges of stimulating recovery and reducing poverty. Recovery of oil prices has boosted the economy's GDP and near-term prospects. In March 2006, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) treatment for Congo.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$12.86 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$7.657 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

-1.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$3,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 5.6% industry: 57.1% services: 37.3% (2006 est.)

Labor force:

NA

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

40.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $3.295 billion expenditures: $2.444 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.7% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

15% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$204.3 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

NA

Agriculture - products:

cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products

Industries:

petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes

Industrial production growth rate:

-12% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

444 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

564 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

411 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 0.3% hydro: 99.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

261,000 bbl/day

Oil - consumption:

7,677 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

230,200 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:

1,702 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

1.6 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

180 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

180 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

90.61 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$1.491 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$5.8 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds

Exports - partners:

US 41%, China 36.5%, Taiwan 3.6% (2007)

Imports:

$2.634 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

France 18.1%, South Korea 14.7%, China 12.6%, Italy 10.3%, India 4.7%, US 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.449 billion (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.206 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$5 billion (2000 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States

Currency code:

XAF

Exchange rates:

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 483.6 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)

Communications

Congo, Republic of the

Telephones - main lines in use:

15,900 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.334 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: services barely adequate for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order; fixed-line infrastructure inadequate providing less than 1 connection per 100 persons; in the absence of an adequate fixed line infrastructure, mobile-cellular subscribership has surged reaching 35 per 100 persons domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable international: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)

Radios:

341,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2001)

Televisions:

33,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.cg

Internet hosts:

5 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

70,000 (2006)

Transportation

Congo, Republic of the

Airports:

31 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 5 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 26 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 89 km; liquid petroleum gas 4 km; oil 758 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 894 km narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 17,289 km paved: 864 km unpaved: 16,425 km (2004)

Waterways:

1,125 km (commercially navigable on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2006)

Merchant marine:

registered in other countries: 1 (Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Brazzaville, Djeno, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo, Pointe-Noire

Military

Congo, Republic of the

Military branches:

Congolese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Congolaises, FAC): Army, Navy,

Congolese Air Force (Armee de l'Air Congolaise), Gendarmerie,

Special Presidential Security Guard (GSSP) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; women allowed to serve (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 842,771 females age 16-49: 833,624 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 519,296 females age 16-49: 509,564 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 45,671 female: 45,248 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.1% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Congo, Republic of the

Disputes - international:

the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 46,341 (Democratic Republic of Congo);

6,564 (Rwanda)

IDPs: 48,000 (multiple civil wars since 1992; most IDPs are ethnic

Lari) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Republic of the Congo is a source and destination country for children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; girls are trafficked from rural areas within the country for commercial sexual exploitation, forced street vending, and domestic servitude; children are trafficked from other African countries for domestic servitude, forced market vending, and forced labor in the fishing industry tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Republic of the Congo is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007; struggling to recover from six years of civil conflict that ended in 2003, the Republic of the Congo's capacity to address trafficking is handicapped; the government neither monitors its borders for trafficking activity nor provides specialized anti-trafficking training for law enforcement officials; the government does not encourage victims to assist in trafficking investigations or prosecutions, and has not taken measures to reduce demand for commercial sex acts in the Republic of the Congo (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Cook Islands

Introduction

Cook Islands

Background:

Named after Captain COOK, who sighted them in 1770, the islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900, administrative control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965, residents chose self-government in free association with New Zealand. The emigration of skilled workers to New Zealand and government deficits are continuing problems.

Geography

Cook Islands

Location:

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand

Geographic coordinates:

21 14 S, 159 46 W

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 236.7 sq km land: 236.7 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

1.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

120 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical oceanic; moderated by trade winds; a dry season from April to November and a more humid season from December to March

Terrain:

low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in south

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Te Manga 652 m

Natural resources:

NEGL

Land use:

arable land: 16.67% permanent crops: 8.33% other: 75% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

typhoons (November to March)

Environment - current issues:

NA

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the northern Cook Islands are seven low-lying, sparsely populated, coral atolls; the southern Cook Islands, where most of the population lives, consist of eight elevated, fertile, volcanic isles, including the largest, Rarotonga, at 67 sq km

People

Cook Islands

Population:

12,271 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: (male 1,834/female 1,624) 15-64 years: (male 3,973/female 3,747) 65 years and over: (male 542/female 551)

Median age:

total: 29.8 years male: 29 years female: 30.4 years (2001 census)

Population growth rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

16.71 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2001 census)

Infant mortality rate:

total: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.1 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Cook Islander(s) adjective: Cook Islander

Ethnic groups:

Cook Island Maori (Polynesian) 87.7%, part Cook Island Maori 5.8%, other 6.5% (2001 census)

Religions:

Cook Islands Christian Church 55.9%, Roman Catholic 16.8%,

Seventh-Day Adventists 7.9%, Church of Latter Day Saints 3.8%, other

Protestant 5.8%, other 4.2%, unspecified 2.6%, none 3% (2001 census)

Languages:

English (official), Maori

Literacy:

definition: NA total population: 95% male: NA% female: NA%

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 10 years female: 10 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

0.2% of GDP (2001)

People - note:

2001 census counted a resident population of 15,017

Government

Cook Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Cook Islands former: Harvey Islands

Dependency status:

self-governing in free association with New Zealand; Cook Islands is fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense, in consultation with the Cook Islands

Government type:

self-governing parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Avarua geographic coordinates: 21 12 S, 159 46 W time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none

Independence:

none (became self-governing in free association with New Zealand on 4 August 1965 and has the right at any time to move to full independence by unilateral action)

National holiday:

Constitution Day, first Monday in August (1965)

Constitution:

4 August 1965

Legal system:

based on New Zealand law and English common law

Suffrage:

NA years of age; universal (adult)

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Frederick GOODWIN (since 9 February 2001); New Zealand High Commissioner Brian DONNELLY (since 21 February 2008), representative of New Zealand head of government: Prime Minister Jim MARURAI (since 14 December 2004); Deputy Prime Minister Terepai MAOATE (since 9 August 2005) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister; collectively responsible to Parliament elections: the monarch is hereditary; the UK representative is appointed by the monarch; the New Zealand high commissioner is appointed by the New Zealand Government; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually becomes prime minister

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consisting of a Legislative Assembly (or lower house) (24 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and a House of Ariki (or upper house) made up of traditional leaders note: the House of Ariki advises on traditional matters and maintains considerable influence but has no legislative powers elections: last held 26 September 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - Demo 51.9%, CIP 45.5%, independent 2.7%; seats by party - Demo 15, CIP 8, independent 1

Judicial branch:

High Court

Political parties and leaders:

Cook Islands Party or CIP [Henry PUNA]; Democratic Party or Demo

[Dr. Terepai MAOATE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Reform Conference (lobby for political system changes) other: various groups lobbying for political change

International organization participation:

ACP, ADB, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IMSO, IOC, ITUC, OPCW,

PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (self-governing in free association with New Zealand)

Flag description:

blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large circle of 15 white five-pointed stars (one for every island) centered in the outer half of the flag

Economy

Cook Islands

Economy - overview:

Like many other South Pacific island nations, the Cook Islands' economic development is hindered by the isolation of the country from foreign markets, the limited size of domestic markets, lack of natural resources, periodic devastation from natural disasters, and inadequate infrastructure. Agriculture, employing about one-third of the working population, provides the economic base with major exports made up of copra and citrus fruit. Black pearls are the Cook Islands' leading export. Manufacturing activities are limited to fruit processing, clothing, and handicrafts. Trade deficits are offset by remittances from emigrants and by foreign aid, overwhelmingly from New Zealand. In the 1980s and 1990s, the country lived beyond its means, maintaining a bloated public service and accumulating a large foreign debt. Subsequent reforms, including the sale of state assets, the strengthening of economic management, the encouragement of tourism, and a debt restructuring agreement, have rekindled investment and growth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$183.2 million (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$183.2 million (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

0.1% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$9,100 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 15.1% industry: 9.6% services: 75.3% (2004)

Labor force:

6,820 (2001)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 29% industry: 15% services: 56% (1995)

Unemployment rate:

13.1% (2005)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $70.95 million expenditures: $69.05 million (FY05/06)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.1% (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:

copra, citrus, pineapples, tomatoes, beans, pawpaws, bananas, yams, taro, coffee; pigs, poultry

Industries:

fruit processing, tourism, fishing, clothing, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate:

1% (2002)

Electricity - production:

30 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

27.9 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

463.7 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

475.5 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$26.67 million (2005)

Exports:

$5.222 million (2005)

Exports - commodities:

copra, papayas, fresh and canned citrus fruit, coffee; fish; pearls and pearl shells; clothing

Exports - partners:

Australia 34%, Japan 27%, NZ 25%, US 8% (2006)

Imports:

$81.04 million (2005)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber, capital goods

Imports - partners:

NZ 61%, Fiji 19%, US 9%, Australia 6% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$13.1 million; note - New Zealand continues to furnish the greater part (1995)

Debt - external:

$141 million (1996 est.)

Currency (code):

NZ dollar (NZD)

Currency code:

NZD

Exchange rates:

NZ dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003)

Communications

Cook Islands

Telephones - main lines in use:

6,200 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1,500 (2002)

Telephone system:

general assessment: Telecom Cook Islands offers international direct dialing, Internet, email, fax, and Telex domestic: individual islands are connected by a combination of satellite earth stations, microwave systems, and VHF and HF radiotelephone; within the islands, service is provided by small exchanges connected to subscribers by open-wire, cable, and fiber-optic cable international: country code - 682; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:

14,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (outer islands receive satellite broadcasts) (2004)

Televisions:

4,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ck

Internet hosts:

2,234 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

3 (2000)

Internet users:

3,600 (2002)

Transportation

Cook Islands

Airports:

9 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 320 km paved: 33 km unpaved: 287 km (2003)

Merchant marine:

total: 26 by type: cargo 14, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 17 (Latvia 1, Lithuania 1, NZ 1, Nigeria 1, Norway 5, Sweden 8) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Avatiu

Military

Cook Islands

Military branches:

no regular military forces; National Police Department (2007)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 157 female: 133 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request

Transnational Issues

Cook Islands

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Coral Sea Islands

Introduction

Coral Sea Islands

Background:

Scattered over more than three-quarters of a million square kilometers of ocean, the Coral Sea Islands were declared a territory of Australia in 1969. They are uninhabited except for a small meteorological staff on the Willis Islets. Automated weather stations, beacons, and a lighthouse occupy many other islands and reefs.

Geography

Coral Sea Islands

Location:

Oceania, islands in the Coral Sea, northeast of Australia

Geographic coordinates:

18 00 S, 152 00 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: less than 3 sq km land: less than 3 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes numerous small islands and reefs scattered over a sea area of about 780,000 sq km, with the Willis Islets the most important

Area - comparative:

NA

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

3,095 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical

Terrain:

sand and coral reefs and islands (or cays)

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Cato Island 6 m

Natural resources:

NEGL

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mostly grass or scrub cover) (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

occasional tropical cyclones

Environment - current issues:

no permanent fresh water resources

Geography - note:

important nesting area for birds and turtles

People

Coral Sea Islands

Population:

no indigenous inhabitants note: there is a staff of three to four at the meteorological station on Willis Island (July 2007 est.)

Government

Coral Sea Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: Coral Sea Islands Territory conventional short form: Coral Sea Islands

Dependency status:

territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Attorney-General's Department

Legal system:

the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply

Executive branch:

administered from Canberra by the Australian Attorney-General's Department

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (territory of Australia)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (territory of Australia)

Flag description:

the flag of Australia is used

Economy

Coral Sea Islands

Economy - overview:

no economic activity

Communications

Coral Sea Islands

Communications - note:

there are automatic weather stations on many of the isles and reefs relaying data to the mainland

Transportation

Coral Sea Islands

Ports and terminals:

none; offshore anchorage only

Military

Coral Sea Islands

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of Australia

Transnational Issues

Coral Sea Islands

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Costa Rica

Introduction

Costa Rica

Background:

Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including: disease from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by natives, and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands. The area remained a colony for some two and a half centuries. In 1821, Costa Rica became one of several Central American provinces that jointly declared their independence from Spain. Two years later it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica proclaimed its sovereignty and independence. Since the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the country's democratic development. Although it still maintains a large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to include strong technology and tourism industries. The standard of living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread.

Geography

Costa Rica

Location:

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North

Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama

Geographic coordinates:

10 00 N, 84 00 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 51,100 sq km land: 50,660 sq km water: 440 sq km note: includes Isla del Coco

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries:

total: 639 km border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km

Coastline:

1,290 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands

Terrain:

coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m

Natural resources:

hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 4.4% permanent crops: 5.87% other: 89.73% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,080 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

112.4 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.68 cu km/yr (29%/17%/53%) per capita: 619 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and landslides; active volcanoes

Environment - current issues:

deforestation and land use change, largely a result of the clearing of land for cattle ranching and agriculture; soil erosion; coastal marine pollution; fisheries protection; solid waste management; air pollution

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

four volcanoes, two of them active, rise near the capital of San Jose in the center of the country; one of the volcanoes, Irazu, erupted destructively in 1963-65

People

Costa Rica

Population:

4,195,914 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 27.2% (male 584,782/female 557,952) 15-64 years: 66.8% (male 1,416,456/female 1,384,692) 65 years and over: 6% (male 116,461/female 135,571) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 27.1 years male: 26.7 years female: 27.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.388% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

17.71 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.31 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 9.01 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.92 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 77.4 years male: 74.79 years female: 80.14 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.17 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.6% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

12,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

900 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: dengue fever (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Costa Rican(s) adjective: Costa Rican

Ethnic groups:

white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%, Chinese 1%, other 1%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%

Languages:

Spanish (official), English

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94.9% male: 94.7% female: 95.1% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 12 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

4.9% of GDP (2004)

Government

Costa Rica

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Costa Rica conventional short form: Costa Rica local long form: Republica de Costa Rica local short form: Costa Rica

Government type:

democratic republic

Capital:

name: San Jose geographic coordinates: 9 56 N, 84 05 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose

Independence:

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution:

7 November 1949

Legal system:

based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (since 8 May 2006); First Vice President Laura CHINCHILLA (since 8 May 2006); Second Vice President (vacant); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (since 8 May 2006); First Vice President Laura CHINCHILLA (since 8 May 2006); Second Vice President (vacant) cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president elections: president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 5 February 2006 (next to be held in February 2010) election results: Oscar ARIAS Sanchez elected president; percent of vote - Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (PLN) 40.9%; Otton SOLIS (PAC) 39.8%, Otto GUEVARA Guth (PML) 8%, Ricardo TOLEDO (PUSC) 3%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (57 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 5 February 2006 (next to be held in February 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLN 25, PAC 17, PML 6, PUSC 5, PASE 1, PFA 1, PRN 1, PUN 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected for renewable eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:

Authentic Member from Heredia [Jose SALAS]; Citizen Action Party or

PAC [Epsy CAMPBELL Barr]; Costa Rican Renovation Party or PRC

[Gerardo Justo OROZCO Alvarez]; Democratic Force Party or PFD [Marco

NUNEZ Gonzalez]; General Union Party or PUGEN [Carlos Alberto

FERNANDEZ Vega]; Homeland First or PP [Juan Jose VARGAS Fallas];

Independent Worker Party or PIO [Jose Alberto CUBERO Carmona];

Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Otto GUEVARA Guth]; National

Christian Alliance Party or ANC [Juan Carlos CHAVEZ Mora]; National

Integration Party or PIN [Walter MUNOZ Cespedes]; National

Liberation Party or PLN [Francisco Antonio PACHECO Fernandez];

National Patriotic Party or PPN [Daniel Enrique REYNOLDS Vargas];

National Restoration Party or PRN [Fabio Enrique DELGADO Hernandez];

National Union Party or PUN [Arturo ACOSTA Mora]; Nationalist

Democratic Alliance or ADN [Jose Miguel VILLALOBOS Umana]; Patriotic

Union or UP [Jose Miguel CORRALES Bolanos]; Social Christian Unity

Party or PUSC [Luis FISHMAN Zonzinski]; Union for Change Party or

UPC [Antonio ALVAREZ Desanti]; United Leftist Coalition or IU

[Humberto VARGAS Carbonel]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Authentic Confederation of Democratic Workers or CATD (Communist Party affiliate); Chamber of Coffee Growers; Confederated Union of Workers or CUT (Communist Party affiliate); Costa Rican Confederation of Democratic Workers or CCTD (Liberation Party affiliate); Costa Rican Exporter's Chamber or CADEXCO; Costa Rican Solidarity Movement; Costa Rican Union of Private Sector Enterprises or UCCAEP [Rafael CARRILLO]; Federation of Public Service Workers or FTSP; National Association for Economic Development or ANFE; National Association of Educators or ANDE; National Association of Public and Private Employees or ANEP [Albino VARGAS]; Rerum Novarum or CTRN (PLN affiliate) [Gilbert BROWN]

International organization participation:

BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS,

OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Tomas DUENAS chancery: 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-2945 FAX: [1] (202) 265-4795 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Tampa (temporarily closed), Washington, DC consulate(s): San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Peter CIANCHETTE embassy: Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose mailing address: APO AA 34020 telephone: [506] 519-2000 FAX: [506] 519-2305

Flag description:

five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white elliptical disk on the hoist side of the red band; above the coat of arms a light blue ribbon contains the words, AMERICA CENTRAL, and just below it near the top of the coat of arms is a white ribbon with the words, REPUBLICA COSTA RICA

Economy

Costa Rica

Economy - overview:

Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has remained around 20% for nearly 20 years, and the strong social safety net that had been put into place by the government has eroded due to increased financial constraints on government expenditures. Immigration from Nicaragua has increasingly become a concern for the government. The estimated 300,000-500,000 Nicaraguans estimated to be in Costa Rica legally and illegally are an important source of (mostly unskilled) labor, but also place heavy demands on the social welfare system. Foreign investors remain attracted by the country's political stability and high education levels, as well as the fiscal incentives offered in the free-trade zones. Exports have become more diversified in the past 10 years due to the growth of the high-tech manufacturing sector, which is dominated by the microprocessor industry. Tourism continues to bring in foreign exchange, as Costa Rica's impressive biodiversity makes it a key destination for ecotourism. The government continues to grapple with its large internal and external deficits and sizable internal debt. Reducing inflation remains a difficult problem because of rising import prices, labor market rigidities, and fiscal deficits. Tax and public expenditure reforms will be necessary to close the budget gap. In October 2007, a national referendum voted in favor of the US-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$45.77 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$26.24 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$11,100 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 8.6% industry: 29.4% services: 62.1% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

1.92 million note: this official estimate excludes Nicaraguans living in Costa Rica (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 14% industry: 22% services: 64% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

4.6% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

16% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1% highest 10%: 37.4% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

49.8 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

21.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $3.976 billion expenditures: $3.808 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

46.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

9.4% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

17% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

12.8% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$4.504 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$2.87 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$12.91 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber

Industries:

microprocessors, food processing, medical equipment, textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products

Industrial production growth rate:

7.3% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

8.521 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

7.779 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

39.55 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

203.2 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 1.5% hydro: 81.9% nuclear: 0% other: 16.6% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - consumption:

45,600 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

2,115 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

43,110 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$1.499 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$9.268 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants, sugar; seafood; electronic components, medical equipment

Exports - partners:

US 25.7%, China 14.1%, Netherlands 10.9%, UK 6.3%, Mexico 5% (2007)

Imports:

$12.26 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment, petroleum, construction materials

Imports - partners:

US 41%, Mexico 6.1%, Venezuela 5.7%, Japan 5.4%, China 5.1%, Brazil 4.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$29.51 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$4.114 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$7.416 billion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$8.53 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$490 million (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$1.478 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

Costa Rican colon (CRC)

Currency code:

CRC

Exchange rates:

Costa Rican colones (CRC) per US dollar - 519.53 (2007), 511.3 (2006), 477.79 (2005), 437.91 (2004), 398.66 (2003)

Communications

Costa Rica

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.437 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.503 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: good domestic telephone service in terms of breadth of coverage; restricted cellular telephone service; state-run monopoly provider is struggling with the demand for new lines, resulting in long waiting times domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave, fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is available international: country code - 506; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic telecommunications submarine cable and the MAYA-1 submarine cable that provide links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19 (2002)

Radios:

980,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002)

Televisions:

525,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.cr

Internet hosts:

16,440 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

3 (of which only one is legal) (2000)

Internet users:

1.5 million (2007)

Transportation

Costa Rica

Airports:

151 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 36 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 21 under 914 m: 11 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 115 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 96 (2007)

Pipelines:

refined products 242 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 278 km narrow gauge: 278 km 1.067-m gauge note: none of the railway network is in use (2007)

Roadways:

total: 35,330 km paved: 8,621 km unpaved: 26,709 km (2004)

Waterways:

730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 1 by type: passenger/cargo 1 (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Caldera, Puerto Limon

Military

Costa Rica

Military branches:

no regular military forces; Ministry of Public Security, Government, and Police (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,134,205 females age 16-49: 1,095,763 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 958,013 females age 16-49: 925,727 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 40,767 female: 38,899 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.4% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Costa Rica

Disputes - international:

the ICJ has given Costa Rica until January 2008 to reply and Nicaragua until July 2008 to rejoin before rendering its decision on the navigation, security, and commercial rights of Costa Rican vessels on the Río San Juan over which Nicaragua retains sovereignty

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 9,699-11,500 (Colombia) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Costa Rica is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; women and girls from neighboring states, Russia, Uzbekistan, and the Philippines are trafficked into the country for sexual exploitation; Costa Rica also serves as a transit point for victims trafficked to North America and Europe; the government identifies child sex tourism as a serious problem; men, women, and children are also trafficked within the country for forced labor in fishing and construction, and as domestic servants tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Costa Rica is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly in terms of its failure to improve its inadequate assistance to victims; while Costa Rican officials recognize human trafficking as a serious problem, the lack of a stronger response by the government is of concern (2008)

Illicit drugs:

transshipment country for cocaine and heroin from South America; illicit production of cannabis in remote areas; domestic cocaine consumption, particularly crack cocaine, is rising; significant consumption of amphetamines

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Cote d'Ivoire

Introduction

Cote d'Ivoire

Background:

Close ties to France since independence in 1960, the development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment made Cote d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the West African states, but did not protect it from political turmoil. In December 1999, a military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history - overthrew the government. Junta leader Robert GUEI blatantly rigged elections held in late 2000 and declared himself the winner. Popular protest forced him to step aside and brought Laurent GBAGBO into power. Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002. Rebel forces claimed the northern half of the country, and in January 2003 were granted ministerial positions in a unity government under the auspices of the Linas-Marcoussis Peace Accord. President GBAGBO and rebel forces resumed implementation of the peace accord in December 2003 after a three-month stalemate, but issues that sparked the civil war, such as land reform and grounds for citizenship, remained unresolved. In March 2007 President GBAGBO and former New Force rebel leader Guillaume SORO signed the Ouagadougou Political Agreement. As a result of the agreement, SORO joined GBAGBO's government as Prime Minister and the two agreed to reunite the country by dismantling the zone of confidence separating North from South, integrate rebel forces into the national armed forces, and hold elections. Several thousand French and UN troops remain in Cote d'Ivoire to help the parties implement their commitments and to support the peace process.

Geography

Cote d'Ivoire

Location:

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia

Geographic coordinates:

8 00 N, 5 00 W

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 322,460 sq km land: 318,000 sq km water: 4,460 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries:

total: 3,110 km border countries: Burkina Faso 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km

Coastline:

515 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons - warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet (June to October)

Terrain:

mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 10.23% permanent crops: 11.16% other: 78.61% (2005)

Irrigated land:

730 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

81 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.93 cu km/yr (24%/12%/65%) per capita: 51 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible

Environment - current issues:

deforestation (most of the country's forests - once the largest in West Africa - have been heavily logged); water pollution from sewage and industrial and agricultural effluents

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated

People

Cote d'Ivoire

Population:

20,179,602 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 40.9% (male 4,161,238/female 4,092,593) 15-64 years: 56.3% (male 5,790,503/female 5,568,621) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 285,116/female 281,531) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 19 years male: 19.2 years female: 18.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.156% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

32.73 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

11.17 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 69.76 deaths/1,000 live births male: 77.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 62.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 54.64 years male: 53.95 years female: 55.35 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

570,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

47,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever water contact: schistosomiasis animal contact disease: rabies note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Ivoirian(s) adjective: Ivoirian

Ethnic groups:

Akan 42.1%, Voltaiques or Gur 17.6%, Northern Mandes 16.5%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (includes 130,000 Lebanese and 14,000 French) (1998)

Religions:

Muslim 38.6%, Christian 32.8%, indigenous 11.9%, none 16.7% (2008 est) note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim (70%) and Christian (20%)

Languages:

French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula the most widely spoken

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 48.7% male: 60.8% female: 38.6% (2000 est.)

Education expenditures:

4.6% of GDP (2001)

Government

Cote d'Ivoire

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Cote d'Ivoire conventional short form: Cote d'Ivoire local long form: Republique de Cote d'Ivoire local short form: Cote d'Ivoire note: pronounced coat-div-whar former: Ivory Coast

Government type:

republic; multiparty presidential regime established 1960 note: the government is currently operating under a power-sharing agreement mandated by international mediators

Capital:

name: Yamoussoukro geographic coordinates: 6 49 N, 5 17 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: although Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since 1983, Abidjan remains the commercial and administrative center; the US, like other countries, maintains its Embassy in Abidjan

Administrative divisions:

19 regions; Agneby, Bafing, Bas-Sassandra, Denguele, Dix-Huit

Montagnes, Fromager, Haut-Sassandra, Lacs, Lagunes, Marahoue,

Moyen-Cavally, Moyen-Comoe, N'zi-Comoe, Savanes, Sud-Bandama,

Sud-Comoe, Vallee du Bandama, Worodougou, Zanzan

Independence:

7 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 7 August (1960)

Constitution:

approved by referendum 23 July 2000

Legal system:

based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Laurent GBAGBO (since 26 October 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Guillaume SORO (since 4 April 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - under the current power-sharing agreement the prime minister and the president share the authority to appoint ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 26 October 2000 (next to be held 30 November 2008; elections were to be held in 2005 but have been repeatedly postponed by the government; the UN Security Council has extended the government's mandate); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Laurent GBAGBO elected president; percent of vote - Laurent GBAGBO 59.4%, Robert GUEI 32.7%, Francis WODIE 5.7%, other 2.2%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (225 seats; members are elected in single- and multi-district elections by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: elections last held 10 December 2000 with by-elections on 14 January 2001 (next to be held in November 2008 after the government postponed the elections in 2005 and 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FPI 96, PDCI-RDA 94, RDR 5, PIT 4, other 2, independents 22, vacant 2 note: a Senate that was scheduled to be created in the October 2006 elections never took place

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consists of four chambers: Judicial

Chamber for criminal cases, Audit Chamber for financial cases,

Constitutional Chamber for judicial review cases, and Administrative

Chamber for civil cases; there is no legal limit to the number of

members

Political parties and leaders:

Citizen's Democratic Union or UDCY [Theodore MEL EG]; Democratic

Party of Cote d'Ivoire or PDCI [Henri Konan BEDIE]; Ivorian Popular

Front or FPI [Pascale Affi N'GUESSAN]; Ivorian Worker's Party or PIT

[Francis WODIE]; Opposition Movement of the Future or MFA [Innocent

Augustin ANAKY]; Rally of the Republicans or RDR [Alassane

OUATTARA]; Union for Democracy and Peace in Cote d'Ivoire or UDPCI

[Toikeuse MABRI]; over 144 smaller registered parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Federation of University and High School Students of Cote d'Ivoire

or FESCI [Serges KOFFI]; Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and

Peace or RHDP [Alphonse DJEDJE MADY]; Young Patriots [Charles BLE

GOUDE]

International organization participation:

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,

IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC,

OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO,

UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Yao Charles KOFFI chancery: 3421 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300 FAX: [1] (202) 244-3088

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Wanda L. NESBITT embassy: Cocody Riviera Golf 01, Abidjan mailing address: B. P. 1712, Abidjan 01 telephone: [225] 22 49 40 00 FAX: [225] 22 49 43 32

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of orange (hoist side), white, and green note: similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and has the colors reversed - green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is green (hoist side), white, and red; design was based on the flag of France

Economy

Cote d'Ivoire

Economy - overview:

Cote d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer and exporter of cocoa beans and a significant producer and exporter of coffee and palm oil. Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive to fluctuations in international prices for these products, and, to a lesser extent, in climatic conditions. Despite government attempts to diversify the economy, it is still heavily dependent on agriculture and related activities, engaging roughly 68% of the population. Since 2006, oil and gas production have become more important engines of economic activity than cocoa. According to IMF statistics, earnings from oil and refined products were $1.3 billion in 2006, while cocoa-related revenues were $1 billion during the same period. Cote d'Ivoire's offshore oil and gas production has resulted in substantial crude oil exports and provides sufficient natural gas to fuel electricity exports to Ghana, Togo, Benin, Mali and Burkina Faso. Oil exploration by a number of consortiums of private companies continues offshore, and President GBAGBO has expressed hope that daily crude output could reach 200,000 barrels per day (b/d) by the end of the decade. Since the end of the civil war in 2003, political turmoil has continued to damage the economy, resulting in the loss of foreign investment and slow economic growth. GDP grew by 1.8% in 2006 and 1.7% in 2007. Per capita income has declined by 15% since 1999.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$32.85 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$19.6 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

1.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 28.1% industry: 21.5% services: 50.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

6.907 million (68% agricultural) (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 68% industry and services: NA (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate:

unemployment may have climbed to 40-50% as a result of the civil war

Population below poverty line:

42% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 34% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

44.6 (2002)

Investment (gross fixed):

8.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $3.884 billion expenditures: $4.106 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

75.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA

Stock of money:

$4.451 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.915 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$4.404 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, cocoa beans, bananas, palm kernels, corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sweet potatoes, sugar, cotton, rubber; timber

Industries:

foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, truck and bus assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials, electricity, ship construction and repair

Industrial production growth rate:

-1.8% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

5.274 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

3.177 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

1.066 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 61.9% hydro: 38.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

54,400 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - consumption:

25,950 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

84,940 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

71,850 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

100 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

1.3 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

1.3 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$146 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$8.476 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, fish

Exports - partners:

Germany 9.7%, Nigeria 9.2%, Netherlands 8.4%, France 7.3%, US 7%,

Burkina Faso 4.4% (2007)

Imports:

$5.932 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

fuel, capital equipment, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

Nigeria 31.1%, France 16.7%, China 7.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $60 million (2007 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.519 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$13.79 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$4.155 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Currency code:

XOF

Exchange rates:

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 481.83 (2007), 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Communications

Cote d'Ivoire

Telephones - main lines in use:

730,000 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

7.05 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: well developed by African standards; telecommunications sector privatized in late 1990s and operational fixed-lines have more than quadrupled since that time; with multiple cellular service providers competing in the market, cellular usage has increased sharply to roughly 40 per 100 persons domestic: open-wire lines and microwave radio relay; 90% digitalized international: country code - 225; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios:

2.26 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

14 (1998)

Televisions:

1.09 million (2000)

Internet country code:

.ci

Internet hosts:

5,569 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

5 (2001)

Internet users:

300,000 (2006)

Transportation

Cote d'Ivoire

Airports:

34 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 7 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 102 km; gas 245 km; oil 112 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 660 km narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000 meter gauge note: an additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina Faso (2006)

Roadways:

total: 80,000 km paved: 6,500 km unpaved: 73,500 km note: includes intercity and urban roads; another 20,000 km of dirt roads are in poor condition and 150,000 km of dirt roads are impassable (2006)

Waterways:

980 km (navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons) (2006)

Ports and terminals:

Abidjan, Espoir, San-Pedro

Military

Cote d'Ivoire

Military branches:

Cote d'Ivoire Defense and Security Forces (FDSC): Army, Navy, Air

Force (2006)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 4,369,735 females age 16-49: 4,287,042 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,393,104 females age 16-49: 2,381,607 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 234,032 female: 230,799 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.6% of GDP (2005 est)

Transnational Issues

Cote d'Ivoire

Disputes - international:

despite the presence of over 9,000 UN forces (UNOCI) in Cote d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic conflict still leaves displaced hundreds of thousands of Ivorians in and out of the country as well as driven out migrants from neighboring states who worked in Ivorian cocoa plantations; the March 2007 peace deal between Ivorian rebels and the government brought significant numbers of rebels out of hiding in neighboring states

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 25,615 (Liberia) IDPs: 709,000 (2002 coup; most IDPs are in western regions) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

Cote d'Ivoire is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; trafficking within the country is more prevalent than international trafficking and the majority of victims are children; women and girls are trafficked from northern areas to southern cities for domestic servitude, restaurant labor, and sexual exploitation; boys are trafficked internally for agricultural and service labor and transnationally for forced labor in agriculture, mining, construction, and in the fishing industry; women and girls are trafficked to and from other West and Central African countries for domestic servitude and forced street vending tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cote d'Ivoire is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking in 2007, particularly with regard to its law enforcement efforts and protection of sex trafficking victims; in addition, Ivoirian law does not prohibit all forms of trafficking, and Cote d'Ivoire has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Illicit drugs:

illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for local consumption; utility as a narcotic transshipment point to Europe reduced by ongoing political instability; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leave the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a developed financial system limits the country's utility as a major money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Croatia

Introduction

Croatia

Background:

The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal independent Communist state under the strong hand of Marshal TITO. Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands. Under UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was returned to Croatia in 1998.

Geography

Croatia

Location:

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between Bosnia and

Herzegovina and Slovenia

Geographic coordinates:

45 10 N, 15 30 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 56,542 sq km land: 56,414 sq km water: 128 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries:

total: 1,982 km border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km, Serbia 241 km, Montenegro 25 km, Slovenia 455 km

Coastline:

5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km)

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

Mediterranean and continental; continental climate predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry summers along coast

Terrain:

geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border, low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Dinara 1,830 m

Natural resources:

oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium, gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 25.82% permanent crops: 2.19% other: 71.99% (2005)

Irrigated land:

110 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

105.5 cu km (1998)

Natural hazards:

destructive earthquakes

Environment - current issues:

air pollution (from metallurgical plants) and resulting acid rain is damaging the forests; coastal pollution from industrial and domestic waste; landmine removal and reconstruction of infrastructure consequent to 1992-95 civil strife

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Geography - note:

controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish Straits; most Adriatic Sea islands lie off the coast of Croatia - some 1,200 islands, islets, ridges, and rocks

People

Croatia

Population:

4,491,543 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 15.8% (male 363,551/female 345,132) 15-64 years: 67.2% (male 1,501,949/female 1,517,962) 65 years and over: 17% (male 295,229/female 467,720) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 40.8 years male: 38.9 years female: 42.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.043% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

9.64 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

11.66 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

1.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 6.49 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 75.13 years male: 71.49 years female: 78.97 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.41 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

200 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 10 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Croat(s), Croatian(s) adjective: Croatian

Ethnic groups:

Croat 89.6%, Serb 4.5%, other 5.9% (including Bosniak, Hungarian,

Slovene, Czech, and Roma) (2001 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%, Muslim 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2% (2001 census)

Languages:

Croatian 96.1%, Serbian 1%, other and undesignated 2.9% (including

Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German) (2001 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.1% male: 99.3% female: 97.1% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4.5% of GDP (2004)

Government

Croatia

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Croatia conventional short form: Croatia local long form: Republika Hrvatska local short form: Hrvatska former: People's Republic of Croatia, Socialist Republic of Croatia

Government type:

presidential/parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Zagreb geographic coordinates: 45 48 N, 16 00 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

20 counties (zupanije, zupanija - singular) and 1 city* (grad -

singular); Bjelovarsko-Bilogorska, Brodsko-Posavska,

Dubrovacko-Neretvanska (Dubrovnik-Neretva), Istarska (Istria),

Karlovacka, Koprivnicko-Krizevacka, Krapinsko-Zagorska,

Licko-Senjska (Lika-Senj), Medimurska, Osjecko-Baranjska,

Pozesko-Slavonska (Pozega-Slavonia), Primorsko-Goranska,

Sibensko-Kninska, Sisacko-Moslavacka, Splitsko-Dalmatinska

(Split-Dalmatia), Varazdinska, Viroviticko-Podravska,

Vukovarsko-Srijemska, Zadarska, Zagreb*, Zagrebacka

Independence:

25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 8 October (1991); note - 25 June 1991 was the day the Croatian Parliament voted for independence; following a three-month moratorium to allow the European Community to solve the Yugoslav crisis peacefully, Parliament adopted a decision on 8 October 1991 to sever constitutional relations with Yugoslavia

Constitution:

adopted on 22 December 1990; revised 2000, 2001

Legal system:

based on Austro-Hungarian law system with Communist law influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Stjepan (Stipe) MESIC (since 18 February 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Ivo SANADER (since 9 December 2003); Deputy Prime Ministers Jadranka KOSOR (since 23 December 2003) and Damir POLANCEC (since 15 February 2005), Djurdja ADLESIC (since 12 January 2008), Slobodan UZELAC (since 12 January 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and approved by the parliamentary Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 16 January 2005 (next to be held in January 2010); the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president and then approved by the Assembly election results: Stjepan MESIC reelected president; percent of vote - Stjepan MESIC 66%, Jadranka KOSOR 34% in the second round

Legislative branch:

unicameral Assembly or Sabor (153 seats; members elected from party lists by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 25 November 2007 (next to be held in November 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; number of seats by party - HDZ 66, SDP 56, HNS 7, HSS 6, HDSSB 3, IDS 3, SDSS 3, other 9

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; judges for both courts appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the Republic, which is elected by the Assembly

Political parties and leaders:

Croatian Democratic Congress of Slavonia and Baranja or HDSSB

[Vladimir SISLJAGIC]; Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ [Ivo

SANADER]; Croatian Party of the Right or HSP [Anto DJAPIC]; Croatian

Peasant Party or HSS [Josip FRISCIC]; Croatian Pensioner Party or

HSU [Vladimir JORDAN]; Croatian People's Party or HNS [Vesna PUSIC];

Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS [Djurdja ADLESIC]; Independent

Democratic Serb Party or SDSS [Vojislav STANIMIROVIC]; Istrian

Democratic Assembly or IDS [Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Social Democratic Party

of Croatia or SDP [Zoran MILANOVIC]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: human rights groups

International organization participation:

ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI,

EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS

(observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN, UN

Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO,

UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Kolinda GRABAR-KITAROVIC chancery: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-5899 FAX: [1] (202) 588-8936 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert A. BRADTKE embassy: 2 Thomas Jefferson Street, 10010 Zagreb mailing address: use street address telephone: [385] (1) 661-2200 FAX: [385] (1) 661-2373

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue superimposed by the Croatian coat of arms (red and white checkered)

Economy

Croatia

Economy - overview:

Once one of the wealthiest of the Yugoslav republics, Croatia's economy suffered badly during the 1991-95 war as output collapsed and the country missed the early waves of investment in Central and Eastern Europe that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall. Since 2000, however, Croatia's economic fortunes have begun to improve slowly, with moderate but steady GDP growth between 4% and 6% led by a rebound in tourism and credit-driven consumer spending. Inflation over the same period has remained tame and the currency, the kuna, stable. Nevertheless, difficult problems still remain, including a stubbornly high unemployment rate, a growing trade deficit and uneven regional development. The state retains a large role in the economy, as privatization efforts often meet stiff public and political resistance. While macroeconomic stabilization has largely been achieved, structural reforms lag because of deep resistance on the part of the public and lack of strong support from politicians. The EU accession process should accelerate fiscal and structural reform.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$69.59 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$51.36 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$15,500 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 7.2% industry: 31.7% services: 61.2% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

1.749 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 2.7% industry: 32.8% services: 64.5% (2004)

Unemployment rate:

11.8% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

11% (2003)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.4% highest 10%: 24.5% (2003 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

29 (2001)

Investment (gross fixed):

30.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $22.56 billion expenditures: $23.92 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

47.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

9% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

9.33% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$11.61 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$31.86 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$45.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, barley, alfalfa, clover, olives, citrus, grapes, soybeans, potatoes; livestock, dairy products

Industries:

chemicals and plastics, machine tools, fabricated metal, electronics, pig iron and rolled steel products, aluminum, paper, wood products, construction materials, textiles, shipbuilding, petroleum and petroleum refining, food and beverages, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

5.3% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

12.41 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

15.57 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

3.306 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

8.374 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 33.6% hydro: 66% nuclear: 0% other: 0.4% (2001)

Oil - production:

23,620 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

101,800 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

43,680 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

112,200 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

79.15 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

1.58 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

2.73 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

1.103 billion cu m (2005)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

28.54 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$4.85 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$12.62 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

transport equipment, textiles, chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels

Exports - partners:

Italy 19.3%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 13.9%, Germany 10.2%, Slovenia 8.4%, Austria 6.2% (2007)

Imports:

$25.99 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, transport and electrical equipment; chemicals, fuels and lubricants; foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

Italy 16.1%, Germany 14.4%, Russia 10.1%, China 6.2%, Slovenia 6%,

Austria 5.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $125.4 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$13.67 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$46.3 billion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$23.13 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$3.161 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$29.01 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

kuna (HRK)

Currency code:

HRK

Exchange rates:

kuna (HRK) per US dollar - 5.3735 (2007), 5.8625 (2006), 5.9473 (2005), 6.0358 (2004), 6.7035 (2003)

Communications

Croatia

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.825 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

5.035 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: the telecommunications network has improved steadily since the mid-1990s; the number of fixed telephone lines holding steady at about 40 per 100 persons; the number of cellular telephone subscriptions exceeds the population domestic: more than 90 percent of local lines are digital international: country code - 385; digital international service is provided through the main switch in Zagreb; Croatia participates in the Trans-Asia-Europe (TEL) fiber-optic project, which consists of 2 fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optic trunk line from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik; the ADRIA-1 submarine cable provides connectivity to Albania and Greece (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 16, FM 98, shortwave 5 (1999)

Radios:

1.51 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

36 (plus 321 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

1.22 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.hr

Internet hosts:

1.111 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

9 (2000)

Internet users:

1.995 million (2007)

Transportation

Croatia

Airports:

68 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 23 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 45 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 37 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 1,556 km; oil 583 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,726 km standard gauge: 2,726 km 1.435-m gauge (1,199 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 28,788 km (includes 877 km of expressways) (2006)

Waterways:

785 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 80 by type: bulk carrier 25, cargo 11, chemical tanker 3, passenger/cargo 30, petroleum tanker 8, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2 registered in other countries: 30 (Bahamas 1, Belize 2, Liberia 2, Malta 9, Marshall Islands 6, Panama 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 7) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Omisalj, Ploce, Rijeka, Sibenik, Vukovar (on Danube)

Military

Croatia

Military branches:

Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia (Oruzane Snage Republike Hrvatske, OSRH), consists of five major commands directly subordinate to a General Staff: Ground Forces (Hrvatska Kopnena Vojska, HKoV), Naval Forces (Hrvatska Ratna Mornarica, HRM), Air Force (Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo, HRZ), Joint Education and Training Command, Logistics Command; Military Police Force supports each of the three Croatian military forces (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary service; 6-month conscript service obligation; full conversion to professional military service by 2010 (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,035,712 females age 16-49: 1,037,896 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 771,323 females age 16-49: 855,937 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 27,500 female: 25,893 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.39% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Croatia

Disputes - international:

dispute remains with Bosnia and Herzegovina over several small disputed sections of the boundary related to maritime access that hinders ratification of the 1999 border agreement; the Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime boundary agreement, which would have ceded most of Pirin Bay and maritime access to Slovenia and several villages to Croatia, remains un-ratified and in dispute; Slovenia also protests Croatia's 2003 claim to an exclusive economic zone in the Adriatic; as a European Union peripheral state, Slovenia imposed a hard border Schengen regime with non-member Croatia in December 2007

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 2,900-7,000 (Croats and Serbs displaced in 1992-95 war) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

transit point along the Balkan route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe; has been used as a transit point for maritime shipments of South American cocaine bound for Western Europe

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Cuba

Introduction

Cuba

Background:

The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule, marked initially by neglect, became increasingly repressive, provoking an independence movement and occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. It was US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 that finally overthrew Spanish rule. The subsequent Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence, which was granted in 1902 after a three-year transition period. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He stepped down as president in February 2008 in favor of his younger brother Raul CASTRO. Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The country is now slowly recovering from a severe economic downturn in 1990, following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Cuba portrays its difficulties as the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the southwest border - is a continuing problem. The US Coast Guard intercepted 2,864 individuals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in fiscal year 2006.

Geography

Cuba

Location:

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic

Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida

Geographic coordinates:

21 30 N, 80 00 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 110,860 sq km land: 110,860 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries:

total: 29 km border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and remains part of Cuba

Coastline:

3,735 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October)

Terrain:

mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m

Natural resources:

cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 27.63% permanent crops: 6.54% other: 65.83% (2005)

Irrigated land:

8,700 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

38.1 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 8.2 cu km/yr (19%/12%/69%) per capita: 728 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to November (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common

Environment - current issues:

air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles

People

Cuba

Population:

11,423,952 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 18.5% (male 1,088,311/female 1,030,499) 15-64 years: 70.5% (male 4,029,381/female 4,025,154) 65 years and over: 10.9% (male 569,002/female 681,605) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 36.8 years male: 36.1 years female: 37.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.251% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

11.27 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.19 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-1.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 5.93 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.64 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 77.27 years male: 75.02 years female: 79.64 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.6 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

3,300 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: dengue fever (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Cuban(s) adjective: Cuban

Ethnic groups:

white 65.1%, mulatto and mestizo 24.8%, black 10.1% (2002 census)

Religions:

nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented

Languages:

Spanish

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.8% (2002 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 16 years male: 15 years female: 17 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

9.1% of GDP (2006)

People - note:

illicit emigration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US including direct flights to Miami and over-land via the southwest border

Government

Cuba

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Cuba conventional short form: Cuba local long form: Republica de Cuba local short form: Cuba

Government type:

Communist state

Capital:

name: Havana geographic coordinates: 23 07 N, 82 21 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

14 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara

Independence:

20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902); not acknowledged by the Cuban Government as a day of independence

National holiday:

Triumph of the Revolution, 1 January (1959)

Constitution:

24 February 1976; amended July 1992 and June 2002

Legal system:

based on Spanish civil law and influenced by American legal concepts, with large elements of Communist legal theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

16 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (president since 24 February 2008); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Jose Ramon MACHADO Ventura (since 24 February 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (president since 24 February 2008); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Jose Ramon MACHADO Ventura (since 24 February 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council of State and appointed by the National Assembly or the 31-member Council of State, elected by the Assembly to act on its behalf when it is not in session elections: president and vice presidents elected by the National Assembly for a term of five years; election last held 24 February 2008 (next to be held in 2013) election results: Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz elected president; percent of legislative vote - 100%; Gen. Jose Ramon MACHADO Ventura elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - 100%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (number of seats in the National Assembly is based on population; 614 seats; members elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 20 January 2008 (next to be held in January 2013) election results: Cuba's Communist Party is the only legal party, and officially sanctioned candidates run unopposed

Judicial branch:

People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular (president, vice president, and other judges are elected by the National Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:

Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Human Rights Watch; National Association of Small Farmers

International organization participation:

ACP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES,

LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962),

OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNITAR,

UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none; note - Cuba has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Jorge BOLANOS Suarez; address: Cuban Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518; FAX: [1] (202) 797-8521

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Chief of Mission Jonathan D. FARRAR; address: USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada between L and M Streets, Vedado, Havana; telephone: [53] (7) 833-3551 through 3559 (operator assistance required); FAX: [53] (7) 833-1653; protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland

Flag description:

five equal horizontal bands of blue (top, center, and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center

Economy

Cuba

Economy - overview:

The government continues to balance the need for economic loosening against a desire for firm political control. It has rolled back limited reforms undertaken in the 1990s to increase enterprise efficiency and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services. The average Cuban's standard of living remains at a lower level than before the downturn of the 1990s, which was caused by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. Since late 2000, Venezuela has been providing oil on preferential terms, and it currently supplies about 100,000 barrels per day of petroleum products. Cuba has been paying for the oil, in part, with the services of Cuban personnel in Venezuela, including some 20,000 medical professionals. In 2007, high metals prices continued to boost Cuban earnings from nickel and cobalt production. Havana continued to invest in the country's energy sector to mitigate electrical blackouts that had plagued the country since 2004.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$125.5 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$45.58 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$11,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 5.2% industry: 25% services: 69.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

4.956 million note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 20% industry: 19.4% services: 60.6% (2005)

Unemployment rate:

1.8% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

13.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $41.84 billion expenditures: $43.9 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

36.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA

Stock of money:

NA

Stock of quasi money:

NA

Stock of domestic credit:

NA

Agriculture - products:

sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock

Industries:

sugar, petroleum, tobacco, construction, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals

Industrial production growth rate:

2.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

16.97 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

14.02 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 93.9% hydro: 0.6% nuclear: 0% other: 5.4% (2001)

Oil - production:

61,300 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - consumption:

203,500 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2006)

Oil - imports:

123,200 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

124 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

1.058 billion cu m (2006)

Natural gas - consumption:

1.058 billion cu m (2006)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

70.79 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$240 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$3.734 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee

Exports - partners:

China 27.5%, Canada 26.9%, Netherlands 11.1%, Spain 4.7% (2007)

Imports:

$10.08 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners:

Venezuela 29.6%, China 13.4%, Spain 10.4%, Canada 6%, US 5.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$87.8 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$4.247 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$16.79 billion (convertible currency); another $15-20 billion owed to Russia (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$11.24 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$4.138 billion (2006 est.)

Currency (code):

Cuban peso (CUP) and Convertible peso (CUC)

Currency code:

CUP (nonconvertible Cuban peso) and CUC (convertible Cuban peso)

Exchange rates:

Cuban pesos (CUP) per US dollar - 0.9259 (2007), 0.9231 (2006) note: Cuba has two currencies in circulation: the Cuban peso (CUP) and the convertible peso (CUC); in April 2005 the official exchange rate changed from $1 per CUC to $1.08 per CUC (0.93 CUC per $1), both for individuals and enterprises; individuals can buy 24 Cuban pesos (CUP) for each CUC sold, or sell 25 Cuban pesos for each CUC bought; enterprises, however, must exchange CUP and CUC at a 1:1 ratio.

Communications

Cuba

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.043 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

198,300 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: greater investment beginning in 1994 and the establishment of a new Ministry of Information Technology and Communications in 2000 has resulted in improvements in the system; wireless service is expensive and must be paid in convertible pesos which effectively limits mobile cellular subscribership domestic: national fiber-optic system under development; 95% of switches digitized by end of 2006; fixed telephone line density remains low, at less than 10 per 100 inhabitants; domestic cellular service expanding but remains at only about 2 per 100 persons international: country code - 53; fiber-optic cable laid to but not linked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

3.9 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

58 (1997)

Televisions:

2.64 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.cu

Internet hosts:

3,664 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

5 (2001)

Internet users:

1.31 million note: private citizens are prohibited from buying computers or accessing the Internet without special authorization; foreigners may access the Internet in large hotels but are subject to firewalls; some Cubans buy illegal passwords on the black market or take advantage of public outlets to access limited email and the government-controlled "intranet" (2007)

Transportation

Cuba

Airports:

165 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 70 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 31 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 95 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 71 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 49 km; oil 230 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 4,226 km standard gauge: 4,226 km 1.435-m gauge (140 km electrified) note: an additional 7,742 km of track is used by sugar plantations; about 65% of this track is standard gauge; the rest is narrow gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 60,858 km paved: 29,820 km (includes 638 km of expressway) unpaved: 31,038 km (2000)

Waterways:

240 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 11 by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 3, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Spain 1) registered in other countries: 13 (Bahamas 1, Cyprus 1, Netherlands Antilles 1, Panama 10) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Cienfuegos, Havana, Matanzas

Military

Cuba

Military branches:

Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, FAR):

Revolutionary Army (ER; includes Territorial Militia Troops, MTT),

Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR; includes

Marine Corps), Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR),

Youth Labor Army (EJT) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

17-28 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation; both sexes subject to military service (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,094,388 females age 16-49: 3,024,876 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,543,044 females age 16-49: 2,481,823 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 79,945 female: 76,014 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Military - note:

the collapse of the Soviet Union deprived the Cuban Army of its major economic and logistic support, and had a significant impact on equipment numbers and serviceability; the army remains well trained and professional in nature; while the lack of replacement parts for its existing equipment and the current severe shortage of fuel have increasingly affected operational capabilities, Cuba remains able to offer considerable resistance to any regional power (2008)

Transnational Issues

Cuba

Disputes - international:

US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the facility can terminate the lease

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Cuba is principally a source country for women and children trafficked within the country for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation and possibly for forced labor; the country is a destination for sex tourism, including child sex tourism, which is a problem in many areas of the country; some Cuban nationals willingly migrate to the United States, but are subsequently exploited for forced labor by their smugglers; Cuba is also a transit point for the smuggling of migrants from China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Lebanon, and other nations to the United States and Canada tier rating: Tier 3 - Cuba does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; exact information about trafficking in Cuba is difficult to obtain because the government does not acknowledge or condemn human trafficking as a problem in Cuba; tangible efforts to prosecute offenders, protect victims, or prevent human trafficking activity do not appear to have been made during 2007; Cuba has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Illicit drugs:

territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for US- and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Cyprus

Introduction

Cyprus

Background:

A former British colony, Cyprus became independent in 1960 following years of resistance to British rule. Tensions between the Greek Cypriot majority and Turkish Cypriot minority came to a head in December 1963, when violence broke out in the capital of Nicosia. Despite the deployment of UN peacekeepers in 1964, sporadic intercommunal violence continued forcing most Turkish Cypriots into enclaves throughout the island. In 1974, a Greek Government-sponsored attempt to seize control of Cyprus was met by military intervention from Turkey, which soon controlled more than a third of the island. In 1983, the Turkish-held area declared itself the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), but it is recognized only by Turkey. The latest two-year round of UN-brokered talks - between the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to reach an agreement to reunite the divided island - ended when the Greek Cypriots rejected the UN settlement plan in an April 2004 referendum. The entire island entered the EU on 1 May 2004, although the EU acquis - the body of common rights and obligations - applies only to the areas under direct government control, and is suspended in the areas administered by Turkish Cypriots. However, individual Turkish Cypriots able to document their eligibility for Republic of Cyprus citizenship legally enjoy the same rights accorded to other citizens of European Union states. The election of a new Cypriot president in 2008 served as the impetus for the UN to encourage both the Turkish and Cypriot Governments to reopen unification negotiations.

Geography

Cyprus

Location:

Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey

Geographic coordinates:

35 00 N, 33 00 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 9,250 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in north Cyprus) land: 9,240 sq km water: 10 sq km

Area - comparative:

about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries:

total: 150.4 km (approximately) border sovereign base areas: Akrotiri 47.4 km, Dhekelia 103 km (approximately)

Coastline:

648 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters

Terrain:

central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered but significant plains along southern coast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Olympus 1,951 m

Natural resources:

copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay earth pigment

Land use:

arable land: 10.81% permanent crops: 4.32% other: 84.87% (2005)

Irrigated land:

400 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

0.4 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.21 cu km/yr (27%/1%/71%) per capita: 250 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

moderate earthquake activity; droughts

Environment - current issues:

water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments, seasonal disparity in rainfall, sea water intrusion to island's largest aquifer, increased salination in the north); water pollution from sewage and industrial wastes; coastal degradation; loss of wildlife habitats from urbanization

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and Sardinia)

People

Cyprus

Population:

792,604 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 19.5% (male 78,922/female 75,523) 15-64 years: 68.5% (male 275,223/female 267,798) 65 years and over: 12% (male 41,592/female 53,546) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 35.3 years male: 34.3 years female: 36.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.522% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

12.56 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.76 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 6.75 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.34 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.15 years male: 75.75 years female: 80.67 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.79 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

fewer than 1,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Cypriot(s) adjective: Cypriot

Ethnic groups:

Greek 77%, Turkish 18%, other 5% (2001)

Religions:

Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, other (includes Maronite and

Armenian Apostolic) 4%

Languages:

Greek, Turkish, English

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.6% male: 98.9% female: 96.3% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

6.3% of GDP (2004)

Government

Cyprus

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Cyprus conventional short form: Cyprus local long form: Kypriaki Dimokratia/Kibris Cumhuriyeti local short form: Kypros/Kibris note: the Turkish Cypriot community, which administers the northern part of the island, refers to itself as the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC)

Government type:

republic note: a separation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the island began following the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this separation was further solidified after the Turkish intervention in July 1974 that followed a Greek junta-supported coup attempt gave the Turkish Cypriots de facto control in the north; Greek Cypriots control the only internationally recognized government; on 15 November 1983 Turkish Cypriot "President" Rauf DENKTASH declared independence and the formation of a "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), which is recognized only by Turkey

Capital:

name: Nicosia (Lefkosia) geographic coordinates: 35 10 N, 33 22 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

6 districts; Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos; note - Turkish Cypriot area's administrative divisions include Kyrenia, all but a small part of Famagusta, and small parts of Lefkosia (Nicosia)

Independence:

16 August 1960 (from UK); note - Turkish Cypriots proclaimed self-rule on 13 February 1975 and independence in 1983, but these proclamations are only recognized by Turkey

National holiday:

Independence Day, 1 October (1960); note - Turkish Cypriots celebrate 15 November (1983) as Independence Day

Constitution:

16 August 1960 note: from December 1963, the Turkish Cypriots no longer participated in the government; negotiations to create the basis for a new or revised constitution to govern the island and for better relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held intermittently since the mid-1960s; in 1975, following the 1974 Turkish intervention, Turkish Cypriots created their own constitution and governing bodies within the "Turkish Federated State of Cyprus," which became the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)" when the Turkish Cypriots declared their independence in 1983; a new constitution for the "TRNC" passed by referendum on 5 May 1985, although the "TRNC" remains unrecognized by any country other than Turkey

Legal system:

based on English common law, with civil law modifications; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Dimitris CHRISTOFIAS (since 28 February 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; post of vice president is currently vacant; under the 1960 constitution, the post is reserved for a Turkish Cypriot head of government: President Dimitris CHRISTOFIAS (since 28 February 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed jointly by the president and vice president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 17 and 24 February 2008 (next to be held in February 2013) election results: Dimitris CHRISTOFIAS elected president; percent of vote (first round) - Ioannis KASOULIDIS 33.5%, Dimitris CHRISTOFIAS 33.3%, Tassos PAPADOPOULOS 31.8%; (second round) Dimitris CHRISTOFIAS 53.4%, Ioannis KASOULIDIS 46.6% note: Mehmet Ali TALAT became "president" of the "TRNC", 24 April 2005, after "presidential" elections on 17 April 2005; results - Mehmet Ali TALAT 55.6%, Dervis EROGLU 22.7%; Ferdi Sabit SOYER is "TRNC prime minister" and heads the Council of Ministers (cabinet) in coalition with "Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister" Turgay AVCI

Legislative branch:

unicameral - area under government control: House of Representatives or Vouli Antiprosopon (80 seats, 56 assigned to the Greek Cypriots, 24 to Turkish Cypriots; note - only those assigned to Greek Cypriots are filled; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); area administered by Turkish Cypriots: Assembly of the Republic or Cumhuriyet Meclisi (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: area under government control: last held 21 May 2006 (next to be held 2011); area administered by Turkish Cypriots: last held 14 December 2003 (next to be held in 2008) election results: area under government control: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - AKEL 31.1%, DISY 30.3%, DIKO 17.9%, EDEK 8.9%, EURO.KO 5.8%, Greens 2.0%; seats by party - AKEL (Communist) 18, DISY 18, DIKO 11, EDEK 5, EURO.KO 3, Greens 1; area administered by Turkish Cypriots: Assembly of the Republic - percent of vote by party - CTP 35.8%, UBP 32.3%, Peace and Democratic Movement 13.4%, DP 12.3%; seats by party - CTP 19, UBP 18, Peace and Democratic Movement 6, DP 7; note - "TRNC" seats by party as of September 2006 - CTP 25, OP 3, UBP 13, DP 6, BDH 1, independents 2

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are appointed jointly by the president and

vice president)

note: there is also a Supreme Court in the area administered by

Turkish Cypriots

Political parties and leaders:

area under government control: Democratic Party or DIKO [Marios

KAROYIAN]; Democratic Rally or DISY [Nikos ANASTASIADHIS]; European

Democracy or EURO.DI [Prodromos PRODROMOU] (evolved from For Europe

which merged with New Horizons); European Party or EURO.KO [Demetris

SYLLOURIS]; Fighting Democratic Movement or ADIK [Dinos

MIKHAILIDIS]; Green Party of Cyprus [George PERDIKIS]; Movement for

Social Democrats or EDEK [Yannakis OMIROU]; Political Movement of

Hunters [Michalis PAFITANIS]; Progressive Party of the Working

People or AKEL (Communist Party) [Dimitris CHRISTOFIAS]; United

Democrats or EDI [Michalis PAPAPETROU]

area administered by Turkish Cypriots: Communal Liberation Party or

TKP [Huseyin ANGOLEMLI]; Cyprus Socialist Party or KSP [Kazim

ONGEN]; Democratic Party or DP [Serder DENKTASH]; Freedom and Reform

Party or OP [Turgay AVCI]; National Unity Party or UBP [Tahsin

ERTUGRULOGLU]; Nationalist Justice Party or MAP [Ata TEPE]; New

Party or YP [Huseyin TURAN]; Our Party or BP [Okyay SADIKOGLU];

Patriotic Unity Movement or YBH [Oguz OZEN]; Peace and Democratic

Movement or BDH [Mustafa AKINCI]; Renewal Progress Party or YAP

[Ertugrul HASIPOGLU]; Republican Turkish Party or CTP [Ferdi Sabit

SOYER]; United Cyprus Party or BKP [Isset IZCAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Confederation of Cypriot Workers or SEK (pro-West); Confederation of

Revolutionary Labor Unions or Dev-Is; Federation of Turkish Cypriot

Labor Unions or Turk-Sen; Pan-Cyprian Labor Federation or PEO

(Communist controlled)

International organization participation:

Australia Group, C, CE, EBRD, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICC, ICCt, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer),

OIF (associate member), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,

UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Andreas KAKOURIS chancery: 2211 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 462-5772, 462-0873 FAX: [1] (202) 483-6710 consulate(s) general: New York note: representative of the Turkish Cypriot community in the US is Hilmi AKIL; office at 1667 K Street NW, Washington, DC; telephone [1] (202) 887-6198

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Frank C. URBANCIC, Jr. embassy: corner of Metochiou and Ploutarchou Streets, 2407 Engomi, Nicosia mailing address: P. O. Box 24536, 1385 Nicosia telephone: [357] (22) 393939 FAX: [357] (22) 780944

Flag description:

white with a copper-colored silhouette of the island (the name Cyprus is derived from the Greek word for copper) above two green crossed olive branches in the center of the flag; the branches symbolize the hope for peace and reconciliation between the Greek and Turkish communities note: the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" flag has a white field with narrow horizontal red stripes positioned a small distance from the top and bottom edges between which is centered a red crescent and a red five-pointed star

Economy

Cyprus

Economy - overview:

The area of the Republic of Cyprus under government control has a market economy dominated by the service sector, which accounts for 78% of GDP. Tourism, financial services, and real estate are the most important sectors. Erratic growth rates over the past decade reflect the economy's reliance on tourism, which often fluctuates with political instability in the region and economic conditions in Western Europe. Nevertheless, the economy in the area under government control grew by an average of 3.6% per year during the period of 2000-06, well above the EU average. Cyprus joined the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM2) in May 2005 and adopted the euro as its national currency on 1 January 2008. An aggressive austerity program in the preceding years, aimed at paving the way for the euro, helped turn a soaring fiscal deficit (6.3% in 2003) into a surplus of 1.5% in 2007. As in the area administered by Turkish Cypriots, water shortages are a perennial problem; a few desalination plants are now on line. After 10 years of drought, the country received substantial rainfall from 2001-04 alleviating immediate concerns. Rainfall in 2005 and 2006, however, was well below average, making water rationing a necessity in 2007.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$21.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$21.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$27,100 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.7% industry: 19.2% services: 78% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

393,000 (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 8.5% industry: 20.5% services: 71% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

3.9% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

29 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

20.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues:: $9.996 billion expenditures:: $9.304 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

59.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.4% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

6.74% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$4.094 billion note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$43.93 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$52.09 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

citrus, vegetables, barley, grapes, olives, vegetables; poultry, pork, lamb; dairy, cheese

Industries:

tourism, food and beverage processing, cement and gypsum production, ship repair and refurbishment, textiles, light chemicals, metal products, wood, paper, stone, and clay products

Industrial production growth rate:

3.8% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

4.52 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

4.151 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - consumption:

57,830 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

55,970 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

NA

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

NA

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

NA

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006)

Current account balance:

-$2.144 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.495 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

citrus, potatoes, pharmaceuticals, cement, and clothing

Exports - partners:

Greece 21.1%, UK 14.3%, Germany 6.6% (2007)

Imports:

$7.84 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

consumer goods, petroleum and lubricants, intermediate goods, machinery, transport equipment

Imports - partners:

Greece 17.7%, Italy 10.2%, UK 9.6%, Germany 9.4%, Israel 6.5%,

France 5.4%, China 5.3%, Netherlands 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

$25.9 million (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$15 million (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$6.507 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$26.97 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$13.36 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$5.419 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$48.2 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

Cypriot pound (CYP); euro (EUR) after 1 January 2008

Currency code:

CYP; TRL

Exchange rates:

Cypriot pounds (CYP) per US dollar -: 0.4286 (2007), 0.4586 (2006), 0.4641 (2005), 0.4686 (2004), 0.5174 (2003)

Economy of the area administered by Turkish Cypriots:

Economy - overview: The Turkish Cypriot economy has roughly 30% of the per capita GDP of the south, and economic growth tends to be volatile, given the north's relative isolation, bloated public sector, reliance on the Turkish lira, and small market size. Agriculture and services, together, employ more than half of the work force. The Turkish Cypriot economy grew around 10.6% in 2006, fueled by growth in the construction and education sectors, as well as increased employment of Turkish Cypriots in the area under government control. GDP declined about 2.0% in 2007. The Turkish Cypriots are heavily dependent on transfers from the Turkish Government. Ankara directly finances around one-third of the "TRNC's" budget. Aid from Turkey has exceeded $400 million annually in recent years. GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.865 billion (2006 est.) GDP - real growth rate: -2% (2007 est.) GDP - per capita: $11,800 (2006 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 8.6%, industry: 22.5%, services: 69.1% (2006 est.) Labor force: 95,030 (2007 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 14.5%, industry: 29%, services: 56.5% (2004) Unemployment rate: 9.4% (2005 est.) Population below poverty line: %NA Inflation rate: 11.4% (2006) Budget: revenues: $2.5 billion, expenditures: $2.5 billion (2006) Agriculture - products: citrus fruit, dairy, potatoes, grapes, olives, poultry, lamb Industries: foodstuffs, textiles, clothing, ship repair, clay, gypsum, copper, furniture Industrial production growth rate: -0.3% (2007 est.) Electricity production: 998.9 million kWh (2005) Electricity consumption: 797.9 million kWh (2005) Exports: $68.1 million, f.o.b. (2007 est.) Export - commodities: citrus, dairy, potatoes, textiles Export - partners: Turkey 40%; direct trade between the area administered by Turkish Cypriots and the area under government control remains limited Imports: $1.2 billion, f.o.b. (2007 est.) Import - commodities: vehicles, fuel, cigarettes, food, minerals, chemicals, machinery Import - partners: Turkey 60%; direct trade between the area administered by Turkish Cypriots and the area under government control remains limited Economic aid - recipient: under a July 2006 agreement, Turkey plans to provide the area administered by Turkish Cypriots 1.875 billion YTL ($1.3 billion) over three years (600 million YTL in 2006, 625 million YTL in 2007 and 650 million YTL in 2008); Turkey has forgiven most past aid; additionally, the EU pledged financial assistance of Euro 259 million ($388 million) in 2004, which is yet to be disbursed. Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $NA Debt - external: $NA Currency (code): Turkish new lira (YTL) Exchange rates: Turkish new lira per US dollar: 1.319 (2007) 1.4286 (2006) 1.3436 (2005) 1.4255 (2004) 1.5009 (2003)

Communications

Cyprus

Telephones - main lines in use:

area under government control: 376,000 (2007); area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 86,228 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

area under government control: 962,200 (2007); area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 147,522 (2002)

Telephone system:

general assessment: excellent in both area under government control and area administered by Turkish Cypriots domestic: open-wire, fiber-optic cable, and microwave radio relay international: country code - 357 (area administered by Turkish Cypriots uses the country code of Turkey - 90); a number of submarine cables, including the SEA-ME-WE-3, combine to provide connectivity to Western Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; tropospheric scatter; satellite earth stations - 8 (3 Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean, 2 Eutelsat, 2 Intersputnik, and 1 Arabsat)

Radio broadcast stations:

area under government control: AM 5, FM 76, shortwave 0 area administered by Turkish Cypriots: AM 1, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2004)

Radios:

Greek Cypriot area: 310,000 (1997); Turkish Cypriot area: 56,450 (1994)

Television broadcast stations:

area under government control: 8 area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 2 (plus 4 relay) (2004)

Televisions:

Greek Cypriot area: 248,000 (1997); Turkish Cypriot area: 52,300 (1994)

Internet country code:

.cy

Internet hosts:

143,099 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

6 (2000)

Internet users:

380,000 (2007)

Transportation

Cyprus

Airports:

16 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Heliports:

10 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 14,630 km (area under government control: 12,280 km; area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 2,350 km) paved: area under government control: 7,979 km (includes 257 km of expressways); area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 1,370 km unpaved: area under government control: 4,301 km; area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 980 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 858 by type: bulk carrier 295, cargo 182, chemical tanker 63, container 193, liquefied gas 10, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 24, petroleum tanker 58, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 12, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 690 (Austria 1, Belgium 2, Canada 2, Chile 1, China 10, Cuba 1, Denmark 4, Estonia 5, Germany 189, Greece 259, Hong Kong 2, India 2, Iran 10, Ireland 3, Israel 4, Italy 7, Japan 21, South Korea 1, Latvia 1, Lebanon 1, Netherlands 22, Norway 18, Philippines 1, Poland 18, Portugal 1, Russia 50, Singapore 3, Slovenia 4, Spain 6, Sweden 2, Syria 2, Ukraine 4, UAE 9, UK 19, US 5) registered in other countries: 256 (Antigua and Barbuda 18, Bahamas 25, Belize 1, Burma 1, Cambodia 7, Comoros 1, Georgia 1, Germany 2, Gibraltar 1, Greece 7, Liberia 63, Malta 31, Marshall Islands 37, Netherlands 8, Netherlands Antilles 21, Panama 19, Poland 1, Russia 2, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Samoa 1, Singapore 1, Tonga 1, Turkey 2, UK 2, unknown 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

area under government control: Larnaca, Limassol, Vasilikos; area administered by Turkish Cypriots: Famagusta, Kyrenia

Military

Cyprus

Military branches:

Republic of Cyprus: Greek Cypriot National Guard (Ethniki Forea, EF; includes air and naval elements); northern Cyprus: Turkish Cypriot Security Force (GKK) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

Greek Cypriot National Guard (GCNG): 18-50 years of age for compulsory military service for all Greek Cypriot males; 17 years of age for voluntary service; females are not conscripted; age of military eligibility 17 to 50; length of normal service is 25 months with a minimum of 3 months (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

Greek Cypriot National Guard (GCNG): males age 16-49: 199,767 females age 16-49: 190,665 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

Greek Cypriot National Guard (GCNG): males age 16-49: 165,042 females age 16-49: 158,869 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 6,482 female: 6,208 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Cyprus

Disputes - international:

hostilities in 1974 divided the island into two de facto autonomous entities, the internationally recognized Cypriot Government and a Turkish-Cypriot community (north Cyprus); the 1,000-strong UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has served in Cyprus since 1964 and maintains the buffer zone between north and south; on 1 May 2004, Cyprus entered the European Union still divided, with the EU's body of legislation and standards (acquis communitaire) suspended in the north; Turkey protests Cypriot Government creating hydrocarbon blocks and maritime boundary with Lebanon in March 2007

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 210,000 (both Turkish and Greek Cypriots; many displaced for over 30 years) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Cyprus is primarily a destination country for a large number of women trafficked from Eastern and Central Europe, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic for the purpose of sexual exploitation; traffickers continued to fraudulently recruit victims for work as dancers in cabarets and nightclubs on short-term "artiste" visas, for work in pubs and bars on employment visas, or for illegal work on tourist or student visas tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cyprus is on the Tier 2 Watch List for a third consecutive year for failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking during 2007; although Cyprus passed a new trafficking law and opened a government trafficking shelter, these efforts are outweighed by its failure to show tangible and critically needed progress in the areas of law enforcement, victim protection, and the prevention of trafficking (2008)

Illicit drugs:

minor transit point for heroin and hashish via air routes and container traffic to Europe, especially from Lebanon and Turkey; some cocaine transits as well; despite a strengthening of anti-money-laundering legislation, remains vulnerable to money laundering; reporting of suspicious transactions in offshore sector remains weak

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Czech Republic

Introduction

Czech Republic

Background:

Following the First World War, the closely related Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, the new country's leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the demands of other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). After World War II, a truncated Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize Communist party rule and create "socialism with a human face." Anti-Soviet demonstrations the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution." On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.

Geography

Czech Republic

Location:

Central Europe, southeast of Germany

Geographic coordinates:

49 45 N, 15 30 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 78,866 sq km land: 77,276 sq km water: 1,590 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries:

total: 1,989 km border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 815 km, Poland 615 km, Slovakia 197 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Terrain:

Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of very hilly country

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Elbe River 115 m highest point: Snezka 1,602 m

Natural resources:

hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber

Land use:

arable land: 38.82% permanent crops: 3% other: 58.18% (2005)

Irrigated land:

240 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

16 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.91 cu km/yr (41%/57%/2%) per capita: 187 cu m/yr (2002)

Natural hazards:

flooding

Environment - current issues:

air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid rain damaging forests; efforts to bring industry up to EU code should improve domestic pollution

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,

Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,

Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,

Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands,

Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; strategically located astride some of oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the Danube in central Europe

People

Czech Republic

Population:

10,220,911 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 13.8% (male 723,521/female 684,786) 15-64 years: 71.2% (male 3,653,679/female 3,619,872) 65 years and over: 15.1% (male 604,419/female 934,634) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 39.8 years male: 38.2 years female: 41.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.082% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

8.89 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.69 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 3.83 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.62 years male: 73.34 years female: 80.08 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

2,500 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 10 (2001 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Czech(s) adjective: Czech

Ethnic groups:

Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4% (2001 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%, unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59% (2001 census)

Languages:

Czech 94.9%, Slovak 2%, other 2.3%, unidentified 0.8% (2001 census)

Literacy:

definition: NA total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 15 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4.4% of GDP (2004)

Government

Czech Republic

Country name:

conventional long form: Czech Republic conventional short form: Czech Republic local long form: Ceska Republika local short form: Cesko

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Prague geographic coordinates: 50 05 N, 14 28 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky (South Bohemia), Jihomoravsky (South Moravia), Karlovarsky, Kralovehradecky, Liberecky, Moravskoslezsky (Moravia-Silesia), Olomoucky, Pardubicky, Plzensky (Pilsen), Praha (Prague)*, Stredocesky (Central Bohemia), Ustecky, Vysocina, Zlinsky

Independence:

1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)

National holiday:

Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918)

Constitution:

ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993

Legal system:

civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to bring it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Mirek TOPOLANEK (since 9 January 2007); Deputy Prime Ministers Petr NECAS (since 9 January 2007), Martin BURSIK (since 9 January 2007), and Alexandr VONDRA (since 9 January 2007) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); last successful election held 15 February 2008 (after earlier elections held 8 and 9 February 2008 were inconclusive; next election to be held in February 2013); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Vaclav KLAUS reelected president on 15 February 2008; Vaclav KLAUS 141 votes, Jan SVEJNAR 111 votes (third round; combined votes of both chambers of parliament)

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 17-18 and 24-25 October 2008 (next to be held in October 2010); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2-3 June 2006 (next to be held by June 2010) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ODS 35, CSSD 29, KDU-CSL 7, others 8, independents 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - ODS 35.4%, CSSD 32.3%, KSCM 12.8%, KDU-CSL 7.2%, Greens 6.3%, other 6%; seats by party - ODS 81, CSSD 74, KSCM 26, KDU-CSL 13, Greens 6; note - seats by party as of December 2007 - ODS 81, CSSD 72, KSCM 26, KDU-CSL 13, Greens 6, unaffiliated 2 (former CSSD members)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term

Political parties and leaders:

Association of Independent Candidates-European Democrats or SNK-ED

[Helmut DOHNALEK]; Christian Democratic Union-Czechoslovak People's

Party or KDU-CSL [Jiri CUNEK]; Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek

TOPOLANEK]; Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech

FILIP]; Czech Social Democratic Party or CSSD [Jiri PAROUBEK]; Union

of Freedom-Democratic Union or US-DEU [Jan CERNY]; Green Party

[Martin BURSIK]; Independent Democrats (NEZDEM) [Vladimir ZELEZNY];

Party of Open Society (SOS) [Pavel NOVACEK]; Path of Change [Jiri

LOBKOWITZ]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS [Milan STECH]

International organization participation:

ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI,

CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,

IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF

(observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate),

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Petr KOLAR chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100 FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard W. GRABER embassy: Trziste 15, 118 01 Prague 1 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [420] 257 022 000 FAX: [420] 257 022 809

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side note: identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia

Economy

Czech Republic

Economy - overview:

The Czech Republic is one of the most stable and prosperous of the post-Communist states of Central and Eastern Europe. Growth in 2000-07 was supported by exports to the EU, primarily to Germany, and a strong recovery of foreign and domestic investment. Domestic demand is playing an ever more important role in underpinning growth as the availability of credit cards and mortgages increases. The current account deficit has declined to around 3.3% of GDP as demand for automotive and other products from the Czech Republic remains strong in the European Union. Rising inflation from higher food and energy prices are a risk to balanced economic growth. Significant increases in social spending in the run-up to June 2006 elections prevented, the government from meeting its goal of reducing its budget deficit to 3% of GDP in 2007. Negotiations on pension and additional healthcare reforms are continuing without clear prospects for agreement and implementation. Intensified restructuring among large enterprises, improvements in the financial sector, and effective use of available EU funds should strengthen output growth. The pro-business Civic Democratic Party-led government approved reforms in 2007 designed to cut spending on some social welfare benefits and reform the tax system with the aim of eventually reducing the budget deficit to 2.3% of GDP by 2010. Parliamentary approval for any additional reforms could prove difficult, however, because of the parliament's even split. The government withdrew a 2010 target date for euro adoption and instead aims to meet the eurozone criteria around 2012.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$251 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$175.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$24,500 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.7% industry: 38.7% services: 58.6% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

5.36 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 4.1% industry: 37.6% services: 58.3% (2003)

Unemployment rate:

6.6% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 4.3% highest 10%: 22.4% (1996)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

26 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

24.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $72.1 billion expenditures: $74.98 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

26% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

3.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

5.79% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$84.43 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$58.77 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$103.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, poultry

Industries:

metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, glass, armaments

Industrial production growth rate:

9.8% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

82.88 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

61.52 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

26.36 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

10.2 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 76.1% hydro: 2.9% nuclear: 20% other: 1% (2001)

Oil - production:

13,530 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

207,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

27,360 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

224,600 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

15 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

172 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

8.622 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

402 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

8.628 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

3.964 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$4.534 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$122.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment 52%, raw materials and fuel 9%, chemicals 5% (2003)

Exports - partners:

Germany 30.7%, Slovakia 8.7%, Poland 5.9%, France 5.4%, UK 5.1%,

Italy 4.9%, Austria 4.6% (2007)

Imports:

$116.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment 46%, raw materials and fuels 15%, chemicals 10% (2003)

Imports - partners:

Germany 31.8%, Netherlands 6.7%, Slovakia 6.4%, Poland 6.3%, Austria 5.1%, China 5.1%, Russia 4.5%, Italy 4.4%, France 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$278.7 million in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$34.59 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$74.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$86.75 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$6.058 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$48.6 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Czech koruna (CZK)

Currency code:

CZK

Exchange rates:

koruny (CZK) per US dollar - 20.53 (2007), 22.596 (2006), 23.957 (2005), 25.7 (2004), 28.209 (2003)

Communications

Czech Republic

Telephones - main lines in use:

2.888 million (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

13.075 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: privatization and modernization of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is advancing steadily; access to the fixed-line telephone network expanded throughout the 1990s but the number of fixed line connections has been dropping since then; mobile telephone usage increased sharply beginning in the mid-1990s and the number of cellular telephone subscriptions now greatly exceeds the population domestic: virtually all exchanges now digital; existing copper subscriber systems enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals; trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay international: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 6 (2 Intersputnik - Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, 1 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000)

Radios:

3,159,134 (December 2000)

Television broadcast stations:

150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000)

Televisions:

3,405,834 (December 2000)

Internet country code:

.cz

Internet hosts:

2.434 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

more than 300 (2000)

Internet users:

4.4 million (2007)

Transportation

Czech Republic

Airports:

122 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 45 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 18 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 77 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 26 under 914 m: 50 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 7,010 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 9,597 km standard gauge: 9,597 km 1.435-m gauge (3,041 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 128,512 km paved: 128,512 km (includes 657 km of expressways) (2007)

Waterways:

664 km (principally on Elbe, Vltava, Oder, and other navigable rivers, lakes, and canals) (2006)

Merchant marine:

registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem

Military

Czech Republic

Military branches:

Army of the Czech Republic (ACR): Joint Forces Command (includes

Army and Air Forces), Support and Training Forces Command (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-28 years of age for voluntary and 19-28 for compulsory military service (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,522,383 females age 16-49: 2,425,095 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,100,789 females age 16-49: 2,018,101 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 63,124 female: 59,786 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.46% of GDP (2007 est.)

Transnational Issues

Czech Republic

Disputes - international:

while threats of international legal action never materialized in 2007, 915,220 Austrians, with the support of the popular Freedom Party, signed a petition in January 2008, demanding that Austria block the Czech Republic's accession to the EU unless Prague closes its controversial Soviet-style nuclear plant in Temelin, bordering Austria

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and minor transit point for Latin American cocaine to Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for local and regional markets; susceptible to money laundering related to drug trafficking, organized crime; significant consumer of ecstasy

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Denmark

Introduction

Denmark

Background:

Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is participating in the general political and economic integration of Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973. However, the country has opted out of certain elements of the European Union's Maastricht Treaty, including the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), European defense cooperation, and issues concerning certain justice and home affairs.

Geography

Denmark

Location:

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, on a peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes two major islands (Sjaelland and Fyn)

Geographic coordinates:

56 00 N, 10 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 43,094 sq km land: 42,394 sq km water: 700 sq km note: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest of metropolitan Denmark (the Jutland Peninsula, and the major islands of Sjaelland and Fyn), but excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenland

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts

Land boundaries:

total: 68 km border countries: Germany 68 km

Coastline:

7,314 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers

Terrain:

low and flat to gently rolling plains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Lammefjord -7 m highest point: Yding Skovhoej 173 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, chalk, stone, gravel and sand

Land use:

arable land: 52.59% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 47.22% (2005)

Irrigated land:

4,490 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

6.1 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.67 cu km/yr (32%/26%/42%) per capita: 123 cu m/yr (2002)

Natural hazards:

flooding is a threat in some areas of the country (e.g., parts of Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of Lolland) that are protected from the sea by a system of dikes

Environment - current issues:

air pollution, principally from vehicle and power plant emissions; nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the North Sea; drinking and surface water becoming polluted from animal wastes and pesticides

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

controls Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat) linking Baltic and North Seas; about one-quarter of the population lives in greater Copenhagen

People

Denmark

Population:

5,484,723 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 18.4% (male 516,735/female 490,532) 15-64 years: 65.9% (male 1,818,681/female 1,796,753) 65 years and over: 15.7% (male 374,388/female 487,634) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 40.3 years male: 39.4 years female: 41.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.295% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.71 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.25 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.13 years male: 75.8 years female: 80.59 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.74 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

5,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Dane(s) adjective: Danish

Ethnic groups:

Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish, Iranian, Somali

Religions:

Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Christian (includes Protestant and

Roman Catholic) 3%, Muslim 2%

Languages:

Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German (small minority) note: English is the predominant second language

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 17 years male: 16 years female: 17 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

8.3% of GDP (2005)

Government

Denmark

Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark conventional short form: Denmark local long form: Kongeriget Danmark local short form: Danmark

Government type:

constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Copenhagen geographic coordinates: 55 40 N, 12 35 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: applies to continental Denmark only, not to the North Atlantic components

Administrative divisions:

metropolitan Denmark - 5 regions (regioner, singular - region); Hovedstaden, Midtjylland, Nordjylland, Sjaelland, Syddanmark note: an extensive local government reform merged 271 municipalities into 98 and 13 counties into five regions, effective 1 January 2007

Independence:

first organized as a unified state in 10th century; in 1849 became a constitutional monarchy

National holiday:

none designated; Constitution Day, 5 June (1849) is generally viewed as the National Day

Constitution:

5 June 1953 constitution allowed for a unicameral legislature and a female chief of state

Legal system:

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972); Heir Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the monarch (born 26 May 1968) head of government: Prime Minister Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN (since 27 November 2001) cabinet: Council of State appointed by the monarch elections: the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch

Legislative branch:

unicameral People's Assembly or Folketinget (179 seats, including 2 from Greenland and 2 from the Faroe Islands; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms unless the Folketinget is dissolved earlier) elections: last held 13 November 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - Liberal Party 26.2%, Social Democrats 25.5%, Danish People's Party 13.9%, Socialist People's Party 13.0%, Conservative People's Party 10.4%, Social Liberal Party 5.1%, New Alliance 2.8%, Red-Green Alliance 2.2%, other 0.9%; seats by party - Liberal Party 46, Social Democrats 45, Danish People's Party 25, Socialist People's Party 23, Conservative People's Party 18, Social Liberal Party 9, New Alliance 5, Red-Green Alliance 4; note - does not include the two seats from Greenland and the two seats from the Faroe Islands

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch for life)

Political parties and leaders:

Christian Democrats [Bjarne Hartung KIRKEGAARD] (was Christian

People's Party); Conservative Party [Bendt BENDTSEN] (sometimes

known as Conservative People's Party); Danish People's Party [Pia

KJAERSGAARD]; Liberal Party [Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN]; New Alliance

[Naser KHADER]; Red-Green Unity List (Alliance) [collective

leadership] (bloc includes Left Socialist Party, Communist Party of

Denmark, Socialist Workers' Party); Social Democratic Party [Helle

THORNING-SCHMIDT]; Social Liberal Party [Margrethe VESTAGER];

Socialist People's Party [Villy SOEVNDAL]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Danish Free Press Society (freedom of speech); Danish National Socialist Movement or DNSB [Jonni HANSEN] (neo-Nazi organization) other: human rights groups

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic

Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA,

EU, FAO, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS

(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention,

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG,

UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Friis Arne PETERSEN chancery: 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-4300 FAX: [1] (202) 328-1470 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador James P. CAIN embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen mailing address: PSC 73, APO AE 09716 telephone: [45] 33 41 71 00 FAX: [45] 35 43 02 23

Flag description:

red with a white cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side; the banner is referred to as the Dannebrog (Danish flag) note: the shifted design element was subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden

Economy

Denmark

Economy - overview:

The Danish economy has in recent years undergone strong expansion fueled primarily by private consumption growth, but also supported by exports and investments. This thoroughly modern market economy features high-tech agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and corporate industry, extensive government welfare measures, comfortable living standards, a stable currency, and high dependence on foreign trade. Unemployment is low and capacity constraints are limiting growth potential. Denmark is a net exporter of food and energy and enjoys a comfortable balance of payments surplus. Government objectives include streamlining the bureaucracy and further privatization of state assets. The government has been successful in meeting, and even exceeding, the economic convergence criteria for participating in the third phase (a common European currency) of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), but so far Denmark has decided not to join 15 other EU members in the euro. Nonetheless, the Danish krone remains pegged to the euro. Economic growth gained momentum in 2004 and the upturn continued through 2007. The controversy over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad printed in a Danish newspaper in September 2005 led to boycotts of some Danish exports to the Muslim world, especially exports of dairy products, but the boycotts did not have a significant impact on the overall Danish economy. Because of high GDP per capita, welfare benefits, a low Gini index, and political stability, the Danish living standards are among the highest in the world. A major long-term issue will be the sharp decline in the ratio of workers to retirees.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$203.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$311.9 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

1.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$37,200 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1.3% industry: 25.7% services: 73% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.86 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 3% industry: 21% services: 76% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

2.8% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 24% (2000 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

24 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

22.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $170.6 billion expenditures: $156.8 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

26% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA

Stock of money:

$148.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$81.64 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$684.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

barley, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets; pork, dairy products; fish

Industries:

iron, steel, nonferrous metals, chemicals, food processing, machinery and transportation equipment, textiles and clothing, electronics, construction, furniture and other wood products, shipbuilding and refurbishment, windmills, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment

Industrial production growth rate:

0.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

36.99 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

34.68 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

11.38 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

10.43 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 82.7% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 17.3% (2001)

Oil - production:

313,800 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

190,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

320,000 bbl/day (2006)

Oil - imports:

164,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

1.188 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

9.223 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

4.555 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

4.517 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

70.51 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$4.279 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$101.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish, pharmaceuticals, furniture, windmills

Exports - partners:

Germany 17.4%, Sweden 14.5%, UK 8%, US 6.1%, Norway 5.7%, France 4.8%, Netherlands 4.8% (2007)

Imports:

$102 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, raw materials and semimanufactures for industry, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs, consumer goods

Imports - partners:

Germany 21.6%, Sweden 14.4%, Netherlands 7.1%, Norway 6%, China 5.4%, UK 5.3%, Italy 4.1%, France 4% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $2.236 billion (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$34.32 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:

$492.6 billion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$149.7 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$166.6 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$178 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

Danish krone (DKK)

Currency code:

DKK

Exchange rates:

Danish kroner (DKK) per US dollar - 5.4797 (2007), 5.9468 (2006), 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003)

Communications

Denmark

Telephones - main lines in use:

2.824 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

6.243 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: excellent telephone and telegraph services domestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay form trunk network, 4 cellular mobile communications systems international: country code - 45; a series of fiber-optic submarine cables link Denmark with Canada, Faroe Islands, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and UK; satellite earth stations - 18 (6 Intelsat, 10 Eutelsat, 1 Orion, 1 Inmarsat (Blaavand-Atlantic-East)); note - the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) share the Danish earth station and the Eik, Norway, station for worldwide Inmarsat access

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 355, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

6.02 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

26 (plus 51 repeaters) (1998)

Televisions:

3.121 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.dk

Internet hosts:

3.642 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

13 (2000)

Internet users:

3.5 million (2007)

Transportation

Denmark

Airports:

91 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 28 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 63 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 60 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 11 km; gas 4,073 km; oil 617 km; oil/gas/water 2 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,644 km standard gauge: 2,644 km 1.435-m gauge (636 km electrified) (2007)

Roadways:

total: 72,362 km paved: 72,362 km (includes 1,032 km of expressways) (2006)

Waterways:

400 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 327 by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 63, carrier 2, chemical tanker 78, container 84, liquefied gas 2, passenger/cargo 42, petroleum tanker 29, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 8, specialized tanker 4 foreign-owned: 26 (Canada 1, Germany 1, Germany 9, Greece 4, Iceland 2, Norway 3, Sweden 6) registered in other countries: 534 (Antigua and Barbuda 19, Bahamas 67, Belgium 4, Brazil 2, Cayman Islands 3, Cyprus 4, Egypt 1, Estonia 1, France 2, Germany 1, Gibraltar 7, Hong Kong 24, Isle of Man 29, Italy 3, Jamaica 2, Liberia 12, Lithuania 5, Luxembourg 1, Malta 30, Marshall Islands 10, Mexico 2, Netherlands 29, Netherlands Antilles 2, Norway 25, Panama 40, Portugal 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 16, Singapore 87, South Africa 1, Spain 1, Spain 1, Sweden 4, Togo 1, UAE 1, UK 62, US 31, Venezuela 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Aalborg, Aarhus, Copenhagen, Ensted, Esbjerg, Fredericia, Kalundborg

Military

Denmark

Military branches:

Defense Command: Army Operational Command, Admiral Danish Fleet,

Island Command Greenland, Tactical Air Command, Home Guard (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscripts serve an initial training period that varies from 4 to 12 months according to specialization; reservists are assigned to mobilization units following completion of their conscript service; women eligible to volunteer for military service (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,235,067 females age 16-49: 1,215,418 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,012,716 females age 16-49: 996,436 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 36,561 female: 34,603 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.5% of GDP (2006; 1.28% 2007 est.)

Transnational Issues

Denmark

Disputes - international:

Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe

Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm; Faroese continue

to study proposals for full independence; sovereignty dispute with

Canada over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere

Island and Greenland

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Dhekelia

Introduction

Dhekelia

Background:

By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers - Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The larger of these is the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the Eastern Sovereign Base Area.

Geography

Dhekelia

Location:

Eastern Mediterranean, on the southeast coast of Cyprus near

Famagusta

Geographic coordinates:

34 59 N, 33 45 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 130.8 sq km note: area surrounds three Cypriot enclaves

Area - comparative:

about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

total: 103 km (approximately) border countries: Cyprus 103 km (approximately)

Coastline:

27.5 km

Climate:

temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool winters

Environment - current issues:

netting and trapping of small migrant songbirds in the spring and autumn

Geography - note:

British extraterritorial rights also extended to several small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus; of the Sovereign Base Area land 60% is privately owned and farmed, 20% is owned by the Ministry of Defense, and 20% is SBA Crown land

People

Dhekelia

Population:

approximately 15,700 live on the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia including 7,700 Cypriots, 3,600 Service and UK Based Contract personnel, and 4,400 dependents

Languages:

English, Greek

Government

Dhekelia

Country name:

conventional long form: Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area conventional short form: Dhekelia

Dependency status:

a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus

Capital:

name: Episkopi Cantonment (base administrative center for Akrotiri and Dhekelia); located in Akrotiri geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Constitution:

Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960, functions as a basic legal document

Legal system:

the Sovereign Base Area Administration has its own court system to deal with civil and criminal matters; laws applicable to the Cypriot population are, as far as possible, the same as the laws of the Republic of Cyprus

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Richard LACEY (since 26 April 2006); note - reports to the British Ministry of Defense elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the administrator is appointed by the monarch

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:

the flag of the UK is used

Economy

Dhekelia

Economy - overview:

Economic activity is limited to providing services to the military and their families located in Dhekelia. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.

Industries:

none

Currency (code):

euro (EUR) adopted 1 January 2008; note - the Cypriot pound (CYP) formerly used

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.4286 (2007), 0.46019 (2006), 0.4641 (2005), 0.4686 (2004), 0.5174 (2003)

Communications

Dhekelia

Radio broadcast stations:

AM NA, FM 1 (located in Akrotiri), shortwave NA (British Forces

Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service to

Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia) (2006)

Television broadcast stations:

0 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia) (2006)

Military

Dhekelia

Military - note:

includes Dhekelia Garrison and Ayios Nikolaos Station connected by a roadway

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Djibouti

Introduction

Djibouti

Background:

The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999. Unrest among the Afars minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 following the conclusion of a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Issa-dominated government. In 1999, Djibouti's first multi-party presidential elections resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH; he was re-elected to a second and final term in 2005. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic location at the mouth of the Red Sea and serves as an important transshipment location for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands. The present leadership favors close ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country, but also has strong ties with the US. Djibouti hosts the only US military base in sub-Saharan Africa and is a front-line state in the global war on terrorism.

Geography

Djibouti

Location:

Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, between

Eritrea and Somalia

Geographic coordinates:

11 30 N, 43 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 23,000 sq km land: 22,980 sq km water: 20 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries:

total: 516 km border countries: Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 349 km, Somalia 58 km

Coastline:

314 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

desert; torrid, dry

Terrain:

coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m

Natural resources:

geothermal areas, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble, salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum

Land use:

arable land: 0.04% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.96% (2005)

Irrigated land:

10 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

0.3 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.02 cu km/yr (84%/0%/16%) per capita: 25 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods

Environment - current issues:

inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable land; desertification; endangered species

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia; mostly wasteland; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in Africa

People

Djibouti

Population:

506,221 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 43.3% (male 110,089/female 109,331) 15-64 years: 53.1% (male 139,164/female 129,614) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 9,068/female 8,955) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.2 years male: 18.6 years female: 17.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.945% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

38.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

19.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 99.13 deaths/1,000 live births male: 106.65 deaths/1,000 live births female: 91.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 43.31 years male: 41.89 years female: 44.77 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.14 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

2.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

9,100 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

690 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Djiboutian(s) adjective: Djiboutian

Ethnic groups:

Somali 60%, Afar 35%, other 5% (includes French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian)

Religions:

Muslim 94%, Christian 6%

Languages:

French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 67.9% male: 78% female: 58.4% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 4 years male: 5 years female: 4 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

8.4% of GDP (2006)

Government

Djibouti

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti conventional short form: Djibouti local long form: Republique de Djibouti/Jumhuriyat Jibuti local short form: Djibouti/Jibuti former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Djibouti geographic coordinates: 11 35 N, 43 09 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

6 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); Ali Sabieh, Arta, Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjourah

Independence:

27 June 1977 (from France)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 27 June (1977)

Constitution:

multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992

Legal system:

based on French civil law system, traditional practices, and Islamic law; accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed Dileita DILEITA (since 4 March 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 April 2005 (next to be held by April 2011); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Ismail Omar GUELLEH reelected president; percent of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH 100%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (65 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections: last held 8 February 2008 (next to be held 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats - UMP (coalition of parties associated with President Ismail Omar GUELLAH) 65

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh]; Democratic

Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH]; Djibouti Development

Party or PDD [Mohamed Daoud CHEHEM]; Front pour la Restauration de

l'Unite Democratique or FRUD [Ali Mohamed DAOUD]; People's Progress

Assembly or RPP [Ismail Omar GUELLEH] (governing party); Peoples

Social Democratic Party or PPSD [Moumin Bahdon FARAH]; Republican

Alliance for Democracy or ARD; Union for a Presidential Majority or

UMP (a coalition of parties including RPP, FRUD, PND, and PPSD);

Union for Democracy and Justice or UDJ

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Union for Presidential Majority UMP (coalition includes RPP, FRUD, PPSD and PND); Union for Democratic Changeover or UAD (opposition coalition includes ARD, MRDD, and UDJ)

International organization participation:

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW,

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Roble OLHAYE Oudine chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270 FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador James C. SWAN embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti mailing address: B. P. 185, Djibouti telephone: [253] 35 39 95 FAX: [253] 35 39 40

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light green with a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a red five-pointed star in the center

Economy

Djibouti

Economy - overview:

The economy is based on service activities connected with the country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone in the Horn of Africa. Two-thirds of Djibouti's inhabitants live in the capital city; the remainder are mostly nomadic herders. Scanty rainfall limits crop production to fruits and vegetables, and most food must be imported. Djibouti provides services as both a transit port for the region and an international transshipment and refueling center. Imports and exports from landlocked neighbor Ethiopia represent 85% of port activity at Djibouti's container terminal. Djibouti has few natural resources and little industry. The nation is, therefore, heavily dependent on foreign assistance to help support its balance of payments and to finance development projects. An unemployment rate of nearly 60% continues to be a major problem. While inflation is not a concern, due to the fixed tie of the Djiboutian franc to the US dollar, the artificially high value of the Djiboutian franc adversely affects Djibouti's balance of payments. Per capita consumption dropped an estimated 35% between 1999 and 2006 because of recession, civil war, and a high population growth rate (including immigrants and refugees). Faced with a multitude of economic difficulties, the government has fallen in arrears on long-term external debt and has been struggling to meet the stipulations of foreign aid donors.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.738 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$841 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3.2% industry: 14.9% services: 81.9% (2006)

Labor force:

282,000 (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Unemployment rate:

59% in urban areas, 83% in rural areas (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

42% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $135 million expenditures: $182 million (1999 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA

Stock of money:

$380 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$284.1 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$224.7 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides

Industries:

construction, agricultural processing

Industrial production growth rate:

3% (1996 est.)

Electricity - production:

250 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

232.5 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

12,170 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

19.18 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

11,810 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$212 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$340 million f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit)

Exports - partners:

Somalia 66.4%, Ethiopia 21.5%, Yemen 3.4% (2007)

Imports:

$1.555 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products

Imports - partners:

Saudi Arabia 21%, India 18.1%, China 9.4%, Ethiopia 4.7%, Malaysia 4.6%, Japan 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$78.6 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$428 million (2006)

Currency (code):

Djiboutian franc (DJF)

Currency code:

DJF

Exchange rates:

Djiboutian francs (DJF) per US dollar - 177.71 (2007), 174.75 (2006), 177.72 (2005), 177.72 (2004), 177.72 (2003)

Communications

Djibouti

Telephones - main lines in use:

10,800 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

45,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of Djibouti are adequate, as are the microwave radio relay connections to outlying areas of the country domestic: microwave radio relay network; mobile cellular coverage is primarily limited to the area in and around Djibouti city international: country code - 253; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable with links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat - Indian Ocean and 1 Arabsat); Medarabtel regional microwave radio relay telephone network (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios:

52,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2001)

Televisions:

28,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.dj

Internet hosts:

161 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

11,000 (2006)

Transportation

Djibouti

Airports:

13 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Railways:

total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway) narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia but remains largely inoperable (2006)

Roadways:

total: 3,065 km paved: 1,226 km unpaved: 1,839 km (2000)

Ports and terminals:

Djibouti

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports offshore waters in the Gulf of Aden are high risk for piracy; numerous vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crew, passengers, and cargo are held for ransom

Military

Djibouti

Military branches:

Djibouti National Army (includes Navy and Air Force)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; 16-25 years of age for voluntary military training; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 111,274 females age 16-49: 105,168 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 54,460 females age 16-49: 51,684 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 5,618 female: 5,609 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.8% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Djibouti

Disputes - international:

Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords with "Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some political ties to various factions in Somalia; Kuwait is chief investor in the 2008 restoration and upgrade of the Ethiopian-Djibouti rail link

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 8,642 (Somalia) (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Dominica

Introduction

Dominica

Background:

Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after independence, Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia CHARLES, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean.

Geography

Dominica

Location:

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic

Ocean, about half way between Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates:

15 25 N, 61 20 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 754 sq km land: 754 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

148 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall

Terrain:

rugged mountains of volcanic origin

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Morne Diablatins 1,447 m

Natural resources:

timber, hydropower, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 6.67% permanent crops: 21.33% other: 72% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Total renewable water resources:

NA

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.02 cu km/yr per capita: 213 cu m/yr (1996)

Natural hazards:

flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes can be expected during the late summer months

Environment - current issues:

NA

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected by an extensive natural park system; the most mountainous of the Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in the world

People

Dominica

Population:

72,514 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 24.7% (male 9,175/female 8,762) 15-64 years: 65.1% (male 24,192/female 22,995) 65 years and over: 10.2% (male 3,178/female 4,212) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 29.4 years male: 29 years female: 29.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.196% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

15.73 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.32 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-5.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 14.12 deaths/1,000 live births male: 19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 75.33 years male: 72.39 years female: 78.41 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.1 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Dominican(s) adjective: Dominican

Ethnic groups:

black 86.8%, mixed 8.9%, Carib Amerindian 2.9%, white 0.8%, other 0.7% (2001 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 61.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 6%, Pentecostal 5.6%,

Baptist 4.1%, Methodist 3.7%, Church of God 1.2%, Jehovah's

Witnesses 1.2%, other Christian 7.7%, Rastafarian 1.3%, other or

unspecified 1.6%, none 6.1% (2001 census)

Languages:

English (official), French patois

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 94% male: 94% female: 94% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

5% of GDP (1999)

Government

Dominica

Country name:

conventional long form: Commonwealth of Dominica conventional short form: Dominica

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Roseau geographic coordinates: 15 18 N, 61 24 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul, Saint Peter

Independence:

3 November 1978 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 3 November (1978)

Constitution:

3 November 1978

Legal system:

based on English common law; accepts ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Nicholas J. O. LIVERPOOL (since October 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Roosevelt SKERRIT (since 8 January 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections: president elected by the House of Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 1 October 2003 (next to be held in October 2008); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Nicholas LIVERPOOL elected president; percent of legislative vote - NA%

Legislative branch:

unicameral House of Assembly (30 seats; 9 members appointed, 21 elected by popular vote; to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 5 May 2005 (next to be held by 5 August 2010); note - tradition dictates that the election will be held within five years of the last election, but technically it is five years from the first seating of parliament (12 May 2005) plus a 90-day grace period election results: percent of vote by party - DLP 52.1%, UWP 43.6%, DFP 3.2%, other 1.1%; seats by party - DLP 12, UWP 8, independent 1

Judicial branch:

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the Court of Appeal and the High Court (located in Saint Lucia; one of the six judges must reside in Dominica and preside over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction)

Political parties and leaders:

Dominica Freedom Party or DFP [Charles SAVARIN]; Dominica Labor

Party or DLP [Roosevelt SKERRIT]; Dominica United Workers Party or

UWP [Earl WILLIAMS]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Dominica Liberation Movement or DLM (a small leftist party)

International organization participation:

ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU,

ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); note - Judith Ann ROLLE (Charge d'Affaires) chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6781 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6791 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Dominica; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Dominica

Flag description:

green, with a centered cross of three equal bands - the vertical part is yellow (hoist side), black, and white and the horizontal part is yellow (top), black, and white; superimposed in the center of the cross is a red disk bearing a sisserou parrot encircled by 10 green, five-pointed stars edged in yellow; the 10 stars represent the 10 administrative divisions (parishes)

Economy

Dominica

Economy - overview:

The Dominican economy depends on agriculture, primarily bananas, and remains highly vulnerable to climatic conditions and international economic developments. Tourism has increased as the government seeks to promote Dominica as an "ecotourism" destination. In 2003, the government began a comprehensive restructuring of the economy - including elimination of price controls, privatization of the state banana company, and tax increases - to address Dominica's economic and financial crisis of 2001-02 and to meet IMF targets. This restructuring paved the way for the current economic recovery - real growth for 2006 reached a two-decade high - and will help to reduce the debt burden, which remains at about 100% of GDP. In order to diversify the island's production base, the government is attempting to develop an offshore financial sector and is researching Dominica's capability to export geothermal energy.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$648 million (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$311 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

0.9% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$9,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 17.7% industry: 32.8% services: 49.5% (2004 est.)

Labor force:

25,000 (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 40% industry: 32% services: 28% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

23% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:

30% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $73.9 million expenditures: $84.4 million (2001)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

9.17% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$73.71 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$269.1 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$193.1 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa; forest and fishery potential not exploited

Industries:

soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement blocks, shoes

Industrial production growth rate:

-10% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:

90 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

83.7 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 47.1% hydro: 52.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

850.5 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

669.6 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$72 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$94 million f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges

Exports - partners:

China 24.4%, Jamaica 10.3%, Antigua and Barbuda 10.1%, Guyana 8.5%,

UK 8.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 5.5%, Saint Lucia 4.6%, Saint Kitts &

Nevis 4% (2007)

Imports:

$296 million f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals

Imports - partners:

US 24.1%, China 21.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.2%, Japan 11.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$15.17 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external:

$213 million (2004)

Currency (code):

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code:

XCD

Exchange rates:

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)

Communications

Dominica

Telephones - main lines in use:

21,000 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

41,800 (2004)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: fully automatic network international: country code - 1-767; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; microwave radio relay and SHF radiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF radiotelephone links to Saint Lucia

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2003)

Radios:

46,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2004)

Televisions:

6,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.dm

Internet hosts:

29 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

16 (2000)

Internet users:

26,500 (2006)

Transportation

Dominica

Airports:

2 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 780 km paved: 393 km unpaved: 387 km (2000)

Merchant marine:

total: 53 by type: bulk carrier 14, cargo 27, chemical tanker 3, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 47 (Australia 2, Estonia 7, Greece 10, India 2, Latvia 1, Norway 1, Russia 3, Saudi Arabia 2, Singapore 7, Syria 2, Turkey 5, Ukraine 4, UAE 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Portsmouth, Roseau

Military

Dominica

Military branches:

no regular military forces; Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force (includes Coast Guard) (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 18,584 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 15,648 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 756 female: 713 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA (2006)

Transnational Issues

Dominica

Disputes - international:

Dominica is the only Caribbean state to challenge Venezuela's sovereignty claim over Aves Island and joins the other island nations in challenging whether the feature sustains human habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf claims over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe; minor cannabis producer; anti-money-laundering enforcement is weak, making the country particularly vulnerable to money laundering

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Dominican Republic

Introduction

Dominican Republic

Background:

Explored and claimed by Christopher COLUMBUS on his first voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola became a springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled, mostly non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930-61. Juan BOSCH was elected president in 1962, but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In 1965, the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an election to become president. BALAGUER maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. Former President (1996-2000) Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna won election to a second term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing presidents to serve more than one term.

Geography

Dominican Republic

Location:

Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Haiti

Geographic coordinates:

19 00 N, 70 40 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 48,730 sq km land: 48,380 sq km water: 350 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire

Land boundaries:

total: 360 km border countries: Haiti 360 km

Coastline:

1,288 km

Maritime claims:

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 6 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation; seasonal variation in rainfall

Terrain:

rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m

Natural resources:

nickel, bauxite, gold, silver

Land use:

arable land: 22.49% permanent crops: 10.26% other: 67.25% (2005)

Irrigated land:

2,750 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

21 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 3.39 cu km/yr (32%/2%/66%) per capita: 381 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

water shortages; soil eroding into the sea damages coral reefs; deforestation

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti

People

Dominican Republic

Population:

9,507,133 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 31.8% (male 1,537,981/female 1,482,546) 15-64 years: 62.4% (male 3,029,349/female 2,905,471) 65 years and over: 5.8% (male 255,898/female 295,888) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 24.7 years male: 24.6 years female: 24.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.495% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

22.65 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.3 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-2.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 26.93 deaths/1,000 live births male: 29.01 deaths/1,000 live births female: 24.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.39 years male: 71.61 years female: 75.24 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.78 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

88,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

7,900 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Dominican(s) adjective: Dominican

Ethnic groups:

mixed 73%, white 16%, black 11%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%

Languages:

Spanish

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87% male: 86.8% female: 87.2% (2002 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 13 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

3.6% of GDP (2006)

Government

Dominican Republic

Country name:

conventional long form: Dominican Republic conventional short form: The Dominican local long form: Republica Dominicana local short form: La Dominicana

Government type:

democratic republic

Capital:

name: Santo Domingo geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 69 54 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 district*

(distrito); Azua, Bahoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*,

Duarte, El Seibo, Elias Pina, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia,

La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor

Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata,

Salcedo, Samana, San Cristobal, San Jose de Ocoa, San Juan, San

Pedro de Macoris, Sanchez Ramirez, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez,

Santo Domingo, Valverde

Independence:

27 February 1844 (from Haiti)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 27 February (1844)

Constitution:

28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002

Legal system:

based on French civil codes; Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age, universal and compulsory; married persons regardless of age; note - members of the armed forces and national police cannot vote

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16 August 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16 August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16 August 2004) cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second consecutive term); election last held 16 May 2008 (next to be held in May 2012) election results: Leonel FERNANDEZ reelected president; percent of vote - Leonel FERNANDEZ 53.6%, Miguel VARGAS 41%, Amable ARISTY less than 5%

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (32 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de Diputados (178 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 16 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2010); House of Representatives - last held 16 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2010) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLD 22, PRD 6, PRSC 4; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLD 96, PRD 60, PRSC 22

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the National Judicial Council comprised of the president, the leaders of both chambers of congress, the president of the Supreme Court, and an additional non-governing party congressional representative)

Political parties and leaders:

Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna];

Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Ramon ALBURQUERQUE]; National

Progressive Front [Vincent CASTILLO, Pelegrin CASTILLO]; Social

Christian Reformist Party or PRSC [Enrique ANTUN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Citizen Participation Group (Participacion Ciudadania); Collective of Popular Organizations or COP; Foundation for Institution-Building and Justice (FINJUS)

International organization participation:

ACP, BCIE, Caricom (observer), FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF,

IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory),

PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Flavio Dario ESPINAL Jacobo chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-6280 FAX: [1] (202) 265-8057 consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Boston, Chicago, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador P. Robert FANNIN embassy: corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo mailing address: Unit 5500, APO AA 34041-5500 telephone: [1] (809) 221-2171 FAX: [1] (809) 686-7437

Flag description:

a centered white cross that extends to the edges divides the flag into four rectangles - the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms featuring a shield supported by an olive branch (left) and a palm branch (right) is at the center of the cross; above the shield a blue ribbon displays the motto, DIOS, PATRIA, LIBERTAD (God, Fatherland, Liberty), and below the shield, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA appears on a red ribbon

Economy

Dominican Republic

Economy - overview:

The Dominican Republic has enjoyed strong GDP growth since 2005, with double digit growth in 2006. In 2007, exports were bolstered by the nearly 50% increase in nickel prices; however, prices are expected to fall in 2008, contributing to a slowdown in GDP growth for the year. Although the country has long been viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, in recent years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the economy's largest employer due to growth in tourism and free trade zones. The economy is highly dependent upon the US, the source of nearly three-fourths of exports, and remittances represent about a tenth of GDP, equivalent to almost half of exports and three-quarters of tourism receipts. With the help of strict fiscal targets agreed to in the 2004 renegotiation of an IMF standby loan, President FERNANDEZ has stabilized the country's financial situation, lowering inflation to less than 6%. A fiscal expansion is expected for 2008 prior to the elections in May and for Tropical Storm Noel reconstruction. Although the economy is growing at a respectable rate, high unemployment and underemployment remains an important challenge. The country suffers from marked income inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than one-fifth of GNP, while the richest 10% enjoys nearly 40% of national income. The Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) came into force in March 2007, which should boost investment and exports and reduce losses to the Asian garment industry.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$61.67 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$36.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

8.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$6,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 11.7% industry: 23.8% services: 64.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

4.027 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 17% industry: 24.3% services: 58.7% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate:

15.6% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

42.2% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 41.1% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

51.6 (2004)

Investment (gross fixed):

18.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $7.423 billion expenditures: $7.259 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

41% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6.1% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

15.83% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$4.074 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$5.631 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$15.92 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef, eggs

Industries:

tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco

Industrial production growth rate:

2.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

13.37 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

11.81 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 92% hydro: 7.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0.4% (2001)

Oil - production:

12 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - consumption:

117,300 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

116,600 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

250 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

239.8 million cu m (2005)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$2.231 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$7.237 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, meats, consumer goods

Exports - partners:

US 66.4%, Belgium 3.7%, Finland 3.2% (2007)

Imports:

$13.82 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals

Imports - partners:

US 46%, Venezuela 8.1%, Mexico 5.9%, Colombia 4.7% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$76.99 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.562 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$10.21 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$12.75 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$59 million (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Dominican peso (DOP)

Currency code:

DOP

Exchange rates:

Dominican pesos (DOP) per US dollar - 33.113 (2007), 33.406 (2006), 30.409 (2005), 42.12 (2004), 30.831 (2003)

Communications

Dominican Republic

Telephones - main lines in use:

907,000 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

5.513 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: relatively efficient system based on island-wide microwave radio relay network domestic: fixed telephone line density is about 10 per 100 persons; multiple providers of mobile cellular service with a subscribership of roughly 60 per 100 persons international: country code - 1-809; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and US; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:

1.44 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

25 (2003)

Televisions:

770,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.do

Internet hosts:

105,546 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

24 (2000)

Internet users:

1.677 million (2007)

Transportation

Dominican Republic

Airports:

34 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 15 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 11 (2007)

Railways:

total: 517 km standard gauge: 375 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 142 km 0.762-m gauge note: additional 1,226 km operated by sugar companies in 1.076 m, 0.889 m, and 0.762-m gauges (2006)

Roadways:

total: 19,705 km paved: 9,872 km unpaved: 9,833 km (2002)

Merchant marine:

total: 1 by type: cargo 1 registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Boca Chica, Caucedo, Puerto Plata, Rio Haina, Santo Domingo

Military

Dominican Republic

Military branches:

Army, Navy, Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Dominicana, FAD) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,440,203 females age 16-49: 2,326,694 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,020,490 females age 16-49: 1,883,875 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 96,971 female: 93,116 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.8% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Dominican Republic

Disputes - international:

Haitian migrants cross the porous border into the Dominican Republic to find work; illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find better work

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: the Dominican Republic is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; a large number of Dominican women are trafficked into prostitution and sexual exploitation in Western Europe, Australia, Central and South America, and Caribbean destinations; a significant number of women, boys, and girls are trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation and domestic servitude tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, the Dominican Republic is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly in terms of not adequately investigating and prosecuting public officials who may be complicit with trafficking activity, and inadequate government efforts to protect trafficking victims; the government has taken measures to reduce demand for commercial sex acts with children through criminal prosecutions (2008)

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; has become a transshipment point for ecstasy from the Netherlands and Belgium destined for US and Canada; substantial money laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor the Dominican Republic for illicit financial transactions; significant amphetamine consumption

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Ecuador

Introduction

Ecuador

Background:

What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito - gained their independence between 1819 and 1822 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of the "Republic of the Equator." Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 25 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period has been marred by political instability. Protests in Quito have contributed to the mid-term ouster of Ecuador's last three democratically elected Presidents. In 2007, a Constituent Assembly was elected to draft a new constitution; Ecuador's twentieth since gaining independence.

Geography

Ecuador

Location:

Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and Peru

Geographic coordinates:

2 00 S, 77 30 W

Map references:

South America

Area:

total: 283,560 sq km land: 276,840 sq km water: 6,720 sq km note: includes Galapagos Islands

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Nevada

Land boundaries:

total: 2,010 km border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km

Coastline:

2,237 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 200 nm continental shelf: 100 nm from 2,500-m isobath

Climate:

tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands

Terrain:

coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands (sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 5.71% permanent crops: 4.81% other: 89.48% (2005)

Irrigated land:

8,650 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

432 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 16.98 cu km/yr (12%/5%/82%) per capita: 1,283 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world

People

Ecuador

Population:

13,927,650 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 32.1% (male 2,274,986/female 2,189,437) 15-64 years: 62.7% (male 4,355,909/female 4,381,141) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 340,861/female 385,316) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 24.2 years male: 23.7 years female: 24.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.935% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

21.54 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.21 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-7.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 21.35 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.61 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.81 years male: 73.94 years female: 79.84 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.59 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

21,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

1,700 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Ecuadorian(s) adjective: Ecuadorian

Ethnic groups:

mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%, Spanish and others 7%, black 3%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%

Languages:

Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91% male: 92.3% female: 89.7% (2001 census)

Education expenditures:

1% of GDP (2001)

Government

Ecuador

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador conventional short form: Ecuador local long form: Republica del Ecuador local short form: Ecuador

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Quito geographic coordinates: 0 13 S, 78 30 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

24 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay, Bolivar,

Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos,

Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo,

Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo de los

Tsachilas, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe

Independence:

24 May 1822 (from Spain)

National holiday:

Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809)

Constitution:

10 August 1998

Legal system:

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15 January 2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 15 January 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15 January 2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 15 January 2007) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: the president and vice president are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a four-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 15 October 2006 with a runoff election on 26 November 2006 (next to be held in October 2010) election results: Rafael CORREA Delgado elected president; percent of vote - Rafael CORREA Delgado 56.7%; Alvaro NOBOA 43.3%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (100 seats; members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 15 October 2006 (next to be held in October 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRIAN 28; PSP 24; PSC 13; ID 7; PRE 6; MUPP-NP 6; RED 5; UDC 5; other 6; note - defections by members of National Congress are commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the various parties; as of 29 November 2007, Congress is on indefinite recess while a Constituent Assembly is convened

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (according to the Constitution, new justices are elected by the full Supreme Court; in December 2004, however, Congress successfully replaced the entire court via a simple-majority resolution)

Political parties and leaders:

Alianza PAIS Movement [Rafael Vicente CORREA Delgado]; Christian

Democratic Union or UDC [Diego ORDONEZ Guerrero]; Democratic Left or

ID [Andres PAEZ Benalcazar]; Ethical and Democratic Network or RED

[Leon ROLDOS]; Institutional Renewal and National Action Party or

PRIAN [Alvaro NOBOA]; Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement - New

Country or MUPP-NP [Jorge GUAMAN]; Patriotic Society Party or PSP

[Lucio GUTIERREZ Borbua]; Popular Democratic Movement or MPD [Ciro

GUZMAN Aldaz]; Roldosist Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz,

director]; Social Christian Party or PSC [Pascual DEL CIOPPO];

Socialist Party - Broad Front or PS-FA [Gustavo AYALA Cruz]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or CONAIE

[Marlon SANTI, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or CMS

[F. Napoleon SANTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of

Ecuador or FEINE [Marco MURILLO, president]; National Federation of

Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Pedro DE LA

CRUZ, president]

International organization participation:

CAN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINURCAT,

MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU,

WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Luis Benigno GALLEGOS Chiriboga chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200 FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Jersey City (New Jersey), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Washington, DC

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Heather HODGES embassy: Avenida Avigiras E12-170 y Avenida Eloy Alfaro, Quito mailing address: Avenida Guayacanes N52-205 y Avenida Avigiras telephone: [593] (2) 398-5000 FAX: [593] (2) 398-5100 consulate(s) general: Guayaquil

Flag description:

three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia, which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms

Economy

Ecuador

Economy - overview:

Ecuador is substantially dependent on its petroleum resources, which have accounted for more than half of the country's export earnings and one-fourth of public sector revenues in recent years. In 1999/2000, Ecuador suffered a severe economic crisis, with GDP contracted by more than 6%, with a significant increase in poverty. The banking system also collapsed, and Ecuador defaulted on its external debt later that year. In March 2000, Congress approved a series of structural reforms that also provided for the adoption of the US dollar as legal tender. Dollarization stabilized the economy, and positive growth returned in the years that followed, helped by high oil prices, remittances, and increased non-traditional exports. From 2002-06 the economy grew 5.5%, the highest five-year average in 25 years. The poverty rate declined but remained high at 38% in 2006. In 2006 the government of Alfredo PALACIO (2005-07) seized the assets of Occidental Petroleum for alleged contract violations and imposed a windfall revenue tax on foreign oil companies, leading to the suspension of free trade negotiations with the US. These measures, combined with chronic underinvestment in the state oil company, Petroecuador, led to a drop in petroleum production in 2007. PALACIO's successor, Rafael CORREA, raised the specter of debt default - but Ecuador has paid its debt on time. He also decreed a higher windfall revenue tax on private oil companies, then sought to renegotiate their contracts to overcome the debilitating effect of the tax. This generated economic uncertainty; private investment has dropped and economic growth has slowed significantly.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$98.71 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$44.18 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$7,200 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 6.7% industry: 35.1% services: 58.2% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

4.51 million (urban) (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 8% industry: 24% services: 68% (2001)

Unemployment rate:

8.8% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

38.3% (2006)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 35% note: data for urban households only (October 2006)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

46 note: data are for urban households (2006)

Investment (gross fixed):

21.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $13.46 billion expenditures: planned $11.96 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

33.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

10.72% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

12.08% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$4.395 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$7.974 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$8.926 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp

Industries:

petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products, chemicals

Industrial production growth rate:

1.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

14.84 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

12.9 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

38.53 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

861 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 81% hydro: 19% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

511,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

160,500 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

421,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:

47,060 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

4.517 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

280 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

280 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

9.369 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$1.064 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$14.37 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp, cacao, coffee, hemp, wood, fish

Exports - partners:

US 41.9%, Peru 8.5%, Chile 4.9%, Russia 4.8%, Colombia 4.7% (2007)

Imports:

$12.76 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

industrial materials, fuels and lubricants, nondurable consumer goods

Imports - partners:

US 23.7%, Colombia 10.3%, China 7.6%, Brazil 5.3%, Japan 4.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$209.5 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$3.521 billion (30 November 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$17.12 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$16.31 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$1.456 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$4.04 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

US dollar (USD)

Currency code:

USD

Exchange rates:

the US dollar is used; the sucre was eliminated in 2000

Communications

Ecuador

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.805 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

10.086 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded domestic: fixed-line services provided by three state-owned enterprises; plans to transfer the state-owned operators to private ownership have repeatedly failed; fixed-line density stands at about 13 per 100 persons; mobile cellular use has surged and has a subscribership of nearly 75 per 100 persons international: country code - 593; landing point for the PAN-AM submarine telecommunications cable that provides links to the west coast of South America, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and extending onward to Aruba and the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001)

Radios:

5 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations:

7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2000)

Televisions:

2.5 million (2001)

Internet country code:

.ec

Internet hosts:

45,404 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

31 (2001)

Internet users:

1.549 million (2006)

Transportation

Ecuador

Airports:

406 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 104 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 26 under 914 m: 54 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 302 914 to 1,523 m: 34 under 914 m: 268 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

extra heavy crude oil 578 km; gas 71 km; oil 1,389 km; refined products 1,185 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 966 km narrow gauge: 966 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 43,670 km paved: 6,472 km unpaved: 37,198 km (2006)

Waterways:

1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 37 by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger 8, petroleum tanker 24, refrigerated cargo 1, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 1 (US 1) registered in other countries: 5 (China 1, Panama 4) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, Manta, Puerto Bolivar

Military

Ecuador

Military branches:

Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry, Naval Aviation, Coast Guard),

Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana, FAE) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

20 years of age for selective conscript military service; 12-month service obligation (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,536,602 females age 16-49: 3,559,188 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,030,664 females age 16-49: 3,037,892 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 144,821 female: 139,091 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.8% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Ecuador

Disputes - international:

organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate across Ecuador's shared border, which thousands of Colombians also cross to escape the violence in their home country

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 11,526 (Colombia); note - UNHCR estimates as many as 250,000 Columbians are seeking asylum in Ecuador, many of whom do not register as refugees for fear of deportation (2007)

Illicit drugs:

significant transit country for cocaine originating in Colombia and Peru, with over half of the US-bound cocaine passing through Ecuadorian Pacific waters; importer of precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics; attractive location for cash-placement by drug traffickers laundering money because of dollarization and weak anti-money-laundering regime; increased activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and Colombian insurgents

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Egypt

Introduction

Egypt

Background:

The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and west, allowed for the development of one of the world's great civilizations. A unified kingdom arose circa 3200 B.C., and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who in turn were replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. It was the Arabs who introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the Mamluks took control about 1250 and continued to govern after the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Following the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became an important world transportation hub, but also fell heavily into debt. Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Partially independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty with the overthrow of the British-backed monarchy in 1952. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the time-honored place of the Nile River in the agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress society. The government has struggled to meet the demands of Egypt's growing population through economic reform and massive investment in communications and physical infrastructure.

Geography

Egypt

Location:

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula

Geographic coordinates:

27 00 N, 30 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 1,001,450 sq km land: 995,450 sq km water: 6,000 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico

Land boundaries:

total: 2,665 km border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 266 km, Libya 1,115 km, Sudan 1,273 km

Coastline:

2,450 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters

Terrain:

vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc

Land use:

arable land: 2.92% permanent crops: 0.5% other: 96.58% (2005)

Irrigated land:

34,220 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

86.8 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 68.3 cu km/yr (8%/6%/86%) per capita: 923 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; dust storms, sandstorms

Environment - current issues:

agricultural land being lost to urbanization and windblown sands; increasing soil salination below Aswan High Dam; desertification; oil pollution threatening coral reefs, beaches, and marine habitats; other water pollution from agricultural pesticides, raw sewage, and industrial effluents; limited natural fresh water resources away from the Nile, which is the only perennial water source; rapid growth in population overstraining the Nile and natural resources

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, a sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; size, and juxtaposition to Israel, establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics; dependence on upstream neighbors; dominance of Nile basin issues; prone to influxes of refugees

People

Egypt

Population:

81,713,520 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 31.8% (male 13,292,961/female 12,690,711) 15-64 years: 63.5% (male 26,257,440/female 25,627,390) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 1,636,560/female 2,208,455) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 24.5 years male: 24.1 years female: 24.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.682% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

22.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.09 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 28.36 deaths/1,000 live births male: 30.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 26.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 71.85 years male: 69.3 years female: 74.52 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.72 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

12,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

700 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Egyptian(s) adjective: Egyptian

Ethnic groups:

Egyptian 99.6%, other 0.4% (2006 census)

Religions:

Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic 9%, other Christian 1%

Languages:

Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated classes

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 71.4% male: 83% female: 59.4% (2005 est.)

Education expenditures:

4.2% of GDP (2006)

Government

Egypt

Country name:

conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt conventional short form: Egypt local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah local short form: Misr former: United Arab Republic (with Syria)

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Cairo geographic coordinates: 30 03 N, 31 15 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in April; ends last Thursday in September

Administrative divisions:

26 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ad Daqahliyah, Al

Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Buhayrah (El Beheira), Al Fayyum (El

Faiyum), Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah (Alexandria), Al Isma'iliyah

(Ismailia), Al Jizah (Giza), Al Minufiyah (El Monofia), Al Minya, Al

Qahirah (Cairo), Al Qalyubiyah, Al Wadi al Jadid (New Valley), As

Suways (Suez), Ash Sharqiyah, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf (Beni Suef),

Bur Sa'id (Port Said), Dumyat (Damietta), Janub Sina' (South Sinai),

Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh (Western Desert), Qina (Qena), Shamal Sina'

(North Sinai), Suhaj (Sohag)

Independence:

28 February 1922 (from UK)

National holiday:

Revolution Day, 23 July (1952)

Constitution:

11 September 1971; amended 22 May 1980, 25 May 2005, and 26 March 2007

Legal system:

based on Islamic and civil law (particularly Napoleonic codes); judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State (oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Mohamed Hosni MUBARAK (since 14 October 1981) head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed Mohamed NAZIF (since 9 July 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term (no term limits); note - a national referendum in May 2005 approved a constitutional amendment that changed the presidential election to a multicandidate popular vote; previously the president was nominated by the People's Assembly and the nomination was validated by a national, popular referendum; last referendum held 26 September 1999; first election under terms of constitutional amendment held 7 September 2005; next election scheduled for 2011 election results: Hosni MUBARAK reelected president; percent of vote - Hosni MUBARAK 88.6%, Ayman NOUR 7.6%, Noman GOMAA 2.9%

Legislative branch:

bicameral system consists of the People's Assembly or Majlis al-Sha'b (454 seats; 444 elected by popular vote, 10 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) and the Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura that traditionally functions only in a consultative role but 2007 constitutional amendments could grant the Council new powers (264 seats; 176 elected by popular vote, 88 appointed by the president; members serve six-year terms; mid-term elections for half of the elected members) elections: People's Assembly - three-phase voting - last held 7 and 20 November, 1 December 2005;(next to be held November-December 2010); Advisory Council - last held June 2007 (next to be held May-June 2010) election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 311, NWP 6, Tagammu 2, Tomorrow Party 1, independents 112 (12 seats to be determined by rerun elections, 10 seats appointed by President); Advisory Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 84, Tagammu 1, independents 3

Judicial branch:

Supreme Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders:

National Democratic Party or NDP (governing party) [Mohamed Hosni MUBARAK]; National Progressive Unionist Grouping or Tagammu [Rifaat EL-SAID]; New Wafd Party or NWP [Mahmoud ABAZA]; Tomorrow Party [Moussa Mustafa MOUSSA] note: formation of political parties must be approved by the government; only parties with representation in elected bodies are listed

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Muslim Brotherhood (technically illegal) note: despite a constitutional ban against religious-based parties and political activity, the technically illegal Muslim Brotherhood constitutes Hosni MUBARAK's potentially most significant political opposition

International organization participation:

ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, BSEC (observer), CAEU, COMESA, EBRD, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (designate) Sameh SHOUKRY chancery: 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 895-5400 FAX: [1] (202) 244-4319 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Margaret SCOBEY embassy: 8 Kamal El Din Salah St., Garden City, Cairo mailing address: Unit 64900, Box 15, APO AE 09839-4900; 5 Tawfik Diab Street, Garden City, Cairo telephone: [20] (2) 2797-3300 FAX: [20] (2) 2797-3200

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the national emblem (a gold Eagle of Saladin facing the hoist side with a shield superimposed on its chest above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; design is based on the Arab Liberation flag and similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars in the white band, Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band, and Yemen, which has a plain white band

Economy

Egypt

Economy - overview:

Occupying the northeast corner of the African continent, Egypt is bisected by the highly fertile Nile valley, where most economic activity takes place. In the last 30 years, the government has reformed the highly centralized economy it inherited from President Gamel Abdel NASSER. In 2005, Prime Minister Ahmed NAZIF's government reduced personal and corporate tax rates, reduced energy subsidies, and privatized several enterprises. The stock market boomed, and GDP grew about 5% per year in 2005-06, and topped 7% in 2007. Despite these achievements, the government has failed to raise living standards for the average Egyptian, and has had to continue providing subsidies for basic necessities. The subsidies have contributed to a sizeable budget deficit - roughly 7.5% of GDP in 2007 - and represent a significant drain on the economy. Foreign direct investment has increased significantly in the past two years, but the NAZIF government will need to continue its aggressive pursuit of reforms in order to sustain the spike in investment and growth and begin to improve economic conditions for the broader population. Egypt's export sectors - particularly natural gas - have bright prospects.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$405.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$127.9 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$5,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 13.8% industry: 38.1% services: 48% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

22.1 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 32% industry: 17% services: 51% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:

9.1% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

20% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.7% highest 10%: 29.5% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

34.4 (2001)

Investment (gross fixed):

21.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $35.05 billion expenditures: $44.83 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Public debt:

105.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

9.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

9% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

12.51% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$27.6 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$102.6 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$113.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats

Industries:

textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals, light manufactures

Industrial production growth rate:

7.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

109.1 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

96.2 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

557 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

208 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 81% hydro: 19% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

664,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

652,700 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

204,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:

140,000 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

3.7 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

47.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

31.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

15.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

1.656 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$500.9 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$24.45 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

crude oil and petroleum products, cotton, textiles, metal products, chemicals

Exports - partners:

US 9.7%, Italy 9.5%, Spain 7.6%, Syria 5.5%, Saudi Arabia 4.9%, UK 4.2% (2007)

Imports:

$44.95 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, wood products, fuels

Imports - partners:

US 11.7%, China 9.7%, Italy 6.4%, Germany 6.3%, Saudi Arabia 4.7%,

Russia 4.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $925.9 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$31.37 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$29.2 billion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$48.46 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$1.295 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$93.48 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Egyptian pound (EGP)

Currency code:

EGP

Exchange rates:

Egyptian pounds (EGP) per US dollar - 5.67 (2007), 5.725 (2006), 5.78 (2005), 6.1962 (2004), 5.8509 (2003)

Communications

Egypt

Telephones - main lines in use:

11.229 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

30.065 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: large system; underwent extensive upgrading during 1990s and is reasonably modern; Telecom Egypt, the landline monopoly, has been increasing service availability and in 2007 fixed-line density stood at 14 per 100 persons; as of 2007 there were three mobile-cellular networks and service is expanding rapidly domestic: principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah, Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and microwave radio relay international: country code - 20; landing point for both the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks; linked to the international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe); satellite earth stations - 4 (2 Intelsat - Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean, 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat); tropospheric scatter to Sudan; microwave radio relay to Israel; a participant in Medarabtel (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 42 (plus 15 repeaters), FM 14, shortwave 3 (1999)

Radios:

20.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

98 (September 1995)

Televisions:

7.7 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.eg

Internet hosts:

175,342 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

50 (2000)

Internet users:

8.62 million (2007)

Transportation

Egypt

Airports:

88 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 72 over 3,047 m: 15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 36 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 16 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 7 (2007)

Heliports:

3 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 483 km; condensate/gas 74 km; gas 6,466 km; liquid petroleum gas 957 km; oil 5,518 km; oil/gas/water 37 km; refined products 895 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 5,063 km standard gauge: 5,063 km 1.435-m gauge (62 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 92,370 km paved: 74,820 km unpaved: 17,550 km (2004)

Waterways:

3,500 km note: includes Nile River, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in delta; Suez Canal (193.5 km including approaches) navigable by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 17.68 m (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 67 by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 28, container 2, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll off 9 foreign-owned: 10 (Denmark 1, Greece 8, Lebanon 1) registered in other countries: 58 (Cambodia 13, Georgia 12, Honduras 3, North Korea 1, Malta 1, Moldova 1, Panama 17, Saint Kitts and Nevis 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Saudi Arabia 1, Sierra Leone 3, Togo 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Ayn Sukhnah, Alexandria, Damietta, El Dekheila, Sidi Kurayr, Suez

Military

Egypt

Military branches:

Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command

Military service age and obligation:

18-30 years of age for male conscript military service; service obligation 12-36 months, followed by a 9-year reserve obligation (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 21,247,777 females age 16-49: 20,406,408 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 18,153,158 females age 16-49: 17,405,837 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 825,300 female: 786,590 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Egypt

Disputes - international:

while Sudan retains claim to the Hala'ib Triangle north of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel, both states withdrew their military presence in the 1990s and Egypt has invested in and effectively administers the area; Egypt no longer shows its administration of the Bir Tawil trapezoid in Sudan on its maps; Gazan breaches in the security wall with Egypt in January 2008 highlight difficulties in monitoring the Sinai border

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 60,000 - 80,000 (Iraq); 70,198 (Palestinian Territories); 12,157 (Sudan) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Egypt is a transit country for women trafficked from Eastern European countries to Israel for sexual exploitation, and is a source for children trafficked within the country for commercial sexual exploitation and domestic servitude, although the extent to which children are trafficked internally is unknown; children were also recruited for domestic and agricultural work; some of these children face conditions of involuntary servitude, such as restrictions on movement, non-payment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Egypt is on the Tier 2 Watch List for the third year in a row because it did not provide evidence of increasing efforts to investigate and prosecute traffickers; however, in July 2007, the government established the "National Coordinating Committee to Combat and Prevent Trafficking in Persons," which improved inter-governmental coordination on anti-trafficking initiatives; Egypt made no discernible efforts to punish trafficking crimes in 2007 and the Egyptian penal code does not prohibit all forms of trafficking; Egypt did not increase its services to trafficking victims during the reporting period (2008)

Illicit drugs:

transit point for cannabis, heroin, and opium moving to Europe, Israel, and North Africa; transit stop for Nigerian drug couriers; concern as money laundering site due to lax enforcement of financial regulations

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@El Salvador

Introduction

El Salvador

Background:

El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war, which cost about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms.

Geography

El Salvador

Location:

Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between

Guatemala and Honduras

Geographic coordinates:

13 50 N, 88 55 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 21,040 sq km land: 20,720 sq km water: 320 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries:

total: 545 km border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km

Coastline:

307 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands

Terrain:

mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m

Natural resources:

hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 31.37% permanent crops: 11.88% other: 56.75% (2005)

Irrigated land:

450 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

25.2 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.28 cu km/yr (25%/16%/59%) per capita: 186 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible to hurricanes

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea

People

El Salvador

Population:

7,066,403 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 35.8% (male 1,291,147/female 1,237,453) 15-64 years: 59% (male 1,987,671/female 2,179,620) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 162,100/female 208,412) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 22.2 years male: 21.1 years female: 23.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.679% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

25.72 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.53 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-3.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 22.19 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 72.06 years male: 68.45 years female: 75.84 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.04 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

29,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

2,200 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Salvadoran(s) adjective: Salvadoran

Ethnic groups:

mestizo 90%, white 9%, Amerindian 1%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 57.1%, Protestant 21.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.9%,

Mormon 0.7%, other religions 2.3%, none 16.8% (2003 est.)

Languages:

Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)

Literacy:

definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 80.2% male: 82.8% female: 77.7% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 12 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.1% of GDP (2006)

Government

El Salvador

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador conventional short form: El Salvador local long form: Republica de El Salvador local short form: El Salvador

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: San Salvador geographic coordinates: 13 42 N, 89 12 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

14 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Ahuachapan,

Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La Libertad, La Paz, La Union,

Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, San Vicente, Santa Ana,

Sonsonate, Usulutan

Independence:

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution:

20 December 1983

Legal system:

based on civil and Roman law with traces of common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (since 1 June 2004); Vice President Ana Vilma Albanez DE ESCOBAR (since 1 June 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (since 1 June 2004); Vice President Ana Vilma Albanez DE ESCOBAR (since 1 June 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 21 March 2004 (next to be held in March 2009) election results: Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez elected president; percent of vote - Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez 57.7%, Schafik HANDAL 35.6%, Hector SILVA 3.9%, other 2.8%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (84 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ARENA 34, FMLN 32, PCN 10, PDC 6, CD 2

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (15 judges are selected by the

Legislative Assembly; the 15 judges are assigned to four Supreme

Court chambers - constitutional, civil, penal, and administrative

conflict)

Political parties and leaders:

Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Rodolfo PARKER]; Democratic

Convergence or CD [Ruben ZAMORA] (formerly United Democratic Center

or CDU); Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front or FMLN [Medardo

GONZALEZ]; National Conciliation Party or PCN [Ciro CRUZ ZEPEDA];

National Republican Alliance or ARENA [Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez];

Popular Social Christian Party or PPSC [Rene AGUILUZ]; Revolutionary

Democratic Front or FDR [Julio Cesar HERNANDEZ Carcamo]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

labor organizations - Electrical Industry Union of El Salvador or SIES; Federation of the Construction Industry, Similar Transport and other activities, or FESINCONTRANS; National Confederation of Salvadoran Workers or CNTS; National Union of Salvadoran Workers or UNTS; Port Industry Union of El Salvador or SIPES; Salvadoran Union of Ex-Petrolleros and Peasant Workers or USEPOC; Salvadoran Workers Central or CTS; Workers Union of Electrical Corporation or STCEL; business organizations - National Association of Small Enterprise or ANEP; Salvadoran Assembly Industry Association or ASIC; Salvadoran Industrial Association or ASI

International organization participation:

BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO

(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (observer),

OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union

Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez chancery: 1400 16th Street, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 265-9671 FAX: [1] (202) 234-3763 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Elizabeth (New Jersey), Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York (2), Nogales (Arizona), Santa Ana (California), San Francisco, Washington (DC), Woodbridge (Virginia), Woodstock (Georgia)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Charles L. GLAZER embassy: Final Boulevard Santa Elena Sur, Antiguo Cuscatlan, La Libertad, San Salvador mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023; 3450 San Salvador Place, Washington, DC 20521-3450 telephone: [503] 2501-2999 FAX: [503] 2501-2150

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL; similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which has a different coat of arms centered in the white band - it features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band

Economy

El Salvador

Economy - overview:

The smallest country in Central America, El Salvador has the third largest economy, but growth has been modest in recent years. Robust growth in non-traditional exports have offset declines in the maquila exports, while remittances and external aid offset the trade deficit from high oil prices and strong import demand for consumer and intermediate goods. El Salvador leads the region in remittances per capita with inflows equivalent to nearly all export income. Implementation in 2006 of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which El Salvador was the first to ratify, has strengthened an already positive export trend. With the adoption of the US dollar as its currency in 2001, El Salvador lost control over monetary policy and must concentrate on maintaining a disciplined fiscal policy. The current government has pursued economic diversification, with some success in promoting textile production, international port services, and tourism through tax incentives. It is committed to opening the economy to trade and investment, and has embarked on a wave of privatizations extending to telecom, electricity distribution, banking, and pension funds. In late 2006, the government and the Millennium Challenge Corporation signed a five-year, $461 million compact to stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty in the country's northern region through investments in education, public services, enterprise development, and transportation infrastructure.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$41.63 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$20.37 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$6,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 10.8% industry: 30.8% services: 58.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.913 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 19% industry: 23% services: 58% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

6.2% official rate; but the economy has much underemployment (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

30.7% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 38.8% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

52.4 (2002)

Investment (gross fixed):

16.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $3.659 billion expenditures: $3.709 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

37.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.6% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA

Stock of money:

$1.802 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$764.1 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$9.729 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; beef, dairy products; shrimp

Industries:

food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals

Industrial production growth rate:

3.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

5.338 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

4.426 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

8.64 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

11.08 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 44% hydro: 30.9% nuclear: 0% other: 25.1% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - consumption:

44,330 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

4,963 bbl/day (2006)

Oil - imports:

45,210 bbl/day (2006)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$1.119 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$4.035 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp, textiles, chemicals, electricity

Exports - partners:

US 51%, Guatemala 13.6%, Honduras 11.2%, Nicaragua 5.5% (2007)

Imports:

$8.108 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels, foodstuffs, petroleum, electricity

Imports - partners:

US 35.7%, Mexico 9.8%, Guatemala 8.5%, China 4.7% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$267.6 million of which $55 million from US (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.199 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$9.574 billion (December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$5.918 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$384 million (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$3.623 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

US dollar (USD)

Currency code:

USD

Exchange rates:

the US dollar became El Salvador's currency in 2001

Communications

El Salvador

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.08 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

6.137 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: multiple mobile-cellular service providers are expanding services rapidly and in 2007 mobile-cellular density stood at nearly 90 per 100 persons; growth in fixed-line services has slowed in the face of mobile-cellular competition domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system international: country code - 503; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 52, FM 144, shortwave 0 (2005)

Radios:

2.75 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

5 (1997)

Televisions:

600,000 (1990)

Internet country code:

.sv

Internet hosts:

11,434 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

4 (2000)

Internet users:

700,000 (2006)

Transportation

El Salvador

Airports:

65 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 61 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 48 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Railways:

total: 562 km narrow gauge: 562 km 0.914-m gauge note: railways not in operation since 2005 because of disuse and high costs that led to a lack of maintenance (2007)

Roadways:

total: 10,886 km paved: 2,827 km (includes 327 km of expressways) unpaved: 8,059 km (2000)

Waterways:

Rio Lempa partially navigable for small craft (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco

Military

El Salvador

Military branches:

Salvadoran Army (ES), Salvadoran Navy (FNES), Salvadoran Air Force

(Fuerza Aerea Salvadorena, FAS) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for selective compulsory military service; 16 years of age for voluntary service; service obligation - 8 months, but 11 months for officers and NCOs (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,634,816 females age 16-49: 1,775,474 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,168,406 females age 16-49: 1,519,375 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 73,915 female: 71,252 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

5% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

El Salvador

Disputes - international:

International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras boundary, in 1992, with final agreement by the parties in 2006 after an Organization of American States (OAS) survey and a further ICJ ruling in 2003; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca advocating Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not identified in the ICJ decision, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for cocaine; small amounts of marijuana produced for local consumption; significant use of cocaine

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Equatorial Guinea

Introduction

Equatorial Guinea

Background:

Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996 and 2002 presidential elections - as well as the 1999 and 2004 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, there have been few improvements in the population's living standards.

Geography

Equatorial Guinea

Location:

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and

Gabon

Geographic coordinates:

2 00 N, 10 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 28,051 sq km land: 28,051 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:

total: 539 km border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km

Coastline:

296 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; always hot, humid

Terrain:

coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamonds, tantalum, sand and gravel, clay

Land use:

arable land: 4.63% permanent crops: 3.57% other: 91.8% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Total renewable water resources:

26 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.11 cu km/yr (83%/16%/1%) per capita: 220 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

violent windstorms, flash floods

Environment - current issues:

tap water is not potable; deforestation

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

insular and continental regions widely separated

People

Equatorial Guinea

Population:

616,459 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 42% (male 131,696/female 127,253) 15-64 years: 53.8% (male 162,458/female 169,445) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 11,394/female 14,213) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.9 years male: 18.3 years female: 19.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.732% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

37.04 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.72 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 83.75 deaths/1,000 live births male: 84.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 82.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 61.23 years male: 60.36 years female: 62.13 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.16 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

3.4% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

5,900 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

370 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s) adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean

Ethnic groups:

Fang 85.7%, Bubi 6.5%, Mdowe 3.6%, Annobon 1.6%, Bujeba 1.1%, other 1.4% (1994 census)

Religions:

nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices

Languages:

Spanish 67.6% (official), other 32.4% (includes French (official),

Fang, Bubi) (1994 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87% male: 93.4% female: 80.5% (2000 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 10 years female: 9 years (2000)

Education expenditures:

0.6% of GDP (2003)

Government

Equatorial Guinea

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial/Republique de Guinee equatoriale local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial/Guinee equatoriale former: Spanish Guinea

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Malabo geographic coordinates: 3 45 N, 8 47 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas

Independence:

12 October 1968 (from Spain)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 12 October (1968)

Constitution:

approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January 1995

Legal system:

partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979 when he seized power in a military coup) head of government: Prime Minister Ignacio Milan TANG (since 8 July 2008); cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 15 December 2002 (next to be held in December 2009); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected president; percent of vote - Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO 97.1%, Celestino Bonifacio BACALE 2.2%; elections marred by widespread fraud

Legislative branch:

unicameral House of People's Representatives or Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (100 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held 4 May 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDGE 98, CPDS 2 note: Parliament has little power since the constitution vests all executive authority in the president

Judicial branch:

Supreme Tribunal

Political parties and leaders:

Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS [Placido MICO Abogo];

Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE (ruling party)

[Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO]; Party for Progress of Equatorial

Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or

APGE [Avelino MOCACHE]; Popular Union or UP

Political pressure groups and leaders:

ASODEGUE (Madrid-based pressure group for democratic reform); Global

Witness (anti-corruption)

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, CPLP (associate), FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD,

ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,

ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Purificacion ANGUE ONDO chancery: 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700 FAX: [1] (202) 518-5252

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) embassy: K-3, Carreterade Aeropuerto, al lado de Restaurante El Paraiso, Malabo; note - relocated embassy is opened for limited functions; inquiries should continue to be directed to the US Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon mailing address: B.P. 817, Yaounde, Cameroon; US Embassy Yaounde, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520 telephone: [237] 2220-1500 FAX: [237] 2220-1572

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice)

Economy

Equatorial Guinea

Economy - overview:

The discovery and exploitation of large oil reserves have contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent years. Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. Although pre-independence Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings, the neglect of the rural economy under successive regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth (the government has stated its intention to reinvest some oil revenue into agriculture). A number of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF have been cut off since 1993, because of corruption and mismanagement. No longer eligible for concessional financing because of large oil revenues, the government has been trying to agree on a "shadow" fiscal management program with the World Bank and IMF. Government officials and their family members own most businesses. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Growth remained strong in 2007, led by oil.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$15.54 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$10.49 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

12.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$28,200 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.9% industry: 92.2% services: 4.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

NA

Unemployment rate:

30% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

37.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $4.963 billion expenditures: $2.494 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

1.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

5.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

15% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$835.2 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$174.5 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

NA

Agriculture - products:

coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts; livestock; timber

Industries:

petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas

Industrial production growth rate:

10.1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

27 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

25.11 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 94.3% hydro: 5.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

368,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

918.3 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

375,400 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

1,070 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

1.1 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

1.3 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

1.3 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

36.81 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$415 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$9.904 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum, methanol, timber, cocoa

Exports - partners:

US 20.6%, China 18.8%, Spain 13.9%, Taiwan 13.4%, France 7.5%, Japan 6.5%, Portugal 6.4% (2007)

Imports:

$3.083 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

petroleum sector equipment, other equipment

Imports - partners:

US 19.6%, Spain 13.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 11.9%, France 9.6%, China 7.7%,

Italy 6.6%, UK 6.4%, Netherlands 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$39 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$3.846 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$338 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Currency (code):

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States

Currency code:

XAF

Exchange rates:

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 481.83 (2007), 522.4 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)

Communications

Equatorial Guinea

Telephones - main lines in use:

10,000 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

220,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: digital fixed-line network in most major urban areas and good mobile coverage domestic: fixed-line density is about 2 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership has been increasing and in 2007 stood at about 40 percent of the population international: country code - 240; international communications from Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2001)

Radios:

180,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2001)

Televisions:

4,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.gq

Internet hosts:

9 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Internet users:

8,000 (2006)

Transportation

Equatorial Guinea

Airports:

5 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 42 km; condensate/gas 5 km; gas 80 km; oil 54 km (2007)

Roadways:

total: 2,880 km (2000)

Merchant marine:

total: 1 by type: cargo 1 (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Bata, Malabo

Military

Equatorial Guinea

Military branches:

National Guard (Guardia Nacional (Army), with Coast Guard (Navy) and

Air Wing) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age (est.) for compulsory military service (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 136,725 females age 16-49: 138,018 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 101,712 females age 16-49: 104,381 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 6,784 female: 6,543 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Equatorial Guinea

Disputes - international:

in 2002, ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but a dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River and imprecisely defined maritime coordinates in the ICJ decision delay final delimitation; UN urges Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane and lesser islands and to create a maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Equatorial Guinea is primarily a destination country for children trafficked for the purpose of forced labor and possibly for the purpose of sexual exploitation; children have been trafficked from nearby countries for domestic servitude, market labor, ambulant vending, and possibly sexual exploitation; women may also be trafficked to Equatorial Guinea from Cameroon, Benin, other neighboring countries, and China for sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Equatorial Guinea is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking, particularly in the areas of prosecuting and convicting trafficking offenders and failing to formalize mechanisms to provide assistance to victims; although the government made some effort to enforce laws against child labor exploitation, it failed to report any trafficking prosecutions or convictions in 2007; the government continued to lack shelters or formal procedures for providing care to victims (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Eritrea

Introduction

Eritrea

Background:

Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a federation. Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces; independence was overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two-and-a-half-year border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN auspices in December 2000. Eritrea currently hosts a UN peacekeeping operation that is monitoring a 25 km-wide Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) on the border with Ethiopia. An international commission, organized to resolve the border dispute, posted its findings in 2002. However, both parties have been unable to reach agreement on implementing the decision. On 30 November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission remotely demarcated the border by coordinates and dissolved itself, leaving Ethiopia still occupying several tracts of disputed territory, including the town of Badme. Eritrea accepted the EEBC's "virtual demarcation" decision and called on Ethiopia to remove its troops from the TSZ which it states is Eritrean territory. Ethiopia has not accepted the virtual demarcation decision.

Geography

Eritrea

Location:

Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan

Geographic coordinates:

15 00 N, 39 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 121,320 sq km land: 121,320 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries:

total: 1,626 km border countries: Djibouti 109 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km

Coastline:

2,234 km (mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km)

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate:

hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands

Terrain:

dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: near Kulul within the Denakil depression -75 m highest point: Soira 3,018 m

Natural resources:

gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish

Land use:

arable land: 4.78% permanent crops: 0.03% other: 95.19% (2005)

Irrigated land:

210 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

6.3 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.3 cu km/yr (3%/0%/97%) per capita: 68 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

frequent droughts; locust swarms

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993

People

Eritrea

Population:

5,502,026 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 43% (male 1,188,496/female 1,178,520) 15-64 years: 53.4% (male 1,437,653/female 1,502,449) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 89,634/female 105,274) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.3 years male: 17.9 years female: 18.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.631% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

34.94 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.63 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 44.34 deaths/1,000 live births male: 50.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 38.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 61.38 years male: 59.35 years female: 63.46 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.84 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

2.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

60,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

6,300 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Eritrean(s) adjective: Eritrean

Ethnic groups:

Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%, other 3%

Religions:

Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant

Languages:

Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 58.6% male: 69.9% female: 47.6% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 5 years male: 6 years female: 4 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

2.4% of GDP (2006)

Government

Eritrea

Country name:

conventional long form: State of Eritrea conventional short form: Eritrea local long form: Hagere Ertra local short form: Ertra former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia

Government type:

transitional government note: following a successful referendum on independence for the Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997, did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential elections; parliamentary elections were scheduled in December 2001, but were postponed indefinitely; currently the sole legal party is the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)

Capital:

name: Asmara (Asmera) geographic coordinates: 15 20 N, 38 56 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

6 regions (zobatat, singular - zoba); Anseba, Debub (Southern), Debubawi K'eyih Bahri (Southern Red Sea), Gash Barka, Ma'akel (Central), Semenawi Keyih Bahri (Northern Red Sea)

Independence:

24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 24 May (1993)

Constitution:

a transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented

Legal system:

primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957, with revisions; new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been promulgated; government also issues unilateral proclamations setting laws and policies; also relies on customary and post-independence-enacted laws and, for civil cases involving Muslims, Islamic law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly head of government: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993) cabinet: State Council is the collective executive authority; members appointed by the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); the most recent and only election held 8 June 1993 (next election date uncertain as the National Assembly did not hold a presidential election in December 2001 as anticipated) election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%, other 5%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member Constituent Assembly, which had been established in 1997 to discuss and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to serve as the country's legislative body until countrywide elections to a National Assembly were held; although only 75 of 150 members of the Transitional National Assembly were elected, the constitution stipulates that once past the transition stage, all members of the National Assembly will be elected by secret ballot of all eligible voters; National Assembly elections scheduled for December 2001 were postponed indefinitely

Judicial branch:

High Court - regional, subregional, and village courts; also have military and special courts

Political parties and leaders:

People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ [ISAIAS Afworki] (the only party recognized by the government); note - a National Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in January 2001, but the full National Assembly has yet to debate or vote on it

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Eritrean Democratic Party (EDP) [HAGOS, Mesfin]; Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ (includes Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement or EIJM also known as the Abu Sihel Movement); Eritrean Islamic Salvation or EIS (also known as the Arafa Movement); Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean National Alliance or ENA (a coalition including EIJ, EIS, ELF, and a number of ELF factions) [HERUY Tedla Biru]; Eritrean Public Forum or EPF [ARADOM Iyob]

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt

(signatory), IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, LAS (observer), MIGA,

NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador GHIRMAI Ghebremariam chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 319-1991 FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304 consulate(s) general: Oakland (California)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald MCMULLEN embassy: 179 Ala Street, Asmara mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara telephone: [291] (1) 120004 FAX: [291] (1) 127584

Flag description:

red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on the hoist side of the red triangle

Economy

Eritrea

Economy - overview:

Since independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea has faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country, accentuated by the recent implementation of restrictive economic policies. Eritrea has a command economy under the control of the sole political party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ). Like the economies of many African nations, the economy is largely based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding. The Ethiopian-Eritrea war in 1998-2000 severely hurt Eritrea's economy. GDP growth fell to zero in 1999 and to -12.1% in 2000. The May 2000 Ethiopian offensive into northern Eritrea caused some $600 million in property damage and loss, including losses of $225 million in livestock and 55,000 homes. The attack prevented planting of crops in Eritrea's most productive region, causing food production to drop by 62%. Even during the war, Eritrea developed its transportation infrastructure, asphalting new roads, improving its ports, and repairing war-damaged roads and bridges. Since the war ended, the government has maintained a firm grip on the economy, expanding the use of the military and party-owned businesses to complete Eritrea's development agenda. The government strictly controls the use of foreign currency, limiting access and availability. Few private enterprises remain in Eritrea. Eritrea's economy is heavily dependent on taxes paid by members of the diaspora. Erratic rainfall and the delayed demobilization of agriculturalists from the military continue to interfere with agricultural production, and Eritrea's recent harvests have not been able to meet the food needs of the country. The government continues to place its hope for additional revenue on the development of several international mining projects. Despite difficulties for international companies in working with the Eritrean government, a Canadian mining company signed a contract with the GSE in 2007 and plans to begin mineral extraction in 2010. Eritrea also anticipates opening a free trade zone at the port of Massawa in 2008. Eritrea's economic future depends upon its ability to master social problems such as illiteracy, unemployment, and low skills, and more importantly, on the government's willingness to support a true market economy.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$3.619 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.316 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

1.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 17.5% industry: 23.2% services: 59.3% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

NA

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

50% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

19.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $234.6 million expenditures: $471.4 million (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

17% (2007 est.)

Stock of money:

$749.1 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$932.9 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.711 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, sisal; livestock, goats; fish

Industries:

food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles, light manufacturing, salt, cement

Industrial production growth rate:

2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

253 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

216 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

5,186 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

54.74 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

4,924 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$205 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$12 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures

Exports - partners:

Italy 34.4%, China 16.2%, Sudan 15.2%, France 9.4%, Saudi Arabia 5.2%, Australia 4.4% (2007)

Imports:

$573 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods

Imports - partners:

Saudi Arabia 19.1%, Italy 15.1%, China 11.1%, Turkey 8.3%, Germany 7.2%, Ukraine 5.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$355.2 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$23 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$311 million (2000 est.)

Currency (code):

nakfa (ERN)

Currency code:

ERN

Exchange rates:

nakfa (ERN) per US dollar - 15.5 (2007), 15.4 (2006), 14.5 (2005), 13.788 (2004), 13.878 (2003) note: the official exchange rate is 15 nakfa to the dollar

Communications

Eritrea

Telephones - main lines in use:

37,500 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

70,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: inadequate; combined fixed-line and mobile cellular subscribership is only about 2 per 100 persons domestic: inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government is seeking international tenders to improve the system (2002) international: country code - 291; note - international connections exist

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM NA, shortwave 2 (2000)

Radios:

345,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (2006)

Televisions:

1,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.er

Internet hosts:

1,074 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

5 (2001)

Internet users:

120,000 (2007)

Transportation

Eritrea

Airports:

18 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 4 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 14 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Railways:

total: 306 km narrow gauge: 306 km 0.950-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 4,010 km paved: 874 km unpaved: 3,136 km (2000)

Merchant marine:

total: 5 by type: cargo 2, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Assab, Massawa

Military

Eritrea

Military branches:

Eritrean Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-40 years of age for male and female voluntary and compulsory military service; 16-month conscript service obligation (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,108,836 females age 16-49: 1,096,120 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 715,531 females age 16-49: 731,511 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 60,490 female: 60,639 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

6.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Eritrea

Disputes - international:

Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by 2002 Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision but, neither party responded to the revised line detailed in the November 2006 EEBC Demarcation Statement; UN Peacekeeping Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), which has monitored the 25-km-wide Temporary Security Zone in Eritrea since 2000, is extended for six months in 2007 despite Eritrean restrictions on its operations and reduced force of 17,000; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting eastern Sudanese rebel groups

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 32,000 (border war with Ethiopia from 1998-2000; most IDPs are near the central border region) (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Estonia

Introduction

Estonia

Background:

After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US - it regained its freedom in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with Western Europe. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

Geography

Estonia

Location:

Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia

Geographic coordinates:

59 00 N, 26 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 45,226 sq km land: 43,211 sq km water: 2,015 sq km note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined

Land boundaries:

total: 633 km border countries: Latvia 343 km, Russia 290 km

Coastline:

3,794 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states

Climate:

maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers

Terrain:

marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m

Natural resources:

oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud

Land use:

arable land: 12.05% permanent crops: 0.35% other: 87.6% (2005)

Irrigated land:

40 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

21.1 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.41 cu km/yr (56%/39%/5%) per capita: 1,060 cu m/yr (2002)

Natural hazards:

sometimes flooding occurs in the spring

Environment - current issues:

air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; however, the amount of pollutants emitted to the air have fallen steadily, the emissions of 2000 were 80% less than in 1980; the amount of unpurified wastewater discharged to water bodies in 2000 was one-20th the level of 1980; in connection with the start-up of new water purification plants, the pollution load of wastewater decreased; Estonia has more than 1,400 natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areas need to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands

People

Estonia

Population:

1,307,605 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 14.9% (male 100,143/female 94,450) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 420,896/female 462,072) 65 years and over: 17.6% (male 76,171/female 153,873) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 39.6 years male: 36.2 years female: 43.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.632% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.28 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

13.35 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-3.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female total population: 0.84 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 7.45 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.62 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 72.56 years male: 67.16 years female: 78.3 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.42 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

7,800 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne disease: tickborne encephalitis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Estonian(s) adjective: Estonian

Ethnic groups:

Estonian 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian 1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000 census)

Religions:

Evangelical Lutheran 13.6%, Orthodox 12.8%, other Christian (including Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal) 1.4%, unaffiliated 34.1%, other and unspecified 32%, none 6.1% (2000 census)

Languages:

Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7% (2000 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.8% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 16 years male: 15 years female: 17 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

5.1% of GDP (2004)

Government

Estonia

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Estonia conventional short form: Estonia local long form: Eesti Vabariik local short form: Eesti former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:

parliamentary republic

Capital:

name: Tallinn geographic coordinates: 59 26 N, 24 43 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

15 counties (maakonnad, singular - maakond): Harjumaa (Tallinn), Hiiumaa (Kardla), Ida-Virumaa (Johvi), Jarvamaa (Paide), Jogevamaa (Jogeva), Laanemaa (Haapsalu), Laane-Virumaa (Rakvere), Parnumaa (Parnu), Polvamaa (Polva), Raplamaa (Rapla), Saaremaa (Kuressaare), Tartumaa (Tartu), Valgamaa (Valga), Viljandimaa (Viljandi), Vorumaa (Voru) note: counties have the administrative center name following in parentheses

Independence:

20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 24 February (1918); note - 24 February 1918 was

the date Estonia declared its independence from Soviet Russia; 20

August 1991 was the date it declared its independence from the

Soviet Union

Constitution:

adopted 28 June 1992

Legal system:

based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Toomas Hendrik ILVES (since 9 October 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Andrus ANSIP (since 12 April 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, approved by Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); if a candidate does not secure two-thirds of the votes after three rounds of balloting in the Parliament, then an electoral assembly (made up of Parliament plus members of local governments) elects the president, choosing between the two candidates with the largest percentage of votes; election last held 23 September 2006 (next to be held in the fall of 2011); prime minister nominated by the president and approved by Parliament election results: Toomas Hendrik ILVES elected president on 23 September 2006 by a 345-member electoral assembly; ILVES received 174 votes to incumbent Arnold RUUTEL's 162; remaining 9 ballots left blank or invalid

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 4 March 2007 (next to be held in March 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - Estonian Reform Party 27.8%, Center Party of Estonia 26.1%, Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica 17.9%, Social Democratic Party 10.6%, Estonian Greens 7.1%, Estonian People's Union 7.1%, other 5%; seats by party - Estonian Reform Party 31, Center Party 29, Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica 19, Social Democratic Party 10, Estonian Greens 6, Estonian People's Union 6

Judicial branch:

National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life)

Political parties and leaders:

Center Party of Estonia (Keskerakond) [Edgar SAVISAAR]; Estonian

Greens (Rohelised) [Marek STRANDBERG]; Estonian People's Union

(Rahvaliit) [Villu REILJAN]; Estonian Reform Party (Reformierakond)

[Andrus ANSIP]; Estonian United Russian People's Party or EUVRP

[Yevgeniy TOMBERG]; Social Democratic Party (formerly People's Party

Moodukad or Moderates) [Ivari PADAR]; Union of Pro Patria and Res

Publica (Isamaa je Res Publica Liit) [Mart LAAR]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Nochnoy Dozor/Night Watch anti-fascist movement (leader Alexander

KOROBOV)

International organization participation:

Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO,

NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNITAR, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate

partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Vaino REINART chancery: 2131 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101 FAX: [1] (202) 588-0108 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Stanley Davis PHILLIPS embassy: Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [372] 668-8100 FAX: [372] 668-8265

Flag description:

pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white

Economy

Estonia

Economy - overview:

Estonia, a 2004 European Union entrant, has a modern market-based economy and one of the highest per capita income levels in Central Europe. The economy benefits from strong electronics and telecommunications sectors and strong trade ties with Finland, Sweden, and Germany. The current government has pursued relatively sound fiscal policies, resulting in balanced budgets and low public debt. In 2007, however, a large current account deficit and rising inflation put pressure on Estonia's currency, which is pegged to the euro, highlighting the need for growth in export-generating industries.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$28.69 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$21.28 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$21,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3% industry: 28.5% services: 68.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

687,000 (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 11% industry: 20% services: 69% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:

4.7% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

5% (2003)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 27.6% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

34 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

31.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $7.854 billion expenditures: $7.171 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

3.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6.6% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

6.46% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$7.158 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$4.253 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$21.35 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

potatoes, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish

Industries:

engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textiles; information technology, telecommunications

Industrial production growth rate:

7.7% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

9.158 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

7.331 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

3.179 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

400 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 99.8% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0.2% (2001)

Oil - production:

7,430 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

30,440 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

7,000 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

28,170 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

1.48 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

1.48 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$3.771 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$11.08 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles 14%, food products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001)

Exports - partners:

Finland 17.9%, Sweden 13.2%, Latvia 11.4%, Russia 8.9%, Lithuania 5.8%, Germany 5.2%, US 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$14.75 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment 33.5%, chemical products 11.6%, textiles 10.3%, foodstuffs 9.4%, transportation equipment 8.9% (2001)

Imports - partners:

Finland 15.9%, Germany 12.8%, Sweden 10.1%, Russia 10%, Latvia 7.6%,

Lithuania 6.9%, Poland 4.5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$135.5 million (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$3.27 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$24.82 billion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$16.59 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$5.873 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$5.963 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Estonian kroon (EEK)

Currency code:

EEK

Exchange rates:

krooni (EEK) per US dollar - 11.535 (2007), 12.473 (2006), 12.584 (2005), 12.596 (2004), 13.856 (2003) note: the krooni is pegged to the euro

Communications

Estonia

Telephones - main lines in use:

495,500 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.982 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: foreign investment in the form of joint business ventures greatly improved telephone service; substantial fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone, TV, and radio traffic in the digital mode; Internet services are widely available; schools and libraries are connected to the Internet, a large percentage of the population files income-tax returns online, and online voting was used for the first time in the 2005 local elections domestic: a wide range of high quality voice, data, and Internet services is available throughout the country international: country code - 372; fiber-optic cables to Finland, Sweden, Latvia, and Russia provide worldwide packet-switched service; 2 international switches are located in Tallinn (2001)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 98, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios:

1.01 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (2001)

Televisions:

605,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ee

Internet hosts:

645,495 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

38 (2001)

Internet users:

780,000 (2007)

Transportation

Estonia

Airports:

19 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 12 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 7 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 859 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 968 km broad gauge: 968 km 1.520 m/1.524-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 57,016 km paved: 12,926 km (includes 99 km of expressways) unpaved: 44,090 km (2005)

Waterways:

320 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 29 by type: cargo 5, passenger/cargo 21, petroleum tanker 2, chemical tanker 1 foreign-owned: 4 (Denmark 1, Germany 1, Norway 2) registered in other countries: 85 (Antigua and Barbuda 23, Belize 6, Cyprus 5, Dominica 7, Finland 2, Latvia 2, Liberia 1, Malta 11, Norway 1, Panama 5, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 16, Sweden 2, Vanuatu 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Kuivastu, Kunda, Muuga, Tallinn, Virtsu

Military

Estonia

Military branches:

Estonian Defense Forces: Land Force, Navy, Air Force (Eesti

Ohuvagi), Volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit, KL) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

compulsory military service for men between 19 and 28; conscription lasts 11 months for junior NCOs and reserve platoon leaders; reserve officers and designated specialists have a different conscript service obligation; Estonia has committed to retaining conscription for men up to 2010 and, unlike Latvia and Lithuania, has no plan to transition to a contract armed forces; 17 years of age for volunteers; reserve commitment up to the age of 60 (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 306,273 females age 16-49: 317,852 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 218,448 females age 16-49: 264,187 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 8,322 female: 7,846 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Estonia

Disputes - international:

Russia recalled its signature to the 1996 technical border agreement with Estonia in 2005, rather than concede to Estonia's appending prepared a unilateral declaration referencing Soviet occupation and territorial losses; Russia demands better accommodation of Russian-speaking population in Estonia; Estonian citizen groups continue to press for realignment of the boundary based on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within Estonia; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Estonia must implement the strict Schengen border rules with Russia

Illicit drugs:

growing producer of synthetic drugs; increasingly important transshipment zone for cannabis, cocaine, opiates, and synthetic drugs since joining the European Union and the Schengen Accord; potential money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking is a concern, as is possible use of the gambling sector to launder funds; major use of opiates and ecstasy

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Ethiopia

Introduction

Ethiopia

Background:

Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of the 1936-41 Italian occupation during World War II. In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990s ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. The Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission in November 2007 remotely demarcated the border by geographical coordinates, but final demarcation of the boundary on the ground is currently on hold because of Ethiopian objections to an international commission's finding requiring it to surrender territory considered sensitive to Ethiopia.

Geography

Ethiopia

Location:

Eastern Africa, west of Somalia

Geographic coordinates:

8 00 N, 38 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 1,127,127 sq km land: 1,119,683 sq km water: 7,444 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 5,328 km border countries: Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 1,606 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation

Terrain:

high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Denakil Depression -125 m highest point: Ras Dejen 4,533 m

Natural resources:

small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural gas, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 10.01% permanent crops: 0.65% other: 89.34% (2005)

Irrigated land:

2,900 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

110 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 5.56 cu km/yr (6%/0%/94%) per capita: 72 cu m/yr (2002)

Natural hazards:

geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor management

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; the Blue Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and castor bean

People

Ethiopia

Population:

82,544,840 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 46% (male 18,922,334/female 19,017,593) 15-64 years: 51.4% (male 20,749,002/female 21,656,509) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 947,323/female 1,252,077) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 16.9 years male: 16.6 years female: 17.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.212% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

43.97 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

11.83 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA note: repatriation of Ethiopian refugees residing in Sudan is expected to continue for several years; some Sudanese, Somali, and Eritrean refugees, who fled to Ethiopia from the fighting or famine in their own countries, continue to return to their homes (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 82.64 deaths/1,000 live births male: 94.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 70.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 54.99 years male: 52.54 years female: 57.51 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

6.17 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

4.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

1.5 million (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

120,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis animal contact disease: rabies water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Ethiopian(s) adjective: Ethiopian

Ethnic groups:

Oromo 32.1%, Amara 30.1%, Tigraway 6.2%, Somalie 5.9%, Guragie 4.3%,

Sidama 3.5%, Welaita 2.4%, other 15.4% (1994 census)

Religions:

Christian 60.8% (Orthodox 50.6%, Protestant 10.2%), Muslim 32.8%, traditional 4.6%, other 1.8% (1994 census)

Languages:

Amarigna 32.7%, Oromigna 31.6%, Tigrigna 6.1%, Somaligna 6%,

Guaragigna 3.5%, Sidamigna 3.5%, Hadiyigna 1.7%, other 14.8%,

English (major foreign language taught in schools) (1994 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 42.7% male: 50.3% female: 35.1% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 8 years male: 8 years female: 7 years (2007)

Education expenditures:

6% of GDP (2006)

Government

Ethiopia

Country name:

conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia conventional short form: Ethiopia local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik local short form: Ityop'iya former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa abbreviation: FDRE

Government type:

federal republic

Capital:

name: Addis Ababa geographic coordinates: 9 02 N, 38 42 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

9 ethnically based states (kililoch, singular - kilil) and 2 self-governing administrations* (astedaderoch, singular - astedader); Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa), Afar, Amara (Amhara), Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela Hizboch (Gambela Peoples), Hareri Hizb (Harari People), Oromiya (Oromia), Sumale (Somali), Tigray, Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples)

Independence:

oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at least 2,000 years

National holiday:

National Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991)

Constitution:

ratified 8 December 1994, effective 22 August 1995

Legal system:

based on civil law; currently transitional mix of national and regional courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President GIRMA Woldegiorgis (since 8 October 2001) head of government: Prime Minister MELES Zenawi (since August 1995) cabinet: Council of Ministers as provided for in the December 1994 constitution; ministers are selected by the prime minister and approved by the House of People's Representatives elections: president elected by the House of People's Representatives for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 9 October 2007 (next to be held in October 2013); prime minister designated by the party in power following legislative elections election results: GIRMA Woldegiorgis elected president; percent of vote by the House of People's Representatives - 79%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation (or upper chamber responsible for interpreting the constitution and federal-regional issues) (108 seats; members are chosen by state assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of People's Representatives (or lower chamber responsible for passing legislation) (547 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 15 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - EPRDF 327, CUD 109, UEDF 52, SPDP 23, OFDM 11, BGPDUF 8, ANDP 8, independent 1, others 6, undeclared 2 note: some seats still remain vacant as detained opposition MPs did not take their seats

Judicial branch:

Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of the Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the House of People's Representatives; for other federal judges, the prime minister submits to the House of People's Representatives for appointment candidates selected by the Federal Judicial Administrative Council)

Political parties and leaders:

Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP; Benishangul Gumuz People's

Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [Mulualem BESSE]; Coalition for

Unity and Democratic Party or CUDP [AYELE Chamisso] (awarded to

AYELE by the National Electoral Board on 11 January 2008, but AYELE

has virtually no support among former CUD MPs, other CUD MPs must

now be affiliated with their original CUD-precursor parties);

Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF [MELES

Zenawi] (an alliance of Amhara National Democratic Movement or ANDM,

Oromo People's Democratic Organization or OPDO, the South Ethiopian

People's Democratic Front or SEPDF, and Tigrayan Peoples' Liberation

Front or TPLF); Gurage Nationalities' Democratic Movement or GNDM;

Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement or OFDM [BULCHA Demeksa]; Omoro

People's Congress or OPC [IMERERA Gudina]; Somali People's

Democratic Party or SPDP; United Ethiopian Democratic Forces or UEDF

[BEYENE Petros]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front or EPPF; Ogaden National

Liberation Front or ONLF; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM

(observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN,

UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel ASSEFA chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200 FAX: [1] (202) 587-0195 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Donald Y. YAMAMOTO embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa telephone: [251] 11-517-40-00 FAX: [251] 11-517-40-01

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the three bands; Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa, and the three main colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the pan-African colors

Economy

Ethiopia

Economy - overview:

Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, accounting for almost half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment. The agricultural sector suffers from frequent drought and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopian economy with exports of some $350 million in 2006, but historically low prices have seen many farmers switching to qat to supplement income. The war with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and recurrent drought have buffeted the economy, in particular coffee production. In November 2001, Ethiopia qualified for debt relief from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in December 2005 the IMF voted to forgive Ethiopia's debt to the body. Under Ethiopia's constitution, the state owns all land and provides long-term leases to the tenants; the system continues to hamper growth in the industrial sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use land as collateral for loans. Drought struck again late in 2002, leading to a 3.3% decline in GDP in 2003. Normal weather patterns helped agricultural and GDP growth recover during 2004-07.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$56.05 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$19.43 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

11.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 47% industry: 13.2% services: 39.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

27.27 million (1999)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 80% industry: 8% services: 12% (1985)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

38.7% (FY05/06 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.9% highest 10%: 25.5% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

30 (2000)

Investment (gross fixed):

25.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $3.231 billion expenditures: $3.785 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

8 July - 7 July

Public debt:

44.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

17.2% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7% (31 December 2006)

Stock of money:

$3.651 billion (31 December 2006)

Stock of quasi money:

$3.258 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$6.694 billion (31 December 2006)

Agriculture - products:

cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, cotton, sugarcane, potatoes, qat, cut flowers; hides, cattle, sheep, goats; fish

Industries:

food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, chemicals, metals processing, cement

Industrial production growth rate:

11% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

3.268 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

2.941 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 1.3% hydro: 97.6% nuclear: 0% other: 1.2% (2001)

Oil - production:

7.334 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

30,450 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

29,820 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

428,000 bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

24.92 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$826.8 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.288 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds

Exports - partners:

Germany 8.2%, Saudi Arabia 7%, US 6.9%, Djibouti 6.6%, China 6.5%,

Italy 6.5%, Japan 5.9%, Netherlands 4.8% (2007)

Imports:

$5.165 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles

Imports - partners:

Saudi Arabia 17%, China 15.9%, India 7.8%, Italy 5.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.6 billion (FY05/06)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.294 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$2.621 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

birr (ETB)

Currency code:

ETB

Exchange rates:

birr (ETB) per US dollar - 8.96 (2007), 8.69 (2006), 8.68 (2005), 8.6356 (2004), 8.5997 (2003) note: since 24 October 2001, exchange rates are determined on a daily basis via interbank transactions regulated by the Central Bank

Communications

Ethiopia

Telephones - main lines in use:

880,100 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.208 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: inadequate telephone system; the number of fixed lines and mobile telephones is increasing from a very small base; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is only about 2 per 100 persons domestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication in the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; 2 domestic satellites provide the national trunk service international: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti; microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 8, FM 0, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:

15.2 million (2002)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (plus 24 repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:

682,000 (2002)

Internet country code:

.et

Internet hosts:

128 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Internet users:

291,000 (2007)

Transportation

Ethiopia

Airports:

84 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 15 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 69 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 21 (2007)

Railways:

total: 699 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad) narrow gauge: 699 km 1.000-m gauge note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia but remains largely inoperable (2006)

Roadways:

total: 36,469 km paved: 6,980 km unpaved: 29,489 km (2004)

Merchant marine:

total: 9 by type: cargo 8, roll on/roll off 1 (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Ethiopia is landlocked and uses ports of Djibouti in Djibouti and

Berbera in Somalia

Military

Ethiopia

Military branches:

Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF): Ground Forces, Ethiopian Air Force (ETAF) (2008) note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following the secession of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained in Eritrean possession

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; theoretically, no compulsory military service, but the military can conduct call-ups when necessary and compliance is compulsory (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 17,666,967 females age 16-49: 17,530,211 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 10,060,775 females age 16-49: 9,854,710 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 887,061 female: 896,048 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Ethiopia

Disputes - international:

Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002 Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision, but neither party responded to the revised line detailed in the November 2006 EEBC Demarcation Statement; UN Peacekeeping Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), which has monitored the 25-km-wide Temporary Security Zone in Eritrea since 2000, is extended for six months in 2007 despite Eritrean restrictions on its operations and reduced force of 17,000; the undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera and trade ties to landlocked Ethiopia; civil unrest in eastern Sudan has hampered efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 66,980 (Sudan); 16,576 (Somalia); 13,078 (Eritrea) IDPs: 200,000 (border war with Eritrea from 1998-2000, ethnic clashes in Gambela, and ongoing Ethiopian military counterinsurgency in Somali region; most IDPs are in Tigray and Gambela Provinces) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and Southeast Asia and destined for Europe, as well as cocaine destined for markets in southern Africa; cultivates qat (khat) for local use and regional export, principally to Djibouti and Somalia (legal in all three countries); the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money laundering center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@European Union

Introduction

European Union

Preliminary statement:

The evolution of the European Union (EU) from a regional economic agreement among six neighboring states in 1951 to today's supranational organization of 27 countries across the European continent stands as an unprecedented phenomenon in the annals of history. Dynastic unions for territorial consolidation were long the norm in Europe. On a few occasions even country-level unions were arranged - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Austro-Hungarian Empire were examples - but for such a large number of nation-states to cede some of their sovereignty to an overarching entity is truly unique. Although the EU is not a federation in the strict sense, it is far more than a free-trade association such as ASEAN, NAFTA, or Mercosur, and it has many of the attributes associated with independent nations: its own flag, anthem, founding date, and currency, as well as an incipient common foreign and security policy in its dealings with other nations. In the future, many of these nation-like characteristics are likely to be expanded. Thus, inclusion of basic intelligence on the EU has been deemed appropriate as a new, separate entity in The World Factbook. However, because of the EU's special status, this description is placed after the regular country entries.

Background:

Following the two devastating World Wars of the first half of the 20th century, a number of European leaders in the late 1940s became convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany - both economically and politically. In 1950, the French Foreign Minister Robert SCHUMAN proposed an eventual union of all Europe, the first step of which would be the integration of the coal and steel industries of Western Europe. The following year the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up when six members, Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, signed the Treaty of Paris. The ECSC was so successful that within a few years the decision was made to integrate other parts of the countries' economies. In 1957, the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the six member states undertook to eliminate trade barriers among themselves by forming a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC), creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament were initially selected by national parliaments, but in 1979 the first direct elections were undertaken and they have been held every five years since. In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The 1980s saw further membership expansion with Greece joining in 1981 and Spain and Portugal in 1986. The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht laid the basis for further forms of cooperation in foreign and defense policy, in judicial and internal affairs, and in the creation of an economic and monetary union - including a common currency. This further integration created the European Union (EU). In 1995, Austria, Finland, and Sweden joined the EU, raising the membership total to 15. A new currency, the euro, was launched in world money markets on 1 January 1999; it became the unit of exchange for all of the EU states except the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark. In 2002, citizens of the 12 euro-area countries began using the euro banknotes and coins. Ten new countries joined the EU in 2004 - Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia - and in 2007 Bulgaria and Romania joined, bringing the current membership to 27. In order to ensure that the EU can continue to function efficiently with an expanded membership, the Treaty of Nice (in force as of 1 February 2003) set forth rules streamlining the size and procedures of EU institutions. An effort to establish an EU constitution, begun in October 2004, failed to attain unanimous ratification. A new effort, undertaken in June 2007, calls for the creation of an Intergovernmental Conference to form a political agreement, known as the Reform Treaty, which is to serve as a constitution. Unlike the constitution, however, the Reform Treaty would amend existing treaties rather than replace them.

Geography

European Union

Location:

Europe between the North Atlantic Ocean in the west and Russia,

Belarus, and Ukraine to the east

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 4,324,782 sq km

Area - comparative:

less than one-half the size of the US

Land boundaries:

total: 12,440.8 km border countries: Albania 282 km, Andorra 120.3 km, Belarus 1,050 km, Croatia 999 km, Holy See 3.2 km, Liechtenstein 34.9 km, Macedonia 394 km, Moldova 450 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Norway 2,348 km, Russia 2,257 km, San Marino 39 km, Serbia 945 km, Switzerland 1,811 km, Turkey 446 km, Ukraine 1,257 km note: data for European Continent only

Coastline:

65,992.9 km

Maritime claims:

NA

Climate:

cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south

Terrain:

fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast; mountainous in the central and southern areas

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Lammefjord, Denmark -7 m; Zuidplaspolder, Netherlands -7 m highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m; note - situated on the border between France and Italy

Natural resources:

iron ore, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead, zinc, bauxite, uranium, potash, salt, hydropower, arable land, timber, fish

Land use:

arable land: NA permanent crops: NA other: NA

Irrigated land:

168,050 sq km (2003 est.)

Natural hazards:

flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous area; earthquakes in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy; periodic droughts in Spain; ice floes in the Baltic

Environment - current issues:

NA

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 82, Tropical Timber 94 signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds

People

European Union

Population:

491,018,683 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 15.7% (male 37,208,905/female 35,254,445) 15-64 years: 67.2% (male 155,807,769/female 153,690,235) 65 years and over: 17.1% (male 32,592,595/female 46,273,197) (2008 est.)

Median age:

note - see individual country entries of member states

Population growth rate:

0.11% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.25 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.39 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

1.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 6.38 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.23 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 77.32 years male: 74 years female: 80.84 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.5 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

note - see individual country entries of member states

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

note - see individual country entries of member states

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

note - see individual country entries of member states

Religions:

Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish

Languages:

Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Gaelic, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish note: only official languages are listed; German, the major language of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, is the most widely spoken mother tongue - over 19% of the EU population; English is the most widely spoken language - about 49% of the EU population is conversant with it (2007)

Government

European Union

Union name:

conventional long form: European Union abbreviation: EU

Political structure:

a hybrid intergovernmental and supranational organization

Capital:

name: Brussels (Belgium), Strasbourg (France), Luxembourg geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: the Council of the European Union meets in Brussels, Belgium, the European Parliament meets in Brussels and Strasbourg, France, and the Court of Justice of the European Communities meets in Luxembourg

Member states:

27 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK; note - Canary Islands (Spain), Azores and Madeira (Portugal), French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion (France) are sometimes listed separately even though they are legally a part of Spain, Portugal, and France; candidate countries: Croatia, Macedonia, Turkey

Independence:

7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed establishing the EU); 1 November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered into force)

National holiday:

Europe Day 9 May (1950); note - a Union-wide holiday, the day that

Robert SCHUMAN proposed the creation of the European Coal and Steel

Community to achieve an organized Europe

Constitution:

based on a series of treaties: the Treaty of Paris, which set up the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951; the Treaties of Rome, which set up the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in 1957; the Single European Act in 1986; the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht) in 1992; the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997; and the Treaty of Nice in 2003; note - a new draft Constitutional Treaty, signed on 29 October 2004 in Rome, gave member states two years for ratification either by parliamentary vote or national referendum before it was scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006; defeat in French and Dutch referenda in May-June 2005 dealt a severe setback to the ratification process; in June 2007, the European Council agreed on a clear and concise mandate for an Intergovernmental Conference to form a political agreement and put it into legal form; this agreement, known as the Reform Treaty, would have served as a constitution and was presented to the European Council in October 2007 for individual country ratification; it was rejected by Irish voters in June 2008, again stalling the ratification process

Legal system:

comparable to the legal systems of member states; first supranational law system

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of union: President of the European Commission Jose Manuel DURAO BARROSO (since 22 November 2004) cabinet: European Commission (composed of 27 members, one from each member country; each commissioner responsible for one or more policy areas) elections: the president of the European Commission is designated by member governments and is confirmed by the European Parliament; working from member state recommendations, the Commission president then assembles a "college" of Commission members; the European Parliament confirms the entire Commission for a five-year term; the last confirmation process was held 18 November 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: European Parliament approved the European Commission by an approval vote of 449 to 149 with 82 abstentions note: the European Council brings together heads of state and government and the president of the European Commission and meets at least four times a year; its aim is to provide the impetus for the major political issues relating to European integration and to issue general policy guidelines

Legislative branch:

two legislative bodies consisting of the Council of the European Union (27 member-state ministers having 345 votes; the number of votes is roughly proportional to member-states' population; note - the Council is the main decision-making body of the EU) and the European Parliament (785 seats, as of 1 January 2007; seats allocated among member states by proportion to population; members elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term) elections: last held 10-13 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - EPP-ED 268, PES 202, ALDE 88, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41, IND/DEM 36, UEN 27, independents 28; note - seats by party as of 1 December 2007 - EPP-ED 275, PES 217, ALDE 104, UEN 44, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41, IND/DEM 24, independents 34, 4 unaccounted for

Judicial branch:

Court of Justice of the European Communities (ensures that the treaties are interpreted and applied uniformly throughout the EU; resolve constitutional issues among the EU institutions) - 27 justices (one from each member state) appointed for a six-year term; note - for the sake of efficiency, the court can sit with 13 justices known as the "Grand Chamber"; Court of First Instance - 27 justices appointed for a six-year term

Political parties and leaders:

Confederal Group of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left or

EUL/NGL [Francis WURTZ]; European People's Party-European Democrats

or EPP-ED [Joseph DAUL]; Group of the Alliance of Liberals and

Democrats for Europe or ALDE [Graham R. WATSON]; Group of

Greens/European Free Alliance or Greens/EFA [Monica FRASSONI and

Daniel Marc COHN-BENDIT]; Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty Group or

ITS [Bruno GOLLNISCH]; Independence/Democracy Group or IND/DEM

[Jens-Peter BONDE and Nigel FARAGE]; Socialist Group in the European

Parliament or PES [Martin SCHULZ]; Union for Europe of the Nations

Group or UEN [Brian CROWLEY and Cristiana MUSCARDINI]

International organization participation:

European Union: ARF (dialogue member), ASEAN (dialogue member), IDA,

OAS (observer), PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), UN (observer)

European Community: Australian Group, CBSS, CERN, FAO, EBRD, G-10,

LAIA, NSG (observer), OECD, UNRWA, WCO, WTO, ZC (observer)

European Central Bank: BIS

European Investment Bank: EBRD, WADB (nonregional member)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador John BRUTON chancery: 2300 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 862-9500 FAX: [1] (202) 429-1766

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Kristen SILVERBERG embassy: 13 Zinnerstraat/Rue Zinner, B-1000 Brussels mailing address: same as above telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111 FAX: [32] (2) 508-2063

Flag description:

blue field with 12 five-pointed gold stars arranged in a circle in the center, representing the union of the peoples of Europe; the number of stars is fixed

Economy

European Union

Economy - overview:

Internally, the EU is attempting to lower trade barriers, adopt a common currency, and move toward convergence of living standards. Internationally, the EU aims to bolster Europe's trade position and its political and economic power. Because of the great differences in per capita income among member states (from $7,000 to $69,000) and historic national animosities, the EU faces difficulties in devising and enforcing common policies. For example, since 2003 Germany and France have flouted the member states' treaty obligation to prevent their national budgets from running more than a 3% deficit. In 2004 and 2007, the EU admitted 10 and two countries, respectively, that are, in general, less advanced technologically and economically than the other 15. Eleven established EU member states introduced the euro as their common currency on 1 January 1999 (Greece did so two years later), but the UK, Sweden, and Denmark chose not to participate. Of the 12 most recent member states, only Slovenia (1 January 2007) and Cyprus and Malta (1 January 2008) have adopted the euro; the remaining nine are legally required to adopt the currency upon meeting EU's fiscal and monetary convergence criteria.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$14.43 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$16.62 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$32,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.1% industry: 27.1% services: 70.7% (2006 est.)

Labor force:

222.7 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 4.4% industry: 27.1% services: 67.1% note: the remainder is in miscellaneous public and private sector industries and services (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:

8.5% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:

note - see individual country entries of member states

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 25.2% (2001 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

30.7 (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):

21.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Fiscal year:

NA

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.8% (2006 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

5% note: This is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks from the Eurosystem (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8.03% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$5.742 trillion note: this is the quantity of money, M1, for the Euro Area, converted into US dollars at the exchange rate for the date indicated; it excludes the stock of money carried by non-Eurozone members of the European Union

Stock of quasi money:

$10.93 trillion note: this is the quantity of quasi money, M2, for the Euro Area, converted into US dollars at the exchange rate for the date indicated; it excludes the stock of quasi money carried by non-Eurozone members of the European Union

Stock of domestic credit:

$20.94 trillion note: this figure refers to the Euro area only; it excludes credit data for members of the EU outside the Eurozone (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, barley, oilseeds, sugar beets, wine, grapes; dairy products, cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry; fish

Industries:

among the world's largest and most technologically advanced, the European Union industrial base includes: ferrous and non-ferrous metal production and processing, metal products, petroleum, coal, cement, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, rail transportation equipment, passenger and commercial vehicles, construction equipment, industrial equipment, shipbuilding, electrical power equipment, machine tools and automated manufacturing systems, electronics and telecommunications equipment, fishing, food and beverage processing, furniture, paper, textiles, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

3.2% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:

3.056 trillion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

2.858 trillion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

NA kWh

Electricity - imports:

NA kWh

Oil - production:

2.674 million bbl/day (2007)

Oil - consumption:

14.39 million bbl/day (2007)

Oil - exports:

6.979 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:

17.71 million bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:

6.144 billion bbl (1 January 2008)

Natural gas - production:

197.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

500.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

76.48 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

361.2 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

2.476 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$NA

Exports:

$1.33 trillion; note - external exports, excluding intra-EU trade (2005)

Exports - commodities:

machinery, motor vehicles, aircraft, plastics, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, fuels, iron and steel, nonferrous metals, wood pulp and paper products, textiles, meat, dairy products, fish, alcoholic beverages.

Exports - partners:

US 23.3%, Switzerland 7.6%, Russia 5.2%, China 4.8% (2006)

Imports:

$1.466 trillion; note - external imports, excluding intra-EU trade (2005)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, vehicles, aircraft, plastics, crude oil, chemicals, textiles, metals, foodstuffs, clothing

Imports - partners:

US 13.8%, China 13.4%, Russia 8.2%, Japan 6.2% (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$11.64 trillion (2006)

Currency (code):

euro, British pound, Bulgarian lev, Czech koruna, Danish krone, Estonian kroon, Hungarian forint, Latvian lat, Lithuanian litas, Polish zloty, Romanian leu, Slovak koruna, Swedish krona

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

European Union

Telephones - main lines in use:

238 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

466 million (2005)

Telephone system:

note - see individual country entries of member states

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 930, FM 13,655, shortwave 71 (1998); note - sum of individual country radio broadcast stations; there is also a European-wide station (Euroradio)

Television broadcast stations:

2,700 (1995); note - sum of individual country television broadcast stations excluding repeaters; there is also a European-wide station (Eurovision)

Internet country code:

.eu (effective 2005); note - see country entries of member states for individual country codes

Internet hosts:

31,693 (2008); note - this sum reflects the number of internet hosts assigned the .eu internet country code

Internet users:

247 million (2006)

Transportation

European Union

Airports:

3,393 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1,991 over 3,047m: 110 2,438 to 3,047m: 347 1,524 to 2,437m: 545 914 to 1,523m: 420 under 914m: 569 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1,373 over 3,047m: 2 2,438 to 3,047m: 5 1,524 to 2,437m: 30 914m to 1,523m: 267 under 914m: 1,043 (2007)

Heliports:

100 (2007)

Railways:

total: 236,436 km broad gauge: 28,250 km standard gauge: 200,401 km narrow gauge: 7,771 km other: 23 km (2007)

Roadways:

total: 5,454,446 km (2008)

Waterways:

52,332 km (2006)

Ports and terminals:

Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Braila (Romania), Bremen

(Germany), Burgas (Bulgaria), Constanta (Romania), Copenhagen

(Denmark), Galati (Romania), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany),

Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre

(France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Naples

(Italy), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Riga (Latvia), Rotterdam

(Netherlands), Stockholm (Sweden), Talinn (Estonia), Tulcea

(Romania), Varna (Bulgaria)

Military

European Union

Military - note:

the five-nation Eurocorps - created in 1992 by France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Luxembourg - has deployed troops and police on peacekeeping missions to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and assumed command of the ISAF in Afghanistan in August 2004; Eurocorps directly commands the 5,000-man Franco-German Brigade, the Multinational Command Support Brigade, and EUFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina; in November 2004, the EU Council of Ministers formally committed to creating 13 1,500-man battle groups by the end of 2007, to respond to international crises on a rotating basis; 22 of the EU's 25 nations have agreed to supply troops; France, Italy, and the UK formed the first of three battle groups in 2005; Norway, Sweden, Estonia, and Finland established the Nordic Battle Group effective 1 January 2008; nine other groups are to be formed; a rapid-reaction naval EU Maritime Task Group was stood up in March 2007 (2007)

Transnational Issues

European Union

Disputes - international:

as a political union, the EU has no border disputes with neighboring countries, but Estonia has no land boundary agreements with Russia, Slovenia disputes its land and maritime boundaries with Croatia, and Spain has territorial and maritime disputes with Morocco and with the UK over Gibraltar; the EU has set up a Schengen area - consisting of 22 EU member states that have signed the convention implementing the Schengen agreements or "acquis" (1985 and 1990) on the free movement of persons and the harmonization of border controls in Europe; these agreements became incorporated into EU law with the implementation of the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam on 1 May 1999; in addition, non-EU states Iceland and Norway (as part of the Nordic Union) have been included in the Schengen area since 1996 (full members in 2001), and Switzerland since 2008 bringing the total current membership to 25; the UK (since 2000) and Ireland (since 2002) take part in only some aspects of the Schengen area, especially with respect to police and criminal matters; nine of the 12 new member states that joined the EU since 2004 joined Schengen on 21 December 2007; of the three remaining EU states, Cyprus is expected to join by 2009, while Romania and Bulgaria continue to enhance their border security systems

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Introduction

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Background:

Although first sighted by an English navigator in 1592, the first landing (English) did not occur until almost a century later in 1690, and the first settlement (French) was not established until 1764. The colony was turned over to Spain two years later and the islands have since been the subject of a territorial dispute, first between Britain and Spain, then between Britain and Argentina. The UK asserted its claim to the islands by establishing a naval garrison there in 1833. Argentina invaded the islands on 2 April 1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force that landed seven weeks later and after fierce fighting forced an Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982.

Geography

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Location:

Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of southern Argentina

Geographic coordinates:

51 45 S, 59 00 W

Map references:

South America

Area:

total: 12,173 sq km land: 12,173 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and about 200 small islands

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

1,288 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on more than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 24 inches in Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but does not accumulate

Terrain:

rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Usborne 705 m

Natural resources:

fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (99% permanent pastures, 1% other) (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

strong winds persist throughout the year

Environment - current issues:

overfishing by unlicensed vessels is a problem; reindeer were introduced to the islands in 2001 for commercial reasons; this is the only commercial reindeer herd in the world unaffected by the 1986 Chornobyl disaster

Geography - note:

deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growing season

People

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Population:

3,140 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA

Population growth rate:

0.011% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Death rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

NA (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Falkland Islander(s) adjective: Falkland Island

Ethnic groups:

British

Religions:

Christian 67.2%, none 31.5%, other 1.3% (2006 census)

Languages:

English

Literacy:

NA

Government

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Dependency status:

overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Stanley geographic coordinates: 51 42 S, 57 51 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends third Sunday in April

Administrative divisions:

none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)

Independence:

none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)

National holiday:

Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)

Constitution:

3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998

Legal system:

English common law

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Governor Alan HUCKLE (since 25 August 2006); Chief Executive Dr. Tim THOROGOOD (since 3 January 2008) cabinet: Executive Council; three members elected by the Legislative Council, two ex officio members (chief executive and the financial secretary), and the governor elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch:

unicameral Legislative Council (10 seats; 2 members are ex officio and 8 are elected by popular vote; to serve four-year terms); presided over by the governor elections: last held 17 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 8

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (chief justice is a nonresident); Magistrates Court (senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions); Court of Summary Jurisdiction

Political parties and leaders:

none; all independents

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Falkland Islands Association (supports freedom of the people from external causes)

International organization participation:

UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)

Flag description:

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Falkland Island coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms contains a white ram (sheep raising was once the major economic activity) above the sailing ship Desire (whose crew discovered the islands) with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto DESIRE THE RIGHT

Economy

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Economy - overview:

The economy was formerly based on agriculture, mainly sheep farming, but today fishing contributes the bulk of economic activity. In 1987, the government began selling fishing licenses to foreign trawlers operating within the Falkland Islands' exclusive fishing zone. These license fees total more than $40 million per year, which help support the island's health, education, and welfare system. Squid accounts for 75% of the fish taken. Dairy farming supports domestic consumption; crops furnish winter fodder. Exports feature shipments of high-grade wool to the UK and the sale of postage stamps and coins. The islands are now self-financing except for defense. The British Geological Survey announced a 200-mile oil exploration zone around the islands in 1993, and early seismic surveys suggest substantial reserves capable of producing 500,000 barrels per day; to date, no exploitable site has been identified. An agreement between Argentina and the UK in 1995 seeks to defuse licensing and sovereignty conflicts that would dampen foreign interest in exploiting potential oil reserves. Tourism, especially eco-tourism, is increasing rapidly, with about 30,000 visitors in 2001. Another large source of income is interest paid on money the government has in the bank. The British military presence also provides a sizeable economic boost.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$75 million (2002 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$25,000 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 95% industry: NA% services: NA%

Labor force:

1,724 (est.) (1996)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 95% (mostly sheepherding and fishing) industry and services: 5% (1996)

Unemployment rate:

full employment; labor shortage (2001)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $66.2 million expenditures: $67.9 million (FY98/99 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.6% (1998)

Agriculture - products:

fodder and vegetable crops; sheep, dairy products; fish, squid

Industries:

fish and wool processing; tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

16 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

14.88 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

252.3 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

248.9 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$125 million (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:

wool, hides, meat, fish, squid

Exports - partners:

Spain 81.9%, US 6%, UK 4.5% (2006)

Imports:

$90 million (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:

fuel, food and drink, building materials, clothing

Imports - partners:

UK 72.5%, US 15.1%, Netherlands 8.5% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$0 (1997 est.)

Debt - external:

$NA

Currency (code):

Falkland pound (FKP)

Currency code:

FKP

Exchange rates:

Falkland pounds (FKP) per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5434 (2006), 0.5504 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003) note: the Falkland pound is at par with the British pound

Communications

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Telephones - main lines in use:

2,400 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

0 (2001)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all points on both islands international: country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other countries

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service) (2006)

Radios:

1,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to members of UK Forces as well as islanders); cable television is available in Stanley (2006)

Televisions:

1,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.fk

Internet hosts:

91 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

1,900 (2002)

Transportation

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Airports:

6 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 4 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 440 km paved: 50 km unpaved: 390 km (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Stanley

Military

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Military branches:

no regular military forces

Military expenditures:

NA

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Disputes - international:

Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied them by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force; UK continues to reject Argentine requests for sovereignty talks

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Faroe Islands

Introduction

Faroe Islands

Background:

The population of the Faroe Islands is largely descended from Viking settlers who arrived in the 9th century. The islands have been connected politically to Denmark since the 14th century. A high degree of self government was attained in 1948.

Geography

Faroe Islands

Location:

Northern Europe, island group between the Norwegian Sea and the

North Atlantic Ocean, about half way between Iceland and Norway

Geographic coordinates:

62 00 N, 7 00 W

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 1,399 sq km land: 1,399 sq km water: 0 sq km (some lakes and streams)

Area - comparative:

eight times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

1,117 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 3 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line

Climate:

mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy

Terrain:

rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Slaettaratindur 882 m

Natural resources:

fish, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas

Land use:

arable land: 2.14% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.86% (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

NA

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Marine Dumping -associate member to the London Convention and Ship Pollution

Geography - note:

archipelago of 17 inhabited islands and one uninhabited island, and a few uninhabited islets; strategically located along important sea lanes in northeastern Atlantic; precipitous terrain limits habitation to small coastal lowlands

People

Faroe Islands

Population:

48,668 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 21.9% (male 5,489/female 5,166) 15-64 years: 64% (male 16,650/female 14,482) 65 years and over: 14.1% (male 3,233/female 3,648) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 36.7 years male: 36 years female: 37.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.376% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

13.25 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.67 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.15 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.09 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 6.46 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.69 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 79.29 years male: 76.86 years female: 81.89 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.45 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Faroese (singular and plural) adjective: Faroese

Ethnic groups:

Scandinavian

Religions:

Evangelical Lutheran 83.8%, other and unspecified 16.2% (2006 administrative data)

Languages:

Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish

Literacy:

NA; note - probably 99%, the same as Denmark proper

Government

Faroe Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Faroe Islands local long form: none local short form: Foroyar

Dependency status:

part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Torshavn geographic coordinates: 62 01 N, 6 46 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 34 municipalities

Independence:

none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

National holiday:

Olaifest (Olavasoka), 29 July

Constitution:

5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)

Legal system:

the laws of Denmark, where applicable, apply

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Birgit KLEIS, chief administrative officer (since 1 November 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Kaj Leo JOHANNESSEN (since 24 September 2008) cabinet: Landsstyri appointed by the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by the Faroese Parliament; election last held 19 January 2008 (next to be held no later than January 2012) election results: Kaj Leo JOHANNESSEN elected prime minister; percent of parliamentary vote - NA

Legislative branch:

unicameral Faroese Parliament or Logting (33 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis from the seven constituencies to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 19 January 2008 (next to be held no later than January 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - Union Party 21%, Social Democratic Party 19.4%, Republican Party 23.3%, People's Party 20.1%, Center Party 8.4%, Self-Government Party 7.2%, other 0.6%; seats by party - Republican Party 8, Union Party 7, Social Democratic Party 6, People's Party 7, Center Party 3, Independence Party 2 note: election of two seats to the Danish Parliament was last held on 13 November 2007 (next to be held no later than November 2011); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 1, Union Party 1

Judicial branch:

none

Political parties and leaders:

Center Party [Jenis A. RANA]; Independence Party [Kari P. HOJGAARD];

People's Party [Jorgen NICLASEN]; Republican Party [Hogni HOYDAL];

Social Democratic Party [Joannes EIDESGAARD]; Union Party [Kaj Leo

JOHANNESEN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Sea Shepard [Paul WATSON] (preservation of small whales) other: conservationists

International organization participation:

Arctic Council, FAO, IMO (associate), NC, NIB, UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

Flag description:

white with a red cross outlined in blue extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted toward the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Economy

Faroe Islands

Economy - overview:

The Faroese economy is dependent on fishing, which makes the economy vulnerable to price swings. Since 2003 the Faroese economy has picked up as a result of higher prices for fish and for housing. Unemployment is minimal and government finances are relatively sound. Oil finds close to the Islands give hope for economically recoverable deposits, which could eventually lay the basis for a more diversified economy and lessen dependence on Danish economic assistance. Aided by a substantial annual subsidy (about 15% of GDP) from Denmark, the Faroese have a standard of living not far below the Danes and other Scandinavians.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1 billion (2001 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.7 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.4% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$31,000 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 27% industry: 11% services: 62% (1999)

Labor force:

24,250 (October 2000)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 33% industry: 33% services: 34% (October 2000)

Unemployment rate:

2.1% (2006)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $588 million expenditures: $623 million (2005)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.8% (2005)

Agriculture - products:

milk, potatoes, vegetables; sheep; salmon, other fish

Industries:

fishing, fish processing, small ship repair and refurbishment, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate:

8% (1999 est.)

Electricity - production:

295 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

274.4 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 62.4% hydro: 37.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

4,628 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

4,636 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$634 million f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

fish and fish products 94%, stamps, ships (1999)

Exports - partners:

Denmark 29.6%, UK 24.5%, Norway 13.3%, Nigeria 10.5%, Netherlands 6.8% (2007)

Imports:

$751 million c.i.f. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

consumer goods 36%, raw materials and semi-manufactures 32%, machinery and transport equipment 29%, fuels, fish, salt (1999)

Imports - partners:

Denmark 51.9%, Norway 21.6%, Sweden 5%, UK 4.6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$105 million; note - annual subsidy from Denmark (2005)

Debt - external:

$64 million (1999)

Currency (code):

Danish krone (DKK)

Currency code:

DKK

Exchange rates:

Danish kroner (DKK) per US dollar - 5.4797 (2007), 5.9468 (2006), 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003)

Communications

Faroe Islands

Telephones - main lines in use:

23,000 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

50,000 (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: good international communications; good domestic facilities domestic: digitalization was completed in 1998; both NMT (analog) and GSM (digital) mobile telephone systems are installed international: country code - 298; satellite earth stations - 1 Orion; 1 fiber-optic submarine cable to the Shetland Islands, linking the Faroe Islands with Denmark and Iceland; fiber-optic submarine cable connection to Canada-Europe cable

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

26,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (plus 43 repeaters) (September 1995)

Televisions:

15,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.fo

Internet hosts:

8,516 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

34,000 (2006)

Transportation

Faroe Islands

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 463 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 12 by type: cargo 9, passenger/cargo 3 foreign-owned: 5 (Iceland 1, Norway 4) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Torshavn, Vagur

Military

Faroe Islands

Military branches:

no regular military forces

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 11,725 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 9,735 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 400 female: 387 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of Denmark

Transnational Issues

Faroe Islands

Disputes - international:

because anticipated offshore hydrocarbon resources have not been realized, earlier Faroese proposals for full independence have been deferred; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Fiji

Introduction

Fiji

Background:

Fiji became independent in 1970, after nearly a century as a British colony. Democratic rule was interrupted by two military coups in 1987, caused by concern over a government perceived as dominated by the Indian community (descendants of contract laborers brought to the islands by the British in the 19th century). The coups and a 1990 constitution that cemented native Melanesian control of Fiji, led to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss resulted in economic difficulties, but ensured that Melanesians became the majority. A new constitution enacted in 1997 was more equitable. Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government led by an Indo-Fijian, but a civilian-led coup in May 2000 ushered in a prolonged period of political turmoil. Parliamentary elections held in August 2001 provided Fiji with a democratically elected government led by Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE. Re-elected in May 2006, QARASE was ousted in a December 2006 military coup led by Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA, who initially appointed himself acting president. In January 2007, BAINIMARAMA was appointed interim prime minister.

Geography

Fiji

Location:

Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Geographic coordinates:

18 00 S, 175 00 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 18,270 sq km land: 18,270 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

1,129 km

Maritime claims:

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation; rectilinear shelf claim added

Climate:

tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation

Terrain:

mostly mountains of volcanic origin

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m

Natural resources:

timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 10.95% permanent crops: 4.65% other: 84.4% (2005)

Irrigated land:

30 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

28.6 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.07 cu km/yr (14%/14%/71%) per capita: 82 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

cyclonic storms can occur from November to January

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

includes 332 islands; approximately 110 are inhabited

People

Fiji

Population:

931,741 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 30.6% (male 145,430/female 139,498) 15-64 years: 64.8% (male 302,460/female 301,344) 65 years and over: 4.6% (male 19,413/female 23,596) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 25.2 years male: 24.7 years female: 25.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.388% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

22.15 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.66 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-2.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 11.88 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.07 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 70.44 years male: 67.9 years female: 73.1 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.68 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

600 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Fijian(s) adjective: Fijian

Ethnic groups:

Fijian 57.3% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture),

Indian 37.6%, Rotuman 1.2%, other 3.9% (European, other Pacific

Islanders, Chinese) (2007 census)

Religions:

Christian 53% (Methodist 34.5%, Roman Catholic 7.2%, Assembly of God 3.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 2.6%, other 4.9%), Hindu 34% (Sanatan 25%, Arya Samaj 1.2%, other 7.8%), Muslim 7% (Sunni 4.2%. other 2.8%), other or unspecified 5.6%, none 0.3% (1996 census)

Languages:

English (official), Fijian (official), Hindustani

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.7% male: 95.5% female: 91.9% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 13 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

6.5% of GDP (2004)

Government

Fiji

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands conventional short form: Fiji local long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands/Matanitu ko Viti local short form: Fiji/Viti

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Suva (on Viti Levu) geographic coordinates: 18 08 S, 178 25 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central, Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*, Western

Independence:

10 October 1970 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, second Monday of October (1970)

Constitution:

enacted on 25 July 1997 to encourage multiculturalism and make multiparty government mandatory; effective 28 July 1998

Legal system:

based on British system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda (since 18 July 2000); note - ILOILOVATU was reaffirmed as president by the Great Council of Chiefs in a statement issued on 22 December, and reappointed by the coup leader Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA in January 2007 head of government: Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE (since 10 September 2000); note - although QARASE is still the legal prime minister, he has been confined to his home island; the president appointed Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA interim prime minister under the military regime cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliament; note - coup leader Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA has appointed an interim cabinet elections: president elected by the Great Council of Chiefs for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister appointed by the president; election last held 8 March 2006 election results: Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda elected president by the Great Council of Chiefs; percent of vote - NA

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (32 seats; 14 appointed by the president on the advice of the Great Council of Chiefs, 9 appointed by the president on the advice of the Prime Minister, 8 on the advice of the Opposition Leader, and 1 appointed on the advice of the council of Rotuma) and the House of Representatives (71 seats; 23 reserved for ethnic Fijians, 19 reserved for ethnic Indians, 3 reserved for other ethnic groups, 1 reserved for the council of Rotuma constituency encompassing the whole of Fiji, and 25 open seats; members serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 6-13 May 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - SDL 44.6%, FLP 39.2%, UPP 0.8%, independents 4.9%, other 10.5%; seats by party - SDL 36, FLP 31, UPP 2, independents 2

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Court of

Appeal; High Court; Magistrates' Courts

Political parties and leaders:

Dodonu Ni Taukei Party or DNT [Fereti S. DEWA]; Fiji Democratic

Party or FDP [Filipe BOLE] (a merger of the Christian Democrat

Alliance or VLV [Poesci Waqalevu BUNE], Fijian Association Party or

FAP, Fijian Political Party or SVT (primarily Fijian) [Sitiveni

RABUKA], and New Labor Unity Party or NLUP [Ofa SWANN]); Fiji Labor

Party or FLP [Mahendra CHAUDHRY]; General Voters Party or GVP

(became part of United General Party); Girmit Heritage Party or GHP;

Justice and Freedom Party or AIM; Lio 'On Famor Rotuma Party or LFR;

National Federation Party or NFP (primarily Indian) [Pramond RAE];

Nationalist Vanua Takolavo Party or NVTLP [Saula TELAWA]; Party of

National Unity or PANU [Ponipate LESAVUA]; Party of the Truth or

POTT; United Fiji Party/Sogosogo Duavata ni Lewenivanua or SDL

[Laisenia QARASE]; United Peoples Party or UPP [Millis Mick BEDDOES]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Group Against Racial Discrimination or GARD [Dr. Anirudk SINGH] (for restoration of a democratic government); Viti Landowners Association

International organization participation:

ACP, ADB, C (suspended), CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU,

ITUC, MIGA, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); note - Penijamini R. LOMALOMA (Charge d'Affaires) chancery: 2000 M Street, NW, Suite 710, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 466-8320 FAX: [1] (202) 466-8325

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador C. Steven McGANN embassy: 31 Loftus Street, Suva mailing address: P. O. Box 218, Suva telephone: [679] 331-4466 FAX: [679] 330-0081

Flag description:

light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Fijian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield depicts a yellow lion above a white field quartered by the cross of Saint George featuring stalks of sugarcane, a palm tree, bananas, and a white dove

Economy

Fiji

Economy - overview:

Fiji, endowed with forest, mineral, and fish resources, is one of the most developed of the Pacific island economies, though still with a large subsistence sector. Sugar exports, remittances from Fijians working abroad, and a growing tourist industry - with 400,000 to 500,000 tourists annually - are the major sources of foreign exchange. Fiji's sugar has special access to European Union markets, but will be harmed by the EU's decision to cut sugar subsidies. Sugar processing makes up one-third of industrial activity but is not efficient. Fiji's tourism industry was damaged by the December 2006 coup and is facing an uncertain recovery time. The coup has created a difficult business climate. Tourist arrivals for 2007 are estimated to be down almost 6%, with substantial job losses in the service sector. In July 2007 the Reserve Bank of Fiji announced the economy was expected to contract by 3.1% in 2007. Fiji's current account deficit reached 23% of GDP in 2006. The EU has suspended all aid until the interim government takes steps toward new elections. Long-term problems include low investment, uncertain land ownership rights, and the government's inability to manage its budget. Overseas remittances from Fijians working in Kuwait and Iraq have decreased significantly.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$5.079 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$3.409 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

-4.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$3,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 8.9% industry: 13.5% services: 77.6% (2004 est.)

Labor force:

117,500 (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 70% industry and services: 30% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:

7.6% (1999)

Population below poverty line:

25.5% (FY90/91)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $1.363 billion expenditures: $1.376 billion (2006)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.8% (2007)

Central bank discount rate:

9.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

9.01% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.042 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.088 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.948 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes, bananas; cattle, pigs, horses, goats; fish

Industries:

tourism, sugar, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber, small cottage industries

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

928 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

1.016 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 18.5% hydro: 81.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

9,971 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

2,848 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

10,900 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$507 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.202 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

sugar, garments, gold, timber, fish, molasses, coconut oil

Exports - partners:

US 17.3%, UK 11.3%, Australia 10%, Samoa 5.4%, Tonga 4.7%, NZ 4.5%,

Japan 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$3.12 billion c.i.f. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, chemicals

Imports - partners:

Singapore 30.4%, Australia 21.6%, NZ 17.7%, China 4.5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$63.96 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$127 million (2004 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$586.7 million (2005)

Currency (code):

Fijian dollar (FJD)

Currency code:

FJD

Exchange rates:

Fijian dollars (FJD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.7313 (2006), 1.691 (2005), 1.7331 (2004), 1.8958 (2003)

Communications

Fiji

Telephones - main lines in use:

108,400 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

437,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio communications center domestic: telephone or radio telephone links to almost all inhabited islands; most towns and large villages have automatic telephone exchanges and direct dialing; combined fixed and mobile-cellular density is about 60 per 100 persons international: country code - 679; access to important cable links between US and Canada as well as between NZ and Australia; satellite earth stations - 2 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 13, FM 40, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

541,476 (1999)

Television broadcast stations:

NA

Televisions:

88,110 (1999)

Internet country code:

.fj

Internet hosts:

12,592 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

80,000 (2006)

Transportation

Fiji

Airports:

28 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 18 (2007)

Railways:

total: 597 km narrow gauge: 597 km 0.600-m gauge note: belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation; used to haul sugarcane during harvest season (May to December) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 3,440 km paved: 1,692 km unpaved: 1,748 km (2000)

Waterways:

203 km note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 9 by type: passenger 3, passenger/cargo 4, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Australia 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Lautoka, Suva

Military

Fiji

Military branches:

Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF): Land Forces, Naval Forces (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; reserve obligation to age 45 (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 242,567 females age 16-49: 238,556 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 189,282 females age 16-49: 202,350 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 9,077 female: 8,728 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Fiji

Disputes - international:

none

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Fiji is a source country for children trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation and a destination country for a small number of women from China and India trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 3 - Fiji does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the government has demonstrated no action to investigate or prosecute traffickers, assist victims, take steps to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts, or support any anti-trafficking information or education campaigns; Fiji has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Finland

Introduction

Finland

Background:

Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy of Russia after 1809. It won its complete independence in 1917. During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom and resist invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of territory. In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is now among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the European Union since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro system at its initiation in January 1999.

Geography

Finland

Location:

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia

Geographic coordinates:

64 00 N, 26 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 338,145 sq km land: 304,473 sq km water: 33,672 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Montana

Land boundaries:

total: 2,654 km border countries: Norway 727 km, Sweden 614 km, Russia 1,313 km

Coastline:

1,250 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm (in the Gulf of Finland - 3 nm) contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm; extends to continental shelf boundary with Sweden continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes

Terrain:

mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Haltiatunturi 1,328 m

Natural resources:

timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel, gold, silver, limestone

Land use:

arable land: 6.54% permanent crops: 0.02% other: 93.44% (2005)

Irrigated land:

640 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

110 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.33 cu km/yr (14%/84%/3%) per capita: 444 cu m/yr (1999)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

air pollution from manufacturing and power plants contributing to acid rain; water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife populations

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain

People

Finland

Population:

5,244,749 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 16.6% (male 443,738/female 427,875) 15-64 years: 66.8% (male 1,773,232/female 1,731,808) 65 years and over: 16.6% (male 349,826/female 518,270) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 41.8 years male: 40.3 years female: 43.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.112% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.39 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.81 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.82 years male: 75.31 years female: 82.46 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.73 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

1,500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Finn(s) adjective: Finnish

Ethnic groups:

Finn 93.4%, Swede 5.6%, Russian 0.5%, Estonian 0.3%, Roma (Gypsy) 0.1%, Sami 0.1% (2006)

Religions:

Lutheran Church of Finland 82.5%, Orthodox Church 1.1%, other

Christian 1.1%, other 0.1%, none 15.1% (2006)

Languages:

Finnish 91.5% (official), Swedish 5.5% (official), other 3% (small

Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2006)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2000 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 17 years male: 17 years female: 18 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

6.4% of GDP (2005)

Government

Finland

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Finland conventional short form: Finland local long form: Suomen tasavalta/Republiken Finland local short form: Suomi/Finland

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Helsinki geographic coordinates: 60 10 N, 24 56 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

6 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Aland, Etela-Suomen Laani (Southern Finland), Ita-Suomen Laani (Eastern Finland), Lansi-Suomen Laani (Western Finland), Lappi (Lapland), Oulun Laani

Independence:

6 December 1917 (from Russia)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 6 December (1917)

Constitution:

1 March 2000

Legal system:

civil law system based on Swedish law; the president may request the Supreme Court to review laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Tarja HALONEN (since 1 March 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Matti VANHANEN (since 24 June 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Jyrki KATAINEN (since 19 April 2007) cabinet: Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the president, responsible to parliament elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2012); the president appoints the prime minister and deputy prime minister from the majority party or the majority coalition after parliamentary elections and the parliament must approve the appointment; Prime Minister VANHANEN reelected 17 April 2007 election results: percent of vote - Tarja HALONEN (SDP) 46.3%, Sauli NIINISTO (Kok) 24.1%, Matti Vanhanen (Kesk) 18.6%, Heidi HAUTALA (VIHR) 3.5%; a runoff election between HALONEN and NIINISTO was held 29 January 2006 - HALONEN 51.8%, NIINISTO 48.2%; Matti VANHANEN reelected prime minister; election results 121-71 note: government coalition - Kesk, KOK, VIHR, and SFP

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 18 March 2007 (next to be held March 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - Kesk 23.1%, Kok 22.3%, SDP 21.4%, VAS 8.8%, VIHR 8.5%, KD 4.9%, SFP 4.5%, True Finns 4.1%, other 3.4%; seats by party - Kesk 51, Kok 50, SDP 45, VAS 17, VIHR 15, SFP 9, KD 7, True Finns 5, other 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus (judges appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders:

Center Party or Kesk [Matti VANHANEN]; Christian Democrats or KD

[Paivi RASANEN]; Green Party or VIHR [Tarja CRONBERG]; Left Alliance

or VAS [Martti KORHONEN] (composed of People's Democratic League and

Democratic Alternative); National Coalition (conservative) Party or

Kok [Jyrki KATAINEN]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Eero

HEINALUOMA]; Swedish People's Party or SFP [Stefan WALLIN]; True

Finns [Timo SOINI]

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic

Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU,

ESA, EU, FAO, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS

(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen

Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP,

UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Pekka LINTU chancery: 3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 298-5800 FAX: [1] (202) 298-6030 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Barbara BARRETT embassy: Itainen Puistotie 14B, 00140 Helsinki mailing address: APO AE 09723 telephone: [358] (9) 616250 FAX: [358] (9) 6162 5800

Flag description:

white with a blue cross extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Economy

Finland

Economy - overview:

Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market economy with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing - principally the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and electronics industries. Trade is important; exports equal nearly two-fifths of GDP. Finland excels in high-tech exports, e.g., mobile phones. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imports of raw materials, energy, and some components for manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products. Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation for the rural population. High unemployment remains a persistent problem. In 2007 Russia announced plans to impose high tariffs on raw timber exported to Finland. The Finnish pulp and paper industry will be threatened if these duties are put into place in 2008 and 2009, and the matter is now being handled by the European Union.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$188.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$245 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$36,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3.1% industry: 32.6% services: 64.3% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.675 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture and forestry 4.4%, industry 18.6%, construction 6%, commerce 16.3%, finance, insurance, and business services 13.9%, transport and communications 7.6%, public services 33.2% (2004)

Unemployment rate:

6.9% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 4% highest 10%: 22.6% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

26 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

20.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $62.02 billion expenditures: $58.16 billion (2007)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

35.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.5% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

5.62% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

NA note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders

Stock of quasi money:

NA

Stock of domestic credit:

$240.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

barley, wheat, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy cattle; fish

Industries:

metals and metal products, electronics, machinery and scientific instruments, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing

Industrial production growth rate:

8.1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

77.02 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

86.04 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

2.86 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

15.42 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 39% hydro: 18.7% nuclear: 30.4% other: 11.8% (2001)

Oil - production:

8,951 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

228,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

126,300 bbl/day (January-September 2007 est.)

Oil - imports:

281,300 bbl/day (January-September 2007 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

NA bbl

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

4.581 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

4.576 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006)

Current account balance:

$11.4 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$89.91 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals; timber, paper, pulp

Exports - partners:

Germany 10.9%, Sweden 10.7%, Russia 10.3%, US 6.4%, UK 5.8%,

Netherlands 5.6% (2007)

Imports:

$78.05 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, grains

Imports - partners:

Germany 15.8%, Russia 14%, Sweden 13.7%, Netherlands 6.8%, China 5.5%, UK 4.9% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $1.023 billion (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$8.385 billion (2007)

Debt - external:

$271.2 billion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$85.24 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$113 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$1.095 trillion (January 2008)

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Finland

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.74 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

6.08 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern system with excellent service domestic: digital fiber-optic fixed-line network and an extensive cellular network provide domestic needs international: country code - 358; submarine cables provide links to Estonia and Sweden; satellite earth stations - access to Intelsat transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Finland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 186, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

7.7 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

120 (plus 431 repeaters) (1999); note - On 1 September 2007, Finland became one of the first countries in the world to broadcast all television signals digitally

Televisions:

3.2 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.fi; note - Aland Islands assigned .ax

Internet hosts:

3.877 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

3 (2002)

Internet users:

3.6 million (2007)

Transportation

Finland

Airports:

148 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 76 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 15 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 72 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 68 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 694 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 5,741 km broad gauge: 5,741 km 1.524-m gauge (2,619 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 78,821 km paved: 50,854 km (includes 700 km of expressways) unpaved: 27,967 km (2008)

Waterways:

7,842 km note: includes Saimaa Canal system of 3,577 km; southern part leased from Russia (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 98 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 28, carrier 1, chemical tanker 6, container 3, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 18, petroleum tanker 5, roll on/roll off 27, vehicle carrier 2 foreign-owned: 8 (Estonia 2, Germany 1, Norway 3, Sweden 2) registered in other countries: 47 (Bahamas 9, Germany 4, Gibraltar 3, Netherlands 14, Norway 1, Panama 2, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Sweden 12, UK 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Hamina, Helsinki, Kokkola, Kotka, Naantali, Pori, Raahe, Rauma, Turku

Military

Finland

Military branches:

Finnish Defense Forces (FDF): Army, Navy (includes Coastal Defense

Forces), Air Force (Suomen Ilmavoimat) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for male voluntary and compulsory national military and nonmilitary service; service obligation 6-12 months (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,169,910 females age 16-49: 1,121,187 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 965,131 females age 16-49: 923,224 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 34,152 female: 32,870 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Finland

Disputes - international:

various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union, but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial demands

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@France

Introduction

France

Background:

Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France suffered extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank as a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier more purely parliamentary administrations. In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common exchange currency, the euro, in January 1999. At present, France is at the forefront of efforts to develop the EU's military capabilities to supplement progress toward an EU foreign policy.

Geography

France

Location:

metropolitan France: Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and

English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of the UK;

bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain

French Guiana: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic

Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname

Guadeloupe: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the

North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico

Martinique: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North

Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Reunion: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of

Madagascar

Geographic coordinates:

metropolitan France: 46 00 N, 2 00 E

French Guiana: 4 00 N, 53 00 W

Guadeloupe: 16 15 N, 61 35 W

Martinique: 14 40 N, 61 00 W

Reunion: 21 06 S, 55 36 E

Map references:

metropolitan France: Europe

French Guiana: South America

Guadeloupe: Central America and the Caribbean

Martinique: Central America and the Caribbean

Reunion: World

Area:

total: 643,427 sq km; 547,030 sq km (metropolitan France) land: 640,053 sq km; 545,630 sq km (metropolitan France) water: 3,374 sq km; 1,400 sq km (metropolitan France) note: the first numbers include the overseas regions of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion

Area - comparative:

slightly less than the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

metropolitan France - total: 2,889 km border countries: Andorra 56.6 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km, Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573 km French Guiana - total: 1,183 km border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km

Coastline:

total: 4,668 km metropolitan France: 3,427 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (does not apply to the Mediterranean) continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

metropolitan France: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral French Guiana: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation Guadeloupe and Martinique: subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average Reunion: tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April)

Terrain:

metropolitan France: mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east French Guiana: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains Guadeloupe: Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin Martinique: mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano Reunion: mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m

Natural resources:

metropolitan France: coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium, antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, fish French Guiana: gold deposits, petroleum, kaolin, niobium, tantalum, clay

Land use:

arable land: 33.46% permanent crops: 2.03% other: 64.51% note: French Guiana - arable land 0.13%, permanent crops 0.04%, other 99.83% (90% forest, 10% other); Guadeloupe - arable land 11.70%, permanent crops 2.92%, other 85.38%; Martinique - arable land 9.09%, permanent crops 10.0%, other 80.91%; Reunion - arable land 13.94%, permanent crops 1.59%, other 84.47% (2005)

Irrigated land:

total: 26,190 sq km; metropolitan France: 26,000 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

189 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 33.16 cu km/yr (16%/74%/10%) per capita: 548 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

metropolitan France: flooding; avalanches; midwinter windstorms; drought; forest fires in south near the Mediterranean overseas departments: hurricanes (cyclones), flooding, volcanic activity (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion)

Environment - current issues:

some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life

Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical

Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

largest West European nation

People

France

Population:

total: 64,057,792 note: 62,150,775 in metropolitan France (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 18.6% (male 6,091,571/female 5,803,127) 15-64 years: 65.2% (male 20,884,919/female 20,849,988) 65 years and over: 16.3% (male 4,335,996/female 6,092,189) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 39.2 years male: 37.7 years female: 40.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.574% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

12.73 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.48 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

1.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 3.36 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.69 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 80.87 years male: 77.68 years female: 84.23 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.98 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

120,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 1,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women) adjective: French

Ethnic groups:

Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese,

Basque minorities

overseas departments: black, white, mulatto, East Indian, Chinese,

Amerindian

Religions:

Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim 5%-10%,

unaffiliated 4%

overseas departments: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Muslim,

Buddhist, pagan

Languages:

French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish) overseas departments: French, Creole patois

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 16 years male: 16 years female: 17 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

5.7% of GDP (2005)

Government

France

Country name:

conventional long form: French Republic conventional short form: France local long form: Republique francaise local short form: France

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Paris geographic coordinates: 48 52 N, 2 20 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: applies to metropolitan France only, not to its overseas departments, collectivities, or territories

Administrative divisions:

26 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie (Lower Normandy), Bourgogne (Burgundy), Bretagne (Brittany), Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse (Corsica), Franche-Comte, Guadeloupe, Guyane (French Guiana), Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy), Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Martinique, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Reunion, Rhone-Alpes note: France is divided into 22 metropolitan regions (including the "territorial collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and 4 overseas regions (including French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion) and is subdivided into 96 metropolitan departments and 4 overseas departments (which are the same as the overseas regions)

Dependent areas:

Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Wallis and Futuna note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica; New Caledonia has been considered a "sui generis" collectivity of France since 1999, a unique status falling between that of an independent country and a French overseas department

Independence:

486 (Frankish tribes unified); 843 (Western Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire)

National holiday:

Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790); note - although often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration actually commemorates the holiday held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (on 14 July 1789) and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are Fete Nationale (National Holiday) and quatorze juillet (14th of July)

Constitution:

adopted by referendum 28 September 1958, effective 4 October 1958 note: amended concerning election of president in 1962; amended to comply with provisions of 1992 EC Maastricht Treaty, 1997 Amsterdam Treaty, 2003 Treaty of Nice; amended to tighten immigration laws in 1993; amended in 2000 to change the seven-year presidential term to a five-year term; amended in 2005 to make the EU constitutional treaty compatible with the Constitution of France and to ensure that the decision to ratify EU accession treaties would be made by referendum

Legal system:

civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Francois FILLON (since 17 May 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president at the suggestion of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (changed from seven-year term in October 2000); election last held 22 April and 6 May 2007 (next to be held spring 2012); prime minister nominated by the National Assembly majority and appointed by the president election results: Nicolas SARKOZY wins the election; First Round: percent of vote - Nicolas SARKOZY 31.18%, Segolene ROYAL 25.87%, Francois BAYROU 18.57%, Jean-Marie LE PEN 10.44%, others 13.94%; Second Round: SARKOZY 53.1% and ROYAL 46.9%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (331 seats, 305 for metropolitan France, 9 for overseas departments, 5 for dependencies, and 12 for French nationals abroad; members are indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve six-year terms; one third elected every three years); note - between 2006 and 2011, 15 new seats will be added to the Senate for a total of 348 seats - 326 for metropolitan France and overseas departments, 2 for New Caledonia, 2 for Mayotte, 1 for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, 1 for Saint-Barthelemy, 1 for Saint-Martin, 3 for overseas territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad; starting in 2008, members will be indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve six-year terms, with one-half elected every three years; and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats, 555 for metropolitan France, 15 for overseas departments, 7 for dependencies; members are elected by popular vote under a single-member majority system to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 26 September 2004 (next to be held in September 2008); National Assembly - last held 10 and 17 June 2007 (next to be held in June 2012) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 156, PS 97, UDF (now MoDem) 33, PCF 23, RDSE 15, other 7; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - UMP 46.37%, PS 42.25%, miscellaneous left wing parties 2.47%, PCF 2.28%, NC 2.12%, PRG 1.65%, miscellaneous right wing parties 1.17%, the Greens 0.45, other 1.24%; seats by party - UMP 313, PS 186, NC 22, miscellaneous left wing parties 15, PCF 15, miscellaneous right wing parties 9, PRG 7, the Greens 4, other 6

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation (judges are appointed by the president from nominations of the High Council of the Judiciary); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel (three members appointed by the president, three appointed by the president of the National Assembly, and three appointed by the president of the Senate); Council of State or Conseil d'Etat

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Movement or MoDem [Francois BAYROU] (previously Union for

French Democracy or UDF); Democratic and Social European Rally or

RDSE [Pierre LAFFITTE] (mainly Radical Republican and Socialist

Parties, and PRG); French Communist Party or PCF [Marie-George

BUFFET]; Greens [Cecile DUFLOT]; Left Radical Party or PRG

[Jean-Michel BAYLET] (previously Radical Socialist Party or PRS and

the Left Radical Movement or MRG); Movement for France or MPF

[Philippe DE VILLIERS]; National Front or FN [Jean-Marie LE PEN];

New Center or NC [Herve MORIN]; Rally for France or RPF [Charles

PASQUA]; Republican and Citizen Movement or MRC [Jean Pierre

CHEVENEMENT and Georges SARRE]; Socialist Party or PS [Francois

HOLLANDE]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [Patrick DEVEDJIAN,

Jean-Claude GAUDIN, Jean-Pierre RAFFARIN, Pierre MEHAIGNERIE];

Radical Party [Jean-Louis BORLOO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail or CFDT, left-leaning labor union with approximately 803,000 members; Confederation Generale des Cadres or CGC, independent white-collar union with 196,000 members; Confederation Generale du Travail or CGT, historically communist labor union with approximately 700,000 members; Confederation Generale du Travail - Force Ouvriere or FO, independent labor union with an estimated 300,000 members; Mouvement des Entreprises de France or MEDEF, employers' union with 750,000 companies as members (claimed) French Guiana: conservationists; gold mining pressure groups; hunting pressure groups Guadeloupe: Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG; General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G; General Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG; Movement for an Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI; The Socialist Renewal Movement Martinique: Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance or ARC; Central Union for Martinique Workers or CSTM; Frantz Fanon Circle; League of Workers and Peasants; Proletarian Action Group or GAP Reunion: NA

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic

Council (observer), Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, BSEC (observer),

CBSS (observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FZ,

G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO,

MINUSTAH, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW,

OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Schengen Convention, SECI

(observer), SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNOMIG,

UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Pierre VIMONT chancery: 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 944-6000 FAX: [1] (202) 944-6166 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Craig R. STAPLETON embassy: 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08 mailing address: PSC 116, APO AE 09777 telephone: [33] (1) 43-12-22-22 FAX: [33] (1) 42 66 97 83 consulate(s) general: Marseille, Strasbourg

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known as the "Le drapeau tricolore" (French Tricolor), the origin of the flag dates to 1790 and the French Revolution; the design and/or colors are similar to a number of other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Ireland, Cote d'Ivoire, Luxembourg, and Netherlands; the official flag for all French dependent areas

Economy

France

Economy - overview:

France is in the midst of transition from a well-to-do modern economy that has featured extensive government ownership and intervention to one that relies more on market mechanisms. The government has partially or fully privatized many large companies, banks, and insurers, and has ceded stakes in such leading firms as Air France, France Telecom, Renault, and Thales. It maintains a strong presence in some sectors, particularly power, public transport, and defense industries. The telecommunications sector is gradually being opened to competition. France's leaders remain committed to a capitalism in which they maintain social equity by means of laws, tax policies, and social spending that reduce income disparity and the impact of free markets on public health and welfare. Widespread opposition to labor reform has in recent years hampered the government's ability to revitalize the economy. In 2007, the government launched divisive labor reform efforts that will continue into 2008. France's tax burden remains one of the highest in Europe (nearly 50% of GDP in 2005). France brought the budget deficit within the eurozone's 3%-of-GDP limit for the first time in 2007 and has reduced unemployment to roughly 8%. With at least 75 million foreign tourists per year, France is the most visited country in the world and maintains the third largest income in the world from tourism.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.075 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$2.56 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$32,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.2% industry: 20.6% services: 77.2% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

27.91 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 4.1% industry: 24.4% services: 71.5% (1999)

Unemployment rate:

7.9% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

6.2% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 24.8% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

28 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

21.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $1.287 trillion expenditures: $1.356 trillion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

63.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7.28% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

NA note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders

Stock of quasi money:

NA

Stock of domestic credit:

$4.105 trillion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef, dairy products; fish

Industries:

machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics; textiles, food processing; tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

1.8% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

537.9 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

447.3 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

67.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

10.78 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 8.2% hydro: 14% nuclear: 77.1% other: 0.7% (2001)

Oil - production:

69,680 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

1.95 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

584,700 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

2.465 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

119.8 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

953 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

42.69 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

966 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

42.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

7.277 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$31.25 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$546 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages

Exports - partners:

Germany 14.9%, Spain 9.3%, Italy 8.9%, UK 8.1%, Belgium 7.3%, US 6.1%, Netherlands 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$600.9 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft, plastics, chemicals

Imports - partners:

Germany 18.9%, Belgium 11.4%, Italy 8.4%, Spain 7.1%, Netherlands 7%, UK 5.6%, US 4.4%, China 4% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $10.6 billion (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$115.7 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:

$4.396 trillion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$942.3 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$1.307 trillion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$1.71 trillion (2005)

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

France

Telephones - main lines in use:

35.533 million; 34.8 million (metropolitan France) (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

56.719 million; 55.358 million (metropolitan France) (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: highly developed domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay; extensive introduction of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite system international: country code - 33; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and US; satellite earth stations - more than 3 (2 Intelsat (with total of 5 antennas - 2 for Indian Ocean and 3 for Atlantic Ocean), NA Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat - Atlantic Ocean region); HF radiotelephone communications with more than 20 countries overseas departments: country codes: French Guiana - 594; Guadeloupe - 590; Martinique - 596; Reunion - 262

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 41, FM about 3,500 (this figure is an approximation and includes many repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:

55.3 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

584 (plus 9,676 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

34.8 million (1997)

Internet country code:

metropolitan France - .fr; French Guiana - .gf; Guadeloupe - .gp; Martinique - .mq; Reunion - .re

Internet hosts:

14.256 million; 14,256,000 (metropolitan France) (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

62 (2000)

Internet users:

31.295 million; 30.838 million (metropolitan France) (2007)

Transportation

France

Airports:

476 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 292 over 3,047 m: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 97 914 to 1,523 m: 80 under 914 m: 74 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 184 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 72 under 914 m: 108 (2007)

Heliports:

3 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 14,665 km; oil 3,032 km; refined products 4,947 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 29,370 km standard gauge: 29,203 km 1.435-m gauge (14,778 km electrified) narrow gauge: 167 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 951,500 km paved: 951,500 km (metropolitan France; includes 10,950 km of expressways) note: there are another 5,100 km of roadways in overseas departments (2006)

Waterways:

metropolitan France: 8,500 km (1,686 km accessible to craft of 3,000 metric tons) French Guiana: 3,760 km (460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 138 by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 1, chemical tanker 32, container 25, liquefied gas 12, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 33, petroleum tanker 23, roll on/roll off 7 foreign-owned: 38 (Belgium 6, China 5, Denmark 2, Germany 1, Italy 2, Japan 1, NZ 1, Norway 5, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 2, Sweden 9, Switzerland 1, Switzerland 2) registered in other countries: 127 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Australia 1, Bahamas 30, Belgium 2, Bermuda 1, Hong Kong 1, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 1, Italy 2, Liberia 5, Luxembourg 17, Malta 5, Morocco 14, Netherlands 1, Norway 3, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Singapore 1, Taiwan 1, UK 23, Wallis and Futuna 6) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Bordeaux, Calais, Dunkerque, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes, Paris,

Rouen, Strasbourg

Military

France

Military branches:

Army (Armee de Terre; includes Marines, Foreign Legion, Army Light

Aviation), Navy (Marine Nationale, includes Naval Air), Air Force

(Armee de l'Air, includes Air Defense), National Gendarmerie (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

17-40 years of age for male or female voluntary military service); no conscription; 12-month service obligation; women serve in noncombat military posts (2005)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 14,646,427 females age 16-49: 14,379,630 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 12,110,718 females age 16-49: 11,849,988 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 401,379 female: 382,409 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

France

Disputes - international:

Madagascar claims the French territories of Bassas da India, Europa

Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island; Comoros claims

Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; territorial dispute

between Suriname and the French overseas department of French

Guiana; France asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie

Land); France and Vanuatu claim Matthew and Hunter Islands, east of

New Caledonia

Illicit drugs:

metropolitan France: transshipment point for South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and European synthetics French Guiana: small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe Martinique: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@French Polynesia

Introduction

French Polynesia

Background:

The French annexed various Polynesian island groups during the 19th century. In September 1995, France stirred up widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing on the Mururoa atoll after a three-year moratorium. The tests were suspended in January 1996. In recent years, French Polynesia's autonomy has been considerably expanded.

Geography

French Polynesia

Location:

Oceania, archipelagoes in the South Pacific Ocean about half way between South America and Australia

Geographic coordinates:

15 00 S, 140 00 W

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls) land: 3,660 sq km water: 507 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

2,525 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical, but moderate

Terrain:

mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Orohena 2,241 m

Natural resources:

timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 0.75% permanent crops: 5.5% other: 93.75% (2005)

Irrigated land:

10 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:

occasional cyclonic storms in January

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

includes five archipelagoes (four volcanic, one coral); Makatea in French Polynesia is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Nauru

People

French Polynesia

Population:

283,019 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 24.8% (male 35,903/female 34,364) 15-64 years: 68.6% (male 100,700/female 93,492) 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 9,374/female 9,186) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 28.7 years male: 29 years female: 28.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.425% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

16.16 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.67 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.77 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 7.7 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.51 years male: 74.07 years female: 79.08 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.95 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: French Polynesian(s) adjective: French Polynesian

Ethnic groups:

Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4%

Religions:

Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no religion 6%

Languages:

French 61.1% (official), Polynesian 31.4% (official), Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%, unspecified 6% (2002 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 14 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1977 est.)

Education expenditures:

( )

Government

French Polynesia

Country name:

conventional long form: Overseas Lands of French Polynesia conventional short form: French Polynesia local long form: Pays d'outre-mer de la Polynesie Francaise local short form: Polynesie Francaise former: French Colony of Oceania

Dependency status:

overseas lands of France; overseas territory of France from 1946-2004

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Papeete geographic coordinates: 17 32 S, 149 34 W time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (overseas lands of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are five archipelagic divisions named Archipel des Marquises, Archipel des Tuamotu, Archipel des Tubuai, Iles du Vent, Iles Sous-le-Vent

Independence:

none (overseas lands of France)

National holiday:

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution:

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system:

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007), represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Adolphe COLRAT (since 7 July 2008) head of government: President of French Polynesia Gaston TONG SANG (since 15 April 2008); President of the Territorial Assembly Antony GEROS (since 9 May 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers; president submits a list of members of the Territorial Assembly for approval by them to serve as ministers elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the territorial government and the president of the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly for five-year terms (no term limits)

Legislative branch:

unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (57 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 27 January 2008 (first round) and 10 February 2008 (second round) (next to be held NA 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - Our Home alliance 45.2%, Union for Democracy alliance 37.2%, Popular Rally (Tahoeraa Huiraatira) 17.2% other 0.5%; seats by party - Our Home alliance 27, Union for Democracy alliance 20, Popular Rally 10 note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998 (next to be held in September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; two seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP/RPR 1, UMP 1

Judicial branch:

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Court of the First Instance or

Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative Law or

Tribunal Administratif

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance for a New Democracy or ADN [Nicole BOUTEAU and Philip

SCHYLE](includes the parties The New Star and This Country is

Yours); Independent Front for the Liberation of Polynesia (Tavini

Huiraatira) [Oscar TEMARU]; New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api) [Emile

VERNAUDON]; Our Home alliance; People's Rally for the Republic of

Polynesia or RPR (Tahoeraa Huiraatira) [Gaston FLOSSE]; Union for

Democracy alliance or UPD [Oscar TEMARU]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

FZ, ITUC, PIF (associate member), SPC, UPU, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas lands of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas lands of France)

Flag description:

two narrow red horizontal bands encase a wide white band; centered on the white band is a disk with a blue and white wave pattern on the lower half and a gold and white ray pattern on the upper half; a stylized red, blue, and white ship rides on the wave pattern; the French flag is used for official occasions

Government - note:

under certain acts of France, French Polynesia has acquired autonomy in all areas except those relating to police and justice, monetary policy, tertiary education, immigration, and defense and foreign affairs; the duties of its president are fashioned after those of the French prime minister

Economy

French Polynesia

Economy - overview:

Since 1962, when France stationed military personnel in the region, French Polynesia has changed from a subsistence agricultural economy to one in which a high proportion of the work force is either employed by the military or supports the tourist industry. With the halt of French nuclear testing in 1996, the military contribution to the economy fell sharply. Tourism accounts for about one-fourth of GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings. Other sources of income are pearl farming and deep-sea commercial fishing. The small manufacturing sector primarily processes agricultural products. The territory benefits substantially from development agreements with France aimed principally at creating new businesses and strengthening social services.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$4.58 billion (2003 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$3.8 billion (2002)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.1% (2002)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$17,500 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3.1% industry: 19% services: 77.8% (2005)

Labor force:

65,930 (December 2005)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 13% industry: 19% services: 68% (2002)

Unemployment rate:

11.7% (2005)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $865 million expenditures: $644.1 million (1999)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.1% (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:

fish; coconuts, vanilla, vegetables, fruits, coffee; poultry, beef, dairy products

Industries:

tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts, phosphates

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

475 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

441.8 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 60.7% hydro: 39.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

6,082 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

6,271 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$211 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:

cultured pearls, coconut products, mother-of-pearl, vanilla, shark meat

Exports - partners:

France 46.3%, Japan 20.8%, Niger 12.8%, US 12.5% (2006)

Imports:

$1.706 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:

fuels, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment

Imports - partners:

France 52.7%, Singapore 14.9%, NZ 6.8%, US 6.6% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$579.8 million (2004)

Debt - external:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF)

Currency code:

XPF

Exchange rates:

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 87.59 (2007), 94.97 (2006), 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003) note: pegged at the rate of 119.25 XPF to the euro

Communications

French Polynesia

Telephones - main lines in use:

53,600 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

174,800 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 689; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 14, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:

128,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

7 (plus 17 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

40,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.pf

Internet hosts:

14,070 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

75,000 (2007)

Transportation

French Polynesia

Airports:

54 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 37 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 27 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 8 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 2,590 km paved: 1,735 km unpaved: 855 km (1999)

Merchant marine:

total: 15 by type: cargo 6, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1 registered in other countries: 2 (Wallis and Futuna 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Papeete

Military

French Polynesia

Military branches:

no regular military forces; Gendarmerie and National Police Force (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 79,540 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 64,287 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 2,699 female: 2,589 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues

French Polynesia

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Introduction

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Background:

In February 2007, the Iles Eparses became an integral part of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF). The Southern Lands are now divided into five administrative districts, two of which are archipelagos, Iles Crozet and Iles Kerguelen; the third is a district composed of two volcanic islands, Ile Saint-Paul and Ile Amsterdam; the fourth, Iles Eparses, consists of five scattered tropical islands around Madagascar. They contain no permanent inhabitants and are visited only by researchers studying the native fauna, scientists at the various scientific stations, fishermen, and military personnel. The fifth district is the Antarctic portion, which consists of "Adelie Land," a thin slice of the Antarctic continent discovered and claimed by the French in 1840. Ile Amsterdam: Discovered but not named in 1522 by the Spanish, the island subsequently received the appellation of Nieuw Amsterdam from a Dutchman; it was claimed by France in 1843. A short-lived attempt at cattle farming began in 1871. A French meteorological station established on the island in 1949 is still in use. Ile Saint Paul: Claimed by France since 1893, the island was a fishing industry center from 1843 to 1914. In 1928, a spiny lobster cannery was established, but when the company went bankrupt in 1931, seven workers were abandoned. Only two survived until 1934 when rescue finally arrived. Iles Crozet: A large archipelago formed from the Crozet Plateau, Iles Crozet is divided into two main groups: L'Occidental (the West), which includes Ile aux Cochons, Ilots des Apotres, Ile des Pingouins, and the reefs Brisants de l'Heroine; and L'Oriental (the east), which includes Ile d'Est and Ile de la Possession (the largest island of the Crozets). Discovered and claimed by France in 1772, the islands were used for seal hunting and as a base for whaling. Originally administered as a dependency of Madagascar, they became part of the TAAF in 1955. Iles Kerguelen: This island group, discovered in 1772, is made up of one large island (Ile Kerguelen) and about 300 smaller islands. A permanent group of 50 to 100 scientists resides at the main base at Port-aux-Francais. Adelie Land: The only non-insular district of the TAAF is the Antarctic claim known as "Adelie Land." The US Government does not recognize it as a French dependency. Bassas da India: A French possession since 1897, this atoll is a volcanic rock surrounded by reefs and is awash at high tide. Europa Island: This heavily wooded island has been a French possession since 1897; it is the site of a small military garrison that staffs a weather station. Glorioso Islands: A French possession since 1892, the Glorioso Islands are composed of two lushly vegetated coral islands (Ile Glorieuse and Ile du Lys) and three rock islets. A military garrison operates a weather and radio station on Ile Glorieuse. Juan de Nova Island: Named after a famous 15th century Spanish navigator and explorer, the island has been a French possession since 1897. It has been exploited for its guano and phosphate. Presently a small military garrison oversees a meteorological station. Tromelin Island: First explored by the French in 1776, the island came under the jurisdiction of Reunion in 1814. At present, it serves as a sea turtle sanctuary and is the site of an important meteorological station.

Geography

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Location:

southeast and east of Africa, islands in the southern Indian Ocean, some near Madagascar and others about equidistant between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia; note - French Southern and Antarctic Lands include Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Crozet, Iles Kerguelen, Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island in the southern Indian Ocean, along with the French-claimed sector of Antarctica, "Adelie Land"; the US does not recognize the French claim to "Adelie Land"

Geographic coordinates:

Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): 37 50 S, 77 32 E

Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): 38 72 S, 77 53 E

Iles Crozet: 46 25 S, 51 00 E

Iles Kerguelen: 49 15 S, 69 35 E

Bassas da India (Iles Eparses): 21 30 S, 39 50 E

Europa Island (Iles Eparses): 22 20 S, 40 22 E

Glorioso Islands (Iles Eparses): 11 30 S, 47 20 E

Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses): 17 03 S, 42 45 E

Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): 15 52 S, 54 25 E

Map references:

Antarctic Region, Africa

Area:

Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): total - 55 sq km;

land - 55 sq km; water - 0 sq km

Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): total - 7 sq km;

land - 7 sq km; water - 0 sq km

Iles Crozet: total - 352 sq km; land - 352 sq km; water - 0 sq km

Iles Kerguelen: total - 7,215 sq km; land - 7,215 sq km; water - 0

sq km

Bassas da India (Iles Eparses): total - 80 sq km; land - 0.2 sq km;

water - 79.8 sq km (lagoon)

Europa Island (Iles Eparses): total - 28 sq km; land - 28 sq km;

water - 0 sq km

Glorioso Islands (Iles Eparses): total - 5 sq km; land - 5 sq km;

water - 0 sq km

Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses): total - 4.4 sq km; land - 4.4 sq

km; water - 0 sq km

Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): total - 1 sq km; land - 1 sq km;

water - 0 sq km

note: excludes "Adelie Land" claim of about 500,000 sq km in

Antarctica that is not recognized by the US

Area - comparative:

Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): less than one-half

the size of Washington, DC

Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): more than 10 times

the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Iles Crozet: about twice the size of Washington, DC

Iles Kerguelen: a little larger than Delaware

Bassas da India (Iles Eparses): land area about one-third the size

of The Mall in Washington, DC

Europa Island (Iles Eparses): about one-sixth the size of

Washington, DC

Glorioso Islands (Iles Eparses): about eight times the size of The

Mall in Washington, DC

Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses): about seven times the size of

The Mall in Washington, DC

Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): about 1.7 times the size of The Mall

in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): 28 km

Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul):

Iles Kerguelen: 2,800 km

Bassas da India (Iles Eparses): 35.2 km

Europa Island (Iles Eparses): 22.2 km

Glorioso Islands (Iles Eparses): 35.2 km

Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses): 24.1 km

Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): 3.7 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm from Iles Kerguelen and Iles Eparses (does not include the rest of French Southern and Antarctic Lands); Juan de Nova Island and Tromelin Island claim a continental shelf of 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul: oceanic with persistent westerly

winds and high humidity

Iles Crozet: windy, cold, wet, and cloudy

Iles Kerguelen: oceanic, cold, overcast, windy

Iles Eparses: tropical

Terrain:

Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): a volcanic island with steep coastal cliffs; the center floor of the volcano is a large plateau Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): triangular in shape, the island is the top of a volcano, rocky with steep cliffs on the eastern side; has active thermal springs Iles Crozet: a large archipelago formed from the Crozet Plateau is divided into two groups of islands Iles Kerguelen: the interior of the large island of Ile Kerguelen is composed of rugged terrain of high mountains, hills, valleys, and plains with a number of peninsulas stretching off its coasts Bassas da India (Iles Eparses): atoll, awash at high tide; shallow (15 m) lagoon Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: low, flat, and sandy Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): low, flat, sandy; likely volcanic seamount

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont de la Dives on Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul) 867 m; unnamed location on Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul) 272 m; Pic Marion-Dufresne in Iles Crozet 1,090 m; Mont Ross in Iles Kerguelen 1,850 m; unnamed location on Bassas de India (Iles Eparses) 2.4 m; unnamed location on Europa Island (Iles Eparses) 24 m; unnamed location on Glorioso Islands (Iles Eparses) 12 m; unnamed location on Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses) 10 m; unnamed location on Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses) 7 m

Natural resources:

fish, crayfish note: Glorioso Islands and Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses) have guano, phosphates, and coconuts

Land use:

Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul) - 100% trees, grasses, ferns, and moss; Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul) - 100% grass, ferns, and moss; Iles Crozet - 100% tossock grass, heath, and fern; Iles Kerguelen - 100% tossock grass and Kerguelen cabbage; Bassas da India (Iles Eparses) - 100% rock, coral reef, and sand; Europa Island (Iles Eparses) - 100% mangrove swamp and dry woodlands; Glorioso Islands (Iles Eparses) - 100% lush vegetation and coconut palms; Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses) - 90% forest, 10% other; Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses) - 100% grasses and scattered brush (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are inactive volcanoes; Iles Eparses subject to periodic cyclones; Bassas da India is a maritime hazard since it is under water for a period of three hours prior to and following the high tide and surrounded by reefs

Environment - current issues:

introduction of foreign species on Iles Crozet has caused severe damage to the original ecosystem; overfishing of Patagonian Toothfish around Iles Crozet and Iles Kerguelen

Geography - note:

islands component is widely scattered across remote locations in the southern Indian Ocean Bassas da India (Iles Eparses): the atoll is a circular reef that sits atop a long-extinct, submerged volcano Europa Island and Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses): wildlife sanctuary for seabirds and sea turtles Glorioso Island (Iles Eparses): the islands and rocks are surrounded by an extensive reef system Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): climatologically important location for forecasting cyclones in the western Indian Ocean; wildlife sanctuary (seabirds, tortoises)

People

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Population:

no indigenous inhabitants Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): has no permanent residents but has a meteorological station Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): is uninhabited but is frequently visited by fishermen and has a scientific research cabin for short stays Iles Crozet: are uninhabited except for 18 to 30 people staffing the Alfred Faure research station on Ile del la Possession Iles Kerguelen: 50 to 100 scientists are located at the main base at Port-aux-Francais on Ile Kerguelen Bassas da India (Iles Eparses): uninhabitable Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses): a small French military garrison and a few meteorologists on each possession; visited by scientists Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): uninhabited, except for visits by scientists

Government

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Country name:

conventional long form: Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands conventional short form: French Southern and Antarctic Lands local long form: Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises local short form: Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises abbreviation: TAAF

Dependency status:

overseas territory of France since 1955; administered from Paris by Administrateur Superieur Eric PILLOTON (since 10 April 2007)

Administrative divisions:

none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are five administrative districts named Iles Crozet, Iles Eparses, Iles Kerguelen, Ile Saint-Paul et Ile Amsterdam; the fifth district is the "Adelie Land" claim in Antarctica that is not recognized by the US

Legal system:

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007), represented by Senior Administrator Rollon MOUCHEL-BLAISOT (16 October 2008)

International organization participation:

UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of France)

Flag description:

the flag of France is used

Economy

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Economy - overview:

Economic activity is limited to servicing meteorological and geophysical research stations, military bases, and French and other fishing fleets. The fish catches landed on Iles Kerguelen by foreign ships are exported to France and Reunion.

Communications

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Internet country code:

.tf

Internet hosts:

38 (2008)

Communications - note:

one or more meteorological stations on each possession; note - meteorological station on Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses) is important for forecasting cyclones

Transportation

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Airports:

4 (one each on Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island in the Iles Eparses district) (2006)

Ports and terminals:

none; offshore anchorage only

Transportation - note:

aids to navigation - lighthouses: Europa Island 18m; Juan de Nova Island (W side) 37m; Tromelin Island (NW point) 11m (all in the Iles Eparses district)

Military

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Disputes - international:

French claim to "Adelie Land" in Antarctica is not recognized by the

US

Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova

Island (Iles Eparses): claimed by Madagascar

Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): claimed by Mauritius

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Gabon

Introduction

Gabon

Background:

Only two autocratic presidents have ruled Gabon since independence from France in 1960. The current president of Gabon, El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba - one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world - has dominated the country's political scene for four decades. President BONGO introduced a nominal multiparty system and a new constitution in the early 1990s. However, allegations of electoral fraud during local elections in 2002-03 and the presidential elections in 2005 have exposed the weaknesses of formal political structures in Gabon. Gabon's political opposition remains weak, divided, and financially dependent on the current regime. Despite political conditions, a small population, abundant natural resources, and considerable foreign support have helped make Gabon one of the more prosperous and stable African countries.

Geography

Gabon

Location:

Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between

Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea

Geographic coordinates:

1 00 S, 11 45 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 267,667 sq km land: 257,667 sq km water: 10,000 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Colorado

Land boundaries:

total: 2,551 km border countries: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km

Coastline:

885 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; always hot, humid

Terrain:

narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 1.21% permanent crops: 0.64% other: 98.15% (2005)

Irrigated land:

70 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

164 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.12 cu km/yr (50%/8%/42%) per capita: 87 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; poaching

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

a small population and oil and mineral reserves have helped Gabon become one of Africa's wealthier countries; in general, these circumstances have allowed the country to maintain and conserve its pristine rain forest and rich biodiversity

People

Gabon

Population:

1,485,832 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 42.1% (male 314,078/female 311,900) 15-64 years: 53.9% (male 399,586/female 401,602) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 24,388/female 34,278) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.6 years male: 18.4 years female: 18.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.954% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

35.75 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

12.59 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-3.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 52.65 deaths/1,000 live births male: 61.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 43.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 53.52 years male: 52.5 years female: 54.57 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.68 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

8.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

48,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

3,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Gabonese (singular and plural) adjective: Gabonese

Ethnic groups:

Bantu tribes, including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Bapounou, Nzebi, Obamba); other Africans and Europeans, 154,000, including 10,700 French and 11,000 persons of dual nationality

Religions:

Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1%

Languages:

French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 63.2% male: 73.7% female: 53.3% (1995 est.)

Education expenditures:

3.8% of GDP (2000)

Government

Gabon

Country name:

conventional long form: Gabonese Republic conventional short form: Gabon local long form: Republique gabonaise local short form: Gabon

Government type:

republic; multiparty presidential regime

Capital:

name: Libreville geographic coordinates: 0 23 N, 9 27 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem

Independence:

17 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 17 August (1960)

Constitution:

adopted 14 March 1991

Legal system:

based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba (since 2 December 1967) head of government: Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe NDONG (since 20 January 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba reelected; percent of vote - El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba 79.2%, Pierre MAMBOUNDOU 13.6%, Zacharie MYBOTO 6.6%

Legislative branch:

bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (91 seats; members elected by members of municipal councils and departmental assemblies to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 26 January and 9 February 2003 (next to be held by January 2009); National Assembly - last held 17 and 24 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDG 53, RNB 20, PGP 4, ADERE 3, RDP 1, CLR 1, independents 9; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDG 82, RPG 8, UPG 8, UGDD 4, ADERE 3, CLR 2, PGP-Ndaot 2, PSD 2, independents 4, others 5

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consisting of three chambers - Judicial, Administrative, and Accounts; Constitutional Court; Courts of Appeal; Court of State Security; County Courts

Political parties and leaders:

Circle of Liberal Reformers or CLR [General Jean Boniface ASSELE];

Congress for Democracy and Justice or CDJ [Jules Aristide Bourdes

OGOULIGUENDE]; Democratic and Republican Alliance or ADERE

[Divungui-di-Ndinge DIDJOB]; Gabonese Democratic Party or PDG

(former sole party) [Simplice Nguedet MANZELA]; Gabonese Party for

Progress or PGP [Benoit Mouity NZAMBA]; Gabonese Union for Democracy

and Development or UGDD [Zacherie MYBOTO]; National Rally of

Woodcutters or RNB; National Rally of Woodcutters-Rally for Gabon or

RNB-RPG (Bucherons) [Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE]; Party of Development

and Social Solidarity or PDS [Seraphin Ndoat REMBOGO]; People's

Unity Party or PUP [Louis Gaston MAYILA]; Social Democratic Party or

PSD [Pierre Claver MAGANGA-MOUSSAVOU]; Union for Democracy and

Social Integration or UDIS; Union of Gabonese Patriots or UPG

[Pierre MAMBOUNDOU]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

MINURCAT, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,

UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos BOUNGOU chancery: Suite 200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000 FAX: [1] (202) 332-0668 consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Eunice S. REDDICK embassy: Boulevard du Bord de Mer, Libreville mailing address: Centre Ville, B. P. 4000, Libreville; pouch:2270 Libreville Place, Washington, DC 20521-2270 telephone: [241] 76 20 03 through 76 20 04, after hours - 07380171 FAX: [241] 74 55 07

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue

Economy

Gabon

Economy - overview:

Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most of sub-Saharan African nations. but because of high income inequality, a large proportion of the population remains poor. Gabon depended on timber and manganese until oil was discovered offshore in the early 1970s. The oil sector now accounts for 50% of GDP. Gabon continues to face fluctuating prices for its oil, timber, and manganese exports. Despite the abundance of natural wealth, poor fiscal management hobbles the economy. The devaluation of the CFA franc - its currency - by 50% in January 1994 sparked a one-time inflationary surge, to 35%; the rate dropped to 6% in 1996. The IMF provided a one-year standby arrangement in 1994-95, a three-year Enhanced Financing Facility (EFF) at near commercial rates beginning in late 1995, and stand-by credit of $119 million in October 2000. Those agreements mandated progress in privatization and fiscal discipline. France provided additional financial support in January 1997 after Gabon met IMF targets for mid-1996. In 1997, an IMF mission to Gabon criticized the government for overspending on off-budget items, overborrowing from the central bank, and slipping on its schedule for privatization and administrative reform. The rebound of oil prices since 1999 have helped growth, but drops in production have hampered Gabon from fully realizing potential gains, and will continue to temper the gains for most of this decade. In December 2000, Gabon signed a new agreement with the Paris Club to reschedule its official debt. A follow-up bilateral repayment agreement with the US was signed in December 2001. Gabon signed a 14-month Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF in May 2004, and received Paris Club debt rescheduling later that year. Short-term progress depends on an upbeat world economy and fiscal and other adjustments in line with IMF policies.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$20.44 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$11.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$14,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 6.1% industry: 58% services: 35.9% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

582,000 (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 60% industry: 15% services: 25%

Unemployment rate:

21% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

24.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $3.536 billion expenditures: $2.347 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

52.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

5.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

15% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.547 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$799.3 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$359.8 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish

Industries:

petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, gold; chemicals, ship repair, food and beverages, textiles, lumbering and plywood, cement

Industrial production growth rate:

5.2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

1.671 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

1.365 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 34.5% hydro: 65.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

243,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

13,170 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

255,500 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

2,485 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

2 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

100 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

100 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$1.552 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$6.956 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

crude oil 77%, timber, manganese, uranium (2001)

Exports - partners:

US 32.5%, China 15.8%, France 9.4%, Malaysia 6%, Trinidad and Tobago 5% (2007)

Imports:

$2.107 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials

Imports - partners:

France 27.7%, US 19.1%, Belgium 5.4%, Netherlands 4.7%, China 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$53.87 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.238 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$4.895 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States

Currency code:

XAF

Exchange rates:

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar - 481.83 (2007), 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)

Communications

Gabon

Telephones - main lines in use:

26,500 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.169 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: adequate service by African standards and improving with the help of a growing mobile cell network system with multiple providers; mobile-cellular subscribership reached 80 per 100 persons in 2007 domestic: adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations international: country code - 241; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 6, FM 7 (plus 11 repeaters), shortwave 4 (2001)

Radios:

208,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

4 (plus 4 repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:

63,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ga

Internet hosts:

88 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2001)

Internet users:

145,000 (2007)

Transportation

Gabon

Airports:

53 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 10 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 43 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 23 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 384 km; oil 1,427 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 814 km standard gauge: 814 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 9,170 km paved: 937 km unpaved: 8,233 km (2004)

Waterways:

1,600 km (310 km on Ogooue River) (2007)

Merchant marine:

registered in other countries: 2 (Cambodia 1, Panama 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Gamba, Libreville, Lucinda, Port-Gentil

Military

Gabon

Military branches:

Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police

Military service age and obligation:

20 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 331,181 females age 16-49: 332,498 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 192,717 females age 16-49: 188,539 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 16,558 female: 16,577 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Gabon

Disputes - international:

UN urges Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve the sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and lesser islands and to establish a maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 7,178 (Republic of Congo) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Gabon is predominantly a destination country for children trafficked from other African countries for the purpose of forced labor; girls are primarily trafficked for domestic servitude, forced market vending, forced restaurant labor, and sexual exploitation, while boys are trafficked for forced street hawking and forced labor in small workshops tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Gabon is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking in 2007, particularly in terms of efforts to convict and punish trafficking offenders; the government has not reported the convictions or sentences of any trafficking offenders; the government did not take steps to reduce demand for commercial sex acts (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Gambia, The

Introduction

Gambia, The

Background:

The Gambia gained its independence from the UK in 1965. Geographically surrounded by Senegal, it formed a short-lived federation of Senegambia between 1982 and 1989. In 1991 the two nations signed a friendship and cooperation treaty, but tensions have flared up intermittently since then. Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH led a military coup in 1994 that overthrew the president and banned political activity. A new constitution and presidential elections in 1996, followed by parliamentary balloting in 1997, completed a nominal return to civilian rule. JAMMEH has been elected president in all subsequent elections, including most recently in late 2006.

Geography

Gambia, The

Location:

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal

Geographic coordinates:

13 28 N, 16 34 W

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 11,300 sq km land: 10,000 sq km water: 1,300 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of Delaware

Land boundaries:

total: 740 km border countries: Senegal 740 km

Coastline:

80 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm continental shelf: extent not specified

Climate:

tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler, dry season (November to May)

Terrain:

flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 53 m

Natural resources:

fish, titanium (rutile and ilmenite), tin, zircon, silica sand, clay, petroleum

Land use:

arable land: 27.88% permanent crops: 0.44% other: 71.68% (2005)

Irrigated land:

20 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

8 cu km (1982)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.03 cu km/yr (23%/12%/65%) per capita: 20 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

drought (rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30 years)

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; desertification; water-borne diseases prevalent

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on the continent of Africa

People

Gambia, The

Population:

1,735,464 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 43.9% (male 382,385/female 378,853) 15-64 years: 53.4% (male 459,315/female 466,689) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 24,303/female 23,919) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 17.9 years male: 17.7 years female: 18 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.724% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

38.36 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

11.74 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 68.72 deaths/1,000 live births male: 75.07 deaths/1,000 live births female: 62.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 54.95 years male: 53.06 years female: 56.9 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.13 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

6,800 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

600 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and yellow fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Gambian(s) adjective: Gambian

Ethnic groups:

African 99% (Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola 10%, Serahuli 9%, other 4%), non-African 1% (2003 census)

Religions:

Muslim 90%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 2%

Languages:

English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous vernaculars

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 40.1% male: 47.8% female: 32.8% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 7 years male: 7 years female: 7 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

2% of GDP (2004)

Government

Gambia, The

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of The Gambia conventional short form: The Gambia

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Banjul geographic coordinates: 13 27 N, 16 34 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

5 divisions and 1 city*; Banjul*, Central River, Lower River, North Bank, Upper River, Western

Independence:

18 February 1965 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 18 February (1965)

Constitution:

approved by national referendum 8 August 1996; effective 16 January 1997

Legal system:

based on a composite of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18 October 1996); note - from 1994 to 1996 he was chairman of the Junta; Vice President Isatou NJIE-SAIDY (since 20 March 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18 October 1996); Vice President Isatou NJIE-SAIDY (since 20 March 1997) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 22 September 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH reelected president; percent of vote - Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH 67.3%, Ousainou DARBOE 26.6%, Halifa SALLAH 6.0%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly (53 seats; 48 members elected by popular vote, 5 appointed by the president; to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 25 January 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - APRC 47, UDP 4, NADD 1, independent 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction or APRC (the

ruling party) [Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH]; Gambia People's Democratic

Party or GPDP [Henry GOMEZ]; National Alliance for Democracy and

Development or NADD [Halifa SALLAH]; National Convention Party or

NCP [Sheriff DIBBA]; National Reconciliation Party or NRP [Hamat N.

K. BAH]; People's Democratic Organization for Independence and

Socialism or PDOIS [Sidia JATTA]; United Democratic Party or UDP

[Ousainou DARBOE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

National Environment Agency or NEA; West African Peace Building

Network-Gambian Chapter or WANEB-GAMBIA; Youth Employment Network

Gambia or YENGambia

other: special needs group advocates; teachers and principals

International organization participation:

ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Abdul Rahman COLE chancery: Suite 600, 1424 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 785-1379 FAX: [1] (202) 785-1430

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Barry L. WELLS embassy: Kairaba Avenue, Fajara, Banjul mailing address: P. M. B. No. 19, Banjul telephone: [220] 439-2856, 437-6169, 437-6170 FAX: [220] 439-2475

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue with white edges, and green

Economy

Gambia, The

Economy - overview:

The Gambia has no confirmed mineral or natural resource deposits and has a limited agricultural base. About 75% of the population depends on crops and livestock for its livelihood. Small-scale manufacturing activity features the processing of peanuts, fish, and hides. Reexport trade normally constitutes a major segment of economic activity, but a 1999 government-imposed preshipment inspection plan, and instability of the Gambian dalasi (currency) have drawn some of the reexport trade away from The Gambia. The Gambia's natural beauty and proximity to Europe has made it one of the larger markets for tourism in West Africa. The government's 1998 seizure of the private peanut firm Alimenta eliminated the largest purchaser of Gambian groundnuts. Despite an announced program to begin privatizing key parastatals, no plans have been made public that would indicate that the government intends to follow through on its promises. Unemployment and underemployment rates remain extremely high; short-run economic progress depends on sustained bilateral and multilateral aid, on responsible government economic management, on continued technical assistance from the IMF and bilateral donors, and on expected growth in the construction sector.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.061 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$653 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,200 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 32.8% industry: 8.7% services: 58.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

400,000 (1996)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 75% industry: 19% services: 6% (1996)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.8% highest 10%: 37% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

50.2 (1998)

Investment (gross fixed):

25.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $181.1 million expenditures: $163.4 million (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

10% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

27.92% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$186.7 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$180.4 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$169.9 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, millet, sorghum, peanuts, corn, sesame, cassava (tapioca), palm kernels; cattle, sheep, goats

Industries:

processing peanuts, fish, and hides; tourism, beverages, agricultural machinery assembly, woodworking, metalworking, clothing

Industrial production growth rate:

-2.3% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

200.2 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

143.6 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2,082 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

41.62 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

2,123 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$71 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$88 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

peanut products, fish, cotton lint, palm kernels, re-exports

Exports - partners:

India 37.7%, China 17.5%, UK 8.7%, France 5.1%, Belgium 4.2% (2007)

Imports:

$271 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel, machinery and transport equipment

Imports - partners:

China 23.7%, Senegal 11.5%, Cote d'Ivoire 8.3%, Brazil 8%,

Netherlands 5.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$58.15 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$142.8 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$628.8 million (2003 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

dalasi (GMD)

Currency code:

GMD

Exchange rates:

dalasis (GMD) per US dollar - 27.79 (2007), 28.066 (2006), 28.575 (2005), 30.03 (2004), 27.306 (2003)

Communications

Gambia, The

Telephones - main lines in use:

76,400 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

795,900 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: adequate; a packet switched data network is available; two mobile-cellular service providers domestic: adequate network of microwave radio relay and open-wire; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity reached 50 telephones per 100 persons in 2007 international: country code - 220; microwave radio relay links to Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios:

196,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (government-owned) (1997)

Televisions:

5,000 (2000)

Internet country code:

.gm

Internet hosts:

320 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2001)

Internet users:

100,200 (2007)

Transportation

Gambia, The

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 3,742 km paved: 723 km unpaved: 3,019 km (2004)

Waterways:

390 km (on River Gambia; small ocean-going vessels can reach 190 km) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 5 by type: passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 1 (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Banjul

Military

Gambia, The

Military branches:

Office of the Chief of Defense: Gambian National Army (National

Guard, GNA), Gambian Navy (GN) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 379,668 females age 16-49: 384,438 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 230,202 females age 16-49: 244,480 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 19,650 female: 19,582 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.5% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Gambia, The

Disputes - international:

attempts to stem refugees, cross-border raids, arms smuggling, and other illegal activities by separatists from southern Senegal's Casamance region, as well as from conflicts in other west African states

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 5,955 (Sierra Leone) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: The Gambia is a source, transit, and destination country for children and women trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; women and girls, and to a lesser extent boys, are trafficked for sexual exploitation - in particular to meet the demand for European sex tourism - and for domestic servitude; boys are trafficked within the country for forced begging and street vending; Gambian women and children may be trafficked to Europe through trafficking schemes disguised as migrant smuggling tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, The Gambia is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking; The Gambia failed to report any trafficking arrests, prosecutions, or convictions in 2007, and the government demonstrated weak victim protection efforts during the reporting period (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Gaza Strip

Introduction

Gaza Strip

Background:

The September 1993 Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements provided for a transitional period of Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Under a series of agreements signed between May 1994 and September 1999, Israel transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza stalled following the outbreak of an intifada in September 2000, as Israeli forces reoccupied most Palestinian-controlled areas. In April 2003, the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement was postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides had not followed through on their commitments. Following Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004, Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA president in January 2005. A month later, Israel and the PA agreed to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments in an effort to move the peace process forward. In September 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew all its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and withdrew settlers and redeployed soldiers from four small northern West Bank settlements. Nonetheless, Israel controls maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip. A November 2005 PA-Israeli agreement authorized the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt under joint PA and Egyptian control. In January 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won control of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The international community refused to accept the HAMAS-led government because it did not recognize Israel, would not renounce violence, and refused to honor previous peace agreements between Israel and the PA. HAMAS took control of the PA government in March 2006, but President ABBAS had little success negotiating with HAMAS to present a political platform acceptable to the international community so as to lift economic sanctions on Palestinians. The PLC was unable to convene throughout most of 2006 as a result of Israel's detention of many HAMAS PLC members and Israeli-imposed travel restrictions on other PLC members. Violent clashes took place between Fatah and HAMAS supporters in the Gaza Strip in 2006 and early 2007, resulting in numerous Palestinian deaths and injuries. ABBAS and HAMAS Political Bureau Chief MISHAL in February 2007 signed the Mecca Agreement in Saudi Arabia that resulted in the formation of a Palestinian National Unity Government (NUG) headed by HAMAS member Ismail HANIYA. However, fighting continued in the Gaza Strip, and in June, HAMAS militants succeeded in a violent takeover of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip. ABBAS dismissed the NUG and through a series of Presidential decrees formed a PA government in the West Bank led by independent Salam FAYYAD. HAMAS rejected the NUG's dismissal and has called for resuming talks with Fatah, but ABBAS has ruled out negotiations until HAMAS agrees to a return of PA control over the Gaza Strip and recognizes the FAYYAD-led government. FAYYAD and his PA government initiated a series of security and economic reforms to improve conditions in the West Bank. ABBAS participated in talks with Israel's Prime Minister OLMERT and secured the release of some Palestinian prisoners and previously withheld customs revenue. During a November 2007 international meeting in Annapolis Maryland, ABBAS and OLMERT agreed to resume peace negotiations with the goal of reaching a final peace settlement by the end of 2008.

Geography

Gaza Strip

Location:

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and

Israel

Geographic coordinates:

31 25 N, 34 20 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 360 sq km land: 360 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

total: 62 km border countries: Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km

Coastline:

40 km

Maritime claims:

Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation

Climate:

temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

Terrain:

flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m

Natural resources:

arable land, natural gas

Land use:

arable land: 29% permanent crops: 21% other: 50% (2002)

Irrigated land:

150 sq km; note - includes West Bank (2003)

Natural hazards:

droughts

Environment - current issues:

desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation; depletion and contamination of underground water resources

Geography - note:

strategic strip of land along Mideast-North African trade routes has experienced an incredibly turbulent history; the town of Gaza itself has been besieged countless times in its history

People

Gaza Strip

Population:

1,500,202 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 44.7% (male 343,988/female 325,856) 15-64 years: 52.7% (male 403,855/female 386,681) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 16,196/female 23,626) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 17.2 years male: 17 years female: 17.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.422% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

37.75 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

3.53 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 19 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.22 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.16 years male: 71.6 years female: 74.83 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.19 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: NA adjective: NA

Ethnic groups:

Palestinian Arab

Religions:

Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 99.3%, Christian 0.7%

Languages:

Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians), English (widely understood)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.4% male: 96.7% female: 88% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Gaza Strip

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Gaza Strip local long form: none local short form: Qita Ghazzah

Economy

Gaza Strip

Economy - overview:

High population density, limited land access, and strict internal and external security controls have kept economic conditions in the Gaza Strip - the smaller of the two areas under the Palestinian Authority (PA)- even more degraded than in the West Bank. The beginning of the second intifada in September 2000 sparked an economic downturn, largely the result of Israeli closure policies; these policies, which were imposed to address security concerns in Israel, disrupted labor and trade access to and from the Gaza Strip. In 2001, and even more severely in 2003, Israeli military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of capital, the disruption of administrative structures, and widespread business closures. The Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in September 2005 offered some medium-term opportunities for economic growth, but continued Israeli-imposed crossings closures, which became more restrictive after Hamas violently took over the territory in June 2007, have resulted in widespread private sector layoffs and shortages of most goods.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$5.034 billion (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$5.328 billion (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

-8% (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,100 (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 8% industry: 13% services: 79% (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)

Labor force:

267,000 (2006)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 12% industry: 18% services: 70% (2005)

Unemployment rate:

34.8% (2006)

Population below poverty line:

80% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $1.149 billion expenditures: $2.31 billion note: includes West Bank (2006)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.6% (includes West Bank) (2006)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7.73% (31 December 2006)

Stock of money:

$1.574 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$3.048 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.455 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products

Industries:

generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis had established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center, but operations ceased prior to Israel's evacuation of Gaza Strip settlements

Industrial production growth rate:

2.4% (includes West Bank) (2005)

Electricity - production:

140,000 kWh (2005)

Electricity - consumption:

230,000 kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports:

90,000 kWh; note - from Israeli Electric Company (2005)

Exports:

$301 million f.o.b.; (includes West Bank) (2005)

Exports - commodities:

citrus, flowers, textiles

Exports - partners:

Israel, Egypt, West Bank (2006)

Imports:

$2.44 billion c.i.f.; (includes West Bank) (2005)

Imports - commodities:

food, consumer goods, construction materials

Imports - partners:

Israel, Egypt, West Bank (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.4 billion; (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)

Debt - external:

$NA

Currency (code):

new Israeli shekel (ILS)

Currency code:

ILS

Exchange rates:

new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003)

Communications

Gaza Strip

Telephones - main lines in use:

350,400 (includes West Bank) (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.026 million (includes West Bank) (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services; the Palestinian JAWAL company provides cellular services international: country code - 970 (2004)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 10, shortwave 0 (2008)

Radios:

NA; note - most Palestinian households have radios (1999)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2008)

Televisions:

NA; note - most Palestinian households have televisions (1997)

Internet country code:

.ps; note - same as West Bank

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

3 (1999)

Internet users:

355,500 (includes West Bank) (2007)

Transportation

Gaza Strip

Airports:

2 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Roadways:

note: see entry for West Bank

Ports and terminals:

Gaza

Military

Gaza Strip

Military branches:

in accordance with the peace agreement, the Palestinian Authority is not permitted conventional military forces; there are, however, public security forces (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 337,670 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 291,467 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 19,275 female: 18,309 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Transnational Issues

Gaza Strip

Disputes - international:

West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel removed settlers and military personnel from the Gaza Strip in August 2005

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 1.017 million (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Georgia

Introduction

Georgia

Background:

The region of present-day Georgia contained the ancient kingdoms of Colchis and Kartli-Iberia. The area came under Roman influence in the first centuries A.D. and Christianity became the state religion in the 330s. Domination by Persians, Arabs, and Turks was followed by a Georgian golden age (11th-13th centuries) that was cut short by the Mongol invasion of 1236. Subsequently, the Ottoman and Persian empires competed for influence in the region. Georgia was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Independent for three years (1918-1921) following the Russian revolution, it was forcibly incorporated into the USSR until the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. An attempt by the incumbent Georgian government to manipulate national legislative elections in November 2003 touched off widespread protests that led to the resignation of Eduard SHEVARDNADZE, president since 1995. New elections in early 2004 swept Mikheil SAAKASHVILI into power along with his National Movement party. Progress on market reforms and democratization has been made in the years since independence, but this progress has been complicated by Russian assistance and support to the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgian military action in South Ossetia in early August 2008 led to a Russian military response that not only occupied the breakaway areas, but large portions of Georgia proper as well. Russian troops pulled back from most occupied Georgian territory, but in late August 2008 Russia unilaterally recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. This action was strongly condemned by most of the world's nations and international organizations.

Geography

Georgia

Location:

Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia

Geographic coordinates:

42 00 N, 43 30 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 69,700 sq km land: 69,700 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries:

total: 1,461 km border countries: Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km, Turkey 252 km

Coastline:

310 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast

Terrain:

largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi (Kolkhida Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River Basin in the east; good soils in river valley flood plains, foothills of Kolkhida Lowland

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Mt'a Shkhara 5,201 m

Natural resources:

forests, hydropower, manganese deposits, iron ore, copper, minor coal and oil deposits; coastal climate and soils allow for important tea and citrus growth

Land use:

arable land: 11.51% permanent crops: 3.79% other: 84.7% (2005)

Irrigated land:

4,690 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

63.3 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 3.61 cu km/yr (20%/21%/59%) per capita: 808 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

earthquakes

Environment - current issues:

air pollution, particularly in Rust'avi; heavy pollution of Mtkvari River and the Black Sea; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil pollution from toxic chemicals

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategically located east of the Black Sea; Georgia controls much of the Caucasus Mountains and the routes through them

People

Georgia

Population:

4,630,841 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 16.3% (male 402,961/female 352,735) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 1,496,802/female 1,610,725) 65 years and over: 16.6% (male 307,795/female 459,823) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 38.3 years male: 35.8 years female: 40.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.325% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.51 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-4.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.13 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.14 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 16.78 deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.81 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.51 years male: 73.21 years female: 80.26 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.43 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

3,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Georgian(s) adjective: Georgian

Ethnic groups:

Georgian 83.8%, Azeri 6.5%, Armenian 5.7%, Russian 1.5%, other 2.5% (2002 census)

Religions:

Orthodox Christian 83.9%, Muslim 9.9%, Armenian-Gregorian 3.9%,

Catholic 0.8%, other 0.8%, none 0.7% (2002 census)

Languages:

Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%, other 7% note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 13 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.1% of GDP (2006)

Government

Georgia

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Georgia local long form: none local short form: Sak'art'velo former: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: T'bilisi geographic coordinates: 41 43 N, 44 47 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

9 regions (mkharebi, singular - mkhare), 1 city (k'alak'i), and 2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom respublika) regions: Guria, Imereti, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Samegrelo and Zemo Svaneti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Shida Kartli city: Tbilisi autonomous republics: Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is Avtonomiuri Respublika (Sokhumi), Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika (Bat'umi) note: the administrative centers of the two autonomous republics are shown in parentheses

Independence:

9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 26 May (1918); note - 26 May 1918 was the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 9 April 1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union

Constitution:

adopted 24 August 1995

Legal system:

based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Mikheil SAAKASHVILI (since 25 January 2004); the president is both the chief of state and head of government for the power ministries: state security (includes interior) and defense head of government: President Mikheil SAAKASHVILI (since 25 January 2004); Prime Minister Grigol MGALOBLISHVILI (since 1 November 2008); the president is both the chief of state and head of government for the power ministries: state security (includes interior) and defense; the prime minister is head of the remaining ministries of government cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 5 January 2008 (next to be held January 2013) election results: Mikheil SAAKASHVILI reelected president; percent of vote - Mikheil SAAKASHVILI 53.5%, Levan GACHECHILADZE 25.7%, Badri PATARKATSISHVILI 7.1%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament or Parlamenti (also known as Supreme Council or Umaghlesi Sabcho) (235 seats; 150 members elected by proportional representation, 75 from single-seat constituencies, and 10 represent displaced persons from Abkhazia; to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 21 May 2008 (next to be held in spring 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - National Movement-Democratic Front 59.2%, National Council-New Rights 17.7%, other parties 23.1%; seats by party - National Movement-Democratic Front 120, National Council-New Rights 16

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges elected by the Supreme Council on the president's or chairman of the Supreme Court's recommendation); Constitutional Court; first and second instance courts

Political parties and leaders:

Burjanadze-Democrats [Nino BURJANADZE]; Georgian People's Front

[Nodar NATADZE]; Georgian United Communist Party or UCPG

[Panteleimon GIORGADZE]; Georgia's Way Party [Salome ZOURABICHVILI];

Greens [Giorgi GACHECHILADZE]; Industry Will Save Georgia

(Industrialists) or IWSG [Georgi TOPADZE]; Labor Party [Shalva

NATELASHVILI]; National Council-New Rights (a bloc uniting a

nine-party alliance with New Rights); National Democratic Party or

NDP [Bachuki KARDAVA]; National Movement-Democratic Front [Mikheil

SAAKASHVILI] (bloc composed of National Movement and

Burjanadze-Democrats); National Movement [Mikheil SAAKASHVILI]; New

Rights [David GAMKRELIDZE]; Republican Party [David USUPASHVILI];

Socialist Party or SPG [Irakli MINDELI]; Traditionalists [Akaki

ASATIANI]; Union of National Forces-Conservatives [Koba DAVITASHVILI

and Zviad DZIDZIGURI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: Georgian independent deputies from Abkhaz government in exile; separatists in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia

International organization participation:

ACCT (observer), ADB, BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, GUAM,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,

IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

MIGA, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI

(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Vasil SIKHARULIDZE chancery: 2209 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-2390 FAX: [1] (202) 393-4537

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador John F. TEFFT embassy: 11 George Balanchine Street, T'bilisi 0131 mailing address: 7060 T'bilisi Place, Washington, DC 20521-7060 telephone: [995] (32) 27-70-00 FAX: [995] (32) 53-23-10

Flag description:

white rectangle, in its central portion a red cross connecting all four sides of the flag; in each of the four corners is a small red bolnur-katskhuri cross; the five-cross flag appears to date back to the 14th century

Economy

Georgia

Economy - overview:

Georgia's economy has sustained robust GDP growth of close to 10% in 2006 and 12% in 2007, based on strong inflows of foreign investment and robust government spending. However, a widening trade deficit and higher inflation are emerging risks to the economy. Areas of recent improvement include increasing foreign direct investment as well as growth in the construction, banking services and mining sectors. Georgia's main economic activities include the cultivation of agricultural products such as grapes, citrus fruits, and hazelnuts; mining of manganese and copper; and output of a small industrial sector producing alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, metals, machinery, aircraft and chemicals. The country imports nearly all its needed supplies of natural gas and oil products. It has sizeable hydropower capacity, a growing component of its energy supplies. Despite the severe damage the economy suffered due to civil strife in the 1990s, Georgia, with the help of the IMF and World Bank, has made substantial economic gains since 2000, achieving positive GDP growth and curtailing inflation. Georgia's GDP growth neared 10% in 2006 and 2007 despite restrictions on commerce with Russia. Areas of recent improvement include increased foreign direct investment as well as growth in the construction, banking services, and mining sectors. In addition, the reinvigorated privatization process has met with success. However, a widening trade deficit and higher inflation are emerging risks to the economy. Georgia has suffered from a chronic failure to collect tax revenues; however, the new government is making progress and has reformed the tax code, improved tax administration, increased tax enforcement, and cracked down on corruption. Government revenues have increased nearly four fold since 2003. Due to improvements in customs and financial (tax) enforcement, smuggling is a declining problem. Georgia has overcome the chronic energy shortages of the past by renovating hydropower plants and by bringing newly available natural gas supplies from Azerbaijan. It also has an increased ability to pay for more expensive gas imports from Russia. The country is pinning its hopes for long-term growth on a determined effort to reduce regulation, taxes and corruption in order to attract foreign investment. The construction on the Baku-T'bilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Baku-T'bilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline, and the Kars-Akhalkalaki Railroad are part of a strategy to capitalize on Georgia's strategic location between Europe and Asia and develop its role as a transit point for gas, oil and other goods.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$20.6 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$10.29 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

12% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$4,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 13% industry: 28.7% services: 58.3% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.02 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 55.6% industry: 8.9% services: 35.5% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

13.6% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:

31% (2006)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 27% (2005)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

40.4 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

29.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $3.68 billion expenditures: $3.08 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

9.3% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

20.41% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.154 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.379 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$3.374 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

citrus, grapes, tea, hazelnuts, vegetables; livestock

Industries:

steel, aircraft, machine tools, electrical appliances, mining (manganese and copper), chemicals, wood products, wine

Industrial production growth rate:

13.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

7.116 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

6.694 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

635 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

532 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 19.7% hydro: 80.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

979.1 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

12,980 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

2,492 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

15,820 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

35 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

10 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

1.49 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

1.48 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

8.495 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$2.044 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$2.104 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

scrap metal, wine, mineral water, ores, vehicles, fruits and nuts

Exports - partners:

Turkey 13%, US 11.2%, Azerbaijan 6.3%, UK 5.4%, Bulgaria 5.1%,

Ukraine 5%, Armenia 4.8%, Turkmenistan 4.5%, Canada 4.2% (2007)

Imports:

$4.977 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

fuels, vehicles, machinery and parts, grain and other foods, pharmaceuticals

Imports - partners:

Turkey 14%, Russia 12.3%, Ukraine 8.5%, Azerbaijan 7.3%, Germany 6.8%, US 5%, Bulgaria 4.6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $309.8 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.361 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$4.5 billion (2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$1.39 billion (2007)

Currency (code):

lari (GEL)

Currency code:

GEL

Exchange rates:

laris (GEL) per US dollar - 1.7 (2007), 1.78 (2006), 1.8127 (2005), 1.9167 (2004), 2.1457 (2003)

Communications

Georgia

Telephones - main lines in use:

544,000 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.4 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: fixed-line telecommunications network has only limited coverage outside Tbilisi; multiple mobile-cellular providers provide services to an increasing subscribership throughout the country domestic: cellular telephone networks now cover the entire country; urban telephone density is about 20 per 100 people; rural telephone density is about 4 per 100 people; intercity facilities include a fiber-optic line between T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi; nationwide pager service is available international: country code - 995; the Georgia-Russia fiber optic submarine cable provides connectivity to Russia; international service is available by microwave, landline, and satellite through the Moscow switch; international electronic mail and telex service are available

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 7, FM 12, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:

3.02 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

12 (plus repeaters) (1998)

Televisions:

2.57 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.ge

Internet hosts:

27,905 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

6 (2000)

Internet users:

360,000 (2007)

Transportation

Georgia

Airports:

23 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 19 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports:

3 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 1,591 km; oil 1,253 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 1,612 km broad gauge: 1,575 km 1.520-m gauge (1,575 electrified) narrow gauge: 37 km 0.912-m gauge (37 electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 20,329 km paved: 7,854 km (includes 13 km of expressways) unpaved: 12,475 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 191 by type: bulk carrier 18, cargo 148, carrier 2, chemical tanker 1, container 4, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 4, vehicle carrier 2 foreign-owned: 153 (China 10, Cyprus 1, Egypt 12, Germany 2, Greece 5, Hong Kong 2, Israel 2, Lebanon 4, Monaco 4, Nigeria 1, Romania 16, Russia 12, Syria 49, Turkey 14, Ukraine 18, UAE 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Bat'umi, P'ot'i

Transportation - note:

large parts of transportation network are in poor condition because of lack of maintenance and repair

Military

Georgia

Military branches:

Georgian Armed Forces: Land Forces, Navy (includes coast guard), Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 to 34 years of age for compulsory and voluntary active duty military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2005)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,113,251 females age 16-49: 1,168,021 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 910,720 females age 16-49: 967,566 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 35,917 female: 34,566 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.59% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military - note:

a CIS peacekeeping force of Russian troops is deployed in the Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a UN military observer group; a Russian peacekeeping battalion is deployed in South Ossetia

Transnational Issues

Georgia

Disputes - international:

Russia and Georgia agree on delimiting 80% of their common border, leaving certain small, strategic segments and the maritime boundary unresolved; OSCE observers monitor volatile areas such as the Pankisi Gorge in the Akhmeti region and the Argun Gorge in Abkhazia; UN Observer Mission in Georgia has maintained a peacekeeping force in Georgia since 1993; Meshkheti Turks scattered throughout the former Soviet Union seek to return to Georgia; boundary with Armenia remains undemarcated; ethnic Armenian groups in Javakheti region of Georgia seek greater autonomy from the Georgian government; Azerbaijan and Georgia continue to discuss the alignment of their boundary at certain crossing areas

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 1,100 (Russia) IDPs: 220,000-240,000 (displaced from Abkhazia and South Ossetia) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption; used as transshipment point for opiates via Central Asia to Western Europe and Russia

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Germany

Introduction

Germany

Background:

As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation, Germany is a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EC, which became the EU, and NATO, while the Communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring Eastern productivity and wages up to Western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro.

Geography

Germany

Location:

Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark

Geographic coordinates:

51 00 N, 9 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 357,021 sq km land: 349,223 sq km water: 7,798 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Montana

Land boundaries:

total: 3,621 km border countries: Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646 km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577 km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km

Coastline:

2,389 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind

Terrain:

lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m

Natural resources:

coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel, uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 33.13% permanent crops: 0.6% other: 66.27% (2005)

Irrigated land:

4,850 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

188 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 38.01 cu km/yr (12%/68%/20%) per capita: 460 cu m/yr (2001)

Natural hazards:

flooding

Environment - current issues:

emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany; hazardous waste disposal; government established a mechanism for ending the use of nuclear power over the next 15 years; government working to meet EU commitment to identify nature preservation areas in line with the EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat directive

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,

Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea

People

Germany

Population:

82,369,552 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 13.8% (male 5,826,066/female 5,524,568) 15-64 years: 66.2% (male 27,763,917/female 26,739,934) 65 years and over: 20% (male 6,892,743/female 9,622,320) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 43.4 years male: 42.2 years female: 44.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.044% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

8.18 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.8 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.03 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.46 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 79.1 years male: 76.11 years female: 82.26 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.41 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

43,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 1,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: German(s) adjective: German

Ethnic groups:

German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of Greek,

Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish)

Religions:

Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or other 28.3%

Languages:

German

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 16 years male: 16 years female: 16 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4.6% of GDP (2004)

People - note:

second most populous country in Europe after Russia

Government

Germany

Country name:

conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany conventional short form: Germany local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland local short form: Deutschland former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich

Government type:

federal republic

Capital:

name: Berlin geographic coordinates: 52 31 N, 13 24 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

16 states (Laender, singular - Land); Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern (Bavaria), Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania), Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhine-Westphalia), Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate), Saarland, Sachsen (Saxony), Sachsen-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt), Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen (Thuringia); note - Bayern, Sachsen, and Thueringen refer to themselves as free states (Freistaaten, singular - Freistaat)

Independence:

18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later, France) in 1945 following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone; unification of West Germany and East Germany took place 3 October 1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights 15 March 1991

National holiday:

Unity Day, 3 October (1990)

Constitution:

23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united Germany 3 October 1990

Legal system:

civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Horst KOEHLER (since 1 July 2004) head of government: Chancellor Angela MERKEL (since 22 November 2005) cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by the president on the recommendation of the chancellor elections: president elected for a five-year term (eligible for a second term) by a Federal Convention, including all members of the Federal Assembly and an equal number of delegates elected by the state parliaments; election last held 23 May 2004 (next scheduled for 23 May 2009); chancellor elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly for a four-year term; Bundestag vote for Chancellor last held 22 November 2005 (next will follow the national elections to be held by autumn 2009) election results: Horst KOEHLER elected president; received 604 votes of the Federal Convention against 589 for Gesine SCHWAN; Angela MERKEL elected chancellor; vote by Federal Assembly 397 to 202 with 12 abstentions

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Federal Assembly or Bundestag (614 seats; elected by popular vote under a system combining direct and proportional representation; a party must win 5% of the national vote or three direct mandates to gain proportional representation and caucus recognition; to serve four-year terms) and the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments are directly represented by votes; each has three to six votes depending on population and are required to vote as a block) elections: Bundestag - last held on 18 September 2005 (next to be held no later than autumn 2009); note - there are no elections for the Bundesrat; composition is determined by the composition of the state-level governments; the composition of the Bundesrat has the potential to change any time one of the 16 states holds an election election results: Bundestag - percent of vote by party - CDU/CSU 35.2%, SPD 34.3%, FDP 9.8%, Left 8.7%, Greens 8.1%, other 3.9%; seats by party - CDU/CSU 225, SPD 222, FDP 61, Left 53, Greens 51, independents 2

Judicial branch:

Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht (half the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat)

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance '90/Greens [Claudia ROTH and Cem OEZDEMIR]; Christian

Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL]; Christian Social Union or

CSU [Horst SEEHOFER]; Free Democratic Party or FDP [Guido

WESTERWELLE]; Left Party or Die Linke [Lothar BISKY and Oskar

LAFONTAINE]; Social Democratic Party or SPD [Franz MUENTEFERING]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: business associations and employers' organizations; religious, trade unions, immigrant, expellee, and veterans groups

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic

Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS,

CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8,

G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,

IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD,

OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer),

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG,

UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Klaus SCHARIOTH chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 298-4000 FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador William R. TIMKEN, Jr. embassy: Pariser Platz 2, 10117 Berlin; note - new embassy opened 4 July 2008 mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265, clayallee 170, 14195 Berlin telephone: [49] (030) 2385174 FAX: [49] (030) 8305-1215 consulate(s) general: Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold

Economy

Germany

Economy - overview:

Germany's affluent and technologically powerful economy - the fifth largest in the world in PPP terms - showed considerable improvement in 2007 with 2.6% growth. After a long period of stagnation with an average growth rate of 0.7% between 2001-05 and chronically high unemployment, stronger growth led to a considerable fall in unemployment to about 8% near the end of 2007. Among the most important reasons for Germany's high unemployment during the past decade were macroeconomic stagnation, the declining level of investment in plant and equipment, company restructuring, flat domestic consumption, structural rigidities in the labor market, lack of competition in the service sector, and high interest rates. The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy continues to be a costly long-term process, with annual transfers from west to east amounting to roughly $80 billion. The former government of Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER launched a comprehensive set of reforms of labor market and welfare-related institutions. The current government of Chancellor Angela MERKEL has initiated other reform measures, such as a gradual increase in the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 67 and measures to increase female participation in the labor market. Germany's aging population, combined with high chronic unemployment, has pushed social security outlays to a level exceeding contributions, but higher government revenues from the cyclical upturn in 2006-07 and a 3% rise in the value-added tax pushed Germany's budget deficit well below the EU's 3% debt limit. Corporate restructuring and growing capital markets are setting the foundations that could help Germany meet the long-term challenges of European economic integration and globalization, although some economists continue to argue the need for change in inflexible labor and services markets. Growth may fall below 2% in 2008 as the strong euro, high oil prices, tighter credit markets, and slowing growth abroad take their toll.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.807 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$3.322 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$34,100 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 0.9% industry: 30.1% services: 69% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

43.54 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 2.8% industry: 33.4% services: 63.8% (1999)

Unemployment rate:

9% note: this is the International Labor Organization's estimated rate for international comparisons; Germany's Federal Employment Office estimated a seasonally adjusted rate of 10.8% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

11% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 22.1% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

28 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

18.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $1.454 trillion expenditures: $1.453 trillion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

64.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

5.96% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

NA note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders

Stock of quasi money:

NA

Stock of domestic credit:

$5.081 trillion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry

Industries:

among the world's largest and most technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages, shipbuilding, textiles

Industrial production growth rate:

5.2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

594.7 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

549.1 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

62.51 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

46.13 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 61.8% hydro: 4.2% nuclear: 29.9% other: 4.1% (2001)

Oil - production:

148,100 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2.456 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

563,400 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

3.026 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

367 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

17.96 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

97.44 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

12.22 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

88.35 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

254.8 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$254.5 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.354 trillion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles

Exports - partners:

France 9.7%, US 7.5%, UK 7.3%, Italy 6.7%, Netherlands 6.4%, Austria 5.4%, Belgium 5.3%, Spain 5% (2007)

Imports:

$1.075 trillion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals

Imports - partners:

Netherlands 12%, France 8.6%, Belgium 7.8%, China 6.2%, Italy 5.8%,

UK 5.6%, US 4.5%, Austria 4.4% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $10.44 billion (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$136.2 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$4.489 trillion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$855.8 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$1.218 trillion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$1.221 trillion (2005)

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Germany

Telephones - main lines in use:

53.75 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

97.151 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: Germany has one of the world's most technologically advanced telecommunications systems; as a result of intensive capital expenditures since reunification, the formerly backward system of the eastern part of the country, dating back to World War II, has been modernized and integrated with that of the western part domestic: Germany is served by an extensive system of automatic telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available, expanding rapidly, and includes roaming service to many foreign countries international: country code - 49; Germany's international service is excellent worldwide, consisting of extensive land and undersea cable facilities as well as earth stations in the Inmarsat, Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems (2001)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 51, FM 787, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:

77.8 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

51.4 million (1998)

Internet country code:

.de

Internet hosts:

22.606 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

200 (2001)

Internet users:

42.5 million (2007)

Transportation

Germany

Airports:

550 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 331 over 3,047 m: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 52 1,524 to 2,437 m: 58 914 to 1,523 m: 72 under 914 m: 135 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 219 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 34 under 914 m: 181 (2007)

Heliports:

28 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 37 km; gas 25,094 km; oil 3,546 km; refined products 3,828 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 48,215 km standard gauge: 47,962 km 1.435-m gauge (20,278 km electrified) narrow gauge: 229 km 1.000-m gauge (16 km electrified); 24 km 0.750-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 644,480 km paved: 644,480 km (includes 12,400 km of expressways) note: includes local roads (2006)

Waterways:

7,467 km note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 393 by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 43, chemical tanker 13, container 284, liquefied gas 5, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 27, petroleum tanker 11, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 11 (China 2, Cyprus 2, Denmark 1, Finland 4, Netherlands 1, Sweden 1) registered in other countries: 2,998 (Antigua and Barbuda 941, Australia 2, Bahamas 44, Bermuda 22, Brazil 6, Bulgaria 63, Burma 1, Canada 3, Cayman Islands 15, Cyprus 189, Denmark 9, Denmark 1, Estonia 1, Finland 1, France 1, Georgia 2, Gibraltar 129, Hong Kong 6, India 2, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 56, Jamaica 4, Liberia 849, Luxembourg 5, Malaysia 1, Malta 91, Marshall Islands 235, Mongolia 4, Morocco 2, Netherlands 75, Netherlands Antilles 43, Norway 1, NZ 1, Panama 44, Portugal 2, Portugal 18, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Singapore 24, Slovakia 3, Spain 1, Spain 4, Sri Lanka 5, Sweden 5, Turkey 1, UK 76, US 5) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Bremen, Bremerhaven, Duisburg, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Lubeck, Rostock,

Wilhemshaven

Military

Germany

Military branches:

Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): Army (Heer), Navy (Deutsche

Marine, includes naval air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe), Central

Medical Service (Zentraler Sanitaetsdienst) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age (conscripts serve a 9-month tour of compulsory military service) (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 19,594,118 females age 16-49: 18,543,955 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 15,906,930 females age 16-49: 15,051,183 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 442,972 female: 420,801 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Germany

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for and consumer of Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and European-produced synthetic drugs; major financial center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Ghana

Introduction

Ghana

Background:

Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. Ghana endured a long series of coups before Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS took power in 1981 and banned political parties. After approving a new constitution and restoring multiparty politics in 1992, RAWLINGS won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996, but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. John KUFUOR succeeded him and was reelected in 2004. Kufuor is constitutionally barred from running for a third term in upcoming Presidential elections, which are scheduled for December 2008.

Geography

Ghana

Location:

Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo

Geographic coordinates:

8 00 N, 2 00 W

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 239,460 sq km land: 230,940 sq km water: 8,520 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries:

total: 2,094 km border countries: Burkina Faso 549 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo 877 km

Coastline:

539 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north

Terrain:

mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m

Natural resources:

gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone

Land use:

arable land: 17.54% permanent crops: 9.22% other: 73.24% (2005)

Irrigated land:

310 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

53.2 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.98 cu km/yr (24%/10%/66%) per capita: 44 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts

Environment - current issues:

recurrent drought in north severely affects agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake

People

Ghana

Population:

23,382,848 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 37.8% (male 4,470,382/female 4,360,359) 15-64 years: 58.7% (male 6,852,363/female 6,866,470) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 386,150/female 447,124) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 20.4 years male: 20.2 years female: 20.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.928% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

29.22 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.39 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 52.31 deaths/1,000 live births male: 56.64 deaths/1,000 live births female: 47.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 59.49 years male: 58.65 years female: 60.35 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.78 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

3.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

350,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

30,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Ghanaian(s) adjective: Ghanaian

Ethnic groups:

Akan 45.3%, Mole-Dagbon 15.2%, Ewe 11.7%, Ga-Dangme 7.3%, Guan 4%, Gurma 3.6%, Grusi 2.6%, Mande-Busanga 1%, other tribes 1.4%, other 7.8% (2000 census)

Religions:

Christian 68.8% (Pentecostal/Charismatic 24.1%, Protestant 18.6%, Catholic 15.1%, other 11%), Muslim 15.9%, traditional 8.5%, other 0.7%, none 6.1% (2000 census)

Languages:

Asante 14.8%, Ewe 12.7%, Fante 9.9%, Boron (Brong) 4.6%, Dagomba 4.3%, Dangme 4.3%, Dagarte (Dagaba) 3.7%, Akyem 3.4%, Ga 3.4%, Akuapem 2.9%, other 36.1% (includes English (official)) (2000 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57.9% male: 66.4% female: 49.8% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 9 years male: 10 years female: 9 years (2007)

Education expenditures:

5.4% of GDP (2005)

Government

Ghana

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Ghana conventional short form: Ghana former: Gold Coast

Government type:

constitutional democracy

Capital:

name: Accra geographic coordinates: 5 33 N, 0 13 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western

Independence:

6 March 1957 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 6 March (1957)

Constitution:

approved 28 April 1992

Legal system:

based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers; president nominates members subject to approval by Parliament elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held 7 December 2008) election results: John Agyekum KUFUOR reelected president in election; percent of vote - John KUFUOR 52.4%, John ATTA-MILLS 44.6%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament (230 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held 7 December 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NPP 128, NDC 94, PNC 4, CPP 3, independent 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:

Convention People's Party or CPP [Ladi NYLANDER]; Democratic Freedom

Party or DFP [Alhaji Abudu Rahman ISSAKAH]; Every Ghanaian Living

Everywhere or EGLE; Great Consolidated Popular Party or GCPP [Dan

LARTEY]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Dr. Kwabena ADJEI];

New Patriotic Party or NPP [Peter MAC-MANU]; People's National

Convention or PNC [Alhaji Amed RAMADAN]; Reform Party [Kyeretwie

OPUKU]; United Renaissance Party or URP [Charles WAYO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Christian Aid (water rights); Committee for Joint Action or CJA (education reform); National Coalition Against the Privatization of Water or CAP (water rights); Oxfam (water rights); Public Citizen (water rights); Students Coalition Against EPA [Kwabena Ososukene OKAI] (education reform); Third World Network (education reform)

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC,

NAM, OAS (observer), OIF (associate member), OPCW, UN, UNAMID,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNOMIG,

UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Kwame BAWUAH-EDUSEI chancery: 3512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 785-1379 FAX: [1] (202) 785-1430 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Donald G. TEITELBAUM embassy: 24 4th Circular Rd. Cantonments, Accra mailing address: P. O. Box 194, Accra telephone: [233] (21) 741-000 FAX: [233] (21) 741-389

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band

Economy

Ghana

Economy - overview:

Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has roughly twice the per capita output of the poorest countries in West Africa. Even so, Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial and technical assistance. Gold and cocoa production, and individual remittances, are major sources of foreign exchange. The domestic economy continues to revolve around agriculture, which accounts for about 35% of GDP and employs about 55% of the work force, mainly small landholders. Ghana opted for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) program in 2002, and is also benefiting from the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative that took effect in 2006. Thematic priorities under its current Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy, which also provides the framework for development partner assistance, are: macroeconomic stability; private sector competitiveness; human resource development; and good governance and civic responsibility. Sound macro-economic management along with high prices for gold and cocoa helped sustain GDP growth in 2007. Ghana signed a Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Compact in 2006, which aims to assist in transforming Ghana's agricultural sector.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$31.13 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$14.86 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 37.3% industry: 25.3% services: 37.5% (2006 est.)

Labor force:

11.29 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 56% industry: 15% services: 29% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:

11% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:

28.5% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.2% highest 10%: 30.1% (1999)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

39.4 (2005-06)

Investment (gross fixed):

31.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $4.262 billion expenditures: $5.481 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

58.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

10.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

13.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA

Stock of money:

$2.179 billion (31 December 2006)

Stock of quasi money:

$2.174 billion (31 December 2006)

Stock of domestic credit:

$4.173 billion (31 December 2006)

Agriculture - products:

cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas; timber

Industries:

mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food processing, cement, small commercial ship building

Industrial production growth rate:

7.8% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

8.204 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

6.76 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

755 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

629 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 5% hydro: 95% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

7,571 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

49,300 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

5,709 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

45,520 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

15 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

22.65 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$1.549 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$4.162 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds, horticulture

Exports - partners:

Netherlands 11%, UK 9%, France 6.2%, US 5.9%, Germany 4.6%, Belgium 4.4% (2007)

Imports:

$8.053 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

Nigeria 15.1%, China 14.9%, UK 5.2%, US 5.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.316 billion in loans and grants (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.204 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$4.891 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$13.01 billion (2007)

Currency (code):

Ghana cedi (GHC)

Currency code:

GHC

Exchange rates:

cedis (GHC) per US dollar - 0.95 (2007), 9,174.8 (2006), 9,072.5 (2005), 9,004.6 (2004), 8,677.4 (2003) note: in 2007 Ghana revalued its currency with 10,000 old cedis equal to 1 new cedis

Communications

Ghana

Telephones - main lines in use:

376,500 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

7.604 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: outdated and unreliable fixed-line infrastructure heavily concentrated in Accra; competition among multiple mobile-cellular providers has spurred growth with subscribership about 35 per 100 persons and rising domestic: primarily microwave radio relay; wireless local loop has been installed international: country code - 233; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay link to Panaftel system connects Ghana to its neighbors (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 86, shortwave 3 (2007)

Radios:

12.5 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations:

7 (2007)

Televisions:

1.9 million (2001)

Internet country code:

.gh

Internet hosts:

24,018 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

12 (2000)

Internet users:

650,000 (2007)

Transportation

Ghana

Airports:

12 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 7 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Pipelines:

oil 13 km; refined products 316 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 953 km narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 62,221 km paved: 9,955 km unpaved: 52,266 km (2006)

Waterways:

1,293 km note: 168 km for launches and lighters on Volta, Ankobra, and Tano rivers; 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways on Lake Volta (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 4 by type: petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3 foreign-owned: 1 (Brazil 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Tema

Military

Ghana

Military branches:

Ghanaian Army, Ghanaian Navy, Ghanaian Air Force (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,802,096 females age 16-49: 5,729,939 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,737,481 females age 16-49: 3,729,699 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 273,265 female: 267,204 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Ghana

Disputes - international:

Ghana struggles to accommodate returning nationals who worked in the cocoa plantations and escaped fighting in Cote d'Ivoire

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 35,653 (Liberia); 8,517 (Togo) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; major transit hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and, to a lesser extent, South American cocaine destined for Europe and the US; widespread crime and money laundering problem, but the lack of a well developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money laundering center; significant domestic cocaine and cannabis use

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Gibraltar

Introduction

Gibraltar

Background:

Strategically important, Gibraltar was reluctantly ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison was formally declared a colony in 1830. In a referendum held in 1967, Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency. The subsequent granting of autonomy in 1969 by the UK led to Spain closing the border and severing all communication links. A series of talks were held by the UK and Spain between 1997 and 2002 on establishing temporary joint sovereignty over Gibraltar. In response to these talks, the Gibraltar Government called a referendum in late 2002 in which the majority of citizens voted overwhelmingly against any sharing of sovereignty with Spain. Since the referendum, tripartite talks on other issues have been held with Spain, the UK, and Gibraltar, and in September 2006 a three-way agreement was signed. Spain agreed to remove restrictions on air movements, to speed up customs procedures, to implement international telephone dialing, and to allow mobile roaming agreements. Britain agreed to pay increased pensions to Spaniards who had been employed in Gibraltar before the border closed. Spain will be allowed to open a cultural institute from which the Spanish flag will fly. A new noncolonial constitution came into effect in 2007, but the UK retains responsibility for defense, foreign relations, internal security, and financial stability.

Geography

Gibraltar

Location:

Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern coast of Spain

Geographic coordinates:

36 08 N, 5 21 W

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 6.5 sq km land: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

a little less than one half the size of Rhode Island

Land boundaries:

total: 1.2 km border countries: Spain 1.2 km

Coastline:

12 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate:

Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers

Terrain:

a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m

Natural resources:

none

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

limited natural freshwater resources: large concrete or natural rock water catchments collect rainwater (no longer used for drinking water) and adequate desalination plant

Geography - note:

strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

People

Gibraltar

Population:

28,002 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 16.9% (male 2,426/female 2,309) 15-64 years: 66.6% (male 9,507/female 9,153) 65 years and over: 16.5% (male 2,103/female 2,504) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 40.3 years male: 39.8 years female: 40.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.125% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.71 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.46 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.91 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.46 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 80.06 years male: 77.17 years female: 83.09 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.65 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Gibraltarian(s) adjective: Gibraltar

Ethnic groups:

Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, German, North

Africans

Religions:

Roman Catholic 78.1%, Church of England 7%, other Christian 3.2%, Muslim 4%, Jewish 2.1%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 0.9%, none 2.9% (2001 census)

Languages:

English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish,

Italian, Portuguese

Literacy:

definition: NA total population: above 80% male: NA female: NA

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Gibraltar

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Gibraltar

Dependency status:

overseas territory of the UK

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Gibraltar geographic coordinates: 36 08 N, 5 21 W time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:

National Day, 10 September (1967); note - day of the national referendum to decide whether to remain with the UK or go with Spain

Constitution:

5 June 2006; came into force 2 January 2007

Legal system:

the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal; and British citizens who have been residents six months or more

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Sir Robert FULTON (since 27 October 2006) head of government: Chief Minister Peter CARUANA (since 17 May 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed from among the 17 elected members of the Parliament by the governor in consultation with the chief minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament (18 seats: 17 members elected by popular vote, 1 for the Speaker appointed by Parliament; to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 11 October 2007 (next to be held not later than October 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - GSD 49.3%, GSLP 31.8%, Gibraltar Liberal Party 13.6%; seats by party - GSD 10, GSLP 4, Gibraltar Liberal Party 3

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders:

Gibraltar Liberal Party [Joseph GARCIA]; Gibraltar Social Democrats or GSD [Peter CARUANA]; Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party or GSLP [Joseph John BOSSANO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives Organization; Women's

Association

International organization participation:

Interpol (subbureau), UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:

two horizontal bands of white (top, double width) and red with a three-towered red castle in the center of the white band; hanging from the castle gate is a gold key centered in the red band

Economy

Gibraltar

Economy - overview:

Self-sufficient Gibraltar benefits from an extensive shipping trade, offshore banking, and its position as an international conference center. The British military presence has been sharply reduced and now contributes about 7% to the local economy, compared with 60% in 1984. The financial sector, tourism (almost 5 million visitors in 1998), shipping services fees, and duties on consumer goods also generate revenue. The financial sector, the shipping sector, and tourism each contribute 25%-30% of GDP. Telecommunications accounts for another 10%. In recent years, Gibraltar has seen major structural change from a public to a private sector economy, but changes in government spending still have a major impact on the level of employment.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.066 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.066 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$38,200 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Labor force:

12,690 (including non-Gibraltar laborers) (2001)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: negligible industry: 40% services: 60% (2001)

Unemployment rate:

3% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $455.1 million expenditures: $423.6 million (2005 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Public debt:

15.7% of GDP (2005 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.9% (2005)

Agriculture - products:

none

Industries:

tourism, banking and finance, ship repairing, tobacco

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

142 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

142 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

22,620 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

25,080 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$271 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:

(principally reexports) petroleum 51%, manufactured goods 41%, other 8%

Exports - partners:

UK 30.8%, Spain 22.7%, Germany 13.7%, Turkmenistan 10.4%,

Switzerland 8.3%, Italy 6.7% (2006)

Imports:

$2.967 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:

fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

Spain 23.4%, Russia 12.3%, Italy 12%, UK 9%, France 8.9%,

Netherlands 6.8%, US 4.7% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$NA

Debt - external:

$NA

Currency (code):

Gibraltar pound (GIP)

Currency code:

GIP

Exchange rates:

Gibraltar pounds (GIP) per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5434 (2006), 0.5504 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003) note: the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound

Communications

Gibraltar

Telephones - main lines in use:

24,512 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

9,797 (2002)

Telephone system:

general assessment: adequate, automatic domestic system and adequate international facilities domestic: automatic exchange facilities international: country code - 350; radiotelephone; microwave radio relay; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

37,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (plus 3 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

10,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.gi

Internet hosts:

1,904 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

6,200 (2002)

Transportation

Gibraltar

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 29 km paved: 29 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 240 by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 125, chemical tanker 51, container 43, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 10, roll on/roll off 5 foreign-owned: 225 (Belgium 2, Cyprus 1, Denmark 7, Finland 3, Germany 129, Greece 6, Iceland 1, Morocco 4, Netherlands 21, Norway 33, Sweden 13, UAE 3, UK 2) registered in other countries: 7 (Liberia 5, Panama 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Gibraltar

Military

Gibraltar

Military branches:

Royal Gibraltar Regiment

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 6,308 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,244 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 190 female: 185 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK; the Royal Gibraltar Regiment replaced the last British regular infantry forces in 1992

Transnational Issues

Gibraltar

Disputes - international:

in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement; the government of Gibraltar insists on equal participation in talks between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar even greater autonomy

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Greece

Introduction

Greece

Background:

Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and Communist rebels. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. A military dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven years. The 1974 democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in 2001.

Geography

Greece

Location:

Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and the

Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey

Geographic coordinates:

39 00 N, 22 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 131,940 sq km land: 130,800 sq km water: 1,140 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Alabama

Land boundaries:

total: 1,228 km border countries: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Macedonia 246 km

Coastline:

13,676 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Terrain:

mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as peninsulas or chains of islands

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Olympus 2,917 m

Natural resources:

lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel, magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential

Land use:

arable land: 20.45% permanent crops: 8.59% other: 70.96% (2005)

Irrigated land:

14,530 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

72 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 8.7 cu km/yr (16%/3%/81%) per capita: 782 cu m/yr (1997)

Natural hazards:

severe earthquakes

Environment - current issues:

air pollution; water pollution

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,

Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,

Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,

Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,

Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic

Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds

Geography - note:

strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an archipelago of about 2,000 islands

People

Greece

Population:

10,722,816 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 14.3% (male 789,137/female 742,469) 15-64 years: 66.6% (male 3,568,101/female 3,575,572) 65 years and over: 19.1% (male 898,337/female 1,149,200) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 41.5 years male: 40.4 years female: 42.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.146% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

9.54 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.42 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 5.25 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.77 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 79.52 years male: 76.98 years female: 82.21 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.36 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

9,100 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Greek(s) adjective: Greek

Ethnic groups:

population: Greek 93%, other (foreign citizens) 7% (2001 census) note: percents represent citizenship, since Greece does not collect data on ethnicity

Religions:

Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%

Languages:

Greek 99% (official), other 1% (includes English and French)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96% male: 97.8% female: 94.2% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 17 years male: 17 years female: 17 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4.4% of GDP (2005)

Government

Greece

Country name:

conventional long form: Hellenic Republic conventional short form: Greece local long form: Elliniki Dhimokratia local short form: Ellas or Ellada former: Kingdom of Greece

Government type:

parliamentary republic

Capital:

name: Athens geographic coordinates: 37 59 N, 23 44 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos) and 1 autonomous region*;

Achaia, Agion Oros* (Mt. Athos), Aitolia kai Akarnania, Argolis,

Arkadia, Arta, Attiki, Chalkidiki, Chanion, Chios, Dodekanisos,

Drama, Evros, Evrytania, Evvoia, Florina, Fokidos, Fthiotis,

Grevena, Ileia, Imathia, Ioannina, Irakleion, Karditsa, Kastoria,

Kavala, Kefallinia, Kerkyra, Kilkis, Korinthia, Kozani, Kyklades,

Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lefkas, Lesvos, Magnisia, Messinia, Pella,

Pieria, Preveza, Rethynnis, Rodopi, Samos, Serrai, Thesprotia,

Thessaloniki, Trikala, Voiotia, Xanthi, Zakynthos

Independence:

1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 25 March (1821)

Constitution:

11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001

Legal system:

based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Karolos PAPOULIAS (since 12 March 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Konstandinos (Kostas) KARAMANLIS (since 7 March 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 February 2005 (next to be held by February 2010); according to the Greek Constitution, presidents may only serve two terms; president appoints leader of the party securing plurality of vote in election to become prime minister and form a government election results: Karolos PAPOULIAS elected president; number of parliamentary votes, 279 out of 300

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: elections last held 16 September 2007 (next to be held by 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - ND 41.8%, PASOK 38.1%, KKE 8.2%, Synaspismos 5%, LAOS 3.8%, other 3.1%; seats by party - ND 152, PASOK 102, KKE 22, Synaspismos 14, LAOS 10

Judicial branch:

Supreme Judicial Court; Special Supreme Tribunal; all judges appointed for life by the president after consultation with a judicial council

Political parties and leaders:

Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) [Alekos ALAVANOS];

Communist Party of Greece or KKE [Aleka PAPARIGA]; New Democracy or

ND (conservative) [Konstandinos KARAMANLIS]; Panhellenic Socialist

Movement or PASOK [Yiorgos PAPANDREOU]; Popular Orthodox Rally or

LAOS [Yeoryios KARATZAFERIS]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Civil Servants Confederation or ADEDY [Spyros PAPASPYROS];

Federation of Greek Industries or SEV [Dimitris DASKALOPOULOS];

General Confederation of Greek Workers or GSEE [Ioannis PANAGOPOULOS]

International organization participation:

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU,

FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,

IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,

ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),

OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI, UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Alexandros P. MALLIAS chancery: 2217 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-1300 FAX: [1] (202) 939-1324 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Tampa consulate(s): Atlanta, Houston

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel V. SPECKHARD embassy: 91 Vasilisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens mailing address: PSC 108, APO AE 09842-0108 telephone: [30] (210) 721-2951 FAX: [30] (210) 645-6282 consulate(s) general: Thessaloniki

Flag description:

nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; there is a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the country

Economy

Greece

Economy - overview:

Greece has a capitalist economy with the public sector accounting for about 40% of GDP and with per capita GDP at least 75% of the leading euro-zone economies. Tourism provides 15% of GDP. Immigrants make up nearly one-fifth of the work force, mainly in agricultural and unskilled jobs. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 3.3% of annual GDP. The Greek economy grew by nearly 4.0% per year between 2003 and 2007, due partly to infrastructural spending related to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, and in part to an increased availability of credit, which has sustained record levels of consumer spending. Greece violated the EU's Growth and Stability Pact budget deficit criteria of no more than 3% of GDP from 2001 to 2006, but finally met that criteria in 2007. Public debt, inflation, and unemployment are above the euro-zone average, but are falling. The Greek Government continues to grapple with cutting government spending, reducing the size of the public sector, and reforming the labor and pension systems, in the face of often vocal opposition from the country's powerful labor unions and the general public. The economy remains an important domestic political issue in Greece and, while the ruling New Democracy government has had some success in improving economic growth and reducing the budget deficit, Athens faces long-term challenges in its effort to continue its economic reforms, especially social security reform and privatization.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$327.6 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$314.6 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$30,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3.6% industry: 24.5% services: 71.9% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

4.92 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 12% industry: 20% services: 68% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

8.3% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 26% (2000 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

33 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

25.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $115.2 billion expenditures: $124.1 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

89.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7.71% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

NA note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders

Stock of quasi money:

NA

Stock of domestic credit:

$392.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; beef, dairy products

Industries:

tourism, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products; mining, petroleum

Industrial production growth rate:

2.2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

59.33 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

55.98 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

269 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

5.894 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 94.5% hydro: 3.8% nuclear: 0% other: 1.7% (2001)

Oil - production:

4,265 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

441,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

125,100 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

527,200 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

10 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

24 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

4.069 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

4.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

1.982 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$44.4 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$23.91 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles

Exports - partners:

Germany 11.6%, Italy 10.8%, Cyprus 6.6%, Bulgaria 6.5%, UK 5.5%,

Romania 4.5%, France 4.2%, US 4.2% (2007)

Imports:

$80.79 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners:

Germany 12.9%, Italy 11.7%, Russia 5.6%, France 5.6%, China 5%,

Netherlands 5% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

$424 million (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$8 billion annually from EU (2000-06); Greece will receive about $3.8 billion per year between 2007-13 under the EU's Community Support Funds IV

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$3.658 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$86.72 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$52.84 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$30.8 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$145 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Greece

Telephones - main lines in use:

6.227 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

11.997 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: adequate, modern networks reach all areas; good mobile telephone and international service domestic: microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open-wire connections; submarine cable to offshore islands international: country code - 30; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to Europe, Middle East, and Asia; a number of smaller submarine cables provide connectivity to various parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Cyprus; tropospheric scatter; satellite earth stations - 4 (2 Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat - Indian Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:

5.02 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

36 (plus 1,341 repeaters); also 2 stations in the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (1995)

Televisions:

2.54 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.gr

Internet hosts:

1.626 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

27 (2000)

Internet users:

2.54 million (2007)

Transportation

Greece

Airports:

81 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 66 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 12 (2007)

Heliports:

9 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 1,166 km; oil 94 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,571 km standard gauge: 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge (764 km electrified) narrow gauge: 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge dual gauge: 23 km combined 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (three rail system) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 117,533 km paved: 107,895 km (includes 880 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,638 km (2005)

Waterways:

6 km note: Corinth Canal (6 km) crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; shortens sea voyage by 325 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 869 by type: bulk carrier 260, cargo 66, carrier 1, chemical tanker 66, combination ore/oil 2, container 45, liquefied gas 10, passenger 13, passenger/cargo 115, petroleum tanker 274, roll on/roll off 15, specialized tanker 2 foreign-owned: 64 (Belgium 16, Cyprus 7, Turkey 1, UK 32, US 8) registered in other countries: 2,357 (Antigua and Barbuda 3, Bahamas 209, Barbados 12, Belize 1, Bermuda 9, Brazil 1, Cambodia 3, Cayman Islands 16, China 2, Comoros 6, Cyprus 259, Denmark 4, Dominica 10, Egypt 8, Georgia 5, Gibraltar 6, Honduras 4, Hong Kong 22, Isle of Man 50, Italy 6, Jamaica 6, North Korea 1, Lebanon 2, Liberia 358, Maldives 1, Malta 452, Marshall Islands 269, Norway 3, Panama 510, Philippines 4, Portugal 4, Russia 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 71, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Saudi Arabia 3, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 15, Slovakia 2, Turkey 1, UAE 3, Uruguay 1, Vanuatu 1, Venezuela 3, unknown 5) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Agioitheodoroi, Aspropyrgos, Pachi, Piraeus, Thessaloniki

Military

Greece

Military branches:

Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES), Hellenic Navy (Ellinikos

Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki Polimiki

Aeroporia, EPA) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

19-45 years of age for compulsory military service; during wartime the law allows for recruitment beginning January of the year of inductee's 18th birthday, thus including 17 year olds; 17 years of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation - 1 year for all services; women are eligible for voluntary military service (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,535,174 females age 16-49: 2,517,273 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,084,469 females age 16-49: 2,065,956 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 53,858 female: 50,488 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

4.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Greece

Disputes - international:

Greece and Turkey continue discussions to resolve their complex

maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in the Aegean Sea;

Cyprus question with Turkey; Greece rejects the use of the name

Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia; the mass migration of unemployed

Albanians still remains a problem for developed countries, chiefly

Greece and Italy

Illicit drugs:

a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling cannabis and heroin from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the West and precursor chemicals to the East; some South American cocaine transits or is consumed in Greece; money laundering related to drug trafficking and organized crime

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Greenland

Introduction

Greenland

Background:

Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 81% ice-capped. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland was made an integral part of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community (now the EU) with Denmark in 1973, but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute centered on stringent fishing quotas. Greenland was granted self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament; the law went into effect the following year. Denmark continues to exercise control of Greenland's foreign affairs in consultation with Greenland's Home Rule Government.

Geography

Greenland

Location:

Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the

North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada

Geographic coordinates:

72 00 N, 40 00 W

Map references:

Arctic Region

Area:

total: 2,166,086 sq km land: 2,166,086 sq km (410,449 sq km ice-free, 1,755,637 sq km ice-covered) (2000 est.)

Area - comparative:

slightly more than three times the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

44,087 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line

Climate:

arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters

Terrain:

flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Gunnbjorn 3,700 m

Natural resources:

coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, molybdenum, diamonds, gold, platinum, niobium, tantalite, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island

Environment - current issues:

protection of the arctic environment; preservation of the Inuit traditional way of life, including whaling and seal hunting

Geography - note:

dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe; sparse population confined to small settlements along coast; close to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital, Nuuk; world's second largest ice cap

People

Greenland

Population:

57,564 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 23.5% (male 6,867/female 6,634) 15-64 years: 69.9% (male 21,683/female 18,575) 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 1,892/female 1,913) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 33.5 years male: 34.9 years female: 31.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.064% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

14.87 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.23 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-5.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.17 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 69.46 years male: 66.81 years female: 72.25 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.22 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

100 (1999)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Greenlander(s) adjective: Greenlandic

Ethnic groups:

Greenlander 88% (Inuit and Greenland-born whites), Danish and others 12% (2000)

Religions:

Evangelical Lutheran

Languages:

Greenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2001 est.)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Greenland

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Greenland local long form: none local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat

Dependency status:

part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979

Government type:

parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Nuuk (Godthab) geographic coordinates: 64 11 N, 51 45 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: Greenland is divided into four time zones

Administrative divisions:

3 districts (landsdele); Avannaa (Nordgronland), Tunu (Ostgronland), Kitaa (Vestgronland) note: there are 18 municipalities in Greenland

Independence:

none (extensive self-rule as part of the Kingdom of Denmark; foreign affairs is the responsibility of Denmark, but Greenland actively participates in international agreements relating to Greenland)

National holiday:

June 21 (longest day)

Constitution:

5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)

Legal system:

the laws of Denmark, where applicable, apply

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Soren MOLLER (since April 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Hans ENOKSEN (since 14 December 2002) cabinet: Home Rule Government is elected by the parliament (Landstinget) on the basis of the strength of parties elections: the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; prime minister is elected by parliament (usually the leader of the majority party); election results: Hans ENOKSEN reelected prime minister note: government coalition - Siumut and Inuit Ataqatigiit

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament or Landstinget (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held on 15 November 2005 (next to be held by December 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - Siumut 30.7%, Demokratiit 22.8%, IA 22.6%, Atassut Party 19.1%; Katusseqatigiit 4.1%, other 0.7%; seats by party - Siumut 10, Demokratiit 7, IA 7, Atassut 6, Katusseqatigiit 1 note: two representatives were elected to the Danish Parliament or Folketing on 13 November 2007 (next to be held in November 2011); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Siumut 1, Inuit Ataqatigiit 1

Judicial branch:

High Court or Landsret (appeals can be made to the Ostre Landsret or

Eastern Division of the High Court or Supreme Court in Copenhagen)

Political parties and leaders:

Atassut Party (Solidarity) [Finn KARLSEN] (a conservative party favoring continuing close relations with Denmark); Demokratiit [Per BERTHELSEN]; Inuit Ataqatigiit or IA (Eskimo Brotherhood) [Josef MOTZFELDT] (a leftist party favoring complete independence from Denmark rather than home rule); Kattusseqatigiit (Candidate List) (an independent right-of-center party with no official platform); Siumut (Forward Party) [Hans ENOKSEN] (a social democratic party advocating more distinct Greenlandic identity and greater autonomy from Denmark)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: conservationists; environmentalists

International organization participation:

Arctic Council, NC, NIB, UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a large disk slightly to the hoist side of center - the top half of the disk is red, the bottom half is white

Economy

Greenland

Economy - overview:

The economy remains critically dependent on exports of fish and a substantial subsidy from the Danish Government, which supplies about half of government revenues. The public sector, including publicly owned enterprises and the municipalities, plays the dominant role in the economy. Several interesting hydrocarbon and mineral exploration activities are ongoing. Press reports in early 2007 indicated that two international aluminum companies were considering building smelters in Greenland to take advantage of local hydropower potential. Tourism is the only sector offering any near-term potential, and even this is limited due to a short season and high costs. Air Greenland began summer-season direct flights to the US east coast in May 2007, potentially opening a major new tourism market.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.1 billion (2001 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.7 billion (2005)

GDP - real growth rate:

2% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$20,000 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Labor force:

32,120 (2004)

Unemployment rate:

9.3% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $1.36 billion expenditures: $1.27 billion (2005)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1% (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:

forage crops, garden and greenhouse vegetables; sheep, reindeer; fish

Industries:

fish processing (mainly shrimp and Greenland halibut); gold, niobium, tantalite, uranium, iron and diamond mining; handicrafts, hides and skins, small shipyards

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

305 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

283.7 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% note: Greenland is shifting its electricity production from fossil fuel to hydropower production (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

3,927 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

149.5 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

4,089 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$480 million f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

fish and fish products 94% (prawns 63%) (2001 est.)

Exports - partners:

Denmark 61.8%, Japan 9.9%, Canada 7.3%, China 5.8% (2007)

Imports:

$712 million c.i.f. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, petroleum products

Imports - partners:

Denmark 68.1%, Sweden 19.3%, Canada 2.5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$512 million; note - subsidy from Denmark (2005)

Debt - external:

$25 million (1999)

Currency (code):

Danish krone (DKK)

Currency code:

DKK

Exchange rates:

Danish kroner (DKK) per US dollar - 5.4797 (2007), 5.9468 (2006), 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003)

Communications

Greenland

Telephones - main lines in use:

36,000 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

66,400 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: adequate domestic and international service provided by satellite, cables and microwave radio relay; totally digitalized in 1995 domestic: microwave radio relay and satellite international: country code - 299; satellite earth stations - 15 (12 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean)) (2000)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 5, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

30,000 (1998 est.)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (plus some local low-power stations, and 3 Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) stations (1997)

Televisions:

30,000 (1998 est.)

Internet country code:

.gl

Internet hosts:

14,132 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

52,000 (2007)

Transportation

Greenland

Airports:

14 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Roadways:

note: although there are short roads in towns, there are no roads between towns; inter-urban transport takes place either by sea or air (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 2 by type: cargo 1, passenger 1 (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Sisimiut

Military

Greenland

Military branches:

no regular military forces

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 15,221 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 10,739 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 534 female: 503 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of Denmark

Transnational Issues

Greenland

Disputes - international:

managed dispute between Canada and Denmark over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Canada's Ellesmere Island and Greenland

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Grenada

Introduction

Grenada

Background:

Carib Indians inhabited Grenada when COLUMBUS discovered the island in 1498, but it remained uncolonized for more than a century. The French settled Grenada in the 17th century, established sugar estates, and imported large numbers of African slaves. Britain took the island in 1762 and vigorously expanded sugar production. In the 19th century, cacao eventually surpassed sugar as the main export crop; in the 20th century, nutmeg became the leading export. In 1967, Britain gave Grenada autonomy over its internal affairs. Full independence was attained in 1974, making Grenada one of the smallest independent countries in the Western Hemisphere. Grenada was seized by a Marxist military council on 19 October 1983. Six days later the island was invaded by US forces and those of six other Caribbean nations, which quickly captured the ringleaders and their hundreds of Cuban advisers. Free elections were reinstituted the following year and have continued since that time. Hurricane Ivan struck Grenada in September of 2004 causing severe damage.

Geography

Grenada

Location:

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates:

12 07 N, 61 40 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 344 sq km land: 344 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

121 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds

Terrain:

volcanic in origin with central mountains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Saint Catherine 840 m

Natural resources:

timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors

Land use:

arable land: 5.88% permanent crops: 29.41% other: 64.71% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Total renewable water resources:

NA

Natural hazards:

lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from June to November

Environment - current issues:

NA

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada

People

Grenada

Population:

90,343 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 32.4% (male 14,725/female 14,524) 15-64 years: 64.7% (male 30,911/female 27,502) 65 years and over: 3% (male 1,310/female 1,371) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 22.4 years male: 22.9 years female: 21.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.406% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

21.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.31 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-11.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 13.58 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.25 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 65.6 years male: 63.74 years female: 67.47 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.27 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Grenadian(s) adjective: Grenadian

Ethnic groups:

black 82%, mixed black and European 13%, European and East Indian 5%, and trace of Arawak/Carib Amerindian

Religions:

Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%

Languages:

English (official), French patois

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96% male: NA female: NA (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 12 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

5.2% of GDP (2003)

Government

Grenada

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Grenada

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Saint George's geographic coordinates: 12 03 N, 61 45 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Petite Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick

Independence:

7 February 1974 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 7 February (1974)

Constitution:

19 December 1973

Legal system:

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Carlyle Arnold GLEAN (since 27 November 2008) head of government: Prime Minister Tillman THOMAS (since 9 July 2008) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (13 seats, 10 appointed by the government and 3 by the leader of the opposition) and the House of Representatives (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 8 July 2008 (next to be held in 2013) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDC 11, NNP 4

Judicial branch:

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of a court of Appeal and a High Court of Justice (a High Court judge is assigned to and resides in Grenada)

Political parties and leaders:

Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Gloria Payne BANFIELD]; National

Democratic Congress or NDC [Tillman THOMAS]; New National Party or

NNP [Keith MITCHELL]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Committee for Human Rights in Grenada or CHRG; New Jewel Movement Support Group; The British Grenada Friendship Society; The New Jewel 19 Committee

International organization participation:

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,

IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS,

OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Denis G. ANTOINE chancery: 1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 265-2561 FAX: [1] (202) 265-2468 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Grenada embassy: Lance-aux-Epines Stretch, Saint George's mailing address: P. O. Box 54, Saint George's telephone: [1] (473) 444-1173 through 1177 FAX: [1] (473) 444-4820

Flag description:

a rectangle divided diagonally into yellow triangles (top and bottom) and green triangles (hoist side and outer side), with a red border around the flag; there are seven yellow, five-pointed stars with three centered in the top red border, three centered in the bottom red border, and one on a red disk superimposed at the center of the flag; there is also a symbolic nutmeg pod on the hoist-side triangle (Grenada is the world's second-largest producer of nutmeg, after Indonesia); the seven stars represent the seven administrative divisions

Economy

Grenada

Economy - overview:

Grenada relies on tourism as its main source of foreign exchange, especially since the construction of an international airport in 1985. Strong performances in construction and manufacturing, together with the development of an offshore financial industry, have also contributed to growth in national output. Grenada has rebounded from the devastating effects of Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Emily (2005), but is now saddled with the debt burden from the rebuilding process. The agricultural sector, particularly nutmeg and cocoa cultivation, has gradually recovered, and the tourism sector has seen substantial increases in foreign direct investment as the regional share of the tourism market increases.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.108 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$590 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$10,500 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 5.4% industry: 18% services: 76.6% (2003)

Labor force:

42,300 (1996)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 24% industry: 14% services: 62% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:

12.5% (2000)

Population below poverty line:

32% (2000)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $85.8 million expenditures: $102.1 million (1997)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

9.76% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$151.2 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$533.4 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$575.8 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, citrus, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, vegetables

Industries:

food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations, tourism, construction

Industrial production growth rate:

0.7% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:

167.2 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

144.2 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2,043 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

1,844 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$138 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$38 million (2006)

Exports - commodities:

bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace

Exports - partners:

Jamaica 92.8%, Saint Lucia 1.3%, US 1.2% (2007)

Imports:

$343 million (2006)

Imports - commodities:

food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel

Imports - partners:

Trinidad and Tobago 36.5%, US 23.3%, Italy 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$44.87 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$347 million (2004)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code:

XCD

Exchange rates:

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)

Communications

Grenada

Telephones - main lines in use:

27,700 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

46,200 (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: automatic, islandwide telephone system domestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links international: country code - 1-473; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad; SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

57,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (1997)

Televisions:

33,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.gd

Internet hosts:

9 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

14 (2000)

Internet users:

23,000 (2007)

Transportation

Grenada

Airports:

3 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 1,127 km paved: 687 km unpaved: 440 km (2000)

Ports and terminals:

Saint George's

Military

Grenada

Military branches:

no regular military forces; Royal Grenada Police Force (includes Coast Guard) (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 27,309 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 20,249 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 1,034 female: 970 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Transnational Issues

Grenada

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

small-scale cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment point for marijuana and cocaine to US

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Guam

Introduction

Guam

Background:

Guam was ceded to the US by Spain in 1898. Captured by the Japanese in 1941, it was retaken by the US three years later. The military installation on the island is one of the most strategically important US bases in the Pacific.

Geography

Guam

Location:

Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines

Geographic coordinates:

13 28 N, 144 47 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 541.3 sq km land: 541.3 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

three times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

125.5 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical marine; generally warm and humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season (January to June), rainy season (July to December); little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain:

volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs; relatively flat coralline limestone plateau (source of most fresh water), with steep coastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low hills in center, mountains in south

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Lamlam 406 m

Natural resources:

aquatic wildlife (supporting tourism), fishing (largely undeveloped)

Land use:

arable land: 3.64% permanent crops: 18.18% other: 78.18% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare, but potentially very destructive typhoons (June - December)

Environment - current issues:

extirpation of native bird population by the rapid proliferation of the brown tree snake, an exotic, invasive species

Geography - note:

largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Islands archipelago; strategic location in western North Pacific Ocean

People

Guam

Population:

175,877 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 28.2% (male 25,644/female 23,910) 15-64 years: 64.8% (male 58,034/female 55,900) 65 years and over: 7% (male 5,801/female 6,588) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 28.9 years male: 28.7 years female: 29.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.373% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

18.37 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.65 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 6.55 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.22 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.93 years male: 75.86 years female: 82.19 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.55 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Guamanian(s) (US citizens) adjective: Guamanian

Ethnic groups:

Chamorro 37.1%, Filipino 26.3%, other Pacific islander 11.3%, white 6.9%, other Asian 6.3%, other ethnic origin or race 2.3%, mixed 9.8% (2000 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 85%, other 15% (1999 est.)

Languages:

English 38.3%, Chamorro 22.2%, Philippine languages 22.2%, other Pacific island languages 6.8%, Asian languages 7%, other languages 3.5% (2000 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (1990 est.)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Guam

Country name:

conventional long form: Territory of Guam conventional short form: Guam local long form: Guahan local short form: Guahan

Dependency status:

organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between Guam and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Hagatna (Agana) geographic coordinates: 13 28 N, 144 44 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (territory of the US)

Independence:

none (territory of the US)

National holiday:

Discovery Day, first Monday in March (1521)

Constitution:

Organic Act of Guam, 1 August 1950

Legal system:

modeled on US; US federal laws apply

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal; US citizens, but do not vote in US presidential elections

Executive branch:

chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Felix P. CAMACHO (since 6 January 2003); Lieutenant Governor Dr. Michael W. CRUZ (since 1 January 2007) cabinet: heads of executive departments; appointed by the governor with the consent of the Guam legislature elections: under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as Guam, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; however, they may vote in Democratic and Republican presidential primary elections; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year term (can serve two consecutive terms, then must wait a full term before running again); election last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held in November 2010) election results: Felix P. CAMACHO reelected governor; Dr. Michael W. CRUZ elected lieutenant governor; percent of vote - NA

Legislative branch:

unicameral Legislature (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held in November 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 8, Democratic Party 7 note: Guam elects one nonvoting delegate to the US House of Representatives; election last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held in November 2008); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 1

Judicial branch:

Federal District Court (judge is appointed by the president); Territorial Superior Court (judges appointed for eight-year terms by the governor)

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Party [leader Michael PHILLIPS]; Republican Party [Philip

J. FLORES] (controls the legislature)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Guam Federation of Teachers' Union; Guam Waterworks Authority Workers other: activists; indigenous groups

International organization participation:

IOC, SPC, UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (territory of the US)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (territory of the US)

Flag description:

territorial flag is dark blue with a narrow red border on all four sides; centered is a red-bordered, pointed, vertical ellipse containing a beach scene, outrigger canoe with sail, and a palm tree with the word GUAM superimposed in bold red letters; US flag is the national flag

Economy

Guam

Economy - overview:

The economy depends largely on US military spending and tourism. Total US grants, wage payments, and procurement outlays amounted to $1.3 billion in 2004. Over the past 30 years, the tourist industry has grown to become the largest income source following national defense. The Guam economy continues to experience expansion in both its tourism and military sectors.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.5 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$2.773 billion (2001)

GDP - real growth rate:

NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$15,000 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Labor force:

62,050 (2002 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 26% industry: 10% services: 64% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

11.4% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:

23% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $319.6 million expenditures: $427.8 million (2002 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 October - 30 September

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.5% (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:

fruits, copra, vegetables; eggs, pork, poultry, beef

Industries:

US military, tourism, construction, transshipment services, concrete products, printing and publishing, food processing, textiles

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

1.789 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

1.664 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

12,780 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

13,530 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$45 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:

transshipments of refined petroleum products, construction materials, fish, food and beverage products

Exports - partners:

Japan 67.2%, Singapore 11.6%, UK 4.8% (2006)

Imports:

$701 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:

petroleum and petroleum products, food, manufactured goods

Imports - partners:

Singapore 50%, South Korea 21.4%, Japan 14%, Hong Kong 4.6% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

Guam receives large transfer payments from the US Federal Treasury into which Guamanians pay no income or excise taxes; under the provisions of a special law of Congress, the Guam Treasury, rather than the US Treasury, receives federal income taxes paid by military and civilian Federal employees stationed in Guam (2001 est.)

Debt - external:

$NA

Currency (code):

US dollar (USD)

Currency code:

USD

Exchange rates:

the US dollar is used

Communications

Guam

Telephones - main lines in use:

65,500 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

98,000 (2004)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern system, integrated with US facilities for direct dialing, including free use of 800 numbers domestic: modern digital system, including cellular mobile service and local access to the Internet international: country code - 1-671; major landing point for submarine cables between Asia and the US (Guam is a trans-Pacific communications hub for major carriers linking the US and Asia); satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2005)

Radios:

221,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (2006)

Televisions:

106,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.gu

Internet hosts:

36 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

20 (2000)

Internet users:

65,000 (2005)

Transportation

Guam

Airports:

5 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 4 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 1,045 km (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Apra Harbor

Military

Guam

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 1,665 female: 1,547 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues

Guam

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Guatemala

Introduction

Guatemala

Background:

The Mayan civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the conflict, which had left more than 100,000 people dead and had created, by some estimates, some 1 million refugees.

Geography

Guatemala

Location:

Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between El

Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras (Caribbean

Sea) between Honduras and Belize

Geographic coordinates:

15 30 N, 90 15 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 108,890 sq km land: 108,430 sq km water: 460 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Tennessee

Land boundaries:

total: 1,687 km border countries: Belize 266 km, El Salvador 203 km, Honduras 256 km, Mexico 962 km

Coastline:

400 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands

Terrain:

mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling limestone plateau

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,211 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 13.22% permanent crops: 5.6% other: 81.18% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,300 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

111.3 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.01 cu km/yr (6%/13%/80%) per capita: 160 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and other tropical storms

Environment - current issues:

deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water pollution

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

no natural harbors on west coast

People

Guatemala

Population:

13,002,206 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 40.1% (male 2,653,915/female 2,565,841) 15-64 years: 56.2% (male 3,539,874/female 3,762,471) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 222,303/female 257,802) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 19.2 years male: 18.6 years female: 19.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.11% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

28.55 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.19 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-2.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 28.79 deaths/1,000 live births male: 31.21 deaths/1,000 live births female: 26.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 69.99 years male: 68.22 years female: 71.86 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.59 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

78,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

5,800 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Guatemalan(s) adjective: Guatemalan

Ethnic groups:

Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish called Ladino) and European 59.4%, K'iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam 7.9%, Q'eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 8.6%, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%, other 0.1% (2001 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs

Languages:

Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially recognized

Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam,

Garifuna, and Xinca)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 69.1% male: 75.4% female: 63.3% (2002 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 11 years female: 10 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

2.6% of GDP (2006)

Government

Guatemala

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Guatemala conventional short form: Guatemala local long form: Republica de Guatemala local short form: Guatemala

Government type:

constitutional democratic republic

Capital:

name: Guatemala geographic coordinates: 14 37 N, 90 31 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in April; ends last Friday in September; note - there is no DST planned for 2007-2009

Administrative divisions:

22 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Alta

Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Chiquimula, El Progreso,

Escuintla, Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Izabal, Jalapa, Jutiapa, Peten,

Quetzaltenango, Quiche, Retalhuleu, Sacatepequez, San Marcos, Santa

Rosa, Solola, Suchitepequez, Totonicapan, Zacapa

Independence:

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution:

31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; note - suspended 25 May 1993 by former President Jorge SERRANO; reinstated 5 June 1993 following ouster of president; amended November 1993

Legal system:

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal; note - active duty members of the armed forces may not vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Alvaro COLOM Caballeros (since 14 January 2008); Vice President Rafael ESPADA (since 14 January 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Alvaro COLOM Caballeros (since 14 January 2008); Vice President Rafael ESPADA (since 14 January 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 9 September 2007; runoff held 4 November 2007 (next to be held September 2011) election results: Alvaro COLOM Caballeros elected president; percent of vote - Alvaro COLOM Caballeros 52.8%, Otto PEREZ Molina 47.2%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica (158 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 9 September 2007 (next to be held in September 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - UNE 30.4%, GANA 23.4%, PP 18.9%, FRG 9.5%, PU 5.1%, other 12.7%; seats by party - UNE 48, GANA 37, PP 30, FRG 15, PU 8, CASA 5, EG 4, PAN 4, UCN 4, URNG 2, UD 1

Judicial branch:

Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitucionalidad is Guatemala's highest court (five judges are elected for concurrent five-year terms); Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (13 members serve concurrent five-year terms and elect a president of the Court each year from among their number; the president of the Supreme Court of Justice also supervises trial judges around the country, who are named to five-year terms)

Political parties and leaders:

Center of Social Action or CASA [Eduardo SUGER]; Democracy Front or

FRENTE [Alfonso CABRERA]; Democratic Union or UD [Manuel CONDE

Orellana]; Encounter for Guatemala or EG [Nineth MONTENGRO]; Grand

National Alliance or GANA [Alfredo VILLA]; Guatemalan National

Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Hector NUILA]; Guatemalan Republican

Front or FRG [Efrain RIOS Montt]; National Advancement Party or PAN

[Ruben Dario MORALES]; National Unity for Hope or UNE [Alvaro COLOM

Caballeros]; Patriot Party or PP [Ret. Gen. Otto PEREZ Molina];

Unionista Party or PU [Fritz GARCIA]; Unity of National Change or

UCN [Sidney SHAW]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Agrarian Owners Group or UNAGRO; Alliance Against Impunity or AAI;

Committee for Campesino Unity or CUC; Coordinating Committee of

Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial, and Financial Associations or

CACIF; Mutual Support Group or GAM

International organization participation:

BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO

(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA,

MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Francisco VILLAGRAN de Leon chancery: 2220 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-4952 FAX: [1] (202) 745-1908 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Providence, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen G. MCFARLAND embassy: 7-01 Avenida Reforma, Zone 10, Guatemala City mailing address: APO AA 34024 telephone: [502] 2326-4000 FAX: [502] 2326-4654

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of light blue (hoist side), white, and light blue with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms includes a green and red quetzal (the national bird) and a scroll bearing the inscription LIBERTAD 15 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1821 (the original date of independence from Spain) all superimposed on a pair of crossed rifles and a pair of crossed swords and framed by a wreath

Economy

Guatemala

Economy - overview:

Guatemala is the most populous of the Central American countries with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. The agricultural sector accounts for about one-tenth of GDP, two-fifths of exports, and half of the labor force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the main products, with sugar exports benefiting from increased global demand for ethanol. The 1996 signing of peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a major obstacle to foreign investment, and Guatemala since then has pursued important reforms and macroeconomic stabilization. On 1 July 2006, the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) entered into force between the US and Guatemala and has since spurred increased investment in the export sector. The distribution of income remains highly unequal with about 56% of the population below the poverty line. Other ongoing challenges include increasing government revenues, negotiating further assistance from international donors, upgrading both government and private financial operations, curtailing drug trafficking and rampant crime, and narrowing the trade deficit. Given Guatemala's large expatriate community in the United States, it is the top remittance recipient in Central America, with inflows serving as a primary source of foreign income equivalent to nearly two-thirds of exports.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$64.76 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$33.69 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$5,100 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 13.3% industry: 25.8% services: 60.9% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

3.958 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 50% industry: 15% services: 35% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:

3.2% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:

56.2% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.9% highest 10%: 43.4% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

55.1 (2007)

Investment (gross fixed):

17.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $4.38 billion expenditures: $4.872 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

20.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6.8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

12.84% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$6.227 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$8.928 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$13.96 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens

Industries:

sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals, petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

4.8% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

7.643 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

6.617 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

131.9 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

8.11 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 51.9% hydro: 35.2% nuclear: 0% other: 12.9% (2001)

Oil - production:

15,820 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

74,230 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

15,560 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - imports:

72,960 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

83.07 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

2.96 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$1.663 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$6.94 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

coffee, sugar, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and vegetables, cardamom

Exports - partners:

US 42.2%, El Salvador 9.6%, Honduras 8.6%, Mexico 6.5%, Costa Rica 4.5% (2007)

Imports:

$12.62 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity

Imports - partners:

US 34.9%, Mexico 9.9%, China 6.8%, El Salvador 4.6%, Costa Rica 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$253.6 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$4.139 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$5.908 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

quetzal (GTQ), US dollar (USD), others allowed

Currency code:

GTQ; USD

Exchange rates:

quetzales (GTQ) per US dollar - 7.6833 (2007), 7.6026 (2006), 7.6339 (2005), 7.9465 (2004), 7.9409 (2003)

Communications

Guatemala

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.355 million (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

10.15 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: fairly modern network centered in the city of Guatemala domestic: state-owned telecommunications company privatized in the late 1990s opening the way for competition; fixed-line teledensity 11 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity 80 per 100 persons international: country code - 502; landing point for both the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the SAM-1 fiber optic submarine cable system that together provide connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 130, FM 487, shortwave 15 (2000)

Radios:

835,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

26 (plus 27 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

1.323 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.gt

Internet hosts:

124,095 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

5 (2000)

Internet users:

1.32 million (2006)

Transportation

Guatemala

Airports:

402 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 390 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 82 under 914 m: 301 (2007)

Pipelines:

oil 480 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 886 km narrow gauge: 886 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 14,095 km paved: 4,863 km (includes 75 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,232 km (2000)

Waterways:

990 km note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Puerto Quetzal, Santo Tomas de Castilla

Military

Guatemala

Military branches:

Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force

Military service age and obligation:

all male citizens between the ages of 18 and 50 are liable for military service; conscript service obligation varies from 12 to 24 months; women can serve as officers (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,861,696 females age 16-49: 3,062,967 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,310,272 females age 16-49: 2,622,450 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 161,550 female: 159,760 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.4% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Guatemala

Disputes - international:

annual ministerial meetings under the OAS-initiated Agreement on the Framework for Negotiations and Confidence Building Measures continue to address Guatemalan land and maritime claims in Belize and the Caribbean Sea; the Line of Adjacency created under the 2002 Differendum serves in lieu of the contiguous international boundary to control squatting in the sparsely inhabited rain forests of Belize's border region; Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the United States

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: undetermined (the UN does not estimate there are any IDPs, although some NGOs estimate over 200,000 IDPs as a result of over three decades of internal conflict that ended in 1996) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Guatemala is a source, transit, and destination country for Guatemalans and Central Americans trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; human trafficking is a significant and growing problem in the country; Guatemalan women and children are trafficked within the country for commercial sexual exploitation, primarily to Mexico and the United States; Guatemalan men, women, and children are also trafficked within the country, and to Mexico and the United States, for forced labor tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, Guatemala is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons, particularly with respect to ensuring that trafficking offenders are appropriately prosecuted for their crimes; while prosecutors initiated trafficking prosecutions, they continued to face problems in court with application of Guatemala's comprehensive anti-trafficking law; the government made modest improvements to its protection efforts, but assistance remained inadequate overall in 2007 (2008)

Illicit drugs:

major transit country for cocaine and heroin; in 2005, cultivated 100 hectares of opium poppy after reemerging as a potential source of opium in 2004; potential production of less than 1 metric ton of pure heroin; marijuana cultivation for mostly domestic consumption; proximity to Mexico makes Guatemala a major staging area for drugs (particularly for cocaine); money laundering is a serious problem; corruption is a major problem

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Guernsey

Introduction

Guernsey

Background:

Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which held sway in both France and England. The islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. Guernsey is a British crown dependency, but is not part of the UK. However, the UK Government is constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation.

Geography

Guernsey

Location:

Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France

Geographic coordinates:

49 28 N, 2 35 W

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 78 sq km land: 78 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands

Area - comparative:

about one-half the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

50 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm

Climate:

temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast

Terrain:

mostly level with low hills in southwest

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m

Natural resources:

cropland

Land use:

arable land: NA permanent crops: NA other: NA

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port

People

Guernsey

Population:

65,726 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 14.6% (male 4,849/female 4,727) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 22,013/female 22,380) 65 years and over: 17.9% (male 4,988/female 6,769) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 42.1 years male: 41 years female: 43 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.228% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

8.57 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.09 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

3.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.53 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.05 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 80.65 years male: 77.64 years female: 83.76 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.4 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Channel Islander(s) adjective: Channel Islander

Ethnic groups:

UK and Norman-French descent with small percentages from other

European countries

Religions:

Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational,

Methodist

Languages:

English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts

Literacy:

NA

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Guernsey

Country name:

conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey conventional short form: Guernsey

Dependency status:

British crown dependency

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Saint Peter Port geographic coordinates: 49 27 N, 2 32 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes including Castel, Forest, Saint Andrew, Saint Martin, Saint Peter Port, Saint Pierre du Bois, Saint Sampson, Saint Saviour, Torteval, Vale

Independence:

none (British crown dependency)

National holiday:

Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)

Constitution:

unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Legal system:

the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; justice is administered by the Royal Court

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Fabian MALBON (since 28 October 2005) head of government: Chief Minister Lyndon TROTT (since 1 May 2008) cabinet: Policy Council elected by the States of Deliberation elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister is elected by States of Deliberation election results: Lyndon TROTT elected chief minister, percent of vote of the States of Deliberation NA

Legislative branch:

unicameral States of Deliberation (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote for four years); note - Alderney and Sark have parliaments elections: last held 23 April 2008 (next to be held in 2012) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents

Judicial branch:

Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff)

Political parties and leaders:

none; all independents

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Stop Traffic Endangering Pedestrian Safety or STEPS; No More Masts

[Colin FALLAIZE]

International organization participation:

UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (British crown dependency)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (British crown dependency)

Flag description:

white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross

Economy

Guernsey

Economy - overview:

Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance - account for about 23% of employment and about 55% of total income in this tiny, prosperous Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Financial services, construction, retail, and the public sector have been growing. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is changing the environment under which Guernsey operates.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.742 billion (2005)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$2.742 billion (2005)

GDP - real growth rate:

3% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$44,600 (2005)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3% industry: 10% services: 87% (2000)

Labor force:

31,470 (March 2006)

Unemployment rate:

0.9% (March 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $563.6 million expenditures: $530.9 million (2005)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.4% (June 2006)

Agriculture - products:

tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit; Guernsey cattle

Industries:

tourism, banking

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

NA kWh

Electricity - consumption:

NA kWh

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: NA hydro: NA nuclear: NA other: NA

Exports:

$NA

Exports - commodities:

tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables

Exports - partners:

UK; note - regarded as internal trade (2006)

Imports:

$NA

Imports - commodities:

coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment

Imports - partners:

UK; note - regarded as internal trade (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$NA

Debt - external:

$NA

Currency (code):

Guernsey pound note: the British pound is also legal tender

Currency code:

GBP

Exchange rates:

Guernsey pound 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003) note: the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound

Communications

Guernsey

Telephones - main lines in use:

45,100 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

43,800 (2004)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: 1 submarine cable

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

NA

Television broadcast stations:

1 (1997)

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.gg

Internet hosts:

156 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

NA

Internet users:

36,000 (2005)

Transportation

Guernsey

Airports:

2 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson

Military

Guernsey

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 379 female: 353 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

Guernsey

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Guinea

Introduction

Guinea

Background:

Guinea has had only two presidents since gaining its independence from France in 1958. Lansana CONTE came to power in 1984 when the military seized the government after the death of the first president, Sekou TOURE. Guinea did not hold democratic elections until 1993 when Gen. CONTE (head of the military government) was elected president of the civilian government. He was reelected in 1998 and again in 2003, though all the polls have been marred by irregularities. Guinea has maintained its internal stability despite spillover effects from conflict in Sierra Leone and Liberia. As those countries have rebuilt, Guinea's own vulnerability to political and economic crisis has increased. Declining economic conditions and popular dissatisfaction with corruption and bad governance prompted two massive strikes in 2006; a third nationwide strike in early 2007 sparked violent protests in many Guinean cities and prompted two weeks of martial law. To appease the unions and end the unrest, CONTE named a new prime minister in March 2007.

Geography

Guinea

Location:

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between

Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone

Geographic coordinates:

11 00 N, 10 00 W

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 245,857 sq km land: 245,857 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries:

total: 3,399 km border countries: Cote d'Ivoire 610 km, Guinea-Bissau 386 km, Liberia 563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km

Coastline:

320 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Terrain:

generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m

Natural resources:

bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish, salt

Land use:

arable land: 4.47% permanent crops: 2.64% other: 92.89% (2005)

Irrigated land:

950 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

226 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.51 cu km/yr (8%/2%/90%) per capita: 161 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; inadequate supplies of potable water; desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing, overpopulation in forest region; poor mining practices have led to environmental damage

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the Niger and its important tributary the Milo have their sources in the Guinean highlands

People

Guinea

Population:

9,806,509 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 42.9% (male 2,126,575/female 2,080,048) 15-64 years: 53.7% (male 2,628,675/female 2,633,876) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 148,159/female 189,176) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.4 years male: 18.2 years female: 18.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.492% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

37.84 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

11.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-1.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 67.41 deaths/1,000 live births male: 71.02 deaths/1,000 live births female: 63.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 56.58 years male: 55.12 years female: 58.08 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.25 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

3.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

140,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

9,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Guinean(s) adjective: Guinean

Ethnic groups:

Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10%

Religions:

Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%

Languages:

French (official); note - each ethnic group has its own language

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 29.5% male: 42.6% female: 18.1% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 8 years male: 10 years female: 7 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

1.6% of GDP (2005)

Government

Guinea

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Guinea conventional short form: Guinea local long form: Republique de Guinee local short form: Guinee former: French Guinea

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Conakry geographic coordinates: 9 33 N, 13 42 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

33 prefectures and 1 special zone (zone special)*; Beyla, Boffa,

Boke, Conakry*, Coyah, Dabola, Dalaba, Dinguiraye, Dubreka, Faranah,

Forecariah, Fria, Gaoual, Gueckedou, Kankan, Kerouane, Kindia,

Kissidougou, Koubia, Koundara, Kouroussa, Labe, Lelouma, Lola,

Macenta, Mali, Mamou, Mandiana, Nzerekore, Pita, Siguiri, Telimele,

Tougue, Yomou

Independence:

2 October 1958 (from France)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 2 October (1958)

Constitution:

23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale)

Legal system:

based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Lansana CONTE (head of military government since 5 April 1984, elected president 19 December 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane SOUARE (since 23 May 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast to be elected president; election last held 21 December 2003 (next to be held in December 2010); the prime minister is appointed by the president election results: Lansana CONTE reelected president; percent of vote - Lansana CONTE 95.3%, Mamadou Bhoye BARRY 4.6%

Legislative branch:

unicameral People's National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale Populaire (114 seats; members are elected by a mixed system of direct popular vote and proportional party lists) elections: last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held in 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 61.6%, UPR 26.6%, other 11.8%; seats by party - PUP 85, UPR 20, other 9 note: legislative elections were due in 2007 but have been postponed

Judicial branch:

Court of First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of

Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders:

National Union for Progress or UPN [Mamadou Bhoye BARRY]; Party for Unity and Progress or PUP (the governing party) [Lansana CONTE]; People's Party of Guinea or PPG [Charles Pascal TOLNO]; Rally for the Guinean People or RPG [Alpha CONDE]; Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea or UFDG [Cellou Dalein DIALLO]; Union of Republican Forces or UFR [Sidya TOURE]; Union for Progress of Guinea or UPG [Jean-Marie DORE, secretary-general]; Union for Progress and Renewal or UPR [Ousmane BAH]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

National Confederation of Guinean Workers-Labor Union of Guinean

Workers or CNTG-USTG Alliance (includes National Confederation of

Guinean Workers or CNTG [Rabiatou Sarah DIALLO] and Labor Union of

Guinean Workers or USTG [Dr. Ibrahima FOFANA]); National Council of

Civil Society Organizations of Guinea or CNOSCG [Ben Sekou SYLLA];

Syndicate of Guinean Teachers and Researchers or SLECG [Dr. Louis

M'Bemba SOUMAH]

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO

(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, OIF,

OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU,

WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Mory Karamoko KABA chancery: 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-9420 FAX: [1] (202) 483-8688

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Elizabeth RASPOLIC embassy: Koloma, Conakry, east of Hamdallaye Circle mailing address: B. P. 603, Transversale No. 2, Centre Administratif de Koloma, Commune de Ratoma, Conakry telephone: [224] 65-10-40-00 FAX: [224] 65-10-42-97

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy

Guinea

Economy - overview:

Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural resources, yet remains an underdeveloped nation. The country has almost half of the world's bauxite reserves and is the second-largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounts for over 70% of exports. Long-run improvements in government fiscal arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if the country is to move out of poverty. Investor confidence has been sapped by rampant corruption, a lack of electricity and other infrastructure, a lack of skilled workers, and the political uncertainty due to the failing health of President Lansana CONTE. Guinea is trying to reengage with the IMF and World Bank, which cut off most assistance in 2003, and is working closely with technical advisors from the U.S. Treasury Department, the World Bank and IMF, seeking to return to a fully funded program. Growth rose slightly in 2006-07, primarily due to increases in global demand and commodity prices on world markets, but the standard of living fell. The Guinea franc depreciated sharply as the prices for basic necessities like food and fuel rose beyond the reach of most Guineans. Dissatisfaction with economic conditions prompted nationwide strikes in February and June 2006.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$10.96 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$4.714 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

1.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,100 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 23.8% industry: 38.6% services: 37.6% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

3.7 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 76% industry and services: 24% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

47% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.9% highest 10%: 41% (2006)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

38.1 (2006)

Investment (gross fixed):

11.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $347.1 million expenditures: $742.7 million (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

23.4% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

22.25% (31 December 2005)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$309.8 million (31 December 2005)

Stock of quasi money:

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$422.1 million (31 December 2005)

Agriculture - products:

rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca), bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber

Industries:

bauxite, gold, diamonds, iron; alumina refining; light manufacturing, and agricultural processing

Industrial production growth rate:

7.6% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

800 million kWh note: excludes electricity generated at interior mining sites (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

744 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 45.5% hydro: 54.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

8,559 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

8,811 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$424 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.128 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural products

Exports - partners:

Russia 10.8%, Ukraine 9.6%, Spain 8.8%, US 7.5%, Germany 7.4%, South

Korea 7.2%, France 7%, Ireland 5.5%, China 5% (2007)

Imports:

$1.202 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment, textiles, grain and other foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

China 10%, France 7%, Netherlands 6.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$182.1 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$119 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$3.351 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Guinean franc (GNF)

Currency code:

GNF

Exchange rates:

Guinean francs (GNF) per US dollar - 4,122.8 (2007), 5,350 (2006), 3,644.3 (2005), 2,225 (2004), 1,984.9 (2003)

Communications

Guinea

Telephones - main lines in use:

26,300 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

189,000 (2005)

Telephone system:

general assessment: inadequate system of open-wire lines, small radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio relay system domestic: Conakry reasonably well served; coverage elsewhere remains inadequate and large companies tend to rely on their own systems for nationwide links; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 2 per 100 persons international: country code - 224; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2006)

Radios:

357,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

6 (2001)

Televisions:

85,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.gn

Internet hosts:

16 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

4 (2001)

Internet users:

50,000 (2006)

Transportation

Guinea

Airports:

16 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Railways:

total: 837 km standard gauge: 175 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 662 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 44,348 km paved: 4,342 km unpaved: 40,006 km (2003)

Waterways:

1,300 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) (2005)

Ports and terminals:

Conakry, Kamsar

Military

Guinea

Military branches:

Armed Forces: Army, Navy (Marine Guineenne, includes Marines), Air

Force, Presidential Guard (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,230,049 females age 16-49: 2,193,236 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,268,193 females age 16-49: 1,259,913 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 106,967 female: 104,631 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.7% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Guinea

Disputes - international:

conflicts among rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in neighboring states have spilled over into Guinea, resulting in domestic instability; Sierra Leone considers Guinea's definition of the flood plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the Makona and Moa rivers excessive and protests Guinea's continued occupation of these lands, including the hamlet of Yenga, occupied since 1998

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 21,856 (Liberia); 5,259 (Sierra

Leone); 3,900 (Cote d'Ivoire)

IDPs: 19,000 (cross-border incursions from Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia,

Sierra Leone) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Guinea is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; the majority of victims are children, and internal trafficking is more prevalent than transnational trafficking; within the country, girls are trafficked primarily for domestic servitude and sexual exploitation, while boys are trafficked for forced agricultural labor, and as forced beggars, street vendors, shoe shiners, and laborers in gold and diamond mines; some Guinean men are also trafficked for agricultural labor within Guinea; transnationally, girls are trafficked into Guinea for domestic servitude and likely also for sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Guinea is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking over 2006; Guinea demonstrated minimal law enforcement efforts for a second year in a row, while protection efforts diminished over efforts in 2006; the government did not report any trafficking convictions in 2007; due to a lack of resources, the government does not provide shelter services for trafficking victims; the government took no measures to reduce the demand for commercial sexual exploitation (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Guinea-Bissau

Introduction

Guinea-Bissau

Background:

Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established authoritarian dictator Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. Despite setting a path to a market economy and multiparty system, VIEIRA's regime was characterized by the suppression of political opposition and the purging of political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In 1994 VIEIRA was elected president in the country's first free elections. A military mutiny and resulting civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in May 1999. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba YALA, after he was elected president in transparent polling. In September 2003, after only three years in office, YALA was ousted by the military in a bloodless coup, and businessman Henrique ROSA was sworn in as interim president. In 2005, former President VIEIRA was re-elected president pledging to pursue economic development and national reconciliation.

Geography

Guinea-Bissau

Location:

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal

Geographic coordinates:

12 00 N, 15 00 W

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 36,120 sq km land: 28,000 sq km water: 8,120 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries:

total: 724 km border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km

Coastline:

350 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Terrain:

mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the country 300 m

Natural resources:

fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum

Land use:

arable land: 8.31% permanent crops: 6.92% other: 84.77% (2005)

Irrigated land:

250 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

31 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.18 cu km/yr (13%/5%/82%) per capita: 113 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying inland

People

Guinea-Bissau

Population:

1,503,182 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 41% (male 307,353/female 308,726) 15-64 years: 55.9% (male 404,747/female 436,245) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 18,819/female 27,292) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 19.2 years male: 18.6 years female: 19.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.035% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

36.4 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

16.05 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 101.64 deaths/1,000 live births male: 111.74 deaths/1,000 live births female: 91.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 47.52 years male: 45.71 years female: 49.39 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.72 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

10% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

17,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

1,200 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Guinean(s) adjective: Guinean

Ethnic groups:

African 99% (includes Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%

Religions:

Muslim 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 10%

Languages:

Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 42.4% male: 58.1% female: 27.4% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 5 years male: 7 years female: 4 years (2001)

Education expenditures:

5.2% of GDP (1999)

Government

Guinea-Bissau

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau conventional short form: Guinea-Bissau local long form: Republica da Guine-Bissau local short form: Guine-Bissau former: Portuguese Guinea

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Bissau geographic coordinates: 11 51 N, 15 35 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note - Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos

Independence:

24 September 1973 (declared); 10 September 1974 (from Portugal)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 24 September (1973)

Constitution:

16 May 1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, and in 1996

Legal system:

based on French civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA (since 1 October 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Carlos CORREIA (since 5 August 2008) cabinet: NA elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 24 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the legislature election results: Joao Bernardo VIEIRA elected president; percent of vote, second ballot - Joao Bernardo VIEIRA 52.4%, Malam Bacai SANHA 47.6%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held 16 November 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - PAIGC 31.5%, PRS 24.8%, PUSD 16.1%, UE 4.1%, APU 1.3%, 13 other parties 22.2%; seats by party - PAIGC 45, PRS 35, PUSD 17, UE 2, APU 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica (consists of nine justices appointed by the president and serve at his pleasure; final court of appeals in criminal and civil cases); Regional Courts (one in each of nine regions; first court of appeals for Sectoral Court decisions; hear all felony cases and civil cases valued at more than $1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are not necessarily trained lawyers; they hear civil cases valued at less than $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases)

Political parties and leaders:

African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde

or PAIGC [Carlos GOMES Junior]; Party for Social Renewal or PRS

[Kumba YALA]; Democratic Social Front or FDS; Electoral Union or UE;

Guinea-Bissau Civic Forum/Social Democracy or FCGSD [Antonieta Rosa

GOMES]; Guinea-Bissau Democratic Party or PDG; Guinea-Bissau

Socialist Democratic Party or PDSG [Serifo BALDE]; Labor and

Solidarity Party or PST [Iancuba INDJAI]; Party for Democratic

Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA]; Party for Renewal and Progress

or PRP; Progress Party or PP [Ibrahima SOW]; Union for Change or UM

[Amine SAAD]; Union of Guinean Patriots or UPG [Francisca VAZ];

United Platform or UP (coalition formed by PCD, FDS, FLING, and

RGB-MB); United Popular Alliance or APU; United Social Democratic

Party or PUSD

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional),

WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: none; note - Guinea-Bissau does not have official representation in Washington, DC

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US Embassy suspended operations on 14 June 1998 in the midst of violent conflict between forces loyal to then President VIEIRA and military-led junta; the US Ambassador to Senegal is accredited to Guinea-Bissau

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy

Guinea-Bissau

Economy - overview:

One of the five poorest countries in the world, Guinea-Bissau depends mainly on farming and fishing. Cashew crops have increased remarkably in recent years, and the country now ranks sixth in cashew production. Guinea-Bissau exports fish and seafood along with small amounts of peanuts, palm kernels, and timber. Rice is the major crop and staple food. However, intermittent fighting between Senegalese-backed government troops and a military junta destroyed much of the country's infrastructure and caused widespread damage to the economy in 1998; the civil war led to a 28% drop in GDP that year, with partial recovery in 1999-2002. Before the war, trade reform and price liberalization were the most successful part of the country's structural adjustment program under IMF sponsorship. The tightening of monetary policy and the development of the private sector had also begun to reinvigorate the economy. Because of high costs, the development of petroleum, phosphate, and other mineral resources is not a near-term prospect. Offshore oil prospecting is underway in several sectors but has not yet led to commercially viable crude deposits. The inequality of income distribution is one of the most extreme in the world. The government and international donors continue to work out plans to forward economic development from a lamentably low base. In December 2003, the World Bank, IMF, and UNDP were forced to step in to provide emergency budgetary support in the amount of $107 million for 2004, representing over 80% of the total national budget. Government drift and indecision, however, resulted in continued low growth in 2002-06. Higher raw material prices boosted growth to 3.7% in 2007.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$826.4 million (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$343 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 62% industry: 12% services: 26% (1999 est.)

Labor force:

480,000 (1999)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 82% industry and services: 18% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 42.4% (1991)

Budget:

revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$142.5 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$12.04 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$46.44 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish

Industries:

agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks

Industrial production growth rate:

4.7% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:

60 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

55.8 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2,520 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

2,560 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$6 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$133 million f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber

Exports - partners:

Brazil 56.2%, India 33.6%, Nigeria 8.3% (2007)

Imports:

$200 million f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products

Imports - partners:

Portugal 21.7%, Senegal 16.8%, France 6%, Pakistan 4.7% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$79.12 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$941.5 million (2000 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Currency code:

XOF; GWP

Exchange rates:

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Communications

Guinea-Bissau

Telephones - main lines in use:

4,600 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

296,200 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: small system domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and cellular communications; fixed-line teledensity less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity reached 20 per 100 in 2007 international: country code - 245

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios:

49,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

NA (2005)

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.gw

Internet hosts:

82 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2002)

Internet users:

37,000 (2006)

Transportation

Guinea-Bissau

Airports:

27 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 24 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 19 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 3,455 km paved: 965 km unpaved: 2,490 km (2002)

Waterways:

rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim

Military

Guinea-Bissau

Military branches:

People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP): Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary force

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for selective compulsory military service (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 344,087 females age 16-49: 347,886 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 188,605 females age 16-49: 195,429 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 16,634 female: 16,841 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Guinea-Bissau

Disputes - international:

in 2006, political instability within Senegal's Casamance region resulted in thousands of Senegalese refugees, cross-border raids, and arms smuggling into Guinea-Bissau

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 7,454 (Senegal) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Guinea-Bissau is a source country for children trafficked primarily for forced begging and forced agricultural labor to other West African countries tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for the second year in a row, Guinea-Bissau is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons, as evidenced by the continued failure to pass an anti-trafficking law and inadequate efforts to investigate or prosecute trafficking crimes or convict and punish trafficking offenders (2008)

Illicit drugs:

increasingly important transit country for South American cocaine enroute to Europe; enabling environment for trafficker operations thanks to pervasive corruption; archipelago-like geography around the capital facilitates drug smuggling

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Guyana

Introduction

Guyana

Background:

Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to black settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured servants from India to work the sugar plantations. This ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is considered the country's first free and fair election since independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Janet JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001 and again in 2006.

Geography

Guyana

Location:

Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between

Suriname and Venezuela

Geographic coordinates:

5 00 N, 59 00 W

Map references:

South America

Area:

total: 214,970 sq km land: 196,850 sq km water: 18,120 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Idaho

Land boundaries:

total: 2,949 km border countries: Brazil 1,606 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km

Coastline:

459 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two rainy seasons (May to August, November to January)

Terrain:

mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m

Natural resources:

bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish

Land use:

arable land: 2.23% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 97.63% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,500 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

241 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.64 cu km/yr (2%/1%/98%) per capita: 2,187 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons

Environment - current issues:

water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial chemicals; deforestation

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname and Uruguay; substantial portions of its western and eastern territories are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively

People

Guyana

Population:

770,794 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 25.9% (male 101,712/female 97,907) 15-64 years: 68.7% (male 267,239/female 262,188) 65 years and over: 5.4% (male 17,610/female 24,138) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 28.2 years male: 27.7 years female: 28.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.211% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

17.85 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-7.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 30.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 33.87 deaths/1,000 live births female: 26.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 66.43 years male: 63.81 years female: 69.18 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.03 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

2.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

11,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

1,100 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Guyanese (singular and plural) adjective: Guyanese

Ethnic groups:

East Indian 43.5%, black (African) 30.2%, mixed 16.7%, Amerindian 9.1%, other 0.5% (2002 census)

Religions:

Hindu 28.4%, Pentecostal 16.9%, Roman Catholic 8.1%, Anglican 6.9%, Seventh Day Adventist 5%, Methodist 1.7%, Jehovah Witness 1.1%, other Christian 17.7%, Muslim 7.2%, other 4.3%, none 4.3% (2002 census)

Languages:

English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Urdu

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98.8% male: 99.1% female: 98.5% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

8.3% of GDP (2006)

Government

Guyana

Country name:

conventional long form: Cooperative Republic of Guyana conventional short form: Guyana former: British Guiana

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Georgetown geographic coordinates: 6 48 N, 58 10 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

10 regions; Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Demerara-Mahaica, East

Berbice-Corentyne, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, Mahaica-Berbice,

Pomeroon-Supenaam, Potaro-Siparuni, Upper Demerara-Berbice, Upper

Takutu-Upper Essequibo

Independence:

26 May 1966 (from UK)

National holiday:

Republic Day, 23 February (1970)

Constitution:

6 October 1980

Legal system:

based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August 1999); note - assumed presidency after resignation of President Janet JAGAN and was reelected in 2001, and again in 2006 head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since October 1992, except for a period as chief of state after the death of President Cheddi JAGAN on 6 March 1997) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president, responsible to the legislature elections: president elected by popular vote as leader of a party list in parliamentary elections, which must be held at least every five years (no term limits); elections last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of vote 54.6%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly (65 seats; members elected by popular vote, also not more than 4 non-elected non-voting ministers and 2 non-elected non-voting parliamentary secretaries appointed by the president; to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PPP/C 54.6%, PNC/R 34%, AFC 8.1%, other 3.3%; seats by party - PPP/C 36, PNC/R 22, AFC 5, other 2

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Judicature, consisting of the High Court and the

Judicial Court of Appeal, with right of final appeal to the

Caribbean Court of Justice

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance for Change or AFC [Raphael TROTMAN and Khemraj RAMJATTAN];

Guyana Action Party or GAP [Paul HARDY]; Justice for All Party [C.N.

SHARMA]; People's National Congress/Reform or PNC/R [Robert Herman

Orlando CORBIN]; People's Progressive Party/Civic or PPP/C [Bharrat

JAGDEO]; Rise, Organize, and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi DEV]; The United

Force or TUF [Manzoor NADIR]; The Unity Party [Joey JAGAN]; Vision

Guyana [Peter RAMSAROOP]; Working People's Alliance or WPA [Rupert

ROOPNARAINE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Amerindian People's Association; Guyana Bar Association; Guyana

Citizens Initiative; Guyana Human Rights Association; Guyana Public

Service Union or GPSU; Private Sector Commission; Trades Union

Congress

International organization participation:

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO

(subscriber), ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW,

PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Bayney KARRAN chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900 FAX: [1] (202) 232-1297 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador John Melvin JONES embassy: US Embassy, 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown; US Embassy, 3170 Georgetown Place, Washington DC 20521-3170 telephone: [592] 225-4900 through 4909 FAX: [592] 225-8497

Flag description:

green, with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow, black border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white border between the yellow and the green

Economy

Guyana

Economy - overview:

The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in 2001-07, based on expansion in the agricultural and mining sectors, a more favorable atmosphere for business initiatives, a more realistic exchange rate, fairly low inflation, and the continued support of international organizations. Economic recovery since the 2005 flood-related contraction has been buoyed by increases in remittances and foreign direct investment. Chronic problems include a shortage of skilled labor and a deficient infrastructure. The government is juggling a sizable external debt against the urgent need for expanded public investment. In March 2007, the Inter-American Development Bank, Guyana's principal donor, canceled Guyana's nearly $470 million debt, equivalent to nearly 48% of GDP. The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near term from restructuring and partial privatization, and the state-owned sugar industry will conduct efficiency increasing modernizations. Export earnings from agriculture and mining have fallen sharply, while the import bill has risen, driven by higher energy prices. Guyana's entrance into the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) in January 2006 will broaden the country's export market, primarily in the raw materials sector.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.819 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.039 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$3,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 31.1% industry: 21.7% services: 47.1% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

418,000 (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Unemployment rate:

9.1% (understated) (2000)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.3% highest 10%: 33.8% (1999)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

43.2 (1999)

Investment (gross fixed):

34.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $446.2 million expenditures: $531.2 million (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

12.3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

14.61% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$315.2 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$728.8 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$739.3 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

sugarcane, rice, shrimp, fish, vegetable oils; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products

Industries:

bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining

Industrial production growth rate:

-26.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

901 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

747 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 99.4% hydro: 0.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

10,440 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

10,960 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$157 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$683 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

sugar, gold, bauxite, alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum, timber

Exports - partners:

Canada 18.7%, US 16.5%, UK 9.1%, Portugal 7.6%, Trinidad and Tobago 5.2%, France 4.7%, Netherlands 4.6%, Jamaica 4% (2007)

Imports:

$1.006 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food

Imports - partners:

Trinidad and Tobago 26.2%, US 20.5%, Cuba 7.2%, China 7.1%, UK 5.4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$136.8 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$313 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.2 billion (2002)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$187.3 million (2005)

Currency (code):

Guyanese dollar (GYD)

Currency code:

GYD

Exchange rates:

Guyanese dollars (GYD) per US dollar - 201.89 (2007), 200.28 (2006), 200.79 (2005), 198.31 (2004), 193.88 (2003)

Communications

Guyana

Telephones - main lines in use:

110,100 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

281,400 (2005)

Telephone system:

general assessment: fair system for long-distance service domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines; fixed-line teledensity is about 15 per 100 persons; many areas still lack fixed-line telephone services; mobile-cellular teledensity reached 37 per 100 persons in 2005 international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

420,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (1 public station; 2 private stations which relay US satellite services) (1997)

Televisions:

46,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.gy

Internet hosts:

6,218 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

3 (2000)

Internet users:

190,000 (2007)

Transportation

Guyana

Airports:

93 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 under 914 m: 6 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 84 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 69 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 7,970 km paved: 590 km unpaved: 7,380 km (2000)

Waterways:

Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 8 by type: cargo 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1 registered in other countries: 3 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, unknown 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Georgetown

Military

Guyana

Military branches:

Guyana Defense Force: Army (includes Coast Guard, Air Corps) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 220,797 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 150,623 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 6,713 female: 6,451 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.8% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Guyana

Disputes - international:

all of the area west of the Essequibo River is claimed by Venezuela preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before UNCLOS that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks arbitration under provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Guyana is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; most trafficking appears to take place in remote mining camps in the country's interior; some women and girls are trafficked from northern Brazil; reporting from other nations suggests Guyanese women and girls are trafficked for sexual exploitation to neighboring countries and Guyanese men and boys are subject to labor exploitation in construction and agriculture; trafficking victims from Suriname, Brazil, and Venezuela transit Guyana en route to Caribbean destinations tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, Guyana is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking, particularly in the area of law enforcement actions against trafficking offenders; the government has yet to produce an anti-trafficking conviction under the comprehensive Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, which became law in 2005; the government operates no shelters for trafficking victims, but did include limited funding for anti-trafficking NGOs in its 2008 budget; the government did not make any effort to reduce demand for commercial sex acts during 2007 (2008)

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for narcotics from South America - primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis; rising money laundering related to drug trafficking and human smuggling

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Haiti

Introduction

Haiti

Background:

The native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola, and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean, but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first black republic to declare its independence in 1804. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence and technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti finally did inaugurate a democratically elected president and parliament in May of 2006.

Geography

Haiti

Location:

Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican Republic

Geographic coordinates:

19 00 N, 72 25 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 27,750 sq km land: 27,560 sq km water: 190 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:

total: 360 km border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km

Coastline:

1,771 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: to depth of exploitation

Climate:

tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Terrain:

mostly rough and mountainous

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m

Natural resources:

bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 28.11% permanent crops: 11.53% other: 60.36% (2005)

Irrigated land:

920 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

14 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.99 cu km/yr (5%/1%/94%) per capita: 116 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion; inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes

Geography - note:

shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)

People

Haiti

Population:

8,924,553 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 41.8% (male 1,881,509/female 1,851,591) 15-64 years: 54.7% (male 2,386,761/female 2,495,233) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 135,695/female 173,764) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.5 years male: 18.1 years female: 19 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.493% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

35.69 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.15 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 62.33 deaths/1,000 live births male: 66.88 deaths/1,000 live births female: 57.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 57.56 years male: 55.83 years female: 59.35 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.79 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

5.6% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

280,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

24,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Haitian(s) adjective: Haitian

Ethnic groups:

black 95%, mulatto and white 5%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% note: roughly half of the population practices voodoo

Languages:

French (official), Creole (official)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 52.9% male: 54.8% female: 51.2% (2003 est.)

Education expenditures:

1.4% of GDP (1991)

Government

Haiti

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Haiti conventional short form: Haiti local long form: Republique d'Haiti/Repiblik d' Ayiti local short form: Haiti/Ayiti

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Port-au-Prince geographic coordinates: 18 32 N, 72 20 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

10 departments (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre, Grand 'Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est

Independence:

1 January 1804 (from France)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 1 January (1804)

Constitution:

approved March 1987; suspended June 1988 with most articles reinstated March 1989; constitutional government ousted in a military coup in September 1991, although in October 1991, military government claimed to be observing the constitution; returned to constitutional rule in October 1994; constitution, while technically in force between 2004-2006, was not enforced; returned to constitutional rule in May 2006

Legal system:

based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Michele PIERRE-LOUIS (since 5 September 2008) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 7 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the president, ratified by the National Assembly election results: Rene PREVAL elected president; percent of vote - Rene PREVAL 51%

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of the Senate (30 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber of Deputies (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - in reestablishing the Senate, the candidate in each department receiving the most votes in the last election serves six years, the candidate with the second most votes serves four years, and the candidate with the third most votes serves two years elections: Senate - last held 21 April 2006 with run-off elections on 3 December 2006 (next regular election, for one third of seats, to be held in 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 April 2006 with run-off elections on 3 December 2006 and 29 April 2007 (next regular election to be held in 2010) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 11, FUSION 5, OPL 4, FL 3, LAAA 2, UNCRH 2, PONT 2, ALYANS 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - L'ESPWA 23, FUSION 17, FRN 12, OPL 10, ALYANS 10, LAAA 5, MPH 3, MOCHRENA 3, other 10; results for six other seats contested on 3 December 2006 remain unknown

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation

Political parties and leaders:

Artibonite in Action or LAAA [Youri LATORTUE]; Assembly of

Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Convention

for Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL]; Cooperative Action to

Build Haiti or KONBA [Evans LESCOUFALIR]; Democratic Alliance or

ALYANS [Evans PAUL] (coalition composed of KID and PPRH); Effort and

Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [Joseph

JASME]; For Us All or PONT [Jean-Marie CHERESTAL]; Front for Hope or

L'ESPWA [Rene PREVAL] (alliance of ESKAMP, PLB, and grass-roots

organizations Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, the Central Plateau

Peasants' Group, and Kombit Sudest); Haitian Christian Democratic

Party or PDCH [Osner FEVRY and Marie-Denise CLAUDE]; Haitian

Democratic and Reform Movement or MODEREH [Dany TOUSSAINT and Pierre

Soncon PRINCE]; Heads Together or Tet-Ansanm [Dr. Gerard BLOT];

Independent Movement for National Reconciliation or MIRN [Luc

FLEURINORD]; Justice for Peace and National Development or JPDN

[Rigaud DUPLAN]; Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Rudy HERIVEAUX]; Liberal Party

of Haiti or PLH [Gehy MICHEL]; Merging of Haitian Social Democratic

Parties or FUSION or FPSDH [Serge GILLES] (coalition of Ayiti

Capable, Haitian National Revolutionary Party, and National Congress

of Democratic Movements); Mobilization for Haiti's Development or

MPH [Samir MOURRA]; Mobilization for National Development or MDN

[Hubert de RONCERAY]; Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN

[Jean Henold BUTEAU]; Movement for the Installation of Democracy in

Haiti or MIDH [Marc BAZIN]; National Christian Union for the

Reconstruction of Haiti or UNCRH [Marie Claude GERMAIN]; National

Front for the Reconstruction of Haiti or FRN [Guy PHILIPPE]; New

Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Open

the Gate Party or PLB [Anes LUBIN]; Popular Party for the Renewal of

Haiti or PPRH [Claude ROMAIN]; Struggling People's Organization or

OPL [Edgard LEBLANC]; Union of Nationalist and Progressive Haitians

or UNITE [Edouard FRANCISQUE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [Fignole

ST-CYR]; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of

Workers Trade Unions or FOS; General Organization of Independent

Haitian Workers [Patrick NUMAS]; Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, or

KOREGA; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants Movement

or MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE]; Popular Organizations Gathering

Power or PROP; Protestant Federation of Haiti; Roman Catholic Church

International organization participation:

ACP, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW,

PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Raymond JOSEPH chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-4090 FAX: [1] (202) 745-7215 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Janet A. SANDERSON embassy: Tabarre 41, Route de Tabarre, Port-au-Prince mailing address: use mailing address telephone: [509] 229-8000 FAX: [509] 229-8028

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength)

Economy

Haiti

Economy - overview:

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with 80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in abject poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agricultural sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters, exacerbated by the country's widespread deforestation. A macroeconomic program developed in 2005 with the help of the International Monetary Fund helped the economy grow 3.5% in 2007, the highest growth rate since 1999. US economic engagement under the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act, passed in December 2006, has boosted the garment and automotive parts exports and investment by providing tariff-free access to the US. Haiti suffers from high inflation, a lack of investment because of insecurity and limited infrastructure, and a severe trade deficit. In 2005, Haiti paid its arrears to the World Bank, paving the way for reengagement with the Bank. The government relies on formal international economic assistance for fiscal sustainability. Remittances are the primary source of foreign exchange, equaling nearly a quarter of GDP and more than twice the earnings from exports.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$11.38 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$5.435 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 28% industry: 20% services: 52% (2004 est.)

Labor force:

3.6 million note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1995)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 66% industry: 9% services: 25% (1995)

Unemployment rate:

widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:

80% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 47.7% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

59.2 (2001)

Investment (gross fixed):

28.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $815.9 million expenditures: $802.2 million (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 October - 30 September

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8.5% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

46.99% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$704.7 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.561 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.537 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood

Industries:

sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light assembly based on imported parts

Industrial production growth rate:

2.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

549 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

330 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 60.3% hydro: 39.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

12,370 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

11,980 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$467 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$522 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

apparel, manufactures, oils, cocoa, mangoes, coffee

Exports - partners:

US 72.9%, Dominican Republic 8.8%, Canada 3.3% (2007)

Imports:

$1.734 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, raw materials

Imports - partners:

US 41.2%, Netherlands Antilles 14.9%, China 4.7%, Brazil 4.4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$515 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$444 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.475 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

gourde (HTG)

Currency code:

HTG

Exchange rates:

gourdes (HTG) per US dollar - 37.138 (2007), 40.232 (2006), 40.449 (2005), 38.352 (2004), 42.367 (2003)

Communications

Haiti

Telephones - main lines in use:

150,000 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.2 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: domestic facilities barely adequate; international facilities slightly better; telephone density in Haiti remains the lowest in the Latin American and Caribbean region domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 25 per 100 persons international: country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999)

Radios:

415,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997)

Televisions:

38,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ht

Internet hosts:

7 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

3 (2000)

Internet users:

1 million (2007)

Transportation

Haiti

Airports:

14 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 4,160 km paved: 1,011 km unpaved: 3,149 km (2000)

Ports and terminals:

Cap-Haitien

Military

Haiti

Military branches:

no regular military forces - small Coast Guard; the regular Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH) - Army, Navy, and Air Force - have been demobilized but still exist on paper unless they are constitutionally abolished (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,047,083 females age 16-49: 2,047,953 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,303,743 females age 16-49: 1,332,316 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 105,655 female: 104,376 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.4% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Haiti

Disputes - international:

since 2004, about 8,000 peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) maintain civil order in Haiti; despite efforts to control illegal migration, Haitians cross into the Dominican Republic and sail to neighboring countries; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island

Illicit drugs:

Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US and Europe; substantial bulk cash smuggling activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Haiti for illicit financial transactions; pervasive corruption; significant consumer of cannabis

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Introduction

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Background:

These uninhabited, barren, sub-Antarctic islands were transferred from the UK to Australia in 1947. Populated by large numbers of seal and bird species, the islands have been designated a nature preserve.

Geography

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Location:

islands in the Indian Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica

Geographic coordinates:

53 06 S, 72 31 E

Map references:

Antarctic Region

Area:

total: 412 sq km land: 412 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

101.9 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

antarctic

Terrain:

Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak); McDonald Islands - small and rocky

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mawson Peak, on Big Ben 2,745 m

Natural resources:

fish

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is on Heard Island

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

Mawson Peak on Heard Island is the highest Australian mountain (at 2,745 meters, it is taller than Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia proper), and one of only two active volcanoes located in Australian territory, the other being McDonald Island; in 1992, McDonald Island broke its dormancy and began erupting; it has erupted several times since, the most recent being in 2005

People

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Population:

uninhabited

Government

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands abbreviation: HIMI

Dependency status:

territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts

Legal system:

the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (territory of Australia)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (territory of Australia)

Flag description:

the flag of Australia is used

Economy

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Economy - overview:

The islands have no indigenous economic activity, but the Australian

Government allows limited fishing in the surrounding waters.

Communications

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Internet country code:

.hm

Transportation

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Ports and terminals:

none; offshore anchorage only

Military

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of Australia; Australia conducts fisheries patrols

Transnational Issues

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Holy See (Vatican City)

Introduction

Holy See (Vatican City)

Background:

Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include religious freedom, international development, the environment, the Middle East, China, the decline of religion in Europe, terrorism, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About one billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith.

Geography

Holy See (Vatican City)

Location:

Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy)

Geographic coordinates:

41 54 N, 12 27 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 0.44 sq km land: 0.44 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

total: 3.2 km border countries: Italy 3.2 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to May) with hot, dry summers (May to September)

Terrain:

urban; low hill

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: unnamed location 19 m highest point: unnamed location 75 m

Natural resources:

none

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (urban area) (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

NA

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Climate Change signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification

Geography - note:

landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; beyond the territorial boundary of Vatican City, the Lateran Treaty of 1929 grants the Holy See extraterritorial authority over 23 sites in Rome and five outside of Rome, including the Pontifical Palace at Castel Gandolfo (the Pope's summer residence)

People

Holy See (Vatican City)

Population:

824 (July 2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.003% (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: none adjective: none

Ethnic groups:

Italians, Swiss, other

Religions:

Roman Catholic

Languages:

Italian, Latin, French, various other languages

Literacy:

definition: NA total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100%

Government

Holy See (Vatican City)

Country name:

conventional long form: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City) conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City) local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano) local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)

Government type:

ecclesiastical

Capital:

name: Vatican City geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 27 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

none

Independence:

11 February 1929 (from Italy); note - the three treaties signed with Italy on 11 February 1929 acknowledged, among other things, the full sovereignty of the Vatican and established its territorial extent; however, the origin of the Papal States, which over the years have varied considerably in extent, may be traced back to the 8th century

National holiday:

Coronation Day of Pope BENEDICT XVI, 24 April (2005)

Constitution:

new Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN PAUL II on 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaces the first Fundamental Law of 1929)

Legal system:

based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to it

Suffrage:

limited to cardinals less than 80 years old

Executive branch:

chief of state: Pope BENEDICT XVI (since 19 April 2005) head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio BERTONE (since 15 September 2006) cabinet: Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City appointed by the pope elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 19 April 2005 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope election results: Joseph RATZINGER elected Pope BENEDICT XVI

Legislative branch:

unicameral Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City

Judicial branch:

there are three tribunals responsible for civil and criminal matters within Vatican City; three other tribunals rule on issues pertaining to the Holy See note: judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio of Pope PIUS XII on 1 May 1946

Political parties and leaders:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers)

International organization participation:

CE (observer), IAEA, Interpol, IOM (observer), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, Union Latina (observer), UNWTO (observer), UPU, WFTU, WIPO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Pietro SAMBI chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121 FAX: [1] (202) 337-4036

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Mary Ann GLENDON embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00153 Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 66, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428 FAX: [39] (06) 575-8346

Flag description:

two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the arms of the Holy See, consisting of the crossed keys of Saint Peter surmounted by the three-tiered papal tiara, centered in the white band

Economy

Holy See (Vatican City)

Economy - overview:

This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by an annual contribution (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman Catholic dioceses throughout the world; by the sale of postage stamps, coins, medals, and tourist mementos; by fees for admission to museums; and by the sale of publications. Investments and real estate income also account for a sizable portion of revenue. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$NA

Labor force:

NA

Labor force - by occupation:

note: essentially services with a small amount of industry; nearly all dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and the approximately 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Budget:

revenues: $310 million expenditures: $307 million (2006)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Industries:

printing; production of coins, medals, postage stamps; a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities

Electricity - production:

NA kWh

Electricity - consumption:

NA kWh

Electricity - imports:

NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Holy See (Vatican City)

Telephones - main lines in use:

5,120 (2005)

Telephone system:

general assessment: automatic digital exchange domestic: connected via fiber optic cable to Telecom Italia network international: country code - 39; uses Italian system

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 4, FM 3, shortwave 2 (2004)

Radios:

NA

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2005)

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.va

Internet hosts:

55 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

NA

Internet users:

93 (2000)

Military

Holy See (Vatican City)

Military branches:

Pontifical Swiss Guard (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera Pontificia) (2007)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of Italy; ceremonial and limited security duties performed by Pontifical Swiss Guard

Transnational Issues

Holy See (Vatican City)

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Honduras

Introduction

Honduras

Background:

Once part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras became an independent nation in 1821. After two and a half decades of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came to power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras proved a haven for anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Marxist Nicaraguan Government and an ally to Salvadoran Government forces fighting leftist guerrillas. The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which killed about 5,600 people and caused approximately $2 billion in damage.

Geography

Honduras

Location:

Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua

Geographic coordinates:

15 00 N, 86 30 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 112,090 sq km land: 111,890 sq km water: 200 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Tennessee

Land boundaries:

total: 1,520 km border countries: Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km

Coastline:

820 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: natural extension of territory or to 200 nm

Climate:

subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Terrain:

mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m

Natural resources:

timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 9.53% permanent crops: 3.21% other: 87.26% (2005)

Irrigated land:

800 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

95.9 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.86 cu km/yr (8%/12%/80%) per capita: 119 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean coast

Environment - current issues:

urban population expanding; deforestation results from logging and the clearing of land for agricultural purposes; further land degradation and soil erosion hastened by uncontrolled development and improper land use practices such as farming of marginal lands; mining activities polluting Lago de Yojoa (the country's largest source of fresh water), as well as several rivers and streams, with heavy metals

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast

People

Honduras

Population:

7,639,327 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 38.7% (male 1,508,835/female 1,446,530) 15-64 years: 57.8% (male 2,210,187/female 2,203,620) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 121,839/female 148,316) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 20 years male: 19.7 years female: 20.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.024% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

26.93 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.36 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-1.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 24.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 27.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 69.37 years male: 67.81 years female: 71.01 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.38 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.8% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

63,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

4,100 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Honduran(s) adjective: Honduran

Ethnic groups:

mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%, black 2%, white 1%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3%

Languages:

Spanish, Amerindian dialects

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 80% male: 79.8% female: 80.2% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 12 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

3.8% of GDP (1991)

Government

Honduras

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Honduras conventional short form: Honduras local long form: Republica de Honduras local short form: Honduras

Government type:

democratic constitutional republic

Capital:

name: Tegucigalpa geographic coordinates: 14 06 N, 87 13 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

Administrative divisions:

18 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Atlantida,

Choluteca, Colon, Comayagua, Copan, Cortes, El Paraiso, Francisco

Morazan, Gracias a Dios, Intibuca, Islas de la Bahia, La Paz,

Lempira, Ocotepeque, Olancho, Santa Barbara, Valle, Yoro

Independence:

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution:

11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended many times

Legal system:

rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law with increasing influence of English common law; recent judicial reforms include abandoning Napoleonic legal codes in favor of the oral adversarial system; accepts ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Jose Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (since 27 January 2006); Vice President Elvin Ernesto SANTOS Ordonez (since 27 January 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Jose Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (since 27 January 2006); Vice President Elvin Ernesto SANTOS Ordonez (since 27 January 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2009) election results: Jose Manuel ZELAYA Rosales elected president - 49.8%, Porfirio "Pepe" LOBO Sosa 46.1%, other 4.1%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (128 seats; members are elected proportionally to the number of votes their party's presidential candidate receives to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL 62, PN 55, PUD 5, PDC 4, PINU 2

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (15 judges are elected for seven-year terms by the National Congress)

Political parties and leaders:

Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Felicito AVILA]; Democratic

Unification Party or PUD [Cesar HAM]; Liberal Party or PL [Patricia

RODAS]; National Innovation and Unity Party or PINU [Jorge AQUILAR

Paredes]; National Party of Honduras or PN [Porfirio LOBO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras or CODEH;

Confederation of Honduran Workers or CTH; Coordinating Committee of

Popular Organizations or CCOP; General Workers Confederation or CGT;

Honduran Council of Private Enterprise or COHEP; National

Association of Honduran Campesinos or ANACH; National Union of

Campesinos or UNC; Popular Bloc or BP; United Confederation of

Honduran Workers or CUTH

International organization participation:

BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO

(subscriber), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO,

NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union

Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Roberto FLORES BERMUDEZ chancery: Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-7702 FAX: [1] (202) 966-9751 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco honorary consulate(s): Boston, Detroit, Jacksonville

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Hugo LLORENS embassy: Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No. 3453, Tegucigalpa mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa telephone: [504] 236-9320, 238-5114 FAX: [504] 238-4357

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with five blue, five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band; the stars represent the members of the former Federal Republic of Central America - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua; similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which features a triangle encircled by the word REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom, centered in the white band

Economy

Honduras

Economy - overview:

Honduras, the second poorest country in Central America and one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, with an extraordinarily unequal distribution of income and massive unemployment, is banking on expanded trade under the US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and on debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Despite improvements in tax collections, the government's fiscal deficit is growing due to increases in current expenditures and financial losses from the state energy and telephone companies. Honduras is the fastest growing remittance destination in the region with inflows representing over a quarter of GDP, equivalent to nearly three-quarters of exports. The economy relies heavily on a narrow range of exports, notably bananas and coffee, making it vulnerable to natural disasters and shifts in commodity prices, however, investments in the maquila and non-traditional export sectors are slowly diversifying the economy. Growth remains dependent on the economy of the US, its largest trading partner, and on reduction of the high crime rate, as a means of attracting and maintaining investment.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$32.26 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$12.28 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$4,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 13.4% industry: 28.1% services: 58.6% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.779 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 34% industry: 23% services: 43% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:

27.8% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

50.7% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.2% highest 10%: 42.2% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

53.8 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

30.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $2.344 billion expenditures: $2.631 billion; including capital expenditures of $106 million (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

24.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

16.61% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.573 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$5.266 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$6.298 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp, tilapia, lobster; corn, African palm

Industries:

sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products

Industrial production growth rate:

4.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

5.753 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

4.233 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

11.8 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 50.2% hydro: 49.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

46,830 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

417.9 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

44,040 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$1.225 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$5.594 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

coffee, shrimp, bananas, gold, palm oil, fruit, lobster, lumber

Exports - partners:

US 67.2%, El Salvador 4.9%, Guatemala 3.9% (2007)

Imports:

$8.556 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, industrial raw materials, chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

US 52.4%, Guatemala 7.1%, El Salvador 5.2%, Mexico 4.5%, Costa Rica 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$680.8 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.546 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$3.411 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

lempira (HNL)

Currency code:

HNL

Exchange rates:

lempiras (HNL) per US dollar - 18.9 (2007), 18.895 (2006), 18.92 (2005), 18.206 (2004), 17.345 (2003)

Communications

Honduras

Telephones - main lines in use:

713,600 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.241 million (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: inadequate system domestic: beginning in 2003, private sub-operators allowed to provide fixed-lines in order to expand telephone coverage; fixed-line teledensity has increased to about 10 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone service has been increasing rapidly and subscribership in 2006 exceeded 30 per 100 persons international: country code - 504; landing point for both the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the MAYA-1 fiber optic submarine cable system that together provide connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 241, FM 53, shortwave 12 (1998)

Radios:

2.45 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

11 (plus 17 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

570,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.hn

Internet hosts:

13,370 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

8 (2000)

Internet users:

344,100 (2006)

Transportation

Honduras

Airports:

112 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 100 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 83 (2007)

Railways:

total: 699 km narrow gauge: 279 km 1.067-m gauge; 420 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 13,600 km paved: 2,775 km unpaved: 10,825 km (2000)

Waterways:

465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 123 by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 57, chemical tanker 6, container 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 25, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 42 (Bangladesh 1, Canada 1, China 3, Egypt 3, Greece 4, Hong Kong 1, Israel 1, Japan 4, South Korea 6, Lebanon 1, Mexico 1, Singapore 12, Taiwan 2, Tanzania 1, Vietnam 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

La Ceiba, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela

Military

Honduras

Military branches:

Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry), Honduran Air Force (Fuerza

Aerea Hondurena, FAH) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary 2 to 3-year military service (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,868,940 females age 16-49: 1,825,770 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,359,406 females age 16-49: 1,371,418 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 90,876 female: 87,292 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Honduras

Disputes - international:

International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El Salvador-Honduras border in 1992 with final settlement by the parties in 2006 after an Organization of American States (OAS) survey and a further ICJ ruling in 2003; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca with consideration of Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not mentioned in the ICJ ruling, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca; Honduras claims the Belizean-administered Sapodilla Cays off the coast of Belize in its constitution, but agreed to a joint ecological park around the cays should Guatemala consent to a maritime corridor in the Caribbean under the OAS-sponsored 2002 Belize-Guatemala Differendum; memorials and countermemorials were filed by the parties in Nicaragua's 1999 and 2001 proceedings against Honduras and Colombia at the ICJ over the maritime boundary and territorial claims in the western Caribbean Sea - final public hearings are scheduled for 2007

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for drugs and narcotics; illicit producer of cannabis, cultivated on small plots and used principally for local consumption; corruption is a major problem; some money-laundering activity

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Hong Kong

Introduction

Hong Kong

Background:

Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system would not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong would enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.

Geography

Hong Kong

Location:

Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Geographic coordinates:

22 15 N, 114 10 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 1,092 sq km land: 1,042 sq km water: 50 sq km

Area - comparative:

six times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

total: 30 km regional border: China 30 km

Coastline:

733 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate:

subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall

Terrain:

hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m

Natural resources:

outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar

Land use:

arable land: 5.05% permanent crops: 1.01% other: 93.94% (2001)

Irrigated land:

20 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:

occasional typhoons

Environment - current issues:

air and water pollution from rapid urbanization

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member)

Geography - note:

more than 200 islands

People

Hong Kong

Population:

7,018,636 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 12.6% (male 463,300/female 422,945) 15-64 years: 74.4% (male 2,535,246/female 2,684,495) 65 years and over: 13% (male 425,500/female 487,150) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 41.7 years male: 41.4 years female: 42 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.532% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

7.37 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.6 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

4.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 2.93 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.11 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 81.77 years male: 79.07 years female: 84.69 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

2,600 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Chinese/Hong Konger adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong

Ethnic groups:

Chinese 95%, Filipino 1.6%, Indonesian 1.3%, other 2.1% (2006 census)

Religions:

eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%

Languages:

Chinese (Cantonese) 89.2% (official), other Chinese dialects 6.4%,

English 3.2% (official), other 1.2% (2001 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 93.5% male: 96.9% female: 89.6% (2002)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 14 years female: 13 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.9% of GDP (2006)

Government

Hong Kong

Country name:

conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region conventional short form: Hong Kong local long form: Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu local short form: Xianggang abbreviation: HK

Dependency status:

special administrative region of China

Government type:

limited democracy

Administrative divisions:

none (special administrative region of China)

Independence:

none (special administrative region of China)

National holiday:

National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 1 July 1997 is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day

Constitution:

Basic Law, approved in March 1990 by China's National People's

Congress, is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution"

Legal system:

based on English common law

Suffrage:

direct election - 18 years of age for a number of non-executive positions; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; indirect election - limited to about 220,000 members of functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, central government bodies, and municipal organizations

Executive branch:

chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) head of government: Chief Executive Donald TSANG (since 24 June 2005) cabinet: Executive Council consists of 15 official members and 16 non-official members elections: chief executive elected for five-year term by 800-member electoral committee; last held on 25 March 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: Donald TSANG elected chief executive receiving 84.1% of the vote of the election committee; Alan LEONG received 15.9%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60 seats; 30 seats indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 30 elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 7 September 2008 (next to be held in September 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by parties - pro-Beijing 37; pro-democracy 23

Judicial branch:

Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Political parties and leaders:

Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood or ADPL [Frederick FUNG Kin-kee]; Citizens Party [Alex CHAN Kai-chung]; Civic Party [KUAN Hsin-chi]; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [TAM Yiu Cheng]; Democratic Party [Albert HO]; Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing]; League of Social Democrats [Raymond WONG]; Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun] note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Democratic Party, Frontier Party, League of Social Democrats; pro-Beijing - DAB, Liberal Party, The Alliance (a group of five generally pro-government and pro-business Legco members from functional constituencies); there is no political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties; politically active groups register as societies or companies

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China); Chinese

Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong; Confederation of Trade

Unions or CTU (pro-democracy) [LAU Chin-shek, president; LEE

Cheuk-yan, general secretary]; Federation of Hong Kong Industries;

Federation of Trade Unions or FTU (pro-China) [CHENG Yiu-tong,

executive councilor]; Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic

Democratic Movement in China [Szeto WAH, chairman]; Hong Kong and

Kowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan); Hong Kong General Chamber

of Commerce; Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union [CHEUNG

Man-kwong, president]; Neighborhood and Workers' Service Center or

NWSC (pro-democracy); The Alliance [Bernard CHARNWUT, executive

committee member]

International organization participation:

ADB, APEC, BIS, ICC, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITUC, UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (special administrative region of China); Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Washington and two other cities carries out normal liaison and communication with the US Government and other US entities

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Consul General Joseph A. DONOVAN, Jr. consulate(s) general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong mailing address: PSC 461, Box 1, FPO AP 96521-0006 telephone: [852] 2523-9011 FAX: [852] 2845-1598

Flag description:

red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in the center

Economy

Hong Kong

Economy - overview:

Hong Kong has a free market economy highly dependent on international trade. In 2006, the total value of goods and services trade, including the sizable share of reexports, was equivalent to 400% of GDP. The territory has become increasingly integrated with mainland China over the past few years through trade, tourism, and financial links. The mainland has long been Hong Kong's largest trading partner, accounting for 46% of Hong Kong's total trade by value in 2006. As a result of China's easing of travel restrictions, the number of mainland tourists to the territory has surged from 4.5 million in 2001 to 13.6 million in 2006, when they outnumbered visitors from all other countries combined. Hong Kong has also established itself as the premier stock market for Chinese firms seeking to list abroad. Bolstered by several successful initial public offerings in early 2007, by September 2007 mainland companies accounted for one-third of the firms listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and more than half of the Exchange's market capitalization. During the past decade, as Hong Kong's manufacturing industry moved to the mainland, its service industry has grown rapidly and now accounts for 91% of the territory's GDP. Hong Kong's natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% from 1989 to 2007, despite the economy suffering two recessions during the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98 and the global downturn in 2001-02. Hong Kong continues to link its currency closely to the US dollar, maintaining an arrangement established in 1983.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$293.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$206.7 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$42,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 0.1% industry: 8.1% services: 91.7% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

3.64 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

manufacturing 6.5%, construction 2.1%, wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 43.3%, financing, insurance, and real estate 20.7%, transport and communications 7.8%, community and social services 19.5% note: above data exclude public sector (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate:

4% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

53.3 (2007)

Investment (gross fixed):

20.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $36.9 billion expenditures: $29.4 billion (FY07-08 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Public debt:

12.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

5.75% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

6.75% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$51.25 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$578.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$259.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

fresh vegetables; poultry, pork; fish

Industries:

textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks

Industrial production growth rate:

-0.8% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

36.61 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

38.02 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

4.035 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

10.96 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

293,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

22,420 bbl/day (2006)

Oil - imports:

314,700 bbl/day (2006)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

2.69 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

2.69 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$28.04 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$345.9 billion f.o.b., including reexports (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material

Exports - partners:

China 48.7%, US 13.7%, Japan 4.5% (2007)

Imports:

$365.6 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods, capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most is re-exported)

Imports - partners:

China 46.3%, Japan 10%, Taiwan 7.1%, Singapore 6.8%, US 4.9%, South

Korea 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$6.95 million (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$152.7 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$588 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$1.185 trillion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$1.027 trillion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$2.97 trillion (2007 est.)

Currency (code):

Hong Kong dollar (HKD)

Currency code:

HKD

Exchange rates:

Hong Kong dollars (HKD) per US dollar - 7.802 (2007), 7.7678 (2006), 7.7773 (2005), 7.788 (2004), 7.7868 (2003)

Communications

Hong Kong

Telephones - main lines in use:

3.875 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

10.55 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network international: country code - 852; multiple international submarine cables provide connections to Asia, US, Australia, the Middle East, and Western Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:

4.45 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

55 (2 TV networks, each broadcasting on 2 channels) (2007)

Televisions:

1.84 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.hk

Internet hosts:

817,766 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

17 (2000)

Internet users:

3.961 million (2007)

Transportation

Hong Kong

Airports:

2 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports:

5 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 2,009 km paved: 2,009 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 1,114 by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 525, cargo 142, carrier 3, chemical tanker 68, combination ore/oil 2, container 205, liquefied gas 22, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 114, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 9, vehicle carrier 7 foreign-owned: 703 (Belgium 3, Canada 44, China 324, Denmark 24, France 1, Germany 6, Greece 22, Indonesia 7, Iran 15, Japan 111, South Korea 3, Norway 40, Philippines 1, Portugal 1, Russia 2, Singapore 18, Syria 1, Taiwan 11, UAE 1, UK 39, US 29) registered in other countries: 357 (Bahamas 30, Bermuda 4, Cambodia 8, China 12, Cyprus 2, Georgia 2, Honduras 1, India 1, Jamaica 1, Kiribati 4, Liberia 44, Malaysia 14, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 4, Mexico 1, Netherlands Antilles 2, Norway 20, Panama 130, Philippines 1, Portugal 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Seychelles 1, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 47, Tuvalu 7, UK 2, Vietnam 1, unknown 8) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Hong Kong

Military

Hong Kong

Military branches:

no regular indigenous military forces; Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) includes elements of the PLA Ground Forces, PLA Navy, and PLA Air Force; these forces are under the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission in Beijing and under administrative control of the adjacent Guangzhou Military Region (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,772,820 females age 16-49: 1,941,448 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,438,165 females age 16-49: 1,561,252 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 42,173 female: 38,753 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of China

Transnational Issues

Hong Kong

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

despite strenuous law enforcement efforts, faces difficult challenges in controlling transit of heroin and methamphetamine to regional and world markets; modern banking system provides conduit for money laundering; rising indigenous use of synthetic drugs, especially among young people

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Hungary

Introduction

Hungary

Background:

Hungary became a Christian kingdom in A.D. 1000 and for many centuries served as a bulwark against Ottoman Turkish expansion in Europe. The kingdom eventually became part of the polyglot Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed during World War I. The country fell under Communist rule following World War II. In 1956, a revolt and an announced withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact were met with a massive military intervention by Moscow. Under the leadership of Janos KADAR in 1968, Hungary began liberalizing its economy, introducing so-called "Goulash Communism." Hungary held its first multiparty elections in 1990 and initiated a free market economy. It joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004.

Geography

Hungary

Location:

Central Europe, northwest of Romania

Geographic coordinates:

47 00 N, 20 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 93,030 sq km land: 92,340 sq km water: 690 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries:

total: 2,185 km border countries: Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km, Serbia 166 km, Slovakia 676 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

Terrain:

mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Tisza River 78 m highest point: Kekes 1,014 m

Natural resources:

bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 49.58% permanent crops: 2.06% other: 48.36% (2005)

Irrigated land:

2,300 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

120 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 21.03 cu km/yr (9%/59%/32%) per capita: 2,082 cu m/yr (2001)

Environment - current issues:

the upgrading of Hungary's standards in waste management, energy efficiency, and air, soil, and water pollution to meet EU requirements will require large investments

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; strategic location astride main land routes between

Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as between Ukraine and

Mediterranean basin; the north-south flowing Duna (Danube) and Tisza

Rivers divide the country into three large regions

People

Hungary

Population:

9,930,915 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 15.2% (male 774,092/female 730,485) 15-64 years: 69.3% (male 3,393,630/female 3,488,011) 65 years and over: 15.6% (male 559,483/female 985,214) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 39.1 years male: 36.8 years female: 41.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.254% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

9.59 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

12.99 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 8.03 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.74 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.18 years male: 69 years female: 77.62 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.34 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

2,800 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Hungarian(s) adjective: Hungarian

Ethnic groups:

Hungarian 92.3%, Roma 1.9%, other or unknown 5.8% (2001 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 51.9%, Calvinist 15.9%, Lutheran 3%, Greek Catholic 2.6%, other Christian 1%, other or unspecified 11.1%, unaffiliated 14.5% (2001 census)

Languages:

Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.4% male: 99.5% female: 99.3% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

5.5% of GDP (2005)

Government

Hungary

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Hungary conventional short form: Hungary local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag local short form: Magyarorszag

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Budapest geographic coordinates: 47 30 N, 19 05 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 23 urban counties (singular - megyei varos), and 1 capital city (fovaros) counties: Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Csongrad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala urban counties: Bekescsaba, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Erd, Gyor, Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Salgotarjan, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szekszard, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem, Zalaegerszeg capital city: Budapest

Independence:

25 December 1000 (crowning of King STEPHEN I, traditional founding date)

National holiday:

Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August

Constitution:

18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949; revised 19 April 1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997 amendment streamlined the judicial system

Legal system:

based on the German-Austrian legal system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Laszlo SOLYOM (since 5 August 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Ferenc GYURCSANY (since 29 September 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; other ministers proposed by the prime minister and appointed and relieved of their duties by the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 6-7 June 2005 (next to be held by June 2010); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; election last held 29 September 2004 election results: Laszlo SOLYOM elected president by a simple majority in the third round of voting, 185 to 182; Ferenc GYURCSANY elected prime minister; result of legislative vote - 197 to 12 note: to be elected, the president must win two-thirds of legislative vote in the first two rounds or a simple majority in the third round

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules (386 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional and direct representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 9 and 23 April 2006 (next to be held in April 2010) election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote required for parliamentary representation in the first round) - MSzP 43.2%, Fidesz-KDNP 42%, SzDSz 6.5%, MDF 5%, other 3.3%; seats by party - MSzP 190, Fidesz-KDNP 164, SzDSz 20, MDF 11, independent 1; seats by party as of September 2008 - MSzP 189, Fidesz-KDNP 162, SzDSz 20, MDF 11, independent 3, vacant 1

Judicial branch:

Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms)

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance of Free Democrats or SzDSz [Gabor FODOR]; Christian

Democratic People's Party or KDNP [Zsolt SEMJEN]; Hungarian Civic

Alliance or Fidesz [Viktor ORBAN, chairman]; Hungarian Democratic

Forum or MDF [Ibolya DAVID]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSzP

[Ferenc GYURCSANY]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Air Work Group (works to reduce air pollution in towns and cities); Company For Freedom Rights (Tarsasag a Szabadsagjogokert) or TASZ (personal data protection); Danube Circle (protests the building of the Gabchikovo-Nagymaros dam); Green Future (protests the impact of lead contamination of local factory on health of the people); environmentalists: Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society (Magyar Madartani Egyesulet)or MME; Green Alternative (Zold Alternativa)

International organization participation:

Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA

(cooperating state), EU, FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA,

NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen

Convention, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL,

UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ferenc SOMOGYI chancery: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 362-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 966-8135 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador April H. FOLEY embassy: Szabadsag ter 12, H-1054 Budapest mailing address: pouch: American Embassy Budapest, 5270 Budapest Place, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5270 telephone: [36] (1) 475-4400 FAX: [36] (1) 475-4764

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green

Economy

Hungary

Economy - overview:

Hungary has made the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy, with a per capita income nearly two-thirds that of the EU-25 average. The private sector accounts for more than 80% of GDP. Foreign ownership of and investment in Hungarian firms are widespread, with cumulative foreign direct investment totaling more than $60 billion since 1989. Hungary issues investment-grade sovereign debt. International observers, however, have expressed concerns over Hungary's fiscal and current account deficits. In 2007, Hungary eliminated a trade deficit that had persisted for several years. Inflation declined from 14% in 1998 to a low of 3.7% in 2006, but jumped to 7.8% in 2007. Unemployment has persisted above 6%. Hungary's labor force participation rate of 57% is one of the lowest in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Germany is by far Hungary's largest economic partner. Policy challenges include cutting the public sector deficit to 4% of GDP by 2008, from about 6% in 2007. The government's austerity program of tax hikes and subsidy cuts has reduced Hungary's large budget deficit, but the reforms have dampened domestic consumption, slowing GDP growth to about 2% in 2007. The government will need to pass additional reforms to ensure the long-term stability of public finances. The government plans to eventually lower its public sector deficit to below 3% of GDP to adopt the euro.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$191.7 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$138.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

1.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$19,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.8% industry: 31.5% services: 65.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

4.19 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 5.5% industry: 33.3% services: 61.2% (2003)

Unemployment rate:

7.3% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

8.6% (1993 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 4% highest 10%: 22.2% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

28 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

20.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $64 billion expenditures: $71.87 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

67% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

7.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

9.09% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$36.78 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$43.07 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$109.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, corn, sunflower seed, potatoes, sugar beets; pigs, cattle, poultry, dairy products

Industries:

mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor vehicles

Industrial production growth rate:

3.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

37.66 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

37.11 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

10.69 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

14.68 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 60.1% hydro: 0.5% nuclear: 39% other: 0.3% (2001)

Oil - production:

32,580 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

162,800 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

66,660 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

178,400 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

20.18 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

2.545 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

13.36 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

138 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

10.45 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

8.098 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$8.018 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$87.77 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and equipment 61.1%, other manufactures 28.7%, food products 6.5%, raw materials 2%, fuels and electricity 1.6% (2003)

Exports - partners:

Germany 28.1%, Italy 5.6%, France 4.7%, Austria 4.6%, Romania 4.5%,

UK 4.5%, Slovakia 4.2%, Poland 4.2% (2007)

Imports:

$86.88 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment 51.6%, other manufactures 35.7%, fuels and electricity 7.7%, food products 3.1%, raw materials 2.0% (2003)

Imports - partners:

Germany 26.6%, China 7.8%, Russia 6.9%, Austria 6.1%, Italy 4.5%,

France 4.3%, Netherlands 4.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$302.6 million (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$24.05 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$125.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$108.6 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$45.54 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$41.93 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

forint (HUF)

Currency code:

HUF

Exchange rates:

forints (HUF) per US dollar - 186.16 (2007), 210.39 (2006), 199.58 (2005), 202.75 (2004), 224.31 (2003)

Communications

Hungary

Telephones - main lines in use:

3.251 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

11.03 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: the telephone system has been modernized and is capable of satisfying all requests for telecommunication service domestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunk services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was initiated in 1996; competition among mobile-cellular service providers has led to a sharp increase in the use of mobile cellular phones since 2000 and a decrease in the number of fixed-line connections international: country code - 36; Hungary has fiber-optic cable connections with all neighboring countries; the international switch is in Budapest; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system of ground terminals

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 17, FM 57, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios:

7.01 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

35 (plus 161 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

4.42 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.hu

Internet hosts:

1.879 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

16 (2000)

Internet users:

4.2 million (2007)

Transportation

Hungary

Airports:

46 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 20 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 26 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Heliports:

5 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 4,397 km; oil 990 km; refined products 335 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 8,057 km broad gauge: 36 km 1.524-m gauge standard gauge: 7,802 km 1.435-m gauge (2,628 km electrified) narrow gauge: 219 km 0.760-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 159,568 km paved: 70,050 km (30,874 km of interurban roads including 626 km of expressways) unpaved: 89,518 km (2005)

Waterways:

1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Budapest, Dunaujvaros, Gyor-Gonyu, Csepel, Baja, Mohacs (2003)

Military

Hungary

Military branches:

Ground Forces, Hungarian Air Force (Magyar Legiero, ML) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in June 2004; 6-month service obligation, with reserve obligation to age 50 (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,391,400 females age 16-49: 2,337,240 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,890,105 females age 16-49: 1,943,422 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 62,197 female: 59,267 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.75% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Hungary

Disputes - international:

bilateral government, legal, technical and economic working group negotiations continue in 2006 with Slovakia over Hungary's failure to complete its portion of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Hungary has implemented the strict Schengen border rules

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and cannabis and for South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; limited producer of precursor chemicals, particularly for amphetamine and methamphetamine; efforts to counter money laundering, related to organized crime and drug trafficking, are improving, but remain vulnerable; significant consumer of ecstasy

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Iceland

Introduction

Iceland

Background:

Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Limited home rule from Denmark was granted in 1874 and complete independence attained in 1944. Literacy, longevity, income, and social cohesion are first-rate by world standards.

Geography

Iceland

Location:

Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North

Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK

Geographic coordinates:

65 00 N, 18 00 W

Map references:

Arctic Region

Area:

total: 103,000 sq km land: 100,250 sq km water: 2,750 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Kentucky

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

4,970 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers

Terrain:

mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Hvannadalshnukur 2,110 m (at Vatnajokull glacier)

Natural resources:

fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite

Land use:

arable land: 0.07% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.93% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Total renewable water resources:

170 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.17 cu km/yr (34%/66%/0%) per capita: 567 cu m/yr (2003)

Natural hazards:

earthquakes and volcanic activity

Environment - current issues:

water pollution from fertilizer runoff; inadequate wastewater treatment

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic

Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,

Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Transboundary Air Pollution, Wetlands,

Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life

Conservation

Geography - note:

strategic location between Greenland and Europe; westernmost European country; Reykjavik is the northernmost national capital in the world; more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental Europe

People

Iceland

Population:

304,367 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 21% (male 32,500/female 31,566) 15-64 years: 67% (male 103,231/female 100,545) 65 years and over: 12% (male 16,530/female 19,995) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 34.8 years male: 34.4 years female: 35.3 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.783% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

13.5 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.81 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

1.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 3.25 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.39 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 80.55 years male: 78.43 years female: 82.76 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.91 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

220 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Icelander(s) adjective: Icelandic

Ethnic groups:

homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts 94%, population of foreign origin 6%

Religions:

Lutheran Church of Iceland 82.1%, Roman Catholic Church 2.4%,

Reykjavik Free Church 2.3%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 1.6%, other

Christian 2.8%, other religions 0.9%, unaffiliated 2.6%, other or

unspecified 5.5% (2006 est.)

Languages:

Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 18 years male: 17 years female: 19 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

7.6% of GDP (2004)

Government

Iceland

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Iceland conventional short form: Iceland local long form: Lydveldid Island local short form: Island

Government type:

constitutional republic

Capital:

name: Reykjavik geographic coordinates: 64 09 N, 21 57 W time difference: UTC (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

8 regions; Austurland, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Nordhurland Eystra, Nordhurland Vestra, Sudhurland, Sudhurnes, Vestfirdhir, Vesturland

Independence:

1 December 1918 (became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown); 17 June 1944 (from Denmark)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 17 June (1944)

Constitution:

16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944; amended many times

Legal system:

civil law system based on Danish law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON (since 1 August 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Geir H. HAARDE (since 7 June 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: president, largely a ceremonial post, is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (no term limits); election last held 26 June 2004 (next to be held in June 2008); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually the prime minister election results: Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON 85.6%, Baldur AGUSTSSON 12.5%, Astthor MAGNUSSON 1.9%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament or Althing (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 12 May 2007 (next to be held by May 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - Independence Party 36.6%, Social Democratic Alliance 26.8%, Progressive Party 11.7%, Left-Green Movement 14.3%, Liberal Party 7.3%, other 3.3%; seats by party - Independence Party 25, Social Democratic Alliance 18, Progressive Party 7, Left-Green Alliance 9, Liberal Party 4

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Haestirettur (justices are appointed for life by the Minister of Justice); eight district courts (justices are appointed for life by the Minister of Justice)

Political parties and leaders:

Independence Party or IP [Geir H. HAARDE]; Left-Green Movement or

LGM [Steingrimur SIGFUSSON]; Liberal Party or LP [Gudjon

KRISTJANSSON]; Progressive Party or PP [Gudni AGUSTSSON]; Social

Democratic Alliance or SDA [Ingibjorg Solrun GISLADOTTIR] (includes

People's Alliance or PA, Social Democratic Party or SDP, Women's

List)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Icelandic Psychiatric Human Rights Group

International organization participation:

Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA,

FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen

Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Albert JONSSON chancery: Suite 1200, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005-1704 telephone: [1] (202) 265-6653 FAX: [1] (202) 265-6656 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Carol VAN VOORST embassy: Laufasvegur 21, 101 Reykjavik mailing address: US Department of State, 5640 Reykjavik Place, Washington, D.C. 20521-5640 telephone: [354] 562-9100 FAX: [354] 562-9118

Flag description:

blue with a red cross outlined in white extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Economy

Iceland

Economy - overview:

Iceland's Scandinavian-type economy is basically capitalistic, yet with an extensive welfare system (including generous housing subsidies), low unemployment, and remarkably even distribution of income. In the absence of other natural resources (except for abundant geothermal power), the economy depends heavily on the fishing industry, which provides 70% of export earnings and employs 6% of the work force. The economy remains sensitive to declining fish stocks as well as to fluctuations in world prices for its main exports: fish and fish products, aluminum, and ferrosilicon. Substantial foreign investment in the aluminum and hydropower sectors has boosted economic growth which, nevertheless, has been volatile and characterized by recurrent imbalances. Government policies include reducing the current account deficit, limiting foreign borrowing, containing inflation, revising agricultural and fishing policies, and diversifying the economy. The government remains opposed to EU membership, primarily because of Icelanders' concern about losing control over their fishing resources. Iceland's economy has been diversifying into manufacturing and service industries in the last decade, and new developments in software production, biotechnology, and financial services are taking place. The tourism sector is also expanding, with the recent trends in ecotourism and whale watching. The 2006 closure of the US military base at Keflavik had very little impact on the national economy; Iceland's low unemployment rate aided former base employees in finding alternate employment.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$12.19 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$20 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$40,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 5.2% industry: 25.7% services: 69.1% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

181,000 (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 5.1% industry: 23% services: 71.8% (2005)

Unemployment rate:

1% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

25 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

27.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $9.64 billion expenditures: $8.602 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

27.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

15.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

19.29% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$6.64 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$15.05 billion (31 December 2006)

Stock of domestic credit:

$49.67 billion (31 December 2006)

Agriculture - products:

potatoes, green vegetables; mutton, dairy products; fish

Industries:

fish processing; aluminum smelting, ferrosilicon production; geothermal power, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

9% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

11.71 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

9.312 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 0.1% hydro: 82.5% nuclear: 0% other: 17.5% (geothermal) (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

21,120 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

860.8 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

17,450 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$3.189 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$4.793 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

fish and fish products 70%, aluminum, animal products, ferrosilicon, diatomite

Exports - partners:

Netherlands 21.3%, Germany 13.3%, UK 13.2%, Ireland 7.7%, US 7.3%,

Spain 4.6%, Japan 4.3% (2007)

Imports:

$6.181 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, petroleum products, foodstuffs, textiles

Imports - partners:

US 13.7%, Germany 12.2%, Sweden 10.2%, Denmark 7.5%, Netherlands 5.7%, UK 5.4%, China 5.1%, Norway 4.6% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

$6.7 million (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.436 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$3.073 billion (2002)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$27.8 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

Icelandic krona (ISK)

Currency code:

ISK

Exchange rates:

Icelandic kronur (ISK) per US dollar - 63.391 (2007), 70.195 (2006), 62.982 (2005), 70.192 (2004), 76.709 (2003)

Communications

Iceland

Telephones - main lines in use:

186,700 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

347,500 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: telecommunications infrastructure is modern and fully digitized, with satellite-earth stations, fiber-optic cables, and an extensive broadband network domestic: liberalization of the telecommunications sector beginning in the late 1990s has led to increased competition especially in the mobile services segment of the market international: country code - 354; the CANTAT-3 and FARICE-1 submarine cable systems provide connectivity to Canada, the Faroe Islands, UK, Denmark, and Germany; a planned new section of the Hibernia-Atlantic submarine cable will provide additional connectivity to Canada, US, and Ireland; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 3, FM about 70 (including repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

260,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

14 (plus 156 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

98,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.is

Internet hosts:

263,980 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

20 (2001)

Internet users:

202,300 (2007)

Transportation

Iceland

Airports:

99 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 94 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 63 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 13,058 km paved/oiled gravel: 4,397 km (does not include urban roads) unpaved: 8,661 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 2 by type: passenger/cargo 2 registered in other countries: 37 (Antigua and Barbuda 12, Bahamas 1, Belize 2, Denmark 2, Faroe Islands 1, Gibraltar 1, Malta 5, Marshall Islands 3, Norway 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 7) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Grundartangi, Hafnarfjordur, Reykjavik

Military

Iceland

Military branches:

no regular military forces; Icelandic National Police (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 74,896 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 62,342 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 2,393 female: 2,317 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military - note:

Iceland has no standing military force; under a 1951 bilateral agreement - still valid - its defense was provided by the US-manned Icelandic Defense Force (IDF) headquartered at Keflavik; however, all US military forces in Iceland were withdrawn as of October 2006; although wartime defense of Iceland remains a NATO commitment, in April 2007, Iceland and Norway signed a bilateral agreement providing for Norwegian aerial surveillance and defense of Icelandic airspace (2008)

Transnational Issues

Iceland

Disputes - international:

Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe

Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@India

Introduction

India

Background:

Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated onto the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. The Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its zenith under ASHOKA - united much of South Asia. The Golden Age ushered in by the Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a flowering of Indian science, art, and culture. Arab incursions starting in the 8th century and Turkic in the 12th were followed by those of European traders, beginning in the late 15th century. By the 19th century, Britain had assumed political control of virtually all Indian lands. Indian armed forces in the British army played a vital role in both World Wars. Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU brought independence in 1947. The subcontinent was divided into the secular state of India and the smaller Muslim state of Pakistan. A third war between the two countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. India's nuclear weapons testing in 1998 caused Pakistan to conduct its own tests that same year. The dispute between the countries over the state of Kashmir is ongoing, but discussions and confidence-building measures have led to decreased tensions since 2002. Despite impressive gains in economic investment and output, India faces pressing problems such as significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and ethnic and religious strife.

Geography

India

Location:

Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan

Geographic coordinates:

20 00 N, 77 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 3,287,590 sq km land: 2,973,190 sq km water: 314,400 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than one-third the size of the US

Land boundaries:

total: 14,103 km border countries: Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463 km, China 3,380 km, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km

Coastline:

7,000 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north

Terrain:

upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m

Natural resources:

coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 48.83% permanent crops: 2.8% other: 48.37% (2005)

Irrigated land:

558,080 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

1,907.8 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 645.84 cu km/yr (8%/5%/86%) per capita: 585 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable throughout the country; huge and growing population is overstraining natural resources

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes; Kanchenjunga, third tallest mountain in the world, lies on the border with Nepal

People

India

Population:

1,147,995,904 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 31.5% (male 189,238,487/female 172,168,306) 15-64 years: 63.3% (male 374,157,581/female 352,868,003) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 28,285,796/female 31,277,725) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 25.1 years male: 24.7 years female: 25.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.578% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

22.22 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 32.31 deaths/1,000 live births male: 36.94 deaths/1,000 live births female: 27.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 69.25 years male: 66.87 years female: 71.9 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.76 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.9% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

5.1 million (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

310,000 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: chikungunya, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria animal contact disease: rabies note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Indian(s) adjective: Indian

Ethnic groups:

Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000)

Religions:

Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)

Languages:

Hindi 41%, Bengali 8.1%, Telugu 7.2%, Marathi 7%, Tamil 5.9%, Urdu 5%, Gujarati 4.5%, Kannada 3.7%, Malayalam 3.2%, Oriya 3.2%, Punjabi 2.8%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.2%, other 5.9% note: English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 41% of the people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language (2001 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 61% male: 73.4% female: 47.8% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 11 years female: 9 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

3.2% of GDP (2005)

Government

India

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of India conventional short form: India local long form: Republic of India/Bharatiya Ganarajya local short form: India/Bharat

Government type:

federal republic

Capital:

name: New Delhi geographic coordinates: 28 36 N, 77 12 E time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

28 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*,

Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*,

Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa,

Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand,

Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,

Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Puducherry*, Punjab,

Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand,

West Bengal

Independence:

15 August 1947 (from UK)

National holiday:

Republic Day, 26 January (1950)

Constitution:

26 January 1950; amended many times

Legal system:

based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; separate personal law codes apply to Muslims, Christians, and Hindus

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Pratibha PATIL (since 25 July 2007); Vice President Hamid ANSARI (since 11 August 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Manmohan SINGH (since 22 May 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of elected members of both houses of Parliament and the legislatures of the states for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 21 July 2007 (next to be held in July 2012); vice president elected by both houses of Parliament for a five-year term; election last held 12 August 2002 (next to be held August 2007); prime minister chosen by parliamentary members of the majority party following legislative elections; election last held April - May 2004 (next to be held May 2009) election results: Pratibha PATIL elected president; percent of vote - 65.8%; Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT - 34.2%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of the Council of States or Rajya Sabha (a body consisting of not more than 250 members up to 12 of whom are appointed by the president, the remainder are chosen by the elected members of the state and territorial assemblies; members serve six-year terms) and the People's Assembly or Lok Sabha (545 seats; 543 elected by popular vote, 2 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) elections: People's Assembly - last held 20 April through 10 May 2004 (next must be held by May 2009) election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - INC 147, BJP 129, CPI (M) 43, SP 38, RJD 23, DMK 16, BSP 15, SS 12, BJD 11, CPI 10, NCP 10, JD (U) 8, SAD 8, PMK 6, JMM 5, LJSP 4, MDMK 4, TDP 4, TRS 4, independent 6, other 29, vacant 13; note - seats by party as of December 2006

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (one chief justice and 25 associate justices are appointed by the president and remain in office until they reach the age of 65 or are removed for "proved misbehavior")

Political parties and leaders:

Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [MAYAWATI]; Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP

[Rajnath SINGH]; Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Naveen PATNAIK]; Communist

Party of India or CPI [Ardhendu Bhushan BARDHAN]; Communist Party of

India-Marxist or CPI-M [Prakash KARAT]; Dravida Munnetra Kazagham or

DMK [M. KARUNANIDHI]; Indian National Congress or INC [Sonia

GANDHI]; Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) [Sharad YADAV]; Jharkhand

Mukti Morcha or JMM [Shibu SOREN]; Left Front (an alliance of Indian

leftist parties); Lok Jan Shakti Party or LJSP [Ram Vilas PASWAN];

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or MDMK [V. Gopalswamy

VAIKO]; Nationalist Congress Party or NCP [Sharad PAWAR]; Pattali

Makkal Katchi or PMK [S. RAMADOSS]; Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD

[Laloo Prasad YADAV]; Samajwadi Party or SP [Mulayam Singh YADAV];

Shiromani Akali Dal or SAD [Parkash Singh BADAL]; Shiv Sena or SS

[Bal THACKERAY]; Telangana Rashtriya Samithi or TRS [K.

Chandrashekhar RAO]; Telugu Desam Party or TDP [Chandrababu NAIDU];

United Progressive Alliance or UPA [Sonia GANDHI] (India's ruling

party coalition of 12 political parties); note - India has dozens of

national and regional political parties; only parties or coalitions

with four or more seats in the People's Assembly are listed

Political pressure groups and leaders:

All Parties Hurriyat Conference in the Kashmir Valley (separatist group); Bajrang Dal (religious organization); National Socialist Council of Nagaland in the northeast (separatist group); Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (religious organization); Vishwa Hindu Parishad (religious organization other: numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations; various separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regional autonomy

International organization participation:

ADB, AfDB (nonregional members), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner),

BIMSTEC, BIS, C, CERN (observer), CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,

IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS

(observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF

(partner), SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO,

UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ranendra SEN chancery: 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; note - Consular Wing located at 2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-7000 FAX: [1] (202) 265-4351 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador David C. MULFORD embassy: Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [91] (011) 2419-8000 FAX: [91] (11) 2419-0017 consulate(s) general: Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay)

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of saffron (subdued orange) (top), white, and green with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white band; similar to the flag of Niger, which has a small orange disk centered in the white band

Economy

India

Economy - overview:

India's diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of services. Services are the major source of economic growth, accounting for more than half of India's output with less than one third of its labor force. About three-fifths of the work force is in agriculture, leading the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to articulate an economic reform program that includes developing basic infrastructure to improve the lives of the rural poor and boost economic performance. The government has reduced controls on foreign trade and investment. Higher limits on foreign direct investment were permitted in a few key sectors, such as telecommunications. However, tariff spikes in sensitive categories, including agriculture, and incremental progress on economic reforms still hinder foreign access to India's vast and growing market. Privatization of government-owned industries remains stalled and continues to generate political debate; populist pressure from within the UPA government and from its Left Front allies continues to restrain needed initiatives. The economy has posted an average growth rate of more than 7% in the decade since 1997, reducing poverty by about 10 percentage points. India achieved 8.5% GDP growth in 2006, and again in 2007, significantly expanding production of manufactures. India is capitalizing on its large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the English language to become a major exporter of software services and software workers. Economic expansion has helped New Delhi continue to make progress in reducing its federal fiscal deficit. However, strong growth combined with easy consumer credit and a real estate boom fueled inflation concerns in 2006 and 2007, leading to a series of central bank interest rate hikes that have slowed credit growth and eased inflation concerns. The huge and growing population is the fundamental social, economic, and environmental problem.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.966 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.099 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

9% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 17.8% industry: 29.4% services: 52.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

516.4 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 60% industry: 12% services: 28% (2003)

Unemployment rate:

7.2% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

25% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 31.1% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

36.8 (2004)

Investment (gross fixed):

33.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $141.2 billion expenditures: $172.6 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Public debt:

58.2% of GDP (federal and state debt combined) (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6.4% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

13.02% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$250.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$647.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$769.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry; fish

Industries:

textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software

Industrial production growth rate:

8.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

665.3 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

517.2 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

378 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

3.189 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 81.7% hydro: 14.5% nuclear: 3.4% other: 0.3% (2001)

Oil - production:

880,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2.722 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

450,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:

2.159 million bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

5.625 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

31.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

41.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

10 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

1.075 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$12.11 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$151.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum products, textile goods, gems and jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures

Exports - partners:

US 15%, China 8.7%, UAE 8.7%, UK 4.4% (2007)

Imports:

$230.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, chemicals

Imports - partners:

China 10.6%, US 7.8%, Germany 4.4%, Singapore 4.4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.724 billion (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$275 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$149.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$95.96 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$37.5 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$818.9 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Indian rupee (INR)

Currency code:

INR

Exchange rates:

Indian rupees (INR) per US dollar - 41.487 (2007), 45.3 (2006), 44.101 (2005), 45.317 (2004), 46.583 (2003)

Communications

India

Telephones - main lines in use:

38.76 million (2008)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

296.08 million (2008)

Telephone system:

general assessment: recent deregulation and liberalization of telecommunications laws and policies have prompted rapid growth; local and long distance service provided throughout all regions of the country, with services primarily concentrated in the urban areas; steady improvement is taking place with the recent admission of private and private-public investors, but combined fixed and mobile telephone density remains low at about 30 for each 100 persons nationwide and much lower for persons in rural areas; rapid growth in cellular service with modest declines in fixed lines domestic: mobile cellular service introduced in 1994 and organized nationwide into four metropolitan areas and 19 telecom circles each with about three private service providers and one state-owned service provider; in recent years significant trunk capacity added in the form of fiber-optic cable and one of the world's largest domestic satellite systems, the Indian National Satellite system (INSAT), with 6 satellites supporting 33,000 very small aperture terminals (VSAT) international: country code - 91; a number of major international submarine cable systems, including Sea-Me-We-3 with landing sites at Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay), Sea-Me-We-4 with a landing site at Chennai, Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with a landing site at Mumbai (Bombay), South Africa - Far East (SAFE) with a landing site at Cochin, the i2i cable network linking to Singapore with landing sites at Mumbai (Bombay) and Chennai (Madras), and Tata Indicom linking Singapore and Chennai (Madras), provide a significant increase in the bandwidth available for both voice and data traffic; satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); 9 gateway exchanges operating from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, and Ernakulam (2008)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 153, FM 91, shortwave 68 (1998)

Radios:

116 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

562 (1997)

Televisions:

63 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.in

Internet hosts:

2.707 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

43 (2000)

Internet users:

80 million (2007)

Transportation

India

Airports:

346 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 250 over 3,047 m: 18 2,438 to 3,047 m: 52 1,524 to 2,437 m: 75 914 to 1,523 m: 84 under 914 m: 21 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 96 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 40 under 914 m: 47 (2007)

Heliports:

30 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate/gas 9 km; gas 7,488 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,861 km; oil 7,883 km; refined products 6,422 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 63,221 km broad gauge: 46,807 km 1.676-m gauge (17,343 km electrified) narrow gauge: 13,290 km 1.000-m gauge (165 km electrified); 3,124 km 0.762-m gauge and 0.610-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 3,316,452 km (includes 200 km of expressways) (2006)

Waterways:

14,500 km note: 5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals suitable for mechanized vessels (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 501 by type: bulk carrier 102, cargo 241, carrier 1, chemical tanker 19, container 13, liquefied gas 18, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 11, petroleum tanker 92, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 12 (China 1, Germany 2, Hong Kong 1, UAE 6, UK 2) registered in other countries: 61 (Barbados 1, Comoros 2, Cyprus 2, Dominica 2, Liberia 2, Malta 2, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 27, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 7, Singapore 13, unknown 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Chennai, Haldia, Jawaharal Nehru, Kandla, Kolkata (Calcutta),

Mormugao, Mumbai (Bombay), New Mangalore, Vishakhapatnam

Military

India

Military branches:

Army, Navy (includes naval air arm), Air Force (Bharatiya Vayu

Sena), Coast Guard (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; women officers allowed in noncombat roles only (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 301,094,084 females age 16-49: 283,047,141 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 231,161,111 females age 16-49: 236,633,962 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 11,592,516 female: 10,636,857 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.5% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

India

Disputes - international:

since China and India launched a security and foreign policy dialogue in 2005, consolidated discussions related to the dispute over most of their rugged, militarized boundary, regional nuclear proliferation, Indian claims that China transferred missiles to Pakistan, and other matters continue; various talks and confidence-building measures have cautiously begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); India and Pakistan have maintained the 2004 cease fire in Kashmir and initiated discussions on defusing the armed stand-off in the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan protests India's fencing the highly militarized Line of Control and construction of the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the larger dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries; UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show its Junagadh claim in Indian Gujarat State; discussions with Bangladesh remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, to exchange territory for 51 Bangladeshi exclaves in India and 111 Indian exclaves in Bangladesh, to allocate divided villages, and to stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's attempts to fence off high-traffic sections of the border; dispute with Bangladesh over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; India seeks cooperation from Bhutan and Burma to keep Indian Nagaland and Assam separatists from hiding in remote areas along the borders; Joint Border Committee with Nepal continues to examine contested boundary sections, including the 400 square kilometer dispute over the source of the Kalapani River; India maintains a strict border regime to keep out Maoist insurgents and control illegal cross-border activities from Nepal

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 77,200 (Tibet/China); 69,609 (Sri Lanka); 9,472 (Afghanistan) IDPs: at least 600,000 (about half are Kashmiri Pandits from Jammu and Kashmir) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: India is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; internal forced labor may constitute India's largest trafficking problem; men, women, and children are held in debt bondage and face forced labor working in brick kilns, rice mills, agriculture, and embroidery factories; women and girls are trafficked within the country for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage; children are subjected to forced labor as factory workers, domestic servants, beggars, and agriculture workers, and have been used as armed combatants by some terrorist and insurgent groups; India is also a destination for women and girls from Nepal and Bangladesh trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; Indian women are trafficked to the Middle East for commercial sexual exploitation; men and women from Bangladesh and Nepal are trafficked through India for forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation in the Middle East tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - India is on the Tier 2 Watch List for a fifth consecutive year for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking in 2007; despite the reported extent of the trafficking crisis in India, government authorities made uneven efforts to prosecute traffickers and protect trafficking victims; government authorities continued to rescue victims of commercial sexual exploitation and forced child labor and child armed combatants, and began to show progress in law enforcement against these forms of trafficking; a critical challenge overall is the lack of punishment for traffickers, effectively resulting in impunity for acts of human trafficking; India has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Illicit drugs:

world's largest producer of licit opium for the pharmaceutical trade, but an undetermined quantity of opium is diverted to illicit international drug markets; transit point for illicit narcotics produced in neighboring countries and throughout Southwest Asia; illicit producer of methaqualone; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through the hawala system; licit ketamine and precursor production

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Indian Ocean

Introduction

Indian Ocean

Background:

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, but larger than the Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean). Four critically important access waterways are the Suez Canal (Egypt), Bab el Mandeb (Djibouti-Yemen), Strait of Hormuz (Iran-Oman), and Strait of Malacca (Indonesia-Malaysia). The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Indian Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude.

Geography

Indian Ocean

Location:

body of water between Africa, the Southern Ocean, Asia, and Australia

Geographic coordinates:

20 00 S, 80 00 E

Map references:

Political Map of the World

Area:

total: 68.556 million sq km

note: includes Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Flores Sea,

Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Java Sea,

Mozambique Channel, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Savu Sea, Strait of

Malacca, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies

Area - comparative:

about 5.5 times the size of the US

Coastline:

66,526 km

Climate:

northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June and October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and January/February in the southern Indian Ocean

Terrain:

surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean; unique reversal of surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean; low atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast winds and currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest winds and currents; ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast Indian Ocean Ridge, Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninetyeast Ridge

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Java Trench -7,258 m highest point: sea level 0 m

Natural resources:

oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules

Natural hazards:

occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in southern reaches

Environment - current issues:

endangered marine species include the dugong, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea

Geography - note:

major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and the Lombok Strait

Economy

Indian Ocean

Economy - overview:

The Indian Ocean provides major sea routes connecting the Middle East, Africa, and East Asia with Europe and the Americas. It carries a particularly heavy traffic of petroleum and petroleum products from the oilfields of the Persian Gulf and Indonesia. Its fish are of great and growing importance to the bordering countries for domestic consumption and export. Fishing fleets from Russia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan also exploit the Indian Ocean, mainly for shrimp and tuna. Large reserves of hydrocarbons are being tapped in the offshore areas of Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, and western Australia. An estimated 40% of the world's offshore oil production comes from the Indian Ocean. Beach sands rich in heavy minerals and offshore placer deposits are actively exploited by bordering countries, particularly India, South Africa, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

Transportation

Indian Ocean

Ports and terminals:

Chennai (Madras; India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Durban (South Africa),

Jakarta (Indonesia), Kolkata (Calcutta; India) Melbourne

(Australia), Mumbai (Bombay; India), Richards Bay (South Africa)

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of littoral states and offshore waters as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships, particularly in the Gulf of Aden, along the east coast of Africa, the Bay of Bengal, and the Strait of Malacca; numerous vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargoes stolen; crew and passengers are often held for ransom, murdered, or cast adrift

Transnational Issues

Indian Ocean

Disputes - international:

some maritime disputes (see littoral states)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Indonesia

Introduction

Indonesia

Background:

The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century; the islands were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. Indonesia declared its independence after Japan's surrender, but it required four years of intermittent negotiations, recurring hostilities, and UN mediation before the Netherlands agreed to relinquish its colony. Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state and home to the world's largest Muslim population. Current issues include: alleviating poverty, preventing terrorism, consolidating democracy after four decades of authoritarianism, implementing financial sector reforms, stemming corruption, holding the military and police accountable for human rights violations, and controlling avian influenza. In 2005, Indonesia reached a historic peace agreement with armed separatists in Aceh, which led to democratic elections in December 2006. Indonesia continues to face a low intensity separatist movement in Papua.

Geography

Indonesia

Location:

Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the

Pacific Ocean

Geographic coordinates:

5 00 S, 120 00 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 1,919,440 sq km land: 1,826,440 sq km water: 93,000 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 2,830 km border countries: Timor-Leste 228 km, Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New Guinea 820 km

Coastline:

54,716 km

Maritime claims:

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands

Terrain:

mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Puncak Jaya 5,030 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver

Land use:

arable land: 11.03% permanent crops: 7.04% other: 81.93% (2005)

Irrigated land:

45,000 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

2,838 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 82.78 cu km/yr (8%/1%/91%) per capita: 372 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, forest fires

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; water pollution from industrial wastes, sewage; air pollution in urban areas; smoke and haze from forest fires

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

archipelago of 17,508 islands (6,000 inhabited); straddles equator; strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean

People

Indonesia

Population:

237,512,352 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 28.4% (male 34,343,198/female 33,175,135) 15-64 years: 65.7% (male 78,330,830/female 77,812,339) 65 years and over: 5.8% (male 6,151,305/female 7,699,548) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 27.2 years male: 26.7 years female: 27.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.175% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

19.24 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.24 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-1.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 31.04 deaths/1,000 live births male: 36.14 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 70.46 years male: 67.98 years female: 73.07 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.34 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

110,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

2,400 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: chikungunya, dengue fever, and malaria note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Indonesian(s) adjective: Indonesian

Ethnic groups:

Javanese 40.6%, Sundanese 15%, Madurese 3.3%, Minangkabau 2.7%, Betawi 2.4%, Bugis 2.4%, Banten 2%, Banjar 1.7%, other or unspecified 29.9% (2000 census)

Religions:

Muslim 86.1%, Protestant 5.7%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 3.4% (2000 census)

Languages:

Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, local dialects (the most widely spoken of which is Javanese)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90.4% male: 94% female: 86.8% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 12 years female: 11 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

3.6% of GDP (2006)

Government

Indonesia

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Indonesia conventional short form: Indonesia local long form: Republik Indonesia local short form: Indonesia former: Netherlands East Indies, Dutch East Indies

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Jakarta geographic coordinates: 6 10 S, 106 49 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Indonesia is divided into three time zones

Administrative divisions:

30 provinces (propinsi-propinsi, singular - propinsi), 2 special regions* (daerah-daerah istimewa, singular - daerah istimewa), and 1 special capital city district** (daerah khusus ibukota); Aceh*, Bali, Banten, Bengkulu, Gorontalo, Jakarta Raya**, Jambi, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Jawa Timur, Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Selatan, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Timur, Kepulauan Bangka Belitung, Kepulauan Riau, Lampung, Maluku, Maluku Utara, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Papua, Papua Barat (Irian Jaya Barat), Riau, Sulawesi Barat, Sulawesi Selatan, Sulawesi Tengah, Sulawesi Tenggara, Sulawesi Utara, Sumatera Barat, Sumatera Selatan, Sumatera Utara, Yogyakarta* note: following the implementation of decentralization beginning on 1 January 2001, the 465 regencies and municipalities have become the key administrative units responsible for providing most government services

Independence:

17 August 1945 (declared) note: recognized by the Netherlands on 27 December 1949; in August 2005, the Netherlands announced it recognized de facto Indonesian independence on 17 August 1945

National holiday:

Independence Day, 17 August (1945)

Constitution:

August 1945; abrogated by Federal Constitution of 1949 and Provisional Constitution of 1950, restored 5 July 1959; series of amendments concluded in 2002

Legal system:

based on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts and by new criminal procedures and election codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

17 years of age; universal and married persons regardless of age

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20 October 2004); Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA (since 20 October 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20 October 2004); Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA (since 20 October 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice president were elected for five-year terms (eligible for a second term) by direct vote of the citizenry; last held 20 September 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO elected president receiving 60.6% of vote; MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri received 39.4%

Legislative branch:

House of Representatives or Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR) (550 seats; members elected to serve five-year terms); House of Regional Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Daerah or DPD), constitutionally mandated role includes providing legislative input to DPR on issues affecting regions; People's Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat or MPR) has role in inaugurating and impeaching president and in amending constitution; consists of popularly elected members in DPR and DPD; MPR does not formulate national policy elections: last held 5 April 2004 (next to be held 8 or 9 April 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - Golkar 21.6%, PDI-P 18.5%, PKB 10.6%, PPP 8.2%, PD 7.5%, PKS 7.3%, PAN 6.4%, others 19.9%; seats by party - Golkar 128, PDI-P 109, PPP 58, PD 55, PAN 53, PKB 52, PKS 45, others 50 note: because of election rules, the number of seats won does not always follow the percentage of votes received by parties

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Mahkamah Agung (justices appointed by the president from a list of candidates selected by the legislature); a separate Constitutional Court or Mahkamah Konstitusi was invested by the president on 16 August 2003; in March 2004 the Supreme Court assumed administrative and financial responsibility for the lower court system from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights; Labor Court under supervision of Supreme Court began functioning in January 2006

Political parties and leaders:

Crescent Moon and Star Party or PBB [MS KABAN]; Democratic Party or

PD [Hadi UTOMO]; Functional Groups Party or Golkar [Yusuf KALLA];

Indonesia Democratic Party-Struggle or PDI-P [MEGAWATI

Sukarnoputri]; National Awakening Party or PKB; National Mandate

Party or PAN [Sutrisno BACHIR]; Prosperous Justice Party or PKS

[Tifatul SEMBIRING]; United Development Party or PPP [Suryadharma

ALI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Indonesian Women's Coalition (Koalisi Perempuan - human rights group); Islamic Defenders Front or FPI; National Alliance for Freedom of Religion and Faith; Oil Palm Watch (environmental)

International organization participation:

ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,

IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PIF (partner), UN, UN Security

Council (temporary), UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL,

UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador SUDJADNAN Parnohadiningrat chancery: 2020 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 775-5200 FAX: [1] (202) 775-5365 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Cameron R. HUME embassy: Jalan 1 Medan Merdeka Selatan 3-5, Jakarta 10110 mailing address: Unit 8129, Box 1, FPO AP 96520 telephone: [62] (21) 3435-9000 FAX: [62] (21) 3435-9922 consulate(s) general: Surabaya

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to the flag of Monaco, which is shorter; also similar to the flag of Poland, which is white (top) and red

Economy

Indonesia

Economy - overview:

Indonesia, a vast polyglot nation, has been undergoing significant economic reforms under President YUDHOYONO. Indonesia's debt-to-GDP ratio has been declining steadily, its foreign exchange reserves are at an all-time high of over $50 billion, and its stock market has been one of the three best performers in the world in 2006 and 2007, as global investors sought out higher returns in emerging markets. The government has introduced significant reforms in the financial sector, including tax and customs reforms, the introduction of Treasury bills, and improved capital market supervision. Indonesia's new investment law, passed in March 2007, seeks to address some of the concerns of foreign and domestic investors. Indonesia still struggles with poverty and unemployment, inadequate infrastructure, corruption, a complex regulatory environment, and unequal resource distribution among regions. Indonesia has been slow to privatize over 100 state-owned enterprises, several of which have monopolies in key sectors. The non-bank financial sector, including pension funds and insurance, remains weak. Capital markets are underdeveloped. The high global price of oil in 2007 increased the cost of domestic fuel and electricity subsidies, and are contributing to concerns about higher food prices. Located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" Indonesia remains vulnerable to volcanic and tectonic disasters. Significant progress has been made in rebuilding Aceh after the devastating December 2004 tsunami, and the province now shows more economic activity than before the disaster. Unfortunately, Indonesia suffered new disasters in 2006 and early 2007 including: a major earthquake near Yogyakarta, an industrial accident in Sidoarjo, East Java that created a "mud volcano," a tsunami in South Java, and major flooding in Jakarta, all of which caused additional damages in the billions of dollars. Donors are assisting Indonesia with its disaster mitigation and early warning efforts.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$843.7 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$432.9 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$3,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 13.8% industry: 46.7% services: 39.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

109.9 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 43.3% industry: 18% services: 38.7% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

9.1% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

17.8% (2006)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 28.5% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

36.3 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

24.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $79.56 billion expenditures: $84.87 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

34% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6.3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

8% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

13.86% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$47.78 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$127 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$170.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, copra; poultry, beef, pork, eggs

Industries:

petroleum and natural gas, textiles, apparel, footwear, mining, cement, chemical fertilizers, plywood, rubber, food, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

4.7% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

125.7 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

110.7 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 86.9% hydro: 10.5% nuclear: 0% other: 2.6% (2001)

Oil - production:

1.044 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

1.219 million bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

470,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - imports:

500,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

4.37 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

56 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

23.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

32.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

2.659 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$11.01 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$118 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, textiles, rubber

Exports - partners:

Japan 20.7%, US 10.2%, Singapore 9.2%, China 8.5%, South Korea 6.6%,

Malaysia 4.5%, India 4.3% (2007)

Imports:

$84.93 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

Singapore 13.2%, China 11.5%, Japan 8.8%, Malaysia 8.6%, US 6.4%, Thailand 5.8%, Saudi Arabia 4.5%, South Korea 4.3%, Australia 4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $2.524 billion (2006 est.) note: Indonesia ended 2006 with $67 billion in official foreign debt (about 25% of GDP), with Japan ($25 billion), the World Bank ($8.5 billion) and the Asian Development Bank ($8.4 billion) as the largest creditors; about $6 billion in grant assistance was pledged to rebuild Aceh after the December 2004 tsunami; President YUDHOYONO disbanded the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI) donor forum in January 2007

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$56.92 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$140 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$57.6 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$9.225 billion (2006 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$138.9 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Indonesian rupiah (IDR)

Currency code:

IDR

Exchange rates:

Indonesian rupiah (IDR) per US dollar - 9,056 (2007 est.), 9,159.3 (2006), 9,704.7 (2005), 8,938.9 (2004), 8,577.1 (2003)

Communications

Indonesia

Telephones - main lines in use:

17.828 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

81.835 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: domestic service fair, international service good domestic: interisland microwave system and HF radio police net; domestic satellite communications system; coverage provided by existing network has been expanded by use of over 200,000 telephone kiosks many located in remote areas; mobile cellular subscribership growing rapidly international: country code - 62; landing point for both the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks that provide links throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 678, FM 43, shortwave 82 (1998)

Radios:

31.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

54 local TV stations (11 national TV networks; each with its group of local transmitters) (2006)

Televisions:

13.75 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.id

Internet hosts:

753,200 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

24 (2000)

Internet users:

13 million (2007)

Transportation

Indonesia

Airports:

652 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 158 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 1,524 to 2,437 m: 51 914 to 1,523 m: 49 under 914 m: 39 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 494 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 27 under 914 m: 462 (2007)

Heliports:

17 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 963 km; condensate/gas 81 km; gas 9,003 km; oil 7,471 km; oil/gas/water 77 km; refined products 1,365 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 6,458 km narrow gauge: 5,961 km 1.067-m gauge (125 km electrified); 497 km 0.750-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 391,009 km paved: 216,714 km unpaved: 174,295 km (2005)

Waterways:

21,579 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 971 by type: bulk carrier 54, cargo 514, chemical tanker 35, container 80, liquefied gas 7, passenger 44, passenger/cargo 68, petroleum tanker 143, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 10, specialized tanker 10, vehicle carrier 4 foreign-owned: 43 (China 2, France 1, Germany 1, Japan 6, Norway 1, Philippines 1, Singapore 27, Taiwan 2, UAE 2) registered in other countries: 114 (Bahamas 2, Cambodia 2, China 1, Hong Kong 7, Liberia 2, Mongolia 1, Panama 31, Singapore 66, unknown 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Banjarmasin, Belawan, Ciwandan, Kotabaru, Krueg Geukueh, Palembang,

Panjang, Sungai Pakning, Tanjung Perak, Tanjung Priok

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the Strait of Malacca and South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift

Military

Indonesia

Military branches:

Indonesian Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, TNI): Army

(TNI-Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD)), Navy (TNI-Angkatan Laut (TNI-AL);

includes marines, naval air arm), Air Force (TNI-Angkatan Udara

(TNI-AU)), National Air Defense Command (Kommando Pertahanan Udara

Nasional (Kohanudnas)) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for selective compulsory and voluntary military service; 2-year conscript service obligation, with reserve obligation to age 45 (officers); Indonesian citizens only (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 63,800,825 females age 16-49: 61,729,717 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 52,367,788 females age 16-49: 52,129,123 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 2,181,303 female: 2,110,397 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Indonesia

Disputes - international:

Indonesia has a stated foreign policy objective of establishing stable fixed land and maritime boundaries with all of its neighbors; Timor-Leste-Indonesia Boundary Committee has resolved all but a small portion of the land boundary, but discussions on maritime boundaries are stalemated over sovereignty of the uninhabited coral island of Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai in the north and alignment with Australian claims in the south; many refugees from Timor-Leste who left in 2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse repatriation; a 1997 treaty between Indonesia and Australia settled some parts of their maritime boundary but outstanding issues remain; ICJ's award of Sipadan and Ligitan islands to Malaysia in 2002 left the sovereignty of Unarang rock and the maritime boundary in the Ambalat oil block in the Celebes Sea in dispute; the ICJ decision has prompted Indonesia to assert claims to and to establish a presence on its smaller outer islands; Indonesia and Singapore continue to work on finalization of their 1973 maritime boundary agreement by defining unresolved areas north of Indonesia's Batam Island; Indonesian secessionists, squatters, and illegal migrants create repatriation problems for Papua New Guinea; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait; maritime delimitation talks continue with Palau; Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to Ashmore Reef; Australia has closed parts of the Ashmore and Cartier Reserve to Indonesian traditional fishing and placed restrictions on certain catches

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 200,000-350,000 (government offensives against rebels in Aceh; most IDPs in Aceh, Central Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi Provinces, and Maluku) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

illicit producer of cannabis largely for domestic use; producer of methamphetamine and ecstasy

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Iran

Introduction

Iran

Background:

Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in 1979 after the ruling monarchy was overthrown and the shah was forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces established a theocratic system of government with ultimate political authority vested in a learned religious scholar referred to commonly as the Supreme Leader who, according to the constitution, is accountable only to the Assembly of Experts. US-Iranian relations have been strained since a group of Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran on 4 November 1979 and held it until 20 January 1981. During 1980-88, Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq that eventually expanded into the Persian Gulf and led to clashes between US Navy and Iranian military forces between 1987 and 1988. Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism for its activities in Lebanon and elsewhere in the world and remains subject to US and UN economic sanctions and export controls because of its continued involvement in terrorism and conventional weapons proliferation. Following the election of reformer Hojjat ol-Eslam Mohammad KHATAMI as president in 1997 and similarly a reformer Majles (parliament) in 2000, a campaign to foster political reform in response to popular dissatisfaction was initiated. The movement floundered as conservative politicians, through the control of unelected institutions, prevented reform measures from being enacted and increased repressive measures. Starting with nationwide municipal elections in 2003 and continuing through Majles elections in 2004, conservatives reestablished control over Iran's elected government institutions, which culminated with the August 2005 inauguration of hardliner Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD as president. In December 2006 and March 2007, the international community passed resolutions 1737 and 1747 respectively after Iran failed to comply with UN demands to halt the enrichment of uranium or to agree to full IAEA oversight of its nuclear program. In October 2007, Iranian entities were also subject to US sanctions under EO 13382 designations for proliferation activities and EO 13224 designations for providing material support to the Taliban and other terrorist organizations.

Geography

Iran

Location:

Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and the

Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan

Geographic coordinates:

32 00 N, 53 00 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 1.648 million sq km land: 1.636 million sq km water: 12,000 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Alaska

Land boundaries:

total: 5,440 km border countries: Afghanistan 936 km, Armenia 35 km, Azerbaijan-proper 432 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 179 km, Iraq 1,458 km, Pakistan 909 km, Turkey 499 km, Turkmenistan 992 km

Coastline:

2,440 km; note - Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements or median lines in the Persian Gulf continental shelf: natural prolongation

Climate:

mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast

Terrain:

rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts, mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,671 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur

Land use:

arable land: 9.78% permanent crops: 1.29% other: 88.93% (2005)

Irrigated land:

76,500 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

137.5 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 72.88 cu km/yr (7%/2%/91%) per capita: 1,048 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes

Environment - current issues:

air pollution, especially in urban areas, from vehicle emissions, refinery operations, and industrial effluents; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; oil pollution in the Persian Gulf; wetland losses from drought; soil degradation (salination); inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution from raw sewage and industrial waste; urbanization

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, which are vital maritime pathways for crude oil transport

People

Iran

Population:

65,875,224 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 22.3% (male 7,548,116/female 7,164,921) 15-64 years: 72.3% (male 24,090,976/female 23,522,861) 65 years and over: 5.4% (male 1,713,533/female 1,834,816) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 26.4 years male: 26.2 years female: 26.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.792% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

16.89 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.69 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-3.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 36.93 deaths/1,000 live births male: 37.12 deaths/1,000 live births female: 36.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 70.86 years male: 69.39 years female: 72.4 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.71 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.2% (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

66,000 (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

1,600 (2005 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever and malaria note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Iranian(s) adjective: Iranian

Ethnic groups:

Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%,

Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%

Religions:

Muslim 98% (Shia 89%, Sunni 9%), other (includes Zoroastrian,

Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i) 2%

Languages:

Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects 26%,

Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 77% male: 83.5% female: 70.4% (2002 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 13 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

5.1% of GDP (2006)

Government

Iran

Country name:

conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Iran conventional short form: Iran local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran local short form: Iran former: Persia

Government type:

theocratic republic

Capital:

name: Tehran geographic coordinates: 35 40 N, 51 25 E time difference: UTC+3.5 (8.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

30 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e

Gharbi, Azarbayjan-e Sharqi, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari,

Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman,

Kermanshah, Khorasan-e Jonubi, Khorasan-e Razavi, Khorasan-e

Shomali, Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh va Buyer Ahmad, Kordestan, Lorestan,

Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan,

Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan

Independence:

1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)

National holiday:

Republic Day, 1 April (1979)

Constitution:

2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership

Legal system:

based on Sharia law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

16 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989) head of government: President Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD (since 3 August 2005); First Vice President Parviz DAVUDI (since 11 September 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with legislative approval; the Supreme Leader has some control over appointments to the more sensitive ministries note: also considered part of the Executive branch of government are three oversight bodies: 1) Assembly of Experts (Majles-Khebregan), a popularly elected body charged with determining the succession of the Supreme Leader, reviewing his performance, and deposing him if deemed necessary; 2) Expediency Council or the Council for the Discernment of Expediency (Majma-e-Tashkise-Maslahat-e-Nezam) exerts supervisory authority over the executive, judicial, and legislative branches and resolves legislative issues on which the Majles and the Council of Guardians disagree and since 1989 has been used to advise national religious leaders on matters of national policy; in 2005 the Council's powers were expanded to act as a supervisory body for the government; 3) Council of Guardians of the Constitution or Council of Guardians or Guardians Council (Shora-ye Negaban-e Qanun-e Assassi) determines whether proposed legislation is both constitutional and faithful to Islamic law, vets candidates for suitability, and supervises national elections elections: Supreme Leader is appointed for life by the Assembly of Experts; president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term and third nonconsecutive term); last held 17 June 2005 with a two-candidate runoff on 24 June 2005 (next presidential election slated for 12 June 2009) election results: Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD elected president; percent of vote - Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD 62%, Ali Akbar Hashemi-RAFSANJANI 36%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami or Majles (290 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 14 March 2008 with a runoff held 25 April 2008 (next to be held in 2012) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - conservatives/Islamists 170, reformers 46, independents 71, religious minorities 3

Judicial branch:

The Supreme Court (Qeveh Qazaieh) and the four-member High Council of the Judiciary have a single head and overlapping responsibilities; together they supervise the enforcement of all laws and establish judicial and legal policies; lower courts include a special clerical court, a revolutionary court, and a special administrative court

Political parties and leaders:

formal political parties are a relatively new phenomenon in Iran and most conservatives still prefer to work through political pressure groups rather than parties, and often political parties or coalitions are formed prior to elections and disbanded soon thereafter; a loose pro-reform coalition called the 2nd Khordad Front, which includes political parties as well as less formal groups and organizations, achieved considerable success at elections to the sixth Majles in early 2000; groups in the coalition include: Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF), Executives of Construction Party (Kargozaran), Solidarity Party, Islamic Labor Party, Mardom Salari, Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO), and Militant Clerics Society (Ruhaniyun); the coalition participated in the seventh Majles elections in early 2004; following his defeat in the 2005 presidential elections, former MCS Secretary General and sixth Majles Speaker Mehdi KARUBI formed the National Trust Party; a new conservative group, Islamic Iran Developers Coalition (Abadgaran), took a leading position in the new Majles after winning a majority of the seats in February 2004; following the 2004 Majles elections, traditional and hardline conservatives have attempted to close ranks under the United Front of Principlists; the IIPF has repeatedly complained that the overwhelming majority of its candidates have been unfairly disqualified from the 2008 elections

Political pressure groups and leaders:

groups that generally support the Islamic Republic: Ansar-e Hizballah-Islamic Coalition Party (Motalefeh); Followers of the Line of the Imam and the Leader; Islamic Engineers Society; Tehran Militant Clergy Association (Ruhaniyat); active pro-reform student group: Office of Strengthening Unity (OSU); opposition groups: Baluchistan People's Party (BPP); Freedom Movement of Iran; Marz-e Por Gohar; National Front; and various ethnic and Monarchist organizations; armed political groups that have been repressed by the government: Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI); Jundallah; Komala; Mujahidin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO); People's Fedayeen; People's Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK)

International organization participation:

CP, ECO, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW,

OPEC, PCA, SAARC (observer), SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none; note - Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani Embassy; address: Iranian Interests Section, Pakistani Embassy, 2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone: [1] (202) 965-4990; FAX [1] (202) 965-1073

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none; note - the American Interests Section is located in the Swiss Embassy compound at Africa Avenue, West Farzan Street, number 32, Tehran, Iran; telephone [98] 21 8878 2964 or 21 8879 2364; FAX [98] 21 8877 3265

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red; the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah in the shape of a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom) in red is centered in the white band; ALLAH AKBAR (God is Great) in white Arabic script is repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along the top edge of the red band

Economy

Iran

Economy - overview:

Iran's economy is marked by an inefficient state sector, reliance on the oil sector (which provides 85% of government revenues), and statist policies that create major distortions throughout. Most economic activity is controlled by the state. Private sector activity is typically small-scale workshops, farming, and services. President Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD failed to make any notable progress in fulfilling the goals of the nation's latest five-year plan. A combination of price controls and subsidies, particularly on food and energy, continue to weigh down the economy, and administrative controls, widespread corruption, and other rigidities undermine the potential for private-sector-led growth. As a result of these inefficiencies, significant informal market activity flourishes and shortages are common. High oil prices in recent years have enabled Iran to amass nearly $70 billion in foreign exchange reserves. Yet this increased revenue has not eased economic hardships, which include double-digit unemployment and inflation - inflation climbed to 26% as of June 2008. The economy has seen only moderate growth. Iran's educated population, economic inefficiency and insufficient investment - both foreign and domestic - have prompted an increasing number of Iranians to seek employment overseas, resulting in significant "brain drain."

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$762.9 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$294.1 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$11,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 10.7% industry: 42.9% services: 46.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

28.7 million note: shortage of skilled labor (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 25% industry: 31% services: 45% (June 2007)

Unemployment rate:

12% according to the Iranian government (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

18% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 33.7% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

44.5 (2006)

Investment (gross fixed):

27.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $104 billion expenditures: $101 billion (2008 est.)

Fiscal year:

21 March - 20 March

Public debt:

17.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

17.1% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

12% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$46.13 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$68.71 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$109.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, sugar cane, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar

Industries:

petroleum, petrochemicals, fertilizers, caustic soda, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), ferrous and non-ferrous metal fabrication, armaments

Industrial production growth rate:

4.8% excluding oil (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

189.9 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

149.4 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

2.775 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

2.54 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 97.1% hydro: 2.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

4.033 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

1.679 million bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

2.52 million bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - imports:

167,800 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

138.4 billion bbl based on Iranian claims (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

111.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

111.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

6.2 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

6.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

26.85 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$28.95 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$88.26 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, carpets

Exports - partners:

China 15%, Japan 14.3%, Turkey 7.4%, South Korea 7.3%, Italy 6.4% (2007)

Imports:

$53.88 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

industrial raw materials and intermediate goods, capital goods, foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services

Imports - partners:

China 14.2%, Germany 9.6%, UAE 9.1%, South Korea 6.3%, Russia 5.7%,

Italy 5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$104 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$69.2 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$20.68 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$6.026 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$903 million (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$45.2 billion (December 2007)

Currency (code):

Iranian rial (IRR)

Currency code:

IRR

Exchange rates:

Iranian rials (IRR) per US dollar - 9,407.5 (2007), 9,227.1 (2006), 8,964 (2005), 8,614 (2004), 8,193.9 (2003) note: Iran has been using a managed floating exchange rate regime since unifying multiple exchange rates in March 2002

Communications

Iran

Telephones - main lines in use:

23.835 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

29.77 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: currently being modernized and expanded with the goal of not only improving the efficiency and increasing the volume of the urban service but also bringing telephone service to several thousand villages, not presently connected domestic: the addition of new fiber cables and modern switching and exchange systems installed by Iran's state-owned telecom company have improved and expanded the main line network greatly; main line availability has more than doubled to nearly 24 million lines since 2000; additionally, mobile service has increased dramatically serving nearly 30 million subscribers in 2007 international: country code - 98; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE with access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion to Georgia and Azerbaijan; HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; satellite earth stations - 13 (9 Intelsat and 4 Inmarsat) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 72, FM 5, shortwave 5 (1998)

Radios:

17 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

28 (plus 450 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

4.61 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.ir

Internet hosts:

2,860 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

100 (2002)

Internet users:

23 million (2007)

Transportation

Iran

Airports:

331 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 129 over 3,047 m: 40 2,438 to 3,047 m: 28 1,524 to 2,437 m: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 32 under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 202 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 145 under 914 m: 46 (2007)

Heliports:

14 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 7 km; condensate/gas 397 km; gas 19,161 km; liquid petroleum gas 570 km; oil 8,438 km; refined products 7,936 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 8,367 km broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge standard gauge: 8,273 km 1.435-m gauge (146 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 172,927 km paved: 125,908 km (includes 1,429 km of expressways) unpaved: 47,019 km (2006)

Waterways:

850 km (on Karun River; additional service on Lake Urmia) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 74 by type: bulk carrier 18, cargo 34, chemical tanker 4, container 6, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1) registered in other countries: 115 (Barbados 2, Bolivia 1, Cyprus 10, Hong Kong 15, Malta 79, Panama 7, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Assaluyeh, Bandar Abbas, Bandar-e-Eman Khomeyni

Military

Iran

Military branches:

Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (Artesh): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force of the Military of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Niru-ye Hava'i-ye Artesh-e Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran; includes air defense); Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Sepah-e Pasdaran-e Enqelab-e Eslami, IRGC): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Qods Force (special operations), and Basij Force (Popular Mobilization Army); Law Enforcement Forces (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

19 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; 17 years of age for Law Enforcement Forces; 15 years of age for Basij Forces (Popular Mobilization Army); conscript military service obligation - 18 months; women exempt from military service (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 20,212,275 females age 16-49: 19,638,751 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 17,416,126 females age 16-49: 16,928,226 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 766,668 female: 727,654 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.5% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Iran

Disputes - international:

Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed tributaries to the Helmand River in periods of drought; Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which are occupied by Iran; Iran stands alone among littoral states in insisting upon a division of the Caspian Sea into five equal sectors

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 914,268 (Afghanistan); 54,024 (Iraq) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Iran is a source, transit, and destination country for women trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude; Iranian women are trafficked internally for the purpose of forced prostitution and for forced marriages to settle debts; Iranian children are trafficked internally and Afghan children are trafficked into Iran for the purpose of forced marriages, commercial sexual exploitation, and involuntary servitude as beggars or laborers tier rating: Tier 3 - Iran did not provide evidence of law enforcement activities against trafficking, and credible reports indicate that Iranian authorities punish victims of trafficking with beatings, imprisonment, and execution; Iran has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Illicit drugs:

despite substantial interdiction efforts and considerable control measures along the border with Afghanistan, Iran remains one of the primary transshipment routes for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe; suffers one of the highest opiate addiction rates in the world, and has an increasing problem with synthetic drugs; lacks anti-money laundering laws; has reached out to neighboring countries to share counter-drug intelligence

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Iraq

Introduction

Iraq

Background:

Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was occupied by Britain during the course of World War I; in 1920, it was declared a League of Nations mandate under UK administration. In stages over the next dozen years, Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in 1932. A "republic" was proclaimed in 1958, but in actuality a series of military strongmen ruled the country until 2003. The last was SADDAM Husayn. Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly eight-year war (1980-88). In August 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait but was expelled by US-led, UN coalition forces during the Gulf War of January-February 1991. Following Kuwait's liberation, the UN Security Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification inspections. Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC resolutions over a period of 12 years led to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime. Coalition forces remain in Iraq under a UNSC mandate, helping to provide security and to support the freely elected government. The Coalition Provisional Authority, which temporarily administered Iraq after the invasion, transferred full governmental authority on 28 June 2004 to the Iraqi Interim Government, which governed under the Transitional Administrative Law for Iraq (TAL). Under the TAL, elections for a 275-member Transitional National Assembly (TNA) were held in Iraq on 30 January 2005. Following these elections, the Iraqi Transitional Government (ITG) assumed office. The TNA was charged with drafting Iraq's permanent constitution, which was approved in a 15 October 2005 constitutional referendum. An election under the constitution for a 275-member Council of Representatives (CoR) was held on 15 December 2005. The CoR approval in the selection of most of the cabinet ministers on 20 May 2006 marked the transition from the ITG to Iraq's first constitutional government in nearly a half-century.

Geography

Iraq

Location:

Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait

Geographic coordinates:

33 00 N, 44 00 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 437,072 sq km land: 432,162 sq km water: 4,910 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than twice the size of Idaho

Land boundaries:

total: 3,650 km border countries: Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 240 km, Saudi Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 352 km

Coastline:

58 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: not specified

Climate:

mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq

Terrain:

mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: unnamed peak; 3,611 m; note - this peak is neither Gundah Zhur 3,607 m nor Kuh-e Hajji-Ebrahim 3,595 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur

Land use:

arable land: 13.12% permanent crops: 0.61% other: 86.27% (2005)

Irrigated land:

35,250 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

96.4 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 42.7 cu km/yr (3%/5%/92%) per capita: 1,482 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

dust storms, sandstorms, floods

Environment - current issues:

government water control projects have drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Marsh Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; development of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparian Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation (salination) and erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note:

strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf

People

Iraq

Population:

28,221,180 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 39.2% (male 5,613,420/female 5,438,770) 15-64 years: 57.9% (male 8,270,573/female 8,057,423) 65 years and over: 3% (male 396,751/female 444,244) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 20.2 years male: 20.1 years female: 20.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.562% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

30.77 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.14 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 45.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 51.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 39.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 69.62 years male: 68.32 years female: 70.99 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.97 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Iraqi(s) adjective: Iraqi

Ethnic groups:

Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian, or other 5%

Religions:

Muslim 97% (Shia 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%

Languages:

Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Turkoman (a Turkish dialect), Assyrian (Neo-Aramaic), Armenian

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 74.1% male: 84.1% female: 64.2% (2000 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 11 years female: 8 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Iraq

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Iraq conventional short form: Iraq local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al-Iraqiyah local short form: Al Iraq

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Baghdad geographic coordinates: 33 20 N, 44 23 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins 1 April; ends 1 October

Administrative divisions:

18 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah) and 1 region*; Al

Anbar, Al Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, An Najaf, Arbil, As

Sulaymaniyah, At Ta'mim, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar, Diyala,

Karbala', Kurdistan Regional Government*, Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad

Din, Wasit

Independence:

3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration); note - on 28 June 2004 the Coalition Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi-controlled Government

National holiday:

Revolution Day, 17 July (1968); note - this holiday was celebrated under the SADDAM Husayn regime; the Government of Iraq has yet to declare a new national holiday

Constitution:

ratified on 15 October 2005 (subject to review by the Constitutional Review Committee and a possible public referendum )

Legal system:

based on European civil and Islamic law under the framework outlined in the Iraqi Constitution; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Jalal TALABANI (since 6 April 2005); Vice Presidents Adil ABD AL-MAHDI and Tariq al-HASHIMI (since 22 April 2006); note - the president and vice presidents comprise the Presidency Council) head of government: Prime Minister Nuri al-MALIKI (since 20 May 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Barham SALIH (since 20 May 2006)and Rafi al-ISSAWI (since 19 July 2008) cabinet: 34 ministers appointed by the Presidency Council, plus Prime Minister Nuri al-MALIKI and Deputy Prime Ministers Barham SALIH and Rafi al-ISSAWI elections: held 15 December 2005 to elect a 275-member Council of Representatives

Legislative branch:

Council of Representatives (consisting of 275 members elected by a closed-list, proportional representation system) elections: last held 15 December 2005 to elect a 275-member Council of Representatives (next to be held January 2009); the Council of Representatives elected the Presidency Council and approved the prime minister and two deputy prime ministers election results: Council of Representatives - percent of vote by party - Unified Iraqi Alliance 41%, Kurdistan Alliance 22%, Tawafuq Coalition 15%, Iraqi National List 8%, Iraqi Front for National Dialogue 4%, other 10%; number of seats by party (as of November 2007) - Unified Iraqi Alliance (including the Sadrist bloc with 30 and Fadilah with 15) 130, Kurdistan Alliance 53, Tawafuq Front 44, Iraqi National List 25, Fadilah 15, Iraqi Front for National Dialogue 11, other 12

Judicial branch:

the Iraq Constitution calls for the federal judicial power to be comprised of the Higher Juridical Council, Federal Supreme Court, Federal Court of Cassation, Public Prosecution Department, Judiciary Oversight Commission and other federal courts that are regulated in accordance with the law

Political parties and leaders:

Assyrian Democratic Movement [Yunadim KANNA]; Badr Organization [Hadi al-AMIRI]; Constitutional Monarchy Movement or CMM [Sharif Ali Bin al-HUSAYN]; Da'wa al-Islamiya Party [Ibrahim al-JA'FARI]; General Conference of Iraqi People [Adnan al-DULAYMI]; Independent Iraqi Alliance or IIA [Falah al-NAQIB]; Iraqi Communist Party [Hamid MAJEED]; Iraqi Front for National Dialogue [Salih al-MUTLAQ]; Iraqi Hizballah [Karim Mahmud al-MUHAMMADAWI]; Iraqi Independent Democrats or IID [Adnan PACHACHI, Mahdi al-HAFIZ]; Iraqi Islamic Party or IIP [Tariq al-HASHIMI]; Iraqi National Accord or INA [Ayad ALLAWI]; Iraqi National Congress or INC [Ahmad CHALABI]; Iraqi National Council for Dialogue or INCD [Khalaf Ulayan al-Khalifawi al-DULAYMI]; Iraqi National Unity Movement or INUM [Ahmad al-KUBAYSI]; Islamic Action Organization or IAO [Ayatollah Muhammad al-MUDARRISI]; Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq or ISCI [Abd al-Aziz al-HAKIM]; Jama'at al Fadilah or JAF [Muhammad Ali al-YAQUBI]; Kurdistan Democratic Party or KDP [Masud BARZANI]; Kurdistan Islamic Union [Salah ad-Din Muhammad BAHA al-DIN]; National Reconciliation and Liberation Party [Mishan al-JABBURI]; Patriotic Union of Kurdistan or PUK [Jalal TALABANI]; Sadrist Trend [Muqtada al-SADR] (not an organized political party, but it fields independent candidates affiliated with Muqtada al-SADR); Sahawa al-Iraq [Ahmed al-RISHAWI] note: the Kurdistan Alliance, Iraqi National List, Tawafuq Front, Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, and Unified Iraqi Alliance were only electoral slates consisting of the representatives from the various Iraqi political parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Sunni militias; Shia militias, some associated with political parties

International organization participation:

ABEDA, AFESD (suspended), AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol,

IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

(observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Samir Shakir al-SUMAYDI chancery: 3421 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 742-1600 FAX: [1] (202) 333-1129

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ryan C. CROCKER embassy: Baghdad mailing address: APO AE 09316 telephone: 1-240-553-0589 ext. 5340 or 5635; note - Consular Section FAX: NA

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning "God is great") in green Arabic script is centered in the white band; similar to the flag of Syria, which has two stars but no script, Yemen, which has a plain white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; design is based upon the Arab Liberation colors; Council of Representatives approved this flag as a compromise temporary replacement for Ba'athist Saddam-era flag

Economy

Iraq

Economy - overview:

Iraq's economy is dominated by the oil sector, which has traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings. Although looting, insurgent attacks, and sabotage have undermined economy rebuilding efforts, economic activity is beginning to pick up in areas recently secured by the US military surge. Oil exports are around levels seen before Operation Iraqi Freedom, and total government revenues have benefited from high oil prices. Despite political uncertainty, Iraq is making some progress in building the institutions needed to implement economic policy and has negotiated a debt reduction agreement with the Paris Club and a new Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF. Iraq has received pledges for $13.5 billion in foreign aid for 2004-07 from outside of the US, more than $33 billion in total pledges. The International Compact with Iraq was established in May 2007 to integrate Iraq into the regional and global economy, and the Iraqi government is seeking to pass laws to strengthen its economy. This legislation includes a hydrocarbon law to establish a modern legal framework to allow Iraq to develop its resources and a revenue sharing law to equitably divide oil revenues within the nation, although both are still bogged down in discussions. The Central Bank has been successful in controlling inflation through appreciation of the dinar against the US dollar. Reducing corruption and implementing structural reforms, such as bank restructuring and developing the private sector, will be key to Iraq's economic success.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$102.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$60.12 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.9% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$3,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 5% industry: 68% services: 27% (2006 est.)

Labor force:

7.4 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Unemployment rate:

18% to 30% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $42.3 billion expenditures: $48.4 billion (FY08 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

20% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

19.74% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$18.81 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$3.67 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

NA (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, cotton; cattle, sheep, poultry

Industries:

petroleum, chemicals, textiles, leather, construction materials, food processing, fertilizer, metal fabrication/processing

Industrial production growth rate:

7.9% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

33.53 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

35.84 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007)

Electricity - imports:

2.315 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 98.4% hydro: 1.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

2.094 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

295,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

1.67 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports:

NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves:

115 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

3.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

1.8 billion cu m note: 1.48 billion cu m were flared (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

3.17 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$6.025 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$38.14 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

crude oil 84%, crude materials excluding fuels 8%, food and live animals 5%

Exports - partners:

US 36.8%, Italy 12.6%, South Korea 9.5%, Taiwan 6.3%, Spain 5.2%,

Canada 4.7%, France 4.4%, Netherlands 4.2% (2007)

Imports:

$25.67 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food, medicine, manufactures

Imports - partners:

Syria 30.5%, Turkey 19.8%, US 11.1%, Jordan 5%, China 4.8% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$21.65 billion (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$25.66 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$100.9 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

New Iraqi dinar (NID) as of 22 January 2004

Currency code:

NID, IQD prior to 22 January 2004

Exchange rates:

New Iraqi dinars (NID) per US dollar - 1,255 (2007), 1,466 (2006), 1,475 (2005), 1,890 (second half, 2003)

Communications

Iraq

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.547 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

14.021 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: the 2003 liberation of Iraq severely disrupted telecommunications throughout Iraq including international connections; widespread government efforts to rebuild domestic and international communications through fiber optic links are in progress; the mobile cellular market has expanded rapidly with an estimated 14 million current users in 2007 domestic: repairs to switches and lines destroyed during 2003 continue; additional switching capacity is improving access; cellular service is available and centered on 3 GSM networks which are being expanded beyond their regional roots, improving country-wide connectivity; wireless local loop licenses have been issued with the hope of overcoming the lack of fixed-line infrastructure international: country code - 964; satellite earth stations - 4 (2 Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Intersputnik - Atlantic Ocean region, and 1 Arabsat (inoperative)); local microwave radio relay connects border regions to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; planned international fiber-optic connections to Iran (terrestrial) with a link to the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine fiber-optic cable (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

after 17 months of unregulated media growth, there are approximately 80 radio stations (types NA) on the air inside Iraq (2004)

Radios:

4.85 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

21 (2004)

Televisions:

1.75 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.iq

Internet hosts:

3 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

54,000 (2007)

Transportation

Iraq

Airports:

110 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 76 over 3,047 m: 19 2,438 to 3,047 m: 37 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 34 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Heliports:

17 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 2,250 km; liquid petroleum gas 918 km; oil 5,509 km; refined products 1,637 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,272 km standard gauge: 2,272 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 44,900 km paved: 37,851 km unpaved: 7,049 km (2002)

Waterways:

5,279 km note: Euphrates River (2,815 km), Tigris River (1,899 km), and Third River (565 km) are principal waterways (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 14 by type: cargo 10, petroleum tanker 4 (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Al Basrah, Khawr az Zubayr, Umm Qasr

Military

Iraq

Military branches:

Iraqi Armed Forces: Iraqi Army (includes Iraqi Special Operations

Force, Iraqi Intervention Force), Iraqi Navy (former Iraqi Coastal

Defense Force), Iraqi Air Force (former Iraqi Army Air Corps) (2005)

Military service age and obligation:

18-49 years of age for voluntary military service (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 7,086,200 females age 16-49: 6,808,954 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 6,019,795 females age 16-49: 5,878,905 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 302,926 female: 294,747 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

8.6% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Iraq

Disputes - international:

coalition forces assist Iraqis in monitoring internal and cross-border security; approximately two million Iraqis have fled the conflict in Iraq, with the majority taking refuge in Syria and Jordan, and lesser numbers to Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, and Turkey; Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf; Turkey has expressed concern over the autonomous status of Kurds in Iraq

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 10,000-15,000 (Palestinian Territories); 11,773 (Iran); 16,832 (Turkey) IDPs: 2.4 million (ongoing US-led war and ethno-sectarian violence) (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Ireland

Introduction

Ireland

Background:

Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600-150 B.C. Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were finally ended when King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014. English invasions began in the 12th century and set off more than seven centuries of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and harsh repressions. A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in independence from the UK for 26 southern counties; six northern (Ulster) counties remained part of the UK. In 1949, Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth; it joined the European Community in 1973. Irish governments have sought the peaceful unification of Ireland and have cooperated with Britain against terrorist groups. A peace settlement for Northern Ireland is being implemented with some difficulties. In 2006, the Irish and British governments developed and began to implement the St. Andrews Agreement, building on the Good Friday Agreement approved in 1998.

Geography

Ireland

Location:

Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain

Geographic coordinates:

53 00 N, 8 00 W

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 70,280 sq km land: 68,890 sq km water: 1,390 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries:

total: 360 km border countries: UK 360 km

Coastline:

1,448 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time

Terrain:

mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Carrauntoohil 1,041 m

Natural resources:

natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite, gypsum, limestone, dolomite

Land use:

arable land: 16.82% permanent crops: 0.03% other: 83.15% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Total renewable water resources:

46.8 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.18 cu km/yr (23%/77%/0%) per capita: 284 cu m/yr (1994)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,

Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic

Pollutants, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

strategic location on major air and sea routes between North America and northern Europe; over 40% of the population resides within 100 km of Dublin

People

Ireland

Population:

4,156,119 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 20.9% (male 448,333/female 418,476) 15-64 years: 67.3% (male 1,400,222/female 1,398,194) 65 years and over: 11.8% (male 218,459/female 272,435) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 34.6 years male: 33.9 years female: 35.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.133% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

14.33 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.77 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

4.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 5.14 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.07 years male: 75.44 years female: 80.88 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.85 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

2,800 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective plural) adjective: Irish

Ethnic groups:

Irish 87.4%, other white 7.5%, Asian 1.3%, black 1.1%, mixed 1.1%, unspecified 1.6% (2006 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 87.4%, Church of Ireland 2.9%, other Christian 1.9%, other 2.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.2% (2006 census)

Languages:

English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 18 years male: 17 years female: 18 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4.7% of GDP (2005)

Government

Ireland

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Ireland local long form: none local short form: Eire

Government type:

republic, parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Dublin geographic coordinates: 53 19 N, 6 14 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

26 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway,

Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth,

Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary,

Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow

Independence:

6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty)

National holiday:

Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March

Constitution:

adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite; effective 29 December 1937

Legal system:

based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997) head of government: Prime Minister Brian COWEN (since 7 May 2008) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with previous nomination by the prime minister and approval of the House of Representatives elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 31 October 1997 (next scheduled for October 2011); note - Mary MCALEESE appointed to a second term when no other candidate qualified for the 2004 presidential election; prime minister (taoiseach) nominated by the House of Representatives and appointed by the president election results: Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of vote - Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6% note: government coalition - Fianna Fail, the Green Party, the Progressive Democrats, and independent members of Parliament

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the Senate or Seanad Eireann (60 seats; 49 members elected by the universities and from candidates put forward by five vocational panels, 11 are nominated by the prime minister; to serve five-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Dail Eireann (166 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held in July 2007 (next to be held by July 2012); House of Representatives - last held 24 May 2007 (next to be held by May 2012) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Fianna Fail 28, Fine Gael 14, Labor Party 6, Progressive Democrats 2, Green Party 2, Sein Fein 1, independents 7; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 41.6%, Fine Gael 27.3%, Labor Party 10.1%, Sinn Fein 6.9%, Green Party 4.7%, Progressive Democrats 2.7%, other 6.7%; seats by party - Fianna Fail 78, Fine Gael 51, Labor Party 20, Sinn Fein 4, Green Party 6, Progressive Democrats 2, other 5

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet)

Political parties and leaders:

Fianna Fail [Brian COWEN]; Fine Gael [Enda KENNY]; Green Party [John

GORMLEY]; Labor Party [Eamon GILMORE]; Progressive Democrats [Mary

HARNEY, acting leader]; Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Socialist Party

[Joe HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party [Sean GARLAND]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Families Acting for Innocent Relatives or FAIR [Brian McCONNELL] (seek compensation for victims of violence); Families Against Intimidation and Terror or FAIT (oppose terrorism); Gaeltacht Civil Rights Campaign (Coiste Cearta Sibhialta na Gaeilge) or CCSG (encourages the use of the Irish language and campaigns for greater civil rights in Irish speaking areas); Irish Republican Army or IRA (terrorist group); Keep Ireland Open (environmental group); Midland Railway Action Group or MRAG [Willie ALLEN] (transportation promoters); Rail Users Ireland (formerly the Platform 11 - transportation promoters); 32 Country Sovereignty Movement or 32CSM (supports a fully sovereign Ireland); Ulster Defence Association or UDA (terrorist group)

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), Australia Group, BIS, CE, EAPC, EBRD,

EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),

OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,

UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael COLLINS chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 462-3939 FAX: [1] (202) 232-5993 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas C. FOLEY embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [353] (1) 668-8777 FAX: [353] (1) 668-9946

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; similar to the flag of Cote d'Ivoire, which is shorter and has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter and has colors of green (hoist side), white, and red

Economy

Ireland

Economy - overview:

Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging 6% in 1995-2007. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry and services. Although the exports sector, dominated by foreign multinationals, remains a key component of Ireland's economy, construction has most recently fueled economic growth along with strong consumer spending and business investment. Property prices have risen more rapidly in Ireland in the decade up to 2006 than in any other developed world economy. Per capita GDP is 40% above that of the four big European economies and the second highest in the EU behind Luxembourg, and in 2007 surpassed that of the United States. The Irish Government has implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb price and wage inflation, invest in infrastructure, increase labor force skills, and promote foreign investment. A slowdown in the property market, more intense global competition, and increased costs, however, have compelled government economists to lower Ireland's growth forecast slightly for 2008. Ireland joined in circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU nations.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$191.6 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$258.6 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$46,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 5% industry: 46% services: 49% (2002 est.)

Labor force:

2.217 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 6% industry: 27% services: 67% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

4.6% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

7% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 27.2% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

32 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

26.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $93.22 billion expenditures: $92.46 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

24.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

6.52% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

NA note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders

Stock of quasi money:

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$768.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy products

Industries:

steel, lead, zinc, silver, aluminum, barite, and gypsum mining processing; food products, brewing, textiles, clothing; chemicals, pharmaceuticals; machinery, rail transportation equipment; glass and crystal; software, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

25.77 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

25.67 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

82 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

1.412 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 95.9% hydro: 2.3% nuclear: 0% other: 1.7% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:

200,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

29,780 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

194,000 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

457 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

4.984 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

4.552 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

9.911 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$14.12 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$115.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products

Exports - partners:

UK 18.7%, US 17.9%, Belgium 14.5%, Germany 7.4%, France 5.8% (2007)

Imports:

$84.76 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing

Imports - partners:

UK 38.3%, US 11.3%, Germany 9.7%, Netherlands 5%, France 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $1.022 billion (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$926.2 million (2006 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.841 trillion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$191.4 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$139.6 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$114.1 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Ireland

Telephones - main lines in use:

2.112 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

4.94 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay domestic: microwave radio relay international: country code - 353; landing point for the Hibernia-Atlantic submarine cable with links to the US, Canada, and UK; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

2.55 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

4 (many repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:

1.82 million (2001)

Internet country code:

.ie

Internet hosts:

1.242 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

22 (2000)

Internet users:

1.708 million (2007)

Transportation

Ireland

Airports:

34 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 16 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 1,855 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 3,237 km broad gauge: 1,872 km 1.600-m gauge (37 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,365 km 0.914-m gauge (operated by the Irish Peat Board to transport peat to power stations and briquetting plants) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 96,602 km paved: 96,602 km (includes 200 km of expressways) (2003)

Waterways:

956 km (pleasure craft only) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 29 by type: cargo 25, chemical tanker 2, container 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 2 (US 2) registered in other countries: 21 (Bahamas 2, Bermuda 1, Bulgaria 1, Cyprus 3, Isle of Man 1, Marshall Islands 1, Netherlands 10, Slovakia 1, UK 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Cork, Dublin, Shannon Foynes

Military

Ireland

Military branches:

Irish Defense Forces (Oglaigh na h-Eireann): Army (includes Naval

Service and Air Corps (Aer-Chor na h-Eireann)) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

17-25 years of age for male or female voluntary military service (17-27 years of age for the Naval Service); enlistees 16 years of age can be recruited for apprentice specialist positions; maximum obligation 12 years; 17-35 years of age for the Reserve Defense Forces; EU citizenship or 5-year residence in Ireland required (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,024,635 females age 16-49: 1,024,276 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 854,982 females age 16-49: 852,592 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 28,610 female: 27,095 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Ireland

Disputes - international:

Ireland, Iceland, and the UK dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe

Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from North Africa to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic drugs; increasing consumption of South American cocaine; minor transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined for Western Europe; despite recent legislation, narcotics-related money laundering - using bureaux de change, trusts, and shell companies involving the offshore financial community - remains a concern

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Isle of Man

Introduction

Isle of Man

Background:

Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was ceded to Scotland, the isle came under the British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Gaelic language. Isle of Man is a British crown dependency but is not part of the UK. However, the UK Government remains constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation.

Geography

Isle of Man

Location:

Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and

Ireland

Geographic coordinates:

54 15 N, 4 30 W

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 572 sq km land: 572 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

160 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm

Climate:

temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about one-third of the time

Terrain:

hills in north and south bisected by central valley

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m highest point: Snaefell 621 m

Natural resources:

none

Land use:

arable land: 9% permanent crops: 0% other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland) (2002)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air pollution

Geography - note:

one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest and is a bird sanctuary

People

Isle of Man

Population:

76,220 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 17% (male 6,629/female 6,318) 15-64 years: 65.9% (male 25,251/female 24,959) 65 years and over: 17.1% (male 5,294/female 7,769) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 40 years male: 38.8 years female: 41.3 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.509% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.86 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

11.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

5.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.55 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.8 years male: 75.46 years female: 82.32 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.65 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women) adjective: Manx

Ethnic groups:

Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Britons

Religions:

Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends

Languages:

English, Manx Gaelic

Literacy:

NA

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Isle of Man

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Isle of Man abbreviation: I.O.M.

Dependency status:

British crown dependency

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Douglas geographic coordinates: 54 09 N, 4 29 W time difference: UTC 0 (five hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 24 local authorities each with its own elections

Independence:

none (British crown dependency)

National holiday:

Tynwald Day, 5 July

Constitution:

unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of 1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution

Legal system:

the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and Manx statutes

Suffrage:

16 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Paul K. HADDACKS (since 17 October 2005) head of government: Chief Minister Tony BROWN (since 14 December 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch for a five-year term; the chief minister is elected by the Tynwald; election last held 14 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2008) election results: House of Keys speaker Tony BROWN elected chief minister by the Tynwald

Legislative branch:

bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (11 seats; members composed of the President of Tynwald, the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and 8 others named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Keys - last held 23 November 2006 (next to be held in November 2011) election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Liberal Vannin Party 2, Man Labor Party 1, independents 21

Judicial branch:

High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor)

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance for Progressive Government; Liberal Vannin Party [Peter

KARRAN]; Man Labor Party; Man Nationalist Party (Mec Vannin)

[Bernard MOFFATT]

note: most members sit as independents

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Alliance for Progressive Government or APG (a government watchdog);

Mec Vannin (political party advocating a sovereign state and

environment policies); note - has only had one member elected to the

Tynwald

International organization participation:

UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (British crown dependency)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (British crown dependency)

Flag description:

red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used

Economy

Isle of Man

Economy - overview:

Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government offers incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the island; this has paid off in expanding employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of GDP. The Isle of Man also attracts online gambling sites and the film industry. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.719 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$2.719 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.2% (2005)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$35,000 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1% industry: 13% services: 86% (2000 est.)

Labor force:

39,690 (2001)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture, forestry, and fishing 3%, manufacturing 11%, construction 10%, transport and communication 8%, wholesale and retail distribution 11%, professional and scientific services 18%, public administration 6%, banking and finance 18%, tourism 2%, entertainment and catering 3%, miscellaneous services 10% (2001)

Unemployment rate:

1.5% (December 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $965 million expenditures: $943 million (FY05/06 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.1% (December 2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:

cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry

Industries:

financial services, light manufacturing, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

3.2% (FY96/97)

Exports:

$NA

Exports - commodities:

tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb

Exports - partners:

UK (2006)

Imports:

$NA

Imports - commodities:

timber, fertilizers, fish

Imports - partners:

UK (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$NA

Debt - external:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Isle of Man pound (IMP), also known as the Manx pound note: the British pound is also legal tender, but change is given in IMP

Currency code:

GBP

Exchange rates:

Manx pounds (IMP) per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003) note: the Manx pound is at par with the British pound

Communications

Isle of Man

Telephones - main lines in use:

51,000 (1999)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite earth station, submarine cable

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

NA

Television broadcast stations:

0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999)

Televisions:

27,490 (1999)

Internet country code:

.im

Internet hosts:

426 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

NA

Internet users:

NA

Transportation

Isle of Man

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Railways:

total: 65 km standard gauge: 7 km 1.067-m gauge (7 km electrified) narrow gauge: 58 km 0.914-m gauge (29 km electrified) note: primarily summer tourist attractions (2006)

Roadways:

total: 500 km (2008)

Merchant marine:

total: 273 by type: bulk carrier 31, cargo 50, chemical tanker 48, container 12, liquefied gas 41, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 73, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 8, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 181 (Chile 6, Denmark 29, France 1, Germany 56, Greece 50, Ireland 1, Japan 6, Monaco 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 20, Singapore 1, Sweden 1, Turkey 2, US 4) registered in other countries: 7 (Bahamas 1, Liberia 5, Marshall Islands 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Douglas, Ramsey

Military

Isle of Man

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 471 female: 447 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

Isle of Man

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Israel

Introduction

Israel

Background:

Following World War II, the British withdrew from their mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently, the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending the deep tensions between the two sides. The territories Israel occupied since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country profile, unless otherwise noted. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives and Syria to achieve a permanent settlement. Israel and Palestinian officials signed on 13 September 1993 a Declaration of Principles (also known as the "Oslo Accords") guiding an interim period of Palestinian self-rule. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. In addition, on 25 May 2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it had occupied since 1982. In April 2003, US President BUSH, working in conjunction with the EU, UN, and Russia - the "Quartet" - took the lead in laying out a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005, based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. However, progress toward a permanent status agreement was undermined by Israeli-Palestinian violence between September 2003 and February 2005. An Israeli-Palestinian agreement reached at Sharm al-Sheikh in February 2005, along with an internally-brokered Palestinian ceasefire, significantly reduced the violence. In the summer of 2005, Israel unilaterally disengaged from the Gaza Strip, evacuating settlers and its military while retaining control over most points of entry into the Gaza Strip. The election of HAMAS in January 2006 to head the Palestinian Legislative Council froze relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Ehud OLMERT became prime minister in March 2006; following an Israeli military operation in Gaza in June-July 2006 and a 34-day conflict with Hizballah in Lebanon in June-August 2006, he shelved plans to unilaterally evacuate from most of the West Bank. OLMERT in June 2007 resumed talks with the PA after HAMAS seized control of the Gaza Strip and PA President Mahmoud ABBAS formed a new government without HAMAS.

Geography

Israel

Location:

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and

Lebanon

Geographic coordinates:

31 30 N, 34 45 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 20,770 sq km land: 20,330 sq km water: 440 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries:

total: 1,017 km border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km

Coastline:

273 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: to depth of exploitation

Climate:

temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas

Terrain:

Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains;

Jordan Rift Valley

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m

Natural resources:

timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock, magnesium bromide, clays, sand

Land use:

arable land: 15.45% permanent crops: 3.88% other: 80.67% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,940 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

1.7 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.05 cu km/yr (31%/7%/62%) per capita: 305 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts; periodic earthquakes

Environment - current issues:

limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

there are about 340 Israeli civilian sites - including 100 small outpost communities in the West Bank - as well as 42 sites in the Golan Heights, 0 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (July 2008 est.); Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) is an important freshwater source

People

Israel

Population:

7,112,359 note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 28% (male 1,018,229/female 971,083) 15-64 years: 62.2% (male 2,242,928/female 2,183,688) 65 years and over: 9.8% (male 303,289/female 393,142) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 28.9 years male: 28.2 years female: 29.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.713% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

20.02 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.41 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.28 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.43 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 80.61 years male: 78.54 years female: 82.79 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.77 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

3,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Israeli(s) adjective: Israeli

Ethnic groups:

Jewish 76.4% (of which Israel-born 67.1%, Europe/America-born 22.6%, Africa-born 5.9%, Asia-born 4.2%), non-Jewish 23.6% (mostly Arab) (2004)

Religions:

Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)

Languages:

Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.1% male: 98.5% female: 95.9% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

6.9% of GDP (2004)

Government

Israel

Country name:

conventional long form: State of Israel conventional short form: Israel local long form: Medinat Yisra'el local short form: Yisra'el

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Jerusalem geographic coordinates: 31 46 N, 35 14 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in March; ends the Sunday between the holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur note: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv

Administrative divisions:

6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv

Independence:

14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May

Constitution:

no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law; note - since May 2003 the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee of the Knesset has been working on a draft constitution

Legal system:

mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Shimon PERES (since 15 July 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Ehud OLMERT (since May 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Tzipora "Tzipi" LIVNI; note - Prime Minister OLMERT resigned on 17 September 2008, but will serve as acting prime minister until a new government is formed cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset elections: president is largely a ceremonial role and is elected by the Knesset for a seven-year term (one-term limit); election last held 13 June 2007 (next to be held in 2014 but can be called earlier); following legislative elections, the president assigns a Knesset member - traditionally the leader of the largest party - the task of forming a governing coalition note: government coalition - Kadima, Labor Party, GIL (Pensioners), and SHAS election results: Shimon PERES elected president; number of votes in first round - Shimon PERES 58, Reuven RIVLIN 37, Colette AVITAL 21; PERES elected president in second round with 86 votes (unopposed)

Legislative branch:

unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 28 March 2006 (next scheduled to be held in February 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - Kadima 22%, Labor 15.1%, SHAS 9.5%, Likud 9%, Yisrael Beiteinu 9%, NU/NRP 7.1%, GIL 5.9%, Torah and Shabbat Judaism 4.7%, Meretz-YAHAD 3.8%, United Arab List 3%, Balad 2.3%, HADASH 2.7%, other 5.9%; seats by party - Kadima 29, Labor 19, Likud 12, SHAS 12, Yisrael Beiteinu 11, NU/NRP 9, GIL 7, Torah and Shabbat Judaism 6, Meretz-YAHAD 5, United Arab List 4, Balad 3, HADASH 3

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (justices appointed by Judicial Selection Committee - made up of all three branches of the government; mandatory retirement age is 70)

Political parties and leaders:

Balad [Azmi BISHARA]; Democratic Front for Peace and Equality

(HADASH) [Muhammad BARAKEH]; GIL (Pensioners) [Rafael "Rafi" EITAN];

Kadima [Tzipora "Tzipi" LIVNI]; Labor Party [Ehud BARAK]; Likud

[Binyamin NETANYAHU]; Meretz-Yachad [Haim ORON]; National Democratic

Assembly (Balad) [Jamal ZAHALKA]; National Union (NU)/National

Religious Party (NRP) [Binyamin ELON]; SHAS [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Torah

and Shabbat Judaism or UTJ [Yaakov LITZMAN]; United Arab List

[Ibrahim SARSUR]; Yisrael Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

B'Tselem [Jessica MONTELL, Executive Director] monitors human rights abuses; Peace Now [Yariv OPPENHEIMER, Secretary General] supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; YESHA Council of Settlements [Danny DAYAN, Chairman] promotes settler interests and opposes territorial compromise

International organization participation:

BIS, BSEC (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,

IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OAS

(observer), OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), PCA, SECI (observer),

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Salai MERIDOR chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 364-5500 FAX: [1] (202) 364-5607 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador James B. CUNNINGHAM embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv 63903 mailing address: PSC 98, Box 29, APO AE 09830 telephone: [972] (3) 519-7575 FAX: [972] (3) 516-4390 consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note - an independent US mission, established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign government

Flag description:

white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag

Economy

Israel

Economy - overview:

Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with substantial, though diminishing, government participation. It depends on imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel has intensively developed its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20 years. Israel imports substantial quantities of grain but is largely self-sufficient in other agricultural products. Cut diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are the leading exports. Israel usually posts sizable trade deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government's external debt is owed to the US, its major source of economic and military aid. Israel's GDP, after contracting slightly in 2001 and 2002 due to the Palestinian conflict and troubles in the high-technology sector, has grown by about 5% per year since 2003. The economy grew an estimated 5.4% in 2007, the fastest pace since 2000. The government's prudent fiscal policy and structural reforms over the past few years have helped to induce strong foreign investment, tax revenues, and private consumption, setting the economy on a solid growth path.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$185.8 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$161.9 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$26,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.7% industry: 30.2% services: 67.1% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.894 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture 18.5%, industry 23.7%, services 50%, other 7.8% (2002)

Unemployment rate:

7.3% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

21.6% note: Israel's poverty line is $7.30 per person per day (2005)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 28.3% (2005)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

38.6 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

18.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $53.6 billion expenditures: $53.63 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

80.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

0.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

6.27% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$15.36 billion (31 December 2006)

Stock of quasi money:

$154.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$113.4 billion (31 December 2006)

Agriculture - products:

citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products

Industries:

high-technology projects (including aviation, communications, computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics, fiber optics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food, beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, construction, metals products, chemical products, plastics, diamond cutting, textiles, footwear

Industrial production growth rate:

4.1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

48.7 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

44.74 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

1.844 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 99.9% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

5,966 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

232,300 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

82,910 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

334,300 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

1.94 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

970 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

970 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

30.44 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$5.197 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$50.37 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel

Exports - partners:

US 35%, Belgium 7.5%, Hong Kong 5.8% (2007)

Imports:

$55.79 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, fuels, grain, consumer goods

Imports - partners:

US 13.9%, Belgium 7.9%, Germany 6.2%, China 6.1%, Switzerland 5.1%,

UK 4.7%, Italy 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$240 million from US (FY06)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$28.52 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$89.95 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$57.97 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$41.96 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$173.3 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

new Israeli shekel (ILS); note - NIS is the currency abbreviation; ILS is the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) code for the NIS

Currency code:

ILS

Exchange rates:

new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003)

Communications

Israel

Telephones - main lines in use:

3.005 million (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

8.902 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: most highly developed system in the Middle East although not the largest domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay; all systems are digital; four privately-owned mobile-cellular service providers with countrywide coverage; mobile-cellular teledensity is 140 per 100 persons international: country code - 972; submarine cables provide links to Europe, Cyprus, and parts of the Middle East; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:

3.07 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

17 (plus 36 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

1.69 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.il

Internet hosts:

1.415 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

21 (2000)

Internet users:

2 million (2007)

Transportation

Israel

Airports:

53 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 30 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 6 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 23 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 20 (2007)

Heliports:

3 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 160 km; oil 442 km; refined products 261 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 853 km standard gauge: 853 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 17,870 km paved: 17,870 km (includes 146 km of expressways) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 11 by type: cargo 2, container 9 registered in other countries: 60 (Bermuda 3, Cyprus 4, Georgia 2, Honduras 1, Liberia 23, Malta 18, Panama 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Slovakia 4) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Ashdod, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa

Military

Israel

Military branches:

Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel Naval Forces (INF), Israel Air

Force (IAF) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and voluntary (Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service; both sexes are obligated to military service; conscript service obligation - 36 months for enlisted men, 21 months for enlisted women, 48 months for officers; reserve obligation to age 41-51 (men), 24 (women) (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,717,362 females age 16-49: 1,636,574 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,452,926 females age 16-49: 1,383,796 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 60,602 female: 57,532 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

7.3% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Israel

Disputes - international:

West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew its settlers and military from the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the West Bank in August 2005; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan Heights); since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) headquartered in Jerusalem monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 150,000-420,000 (Arab villagers displaced from homes in northern Israel) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

increasingly concerned about ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin abuse; drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from Jordan; money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Italy

Introduction

Italy

Background:

Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.

Geography

Italy

Location:

Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central

Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia

Geographic coordinates:

42 50 N, 12 50 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 301,230 sq km land: 294,020 sq km water: 7,210 sq km note: includes Sardinia and Sicily

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Arizona

Land boundaries:

total: 1,899.2 km border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 199 km, Switzerland 740 km

Coastline:

7,600 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south

Terrain:

mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a secondary peak of Mont Blanc)

Natural resources:

coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice, fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 26.41% permanent crops: 9.09% other: 64.5% (2005)

Irrigated land:

27,500 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

175 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 41.98 cu km/yr (18%/37%/45%) per capita: 723 cu m/yr (1998)

Natural hazards:

regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice

Environment - current issues:

air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,

Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe

People

Italy

Population:

58,145,320 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 13.6% (male 4,086,951/female 3,842,765) 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 19,534,247/female 19,024,776) 65 years and over: 20% (male 4,864,189/female 6,792,393) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 42.9 years male: 41.4 years female: 44.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.019% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

8.36 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.61 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 5.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 80.07 years male: 77.13 years female: 83.2 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.3 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.5% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

140,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 1,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Italian(s) adjective: Italian

Ethnic groups:

Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and

Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and

Greek-Italians in the south)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 90% (approximately; about one-third practicing), other 10% (includes mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community)

Languages:

Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.4% male: 98.8% female: 98% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 16 years male: 16 years female: 17 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4.5% of GDP (2005)

Government

Italy

Country name:

conventional long form: Italian Republic conventional short form: Italy local long form: Repubblica Italiana local short form: Italia former: Kingdom of Italy

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Rome geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 29 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous regions* (regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma); Abruzzo, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia*, Lazio (Latium), Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte (Piedmont), Puglia (Apulia), Sardegna* (Sardinia), Sicilia*, Toscana (Tuscany), Trentino-Alto Adige* (Trentino-South Tyrol), Umbria, Valle d'Aosta* (Aosta Valley), Veneto (Venetia)

Independence:

17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not finally unified until 1870)

National holiday:

Republic Day, 2 June (1946)

Constitution:

passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended many times

Legal system:

based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25)

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Giorgio NAPOLITANO (since 15 May 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Silvio BERLUSCONI (referred to in Italy as the president of the Council of Ministers) (since 8 May 2008) note - in Italy the prime minister is referred to as the president of the Council of Ministers cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and approved by the president elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of parliament and 58 regional representatives for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 10 May 2006 (next to be held in May 2013); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament election results: Giorgio NAPOLITANO elected president on the fourth round of voting; electoral college vote - 543

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (315 seats; members elected by proportional vote with the winning coalition in each region receiving 55% of seats from that region; to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; members elected by popular vote with the winning national coalition receiving 54% of chamber seats; to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held April 2010); Chamber of Deputies - last held 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2010) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - S. BERLUSCONI coalition 174 (PdL 147, LN 25, MpA 2), W. VELTRONI coalition 132 (PD 118, IdV 3), UdC 3, other 6; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - S. BERLUSCONI coalition 344 (PdL 276, LN 60, MpA 8), W. VELTRONI coalition 246 (PD 217, IdV 29), UdC 36, other 4

Judicial branch:

Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale (composed of 15 judges: one-third appointed by the president, one-third elected by parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative Supreme Courts)

Political parties and leaders:

Silvio BERLUSCONI coalition: People of Freedom or PdL [Silvio

BERLUSCONI]; Lega Nord or LN [Umberto BOSSI]; Movement for Autonomy

or MpA [Raffaele LOMBARDO]

Walter VELTRONI coalition: Democratic Party or PD [Walter VELTRONI];

Italy of Values or IdV [Antonio DI PIETRO]

other non-allied parties: Union of the Centre or UdC [Savino

PEZZOTTA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

manufacturers and merchants associations - Confcommercio;

Confindustria; organized farm groups - Confcoltivatori;

Confagricoltura; Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union

confederations - Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL

[Guglielmo EPIFANI] which is left wing; Confederazione Italiana dei

Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Raffaele BONANNO], which is Roman

Catholic centrist; Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Luigi

ANGELETTI] which is lay centrist)

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic

Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS

(observer), CDB, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO,

G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest),

NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA,

Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council

(temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina,

UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Giovanni CASTELLANETA chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400 FAX: [1] (202) 518-2151 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco consulate(s): Detroit

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald P. SPOGLI embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187-Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 46741 FAX: [39] (06) 488-2672, 4674-2356 consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green; inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by Napoleon in 1797

Economy

Italy

Economy - overview:

Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed, welfare-dependent, agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy requirements are imported. Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a tight fiscal policy in order to meet the requirements of the Economic and Monetary Unions and has benefited from lower interest and inflation rates. The current government has enacted numerous short-term reforms aimed at improving competitiveness and long-term growth. Italy has moved slowly, however, on implementing needed structural reforms, such as lightening the high tax burden and overhauling Italy's rigid labor market and over-generous pension system, because of the current economic slowdown and opposition from labor unions. But the leadership faces a severe economic constraint: Italy's official debt remains above 100% of GDP, and the government has found it difficult to bring the budget deficit down to a level that would allow a rapid decrease in that debt. The economy continues to grow by less than the euro-zone average and growth is expected to decelerate from 1.9% in 2006 and 2007 to under 1.5% in 2008 as the euro-zone and world economies slow.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.8 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$2.105 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

1.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$30,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2% industry: 27% services: 70.9% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

24.74 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 5% industry: 32% services: 63% (2001)

Unemployment rate:

6.2% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 26.8% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

33 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

21% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $991.2 billion expenditures: $1.031 trillion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

104% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

10.93% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

NA note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders

Stock of quasi money:

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$3.084 trillion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish

Industries:

tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics

Industrial production growth rate:

0.6% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

292.1 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

316.3 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

2.64 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

48.57 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 78.6% hydro: 18.4% nuclear: 0% other: 3% (2001)

Oil - production:

166,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

1.702 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

616,700 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

2.223 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

406.5 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

9.706 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

84.89 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

68 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

73.95 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

94.15 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$51.03 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$502.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; minerals, and nonferrous metals

Exports - partners:

Germany 12.9%, France 11.4%, Spain 7.4%, US 6.8%, UK 5.8% (2007)

Imports:

$498.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages, and tobacco

Imports - partners:

Germany 16.9%, France 9%, China 5.9%, Netherlands 5.5%, Belgium 4.3%, Spain 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $3.641 billion (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$94.33 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$996.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$364.8 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$520.1 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$798.2 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Italy

Telephones - main lines in use:

26.89 million (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

78.571 million (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex, and data services domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks international: country code - 39; a series of submarine cables provide links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and US; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat

Radio broadcast stations:

AM about 100, FM about 4,600, shortwave 9 (1998)

Radios:

50.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

358 (plus 4,728 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

30.3 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.it

Internet hosts:

17.702 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

93 (Italy and Holy See) (2000)

Internet users:

32 million (2007)

Transportation

Italy

Airports:

132 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 101 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 32 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 34 under 914 m: 13 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 19 (2007)

Heliports:

5 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 18,863 km; oil 1,258 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 19,460 km standard gauge: 18,038 km 1.435-m gauge (11,354 km electrified) narrow gauge: 123 km 1.000-m gauge (123 km electrified); 1,299 km 0.950-m gauge (161 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 487,700 km paved: 487,700 km (includes 6,700 km of expressways) (2005)

Waterways:

2,400 km note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 609 by type: bulk carrier 60, cargo 47, carrier 2, chemical tanker 159, combination ore/oil 1, container 25, liquefied gas 27, passenger 22, passenger/cargo 154, petroleum tanker 35, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 33, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 27 foreign-owned: 64 (Denmark 3, France 2, Greece 6, Japan 1, Lebanon 1, Nigeria 1, Norway 2, Portugal 1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 8, Taiwan 13, Turkey 1, UK 7, US 17) registered in other countries: 208 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas 4, Belize 3, Cayman Islands 4, Cyprus 7, France 2, Liberia 41, Malta 50, Marshall Islands 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 4, Panama 28, Portugal 12, Russia 4, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 17, Singapore 5, Slovakia 2, Spain 2, Sweden 9, Turkey 3, UK 5) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Augusta, Genoa, Livorno, Ravenna, Sarroch, Taranto, Trieste, Venice

Military

Italy

Military branches:

Italian Army (Esercito Italiano, EI), Italian Navy (Marina Militare

Italiana, MMI), Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana,

AMI), Carabinieri Corps (Arma dei Carabinieri, CC) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-27 year of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished January 2005; women may serve in any military branch; 10-month service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 45 (Army and Air Force) or 39 (Navy) (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 13,884,079 females age 16-49: 13,158,378 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 11,285,488 females age 16-49: 10,680,672 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 290,740 female: 273,569 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Italy

Disputes - international:

Italy's long coastline and developed economy entices tens of thousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe and northern Africa

Illicit drugs:

important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; money laundering by organized crime and from smuggling

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Jamaica

Introduction

Jamaica

Background:

The island - discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 - was settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native Taino Indians, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were gradually exterminated and replaced by African slaves. England seized the island in 1655 and established a plantation economy based on sugar, cocoa, and coffee. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed a quarter million slaves, many of whom became small farmers. Jamaica gradually obtained increasing independence from Britain, and in 1958 it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation of the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it withdrew from the Federation in 1962. Deteriorating economic conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangs affiliated with the major political parties evolved into powerful organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling and money laundering. Violent crime, drug trafficking, and poverty pose significant challenges to the government today. Nonetheless, many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute substantially to the economy.

Geography

Jamaica

Location:

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Geographic coordinates:

18 15 N, 77 30 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 10,991 sq km land: 10,831 sq km water: 160 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

1,022 km

Maritime claims:

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior

Terrain:

mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m

Natural resources:

bauxite, gypsum, limestone

Land use:

arable land: 15.83% permanent crops: 10.01% other: 74.16% (2005)

Irrigated land:

250 sq km (2002)

Total renewable water resources:

9.4 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.41 cu km/yr (34%/17%/49%) per capita: 155 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

hurricanes (especially July to November)

Environment - current issues:

heavy rates of deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal

People

Jamaica

Population:

2,804,332 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 32% (male 455,871/female 440,928) 15-64 years: 60.6% (male 837,241/female 861,906) 65 years and over: 7.4% (male 93,415/female 114,971) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 23.4 years male: 22.9 years female: 24 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.779% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

20.04 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.37 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-5.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 15.57 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.59 years male: 71.88 years female: 75.38 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.3 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

22,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

900 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Jamaican(s) adjective: Jamaican

Ethnic groups:

black 91.2%, mixed 6.2%, other or unknown 2.6% (2001 census)

Religions:

Protestant 62.5% (Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, Pentecostal 9.5%, Other Church of God 8.3%, Baptist 7.2%, New Testament Church of God 6.3%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of Prophecy 4.3%, Anglican 3.6%, other Christian 7.7%), Roman Catholic 2.6%, other or unspecified 14.2%, none 20.9%, (2001 census)

Languages:

English, English patois

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 87.9% male: 84.1% female: 91.6% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 11 years female: 12 years (2003)

Education expenditures:

5.3% of GDP (2005)

Government

Jamaica

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jamaica

Government type:

constitutional parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Kingston geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 76 48 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland note: for local government purposes, Kingston and Saint Andrew were amalgamated in 1923 into the present single corporate body known as the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation

Independence:

6 August 1962 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 6 August (1962)

Constitution:

6 August 1962

Legal system:

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Kenneth O. HALL (since 15 February 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Bruce GOLDING (since 11 September 2007) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor general; the deputy prime minister is recommended by the prime minister

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party is allocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated 8 seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 3 September 2007 (next to be held no later than October 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - JLP 50.1%, PNP 49.8%; seats by party - JLP 33, PNP 27

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders:

Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; People's National Party or PNP [Portia SIMPSON-MILLER]; National Democratic Movement or NDM [Michael WILLIAMS]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)

International organization participation:

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Anthony JOHNSON chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660 FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Brenda LaGrange JOHNSON embassy: 142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6 mailing address: P.O. Box 541, Kingston 5 telephone: [1] (876) 702-6000 FAX: [1] (876) 702-6001

Flag description:

diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles - green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)

Economy

Jamaica

Economy - overview:

The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which now account for more than 60% of GDP. The country continues to derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and bauxite/alumina. Remittances account for nearly 20% of GDP and are equivalent to tourism revenues. Jamaica's economy, already saddled with a record of sluggish growth, will suffer an economic setback from damages caused by Hurricane Dean in August 2007. The economy faces serious long-term problems: high but declining interest rates, increased foreign competition, exchange rate instability, a sizable merchandise trade deficit, large-scale unemployment and underemployment, and a debt-to-GDP ratio of 135%. Jamaica's onerous debt burden - the fourth highest per capita - is the result of government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably the financial sector in the mid-to-late 1990s. Inflation also has declined, standing at about 7% at the end of 2007. High unemployment exacerbates the serious crime problem, including gang violence that is fueled by the drug trade. The GOLDING administration faces the difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline in order to maintain debt payments while simultaneously attacking a serious and growing crime problem that is hampering economic growth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$20.48 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$11.21 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

1.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$7,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 5.1% industry: 32.7% services: 62.2% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

1.255 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 17% industry: 19% services: 64% (2006)

Unemployment rate:

9.9% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

14.8% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 35.8% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

45.5 (2004)

Investment (gross fixed):

34.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $3.716 billion expenditures: $4.261 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Public debt:

126.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

9.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

17.2% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.369 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$4.54 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$6.609 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks

Industries:

tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products, telecommunications

Industrial production growth rate:

1.2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

7.04 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

6.1 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 96.8% hydro: 1.8% nuclear: 0% other: 1.4% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:

73,370 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

1,535 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

71,280 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$1.83 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$2.331 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams, beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels

Exports - partners:

US 37.2%, Canada 15%, UK 9.7%, Netherlands 9.1% (2007)

Imports:

$5.784 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel, parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport equipment, construction materials

Imports - partners:

US 37.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.5%, Grenada 9.7%, Venezuela 8.3%,

Brazil 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$35.74 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.905 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$9.657 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$12.28 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Jamaican dollar (JMD)

Currency code:

JMD

Exchange rates:

Jamaican dollars (JMD) per US dollar - 69.034 (2007), 65.768 (2006), 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003)

Communications

Jamaica

Telephones - main lines in use:

342,000 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.495 million (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone network domestic: the 1999 agreement to open the market for telecommunications services resulted in rapid growth in mobile-cellular telephone usage while the number of fixed-lines in use has declined; combined mobile-cellular teledensity now exceeds 100 per 100 persons international: country code - 1-876; the Fibralink submarine cable network provides enhanced delivery of business and broadband traffic and is linked to the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) submarine cable in the Dominican Republic; the link to ARCOS-1 provides seamless connectivity to US, parts of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2006)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

1.215 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

7 (1997)

Televisions:

460,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.jm

Internet hosts:

1,292 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

21 (2000)

Internet users:

1.5 million (2007)

Transportation

Jamaica

Airports:

34 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 21 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 21,552 km paved: 15,937 km (includes 33 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,615 km (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 20 by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 6, carrier 1, container 4, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 17 (Denmark 2, Germany 4, Greece 6, Hong Kong 1, Latvia 1, Russia 3) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Kingston, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Port Rhoades, Rocky Point

Military

Jamaica

Military branches:

Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 688,480 females age 16-49: 709,548 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 566,477 females age 16-49: 583,075 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 32,000 female: 31,428 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Jamaica

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation and consumption of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program; corruption is a major concern; substantial money-laundering activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Jamaica for illicit financial transactions

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Jan Mayen

Introduction

Jan Mayen

Background:

This desolate, arctic, mountainous island was named after a Dutch whaling captain who indisputably discovered it in 1614 (earlier claims are inconclusive). Visited only occasionally by seal hunters and trappers over the following centuries, the island came under Norwegian sovereignty in 1929. The long dormant Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg volcano resumed activity in 1970; the most recent eruption occurred in 1985. It is the northernmost active volcano on earth.

Geography

Jan Mayen

Location:

Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian

Sea, northeast of Iceland

Geographic coordinates:

71 00 N, 8 00 W

Map references:

Arctic Region

Area:

total: 377 sq km land: 377 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

124.1 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 4 nm contiguous zone: 10 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog

Terrain:

volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg 2,277 m

Natural resources:

none

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg; volcanic activity resumed in 1970; the most recent eruption occurred in 1985

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

barren volcanic island with some moss and grass

People

Jan Mayen

Population:

no indigenous inhabitants note: personnel operate the Long Range Navigation (Loran-C) base and the weather and coastal services radio station

Government

Jan Mayen

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jan Mayen

Dependency status:

territory of Norway; since August 1994, administered from Oslo through the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland; however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service

Legal system:

the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply

Flag description:

the flag of Norway is used

Economy

Jan Mayen

Economy - overview:

Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable natural resources. Economic activity is limited to providing services for employees of Norway's radio and meteorological stations on the island.

Communications

Jan Mayen

Radio broadcast stations:

NA; note - there is one radio and meteorological station (1998)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

13 (Jan Mayen and Svalbard) (2000)

Transportation

Jan Mayen

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Ports and terminals:

none; offshore anchorage only

Military

Jan Mayen

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of Norway

Transnational Issues

Jan Mayen

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Japan

Introduction

Japan

Background:

In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For more than two centuries this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Following the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854, Japan opened its ports and began to intensively modernize and industrialize. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin Island. In 1931-32 Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937 it launched a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 - triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become an economic power and a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, elected politicians - with heavy input from bureaucrats and business executives - wield actual decisionmaking power. The economy experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth, but Japan still remains a major economic power, both in Asia and globally.

Geography

Japan

Location:

Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the

Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula

Geographic coordinates:

36 00 N, 138 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 377,835 sq km land: 374,744 sq km water: 3,091 sq km note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than California

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

29,751 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the international straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Terrain:

mostly rugged and mountainous

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m highest point: Mount Fuji 3,776 m

Natural resources:

negligible mineral resources, fish note: with virtually no energy natural resources, Japan is the world's largest importer of coal and liquefied natural gas as well as the second largest importer of oil

Land use:

arable land: 11.64% permanent crops: 0.9% other: 87.46% (2005)

Irrigated land:

25,920 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

430 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 88.43 cu km/yr (20%/18%/62%) per capita: 690 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons

Environment - current issues:

air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber, contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living

Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate

Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered

Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the

Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

Geography - note:

strategic location in northeast Asia

People

Japan

Population:

127,288,416 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 13.7% (male 8,926,439/female 8,460,629) 15-64 years: 64.7% (male 41,513,061/female 40,894,057) 65 years and over: 21.6% (male 11,643,845/female 15,850,388) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 43.8 years male: 42.1 years female: 45.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.139% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

7.87 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.26 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 82.07 years male: 78.73 years female: 85.59 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.22 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

12,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

500 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Japanese (singular and plural) adjective: Japanese

Ethnic groups:

Japanese 98.5%, Koreans 0.5%, Chinese 0.4%, other 0.6% note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil (2004)

Religions:

observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)

Languages:

Japanese

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2002)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 15 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.5% of GDP (2005)

Government

Japan

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Japan local long form: Nihon-koku/Nippon-koku local short form: Nihon/Nippon

Government type:

constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government

Capital:

name: Tokyo geographic coordinates: 35 41 N, 139 45 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka,

Fukushima, Gifu, Gunma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki,

Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto,

Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita,

Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka,

Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata,

Yamaguchi, Yamanashi

Independence:

660 B.C. (traditional founding by Emperor JIMMU)

National holiday:

Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933)

Constitution:

3 May 1947

Legal system:

modeled after German civil law system with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

20 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989) head of government: Prime Minister Taro ASO (since 24 September 2008) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: Diet designates prime minister; constitution requires that prime minister commands parliamentary majority; following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition in House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister; monarch is hereditary

Legislative branch:

bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half reelected every three years; 146 members in multi-seat constituencies and 96 by proportional representation) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected for four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by proportional representation in 11 regional blocs) elections: House of Councillors - last held 29 July 2007 (next to be held in July 2010); House of Representatives - last held 11 September 2005 (next election by September 2009) election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - DPJ 109, LDP 83, Komeito 20, JCP 7, SDP 5, others 18 House of Representatives - percent of vote by party (in single-seat constituencies) - LDP 47.8%, DPJ 36.4%, others 15.8%; seats by party - LDP 296, DPJ 113, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 24 (2007)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the cabinet)

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Ichiro OZAWA]; Japan Communist

Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII]; Komeito [Akihiro OTA]; Liberal Democratic

Party or LDP [Taro ASO]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Mizuho

FUKUSHIMA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: business groups; trade unions

International organization participation:

ADB, AfDB (nonregional members), APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue

partner), Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP,

EAS, EBRD, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA, MIGA, NEA, NSG,

OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Paris Club, PCA, PIF

(partner), SAARC (observer), SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF,

UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ichiro FUJISAKI chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 238-6700 FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187 consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Agana (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, Seattle

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador J. Thomas SCHIEFFER embassy: 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 mailing address: Unit 9800, Box 300, APO AP 96303-0300 telephone: [81] (03) 3224-5000 FAX: [81] (03) 3505-1862 consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya

Flag description:

white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center

Economy

Japan

Economy - overview:

Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most technologically powerful economy in the world after the US and the third-largest economy in the world after the US and China, measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis. One notable characteristic of the economy has been how manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors have worked together in closely-knit groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force. Both features have now eroded. Japan's industrial sector is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The tiny agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 55% of its food on a caloric basis. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For three decades, overall real economic growth had been spectacular - a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely because of the after effects of overinvestment and an asset price bubble during the late 1980s that required a protracted period of time for firms to reduce excess debt, capital, and labor. From 2000 to 2001, government efforts to revive economic growth proved short lived and were hampered by the slowing of the US, European, and Asian economies. In 2002-07, growth improved and the lingering fears of deflation in prices and economic activity lessened, leading the central bank to raise interest rates to 0.25% in July 2006, up from the near 0% rate of the six years prior, and to 0.50% in February 2007. In addition, the 10-year privatization of Japan Post, which has functioned not only as the national postal delivery system but also, through its banking and insurance facilities as Japan's largest financial institution, was completed in October 2007, marking a major milestone in the process of structural reform. Nevertheless, Japan's huge government debt, which totals 182% of GDP, and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems. Some fear that a rise in taxes could endanger the current economic recovery. Debate also continues on the role of and effects of reform in restructuring the economy, particularly with respect to increasing income disparities.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$4.272 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$4.384 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$33,500 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1.4% industry: 26.5% services: 72% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

66.69 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 4.6% industry: 27.8% services: 67.7% (2004)

Unemployment rate:

3.8% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 4.8% highest 10%: 21.7% (1993)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

38.1 (2002)

Investment (gross fixed):

23.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $1.462 trillion expenditures: $1.567 trillion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Public debt:

170% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

0.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

0.75% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

1.88% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$4.37 trillion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$4.783 trillion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$9.653 trillion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs; fish

Industries:

among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods

Industrial production growth rate:

1.3% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

1.082 trillion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

982.5 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 60% hydro: 8.4% nuclear: 29.8% other: 1.8% (2001)

Oil - production:

129,800 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

5.007 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

168,800 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

5.47 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

44.12 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

3.729 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

100.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

95.62 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

20.9 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$210.5 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$678.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors, electrical machinery, chemicals

Exports - partners:

US 20.4%, China 15.3%, South Korea 7.6%, Taiwan 6.3%, Hong Kong 5.4% (2007)

Imports:

$573.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, raw materials

Imports - partners:

China 20.5%, US 11.6%, Saudi Arabia 5.7%, UAE 5.2%, Australia 5%,

South Korea 4.4%, Indonesia 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $11.19 billion (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$954.1 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.492 trillion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$110.8 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$533.1 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$4.737 trillion (2005)

Currency (code):

yen (JPY)

Currency code:

JPY

Exchange rates:

yen (JPY) per US dollar - 117.99 (2007), 116.18 (2006), 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004), 115.93 (2003)

Communications

Japan

Telephones - main lines in use:

51.232 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

107.339 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: excellent domestic and international service domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of every kind international: country code - 81; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 215 (plus 370 repeaters), FM 89 (plus 485 repeaters), shortwave 21 (2001)

Radios:

120.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

211 (plus 7,341 repeaters); in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services (1999)

Televisions:

86.5 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.jp

Internet hosts:

39.909 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

73 (2000)

Internet users:

88.11 million (2007)

Transportation

Japan

Airports:

176 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 145 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 41 1,524 to 2,437 m: 40 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 29 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 31 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 27 (2007)

Heliports:

14 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 3,939 km; oil 170 km; oil/gas/water 104 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 23,474 km standard gauge: 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified) narrow gauge: 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified); 20,182 km 1.067-m gauge (13,334 km electrified); 11 km 0.762-m gauge (11 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 1,196,999 km paved: 949,101 km (includes 7,383 km of expressways) unpaved: 247,898 km (2006)

Waterways:

1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 683 by type: bulk carrier 136, cargo 30, carrier 3, chemical tanker 27, container 11, liquefied gas 59, passenger 12, passenger/cargo 135, petroleum tanker 156, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 51, vehicle carrier 61 registered in other countries: 3,074 (Australia 1, Bahamas 87, Belize 8, Bermuda 2, Burma 1, Cambodia 1, Cayman Islands 13, China 2, Cyprus 21, France 1, Honduras 4, Hong Kong 111, Indonesia 6, Isle of Man 6, Italy 1, South Korea 20, Liberia 116, Malaysia 4, Malta 8, Marshall Islands 17, Nigeria 1, Norway 29, Panama 2335, Philippines 81, Portugal 15, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Singapore 131, Thailand 4, UK 4, US 7, Vanuatu 29, Vietnam 1, unknown 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Chiba, Kawasaki, Kobe, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo,

Tomakomai, Yohohama

Military

Japan

Military branches:

Japanese Ministry of Defense (MOD): Ground Self-Defense Force

(Rikujou Jietai, GSDF), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jietai,

MSDF), Air Self-Defense Force (Koku Jieitai, ASDF) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 27,819,804 females age 16-49: 26,863,794 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 22.963 million females age 16-49: 22,134,127 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 622,168 female: 590,153 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.8% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Japan

Disputes - international:

the sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kuril Islands," occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities; Japan and South Korea claim Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do) occupied by South Korea since 1954; China and Taiwan dispute both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon prospecting

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Jersey

Introduction

Jersey

Background:

Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. Jersey is a British crown dependency but is not part of the UK. However, the UK Government is constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation.

Geography

Jersey

Location:

Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France

Geographic coordinates:

49 15 N, 2 10 W

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 116 sq km land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about two-thirds the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

70 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm

Climate:

temperate; mild winters and cool summers

Terrain:

gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 143 m

Natural resources:

arable land

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier

People

Jersey

Population:

91,533 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 16.6% (male 7,851/female 7,298) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 30,744/female 30,997) 65 years and over: 16% (male 6,499/female 8,144) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 42.3 years male: 41.6 years female: 43.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.221% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

8.84 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.36 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 5.01 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.36 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 79.65 years male: 77.15 years female: 82.35 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.58 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Channel Islander(s) adjective: Channel Islander

Ethnic groups:

Jersey 51.1%, Britons 34.8%, Irish, French, and other white 6.6%,

Portuguese/Madeiran 6.4%, other 1.1% (2001 census)

Religions:

Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church,

Methodist, Presbyterian

Languages:

English 94.5% (official), Portuguese 4.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census)

Literacy:

NA

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Jersey

Country name:

conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey conventional short form: Jersey

Dependency status:

British crown dependency

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Saint Helier geographic coordinates: 49 11 N, 2 06 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 12 parishes including Grouville, Saint Brelade, Saint Clement, Saint Helier, Saint John, Saint Lawrence, Saint Martin, Saint Mary, Saint Quen, Saint Peter, Saint Saviour, and Trinity

Independence:

none (British crown dependency)

National holiday:

Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)

Constitution:

unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Legal system:

the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and local statutes; justice is administered by the Royal Court

Suffrage:

16 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Lieutenant Governor Andrew RIDGEWAY (since 14 June 2006) head of government: Chief Minister Frank WALKER (since December 2005); Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since February 1995) cabinet: Cabinet (since December 2005) elections: ministers of the Cabinet including the chief minister are elected by the Assembly of States; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch:

unicameral Assembly of the States of Jersey (58 seats; 55 are voting members, of which 12 are senators elected for six-year terms, 12 are constables or heads of parishes elected for three-year terms, 29 are deputies elected for three-year terms, the bailiff and the deputy bailiff, and 3 non-voting members includes the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General appointed by the monarch) elections: last held 19 October 2005 for senators and 23 November 2005 for deputies (next to be held on 15 October 2008) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 55

Judicial branch:

Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff)

Political parties and leaders:

two declared parties: Centre Party; Jersey Democratic Alliance note: all senators and deputies elected in 2005 were independents

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Institute of Directors, Jersey branch (provides business support);

Jersey Hospitality Association [Robert JONES] (trade association);

Jersey Rights Association [David ROTHERHAM] (human rights); La

Societe Jersiaise (education and conservation group); Progress

Jersey [Darius J. PEARCE, Daren O'TOOLE, Gino RISOLI] (human

rights); Royal Jersey Agriculture and Horticultural Society or

RJA&HS (development and management of the Jersey breed of cattle);

Save Jersey's Heritage (protects heritage through building

preservation)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (British crown dependency)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (British crown dependency)

Flag description:

white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag; in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield with the three lions of England in yellow

Economy

Jersey

Economy - overview:

Jersey's economy is based on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. In 2005 the finance sector accounted for about 50% of the island's output. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. Tourism accounts for one-quarter of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. Living standards come close to those of the UK.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$5.1 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$5.1 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$57,000 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1% industry: 2% services: 97% (2005)

Labor force:

53,560 (June 2006)

Unemployment rate:

2.2% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $829 million expenditures: $851 million (2005)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.7% (December 2006)

Agriculture - products:

potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products

Industries:

tourism, banking and finance, dairy, electronics

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - consumption:

630.1 million kWh (2004 est.)

Electricity - imports:

NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France

Exports:

$NA

Exports - commodities:

light industrial and electrical goods, dairy cattle, foodstuffs, textiles

Exports - partners:

UK (2006)

Imports:

$NA

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners:

UK (2006)

Debt - external:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Jersey pound note: the British pound is also legal tender

Currency code:

GBP

Exchange rates:

Jersey pounds per US dollar 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003) note: the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound

Communications

Jersey

Telephones - main lines in use:

73,900 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

83,900 (2004)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: submarine cable connectivity to Guernsey and UK

Radio broadcast stations:

AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

NA

Television broadcast stations:

2 (1997)

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.je

Internet hosts:

190 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

NA

Internet users:

27,000 (2005)

Transportation

Jersey

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 358 km (2002)

Ports and terminals:

Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier

Military

Jersey

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 587 female: 540 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

Jersey

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Jordan

Introduction

Jordan

Background:

Following World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the UK received a mandate to govern much of the Middle East. Britain separated out a semi-autonomous region of Transjordan from Palestine in the early 1920s, and the area gained its independence in 1946; it adopted the name of Jordan in 1950. The country's long-time ruler was King HUSSEIN (1953-99). A pragmatic leader, he successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, despite several wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he reinstituted parliamentary elections and gradual political liberalization; in 1994 he signed a peace treaty with Israel. King ABDALLAH II, the son of King HUSSEIN, assumed the throne following his father's death in February 1999. Since then, he has consolidated his power and undertaken an aggressive economic reform program. Jordan acceded to the World Trade Organization in 2000, and began to participate in the European Free Trade Association in 2001. Municipal elections were held in July 2007 under a system in which 20% of seats in all municipal councils were reserved by quota for women. Parliamentary elections were held in November 2007 and saw independent pro-government candidates win the vast majority of seats. In November 2007, King Abdallah instructed his new prime minister to focus on socioeconomic reform, developing a healthcare and housing network for civilians and military personnel, and improving the educational system.

Geography

Jordan

Location:

Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates:

31 00 N, 36 00 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 92,300 sq km land: 91,971 sq km water: 329 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries:

total: 1,635 km border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 744 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km

Coastline:

26 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate:

mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)

Terrain:

mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m

Natural resources:

phosphates, potash, shale oil

Land use:

arable land: 3.32% permanent crops: 1.18% other: 95.5% (2005)

Irrigated land:

750 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

0.9 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.01 cu km/yr (21%/4%/75%) per capita: 177 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

droughts; periodic earthquakes

Environment - current issues:

limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and as the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and the occupied West Bank

People

Jordan

Population:

6,198,677 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 32.2% (male 1,017,233/female 976,284) 15-64 years: 63.7% (male 2,110,293/female 1,840,531) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 122,975/female 131,361) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 23.9 years male: 24.6 years female: 23.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.338% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

20.13 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

2.72 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

5.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.15 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 15.57 deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.62 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.71 years male: 76.19 years female: 81.39 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.47 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

600 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Jordanian(s) adjective: Jordanian

Ethnic groups:

Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%

Religions:

Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox, but some

Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox,

Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several

small Shia Muslim and Druze populations) (2001 est.)

Languages:

Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89.9% male: 95.1% female: 84.7% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 13 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4.9% of GDP (1999)

Government

Jordan

Country name:

conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan conventional short form: Jordan local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah local short form: Al Urdun former: Transjordan

Government type:

constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Amman geographic coordinates: 31 57 N, 35 56 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Thursday in March; ends last Friday in September

Administrative divisions:

12 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba

Independence:

25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 25 May (1946)

Constitution:

1 January 1952; amended many times

Legal system:

based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999); Prince HUSSEIN (born 1994), eldest son of King ABDALLAH II, is considered to be first in line to inherit the throne head of government: Prime Minister Nader al-DAHABI (since 25 November 2007) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the monarch elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the Senate, also called the House of Notables or Majlis al-Ayan (55 seats; members appointed by the monarch from designated categories of public figures to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies, also called the House of Representatives or Majlis al-Nuwaab (110 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms; note - six seats are reserved for women and are allocated by a special electoral panel if no women are elected) elections: Chamber of Deputies - last held 20 November 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - IAF 5.5 %, independents and other 94.5%; seats by party - IAF 6, independents and other 104; note - seven women will serve in the next Assembly - six of whom filled women's quota seats and one was directly elected

Judicial branch:

Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final appeal)

Political parties and leaders:

al-Ahd Party; Arab Islamic Democratic Movement [Yusuf ABU BAKR];

Arab Land Party [Dr. Ayishah Salih HIJAZAYN]; Arab Socialist Ba'th

Party [Taysir al-HIMSI]; Ba'th Arab Progressive Party [Fu'ad

DABBUR]; Freedom Party; Future Party; Islamic Action Front or IAF

[Zaki Sa'ed BANI IRSHEID]; Islamic Center Party [Marwan al-FAURI];

Jordanian Arab Ansar Party; Jordanian Arab New Dawn Party; Jordanian

Arab Party; Jordanian Citizens' Rights Movement; Jordanian Communist

Party [Munir HAMARINAH]; Jordanian Communist Workers Party;

Jordanian Democratic Left Party [Musa MA'AYTEH]; Jordanian

Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'id Dhiyab Ali MUSTAFA]; Jordanian

Generations Party [Muhammad KHALAYLEH]; Jordanian Green Party

[Muhammad BATAYNEH]; Jordanian Labor Party [Dr. Mazin Sulayman

Jiryis HANNA]; Jordanian Peace Party; Jordanian People's Committees

Movement; Jordanian People's Democratic Party (Hashd) [Ahmad YUSUF];

Jordanian Rafah Party; Jordanian Renaissance Party; Mission Party;

Nation Party [Ahmad al-HANANDEH]; National Action Party (Haqq)

[Tariq al-KAYYALI]; National Constitutional Party [Abdul Hadi

MAJALI]; National Popular Democratic Movement [Mahmud al-NUWAYHI];

Progressive Party [Fawwaz al-ZUBI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Anti-Normalization Committee [Ali Abu SUKKAR, president vice

chairman]; Jordan Bar Association [Hussein Mujalli, chairman];

Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim

Brotherhood [Salem AL-FALAHAT, controller general]

International organization participation:

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINUSTAH, MONUC,

NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador ZEID Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein, Prince chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664 FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert S. Beecroft embassy: Abdun, Amman mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; Unit 70200, Box 5, APO AE 09892-0200 telephone: [962] (6) 590-6000 FAX: [962] (6) 592-0121

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), representing the Abbassid Caliphate, white, representing the Ummayyad Caliphate, and green, representing the Fatimid Caliphate; a red isosceles triangle on the hoist side, representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, and bearing a small white seven-pointed star symbolizing the seven verses of the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven points on the star represent faith in One God, humanity, national spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and aspirations; design is based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I

Economy

Jordan

Economy - overview:

Jordan is a small Arab country with insufficient supplies of water, oil, and other natural resources. Poverty, unemployment, and inflation are fundamental problems, but King ABDALLAH II, since assuming the throne in 1999, has undertaken some broad economic reforms in a long-term effort to improve living standards. Since Jordan's graduation from its most recent IMF program in 2002, Amman has continued to follow IMF guidelines, practicing careful monetary policy, making substantial headway with privatization, and opening the trade regime. Jordan's exports have significantly increased under the free trade accord with the US and Jordanian Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ), which allow Jordan to export goods duty free to the US. In 2006, Jordan reduced its debt-to-GDP ratio significantly. These measures have helped improve productivity and have made Jordan more attractive for foreign investment. Before the US-led war in Iraq, Jordan imported most of its oil from Iraq. Since 2003, however, Jordan has been more dependent on oil from other Gulf nations. The government ended subsidies for petroleum and other consumer goods in 2008 in an effort to control the budget. The main challenges facing Jordan are reducing dependence on foreign grants, reducing the budget deficit, attracting investments, and creating jobs.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$28.45 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$16.01 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$4,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3.5% industry: 10.3% services: 86.2% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

1.563 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 5% industry: 12.5% services: 82.5% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:

13.5% official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

14.2% (2002)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.7% highest 10%: 30.6% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

38.8 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

27.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $5.117 billion expenditures: $6.468 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

72.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.4% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

7% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8.68% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$6.765 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$15.38 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$19.53 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

citrus, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives; sheep, poultry, stone fruits, strawberries, dairy

Industries:

clothing, phosphate mining, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, petroleum refining, cement, potash, inorganic chemicals, light manufacturing, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

7.7% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

10.87 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

9.852 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

13 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

472 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 99.4% hydro: 0.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:

110,700 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:

112,300 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

1 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

320 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

2.25 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

2.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

6.031 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$2.767 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$5.7 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

clothing, pharmaceuticals, potash, phosphates, fertilizers, vegetables, manufactures;

Exports - partners:

US 22.4%, Iraq 12.9%, India 8.3%, UAE 7.8%, Saudi Arabia 7.5%, Syria 4.9% (2007)

Imports:

$12.02 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

crude oil, textile fabrics, machinery, transport equipment, manufactured goods

Imports - partners:

Saudi Arabia 21%, China 9.7%, Germany 7.5%, US 4.7%, Egypt 4.4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $752 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$7.929 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$8.133 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$18.18 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$29.73 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Jordanian dinar (JOD)

Currency code:

JOD

Exchange rates:

Jordanian dinars (JOD) per US dollar - 0.709 (2007), 0.709 (2006), 0.709 (2005), 0.709 (2004), 0.709 (2003)

Communications

Jordan

Telephones - main lines in use:

585,500 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

4.771 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: service has improved recently with increased use of digital switching equipment; microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; growing mobile-cellular usage in both urban and rural areas is reducing use of fixed-line services; Internet penetration remains modest and slow-growing domestic: 1995 telecommunications law opened all non-fixed-line services to private competition; in 2005, monopoly over fixed-line services terminated and the entire telecommunications sector was opened to competition; mobile-cellular usage is increasing rapidly and teledensity reached 80 per 100 persons in 2007 international: country code - 962; landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe; satellite earth stations - 33 (3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals); fiber-optic cable to Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and Syria; participant in Medarabtel (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

FM 31 (2007)

Radios:

1.66 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

22 (2007)

Televisions:

500,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.jo

Internet hosts:

21,150 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

5 (2000)

Internet users:

1.127 million (2007)

Transportation

Jordan

Airports:

17 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 15 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 426 km; oil 49 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 505 km narrow gauge: 505 km 1.050-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 7,694 km paved: 7,694 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 21 by type: cargo 8, container 1, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 13 (UAE 13) registered in other countries: 24 (Algeria 7, Bahamas 2, Panama 13, Syria 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Al 'Aqabah

Military

Jordan

Military branches:

Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Land Force, Royal

Jordanian Navy, Royal Jordanian Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya

al-Malakiya al-Urduniya, RJAF), Special Operations Command (Socom);

Public Security Directorate (normally falls under Ministry of

Interior, but comes under JAF in wartime or crisis) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription at age 18 was suspended in 1999, although all males under age 37 are required to register; women not subject to conscription, but can volunteer to serve in non-combat military positions (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,812,551 females age 16-49: 1,559,155 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,546,766 females age 16-49: 1,339,366 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 68,067 female: 65,512 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

8.6% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Jordan

Disputes - international:

approximately two million Iraqis have fled the conflict in Iraq, with the majority taking refuge in Syria and Jordan; 2004 Agreement settles border dispute with Syria pending demarcation

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 1,835,704 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)); 500,000 (Iraq) IDPs: 160,000 (1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Jordan is a destination and transit country for women and men from South and Southeast Asia trafficked for the purpose of forced labor; Jordan is also a destination for women from Eastern Europe and Morocco for prostitution; women from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines migrate willingly to work as domestic servants, but some are subjected to conditions of forced labor, including unlawful withholding of passports, restrictions on movement, non-payment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Jordan is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007, particularly in the area of law enforcement against trafficking for forced labor; the government made minimal efforts to investigate or prosecute numerous allegations related to exploitation of foreign domestic workers; Jordan failed for a second year to criminally prosecute and punish those who committed acts of forced labor; Jordan also continues to lack victim protection services; Jordan has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Kazakhstan

Introduction

Kazakhstan

Background:

Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence in 1991 caused many of these newcomers to emigrate. Kazakhstan's economy is larger than those of all the other Central Asian states combined, largely due to the country's vast natural resources and a recent history of political stability. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity; expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets; achieving a sustainable economic growth; diversifying the economy outside the oil, gas, and mining sectors; enhancing Kazakhstan's competitiveness; and strengthening relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers.

Geography

Kazakhstan

Location:

Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural

River in eastern-most Europe

Geographic coordinates:

48 00 N, 68 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 2,717,300 sq km land: 2,669,800 sq km water: 47,500 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than four times the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 12,185 km border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,224 km, Russia 6,846 km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked); note - Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea, now split into two bodies of water (1,070 km), and the Caspian Sea (1,894 km)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid

Terrain:

extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m

Natural resources:

major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium

Land use:

arable land: 8.28% permanent crops: 0.05% other: 91.67% (2005)

Irrigated land:

35,560 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

109.6 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 35 cu km/yr (2%/17%/82%) per capita: 2,360 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty

Environment - current issues:

radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with former defense industries and test ranges scattered throughout the country pose health risks for humans and animals; industrial pollution is severe in some cities; because the two main rivers that flowed into the Aral Sea have been diverted for irrigation, it is drying up and leaving behind a harmful layer of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then picked up by the wind and blown into noxious dust storms; pollution in the Caspian Sea; soil pollution from overuse of agricultural chemicals and salination from poor infrastructure and wasteful irrigation practices

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note:

landlocked; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome; in January 2004, Kazakhstan and Russia extended the lease to 2050

People

Kazakhstan

Population:

15,340,533 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 22.1% (male 1,734,622/female 1,659,723) 15-64 years: 69.6% (male 5,219,983/female 5,463,468) 65 years and over: 8.2% (male 443,483/female 819,254) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 29.3 years male: 27.8 years female: 31.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.374% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

16.44 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.39 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-3.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.54 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 26.56 deaths/1,000 live births male: 31.03 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 67.55 years male: 62.24 years female: 73.16 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.88 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

16,500 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Kazakhstani(s) adjective: Kazakhstani

Ethnic groups:

Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek 2.5%,

German 2.4%, Tatar 1.7%, Uygur 1.4%, other 4.9% (1999 census)

Religions:

Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%

Languages:

Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official, used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic communication") 95% (2001 est.)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.5% male: 99.8% female: 99.3% (1999 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2007)

Education expenditures:

2.3% of GDP (2005)

Government

Kazakhstan

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan conventional short form: Kazakhstan local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy local short form: Qazaqstan former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:

republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch

Capital:

name: Astana geographic coordinates: 51 10 N, 71 25 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Kazakhstan is divided into two time zones

Administrative divisions:

14 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 3 cities* (qalalar, singular - qala); Almaty Oblysy, Almaty Qalasy*, Aqmola Oblysy (Astana), Aqtobe Oblysy, Astana Qalasy*, Atyrau Oblysy, Batys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Bayqongyr Qalasy*, Mangghystau Oblysy (Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Pavlodar Oblysy, Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Shyghys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen), Soltustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Petropavlovsk), Zhambyl Oblysy (Taraz) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses); in 1995, the Governments of Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the Baykonur space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr (Baykonur, formerly Leninsk); in 2004, a new agreement extended the lease to 2050

Independence:

16 December 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 16 December (1991)

Constitution:

first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January 1993; new constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995

Legal system:

based on Islamic law and Roman law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected president 1 December 1991) head of government: Prime Minister Karim MASIMOV (since 10 January 2007); Deputy Prime Ministers Umirzak SHUKEYEV (since 27 August 2007) and Yerbol ORYNBAYEV (since 29 October 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister and first deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 91.1%, Zharmakhan A. TUYAKBAI 6.6%, Alikhan M. BAIMENOV 1.6% note: President NAZARBAYEV arranged a referendum in 1995 that extended his term of office and expanded his presidential powers: only he can initiate constitutional amendments, appoint and dismiss the government, dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his discretion, and appoint administrative heads of regions and cities

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (47 seats; 7 members are appointed by the president; other members are elected by local assemblies; to serve six-year terms) and the Mazhilis (107 seats; 9 out of the 107 Mazhilis members are elected from the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, which represents the country's ethnic minorities; members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - (indirect) last held December 2005; next to be held in 2011; Mazhilis - last held 18 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Mazhilis - percent of vote by party - Nur-Otan 88.1%, NSDP 4.6%, Ak Zhol 3.3%, Auyl 1.6%, Communist People's Party 1.3%, Patriots Party .8% Ruhaniyat .4%; seats by party - Nur-Otan 98; note - parties must achieve a threshold of 7% of the electorate to qualify for seats in the Mazhilis

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members)

Political parties and leaders:

Adilet (Justice) [Maksut NARIKBAYEV, Zeynulla ALSHIMBAYEV, Bakhytbek

AKHMETZHAN, Yerkin ONGARBAYEV, Tolegan SYDYKOV] (formerly Democratic

Party of Kazakhstan); Agrarian and Industrial Union of Workers Block

or AIST (Agrarian Party and Civic Party); Ak Zhol Party (Bright

Path) [Alikhan BAIMENOV]; Auyl (Village) [Gani KALIYEV]; Communist

Party of Kazakhstan or KPK [Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN]; Communist

People's Party of Kazakhstan [Vladislav KOSAREV]; National Social

Democratic Party (NSDP)[Zharmakhan TUYAKBAY]; Nur-Otan [Bakhytzhan

ZHUMAGULOV] (the Agrarian, Asar, and Civic parties merged with

Otan); Patriots' Party [Gani KASYMOV]; Rukhaniyat (Spirituality)

[Altynshash ZHAGANOVA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Adil-Soz [Tamara KALEYEVA]; Almaty Helsinki Group [Ninel FOKINA];

Confederation of Free Trade Unions [Sergei BELKIN]; For a Just

Kazakhstan [Bolat ABILOV]; For Fair Elections [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS,

Sabit ZHUSUPOV, Sergey DUVANOV, Ibrash NUSUPBAYEV]; Kazakhstan

International Bureau on Human Rights [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS, executive

director]; Pan-National Social Democratic Party of Kazakhstan

[Zharmakhan TUYAKBAI]; Pensioners Movement or Pokoleniye [Irina

SAVOSTINA, chairwoman]; Republican Network of International Monitors

[Dos KUSHIM]; Transparency International [Sergei ZLOTNIKOV]

International organization participation:

ADB, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC,

OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Yerlan IDRISOV chancery: 1401 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 232-5488 FAX: [1] (202) 232-5845 consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard E. HOAGLAND embassy: Ak Bulak 4, Str. 23-22, Building #3, Astana 010010 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [7] (7172) 70-21-00 FAX: [7] (7172) 34-08-90

Flag description:

sky blue background representing the endless sky and a gold sun with 32 rays above a soaring golden steppe eagle in the center; on the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in gold

Economy

Kazakhstan

Economy - overview:

Kazakhstan, the largest of the former Soviet republics in territory, excluding Russia, possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves and plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. It also has a large agricultural sector featuring livestock and grain. Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and processing of these natural resources. The breakup of the USSR in December 1991 and the collapse in demand for Kazakhstan's traditional heavy industry products resulted in a short-term contraction of the economy, with the steepest annual decline occurring in 1994. In 1995-97, the pace of the government program of economic reform and privatization quickened, resulting in a substantial shifting of assets into the private sector. Kazakhstan enjoyed double-digit growth in 2000-01 - 8% or more per year in 2002-07 - thanks largely to its booming energy sector, but also to economic reform, good harvests, and foreign investment. Inflation, however, jumped to more than 10% in 2007. In the energy sector, the opening of the Caspian Consortium pipeline in 2001, from western Kazakhstan's Tengiz oilfield to the Black Sea, substantially raised export capacity. In 2006 Kazakhstan completed the Atasu-Alashankou portion of an oil pipeline to China that is planned in future construction to extend from the country's Caspian coast eastward to the Chinese border. The country has embarked upon an industrial policy designed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the oil sector by developing its manufacturing potential. The policy aims to reduce the influence of foreign investment and foreign personnel. The government has engaged in several disputes with foreign oil companies over the terms of production agreements; tensions continue. Upward pressure on the local currency continued in 2007 due to massive oil-related foreign-exchange inflows. Aided by strong growth and foreign exchange earnings, Kazakhstan aspires to become a regional financial center and has created a banking system comparable to those in Central Europe.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$168.2 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$103.8 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

8.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$11,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 5.8% industry: 39.4% services: 54.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

8.229 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 32.2% industry: 18% services: 49.8% (2005)

Unemployment rate:

7.3% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

13.8% (2007)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 26.5% (2004 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

30.4 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

30.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $23.58 billion expenditures: $25.33 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

7.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

10.8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

11% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$12.74 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$25.75 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$43.75 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock

Industries:

oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron and steel; tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials

Industrial production growth rate:

7.2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

74.93 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

61.81 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

3.528 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

3.665 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 84.3% hydro: 15.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

1.445 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

243,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

1.236 million bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:

127,600 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

30 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

27.88 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

30.58 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

8.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

10.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

2.832 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$7.184 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$48.35 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

oil and oil products 59%, ferrous metals 19%, chemicals 5%, machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001)

Exports - partners:

China 15.5%, Germany 11.5%, Russia 11.2%, Italy 7.2%, France 6.7% (2007)

Imports:

$33.21 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, metal products, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

Russia 35.4%, China 22.1%, Germany 8% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$229.2 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$17.63 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$96.36 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$40.16 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$3.97 billion (September 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$10.52 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

tenge (KZT)

Currency code:

KZT

Exchange rates:

tenge (KZT) per US dollar - 122.55 (2007), 126.09 (2006), 132.88 (2005), 136.04 (2004), 149.58 (2003)

Communications

Kazakhstan

Telephones - main lines in use:

3.237 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

12.588 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: inherited an outdated telecommunications network from the Soviet era requiring modernization domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; number of fixed-line connections is gradually increasing and fixed-line teledensity is about 20 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage is increasing rapidly and subscriptions now exceed 80 per 100 persons international: country code - 7; international traffic with other former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay and with other countries by satellite and by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998)

Radios:

6.47 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

12 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998)

Televisions:

3.88 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.kz

Internet hosts:

36,417 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

10 (with their own international channels) (2001)

Internet users:

1.901 million (2006)

Transportation

Kazakhstan

Airports:

97 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 65 over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 8 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 32 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 12 (2007)

Heliports:

5 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 658 km; gas 11,082 km; oil 10,376 km; refined products 1,095 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 13,700 km broad gauge: 13,700 km 1.520-m gauge (3,700 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 91,563 km paved: 83,717 km unpaved: 7,846 km (2006)

Waterways:

4,000 km (on the Ertis ((Irtysh)) River (80%) and Syr Darya ((Syrdariya)) River) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 5 by type: petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 1 (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk),

Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)

Military

Kazakhstan

Military branches:

Ground Forces, Naval Force, Air and Air Defense Forces, Republican

Guard

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years; minimum age for volunteers NA (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 4,176,731 females age 16-49: 4,219,636 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,871,205 females age 16-49: 3,551,032 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 145,495 female: 140,149 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.9% of GDP (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02)

Transnational Issues

Kazakhstan

Disputes - international:

Kyrgyzstan has yet to ratify the 2001 boundary delimitation with Kazakhstan; field demarcation of the boundaries with Turkmenistan commenced in 2005, and with Uzbekistan in 2004; demarcation is scheduled to get underway with Russia in 2007; demarcation with China was completed in 2002; creation of a seabed boundary with Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains under discussion; equidistant seabed treaties have been ratified with Azerbaijan and Russia in the Caspian Sea, but no resolution has been made on dividing the water column among any of the littoral states

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 3,700 (Russia); 508 (Afghanistan) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

significant illicit cultivation of cannabis for CIS markets, as well as limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug ephedrine); limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of Europe; significant consumer of opiates

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Kenya

Introduction

Kenya

Background:

Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud, but were viewed as having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. KIBAKI's NARC coalition splintered in 2005 over the constitutional review process. Government defectors joined with KANU to form a new opposition coalition, the Orange Democratic Movement, which defeated the government's draft constitution in a popular referendum in November 2005. KIBAKI's reelection in December 2007 brought charges of vote rigging from ODM candidate Raila ODINGA and unleashed two months of violence in which as many as 1,500 people died. UN-sponsored talks in late February produced a powersharing accord bringing ODINGA into the government in the restored position of prime minister.

Geography

Kenya

Location:

Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and

Tanzania

Geographic coordinates:

1 00 N, 38 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 582,650 sq km land: 569,250 sq km water: 13,400 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than twice the size of Nevada

Land boundaries:

total: 3,477 km border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km

Coastline:

536 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior

Terrain:

low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m

Natural resources:

limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite, gypsum, wildlife, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 8.01% permanent crops: 0.97% other: 91.02% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,030 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

30.2 cu km (1990)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.58 cu km/yr (30%/6%/64%) per capita: 46 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons

Environment - current issues:

water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value

People

Kenya

Population:

37,953,840 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 42.2% (male 8,065,789/female 7,953,077) 15-64 years: 55.2% (male 10,498,468/female 10,434,764) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 457,886/female 543,854) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.6 years male: 18.5 years female: 18.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.758% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

37.89 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.3 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 56.01 deaths/1,000 live births male: 58.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 53.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 56.64 years male: 56.42 years female: 56.87 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.7 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

6.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

1.2 million (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

150,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Kenyan(s) adjective: Kenyan

Ethnic groups:

Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%

Religions:

Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, Muslim 10%, indigenous beliefs 10%, other 2% note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely

Languages:

English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.1% male: 90.6% female: 79.7% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 10 years female: 9 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

6.9% of GDP (2006)

Government

Kenya

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Kenya conventional short form: Kenya local long form: Republic of Kenya/Jamhuri ya Kenya local short form: Kenya former: British East Africa

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Nairobi geographic coordinates: 1 17 S, 36 49 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western

Independence:

12 December 1963 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 12 December (1963)

Constitution:

12 December 1963; amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001; note - a new draft constitution was defeated by popular referendum in 2005

Legal system:

based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in 1991

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002); Vice President Stephene Kalonzo MUSYOKA (since 10 January 2008); head of government: Prime Minister Raila Amolo ODINGA (since 17 April 2008) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); in addition to receiving the largest number of votes in absolute terms, the presidential candidate must also win 25% or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's seven provinces and one area to avoid a runoff; election last held 27 December 2007 (next to be held in December 2012); vice president appointed by the president election results: President Mwai KIBAKI reelected; percent of vote - Mwai KIBAKI 46%, Raila ODINGA 44%, Kalonzo MUSYOKA 9%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (224 seats; 210 members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 12 so-called "nominated" members who are appointed by the president but selected by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote totals, 2 ex-officio members) elections: last held 27 December 2007 (next to be held in December 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ODM 99, PNU 43, ODM-K 16, KANU 14 other 38; ex-officio 2; seats appointed by the president - TBD

Judicial branch:

Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); High

Court

Political parties and leaders:

Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Kenya or FORD-Kenya [Musikari

KOMBO]; Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People

[Simeon NYACHAE]; Kenya African National Union or KANU [Uhuru

KENYATTA]; National Rainbow Coalition-Kenya or NARC-Kenya [Raphael

TUJU]; Orange Democratic Movement or ODM [Raila ODINGA]; Orange

Democratic Movement-Kenya or ODM-K [Kalonzo MUSYOKA]; Party of

National Unity or PNU [Mwai KIBAKI]; Shirikisho Party of Kenya or

SPK [Chirau Ali MWAKWERE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Council of Islamic Preachers of Kenya or CIPK [Sheikh Idris

MOHAMMED]; Kenya Human Rights Commission [L. Muthoni WANYEKI];

Muslim Human Rights Forum [Ali-Amin KIMATHI]; National Convention

Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of political

parties and nongovernment organizations [Ndung'u WAINANA];

Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [Canon

Peter Karanja MWANGI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches;

Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur

al-BUSAIDY]

other: labor unions

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC,

NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL,

UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Peter Rateng Oginga OGEGO chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101 FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael RANNEBERGER embassy: US Embassy, United Nations Avenue, Nairobi; P. O. Box 606 Village Market, Nairobi 00621 mailing address: Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831 telephone: [254] (20) 363-6000 FAX: [254] (20) 363-410

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center

Economy

Kenya

Economy - overview:

The regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, Kenya has been hampered by corruption and by reliance upon several primary goods whose prices have remained low. In 1997, the IMF suspended Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program due to the government's failure to maintain reforms and curb corruption. A severe drought from 1999 to 2000 compounded Kenya's problems, causing water and energy rationing and reducing agricultural output. As a result, GDP contracted by 0.2% in 2000. The IMF, which had resumed loans in 2000 to help Kenya through the drought, again halted lending in 2001 when the government failed to institute several anticorruption measures. Despite the return of strong rains in 2001, weak commodity prices, endemic corruption, and low investment limited Kenya's economic growth to 1.2%. Growth lagged at 1.1% in 2002 because of erratic rains, low investor confidence, meager donor support, and political infighting up to the elections. In the key December 2002 elections, Daniel Arap MOI's 24-year-old reign ended, and a new opposition government took on the formidable economic problems facing the nation. After some early progress in rooting out corruption and encouraging donor support, the KIBAKI government was rocked by high-level graft scandals in 2005 and 2006. In 2006 the World Bank and IMF delayed loans pending action by the government on corruption. The international financial institutions and donors have since resumed lending, despite little action on the government's part to deal with corruption. The scandals have not weighed down growth, with estimated real GDP growth at more than 6 percent in 2007.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$61.22 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$29.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 23.8% industry: 16.7% services: 59.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

11.85 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 75% industry and services: 25% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:

40% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:

50% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 37.2% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

44.5 (1997)

Investment (gross fixed):

20.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $5.924 billion expenditures: $6.878 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Public debt:

48.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

9.7% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

13.34% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$5.932 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$6.273 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$10.43 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs

Industries:

small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, clothing, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products, horticulture, oil refining; aluminum, steel, lead; cement, commercial ship repair, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

6.8% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

6.264 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

5.124 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

58.3 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

22.5 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 17.7% hydro: 71% nuclear: 0% other: 11.3% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - consumption:

65,530 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

5,137 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

72,780 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$1.147 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$4.127 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement

Exports - partners:

Uganda 16.9%, UK 9.3%, Tanzania 8.2%, Netherlands 8.2%, US 6.4%,

Pakistan 5.2% (2007)

Imports:

$8.54 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics

Imports - partners:

UAE 11.4%, China 9.9%, India 8.7%, Saudi Arabia 8%, South Africa 6.9%, US 6.2%, Japan 5.9%, UK 4.6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$768.3 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$3.355 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$6.713 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$1.249 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$47 million (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$11.38 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Kenyan shilling (KES)

Currency code:

KES

Exchange rates:

Kenyan shillings (KES) per US dollar - 68.309 (2007), 72.101 (2006), 75.554 (2005), 79.174 (2004), 75.936 (2003)

Communications

Kenya

Telephones - main lines in use:

264,800 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

11.44 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: inadequate; fixed-line telephone system is small and inefficient; trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business data commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system domestic: no recent growth in fixed-line infrastructure and the sole provider, Telkom Kenya, is slated for privatization; multiple providers in the mobile-cellular segment of the market fostering a boom in mobile-cellular telephone usage international: country code - 254; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 24, FM 18, shortwave 6 (2001)

Radios:

3.07 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

8 (2001)

Televisions:

730,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ke

Internet hosts:

27,376 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

65 (2001)

Internet users:

3 million (2007)

Transportation

Kenya

Airports:

225 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 15 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 210 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 113 under 914 m: 85 (2007)

Pipelines:

refined products 900 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,778 km narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 63,265 km (interurban roads) paved: 8,933 km unpaved: 54,332 km note: there also are 100,000 km of rural roads and 14,500 km of urban roads for a national total of 177,765 km (2004)

Waterways:

part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 1 by type: petroleum tanker 1 registered in other countries: 6 (Bahamas 1, Comoros 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Tuvalu 1, unknown 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Mombasa

Military

Kenya

Military branches:

Kenyan Army, Kenyan Navy, Kenyan Air Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age (est.) for voluntary service, with a 9-year obligation (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 9,044,685 females age 16-49: 8,805,736 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,688,259 females age 16-49: 5,396,166 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 411,032 female: 406,794 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.8% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Kenya

Disputes - international:

Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan's north-south separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter to almost a quarter of a million refugees, including Ugandans who flee across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading across the border, which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists; the boundary that separates Kenya's and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi Triangle," which Kenya has administered since colonial times

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 173,702 (Somalia); 73,004 (Sudan); 16,428 (Ethiopia) IDPs: 250,000-400,000 (2007 post-election violence; KANU attacks on opposition tribal groups in 1990s) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit country for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North America; Indian methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa; significant potential for money-laundering activity given the country's status as a regional financial center; massive corruption, and relatively high levels of narcotics-associated activities

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Kiribati

Introduction

Kiribati

Background:

The Gilbert Islands became a British protectorate in 1892 and a colony in 1915; they were captured by the Japanese in the Pacific War in 1941. The islands of Makin and Tarawa were the sites of major US amphibious victories over entrenched Japanese garrisons in 1943. The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati.

Geography

Kiribati

Location:

Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the Equator; the capital Tarawa is about half way between Hawaii and Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of its territory lies in the same time zone as its Gilbert Islands group (UTC +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands under its jurisdiction lie on the other side of the International Date Line

Geographic coordinates:

1 25 N, 173 00 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 811 sq km land: 811 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands

Area - comparative:

four times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

1,143 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds

Terrain:

mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m

Natural resources:

phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)

Land use:

arable land: 2.74% permanent crops: 47.95% other: 49.31% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level

Environment - current issues:

heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to heavy migration mixed with traditional practices such as lagoon latrines and open-pit dumping; ground water at risk

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

21 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Makatea in French Polynesia, and Nauru

People

Kiribati

Population:

110,356 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 37.9% (male 21,180/female 20,604) 15-64 years: 58.7% (male 31,993/female 32,797) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 1,606/female 2,176) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 20.6 years male: 20.1 years female: 21.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.235% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

30.31 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.97 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 44.69 deaths/1,000 live births male: 49.61 deaths/1,000 live births female: 39.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 62.85 years male: 59.79 years female: 66.06 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.08 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural) adjective: I-Kiribati

Ethnic groups:

Micronesian 98.8%, other 1.2% (2000 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, other (includes

Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints, Church of

God) 8% (1999)

Languages:

I-Kiribati, English (official)

Literacy:

NA

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 13 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

17.8% of GDP (2002)

Government

Kiribati

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati conventional short form: Kiribati local long form: Republic of Kiribati local short form: Kiribati note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss former: Gilbert Islands

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Tarawa geographic coordinates: 1 19 N, 172 58 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands; note - in addition, there are 6 districts (Banaba, Central Gilberts, Line Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa) and 21 island councils - one for each of the inhabited islands (Abaiang, Abemama, Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton, Kiritimati, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea, Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina)

Independence:

12 July 1979 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 12 July (1979)

Constitution:

12 July 1979

Legal system:

NA

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President Teima ONORIO; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President Teima ONORIO cabinet: 12-member cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the House of Parliament elections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidential candidates from among its members and then those candidates compete in a general election; president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held 17 October 2007 (next to be held in 2011); vice president appointed by the president election results: Anote TONG 63.7%, Nabuti MWEMWENIKARAWA 32.9%

Legislative branch:

unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (46 seats; 44 members elected by popular vote, 1 ex officio member - the attorney general, 1 nominated by the Rabi Council of Leaders (representing Banaba Island); to serve four-year terms) elections: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first round on 22 August 2007 and the second round on 30 August 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA, other 2 (includes attorney general)

Judicial branch:

Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all levels are appointed by the president

Political parties and leaders:

Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON]; Maneaban Te Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP; National Progressive Party or NPP [Dr. Harry TONG] note: there is no tradition of formally organized political parties in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ACP, ADB, C, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,

IMO, IOC, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UPU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary consulate in Honolulu

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Kiribati

Flag description:

the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying over a yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three horizontal wavy white stripes to represent the ocean

Economy

Kiribati

Economy - overview:

A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few natural resources. Commercially viable phosphate deposits were exhausted at the time of independence from the UK in 1979. Copra and fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economy has fluctuated widely in recent years. Economic development is constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure, and remoteness from international markets. Tourism provides more than one-fifth of GDP. Private sector initiatives and a financial sector are in the early stages of development. Foreign financial aid from UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and China equals more than 10% of GDP. Remittances from seamen on merchant ships abroad account for more than $5 million each year. Kiribati receives around $15 million annually for the government budget from an Australian trust fund.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$348 million (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$67 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$3,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 8.9% industry: 24.2% services: 66.8% (2004)

Labor force:

7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 2.7% industry: 32% services: 65.3% (2000)

Unemployment rate:

2% official rate; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $55.52 million expenditures: $59.71 million (FY05)

Fiscal year:

NA

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

0.2% (2007 est.)

Agriculture - products:

copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish

Industries:

fishing, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate:

0.7% (1991 est.)

Electricity - production:

10 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

9.3 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

232.4 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

259.1 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$21 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$17 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:

copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish

Exports - partners:

US 22.8%, Belgium 21.5%, Japan 14.3%, Samoa 7.8%, Australia 7.5%,

Malaysia 6.7%, Taiwan 5.6%, Denmark 4.6% (2006)

Imports:

$62 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel

Imports - partners:

Australia 33%, Fiji 27.1%, Japan 18.1%, NZ 6.9% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$27.84 million largely from UK and Japan (2005)

Debt - external:

$10 million (1999 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Australian dollar (AUD)

Currency code:

AUD

Exchange rates:

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)

Communications

Kiribati

Telephones - main lines in use:

4,500 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

700 (2005)

Telephone system:

general assessment: generally good quality national and international service domestic: wire line service available on Tarawa and Kiritimati (Christmas Island); connections to outer islands by HF/VHF radiotelephone; wireless service available in Tarawa since 1999 international: country code - 686; Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which should improve telephone service; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (may be inactive) (2002)

Radios:

17,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (possibly inactive) (2002)

Televisions:

1,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ki

Internet hosts:

9 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

2,000 (2007)

Transportation

Kiribati

Airports:

19 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 670 km (2000)

Waterways:

5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 43 by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 18, chemical tanker 3, petroleum tanker 6, refrigerated cargo 14 foreign-owned: 31 (China 15, Hong Kong 4, South Korea 2, Singapore 4, Taiwan 5, Turkey 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Betio

Military

Kiribati

Military branches:

no regular military forces (constitutionally prohibited); Police Force (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 26,377 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 17,577 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 1,247 female: 1,226 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Military - note:

Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is provided by Australia and NZ

Transnational Issues

Kiribati

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Korea, North

Introduction

Korea, North

Background:

An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was occupied by Japan in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese War. Five years later, Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula. Following World War II, Korea was split with the northern half coming under Soviet-sponsored Communist domination. After failing in the Korean War (1950-53) to conquer the US-backed Republic of Korea (ROK) in the southern portion by force, North Korea (DPRK), under its founder President KIM Il Sung, adopted a policy of ostensible diplomatic and economic "self-reliance" as a check against excessive Soviet or Communist Chinese influence. The DPRK demonized the US as the ultimate threat to its social system through state-funded propaganda, and molded political, economic, and military policies around the core ideological objective of eventual unification of Korea under Pyongyang's control. KIM's son, the current ruler KIM Jong Il, was officially designated as his father's successor in 1980, assuming a growing political and managerial role until the elder KIM's death in 1994. After decades of economic mismanagement and resource misallocation, the DPRK since the mid-1990s has relied heavily on international aid to feed its population while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army of approximately 1 million. North Korea's history of regional military provocations, proliferation of military-related items, and long-range missile development - as well as its nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons programs and massive conventional armed forces - are of major concern to the international community. In December 2002, following revelations that the DPRK was pursuing a nuclear weapons program based on enriched uranium in violation of a 1994 agreement with the US to freeze and ultimately dismantle its existing plutonium-based program, North Korea expelled monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In January 2003, it declared its withdrawal from the international Non-Proliferation Treaty. In mid-2003 Pyongyang announced it had completed the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel rods (to extract weapons-grade plutonium) and was developing a "nuclear deterrent." Beginning in August 2003, North Korea, China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the US have participated in the Six-Party Talks aimed at resolving the stalemate over the DPRK's nuclear programs. North Korea pulled out of the talks in November 2005. It test-fired ballistic missiles in July 2006 and conducted a nuclear test in October 2006. North Korea returned to the Six-Party Talks in December 2006 and subsequently signed two agreements on denuclearization. The 13 February 2007 Initial Actions Agreement shut down the North's nuclear facilities at Yongbyon in July 2007. In the 3 October 2007 Second Phase Actions Agreement, Pyongyang pledged to disable those facilities and provide a correct and complete declaration of its nuclear programs. Under the supervision of US nuclear experts, North Korean personnel completed a number of agreed-upon disablement actions at the three core facilities at the Yongbyon nuclear complex by the end of 2007. North Korea also began the discharge of spent fuel rods in December 2007, but it did not provide a declaration of its nuclear programs by the end of the year.

Geography

Korea, North

Location:

Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the

Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea

Geographic coordinates:

40 00 N, 127 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 120,540 sq km land: 120,410 sq km water: 130 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Mississippi

Land boundaries:

total: 1,673 km border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km

Coastline:

2,495 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm note: military boundary line 50 nm in the Sea of Japan and the exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea where all foreign vessels and aircraft without permission are banned

Climate:

temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer

Terrain:

mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m

Natural resources:

coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 22.4% permanent crops: 1.66% other: 75.94% (2005)

Irrigated land:

14,600 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

77.1 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 9.02 cu km/yr (20%/25%/55%) per capita: 401 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall

Environment - current issues:

water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; waterborne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated

People

Korea, North

Population:

23,479,088 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 22.9% (male 2,733,352/female 2,654,186) 15-64 years: 68.2% (male 7,931,484/female 8,083,626) 65 years and over: 8.8% (male 751,401/female 1,325,040) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 32.7 years male: 31.2 years female: 34.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.732% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

14.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 21.86 deaths/1,000 live births male: 23.46 deaths/1,000 live births female: 20.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 72.2 years male: 69.45 years female: 75.08 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean

Ethnic groups:

racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese

Religions:

traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way) note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom

Languages:

Korean

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99%

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Korea, North

Country name:

conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea conventional short form: North Korea local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk local short form: Choson abbreviation: DPRK

Government type:

Communist state one-man dictatorship

Capital:

name: Pyongyang geographic coordinates: 39 01 N, 125 45 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 municipalities (si, singular and plural) provinces: Chagang-do (Chagang), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong), Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae), Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae), Kangwon-do (Kangwon), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan), Yanggang-do (Yanggang) municipalities: Kaesong-si (Kaesong), Najin Sonbong-si (Najin-Sonbong), Namp'o-si (Namp'o), P'yongyang-si (Pyongyang)

Independence:

15 August 1945 (from Japan)

National holiday:

Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9

September (1948)

Constitution:

adopted 1948; completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992, and September 1998

Legal system:

based on Prussian civil law system with Japanese influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

17 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: KIM Jong Il (since July 1994); note - on 3 September 2003, rubberstamp Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) reelected KIM Jong Il chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded nation's "highest administrative authority"; SPA reelected KIM Yong Nam president of its Presidium also with responsibility of representing state and receiving diplomatic credentials head of government: Premier KIM Yong Il (since 11 April 2007); Vice Premiers KWAK Pom Gi (since 5 September 1998), JON Sung Hun (since 3 September 2003), RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003), THAE Jong Su (since 16 October 2007) cabinet: Naegak (cabinet) members, except for Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by SPA elections: last held in September 2003 (next to be held in September 2008) election results: KIM Jong Il and KIM Yong Nam were only nominees for positions and ran unopposed

Legislative branch:

unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 3 August 2003 (next to be held in August 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected without opposition; some seats are held by minor parties

Judicial branch:

Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:

major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Jong Il]; minor parties - Chondoist Chongu Party [RYU Mi Yong] (under KWP control), Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong Dae] (under KWP control)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

none

International organization participation:

ARF, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none; North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none; note - Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang represents the US as consular protecting power

Flag description:

three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of the red band is a white disk with a red five-pointed star

Economy

Korea, North

Economy - overview:

North Korea, one of the world's most centrally directed and least open economies, faces chronic economic problems. Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of underinvestment and shortages of spare parts. Industrial and power output have declined in parallel from pre-1990 levels. Due in part to severe summer flooding followed by dry weather conditions in the fall of 2006, the nation suffered its 13th year of food shortages because of on-going systemic problems including a lack of arable land, collective farming practices, and persistent shortages of tractors and fuel. During the summer of 2007, severe flooding again occurred. Large-scale international food aid deliveries have allowed the people of North Korea to escape widespread starvation since famine threatened in 1995, but the population continues to suffer from prolonged malnutrition and poor living conditions. Large-scale military spending draws off resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. Since 2002, the government has formalized an arrangement whereby private "farmers' markets" were allowed to begin selling a wider range of goods. It also permitted some private farming on an experimental basis in an effort to boost agricultural output. In October 2005, the government tried to reverse some of these policies by forbidding private sales of grains and reinstituting a centralized food rationing system. By December 2005, the government terminated most international humanitarian assistance operations in North Korea (calling instead for developmental assistance only) and restricted the activities of remaining international and non-governmental aid organizations such as the World Food Program. External food aid now comes primarily from China and South Korea in the form of grants and long-term concessional loans. During the October 2007 summit, South Korea also agreed to develop some of North Korea's infrastructure and natural resources and light industry. Firm political control remains the Communist government's overriding concern, which will likely inhibit the loosening of economic regulations.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$40 billion note: North Korea does not publish any reliable National Income Accounts data; the datum shown here is derived from purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP estimates for North Korea that were made by Angus MADDISON in a study conducted for the OECD; his figure for 1999 was extrapolated to 2007 using estimated real growth rates for North Korea's GDP and an inflation factor based on the US GDP deflator; the result was rounded to the nearest $10 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$25.96 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

-1.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 23.3% industry: 43.1% services: 33.6% (2002 est.)

Labor force:

20 million note: estimates vary widely (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 37% industry and services: 63% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $2.88 billion $NA expenditures: $2.98 billion $NA

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

NA%

Agriculture - products:

rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs

Industries:

military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

21.72 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

18.18 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 29% hydro: 71% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

141 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

24,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2006)

Oil - imports:

10,520 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

NA bbl

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2007)

Exports:

$1.466 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments), textiles, agricultural and fishery products

Exports - partners:

South Korea 32%, China 29%, Thailand 9% (2006)

Imports:

$2.879 billion c.i.f. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment, textiles, grain

Imports - partners:

China 27%, South Korea 16%, Thailand 9%, Russia 7% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$372 million note: approximately 65,000 metric tons in food aid through the World Food Program appeals in 2007, plus additional aid from bilateral donors and non-governmental organizations (2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$12.5 billion (2001 est.)

Currency (code):

North Korean won (KPW)

Currency code:

KPW

Exchange rates:

North Korean won (KPW) per US dollar - 140 (2007), 141 (2006), 170 (December 2004), market: North Korean won per US dollar - 2,500-3,000 (December 2006)

Communications

Korea, North

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.18 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: inadequate system; currently no mobile cellular telephone services domestic: fiber-optic links installed between cities; telephone directories unavailable; mobile cellular service, initiated in 2002, terminated in 2004; in January 2008 Orascom Telecom, an Egyptian company, announced that it had been granted a commercial license to provide mobile telephone services in North Korea international: country code - 850; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat - Indian Ocean, 1 Russian - Indian Ocean region); other international connections through Moscow and Beijing (2008)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 17 (including 11 stations of Korean Central Broadcasting Station; North Korea has a "national intercom" cable radio station wired throughout the country that is a significant source of information for the average North Korean citizen; it is wired into most residences and workplaces and carries news and commentary), FM 14, shortwave 14 (2006)

Radios:

3.36 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

4 (includes Korean Central Television, Mansudae Television, Korean Educational and Cultural Network, and Kaesong Television targeting South Korea) (2003)

Televisions:

1.2 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.kp

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

NA

Transportation

Korea, North

Airports:

77 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 36 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 22 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 41 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 7 (2007)

Heliports:

23 (2007)

Pipelines:

oil 154 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 5,235 km standard gauge: 5,235 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 25,554 km paved: 724 km unpaved: 24,830 km (2006)

Waterways:

2,250 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 167 by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 121, carrier 1, chemical tanker 4, container 3, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 19, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 19 (Egypt 1, Greece 1, Lebanon 1, Lithuania 1, Romania 4, Syria 1, UAE 8, Yemen 2) registered in other countries: 2 (Mongolia 1, Panama 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin,

Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan

Military

Korea, North

Military branches:

North Korean People's Army: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force; civil security forces (2005)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 6,225,747 females age 16-49: 6,188,270 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,141,240 females age 16-49: 5,139,447 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 199,628 female: 192,388 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Transnational Issues

Korea, North

Disputes - international:

risking arrest, imprisonment, and deportation, tens of thousands of North Koreans cross into China to escape famine, economic privation, and political oppression; North Korea and China dispute the sovereignty of certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers; Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic incidents in the Yellow Sea with South Korea which claims the Northern Limiting Line as a maritime boundary; North Korea supports South Korea in rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima)

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: undetermined (flooding in mid-2007 and famine during mid-1990s) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: North Korea is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; the most common form of trafficking involves North Korean women and girls who cross the border into China voluntarily; additionally, North Korean women and girls are lured out of North Korea to escape poor social and economic conditions by the promise of food, jobs, and freedom, only to be forced into prostitution, marriage, or exploitative labor arrangements once in China tier rating: Tier 3 - North Korea does not fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the government does not acknowledge the existence of human rights abuses in the country or recognize trafficking, either within the country or transnationally; North Korea has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Illicit drugs:

for years, from the 1970s into the 2000s, citizens of the Democratic People's Republic of (North) Korea (DPRK), many of them diplomatic employees of the government, were apprehended abroad while trafficking in narcotics, including two in Turkey in December 2004; police investigations in Taiwan and Japan in recent years have linked North Korea to large illicit shipments of heroin and methamphetamine, including an attempt by the North Korean merchant ship Pong Su to deliver 150 kg of heroin to Australia in April 2003

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Korea, South

Introduction

Korea, South

Background:

An independent Korean state or collection of states has existed almost continuously for several millennia. Between its initial unification in the 7th century - from three predecessor Korean states - until the 20th century, Korea existed as a single independent country. In 1905, following the Russo-Japanese War, Korea became a protectorate of imperial Japan, and in 1910 it was annexed as a colony. Korea regained its independence following Japan's surrender to the United States in 1945. After World War II, a Republic of Korea (ROK) was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a Communist-style government was installed in the north (the DPRK). During the Korean War (1950-53), US troops and UN forces fought alongside soldiers from the ROK to defend South Korea from DPRK attacks supported by China and the Soviet Union. An armistice was signed in 1953, splitting the peninsula along a demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel. Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth with per capita income rising to roughly 14 times the level of North Korea. In 1993, KIM Young-sam became South Korea's first civilian president following 32 years of military rule. South Korea today is a fully functioning modern democracy. In June 2000, a historic first North-South summit took place between the South's President KIM Dae-jung and the North's leader KIM Jong Il. In October 2007, a second North-South summit took place between the South's President ROH Moo-hyun and the North Korean leader.

Geography

Korea, South

Location:

Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the

Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea

Geographic coordinates:

37 00 N, 127 30 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 98,480 sq km land: 98,190 sq km water: 290 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Indiana

Land boundaries:

total: 238 km border countries: North Korea 238 km

Coastline:

2,413 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the Korea Strait contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: not specified

Climate:

temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter

Terrain:

mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m

Natural resources:

coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential

Land use:

arable land: 16.58% permanent crops: 2.01% other: 81.41% (2005)

Irrigated land:

8,780 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

69.7 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 18.59 cu km/yr (36%/16%/48%) per capita: 389 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest

Environment - current issues:

air pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location on Korea Strait

People

Korea, South

Population:

48,379,392 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 17.4% (male 4,431,315/female 4,004,810) 15-64 years: 72% (male 17,760,975/female 17,095,436) 65 years and over: 10.5% (male 2,030,931/female 3,055,925) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 36.7 years male: 35.5 years female: 37.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.269% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

9.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.73 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.29 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.52 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.64 years male: 75.34 years female: 82.17 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.2 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

8,300 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean

Ethnic groups:

homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)

Religions:

Christian 26.3% (Protestant 19.7%, Roman Catholic 6.6%), Buddhist 23.2%, other or unknown 1.3%, none 49.3% (1995 census)

Languages:

Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.9% male: 99.2% female: 96.6% (2002)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 17 years male: 18 years female: 15 years (2007)

Education expenditures:

4.6% of GDP (2004)

Government

Korea, South

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Korea conventional short form: South Korea local long form: Taehan-min'guk local short form: Han'guk abbreviation: ROK

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Seoul geographic coordinates: 37 33 N, 126 59 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 7 metropolitan cities (gwangyoksi, singular and plural) provinces: Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto (North Cholla), Cholla-namdo (South Cholla), Ch'ungch'ong-bukto (North Ch'ungch'ong), Ch'ungch'ong-namdo (South Ch'ungch'ong), Kangwon-do, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto (North Kyongsang), Kyongsang-namdo (South Kyongsang) metropolitan cities: Inch'on-gwangyoksi (Inch'on), Kwangju-gwangyoksi (Kwangju), Pusan-gwangyoksi (Pusan), Soul-t'ukpyolsi (Seoul), Taegu-gwangyoksi (Taegu), Taejon-gwangyoksi (Taejon), Ulsan-gwangyoksi (Ulsan)

Independence:

15 August 1945 (from Japan)

National holiday:

Liberation Day, 15 August (1945)

Constitution:

17 July 1948; note - amended or rewritten nine times; current constitution approved on 29 October 1987

Legal system:

combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

19 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President LEE Myung-bak (since 25 February 2008) head of government: Prime Minister HAN Seung-soo (since 29 February 2008) cabinet: State Council appointed by the president on the prime minister's recommendation elections: president elected by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 19 December 2007 (next to be held on in December 2012); prime minister appointed by president with consent of National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by president on prime minister's recommendation election results: ROH Moo-hyun elected president on 19 December 2002; percent of vote - ROH Moo-hyun (MDP) 48.9%; LEE Hoi-chang (GNP) 46.6%; others 4.5%; LEE Myung-bak elected president on 19 December 2007; percent of vote - LEE Myung-bak (GNP) 48.7%; CHUNG Dong-young (UNDP) 26.1%); LEE Hoi-chang (independent) 15.1; others 10.1%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats; 243 members elected in single-seat constituencies, 56 elected by proportional representation; to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 9 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GNP 153, UDP 81, LFP 18, Pro-Park Alliance 14, DLP 5, CKP 3, independents 25

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (justices appointed by the president with consent of

National Assembly); Constitutional Court (justices appointed by the

president based partly on nominations by National Assembly and Chief

Justice of the court)

Political parties and leaders:

Creative Korea Party or CKP [MOON Kook-hyun]; Democratic Labor Party

or DLP [CHUN Young-se]; Grand National Party or GNP [PARK Hee-tae];

Liberty Forward Party or LFP [LEE Hoi-chang]; Democratic Party or DP

[CHUNG Sye-kyun] (formerly the United Democratic Party or UDP)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Federation of Korean Industries; Federation of Korean Trade Unions;

Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Korean National Council of

Churches; Korean Traders Association; Korean Veterans' Association;

National Council of Labor Unions; National Democratic Alliance of

Korea; National Federation of Farmers' Associations; National

Federation of Student Associations

International organization participation:

ADB, AfDB (nonregional members), APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue

partner), Australia Group, BIS, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,

IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA,

MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, PIF

(partner), SAARC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,

UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador LEE Tae-sik chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600 FAX: [1] (202) 387-0205 consulate(s) general: Agana (Guam), Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Kathleen STEPHENS embassy: 32 Sejong-no, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-710 mailing address: US Embassy Seoul, APO AP 96205-5550 telephone: [82] (2) 397-4114 FAX: [82] (2) 738-8845

Flag description:

white with a red (top) and blue yin-yang symbol in the center; there is a different black trigram from the ancient I Ching (Book of Changes) in each corner of the white field

Economy

Korea, South

Economy - overview:

Since the 1960s, South Korea has achieved an incredible record of growth and integration into the high-tech modern world economy. Four decades ago, GDP per capita was comparable with levels in the poorer countries of Africa and Asia. In 2004, South Korea joined the trillion dollar club of world economies. Today its GDP per capita is roughly the same as that of Greece and Spain. This success was achieved by a system of close government/business ties including directed credit, import restrictions, sponsorship of specific industries, and a strong labor effort. The government promoted the import of raw materials and technology at the expense of consumer goods and encouraged savings and investment over consumption. The Asian financial crisis of 1997-98 exposed longstanding weaknesses in South Korea's development model including high debt/equity ratios, massive foreign borrowing, and an undisciplined financial sector. GDP plunged by 6.9% in 1998, then recovered by 9.5% in 1999 and 8.5% in 2000. Growth fell back to 3.3% in 2001 because of the slowing global economy, falling exports, and the perception that much-needed corporate and financial reforms had stalled. Led by consumer spending and exports, growth in 2002 was an impressive 7%, despite anemic global growth. Between 2003 and 2007, growth moderated to about 4-5% annually. A downturn in consumer spending was offset by rapid export growth. Moderate inflation, low unemployment, and an export surplus in 2007 characterize this solid economy, but inflation and unemployment are increasing in the face of rising oil prices.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.206 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$957.1 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$25,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3% industry: 39.4% services: 57.6% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

24.22 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 7.5% industry: 17.3% services: 75.2% (2007)

Unemployment rate:

3.3% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

15% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 25% (2005 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

35.1 (2006)

Investment (gross fixed):

28.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $262.2 billion expenditures: $225.8 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

28.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

3.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

6.55% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$92.59 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$541.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.061 trillion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish

Industries:

electronics, telecommunications, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel

Industrial production growth rate:

5.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

412.7 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

368.6 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 62.4% hydro: 0.8% nuclear: 36.6% other: 0.2% (2001)

Oil - production:

20,970 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2.214 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:

2.41 million bbl/day (2006)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

390 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

34.83 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

33.38 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$5.954 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$379 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment, motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals

Exports - partners:

China 22.1%, US 12.4%, Japan 7.1%, Hong Kong 5% (2007)

Imports:

$349.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, organic chemicals, plastics

Imports - partners:

China 17.7%, Japan 15.8%, US 10.5%, Saudi Arabia 5.9% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $455.3 million (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$68.07 million (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$262.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Debt - external:

$220.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$119.6 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$82.1 billion (2006)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$1.051 trillion (2007)

Currency (code):

South Korean won (KRW)

Currency code:

KRW

Exchange rates:

South Korean won (KRW) per US dollar - 929.2 (2007), 954.8 (2006), 1,024.1 (2005), 1,145.3 (2004), 1,191.6 (2003)

Communications

Korea, South

Telephones - main lines in use:

23.905 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

43.5 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: excellent domestic and international services featuring rapid incorporation of new technologies domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone subscribership exceeds 140 per 100 persons; rapid assimilation of a full range of telecommunications technologies leading to a boom in e-commerce international: country code - 82; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US; satellite earth stations - 6 (3 Intelsat - 1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean; 3 Inmarsat - 1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 61, FM 150, shortwave 2 (2005)

Radios:

47.5 million (2000)

Television broadcast stations:

43 (plus 59 cable operators and 190 relay cable operators) (2005)

Televisions:

15.9 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.kr

Internet hosts:

333,823 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

11 (2000)

Internet users:

35.59 million (2007)

Transportation

Korea, South

Airports:

105 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 68 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 21 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 19 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 37 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 34 (2007)

Heliports:

536 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 1,482 km; refined products 827 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 3,472 km standard gauge: 3,472 km 1.435-m gauge (1,342 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 102,062 km paved: 90,417 km (includes 3,103 km of expressways) unpaved: 11,645 km (2006)

Waterways:

1,608 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 812 by type: bulk carrier 212, cargo 226, carrier 2, chemical tanker 133, container 80, liquefied gas 33, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 26, petroleum tanker 61, refrigerated cargo 16, roll on/roll off 9, specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 31 (China 1, Japan 20, Norway 2, UK 1, US 7) registered in other countries: 363 (Belize 1, Cambodia 22, China 1, Cyprus 1, Honduras 6, Hong Kong 3, Kiribati 2, Liberia 3, Malta 2, Marshall Islands 10, Mongolia 1, Netherlands 1, Panama 303, Russia 1, Singapore 3, Tuvalu 1, unknown 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Inch'on, P'ohang, Pusan, Ulsan

Military

Korea, South

Military branches:

Republic of Korea Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

20-30 years of age for compulsory military service, with middle school education required; conscript service obligation - 24-28 months, depending on the military branch involved (to be reduced to 18 months beginning 2016); 18-26 years of age for voluntary military service; women, in service since 1950, admitted to 7 service branches, including infantry, but excluded from artillery, armor, anti-air, and chaplaincy corps; some 4,000 women serve as commissioned and noncommissioned officers, approx. 2.3% of all officers (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 13,691,809 females age 16-49: 13,029,859 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 11,282,699 females age 16-49: 10,683,668 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 371,108 female: 325,408 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.7% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Korea, South

Disputes - international:

Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic incidents with North Korea in the Yellow Sea over the Northern Limiting Line, which South Korea claims as a maritime boundary; South Korea and Japan claim Liancourt Rocks (Tok-do/Take-shima), occupied by South Korea since 1954

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Kosovo

Introduction

Kosovo

Background:

Serbs migrated to the territories of modern Kosovo in the 7th century but did not fully incorporate them into the Serbian realm until the early 13th century. The Serbian defeat at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 led to five centuries of Ottoman rule during which large numbers of Turks and Albanians moved to Kosovo. By the end of the 19th century, Albanians replaced the Serbs as the dominant ethnic group in Kosovo. Serbia reacquired control over Kosovo from the Ottoman Empire during the First Balkan War (1912). After World War II (1945), the government of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia led by Josip TITO reorganized Kosovo as an autonomous province within the constituent republic of Serbia. Over the next four decades, Kosovo Albanians lobbied for greater autonomy, and Kosovo was granted the status almost equal to that of a republic in the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution. Despite the legislative concessions, Albanian nationalism increased in the 1980s leading to nationalist riots and calls for Kosovo's independence. Serbs in Kosovo complained of mistreatment and Serb nationalist leaders, such as Slobodan MILOSEVIC, exploited those charges to win support among Serbian voters many of whom viewed Kosovo as their cultural heartland. Under MILOSEVIC's leadership, Serbia instituted a new constitution in 1989 that drastically curtailed Kosovo's autonomy. Kosovo Albanian leaders responded in 1991 by organizing a referendum that declared Kosovo independent from Serbia. The MILOSEVIC regime carried out repressive measures against the Albanians in the early 1990s as the unofficial government of Kosovo, led by Ibrahim RUGOVA, tried to use passive resistance to gain international assistance and recognition of its demands for independence. In 1995, Albanians dissatisfied with RUGOVA's nonviolent strategy created the Kosovo Liberation Army and launched an insurgency. In 1998, MILOSEVIC authorized a counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive expulsions of ethnic Albanians by Serbian military, police, and paramilitary forces. The international community tried to resolve the conflict peacefully, but MILOSEVIC rejected the proposed international settlement - the Rambouillet Accords - leading to a three-month NATO bombing of Serbia beginning in March 1999, which forced Serbia to withdraw its military and police forces from Kosovo in June 1999. UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) placed Kosovo under a transitional administration, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), pending a determination of Kosovo's future status. Under the resolution, Serbia's territorial integrity was protected, but it was UNMIK that assumed responsibility for governing Kosovo. In 2001, UNMIK promulgated a Constitutional Framework, which established Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG). In succeeding years UNMIK increasingly devolved responsibilities to the PISG. A UN-led process began in late 2005 to determine Kosovo's future status. Negotiations held intermittently between 2006 and 2007 on issues related to decentralization, religious heritage, and minority rights failed to yield a resolution between Serbia's willingness to grant a high degree of autonomy and the Albanians' call for full independence for Kosovo. On 17 February 2008, the Kosovo Assembly declared its independence from Serbia.

Geography

Kosovo

Location:

Southeast Europe, between Serbia and Macedonia

Geographic coordinates:

42 35 N, 21 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 10,887 sq km land: 10,887 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Delaware

Land boundaries:

total: 702 km border countries: Albania 112 km, Macedonia 159 km, Montenegro 79 km, Serbia 352 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

influenced by continental air masses resulting in relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot, dry summers and autumns; Mediterranean and alpine influences create regional variation; maximum rainfall between October and December

Terrain:

flat fluvial basin with an elevation of 400-700 m above sea level surrounded by several high mountain ranges with elevations of 2,000 to 2,500 m

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Drini i Bardhe/Beli Drim 297 m (located on the border with Albania) highest point: Gjeravica/Deravica 2,565 m

Natural resources:

nickel, lead, zinc, magnesium, lignite, kaolin, chrome, bauxite

People

Kosovo

Population:

2,126,708 (2007 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Kosovar (Albanian), Kosovac (Serbian) adjective: Kosovar (Albanian), Kosovski (Serbian) note: Kosovan, a neutral term, is sometimes also used as a noun or adjective

Ethnic groups:

Albanians 88%, Serbs 7%, other 5% (Bosniak, Gorani, Roma, Turk,

Ashkali, Egyptian)

Religions:

Muslim, Serbian Orthodox, Roman Catholic

Languages:

Albanian (official), Serbian (official), Bosnian, Turkish, Roma

Government

Kosovo

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Kosovo conventional short form: Kosovo local long form: Republika e Kosoves (Republika Kosova) local short form: Kosova (Kosovo) former: Kosovo and Metohija Autonomous Province

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Pristina (Prishtine) geographic coordinates: 42 40 N, 21 10 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

30 municipalities (komunat, singular - komuna in Albanian; opstine,

singular - opstina in Serbian); Decan (Decani), Dragash (Dragas),

Ferizaj (Urosevac), Fushe Kosove (Kosovo Polje), Gjakove (Dakovica),

Gllogoc/Drenas (Glogovac), Gjilan (Gnjilane), Istog (Istok),

Kacanik, Kamenice/Dardana (Kamenica), Kline (Klina), Leposaviq

(Leposavic), Lipjan (Lipljan), Malisheve (Malisevo), Mitrovice

(Mitrovica), Novoberde (Novo Brdo), Obiliq (Obilic), Peje (Pec),

Podujeve (Podujevo), Prishtine (Pristina), Prizren, Rahovec

(Orahovac), Shtime (Stimlje), Shterpce (Strpce), Skenderaj (Srbica),

Suhareke (Suva Reka), Viti (Vitina), Vushtrri (Vucitrn), Zubin

Potok, Zvecan

Independence:

17 February 2008 (from Serbia)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 17 February (2008)

Constitution:

ratified 9 April 2008; effective 15 June 2008

Legal system:

evolving legal system based on terms of UN Special Envoy Martti AHTISAARI's Plan for Kosovo's supervised independence

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Fatmir SEJDIU (since 10 February 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Hashim THACI (since 9 January 2008) cabinet: ministers; elected by the Kosovo Assembly elections: the president is elected for a five-year term by the Kosovo Assembly; election last held 9 January 2008 (next to be held by in 2013); the prime minister is elected by the Kosovo Assembly election results: Fatmir SEJDIU reelected president; first round: Fatmir SEDIU 62, Naim MALOKU 37; second round: Fatmir SEDIU 61, Naim MALOKU 37; and Hashim THACI elected to be prime minister by the Assembly

Legislative branch:

unicameral Kosovo Assembly of the Provisional Government (120 seats; 100 seats directly elected, 10 seats for Serbs, 10 seats for other minorities; to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 17 November 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PDK 34.3%, LDK 22.6%, AKR 12.3%, LDD 10.0%, AAK 9.6%, other 11.2%; seats by party - PDK 37, LDK 25, AKR 13, LDD 11, AAK 10, other 4

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court judges are appointed by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG); district courts judges are appointed by the SRSG; municipal courts judges are appointed by the SRSG note: after the termination of UNMIK's mandate, the Kosovo Judicial Council (KJC) will propose to the president candidates for appointment or reappointment as judges and prosecutors; the KJC is also responsible for decisions on the promotion and transfer of judges and disciplinary proceedings against judges; at least 15% of Supreme Court and district court judges shall be from nonmajority communities

Political parties and leaders:

Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo or PShDK [Mark

KRASNIQI]; Alliance for the Future of Kosovo or AAK [Ramush

HARADINAJ]; Alliance of Independent Social Democrats of Kososvo and

Metohija or SDSKIM [Slavisa PETKOVIC]; Autonomous Liberal Party of

SLS [Slobodan PETROVIC]; Bosniak Vakat Coalition [Dzezair MURATI];

Citizens' Initiative of Gora or GIG [Murselj HALILI]; Council of

Independent Social Democrats of Kosovo or SNSDKIM [Ljubisa ZIVIC];

Democratic League of Dardania or LDD [Nexhat DACI]; Democratic

League of Kosovo or LDK [Fatmir SEJDIU]; Democratic Party of Ashkali

of Kosovo or PDAK [Sabit RAHMANI]; Democratic Party of Kosovo or PDK

[Hashim THACI]; Kosovo Democratic Turkish Party of KDTP [Mahir

YAGCILAR]; New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo or IRDK [Xhevdet

NEZIRAJ]; New Democratic Party or ND [Branislav GRBIC]; New Kosovo

Alliance or AKR [Behxhet PACOLLI]; Popular Movement of Kosovo or LPK

[Emrush XHEMAJLI]; Reform Party Ora; Serb National Party or SNS

[Mihailo SCEPANOVIC]; Serbian Kosovo and Metohija Party or SKMS

[Dragisa MIRIC]; United Roma Party of Kosovo or PREBK [Haxhi Zylfi

MERXHA]; Democratic Action Party or SDA [Numan BALIC]; Serbian List

for Kosovo and Metohija [Oliver IVANOVIC]; Serbian National Council

of Northern Kosovo and Metohija or SNV [Milan IVANOVIC]; Democratic

Party of Bosniaks [Dzezair MURAIT]; Democratic Party Vatan [Sadik

IDRIZI]; Gorani Citizens Initiative [Mursel HALJILJI]; Serbian

People Party [Mihailo SCEPANOVIC]; Serbian Democratic Party of

Kosovo and Metohija [Slavisa PETKOVIC]; Serb Liberal Party [Slobodan

PETROVIC]; Independent League of Social-Democrats of Kosovo and

Metohija [Ljubisa ZIVIC]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedom (human rights);

Humanitarian Law Centre (human rights); Movement for

Self-Determination; Serb National Council (SNV)

International organization participation:

ITUC, WFTU

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Tina KAIDANOW embassy: Arberia/Dragodan, Nazim Hikmet 30, Pristina, Kosovo mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: 381 38 59 59 3000 FAX: 381 38 549 890

Flag description:

centered on a dark blue field is the geographical shape of Kosovo in a gold color surmounted by six white, five-pointed stars - each representing one of the major ethnic groups of Kosovo - arrayed in a slight arc

Economy

Kosovo

Economy - overview:

Over the past few years Kosovo's economy has shown significant progress in transitioning to a market-based system, but it is still highly dependent on the international community and the diaspora for financial and technical assistance. Remittances from the diaspora - located mainly in Germany and Switzerland - account for about 30% of GDP. Kosovo's citizens are the poorest in Europe with an average annual per capita income of only $1800 - about one-third the level of neighboring Albania. Unemployment - at more than 40% of the population - is a severe problem that encourages outward migration. Most of Kosovo's population lives in rural towns outside of the capital, Pristina. Inefficient, near-subsistence farming is common - the result of small plots, limited mechanization, and lack of technical expertise. Economic growth is largely driven by the private sector - mostly small-scale retail businesses. With international assistance, Kosovo has been able to privatize 50% of its state-owned enterprises (SOEs) by number, and over 90% of SOEs by value. Minerals and metals - including lignite, lead, zinc, nickel, chrome, aluminum, magnesium, and a wide variety of construction materials - once formed the backbone of industry, but output has declined because investment has been insufficient to replace ageing Eastern Bloc equipment. Technical and financial problems in the power sector also impedes industrial development. The US has worked with the World Bank to prepare a commercial tender for the development of new power generating and mining capacity. The official currency of Kosovo is the euro, but the Serbian dinar is also used in the Serb enclaves. Kosovo's tie to the euro has helped keep inflation low. Kosovo has maintained a budget surplus as a result of efficient tax collection and inefficient budget execution. While maintaining ultimate oversight, UNMIK continues to work with the EU and with Kosovo's government to accelerate economic growth, lower unemployment, and attract foreign investment. In order to help integrate Kosovo into regional economic structures, UNMIK signed (on behalf of Kosovo) its accession to the Central Europe Free Trade Area (CEFTA) in 2006. In February 2008, UNMIK also represented Kosovo at the newly established Regional Cooperation Council (RCC).

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$3.237 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 20% industry: 20% services: 60% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

832,000 (June 2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 21.4% industry: NA services: NA (2006 est,)

Unemployment rate:

43% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

37% (2007 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

30 (FY05/06)

Investment (gross fixed):

29% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $1.364 billion expenditures: $1.008 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt:

NA

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2% (2007 est.)

Agriculture - products:

NA

Industries:

mineral mining, construction materials, base metals, leather, machinery, appliances

Electricity - production:

3.996 billion kWh (2006)

Electricity - consumption:

4.281 billion kWh (2006)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007)

Oil - consumption:

NA bbl

Oil - proved reserves:

NA bbl

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

NA cu m

Current account balance:

-$58.3 million (2007)

Exports:

$148.4 million (2007)

Exports - commodities:

mining and processed metal products, scrap metals, leather products, machinery, appliances

Exports - partners:

Central Europe Free Trade Area (CFTA) 56% (2006)

Imports:

$NA

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, wood, petroleum, chemicals, machinery and electrical equipment

Imports - partners:

EU 35%, Macedonia 15%, Serbia 13%, Turkey 8% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$324 million (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$NA

Debt - external:

according to the national bank of Serbia, Kosovo's external debt was around $1.2 billion; Kosovo was willing to accept around $900 million (2007)

Currency (code):

euro (EUR); Serbian Dinar (RSD) is also in circulation

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007)

Communications

Kosovo

Telephones - main lines in use:

106,300 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

562,000 (2006)

Transportation

Kosovo

Airports:

10 (2008)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2008)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 4 under 914 m: 4 (2008)

Heliports:

2 (2008)

Railways:

total: 430 km (2005)

Roadways:

total: 1,924 km paved: 1,666 km unpaved: 258 km (2006)

Transnational Issues

Kosovo

Disputes - international:

Serbia with several other states protest the US and other states' recognition of Kosovo's declaring itself as a sovereign and independent state in February 2008; ethnic Serbian municipalities along Kosovo's northern border challenge final status of Kosovo-Serbia boundary; several thousand NATO-led KFOR peacekeepers under UNMIK authority continue to keep the peace within Kosovo between the ethnic Albanian majority and the Serb minority in Kosovo; Kosovo and Macedonia completed demarcation of their boundary in September 2008

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDP's: 21,000 (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Kuwait

Introduction

Kuwait

Background:

Britain oversaw foreign relations and defense for the ruling Kuwaiti AL-SABAH dynasty from 1899 until independence in 1961. Kuwait was attacked and overrun by Iraq on 2 August 1990. Following several weeks of aerial bombardment, a US-led, UN coalition began a ground assault on 23 February 1991 that liberated Kuwait in four days. Kuwait spent more than $5 billion to repair oil infrastructure damaged during 1990-91. The AL-SABAH family has ruled since returning to power in 1991 and reestablished an elected legislature that in recent years has become increasingly assertive.

Geography

Kuwait

Location:

Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi

Arabia

Geographic coordinates:

29 30 N, 45 45 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 17,820 sq km land: 17,820 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries:

total: 462 km border countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km

Coastline:

499 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate:

dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters

Terrain:

flat to slightly undulating desert plain

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: unnamed location 306 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas

Land use:

arable land: 0.84% permanent crops: 0.17% other: 98.99% (2005)

Irrigated land:

130 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

0.02 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.44 cu km/yr (45%/2%/52%) per capita: 164 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April and bring heavy rain, which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and dust storms occur throughout the year but are most common between March and August

Environment - current issues:

limited natural fresh water resources; some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping

Geography - note:

strategic location at head of Persian Gulf

People

Kuwait

Population:

2,596,799 note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 26.6% (male 351,057/female 338,634) 15-64 years: 70.6% (male 1,172,460/female 659,927) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 46,770/female 27,951) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 26.1 years male: 28 years female: 22.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.591% note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of expatriates (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

21.9 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

2.37 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

16.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.78 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.67 male(s)/female total population: 1.53 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 9.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 77.53 years male: 76.38 years female: 78.73 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.81 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.12% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Kuwaiti(s) adjective: Kuwaiti

Ethnic groups:

Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7%

Religions:

Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shia 30%), other (includes Christian, Hindu,

Parsi) 15%

Languages:

Arabic (official), English widely spoken

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.3% male: 94.4% female: 91% (2005 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 12 years female: 13 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.8% of GDP (2006)

Government

Kuwait

Country name:

conventional long form: State of Kuwait conventional short form: Kuwait local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt local short form: Al Kuwayt

Government type:

constitutional emirate

Capital:

name: Kuwait geographic coordinates: 29 22 N, 47 58 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

6 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al 'Asimah, Al Farwaniyah, Al Jahra', Hawalli, Mubarak al Kabir

Independence:

19 June 1961 (from UK)

National holiday:

National Day, 25 February (1950)

Constitution:

approved and promulgated 11 November 1962

Legal system:

civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

NA years of age; universal (adult); note - males in the military or police are not allowed to vote; adult females were allowed to vote as of 16 May 2005; all voters must have been citizens for 20 years

Executive branch:

chief of state: Amir SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 29 January 2006); Crown Prince NAWAF al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah head of government: Prime Minister NASIR MUHAMMAD al-Ahmad al-Sabah (since 3 April 2007); First Deputy Prime Minister JABIR Mubarak al-Hamad al-Sabah (since 9 February 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers MUHAMMAD al-Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah (since 9 February 2006) and Faysal al-HAJJI (since 5 April 2007); note - the Amir accepted the resignation of the prime minister and cabinet on 1 December 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and approved by the Amir elections: none; the amir is hereditary; the amir appoints the prime minister and deputy prime ministers

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (50 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; all cabinet ministers are also ex officio voting members of the National Assembly) elections: last held 17 May 2008 (next election to be held in 2012) election results: percent of vote by bloc - NA; seats by bloc - Sunni 21, Islamic Salafi Alliance 10, Liberals 7, Shiites 5, Popular Action Bloc 4, Islamic Constitutional Movement 3

Judicial branch:

High Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders:

none; formation of political parties is in practice illegal but is not forbidden by law

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: Islamists; merchants; political groups; secular liberals and pro-governmental deputies; Shia activists; tribal groups

International organization participation:

ABEDA, AfDB (nonregional members), AFESD, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, FAO,

G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO,

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador SALIM al-Abdallah al-Jabir al-Sabah chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702 FAX: [1] (202) 966-0517

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Deborah K. JONES embassy: Bayan 36302, Block 13, Al-Masjed Al-Aqsa Street (near the Bayan palace), Kuwait City mailing address: P. O. Box 77 Safat 13001 Kuwait; or PSC 1280 APO AE 09880-9000 telephone: [965] 259-1001 FAX: [965] 538-0282

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side; design, which dates to 1961, based on the Arab revolt flag of World War I

Economy

Kuwait

Economy - overview:

Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with self-reported crude oil reserves of about 104 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 95% of export revenues, and 80% of government income. High oil prices in recent years have helped build Kuwait's budget and trade surpluses and foreign reserves. As a result of this positive fiscal situation, the need for economic reforms is less urgent and the government has not earnestly pushed through new initiatives. Despite its vast oil reserves, Kuwait experienced power outages during the summer months in 2006 and 2007 because demand exceeded power generating capacity. Power outages are likely to worsen, given its high population growth rates, unless the government can increase generating capacity. In May 2007 Kuwait changed its currency peg from the US dollar to a basket of currencies in order to curb inflation and to reduce its vulnerability to external shocks.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$140 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$111.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$55,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 0.3% industry: 52.4% services: 47.3% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.093 million note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor force (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Unemployment rate:

2.2% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

19.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $85.28 billion expenditures: $37.77 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Public debt:

9.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8.54% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$15.12 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$55.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$78.25 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

practically no crops; fish

Industries:

petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair, water desalination, food processing, construction materials

Industrial production growth rate:

1.7% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

44.75 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

39.54 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

2.613 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

334,700 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

2.356 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

8,022 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

104 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

12.5 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

12.5 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

1.586 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$47.5 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$63.72 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

oil and refined products, fertilizers

Exports - partners:

Japan 19.9%, South Korea 17%, Taiwan 11.2%, Singapore 9.9%, US 8.4%,

Netherlands 4.8%, China 4.4% (2007)

Imports:

$20.64 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing

Imports - partners:

US 12.7%, Japan 8.5%, Germany 7.3%, China 6.8%, South Korea 6.6%,

Saudi Arabia 6.2%, Italy 5.8%, UK 4.6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$2.6 million (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$16.78 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$33.62 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$898 million (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$24.22 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$128.9 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Kuwaiti dinar (KD)

Currency code:

KWD

Exchange rates:

Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US dollar - 0.2844 (2007), 0.29 (2006), 0.292 (2005), 0.2947 (2004), 0.298 (2003)

Communications

Kuwait

Telephones - main lines in use:

517,000 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.774 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: the quality of service is excellent domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and open-wire and fiber-optic cable; a cellular telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well supplied with pay telephones international: country code - 965; linked to international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); linked to Bahrain, Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 6 (3 Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean, 1 Inmarsat - Atlantic Ocean, and 2 Arabsat)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

1.175 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997)

Televisions:

875,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.kw

Internet hosts:

3,289 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

3 (2000)

Internet users:

900,000 (2007)

Transportation

Kuwait

Airports:

7 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Heliports:

4 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 269 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2007)

Roadways:

total: 5,749 km paved: 4,887 km unpaved: 862 km (2004)

Merchant marine:

total: 38 by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 1, carrier 3, container 6, liquefied gas 4, petroleum tanker 22 registered in other countries: 34 (Bahrain 5, Comoros 1, Libya 1, Panama 2, Qatar 7, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saudi Arabia 7, UAE 10) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Az Zawr (Mina' Sa'ud), Mina' 'Abd

Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi

Military

Kuwait

Military branches:

Land Forces, Kuwaiti Navy, Kuwaiti Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Kuwaitiya), National Guard (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; reserve obligation to age 40 with 1 month annual training; women have served in police forces since 1999 (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,032,408 females age 16-49: 568,657 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 892,816 females age 16-49: 500,540 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 17,737 female: 18,519 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

5.3% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Kuwait

Disputes - international:

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the Persian Gulf

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Kuwait is a destination country for men and women who migrate legally from South and Southeast Asia for domestic or low-skilled labor, but are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude by employers in Kuwait including conditions of physical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages, confinement to the home, and withholding of passports to restrict their freedom of movement; Kuwait is reportedly a transit point for South and East Asian workers recruited for low-skilled work in Iraq; some of these workers are deceived as to the true location and nature of this work, and others are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude in Iraq tier rating: Tier 3 - insufficient efforts in 2007 to prosecute and punish abusive employers and those who traffic women for sexual exploitation; the government failed for the fourth year in a row to live up to promises to provide shelter and protective services for victims of involuntary domestic servitude and other forms of trafficking (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Kyrgyzstan

Introduction

Kyrgyzstan

Background:

A Central Asian country of incredible natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions, most of Kyrgyzstan was formally annexed to Russia in 1876. The Kyrgyz staged a major revolt against the Tsarist Empire in 1916 in which almost one-sixth of the Kyrgyz population was killed. Kyrgyzstan became a Soviet republic in 1936 and achieved independence in 1991 when the USSR dissolved. Nationwide demonstrations in the spring of 2005 resulted in the ouster of President Askar AKAYEV, who had run the country since 1990. Subsequent presidential elections in July 2005 were won overwhelmingly by former prime minister Kurmanbek BAKIEV. The political opposition organized demonstrations in Bishkek in April, May, and November 2006 resulting in the adoption of a new constitution that transferred some of the president's powers to parliament and the government. In December 2006, the Kyrgyz parliament voted to adopt new amendments, restoring some of the presidential powers lost in the November 2006 constitutional change. By late-September 2007, both previous versions of the constitution were declared illegal, and the country reverted to the AKAYEV-era 2003 constitution, which was subsequently modified in a flawed referendum initiated by BAKIEV. The president then dissolved parliament, called for early elections, and gained control of the new parliament through his newly-created political party, Ak Jol, in December 2007 elections. Current concerns include: privatization of state-owned enterprises, negative trends in democracy and political freedoms, reduction of corruption, improving interethnic relations, and combating terrorism.

Geography

Kyrgyzstan

Location:

Central Asia, west of China

Geographic coordinates:

41 00 N, 75 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 198,500 sq km land: 191,300 sq km water: 7,200 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than South Dakota

Land boundaries:

total: 3,051 km border countries: China 858 km, Kazakhstan 1,224 km, Tajikistan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,099 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan; subtropical in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone

Terrain:

peaks of Tien Shan and associated valleys and basins encompass entire nation

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Kara-Daryya (Karadar'ya) 132 m highest point: Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m

Natural resources:

abundant hydropower; significant deposits of gold and rare earth metals; locally exploitable coal, oil, and natural gas; other deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinc

Land use:

arable land: 6.55% permanent crops: 0.28% other: 93.17% note: Kyrgyzstan has the world's largest natural-growth walnut forest (2005)

Irrigated land:

10,720 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

46.5 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 10.08 cu km/yr (3%/3%/94%) per capita: 1,916 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

water pollution; many people get their water directly from contaminated streams and wells; as a result, water-borne diseases are prevalent; increasing soil salinity from faulty irrigation practices

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; entirely mountainous, dominated by the Tien Shan range; many tall peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude lakes

People

Kyrgyzstan

Population:

5,356,869 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 29.9% (male 817,369/female 784,782) 15-64 years: 64% (male 1,681,440/female 1,748,222) 65 years and over: 6.1% (male 127,263/female 197,793) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 24.2 years male: 23.3 years female: 25 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.38% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

23.31 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.97 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-2.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 32.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 37.33 deaths/1,000 live births female: 27 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 69.12 years male: 65.12 years female: 73.33 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.67 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

3,900 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Kyrgyzstani(s) adjective: Kyrgyzstani

Ethnic groups:

Kyrgyz 64.9%, Uzbek 13.8%, Russian 12.5%, Dungan 1.1%, Ukrainian 1%,

Uygur 1%, other 5.7% (1999 census)

Religions:

Muslim 75%, Russian Orthodox 20%, other 5%

Languages:

Kyrgyz 64.7% (official), Uzbek 13.6%, Russian 12.5% (official),

Dungun 1%, other 8.2% (1999 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.7% male: 99.3% female: 98.1% (1999 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 13 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4.9% of GDP (2005)

Government

Kyrgyzstan

Country name:

conventional long form: Kyrgyz Republic conventional short form: Kyrgyzstan local long form: Kyrgyz Respublikasy local short form: Kyrgyzstan former: Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Bishkek geographic coordinates: 42 52 N, 74 36 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

7 provinces (oblastlar, singular - oblasty) and 1 city* (shaar); Batken Oblasty, Bishkek Shaary*, Chuy Oblasty (Bishkek), Jalal-Abad Oblasty, Naryn Oblasty, Osh Oblasty, Talas Oblasty, Ysyk-Kol Oblasty (Karakol) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

Independence:

31 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 31 August (1991)

Constitution:

adopted 5 May 1993; note - amendment proposed by President Askar AKAYEV and passed in a national referendum on 2 February 2003 significantly expanded the powers of the president at the expense of the legislature; during large-scale demonstrations in November 2006, President BAKIEV and the opposition negotiated a new constitution granting greater powers to the parliament and the government; amendments added on 30 December 2006 redistributed some power back to the president, but both November and December 2006 versions were annulled in September 2007, and a new version was approved by referendum on 21 October 2007; the BAKIEV-initiated referendum was criticized by Western observers for voting irregularities, particularly ballot stuffing

Legal system:

based on French and Russian laws; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Kurmanbek BAKIEV (since 14 August 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Igor CHUDINOV (since 24 December 2007) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president; ministers in charge of defense and security, appointed solely by the president elections: Kurmanbek BAKIEV elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 10 July 2005 (next scheduled for 2010); prime minister nominated by the parliamentary party holding more than 50% of the seats; if no such party exists, the president selects the party that will nominate a prime minister election results: Kurmanbek BAKIEV elected president; percent of vote - Kurmanbek BAKIEV 88.6%, Tursunbai BAKIR-UULU 3.9%, other candidates 7.5%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Supreme Council or Jorgorku Kengesh (90 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 16 December 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: Supreme Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Ak Jol 71, Social Democratic Party 11, KCP 8

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court (judges of both the Supreme and Constitutional Courts are appointed for 10-year terms by the Jorgorku Kengesh on the recommendation of the president; their mandatory retirement age is 70 years); Higher Court of Arbitration; Local Courts (judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Council on Legal Affairs for a probationary period of five years, then 10 years)

Political parties and leaders:

Ak Jol [Avtandil ARABAYEV, Elmira IBRAIMOVA, Vladimir NIFADYEV,

co-chairs]; Ar-Namys (Dignity) Party [Emil ALIYEV]; Asaba (Banner

National Revival Party) [Azimbek BEKNAZAROV]; Ata-Meken (Fatherland)

[Omurbek TEKEBAYEV]; Democratic Movement of Kyrgyzstan or DDK

[Viktor TCHETRNOMORETS]; Erkindik (Freedom) Party [Topchubek

TURGUNALIYEV]; Moya Strana (My Country Party of Action) [Medet

SADYRKULOV]; Party of Communists of Kyrgyzstan or KCP [Ishak

MASALIYEV]; Party of Justice and Progress [Muratbek IMANALIEV];

Party of Peasants [Esengul ISAKOV]; Republican Party of Labor and

Unity [Tabaldy OROZALIYEV]; Sanjira (Tree of Life) [Ednan

KARABAYEV]; Social Democratic Party [Almaz ATAMBAYEV]; Union of

Democratic Forces [Kubatbek BAIBOLOV]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Adilet Legal Clinic [Cholpon JAKUPOVA]; Coalition for Democracy and

Civil Society [Dinara OSHURAKHUNOVA]; Interbilim [Asiya SASYKBAYEVA]

International organization participation:

ADB, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA,

MINURCAT, NAM (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Zamira SYDYKOVA chancery: 2360 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 449-9822 FAX: [1] (202) 386-7550 consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Tatiana C. GFOELLER embassy: 171 Prospect Mira, Bishkek 720016 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [996] (312) 551-241, (517) 777-217 FAX: [996] (312) 551-264

Flag description:

red field with a yellow sun in the center having 40 rays representing the 40 Kyrgyz tribes; on the obverse side the rays run counterclockwise, on the reverse, clockwise; in the center of the sun is a red ring crossed by two sets of three lines, a stylized representation of the roof of the traditional Kyrgyz yurt

Economy

Kyrgyzstan

Economy - overview:

Kyrgyzstan is a poor, mountainous country with a predominantly agricultural economy. Cotton, tobacco, wool, and meat are the main agricultural products, although only tobacco and cotton are exported in any quantity. Industrial exports include gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, and electricity. Following independence, Kyrgyzstan was progressive in carrying out market reforms such as an improved regulatory system and land reform. Kyrgyzstan was the first Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) country to be accepted into the World Trade Organization. Much of the government's stock in enterprises has been sold. Drops in production had been severe after the breakup of the Soviet Union in December 1991, but by mid-1995, production began to recover and exports began to increase. The economy is heavily weighted toward gold export and a drop in output at the main Kumtor gold mine sparked a 0.5% decline in GDP in 2002 and a 0.6% decline in 2005. GDP grew more than 6% in 2007, partly due to higher gold prices internationally. The government made steady strides in controlling its substantial fiscal deficit, nearly closing the gap between revenues and expenditures in 2006, before boosting expenditures more than 20% in 2007. The government and international financial institutions have been engaged in a comprehensive medium-term poverty reduction and economic growth strategy. In 2005, Bishkek agreed to pursue much-needed tax reform and, in 2006, became eligible for the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) initiative. Progress fighting corruption, further restructuring of domestic industry, and success in attracting foreign investment are keys to future growth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$10.55 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$3.748 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

8.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 33.6% industry: 18.9% services: 47.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.7 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 55% industry: 15% services: 30% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

18% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:

40% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.8% highest 10%: 24.3% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

30.3 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

25.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $964.6 million expenditures: $961.1 million (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

10.2% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

25.32% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$911.1 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$303.7 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$558.3 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

tobacco, cotton, potatoes, vegetables, grapes, fruits and berries; sheep, goats, cattle, wool

Industries:

small machinery, textiles, food processing, cement, shoes, sawn logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, rare earth metals

Industrial production growth rate:

9.3% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

15.62 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

8.997 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

2.387 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 7.6% hydro: 92.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

964.7 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

12,330 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

2,534 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

14,240 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

40 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

18 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

768 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

750 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$267.9 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.337 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

cotton, wool, meat, tobacco; gold, mercury, uranium, natural gas, hydropower; machinery; shoes

Exports - partners:

Russia 20.7%, Switzerland 19.9%, Kazakhstan 18%, Afghanistan 10.4%,

Uzbekistan 7.6%, China 5.5% (2007)

Imports:

$2.636 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

oil and gas, machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

Russia 40.5%, China 14.7%, Kazakhstan 12.9%, Uzbekistan 5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$268.5 million from the US (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.177 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$2.966 billion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$41.99 million (2005)

Currency (code):

som (KGS)

Currency code:

KGS

Exchange rates:

soms (KGS) per US dollar - 37.746 (2007), 40.149 (2006), 41.012 (2005), 42.65 (2004), 43.648 (2003)

Communications

Kyrgyzstan

Telephones - main lines in use:

482,100 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.152 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: telecommunications infrastructure is growing; fixed line penetration remains low and concentrated in urban areas domestic: multiple mobile cellular service providers with growing coverage; mobile cellular subscribership reached 40 per 100 persons in 2007 international: country code - 996; connections with other CIS countries by landline or microwave radio relay and with other countries by leased connections with Moscow international gateway switch and by satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intersputnik, 1 Intelsat); connected internationally by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 3 (plus 10 repeater stations), FM 23, shortwave NA (2007)

Radios:

520,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

8 (2 countrywide and 6 regional stations; state-owned); note - there are about 20 private TV stations, most of which rebroadcast other channels (2007)

Televisions:

210,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.kg

Internet hosts:

56,905 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

NA

Internet users:

750,000 (2007)

Transportation

Kyrgyzstan

Airports:

30 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 18 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 254 km; oil 16 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 470 km broad gauge: 470 km 1.520-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 18,500 km paved: 16,909 km (includes 140 km of expressways) unpaved: 1,591 km (2003)

Waterways:

600 km (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Balykchy (Ysyk-Kol or Rybach'ye)

Military

Kyrgyzstan

Military branches:

Army, Air Force, National Guard (2005)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory military service (2001)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,398,878 females age 16-49: 1,419,374 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,061,942 females age 16-49: 1,211,249 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 60,706 female: 58,721 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Kyrgyzstan

Disputes - international:

Kyrgyzstan has yet to ratify the 2001 boundary delimitation with Kazakhstan; disputes in Isfara Valley delay completion of delimitation with Tajikistan; delimitation of 130 km of border with Uzbekistan is hampered by serious disputes around enclaves and other areas

Illicit drugs:

limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy for CIS markets; limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of Europe; major consumer of opiates

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Laos

Introduction

Laos

Background:

Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th Century under King FA NGUM. For 300 years Lan Xang had influence reaching into present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the Communist Pathet Lao took control of the government ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1986. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997.

Geography

Laos

Location:

Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam

Geographic coordinates:

18 00 N, 105 00 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 236,800 sq km land: 230,800 sq km water: 6,000 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Utah

Land boundaries:

total: 5,083 km border countries: Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)

Terrain:

mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Mekong River 70 m highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m

Natural resources:

timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones

Land use:

arable land: 4.01% permanent crops: 0.34% other: 95.65% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,750 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

333.6 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 3 cu km/yr (4%/6%/90%) per capita: 507 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

floods, droughts

Environment - current issues:

unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the population does not have access to potable water

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with Thailand

People

Laos

Population:

6,677,534 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 41% (male 1,374,966/female 1,362,945) 15-64 years: 55.9% (male 1,846,375/female 1,885,029) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 91,028/female 117,191) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 19.2 years male: 18.9 years female: 19.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.344% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

34.46 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

11.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 79.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 88.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 69.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 56.29 years male: 54.19 years female: 58.47 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.5 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

1,700 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s) adjective: Lao or Laotian

Ethnic groups:

Lao 55%, Khmou 11%, Hmong 8%, other (over 100 minor ethnic groups) 26% (2005 census)

Religions:

Buddhist 67%, Christian 1.5%, other and unspecified 31.5% (2005 census)

Languages:

Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 68.7% male: 77% female: 60.9% (2001 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 9 years male: 10 years female: 8 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3% of GDP (2006)

Government

Laos

Country name:

conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic conventional short form: Laos local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao local short form: none

Government type:

Communist state

Capital:

name: Vientiane geographic coordinates: 17 58 N, 102 36 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural) and 1 capital city* (nakhon luang, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane)*, Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xekong, Xiangkhoang

Independence:

19 July 1949 (from France)

National holiday:

Republic Day, 2 December (1975)

Constitution:

promulgated 14 August 1991

Legal system:

based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 8 June 2006); Vice President BOUN-GNANG Volachit (since 8 June 2006) head of government: Prime Minister BOUASONE Bouphavanh (since 8 June 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since May 2002), Maj. Gen. DOUANGCHAI Phichit (since 8 June 2006), SOMSAVAT Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998), and THONGLOUN Sisoulit (since 27 March 2001) cabinet: Ministers appointed by president, approved by National Assembly elections: president and vice president elected by National Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 8 June 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister nominated by president and elected by National Assembly for five-year term election results: CHOUMMALI Saignason elected president; BOUN-GNANG Volachit elected vice president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100%; BOUASONE Bouphavanh elected prime minister; percent of National Assembly vote - 97%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly (115 seats; members elected by popular vote from a list of candidates selected by the Lao People's Revolutionary Party to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 30 April 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LPRP 113, independents 2

Judicial branch:

People's Supreme Court (the president of the People's Supreme Court

is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the

National Assembly Standing Committee; the vice president of the

People's Supreme Court and the judges are appointed by the National

Assembly Standing Committee)

Political parties and leaders:

Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALI Saignason]; other parties proscribed

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ADB, APT, ARF, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO (subscriber),

ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO,

UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador PHIANE Philakone chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416 FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ravic R. HUSO embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, That Dam, Vientiane mailing address: American Embassy Vientiane, APO AP 96546 telephone: [856] 21-26-7000 FAX: [856] 21-26-7190

Flag description:

three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band

Economy

Laos

Economy - overview:

The government of Laos, one of the few remaining one-party Communist states, began decentralizing control and encouraging private enterprise in 1986. The results, starting from an extremely low base, were striking - growth averaged 6% per year in 1988-2007 except during the short-lived drop caused by the Asian financial crisis beginning in 1997. Despite this high growth rate, Laos remains a country with a underdeveloped infrastructure, particularly in rural areas. It has no railroads, a rudimentary road system, and limited external and internal telecommunications, though the government is sponsoring major improvements in the road system with support from Japan and China. Electricity is available in urban areas and in most rural districts. Subsistence agriculture, dominated by rice, accounts for about 40% of GDP and provides 80% of total employment. The economy will continue to benefit from aid from international donors and from foreign investment in hydropower and mining. Construction will be another strong economic driver, especially as hydroelectric dam and road projects gain steam. Several policy changes since 2004 may help spur growth. In late 2004, Laos gained Normal Trade Relations status with the US, allowing Laos-based producers to benefit from lower tariffs on exports. Laos is taking steps to join the World Trade Organization in the next few years; the resulting trade policy reforms will improve the business environment. On the fiscal side, a value-added tax (VAT) regime, slated to begin in 2008, should help streamline the government's inefficient tax system.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$12.8 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$4.028 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 40.9% industry: 33.2% services: 25.9% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.1 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:

2.4% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:

30.7% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.4% highest 10%: 28.5% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

34.6 (2002)

Budget:

revenues: $473.1 million expenditures: $647.2 million (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 October - 30 September

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

12.67% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

28.5% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$327.9 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$717.9 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$285.8 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry

Industries:

copper, tin, gold, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement

Industrial production growth rate:

12% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

1.639 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

1.344 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

547 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

367 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 1.4% hydro: 98.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2,996 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

3,036 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$285 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$970 million (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

wood products, coffee, electricity, tin, copper, gold

Exports - partners:

Thailand 32.7%, Vietnam 14.3%, China 5.9%, South Korea 4.8% (2007)

Imports:

$1.378 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods

Imports - partners:

Thailand 68.5%, China 9.3%, Vietnam 5.5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$379 million (2006 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$540 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$3.179 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

kip (LAK)

Currency code:

LAK

Exchange rates:

kips (LAK) per US dollar - 9,658 (2007), 10,235 (2006), 10,820 (2005), 10,585.5 (2004), 10,569 (2003)

Communications

Laos

Telephones - main lines in use:

94,800 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.478 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: service to general public is poor but improving; the government relies on a radiotelephone network to communicate with remote areas domestic: multiple service providers; mobile cellular usage growing rapidly; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership about 25 per 100 persons international: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 7, FM 14, shortwave 2 (2006)

Radios:

730,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

7 (includes 1 station relaying Vietnam Television from Hanoi) (2006)

Televisions:

52,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.la

Internet hosts:

1,015 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

100,000 (2007)

Transportation

Laos

Airports:

42 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 23 (2007)

Pipelines:

refined products 540 km (2007)

Roadways:

total: 29,811 km paved: 4,010 km unpaved: 25,801 km (2006)

Waterways:

4,600 km note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,900 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT by type: cargo 1 (2008)

Military

Laos

Military branches:

Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF): Lao People's Army (LPA; includes

Riverine Force), Air Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

15 years of age for compulsory military service; minimum 18-month conscript service obligation (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,549,774 females age 16-49: 1,570,702 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 993,162 females age 16-49: 1,052,053 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 73,973 female: 72,758 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.5% of GDP (2006)

Military - note:

serving one of the world's least developed countries, the Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF) is small, poorly funded, and ineffectively resourced; its mission focus is border and internal security, primarily in countering ethnic Hmong insurgent groups; together with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the government, the Lao People's Army (LPA) is the third pillar of state machinery, and as such is expected to suppress political and civil unrest and similar national emergencies, but the LPA also has upgraded skills to respond to avian influenza outbreaks; there is no perceived external threat to the state and the LPA maintains strong ties with the neighboring Vietnamese military (2008)

Transnational Issues

Laos

Disputes - international:

Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over islands in the Mekong River; concern among Mekong Commission members that China's construction of dams on the Mekong River will affect water levels

Illicit drugs:

estimated opium poppy cultivation in 2008 was 1,900 hectares, about a 73% increase from 2007; estimated potential opium production in 2008 more than tripled to 17 metric tons; unsubstantiated reports of domestic methamphetamine production; growing domestic methamphetamine problem (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Latvia

Introduction

Latvia

Background:

The name "Latvia" originates from the ancient Latgalians, one of four eastern Baltic tribes that formed the ethnic core of the Latvian people (ca. 8th-12th centuries A.D.). The region subsequently came under the control of Germans, Poles, Swedes, and finally, Russians. A Latvian republic emerged following World War I, but it was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. Latvia reestablished its independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the Russian minority (some 30% of the population) remains of concern to Moscow. Latvia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

Geography

Latvia

Location:

Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and

Lithuania

Geographic coordinates:

57 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 64,589 sq km land: 63,589 sq km water: 1,000 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries:

total: 1,382 km border countries: Belarus 171 km, Estonia 343 km, Lithuania 576 km, Russia 292 km

Coastline:

498 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

maritime; wet, moderate winters

Terrain:

low plain

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Galzina Kalns 312 m

Natural resources:

peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 28.19% permanent crops: 0.45% other: 71.36% (2005)

Irrigated land:

200 sq km note: land in Latvia is often too wet, and in need of drainage, not irrigation; approximately 16,000 sq km or 85% of agricultural land has been improved by drainage (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

49.9 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.25 cu km/yr (55%/33%/12%) per capita: 108 cu m/yr (2003)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

Latvia's environment has benefited from a shift to service industries after the country regained independence; the main environmental priorities are improvement of drinking water quality and sewage system, household, and hazardous waste management, as well as reduction of air pollution; in 2001, Latvia closed the EU accession negotiation chapter on environment committing to full enforcement of EU environmental directives by 2010

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with some hills in the east

People

Latvia

Population:

2,245,423 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 13.4% (male 154,077/female 146,825) 15-64 years: 69.7% (male 760,976/female 803,106) 65 years and over: 16.9% (male 124,658/female 255,781) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 39.9 years male: 36.9 years female: 43 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.629% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

9.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

13.63 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-2.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 8.96 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 71.88 years male: 66.68 years female: 77.35 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.29 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.6% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

7,600 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Latvian(s) adjective: Latvian

Ethnic groups:

Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%,

Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2% (2002)

Religions:

Lutheran 19.6%, Orthodox 15.3%, other Christian 1%, other 0.4%, unspecified 63.7% (2006)

Languages:

Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3% (2000 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.7% male: 99.8% female: 99.7% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 16 years male: 14 years female: 17 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

5.1% of GDP (2004)

Government

Latvia

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Latvia conventional short form: Latvia local long form: Latvijas Republika local short form: Latvija former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Riga geographic coordinates: 56 57 N, 24 06 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

26 counties (singular - rajons) and 7 municipalities*: Aizkraukles

Rajons, Aluksnes Rajons, Balvu Rajons, Bauskas Rajons, Cesu Rajons,

Daugavpils*, Daugavpils Rajons, Dobeles Rajons, Gulbenes Rajons,

Jekabpils Rajons, Jelgava*, Jelgavas Rajons, Jurmala*, Kraslavas

Rajons, Kuldigas Rajons, Liepaja*, Liepajas Rajons, Limbazu Rajons,

Ludzas Rajons, Madonas Rajons, Ogres Rajons, Preilu Rajons,

Rezekne*, Rezeknes Rajons, Riga*, Rigas Rajons, Saldus Rajons, Talsu

Rajons, Tukuma Rajons, Valkas Rajons, Valmieras Rajons, Ventspils*,

Ventspils Rajons

Independence:

18 November 1918 (from Soviet Russia)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 18 November (1918); note - 18 November 1918 was the date Latvia declared itself independent from Soviet Russia; 4 May 1990 is when it declared the renewal of independence; 21 August 1991 was the date of de facto independence from the Soviet Union

Constitution:

15 February 1922; restored to force by the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Latvia adopted by the Supreme Council on 21 August 1991; multiple amendments since

Legal system:

based on civil law system with traces of Socialist legal traditions and practices; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Valdis ZATLERS (since 8 July 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Ivars GODMANIS (since 20 December 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and appointed by Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 31 May 2007 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the president, confirmed by Parliament election results: Valdis ZATLERS elected president; parliamentary vote - Valdis ZATLERS 58, Aivars ENDZINS 39

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members are elected by proportional representation from party lists by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 7 October 2006 (next to be held in October 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - TP 19.5%, ZZS 16.7%, JL 16.4%, SC 14.4%; LPP/LC 8.6%; TB/LNNK 7%; PCTVL 6%; seats by party - TP 23, ZZS 18, JL 18, SC 17, LPP/LC 10, TB/LNNK 8, PCTVL 6; note - seats by party as of February 2008 - TP 21, ZZS 17, SC 17, JL 14, LPP/LC 10, TB/LNNK 5, PCTVL 6, independents 10

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament);

Constitutional Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by

Parliament)

Political parties and leaders:

First Party of Latvia/Latvia's Way or LPP/LC [Ainars SLESERS, Ivars

GODMANIS]; For Human Rights in a United Latvia or PCTVL [Jakovs

PLINERS]; For the Fatherland and Freedom/Latvian National

Independence Movement or TB/LNNK [Roberts ZILE, Maris GRINBLATS];

Harmony Center or SC [Janis URBANOVICS, Nils USAKOVS]; Latvian

Social Democratic Workers Party (Social Democrats) or LSDSP [Juris

BOJARS]; Latvian Socialist Party or LSP [Alfreds RUBIKS]; New

Democrats or JD [Maris GULBIS]; New Era Party or JL [Einars REPSE,

Krisjanis KARINS]; People's Party or TP [Aigars KALVITIS]; The Union

of Latvian Greens and Farmers Party or ZZS [Augusts BRIGMANIS]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Headquarters for the Protection of Russian Schools (SHTAB)

[Aleksandr KAZAKOV]

International organization participation:

Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO,

NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen

Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate

partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Andrejs PILDEGOVICS chancery: 2306 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-2840 FAX: [1] (202) 328-2860

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Charles LARSON Jr. embassy: 7 Raina Boulevard, Riga LV-1510 mailing address: American Embassy Riga, PSC 78, Box Riga, APO AE 09723 telephone: [371] 670-36200 FAX: [371] 678-20047

Flag description:

three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon

Economy

Latvia

Economy - overview:

Latvia's economy experienced GDP growth of more than 10% per year during 2006-07. The majority of companies, banks, and real estate have been privatized, although the state still holds sizable stakes in a few large enterprises. Latvia officially joined the World Trade Organization in February 1999. EU membership, a top foreign policy goal, came in May 2004. The current account deficit - more than 22% of GDP in 2007 - and inflation - at nearly 10% per year - remain major concerns.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$40.05 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$27.34 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

10.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$17,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3.3% industry: 22% services: 74.7% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

1.167 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 13% industry: 19% services: 68% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:

5.7% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 29.1% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

37.7 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

32.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $10.47 billion expenditures: $10.29 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

7.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

10.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

10.91% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$8.196 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$5.113 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$27.56 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish

Industries:

buses, vans, street and railroad cars; synthetic fibers, agricultural machinery, fertilizers, washing machines, radios, electronics, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, textiles; note - dependent on imports for energy and raw materials

Industrial production growth rate:

5.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

4.734 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

6.424 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

1.676 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

4.671 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 29.1% hydro: 70.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

35,180 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

10,070 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

45,340 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

2.04 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

2.04 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Current account balance:

-$6.231 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$8.143 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs

Exports - partners:

Lithuania 15.1%, Estonia 13.8%, Russia 13%, Germany 8.3%, Sweden 7.4%, UK 6.5% (2007)

Imports:

$14.82 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, vehicles

Imports - partners:

Germany 15.1%, Lithuania 13.8%, Russia 8.7%, Estonia 8%, Poland 6.9%, Finland 5.1%, Sweden 4.9% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$162 million (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$5.758 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$33.53 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$8.62 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$699 million (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$2.705 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

lat (LVL)

Currency code:

LVL

Exchange rates:

lati (LVL) per US dollar - 0.5162 (2007), 0.5597 (2006), 0.5647 (2005), 0.5402 (2004), 0.5715 (2003)

Communications

Latvia

Telephones - main lines in use:

644,000 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.217 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as wireless telephone service expands domestic: number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership is roughly 125 per 100 persons international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

1.76 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

1.22 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.lv

Internet hosts:

220,082 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

41 (2001)

Internet users:

1.177 million (2007)

Transportation

Latvia

Airports:

42 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 21 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 21 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 20 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 948 km; oil 82 km; refined products 415 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,303 km broad gauge: 2,270 km 1.520-m gauge (257 km electrified) narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 69,675 km paved: 69,675 km (2006)

Waterways:

300 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 22 by type: cargo 8, chemical tanker 3, liquefied gas 2, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 2 (Estonia 2) registered in other countries: 118 (Antigua and Barbuda 13, Belize 12, Cambodia 1, Cook Islands 1, Cyprus 1, Dominica 1, Jamaica 1, Liberia 21, Malta 19, Marshall Islands 16, Panama 8, Russia 2, Saint Kitts and Nevis 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 17) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Riga, Ventspils

Military

Latvia

Military branches:

National Armed Forces (Nacionalo Brunoto Speku): Ground Forces, Navy

(Latvijas Juras Speki; includes Coast Guard (Latvijas Kara Flotes)),

Latvian Air Force (Latvijas Gaisa Speki), Border Guard, Latvian Home

Guard (Latvijas Zemessardze) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished January 2007; under current law, every citizen is entitled to serve in the armed forces for life (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 568,683 females age 16-49: 565,826 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 412,849 females age 16-49: 468,827 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 14,506 female: 13,982 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Latvia

Disputes - international:

Russia refuses to sign the 1997 boundary treaty due to Latvian insistence on a unilateral clarificatory declaration referencing Soviet occupation of Latvia and territorial losses; Russia demands better Latvian treatment of ethnic Russians in Latvia; as of January 2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with Belarus was complete and mapped with final ratification documentation in preparation; the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil exploration rights; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Latvia has implemented the strict Schengen border rules with Russia

Illicit drugs:

transshipment and destination point for cocaine, synthetic drugs, opiates, and cannabis from Southwest Asia, Western Europe, Latin America, and neighboring Balkan countries; despite improved legislation, vulnerable to money laundering due to nascent enforcement capabilities and comparatively weak regulation of offshore companies and the gaming industry; CIS organized crime (including counterfeiting, corruption, extortion, stolen cars, and prostitution) accounts for most laundered proceeds

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Lebanon

Introduction

Lebanon

Background:

Following the capture of Syria from the Ottoman Empire by Anglo-French forces in 1918, France received a mandate over this territory and separated out the region of Lebanon in 1920. France granted this area independence in 1943. A lengthy civil war (1975-1990) devastated the country, but Lebanon has since made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions. Under the Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving Muslims a greater voice in the political process while institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the end of the war, Lebanon has conducted several successful elections. Most militias have been disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) have extended authority over about two-thirds of the country. Hizballah, a radical Shia organization listed by the US State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, retains its weapons. During Lebanon's civil war, the Arab League legitimized in the Ta'if Accord Syria's troop deployment, numbering about 16,000 based mainly east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in May 2000 and the passage in October 2004 of UNSCR 1559 - a resolution calling for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon and end its interference in Lebanese affairs - encouraged some Lebanese groups to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well. The assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI and 20 others in February 2005 led to massive demonstrations in Beirut against the Syrian presence ("the Cedar Revolution"), and Syria withdrew the remainder of its military forces in April 2005. In May-June 2005, Lebanon held its first legislative elections since the end of the civil war free of foreign interference, handing a majority to the bloc led by Saad HARIRI, the slain prime minister's son. Lebanon continues to be plagued by violence - Hizballah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in July 2006 leading to a 34-day conflict with Israel. The LAF in May-September 2007 battled Sunni extremist group Fatah al-Islam in the Nahr al-Barid Palestinian refugee camp; and the country has witnessed a string of politically motivated assassinations since the death of Rafiq HARIRI. Lebanese politicians in November 2007 were unable to agree on a successor to Emile LAHUD when he stepped down as president, creating a political vacuum until the election of Army Commander Michel SULAYMAN in May 2008 and the formation of a new cabinet in July 2008.

Geography

Lebanon

Location:

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and

Syria

Geographic coordinates:

33 50 N, 35 50 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 10,400 sq km land: 10,230 sq km water: 170 sq km

Area - comparative:

about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries:

total: 454 km border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km

Coastline:

225 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate:

Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers;

Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows

Terrain:

narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m

Natural resources:

limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit region, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 16.35% permanent crops: 13.75% other: 69.9% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,040 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

4.8 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.38 cu km/yr (33%/1%/67%) per capita: 385 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

dust storms, sandstorms

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

Nahr el Litani is the only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, and ethnicity

People

Lebanon

Population:

3,971,941 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 26% (male 526,994/female 505,894) 15-64 years: 66.8% (male 1,275,021/female 1,380,131) 65 years and over: 7.1% (male 128,002/female 155,899) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 28.8 years male: 27.6 years female: 30 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.154% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

17.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.06 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 22.59 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.41 years male: 70.91 years female: 76.04 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.87 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

2,800 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Lebanese (singular and plural) adjective: Lebanese

Ethnic groups:

Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1% note: many Christian Lebanese do not identify themselves as Arab but rather as descendents of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to be called Phoenicians

Religions:

Muslim 59.7% (Shia, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri),

Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic,

Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian

Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Copt, Protestant),

other 1.3%

note: 17 religious sects recognized

Languages:

Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.4% male: 93.1% female: 82.2% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 13 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

2.7% of GDP (2006)

Government

Lebanon

Country name:

conventional long form: Lebanese Republic conventional short form: Lebanon local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah local short form: Lubnan former: Greater Lebanon

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Beirut geographic coordinates: 33 52 N, 35 30 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

8 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Aakar, Baalbek-Hermel, Beqaa, Beyrouth, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban, Nabatiye

Independence:

22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 22 November (1943)

Constitution:

23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989

Legal system:

mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Michel SULAYMAN (as of 25 May 2008) head of government: Prime Minister Fuad SINIORA (since 30 June 2005); Deputy Prime Minister Elias MURR (since April 2005) cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with the president and members of the National Assembly elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 25 May 2008 (next to be held in 2014); the prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president in consultation with the National Assembly election results: Michel SULAYMAN elected president; National Assembly vote - 118 for, 6 abstentions, 3 invalidated

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held in four rounds on 29 May, 5, 12, 19 June 2005 (next to be held in spring 2009) election results: percent of vote by group - NA; seats by group - Future Movement Bloc 36; Democratic Gathering 15; Development and Resistance Bloc 15; Free Patriotic Movement 15; Loyalty to the Resistance 14; Qornet Shehwan 6; Lebanese Forces 5; Popular Bloc 4; Tripoli Independent Bloc 3; Kataeb Reform Movement 2; Syrian National Socialist Party 2; Tashnaq 2; Syrian Ba'th Party 1; Democratic Left 1; Democratic Renewal Movement 1; Kataeb Party 1; Nasserite Popular Movement 1; independent 4

Judicial branch:

four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council (called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of laws); Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime minister as needed)

Political parties and leaders:

14 March Coalition: Democratic Gathering Bloc [Walid JUNBLATT, leader of Progressive Socialist Party]; Democratic Left [Ilyas ATALLAH]; Democratic Renewal Movement [Nassib LAHUD]; Future Movement Bloc [Sa'ad HARIRI]; Kataeb Party [Amine GEMAYEL]; Lebanese Forces [Samir JA'JA]; Tripoli Independent Bloc 8 March Coalition: Development and Resistance Bloc [Nabih BERRI, leader of Amal Movement]; Free Patriotic Movement [Michel AWN]; Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc [Mohammad RA'AD] (includes Hizballah Party [Hassan NASRALLAH]); Nasserite Popular Movement [Ussama SAAD]; Popular Bloc [Elias SKAFF]; Syrian Ba'th Party [Sayez SHUKR]; Syrian Social Nationalist Party [Ali QANSO] Independent: Metn Bloc [Michel MURR]; Tashnaq

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Hizballah military wing other: Palestinian militias; Maronite Christians; Sunnis and their militias; Shi'as and their militias

International organization participation:

ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,

ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol,

IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF,

PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Antoine CHEDID chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6300 FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324 consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Michele J. SISON embassy: Awkar, Lebanon; (Awkar facing the Municipality) mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; from US: US Embassy Beirut, 6070 Beirut Place, Washington, DC 20521-6070 telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600 FAX: [961] (4) 544136

Flag description:

three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white (middle, double width), and red (bottom) with a green cedar tree centered in the white band

Economy

Lebanon

Economy - overview:

The 1975-90 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. In the years since, Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical and financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily - mostly from domestic banks. In an attempt to reduce the ballooning national debt, the Rafiq HARIRI government in the 1990s began an austerity program, reining in government expenditures, increasing revenue collection, and privatizing state enterprises, but economic and financial reform initiatives stalled and public debt continued to grow despite receipt of more than $2 billion in bilateral assistance at the 2002 Paris II Donors Conference. The Israeli-Hizballah conflict in July-August 2006 caused an estimated $3.6 billion in infrastructure damage, and prompted international donors to pledge nearly $1 billion in recovery and reconstruction assistance. Donors met again in January 2007 at the Paris III Donor Conference and pledged more than $7.5 billion to Lebanon for development projects and budget support, conditioned on progress on Beirut's fiscal reform and privatization program. An 18-month political stalemate and sporadic sectarian and political violence hampered economic activity, particularly tourism, retail sales, and investment, until a new government was formed in July 2008.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$40.44 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$24.64 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$10,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 5.2% industry: 19.5% services: 75.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

1.5 million note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Unemployment rate:

20% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:

28% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

22% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $6.178 billion expenditures: $8.35 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

186.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.2% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

12% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

10.26% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$2.374 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$57.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$45.51 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco; sheep, goats

Industries:

banking, tourism, food processing, wine, jewelry, cement, textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture products, oil refining, metal fabricating

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

8.764 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

8.161 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

929 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 97.2% hydro: 2.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

106,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

97,590 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$2.046 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$4.077 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous consumer goods, fruit and vegetables, tobacco, construction minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers, paper

Exports - partners:

Syria 25.2%, UAE 11.8%, Switzerland 8.2%, Saudi Arabia 5.6% (2007)

Imports:

$11.93 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco, electrical machinery

Imports - partners:

Syria 12.1%, Italy 8.5%, France 8.3%, US 7%, China 5.9%, Germany 5.3%, Saudi Arabia 4.8% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

of the $7.6 billion in grants and loans pledged to Lebanon at the Paris III conference in January 2007, Beirut as of mid-December 2007 had signed agreements for $3 billion, including $1 billion in project financing, $750 million in direct budget support, $750 million in private sector credit, and $285 million in in-kind aid; about $500 million of the $1.7 billion pledged for direct budget support has been disbursed to Lebanon; donors in August 2006 also pledged nearly $1.8 billion in aid to help Lebanon recover from the 2006 Israel-Hizballah war; during the conflict, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait provided $1.5 billion in concessional loans to the Lebanese central bank to maintain confidence in the Lebanese currency. (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$20.55 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$31.6 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$8.279 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Lebanese pound (LBP)

Currency code:

LBP

Exchange rates:

Lebanese pounds (LBP) per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2007), 1,507.5 (2006), 1,507.5 (2005), 1,507.5 (2004), 1,507.5 (2003)

Communications

Lebanon

Telephones - main lines in use:

681,400 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.26 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: repair of the telecommunications system, severely damaged during the civil war, now complete domestic: two wireless networks provide good service; political instability hampers privatization and deployment of new technologies; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership 50 per 100 persons international: country code - 961; submarine cable link to Cyprus; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean); coaxial cable to Syria (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:

2.85 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

1.18 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.lb

Internet hosts:

36,681 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

22 (2000)

Internet users:

950,000 (2006)

Transportation

Lebanon

Airports:

7 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 43 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 401 km standard gauge: 319 km 1.435 m narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050 m note: rail system became unusable because of damage done during fighting in the 1980s and in 2006 (2006)

Roadways:

total: 6,970 km (includes 170 km of expressways) (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 33 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 13, carrier 11, passenger/cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2, vehicle carrier 2 foreign-owned: 4 (Greece 2, Syria 2) registered in other countries: 55 (Barbados 1, Cambodia 8, Comoros 4, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Georgia 4, Honduras 1, Italy 1, North Korea 1, Liberia 2, Malta 11, Mongolia 2, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Sierra Leone 1, Syria 3, Togo 1, unknown 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Beirut, Tripoli

Military

Lebanon

Military branches:

Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army (includes Navy), Air Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,106,879 females age 16-49: 1,122,595 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 934,828 females age 16-49: 948,327 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 32,815 female: 31,610 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Lebanon

Disputes - international:

lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with several sections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shab'a Farms area in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; the roughly 2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been in place since 1978

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 405,425 (Palestinian refugees

(UNRWA)); 50,000-60,000 (Iraq)

IDPs: 17,000 (1975-90 civil war, Israeli invasions); 200,000

(July-August 2006 war) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares in 2002 despite continued significant cannabis consumption; opium poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way to European markets and for Middle Eastern consumption; money laundering of drug proceeds fuels concern that extremists are benefiting from drug trafficking

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Lesotho

Introduction

Lesotho

Background:

Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled for the first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990, but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven years of military rule. In 1998, violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody intervention by South African and Botswanan military forces under the aegis of the Southern African Development Community. Subsequent constitutional reforms restored relative political stability. Peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002, but the National Assembly elections of February 2007 were hotly contested and aggrieved parties continue to periodically demonstrate their distrust of the results.

Geography

Lesotho

Location:

Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

Geographic coordinates:

29 30 S, 28 30 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 30,355 sq km land: 30,355 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:

total: 909 km border countries: South Africa 909 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers

Terrain:

mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m

Natural resources:

water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone

Land use:

arable land: 10.87% permanent crops: 0.13% other: 89% (2005)

Irrigated land:

30 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

5.2 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.05 cu km/yr (40%/40%/20%) per capita: 28 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion; desertification; Highlands Water Project controls, stores, and redirects water to South Africa

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 m above sea level

People

Lesotho

Population:

2,128,180 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 35.3% (male 377,784/female 372,840) 15-64 years: 59.8% (male 621,687/female 649,981) 65 years and over: 5% (male 42,348/female 63,540) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 21.2 years male: 20.6 years female: 21.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.129% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

24.41 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

22.33 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 78.59 deaths/1,000 live births male: 83.01 deaths/1,000 live births female: 74.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 40.17 years male: 40.97 years female: 39.34 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.13 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

28.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

320,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

29,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural) adjective: Basotho

Ethnic groups:

Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,

Religions:

Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%

Languages:

Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.8% male: 74.5% female: 94.5% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 10 years female: 10 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

13% of GDP (2006)

Government

Lesotho

Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho conventional short form: Lesotho local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho local short form: Lesotho former: Basutoland

Government type:

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Maseru geographic coordinates: 29 19 S, 27 29 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka

Independence:

4 October 1966 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 4 October (1966)

Constitution:

2 April 1993

Legal system:

based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); note - King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to February 1995 while his father was in exile head of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May 1998) cabinet: Cabinet elections: according to the constitution, the leader of the majority party in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister; the monarch is hereditary, but, under the terms of the constitution that came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is a "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative powers; under traditional law the college of chiefs has the power to depose the monarch, determine who is next in the line of succession, or who shall serve as regent in the event that the successor is not of mature age

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members - 22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party) and the Assembly (120 seats, 80 by popular vote and 40 by proportional vote; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections: last held 17 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LCD 61, NIP 21, ABC 17, LWP 10, ACP 4, BNP 3, other 4

Judicial branch:

High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on the advice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts; customary or traditional court

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance of Congress Parties or ACP; All Basotho Convention or ABC

[Thomas THABANE]; Basotholand African Congress or BAC [Khauhelo

RALITAPOLE]; Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Ntsukunyane MPHANYA];

Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justin Metsing LEKHANYA];

Kopanang Basotho Party or KPB [Pheelo MOSALA]; Lesotho Congress for

Democracy or LCD (the governing party) [Pakalitha MOSISILI]; Lesotho

Education Party or LEP [Thabo PITSO]; Lesotho Workers Party or LWP

[Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO];

National Independent Party or NIP [Anthony MANYELI]; New Lesotho

Freedom Party or NLFP [Manapo MAJARA]; Popular Front for Democracy

or PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE]; Sefate Democratic Union or SDU [Bofihla

NKUEBE]; Social Democratic Party of SDP [Masitise SELESO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Media Institute of Southern Africa, Lesotho chapter [Thabang

MATJAMA] (pushes for media freedom)

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,

IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA,

NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mabasia MOHOBANE chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536 FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert NOLAN embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section) mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho telephone: [266] 22 312666 FAX: [266] 22 310116

Flag description:

three horizontal stripes of blue (top), white, and green in the proportions of 3:4:3; the colors represent rain, peace, and prosperity respectively; centered in the white stripe is a black Basotho hat representing the indigenous people; the flag was unfurled in October 2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence

Economy

Lesotho

Economy - overview:

Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho relies on remittances from miners employed in South Africa and customs duties from the Southern Africa Customs Union for the majority of government revenue. However, the government has recently strengthened its tax system to reduce dependency on customs duties. Completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 permitted the sale of water to South Africa and generated royalties for Lesotho. Lesotho produces about 90% of its own electrical power needs. As the number of mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years, a small manufacturing base has developed based on farm products that support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries, as well as a rapidly expanding apparel-assembly sector. The latter has grown significantly mainly due to Lesotho qualifying for the trade benefits contained in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. The economy is still primarily based on subsistence agriculture, especially livestock, although drought has decreased agricultural activity. The extreme inequality in the distribution of income remains a major drawback. Lesotho has signed an Interim Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility with the IMF. In July 2007, Lesotho signed a Millennium Challenge Account Compact with the US worth $362.5 million.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$3.063 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.6 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 15.2% industry: 45% services: 39.7% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

838,000 (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa industry and services: 14% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:

45% (2002)

Population below poverty line:

49% (1999)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.9% highest 10%: 43.4% (2002 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

63.2 (1995)

Investment (gross fixed):

51.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $779.9 million expenditures: $696.9 million (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

12.82% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

14.13% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$439.2 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$160.2 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

NA (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Industries:

food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts, construction, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

12% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

200 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

226 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

50 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2007 est.)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

1,400 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

1,500 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$49 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$853 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)

Exports - partners:

US 71.5%, Belgium 25.6%, Canada 1.2% (2007)

Imports:

$1.536 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products

Imports - partners:

China 30%, Hong Kong 29.6%, India 10%, South Korea 6.6%, Germany 6.4%, Pakistan 4.6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$68.82 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$852 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$689 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Currency (code):

loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)

Currency code:

LSL; ZAR

Exchange rates:

maloti (LSL) per US dollar - 7.25 (2007), 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003)

Communications

Lesotho

Telephones - main lines in use:

53,100 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

456,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: rudimentary system consisting of a modest but growing number of landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a small radiotelephone communication system; mobile-cellular telephone system is expanding domestic: privatized in 2001, Telecom Lesotho tasked with providing an additional 50,000 fixed-line connections within five years, a target not met; mobile-cellular service is expanding with a subscribership approaching 25 per 100 persons; rural services are scant international: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

NA (2002)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2000)

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.ls

Internet hosts:

83 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

70,000 (2007)

Transportation

Lesotho

Airports:

28 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 7,091 km paved: 1,404 km unpaved: 5,687 km (2003)

Military

Lesotho

Military branches:

Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army (includes Air Wing) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 525,203 females age 16-49: 522,485 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 262,101 females age 16-49: 238,350 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 26,084 female: 26,006 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.6% of GDP (2006)

Military - note:

Lesotho's declared policy is maintenance of its independent sovereignty and preservation of internal security; in practice, external security is guaranteed by South Africa; restructuring of the Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) and Ministry of Defense and Public Service over the past five years has focused on subordinating the defense apparatus to civilian control and restoring the LDF's cohesion; the restructuring has considerably improved capabilities and professionalism, but the LDF is disproportionately large for a small, poor country; the government has outlined a reduction to a planned 1,500-man strength, but these plans have met with vociferous resistance from the political opposition and from inside the LDF (2008)

Transnational Issues

Lesotho

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Liberia

Introduction

Liberia

Background:

Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today Liberia began in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians were able to establish a republic. William TUBMAN, president from 1944-71, did much to promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social, and political gaps between the descendents of the original settlers and the inhabitants of the interior. In 1980, a military coup led by Samuel DOE ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule. In December 1989, Charles TAYLOR launched a rebellion against DOE's regime that led to a prolonged civil war in which DOE himself was killed. A period of relative peace in 1997 allowed for elections that brought TAYLOR to power, but major fighting resumed in 2000. An August 2003 peace agreement ended the war and prompted the resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR, who faces war crimes charges in The Hague related to his involvement in Sierra Leone's civil war. After two years of rule by a transitional government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF to power. The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) maintains a strong presence throughout the country, but the security situation is still fragile and the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country will take many years.

Geography

Liberia

Location:

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone

Geographic coordinates:

6 30 N, 9 30 W

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 111,370 sq km land: 96,320 sq km water: 15,050 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Tennessee

Land boundaries:

total: 1,585 km border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km

Coastline:

579 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers

Terrain:

mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m

Natural resources:

iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 3.43% permanent crops: 1.98% other: 94.59% (2005)

Irrigated land:

30 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

232 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.11 cu km/yr (27%/18%/55%) per capita: 34 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)

Environment - current issues:

tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture

People

Liberia

Population:

3,334,587 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 44% (male 734,375/female 731,287) 15-64 years: 53.3% (male 879,848/female 896,319) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 45,175/female 47,583) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18 years male: 17.8 years female: 18.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.661% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

42.92 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

21.45 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

15.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 143.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 159.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 127.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 41.13 years male: 39.85 years female: 42.46 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.87 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

5.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

100,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

7,200 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever animal contact disease: rabies (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Liberian(s) adjective: Liberian

Ethnic groups:

indigenous African 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella, Mandingo, and Mende), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves)

Religions:

Christian 40%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 40%

Languages:

English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57.5% male: 73.3% female: 41.6% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 11 years female: 8 years (2000)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Liberia

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Liberia conventional short form: Liberia

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Monrovia geographic coordinates: 6 18 N, 10 48 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe

Independence:

26 July 1847

National holiday:

Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

Constitution:

6 January 1986

Legal system:

dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sector; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006); note - the President is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 November 2005 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF elected president; percent of vote, second round - Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF 59.6%, George WEAH 40.4%

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (30 seats; note - number of seats changed in 11 October 2005 elections; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held in 2011); House of Representatives - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - COTOL 7, NPP 4, CDC 3, LP 3, UP 3, APD 3, other 7; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CDC 15, LP 9, COTOL 8, UP 8, APD 5, NPP 4, other 15 note: junior senators - those who received the second most votes in each county in the 11 October 2005 election - will only serve a six-year first term because the Liberian constitution mandates staggered Senate elections to ensure continuity of government; all senators will be eligible for nine-year terms thereafter

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance for Peace and Democracy or APD [Togba-na TIPOTEH];

Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia or COTOL [H. Varney

SHERMAN]; Congress for Democratic Change or CDC [George WEAH];

Liberty Party or LP [Charles BRUMSKINE]; National Patriotic Party or

NPP [Roland MASSAQUOI]; Unity Party or UP [Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: demobilized former military officers

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU,

ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Milton Nathaniel BARNES chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437 FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Linda THOMAS-GREENFIELD embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 98, Mamba Point, 1000 Monrovia, 10 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [231] 7-705-4826 FAX: [231] 7-701-0370

Flag description:

11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US flag

Economy

Liberia

Economy - overview:

Civil war and government mismanagement destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around the capital, Monrovia. Many businesses fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them, but with the conclusion of fighting and the installation of a democratically-elected government in 2006, some have returned. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products - primarily raw timber and rubber. Local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. President JOHNSON SIRLEAF, a Harvard-trained banker and administrator, has taken steps to reduce corruption, build support from international donors, and encourage private investment. Embargos on timber and diamond exports have been lifted, opening new sources of revenue for the government. The reconstruction of infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy will largely depend on generous financial and technical assistance from donor countries and foreign investment in key sectors, such as infrastructure and power generation.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.525 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$730 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

9.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$500 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 76.9% industry: 5.4% services: 17.7% (2002 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 70% industry: 8% services: 22% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

85% (2003 est.)

Population below poverty line:

80% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: NA expenditures: NA

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

11.2% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

15.05% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$145.6 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$49.89 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.157 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber

Industries:

rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

320 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

297.6 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

3,687 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

23.37 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

3,593 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$224 million (2007)

Exports:

$1.197 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee

Exports - partners:

Malaysia 27.5%, Poland 18.5%, Germany 11.5%, US 10.5%, Spain 8.2%,

Norway 5.5% (2007)

Imports:

$7.143 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

South Korea 31.4%, Singapore 22.1%, Japan 14.9%, China 10.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$236.2 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$3.2 billion (2005 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Liberian dollar (LRD)

Currency code:

LRD

Exchange rates:

Liberian dollars (LRD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 59.43 (2006), 53.098 (2005), 54.906 (2004), 59.379 (2003)

Communications

Liberia

Telephones - main lines in use:

6,900 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

563,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: the limited services available are found almost exclusively in the capital Monrovia; coverage extended to a number of other towns and rural areas by four mobile-cellular network operators domestic: fixed line service stagnant and extremely limited; mobile-cellular subscription base growing and teledensity approaching 20 per 100 persons international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2007)

Radios:

790,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

4 (plus 4 repeaters) (2007)

Televisions:

70,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.lr

Internet hosts:

7 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2001)

Internet users:

1,000 (2002)

Transportation

Liberia

Airports:

53 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 51 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 38 (2007)

Railways:

total: 490 km standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge note: sections of railway are inoperable because of damage suffered during the civil war (2008)

Roadways:

total: 10,600 km paved: 657 km unpaved: 9,943 km (2000)

Merchant marine:

total: 2,204 by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 390, cargo 107, chemical tanker 241, combination ore/oil 7, container 750, liquefied gas 84, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 460, refrigerated cargo 103, roll on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 12, vehicle carrier 36 foreign-owned: 2,109 (Argentina 3, Belgium 4, Brazil 3, Canada 7, China 11, Croatia 2, Cyprus 63, Denmark 12, Estonia 1, France 5, Germany 849, Gibraltar 5, Greece 358, Hong Kong 44, India 2, Indonesia 2, Isle of Man 5, Israel 23, Italy 41, Japan 116, South Korea 3, Latvia 21, Lebanon 2, Mexico 2, Monaco 8, Netherlands 6, Nigeria 2, Norway 40, Poland 13, Qatar 4, Romania 2, Russia 94, Saudi Arabia 27, Singapore 32, Slovenia 3, Sweden 10, Switzerland 13, Taiwan 91, Turkey 7, Ukraine 25, UAE 23, UK 20, US 98, Uruguay 3, Vietnam 4) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Buchanan, Monrovia

Military

Liberia

Military branches:

Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Navy, Air Force

Military service age and obligation:

16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 729,813 females age 16-49: 741,223 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 371,287 females age 16-49: 373,265 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 30,448 female: 29,902 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Liberia

Disputes - international:

although civil unrest continues to abate with the assistance of 18,000 UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) peacekeepers, as of January 2007, Liberian refugees still remain in Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing turmoil in Cote d'Ivoire; despite the presence of over 9,000 UN forces (UNOCI) in Cote d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic conflict continues to spread into neighboring states who can no longer send their migrant workers to Ivorian cocoa plantations; UN sanctions ban Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 12,600 (Cote d'Ivoire) IDPs: 13,000 (civil war from 1990-2004; IDP resettlement began in November 2004) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and US markets; corruption, criminal activity, arms-dealing, and diamond trade provide significant potential for money laundering, but the lack of well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a major money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Libya

Introduction

Libya

Background:

The Italians supplanted the Ottoman Turks in the area around Tripoli in 1911 and did not relinquish their hold until 1943 when defeated in World War II. Libya then passed to UN administration and achieved independence in 1951. Following a 1969 military coup, Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI began to espouse his own political system, the Third Universal Theory. The system is a combination of socialism and Islam derived in part from tribal practices and is supposed to be implemented by the Libyan people themselves in a unique form of "direct democracy." QADHAFI has always seen himself as a revolutionary and visionary leader. He used oil funds during the 1970s and 1980s to promote his ideology outside Libya, supporting subversives and terrorists abroad to hasten the end of Marxism and capitalism. In addition, beginning in 1973, he engaged in military operations in northern Chad's Aozou Strip - to gain access to minerals and to use as a base of influence in Chadian politics - but was forced to retreat in 1987. UN sanctions in 1992 isolated QADHAFI politically following the downing of Pan AM Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. During the 1990s, QADHAFI began to rebuild his relationships with Europe. UN sanctions were suspended in April 1999 and finally lifted in September 2003 after Libya accepted responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing. In December 2003, Libya announced that it had agreed to reveal and end its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction and to renounce terrorism. QADHAFI has made significant strides in normalizing relations with Western nations since then. He has received various Western European leaders as well as many working-level and commercial delegations, and made his first trip to Western Europe in 15 years when he traveled to Brussels in April 2004. Libya has responded in good faith to legal cases brought against it in US courts for terrorist acts that predate its renunciation of violence. Claims for compensation in the Lockerbie bombing, LaBelle disco bombing, and UTA 772 bombing cases are ongoing. The US rescinded Libya's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism in June 2006. In late 2007, Libya was elected by the General Assembly to a nonpermanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2008-09 term.

Geography

Libya

Location:

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and

Tunisia

Geographic coordinates:

25 00 N, 17 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 1,759,540 sq km land: 1,759,540 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Alaska

Land boundaries:

total: 4,348 km border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,115 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km

Coastline:

1,770 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north exclusive fishing zone: 62 nm

Climate:

Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior

Terrain:

mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, gypsum

Land use:

arable land: 1.03% permanent crops: 0.19% other: 98.78% (2005)

Irrigated land:

4,700 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

0.6 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 4.27 cu km/yr (14%/3%/83%) per capita: 730 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms

Environment - current issues:

desertification; limited natural fresh water resources; the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in the world, is being built to bring water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert

People

Libya

Population:

6,173,579 note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 33.2% (male 1,046,400/female 1,002,148) 15-64 years: 62.6% (male 1,988,038/female 1,875,034) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 128,386/female 133,573) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 23.6 years male: 23.7 years female: 23.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.216% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

25.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

3.46 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 21.94 deaths/1,000 live births male: 24.14 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 77.07 years male: 74.81 years female: 79.44 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.15 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.3% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

10,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Libyan(s) adjective: Libyan

Ethnic groups:

Berber and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Greeks, Maltese, Italians,

Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians)

Religions:

Sunni Muslim 97%, other 3%

Languages:

Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 82.6% male: 92.4% female: 72% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 17 years male: 16 years female: 17 years (2003)

Education expenditures:

2.7% of GDP (1999)

Government

Libya

Country name:

conventional long form: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya conventional short form: Libya local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma local short form: none

Government type:

Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in practice, an authoritarian state

Capital:

name: Tripoli geographic coordinates: 32 53 N, 13 10 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

25 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ajdabiya, Al 'Aziziyah, Al Fatih, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al Jufrah, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, An Nuqat al Khams, Ash Shati', Awbari, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Misratah, Murzuq, Sabha, Sawfajjin, Surt, Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran, Zlitan; note - the 25 municipalities may have been replaced by 13 regions

Independence:

24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship)

National holiday:

Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)

Constitution:

none; note - following the September 1969 military overthrow of the Libyan government, the Revolutionary Command Council replaced the existing constitution with the Constitutional Proclamation in December 1969; in March 1977, Libya adopted the Declaration of the Establishment of the People's Authority

Legal system:

based on Italian and French civil law systems and Islamic law; separate religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969); note - holds no official title, but is de facto chief of state head of government: Secretary of the General People's Committee (Prime Minister) al-Baghdadi Ali al-MAHMUDI (since 5 March 2006) cabinet: General People's Committee established by the General People's Congress elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of people's committees; head of government elected by the General People's Congress; election last held March 2006 (next to be held NA) election results: NA

Legislative branch:

unicameral General People's Congress (approximately 2,700 seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's committees)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: Arab nationalist movements; anti-QADHAFI Libyan exile Movement; Islamic elements

International organization participation:

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC,

OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMID,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ali Suleiman AUJALI chancery: 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Suite 705, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 944-9601 FAX: [1] (202) 944-9060

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires J. Christopher STEVENS embassy: Serraj Area, Tripoli mailing address: US Embassy, 8850 Tripoli Place, Washington, DC 20521-8850 telephone: [218] 91-220-0125

Flag description:

plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion)

Economy

Libya

Economy - overview:

The Libyan economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contribute about 95% of export earnings, about one-quarter of GDP, and 60% of public sector wages. Substantial revenues from the energy sector coupled with a small population give Libya one of the highest per capita GDPs in Africa, but little of this income flows down to the lower orders of society. Libyan officials in the past five years have made progress on economic reforms as part of a broader campaign to reintegrate the country into the international fold. This effort picked up steam after UN sanctions were lifted in September 2003 and as Libya announced in December 2003 that it would abandon programs to build weapons of mass destruction. Almost all US unilateral sanctions against Libya were removed in April 2004, helping Libya attract more foreign direct investment, mostly in the energy sector. Libyan oil and gas licensing rounds continue to draw high international interest; the National Oil Company set a goal of nearly doubling oil production to 3 million bbl/day by 2015. Libya faces a long road ahead in liberalizing the socialist-oriented economy, but initial steps - including applying for WTO membership, reducing some subsidies, and announcing plans for privatization - are laying the groundwork for a transition to a more market-based economy. The non-oil manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for more than 20% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include the production of petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit agricultural output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food. Libya's primary agricultural water source remains the Great Manmade River Project, but significant resources are being invested in desalinization research to meet growing water demands.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$74.72 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$57.06 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$12,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2% industry: 83.1% services: 14.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

1.83 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 17% industry: 23% services: 59% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

30% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:

7.4% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

8.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $39.88 billion expenditures: $19.48 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

4.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6.3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

6% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$18.04 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$3.192 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

NA (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts, soybeans; cattle

Industries:

petroleum, iron and steel, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement

Industrial production growth rate:

5.6% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

23.98 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

20.71 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

1.845 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

278,700 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

1.455 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

575.3 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

41.46 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

14.8 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

6.39 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

9.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

1.419 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$26.38 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$42.97 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas, chemicals

Exports - partners:

Italy 40.5%, Germany 12.2%, US 7.4%, Spain 7.4%, France 6.3% (2007)

Imports:

$14.43 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, semi-finished goods, food, transport equipment, consumer products

Imports - partners:

Italy 18.9%, Germany 7.7%, China 7.3%, Tunisia 6.8%, France 5.7%,

Turkey 5.4%, US 4.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $24.44 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$79.6 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$4.837 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$6.286 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$3.333 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Libyan dinar (LYD)

Currency code:

LYD

Exchange rates:

Libyan dinars (LYD) per US dollar - 1.2604 (2007), 1.3108 (2006), 1.3084 (2005), 1.305 (2004), 1.2929 (2003)

Communications

Libya

Telephones - main lines in use:

852,300 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

4.5 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: telecommunications system is being modernized; mobile cellular telephone system became operational in 1996; combined fixed line and mobile telephone density approached 90 telephones per 100 persons in 2007 domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: country code - 218; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat, NA Arabsat, and NA Intersputnik; submarine cables to France and Italy; microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in Medarabtel (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 3 (2001)

Radios:

1.35 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

12 (plus 1 repeater) (1999)

Televisions:

730,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ly

Internet hosts:

31 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Internet users:

260,000 (2006)

Transportation

Libya

Airports:

141 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 60 over 3,047 m: 23 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 81 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 41 under 914 m: 18 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 882 km; gas 3,425 km; oil 6,956 km (2007)

Railways:

0 km note: Libya has announced plans to build seven lines totaling 2,757 km of 1.435-m gauge track (2006)

Roadways:

total: 100,024 km paved: 57,214 km unpaved: 42,810 km (2003)

Merchant marine:

total: 17 by type: cargo 9, liquefied gas 3, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 4 (Kuwait 1, Norway 1, Syria 2) registered in other countries: 3 (Malta 3) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

As Sidrah, Az Zuwaytinah, Marsa al Burayqah, Ra's Lanuf, Tripoli,

Zawiyah

Military

Libya

Military branches:

Armed Peoples on Duty (APOD, Army), Libyan Arab Navy, Libyan Arab

Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriya al-Arabia al-Libyya,

LAAF) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,682,183 females age 16-49: 1,611,001 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,439,941 females age 16-49: 1,381,914 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 61,305 female: 58,788 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Libya

Disputes - international:

Libya has claimed more than 32,000 sq km in southeastern Algeria and about 25,000 sq km in the Tommo region of Niger in a currently dormant dispute; various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in southern Libya

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 8,000 (Palestinian Territories) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Libya is a transit and destination country for men and women from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Libya is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking in persons in 2007 when compared to 2006, particularly in the area of investigating and prosecuting trafficking offenses; Libya did not publicly release any data on investigations or punishment of any trafficking offenses (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Liechtenstein

Introduction

Liechtenstein

Background:

The Principality of Liechtenstein was established within the Holy Roman Empire in 1719. Occupied by both French and Russian troops during the Napoleanic wars, it became a sovereign state in 1806 and joined the Germanic Confederation in 1815. Liechtenstein became fully independent in 1866 when the Confederation dissolved. Until the end of World War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but the economic devastation caused by that conflict forced Liechtenstein to enter into a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. Since World War II (in which Liechtenstein remained neutral), the country's low taxes have spurred outstanding economic growth. In 2000, shortcomings in banking regulatory oversight resulted in concerns about the use of financial institutions for money laundering. However, Liechtenstein implemented anti-money-laundering legislation and a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the US went into effect in 2003.

Geography

Liechtenstein

Location:

Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland

Geographic coordinates:

47 16 N, 9 32 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 160 sq km land: 160 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

total: 76 km border countries: Austria 34.9 km, Switzerland 41.1 km

Coastline:

0 km (doubly landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers

Terrain:

mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Ruggeller Riet 430 m highest point: Vorder-Grauspitz 2,599 m

Natural resources:

hydroelectric potential, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 25% permanent crops: 0% other: 75% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

NA

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

along with Uzbekistan, one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world; variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation

People

Liechtenstein

Population:

34,498 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 16.9% (male 2,892/female 2,927) 15-64 years: 69.8% (male 11,905/female 12,180) 65 years and over: 13.3% (male 1,964/female 2,630) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 40.5 years male: 40 years female: 41 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.713% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

9.86 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.42 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

4.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.52 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.03 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 79.95 years male: 76.38 years female: 83.52 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.51 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Liechtensteiner(s) adjective: Liechtenstein

Ethnic groups:

Liechtensteiner 65.6%, other 34.4% (2000 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 76.2%, Protestant 7%, unknown 10.6%, other 6.2% (June 2002)

Languages:

German (official), Alemannic dialect

Literacy:

definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100%

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 16 years female: 13 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Liechtenstein

Country name:

conventional long form: Principality of Liechtenstein conventional short form: Liechtenstein local long form: Fuerstentum Liechtenstein local short form: Liechtenstein

Government type:

constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Vaduz geographic coordinates: 47 08 N, 9 31 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

11 communes (Gemeinden, singular - Gemeinde); Balzers, Eschen, Gamprin, Mauren, Planken, Ruggell, Schaan, Schellenberg, Triesen, Triesenberg, Vaduz

Independence:

23 January 1719 (Principality of Liechtenstein established); 12 July 1806 (independence from the Holy Roman Empire)

National holiday:

Assumption Day, 15 August

Constitution:

5 October 1921

Legal system:

local civil and penal codes based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Prince HANS ADAM II (since 13 November 1989, assumed executive powers 26 August 1984); Heir Apparent Prince ALOIS, son of the monarch (born 11 June 1968); note - on 15 August 2004, HANS ADAM transferred the official duties of the ruling prince to ALOIS, but HANS ADAM retains status of chief of state head of government: Head of Government (Prime Minister) Otmar HASLER (since 5 April 2001); Deputy Head of Government (Deputy Prime Minister) Klaus TSCHUETSCHER (since 21 April 2005) cabinet: Cabinet elected by the Parliament, confirmed by the monarch elections: the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the Landtag is usually appointed the head of government by the monarch and the leader of the largest minority party in the Landtag is usually appointed the deputy head of government by the monarch if there is a coalition government

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament or Landtag (25 seats; members are elected by popular vote under proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 11 and 13 March 2005 (next to be held by 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - FBP 48.7%, VU 38.2%, FL 13%; seats by party - FBP 12, VU 10, FL 3

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Court of Appeal or Obergericht

Political parties and leaders:

Patriotic Union or VU [Adolf HEEB] (was Fatherland Union);

Progressive Citizens' Party or FBP [Marcus VOGT]; The Free List or

FL [Claudia HEEB-FLECK and Egon MATT]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

CE, EBRD, EFTA, IAEA, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITSO,

ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WCL, WIPO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Claudia FRITSCHE chancery: 888 17th Street NW, Suite 1250, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 331-0590 FAX: [1] (202) 331-3221

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Liechtenstein; the US Ambassador to Switzerland is accredited to Liechtenstein

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a gold crown on the hoist side of the blue band

Economy

Liechtenstein

Economy - overview:

Despite its small size and limited natural resources, Liechtenstein has developed into a prosperous, highly industrialized, free-enterprise economy with a vital financial service sector and living standards on a par with its large European neighbors. The Liechtenstein economy is widely diversified with a large number of small businesses. Low business taxes - the maximum tax rate is 20% - and easy incorporation rules have induced many holding or so-called letter box companies to establish nominal offices in Liechtenstein, providing 30% of state revenues. The country participates in a customs union with Switzerland and uses the Swiss franc as its national currency. It imports more than 90% of its energy requirements. Liechtenstein has been a member of the European Economic Area (an organization serving as a bridge between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the EU) since May 1995. The government is working to harmonize its economic policies with those of an integrated Europe.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.786 billion (2001 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$36.33 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

11% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$25,000 (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 6% industry: 39% services: 55% (2001)

Labor force:

29,500 of whom 13,900 commute from Austria, Switzerland, and Germany to work each day (31 December 2001)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 2% industry: 47% services: 51% (31 December 2001)

Unemployment rate:

1.3% (September 2002)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $424.2 million expenditures: $414.1 million (1998 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1% (2001)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, barley, corn, potatoes; livestock, dairy products

Industries:

electronics, metal manufacturing, dental products, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, food products, precision instruments, tourism, optical instruments

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Exports:

$2.47 billion (1996)

Exports - commodities:

small specialty machinery, connectors for audio and video, parts for motor vehicles, dental products, hardware, prepared foodstuffs, electronic equipment, optical products

Exports - partners:

EU 62.6% (Germany 24.3%, Austria 9.5%, France 8.9%, Italy 6.6%, UK 4.6%), US 18.9%, Switzerland 15.7% (2006)

Imports:

$917.3 million (1996)

Imports - commodities:

agricultural products, raw materials, energy products, machinery, metal goods, textiles, foodstuffs, motor vehicles

Imports - partners:

EU, Switzerland (2006)

Debt - external:

$0 (2001)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Swiss franc (CHF)

Currency code:

CHF

Exchange rates:

Swiss francs (CHF) per US dollar - 1.1973 (2007), 1.2539 (2006), 1.2452 (2005), 1.2435 (2004), 1.3467 (2003)

Communications

Liechtenstein

Telephones - main lines in use:

20,000 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

27,500 (2005)

Telephone system:

general assessment: automatic telephone system domestic: NA international: country code - 423; linked to Swiss networks by cable and microwave radio relay

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

21,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

NA (linked to Swiss networks) (1997)

Televisions:

12,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.li

Internet hosts:

7,639 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

44 (Liechtenstein and Switzerland) (2000)

Internet users:

22,000 (2006)

Transportation

Liechtenstein

Pipelines:

gas 20 km (2007)

Railways:

9 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified) note: belongs to the Austrian Railway System connecting Austria and Switzerland (2006)

Roadways:

total: 380 km paved: 380 km (2007)

Waterways:

28 km (2006)

Military

Liechtenstein

Military branches:

no regular military forces (constitutionally prohibited); Principality of Liechtenstein National Police (Landespolizei, LP) (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 8,102 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 6,584 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 202 female: 222 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

Liechtenstein has no military forces, but is interested in European security policy and is an active member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

Transnational Issues

Liechtenstein

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

has strengthened money laundering controls, but money laundering remains a concern due to Liechtenstein's sophisticated offshore financial services sector

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Lithuania

Introduction

Lithuania

Background:

Lithuanian lands were united under MINDAUGAS in 1236; over the next century, through alliances and conquest, Lithuania extended its territory to include most of present-day Belarus and Ukraine. By the end of the 14th century Lithuania was the largest state in Europe. An alliance with Poland in 1386 led the two countries into a union through the person of a common ruler. In 1569, Lithuania and Poland formally united into a single dual state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This entity survived until 1795, when its remnants were partitioned by surrounding countries. Lithuania regained its independence following World War I but was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but Moscow did not recognize this proclamation until September of 1991 (following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy for integration into Western European institutions; it joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

Geography

Lithuania

Location:

Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia

Geographic coordinates:

56 00 N, 24 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 65,300 sq km land: NA sq km water: NA sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries:

total: 1,574 km border countries: Belarus 680 km, Latvia 576 km, Poland 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 227 km

Coastline:

90 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate:

transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers

Terrain:

lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Juozapines Kalnas 293.6 m

Natural resources:

peat, arable land, amber

Land use:

arable land: 44.81% permanent crops: 0.9% other: 54.29% (2005)

Irrigated land:

70 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

24.5 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 3.33 cu km/yr (78%/15%/7%) per capita: 971 cu m/yr (2003)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products and chemicals at military bases

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits

People

Lithuania

Population:

3,565,205 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 14.5% (male 264,668/female 250,997) 15-64 years: 69.5% (male 1,214,236/female 1,263,198) 65 years and over: 16% (male 197,498/female 374,608) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 39 years male: 36.4 years female: 41.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.284% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

9 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

11.12 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.53 male(s)/female total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 6.57 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.86 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 74.67 years male: 69.72 years female: 79.89 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.22 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

1,300 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Lithuanian(s) adjective: Lithuanian

Ethnic groups:

Lithuanian 83.4%, Polish 6.7%, Russian 6.3%, other or unspecified 3.6% (2001 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 79%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%, Protestant (including Lutheran and Evangelical Christian Baptist) 1.9%, other or unspecified 5.5%, none 9.5% (2001 census)

Languages:

Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.6% female: 99.6% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 16 years male: 15 years female: 17 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

5% of GDP (2005)

Government

Lithuania

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Lithuania conventional short form: Lithuania local long form: Lietuvos Respublika local short form: Lietuva former: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Vilnius geographic coordinates: 54 41 N, 25 19 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

10 counties (apskritys, singular - apskritis); Alytaus, Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages, Telsiu, Utenos, Vilniaus

Independence:

11 March 1990 (declared); 6 September 1991 (recognized by Soviet Union)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 16 February (1918); note - 16 February 1918 was the date Lithuania declared its independence from Soviet Russia and established its statehood; 11 March 1990 was the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union

Constitution:

adopted 25 October 1992

Legal system:

based on civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the constitutional court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Valdas ADAMKUS (since 12 July 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Andrius KUBILIUS (since 27 November 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 13 and 27 June 2004 (next to be held in June 2009); prime minister appointed by the president on the approval of the Parliament election results: Valdas ADAMKUS elected president; percent of vote - Valdas ADAMKUS 52.2%, Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE 47.8%; Andrius KUBILIUS approved by Parliament 89-27 with 16 abstentions

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats; 71 members are elected by popular vote, 70 are elected by proportional representation; serve four-year terms) elections: last held 12 and 26 October 2008 (next to be held October 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - TS 19.7%, TPP 15.1%, TT 12.7%, LSDP 11.7%, KDP+J 9%, LRLS 5.7%, LCS 5.3%, LLRA 4.8%, LVLS 3.7%, NS 3.6%, other 8.7%; seats by faction - TS 44, LSDP 26, TPP 16, TT 15, LRLS 11, KDP+J 10, LCS 8, LLRA 3, LVLS 3, NS 1, independent 4

Judicial branch:

Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; judges for all courts appointed by the president

Political parties and leaders:

Civil Democracy Party or PDP [Viktor MUNTIANAS]; Coalition of Labor

Party and Youth or KDP+J [Viktor USPASKICH]; Electoral Action of

Lithuanian Poles or LLRA [Valdemar TOMASZEVSKI]; Homeland Union -

Lithuanian Christian Democrats or TS [Andrius KUBILIUS]; Lithuanian

Peasant Popular Union or LVLS [Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE]; Liberal and

Center Union or LCS [Arturas ZUOKAS]; Liberal Movement or LRLS

[Eligijus MASIULIS]; National Revival or TPP [Arunas VALINSKAS]; New

Union (Social Liberal) or NS [Arturas PAULAUSKAS]; Order and Justice

Party or TT [Rolandas PAKSAS]; Social Democratic Party or LSDP

[Gediminas KIRKILAS]; Young Lithuania and New Nationalists

[Stanislovas BUSKEVICIUS]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Europe House (promotes the EU); European Movement (promotes the EU);

Lithuanian Future Forum (promotes the EU)

International organization participation:

Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Audrius BRUZGA chancery: temporary address: 2300 Clarendon Boulevard, Suite 302, Arlington, VA 22201 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5860 FAX: [1] (202) 328-0466 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador John A. CLOUD embassy: Akmenu gatve 6, Vilnius, LT-03106 mailing address: American Embassy, Akmenu Gatve 6, Vilnius LT-03106 telephone: [370] (5) 266 5500 FAX: [370] (5) 266 5510

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), green, and red

Economy

Lithuania

Economy - overview:

Lithuania, the Baltic state that has conducted the most trade with Russia, has grown rapidly since rebounding from the 1998 Russian financial crisis. Unemployment fell to 3.2% in 2007 while wages continued to grow at double digit rates, contributing to rising inflation. Exports and imports also grew strongly, and the current account deficit rose to nearly 15% of GDP in 2007. Trade has been increasingly oriented toward the West. Lithuania has gained membership in the World Trade Organization and joined the EU in May 2004. Privatization of the large, state-owned utilities is nearly complete. Foreign government and business support have helped in the transition from the old command economy to a market economy.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$59.98 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$38.35 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

8.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$16,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 5.3% industry: 33.3% services: 61.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

1.603 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 15.8% industry: 28.2% services: 56% (2004)

Unemployment rate:

3.5% note: based on survey data, official registered unemployment of 5.7% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

4% (2003)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.7% highest 10%: 27.7% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

36 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

26.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $13.28 billion expenditures: $13.75 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

17.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4.85% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

6.86% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$11.84 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$6.917 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$25.05 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish

Industries:

metal-cutting machine tools, electric motors, television sets, refrigerators and freezers, petroleum refining, shipbuilding (small ships), furniture making, textiles, food processing, fertilizers, agricultural machinery, optical equipment, electronic components, computers, amber jewelry

Industrial production growth rate:

7.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

11.91 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

10.4 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

7.217 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

5.846 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 16.5% hydro: 5.7% nuclear: 77.7% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

8,250 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

57,170 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

148,400 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

206,700 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

12 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

3.44 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

3.44 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$5.26 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$17.18 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

mineral products 23%, textiles and clothing 16%, machinery and equipment 11%, chemicals 6%, wood and wood products 5%, foodstuffs 5% (2001)

Exports - partners:

Russia 15%, Latvia 12.9%, Germany 10.5%, Poland 6.3%, Estonia 5.8%,

UK 4.6%, Denmark 4.1%, Belarus 4% (2007)

Imports:

$22.8 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

mineral products, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, chemicals, textiles and clothing, metals

Imports - partners:

Russia 18%, Germany 15%, Poland 10.6%, Latvia 5.5%, Netherlands 4.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$249.7 million (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$7.721 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$27.19 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$14.63 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$1.642 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$10.19 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

litas (LTL)

Currency code:

LTL

Exchange rates:

litai (LTL) per US dollar - 2.5362 (2007), 2.7498 (2006), 2.774 (2005), 2.7806 (2004), 3.0609 (2003)

Communications

Lithuania

Telephones - main lines in use:

799,400 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

4.912 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: adequate; being modernized to provide improved international capability and better residential access domestic: rapid expansion of mobile-cellular services has resulted in a steady decline in the number of main line subscriptions; mobile-cellular teledensity has increased to about 135 per 100 persons while fixed-line teledensity has dropped to 22 per 100 persons international: country code - 370; major international connections to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by submarine cable for further transmission by satellite; landline connections to Latvia and Poland (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 29, FM 142, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:

1.9 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

27 (may have as many as 100 transmitters, including repeater stations) (2001)

Televisions:

1.7 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.lt

Internet hosts:

812,083 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

32 (2001)

Internet users:

1.333 million (2007)

Transportation

Lithuania

Airports:

87 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 30 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 17 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 57 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 53 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 1,695 km; oil 228 km; refined products 121 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 1,771 km broad gauge: 1,749 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km electrified) standard gauge: 22 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 79,984 km paved: 70,997 km (includes 309 km of expressways) unpaved: 8,987 km (2006)

Waterways:

441 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 45 by type: cargo 23, container 2, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 13 foreign-owned: 6 (Denmark 5, Ukraine 1) registered in other countries: 28 (Antigua and Barbuda 5, Cook Islands 1, North Korea 1, Malta 1, Norway 1, Panama 7, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 9, unknown 3) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Klaipeda

Military

Lithuania

Military branches:

Ground Forces, Naval Force, Lithuanian Military Air Forces, National

Defense Volunteer Forces (2005)

Military service age and obligation:

19-45 years of age for compulsory military service; 18 years of age for volunteers; 12-month conscript service obligation (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 915,187 females age 16-49: 906,097 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 678,434 females age 16-49: 749,483 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 25,907 female: 24,735 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.2% of GDP (2006; 1.23% 2007 est.)

Transnational Issues

Lithuania

Disputes - international:

Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still conforming, as a EU member state having an external border with a non-EU member, to strict Schengen border rules; the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over potential hydrocarbons; as of January 2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with Belarus was complete and mapped with final ratification documents in preparation

Illicit drugs:

transshipment and destination point for cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, and opiates from Southwest Asia, Latin America, Western Europe, and neighboring Baltic countries; growing production of high-quality amphetamines, but limited production of cannabis, methamphetamines; susceptible to money laundering despite changes to banking legislation

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Luxembourg

Introduction

Luxembourg

Background:

Founded in 963, Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815 and an independent state under the Netherlands. It lost more than half of its territory to Belgium in 1839, but gained a larger measure of autonomy. Full independence was attained in 1867. Overrun by Germany in both World Wars, it ended its neutrality in 1948 when it entered into the Benelux Customs Union and when it joined NATO the following year. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six founding countries of the European Economic Community (later the European Union), and in 1999 it joined the euro currency area.

Geography

Luxembourg

Location:

Western Europe, between France and Germany

Geographic coordinates:

49 45 N, 6 10 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 2,586 sq km land: 2,586 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Land boundaries:

total: 359 km border countries: Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, Germany 138 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

modified continental with mild winters, cool summers

Terrain:

mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle flood plain in the southeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Moselle River 133 m highest point: Buurgplaatz 559 m

Natural resources:

iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land

Land use:

arable land: 27.42% permanent crops: 0.69% other: 71.89% (includes Belgium) (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Total renewable water resources:

1.6 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.06 cu km/yr (42%/45%/13%) per capita: 121 cu m/yr (1999)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

air and water pollution in urban areas, soil pollution of farmland

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the

Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note:

landlocked; the only Grand Duchy in the world

People

Luxembourg

Population:

486,006 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 18.6% (male 46,729/female 43,889) 15-64 years: 66.6% (male 163,356/female 160,425) 65 years and over: 14.7% (male 29,206/female 42,401) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 39 years male: 38 years female: 40 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.188% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

11.77 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.43 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

8.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.62 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 79.18 years male: 75.91 years female: 82.67 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.78 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Luxembourger(s) adjective: Luxembourg

Ethnic groups:

Luxembourger 63.1%, Portuguese 13.3%, French 4.5%, Italian 4.3%,

German 2.3%, other EU 7.3%, other 5.2% (2000 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 87%, other (includes Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 13% (2000)

Languages:

Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative language),

French (administrative language)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (2000 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.4% of GDP (1999)

Government

Luxembourg

Country name:

conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg conventional short form: Luxembourg local long form: Grand Duche de Luxembourg local short form: Luxembourg

Government type:

constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Luxembourg geographic coordinates: 49 36 N, 6 07 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg

Independence:

1839 (from the Netherlands)

National holiday:

National Day (Birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte) 23 June; note - the actual date of birth was 23 January 1896, but the festivities were shifted by five months to allow observance during a more favorable time of year

Constitution:

17 October 1868; occasional revisions

Legal system:

based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: Grand Duke HENRI (since 7 October 2000); Heir Apparent Prince GUILLAUME (son of the monarch) head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Claude JUNCKER (since 20 January 1995); Deputy Prime Minister Jean ASSELBORN (since 31 July 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch elections: the monarch is hereditary; following popular elections to the Chamber of Deputies, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; the deputy prime minister is appointed by the monarch; they are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies note: government coalition - CSV and LSAP

Legislative branch:

unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 13 June 2004 (next to be held by June 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - CSV 36.1%, LSAP 23.4%, DP 16.1%, Green Party 11.6%, ADR 10%, other 2.8%; seats by party - CSV 24, LSAP 14, DP 10, Green Party 7, ADR 5 note: there is also a Council of State that serves as an advisory body to the Chamber of Deputies; the Council of State has 21 members appointed by the Grand Duke on the advice of the prime minister

Judicial branch:

judicial courts and tribunals (3 Justices of the Peace, 2 district courts, and 1 Supreme Court of Appeals); administrative courts and tribunals (State Prosecutor's Office, administrative courts and tribunals, and the Constitutional Court); judges for all courts are appointed for life by the monarch

Political parties and leaders:

Alternative Democratic Reform Party or ADR [Robert MENLEN]; Christian Social People's Party or CSV [Francois BILTGEN] (also known as Christian Social Party or PCS); Democratic Party or DP [Claude MEISCH]; Green Party [Francois BAUSCH]; Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party or LSAP [Alex BODRY]; dei Lenk/la Gauche (the Left); other minor parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:

ABBL (bankers' association); ALEBA (financial sector trade union); Centrale Paysanne (federation of agricultural producers); CEP (professional sector chamber); CGFP (trade union representing civil service); Chambre de Commerce (Chamber of Commerce); Chambre des Metiers (Chamber of Artisans); FEDIL (federation of industrialists); Greenpeace (environment protection); LCGP (center-right trade union); Mouvement Ecologique (protection of ecology); OGBL (center-left trade union)

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), Australia Group, Benelux, CE, EAPC, EBRD,

EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW,

OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,

UNIFIL, UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Jean-Paul SENNINGER chancery: 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-4171/72 FAX: [1] (202) 328-8270 consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ann WAGNER embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel Servais, L-2535 Luxembourg City mailing address: American Embassy Luxembourg, Unit 1410, APO AE 09126-1410 (official mail); American Embassy Luxembourg, PSC 9, Box 9500, APO AE 09123 (personal mail) telephone: [352] 46 01 23 FAX: [352] 46 14 01

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and light blue; similar to the flag of the Netherlands, which uses a darker blue and is shorter; design was based on the flag of France

Economy

Luxembourg

Economy - overview:

This stable, high-income economy - benefiting from its proximity to France, Belgium, and Germany - features solid growth, low inflation, and low unemployment. The industrial sector, initially dominated by steel, has become increasingly diversified to include chemicals, rubber, and other products. Growth in the financial sector, which now accounts for about 28% of GDP, has more than compensated for the decline in steel. Most banks are foreign owned and have extensive foreign dealings. Agriculture is based on small family-owned farms. The economy depends on foreign and cross-border workers for about 60% of its labor force. Although Luxembourg, like all EU members, suffered from the global economic slump in the early part of this decade, the country continues to enjoy an extraordinarily high standard of living - GDP per capita ranks second in the world, after Qatar. After two years of strong economic growth in 2006-07, turmoil in the world financial markets will slow Luxembourg's economy in 2008, but growth will remain above the European average.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$38.14 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$50.16 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$79,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1% industry: 13% services: 86% (2005 est.)

Labor force:

205,000 of whom 121,600 are foreign cross-border workers commuting primarily from France, Belgium, and Germany (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 1% industry: 13% services: 86% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

4.4% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.5% highest 10%: 23.8% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

26 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

20.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $19.78 billion expenditures: $18.9 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

6.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.3% (2007 est.)

Stock of money:

NA note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders

Stock of quasi money:

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$357.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wine, grapes, barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits; dairy products, livestock products

Industries:

banking and financial services, iron and steel, information technology, telecommunications, cargo transportation, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

1.7% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

3.01 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

6.748 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

2.887 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

6.847 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 57.3% hydro: 25.2% nuclear: 0% other: 17.5% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

60,640 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

281.5 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

63,760 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

1.329 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

1.329 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$4.921 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$18.42 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass

Exports - partners:

Germany 21.1%, France 16.3%, Belgium 10.1%, Italy 7.4%, UK 7.1%,

Netherlands 5.4%, Spain 5% (2007)

Imports:

$23.13 billion c.i.f. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods

Imports - partners:

Belgium 27.4%, Germany 23.8%, China 17.1%, France 9.2%, Netherlands 5% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $291 million (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$205.5 million (2006 est.)

Debt - external:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$79.4 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Luxembourg

Telephones - main lines in use:

248,200 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

604,200 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: highly developed, completely automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables domestic: fixed line teledensity over 50 per 100 persons; nationwide cellular telephone system with market for mobile-cellular phones virtually saturated international: country code - 352 (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999)

Radios:

285,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

5 (1999)

Televisions:

285,000 (1998 est.)

Internet country code:

.lu

Internet hosts:

180,756 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

8 (2000)

Internet users:

345,000 (2007)

Transportation

Luxembourg

Airports:

2 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 155 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 275 km standard gauge: 275 km 1.435-m gauge (243 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 5,227 km paved: 5,227 km (includes 147 km of expressways) (2004)

Waterways:

37 km (on Moselle River) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 45 by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 3, chemical tanker 15, container 4, liquefied gas 1, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 9 foreign-owned: 44 (Belgium 7, Denmark 1, France 17, Germany 5, Netherlands 2, UK 8, US 4) registered in other countries: 1 (Ukraine 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Mertert

Military

Luxembourg

Military branches:

Army (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

17-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; soldiers under 18 are not deployed into combat or with peacekeeping missions; no conscription; Luxembourg citizen or EU citizen with 3-year residence in Luxembourg (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 116,305 females age 16-49: 114,566 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 95,152 females age 16-49: 93,792 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 3,066 female: 2,909 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Luxembourg

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Macau

Introduction

Macau

Background:

Colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century, Macau was the first European settlement in the Far East. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and Portugal on 13 April 1987, Macau became the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 20 December 1999. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system would not be practiced in Macau, and that Macau would enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.

Geography

Macau

Location:

Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Geographic coordinates:

22 10 N, 113 33 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 28.2 sq km land: 28.2 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

less than one-sixth the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

total: 0.34 km regional border: China 0.34 km

Coastline:

41 km

Maritime claims:

not specified

Climate:

subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers

Terrain:

generally flat

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Coloane Alto 172.4 m

Natural resources:

NEGL

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

typhoons

Environment - current issues:

NA

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member)

Geography - note:

essentially urban; an area of land reclaimed from the sea measuring 5.2 sq km and known as Cotai now connects the islands of Coloane and Taipa; the island area is connected to the mainland peninsula by three bridges

People

Macau

Population:

545,674 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 16.5% (male 47,935/female 42,301) 15-64 years: 75.8% (male 193,571/female 220,108) 65 years and over: 7.7% (male 19,340/female 22,419) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 35 years male: 35.6 years female: 34.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.148% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

8.69 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

3.43 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

26.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 3.23 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.39 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 84.33 years male: 81.36 years female: 87.45 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

0.9 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Chinese adjective: Chinese

Ethnic groups:

Chinese 94.3%, other 5.7% (includes Macanese (mixed Portuguese and

Asian ancestry)) (2006 census)

Religions:

Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none and other 35% (1997 est.)

Languages:

Cantonese 85.7%, Hokkien 4%, Mandarin 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 2.7%, English 1.5%, Tagalog 1.3%, other 1.6% (2001 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91.3% male: 95.3% female: 87.8% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 16 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

2.4% of GDP (2005)

Government

Macau

Country name:

conventional long form: Macau Special Administrative Region conventional short form: Macau local long form: Aomen Tebie Xingzhengqu (Chinese); Regiao Administrativa Especial de Macau (Portuguese) local short form: Aomen (Chinese); Macau (Portuguese)

Dependency status:

special administrative region of China

Government type:

limited democracy

Administrative divisions:

none (special administrative region of China)

Independence:

none (special administrative region of China)

National holiday:

National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 20 December 1999 is celebrated as Macau Special Administrative Region Establishment Day

Constitution:

Basic Law, approved on 31 March 1993 by China's National People's

Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution"

Legal system:

based on Portuguese civil law system

Suffrage:

direct election 18 years of age for some non-executive positions, universal for permanent residents living in Macau for the past seven years; indirect election limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters" (257 are currently registered) and a 300-member Election Committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies

Executive branch:

chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) head of government: Chief Executive Edmund HO Hau-wah (since 20 December 1999) cabinet: Executive Council consists of one government secretary, three legislators, four businessmen, one pro-Beijing unionist, and one pro-Beijing educator elections: chief executive chosen by a 300-member Election Committee for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 29 August 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: Edmund HO Hau-wah reelected received 296 votes; three members submitted blank ballots; one member was absent

Legislative branch:

unicameral Legislative Assembly (29 seats; 12 members elected by popular vote, 10 by indirect vote, and 7 appointed by the chief executive; to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 25 September 2005 (next in September 2009) election results: percent of vote - New Democratic Macau Association 18.8%, Macau United Citizens' Association 16.6%, Union for Development 13.3%, Union for Promoting Progress 9.6%, Macau Development Alliance 9.3%, others 32.4%; seats by political group - New Democratic Macau Association 2, Macau United Citizens' Association 2, Union for Development 2, Union for Promoting Progress 2, Macau Development Alliance 1, others 3; 10 seats filled by professional and business groups; seven members appointed by chief executive

Judicial branch:

Court of Final Appeal in Macau Special Administrative Region

Political parties and leaders:

Civil Service Union [Jose Maria Pereira COUTINHO]; Development Union [KWAN Tsui-hang]; Macau Development Alliance [Angela LEONG On-kei]; Macau United Citizens' Association [CHAN Meng-kam]; New Democratic Macau Association [Antonio NG Kuok-cheong]; United Forces note: there is no political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties; politically active groups register as societies or companies

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Macau Society of Tourism and Entertainment or STDM [Stanley HO];

Roman Catholic Church; Union for Democracy Development [Antonio NG

Kuok-cheong]

International organization participation:

IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), ISO (correspondent), UNESCO (associate),

UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCO, WFTU, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (special administrative region of China)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US has no offices in Macau; US Consulate General in Hong Kong is accredited to Macau

Flag description:

light green with a lotus flower above a stylized bridge and water in white, beneath an arc of five gold, five-pointed stars: one large in center of arc and four smaller

Economy

Macau

Economy - overview:

Macau's economy has enjoyed strong growth in recent years on the back of its expanding tourism and gaming sectors. Since opening up its locally-controlled casino industry to foreign competition in 2001, the territory has attracted tens of billions of dollars in foreign investment that have helped transform it into the world's largest gaming center. In 2006, Macau's gaming revenue surpassed that of the Las Vegas strip, and gaming-related taxes accounted for 75% of total government revenue. The expanding casino sector, and China's decision beginning in 2002 to relax travel restrictions, have reenergized Macau's tourism industry, which saw total visitors grow to 27 million in 2007, up 62% in three years. Macau's strong economic growth has put pressure its labor market prompting businesses to look abroad to meet their staffing needs. The resulting influx of non-resident workers, who totaled one-fifth of the workforce in 2006, has fueled tensions among some segments of the population. Macau's traditional manufacturing industry has been in a slow decline. In 2006, exports of textiles and garments generated only $1.8 billion compared to $6.9 billion in gross gaming receipts. Macau's textile industry will continue to move to the mainland because of the termination in 2005 of the Multi-Fiber Agreement, which provided a near guarantee of export markets, leaving the territory more dependent on gambling and trade-related services to generate growth. However, the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Macau and mainland China that came into effect on 1 January 2004 offers many Macau-made products tariff-free access to the mainland. Macau's currency, the Pataca, is closely tied to the Hong Kong dollar, which is also freely accepted in the territory.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$12.5 billion (2006)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$14.3 billion (2006)

GDP - real growth rate:

16.6% (2006)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$28,400 (2006)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 0.1% industry: 3.9% services: 96% (2006 est.)

Labor force:

275,000 (2006)

Labor force - by occupation:

manufacturing 11.1%, construction 11.7%, transport and communications 6.3%, wholesale and retail trade 13.7%, restaurants and hotels 11.3%, gambling 19.8%, public sector 7.7%, financial services 2.6%, other services and agriculture 15.7% (2006)

Unemployment rate:

3.1% (2006)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $4.6 billion expenditures: $3.4 billion (2006)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

7.2% (2006)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7.81% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.16 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$21.91 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

NA (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

only 2% of land area is cultivated, mainly by vegetable growers; fishing, mostly for crustaceans, is important; some of the catch is exported to Hong Kong

Industries:

tourism, gambling, clothing, textiles, electronics, footwear, toys

Industrial production growth rate:

3.8% (3rd quarter, 2007)

Electricity - production:

1.454 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

2.984 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

1.683 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

16,570 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

13,870 bbl/day (2006)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$2.557 billion f.o.b.; note - includes reexports (2006)

Exports - commodities:

clothing, textiles, footwear, toys, electronics, machinery and parts

Exports - partners:

US 40.6%, China 14.8%, Hong Kong 13.1%, Germany 6.4%, UK 4% (2007)

Imports:

$4.559 billion c.i.f. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

raw materials and semi-manufactured goods, consumer goods (foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco), capital goods, mineral fuels and oils

Imports - partners:

China 42.6%, Hong Kong 10.1%, Japan 9%, US 5.6%, Germany 4.4%,

France 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$13.7 million (2004)

Debt - external:

$0 (2006)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$6.5 billion (2006)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$1.1 billion (2006)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$413.1 million (2004)

Currency (code):

pataca (MOP)

Currency code:

MOP

Exchange rates:

patacas (MOP) per US dollar - 8.011 (2007), 8.0015 (2006), 8.011 (2005), 8.022 (2004), 8.021 (2003)

Communications

Macau

Telephones - main lines in use:

177,851 (2008)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

856,200 (2008)

Telephone system:

general assessment: fairly modern communication facilities maintained for domestic and international services domestic: termination of monopoly over mobile-cellular telephone services in 2001 spurred sharp increase in subscriptions with mobile-cellular teledensity approaching 190 per 100 persons in 2008; fixed-line subscribership appears to have peaked and is now in decline international: country code - 853; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; HF radiotelephone communication facility; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2008)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

160,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2006)

Televisions:

49,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.mo

Internet hosts:

263 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

300,000 (2007)

Transportation

Macau

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 384 km paved: 384 km (2006)

Ports and terminals:

Macau

Military

Macau

Military branches:

no regular military forces; defense is the responsibility of China (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 121,825 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 100,826 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 4,601 female: 4,171 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of China

Transnational Issues

Macau

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for drugs going into mainland China; consumer of opiates and amphetamines

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Macedonia

Introduction

Macedonia

Background:

Macedonia gained its independence peacefully from Yugoslavia in 1991, but Greece's objection to the new state's use of what it considered a Hellenic name and symbols delayed international recognition, which occurred under the provisional designation of "the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia." In 1995, Greece lifted a 20-month trade embargo and the two countries agreed to normalize relations. The United States began referring to Macedonia by its constitutional name, Republic of Macedonia, in 2004 and negotiations continue between Greece and Macedonia to resolve the name issue. Some ethnic Albanians, angered by perceived political and economic inequities, launched an insurgency in 2001 that eventually won the support of the majority of Macedonia's Albanian population and led to the internationally-brokered Framework Agreement, which ended the fighting by establishing a set of new laws enhancing the rights of minorities. Fully implementating the Framework Agreement and stimulating economic growth and development continue to be challenges for Macedonia, although progress has been made on both fronts over the past several years.

Geography

Macedonia

Location:

Southeastern Europe, north of Greece

Geographic coordinates:

41 50 N, 22 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 25,333 sq km land: 24,856 sq km water: 477 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Vermont

Land boundaries:

total: 766 km border countries: Albania 151 km, Bulgaria 148 km, Greece 246 km, Kosovo 159 km, Serbia 62 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

warm, dry summers and autumns; relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall

Terrain:

mountainous territory covered with deep basins and valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country bisected by the Vardar River

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Vardar River 50 m highest point: Golem Korab (Maja e Korabit) 2,764 m

Natural resources:

low-grade iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, manganese, nickel, tungsten, gold, silver, asbestos, gypsum, timber, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 22.01% permanent crops: 1.79% other: 76.2% (2005)

Irrigated land:

550 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

6.4 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.27 per capita: 1,118 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

high seismic risks

Environment - current issues:

air pollution from metallurgical plants

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to Western Europe

People

Macedonia

Population:

2,061,315 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 19.5% (male 207,954/female 193,428) 15-64 years: 69.3% (male 719,708/female 708,033) 65 years and over: 11.3% (male 101,036/female 131,156) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 34.8 years male: 33.8 years female: 35.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.262% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.81 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 9.27 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.45 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 74.45 years male: 71.95 years female: 77.13 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.58 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Macedonian(s) adjective: Macedonian

Ethnic groups:

Macedonian 64.2%, Albanian 25.2%, Turkish 3.9%, Roma (Gypsy) 2.7%,

Serb 1.8%, other 2.2% (2002 census)

Religions:

Macedonian Orthodox 64.7%, Muslim 33.3%, other Christian 0.37%, other and unspecified 1.63% (2002 census)

Languages:

Macedonian 66.5%, Albanian 25.1%, Turkish 3.5%, Roma 1.9%, Serbian 1.2%, other 1.8% (2002 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.1% male: 98.2% female: 94.1% (2002 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 12 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

3.5% of GDP (2002)

Government

Macedonia

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Macedonia conventional short form: Macedonia local long form: Republika Makedonija local short form: Makedonija note: the provisional designation used by the UN, EU, and NATO is the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) former: People's Republic of Macedonia, Socialist Republic of Macedonia

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Skopje geographic coordinates: 42 00 N, 21 26 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

84 municipalities (opstini, singular - opstina); Aerodrom (Skopje),

Aracinovo, Berovo, Bitola, Bogdanci, Bogovinje, Bosilovo, Brvenica,

Butel (Skopje), Cair (Skopje), Caska, Centar (Skopje), Centar Zupa,

Cesinovo-Oblesevo, Cucer-Sandevo, Debar, Debarca, Delcevo, Demir

Hisar, Demir Kapija, Dojran, Dolneni, Drugovo, Gazi Baba (Skopje),

Gevgelija, Gjorce Petrov (Skopje), Gostivar, Gradsko, Ilinden,

Jegunovce, Karbinci, Karpos (Skopje), Kavadarci, Kicevo, Kisela Voda

(Skopje), Kocani, Konce, Kratovo, Kriva Palanka, Krivogastani,

Krusevo, Kumanovo, Lipkovo, Lozovo, Makedonska Kamenica, Makedonski

Brod, Mavrovo i Rostusa, Mogila, Negotino, Novaci, Novo Selo, Ohrid,

Oslomej, Pehcevo, Petrovec, Plasnica, Prilep, Probistip, Radovis,

Rankovce, Resen, Rosoman, Saraj (Skopje), Sopiste, Staro Nagoricane,

Stip, Struga, Strumica, Studenicani, Suto Orizari (Skopje), Sveti

Nikole, Tearce, Tetovo, Valandovo, Vasilevo, Veles, Vevcani, Vinica,

Vranestica, Vrapciste, Zajas, Zelenikovo, Zelino, Zrnovci

note: the 10 municipalities followed by Skopje in parentheses

collectively constitute the larger Skopje Municipality

Independence:

8 September 1991 (referendum by registered voters endorsed independence from Yugoslavia)

National holiday:

Ilinden Uprising Day, 2 August (1903); note - also known as Saint

Elijah's Day

Constitution:

adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991; amended November 2001 by a series of new constitutional amendments strengthening minority rights and in 2005 with amendments related to the judiciary

Legal system:

based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Branko CRVENKOVSKI (since 12 May 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Nikola GRUEVSKI (since 26 August 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the majority vote of all the deputies in the Assembly; note - current cabinet formed by the government coalition parties VMRO/DPMNE, NSDP, PDSh/DPA, and several small parties elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); two-round election last held 14 April and 28 April 2004 (next to be held by April 2009); prime minister elected by the Assembly following legislative elections election results: Branko CRVENKOVSKI elected president on second-round ballot; percent of vote - Branko CRVENKOVSKI 62.7%, Sasko KEDEV 37.3%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Assembly or Sobranie (120 seats; members elected by popular vote from party lists based on the percentage of the overall vote the parties gain in each of six electoral districts; serve four-year terms) elections: last held 1 June 2008 (next to be held by July 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - For a Better Macedonia 48.80%, Sun-Coalition for Europe 23.65%, Democratic Union for Integration 12.77%, Democratic Party of Albanians 8.48%, Party for European Future 1.47%, other 4.83%; seats by party - For a Better Macedonia 63, Sun-Coalition for Europe 27, Democratic Union for Integration 18, Democratic Party of Albanians 11, Party for European Future 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court - the Assembly appoints the judges; Constitutional

Court - the Assembly appoints the judges; Republican Judicial

Council - the Assembly appoints the judges

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Alliance [Pavle TRAJANOV]; Democratic League of Bosniaks

[Rafet MUMINOVIC]; Democratic Party of Albanians or PDSh/DPA [Menduh

THACI]; Democratic Party of Serbs [Ivan STOILJKOVIC]; Democratic

Party of Turks [Kenan HASIPI]; Democratic Renewal of Macedonia

[Liljana POPOVSKA]; Democratic Union of Albanians or BDSh [BardYL

MAHMUTI]; Democratic Union of Vlachs for Macedonia [Mitko KOSTOV];

Democratic Union for Integration or BDI/DUI [Ali AHMETI]; For a

Better Macedonia coalition [Nikola GRUEVSKI] (includes VMRO-DPMNE,

SP, Democratic Union, Democratic Renewal of Macedonia, Democratic

Party of Turks, Democratic Party of Serbs, SR, and smaller parties);

Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-Democratic Party for

Macedonian National Unity or VMRO-DPMNE [Nikola GRUEVSKI]; Internal

Macedonian Revolutionary Organization-People's Party or VMRO-Narodna

[Gjorgji TRENDAFILOV]; League for Democracy [Gjorgi MARJANOVIC];

Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Jovan MANSIEVSKI]; Liberal Party

[Stojan ANDOV]; National Alternative [Harun ALIU]; National

Democratic Union or BDK [Hysni SHAQIR]; New Social Democratic Party

or NSDP [Tito PETKOVSKI]; Party for Democratic Prosperity or PPD/PDP

[Abduljhadi VEJSELI]; Party for European Future or PEI [Fijat

CANOSKI]; Party of Free Democrats or PSD [Ljubco JORDANOVSKI];

Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia or SDSM [Zoran ZAEV (until

May 2009)]; Socialist Party of Macedonia or SP [Ljubisav

IVANOV-ZINGO]; Sun-Coalition for Europe [Radmila SKERINSKA]

(includes SDSM, NSDP, LDP, Liberal Party and smaller parties); Union

of Romas or SR [Shaban SALIU]; United Party for Emancipation or OPE

[Nezdet MUSTAFA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Federation of Free Trade Unions [Svetlana PETROVIC]; Federation of

Trade Unions [Vanco MURATOVSKI]; Trade Union of Education, Science

and Culture [Dojcin CVETANOSKI]; World Macedonian Congress [Todor

PETROV]

International organization participation:

BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU,

ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Zoran JOLEVSKI chancery: 2129 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-0501 FAX: [1] (202) 667-2131 consulate(s) general: New York, Southfield (Michigan); note - consulate general in Chicago is due to open in 2008

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Philip T. REEKER embassy: Bul. Ilindenska bb, 1000 Skopje mailing address: American Embassy Skopje, US Department of State, 7120 Skopje Place, Washington, DC 20521-7120 (pouch) telephone: [389] 2 311-6180 FAX: [389] 2 311-7103

Flag description:

a yellow sun with eight broadening rays extending to the edges of the red field

Economy

Macedonia

Economy - overview:

At independence in September 1991, Macedonia was the least developed of the Yugoslav republics, producing a mere 5% of the total federal output of goods and services. The collapse of Yugoslavia ended transfer payments from the central government and eliminated advantages from inclusion in a de facto free trade area. An absence of infrastructure, UN sanctions on the downsized Yugoslavia, and a Greek economic embargo over a dispute about the country's constitutional name and flag hindered economic growth until 1996. GDP subsequently rose each year through 2000. In 2001, during a civil conflict, the economy shrank 4.5% because of decreased trade, intermittent border closures, increased deficit spending on security needs, and investor uncertainty. Growth barely recovered in 2002 to 0.9%, then averaged 4% per year during 2003-07, expanding to 5.1% in 2007. Macedonia has maintained macroeconomic stability with low inflation, but it has so far lagged the region in attracting foreign investment and creating jobs, despite making extensive fiscal and business sector reforms. Official unemployment remains high at nearly 35%, but may be overstated based on the existence of an extensive gray market, estimated to be more than 20 percent of GDP, that is not captured by official statistics.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$17.35 billion note: Macedonia has a large informal sector (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$7.497 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$8,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 11.9% industry: 28.2% services: 59.9% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

890,000 (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 19.6% industry: 30.4% services: 50% (September 2007)

Unemployment rate:

34.9% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

29.8% (2006)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 29.6% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

39 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

17.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $2.508 billion expenditures: $2.487 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

30.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

10.23% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.173 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$3.127 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$2.924 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

grapes, wine, tobacco, vegetables, fruits; milk, eggs

Industries:

food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, iron, steel, cement, energy, pharmaceuticals

Industrial production growth rate:

1.7% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

6.051 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - consumption:

8.651 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

2.6 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 83.7% hydro: 16.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007)

Oil - consumption:

19,590 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

6,768 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

26,470 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

100 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

102.8 million cu m (2007)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$249 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$3.35 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

food, beverages, tobacco; textiles, miscellaneous manufactures, iron and steel

Exports - partners:

Serbia and Montenegro 19.2%, Germany 14.5%, Greece 10.4%, Italy 10.1%, Bulgaria 9.8%, Croatia 5.6%, Belgium 5%, Spain 5% (2007)

Imports:

$4.977 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, automobiles, chemicals, fuels, food products

Imports - partners:

Germany 13.2%, Greece 12.9%, Bulgaria 9.6%, Serbia and Montenegro 7.7%, Turkey 6.6%, Italy 6.3%, Slovenia 5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$230.3 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.265 billion (31 December 2007)

Debt - external:

$3.967 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$2.405 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$646 million (2005)

Currency (code):

Macedonian denar (MKD)

Currency code:

MKD

Exchange rates:

Macedonian denars (MKD) per US dollar - 44.732 (2007), 48.978 (2006), 48.92 (2005), 49.41 (2004), 54.322 (2003)

Communications

Macedonia

Telephones - main lines in use:

463,600 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.518 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: competition from the mobile-cellular segment of the telecommunications market has led to a drop in fixed-line telephone subscriptions domestic: combined fixed line and mobile telephone density approaching 100 per 100 persons international: country code - 389 (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 29, FM 63, shortwave 0 (2007)

Radios:

410,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

52 (2007)

Televisions:

510,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.mk

Internet hosts:

36,905 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

6 (2000)

Internet users:

685,000 (2007)

Transportation

Macedonia

Airports:

17 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 under 914 m: 8 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 268 km; oil 120 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 699 km standard gauge: 699 km 1.435-m gauge (223 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 13,182 km (includes 208 km of expressways) (2002)

Military

Macedonia

Military branches:

Army of the Republic of Macedonia (ARM): Joint Operational Command, with subordinate Air Wing (Makedonsko Voeno Vozduhoplovstvo, MVV), Special Operations Regiment (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 532,856 females age 16-49: 513,684 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 444,693 females age 16-49: 428,341 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 15,141 female: 14,434 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Macedonia

Disputes - international:

Kosovo and Macedonia completed demarcation of their boundary in

September 2008; Greece continues to reject the use of the name

Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: fewer than 1,000 (ethnic conflict in 2001) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and hashish; minor transit point for South American cocaine destined for Europe; although not a financial center and most criminal activity is thought to be domestic, money laundering is a problem due to a mostly cash-based economy and weak enforcement

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Madagascar

Introduction

Madagascar

Background:

Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a French colony in 1896 but regained independence in 1960. During 1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were held ending 17 years of single-party rule. In 1997, in the second presidential race, Didier RATSIRAKA, the leader during the 1970s and 1980s, was returned to the presidency. The 2001 presidential election was contested between the followers of Didier RATSIRAKA and Marc RAVALOMANANA, nearly causing secession of half of the country. In April 2002, the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA the winner. RAVALOMANANA is now in his second term following a landslide victory in the generally free and fair presidential elections of 2006.

Geography

Madagascar

Location:

Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Mozambique

Geographic coordinates:

20 00 S, 47 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 587,040 sq km land: 581,540 sq km water: 5,500 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of Arizona

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

4,828 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or 100 nm from the 2,500-m isobath

Climate:

tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south

Terrain:

narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Maromokotro 2,876 m

Natural resources:

graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 5.03% permanent crops: 1.02% other: 93.95% (2005)

Irrigated land:

10,860 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

337 cu km (1984)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 14.96 cu km/yr (3%/2%/96%) per capita: 804 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

periodic cyclones, drought, and locust infestation

Environment - current issues:

soil erosion results from deforestation and overgrazing; desertification; surface water contaminated with raw sewage and other organic wastes; several endangered species of flora and fauna unique to the island

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

world's fourth-largest island; strategic location along Mozambique Channel

People

Madagascar

Population:

20,042,552 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 43.7% (male 4,408,615/female 4,349,862) 15-64 years: 53.2% (male 5,298,805/female 5,371,764) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 275,087/female 338,418) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 17.9 years male: 17.7 years female: 18.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.005% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

38.38 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.32 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 55.59 deaths/1,000 live births male: 60.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 50.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 62.52 years male: 60.58 years female: 64.51 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.19 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

140,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

7,500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: chikungunya, malaria, and plague water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Malagasy (singular and plural) adjective: Malagasy

Ethnic groups:

Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Cotiers (mixed

African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry - Betsimisaraka,

Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian, Creole, Comoran

Religions:

indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7%

Languages:

English (official), French (official), Malagasy (official)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 68.9% male: 75.5% female: 62.5% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 9 years male: 10 years female: 9 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.1% of GDP (2006)

Government

Madagascar

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Madagascar conventional short form: Madagascar local long form: Republique de Madagascar/Repoblikan'i Madagasikara local short form: Madagascar/Madagasikara former: Malagasy Republic

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Antananarivo geographic coordinates: 18 55 S, 47 31 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

6 provinces (faritany); Antananarivo, Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara

Independence:

26 June 1960 (from France)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 26 June (1960)

Constitution:

19 August 1992 by national referendum

Legal system:

based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Marc RAVALOMANANA (since 6 May 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Charles RABEMANANJARA (25 January 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011); prime minister appointed by the president election results: percent of vote - Marc RAVALOMANANA 54.8%, Jean LAHINIRIKO 11.7%, Roland RATSIRAKA 10.1%, Herizo RAZAFIMAHALEO 9.1%, Norbert RATSIRAHONANA 4.2%, Ny Hasina ANDRIAMANJATO 4.2%, Elia RAVELOMANANTSOA 2.6%, Pety RAKOTONIAINA 1.7%, other 1.6%

Legislative branch:

bicameral legislature consists of a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (127 seats - reduced from 160 seats by an April 2007 national referendum; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and a Senate or Senat (100 seats; two-thirds of the seats filled by regional assemblies; the remaining one-third of seats appointed by the president; to serve four-year terms) elections: National Assembly - last held 23 September 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - TIM 106, LEADER/Fanilo 1, independents 20

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Constitutional Court or Haute

Cour Constitutionnelle

Political parties and leaders:

Association for the Rebirth of Madagascar or AREMA [Pierrot

RAJAONARIVELO]; Democratic Party for Union in Madagascar or PSDUM

[Jean LAHINIRIKO]; Economic Liberalism and Democratic Action for

National Recovery or LEADER/Fanilo [Herizo RAZAFIMAHALEO]; Fihaonana

Party or FP [Guy-Willy RAZANAMASY]; I Love Madagascar or TIM [Marc

RAVALOMANANA]; Renewal of the Social Democratic Party or RPSD

[Evariste MARSON]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Committee for the Defense of Truth and Justice or KMMR; Committee for National Reconciliation or CRN [Albert Zafy]; National Council of Christian Churches or FFKM

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, SADC,

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Jocelyn Bertin RADIFERA chancery: 2374 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-5525, 5526 FAX: [1] (202) 265-3034 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador R. Niels MARQUARDT embassy: 14-16 Rue Rainitovo, Antsahavola, Antananarivo 101 mailing address: B. P. 620, Antsahavola, Antananarivo telephone: [261] (20) 22-212-57, 22-212-73, 22-209-56 FAX: [261] (20) 22-345-39

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a vertical white band of the same width on hoist side

Economy

Madagascar

Economy - overview:

Having discarded past socialist economic policies, Madagascar has since the mid 1990s followed a World Bank- and IMF-led policy of privatization and liberalization. This strategy placed the country on a slow and steady growth path from an extremely low level. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is a mainstay of the economy, accounting for more than one-fourth of GDP and employing 80% of the population. Exports of apparel have boomed in recent years primarily due to duty-free access to the US. Deforestation and erosion, aggravated by the use of firewood as the primary source of fuel, are serious concerns. President RAVALOMANANA has worked aggressively to revive the economy following the 2002 political crisis, which triggered a 12% drop in GDP that year. Poverty reduction and combating corruption will be the centerpieces of economic policy for the next few years.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$18.44 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$7.322 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 26.8% industry: 15.8% services: 57.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

7.3 million (2000)

Population below poverty line:

50% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.9% highest 10%: 36.6% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

47.5 (2001)

Investment (gross fixed):

25.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $1.319 billion expenditures: $1.629 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

10.3% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

45% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.161 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$577.4 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$767.5 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), beans, bananas, peanuts; livestock products

Industries:

meat processing, seafood, soap, breweries, tanneries, sugar, textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly plant, paper, petroleum, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

6% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

1.045 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

907 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 36.1% hydro: 63.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

92.18 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

18,190 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

480.3 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

17,100 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$890 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$986 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

coffee, vanilla, shellfish, sugar, cotton cloth, chromite, petroleum products

Exports - partners:

France 31.8%, US 26.6%, Germany 6.1%, UK 4.9%, Italy 4.4% (2007)

Imports:

$1.918 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

capital goods, petroleum, consumer goods, food

Imports - partners:

France 13.6%, China 13%, Iran 8.1%, South Africa 6.4%, Hong Kong 4.9%, Mauritius 4.8% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$929.2 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$846.7 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$4.6 billion (2002)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

ariary (MGA)

Currency code:

MGF

Exchange rates:

Malagasy ariary (MGA) per US dollar - 1,880 (2007), 2,161.4 (2006), 2,003 (2005), 1,868.9 (2004), 1,238.3 (2003)

Communications

Madagascar

Telephones - main lines in use:

133,900 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.218 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: system is above average for the region; Antananarivo's main telephone exchange modernized in the late 1990s, but the rest of the analogue-based telephone system is poorly developed; have added more than 50,000 new fixed lines since 2005 domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile telephone density only about 12 per 100 persons international: country code - 261; submarine cable to Bahrain; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat - Indian Ocean, 1 Intersputnik - Atlantic Ocean region) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2 (plus a number of repeater stations), FM 9, shortwave 6 (2001)

Radios:

3.05 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (plus 36 repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:

325,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.mg

Internet hosts:

11,016 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

110,000 (2006)

Transportation

Madagascar

Airports:

104 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 27 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 77 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 41 under 914 m: 34 (2007)

Railways:

total: 854 km narrow gauge: 854 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 65,663 km paved: 7,617 km unpaved: 58,046 km (2003)

Waterways:

600 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 8 by type: cargo 4, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2 (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Antsiranana, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara

Military

Madagascar

Military branches:

People's Armed Forces: Intervention Force, Development Force, and

Aeronaval Force (navy and air); National Gendarmerie

Military service age and obligation:

18-25 years of age for male-only compulsory military service; 18-month conscript service obligation (either military or equivalent civil service); 20-30 years of age for National Gendarmerie recruits (35 years of age for those with military experience) (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 4,443,341 females age 16-49: 4,441,124 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,034,600 females age 16-49: 3,271,732 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 230,088 female: 229,932 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Madagascar

Disputes - international:

claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island (all administered by France)

Illicit drugs:

illicit producer of cannabis (cultivated and wild varieties) used mostly for domestic consumption; transshipment point for heroin

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Malawi

Introduction

Malawi

Background:

Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu BANDA the country held multiparty elections in 1994, under a provisional constitution that came into full effect the following year. Current President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA, elected in May 2004 after a failed attempt by the previous president to amend the constitution to permit another term, struggled to assert his authority against his predecessor and subsequently started his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 2005. As president, MUTHARIKA has overseen substantial economic improvement but because of political deadlock in the legislature, his minority party has been unable to pass significant legislation, and anti-corruption measures have stalled. Population growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, corruption, and the spread of HIV/AIDS pose major problems for Malawi.

Geography

Malawi

Location:

Southern Africa, east of Zambia

Geographic coordinates:

13 30 S, 34 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 118,480 sq km land: 94,080 sq km water: 24,400 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries:

total: 2,881 km border countries: Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November)

Terrain:

narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: junction of the Shire River and international boundary with Mozambique 37 m highest point: Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje) 3,002 m

Natural resources:

limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite

Land use:

arable land: 20.68% permanent crops: 1.18% other: 78.14% (2005)

Irrigated land:

560 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

17.3 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.01 cu km/yr (15%/5%/80%) per capita: 78 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of spawning grounds endangers fish populations

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

landlocked; Lake Nyasa, some 580 km long, is the country's most prominent physical feature

People

Malawi

Population:

13,931,831 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 46% (male 3,208,112/female 3,194,600) 15-64 years: 51.4% (male 3,592,073/female 3,563,840) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 159,450/female 213,756) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 16.8 years male: 16.7 years female: 16.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.39% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

41.79 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

17.89 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 90.55 deaths/1,000 live births male: 94.69 deaths/1,000 live births female: 86.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 43.45 years male: 43.74 years female: 43.15 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.67 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

14.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

900,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

84,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Malawian(s) adjective: Malawian

Ethnic groups:

Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde,

Asian, European

Religions:

Christian 79.9%, Muslim 12.8%, other 3%, none 4.3% (1998 census)

Languages:

Chichewa 57.2% (official), Chinyanja 12.8%, Chiyao 10.1%, Chitumbuka 9.5%, Chisena 2.7%, Chilomwe 2.4%, Chitonga 1.7%, other 3.6% (1998 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 62.7% male: 76.1% female: 49.8% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 9 years male: 10 years female: 9 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

5.8% of GDP (2003)

Government

Malawi

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Malawi conventional short form: Malawi local long form: Dziko la Malawi local short form: Malawi former: British Central African Protectorate, Nyasaland Protectorate, Nyasaland

Government type:

multiparty democracy

Capital:

name: Lilongwe geographic coordinates: 13 59 S, 33 47 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

28 districts; Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa,

Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Likoma, Lilongwe, Machinga (Kasupe),

Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Neno, Ntcheu, Nkhata

Bay, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Phalombe, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo,

Zomba

Independence:

6 July 1964 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day (Republic Day), 6 July (1964)

Constitution:

18 May 1994

Legal system:

based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (since 24 May 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (since 24 May 2004) cabinet: 46-member Cabinet named by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 20 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2009) election results: Bingu wa MUTHARIKA elected president; percent of vote - Bingu wa MUTHARIKA 35.9%, John TEMBO 27.1%, Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA 25.7%, Brown MPINGANJIRA 8.7%, Justin MALEWEZI 2.5%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly (193 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 20 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MCP 56, UDF 49, independents 39, RP 15, others 25, vacancies 8

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Appeal; High Court (chief justice appointed by the president, puisne judges appointed on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission); magistrate's courts

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance for Democracy or AFORD; Congress for National Unity or

CONU; Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [Bingu wa MUTHARIKA];

Malawi Congress Party or MCP [John TEMBO]; Malawi Democratic Party

or MDP [Kampelo KALUA]; Malawi Forum for Unity and Development or

MAFUNDE [George MNESA]; Mgwirizano Coalition or MC [Gwandaguluwe

CHAKUAMBA] (coalition of MAFUNDE, MDP, MGODE, NUP, PETRA, PPM, RP);

Movement for Genuine Democratic Change or MGODE [Sam Kandodo BANDA];

National Democratic Alliance or NDA [Brown MPINGANJIRA]; National

Unity Party or NUP [Harry CHIUME]; People's Progressive Movement or

PPM [Aleke BANDA]; People's Transformation Movement or PETRA [Kamuzu

CHIBAMBO]; Republican Party or RP [Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA]; United

Democratic Front or UDF [Bakili MULUZI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Agri-Ecology Media (agriculture and environmental group); Malawi Law

Society (human rights); Malawi Movement for the Restoration of

Democracy or MMRD (acts to restore and maintain democracy); National

Democratic Alliance or NDA (acts to restore democracy; Public

Affairs Committee or PAC (promotes democracy, development, peace and

unity)

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO

(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN,

UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Hawa NDILOWE chancery: 1029 Vermont Avenue, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 721-0270 FAX: [1] (202) 721-0288

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Peter W. BODDE embassy: 16 Jomo Kenyatta Road, Lilongwe 3 mailing address: P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe 3, Malawi telephone: [265] (1) 773 166 FAX: [265] (1) 770 471

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band

Government - note:

no party has a majority in the fractured legislature

Economy

Malawi

Economy - overview:

Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's most densely populated and least developed countries. The economy is predominately agricultural with about 85% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounts for more than one-third of GDP and 90% of export revenues. The performance of the tobacco sector is key to short-term growth as tobacco accounts for more than half of exports. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. In December 2007, the US granted Malawi eligibility status to receive financial support within the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) initiative. Malawi will now begin a consultative process to develop a five-year program before funding can begin. In 2006, Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program. The government faces many challenges including developing a market economy, improving educational facilities, facing up to environmental problems, dealing with the rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS, and satisfying foreign donors that fiscal discipline is being tightened. In 2005, President MUTHARIKA championed an anticorruption campaign. Since 2005 President MUTHARIKA'S government has exhibited improved financial discipline under the guidance of Finance Minister Goodall GONDWE and signed a three year Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility worth $56 million with the IMF. Improved relations with the IMF lead other international donors to resume aid as well.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$10.59 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$3.538 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 37.8% industry: 18.1% services: 44.1% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

4.5 million (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 90% industry and services: 10% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

53% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 31.8% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

39 (2004)

Investment (gross fixed):

8.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $1.128 billion expenditures: $1.185 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Public debt:

50.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

7.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

15% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

27.72% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$361.5 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$250.4 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$406.2 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum, pulses, groundnuts, Macadamia nuts; cattle, goats

Industries:

tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods

Industrial production growth rate:

4.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

1.13 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

1.051 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 3.3% hydro: 96.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

6,160 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

6,788 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$318 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$604 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

tobacco 53%, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood products, apparel

Exports - partners:

Germany 11.7%, South Africa 10%, Egypt 9.2%, Zimbabwe 8.2%, US 7.3%,

Russia 5.8%, Netherlands 4.5% (2007)

Imports:

$866 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment

Imports - partners:

South Africa 36.1%, India 8.5%, Tanzania 6.1%, US 6.1%, China 4.9% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$575.3 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$217.2 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$894 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Malawian kwacha (MWK)

Currency code:

MWK

Exchange rates:

Malawian kwachas (MWK) per US dollar - 141.12 (2007), 135.96 (2006), 108.894 (2005), 108.898 (2004), 97.433 (2003)

Communications

Malawi

Telephones - main lines in use:

175,200 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.051 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: rudimentary domestic: fixed-line subscribership about 1 per 100 persons; privatization of Malawi Telecommunications (MTL), a necessary step in bringing improvement to telecommunications services, completed in 2006; mobile-cellular services are expanding but cellular network coverage is limited and is based around the main urban areas; mobile cellular subscribership roughly 8 per 100 persons international: country code - 265; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean, 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 9, FM 5 (plus 15 repeater stations), shortwave 2 (plus one shortwave station on standby) (2001)

Radios:

2.6 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2001)

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.mw

Internet hosts:

107 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

3 (2002)

Internet users:

139,500 (2007)

Transportation

Malawi

Airports:

39 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 6 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 16 under 914 m: 16 (2007)

Railways:

total: 797 km narrow gauge: 797 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 15,451 km paved: 6,956 km unpaved: 8,495 km (2003)

Waterways:

700 km (on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire River) (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba

Military

Malawi

Military branches:

Malawi Armed Forces: Army (includes Air Wing and Naval Detachment) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; standard obligation is 2 years of active duty and 5 years of reserve service (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,050,444 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,676,117 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 168,858 female: 168,946 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.3% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Malawi

Disputes - international:

disputes with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Malaysia

Introduction

Malaysia

Background:

During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain established colonies and protectorates in the area of current Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948, the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula formed the Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore and the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo joined the Federation. The first several years of the country's history were marred by a Communist insurgency, Indonesian confrontation with Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and Singapore's secession from the Federation in 1965. During the 22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003), Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence on exports of raw materials to expansion in manufacturing, services, and tourism.

Geography

Malaysia

Location:

Southeastern Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia, Brunei, and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam

Geographic coordinates:

2 30 N, 112 30 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 329,750 sq km land: 328,550 sq km water: 1,200 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries:

total: 2,669 km border countries: Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782 km, Thailand 506 km

Coastline:

4,675 km (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607 km)

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation; specified boundary in the South China Sea

Climate:

tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons

Terrain:

coastal plains rising to hills and mountains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m

Natural resources:

tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite

Land use:

arable land: 5.46% permanent crops: 17.54% other: 77% (2005)

Irrigated land:

3,650 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

580 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 9.02 cu km/yr (17%/21%/62%) per capita: 356 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

flooding, landslides, forest fires

Environment - current issues:

air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation; smoke/haze from Indonesian forest fires

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

Geography - note:

strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea

People

Malaysia

Population:

25,274,132 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 31.8% (male 4,135,013/female 3,898,761) 15-64 years: 63.3% (male 8,026,755/female 7,965,332) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 548,970/female 699,302) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 24.6 years male: 24 years female: 25.3 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.742% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

22.44 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA note: does not reflect net flow of an unknown number of illegal immigrants from other countries in the region (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 16.39 deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.92 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.03 years male: 70.32 years female: 75.94 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.98 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

52,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

2,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Malaysian(s) adjective: Malaysian

Ethnic groups:

Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%, others 7.8% (2004 est.)

Religions:

Muslim 60.4%, Buddhist 19.2%, Christian 9.1%, Hindu 6.3%, Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 2.6%, other or unknown 1.5%, none 0.8% (2000 census)

Languages:

Bahasa Malaysia (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai note: in East Malaysia there are several indigenous languages; most widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 88.7% male: 92% female: 85.4% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 12 years female: 13 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

6.2% of GDP (2004)

Government

Malaysia

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Malaysia local long form: none local short form: Malaysia former: Federation of Malaya

Government type:

constitutional monarchy note: nominally headed by paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house; all Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers except Melaka and Pulau Pinang (Penang); those two states along with Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia have governors appointed by government; powers of state governments are limited by federal constitution; under terms of federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain constitutional prerogatives (e.g., right to maintain their own immigration controls); Sabah holds 25 seats in House of Representatives; Sarawak has 31 seats

Capital:

name: Kuala Lumpur geographic coordinates: 3 10 N, 101 42 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Putrajaya is referred to as administrative center not capital; Parliament meets in Kuala Lumpur

Administrative divisions:

13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri) Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, and Terengganu; and one federal territory (wilayah persekutuan) with three components, city of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya

Independence:

31 August 1957 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day/Malaysia Day, 31 August (1957)

Constitution:

31 August 1957 (amended many times, latest in 2007)

Legal system:

based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the federation; Islamic law is applied to Muslims in matters of family law and religion; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Paramount Ruler Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin (since 13 December 2006) head of government: Prime Minister ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi (since 31 October 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul Razak (since 7 January 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the members of Parliament with consent of the paramount ruler elections: paramount ruler elected by and from the hereditary rulers of nine of the states for five-year terms; election last held on 3 November 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister designated from among the members of the House of Representatives; following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins a plurality of seats in the House of Representatives becomes prime minister election results: Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin elected paramount ruler note: position of paramount ruler is primarily ceremonial; in practice, selection is based on principle of rotation among rulers of states

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of Senate or Dewan Negara (70 seats; 44 appointed by paramount ruler, 26 elected by 13 state legislatures; to serve three-year terms with limit of two terms) and House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (222 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held on 8 March 2008 (next to be held by March 2013) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - BN coalition 50.3%, opposition parties 46.8%, others 2.9%; seats - BN coalition 140, opposition parties 82

Judicial branch:

Civil Courts include Federal Court, Court of Appeal, High Court of Malaya on peninsula Malaysia, and High Court of Sabah and Sarawak in states of Borneo (judges appointed by the paramount ruler on the advice of the prime minister); Sharia Courts include Sharia Appeal Court, Sharia High Court, and Sharia Subordinate Courts at state-level and deal with religious and family matters such as custody, divorce, and inheritance, only for Muslims; decisions of Sharia courts cannot be appealed to civil courts

Political parties and leaders:

National Front (Barisan Nasional) or BN (ruling coalition) consists

of the following parties: Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia Party or PGRM [KOH

Tsu Koon - acting]; Liberal Democratic Party (Parti Liberal

Demokratik - Sabah) or LDP [LIEW Vui Keong]; Malaysian Chinese

Association (Persatuan China Malaysia) or MCA [ONG Ka Ting];

Malaysian Indian Congress (Kongres India Malaysia) or MIC [S. Samy

VELLU]; Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah or PBRS [Joseph KURUP]; Parti

Bersatu Sabah or PBS [Joseph PAIRIN Kitingan]; Parti Pesaka

Bumiputera Bersatu or PBB [Abdul TAIB Mahmud]; Parti Rakyat Sarawak

or PRS [James MASING]; Sabah Progressive Party (Parti Progresif

Sabah) or SAPP [YONG Teck Lee]; Sarawak United People's Party (Parti

Bersatu Rakyat Sarawak) or SUPP [George CHAN Hong Nam]; United

Malays National Organization or UMNO [ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi];

United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organization (Pertubuhan

Pasko Momogun Kadazan Dusun Bersatu) or UPKO [Bernard DOMPOK];

People's Progressive Party (Parti Progresif Penduduk Malaysia) or

PPP [M.Kayveas]; Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party or SPDP

[William MAWAN])

People's Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat) or PR (opposition coalition)

consists of the following parties:: Democratic Action Party (Parti

Tindakan Demokratik) or DAP [KARPAL Singh]; Islamic Party of

Malaysia (Parti Islam se Malaysia) or PAS [Abdul HADI Awang];

People's Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) or PKR [WAN AZIZAH

Wan Ismael]; Sarawak National Party or SNAP [Edwin DUNDANG]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Bersih (electoral reform); Sharia High Court other: religious groups; women's groups; youth groups

International organization participation:

ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,

IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO,

MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ilango KARUPPANNAN chancery: 3516 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 572-9700 FAX: [1] (202) 572-9882 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador James R. KEITH embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur mailing address: US Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP 96535-8152 telephone: [60] (3) 2168-5000 FAX: [60] (3) 2142-2207

Flag description:

14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom); there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow 14-pointed star; the crescent and the star are traditional symbols of Islam; the design was based on the flag of the US

Economy

Malaysia

Economy - overview:

Malaysia, a middle-income country, has transformed itself since the 1970s from a producer of raw materials into an emerging multi-sector economy. Since coming to office in 2003, Prime Minister ABDULLAH has tried to move the economy farther up the value-added production chain by attracting investments in high technology industries, medical technology, and pharmaceuticals. The Government of Malaysia is continuing efforts to boost domestic demand to wean the economy off of its dependence on exports. Nevertheless, exports - particularly of electronics - remain a significant driver of the economy. As an oil and gas exporter, Malaysia has profited from higher world energy prices, although the rising cost of domestic gasoline and diesel fuel forced Kuala Lumpur to reduce government subsidies. Malaysia "unpegged" the ringgit from the US dollar in 2005 and the currency appreciated 6% per year against the dollar in 2006-07. Although this has helped to hold down the price of imports, inflationary pressures began to build in 2007. Healthy foreign exchange reserves and a small external debt greatly reduce the risk that Malaysia will experience a financial crisis over the near term similar to the one in 1997. The government presented its five-year national development agenda in April 2006 through the Ninth Malaysia Plan, a comprehensive blueprint for the allocation of the national budget from 2006-10. With national elections expected within the year, ABDULLAH has unveiled a series of ambitious development schemes for several regions that have had trouble attracting business investment. Real GDP growth has averaged about 6% per year under ABDULLAH, but regions outside of Kuala Lumpur and the manufacturing hub Penang have not fared as well.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$361.2 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$186.5 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$14,500 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 9.9% industry: 45.3% services: 44.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

10.94 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 13% industry: 36% services: 51% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:

3.2% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

5.1% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 39.2% (2003 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

46.1 (2002)

Investment (gross fixed):

21.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $40.69 billion expenditures: $46.7 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

41.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2% note: approximately 30% of goods are price-controlled (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

6.41% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$49.41 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$187.6 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$220 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

Peninsular Malaysia - rubber, palm oil, cocoa, rice; Sabah - subsistence crops, rubber, timber, coconuts, rice; Sarawak - rubber, pepper, timber

Industries:

Peninsular Malaysia - rubber and oil palm processing and manufacturing, light manufacturing, electronics, tin mining and smelting, logging, timber processing; Sabah - logging, petroleum production; Sarawak - agriculture processing, petroleum production and refining, logging

Industrial production growth rate:

3.3% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

102.9 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

95.98 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

2.524 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 89.5% hydro: 10.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

753,700 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - consumption:

501,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

546,300 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

308,500 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

4 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

64.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

32.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

31.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

2.35 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$28.93 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$176.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

electronic equipment, petroleum and liquefied natural gas, wood and wood products, palm oil, rubber, textiles, chemicals

Exports - partners:

US 15.6%, Singapore 14.6%, Japan 9.1%, China 8.8%, Thailand 5%, Hong

Kong 4.6% (2007)

Imports:

$139.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

electronics, machinery, petroleum products, plastics, vehicles, iron and steel products, chemicals

Imports - partners:

Japan 13%, China 12.9%, Singapore 11.5%, US 10.8%, Taiwan 5.7%,

Thailand 5.3%, South Korea 4.9%, Germany 4.6%, Indonesia 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$31.6 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$101.1 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$53.09 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$86.16 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$42.55 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$235.4 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

ringgit (MYR)

Currency code:

MYR

Exchange rates:

ringgits (MYR) per US dollar - 3.46 (2007), 3.6683 (2006), 3.8 (2005), 3.8 (2004), 3.8 (2003)

Communications

Malaysia

Telephones - main lines in use:

4.35 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

23.347 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern system; international service excellent domestic: good intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysia mainly by microwave radio relay; adequate intercity microwave radio relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; domestic satellite system with 2 earth stations; combined fixed-line and mobile cellular teledensity exceeds 110 per 100 persons international: country code - 60; landing point for several major international submarine cable networks that provide connectivity to Asia, Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean, 1 Pacific Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 35, FM 391, shortwave 15 (2001)

Radios:

10.9 million (1999)

Television broadcast stations:

88 (mainland Malaysia 51, Sabah 16, and Sarawak 21) (2006)

Televisions:

10.8 million (1999)

Internet country code:

.my

Internet hosts:

377,716 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

7 (2000)

Internet users:

15.868 million (2007)

Transportation

Malaysia

Airports:

116 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 36 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 6 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 80 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 72 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 282 km; gas 5,273 km; oil 1,750 km; oil/gas/water 19 km; refined products 114 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 1,890 km standard gauge: 57 km 1.435-m gauge (57 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,833 km 1.000-m gauge (150 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 98,721 km paved: 80,280 km (includes 1,821 km of expressways) unpaved: 18,441 km (2004)

Waterways:

7,200 km note: Peninsular Malaysia 3,200 km; Sabah 1,500 km; Sarawak 2,500 km (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 306 by type: bulk carrier 12, cargo 97, carrier 1, chemical tanker 34, container 46, liquefied gas 33, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 71, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 4 foreign-owned: 40 (Germany 1, Hong Kong 14, Japan 4, Russia 2, Singapore 16, Sweden 3) registered in other countries: 68 (Bahamas 13, Marshall Islands 3, Norway 1, Panama 12, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Singapore 27, Thailand 3, Tuvalu 1, US 2, unknown 4) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Bintulu, Johor Bahru, Kuantan, Labuan, George Town (Penang), Port

Kelang, Tanjung Pelepas

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the Strait of Malacca and South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift

Military

Malaysia

Military branches:

Malaysian Armed Forces (Angkatan Tentera Malaysia, ATM): Malaysian

Army (Tentera Darat Malaysia), Royal Malaysian Navy (Tentera Laut

Diraja Malaysia, TLDM), Royal Malaysian Air Force (Tentera Udara

Diraja Malaysia, TUDM) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2005)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 6,440,338 females age 16-49: 6,280,826 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,374,006 females age 16-49: 5,316,865 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 260,725 female: 247,309 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.03% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Malaysia

Disputes - international:

Malaysia has asserted sovereignty over the Spratly Islands together with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; while the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions over the Spratly Islands, it is not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties; Malaysia was not party to the March 2005 joint accord among the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam on conducting marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; disputes continue over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore, Singapore's land reclamation, bridge construction, and maritime boundaries in the Johor and Singapore Straits; in November 2007, the ICJ will hold public hearings in response to the Memorials and Countermemorials filed by the parties in 2003 and 2005 over sovereignty of Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge; ICJ awarded Ligitan and Sipadan islands, also claimed by Indonesia and Philippines, to Malaysia but left maritime boundary and sovereignty of Unarang rock in the hydrocarbon-rich Celebes Sea in dispute; separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim southern provinces prompts measures to close and monitor border with Malaysia to stem terrorist activities; Philippines retains a dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo; Brunei and Malaysia agreed in September 2008 to resolve their offshore and deepwater seabed dispute, resume hydrocarbon exploration and renounce any territorial claims on land; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 15,174 (Indonesia); 21,544 (Burma) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Malaysia is a destination and, to a lesser extent, a source and transit country for women and children trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation, and men, women, and children for forced labor; Malaysia is mainly a destination country for men, women, and children who migrate willingly from South and Southeast Asia to work, some of whom are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude by Malaysian employers in the domestic, agricultural, construction, plantation, and industrial sectors; to a lesser extent, some Malaysian women, primarily of Chinese ethnicity, are trafficked abroad for commercial sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Malaysia improved from Tier 3 to the Tier 2 Watch List for 2008 when it enacted comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation in July 2007; however, it did not take action against exploitative employers or labor traffickers in 2007; the government has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Illicit drugs:

drug trafficking prosecuted vigorously and carries severe penalties; heroin still primary drug of abuse, but synthetic drug demand remains strong; continued ecstasy and methamphetamine producer for domestic users and, to a lesser extent, the regional drug market

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Maldives

Introduction

Maldives

Background:

The Maldives was long a sultanate, first under Dutch and then under British protection. It became a republic in 1968, three years after independence. President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM dominated the islands' political scene for 30 years, elected to six successive terms by single-party referendums. Following riots in the capital Male in August 2004, the president and his government pledged to embark upon democratic reforms including a more representative political system and expanded political freedoms. Progress was sluggish, however, and many promised reforms were slow to be realized. Nonetheless, political parties were legalized in 2005. In June 2008, a constituent assembly - termed the "Special Majlis" - finalized a new constitution, which was ratified by the president in August. The first-ever presidential elections under a multi-candidate, multi-party system were held in October 2008. GAYOOM was defeated in a runoff poll by Mohamed NASHEED, a political activist who had been jailed several years earlier by the former regime. Challenges facing the new president include strengthening democracy and combating poverty and drug abuse.

Geography

Maldives

Location:

Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India

Geographic coordinates:

3 15 N, 73 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 300 sq km land: 300 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

644 km

Maritime claims:

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)

Terrain:

flat, with white sandy beaches

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu Atoll 2.4 m

Natural resources:

fish

Land use:

arable land: 13.33% permanent crops: 30% other: 56.67% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Total renewable water resources:

0.03 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.003 cu km/yr (98%/2%/0%) per capita: 9 cu m/yr (1987)

Natural hazards:

low level of islands makes them sensitive to sea level rise

Environment - current issues:

depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies; global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts); archipelago with strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean

People

Maldives

Population:

385,925 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 23.5% (male 46,174/female 44,396) 15-64 years: 72.7% (male 172,279/female 108,152) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 7,510/female 7,414) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 25.1 years male: 26 years female: 23.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

5.566% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

14.84 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

3.66 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.59 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 1.41 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 30.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 33.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 27.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.72 years male: 71.55 years female: 76.01 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.97 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

fewer than 100 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Maldivian(s) adjective: Maldivian

Ethnic groups:

South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs

Religions:

Sunni Muslim

Languages:

Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from Arabic),

English spoken by most government officials

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.3% male: 96.2% female: 96.4% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 12 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

8% of GDP (2006)

Government

Maldives

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Maldives conventional short form: Maldives local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa local short form: Dhivehi Raajje

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Male geographic coordinates: 4 10 N, 73 30 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

19 atolls (atholhu, singular and plural) and the capital city*;

Alifu, Baa, Dhaalu, Faafu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu, Gnaviyani, Haa

Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Lhaviyani, Maale* (Male), Meemu,

Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Vaavu

Independence:

26 July 1965 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 26 July (1965)

Constitution:

new constitution ratified 7 August 2008

Legal system:

based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Mohamed NASHEED (since 11 November 2008); Vice President (vacant); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Mohamed NASHEED (since 11 November 2008); Vice President (vacant) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: under the new constitution, the president is elected by direct vote; president elected for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 and 28 October 2008 (next to be held in 2013) election results: Mohamed NASHEED elected president; percent of vote - NASHEED 54.25%, Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM 45.75%; note - NASHEED is expected to assume office on 11 November 2008

Legislative branch:

unicameral People's Council or Majlis (50 seats; 42 members elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the president; to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 22 January 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 50

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Supreme Court judges are appointed by the President

with approval of voting members of the People's Council; High Court;

Trial Courts; all lower court judges are appointed by the Judicial

Service Commission

Political parties and leaders:

Adhaalath (Justice) Party or AP [Abdul Majeed Abdul BARI]; Dhivehi

Rayyithunge Party (Maldivian People's Party) or DRP [Maumoon Abdul

GAYOOM]; Islamic Democratic Party or IDP [Omar NASEER]; Maldivian

Democratic Party or MDP [Mohamed NASHEED]; note - political parties

were allowed to register in June 2005

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: various unregistered political parties

International organization participation:

ADB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamed Hussain MANIKU chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400E, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6194 FAX: [1] (212) 599-6195

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits

Flag description:

red with a large green rectangle in the center bearing a vertical white crescent; the closed side of the crescent is on the hoist side of the flag

Economy

Maldives

Economy - overview:

Tourism, Maldives' largest industry, accounts for 28% of GDP and more than 60% of the Maldives' foreign exchange receipts. Over 90% of government tax revenue comes from import duties and tourism-related taxes. Fishing is the second leading sector. Agriculture and manufacturing continue to play a lesser role in the economy, constrained by the limited availability of cultivable land and the shortage of domestic labor. Most staple foods must be imported. Industry, which consists mainly of garment production, boat building, and handicrafts, accounts for about 7% of GDP. The Maldivian Government began an economic reform program in 1989 initially by lifting import quotas and opening some exports to the private sector. Subsequently, it has liberalized regulations to allow more foreign investment. Real GDP growth averaged over 7.5% per year for more than a decade. In late December 2004, a major tsunami left more than 100 dead, 12,000 displaced, and property damage exceeding $300 million. As a result of the tsunami, the GDP contracted by about 3.6% in 2005. A rebound in tourism, post-tsunami reconstruction, and development of new resorts helped the economy recover quickly. The trade deficit has expanded sharply as a result of high oil prices and imports of construction material. Diversifying beyond tourism and fishing and increasing employment are the major challenges facing the government. Over the longer term Maldivian authorities worry about the impact of erosion and possible global warming on their low-lying country; 80% of the area is 1 meter or less above sea level.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.588 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.049 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$4,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 16% industry: 7% services: 77% (2006 est.)

Labor force:

101,300 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 22% industry: 18% services: 60% (1995)

Unemployment rate:

NEGL% (2003 est.)

Population below poverty line:

21% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $508 million (including foreign grants) expenditures: $671 million (2006 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

12.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

13% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$344.1 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$434.9 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.08 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish

Industries:

tourism, fish processing, shipping, boat building, coconut processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand mining

Industrial production growth rate:

-0.9% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:

230 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

203.7 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

5,490 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

1,499 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

5,362 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$472 million (2007)

Exports:

$167 million f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

fish

Exports - partners:

Thailand 28.3%, UK 17.6%, France 8.8%, Sri Lanka 8.6%, Algeria 8.2%,

Japan 6.4%, Italy 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$930 million f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

petroleum products, ships, foodstuffs, clothing, intermediate and capital goods

Imports - partners:

Canada 35.2%, Singapore 15%, UAE 10.2%, India 7.4%, Malaysia 7.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$66.83 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$482 million (2006 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

rufiyaa (MVR)

Currency code:

MVR

Exchange rates:

rufiyaa (MVR) per US dollar - NA (2007), 12.8 (2006), 12.8 (2005), 12.8 (2004), 12.8 (2003)

Communications

Maldives

Telephones - main lines in use:

33,200 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

317,800 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: telephone services have improved; each island now has at least 1 public telephone, and there are mobile cellular networks with a rapidly expanding subscribership approaching 90 per 100 persons domestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; all inhabited islands and resorts are connected with telephone and fax service international: country code - 960; linked to international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); satellite earth station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

35,000 (1999)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2006)

Televisions:

10,000 (1999)

Internet country code:

.mv

Internet hosts:

1,600 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

33,000 (2007)

Transportation

Maldives

Airports:

5 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 88 km paved roads: 88 km - 60 km in Male; 14 km on Addu Atolis; 14 km on Laamu note: village roads are mainly compacted coral (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 29 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 23, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Greece 1) registered in other countries: 2 (Panama 1, Tuvalu 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Male

Military

Maldives

Military branches:

Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF): Quick Reaction Force,

Security Protection Group, Coast Guard (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 89,505 females age 16-49: 85,745 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 72,150 females age 16-49: 69,058 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 4,749 female: 4,084 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

5.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military - note:

the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF), with its small size and with little serviceable equipment, is inadequate to prevent external aggression and is primarily tasked to reinforce the Maldives Police Service (MPS) and ensure security in the exclusive economic zone (2008)

Transnational Issues

Maldives

Disputes - international:

none

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 1,000-10,000 (December 2004 tsunami victims) (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Mali

Introduction

Mali

Background:

The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of France in 1960 as the Mali Federation. When Senegal withdrew after only a few months, what formerly made up the Sudanese Republic was renamed Mali. Rule by dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 by a military coup - led by the current president Amadou TOURE - enabling Mali's emergence as one of the strongest democracies on the continent. President Alpha KONARE won Mali's first democratic presidential election in 1992 and was reelected in 1997. In keeping with Mali's two-term constitutional limit, KONARE stepped down in 2002 and was succeeded by Amadou TOURE, who was subsequently elected to a second term in 2007. The elections were widely judged to be free and fair.

Geography

Mali

Location:

Western Africa, southwest of Algeria

Geographic coordinates:

17 00 N, 4 00 W

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 1.24 million sq km land: 1.22 million sq km water: 20,000 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 7,243 km border countries: Algeria 1,376 km, Burkina Faso 1,000 km, Guinea 858 km, Cote d'Ivoire 532 km, Mauritania 2,237 km, Niger 821 km, Senegal 419 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

subtropical to arid; hot and dry (February to June); rainy, humid, and mild (June to November); cool and dry (November to February)

Terrain:

mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Senegal River 23 m highest point: Hombori Tondo 1,155 m

Natural resources:

gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, gypsum, granite, hydropower note: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited

Land use:

arable land: 3.76% permanent crops: 0.03% other: 96.21% (2005)

Irrigated land:

2,360 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

100 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 6.55 cu km/yr (9%/1%/90%) per capita: 484 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; recurring droughts; occasional Niger River flooding

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; divided into three natural zones: the southern, cultivated Sudanese; the central, semiarid Sahelian; and the northern, arid Saharan

People

Mali

Population:

12,324,029 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 48.2% (male 3,004,003/female 2,937,138) 15-64 years: 48.7% (male 2,976,314/female 3,028,433) 65 years and over: 3.1% (male 150,597/female 227,544) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 15.8 years male: 15.4 years female: 16.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.725% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

49.38 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

16.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-5.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 103.83 deaths/1,000 live births male: 113.41 deaths/1,000 live births female: 93.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 49.94 years male: 48 years female: 51.94 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

7.34 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

140,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

12,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Malian(s) adjective: Malian

Ethnic groups:

Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Soninke), Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%,

Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5%

Religions:

Muslim 90%, Christian 1%, indigenous beliefs 9%

Languages:

French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 46.4% male: 53.5% female: 39.6% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 7 years male: 8 years female: 5 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

4.5% of GDP (2006)

Government

Mali

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Mali conventional short form: Mali local long form: Republique de Mali local short form: Mali former: French Sudan and Sudanese Republic

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Bamako geographic coordinates: 12 39 N, 8 00 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

8 regions (regions, singular - region); Gao, Kayes, Kidal, Koulikoro, Mopti, Segou, Sikasso, Tombouctou

Independence:

22 September 1960 (from France)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 22 September (1960)

Constitution:

adopted 12 January 1992

Legal system:

based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Amadou Toumani TOURE (since 8 June 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Modibo SIDIBE (since 28 September 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 29 April 2007 (next to be held in April 2012); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Amadou Toumani TOURE reelected president; percent of vote - Amadou Toumani TOURE 71.2%, Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA 19.2%, other 9.6%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (147 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 1 and 22 July 2007 (next to be held in July 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ADP coalition 113 (including ADEMA 51, URD 34, MPR 8, CNID 7, UDD 3, and other 10), FDR coalition 15 (including RPM 11, PARENA 4), SADI 4, independent 15

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance for Democratic Change (political group comprised mainly of Tuareg from Mali's northern region); African Solidarity for Democracy and Independence or SADI [Oumar MARIKO, secretary general]; Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP (a coalition of political parties including ADEMA and URD formed in December 2006 to support the presidential candidacy of Amadou TOURE); Alliance for Democracy or ADEMA [Diounconda TRAORE]; Convergence 2007 [Soumeylou Boubeye MAIGA]; Front for Democracy and the Republic or FDR (a coalition of political parties including RPM and PARENA formed to oppose the presidential candidacy of Amadou TOURE); National Congress for Democratic Initiative or CNID [Mountaga TALL]; Party for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Me Idrissa TRAORE]; Party for National Renewal or PARENA [Tiebile DRAME]; Patriotic Movement for Renewal or MPR [Choguel MAIGA]; Rally for Democracy and Labor or RDT; Rally for Mali or RPM [Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA]; Sudanese Union/African Democratic Rally or US/RDA [Mamadou Bamou TOURE]; Union for Democracy and Development or UDD [Moussa Balla COULIBALY]; Union for Republic and Democracy or URD [Soumaila CISSE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: the army; Islamic authorities; rebels in the northern region; state-run cotton company CMDT; tuaregs

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNAMID,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional),

WAEMU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Abdoulaye DIOP chancery: 2130 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-2249, 939-8950 FAX: [1] (202) 332-6603

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Gillian A. MILOVANOVIC embassy: located just off the Roi Bin Fahad Aziz Bridge just west of the Bamako central district mailing address: ACI 2000, Rue 243, Porte 297, Bamako telephone: [223] 270-2300 FAX: [223] 270-2479

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy

Mali

Economy - overview:

Mali is among the poorest countries in the world, with 65% of its land area desert or semidesert and with a highly unequal distribution of income. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger. About 10% of the population is nomadic and some 80% of the labor force is engaged in farming and fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities. Mali is heavily dependent on foreign aid and vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices for cotton, its main export, along with gold. The government has continued its successful implementation of an IMF-recommended structural adjustment program that is helping the economy grow, diversify, and attract foreign investment. Mali's adherence to economic reform and the 50% devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994 have pushed up economic growth to a 5% average in 1996-2007. Worker remittances and external trade routes for the landlocked country have been jeopardized by continued unrest in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$13.63 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$6.745 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,100 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 45% industry: 17% services: 38% (2001 est.)

Labor force:

5.4 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:

30% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:

36.1% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 30.2% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

40.1 (2001)

Budget:

revenues: $1.5 billion expenditures: $1.8 billion (2006 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.58 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$697.1 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.099 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cotton, millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; cattle, sheep, goats

Industries:

food processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

505 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

469.7 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh; note - recent hydropower developments may be providing electricity to Senegal and Mauritania (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 41.7% hydro: 58.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

4,640 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2006)

Oil - imports:

4,860 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$446 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$294 million f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

cotton, gold, livestock

Exports - partners:

China 19.6%, Thailand 10.5%, Brazil 4.6%, France 4.5%, Indonesia 4.5% (2007)

Imports:

$2.358 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

petroleum, machinery and equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs, textiles

Imports - partners:

France 12.9%, Senegal 12.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 10.9%, China 4.9% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$691.5 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$2.8 billion (2002)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Currency code:

XOF

Exchange rates:

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Communications

Mali

Telephones - main lines in use:

85,000 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.483 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: domestic system unreliable but improving; provides only minimal service domestic: fixed-line availability is gradually increasing, but subscribership remains less than 1 per 100 persons; increasing use of local radio loops to extend network coverage to remote areas; mobile-cellular subscribership has increased sharply to 20 per 100 persons international: country code - 223; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 230 (27 regional and government stations, and 203 private stations), shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:

570,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (plus repeaters) (2007)

Televisions:

45,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ml

Internet hosts:

387 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

13 (2001)

Internet users:

100,000 (2007)

Transportation

Mali

Airports:

29 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 21 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 8 (2007)

Railways:

total: 729 km narrow gauge: 729 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 18,709 km paved: 3,368 km unpaved: 15,341 km (2004)

Waterways:

1,800 km (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Koulikoro

Military

Mali

Military branches:

Malian Armed Forces: Army, Republic of Mali Air Force (Force

Aerienne de la Republique du Mali, FARM), National Guard (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,603,700 females age 16-49: 2,441,776 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,594,184 females age 16-49: 1,529,871 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 144,293 female: 136,381 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.9% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Mali

Disputes - international:

none

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 6,300 (Mauritania) (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Malta

Introduction

Malta

Background:

Great Britain formally acquired possession of Malta in 1814. The island staunchly supported the UK through both World Wars and remained in the Commonwealth when it became independent in 1964. A decade later Malta became a republic. Since about the mid-1980s, the island has transformed itself into a freight transshipment point, a financial center, and a tourist destination. Malta became an EU member in May 2004 and began to use the euro as currency in 2008.

Geography

Malta

Location:

Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily

(Italy)

Geographic coordinates:

35 50 N, 14 35 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 316 sq km land: 316 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

196.8 km (does not include 56.01 km for the island of Gozo)

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 25 nm

Climate:

Mediterranean; mild, rainy winters; hot, dry summers

Terrain:

mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Ta'Dmejrek 253 m (near Dingli)

Natural resources:

limestone, salt, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 31.25% permanent crops: 3.13% other: 65.62% (2005)

Irrigated land:

20 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

0.07 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.02 cu km/yr (74%/1%/25%) per capita: 50 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

limited natural fresh water resources; increasing reliance on desalination

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the country comprises an archipelago, with only the three largest islands (Malta, Ghawdex or Gozo, and Kemmuna or Comino) being inhabited; numerous bays provide good harbors; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration

People

Malta

Population:

403,532 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 16.4% (male 33,954/female 32,158) 15-64 years: 69.7% (male 142,338/female 138,792) 65 years and over: 13.9% (male 24,240/female 32,050) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 39.2 years male: 37.9 years female: 40.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.407% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.33 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 3.79 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.25 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 79.3 years male: 77.08 years female: 81.64 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.51 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Maltese (singular and plural) adjective: Maltese

Ethnic groups:

Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 98%

Languages:

Maltese (official) 90.2%, English (official) 6%, multilingual 3%, other 0.8% (2005 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 92.8% male: 92% female: 93.6% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 15 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

5.1% of GDP (2004)

Government

Malta

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Malta conventional short form: Malta local long form: Repubblika ta' Malta local short form: Malta

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Valletta geographic coordinates: 35 53 N, 14 30 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

none (administered directly from Valletta); note - local councils carry out administrative orders

Independence:

21 September 1964 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 21 September (1964)

Constitution:

1964 constitution; amended many times

Legal system:

based on English common law and Roman civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Edward FENECH ADAMI (since 4 April 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Lawrence GONZI (since 23 March 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections: president elected by the House of Representatives for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 29 March 2004 (next to be held by April 2009); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president for a five-year term; the deputy prime minister is appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister election results: Eddie FENECH ADAMI elected president; House of Representatives vote - 33 out of 65 votes

Legislative branch:

unicameral House of Representatives (usually 65 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year terms; note - additional seats are given to the party with the largest popular vote to ensure a legislative majority) elections: last held on 8 March 2008 (next to be held by March 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - PN 49.3%, MLP 48.8%, other 1.9%; seats by party - PN 35, MLP 34

Judicial branch:

Constitutional Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both courts are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister

Political parties and leaders:

Alternativa Demokratika/Alliance for Social Justice or AD [Harry

VASSALLO]; Malta Labor Party or MLP [acting leader Charles MANGION];

Nationalist Party or PN [Lawrence GONZI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Alleanza Liberal-Demokratika Maltra ro ALDM (against illegal immigration); Alleanza Nazzionali Repubblikana or ANR (encourages tourism); Alternattiva Demokratika (campaign to reform rent law, and other campaigns); Azzjoni Nazzjonali or AN (freedom to participate in democratic government); Ghazdatal-Konsumaturi (consumer rights); Nazi Watch Malta (exposing Nazis) other: environmentalists

International organization participation:

Australia Group, C, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA,

PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU,

WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Mark MICELI-FARRUGIA chancery: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 462-3611, 3612 FAX: [1] (202) 387-5470 consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Molly BORDONARO embassy: 3rd Floor, Development House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana, VLT 01 mailing address: P. O. Box 535, Valletta, CMR01 telephone: [356] 2561 4000 FAX: [356] 21 243229

Flag description:

two equal vertical bands of white (hoist side) and red; in the upper hoist-side corner is a representation of the George Cross, edged in red

Economy

Malta

Economy - overview:

Major resources are limestone, a favorable geographic location, and a productive labor force. Malta produces only about 20% of its food needs, has limited fresh water supplies, and has few domestic energy sources. The economy is dependent on foreign trade, manufacturing (especially electronics and pharmaceuticals), and tourism. Economic recovery of the European economy has lifted exports, tourism, and overall growth. Malta adopted the euro on 1 January 2008.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$9.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$7.419 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$23,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.7% industry: 22.3% services: 74.9% (2003 est.)

Labor force:

166,000 (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 3% industry: 22% services: 75% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:

6.4% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

28 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

18.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $3.485 billion expenditures: $3.554 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

6.24% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$4.603 billion note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$7.645 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$10.99 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut flowers, green peppers; pork, milk, poultry, eggs

Industries:

tourism, electronics, ship building and repair, construction, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, footwear, clothing, tobacco

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

2.146 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

1.85 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

18,680 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

18,910 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$424.5 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$3.238 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, manufactures

Exports - partners:

Singapore 14.4%, Germany 13.7%, France 12.6%, US 11.3%, UK 10%, Hong

Kong 6.1%, Japan 4.9%, Italy 4% (2007)

Imports:

$4.541 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured and semi-manufactured goods; food, drink, tobacco

Imports - partners:

Italy 26%, UK 15%, France 9.5%, Germany 8.8%, Singapore 5.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$6.19 million (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$3.798 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$188.8 million (2005)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$4.097 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

euro (EUR) as of 1 January 2008; Maltese lira (MTL) before then

Currency code:

MTL

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6795 (January 2008), Maltese liri per US dollar - 0.3106 (2007), 0.37 (2006), 0.34578 (2005), 0.34466 (2004), 0.37723 (2003)

Communications

Malta

Telephones - main lines in use:

198,100 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

371,500 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: automatic system satisfies normal requirements; fixed-line teledensity 50 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity about 90 per 100 persons domestic: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands international: country code - 356; submarine cable connects to Italy; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 18, shortwave 6 (1999)

Radios:

255,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

5 (2006)

Televisions:

280,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.mt

Internet hosts:

26,494 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

6 (2002)

Internet users:

158,000 (2007)

Transportation

Malta

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 2,227 km paved: 2,014 km unpaved: 213 km (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 1,438 by type: bulk carrier 459, cargo 411, carrier 2, chemical tanker 171, container 80, liquefied gas 25, passenger 29, passenger/cargo 15, petroleum tanker 159, refrigerated cargo 32, roll on/roll off 37, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 17 foreign-owned: 1,343 (Austria 1, Azerbaijan 2, Bangladesh 2, Belgium 15, Bulgaria 5, Canada 1, China 12, Croatia 9, Cyprus 31, Denmark 30, Egypt 1, Estonia 11, France 5, Germany 91, Greece 452, Hong Kong 1, Iceland 5, India 2, Iran 79, Israel 18, Italy 50, Japan 8, South Korea 2, Latvia 19, Lebanon 11, Libya 3, Lithuania 1, Norway 93, Pakistan 2, Poland 24, Portugal 3, Romania 8, Russia 58, Slovenia 4, Spain 3, Sweden 2, Switzerland 20, Syria 6, Turkey 176, Ukraine 30, UAE 5, UK 19, US 23) registered in other countries: 3 (Panama 3) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Marsaxlokk (Malta Freeport), Valletta

Military

Malta

Military branches:

Armed Forces of Malta (AFM; includes air and maritime elements) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 96,309 females age 16-49: 92,242 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 80,227 females age 16-49: 76,623 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 2,815 female: 2,657 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.7% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Malta

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

minor transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Western Europe

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Marshall Islands

Introduction

Marshall Islands

Background:

After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall Islands hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Reagan Missile Test Site, a key installation in the US missile defense network.

Geography

Marshall Islands

Location:

Oceania, two archipelagic island chains of 29 atolls, each made up of many small islets, and five single islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and Australia

Geographic coordinates:

9 00 N, 168 00 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 181.3 sq km land: 181.3 sq km water: 0 sq km note: the archipelago includes 11,673 sq km of lagoon waters and includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik

Area - comparative:

about the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

370.4 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November; islands border typhoon belt

Terrain:

low coral limestone and sand islands

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m

Natural resources:

coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals

Land use:

arable land: 11.11% permanent crops: 44.44% other: 44.45% (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

infrequent typhoons

Environment - current issues:

inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the Marshall Islands Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein atoll, famous as a World War II battleground, surrounds the world's largest lagoon and is used as a US missile test range; the island city of Ebeye is the second largest settlement in the Marshall Islands, after the capital of Majuro, and one of the most densely populated locations in the Pacific

People

Marshall Islands

Population:

63,174 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 38.5% (male 12,404/female 11,946) 15-64 years: 58.6% (male 18,937/female 18,095) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 869/female 923) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 21 years male: 21 years female: 20.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.142% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

31.52 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.57 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-5.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 26.36 deaths/1,000 live births male: 29.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 70.9 years male: 68.88 years female: 73.03 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.68 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Marshallese (singular and plural) adjective: Marshallese

Ethnic groups:

Marshallese 92.1%, mixed Marshallese 5.9%, other 2% (2006)

Religions:

Protestant 54.8%, Assembly of God 25.8%, Roman Catholic 8.4%, Bukot nan Jesus 2.8%, Mormon 2.1%, other Christian 3.6%, other 1%, none 1.5% (1999 census)

Languages:

Marshallese (official) 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 census) note: English (official), widely spoken as a second language

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.7% male: 93.6% female: 93.7% (1999)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 13 years (2003)

Education expenditures:

11.8% of GDP (2004)

Government

Marshall Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands conventional short form: Marshall Islands local long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands local short form: Marshall Islands abbreviation: RMI former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Marshall Islands District

Government type:

constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 21 October 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force in May 2004

Capital:

name: Majuro geographic coordinates: 7 06 N, 171 23 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

33 municipalities; Ailinginae, Ailinglaplap, Ailuk, Arno, Aur,

Bikar, Bikini, Bokak, Ebon, Enewetak, Erikub, Jabat, Jaluit, Jemo,

Kili, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap, Mejit, Mili,

Namorik, Namu, Rongelap, Rongrik, Toke, Ujae, Ujelang, Utirik,

Wotho, Wotje

Independence:

21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday:

Constitution Day, 1 May (1979)

Constitution:

1 May 1979

Legal system:

based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Litokwa TOMEING (since 7 January 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Litokwa TOMEING (since 7 January 2008) cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of the legislature elections: president elected by Parliament from among its members for a four-year term; election last held 7 January 2008 (next to be held in 2012) election results: Litokwa TOMEING elected president; TOMEING received 18 votes to 15 for incumbent Kessai Hesa NOTE

Legislative branch:

unicameral legislature or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 19 November 2007 (next to be held by November 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independents 4 note: the Council of Chiefs or Ironij is a 12-member body comprised of tribal chiefs that advises on matters affecting customary law and practice

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; High Court; Traditional Rights Court

Political parties and leaders:

traditionally there have been no formally organized political parties; what has existed more closely resembles factions or interest groups because they do not have party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures; the following two "groupings" have competed in legislative balloting in recent years - Aelon Kein Ad Party [Michael KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa TOMEING]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ACP, ADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFC, ILO, IMF,

IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, WHO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Charles A. PAUL chancery: 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5414 FAX: [1] (202) 232-3236 consulate(s) general: Honolulu

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Clyde BISHOP embassy: Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro mailing address: P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379 telephone: [692] 247-4011 FAX: [692] 247-4012

Flag description:

blue with two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner - orange (top) and white; there is a white star with four large rays and 20 small rays on the hoist side above the two stripes

Economy

Marshall Islands

Economy - overview:

US Government assistance is the mainstay of this tiny island economy. The Marshall Islands received more than $1 billion in aid from the US from 1986-2002. Agricultural production, primarily subsistence, is concentrated on small farms; the most important commercial crops are coconuts and breadfruit. Small-scale industry is limited to handicrafts, tuna processing, and copra. The tourist industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing less than 10% of the labor force, remains the best hope for future added income. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports. Under the terms of the Amended Compact of Free Association, the US will provide millions of dollars per year to the Marshall Islands (RMI) through 2023, at which time a Trust Fund made up of US and RMI contributions will begin perpetual annual payouts. Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, the decline in tourism, and less income from the renewal of fishing vessel licenses have held GDP growth to an average of 1% over the past decade.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$115 million (2001 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$144 million (2005)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.5% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,900 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 31.7% industry: 14.9% services: 53.4% (2004 est.)

Labor force:

14,680 (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 21.4% industry: 20.9% services: 57.7% (2000)

Unemployment rate:

30.9% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $42 million expenditures: $40 million (1999)

Fiscal year:

1 October - 30 September

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3% (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:

coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens

Industries:

copra, tuna processing, tourism, craft items (from seashells, wood, and pearls)

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 99% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 1% (solar)

Exports:

$9.1 million f.o.b. (2000)

Exports - commodities:

copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts, fish

Exports - partners:

US, Japan, Australia, China (2006)

Imports:

$54.7 million f.o.b. (2000)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages and tobacco

Imports - partners:

US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Fiji, China, Philippines (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$56.56 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$86.5 million (FY99/00 est.)

Currency (code):

US dollar (USD)

Currency code:

USD

Exchange rates:

the US dollar is used

Communications

Marshall Islands

Telephones - main lines in use:

4,500 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

700 (2005)

Telephone system:

general assessment: digital switching equipment; modern services include telex, cellular, Internet, international calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular, seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by high frequency radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes) and mini-satellite telephones international: country code - 692; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein (2005)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (additionally, the US Armed Forces Radio and

Television Services (Central Pacific Network) operate one FM and one

AM station on Kwajalein) (2005)

Radios:

NA

Television broadcast stations:

2 (both are US military stations; Marshalls Broadcasting Service, a cable company, operates on Majuro) (2005)

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.mh

Internet hosts:

3 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Internet users:

2,200 (2006)

Transportation

Marshall Islands

Airports:

15 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 2,028 km (includes 75 km of expressways) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 1,049 by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 284, cargo 71, carrier 1, chemical tanker 191, combination ore/oil 4, container 188, liquefied gas 47, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 221, refrigerated cargo 13, roll on/roll off 14, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 6 foreign-owned: 990 (Australia 1, Bermuda 4, Brazil 1, Canada 6, Chile 4, China 7, Croatia 6, Cyprus 37, Denmark 10, Germany 235, Greece 269, Hong Kong 4, Iceland 3, India 1, Ireland 1, Isle of Man 1, Italy 3, Japan 17, South Korea 10, Latvia 16, Malaysia 3, Mexico 4, Monaco 13, Netherlands 8, Norway 66, Pakistan 1, Panama 1, Romania 1, Russia 9, Saudi Arabia 5, Singapore 18, Slovenia 4, Spain 1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 12, Taiwan 1, Turkey 50, UAE 15, UK 9, UK 9, US 123) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Majuro

Military

Marshall Islands

Military branches:

no regular military forces; under the 1983 Compact of Free Association, the US has full authority and responsibility for security and defense of the Marshall Islands; Marshall Islands Police (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 15,708 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 12,864 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 512 female: 494 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues

Marshall Islands

Disputes - international:

claims US territory of Wake Island

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Mauritania

Introduction

Mauritania

Background:

Independent from France in 1960, Mauritania annexed the southern third of the former Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara) in 1976, but relinquished it after three years of raids by the Polisario guerrilla front seeking independence for the territory. Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA seized power in a coup in 1984 and ruled Mauritania with a heavy hand for over two decades. A series of presidential elections that he held were widely seen as flawed. A bloodless coup in August 2005 deposed President TAYA and ushered in a military council that oversaw a transition to democratic rule. Independent candidate Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDALLAHI was inaugurated in April 2007 as Mauritania's first freely and fairly elected president. His term ended prematurely in August 2008 when a coup deposed him and ushered in a military council government. Meanwhile, the country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population (Afro-Mauritanians) and White and Black Moor (Arab-Berber) communities.

Geography

Mauritania

Location:

Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Senegal and Western Sahara

Geographic coordinates:

20 00 N, 12 00 W

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 1,030,700 sq km land: 1,030,400 sq km water: 300 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico

Land boundaries:

total: 5,074 km border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km, Western Sahara 1,561 km

Coastline:

754 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty

Terrain:

mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central hills

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m

Natural resources:

iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil, fish

Land use:

arable land: 0.2% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99.79% (2005)

Irrigated land:

490 sq km (2002)

Total renewable water resources:

11.4 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.7 cu km/yr (9%/3%/88%) per capita: 554 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in March and April; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

overgrazing, deforestation, and soil erosion aggravated by drought are contributing to desertification; limited natural fresh water resources away from the Senegal, which is the only perennial river; locust infestation

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

most of the population concentrated in the cities of Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the southern part of the country

People

Mauritania

Population:

3,364,940 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 45.3% (male 763,845/female 759,957) 15-64 years: 52.5% (male 872,924/female 894,980) 65 years and over: 2.2% (male 29,147/female 44,087) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 17.2 years male: 16.9 years female: 17.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.852% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

40.14 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

11.61 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 66.65 deaths/1,000 live births male: 69.69 deaths/1,000 live births female: 63.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 53.91 years male: 51.61 years female: 56.28 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.69 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.6% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

9,500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and Rift Valley fever (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Mauritanian(s) adjective: Mauritanian

Ethnic groups:

mixed Moor/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30%

Religions:

Muslim 100%

Languages:

Arabic (official and national), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof (all national languages), French, Hassaniya

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 51.2% male: 59.5% female: 43.4% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 8 years male: 8 years female: 8 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

2.9% of GDP (2006)

Government

Mauritania

Country name:

conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Mauritania conventional short form: Mauritania local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah local short form: Muritaniyah

Government type:

Democratic Republic

Capital:

name: Nouakchott geographic coordinates: 18 07 N, 16 02 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

12 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 capital district*;

Adrar, Assaba, Brakna, Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Gorgol, Guidimaka, Hodh

Ech Chargui, Hodh El Gharbi, Inchiri, Nouakchott*, Tagant, Tiris

Zemmour, Trarza

Independence:

28 November 1960 (from France)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 28 November (1960)

Constitution:

12 July 1991

Legal system:

a combination of Islamic law and French civil law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Gen. Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ who led a coup that deposed the democratically elected President Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDELLAHI on 6 August 2008 head of government: Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Mohamed LAGHDAF (since 14 August 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term); election last held 11 March 2007 with a runoff between the two leading candidates held on 25 March 2007 (next to be held 2012); prime minister appointed by the president election results: percent of vote - (second round) Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDELLAHI 52.8%, Ahmed Ould DADDAH 47.2%

Legislative branch:

bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis al-Shuyukh (56 seats; 53 members elected by municipal leaders and 3 members elected by Mauritanians abroad to serve six-year terms; a portion of seats up for election every two years) and the National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (95 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 21 January and 4 February 2007 (next to be held 2009); National Assembly - last held 19 November and 3 December 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Mithaq (coalition of independents and parties associated with the former regime) 37, CFCD (coalition of political parties) 15, representatives of the diaspora 3, undecided 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Mithaq 51 (independents 37, PRDR 7, UDP 3, RDU 3, Alternative (El-Badil) 1), CFCD 41 (RFD 16, UFP 9, APP 6, Centrist Reformists 4, HATEM-PMUC 3, RD 2, PUDS 1), RNDLE 1, UCD 1, FP 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower courts

Political parties and leaders:

Alternative or El-Badil; Centrist Reformists (independent moderate Islamists); Coalition for Forces for Democratic Change or CFCD (coalition of political parties including APP, Centrist Reformists (independent moderate Islamists), HATEM-PMUC, PUDS, RD, RFD, UFP); Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS; Democratic Renewal or RD; Mauritanian Party for Unity and Change or HATEM-PMUC; Mithaq (coalition of independents and parties associated with the former regime including Alternative or El-Badil, PRDR, UDP, RDU); National Rally for Freedom, Democracy and Equality or RNDLE; Popular Front or FP [Ch'bih Ould CHEIKH MALAININE]; Popular Progressive Alliance or APP [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; Rally of Democratic Forces or RFD [Ahmed Ould DADDAH]; Rally for Democracy and Unity or RDU [Ahmed Ould SIDI BABA]; Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal or PRDR [Boullah Ould MOGUEYA] (formerly ruling Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS); Socialist and Democratic Unity Party or PUDS; Union for Democracy and Progress or UDP [Naha Mint MOUKNASS]; Union of Democratic Centre or UCD; Union of the Forces for Progress or UFP

Political pressure groups and leaders:

General Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CGTM [Abdallahi Ould

MOHAMED, secretary general]; Independent Confederation of

Mauritanian Workers or CLTM [Samory Ould BEYE]; Mauritanian Workers

Union or UTM [Mohamed Ely Ould BRAHIM, secretary general]

other: Arab nationalists; Ba'thists; Islamists

International organization participation:

ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ibrahima DIA chancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-5700, 5701 FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Mark M. BOULWARE embassy: 288 Rue Abdallaye, Rue 42-100 (between Presidency building and Spanish Embassy), Nouakchott mailing address: BP 222, Nouakchott telephone: [222] 525-2660/525-2663 FAX: [222] 525-1592

Flag description:

green with a yellow five-pointed star above a yellow, horizontal crescent; the closed side of the crescent is down; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam

Economy

Mauritania

Economy - overview:

Half the population still depends on agriculture and livestock for a livelihood, even though many of the nomads and subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits of iron ore, which account for nearly 40% of total exports. The nation's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the world, but overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source of revenue. The country's first deepwater port opened near Nouakchott in 1986. In the past, drought and economic mismanagement resulted in a buildup of foreign debt, which now stands at more than three times the level of annual exports. In February 2000, Mauritania qualified for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and in December 2001 received strong support from donor and lending countries at a triennial Consultative Group review. A new investment code approved in December 2001 improved the opportunities for direct foreign investment. Ongoing negotiations with the IMF involve problems of economic reforms and fiscal discipline. In 2001, exploratory oil wells in tracts 80 km offshore indicated potential extraction at current world oil prices. Oil prospects, while initially promising, have failed to materialize. Meantime the government emphasizes reduction of poverty, improvement of health and education, and promoting privatization of the economy.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$5.974 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$2.756 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 25% industry: 29% services: 46% (2001 est.)

Labor force:

786,000 (2001)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 50% industry: 10% services: 40% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:

20% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:

40% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 29.5% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

39 (2000)

Budget:

revenues: $421 million expenditures: $378 million (2002 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

7.3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Stock of money:

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

NA (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, sheep

Industries:

fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum

Industrial production growth rate:

2% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:

412.3 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

383.4 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 85.9% hydro: 14.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

14,990 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

19,320 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

23,630 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

100 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$184 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.395 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

iron ore, fish and fish products, gold

Exports - partners:

China 30.5%, France 9.5%, Italy 8.5%, Spain 8.5%, Japan 5.5%,

Netherlands 5.3%, Belgium 5%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.7% (2007)

Imports:

$1.475 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods

Imports - partners:

France 16.5%, China 8.1%, Spain 6.7%, US 6.1%, Belgium 5.8%, Brazil 5.7% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$190.4 million (2005)

Debt - external:

NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

ouguiya (MRO)

Currency code:

MRO

Exchange rates:

ouguiyas (MRO) per US dollar - NA (2007), 271.3 (2006), 267.04 (2005), 265.8 (2004), 263.03 (2003)

Communications

Mauritania

Telephones - main lines in use:

34,900 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.3 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: limited system of cable and open-wire lines, minor microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone communications stations; mobile-cellular services expanding rapidly domestic: Mauritel, the national telecommunications company, was privatized in 2001 but remains the monopoly provider of fixed-line services; fixed-line teledensity 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular network coverage extends mainly to urban areas with a teledensity approaching 40 per 100 persons; mostly cable and open-wire lines; a domestic satellite telecommunications system links Nouakchott with regional capitals international: country code - 222; satellite earth stations - 3 (1 Intelsat - Atlantic Ocean, 2 Arabsat)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:

410,000 (2001)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2002)

Televisions:

98,000 (2001)

Internet country code:

.mr

Internet hosts:

34 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

5 (2001)

Internet users:

30,000 (2006)

Transportation

Mauritania

Airports:

25 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 17 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Railways:

717 km standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 11,066 km paved: 2,966 km unpaved: 8,100 km (2006)

Ports and terminals:

Nouadhibou, Nouakchott

Military

Mauritania

Military branches:

Mauritanian Armed Forces: Army, Mauritanian Navy (Marine

Mauritanienne; includes naval infantry), Islamic Air Force of

Mauritania (Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie, FAIM) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation - 2 years; majority of servicemen believed to be volunteers; service in Air Force and Navy is voluntary (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 740,675 females age 16-49: 744,709 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 463,305 females age 16-49: 484,777 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 38,191 female: 38,638 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

5.5% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Mauritania

Disputes - international:

Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara remain dormant

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Mauritius

Introduction

Mauritius

Background:

Although known to Arab and Malay sailors as early as the 10th century, Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in the 16th century and subsequently settled by the Dutch - who named it in honor of Prince Maurits van NASSAU - in the 17th century. The French assumed control in 1715, developing the island into an important naval base overseeing Indian Ocean trade, and establishing a plantation economy of sugar cane. The British captured the island in 1810, during the Napoleonic Wars. Mauritius remained a strategically important British naval base, and later an air station, playing an important role during World War II for anti-submarine and convoy operations, as well as the collection of signals intelligence. Independence from the UK was attained in 1968. A stable democracy with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, the country has attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned one of Africa's highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather, declining sugar prices, and declining textile and apparel production, have slowed economic growth, leading to some protests over standards of living in the Creole community.

Geography

Mauritius

Location:

Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

Geographic coordinates:

20 17 S, 57 33 E

Map references:

Political Map of the World

Area:

total: 2,040 sq km land: 2,030 sq km water: 10 sq km note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint Brandon), and Rodrigues

Area - comparative:

almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

177 km

Maritime claims:

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)

Terrain:

small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains encircling central plateau

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Piton 828 m

Natural resources:

arable land, fish

Land use:

arable land: 49.02% permanent crops: 2.94% other: 48.04% (2005)

Irrigated land:

220 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

2.2 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.61 cu km/yr (25%/14%/60%) per capita: 488 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded by reefs that may pose maritime hazards

Environment - current issues:

water pollution, degradation of coral reefs

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the main island, from which the country derives its name, is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral reefs; home of the dodo, a large flightless bird related to pigeons, driven to extinction by the end of the 17th century through a combination of hunting and the introduction of predatory species

People

Mauritius

Population:

1,274,189 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 23% (male 148,573/female 143,859) 15-64 years: 70.1% (male 443,968/female 449,670) 65 years and over: 6.9% (male 35,269/female 52,850) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 31.5 years male: 30.6 years female: 32.3 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.8% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

14.64 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.55 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 12.56 deaths/1,000 live births male: 14.94 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.75 years male: 70.28 years female: 77.4 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.83 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

700 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Mauritian(s) adjective: Mauritian

Ethnic groups:

Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%, Franco-Mauritian 2%

Religions:

Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other Christian 8.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census)

Languages:

Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4%, English (official; spoken by less than 1% of the population), other 3.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.4% male: 88.4% female: 80.5% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 14 years female: 13 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

3.9% of GDP (2006)

Government

Mauritius

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius conventional short form: Mauritius local long form: Republic of Mauritius local short form: Mauritius

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Port Louis geographic coordinates: 20 09 S, 57 29 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black River, Cargados Carajos Shoals*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka, Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart, Rodrigues*, Savanne

Independence:

12 March 1968 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 12 March (1968)

Constitution:

12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992

Legal system:

based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 7 October 2003); Vice President Abdool Raouf BUNDHUN (since 25 February 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM (since 5 July 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly for five-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 19 September 2008 (next to be held in 2013); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president, responsible to the National Assembly election results: Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH reelected president by unanimous vote; percent of vote by the National Assembly - NA%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly (70 seats; 62 members elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the election commission to give representation to various ethnic minorities; to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 3 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AS 38, MSM/MMM 22, OPR 2; appointed seats - AS 4, MSM/MMM 2, OPR 2

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance Sociale or AS [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM] (governing coalition

- includes MLD, MMSM, MR, MSD, PMXD); Mauritian Labor Party or MLP

[Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement or MMM [Paul

BERENGER]; Mauritian Socialist Militant Movement or MMSM [Madan

DOLLOO]; Militant Socialist Movement or MSM [Nando BODHA]; Mouvement

Republicain or MR [Jayarama VALAYDEN]; Parti Mauricien Xavier Duval

or PMXD [Xavier Luc DUVAL]; Rodrigues Movement or MR [Joseph

(Nicholas) Von MALLY]; Rodrigues Peoples Organization or OPR [Serge

CLAIR]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: various labor unions

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, CPLP (associate), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF,

OPCW, PCA, SAARC (observer), SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO,

UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Keerteecoomar RUHEE chancery: 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 441, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492 FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Cesar CABRERA embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis mailing address: international mail: P. O. Box 544, Port Louis; US mail: American Embassy, Port Louis, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2450 telephone: [230] 202-4400 FAX: [230] 208-9534

Flag description:

four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green

Economy

Mauritius

Economy - overview:

Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. The economy rests on sugar, tourism, textiles and apparel, and financial services, and is expanding into fish processing, information and communications technology, and hospitality and property development. Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and accounts for 15% of export earnings. The government's development strategy centers on creating vertical and horizontal clusters of development in these sectors. Mauritius has attracted more than 32,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India, South Africa, and China. Investment in the banking sector alone has reached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector, has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$14.27 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$6.959 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$11,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 4.8% industry: 25% services: 70.1% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

574,000 (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture and fishing 9%, construction and industry 30%, transportation and communication 7%, trade, restaurants, hotels 22%, finance 6%, other services 25% (2007)

Unemployment rate:

8.8% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

8% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

39 (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):

25.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $1.344 billion expenditures: $1.773 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Public debt:

63.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8.8% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

21.87% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.673 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$6.759 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$8.582 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle, goats; fish

Industries:

food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, clothing, mining, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment, nonelectrical machinery, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

4.7% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

2.321 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

2.058 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 90.8% hydro: 9.2% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

22,450 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2006)

Oil - imports:

23,650 bbl/day (2006)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$408.3 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$2.231 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses, fish

Exports - partners:

UK 35.1%, France 14.4%, US 7.7%, Madagascar 6.3%, Italy 5.8% (2007)

Imports:

$3.656 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals

Imports - partners:

India 21.2%, China 11.4%, France 10.7%, South Africa 7.4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$31.93 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.822 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$2.149 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$5.7 billion (2007)

Currency (code):

Mauritian rupee (MUR)

Currency code:

MUR

Exchange rates:

Mauritian rupees (MUR) per US dollar - 31.798 (2007), 31.656 (2006), 29.496 (2005), 27.499 (2004), 27.902 (2003)

Communications

Mauritius

Telephones - main lines in use:

357,300 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

936,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: small system with good service domestic: monopoly over fixed-line services terminated in 2005; fixed-line teledensity roughly 30 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular services launched in 1989 with teledensity in 2007 reaching 75 per 100 persons international: country code - 230; landing point for the SAFE submarine cable that provides links to Asia and South Africa where it connects to the SAT-3/WASC submarine cable that provides further links to parts of East Africa, and Europe; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF radiotelephone links to several countries

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 4, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios:

420,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (plus several repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

258,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.mu

Internet hosts:

9,609 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

340,000 (2007)

Transportation

Mauritius

Airports:

5 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 2,028 km paved: 2,028 km (includes 75 km of expressways) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 3 by type: passenger/cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 1 (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Port Louis

Military

Mauritius

Military branches:

no regular military forces; National Police Force, Special Mobile Force, National Coast Guard (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 341,018 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 11,089 female: 10,843 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Mauritius

Disputes - international:

Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius; claims French-administered Tromelin Island

Illicit drugs:

consumer and transshipment point for heroin from South Asia; small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed locally; significant offshore financial industry creates potential for money laundering, but corruption levels are relatively low and the government appears generally to be committed to regulating its banking industry

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Mayotte

Introduction

Mayotte

Background:

Mayotte was ceded to France along with the other islands of the Comoros group in 1843. It was the only island in the archipelago that voted in 1974 to retain its link with France and forego independence.

Geography

Mayotte

Location:

Southern Indian Ocean, island in the Mozambique Channel, about half way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique

Geographic coordinates:

12 50 S, 45 10 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 374 sq km land: 374 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

185.2 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November)

Terrain:

generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Benara 660 m

Natural resources:

NEGL

Land use:

arable land: NA% permanent crops: NA% other: NA%

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

cyclones during rainy season

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

part of Comoro Archipelago (18 islands)

People

Mayotte

Population:

216,306 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 45.5% (male 49,521/female 48,996) 15-64 years: 52.7% (male 61,267/female 52,641) 65 years and over: 1.8% (male 1,971/female 1,910) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 17.2 years male: 18.1 years female: 16.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.465% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

39.79 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.36 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.16 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female total population: 1.09 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 57.88 deaths/1,000 live births male: 63.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 52 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 62.54 years male: 60.3 years female: 64.85 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.6 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Mahorais (singular and plural) adjective: Mahoran

Ethnic groups:

NA

Religions:

Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic) 3%

Languages:

Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language) spoken by 35% of the population

Literacy:

NA

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Mayotte

Country name:

conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte conventional short form: Mayotte

Dependency status:

departmental collectivity of France

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Mamoudzou geographic coordinates: 12 46 S, 45 13 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)

Independence:

none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)

National holiday:

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution:

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system:

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by Prefect Denis ROBIN (since 28 July 2008) head of government: President of the General Council Said Omar OILI (since 8 April 2004) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; president of the General Council elected by the members of the General Council for a six-year term; next election to be held in 2010

Legislative branch:

unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 21 and 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - MDM 23.3%, UMP 22.8%, PS 10.2%, MRC 8.9%, FRAP 6.5%, MPM 1.2%, other 27.1%; seats by party - MDM 6, UMP 9, MRC 2, MPM 1, diverse left 1 note: Mayotte elects one member of the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held in September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Mayotte also elects one member to the French National Assembly; elections last held 16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of vote by party - UMP-RPR 55.1%, UDF 44.9%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Front or FD [Youssouf MOUSSA]; Mahoran Popular Movement

or MPM [Ahmed MADI]; Federation of Mahorans or UMP-RPR [Mansour

KAMARDINE]; Force of the Rally and the Alliance for Democracy or

FRAP; Movement for Department Status Mayotte or MDM [Mouhoutar

SALIM]; Renewed Communist Party of Mayotte or MRC [Omar SIMBA];

Socialist Party or PS [Ibrahim ABUBACAR] (local branch of French

Parti Socialiste); Union for French Democracy or UDF [Henri

JEAN-BAPTISTE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

InOC, UPU, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)

Flag description:

unofficial, local flag with the coat of arms of Mayotte centered on a white field, above which the name of the island appears in red capital letters; the main elements of the coat of arms, flanked on either side by a seahorse, appear above a scroll with the motto RA HACHIRI (We are Vigilant); the only official flag is the national flag of France

Economy

Mayotte

Economy - overview:

Economic activity is based primarily on the agricultural sector, including fishing and livestock raising. Mayotte is not self-sufficient and must import a large portion of its food requirements, mainly from France. The economy and future development of the island are heavily dependent on French financial assistance, an important supplement to GDP. Mayotte's remote location is an obstacle to the development of tourism.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$953.6 million (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$4,900 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Labor force:

44,560 (2002)

Unemployment rate:

25.4% (2005)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $420 million expenditures: $394 million (2005)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.7% (2005)

Agriculture - products:

vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coffee, copra, fish, livestock

Industries:

newly created lobster and shrimp industry, construction

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

NA kWh

Electricity - consumption:

139.2 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 0% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0%

Exports:

$6.5 million f.o.b. (2005)

Exports - commodities:

ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra, coconuts, coffee, cinnamon

Exports - partners:

France 43%, Comoros 36%, Reunion 15% (2006)

Imports:

$341 million f.o.b.; note - excludes petroleum imports (2005)

Imports - commodities:

food, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, metals, chemicals

Imports - partners:

France 49%, Seychelles 8.8%, China 4.1% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$201.3 million; note - extensive French financial assistance (2005)

Debt - external:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Mayotte

Telephones - main lines in use:

10,000 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

48,100 (2005)

Telephone system:

general assessment: small system administered by French Department of Posts and Telecommunications domestic: NA international: country code - 262; microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communications to Comoros

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios:

NA

Television broadcast stations:

3 (2001)

Televisions:

3,500 (1994)

Internet country code:

.yt

Internet hosts:

1 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

NA

Internet users:

NA

Transportation

Mayotte

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Dzaoudzi

Military

Mayotte

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 2,407 female: 2,401 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of France; a small contingent of French forces is stationed on the island

Transnational Issues

Mayotte

Disputes - international:

claimed by Comoros

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Mexico

Introduction

Mexico

Background:

The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession in over half a century. The nation continues to make an impressive recovery. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely Amerindian population in the impoverished southern states. The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON.

Geography

Mexico

Location:

Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US

Geographic coordinates:

23 00 N, 102 00 W

Map references:

North America

Area:

total: 1,972,550 sq km land: 1,923,040 sq km water: 49,510 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 4,353 km border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km

Coastline:

9,330 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

varies from tropical to desert

Terrain:

high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber

Land use:

arable land: 12.66% permanent crops: 1.28% other: 86.06% (2005)

Irrigated land:

63,200 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

457.2 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 78.22 cu km/yr (17%/5%/77%) per capita: 731 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts

Environment - current issues:

scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; natural fresh water resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast; raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in urban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification; deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; land subsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletion note: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of the world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated in Mexico

People

Mexico

Population:

109,955,400 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 29.6% (male 16,619,995/female 15,936,154) 15-64 years: 64.3% (male 34,179,440/female 36,530,154) 65 years and over: 6.1% (male 3,023,185/female 3,666,472) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 26 years male: 24.9 years female: 27 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.142% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

20.04 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.78 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-3.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 19.01 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.91 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 75.84 years male: 73.05 years female: 78.78 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.37 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

160,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

5,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: dengue fever water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Mexican(s) adjective: Mexican

Ethnic groups:

mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 76.5%, Protestant 6.3% (Pentecostal 1.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other 3.8%), other 0.3%, unspecified 13.8%, none 3.1% (2000 census)

Languages:

Spanish only 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.7%, indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified 0.8%; note - indigenous languages include various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional languages (2005)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91% male: 92.4% female: 89.6% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 14 years female: 13 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

5.5% of GDP (2005)

Government

Mexico

Country name:

conventional long form: United Mexican States conventional short form: Mexico local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos local short form: Mexico

Government type:

federal republic

Capital:

name: Mexico (Distrito Federal) geographic coordinates: 19 26 N, 99 08 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October note: Mexico is divided into three time zones

Administrative divisions:

31 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district*

(distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California

Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Colima,

Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco,

Mexico, Michoacan de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca,

Puebla, Queretaro de Arteaga, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi,

Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz-Llave,

Yucatan, Zacatecas

Independence:

16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 16 September (1810)

Constitution:

5 February 1917

Legal system:

mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment of attorney general requires consent of the Senate elections: president elected by popular vote for a single six-year term; election last held on 2 July 2006 (next to be held 1 July 2012) election results: Felipe CALDERON elected president; percent of vote - Felipe CALDERON 35.89%, Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR 35.31%, Roberto MADRAZO 22.26%, other 6.54%

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 seats are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote) and the Federal Chamber of Deputies or Camara Federal de Diputados (500 seats; 300 members are elected by popular vote; remaining 200 members are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote; to serve three-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2006 for all of the seats (next to be held 1 July 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2 July 2006 (next to be held 5 July 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAN 52, PRI 33, PRD 26, PVEM 6, CD 5, PT 5, independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAN 207, PRD 127, PRI 106, PVEM 17, CD 17, PT 11, other 15

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nacion (justices or ministros are appointed by the president with consent of the Senate)

Political parties and leaders:

Convergence for Democracy or CD [Luis MALDONADO Venegas];

Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Beatriz PAREDES]; Labor

Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]; Mexican Green Ecological

Party or PVEM [Jorge Emilio GONZALEZ Martinez]; National Action

Party (Partido Accion Nacional) or PAN [German MARTINEZ Cazares];

New Alliance Party (Partido Nueva Alianza) or PNA [Jorge Antonio

KAHWAGI Macari]; Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la

Revolucion Democratica) or PRD [Leonel COTA Montano]; Social

Democratic and Peasant Alternative Party (Partido Alternativa

Socialdemocrata y Campesina) or Alternativa [Alberto BEGNE Guerra]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Broad Progressive Front or FAP; Businessmen's Coordinating Council

or CCE; Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic or

COPARMEX; Confederation of Industrial Chambers or CONCAMIN;

Confederation of Mexican Workers or CTM; Confederation of National

Chambers of Commerce or CONCANACO; Coordinator for Foreign Trade

Business Organizations or COECE; Federation of Unions Providing

Goods and Services or FESEBES; National Chamber of Transformation

Industries or CANACINTRA; National Peasant Confederation or CNC;

National Small Business Chamber or CANACOPE; National Syndicate of

Education Workers or SNTE; National Union of Workers or UNT; Popular

Assembly of the People of Oaxaca or APPO; Roman Catholic Church

International organization participation:

APEC, BCIE, BIS, CAN (observer), Caricom (observer), CDB, CE

(observer), CSN (observer), EBRD, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-24, IADB, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,

IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES,

LAIA, MIGA, NAFTA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW,

PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU,

WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Arturo SARUKHAN Casamitjana chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600 FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Laredo (Texas), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Nogales (Arizona), Omaha, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico) consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California), Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Indianapolis (Indiana), Kansas City (Missouri), Laredo (Texas), Las Vegas, Little Rock (Arkansas), McAllen (Texas), New Orleans, Omaha, Orlando, Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, Saint Paul (Minnesota), Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson, Yuma (Arizona)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio O. GARZA, Jr. embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, Distrito Federal mailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 78520-9000 telephone: [52] (55) 5080-2000 FAX: [52] (55) 5511-9980 consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; the coat of arms (an eagle with a snake in its beak perched on a cactus) is centered in the white band

Economy

Mexico

Economy - overview:

Mexico has a free market economy in the trillion dollar class. It contains a mixture of modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector. Recent administrations have expanded competition in seaports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity generation, natural gas distribution, and airports. Per capita income is one-fourth that of the US; income distribution remains highly unequal. Trade with the US and Canada has tripled since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994. Mexico has 12 free trade agreements with over 40 countries including, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, the European Free Trade Area, and Japan, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade agreements. In 2007, during his first year in office, the Felipe CALDERON administration was able to garner support from the opposition to successfully pass a pension and a fiscal reform. The administration continues to face many economic challenges including the need to upgrade infrastructure, modernize labor laws, and allow private investment in the energy sector. CALDERON has stated that his top economic priorities remain reducing poverty and creating jobs.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.353 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$893.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$12,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 4% industry: 26.6% services: 69.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

44.71 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 18% industry: 24% services: 58% (2003)

Unemployment rate:

3.7% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

13.8% using food-based definition of poverty; asset based poverty amounted to more than 40% (2006)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.2% highest 10%: 37% (2006)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

50.9 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

20.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $227.5 billion expenditures: $227.2 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

22.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7.56% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$103.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$168.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$349.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products

Industries:

food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

1.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

243.3 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

202 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

1.278 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

484.2 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 78.7% hydro: 14.2% nuclear: 4.2% other: 2.9% (2001)

Oil - production:

3.501 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2.119 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

2.204 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

385,400 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

11.65 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

55.98 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

68.29 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

2.973 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

11.69 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

392.2 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$5.525 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$271.9 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton

Exports - partners:

US 82.2%, Canada 2.4%, Germany 1.5% (2007)

Imports:

$281.9 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts

Imports - partners:

US 49.6%, China 10.5%, Japan 5.8%, South Korea 4.5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$189.4 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$87.19 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$179.8 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$260.9 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$39.01 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$348.3 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Mexican peso (MXN)

Currency code:

MXN

Exchange rates:

Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar - 10.8 (2007), 10.899 (2006), 10.898 (2005), 11.286 (2004), 10.789 (2003)

Communications

Mexico

Telephones - main lines in use:

19.754 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

68.254 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: adequate telephone service for business and government, but the population is poorly served; mobile subscribers far outnumber fixed-line subscribers; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network; considerable use of fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable domestic: low telephone density with about 18 fixed lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; despite the opening to competition in January 1997, Telmex remains dominant; legal challenges to Telmex's alleged anti-competitive behavior in the mobile and fixed-line markets culminated in a World Trade Organization ruling in 2004 against Mexico prompting some strengthening of the powers granted Mexico's telecom regulator; mobile cellular teledensity approaching 65 per 100 persons international: country code - 52; Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Spain, and Italy; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the MAYA-1 submarine cable system together provide access to Central America, parts of South America and the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 120 (32 Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central America, and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications), 1 Panamsat, numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations); linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 850, FM 545, shortwave 15 (2003)

Radios:

31 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

236 (plus repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

25.6 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.mx

Internet hosts:

10.653 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

51 (2000)

Internet users:

22.812 million (2007)

Transportation

Mexico

Airports:

1,834 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 231 over 3,047 m: 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 29 1,524 to 2,437 m: 84 914 to 1,523 m: 77 under 914 m: 29 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1,603 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 63 914 to 1,523 m: 408 under 914 m: 1,131 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 22,705 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,875 km; oil 8,688 km; oil/gas/water 228 km; refined products 6,520 km (2006)

Railways:

total: 17,665 km standard gauge: 17,665 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 356,945 km paved: 178,473 km (includes 6,279 km of expressways) unpaved: 178,472 km (2006)

Waterways:

2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 55 by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 7, chemical tanker 5, liquefied gas 4, passenger/cargo 11, petroleum tanker 23, roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 4 (Denmark 2, Hong Kong 1, UAE 1) registered in other countries: 20 (Brazil 1, Honduras 1, Liberia 2, Marshall Islands 4, Panama 2, Portugal 1, Spain 3, Venezuela 5, unknown 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Manzanillo, Morro Redondo, Salina Cruz,

Tampico, Veracruz

Military

Mexico

Military branches:

Secretariat of National Defense (Secretaria de Defensa Nacional,

Sedena): Army (Ejercito, includes Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea

Mexicana, FAM)); Secretariat of the Navy (Secretaria de Marina,

Semar): Mexican Navy (Armada de Mexico, ARM, includes Naval Air

Force (FAN) and naval infantry) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary enlistment; conscripts serve only in the Army; Navy and Air Force service is all voluntary; women are eligible for voluntary military service (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 27,774,688 females age 16-49: 29,376,791 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 22,188,284 females age 16-49: 24,884,614 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 1,110,544 female: 1,073,223 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Mexico

Disputes - international:

abundant rainfall in recent years along much of the Mexico-US border region has ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing arrangements; the US has intensified security measures to monitor and control legal and illegal personnel, transport, and commodities across its border with Mexico; Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the United States

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 5,500-10,000 (government's quashing of Zapatista uprising in 1994 in eastern Chiapas Region) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

major drug-producing nation; cultivation of opium poppy in 2007 rose to 6,900 hectares yielding a potential production of 18 metric tons of pure heroin, or 50 metric tons of "black tar" heroin, the dominant form of Mexican heroin in the western United States; marijuana cultivation increased to 8,900 hectares in 2007 and yielded a potential production of 15,800 metric tons; government conducts the largest independent illicit-crop eradication program in the world; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America, with an estimated 90% of annual cocaine movements toward the US stopping in Mexico; major drug syndicates control the majority of drug trafficking throughout the country; producer and distributor of ecstasy; significant money-laundering center; major supplier of heroin and largest foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine to the US market (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Micronesia, Federated States of

Introduction

Micronesia, Federated States of

Background:

In 1979 the Federated States of Micronesia, a UN Trust Territory under US administration, adopted a constitution. In 1986 independence was attained under a Compact of Free Association with the US, which was amended and renewed in 2004. Present concerns include large-scale unemployment, overfishing, and overdependence on US aid.

Geography

Micronesia, Federated States of

Location:

Oceania, island group in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Indonesia

Geographic coordinates:

6 55 N, 158 15 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 702 sq km land: 702 sq km water: 0 sq km (fresh water only) note: includes Pohnpei (Ponape), Chuuk (Truk) Islands, Yap Islands, and Kosrae (Kosaie)

Area - comparative:

four times the size of Washington, DC (land area only)

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

6,112 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage

Terrain:

islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Dolohmwar (Totolom) 791 m

Natural resources:

forests, marine products, deep-seabed minerals, phosphate

Land use:

arable land: 5.71% permanent crops: 45.71% other: 48.58% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

typhoons (June to December)

Environment - current issues:

overfishing, climate change, pollution

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

four major island groups totaling 607 islands

People

Micronesia, Federated States of

Population:

107,665 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 35.3% (male 19,344/female 18,687) 15-64 years: 61.8% (male 33,142/female 33,389) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 1,320/female 1,783) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 21.6 years male: 21.1 years female: 22.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.191% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

23.66 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.53 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-21.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

NA

Infant mortality rate:

total: 27.03 deaths/1,000 live births male: 29.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 24.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 70.65 years male: 68.79 years female: 72.61 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.98 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Micronesian(s) adjective: Micronesian; Chuukese, Kosraen(s), Pohnpeian(s), Yapese

Ethnic groups:

Chuukese 48.8%, Pohnpeian 24.2%, Kosraean 6.2%, Yapese 5.2%, Yap outer islands 4.5%, Asian 1.8%, Polynesian 1.5%, other 6.4%, unknown 1.4% (2000 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 47%, other 3%

Languages:

English (official and common language), Chuukese, Kosrean,

Pohnpeian, Yapese, Ulithian, Woleaian, Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89% male: 91% female: 88% (1980 est.)

Education expenditures:

7.3% of GDP (2000)

Government

Micronesia, Federated States of

Country name:

conventional long form: Federated States of Micronesia conventional short form: none local long form: Federated States of Micronesia local short form: none former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Ponape, Truk, and Yap Districts abbreviation: FSM

Government type:

constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 3 November 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force May 2004

Capital:

name: Palikir geographic coordinates: 6 55 N, 158 09 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

4 states; Chuuk (Truk), Kosrae (Kosaie), Pohnpei (Ponape), Yap

Independence:

3 November 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday:

Constitution Day, 10 May (1979)

Constitution:

10 May 1979

Legal system:

based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Emanuel MORI (since 11 May 2007); Vice President Alik L. ALIK (since 11 May 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Emanuel MORI (since 11 May 2007); Vice President Alik L. ALIK (since 11 May 2007) cabinet: Cabinet includes the vice president and the heads of the eight executive departments elections: president and vice president elected by Congress from among the four senators at large for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 May 2007 (next to be held May 2011); note - a proposed constitutional amendment to establish popular elections for president and vice president failed election results: Emanuel MORI elected president; percent of Congress vote - NA; Alik L. ALIK elected vice president; percent of Congress vote - NA

Legislative branch:

unicameral Congress (14 seats; 4 - one elected from each state to serve four-year terms and 10 - elected from single-member districts delineated by population to serve two-year terms; members elected by popular vote) elections: last held 6 March 2007 (next to be held in March 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 14

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:

no formal parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ACP, ADB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC,

ITSO, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO,

WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Yosiwo GEORGE chancery: 1725 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 223-4383 FAX: [1] (202) 223-4391 consulate(s) general: Honolulu, Tamuning (Guam)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Miriam K. HUGHES embassy: 101 Upper Pics Road, Kolonia mailing address: P. O. Box 1286, Kolonia, Pohnpei, 96941 telephone: [691] 320-2187 FAX: [691] 320-2186

Flag description:

light blue with four white five-pointed stars centered; the stars are arranged in a diamond pattern

Economy

Micronesia, Federated States of

Economy - overview:

Economic activity consists primarily of subsistence farming and fishing. The islands have few mineral deposits worth exploiting, except for high-grade phosphate. The potential for a tourist industry exists, but the remote location, a lack of adequate facilities, and limited air connections hinder development. Under the original terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US provided $1.3 billion in grant aid during the period 1986-2001; the level of aid has been subsequently reduced. The Amended Compact of Free Association with the US guarantees the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) millions of dollars in annual aid through 2023, and establishes a Trust Fund into which the US and the FSM make annual contributions in order to provide annual payouts to the FSM in perpetuity after 2023. The country's medium-term economic outlook appears fragile due not only to the reduction in US assistance but also to the current slow growth of the private sector.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$277 million; note - supplemented by grant aid, averaging perhaps $100 million annually (2002 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$232 million (2005)

GDP - real growth rate:

0.3% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,300 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 28.9% industry: 15.2% services: 55.9% (2004 est.)

Labor force:

37,410 (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 0.9% industry: 34.4% services: 64.7% note: two-thirds are government employees (FY05 est.)

Unemployment rate:

22% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:

26.7% (2000)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $127.3 million ($69 million less grants) expenditures: $144.2 million (FY05 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 October - 30 September

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.2% (2005)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

14.03% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$22.45 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$72.49 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

NA (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

black pepper, tropical fruits and vegetables, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca), sakau (kava), betel nuts, sweet potatoes; pigs, chickens; fish

Industries:

tourism, construction; fish processing, specialized aquaculture; craft items (from shell, wood, and pearls)

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

192 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - consumption:

178.6 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:

NA

Current account balance:

-$34.3 million (FY05 est.)

Exports:

$14 million (f.o.b.) (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:

fish, garments, bananas, black pepper, sakau (kava), betel nut

Exports - partners:

Japan, US, Guam (2006)

Imports:

$132.7 million f.o.b. (2004)

Imports - commodities:

food, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, beverages

Imports - partners:

US, Japan, Hong Kong (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$106.4 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$60.8 million (FY05 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

US dollar (USD)

Currency code:

USD

Exchange rates:

the US dollar is used

Communications

Micronesia, Federated States of

Telephones - main lines in use:

8,700 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

27,400 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: adequate system domestic: islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes), satellite (Intelsat) ground stations, and some coaxial and fiber-optic cable; cellular service available on Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap international: country code - 691; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2002)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 5, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:

9,400 (1996)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (cable TV also available) (2004)

Televisions:

2,800 (1999)

Internet country code:

.fm

Internet hosts:

866 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

15,000 (2007)

Transportation

Micronesia, Federated States of

Airports:

6 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 240 km paved: 42 km unpaved: 198 km (2000)

Merchant marine:

total: 3 by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 2 (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Tomil Harbor

Military

Micronesia, Federated States of

Military branches:

no regular military forces

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 26,686 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 21,748 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 1,310 female: 1,262 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues

Micronesia, Federated States of

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

major consumer of cannabis

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Moldova

Introduction

Moldova

Background:

Formerly part of Romania, Moldova was incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although independent from the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Dniester River supporting the Slavic majority population, mostly Ukrainians and Russians, who have proclaimed a "Transnistria" republic. One of the poorest nations in Europe, Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a Communist as its president in 2001.

Geography

Moldova

Location:

Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania

Geographic coordinates:

47 00 N, 29 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 33,843 sq km land: 33,371 sq km water: 472 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Maryland

Land boundaries:

total: 1,390 km border countries: Romania 450 km, Ukraine 940 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

moderate winters, warm summers

Terrain:

rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Dniester River 2 m highest point: Dealul Balanesti 430 m

Natural resources:

lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, arable land, limestone

Land use:

arable land: 54.52% permanent crops: 8.81% other: 36.67% (2005)

Irrigated land:

3,000 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

11.7 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.31 cu km/yr (10%/58%/33%) per capita: 549 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

landslides

Environment - current issues:

heavy use of agricultural chemicals, including banned pesticides such as DDT, has contaminated soil and groundwater; extensive soil erosion from poor farming methods

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; well endowed with various sedimentary rocks and minerals including sand, gravel, gypsum, and limestone

People

Moldova

Population:

4,324,450 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 16.3% (male 361,000/female 341,785) 15-64 years: 72.9% (male 1,528,080/female 1,622,620) 65 years and over: 10.9% (male 174,448/female 296,517) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 34.3 years male: 32.4 years female: 36.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.092% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

11.01 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.8 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-1.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 13.5 deaths/1,000 live births male: 14.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 70.5 years male: 66.81 years female: 74.41 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.26 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

5,500 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 300 (2001 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Moldovan(s) adjective: Moldovan

Ethnic groups:

Moldovan/Romanian 78.2%, Ukrainian 8.4%, Russian 5.8%, Gagauz 4.4%, Bulgarian 1.9%, other 1.3% (2004 census) note: internal disputes with ethnic Slavs in the Transnistrian region

Religions:

Eastern Orthodox 98%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist and other 0.5% (2000)

Languages:

Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian language),

Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.1% male: 99.7% female: 98.6% (2005 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 13 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

7.6% of GDP (2006)

Government

Moldova

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Moldova conventional short form: Moldova local long form: Republica Moldova local short form: Moldova former: Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Chisinau (Kishinev) note: pronounced kee-shee-now geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 28 51 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

32 raions (raioane, singular - raionul), 3 municipalities (municipiul), 1 autonomous territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala autonoma), and 1 territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala) raions: Anenii Noi, Basarabeasca, Briceni, Cahul, Cantemir, Calarasi, Causeni, Cimislia, Criuleni, Donduseni, Drochia, Dubasari, Edinet, Falesti, Floresti, Glodeni, Hincesti, Ialoveni, Leova, Nisporeni, Ocnita, Orhei, Rezina, Riscani, Singerei, Soldanesti, Soroca, Stefan-Voda, Straseni, Taraclia, Telenesti, Ungheni municipalities: Balti, Bender, Chisinau autonomous territorial unit: Gagauzia territorial unit: Stinga Nistrului (Transnistria)

Independence:

27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 27 August (1991)

Constitution:

new constitution adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August 1994; replaced old Soviet constitution of 1979

Legal system:

based on civil law system; Constitutional Court reviews legality of legislative acts and governmental decisions of resolution; accepts many UN and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Vladimir VORONIN (since 4 April 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Zinaida GRECEANII (since 31 March 2008); First Deputy Prime Minister Igor DODON (since 31 March 2008) cabinet: Cabinet selected by president, subject to approval of Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 4 April 2005 (next to be held in 2009); note - prime minister designated by the president upon consultation with Parliament; within 15 days from designation, the prime minister-designate must request a vote of confidence from the Parliament regarding his/her work program and entire cabinet; prime minister designated 21 March 2008; cabinet received a vote of confidence 31 March 2008 election results: Vladimir VORONIN reelected president; parliamentary votes - Vladimir VORONIN 75, Gheorghe DUCA 1; Zinaida GRECEANII designated prime minister; parliamentary votes of confidence - 56 of 101

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament or Parlamentul (101 seats; parties and electoral blocs elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 6 March 2005 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - PCRM 46.1%, Democratic Moldova Bloc (AMN, PD, PSL) 28.4%, PPCD 9.1%, other parties 16.4%; seats by party - PCRM 56, Democratic Moldova Bloc (AMN, PD, PSL) 34, PPCD 11

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court (the sole authority for constitutional judicature)

Political parties and leaders:

Christian Democratic People's Party or PPCD [Iurie ROSCA]; Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova or PCRM [Vladimir VORONIN]; Democratic Party or PD [Dumitru DIACOV]; Liberal Democratic Party or PLDM [Vladmir FILAT]; National Liberal Party or PNL [Vitalia PAVLICENKO]; Our Moldova Alliance or AMN [Serafim URECHEAN]; Party for Social Democracy or PDSM [Dumitru BRAGHIS]; Social Liberal Party or PSL [Oleg SEREBRIAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

BSEC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAEC (observer), EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, GUAM,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,

IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OIF,

OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina,

UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Nicolae CHIRTOACA chancery: 2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-1130 FAX: [1] (202) 667-1204

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Asif CHAUDHRY embassy: 103 Mateevici Street, Chisinau MD-2009 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [373] (22) 40-8300 FAX: [373] (22) 23-3044

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; emblem in center of flag is of a Roman eagle of gold outlined in black with a red beak and talons carrying a yellow cross in its beak and a green olive branch in its right talons and a yellow scepter in its left talons; on its breast is a shield divided horizontally red over blue with a stylized ox head, star, rose, and crescent all in black-outlined yellow; same color scheme as Romania

Economy

Moldova

Economy - overview:

Moldova remains one of the poorest countries in Europe despite recent progress from its small economic base. It enjoys a favorable climate and good farmland but has no major mineral deposits. As a result, the economy depends heavily on agriculture, featuring fruits, vegetables, wine, and tobacco. Moldova must import almost all of its energy supplies. Moldova's dependence on Russian energy was underscored at the end of 2005, when a Russian-owned electrical station in Moldova's separatist Transnistria region cut off power to Moldova and Russia's Gazprom cut off natural gas in disputes over pricing. Russia's decision to ban Moldovan wine and agricultural products, coupled with its decision to double the price Moldova paid for Russian natural gas, slowed GDP growth in 2006. However, in 2007 growth returned to the 6% level Moldova had achieved in 2000-05, boosted by Russia's partial removal of the bans, solid fixed capital investment, and strong domestic demand driven by remittances from abroad. Economic reforms have been slow because of corruption and strong political forces backing government controls. Nevertheless, the government's primary goal of EU integration has resulted in some market-oriented progress. The granting of EU trade preferences and increased exports to Russia will encourage higher growth rates in 2008, but the agreements are unlikely to serve as a panacea, given the extent to which export success depends on higher quality standards and other factors. The economy remains vulnerable to higher fuel prices, poor agricultural weather, and the skepticism of foreign investors. Also, the presence of an illegal separatist regime in Moldova's Transnistria region continues to be a drag on the Moldovan economy.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$9.756 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$4.227 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 17.8% industry: 21.7% services: 60.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

1.333 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 40.7% industry: 12.1% services: 47.2% (2005)

Unemployment rate:

2.1%; note - roughly 25% of working age Moldovans are employed abroad (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

29.5% (2005)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 26.4% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

33.2 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

33.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $1.83 billion expenditures: $1.841 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

23.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

12.3% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

18.83% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$965 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.449 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.896 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

vegetables, fruits, wine, grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, tobacco; beef, milk

Industries:

sugar, vegetable oil, food processing, agricultural machinery; foundry equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines; hosiery, shoes, textiles

Industrial production growth rate:

1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

3.824 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

5.806 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

229 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

3.741 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 90.6% hydro: 9.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

15,770 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

50.03 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

14,450 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

50 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

2.44 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

2.44 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$694.7 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.361 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

foodstuffs, textiles, machinery

Exports - partners:

Russia 25.3%, Romania 13%, Italy 10%, Ukraine 8.7%, Germany 8.5%,

Poland 6.2%, Belarus 4.2% (2007)

Imports:

$3.677 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

mineral products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals, textiles

Imports - partners:

Russia 20.5%, Ukraine 15.8%, Romania 15%, Germany 8.7%, Italy 5.7%,

Poland 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$191.8 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.334 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$3.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$573.9 million (2004)

Currency (code):

Moldovan leu (MDL)

Currency code:

MDL

Exchange rates:

Moldovan lei (MDL) per US dollar - 12.177 (2007), 13.131 (2006), 12.6 (2005), 12.33 (2004), 13.945 (2003)

Communications

Moldova

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.08 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.883 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: inadequate, outmoded, poor service outside Chisinau; some modernization is under way domestic: depending on location, new subscribers may face long wait for service; multiple private operators of GSM mobile-cellular telephone service are operating; GPRS system is being introduced; a CDMA mobile telephone network began operations in 2007; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity approaching 70 per 100 persons international: country code - 373; service through Romania and Russia via landline; satellite earth stations - at least 3 (Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 29, shortwave NA (2006)

Radios:

3.22 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

40 (2006)

Televisions:

1.26 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.md

Internet hosts:

223,869 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (1999)

Internet users:

700,000 (2007)

Transportation

Moldova

Airports:

10 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 6 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 1,980 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 1,138 km broad gauge: 1,124 km 1.520-m gauge standard gauge: 14 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 12,666 km paved: 12,117 km unpaved: 549 km (2007)

Waterways:

424 km (on Dniester and Prut rivers) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 39 by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 32, chemical tanker 2, combination ore/oil 2, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 17 (Egypt 1, Romania 3, Russia 3, Syria 1, Turkey 3, Ukraine 5, Yemen 1) (2008)

Military

Moldova

Military branches:

National Army: Ground Forces, Rapid Reaction Forces, Air and Air

Defense Forces (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory military service; 12-month service obligation (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,161,924 females age 16-49: 1,187,771 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 877,070 females age 16-49: 994,091 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 33,053 female: 31,712 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Moldova

Disputes - international:

Moldova and Ukraine operate joint customs posts to monitor the transit of people and commodities through Moldova's break-away Transnistria region, which remains under OSCE supervision

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Moldova is a major source and, to a lesser extent, a transit country for women and girls trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; Moldovan women are trafficked to the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe; girls and young women are trafficked within the country from rural areas to Chisinau; children are also trafficked to neighboring countries for forced labor and begging; labor trafficking of men to work in the construction, agriculture, and service sectors of Russia is increasingly a problem tier rating: Tier 3 - Moldova does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the government failed to follow-up on allegations of officials complicit in trafficking cited in the 2007 Report, and it did not demonstrate proactive efforts to identify trafficking victims (2008)

Illicit drugs:

limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for CIS consumption; transshipment point for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia via Central Asia to Russia, Western Europe, and possibly the US; widespread crime and underground economic activity

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Monaco

Introduction

Monaco

Background:

The Genoese built a fortress on the site of present-day Monaco in 1215. The current ruling Grimaldi family secured control in the late 13th century, and a principality was established in 1338. Economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with a railroad linkup to France and the opening of a casino. Since then, the principality's mild climate, splendid scenery, and gambling facilities have made Monaco world famous as a tourist and recreation center.

Geography

Monaco

Location:

Western Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the southern coast of France, near the border with Italy

Geographic coordinates:

43 44 N, 7 24 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 1.95 sq km land: 1.95 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

total: 4.4 km border countries: France 4.4 km

Coastline:

4.1 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 12 nm

Climate:

Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers

Terrain:

hilly, rugged, rocky

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mont Agel 140 m

Natural resources:

none

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (urban area) (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

NA

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

second-smallest independent state in the world (after Holy See); almost entirely urban

People

Monaco

Population:

32,796 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 14.8% (male 2,488/female 2,369) 15-64 years: 62.4% (male 10,110/female 10,353) 65 years and over: 22.8% (male 3,048/female 4,428) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 45.5 years male: 43.5 years female: 47.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.375% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

9.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

12.96 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

7.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 5.18 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 79.96 years male: 76.14 years female: 83.97 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.75 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Monegasque(s) or Monacan(s) adjective: Monegasque or Monacan

Ethnic groups:

French 47%, Monegasque 16%, Italian 16%, other 21%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 90%, other 10%

Languages:

French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

Education expenditures:

4.4% of GDP (2004)

Government

Monaco

Country name:

conventional long form: Principality of Monaco conventional short form: Monaco local long form: Principaute de Monaco local short form: Monaco

Government type:

constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Monaco geographic coordinates: 43 44 N, 7 25 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are four quarters (quartiers, singular - quartier); Fontvieille, La Condamine, Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo

Independence:

1419 (beginning of rule by the House of Grimaldi)

National holiday:

National Day (Saint Rainier's Day), 19 November (1857)

Constitution:

17 December 1962

Legal system:

based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Prince ALBERT II (since 6 April 2005) head of government: Minister of State Jean-Paul PROUST (since 1 June 2005) cabinet: Council of Government is under the authority of the monarch elections: the monarchy is hereditary; minister of state appointed by the monarch from a list of three French national candidates presented by the French Government

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Council or Conseil National (24 seats; 16 members elected by list majority system, 8 by proportional representation; to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 3 February 2008 (next to be held February 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - UPM 52.2%, REM 40.5%, Monaco Together 7.3%; seats by party - UPM 21, REM 3

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Tribunal Supreme (judges appointed by the monarch on the basis of nominations by the National Council)

Political parties and leaders:

Union for Monaco or UPM (including National Union for the Future of

Monaco or UNAM); Rally and Issues for Monaco or REM; Monaco Together

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

CE, FAO, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFRCS, IHO, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITSO, ITU, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Schengen

Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador to the US and UN Gilles NOGHES chancery: 2314 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 234-1530 FAX: (202) 552-5778

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Monaco; the US Ambassador to France is accredited to Monaco; the US Consul General in Marseille (France), under the authority of the US ambassador to France, handles routine diplomatic and consular matters concerning Monaco

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to the flag of Indonesia which is longer and the flag of Poland which is white (top) and red

Economy

Monaco

Economy - overview:

Monaco, bordering France on the Mediterranean coast, is a popular resort, attracting tourists to its casino and pleasant climate. The principality also is a major banking center and has successfully sought to diversify into services and small, high-value-added, nonpolluting industries. The state has no income tax and low business taxes and thrives as a tax haven both for individuals who have established residence and for foreign companies that have set up businesses and offices. The state retains monopolies in a number of sectors, including tobacco, the telephone network, and the postal service. Living standards are high, roughly comparable to those in prosperous French metropolitan areas.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$976.3 million note: Monaco does not publish national income figures; the estimates are extremely rough (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

0.9% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$30,000 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 0% industry: 4.9% services: 95.1% (2005)

Labor force:

44,000 note: includes workers from all foreign countries (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:

0% (2005)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $863 million expenditures: $920.6 million (2005 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.9% (2000)

Agriculture - products:

none

Industries:

tourism, construction, small-scale industrial and consumer products

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - consumption:

NA kWh

Electricity - imports:

NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France

Exports:

$716.3 million note: full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France (2005)

Imports:

$916.1 million note: full customs integration with France, which collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market system through customs union with France (2005)

Economic aid - recipient:

$NA

Debt - external:

$18 billion (2000 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Monaco

Telephones - main lines in use:

34,000 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

17,200 (2005)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern automatic telephone system domestic: NA international: country code - 377; no satellite earth stations; connected by cable into the French communications system

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM NA, shortwave 8 (1998)

Radios:

34,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

5 (1998)

Televisions:

25,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.mc

Internet hosts:

21,058 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

20,000 (2006)

Transportation

Monaco

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 50 km paved: 50 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

registered in other countries: 70 (Bahamas 15, Georgia 4, Isle of Man 3, Liberia 8, Marshall Islands 13, Norway 5, Panama 16, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Vanuatu 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Monaco

Military

Monaco

Military branches:

no regular military forces; the Palace Guard performs ceremonial duties

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 6,687 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,376 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 191 female: 182 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues

Monaco

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Mongolia

Introduction

Mongolia

Background:

The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Chinggis KHAN they conquered a huge Eurasian empire. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually retired to their original steppe homelands and in the late 17th century came under Chinese rule. Mongolia won its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing. A Communist regime was installed in 1924. Following a peaceful democratic revolution, the ex-Communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) won elections in 1990 and 1992, but was defeated by the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC) in the 1996 parliamentary election. Since then, parliamentary elections returned the MPRP overwhelmingly to power in 2000, but 2004 elections reduced MPRP representation and, therefore, its authority.

Geography

Mongolia

Location:

Northern Asia, between China and Russia

Geographic coordinates:

46 00 N, 105 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 1,564,116 sq km land: 1,554,731 sq km water: 9,385 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Alaska

Land boundaries:

total: 8,220 km border countries: China 4,677 km, Russia 3,543 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges)

Terrain:

vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Hoh Nuur 518 m highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Huyten Orgil) 4,374 m

Natural resources:

oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron

Land use:

arable land: 0.76% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.24% (2005)

Irrigated land:

840 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

34.8 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.44 cu km/yr (20%/27%/52%) per capita: 166 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

dust storms, grassland and forest fires, drought, and "zud," which is harsh winter conditions

Environment - current issues:

limited natural fresh water resources in some areas; the policies of former Communist regimes promoted rapid urbanization and industrial growth that had negative effects on the environment; the burning of soft coal in power plants and the lack of enforcement of environmental laws severely polluted the air in Ulaanbaatar; deforestation, overgrazing, and the converting of virgin land to agricultural production increased soil erosion from wind and rain; desertification and mining activities had a deleterious effect on the environment

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia

People

Mongolia

Population:

2,996,081 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 28.4% (male 433,835/female 416,549) 15-64 years: 67.7% (male 1,013,215/female 1,015,221) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 51,093/female 66,168) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 24.9 years male: 24.6 years female: 25.3 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.493% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

21.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 41.24 deaths/1,000 live births male: 44.41 deaths/1,000 live births female: 37.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 67.32 years male: 64.92 years female: 69.84 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.24 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

fewer than 500 (2003 est)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Mongolian(s) adjective: Mongolian

Ethnic groups:

Mongol (mostly Khalkha) 94.9%, Turkic (mostly Kazakh) 5%, other (including Chinese and Russian) 0.1% (2000)

Religions:

Buddhist Lamaist 50%, Shamanist and Christian 6%, Muslim 4%, none 40% (2004)

Languages:

Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian (1999)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% male: 98% female: 97.5% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 12 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

5% of GDP (2004)

Government

Mongolia

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Mongolia local long form: none local short form: Mongol Uls former: Outer Mongolia

Government type:

mixed parliamentary/presidential

Capital:

name: Ulaanbaatar geographic coordinates: 47 55 N, 106 55 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

21 provinces (aymguud, singular - aymag) and 1 municipality* (singular - hot); Arhangay, Bayanhongor, Bayan-Olgiy, Bulgan, Darhan-Uul, Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi, Dzavhan, Govi-Altay, Govisumber, Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol, Omnogovi, Orhon, Ovorhangay, Selenge, Suhbaatar, Tov, Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs

Independence:

11 July 1921 (from China)

National holiday:

Independence Day/Revolution Day, 11 July (1921)

Constitution:

12 February 1992

Legal system:

blend of Soviet, German, and US systems that combine "continental" or "civil" code and case-precedent; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR (since 24 June 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Sanjaa BAYAR (since 22 November 2007); First Deputy Prime Minister (Norov ALTANKHUYAG (since 27 September 2008); Vice Prime Minister Miegombyn ENKHBOLD (since 6 December 2007) cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the prime minister in consultation with the president and confirmed by the State Great Hural (parliament) elections: presidential candidates nominated by political parties represented in State Great Hural and elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 May 2005 (next to be held in May 2009); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by State Great Hural election results: Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR elected president; percent of vote - Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR 53.44%, Mendsaikhanin ENKHSAIKHAN 20.05%, Bazarsadyn JARGALSAIKHAN 13.92%, Badarchyn ERDENEBAT 12.59%; Miegombyn ENKHBOLD elected prime minister by the State Great Hural 56 to 10

Legislative branch:

unicameral State Great Hural 76 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms elections: last held 29 June 2008 (next to be held in June 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MPRP 47, DP 26, others 3; note - results are disputed

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (serves as appeals court for people's and provincial courts but rarely overturns verdicts of lower courts; judges are nominated by the General Council of Courts and approved by the president)

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Party or DP [Norovyn ALTANHUYAG]; Mongolian People's

Revolutionary Party or MPRP [Sanji BAYAR]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: human rights groups; women's groups

International organization participation:

ADB, ARF, CP, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SCO

(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNWTO,

UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Khasbazaryn BEKHBAT chancery: 2833 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7117 FAX: [1] (202) 298-9227

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Mark C. MINTON embassy: Big Ring Road, 11th Micro Region, Ulaanbaatar mailing address: PSC 461, Box 300, FPO AP 96521-0002; P.O. Box 1021, Ulaanbaatar-13 telephone: [976] (11) 329-095 FAX: [976] (11) 320-776

Flag description:

three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), blue, and red; centered on the hoist-side red band in yellow is the national emblem ("soyombo" - a columnar arrangement of abstract and geometric representation for fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and the yin-yang symbol)

Economy

Mongolia

Economy - overview:

Economic activity in Mongolia has traditionally been based on herding and agriculture. Mongolia has extensive mineral deposits. Copper, coal, gold, molybdenum, fluorspar, uranium, tin, and tungsten account for a large part of industrial production and foreign direct investment. Soviet assistance, at its height one-third of GDP, disappeared almost overnight in 1990 and 1991 at the time of the dismantlement of the USSR. The following decade saw Mongolia endure both deep recession because of political inaction and natural disasters, as well as economic growth because of reform-embracing, free-market economics and extensive privatization of the formerly state-run economy. Severe winters and summer droughts in 2000-02 resulted in massive livestock die-off and zero or negative GDP growth. This was compounded by falling prices for Mongolia's primary sector exports and widespread opposition to privatization. Growth was 10.6% in 2004, 5.5% in 2005, 7.5% in 2006, and 9.9% in 2007 largely because of high copper prices and new gold production. Mongolia is experiencing its highest inflation rate in over a decade as consumer prices in 2007 rose 15%, largely because of increased fuel and food costs. Mongolia's economy continues to be heavily influenced by its neighbors. For example, Mongolia purchases 95% of its petroleum products and a substantial amount of electric power from Russia, leaving it vulnerable to price increases. Trade with China represents more than half of Mongolia's total external trade - China receives about 70% of Mongolia's exports. Remittances from Mongolians working abroad both legally and illegally are sizable, and money laundering is a growing concern. Mongolia settled its $11 billion debt with Russia at the end of 2003 on favorable terms. Mongolia, which joined the World Trade Organization in 1997, seeks to expand its participation and integration into Asian regional economic and trade regimes.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$8.542 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$3.905 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

9.9% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 18.8% industry: 40.4% services: 40.8% (2006)

Labor force:

1.042 million (2006)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 39.9% industry: 11.7% services: 49.4% (2006)

Unemployment rate:

3% (2007)

Population below poverty line:

36.1% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 24.6% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

32.8 (2002)

Budget:

revenues: $1.58 billion expenditures: $1.497 billion (2007)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

9% (2007)

Central bank discount rate:

9.87% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

17.54% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$504.7 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.539 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.191 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, barley, vegetables, forage crops; sheep, goats, cattle, camels, horses

Industries:

construction and construction materials; mining (coal, copper, molybdenum, fluorspar, tin, tungsten, and gold); oil; food and beverages; processing of animal products, cashmere and natural fiber manufacturing

Industrial production growth rate:

3% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:

3.078 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

2.638 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

10 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

195 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

12,860 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:

12,630 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$23 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.889 billion f.o.b. (2007)

Exports - commodities:

copper, apparel, livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides, fluorspar, other nonferrous metals

Exports - partners:

China 71.9%, Canada 10.7%, US 4.8% (2007)

Imports:

$2.117 billion c.i.f. (2007)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, fuel, cars, food products, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building materials, sugar, tea

Imports - partners:

China 32%, Russia 29.4%, South Korea 7.9%, Japan 7.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$159.5 million (2006)

Debt - external:

$1.438 billion (2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$613.3 million (2007)

Currency (code):

togrog/tugrik (MNT)

Currency code:

MNT

Exchange rates:

togrog/tugriks (MNT) per US dollar - 1,170 (2007), 1,179.6 (2006), 1,205 (2005), 1,185.3 (2004), 1,146.5 (2003)

Communications

Mongolia

Telephones - main lines in use:

158,900 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

775,300 (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: network is improving with international direct dialing available in many areas domestic: very low fixed-line density; there are multiple mobile cellular service providers and subscribership is increasing rapidly; a fiber-optic network is also being installed that will improve broadband and communication services between major urban centers international: country code - 976; satellite earth stations - 7

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 7, FM 115 (includes 20 National radio broadcaster repeaters), shortwave 4 (2006)

Radios:

155,900 (1999)

Television broadcast stations:

456 (including provincial and low-power repeaters) (2006)

Televisions:

168,800 (1999)

Internet country code:

.mn

Internet hosts:

356 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

5 (2001)

Internet users:

320,000 (2007)

Transportation

Mongolia

Airports:

44 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 13 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 31 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Railways:

total: 1,810 km broad gauge: 1,810 km 1.524-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 49,250 km paved: 1,724 km unpaved: 47,526 km (2002)

Waterways:

580 km note: only waterway in operation is Lake Hovsgol (135 km); Selenge River (270 km) and Orhon River (175 km) are navigable but carry little traffic; lakes and rivers freeze in winter, are open from May to September (2004)

Merchant marine:

total: 77 by type: bulk carrier 20, cargo 44, chemical tanker 2, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 6, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 53 (China 1, Germany 4, Indonesia 1, North Korea 1, South Korea 1, Lebanon 2, Russia 9, Singapore 9, Thailand 1, Ukraine 1, Vietnam 23) (2008)

Military

Mongolia

Military branches:

Mongolian Armed Forces: Mongolian Army, Mongolian Air Force; there is no navy (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-25 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months in land or air defense forces or police; a small portion of Mongolian land forces (2.5 percent) is comprised of contract soldiers; women cannot be deployed overseas for military operations (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 865,425 females age 16-49: 860,669 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 696,652 females age 16-49: 731,480 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 29,990 female: 29,256 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.4% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Mongolia

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Montenegro

Introduction

Montenegro

Background:

The use of the name Montenegro began in the 15th century when the Crnojevic dynasty began to rule the Serbian principality of Zeta; over subsequent centuries Montenegro was able to maintain its independence from the Ottoman Empire. From the 16th to 19th centuries, Montenegro became a theocracy ruled by a series of bishop princes; in 1852, it was transformed into a secular principality. After World War I, Montenegro was absorbed by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929; at the conclusion of World War II, it became a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. When the latter dissolved in 1992, Montenegro federated with Serbia, first as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and, after 2003, in a looser union of Serbia and Montenegro. In May 2006, Montenegro invoked its right under the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro to hold a referendum on independence from the state union. The vote for severing ties with Serbia exceeded 55% - the threshold set by the EU - allowing Montenegro to formally declare its independence on 3 June 2006.

Geography

Montenegro

Location:

Southeastern Europe, between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia

Geographic coordinates:

42 30 N, 19 18 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 14,026 sq km land: 13,812 sq km water: 214 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries:

total: 625 km border countries: Albania 172 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 225 km, Croatia 25 km, Kosovo 79 km, Serbia 124 km

Coastline:

293.5 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: defined by treaty

Climate:

Mediterranean climate, hot dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfalls inland

Terrain:

highly indented coastline with narrow coastal plain backed by rugged high limestone mountains and plateaus

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Bobotov Kuk 2,522 m

Natural resources:

bauxite, hydroelectricity

Land use:

arable land: 13.7% permanent crops: 1% other: 85.3%

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

destructive earthquakes

Environment - current issues:

pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets, especially in tourist-related areas such as Kotor

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ship Pollution

Geography - note:

strategic location along the Adriatic coast

People

Montenegro

Population:

678,177 (July 2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.925% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

11.17 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.51 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne disease: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Montenegrin(s) adjective: Montenegrin

Ethnic groups:

Montenegrin 43%, Serbian 32%, Bosniak 8%, Albanian 5%, other

(Muslims, Croats, Roma (Gypsy)) 12% (2003 census)

Religions:

Orthodox 74.2%, Muslim 17.7%, Catholic 3.5%, other 0.6%, unspecified 3%, atheist 1% (2003 census)

Languages:

Serbian 63.6%, Montenegrin (official) 22%, Bosnian 5.5%, Albanian 5.3%, unspecified 3.7% (2003 census)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Montenegro

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Montenegro local long form: none local short form: Crna Gora former: People's Republic of Montenegro, Socialist Republic of Montenegro, Republic of Montenegro

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Podgorica geographic coordinates: 42 26 N, 19 16 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1 hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

21 municipalities (opstine, singular - opstina); Andrijevica, Bar,

Berana, Bijelo Polje, Budva, Cetinje, Danilovgrad, Herceg Novi,

Kolasin, Kotor, Mojkovac, Niksic, Plav, Pljevlja, Pluzine,

Podgorica, Rozaje, Savnik, Tivat, Ulcinj, Zabljak

Independence:

3 June 2006 (from Serbia and Montenegro)

National holiday:

National Day, 13 July (1878)

Constitution:

19 October 2007 (approved by the Assembly)

Legal system:

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Filip VUJANOVIC (since 11 May 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Milo DJUKANOVIC (since 29 February 2008) cabinet: Ministries act as cabinet elections: president elected by direct vote for five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 6 April 2008 (next to be held in 2013); prime minister proposed by president, accepted by Assembly election results: Filip VUJANOVIC reelected president; Filip VUJANOVIC 51.89%, Andrija MANDIC 19.55%, Nebojsa MEDOJEVIC 16.64%, Srdan MILIC 11.92%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Assembly (81 seats; members elected by direct vote for four-year terms; changed from 74 seats in 2006) elections: last held 10 September 2006 (next to be held 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - Coalition for European Montenegro 47.7%, Serbian List 14.4%, Coalition SNP-NS-DSS 13.8%, PZP 12.9%, Liberals and Bosniaks 3.7%, other (including Albanian minority parties) 7.5%; seats by party - Coalition for European Montenegro 41, Serbian List 12, Coalition SNP/NS/DSS 11, PZP 11, Liberals and Bosniaks 3, Albanian minority parties 3

Judicial branch:

Constitutional Court (five judges with nine-year terms); Supreme

Court (judges have life tenure)

Political parties and leaders:

Albanian Alternative or AA [Vesel SINISHTAJ]; Coalition for European

Montenegro or DPS-SDP (bloc) [Milo DJUKANOVIC] (includes Democratic

Party of Socialists or DPS [Milo DJUKANOVIC] and Social Democratic

Party of SDP [Ranko KRIVOKAPIC]); Coalition SNP-NS-DSS (bloc)

(includes Socialist People's Party or SNP [Srdjan MILIC], People's

Party of Montenegro or NS [Predrag POPOVIC], and Democratic Serbian

Party of Montenegro or DSS [Ranko KADIC]); Democratic League-Party

of Democratic Prosperity or SPP [Mehmet BARHDI]; Democratic Union of

Albanians or DUA [Ferhat DINOSA]; Liberals and the Bosniak Party

(bloc) [Miodrag ZIVKOVIC] (includes Liberal Party of Montenegro or

LP [Miodrag ZIVKOVIC] and Bosniak Party or BS [Rafet HUSOVIC]);

Movement for Changes or PZP [Nebojsa MEDOJEVIC]; Serbian List (bloc)

[Andrija MANDIC] (includes Party of Serb Radicals or SSR [Dusko

SEKULIC], People's Socialist Party or NSS [Emilo LABUDOVIC], and

Serbian People's Party of Montenegro or SNS [Andrija MANDIC])

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Sandzak People's Movement [Cemal SULFEJIC]

International organization participation:

CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC,

IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO

(correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN,

UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Miodrag VLAHOVIC chancery: 1610 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-6108 FAX: [1] (202) 234-6109 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Roderick W. MOORE embassy: Ljubljanska bb, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [382] 81 225 417 FAX: [382] 81 241 358

Flag description:

a red field bordered by a narrow golden-yellow stripe with the Montenegrin coat of arms centered

Economy

Montenegro

Economy - overview:

Montenegro severed its economy from federal control and from Serbia during the MILOSEVIC era and maintained its own central bank, used the euro instead of the Yugoslav dinar as official currency, collected customs tariffs, and managed its own budget. The dissolution of the loose political union between Serbia and Montenegro in 2006 led to separate membership in several international financial institutions, such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. On 18 January 2007, Montenegro joined the World Bank and IMF. Montenegro is pursuing its own membership in the World Trade Organization as well as negotiating a Stabilization and Association agreement with the European Union in anticipation of eventual membership. Severe unemployment remains a key political and economic problem for this entire region. Montenegro has privatized its large aluminum complex - the dominant industry - as well as most of its financial sector, and has begun to attract foreign direct investment in the tourism sector.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$5.918 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$2.974 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$3,800 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Labor force:

259,100 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 2% industry: 30% services: 68% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

14.7% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

7% (2007 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

30 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

30.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:

revenues: NA expenditures: NA

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

38% of GDP (2006)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.4% (2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

9.09% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.172 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.446 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$3.083 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

grains, tobacco, potatoes, citrus fruits, olives, grapes; sheepherding; commercial fishing negligible

Industries:

steelmaking, aluminum, agricultural processing, consumer goods, tourism

Electricity - production:

2.864 billion kWh (2005 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

18.6 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2005)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

450 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

NA cu m

Current account balance:

$NA

Exports:

$171.3 million (2003)

Exports - partners:

Switzerland 83.9%, Italy 6.1%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.3% (2006)

Imports:

$601.7 million (2003)

Imports - partners:

Greece 10.2%, Italy 10.2%, Germany 9.6%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 9.2% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$NA

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$NA

Debt - external:

$650 million (2006)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Montenegro

Telephones - main lines in use:

353,300 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

643,700 (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern telecommunications system with access to European satellites domestic: GSM wireless service, available through 2 providers with national coverage, is growing rapidly international: country code - 382; 2 international switches connect the national system

Radio broadcast stations:

31 (station types NA) (2004)

Television broadcast stations:

13 (2004)

Internet country code:

.me

Internet users:

280,000 (2007)

Transportation

Montenegro

Airports:

5 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Railways:

total: 250 km standard gauge: 250 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified 169 km) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 7,368 km paved: 4,742 km unpaved: 2,626 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 6 by type: cargo 5, passenger/cargo 1 registered in other countries: 3 (Bahamas 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Bar

Military

Montenegro

Military branches:

Armed Forces of the Republic of Montenegro: Army, Navy (serves as

Coast Guard), Air Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

compulsory national military service abolished August 2006

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 4,426 female: 4,201 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

Montenegrin plans call for the establishment of a fully professional armed forces

Transnational Issues

Montenegro

Disputes - international:

none

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 7,000 (Kosovo); note - mostly ethnic Serbs and Roma who fled Kosovo in 1999 IDPs: 16,192 (ethnic conflict in 1999 and riots in 2004) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Montenegro is primarily a transit country for the trafficking of women and girls to Western Europe for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; women and girls from the Balkans and Eastern Europe are trafficked across Montenegro to Western European countries tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Montenegro is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007; public attention to the issue of trafficking has diminished considerably in Montenegro in recent years (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Montserrat

Introduction

Montserrat

Background:

English and Irish colonists from St. Kitts first settled on Montserrat in 1632; the first African slaves arrived three decades later. The British and French fought for possession of the island for most of the 18th century, but it finally was confirmed as a British possession in 1783. The island's sugar plantation economy was converted to small farm landholdings in the mid 19th century. Much of this island was devastated and two-thirds of the population fled abroad because of the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano that began on 18 July 1995. Montserrat has endured volcanic activity since, with the last eruption occurring in July 2003.

Geography

Montserrat

Location:

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates:

16 45 N, 62 12 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 102 sq km land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

40 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation

Terrain:

volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: lava dome in English's Crater (in the Soufriere Hills volcanic complex) estimated at over 930 m (2006)

Natural resources:

NEGL

Land use:

arable land: 20% permanent crops: 0% other: 80% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995)

Environment - current issues:

land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation

Geography - note:

the island is entirely volcanic in origin and comprised of three major volcanic centers of differing ages

People

Montserrat

Population:

5,079 note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; some have returned (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 27.8% (male 738/female 675) 15-64 years: 64.8% (male 1,575/female 1,716) 65 years and over: 7.4% (male 245/female 130) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 28.1 years male: 28 years female: 28.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.315% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

12.01 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.86 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 16.46 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 20.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 72.6 years male: 74.66 years female: 70.44 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.22 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Montserratian(s) adjective: Montserratian

Ethnic groups:

black, white

Religions:

Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day

Adventist, other Christian denominations

Languages:

English

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 97% male: 97% female: 97% (1970 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 16 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.3% of GDP (2004)

Government

Montserrat

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Montserrat

Dependency status:

overseas territory of the UK

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Plymouth geographic coordinates: 16 42 N, 62 13 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 because of volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat

Administrative divisions:

3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter

Independence:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:

Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)

Constitution:

effective 19 December 1989

Legal system:

English common law and statutory law

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Peter A. WATERWORTH (since 27 July 2007) head of government: Chief Minister Lowell LEWIS (since 2 June 2006) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the chief minister, three other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes chief minister

Legislative branch:

unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats, 9 popularly elected; members serve five-year terms) note: expanded in 2001 from 7 to 9 elected members with attorney general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio members elections: last held 31 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - MCAP 36.1%, NPLM 29.4%, MDP 24.4%, independents 10.1%; seats by party - MCAP 4, NPLM 3, MDP 1, independents 1 note: in 2001, the Elections Commission instituted a single constituency/voter-at-large system whereby all eligible voters cast ballots for all nine seats of the Legislative Council

Judicial branch:

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia, one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court)

Political parties and leaders:

Montserrat Democratic Party or MDP [Lowell LEWIS]; Movement for

Change and Prosperity or MCAP [Roselyn CASSELL-SEALY]; New People's

Liberation Movement or NPLM [John A. OSBORNE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

Caricom, CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:

blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a woman standing beside a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross

Economy

Montserrat

Economy - overview:

Severe volcanic activity, which began in July 1995, has put a damper on this small, open economy. A catastrophic eruption in June 1997 closed the airports and seaports, causing further economic and social dislocation. Two-thirds of the 12,000 inhabitants fled the island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack of housing limited the number. The agriculture sector continued to be affected by the lack of suitable land for farming and the destruction of crops. Prospects for the economy depend largely on developments in relation to the volcanic activity and on public sector construction activity. The UK has launched a three-year $122.8 million aid program to help reconstruct the economy. Half of the island is expected to remain uninhabitable for another decade.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$29 million (2002 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

-1% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$3,400 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1.2% industry: 23.1% services: 75.7% (1999 est.)

Labor force:

4,521 note: lowered by flight of people from volcanic activity (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

6% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $31.4 million expenditures: $31.6 million (1997 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.6% (2002 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

10.4% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$17.9 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$43.9 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$5.537 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock products

Industries:

tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

22 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

20.46 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

505.5 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

482.6 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$700,000 (2001)

Exports - commodities:

electronic components, plastic bags, apparel; hot peppers, limes, live plants; cattle

Exports - partners:

US, Antigua and Barbuda (2006)

Imports:

$17 million (2001)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials

Imports - partners:

US, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

Country Policy Plan (2001) is a three-year program for spending $122.8 million in British budgetary assistance (2002 est.)

Debt - external:

$8.9 million (1997)

Currency (code):

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code:

XCD

Exchange rates:

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003) note: fixed rate since 1976

Communications

Montserrat

Telephones - main lines in use:

NA

Telephones - mobile cellular:

NA

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern and fully digitalized domestic: NA international: country code - 1-664; landing point for the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine cable with links to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin Islands to Trinidad

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

7,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (1997)

Televisions:

3,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ms

Internet hosts:

409 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

17 (2000)

Internet users:

NA

Transportation

Montserrat

Airports:

2 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Roadways:

note: volcanic eruptions that began in 1995 destroyed most of the 227 km road system; a new road infrastructure has been built in the north end of the island (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Little Bay, Plymouth

Military

Montserrat

Military branches:

no regular military forces; Royal Montserrat Police Force (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,528 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,097 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 31 female: 39 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

Montserrat

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Morocco

Introduction

Morocco

Background:

In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North Africa, successive Moorish dynasties began to rule in Morocco. In the 16th century, the Sa'adi monarchy, particularly under Ahmad AL-MANSUR (1578-1603), repelled foreign invaders and inaugurated a golden age. In 1860, Spain occupied northern Morocco and ushered in a half century of trade rivalry among European powers that saw Morocco's sovereignty steadily erode; in 1912, the French imposed a protectorate over the country. A protracted independence struggle with France ended successfully in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier and most Spanish possessions were turned over to the new country that same year. Morocco virtually annexed Western Sahara during the late 1970s, but final resolution on the status of the territory remains unresolved. Gradual political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature, which first met in 1997. Improvements in human rights have occurred and there is a largely free press. Despite the continuing reforms, ultimate authority remains in the hands of the monarch.

Geography

Morocco

Location:

Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the

Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara

Geographic coordinates:

32 00 N, 5 00 W

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 446,550 sq km land: 446,300 sq km water: 250 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than California

Land boundaries:

total: 2,017.9 km border countries: Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km, Spain (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km

Coastline:

1,835 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior

Terrain:

northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Sebkha Tah -55 m highest point: Jebel Toubkal 4,165 m

Natural resources:

phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt

Land use:

arable land: 19% permanent crops: 2% other: 79% (2005)

Irrigated land:

14,450 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

29 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 12.6 cu km/yr (10%/3%/87%) per capita: 400 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

land degradation/desertification (soil erosion resulting from farming of marginal areas, overgrazing, destruction of vegetation); water supplies contaminated by raw sewage; siltation of reservoirs; oil pollution of coastal waters

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note:

strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar

People

Morocco

Population:

34,343,220 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 30.5% (male 5,337,322/female 5,136,156) 15-64 years: 64.3% (male 11,015,409/female 11,069,038) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 765,882/female 1,019,412) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 24.7 years male: 24.1 years female: 25.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.505% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

21.31 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.49 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.77 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 38.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 41.74 deaths/1,000 live births female: 34.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 71.52 years male: 69.16 years female: 74 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.57 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

15,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Moroccan(s) adjective: Moroccan

Ethnic groups:

Arab-Berber 99.1%, other 0.7%, Jewish 0.2%

Religions:

Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2%

Languages:

Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the language of business, government, and diplomacy

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 52.3% male: 65.7% female: 39.6% (2004 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 11 years female: 9 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Morocco

Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Morocco conventional short form: Morocco local long form: Al Mamlakah al Maghribiyah local short form: Al Maghrib

Government type:

constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Rabat geographic coordinates: 34 01 N, 6 49 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

15 regions; Grand Casablanca, Chaouia-Ouardigha, Doukkala-Abda, Fes-Boulemane, Gharb-Chrarda-Beni Hssen, Guelmim-Es Smara, Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra, Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, Meknes-Tafilalet, Oriental, Rabat-Sale-Zemmour-Zaer, Souss-Massa-Draa, Tadla-Azilal, Tanger-Tetouan, Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate note: Morocco claims the territory of Western Sahara, the political status of which is considered undetermined by the US Government; portions of the regions Guelmim-Es Smara and Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra as claimed by Morocco lie within Western Sahara; Morocco claims another region, Oued Eddahab-Lagouira, which falls entirely within Western Sahara

Independence:

2 March 1956 (from France)

National holiday:

Throne Day (accession of King MOHAMED VI to the throne), 30 July (1999)

Constitution:

10 March 1972; revised 4 September 1992, amended (to create bicameral legislature) September 1996

Legal system:

based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law systems; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal (as of January 2003)

Executive branch:

chief of state: King MOHAMED VI (since 30 July 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Abbas EL FASSI (since 19 September 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch following legislative elections

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of a Chamber of Counselors (or upper house) (270 seats; members elected indirectly by local councils, professional organizations, and labor syndicates for nine-year terms; one-third of the members are elected every three years) and Chamber of Representatives (or lower house) (325 seats; 295 members elected by multi-seat constituencies and 30 from national lists of women; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Counselors - last held 8 September 2006 (next to be held in 2009); Chamber of Representatives - last held 7 September 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: Chamber of Counselors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PI 17, MP 14, RNI 13, USFP 11, UC 6, PND 4, PPS 4, Al Ahd 4, other 17; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PI 52, PJD 46, MP 41, RNI 39, USFP 38, UC 27, PPS 17, FFD 9, MDS 9, Al Ahd 8, other 39

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are appointed on the recommendation of the

Supreme Council of the Judiciary, presided over by the monarch)

Political parties and leaders:

Action Party or PA [Muhammad EL IDRISSI]; Alliance of Liberties or

ADL [Ali BELHAJ]; Annahj Addimocrati or Annahj [Abdellah EL HARIF];

Avant Garde Social Democratic Party or PADS [Ahmed BENJELLOUN];

Citizen Forces or FC [Abderrahman LAHJOUJI]; Citizen's Initiatives

for Development [Mohamed BENHAMOU]; Constitutional Union or UC

[Mohamed ABIED]; Democratic and Independence Party or PDI

[Abdelwahed MAACH]; Democratic and Social Movement or MDS [Mahmoud

ARCHANE]; Democratic Forces Front or FFD; Democratic Socialist Party

or PSD [Aissa OUARDIGHI]; Democratic Society Party or PSD [Zhor

CHEKKAFI]; Democratic Union or UD [Bouazza IKKEN]; Environment and

Development Party or PED [Ahmed EL ALAMI]; Front of Democratic

Forces or FFD [Thami EL KHYARI]; Independence Party (Istiqlal) or PI

[Abbas EL FASSI]; Justice and Development Party or PJD [Abdelilah

BENKIRANE]; Labor Party [Abdelkrim BENATIK]; Moroccan Liberal Party

or PML [Mohamed ZIANE]; National Democratic Party or PND [Abdallah

KADIRI]; National Ittihadi Congress Party or CNI [Abdelmajid

BOUZOUBAA]; National Rally of Independents or RNI [Mustapha EL

MANSOURI]; National Union of Popular Forces or UNFP [Abdellah

IBRAHIM]; Parti Al Ahd or Al Ahd [Najib EL OUAZZANI]; Party of

Progress and Socialism or PPS [Ismail ALAOUI]; Party of Renewal and

Equity or PRE [Chakir ACHABAR]; Party of the Unified Socialist Left

or GSU [Mohamed Ben Said AIT IDDER]; Popular Movement or MP [Mohamed

LAENSER]; Reform and Development Party or PRD [Abderrahmane EL

KOUHEN]; Social Center Party or PSC [Lahcen MADIH]; Socialist Union

of Popular Forces or USFP

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Democratic Confederation of Labor or CDT [Noubir AMAOUI]; General

Union of Moroccan Workers or UGTM [Abderrazzak AFILAL]; Moroccan

Employers Association or CGEM [Hassan CHAMI]; National Labor Union

of Morocco or UNMT [Abdelslam MAATI]; Union of Moroccan Workers or

UMT [Mahjoub BENSEDDIK]

International organization participation:

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,

IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS,

MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE (partner),

PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Aziz MEKOUAR chancery: 1601 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 462-7979 FAX: [1] (202) 265-0161 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas T. RILEY embassy: 2 Avenue de Mohamed El Fassi, Rabat mailing address: PSC 74, Box 021, APO AE 09718 telephone: [212] (37) 76 22 65 FAX: [212] (37) 76 56 61 consulate(s) general: Casablanca

Flag description:

red with a green pentacle (five-pointed, linear star) known as Sulayman's (Solomon's) seal in the center of the flag; red and green are traditional colors in Arab flags, although the use of red is more commonly associated with the Arab states of the Persian gulf; design dates to 1912

Economy

Morocco

Economy - overview:

Moroccan economic policies brought macroeconomic stability to the country in the early 1990s but have not spurred growth sufficient to reduce unemployment - nearing 20% in urban areas - despite the Moroccan Government's ongoing efforts to diversify the economy. Morocco's GDP growth rate slowed to 2.1% in 2007 as a result of a draught that severely reduced agricultural output and necessitated wheat imports at rising world prices. Continued dependence on foreign energy and Morocco's inability to develop small and medium size enterprises also contributed to the slowdown. Moroccan authorities understand that reducing poverty and providing jobs are key to domestic security and development. In 2005, Morocco launched the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), a $2 billion social development plan to address poverty and unemployment and to improve the living conditions of the country's urban slums. Moroccan authorities are implementing reform efforts to open the economy to international investors. Despite structural adjustment programs supported by the IMF, the World Bank, and the Paris Club, the dirham is only fully convertible for current account transactions. In 2000, Morocco entered an Association Agreement with the EU and, in 2006, entered a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US. Long-term challenges include improving education and job prospects for Morocco's youth, and closing the income gap between the rich and the poor, which the government hopes to achieve by increasing tourist arrivals and boosting competitiveness in textiles.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$125 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$73.43 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$3,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 13.8% industry: 38.4% services: 47.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

11.39 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 40% industry: 15% services: 45% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:

9.8% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

15% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 30.9% (1999)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

40 (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):

29.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $20.49 billion expenditures: $21.85 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

67.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

3.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$67.42 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$16.23 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$71.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

barley, wheat, citrus, wine, vegetables, olives; livestock

Industries:

phosphate rock mining and processing, food processing, leather goods, textiles, construction, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

21.88 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

19.58 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

1.998 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 95.4% hydro: 4.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

3,746 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

179,700 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

24,360 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:

192,500 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

836,000 bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

60 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

60 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

1.557 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$1.834 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$12.75 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

clothing and textiles, electric components, inorganic chemicals, transistors, crude minerals, fertilizers (including phosphates), petroleum products, citrus fruits, vegetables, fish

Exports - partners:

Spain 21.2%, France 19%, Italy 4.9%, UK 4.6%, India 4.2% (2007)

Imports:

$28.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

crude petroleum, textile fabric, telecommunications equipment, wheat, gas and electricity, transistors, plastics

Imports - partners:

France 16.1%, Spain 13.6%, China 7.3%, Italy 6.7%, Saudi Arabia 6.4%, Germany 5.9%, US 4.5%, Netherlands 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $651.8 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$24.72 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$19.91 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$32.9 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$882 million (2006 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$49.6 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Moroccan dirham (MAD)

Currency code:

MAD

Exchange rates:

Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per US dollar - 8.3563 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.574 (2003)

Communications

Morocco

Telephones - main lines in use:

2.394 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

20.029 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern system with all important capabilities; however, density is low with only 7 fixed lines available for each 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership is approaching 60 per 100 persons domestic: good system composed of open-wire lines, cables, and microwave radio relay links; Internet available but expensive; principal switching centers are Casablanca and Rabat; national network nearly 100% digital using fiber-optic links; improved rural service employs microwave radio relay international: country code - 212; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides connectivity to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Gibraltar, Spain, and Western Sahara; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria; participant in Medarabtel; fiber-optic cable link from Agadir to Algeria and Tunisia (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 27, FM 25, shortwave 6 (1998)

Radios:

6.64 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

35 (plus 66 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

3.1 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.ma

Internet hosts:

275,889 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

8 (2000)

Internet users:

7.3 million (2007)

Transportation

Morocco

Airports:

60 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 27 over 3,047 m: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 33 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 11 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 720 km; oil 439 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 1,907 km standard gauge: 1,907 km 1.435-m gauge (1,003 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 57,625 km paved: 35,664 km (includes 639 km of expressways) unpaved: 21,961 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 35 by type: cargo 3, chemical tanker 6, container 8, passenger/cargo 13, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 4 foreign-owned: 16 (France 14, Germany 2) registered in other countries: 4 (Gibraltar 4) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Agadir, Casablanca, Mohammedia, Safi

Military

Morocco

Military branches:

Royal Armed Forces (Forces Armees Royales, FAR): Royal Moroccan Army

(includes Air Defense), Navy (includes Marines), Royal Moroccan Air

Force (Al Quwwat al Jawyiya al Malakiya Marakishiya; Force Aerienne

Royale Marocaine) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 9,152,580 females age 16-49: 9,080,830 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 7,627,988 females age 16-49: 7,754,873 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 355,479 female: 343,016 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

5% of GDP (2003 est.)

Transnational Issues

Morocco

Disputes - international:

claims and administers Western Sahara whose sovereignty remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, the islands of Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; discussions have not progressed on a comprehensive maritime delimitation, setting limits on resource exploration and refugee interdiction, since Morocco's 2002 rejection of Spain's unilateral designation of a median line from the Canary Islands; Morocco serves as one of the primary launching areas of illegal migration into Spain from North Africa

Illicit drugs:

one of the world's largest producers of illicit hashish; shipments of hashish mostly directed to Western Europe; transit point for cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe; significant consumer of cannabis

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Mozambique

Introduction

Mozambique

Background:

Almost five centuries as a Portuguese colony came to a close with independence in 1975. Large-scale emigration by whites, economic dependence on South Africa, a severe drought, and a prolonged civil war hindered the country's development until the mid 1990's. The ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO) party formally abandoned Marxism in 1989, and a new constitution the following year provided for multiparty elections and a free market economy. A UN-negotiated peace agreement between FRELIMO and rebel Mozambique National Resistance (RENAMO) forces ended the fighting in 1992. In December 2004, Mozambique underwent a delicate transition as Joaquim CHISSANO stepped down after 18 years in office. His elected successor, Armando Emilio GUEBUZA, promised to continue the sound economic policies that have encouraged foreign investment. Mozambique has seen very strong economic growth since the end of the civil war largely due to post-conflict reconstruction.

Geography

Mozambique

Location:

Southeastern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South

Africa and Tanzania

Geographic coordinates:

18 15 S, 35 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 801,590 sq km land: 784,090 sq km water: 17,500 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of California

Land boundaries:

total: 4,571 km border countries: Malawi 1,569 km, South Africa 491 km, Swaziland 105 km, Tanzania 756 km, Zambia 419 km, Zimbabwe 1,231 km

Coastline:

2,470 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical to subtropical

Terrain:

mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m

Natural resources:

coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite

Land use:

arable land: 5.43% permanent crops: 0.29% other: 94.28% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,180 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

216 cu km (1992)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.63 cu km/yr (11%/2%/87%) per capita: 32 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods in central and southern provinces

Environment - current issues:

a long civil war and recurrent drought in the hinterlands have resulted in increased migration of the population to urban and coastal areas with adverse environmental consequences; desertification; pollution of surface and coastal waters; elephant poaching for ivory is a problem

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the Zambezi flows through the north-central and most fertile part of the country

People

Mozambique

Population:

21,284,700 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected; the 1997 Mozambican census reported a population of 16,099,246 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 44.5% (male 4,762,335/female 4,711,422) 15-64 years: 52.7% (male 5,472,184/female 5,736,154) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 251,026/female 351,580) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 17.4 years male: 17 years female: 17.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.792% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

38.21 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

20.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 107.84 deaths/1,000 live births male: 110.67 deaths/1,000 live births female: 104.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 41.04 years male: 41.62 years female: 40.44 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.24 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

12.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

1.3 million (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

110,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Mozambican(s) adjective: Mozambican

Ethnic groups:

African 99.66% (Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, and others), Europeans 0.06%, Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.08%

Religions:

Catholic 23.8%, Muslim 17.8%, Zionist Christian 17.5%, other 17.8%, none 23.1% (1997 census)

Languages:

Emakhuwa 26.1%, Xichangana 11.3%, Portuguese 8.8% (official; spoken by 27% of population as a second language), Elomwe 7.6%, Cisena 6.8%, Echuwabo 5.8%, other Mozambican languages 32%, other foreign languages 0.3%, unspecified 1.3% (1997 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 47.8% male: 63.5% female: 32.7% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 8 years male: 9 years female: 7 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

5% of GDP (2005)

Government

Mozambique

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique conventional short form: Mozambique local long form: Republica de Mocambique local short form: Mocambique former: Portuguese East Africa

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Maputo geographic coordinates: 25 57 S, 32 35 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

10 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), 1 city (cidade)*; Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Cidade de Maputo*, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia

Independence:

25 June 1975 (from Portugal)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 25 June (1975)

Constitution:

30 November 1990

Legal system:

based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Armando GUEBUZA (since 2 February 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Luisa DIOGO (since 17 February 2004) cabinet: Cabinet elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 1-2 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2009); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Armando GUEBUZA elected president; percent of vote - Armando GUEBUZA 63.7%, Afonso DHLAKAMA 31.7%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (250 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 1-2 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - FRELIMO 62%, RENAMO 29.7%, other 8.3%; seats by party - FRELIMO 160, RENAMO 90

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (the court of final appeal; some of its professional judges are appointed by the president and some are elected by the Assembly); other courts include an Administrative Court, customs courts, maritime courts, courts marshal, labor courts note: although the constitution provides for a separate Constitutional Court, one has never been established; in its absence the Supreme Court reviews constitutional cases

Political parties and leaders:

Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frente de Liberatacao de

Mocambique) or FRELIMO [Armando Emilio GUEBUZA]; Mozambique National

Resistance-Electoral Union (Resistencia Nacional Mocambicana-Uniao

Eleitoral) or RENAMO-UE [Afonso DHLAKAMA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Etica [Abdul CARIMO Issa, chairman]; Human Rights and Development (Direitos Humanos e Desenvolvimento) or DHD [Artemisia FRANCO, secretary general]; Institute for Peace and Democracy (Instituto para Paz e Democracia) or IPADE [Raul DOMINGOS, president]; Movement for Peace and Citizenship (Movimento para Paz e Cidadania); Mozambican League of Human Rights (Liga Mocambicana dos Direitos Humanos) or LDH [Alice MABOTE, president]

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CPLP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF (observer), OPCW, SADC, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Armando Alexandre PANGUENE chancery: 1525 New Hampshire Avenue, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 293-7146 FAX: [1] (202) 835-0245

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Todd C. CHAPMAN embassy: Avenida Kenneth Kuanda 193, Maputo mailing address: P. O. Box 783, Maputo telephone: [258] (21) 492797 FAX: [258] (21) 490114

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), black, and yellow with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; the black band is edged in white; centered in the triangle is a yellow five-pointed star bearing a crossed rifle and hoe in black superimposed on an open white book

Economy

Mozambique

Economy - overview:

At independence in 1975, Mozambique was one of the world's poorest countries. Socialist mismanagement and a brutal civil war from 1977-92 exacerbated the situation. In 1987, the government embarked on a series of macroeconomic reforms designed to stabilize the economy. These steps, combined with donor assistance and with political stability since the multi-party elections in 1994, have led to dramatic improvements in the country's growth rate. Inflation was reduced to single digits during the late 1990s, and although it returned to double digits in 2000-06, in 2007 inflation had slowed to 8%, while GDP growth reached 7.5%. Fiscal reforms, including the introduction of a value-added tax and reform of the customs service, have improved the government's revenue collection abilities. In spite of these gains, Mozambique remains dependent upon foreign assistance for much of its annual budget, and the majority of the population remains below the poverty line. Subsistence agriculture continues to employ the vast majority of the country's work force. A substantial trade imbalance persists although the opening of the Mozal aluminum smelter, the country's largest foreign investment project to date, has increased export earnings. At the end of 2007, and after years of negotiations, the government took over Portugal's majority share of the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectricity (HCB) company, a dam that was not transferred to Mozambique at independence because of the ensuing civil war and unpaid debts. More power is needed for additional investment projects in titanium extraction and processing and garment manufacturing that could further close the import/export gap. Mozambique's once substantial foreign debt has been reduced through forgiveness and rescheduling under the IMF's Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and Enhanced HIPC initiatives, and is now at a manageable level. In July 2007 the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) signed a Compact with Mozambique; the Mozambican government moved rapidly to ratify the Compact and propose a plan for funding.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$17.64 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$7.559 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 23% industry: 30.1% services: 46.9% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

9.6 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 81% industry: 6% services: 13% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:

21% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line:

70% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 39.4% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

47.3 (2002)

Investment (gross fixed):

21.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $2.302 billion expenditures: $2.63 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

22.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8.2% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

9.95% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

19.52% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.261 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.467 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$877.2 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava (tapioca), corn, coconuts, sisal, citrus and tropical fruits, potatoes, sunflowers; beef, poultry

Industries:

food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), aluminum, petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass, asbestos, tobacco

Industrial production growth rate:

10% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

14.62 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

9.555 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

12.83 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

9.839 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 2.9% hydro: 97.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

14,390 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

13,240 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

1.65 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

1.45 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

127.4 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$795.1 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$2.412 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

aluminum, prawns, cashews, cotton, sugar, citrus, timber; bulk electricity

Exports - partners:

Italy 19.4%, Belgium 18.4%, Spain 12.5%, South Africa 12.3%, UK 7.3%, China 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$2.811 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, chemicals, metal products, foodstuffs, textiles

Imports - partners:

South Africa 36.7%, Australia 8.5%, China 4.6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.286 billion (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.445 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$4.189 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

metical (MZM)

Currency code:

MZM

Exchange rates:

meticais (MZM) per US dollar - 26.264 (2007), 25.4 (2006), 23,061 (2005), 22,581 (2004), 23,782 (2003) note: in 2006 Mozambique revalued its currency, with 1000 old meticais equal to 1 new meticais

Communications

Mozambique

Telephones - main lines in use:

67,000 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

3.3 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: fair system with an extremely low density of less than 1 fixed line per 100 persons domestic: the telecommunications sector is shackled with a heavy state presence, lack of competition, and high operating costs and charges; stagnation in the fixed-line network contrasts with rapid growth in the mobile-cellular network; mobile-cellular coverage now includes all the main cities and key roads, including those from Maputo to the South African and Swaziland borders, the national highway through Gaza and Inhambane provinces, the Beira corridor, and from Nampula to Nacala international: country code - 258; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 13, FM 17, shortwave 11 (2001)

Radios:

730,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2000)

Televisions:

67,600 (2000)

Internet country code:

.mz

Internet hosts:

22,532 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

11 (2002)

Internet users:

200,000 (2007)

Transportation

Mozambique

Airports:

147 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 22 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 125 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 36 under 914 m: 79 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 964 km; refined products 278 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 3,123 km narrow gauge: 2,983 km 1.067-m gauge; 140 km 0.762-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 30,400 km paved: 5,685 km unpaved: 24,715 km (2000)

Waterways:

460 km (Zambezi River navigable to Tete and along Cahora Bassa Lake) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 2 by type: cargo 2 foreign-owned: 2 (Belgium 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Beira, Maputo, Nacala

Military

Mozambique

Military branches:

Mozambique Armed Defense Forces (FADM): Mozambique Army, Mozambique

Navy (Marinha Mocambique, MM), Mozambique Air Force (Forca Aerea de

Mocambique, FAM) (2006)

Military service age and obligation:

18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 4,545,975 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,287,526 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 257,261 female: 259,114 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.8% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Mozambique

Disputes - international:

none

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Mozambique is a source and, to a much lesser extent, a destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; the use of forced and bonded child laborers is a common practice in Mozambique's rural areas; women and girls are trafficked from rural to urban areas of Mozambique, as well as to South Africa, for domestic servitude and commercial sexual exploitation; young men and boys are trafficked to South Africa for farm work and mining tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for the second consecutive year, Mozambique is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking in 2007; while the government conducted investigations into cases of human trafficking, there were no prosecutions or convictions of traffickers; government efforts to protect victims of trafficking continued to suffer from limited resources and a lack of political commitment (2008)

Illicit drugs:

southern African transit point for South Asian hashish and heroin, and South American cocaine probably destined for the European and South African markets; producer of cannabis (for local consumption) and methaqualone (for export to South Africa); corruption and poor regulatory capability makes the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, but the lack of a well-developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Namibia

Introduction

Namibia

Background:

South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II, when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that was soon named Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Namibia has been governed by SWAPO since the country won independence in 1990. Hifikepunye POHAMBA was elected president in November 2004 in a landslide victory replacing Sam NUJOMA who led the country during its first 14 years of self rule.

Geography

Namibia

Location:

Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa

Geographic coordinates:

22 00 S, 17 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 825,418 sq km land: 825,418 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than half the size of Alaska

Land boundaries:

total: 3,936 km border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 967 km, Zambia 233 km

Coastline:

1,572 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic

Terrain:

mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m

Natural resources:

diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, silver, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, tungsten, zinc, salt, hydropower, fish note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore

Land use:

arable land: 0.99% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 99% (2005)

Irrigated land:

80 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

45.5 cu km (1991)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.3 cu km/yr (24%/5%/71%) per capita: 148 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

prolonged periods of drought

Environment - current issues:

limited natural fresh water resources; desertification; wildlife poaching; land degradation has led to few conservation areas

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

first country in the world to incorporate the protection of the environment into its constitution; some 14% of the land is protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip

People

Namibia

Population:

2,088,669 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 36.7% (male 386,252/female 379,426) 15-64 years: 59.5% (male 627,752/female 615,241) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 35,960/female 44,038) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 20.7 years male: 20.6 years female: 20.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.947% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

23.19 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

14.07 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 45.64 deaths/1,000 live births male: 49.24 deaths/1,000 live births female: 41.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 49.89 years male: 50.39 years female: 49.38 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.81 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

21.3% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

210,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

16,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Namibian(s) adjective: Namibian

Ethnic groups:

black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5% note: about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% to the Kavangos tribe; other ethnic groups include Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5%

Religions:

Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous beliefs 10% to 20%

Languages:

English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages 1% (includes Oshivambo, Herero, Nama)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85% male: 86.8% female: 83.5% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 11 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

6.9% of GDP (2003)

Government

Namibia

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Namibia conventional short form: Namibia local long form: Republic of Namibia local short form: Namibia former: German Southwest Africa, South-West Africa

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Windhoek geographic coordinates: 22 34 S, 17 05 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends first Sunday in April

Administrative divisions:

13 regions; Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Okavango, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa

Independence:

21 March 1990 (from South African mandate)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 21 March (1990)

Constitution:

ratified 9 February 1990, effective 12 March 1990

Legal system:

based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Hifikepunye POHAMBA (since 21 March 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Nahas ANGULA (since 21 March 2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2009) election results: Hifikepunye POHAMBA elected president; percent of vote - Hifikepunye POHAMBA 76.4%, Den ULENGA 7.3%, Katuutire KAURA 5.1%, Kuaima RIRUAKO 4.2%, Justus GAROEB 3.8%, other 3.2%

Legislative branch:

bicameral legislature consists of the National Council (26 seats; two members are chosen from each regional council to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly (72 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: National Council - elections for regional councils to determine members of the National Council held 29-30 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2010); National Assembly - last held 15-16 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2009) election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 89.7%, UDF 4.7%, NUDO 2.8%, DTA 1.9%, other 0.9%; seats by party - SWAPO 24, UDF 1, DTA 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 76.1%, COD 7.3%, DTA 5.1%, NUDO 4.2%, UDF 3.6%, RP 1.9%, MAG 0.8%, other 1.0%; seats by party - SWAPO 55, COD 5, DTA 4, NUDO 3, UDF 3, RP 1, MAG 1 note: the National Council is primarily an advisory body

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission)

Political parties and leaders:

Congress of Democrats or COD [Ben ULENGA]; Democratic Turnhalle

Alliance of Namibia or DTA [Katuutire KAURA]; Monitor Action Group

or MAG [Jurie VILJOEN]; National Democratic Movement for Change or

NamDMC; National Unity Democratic Organization or NUDO [Kuaima

RIRUAKO]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Hidipo

HAMUTENYA]; Republican Party or RP [Henk MUDGE]; South West Africa

National Union or SWANU [Rihupisa KANDANDO]; South West Africa

People's Organization or SWAPO [Hifikepunye POHAMBA]; United

Democratic Front or UDF [Justus GAROEB]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Earthlife Namibia [Berthchen KOHRS] (environmentalist group);

National Society for Human Rights or NSHR; The World Information

Services of Energy or WISE (group against nuclear power)

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU,

ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN,

UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO,

UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Patrick NANDAGO chancery: 1605 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 986-0540 FAX: [1] (202) 986-0443

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador G. Dennise MATHIEU embassy: 14 Lossen Street, Windhoek mailing address: Private Bag 12029 Ausspannplatz, Windhoek telephone: [264] (61) 295-8500 FAX: [264] (61) 295-8603

Flag description:

a wide red stripe edged by narrow white stripes divides the flag diagonally from lower hoist corner to upper fly corner; the upper hoist-side triangle is blue and charged with a yellow, 12-rayed sunburst; the lower fly-side triangle is green

Economy

Namibia

Economy - overview:

The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 8% of GDP, but provides more than 50% of foreign exchange earnings. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in Africa, the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium, and the producer of large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. The mining sector employs only about 3% of the population while about half of the population depends on subsistence agriculture for its livelihood. Namibia normally imports about 50% of its cereal requirements; in drought years food shortages are a major problem in rural areas. A high per capita GDP, relative to the region, hides one of the world's most unequal income distributions. The Namibian economy is closely linked to South Africa with the Namibian dollar pegged one-to-one to the South African rand. Increased payments from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) put Namibia's budget into surplus in 2007 for the first time since independence, but SACU payments will decline after 2008 as part of a new revenue sharing formula. Increased fish production and mining of zinc, copper, uranium, and silver spurred growth in 2003-07, but growth in recent years was undercut by poor fish catches and high costs for metal inputs.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$10.69 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$7.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$5,200 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 10.6% industry: 35.4% services: 53.9% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

660,000 (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 47% industry: 20% services: 33% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:

5.2% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

the UNDP's 2005 Human Development Report indicated that 34.9% of the population live on $1 per day and 55.8% live on $2 per day

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 64.5% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

70.7 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

23.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $2.765 billion expenditures: $2.515 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Public debt:

22.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

10.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

12.88% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$2.149 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.493 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$4.446 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

millet, sorghum, peanuts, grapes; livestock; fish

Industries:

meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamonds, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper)

Industrial production growth rate:

9% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

1.606 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

3.194 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

40 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

1.948 billion kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

NA

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

19,840 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

17,750 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

62.29 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$805.2 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$2.919 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish, karakul skins

Exports - partners:

South Africa 33.4%, US 4% (2006)

Imports:

$3.091 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners:

South Africa 85.2%, US (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $123.4 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$896 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.003 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$541.8 million (2006)

Currency (code):

Namibian dollar (NAD); South African rand (ZAR)

Currency code:

NAD; ZAR

Exchange rates:

Namibian dollars (NAD) per US dollar - 7.18 (2007), 6.7649 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003)

Communications

Namibia

Telephones - main lines in use:

138,100 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

800,300 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: good system with a combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity of about 45 per 100 persons domestic: core fiber-optic network links most centers and connections are now digital; Namibia's first mobile-cellular network, launched in 1994, provides coverage to 86 percent of Namibia by area international: country code - 264; fiber-optic cable to South Africa, microwave radio relay link to Botswana, direct links to other neighboring countries; connected to the South African Far East (SAFE) submarine cable through South Africa; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 39, shortwave 4 (2001)

Radios:

232,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (2007)

Televisions:

60,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.na

Internet hosts:

6,296 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

101,000 (2007)

Transportation

Namibia

Airports:

137 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 21 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 116 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 72 under 914 m: 20 (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,382 km narrow gauge: 2,382 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 42,237 km paved: 5,406 km unpaved: 36,831 km (2002)

Merchant marine:

total: 1 by type: cargo 1 registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Luderitz, Walvis Bay

Military

Namibia

Military branches:

Namibian Defense Force: Army, Navy, Air Wing (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 527,948 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 313,497 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 25,525 female: 25,182 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.7% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Namibia

Disputes - international:

concerns from international experts and local populations over the Okavango Delta ecology in Botswana and human displacement scuttled Namibian plans to construct a hydroelectric dam on Popa Falls along the Angola-Namibia border; managed dispute with South Africa over the location of the boundary in the Orange River; Namibia has supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to, plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 4,700 (Angola) (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Nauru

Introduction

Nauru

Background:

The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear, since their language does not resemble any other in the Pacific. The island was annexed by Germany in 1888 and its phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium. Nauru was occupied by Australian forces in World War I and subsequently became a League of Nations mandate. After the Second World War - and a brutal occupation by Japan - Nauru became a UN trust territory. It achieved its independence in 1968 and joined the UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic.

Geography

Nauru

Location:

Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall

Islands

Geographic coordinates:

0 32 S, 166 55 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 21 sq km land: 21 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

30 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to February)

Terrain:

sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m

Natural resources:

phosphates, fish

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

limited natural fresh water resources, roof storage tanks collect rainwater, but mostly dependent on a single, aging desalination plant; intensive phosphate mining during the past 90 years - mainly by a UK, Australia, and NZ consortium - has left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining land resources

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the

Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and

Makatea in French Polynesia; only 53 km south of Equator

People

Nauru

Population:

13,770 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 35.5% (male 2,492/female 2,393) 15-64 years: 62.5% (male 4,237/female 4,363) 65 years and over: 2.1% (male 148/female 137) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 21.3 years male: 20.7 years female: 21.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.772% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

24.26 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.54 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.08 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 9.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 63.81 years male: 60.2 years female: 67.6 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.94 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Nauruan(s) adjective: Nauruan

Ethnic groups:

Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%

Religions:

Nauru Congregational 35.4%, Roman Catholic 33.2%, Nauru Independent

Church 10.4%, other 14.1%, none 4.5%, unspecified 2.4% (2002 census)

Languages:

Nauruan (official; a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes

Literacy:

NA

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 8 years male: 8 years female: 9 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Nauru

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Nauru conventional short form: Nauru local long form: Republic of Nauru local short form: Nauru former: Pleasant Island

Government type:

republic

Capital:

no official capital; government offices in Yaren District time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren

Independence:

31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 31 January (1968)

Constitution:

29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968 (Constitution Day)

Legal system:

acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

20 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Marcus STEPHEN (since 19 December 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Marcus STEPHEN (since 19 December 2007); note - President Ludwig SCOTTY defeated in a no confidence vote in parliament on 19 December 2007 cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a three-year term; election last held 19 December 2007 (next to be held in 2010) election results: NA

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 26 April 2008 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 18; note - President Marcus STEPHEN called a snap election to break a parliamentary stalemate blocking legislative action

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal); Nauru

First (Naoero Amo) Party; note - loose multiparty system

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Woman Information and News Agency (women's issues)

International organization participation:

ACP, ADB, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF,

Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Marlene I. MOSES chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 937-0074 FAX: [1] (212) 937-0079 consulate(s): Agana (Guam)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru

Flag description:

blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the center and a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side; the star indicates the country's location in relation to the Equator (the yellow stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru

Economy

Nauru

Economy - overview:

Revenues of this tiny island have traditionally come from exports of phosphates, now significantly depleted. An Australian company in 2005 entered into an agreement intended to exploit remaining supplies. Few other resources exist with most necessities being imported, mainly from Australia, its former occupier and later major source of support. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems. In anticipation of the exhaustion of Nauru's phosphate deposits, substantial amounts of phosphate income were invested in trust funds to help cushion the transition and provide for Nauru's economic future. As a result of heavy spending from the trust funds, the government faces virtual bankruptcy. To cut costs the government has frozen wages and reduced overstaffed public service departments. In 2005, the deterioration in housing, hospitals, and other capital plant continued, and the cost to Australia of keeping the government and economy afloat continued to climb. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist, with estimates of Nauru's GDP varying widely.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$60 million (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$5,000 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Labor force - by occupation:

note: employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation (1992)

Unemployment rate:

90% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $13.5 million expenditures: $13.5 million (2005)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

-3.6% (1993)

Agriculture - products:

coconuts

Industries:

phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

31 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

28.83 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

1,070 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

1,049 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$64,000 f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:

phosphates

Exports - partners:

South Africa 63.7%, South Korea 7.6%, Canada 6.6% (2006)

Imports:

$20 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery

Imports - partners:

South Korea 43.8%, Australia 36.2%, US 5.9%, Germany 4.3% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$20 million mostly from Australia (2005)

Debt - external:

$33.3 million (2002)

Currency (code):

Australian dollar (AUD)

Currency code:

AUD

Exchange rates:

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)

Communications

Nauru

Telephones - main lines in use:

1,900 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1,500 (2002)

Telephone system:

general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities domestic: NA international: country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

7,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (1997)

Televisions:

500 (1997)

Internet country code:

.nr

Internet hosts:

42 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

300 (2002)

Transportation

Nauru

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 24 km paved: 24 km (2002)

Ports and terminals:

Nauru

Military

Nauru

Military branches:

no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,470 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 173 female: 159 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Military - note:

Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia

Transnational Issues

Nauru

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Navassa Island

Introduction

Navassa Island

Background:

This uninhabited island was claimed by the US in 1857 for its guano. Mining took place between 1865 and 1898. The lighthouse, built in 1917, was shut down in 1996 and administration of Navassa Island transferred from the Coast Guard to the Department of the Interior. A 1998 scientific expedition to the island described it as a unique preserve of Caribbean biodiversity; the following year it became a National Wildlife Refuge and annual scientific expeditions have continued.

Geography

Navassa Island

Location:

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, 35 miles west of Tiburon

Peninsula of Haiti

Geographic coordinates:

18 25 N, 75 02 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 5.4 sq km land: 5.4 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

8 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

marine, tropical

Terrain:

raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on southwest side 77 m

Natural resources:

guano

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)

Natural hazards:

hurricanes

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

strategic location 160 km south of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; mostly exposed rock with numerous solution holes but with enough grassland to support goat herds; dense stands of fig trees, scattered cactus

People

Navassa Island

Population:

uninhabited note: transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island

Government

Navassa Island

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Navassa Island

Dependency status:

unorganized, unincorporated territory of the US; administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior, from the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge in Boqueron, Puerto Rico; in September 1996, the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance of Navassa Island Light, a 46-meter-tall lighthouse on the southern side of the island; there has also been a private claim advanced against the island

Legal system:

the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (territory of the US)

Flag description:

the flag of the US is used

Economy

Navassa Island

Economy - overview:

Subsistence fishing and commercial trawling occur within refuge waters.

Transportation

Navassa Island

Ports and terminals:

none; offshore anchorage only

Military

Navassa Island

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues

Navassa Island

Disputes - international:

claimed by Haiti, source of subsistence fishing

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Nepal

Introduction

Nepal

Background:

In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. An insurgency led by Maoist extremists broke out in 1996. The ensuing nine-year civil war between insurgents and government forces witnessed the dissolution of the cabinet and parliament and assumption of absolute power by the king. Several weeks of mass protests in April 2006 were followed by several months of peace negotiations between the Maoists and government officials, and culminated in a November 2006 peace accord and the promulgation of an interim constitution. The newly formed interim parliament declared Nepal a democratic federal republic at its first meeting in May 2008, the king vacated the throne in mid-June 2008, and parliament elected the country's first president the following month.

Geography

Nepal

Location:

Southern Asia, between China and India

Geographic coordinates:

28 00 N, 84 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 147,181 sq km land: 143,181 sq km water: 4,000 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Arkansas

Land boundaries:

total: 2,926 km border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south

Terrain:

Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m

Natural resources:

quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore

Land use:

arable land: 16.07% permanent crops: 0.85% other: 83.08% (2005)

Irrigated land:

11,700 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

210.2 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 10.18 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%) per capita: 375 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons

Environment - current issues:

deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of alternatives); contaminated water (with human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents); wildlife conservation; vehicular emissions

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga - the world's tallest and third tallest - on the borders with China and India respectively

People

Nepal

Population:

29,519,114 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 38% (male 5,792,042/female 5,427,370) 15-64 years: 58.2% (male 8,832,488/female 8,345,724) 65 years and over: 3.8% (male 542,192/female 579,298) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 20.7 years male: 20.5 years female: 20.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.095% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

29.92 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.97 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 60.18 deaths/1,000 live births female: 63.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 60.94 years male: 61.12 years female: 60.75 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.91 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.5% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

61,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

3,100 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: Japanese encephalitis and malaria (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Nepalese (singular and plural) adjective: Nepalese

Ethnic groups:

Chhettri 15.5%, Brahman-Hill 12.5%, Magar 7%, Tharu 6.6%, Tamang 5.5%, Newar 5.4%, Muslim 4.2%, Kami 3.9%, Yadav 3.9%, other 32.7%, unspecified 2.8% (2001 census)

Religions:

Hindu 80.6%, Buddhist 10.7%, Muslim 4.2%, Kirant 3.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census) note: only official Hindu state in the world

Languages:

Nepali 47.8%, Maithali 12.1%, Bhojpuri 7.4%, Tharu (Dagaura/Rana) 5.8%, Tamang 5.1%, Newar 3.6%, Magar 3.3%, Awadhi 2.4%, other 10%, unspecified 2.5% (2001 census) note: many in government and business also speak English (2001 est.)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 48.6% male: 62.7% female: 34.9% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 9 years male: 10 years female: 8 years (2003)

Education expenditures:

3.4% of GDP (2003)

Government

Nepal

Country name:

conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal conventional short form: Nepal local long form: Sanghiya Loktantrik Ganatantra Nepal local short form: Nepal

Government type:

democratic republic

Capital:

name: Kathmandu geographic coordinates: 27 43 N, 85 19 E time difference: UTC+5.75 (10.75 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti

Independence:

1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan SHAH)

National holiday:

NA; note - in 2006, Parliament abolished the birthday of King GYANENDRA (7 July) and Constitution Day (9 November) as national holidays

Constitution:

9 November 1990; note - a new interim constitution was promulgated in January 2007; the November 2006 peace agreement calls for the election of a Constituent Assembly to draft a new permanent constitution

Legal system:

based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Ram Baran YADAV (as of 23 July 2008); Vice President Paramananda JHA (as of 23 July 2008) head of government: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal DAHAL (as of 18 August 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Bamdev GAUTAM cabinet: selected by the prime minister elections: president elected by Parliament; term NA; election last held 21 July 2008 election results: Ram Baran YADAV elected president by the Constituent Assembly in a second round of voting on 21 July 2008; Ram Baran YADAV 308, Ram Jaja Prasad SINGH 282

Legislative branch:

unicameral Constituent Assembly (601 seats; 240 seats decided by direct popular vote; 335 seats by proportional representation; 26 appointed by the Cabinet (Council of Ministers)) note: KOIRALA called the first sitting of the Constituent Assembly on 28 May 2008 elections: last held 10 April 2008 (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPN-M 220, NC 110, CPN-UML 103, Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum 52, Terai Madhesi Democratic Party/Nepal Sadbhawana Party 29, other smaller parties 61; note - 26 seats to be filled by the new Cabinet

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Sarbochha Adalat (chief justice is appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the other judges are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Judicial Council)

Political parties and leaders:

Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekata Party [Keshav Prasad MAINALI]; Communist

Party of Nepal (Maoist) [Pushpa Kamal DAHAL, also known as

PRACHANDA, chairman; Dr. Baburam BHATTARAI]; Communist Party of

Nepal (ML) [C.P. MAINALI]; Communist Party of Nepal (Unified) [Raj

Singh SHRIS]; Communist Party of Nepal (United) [Ganesh SHAH];

Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist or CPN/UML [Amrit

Kumar BOHARA]; Dalit Janajati Party [Vishwendraman PASHWAN];

Janamorcha Nepal [Amik SHERCHAN]; Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum

[Upendra YADAV]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Pashupati

Shumsher RANA] (also called Rastriya Prajatantra Party or RPP);

Nepal Loktantrik Samajbadi Dal [Upendra GACHCHHADAR]; Nepal Pariwar

Dal [Vinod DANGI]; Nepal Rastriya Party [Khushilal YADAV]; Nepal

Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi) [Shyam Sundar GUPTA]; Nepal Workers

and Peasants Party or NWPP [Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE]; Nepali Congress

Party or NCP [Girija Prasad KOIRALA]; Nepali Janata Dal [Bharat

Prasad MAHATO]; Rastriya Janamorcha [Chitra BAHADUR K.C.]; Rastriya

Janamukti Party [Malwar Singh THAPA]; Rastriya Janashakti Party or

RJP [Surya Bahadur THAPA] (split from RPP in March 2005); Rastriya

Prajatantra Party Nepal [Kamal THAPA]; Sadbhavana Party (Mahato)

[Rajendra MAHATO]; Samajbadi Prajatantrik Janata Party Nepal [Prem

Bahadur SINGH]; Sanghiya Loktantrik Rastriya Manch [Kamal

CHHARAHANG]; Terai Madhesi Democratic Party [Mahantha THAKUR]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: several small armed Madhesi groups along the southern border with India; a variety of groups advocating regional autonomy for individual ethnic groups

International organization participation:

ADB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,

IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent),

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, SAARC,

SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS,

UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Suresh Chandra CHALISE chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550 FAX: [1] (202) 667-5534 consulate(s) general: New York:

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Nancy J. POWELL embassy: Maharajgunj, Kathmandu mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [977] (1) 400-7200 FAX: [977] (1) 400-7272

Flag description:

red with a blue border around the unique shape of two overlapping right triangles; the smaller, upper triangle bears a white stylized moon and the larger, lower triangle bears a white 12-pointed sun

Economy

Nepal

Economy - overview:

Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with almost one-third of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for three-fourths of the population and accounting for 38% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Security concerns relating to the Maoist conflict have led to a decrease in tourism, a key source of foreign exchange. Nepal has considerable scope for exploiting its potential in hydropower and tourism, areas of recent foreign investment interest. Prospects for foreign trade or investment in other sectors will remain poor, however, because of the small size of the economy, its technological backwardness, its remoteness, its landlocked geographic location, its civil strife, and its susceptibility to natural disaster.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$29.29 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$9.627 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 38% industry: 20% services: 42% (FY05/06 est.)

Labor force:

11.11 million note: severe lack of skilled labor (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 76% industry: 6% services: 18% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

42% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:

30.9% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 40.6% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

47.2 (2004)

Budget:

revenues: $1.153 billion expenditures: $1.927 billion (FY06/07)

Fiscal year:

16 July - 15 July

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6.4% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$2.184 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$4.745 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$5.636 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, jute, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat

Industries:

tourism, carpets, textiles; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarettes, cement and brick production

Industrial production growth rate:

2.2% (FY05/06)

Electricity - production:

2.703 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

2.276 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

165 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

380 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 8.5% hydro: 91.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

16,960 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

11,530 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$58 million (2007)

Exports:

$830 million f.o.b.; note - does not include unrecorded border trade with India (2006)

Exports - commodities:

carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain

Exports - partners:

India 69.3%, US 8.8%, Germany 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$2.398 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer

Imports - partners:

India 58.9%, China 13.6%, Japan 1.6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$427.9 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$3.07 billion (March 2006)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$963.5 million (2005)

Currency (code):

Nepalese rupee (NPR)

Currency code:

NPR

Exchange rates:

Nepalese rupees (NPR) per US dollar - NA (2007), 72.446 (2006), 72.16 (2005), 73.674 (2004), 76.141 (2003)

Communications

Nepal

Telephones - main lines in use:

766,400 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.157 million (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile-cellular telephone network domestic: NA international: country code - 977; radiotelephone communications; microwave landline to India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2000)

Radios:

840,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998)

Televisions:

130,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.np

Internet hosts:

42,219 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

6 (2000)

Internet users:

337,100 (2007)

Transportation

Nepal

Airports:

47 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 10 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 37 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 30 (2007)

Railways:

total: 59 km narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 17,280 km paved: 9,829 km unpaved: 7,451 km (2004)

Military

Nepal

Military branches:

Nepalese Army, Armed Police Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; 15 years of age for military training; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 7,322,965 females age 16-49: 6,859,064 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,146,958 females age 16-49: 4,724,495 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 335,747 female: 312,297 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.6% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Nepal

Disputes - international:

joint border commission continues to work on contested sections of boundary with India, including the 400 square kilometer dispute over the source of the Kalapani River; India has instituted a stricter border regime to restrict transit of Maoist insurgents and illegal cross-border activities; approximately 106,000 Bhutanese Lhotshampas (Hindus) have been confined in refugee camps in southeastern Nepal since 1990

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 107,803 (Bhutan); 20,153 (Tibet/China) IDPs: 50,000-70,000 (remaining from ten-year Maoist insurgency that officially ended in 2006; displacement spread across the country) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

illicit producer of cannabis and hashish for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Netherlands

Introduction

Netherlands

Background:

The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I, but suffered invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EEC (now the EU), and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999.

Geography

Netherlands

Location:

Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany

Geographic coordinates:

52 30 N, 5 45 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 41,526 sq km land: 33,883 sq km water: 7,643 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Land boundaries:

total: 1,027 km border countries: Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km

Coastline:

451 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters

Terrain:

mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Zuidplaspolder -7 m highest point: Vaalserberg 322 m

Natural resources:

natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and gravel, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 21.96% permanent crops: 0.77% other: 77.27% (2005)

Irrigated land:

5,650 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

89.7 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 8.86 cu km/yr (6%/60%/34%) per capita: 544 cu m/yr (2001)

Natural hazards:

flooding

Environment - current issues:

water pollution in the form of heavy metals, organic compounds, and nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates; air pollution from vehicles and refining activities; acid rain

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea,

Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection,

Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands,

Whaling

Geography - note:

located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde)

People

Netherlands

Population:

16,645,313 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 17.6% (male 1,496,348/female 1,427,297) 15-64 years: 67.8% (male 5,705,003/female 5,583,787) 65 years and over: 14.6% (male 1,040,932/female 1,391,946) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 40 years male: 39.2 years female: 40.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.436% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.53 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.71 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.81 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.34 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 79.25 years male: 76.66 years female: 81.98 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.66 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

19,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women) adjective: Dutch

Ethnic groups:

Dutch 80.7%, EU 5%, Indonesian 2.4%, Turkish 2.2%, Surinamese 2%, Moroccan 2%, Netherlands Antilles & Aruba 0.8%, other 4.8% (2008 est.)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 30%, Dutch Reformed 11%, Calvinist 6%, other

Protestant 3%, Muslim 5.8%, other 2.2%, none 42% (2006)

Languages:

Dutch (official), Frisian (official)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 16 years male: 17 years female: 16 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

5.3% of GDP (2005)

Government

Netherlands

Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands conventional short form: Netherlands local long form: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden local short form: Nederland

Government type:

constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Amsterdam geographic coordinates: 52 23 N, 4 54 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: The Hague is the seat of government; time descriptions apply to the continental Netherlands only, not to the Caribbean components

Administrative divisions:

12 provinces (provincies, singular - provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland,

Friesland (Fryslan), Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant

(North Brabant), Noord-Holland (North Holland), Overijssel, Utrecht,

Zeeland (Zealand), Zuid-Holland (South Holland)

Dependent areas:

Aruba, Netherlands Antilles

Independence:

23 January 1579 (the northern provinces of the Low Countries conclude the Union of Utrecht breaking with Spain; on 26 July 1581 they formally declared their independence with an Act of Abjuration; however, it was not until 30 January 1648 and the Peace of Westphalia that Spain recognized this independence)

National holiday:

Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX), 30 April (1909 and 1980)

Constitution:

adopted 1815; amended many times, most recently in 2002

Legal system:

based on civil law system incorporating French penal theory; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen BEATRIX (since 30 April 1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER (born 27 April 1967), son of the monarch head of government: Prime Minister Jan Peter BALKENENDE (since 22 July 2002); Deputy Prime Ministers Wouter BOS (since 22 February 2007) and Andre ROUVOET (since 22 February 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following Second Chamber elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; deputy prime ministers appointed by the monarch note: there is also a Council of State composed of the monarch, heir apparent, and councilors that provides consultations to the cabinet on legislative and administrative policy

Legislative branch:

bicameral States General or Staten Generaal consists of the First Chamber or Eerste Kamer (75 seats; members indirectly elected by the country's 12 provincial councils to serve four-year terms) and the Second Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: First Chamber - last held 29 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2011); Second Chamber - last held 22 November 2006 (next to be held by early 2011) election results: First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDA 21, PvdA 14, VVD 14, Socialist Party 11, Christian Union 4, Green Left Party 4, D66 2, other 5; Second Chamber - percent of vote by party - CDA 26.5%, PvdA 21.2%, Socialist Party 16.6%, VVD 14.6%, Party for Freedom 5.9%, Green Party 4.6%, Christian Union 4.0%, other 6.6%; seats by party - CDA 41, PvdA 33, Socialist Party 25, VVD 22, Party for Freedom 9, Green Party 7, Christian Union 6, other 7

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Hoge Raad (justices are nominated for life by the monarch)

Political parties and leaders:

Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Jan Peter BALKENENDE]; Christian Union Party [Andre ROUVOET]; Democrats 66 or D66 [Alexander PECHTOLD]; Green Left Party [Femke HALSEMA]; Labor Party or PvdA [Wouter BOS]; Party for Freedom or PVV [Geert WILDERS]; Party for the Animals or PvdD [Marianne THIEME]; People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Liberal) or VVD [Mark RUTTE]; Reformed Political Party of SGP [Bas VAN DER VLIES]; Socialist Party [Jan MARIJNISSEN]; plus a few minor parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Christian Trade Union Federation or CNV [Rene PAAS]; Confederation

of Netherlands Industry and Employers or VNO-NCW [Bernard WIENTJES];

Federation for Small and Medium-sized businesses or MKB [Loek

HERMANS]; Netherlands Trade Union Federation or FNV [Agnes

JONGERIUS]; Social Economic Council or SER [Alexander RINNOOY Kan];

Trade Union Federation of Middle and High Personnel or MHP [Ad

VERHOEVEN]

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic

Council (observer), Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CBSS (observer),

CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,

IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris

Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Regina "Renee" JONES-BOS chancery: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-5300, [1] 877-388-2443 FAX: [1] (202) 362-3430 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador James B. CULBERTSON embassy: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ, The Hague mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715 telephone: [31] (70) 310-2209 FAX: [31] (70) 361-4688 consulate(s) general: Amsterdam

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue; similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer; one of the oldest flags in constant use, originating with WILLIAM I, Prince of Orange, in the latter half of the 16th century

Economy

Netherlands

Economy - overview:

The Netherlands has a prosperous and open economy, which depends heavily on foreign trade. The economy is noted for stable industrial relations, moderate unemployment and inflation, a sizable current account surplus, and an important role as a European transportation hub. Industrial activity is predominantly in food processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. A highly mechanized agricultural sector employs no more than 3% of the labor force but provides large surpluses for the food-processing industry and for exports. The Netherlands, along with 11 of its EU partners, began circulating the euro currency on 1 January 2002. The country continues to be one of the leading European nations for attracting foreign direct investment and is one of the five largest investors in the US. The economy experienced a slowdown in 2005 but in 2006 recovered to the fastest pace in six years on the back of increased exports and strong investment. The pace of job growth reached 10-year highs in 2007.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$645.5 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$768.7 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$39,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2% industry: 24.4% services: 73.6% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

7.604 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 3% industry: 21% services: 76% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:

4.6% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

10.5% (2005)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 22.9% (1999)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

30.9 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

20% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $359.5 billion expenditures: $356.5 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

45.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.6% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8.72% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

NA note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders

Stock of quasi money:

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.876 trillion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; livestock

Industries:

agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing

Industrial production growth rate:

3.1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

97.33 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

109.6 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

5.565 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

23.14 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 89.9% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 4.3% other: 5.7% (2001)

Oil - production:

88,950 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

984,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

1.639 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

2.648 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

100 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

76.33 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

46.42 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

55.66 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

25.73 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

1.416 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$47.31 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$456.8 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs

Exports - partners:

Germany 24.4%, Belgium 13.6%, UK 9.1%, France 8.5%, Italy 5.1%, US 4.3% (2007)

Imports:

$406.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing

Imports - partners:

Germany 17.7%, China 10.5%, Belgium 9.3%, US 7.3%, UK 5.8%, Russia 5.1%, France 4.4% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $5.452 billion (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$26.98 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$2.277 trillion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$673.4 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$851.3 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$924.4 billion (November 2007)

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Netherlands

Telephones - main lines in use:

7.334 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

17.3 million (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: highly developed and well maintained domestic: extensive fixed-line fiber-optic network; large cellular telephone system with 5 major operators utilizing the third generation of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) technology international: country code - 31; submarine cables provide links to the US and Europe; satellite earth stations - 5 (3 Intelsat - 1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 4, FM 246, shortwave 3 (2004)

Radios:

15.3 million (1996)

Television broadcast stations:

21 (plus 26 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

8.1 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.nl

Internet hosts:

10.983 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

52 (2000)

Internet users:

15 million (2007)

Transportation

Netherlands

Airports:

27 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 20 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 81 km; gas 7,394 km; oil 578 km; refined products 716 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,797 km standard gauge: 2,797 km 1.435-m gauge (2,064 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 134,981 km (includes 2,604 km of expressways) (2006)

Waterways:

6,211 km (navigable for ships of 50 tons) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 622 by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 381, carrier 19, chemical tanker 44, container 76, liquefied gas 15, passenger 16, passenger/cargo 15, petroleum tanker 11, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 23, specialized tanker 3 foreign-owned: 203 (Belgium 2, Cyprus 8, Denmark 29, Finland 14, France 1, Germany 75, Ireland 10, Italy 1, South Korea 1, Norway 12, Sweden 28, Turkey 1, UAE 5, UK 2, US 14) registered in other countries: 178 (Antigua and Barbuda 20, Australia 2, Austria 2, Bahamas 9, Cambodia 1, Canada 1, Cyprus 22, Germany 1, Gibraltar 21, Isle of Man 1, Liberia 6, Luxembourg 2, Marshall Islands 8, Netherlands Antilles 38, Panama 14, Paraguay 1, Philippines 23, Portugal 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, US 1, unknown 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Amsterdam, IJmuiden, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Vlissingen

Military

Netherlands

Military branches:

Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Naval Air

Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force (Koninklijke

Luchtmacht, KLu), Royal Military Police (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

20 years of age for an all-volunteer force (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,950,825 females age 16-49: 3,850,800 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,233,773 females age 16-49: 3,150,790 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 105,735 female: 100,747 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Netherlands

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

major European producer of synthetic drugs, including ecstasy, and cannabis cultivator; important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe; major source of US-bound ecstasy; large financial sector vulnerable to money laundering; significant consumer of ecstasy

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Netherlands Antilles

Introduction

Netherlands Antilles

Background:

Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, the island of Curacao was hard hit by the abolition of slavery in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of oil refineries to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The island of Saint Martin is shared with France; its southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles; its northern portion, called Saint Martin, is an overseas collectivity of France.

Geography

Netherlands Antilles

Location:

Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - composed of five

islands, Curacao and Bonaire located off the coast of Venezuela, and

Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius lie east of the US Virgin

Islands

Geographic coordinates:

Bonaire: 12 12 N, 68 15 W

Curacao: 12 10 N, 69 00 W

Saba: 17 38 N, 63 14 W

Sint Eustatius: 17 30 N, 62 58 W

Sint Maarten: 18 04 N, 63 04 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 960 sq km land: 960 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)

Area - comparative:

more than five times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

total: 15 km border countries: Saint Martin 15 km

Coastline:

364 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm

Climate:

tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds

Terrain:

generally hilly, volcanic interiors

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m

Natural resources:

phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)

Land use:

arable land: 10% permanent crops: 0% other: 90% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October; Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

the five islands of the Netherlands Antilles are divided geographically into the Leeward Islands (northern) group (Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) and the Windward Islands (southern) group (Bonaire and Curacao); the island of Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in the world shared by two independent states, the French territory of Saint Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten

People

Netherlands Antilles

Population:

225,369 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 23.2% (male 26,749/female 25,467) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 73,319/female 78,842) 65 years and over: 9.3% (male 8,541/female 12,451) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 33.4 years male: 31.6 years female: 35.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.754% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

14.37 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.43 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 9.36 deaths/1,000 live births male: 10.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.45 years male: 74.15 years female: 78.87 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.98 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Dutch Antillean(s) adjective: Dutch Antillean

Ethnic groups:

mixed black 85%, other 15% (includes Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 72%, Pentecostal 4.9%, Protestant 3.5%, Seventh-Day

Adventist 3.1%, Methodist 2.9%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.7%, other

Christian 4.2%, Jewish 1.3%, other or unspecified 1.2%, none 5.2%

(2001 census)

Languages:

Papiamento 65.4% (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect),

English 15.9% (widely spoken), Dutch 7.3% (official), Spanish 6.1%,

Creole 1.6%, other 1.9%, unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.7% male: 96.7% female: 96.8% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 14 years female: 15 years (2002)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Netherlands Antilles

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles local long form: none local short form: Nederlandse Antillen former: Curacao and Dependencies

Dependency status:

an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs

Government type:

parliamentary

Capital:

name: Willemstad (on Curacao) geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 68 56 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) note: each island has its own government

Independence:

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

National holiday:

Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX), 30 April (1909 and 1980)

Constitution:

29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended

Legal system:

based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980); represented by Governor General Frits GOEDGEDRAG (since 1 July 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE (since 26 March 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten (legislature) elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch for a six-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually elected prime minister by the Staten; election last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held by 2010) note: government coalition - PAR, PNP, DP-St. M, UPB, WIPM Saba, DP-St. E

Legislative branch:

unicameral States or Staten (22 seats, Curacao 14, Bonaire 3, St. Maarten 3, St. Eustatius 1, Saba 1; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAR 5, MAN 3, FOL 2, Forsa Korsou 2, National Alliance 2, PNP 2, UPB 2, DP-St. E 1, DP-St. M 1, PDB 1, WIPM 1 note: the government is a coalition of several parties

Judicial branch:

Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch)

Political parties and leaders:

Bonaire: Democratic Party of Bonaire or PDB [Jopi ABRAHAM];

Patriotic Union of Bonaire or UPB [Ramonsito BOOI]

Curacao: Ban Vota [Norbert GEORGE]; C-93 [Stanley BROWN]; Democratic

Party of Curacao or DP [Errol HERNANDEZ]; E Mayoria [Aurelio PEDRO];

Forsa Korsou [Nelson NAVARRO]; Liste Ni'un Paso Atras [Nelson

PIERRE]; Movemiento Patriotiko Korsou [Reginald LAK]; New Antilles

Movement or MAN [Charles COOPER]; Partido Akshon Pa Prosperidat I

Seguridat [Sonja BERKEMEYER]; Partido Laboral Krusada Popular or

PLKP [Errol COVA]; Party for the Restructured Antilles or PAR [Emily

de JONGH-ELHAGE]; People's National Party or PNP [Ersilia DE

LANNOOY]; Pidjin [Jasmin PINEDO]; Pueblo Soberano [Herman WIELS];

Workers' Liberation Front or FOL [Anthony GODETT]

Saba: Saba Labor Party [Akilah LEVENSTONE]; Windward Islands

People's Movement or WIPM [Ray HASSELL]

Sint Eustatius: Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E

[Julian WOODLEY]; Progressive Labor Party [Clyde VAN PUTTEN]; St.

Eustatius Alliance [Ingrid HOUTMAN-WHITFIELD]

Sint Maarten: Democratic Party of Sint Maarten or DP-St. M [Sarah

WESCOTT-WILLIAMS]; Freedom Slate of National Democratic Party

[Theophilus PRIEST]; National Alliance or NA [William MARLIN];

People's Progressive Alliance or PPA [Gracita ARRINDELL]; St.

Maarten People's Party [Johan LEONARD]; United People's Labor Party

[Bienvenido RICHARDSON]

note: political parties are indigenous to each island

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Employers Association (VBC); Unions (AVBO)

International organization participation:

Caricom (observer), ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate),

UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Jeffrey CORRION, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Consul General Robert E. SORENSON consulate(s) general: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Willemstad, Curacao mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao telephone: [599] (9) 461-3066 FAX: [599] (9) 461-6489

Flag description:

white, with a horizontal blue stripe in the center superimposed on a vertical red band, also centered; five white, five-pointed stars are arranged in an oval pattern in the center of the blue band; the five stars represent the five main islands of Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten

Economy

Netherlands Antilles

Economy - overview:

Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance are the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely tied to the outside world. Although GDP has declined or grown slightly in each of the past eight years, the islands enjoy a high per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure compared with other countries in the region. Most of the oil Netherlands Antilles imports for its refineries come from Venezuela. Almost all consumer and capital goods are imported, the US, Italy, and Mexico being the major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the development of agriculture. Budgetary problems hamper reform of the health and pension systems of an aging population. The Netherlands provides financial aid to support the economy.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.8 billion (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

1% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$16,000 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1% industry: 15% services: 84% (2000 est.)

Labor force:

83,600 (2005)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 1% industry: 20% services: 79% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:

17% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $757.9 million expenditures: $949.5 million (2004)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.1% (2003 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

9.21% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.133 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$2.309 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$2.927 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical fruit

Industries:

tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire), petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao)

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

1.195 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

992 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:

67,450 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

206,900 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

277,600 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$3.71 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum products

Exports - partners:

US 18.9%, Mexico 13.3%, Panama 11.4%, Singapore 6.9%, Haiti 6.6%,

Bahamas, The 5.3% (2007)

Imports:

$15.74 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

crude petroleum, food, manufactures

Imports - partners:

Venezuela 59.1%, US 17.7%, Brazil 7.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$21.32 million (2004)

Debt - external:

$2.68 billion (2004)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$488.6 billion (2003)

Currency (code):

Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG)

Currency code:

ANG

Exchange rates:

Netherlands Antillean guilders (ANG) per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.79 (2006), 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003)

Communications

Netherlands Antilles

Telephones - main lines in use:

81,000 (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

200,000 (2004)

Telephone system:

general assessment: generally adequate facilities domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links international: country code - 599; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the Americas-2 submarine cable systems provide connectivity to Central America, parts of South America and the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 0 (2003)

Radios:

217,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (there is also a cable service that supplies programs received from various US satellite networks and 4 Venezuelan channels) (2003)

Televisions:

69,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.an

Internet hosts:

47,597 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

6

Internet users:

2,000 (2000)

Transportation

Netherlands Antilles

Airports:

5 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 845

Merchant marine:

total: 147 by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 2, cargo 72, carrier 19, chemical tanker 2, container 8, liquefied gas 1, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 27, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 3 foreign-owned: 123 (Belgium 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 21, Denmark 2, Germany 43, Hong Kong 2, Netherlands 38, Norway 3, Sweden 1, Turkey 10, US 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Bopec Terminal, Willemstad

Military

Netherlands Antilles

Military branches:

no regular military forces; National Guard (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

16 years of age for National Guard recruitment; no conscription (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 55,365 females age 16-49: 57,060 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 46,102 females age 16-49: 47,219 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 1,855 female: 1,760 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Transnational Issues

Netherlands Antilles

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and Europe; money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@New Caledonia

Introduction

New Caledonia

Background:

Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island was made a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct as many as three referenda between 2013 and 2018, to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.

Geography

New Caledonia

Location:

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia

Geographic coordinates:

21 30 S, 165 30 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 19,060 sq km land: 18,575 sq km water: 485 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

2,254 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid

Terrain:

coastal plains with interior mountains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m

Natural resources:

nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper

Land use:

arable land: 0.32% permanent crops: 0.22% other: 99.46% (2005)

Irrigated land:

100 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:

cyclones, most frequent from November to March

Environment - current issues:

erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires

Geography - note:

consists of the main island of New Caledonia (one of the largest in the Pacific Ocean), the archipelago of Iles Loyaute, and numerous small, sparsely populated islands and atolls

People

New Caledonia

Population:

224,824 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 27.3% (male 31,376/female 30,064) 15-64 years: 65.6% (male 74,064/female 73,369) 65 years and over: 7.1% (male 7,377/female 8,574) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 28.4 years male: 28 years female: 28.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.175% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

17.39 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.64 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 7.19 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 74.75 years male: 71.76 years female: 77.88 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.21 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: New Caledonian(s) adjective: New Caledonian

Ethnic groups:

Melanesian 44.1%, European 34.1%, Wallisian & Futunian 9%, Tahitian 2.6%, Indonesian 2.5%, Vietnamese 1.4%, Ni-Vanuatu 1.1%, other 5.2% (1996 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10%

Languages:

French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.2% male: 96.8% female: 95.5% (1996 census)

Government

New Caledonia

Country name:

conventional long form: Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies conventional short form: New Caledonia local long form: Territoire des Nouvelle-Caledonie et Dependances local short form: Nouvelle-Caledonie

Dependency status:

territorial collectivity of France since 1998

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Noumea geographic coordinates: 22 16 S, 166 27 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 3 provinces named Province des Iles, Province Nord, and Province Sud

Independence:

none (overseas territory of France); note - a referendum on independence was held in 1998 but did not pass; a new referendum is scheduled for 2014

National holiday:

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution:

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system:

based on French civil law; the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by High Commissioner Yves DASSONVILLE (since 9 November 2007) head of government: President of the Government Harold MARTIN (since 7 August 2007) cabinet: Cabinet consisting of 11 members elected from and by the Territorial Congress elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the government elected by the members of the Territorial Congress for a five-year term (no term limits); note - last election held 7 August 2007 when Harold MARTIN was elected following the resignation of Marie-Noelle THEMEREAU as president on 24 July 2007 (next to be held in 2012)

Legislative branch:

unicameral Territorial Congress or Congres du territoire (54 seats; members belong to the three Provincial Assemblies or Assemblees Provinciales elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 9 May 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPCR-UMP 16, AE 16, UNI-FLNKS 8, UC 7, FN 4, others 3 note: New Caledonia currently holds one seat in the French Senate; by 2010, New Caledonia will gain a second seat in the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held not later than September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 1; New Caledonia also elects two seats to the French National Assembly; elections last held 10 and 17 June 2007 (next to be held on June 2012); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 2

Judicial branch:

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; County Courts; Joint Commerce

Tribunal Court; Children's Court

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance pour la Caledonie or APLC [Didier LE ROUX]; Caledonian

Union or UC; Federation des Comites de Coordination des

Independantistes or FCCI [Francois BURCK]; Front National or FN [Guy

GEORGE]; Front Uni de Liberation Kanak or FULK [Ernest UNE]; Kanak

Socialist Front for National Liberation or FLNKS (includes PALIKA,

UNI, UC, and UPM); Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA [Paul

NEAOUTYINE and Elie POIGOUNE]; Rally for Caledonia in the Republic

(anti independence) or RPCR-UMP [Jacques LAFLEUR]; The Future

Together or AE [Harold MARTIN]; Union Nationale pour l'Independance

or UNI [Paul NEAOUTYINE]; note - may no longer exist, but Paul

NEAOUTYINE has since become a president of Parti de Liberation Kanak

or PALIKA; Union Progressiste Melanesienne or UPM [Victor TUTUGORO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ITUC, PIF (associate member), SPC, UPU, WFTU, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of France)

Flag description:

the flag of France is used

Economy

New Caledonia

Economy - overview:

New Caledonia has about 25% of the world's known nickel resources. Only a small amount of the land is suitable for cultivation, and food accounts for about 20% of imports. In addition to nickel, substantial financial support from France - equal to more than 15% of GDP - and tourism are keys to the health of the economy. Substantial new investment in the nickel industry, combined with the recovery of global nickel prices, brightens the economic outlook for the next several years.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$3.158 billion (2003 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$3.3 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$15,000 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 15% industry: 8.8% services: 76.2% (2003)

Labor force:

78,990 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 20% industry: 20% services: 60% (2002)

Unemployment rate:

17.1% (2004)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $996 million expenditures: $1.072 billion (2001 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.4% (2000 est.)

Agriculture - products:

vegetables; beef, deer, other livestock products; fish

Industries:

nickel mining and smelting

Industrial production growth rate:

-0.6% (1996)

Electricity - production:

1.602 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

1.49 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 76.3% hydro: 23.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

11,560 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

356.2 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

11,780 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$1.341 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

ferronickels, nickel ore, fish

Exports - partners:

Japan 20.1%, China 14.5%, Taiwan 14.2%, France 11.6%, Belgium 10.4%,

Spain 8.6%, South Africa 6.9% (2007)

Imports:

$1.998 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

France 36.7%, Singapore 14.7%, Australia 12.1%, NZ 5.2%, Germany 4.6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$524.3 million annual subsidy from France (2004)

Debt - external:

$79 million (1998 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF)

Currency code:

XPF

Exchange rates:

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 87.59 (2007), 95.025 (2006), 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003)

Communications

New Caledonia

Telephones - main lines in use:

60,200 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

176,400 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: a submarine cable network connection between New Caledonia and Australia, completed in 2007, is expected to significantly increase network capacity and improve high-speed connectivity and access to international networks international: country code - 687; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

107,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

6 (plus 25 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

52,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.nc

Internet hosts:

15,487 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

80,000 (2006)

Transportation

New Caledonia

Airports:

25 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 12 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 6 (2007)

Heliports:

6 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 5,622 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 2 by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Noumea

Military

New Caledonia

Military branches:

no regular indigenous military forces; French Armed Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie); Police Force

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 57,738 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 47,342 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 2,202 female: 2,121 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues

New Caledonia

Disputes - international:

Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by France and Vanuatu

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@New Zealand

Introduction

New Zealand

Background:

The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances.

Geography

New Zealand

Location:

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia

Geographic coordinates:

41 00 S, 174 00 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 268,680 sq km land: 268,021 sq km water: NA note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands

Area - comparative:

about the size of Colorado

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

15,134 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

temperate with sharp regional contrasts

Terrain:

predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m

Natural resources:

natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone

Land use:

arable land: 5.54% permanent crops: 6.92% other: 87.54% (2005)

Irrigated land:

2,850 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

397 cu km (1995)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.11 cu km/yr (48%/9%/42%) per capita: 524 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by invasive species

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world

People

New Zealand

Population:

4,173,460 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 20.9% (male 446,883/female 424,240) 15-64 years: 66.5% (male 1,390,669/female 1,385,686) 65 years and over: 12.6% (male 238,560/female 287,422) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 36.3 years male: 35.6 years female: 37.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.971% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

14.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.99 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 80.24 years male: 78.33 years female: 82.25 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.11 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

1,400 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: New Zealander(s) adjective: New Zealand

Ethnic groups:

European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander 4.4%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8% (2001 census)

Religions:

Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian 10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census)

Languages:

English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language (official)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 19 years male: 19 years female: 20 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

6.2% of GDP (2006)

Government

New Zealand

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: New Zealand abbreviation: NZ

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Wellington geographic coordinates: 41 28 S, 174 51 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends third Sunday in March note: New Zealand is divided into two time zones, including Chatham Island

Administrative divisions:

16 regions and 1 territory*; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury,

Chatham Islands*, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui,

Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Tasman,

Waikato, Wellington, West Coast

Dependent areas:

Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau

Independence:

26 September 1907 (from UK)

National holiday:

Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840); ANZAC Day (commemorated as the anniversary of the landing of troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I at Gallipoli, Turkey), 25 April (1915)

Constitution:

consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, as well as The Constitution Act 1986, which is the principal formal charter; adopted 1 January 1987, effective 1 January 1987

Legal system:

based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006) head of government: Prime Minister John KEY (since 19 November 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Bill ENGLISH (since 19 November 2008) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general

Legislative branch:

unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (usually 120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies including 7 Maori constituencies, and 51 proportional seats chosen from party lists; to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 8 November 2008 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NP 45.5%, NZLP 33.8%, Green Party 6.4%, ACT New Zealand 3.7%, Maori 2.2%, Progressive 0.9%, UF 0.9%, other 6.6%; seats by party - NP 59, NZLP 43, Green Party 8, ACT New Zealand 5, Maori 5, Progressive 1, UF 1 note: results of 2008 election saw the total number of seats increase to 122

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; High Court; note - judges appointed by the Governor-General

Political parties and leaders:

ACT New Zealand [Rodney HIDE]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS]; Maori Party [Whatarangi WINIATA]; National Party or NP [John KEY]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Phil GOFF]; Progressive Party [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; United Future or UF [Peter DUNNE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Women's Electoral Lobby or WEL other: apartheid groups; civil rights groups; farmers groups; Maori; nuclear weapons groups; women's rights groups

International organization participation:

ADB, ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August

1986), APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C,

CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, PIF,

Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNMIT,

UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Roy N. FERGUSON chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800 FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador William P. McCORMICK embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP 96531-1034 telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000 FAX: [64] (4) 499-0490 consulate(s) general: Auckland

Flag description:

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation

Government - note:

while not an official symbol, the Kiwi, a small native flightless bird, represents New Zealand

Economy

New Zealand

Economy - overview:

Over the past 20 years the government has transformed New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes - but left behind many at the bottom of the ladder - and broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector. Per capita income has risen for eight consecutive years and reached $27,300 in 2007 in purchasing power parity terms. Consumer and government spending have driven growth in recent years, and exports picked up in 2006 after struggling for several years. Exports were equal to about 22% of GDP in 2007, down from 33% of GDP in 2001. Thus far the economy has been resilient, and the Labor Government promises that expenditures on health, education, and pensions will increase proportionately to output. Inflationary pressures have built in recent years and the central bank raised its key rate 13 times since January 2004 to finish 2007 at 8.25%. A large balance of payments deficit poses another challenge in managing the economy.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$112.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$128.1 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$27,200 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 4.5% industry: 26.2% services: 69.3% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.236 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 7% industry: 19% services: 74% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

3.6% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: %NA highest 10%: %NA

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

36.2 (1997)

Investment (gross fixed):

23.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $58.31 billion expenditures: $53.5 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March note: this is the fiscal year for tax purposes

Public debt:

20.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.4% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

8.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

12.83% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$24.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$117.8 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$200.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

dairy products, lamb and mutton; wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef; fish

Industries:

food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining

Industrial production growth rate:

1.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

42.41 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

38.93 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 31.6% hydro: 57.8% nuclear: 0% other: 10.7% (2001)

Oil - production:

47,850 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

158,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

14,570 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

137,300 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

55 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

4.573 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

4.572 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

29.67 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$10.23 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$27.35 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery

Exports - partners:

Australia 22%, US 11.5%, Japan 9.2%, China 5.3%, UK 4.6% (2007)

Imports:

$29.06 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics

Imports - partners:

Australia 20.7%, China 13.4%, US 9.7%, Japan 9.5%, Singapore 4.9%,

Germany 4.7% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $259 million (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$17.25 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$51.44 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$71.31 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$40.62 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Currency code:

NZD

Exchange rates:

New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003)

Communications

New Zealand

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.706 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

4.245 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: excellent domestic and international systems domestic: NA international: country code - 64; the Southern Cross submarine cable system provides links to Australia, Fiji, and the US; satellite earth stations - 8 (1 Inmarsat - Pacific Ocean, 7 other)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:

3.75 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

41 (plus about 700 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

1.926 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.nz

Internet hosts:

1.72 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

36 (2000)

Internet users:

3.36 million (2007)

Transportation

New Zealand

Airports:

121 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 41 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 26 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 80 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 31 under 914 m: 46 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 331 km; gas 1,896 km; liquid petroleum gas 172 km; oil 288 km; refined products 260 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 4,128 km narrow gauge: 4,128 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 93,576 km paved: 61,564 km (includes 172 km of expressways) unpaved: 32,012 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 13 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 3 (Australia 1, Germany 1, South Africa 1) registered in other countries: 5 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Cook Islands 1, France 1, UK 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Auckland, Lyttelton, Marsden Point, Tauranga, Wellington, Whangarei

Military

New Zealand

Military branches:

New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF): New Zealand Army, Royal New

Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed until the age of 18; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,009,298 females age 16-49: 997,134 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 833,073 females age 16-49: 822,807 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 31,834 female: 30,243 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

New Zealand

Disputes - international:

asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)

Illicit drugs:

significant consumer of amphetamines

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Nicaragua

Introduction

Nicaragua

Background:

The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony from Panama in the early 16th century. Independence from Spain was declared in 1821 and the country became an independent republic in 1838. Britain occupied the Caribbean Coast in the first half of the 19th century, but gradually ceded control of the region in subsequent decades. Violent opposition to governmental manipulation and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought the Marxist Sandinista guerrillas to power in 1979. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador caused the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s. Free elections in 1990, 1996, and 2001, saw the Sandinistas defeated, but voting in 2006 announced the return of former Sandinista President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra. Nicaragua's infrastructure and economy - hard hit by the earlier civil war and by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 - are slowly being rebuilt.

Geography

Nicaragua

Location:

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North

Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras

Geographic coordinates:

13 00 N, 85 00 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 129,494 sq km land: 120,254 sq km water: 9,240 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than the state of New York

Land boundaries:

total: 1,231 km border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km

Coastline:

910 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: natural prolongation

Climate:

tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

Terrain:

extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m

Natural resources:

gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish

Land use:

arable land: 14.81% permanent crops: 1.82% other: 83.37% (2005)

Irrigated land:

610 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

196.7 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.3 cu km/yr (15%/2%/83%) per capita: 237 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note:

largest country in Central America; contains the largest freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua

People

Nicaragua

Population:

5,785,846 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 34.6% (male 1,019,281/female 981,903) 15-64 years: 62.1% (male 1,792,398/female 1,803,133) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 82,840/female 106,291) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 21.7 years male: 21.3 years female: 22.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.825% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

23.7 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.33 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-1.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 25.91 deaths/1,000 live births male: 29.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 71.21 years male: 69.08 years female: 73.44 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.63 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

6,400 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Nicaraguan(s) adjective: Nicaraguan

Ethnic groups:

mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Amerindian 5%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 58.5%, Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%, Jehovah's

Witness 0.9%, other 1.7%, none 15.7% (2005 census)

Languages:

Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995 census) note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 67.5% male: 67.2% female: 67.8% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 11 years (2003)

Education expenditures:

3.1% of GDP (2003)

Government

Nicaragua

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua conventional short form: Nicaragua local long form: Republica de Nicaragua local short form: Nicaragua

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Managua geographic coordinates: 12 09 N, 86 17 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

15 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 2 autonomous regions* (regiones autonomistas, singular - region autonoma); Atlantico Norte*, Atlantico Sur*, Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas

Independence:

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution:

9 January 1987; reforms in 1995, 2000, and 2005

Legal system:

civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

16 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007); Vice President Jaime MORALES Carazo (since 10 January 2007); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007); Vice President Jaime MORALES Carazo (since 10 January 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term so long as it is not consecutive); election last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November 2011) election results: Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra elected president - 38.07%, Eduardo MONTEALEGRE 29%, Jose RIZO 26.21%, Edmundo JARQUIN 6.44%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92 seats; 90 members are elected by proportional representation and party lists to serve five-year terms; 1 seat for the previous president, 1 seat for the runner-up in previous presidential election) elections: last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FSLN 38, PLC 25, ALN 23 (22 plus one for presidential candidate Eduardo MONTEALEGRE, runner-up in the 2006 presidential election), MRS 5, APRE 1 (outgoing President Enrique BOLANOS)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema de Justicia (16 judges elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:

Conservative Party or PC [Azalia AVILES Salmeron]; Liberal

Constitutionalist Party or PLC [Jorge CASTILLO Quant]; Nicaraguan

Liberal Alliance or ALN [Eduardo MONTEALEGRE]; Sandinista National

Liberation Front or FSLN [Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra]; Sandinista

Renovation Movement or MRS [Enrique SAENZ Navarrete]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

National Workers Front or FNT (a Sandinista umbrella group of eight

labor unions including: Farm Workers Association or ATC, Health

Workers Federation or FETASALUD, Heroes and Martyrs Confederation of

Professional Associations or CONAPRO, National Association of

Educators of Nicaragua or ANDEN, National Union of Employees or UNE,

National Union of Farmers and Ranchers or UNAG, Sandinista Workers

Central or CST, and Union of Journalists of Nicaragua or UPN);

Permanent Congress of Workers or CPT (an umbrella group of four

non-Sandinista labor unions including: Autonomous Nicaraguan Workers

Central or CTN-A, Confederation of Labor Unification or CUS,

Independent General Confederation of Labor or CGT-I, and Labor

Action and Unity Central or CAUS); Nicaraguan Workers' Central or

CTN (an independent labor union); Superior Council of Private

Enterprise or COSEP (a confederation of business groups)

International organization participation:

BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,

IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Arturo CRUZ Sequeira, Jr. chancery: 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6570, [1] (202) 939-6573 FAX: [1] (202) 939-6545 consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Paul A. TRIVELLI embassy: Kilometer 5.5 Carretera Sur, Managua mailing address: American Embassy Managua, APO AA 34021 telephone: [505] 252-7100, 252-7888; 252-7634 (after hours) FAX: [505] 252-7304

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on the top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band

Economy

Nicaragua

Economy - overview:

Nicaragua has widespread underemployment, one of the highest degrees of income inequality in the world, and the third lowest per capita income in the Western Hemisphere. While the country has progressed toward macroeconomic stability in the past few years, annual GDP growth has been far too low to meet the country's needs, forcing the country to rely on international economic assistance to meet fiscal and debt financing obligations. In early 2004, Nicaragua secured some $4.5 billion in foreign debt reduction under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in October 2007, the IMF approved a new poverty reduction and growth facility (PRGF) program that should create fiscal space for social spending and investment. The continuity of a relationship with the IMF reinforces donor confidence, despite private sector concerns surrounding ORTEGA, which has dampened investment. The US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) has been in effect since April 2006 and has expanded export opportunities for many agricultural and manufactured goods. Energy shortages fueled by high oil prices, however, are a serious bottleneck to growth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$16.17 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$5.723 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 16.9% industry: 25.8% services: 57.2% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.262 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 29% industry: 19% services: 52% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

4.9% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

48% (2005)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.2% highest 10%: 33.8% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

43.1 (2001)

Investment (gross fixed):

31.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $1.115 billion expenditures: $1.291 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

62.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

11.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

13.04% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$465.1 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.802 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$4.133 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products; shrimp, lobsters

Industries:

food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear, wood

Industrial production growth rate:

5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

3.012 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

2.413 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

63.95 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 83.9% hydro: 7.7% nuclear: 0% other: 8.4% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:

28,880 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

808.5 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

29,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$1.001 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$2.313 billion f.o.b.; note - includes free trade zones (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold, peanuts

Exports - partners:

US 31.7%, El Salvador 14%, Honduras 9.3%, Costa Rica 7.2%, Canada 5.8%, Guatemala 5.5%, Mexico 4.8% (2007)

Imports:

$4.078 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials, petroleum products

Imports - partners:

US 22.5%, Mexico 13.5%, Costa Rica 8.4%, Venezuela 6.4%, Guatemala 6.2%, El Salvador 4.8% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$471 million (2006 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.103 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$3.341 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

gold cordoba (NIO)

Currency code:

NIO

Exchange rates:

gold cordobas (NIO) per US dollar - 18.457 (2007), 17.582 (2006), 16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004), 15.105 (2003)

Communications

Nicaragua

Telephones - main lines in use:

247,900 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.123 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: system being upgraded by foreign investment; nearly all installed telecommunications capacity now uses digital technology, owing to investments since privatization of the formerly state-owned telecommunications company domestic: since privatization, access to fixed-line and mobile-cellular services has improved but teledensity still lags behind other Central American countries; connected to Central American Microwave System international: country code - 505; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber optic submarine cable provides connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

1.24 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (plus 7 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

320,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ni

Internet hosts:

58,157 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

3 (2000)

Internet users:

155,000 (2006)

Transportation

Nicaragua

Airports:

163 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 152 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 16 under 914 m: 135 (2007)

Pipelines:

oil 54 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 6 km narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 19,036 km paved: 2,299 km unpaved: 16,737 km (2005)

Waterways:

2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff

Military

Nicaragua

Military branches:

National Army of Nicaragua (ENN; includes Navy, Air Force) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age for voluntary military service; tour of duty 18-36 months (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,513,312 females age 16-49: 1,507,999 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,235,400 females age 16-49: 1,302,318 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 72,689 female: 70,452 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.6% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Nicaragua

Disputes - international:

memorials and countermemorials were filed by the parties in Nicaragua's 1999 and 2001 proceedings against Honduras and Colombia at the ICJ over the maritime boundary and territorial claims in the western Caribbean Sea, final public hearings are scheduled for 2007; the 1992 ICJ ruling for El Salvador and Honduras advised a tripartite resolution to establish a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Fonseca, which considers Honduran access to the Pacific; legal dispute over navigational rights of San Juan River on border with Costa Rica

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Niger

Introduction

Niger

Background:

Niger became independent from France in 1960 and experienced single-party and military rule until 1991, when Gen. Ali SAIBOU was forced by public pressure to allow multiparty elections, which resulted in a democratic government in 1993. Political infighting brought the government to a standstill and in 1996 led to a coup by Col. Ibrahim BARE. In 1999 BARE was killed in a coup by military officers who promptly restored democratic rule and held elections that brought Mamadou TANDJA to power in December of that year. TANDJA was reelected in 2004. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world with minimal government services and insufficient funds to develop its resource base. The largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa. A predominately Tuareg ethnic group emerged in February 2007, the Nigerien Movement for Justice (MNJ), and attacked several military targets in Niger's northern region throughout 2007. Events have since evolved into a budding insurrection.

Geography

Niger

Location:

Western Africa, southeast of Algeria

Geographic coordinates:

16 00 N, 8 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 1.267 million sq km land: 1,266,700 sq km water: 300 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 5,697 km border countries: Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km, Burkina Faso 628 km, Chad 1,175 km, Libya 354 km, Mali 821 km, Nigeria 1,497 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south

Terrain:

predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Niger River 200 m highest point: Mont Bagzane 2,022 m

Natural resources:

uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum

Land use:

arable land: 11.43% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 88.56% (2005)

Irrigated land:

730 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

33.7 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.18 cu km/yr (4%/0%/95%) per capita: 156 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

recurring droughts

Environment - current issues:

overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

landlocked; one of the hottest countries in the world; northern four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna, suitable for livestock and limited agriculture

People

Niger

Population:

13,272,679 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 47% (male 3,174,834/female 3,057,003) 15-64 years: 50.6% (male 3,450,393/female 3,267,496) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 159,945/female 163,008) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 16.4 years male: 16.5 years female: 16.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.878% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

49.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

20.26 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 115.42 deaths/1,000 live births male: 119.3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 111.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 44.28 years male: 44.3 years female: 44.26 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

7.29 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

70,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

4,800 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Nigerien(s) adjective: Nigerien

Ethnic groups:

Haoussa 55.4%, Djerma Sonrai 21%, Tuareg 9.3%, Peuhl 8.5%, Kanouri

Manga 4.7%, other 1.2% (2001 census)

Religions:

Muslim 80%, other (includes indigenous beliefs and Christian) 20%

Languages:

French (official), Hausa, Djerma

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 28.7% male: 42.9% female: 15.1% (2005 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 4 years male: 5 years female: 3 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.4% of GDP (2006)

Government

Niger

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Niger conventional short form: Niger local long form: Republique du Niger local short form: Niger

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Niamey geographic coordinates: 13 31 N, 2 07 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

8 regions (regions, singular - region) includes 1 capital district* (communite urbaine); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder

Independence:

3 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday:

Republic Day, 18 December (1958)

Constitution:

new constitution adopted 18 July 1999

Legal system:

based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Mamadou TANDJA (since 22 December 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Seyni OUMAROU (since 3 June 2007); appointed by the president and shares some executive responsibilities with the president cabinet: 26-member Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); second round of election last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009) election results: Mamadou TANDJA reelected president; percent of vote - Mamadou TANDJA 65.5%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 34.5%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly (113 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MNSD 47, PNDS 25, CDS 22, RSD 7, RDP 6, ANDP 5, PSDN 1

Judicial branch:

State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama [Mahamane

OUSMANE]; National Movement for a Developing Society-Nassara or

MNSD-Nassara [Hama AMADOU]; Niger Social Democratic Party or PSDN;

Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Social Progress-Zaman Lahiya or

ANDP-Zaman Lahiya [Moumouni DJERMAKOYE]; Nigerien Party for Autonomy

or PNA-Alouma'a [Sanousi JACKOU]; Nigerien Party for Democracy and

Socialism or PNDS-Tarrayya [Issifou MAHAMADOU]; Nigerien Progressive

Party or PPN-RDA [Abdoulaye DIORI]; Rally for Democracy and Progress

or RDP-jama'a [Hamid ALGABID]; Social and Democratic Rally or

RSD-Gaskiyya [Cheiffou AMADOU]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

The Nigerien Movement for Justice or MNJ, a predominantly Tuareg rebel group

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC,

IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU,

WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Aminata Djibrilla Maiga TOURE chancery: 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227 FAX: [1] (202)483-3169

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Bernadette M. ALLEN embassy: Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey mailing address: B. P. 11201, Niamey telephone: [227] 20-72-26-61 thru 64 FAX: [227] 20-73-31-67

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a small orange disk (representing the sun) centered in the white band; similar to the flag of India, which has a blue spoked wheel centered in the white band

Economy

Niger

Economy - overview:

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking near last on the United Nations Development Fund index of human development. It is a landlocked, Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. Drought cycles, desertification, and a 2.9% population growth rate, have undercut the economy. Niger shares a common currency, the CFA franc, and a common central bank, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), with seven other members of the West African Monetary Union. In December 2000, Niger qualified for enhanced debt relief under the International Monetary Fund program for Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and concluded an agreement with the Fund on a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). Debt relief provided under the enhanced HIPC initiative significantly reduces Niger's annual debt service obligations, freeing funds for expenditures on basic health care, primary education, HIV/AIDS prevention, rural infrastructure, and other programs geared at poverty reduction. In December 2005, Niger received 100% multilateral debt relief from the IMF, which translates into the forgiveness of approximately US $86 million in debts to the IMF, excluding the remaining assistance under HIPC. Nearly half of the government's budget is derived from foreign donor resources. Future growth may be sustained by exploitation of oil, gold, coal, and other mineral resources. Uranium prices have increased sharply in the last few years. A drought and locust infestation in 2005 led to food shortages for as many as 2.5 million Nigeriens.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$8.859 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$4.174 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 39% industry: 17% services: 44% (2001)

Labor force:

70,000 salaried workers, 60% of whom are employed in the public sector (1995)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 90% industry: 6% services: 4% (1995)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

63% (1993 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.8% highest 10%: 35.4% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

50.5 (1995)

Budget:

revenues: $320 million (includes $134 million from foreign sources) expenditures: $320 million (2002 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

0.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$604.5 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$193.7 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$318.9 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice; cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry

Industries:

uranium mining, cement, brick, soap, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses

Industrial production growth rate:

5.1% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:

240 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

443.2 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

225 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

5,550 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

5,425 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

NA bbl

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$321 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$428 million f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions

Exports - partners:

France 57%, Nigeria 26.4%, Ghana 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$800 million f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals

Imports - partners:

France 15.9%, French Polynesia 8.8%, Nigeria 8.6%, Belgium 8.6%, US 6.9%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$515.4 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$2.1 billion (2003 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Currency code:

XOF

Exchange rates:

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Communications

Niger

Telephones - main lines in use:

24,000 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

900,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: inadequate; small system of wire, radio telephone communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in the southwestern area of Niger domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity only about 7 per 100 persons; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned international: country code - 227; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 4 (2001)

Radios:

680,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

5 (2007)

Televisions:

125,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ne

Internet hosts:

216 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Internet users:

40,000 (2006)

Transportation

Niger

Airports:

28 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 18,550 km paved: 3,803 km unpaved: 14,747 km (2006)

Waterways:

300 km (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya between September and March) (2005)

Military

Niger

Military branches:

Nigerien Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, Niger

Air Force (Force Aerienne du Niger) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

17-21 years of age for voluntary military service; 2-year service term; women may serve in health care (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,871,868 females age 16-49: 2,696,966 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,665,108 females age 16-49: 1,548,965 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 150,728 female: 143,379 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.3% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Niger

Disputes - international:

Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute in the Tommo region; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Niger is a source, transit, and destination country for children and women trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; caste-based slavery practices, rooted in ancestral master-slave relationships, continue in isolated areas of the country - an estimated 8,800 to 43,000 Nigeriens live under conditions of traditional slavery; children are trafficked within Niger for forced begging, forced labor in gold mines, domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, and possibly for forced labor in agriculture and stone quarries; women and children from neighboring states are trafficked to and through Niger for domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, forced labor in mines and on farms, and as mechanics and welders tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Niger is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking in 2007; in particular, measures to combat and eliminate traditional slavery practices were weak; the government's overall law enforcement efforts have stalled from 2006; while efforts to protect child trafficking victims were steady, the government failed to provide services to or rescue adult victims subjected to traditional slavery practices, and made poor efforts to educate the public about traditional slavery practices in general (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Nigeria

Introduction

Nigeria

Background:

British influence and control over what would become Nigeria grew through the 19th century. A series of constitutions after World War II granted Nigeria greater autonomy; independence came in 1960. Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government was completed. The government continues to face the daunting task of reforming a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and institutionalizing democracy. In addition, Nigeria continues to experience longstanding ethnic and religious tensions. Although both the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections were marred by significant irregularities and violence, Nigeria is currently experiencing its longest period of civilian rule since independence. The general elections of April 2007 marked the first civilian-to-civilian transfer of power in the country's history.

Geography

Nigeria

Location:

Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin and

Cameroon

Geographic coordinates:

10 00 N, 8 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 923,768 sq km land: 910,768 sq km water: 13,000 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than twice the size of California

Land boundaries:

total: 4,047 km border countries: Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km

Coastline:

853 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north

Terrain:

southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in southeast, plains in north

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m

Natural resources:

natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone, niobium, lead, zinc, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 33.02% permanent crops: 3.14% other: 63.84% (2005)

Irrigated land:

2,820 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

286.2 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 8.01 cu km/yr (21%/10%/69%) per capita: 61 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

periodic droughts; flooding

Environment - current issues:

soil degradation; rapid deforestation; urban air and water pollution; desertification; oil pollution - water, air, and soil; has suffered serious damage from oil spills; loss of arable land; rapid urbanization

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the Niger enters the country in the northwest and flows southward through tropical rain forests and swamps to its delta in the Gulf of Guinea

People

Nigeria

Population:

146,255,312 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 41.7% (male 31,171,949/female 29,806,204) 15-64 years: 55.3% (male 41,243,003/female 39,611,565) 65 years and over: 3% (male 2,152,318/female 2,270,267) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.9 years male: 18.8 years female: 19 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.025% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

37.23 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

16.88 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 95.74 deaths/1,000 live births male: 101.83 deaths/1,000 live births female: 89.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 46.53 years male: 45.78 years female: 47.32 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.01 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

5.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

3.6 million (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

310,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria and yellow fever respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: one of the most highly endemic areas for Lassa fever water contact disease: leptospirosis and shistosomiasis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Nigerian(s) adjective: Nigerian

Ethnic groups:

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is composed of more than 250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo (Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%

Religions:

Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%

Languages:

English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 68% male: 75.7% female: 60.6% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 8 years male: 9 years female: 7 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

0.9% of GDP (1991)

Government

Nigeria

Country name:

conventional long form: Federal Republic of Nigeria conventional short form: Nigeria

Government type:

federal republic

Capital:

name: Abuja geographic coordinates: 9 05 N, 7 32 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

36 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra,

Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo,

Ekiti, Enugu, Federal Capital Territory*, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa,

Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nassarawa, Niger,

Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara

Independence:

1 October 1960 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day (National Day), 1 October (1960)

Constitution:

new constitution adopted 5 May 1999; effective 29 May 1999

Legal system:

based on English common law, Islamic law (in 12 northern states), and traditional law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA (since 29 May 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA (since 29 May 2007) cabinet: Federal Executive Council elections: president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 21 April 2007 (next to be held in April 2011) election results: Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA elected president; percent of vote - Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA 69.8%, Muhammadu BUHARI 18.7%, Atiku ABUBAKAR 7.5%, Orji Uzor KALU 1.7%, other 2.3%

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (109 seats, 3 from each state plus 1 from Abuja; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and House of Representatives (360 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 21 April 2007 (next to be held in April 2011); House of Representatives - last held 21 April 2007 (next to be held in April 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PDP 53.7%, ANPP 27.9%, AD 9.7%, other 8.7%; seats by party - PDP 76, ANPP 27, AD 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDP 54.5%, ANPP 27.4%, AD 8.8%, UNPP 2.8%, NPD 1.9%, APGA 1.6%, PRP 0.8%; seats by party - PDP 76, ANPP 27, AD 6, UNPP 2, APGA 2, NPD 1, PRP 1, vacant 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges appointed by the President); Federal Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the federal government on the advice of the Advisory Judicial Committee)

Political parties and leaders:

Accord Party [Ikra Aliyu BILBIS]; Action Congress or AC [Hassan

ZUMI]; Alliance for Democracy or AD [Mojisoluwa AKINFENWA]; All

Nigeria Peoples' Party or ANPP [Edwin UME-EZEOKE]; All Progressives

Grand Alliance or APGA [Victor C. UMEH]; Democratic People's Party

or DPP [Jeremiah USENI]; Fresh Democratic Party [Chris OKOTIE];

Labor Party [Dan NWANYANWU]; Movement for the Restoration and

Defense of Democracy or MRDD [Mohammed Gambo JIMETA]; National

Democratic Party or NDP [Aliyu Habu FARI]; Peoples Democratic Party

or PDP [vacant]; Peoples Progressive Alliance [Clement EBRI];

Peoples Redemption Party or PRP [Abdulkadir Balarabe MUSA]; Peoples

Salvation Party or PSP [Lawal MAITURARE]; United Nigeria Peoples

Party or UNPP [Mallam Selah JAMBO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Academic Staff Union for Universities or ASUU; Campaign for

Democracy or CD; Civil Liberties Organization or CLO; Committee for

the Defense of Human Rights or CDHR; Constitutional Right Project or

CRP; Human Right Africa; National Association of Democratic Lawyers

or NADL; National Association of Nigerian Students or NANS; Nigerian

Bar Association or NBA; Nigerian Labor Congress or NLC; Nigerian

Medical Association or NMA; the Press; Universal Defenders of

Democracy or UDD

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT,

MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN,

UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG,

UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Oluwole ROTIMI chancery: 3519 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 986-8400 FAX: [1] (202) 775-1385 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Robin SANDERS embassy: 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central District Area, Abuja mailing address: P. O. Box 5760, Garki, Abuja telephone: [234] (9) 461-4000 FAX: [234] (9) 461-4036

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green

Economy

Nigeria

Economy - overview:

Oil-rich Nigeria, long hobbled by political instability, corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and poor macroeconomic management, is undertaking some reforms under a new reform-minded administration. Nigeria's former military rulers failed to diversify the economy away from its overdependence on the capital-intensive oil sector, which provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange earnings, and about 80% of budgetary revenues. The largely subsistence agricultural sector has failed to keep up with rapid population growth - Nigeria is Africa's most populous country - and the country, once a large net exporter of food, now must import food. Following the signing of an IMF stand-by agreement in August 2000, Nigeria received a debt-restructuring deal from the Paris Club and a $1 billion credit from the IMF, both contingent on economic reforms. Nigeria pulled out of its IMF program in April 2002, after failing to meet spending and exchange rate targets, making it ineligible for additional debt forgiveness from the Paris Club. In the last year the government has begun showing the political will to implement the market-oriented reforms urged by the IMF, such as to modernize the banking system, to curb inflation by blocking excessive wage demands, and to resolve regional disputes over the distribution of earnings from the oil industry. In 2003, the government began deregulating fuel prices, announced the privatization of the country's four oil refineries, and instituted the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy, a domestically designed and run program modeled on the IMF's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility for fiscal and monetary management. In November 2005, Abuja won Paris Club approval for a debt-relief deal that eliminated $18 billion of debt in exchange for $12 billion in payments - a total package worth $30 billion of Nigeria's total $37 billion external debt. The deal requires Nigeria to be subject to stringent IMF reviews. GDP rose strongly in 2007, based largely on increased oil exports and high global crude prices. Newly-elected President YAR'ADUA has pledged to continue the economic reforms of his predecessor and the proposed budget for 2008 reflects the administrations emphasis on infrastructure improvements. Infrastructure is the main impediment to growth. The government is working toward developing stronger public-private partnerships for electricity and roads.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$296.1 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$166.8 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,100 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 17.7% industry: 52.6% services: 29.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

50.13 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 70% industry: 10% services: 20% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:

4.9% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

70% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.9% highest 10%: 33.2% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

43.7 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

23.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $19.43 billion expenditures: $20.36 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

14.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.4% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

9.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

16.94% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$21.72 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$19.07 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$16.15 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava (tapioca), yams, rubber; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; timber; fish

Industries:

crude oil, coal, tin, columbite; palm oil, peanuts, cotton, rubber, wood; hides and skins, textiles, cement and other construction materials, food products, footwear, chemicals, fertilizer, printing, ceramics, steel, small commercial ship construction and repair

Industrial production growth rate:

3.2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

22.11 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

15.85 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 61.9% hydro: 38.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

2.352 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

312,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

2.473 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

154,300 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

36.22 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

34.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

12.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

21.2 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

5.21 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$2.514 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$61.79 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum and petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber

Exports - partners:

US 51.6%, Brazil 8.9%, Spain 7.7% (2007)

Imports:

$38.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food and live animals

Imports - partners:

China 10.6%, Netherlands 7.9%, US 7.8%, South Korea 6.6%, UK 5.7%,

France 4.3%, Brazil 4.2%, Germany 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$6.437 billion (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$51.33 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$8.007 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$33.64 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$12.63 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$32.82 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

naira (NGN)

Currency code:

NGN

Exchange rates:

nairas (NGN) per US dollar - 127.46 (2007), 127.38 (2006), 132.59 (2005), 132.89 (2004), 129.22 (2003)

Communications

Nigeria

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.58 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

40.395 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: further expansion and modernization of the fixed-line telephone network is needed domestic: the addition of a second fixed-line provider in 2002 resulted in faster growth but subscribership remains only about 1 per 100 persons; wireless telephony has grown rapidly, in part responding to the shortcomings of the fixed-line network; multiple service providers operate nationally; mobile-cellular teledensity reached 30 per 100 persons in 2007 international: country code - 234; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 83, FM 36, shortwave 11 (2001)

Radios:

23.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (the government controls 2 of the broadcasting stations and 15 repeater stations) (2001)

Televisions:

6.9 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.ng

Internet hosts:

1,048 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

11 (2000)

Internet users:

10 million (2007)

Transportation

Nigeria

Airports:

70 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 36 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 34 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 19 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 124 km; gas 3,071 km; liquid petroleum gas 156 km; oil 4,347 km; refined products 3,949 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 3,505 km narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 193,200 km paved: 28,980 km unpaved: 164,220 km (2004)

Waterways:

8,600 km (Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 68 by type: cargo 4, chemical tanker 12, combination ore/oil 1, liquefied gas 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 46, specialized tanker 2 foreign-owned: 3 (Japan 1, South Africa 1, Spain 1) registered in other countries: 34 (Bahamas 2, Bermuda 11, Cook Islands 1, Georgia 1, Italy 1, Liberia 2, Panama 10, Poland 1, Seychelles 1, Sierra Leone 1, unknown 3) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Bonny Inshore Terminal, Calabar, Lagos

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the Niger Delta and Gulf of Guinea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen

Military

Nigeria

Military branches:

Nigerian Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 31,929,204 females age 16-49: 30,638,979 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 18,556,755 females age 16-49: 17,288,225 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 1,663,025 female: 1,585,224 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.5% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Nigeria

Disputes - international:

Joint Border Commission with Cameroon reviewed 2002 ICJ ruling on the entire boundary and bilaterally resolved differences, including June 2006 Greentree Agreement that immediately cedes sovereignty of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon with a phase-out of Nigerian control within two years while resolving patriation issues; the ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but imprecisely defined coordinates in the ICJ decision and a sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an island at the mouth of the Ntem River all contribute to the delay in implementation; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 5,778 (Liberia) IDPs: undetermined (communal violence between Christians and Muslims since President OBASANJO's election in 1999; displacement is mostly short-term) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

a transit point for heroin and cocaine intended for European, East Asian, and North American markets; consumer of amphetamines; safe haven for Nigerian narcotraffickers operating worldwide; major money-laundering center; massive corruption and criminal activity; Nigeria has improved some anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and Territories List in June 2006; Nigeria's anti-money-laundering regime continues to be monitored by FATF

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Niue

Introduction

Niue

Background:

Niue's remoteness, as well as cultural and linguistic differences between its Polynesian inhabitants and those of the rest of the Cook Islands, have caused it to be separately administered. The population of the island continues to drop (from a peak of 5,200 in 1966 to an estimated 1,444 in 2008), with substantial emigration to New Zealand, 2,400 km to the southwest.

Geography

Niue

Location:

Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga

Geographic coordinates:

19 02 S, 169 52 W

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 260 sq km land: 260 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

64 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; modified by southeast trade winds

Terrain:

steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location near Mutalau settlement 68 m

Natural resources:

fish, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 11.54% permanent crops: 15.38% other: 73.08% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

typhoons

Environment - current issues:

increasing attention to conservationist practices to counter loss of soil fertility from traditional slash and burn agriculture

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

one of world's largest coral islands

People

Niue

Population:

1,444 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA

Population growth rate:

-0.032% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Death rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

NA

Infant mortality rate:

total: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

NA (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Niuean(s) adjective: Niuean

Ethnic groups:

Niuen 78.2%, Pacific islander 10.2%, European 4.5%, mixed 3.9%,

Asian 0.2%, unspecified 3% (2001 census)

Religions:

Ekalesia Niue (Niuean Church - a Protestant church closely related to the London Missionary Society) 61.1%, Latter-Day Saints 8.8%, Roman Catholic 7.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2.4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, other 8.4%, unspecified 8.7%, none 1.9% (2001 census)

Languages:

Niuean, a Polynesian language closely related to Tongan and Samoan;

English

Literacy:

definition: NA total population: 95% male: NA female: NA

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 12 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Niue

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Niue note: pronounciation falls between nyu-way and new-way, but not like new-wee former: Savage Island

Dependency status:

self-governing in free association with New Zealand since 1974; Niue fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs and defense; however, these responsibilities confer no rights of control and are only exercised at the request of the Government of Niue

Government type:

self-governing parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Alofi geographic coordinates: 19 01 S, 169 55 W time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none; note - there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 14 villages at the second order

Independence:

on 19 October 1974, Niue became a self-governing parliamentary government in free association with New Zealand

National holiday:

Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)

Constitution:

19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act)

Legal system:

English common law; note - Niue is self-governing, with the power to make its own laws

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General of New Zealand Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006); the UK and New Zealand are represented by New Zealand High Commissioner John BRYAN (since May 2000) head of government: Premier Toke TALAGI (since 18 June 2008) cabinet: Cabinet consists of the premier and three ministers elections: the monarch is hereditary; premier elected by the Legislative Assembly for a three-year term; election last held 18 June 2008 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Toke TALAGI defeats incumbent Young VIVIAN in Legislative Assembly vote; Toke TALAGI - 14, Young VIVIAN - 5

Legislative branch:

unicameral Legislative Assembly (20 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; six elected from a common roll and 14 are village representatives) elections: last held 7 June 2008 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - 20 independents

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of New Zealand; High Court of Niue

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance of Independents or AI; Niue People's Action Party or NPP

[Young VIVIAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ACP, FAO, IFAD, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand)

Flag description:

yellow with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the flag of the UK bears five yellow five-pointed stars - a large star on a blue disk in the center and a smaller star on each arm of the bold red cross

Economy

Niue

Economy - overview:

The economy suffers from the typical Pacific island problems of geographic isolation, few resources, and a small population. Government expenditures regularly exceed revenues, and the shortfall is made up by critically needed grants from New Zealand that are used to pay wages to public employees. Niue has cut government expenditures by reducing the public service by almost half. The agricultural sector consists mainly of subsistence gardening, although some cash crops are grown for export. Industry consists primarily of small factories to process passion fruit, lime oil, honey, and coconut cream. The sale of postage stamps to foreign collectors is an important source of revenue. The island in recent years has suffered a serious loss of population because of emigration to New Zealand. Efforts to increase GDP include the promotion of tourism and a financial services industry, although the International Banking Repeal Act of 2002 resulted in the termination of all offshore banking licenses. Economic aid from New Zealand in 2002 was US$2.6 million. Niue suffered a devastating typhoon in January 2004, which decimated nascent economic programs. While in the process of rebuilding, Niue has been dependent on foreign aid.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$7.6 million (2000 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$10.01 million (2003)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.2% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$5,800 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 23.5% industry: 26.9% services: 49.5% (2003)

Labor force:

663 (2001)

Labor force - by occupation:

note: most work on family plantations; paid work exists only in government service, small industry, and the Niue Development Board

Unemployment rate:

12% (2001)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $15.07 million expenditures: $16.33 million (FY0405)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4% (2005)

Agriculture - products:

coconuts, passion fruit, honey, limes, taro, yams, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; pigs, poultry, beef cattle

Industries:

tourism, handicrafts, food processing

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

4 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

3.72 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

20 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

26.57 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$201,400 (2004)

Exports - commodities:

canned coconut cream, copra, honey, vanilla, passion fruit products, pawpaws, root crops, limes, footballs, stamps, handicrafts

Exports - partners:

New Zealand mainly, Fiji, Cook Islands, Australia (2006)

Imports:

$9.038 million (2004)

Imports - commodities:

food, live animals, manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, lubricants, chemicals, drugs

Imports - partners:

New Zealand mainly, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Australia, US (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$2.6 million from New Zealand (2002)

Debt - external:

$418,000 (2002 est.)

Currency (code):

New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Currency code:

NZD

Exchange rates:

New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003)

Communications

Niue

Telephones - main lines in use:

1,100 (2002 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

400 (2002)

Telephone system:

domestic: single-line telephone system connects all villages on island international: country code - 683 (2001)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

1,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (1997)

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.nu

Internet hosts:

382,599 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

900 (2002)

Transportation

Niue

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 120 km paved: 120 km (2008)

Ports and terminals:

none; offshore anchorage only

Military

Niue

Military branches:

no regular indigenous military forces; Police Force

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of New Zealand

Transnational Issues

Niue

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Norfolk Island

Introduction

Norfolk Island

Background:

Two British attempts at establishing the island as a penal colony (1788-1814 and 1825-55) were ultimately abandoned. In 1856, the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions.

Geography

Norfolk Island

Location:

Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia

Geographic coordinates:

29 02 S, 167 57 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 34.6 sq km land: 34.6 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

32 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain:

volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Bates 319 m

Natural resources:

fish

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

typhoons (especially May to July)

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

most of the 32 km coastline consists of almost inaccessible cliffs, but the land slopes down to the sea in one small southern area on Sydney Bay, where the capital of Kingston is situated

People

Norfolk Island

Population:

2,128 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 20.2% 15-64 years: 63.9% 65 years and over: 15.9% (2007 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.006% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Death rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

NA

Infant mortality rate:

total: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

NA (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Norfolk Islander(s) adjective: Norfolk Islander(s)

Ethnic groups:

descendants of the Bounty mutineers, Australian, New Zealander, Polynesian

Religions:

Anglican 31.8%, Roman Catholic 11.5%, Uniting Church in Australia 10.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.2%, other Christian 5.6%, none 19.9%, unspecified 16.6% (2006 census)

Languages:

English (official), Norfolk - a mixture of 18th century English and ancient Tahitian

Literacy:

NA

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Norfolk Island

Country name:

conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island conventional short form: Norfolk Island

Dependency status:

self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Attorney-General's Department

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Kingston geographic coordinates: 29 03 S, 167 58 E time difference: UTC+11.5 (16.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (territory of Australia)

Independence:

none (territory of Australia)

National holiday:

Bounty Day (commemorates the arrival of Pitcairn Islanders), 8 June (1856)

Constitution:

Norfolk Island Act of 1979, as amended in 2005

Legal system:

based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island law

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Acting Administrator Owen WALSH (since October 2007) cabinet: Executive Council is made up of four of the nine members of the Legislative Assembly; the council devises government policy and acts as an advisor to the administrator elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia

Legislative branch:

unicameral Legislative Assembly (9 seats; members elected by electors who have nine equal votes each but only four votes can be given to any one candidate; to serve three-year terms) elections: last held 21 March 2007 (next to be held by 28 March 2010) election results: seats - independents 9 (note - no political parties)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Court of Petty Sessions

Political parties and leaders:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

none

International organization participation:

UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (territory of Australia)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (territory of Australia)

Flag description:

three vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green with a large green Norfolk Island pine tree centered in the slightly wider white band

Economy

Norfolk Island

Economy - overview:

Tourism, the primary economic activity, has steadily increased over the years and has brought a level of prosperity unusual among inhabitants of the Pacific islands. The agricultural sector has become self-sufficient in the production of beef, poultry, and eggs.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$NA

Labor force:

NA

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 10% industry and services: 90%

Budget:

revenues: $4.6 million expenditures: $4.8 million (FY99/00)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Agriculture - products:

Norfolk Island pine seed, Kentia palm seed, cereals, vegetables, fruit; cattle, poultry

Industries:

tourism, light industry, ready mixed concrete

Electricity - production:

NA kWh

Electricity - consumption:

NA kWh

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 0% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2002)

Exports:

$1.5 million f.o.b. (FY91/92)

Exports - commodities:

postage stamps, seeds of the Norfolk Island pine and Kentia palm, small quantities of avocados

Exports - partners:

Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe (2006)

Imports:

$17.9 million c.i.f. (FY91/92)

Imports - commodities:

NA

Imports - partners:

Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$NA

Debt - external:

$NA

Currency (code):

Australian dollar (AUD)

Currency code:

AUD

Exchange rates:

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)

Communications

Norfolk Island

Telephones - main lines in use:

2,532; note - a mix of analog (2500) and digital (32) circuits (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

0; note - proposed cellular service disallowed in August 2002 island referendum (2002)

Telephone system:

general assessment: adequate domestic: free local calls international: country code - 672; undersea coaxial cable links with Australia and New Zealand; satellite earth station - 1

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005)

Radios:

2,500 (1996)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (local programming station plus 2 repeaters that air Australian programs by satellite) (2005)

Televisions:

1,200 (1996)

Internet country code:

.nf

Internet hosts:

51 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

700 (2002 est.)

Transportation

Norfolk Island

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 80 km paved: 53 km unpaved: 27 km (2008)

Ports and terminals:

none; loading jetties at Kingston and Cascade

Military

Norfolk Island

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of Australia

Transnational Issues

Norfolk Island

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Northern Mariana Islands

Introduction

Northern Mariana Islands

Background:

Under US administration as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands decided in the 1970s not to seek independence but instead to forge closer links with the US. Negotiations for territorial status began in 1972. A covenant to establish a commonwealth in political union with the US was approved in 1975, and came into force on 24 March 1976. A new government and constitution went into effect in 1978.

Geography

Northern Mariana Islands

Location:

Oceania, islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines

Geographic coordinates:

15 12 N, 145 45 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 477 sq km land: 477 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes 14 islands including Saipan, Rota, and Tinian

Area - comparative:

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

1,482 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July to October

Terrain:

southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Agrihan 965 m

Natural resources:

arable land, fish

Land use:

arable land: 13.04% permanent crops: 4.35% other: 82.61% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November)

Environment - current issues:

contamination of groundwater on Saipan may contribute to disease; clean-up of landfill; protection of endangered species conflicts with development

Geography - note:

strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean

People

Northern Mariana Islands

Population:

86,616 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 18.4% (male 8,342/female 7,594) 15-64 years: 79.9% (male 27,996/female 41,245) 65 years and over: 1.7% (male 740/female 699) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 29.9 years male: 32 years female: 28.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.377% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

19.04 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

2.31 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

7.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.68 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female total population: 0.75 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 6.72 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.5 years male: 73.89 years female: 79.26 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.18 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: NA (US citizens) adjective: NA

Ethnic groups:

Asian 56.3%, Pacific islander 36.3%, Caucasian 1.8%, other 0.8%, mixed 4.8% (2000 census)

Religions:

Christian (Roman Catholic majority, although traditional beliefs and taboos may still be found)

Languages:

Philippine languages 24.4%, Chinese 23.4%, Chamorro 22.4%, English 10.8%, other Pacific island languages 9.5%, other 9.6% (2000 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 97% female: 96% (1980 est.)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Northern Mariana Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands conventional short form: Northern Mariana Islands abbreviation: CNMI former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Mariana Islands District

Dependency status:

commonwealth in political union with the US; federal funds to the Commonwealth administered by the US Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs

Government type:

commonwealth; self-governing with locally elected governor, lieutenant governor, and legislature

Capital:

name: Saipan geographic coordinates: 15 12 N, 145 45 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (commonwealth in political union with the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are four municipalities at the second order: Northern Islands, Rota, Saipan, Tinian

Independence:

none (commonwealth in political union with the US)

National holiday:

Commonwealth Day, 8 January (1978)

Constitution:

Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands effective 1 January 1978; Covenant Agreement fully effective 4 November 1986

Legal system:

based on US system, except for customs, wages, immigration laws, and taxation

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections

Executive branch:

chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Benigno R. FITIAL (since 9 January 2006); Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. VILLAGOMEZ (since 9 January 2006) cabinet: the cabinet consists of the heads of the 10 principal departments under the executive branch who are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate; other members include Special Assistants to the governor and office heads appointed by and reporting directly to the governor elections: under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; however, they may vote in the Democratic and Republican presidential primary elections; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 5 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2009) election results: Benigno R. FITIAL elected governor in a four-way race; percent of vote - Benigno R. FITIAL 28.07%, Heinz HOFSCHNEIDER 27.34%, Juan BABAUTA 26.6%, Froilan TENORIO 17.99%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Legislature consists of the Senate (9 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year staggered terms) and the House of Representatives (20 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 3 November 2007 (next to be held in November 2009); House of Representatives - last held 3 November 2007 (next to be held in November 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Covenant Party 3, Republican Party 3, Democratic Party 1, independents 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 12, Covenant Party 4, Democratic Party 1, independents 3 note: the Northern Mariana Islands does not have a nonvoting delegate in the US Congress; instead, it has an elected official or "resident representative" in Washington, DC; seats by party - Republican Party 1 (Pedro A. TENORIO)

Judicial branch:

Commonwealth Supreme Court; Superior Court; Federal District Court

Political parties and leaders:

Covenant Party [Benigno R. FITIAL]; Democratic Party [Dr. Carlos S.

CAMACHO]; Republican Party [Juan S. REYES]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

SPC, UPU

Flag description:

blue, with a white, five-pointed star superimposed on the gray silhouette of a latte stone (a traditional foundation stone used in building) in the center, surrounded by a wreath

Economy

Northern Mariana Islands

Economy - overview:

The economy benefits substantially from financial assistance from the US. The rate of funding has declined as locally generated government revenues have grown. The key tourist industry employs about 50% of the work force and accounts for roughly one-fourth of GDP. Japanese tourists predominate. Annual tourist entries have exceeded one-half million in recent years, but financial difficulties in Japan have caused a temporary slowdown. The agricultural sector is made up of cattle ranches and small farms producing coconuts, breadfruit, tomatoes, and melons. Garment production is by far the most important industry with the employment of 17,500 mostly Chinese workers and sizable shipments to the US under duty and quota exemptions.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$900 million note: GDP estimate includes US subsidy (2000 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$633.4 million (2000)

GDP - real growth rate:

NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$12,500 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Labor force:

44,470 total indigenous labor force; 2,699 unemployed; 28,717 foreign workers (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Unemployment rate:

3.9% (2001)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $193 million expenditures: $223 million (FY01/02 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 October - 30 September

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

-0.8% (2000)

Agriculture - products:

coconuts, fruits, vegetables; cattle

Industries:

tourism, construction, garments, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

NA kWh

Electricity - consumption:

NA kWh

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Exports:

$NA

Exports - commodities:

garments

Exports - partners:

US (2006)

Imports:

$214.4 million (2001)

Imports - commodities:

food, construction equipment and materials, petroleum products

Imports - partners:

US, Japan (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

extensive funding from US

Debt - external:

$NA

Currency (code):

US dollar (USD)

Currency code:

USD

Exchange rates:

the US dollar is used

Communications

Northern Mariana Islands

Telephones - main lines in use:

21,000 (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

20,500 (2004)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 1-670; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 1 (2005)

Radios:

NA

Television broadcast stations:

1 (on Saipan; in addition, 2 cable services on Saipan provide varied programming from satellite networks) (2006)

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.mp

Internet hosts:

6 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2001)

Internet users:

10,000 (2003)

Transportation

Northern Mariana Islands

Airports:

5 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 536 km (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Saipan, Tinian

Military

Northern Mariana Islands

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 572 female: 594 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues

Northern Mariana Islands

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Norway

Introduction

Norway

Background:

Two centuries of Viking raids into Europe tapered off following the adoption of Christianity by King Olav TRYGGVASON in 994. Conversion of the Norwegian kingdom occurred over the next several decades. In 1397, Norway was absorbed into a union with Denmark that lasted more than four centuries. In 1814, Norwegians resisted the cession of their country to Sweden and adopted a new constitution. Sweden then invaded Norway but agreed to let Norway keep its constitution in return for accepting the union under a Swedish king. Rising nationalism throughout the 19th century led to a 1905 referendum granting Norway independence. Although Norway remained neutral in World War I, it suffered heavy losses to its shipping. Norway proclaimed its neutrality at the outset of World War II, but was nonetheless occupied for five years by Nazi Germany (1940-45). In 1949, neutrality was abandoned and Norway became a member of NATO. Discovery of oil and gas in adjacent waters in the late 1960s boosted Norway's economic fortunes. The current focus is on containing spending on the extensive welfare system and planning for the time when petroleum reserves are depleted. In referenda held in 1972 and 1994, Norway rejected joining the EU.

Geography

Norway

Location:

Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic

Ocean, west of Sweden

Geographic coordinates:

62 00 N, 10 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 323,802 sq km land: 307,442 sq km water: 16,360 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries:

total: 2,542 km border countries: Finland 727 km, Sweden 1,619 km, Russia 196 km

Coastline:

25,148 km (includes mainland 2,650 km, as well as long fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations 22,498 km; length of island coastlines 58,133 km)

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 10 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate:

temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers; rainy year-round on west coast

Terrain:

glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Galdhopiggen 2,469 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 2.7% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.3% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,270 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

381.4 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.4 cu km/yr (23%/67%/10%) per capita: 519 cu m/yr (1996)

Natural hazards:

rockslides, avalanches

Environment - current issues:

water pollution; acid rain damaging forests and adversely affecting lakes, threatening fish stocks; air pollution from vehicle emissions

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,

Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its much indented coastline; strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in North Atlantic; one of most rugged and longest coastlines in the world

People

Norway

Population:

4,644,457 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 18.8% (male 446,146/female 426,166) 15-64 years: 66.2% (male 1,559,750/female 1,516,217) 65 years and over: 15% (male 297,175/female 399,003) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 39 years male: 38.2 years female: 39.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.35% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

11.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.33 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

1.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 3.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 79.81 years male: 77.16 years female: 82.6 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.78 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

2,100 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Norwegian(s) adjective: Norwegian

Ethnic groups:

Norwegian 94.4% (includes Sami, about 60,000), other European 3.6%, other 2% (2007 estimate)

Religions:

Church of Norway 85.7%, Pentecostal 1%, Roman Catholic 1%, other

Christian 2.4%, Muslim 1.8%, other 8.1% (2004)

Languages:

Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official), small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities; note - Sami is official in six municipalities

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100%

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 17 years male: 17 years female: 18 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

7.2% of GDP (2005)

Government

Norway

Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Norway conventional short form: Norway local long form: Kongeriket Norge local short form: Norge

Government type:

constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Oslo geographic coordinates: 59 55 N, 10 45 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

19 counties (fylker, singular - fylke); Akershus, Aust-Agder,

Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, More og Romsdal, Nordland,

Nord-Trondelag, Oppland, Oslo, Ostfold, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane,

Sor-Trondelag, Telemark, Troms, Vest-Agder, Vestfold

Dependent areas:

Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard

Independence:

7 June 1905 (Norway declared the union with Sweden dissolved); 26 October 1905 (Sweden agreed to the repeal of the union)

National holiday:

Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)

Constitution:

17 May 1814; amended many times

Legal system:

mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS, son of the monarch (born 20 July 1973) head of government: Prime Minister Jens STOLTENBERG (since 17 October 2005) cabinet: State Council appointed by the monarch with the approval of parliament elections: the monarch is hereditary; following parliamentary elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch with the approval of the parliament

Legislative branch:

modified unicameral Parliament or Storting (169 seats; members are elected by popular vote by proportional representation to serve four-year terms); note - in 2009 the number of seats will change to 165 elections: last held 12 September 2005 (next to be held in September 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - Labor Party 32.7%, Progress Party 22.1%, Conservative Party 14.1%, Socialist Left Party 8.8%, Christian People's Party 6.8%, Center Party 6.5%, Liberal Party 5.9%, other 3.1%; seats by party - Labor Party 61, Progress Party 38, Conservative Party 23, Socialist Left Party 15, Christian People's Party 11, Center Party 11, Liberal Party 10 note: for certain purposes, the parliament divides itself into two chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership in the Lagting and three-fourths of its membership in the Odelsting

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (justices appointed by the monarch)

Political parties and leaders:

Center Party [Aslaug Marie HAGA]; Christian People's Party [Dagfinn

HOYBRATEN]; Conservative Party [Erna SOLBERG]; Labor Party [Jens

STOLTENBERG]; Liberal Party [Lars SPONHEIM]; Progress Party [Siv

JENSEN]; Socialist Left Party [Kristin HALVORSEN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Norwegian Aid Committee or NORWAC; Norwegian Association of the

Disabled; Pure Salmon Campaign; The Consumer Council (consumer

advocacy group)

other: environmental groups; media; reform movements

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic

Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA,

ESA, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS

(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention,

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMIS, UNRWA,

UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO,

ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Wegger C. STROMMEN chancery: 2720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-6000 FAX: [1] (202) 337-0870 consulate(s) general: Houston, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Benson K. WHITNEY embassy: Henrik Ibsens gate 48, 0244 Oslo; note - the embassy will move to Huseby in the near future mailing address: PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 09707 telephone: [47] (22) 44 85 50 FAX: [47] (22) 44 33 63, 56 27 51

Flag description:

red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Economy

Norway

Economy - overview:

The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of welfare capitalism, featuring a combination of free market activity and government intervention. The government controls key areas, such as the vital petroleum sector, through large-scale state enterprises. The country is richly endowed with natural resources - petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals - and is highly dependent on its oil production and international oil prices, with oil and gas accounting for one-third of exports. Only Saudi Arabia and Russia export more oil than Norway. Norway opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994; nonetheless, as a member of the European Economic Area, it contributes sizably to the EU budget. The government has moved ahead with privatization. Although Norwegian oil production peaked in 2000, natural gas production is still rising. Norwegians realize that once their gas production peaks they will eventually face declining oil and gas revenues; accordingly, Norway has been saving its oil-and-gas-boosted budget surpluses in a Government Petroleum Fund, which is invested abroad and now is valued at more than $250 billion. After lackluster growth of less than 1% in 2002-03, GDP growth picked up to 3-5% in 2004-07, partly due to higher oil prices. Norway's economy remains buoyant. Domestic economic activity is, and will continue to be, the main driver of growth, supported by high consumer confidence and strong investment spending in the offshore oil and gas sector. Norway's record high budget surplus and upswing in the labor market in 2007 highlight the strength of its economic position going into 2008.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$246.6 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$391.5 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$53,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.4% industry: 41.9% services: 55.7% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.507 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 4% industry: 22% services: 74% (1995)

Unemployment rate:

2.5% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.9% highest 10%: 23.4% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

28 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

20.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $226.3 billion expenditures: $158.7 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

83.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

0.8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

6.65% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

NA (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

barley, wheat, potatoes; pork, beef, veal, milk; fish

Industries:

petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles, fishing

Industrial production growth rate:

0.1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

135 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

111.5 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

15.32 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

5.284 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 0.4% hydro: 99.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0.4% (2001)

Oil - production:

2.565 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

224,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

2.714 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

92,650 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

6.865 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

92.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

6.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

86.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

2.241 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$64.07 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$140.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, ships, fish

Exports - partners:

UK 26.3%, Germany 12.3%, Netherlands 10.2%, France 8%, Sweden 6.5%,

US 6.2% (2007)

Imports:

$77.24 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

Sweden 14.7%, Germany 13.6%, UK 6.9%, Denmark 6.4%, China 6.1%, US 4.8%, Canada 4.3% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $2.954 billion (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$60.84 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:

$469.1 billion; note - Norway is a net external creditor (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$62.63 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$126.1 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$191 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

Norwegian krone (NOK)

Currency code:

NOK

Exchange rates:

Norwegian kroner (NOK) per US dollar - 5.8396 (2007), 6.4117 (2006), 6.4425 (2005), 6.7408 (2004), 7.0802 (2003)

Communications

Norway

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.988 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

5.192 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern in all respects; one of the most advanced telecommunications networks in Europe domestic: Norway has a domestic satellite system; moreover, the prevalence of rural areas encourages the wide use of cellular-mobile systems instead of fixed-wire systems international: country code - 47; 2 buried coaxial cable systems; submarine cables provide links to other Nordic countries and Europe; satellite earth stations - NA Eutelsat, NA Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Norway shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden) (1999)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 5, FM at least 650, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

4.03 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

360 (plus 2,729 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

2.03 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.no

Internet hosts:

2.995 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

13 (2000)

Internet users:

3.8 million (2007)

Transportation

Norway

Airports:

98 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 67 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 29 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 31 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 25 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 508 km; gas 6,529 km; oil 2,444 km; oil/gas/water 457 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 4,114 km standard gauge: 4,114 km 1.435-m gauge (2,552 km electrified) (2008)

Roadways:

total: 92,946 km paved: 72,033 km (includes 664 km of expressways) unpaved: 20,913 km (2007)

Waterways:

1,577 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 688 by type: bulk carrier 46, cargo 141, carrier 3, chemical tanker 137, combination ore/oil 12, container 4, liquefied gas 65, passenger/cargo 117, petroleum tanker 85, refrigerated cargo 14, roll on/roll off 13, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 50 foreign-owned: 199 (Canada 3, Canada 7, Chile 2, China 36, Denmark 25, Estonia 1, Finland 1, France 3, Germany 1, Greece 3, Hong Kong 20, Iceland 3, Italy 4, Japan 29, Lithuania 1, Malaysia 1, Monaco 5, Poland 3, Saudi Arabia 3, Singapore 1, Sweden 34, UK 5, US 8) registered in other countries: 923 (Antigua and Barbuda 8, Australia 1, Bahamas 189, Barbados 38, Belize 3, Bermuda 5, Brazil 5, Canada 3, Cayman Islands 1, China 1, Comoros 1, Cook Islands 5, Cyprus 18, Denmark 1, Denmark 2, Dominica 1, Estonia 2, Faroe Islands 4, Finland 3, France 5, Gibraltar 33, Hong Kong 40, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 20, Italy 2, South Korea 2, Liberia 40, Libya 1, Malta 93, Marshall Islands 66, Netherlands 12, Netherlands Antilles 3, Panama 89, Philippines 10, Russia 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13, Singapore 143, Spain 5, Sweden 7, Tuvalu 1, UK 31, US 9, unknown 4) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Bergen, Borg Havn, Haugesund, Maaloy, Mongstad, Narvik, Oslo, Sture

Military

Norway

Military branches:

Norwegian Army (Haeren), Royal Norwegian Navy (Kongelige Norske

Sjoeforsvaret, RNoN; includes Coastal Rangers and Coast Guard

(Kystvakt)), Royal Norwegian Air Force (Kongelige Norske

Luftforsvaret, RNoAF), Home Guard (Heimevernet, HV) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18-44 years of age for male compulsory military service; 16 years of age in wartime; 17 years of age for male volunteers; 18 years of age for women; 12-month service obligation, in practice shortened to 8 to 9 months; although all males between ages of 18 and 44 are liable for service, in practice they are seldom called to duty after age 30; reserve obligation to age 35-60; 16 years of age for volunteers to the Home Guard, who serve 6-month duty tours (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,078,181 females age 16-49: 1,046,550 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 888,101 females age 16-49: 862,159 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 32,185 female: 30,683 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Norway

Disputes - international:

Norway asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land and its continental shelf); despite dialogue, Russia and Norway continue to dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Oman

Introduction

Oman

Background:

The inhabitants of the area of Oman have long prospered on Indian Ocean trade. In the late 18th century, a newly established sultanate in Muscat signed the first in a series of friendship treaties with Britain. Over time, Oman's dependence on British political and military advisors increased, but it never became a British colony. In 1970, QABOOS bin Said al-Said overthrew the restrictive rule of his father; he has ruled as sultan ever since. His extensive modernization program has opened the country to the outside world while preserving the longstanding close ties with the UK. Oman's moderate, independent foreign policy has sought to maintain good relations with all Middle Eastern countries.

Geography

Oman

Location:

Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian

Gulf, between Yemen and UAE

Geographic coordinates:

21 00 N, 57 00 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 212,460 sq km land: 212,460 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Kansas

Land boundaries:

total: 1,374 km border countries: Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km

Coastline:

2,092 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south

Terrain:

central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m highest point: Jabal Shams 2,980 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas

Land use:

arable land: 0.12% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 99.74% (2005)

Irrigated land:

720 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

1 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.36 cu km/yr (7%/2%/90%) per capita: 529 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; limited natural fresh water resources

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location on Musandam Peninsula adjacent to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil

People

Oman

Population:

3,311,640 note: includes 577,293 non-nationals (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 42.7% (male 721,796/female 692,699) 15-64 years: 54.5% (male 1,053,040/female 752,962) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 51,290/female 39,853) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.9 years male: 21.3 years female: 16.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.19% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

35.26 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

3.68 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.4 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.29 male(s)/female total population: 1.23 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 17.45 deaths/1,000 live births male: 19.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.91 years male: 71.64 years female: 76.29 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.62 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

1,300 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Omani(s) adjective: Omani

Ethnic groups:

Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan,

Bangladeshi), African

Religions:

Ibadhi Muslim 75%, other (includes Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim,

Hindu) 25%

Languages:

Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects

Literacy:

definition: NA total population: 81.4% male: 86.8% female: 73.5% (2003 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 11 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4% of GDP (2006)

Government

Oman

Country name:

conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman conventional short form: Oman local long form: Saltanat Uman local short form: Uman former: Muscat and Oman

Government type:

monarchy

Capital:

name: Muscat geographic coordinates: 23 37 N, 58 35 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

5 regions (manatiq, singular - mintaqat) and 4 governorates* (muhafazat, singular - muhafazat) Ad Dakhiliyah, Al Batinah, Al Buraymi*, Al Wusta, Ash Sharqiyah, Az Zahirah, Masqat (Muscat)*, Musandam*, Zufar (Dhofar)*

Independence:

1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)

National holiday:

Birthday of Sultan QABOOS, 18 November (1940)

Constitution:

none; note - on 6 November 1996, Sultan QABOOS issued a royal decree promulgating a basic law considered by the government to be a constitution which, among other things, clarifies the royal succession, provides for a prime minister, bars ministers from holding interests in companies doing business with the government, establishes a bicameral legislature, and guarantees basic civil liberties for Omani citizens

Legal system:

based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal to the monarch; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

21 years of age; universal; note - members of the military and security forces are not allowed to vote

Executive branch:

chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said al-Said (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July 1972); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said al-Said (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July 1972) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch elections: the monarch is hereditary

Legislative branch:

bicameral Majlis Oman consists of Majlis al-Dawla or upper chamber (70 seats; members appointed by the monarch; has advisory powers only) and Majlis al-Shura or lower chamber (84 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; body has some limited power to propose legislation, but otherwise has only advisory powers) elections: last held 27 October 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: new candidates won 46 seats and 38 members of the outgoing Majlis kept their positions; none of the 20 female candidates were elected

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court note: the nascent civil court system, administered by region, has judges who practice secular and Sharia law

Political parties and leaders:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

none

International organization participation:

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory),

IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU,

ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Hunaina bint Sultan bin Ahmad al-MUGHAIRI chancery: 2535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-1980 FAX: [1] (202) 745-4933

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Gary A. GRAPPO embassy: Jameat A'Duwal Al Arabiya Street, Al Khuwair area, Muscat mailing address: P. O. Box 202, P.C. 115, Madinat Sultan Qaboos, Muscat telephone: [968] 24-643-400 FAX: [968] 24-699771

Flag description:

three horizontal bands of white, red, and green of equal width with a broad, vertical, red band on the hoist side; the national emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath superimposed on two crossed swords in scabbards) in white is centered near the top of the vertical band

Economy

Oman

Economy - overview:

Oman is a middle-income economy that is heavily dependent on dwindling oil resources, but sustained high oil prices in recent years have helped build Oman's budget and trade surpluses and foreign reserves. Oman joined the World Trade Organization in November 2000 and continues to liberalize its markets. It ratified a free trade agreement with the US in September 2006, and, through the Gulf Cooperation Council, seeks similar agreements with the EU, China and Japan. As a result of its dwindling oil resources, Oman is actively pursuing a development plan that focuses on diversification, industrialization, and privatization, with the objective of reducing the oil sector's contribution to GDP to 9 percent by 2020. Muscat is attempting to "Omanize" the labor force by replacing foreign expatriate workers with local workers. Oman actively seeks private foreign investors, especially in the industrial, information technology, tourism, and higher education fields. Industrial development plans focus on gas resources, metal manufacturing, petrochemicals, and international transshipment ports.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$60.89 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$40.06 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$19,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.2% industry: 38.2% services: 59.6% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

920,000 (2002 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Unemployment rate:

15% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

20% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $14.02 billion expenditures: $13.68 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

3.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

1.98% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7.29% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$5.044 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$11.04 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$13.88 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables; camels, cattle; fish

Industries:

crude oil production and refining, natural and liquefied natural gas (LNG) production; construction, cement, copper, steel, chemicals, optic fiber

Industrial production growth rate:

3.2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

13.58 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

10.53 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

714,300 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

69,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

722,000 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

15,440 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

5.5 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

24.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

11 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

13.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

849.5 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$4.866 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$23.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum, reexports, fish, metals, textiles

Exports - partners:

China 26.8%, South Korea 15.2%, Japan 14.3%, Thailand 10.4%, UAE 7.6%, US 4.3%, Iran 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$11 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants

Imports - partners:

UAE 19.3%, Japan 17.6%, US 7.4%, Germany 5.2%, India 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$30.68 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$9.524 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$5.297 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$16.16 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Omani rial (OMR)

Currency code:

OMR

Exchange rates:

Omani rials (OMR) per US dollar - 0.3845 (2007), 0.3845 (2006), 0.3845 (2005), 0.3845 (2004), 0.3845 (2003)

Communications

Oman

Telephones - main lines in use:

268,100 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.5 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern system consisting of open-wire, microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited coaxial cable domestic: fixed-line phone service gradually being introduced to remote villages using wireless local loop systems; fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership both increasing; open-wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, and a domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations international: country code - 968; the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) and the SEA-ME-WE-3 submarine cable provide connectivity to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 3, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999)

Radios:

1.4 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

13 (plus 25 repeaters) (1999)

Televisions:

1.6 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.om

Internet hosts:

4,785 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

340,000 (2007)

Transportation

Oman

Airports:

137 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 7 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 130 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 51 914 to 1,523 m: 35 under 914 m: 34 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 4,126 km; oil 3,558 km (2007)

Roadways:

total: 42,300 km paved: 16,500 km (includes 550 km of expressways) unpaved: 25,800 km (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 3 by type: chemical tanker 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1 registered in other countries: 2 (Panama 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Mina' Qabus, Salalah

Military

Oman

Military branches:

Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF): Royal Army of Oman, Royal Navy of Oman,

Royal Air Force of Oman (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 802,455 females age 16-49: 626,841 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 663,881 females age 16-49: 543,410 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 34,238 female: 33,139 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

11.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Oman

Disputes - international:

boundary agreement reportedly signed and ratified with UAE in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah exclave, but details of the alignment have not been made public

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Oman is a destination country for men and women primarily from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan who migrate willingly, but some of whom become victims of trafficking when subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude as domestic workers and laborers; mistreatment includes non-payment of wages, restrictions on movement and withholding of passports, threats, and physical or sexual abuse; Oman may also be a destination country for women from Asia, Eastern Europe, and North Africa for commercial sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 3 - Oman was rated as Tier 3 for the second consecutive year because it did not report any law enforcement efforts to prosecute and punish trafficking offenses in 2007 and continues to lack victim protection services or a systematic procedure to identify victims of trafficking (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Pacific Ocean

Introduction

Pacific Ocean

Background:

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). Strategically important access waterways include the La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and Torres Straits. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of 60 degrees south.

Geography

Pacific Ocean

Location:

body of water between the Southern Ocean, Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere

Geographic coordinates:

0 00 N, 160 00 W

Map references:

Political Map of the World

Area:

total: 155.557 million sq km note: includes Bali Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Philippine Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea, and other tributary water bodies

Area - comparative:

about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of the global surface; larger than the total land area of the world

Coastline:

135,663 km

Climate:

planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December

Terrain:

surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre; in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana Trench, which is the world's deepest

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench -10,924 m highest point: sea level 0 m

Natural resources:

oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish

Natural hazards:

surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September); cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December

Environment - current issues:

endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea

Geography - note:

the major chokepoints are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean

Economy

Pacific Ocean

Economy - overview:

The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world economy and particularly to those nations its waters directly touch. It provides low-cost sea transportation between East and West, extensive fishing grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel for the construction industry. In 1996, over 60% of the world's fish catch came from the Pacific Ocean. Exploitation of offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role in the energy supplies of the US, Australia, NZ, China, and Peru. The high cost of recovering offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide swings in world prices for oil since 1985, has led to fluctuations in new drillings.

Transportation

Pacific Ocean

Ports and terminals:

Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong (China), Kao-hsiung (Taiwan), Los

Angeles (US), Manila (Philippines), Pusan (South Korea), San

Francisco (US), Seattle (US), Shanghai (China), Singapore, Sydney

(Australia), Vladivostok (Russia), Wellington (NZ), Yokohama (Japan)

Transportation - note:

Inside Passage offers protected waters from southeast Alaska to Puget Sound (Washington state); the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of littoral states and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargoes stolen; crew and passengers are often held for ransom, murdered, or cast adrift

Transnational Issues

Pacific Ocean

Disputes - international:

some maritime disputes (see littoral states)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Pakistan

Introduction

Pakistan

Background:

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of what is presently Pakistan. During the second millennium B.C., remnants of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples. The area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam), Afghans, and Turks. The Mughal Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries; the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought two wars - in 1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A third war between these countries in 1971 - in which India capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani politics - resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998. The dispute over the state of Kashmir is ongoing, but discussions and confidence-building measures have led to decreased tensions since 2002. Mounting public dissatisfaction with President MUSHARRAF, coupled with the assassination of the prominent and popular political leader, Benazir BHUTTO, in late 2007, and MUSHARRAF?s resignation in August 2008, led to the September presidential election of Asif ZARDARI, BHUTTO?s widower. Pakistani government and military leaders are struggling to control Islamist militants, many of whom are located in the tribal areas adjacent to the border with Afghanistan. The Pakistani government is also faced with a deteriorating economy as foreign exchange reserves decline, the currency depreciates, and the current account deficit widens.

Geography

Pakistan

Location:

Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north

Geographic coordinates:

30 00 N, 70 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 803,940 sq km land: 778,720 sq km water: 25,220 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of California

Land boundaries:

total: 6,774 km border countries: Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km

Coastline:

1,046 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north

Terrain:

flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m

Natural resources:

land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone

Land use:

arable land: 24.44% permanent crops: 0.84% other: 74.72% (2005)

Irrigated land:

182,300 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

233.8 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 169.39 cu km/yr (2%/2%/96%) per capita: 1,072 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)

Environment - current issues:

water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff; limited natural fresh water resources; most of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent

People

Pakistan

Population:

172,800,048 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 37.8% (male 33,617,953/female 31,741,258) 15-64 years: 58% (male 51,292,535/female 48,921,023) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 3,408,749/female 3,818,533) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 20.5 years male: 20.3 years female: 20.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.999% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

28.35 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.85 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 66.94 deaths/1,000 live births male: 67.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 66.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 64.13 years male: 63.07 years female: 65.25 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.73 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

74,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

4,900 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria animal contact disease: rabies note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Pakistani(s) adjective: Pakistani

Ethnic groups:

Punjabi 44.68%, Pashtun (Pathan) 15.42%, Sindhi 14.1%, Sariaki 8.38%, Muhagirs 7.57%, Balochi 3.57%, other 6.28%

Religions:

Muslim 95% (Sunni 75%, Shia 20%), other (includes Christian and

Hindu) 5%

Languages:

Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%, English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Burushaski and other 8%

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 49.9% male: 63% female: 36% (2005 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 7 years male: 7 years female: 6 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

2.6% of GDP (2006)

Government

Pakistan

Country name:

conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Pakistan conventional short form: Pakistan local long form: Jamhuryat Islami Pakistan local short form: Pakistan former: West Pakistan

Government type:

federal republic

Capital:

name: Islamabad geographic coordinates: 33 42 N, 73 10 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capital territory**; Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas*, Islamabad Capital Territory**, North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, Sindh note: the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region consists of two administrative entities: Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas

Independence:

14 August 1947 (from British India)

National holiday:

Republic Day, 23 March (1956)

Constitution:

12 April 1973; suspended 5 July 1977, restored 30 December 1985; suspended 15 October 1999, restored in stages in 2002; amended 31 December 2003; suspended 3 November 2007; restored on 15 December 2007

Legal system:

based on English common law with provisions to accommodate Pakistan's status as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal; joint electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Asif Ali ZARDARI (since 6 September 2008) head of government: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza GILANI (since 25 March 2008) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president upon the advice of the prime minister elections: the president is elected by secret ballot through an Electoral College comprising the members of the Senate, National Assembly, and the provincial assemblies for a five-year term; election last held on 6 September 2008 (next to be held not later than 2013); note - any person who is a Muslim and not less than 45 years of age and is qualified to be elected as a member of the National Assembly can contest the presidential election; the prime minister is selected by the National Assembly; election last held on 24 March 2008 election results: ZARDARI elected; ZARDARI 481 votes, SIDDIQUI 153 votes, HUSSAIN 44 votes; GILANI elected prime minister; GILANI 264 votes, Pervaiz ELAHI 42 votes; several abstentions

Legislative branch:

bicameral parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the Senate (100 seats; members indirectly elected by provincial assemblies and the territories' representatives in the National Assembly to serve six-year terms; one half are elected every three years) and the National Assembly (342 seats; 272 members elected by popular vote; 60 seats reserved for women; 10 seats reserved for non-Muslims; to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - last held in March 2006 (next to be held in March 2009); National Assembly - last held 18 February 2008 (next to be held in 2013) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PML 38, MMA 18, PPPP 10, MQM 6, PML-N 4, PKMAP 3, ANP 2, PPP-S 2, BNP-A 1, BNP-M 1, JWP 1, NA 1, PML-F 1, independents 12; National Assembly - percent of votes by party - NA; seats by party - PPPP 121, PML-N 91, PML 54, MQM 25, ANP 13, MMA 6, PML-F 5, BNP-A 1, NPP 1, PPP-S 1, independents 18; note - as a result of the 27 June 2008 by-election, PML-N gained 3 seats and PPPP gained 2 seats)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (justices appointed by the president); Federal Islamic or Sharia Court

Political parties and leaders:

Awami National Party or ANP [Asfandyar Wali KHAN]; Balochistan

National Party-Hayee Group or BNP-H [Dr. Hayee BALOCH]; Balochistan

National Party-Awami or BNP-A [Moheem Khan BALOCH]; Balochistan

National Party-Mengal or BNP-M [Sardar Ataullah MENGAL]; Jamhoori

Watan Party or JWP; Jamiat Ahle Hadith or JAH [Sajid MIR]; Jamaat-i

Islami or JI [Qazi Hussain AHMED]; Jamiat Ulema-i Islam Fazlur

Rehman or JUI-F [Fazlur REHMAN]; Jamiat Ulema-i Islam Sami-ul HAQ or

JUI-S [Sami ul-HAQ]; Jamiat Ulema-i Pakistan or JUP [Shah Faridul

HAQ]; Muttahida Majlis-e Amal or MMA [Qazi Hussain AHMED]; Muttahida

Qaumi Movement or MQM [Altaf HUSSAIN]; National Alliance or NA

[Ghulam Mustapha JATOI] (merged with PML); National Peoples Party or

NPP; Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami Party or PKMAP [Mahmood Khan

ACHAKZAI]; Pakistan Awami Tehrik or PAT [Tahir ul QADRI]; Pakistan

Muslim League-Functional or PML-F [Pir PAGARO]; Pakistan Muslim

League-Nawaz Sharif or PML-N [Nawaz SHARIF]; Pakistan Muslim League

or PML [Chaudhry Shujaat HUSSAIN]; Pakistan Peoples Party-SHERPAO or

PPP-S [Aftab Ahmed Khan SHERPAO]; Pakistan Peoples Party

Parliamentarians or PPPP [Bilawal Bhutto ZARDARI, chairman; Asif Ali

ZARDARI, co-chairman]; Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaaf or PTI [Imran KHAN];

Tehrik-i Islami [Allama Sajid NAQVI]

note: political alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: military (most important political force); ulema (clergy); landowners; industrialists; small merchants

International organization participation:

ADB, ARF, C (reinstated 2004), CP, ECO, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT,

MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP,

SCO (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL,

UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Husain HAQQANI chancery: 3517 International Court, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 243-6500 FAX: [1] (202) 686-1544 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Sunnyvale (California)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Anne W. PATTERSON embassy: Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad mailing address: P. O. Box 1048, Unit 62200, APO AE 09812-2200 telephone: [92] (51) 208-0000 FAX: [92] (51) 2276427 consulate(s) general: Karachi consulate(s): Lahore, Peshawar

Flag description:

green with a vertical white band (symbolizing the role of religious minorities) on the hoist side; a large white crescent and star are centered in the green field; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam

Economy

Pakistan

Economy - overview:

Pakistan, an impoverished and underdeveloped country, has suffered from decades of internal political disputes, low levels of foreign investment, and a costly, ongoing confrontation with neighboring India. However, since 2001, IMF-approved reforms - most notably, privatization of the banking sector - bolstered by generous foreign assistance and renewed access to global markets, have generated macroeconomic recovery. Pakistan has experienced GDP growth in the 6-8% range in 2004-07, spurred by gains in the industrial and service sectors. Poverty levels have decreased by 10% since 2001, and Islamabad has steadily raised development spending in recent years, including a 52% real increase in the budget allocation for development in FY07. In 2007 the fiscal deficit - a result of chronically low tax collection and increased spending - exceeded Islamabad's target of 4% of GDP. Inflation remains the top concern among the public, jumping from 7.7% in 2007 to more than 11% during the first few months of 2008, primarily because of rising world commodity prices. The Pakistani rupee has depreciated since the proclamation of emergency rule in November 2007.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$411.9 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$143.8 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 20.6% industry: 26.6% services: 52.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

48.23 million note: extensive export of labor, mostly to the Middle East, and use of child labor (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 42% industry: 20% services: 38% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

5.6% plus substantial underemployment (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

24% (FY05/06 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 4% highest 10%: 26.3% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

30.6 (2002)

Investment (gross fixed):

21.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $18.25 billion expenditures: $24.69 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Public debt:

50.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

7.6% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

10% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$52.76 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$18.42 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$65.05 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; milk, beef, mutton, eggs

Industries:

textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp

Industrial production growth rate:

8% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

93.26 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

68.4 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 68.8% hydro: 28.2% nuclear: 3% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

68,670 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

345,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

28,060 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

290,600 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

289.2 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

30.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

30.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

792.8 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$8.255 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$18.12 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

textiles (garments, bed linen, cotton cloth, yarn), rice, leather goods, sports goods, chemicals, manufactures, carpets and rugs

Exports - partners:

US 18%, UAE 10.4%, Afghanistan 8.4%, China 5.2%, UK 4.7% (2007)

Imports:

$28.76 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, plastics, transportation equipment, edible oils, paper and paperboard, iron and steel, tea

Imports - partners:

China 16.2%, Saudi Arabia 10.9%, UAE 10.1%, US 5.7%, Kuwait 4.9%,

Japan 4.4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.666 billion (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$15.69 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$38.8 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$20.01 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$982 million (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$45.52 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Pakistani rupee (PKR)

Currency code:

PKR

Exchange rates:

Pakistani rupees (PKR) per US dollar - 60.6295 (2007), 60.35 (2006), 59.515 (2005), 58.258 (2004), 57.752 (2003)

Communications

Pakistan

Telephones - main lines in use:

4.546 million (2008)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

88.02 million (2008)

Telephone system:

general assessment: the telecommunications infrastructure is improving dramatically with foreign and domestic investments into fixed-line and mobile networks; mobile-cellular subscribership has skyrocketed, reaching some 88 million in 2008, up from only about 300,000 in 2000; fiber systems are being constructed throughout the country to aid in network growth; main line availability has risen only marginally over the same period and there are still difficulties getting main line service to rural areas domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, cellular, and satellite networks international: country code - 92; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable systems that provide links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international gateway exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio relay to neighboring countries (2008)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 31, FM 68, shortwave NA (2006)

Radios:

13.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

20 (5 state-run channels and 15 privately-owned satellite channels) (2006)

Televisions:

3.1 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.pk

Internet hosts:

197,264 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

30 (2000)

Internet users:

17.5 million (2007)

Transportation

Pakistan

Airports:

146 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 92 over 3,047 m: 16 2,438 to 3,047 m: 19 1,524 to 2,437 m: 29 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 54 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 24 (2007)

Heliports:

18 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 10,398 km; oil 2,076 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 8,163 km broad gauge: 7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified) narrow gauge: 445 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 259,758 km paved: 162,879 km (includes 711 km of expressways) unpaved: 96,879 km (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 15 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 10, petroleum tanker 4 registered in other countries: 19 (Comoros 4, Malta 2, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 9, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Karachi, Port Muhammad Bin Qasim

Military

Pakistan

Military branches:

Army (includes National Guard), Navy (includes Marines and Maritime

Security Agency), Pakistan Air Force (Pakistan Fiza'ya) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

16 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed for combat until age of 18; the Pakistani Air Force and Pakistani Navy have inducted their first female pilots and sailors (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 42,633,765 females age 16-49: 40,114,017 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 32,453,913 females age 16-49: 31,369,057 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 2,062,065 female: 1,936,916 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Transnational Issues

Pakistan

Disputes - international:

various talks and confidence-building measures cautiously have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; India and Pakistan have maintained their 2004 cease fire in Kashmir and initiated discussions on defusing the armed stand-off in the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan protests India's fencing the highly militarized Line of Control and construction of the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the larger dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show the Junagadh claim in India's Gujarat State; by 2005, Pakistan, with UN assistance, repatriated 2.3 million Afghan refugees leaving slightly more than a million, many of whom remain at their own choosing; Pakistan has proposed and Afghanistan protests construction of a fence and laying of mines along portions of their porous border; Pakistan has sent troops into remote tribal areas to monitor and control the border with Afghanistan and to stem terrorist or other illegal activities

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 1,043,984 (Afghanistan) IDPs: undetermined (government strikes on Islamic militants in South Waziristan); 34,000 (October 2005 earthquake; most of those displaced returned to their home villages in the spring of 2006) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

significant transit area for Afghan drugs, including heroin, opium, morphine, and hashish, bound for Iran, Western markets, the Gulf States, Africa, and Asia; financial crimes related to drug trafficking, terrorism, corruption, and smuggling remain problems; opium poppy cultivation estimated to be 2,300 hectares in 2007 with 600 of those hectares eradicated; federal and provincial authorities continue to conduct anti-poppy campaigns that utilizes forced eradication, fines, and arrests

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Palau

Introduction

Palau

Background:

After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986, but not ratified until 1993. It entered into force the following year, when the islands gained independence.

Geography

Palau

Location:

Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines

Geographic coordinates:

7 30 N, 134 30 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 458 sq km land: 458 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

1,519 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November

Terrain:

varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Ngerchelchuus 242 m

Natural resources:

forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals

Land use:

arable land: 8.7% permanent crops: 4.35% other: 86.95% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

typhoons (June to December)

Environment - current issues:

inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste; threats to the marine ecosystem from sand and coral dredging, illegal fishing practices, and overfishing

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

westernmost archipelago in the Caroline chain, consists of six island groups totaling more than 300 islands; includes World War II battleground of Beliliou (Peleliu) and world-famous rock islands

People

Palau

Population:

21,093 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 25.8% (male 2,797/female 2,637) 15-64 years: 69.4% (male 7,864/female 6,779) 65 years and over: 4.8% (male 482/female 534) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 32.3 years male: 33.3 years female: 31.3 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.157% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

17.4 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.73 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.16 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 13.69 deaths/1,000 live births male: 15.37 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 71 years male: 67.82 years female: 74.36 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.45 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Palauan(s) adjective: Palauan

Ethnic groups:

Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 69.9%,

Filipino 15.3%, Chinese 4.9%, other Asian 2.4%, white 1.9%,

Carolinian 1.4%, other Micronesian 1.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%

(2000 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei 8.8% (indigenous to Palau), Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, Latter-Day Saints 0.6%, other 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4% (2000 census)

Languages:

Palauan 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral (Sonsoralese

and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and

Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official), Filipino 13.5%,

English 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%, Japanese 1.5%, other

Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92% male: 93% female: 90% (1980 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 14 years female: 15 years (2000)

Education expenditures:

10.3% of GDP (2002)

Government

Palau

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Palau conventional short form: Palau local long form: Beluu er a Belau local short form: Belau former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Palau District

Government type:

constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 1 October 1994

Capital:

name: Melekeok geographic coordinates: 7 29 N, 134 38 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

16 states; Aimeliik, Airai, Angaur, Hatohobei, Kayangel, Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngarchelong, Ngardmau, Ngatpang, Ngchesar, Ngeremlengui, Ngiwal, Peleliu, Sonsorol

Independence:

1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday:

Constitution Day, 9 July (1979)

Constitution:

1 January 1981

Legal system:

based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since 19 January 2001); Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since 19 January 2001); Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005) cabinet: NA elections: president and vice president elected on separate tickets by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2012) election results: Johnson TORIBIONG (51%) defeats Elias Camsek CHIN (49%) for president; Kerai MARIUR elected vice president

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Congress or Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK) consists of the Senate (9 seats; members elected by popular vote on a population basis to serve four-year terms) and the House of Delegates (16 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2008); House of Delegates - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9; House of Delegates - percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 16

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Court of Common Pleas; Land Court

Political parties and leaders:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ACP, ADB, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC,

IPU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Hersey KYOTA chancery: 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 452-6814 FAX: [1] (202) 452-6281 consulate(s) general: Honolulu consulate(s): Tamuning (Guam)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Charge d'Affaires Mark BEZNER embassy: Koror (no street address) mailing address: P. O. Box 6028, Republic of Palau 96940 telephone: [680] 488-2920, 2990 FAX: [680] 488-2911

Flag description:

light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon) shifted slightly to the hoist side

Economy

Palau

Economy - overview:

The economy consists primarily of tourism, subsistence agriculture, and fishing. The government is the major employer of the work force relying heavily on financial assistance from the US. The Compact of Free Association with the US, entered into after the end of the UN trusteeship on 1 October 1994, provided Palau with up to $700 million in US aid for the following 15 years in return for furnishing military facilities. Business and tourist arrivals numbered 63,000 in 2003. The population enjoys a per capita income roughly 50% higher than that of the Philippines and much of Micronesia. Long-run prospects for the key tourist sector have been greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific, the rising prosperity of leading East Asian countries, and the willingness of foreigners to finance infrastructure development.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$124.5 million note: GDP estimates includes US subsidy (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$145 million (2005)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.5% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$7,600 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 6.2% industry: 12% services: 81.8% (2003)

Labor force:

9,777 (2005)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 20% industry: NA% services: NA%

Unemployment rate:

4.2% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $72.07 million expenditures: $72.43 million (FY04/05 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 October - 30 September

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.7% (2005 est.)

Agriculture - products:

coconuts, copra, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; fish

Industries:

tourism, craft items (from shell, wood, pearls), construction, garment making

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production by source:

NA

Current account balance:

$15.09 million (FY03/04)

Exports:

$5.882 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:

shellfish, tuna, copra, garments

Exports - partners:

US, Japan, Singapore (2006)

Imports:

$107.3 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, fuels, metals; foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

US, Singapore, Japan, South Korea (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$23.46 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$0 (FY99/00)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

US dollar (USD)

Currency code:

USD

Exchange rates:

the US dollar is used

Communications

Palau

Telephones - main lines in use:

6,700 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1,000 (2002)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 680; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:

12,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (cable) (2005)

Televisions:

11,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.pw

Internet hosts:

0 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Transportation

Palau

Airports:

3 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)

Roadways:

note: estimated to have 60 km of roads as of 1996

Ports and terminals:

Koror

Military

Palau

Military branches:

no regular military forces; Palau National Police (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,973 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 4,397 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 179 female: 165 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the US; under a Compact of Free Association between Palau and the US, the US military is granted access to the islands for 50 years, but it has not stationed any military forces there (2008)

Transnational Issues

Palau

Disputes - international:

maritime delineation negotiations continue with Philippines, Indonesia

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Panama

Introduction

Panama

Background:

Explored and settled by the Spanish in the 16th century, Panama broke with Spain in 1821 and joined a union of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela - named the Republic of Gran Colombia. When the latter dissolved in 1830, Panama remained part of Colombia. With US backing, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903 and promptly signed a treaty with the US allowing for the construction of a canal and US sovereignty over a strip of land on either side of the structure (the Panama Canal Zone). The Panama Canal was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. In 1977, an agreement was signed for the complete transfer of the Canal from the US to Panama by the end of the century. Certain portions of the Zone and increasing responsibility over the Canal were turned over in the subsequent decades. With US help, dictator Manuel NORIEGA was deposed in 1989. The entire Panama Canal, the area supporting the Canal, and remaining US military bases were transferred to Panama by the end of 1999. In October 2006, Panamanians approved an ambitious plan to expand the Canal. The project, which began in 2007 and could double the Canal's capacity, is expected to be completed in 2014-15.

Geography

Panama

Location:

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North

Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica

Geographic coordinates:

9 00 N, 80 00 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 78,200 sq km land: 75,990 sq km water: 2,210 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries:

total: 555 km border countries: Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km

Coastline:

2,490 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or edge of continental margin

Climate:

tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)

Terrain:

interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Volcan Baru 3,475 m

Natural resources:

copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 7.26% permanent crops: 1.95% other: 90.79% (2005)

Irrigated land:

430 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

148 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.82 cu km/yr (67%/5%/28%) per capita: 254 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area

Environment - current issues:

water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery resources; deforestation of tropical rain forest; land degradation and soil erosion threatens siltation of Panama Canal; air pollution in urban areas; mining threatens natural resources

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge connecting North and South America; controls Panama Canal that links North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean

People

Panama

Population:

3,309,679 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 29.6% (male 499,254/female 479,242) 15-64 years: 63.8% (male 1,066,915/female 1,043,499) 65 years and over: 6.7% (male 102,937/female 117,832) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 26.7 years male: 26.3 years female: 27.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.544% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

20.68 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.71 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 13.4 deaths/1,000 live births male: 14.35 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.88 years male: 74.08 years female: 79.81 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.57 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

16,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Panamanian(s) adjective: Panamanian

Ethnic groups:

mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 70%, Amerindian and mixed (West Indian) 14%, white 10%, Amerindian 6%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%

Languages:

Spanish (official), English 14%; note - many Panamanians bilingual

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91.9% male: 92.5% female: 91.2% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.8% of GDP (2004)

Government

Panama

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Panama conventional short form: Panama local long form: Republica de Panama local short form: Panama

Government type:

constitutional democracy

Capital:

name: Panama geographic coordinates: 8 58 N, 79 32 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

11 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 territory* (comarca); Bocas del Toro, Comarca Kuna Yala, Comarca Ngobe-Bugle, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Herrera, Los Santos, Panama, San Blas*(Kuna Yala), and Veraguas

Independence:

3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain 28 November 1821)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 3 November (1903)

Constitution:

11 October 1972; major reforms adopted 1978, 1983, 1994, and 2004

Legal system:

based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Martin TORRIJOS Espino (since 1 September 2004); First Vice President Samuel LEWIS Navarro (since 1 September 2004); Second Vice President Ruben AROSEMENA Valdes (since 1 September 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Martin TORRIJOS Espino (since 1 September 2004); First Vice President Samuel LEWIS Navarro (since 1 September 2004); Second Vice President Ruben AROSEMENA Valdes (since 1 September 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms (not eligible for immediate reelection; president and vice presidents must sit out two additional terms (10 years) before becoming eligible for reelection); election last held 2 May 2004 (next to be held on 3 May 2009); note - beginning in 2009, Panama will have only one vice president election results: Martin TORRIJOS Espino elected president; percent of vote - Martin TORRIJOS Espino 47.5%, Guillermo ENDARA Galimany 30.6%, Jose Miguel ALEMAN 17%, Ricardo MARTINELLI 4.9% note: government coalition - PRD (Democratic Revolutionary Party), PP (Popular Party)

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (78 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - in 2009, the number of seats will change to 71 elections: last held 2 May 2004 (next to be held 3 May 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRD 41, PA 17, PS 9, MOLIRENA 4, CD 3, PLN 3, PP 1 note: legislators from outlying rural districts are chosen on a plurality basis while districts located in more populous towns and cities elect multiple legislators by means of a proportion-based formula

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (nine judges appointed for 10-year terms); five superior courts; three courts of appeal

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Change or CD [Ricardo MARTINELLI]; Democratic

Revolutionary Party or PRD [Hugo GUIRAUD]; Nationalist Republican

Liberal Movement or MOLIRENA [Gisela CHUNG]; Panamenista Party or PA

[Juan Carlos VARELA] (formerly the Arnulfista Party); Patriotic

Union Party or PU (combination of the Liberal National Party or PLN

and the Solidarity Party or PS)[Jose Raul MULINO and Anibal

GALINDO]; Popular Party or PP [Rene ORILLAC] (formerly Christian

Democratic Party or PDC)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Chamber of Commerce; National Civic Crusade; National Council of Organized Workers or CONATO; National Council of Private Enterprise or CONEP; National Union of Construction and Similar Workers (SUNTRACS); Panamanian Association of Business Executives or APEDE; Panamanian Industrialists Society or SIP; Workers Confederation of the Republic of Panama or CTRP

International organization participation:

BCIE, CAN (observer), CSN (observer), FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA

(observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security

Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO,

UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Federico HUMBERT Arias chancery: 2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-1407 FAX: [1] (202) 483-8416 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Honolulu, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Tampa

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador William A. EATON embassy: Edificio 783, Avenida Demetrio Basilio Lakas Panama, Apartado Postal 0816-02561, Zona 5, Panama City mailing address: American Embassy Panama, Unit 0945, APO AA 34002 telephone: [507] 207-7000 FAX: [507] 317-5568

Flag description:

divided into four, equal rectangles; the top quadrants are white (hoist side) with a blue five-pointed star in the center and plain red; the bottom quadrants are plain blue (hoist side) and white with a red five-pointed star in the center

Economy

Panama

Economy - overview:

Panama's dollarized economy rests primarily on a well-developed services sector that accounts for two-thirds of GDP. Services include operating the Panama Canal, banking, the Colon Free Zone, insurance, container ports, flagship registry, and tourism. Economic growth will be bolstered by the Panama Canal expansion project that began in 2007 and should be completed by 2014 at a cost of $5.3 billion (about 30% of current GDP). The expansion project will more than double the Canal's capacity, enabling it to accommodate ships that are now too large to transverse the transoceanic crossway and should help to reduce the high unemployment rate. The government has implemented tax reforms, as well as social security reforms, and backs regional trade agreements and development of tourism. Not a CAFTA signatory, Panama in December 2006 independently negotiated a free trade agreement with the US, which, when implemented, will help promote the country's economic growth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$34.81 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$19.74 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

11.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$10,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 6.6% industry: 16.4% services: 77% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

1.362 million note: shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 15% industry: 18% services: 67% (2006)

Unemployment rate:

6.4% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

37% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 43% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

56.1 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

20.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $5.505 billion expenditures: $4.822 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

53% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.2% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8.25% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$3.054 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$14.26 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$17.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

bananas, rice, corn, coffee, sugarcane, vegetables; livestock; shrimp

Industries:

construction, brewing, cement and other construction materials, sugar milling

Industrial production growth rate:

10.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

5.805 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

4.768 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

124.9 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

8.74 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 37% hydro: 61.3% nuclear: 0% other: 1.7% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

92,790 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

4,447 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

88,790 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$1.577 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$9.312 billion f.o.b.; note - includes the Colon Free Zone (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

bananas, shrimp, sugar, coffee, clothing

Exports - partners:

US 35.6%, Netherlands 10.2%, China 6%, Sweden 5.5%, UK 5.4%, Costa

Rica 5.1%, Spain 5% (2007)

Imports:

$12.62 billion f.o.b. note: includes the Colon Free Zone (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals

Imports - partners:

US 32.8%, Netherlands Antilles 7.6%, China 5.6%, Japan 5.1%, Costa

Rica 5.1%, South Korea 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$19.54 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.935 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$10.45 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$5.074 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

balboa (PAB); US dollar (USD)

Currency code:

PAB; USD

Exchange rates:

balboas (PAB) per US dollar - 1 (2007), 1 (2006), 1 (2005), 1 (2004), 1 (2003)

Communications

Panama

Telephones - main lines in use:

491,900 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.392 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: domestic and international facilities well developed domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is approaching 90 per 100 persons international: country code - 507; landing point for the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1), the MAYA-1, and PAN-AM submarine cable systems that together provide links to the US and parts of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to the Central American Microwave System (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 101, FM 134, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

815,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

38 (including repeaters) (1998)

Televisions:

510,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.pa

Internet hosts:

7,858 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

6 (2000)

Internet users:

525,200 (2007)

Transportation

Panama

Airports:

116 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 54 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 29 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 62 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 50 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Railways:

total: 355 km standard gauge: 77 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 278 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 11,978 km paved: 4,300 km unpaved: 7,343 km (2002)

Waterways:

800 km (includes 82 km Panama Canal) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 6,323 by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 2,143, cargo 1,208, carrier 13, chemical tanker 565, combination ore/oil 6, container 790, liquefied gas 189, passenger 44, passenger/cargo 71, petroleum tanker 557, refrigerated cargo 265, roll on/roll off 128, specialized tanker 29, vehicle carrier 313 foreign-owned: 5,394 (Albania 2, Argentina 8, Australia 4, Azerbaijan 1, Bahamas 9, Bangladesh 2, Belgium 2, British Virgin Islands 1, Bulgaria 3, Burma 1, Canada 18, Chile 12, China 532, Colombia 4, Croatia 3, Cuba 10, Cyprus 19, Denmark 40, Dominican Republic 1, Ecuador 4, Egypt 17, Estonia 5, Finland 2, France 5, Gabon 1, Germany 44, Gibraltar 1, Greece 510, Hong Kong 130, India 27, Indonesia 31, Iran 7, Israel 3, Italy 28, Japan 2,335, Jordan 13, North Korea 1, South Korea 303, Kuwait 2, Latvia 8, Lebanon 5, Lithuania 7, Malaysia 12, Maldives 1, Malta 3, Mexico 2, Monaco 16, Netherlands 14, Nigeria 10, Norway 89, Oman 2, Pakistan 9, Peru 16, Philippines 7, Poland 11, Portugal 9, Qatar 1, Romania 7, Russia 18, Saudi Arabia 16, Singapore 100, Spain 50, Sri Lanka 1, Sweden 6, Switzerland 25, Syria 32, Taiwan 320, Thailand 10, Tunisia 1, Turkey 94, Turks and Caicos Islands 1, Ukraine 10, UAE 109, UK 59, US 126, Venezuela 10, Vietnam 30, Yemen 6) registered in other countries: 3 (Marshall Islands 1, Sierra Leone 1, Venezuela 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Balboa, Colon, Cristobal

Military

Panama

Military branches:

no regular military forces; Panamanian Public Forces or PPF includes the Panamanian National Police (PNP), National Maritime Service (NMS), and National Air Service (NAS) (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 851,044 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 673,103 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 31,042 female: 29,969 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1% of GDP (2006)

Military - note:

on 10 February 1990, the government of then President ENDARA abolished Panama's military and reformed the security apparatus by creating the Panamanian Public Forces; in October 1994, Panama's Legislative Assembly approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting the creation of a standing military force but allowing the temporary establishment of special police units to counter acts of "external aggression"

Transnational Issues

Panama

Disputes - international:

organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia operate within the remote border region with Panama

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Panama is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; the majority of victims are Panamanian women and children trafficked within the country into the sex trade; rural children in Panama may be trafficked internally to urban areas for labor exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Panama is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly with respect to prosecuting, convicting, and sentencing human traffickers for their crimes, and for failing to provide adequate victim assistance (2008)

Illicit drugs:

major cocaine transshipment point and primary money-laundering center for narcotics revenue; money-laundering activity is especially heavy in the Colon Free Zone; offshore financial center; negligible signs of coca cultivation; monitoring of financial transactions is improving; official corruption remains a major problem

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Papua New Guinea

Introduction

Papua New Guinea

Background:

The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives.

Geography

Papua New Guinea

Location:

Oceania, group of islands including the eastern half of the island of New Guinea between the Coral Sea and the South Pacific Ocean, east of Indonesia

Geographic coordinates:

6 00 S, 147 00 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 462,840 sq km land: 452,860 sq km water: 9,980 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than California

Land boundaries:

total: 820 km border countries: Indonesia 820 km

Coastline:

5,152 km

Maritime claims:

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation

Terrain:

mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m

Natural resources:

gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil, fisheries

Land use:

arable land: 0.49% permanent crops: 1.4% other: 98.11% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Total renewable water resources:

801 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.1 cu km/yr (56%/43%/1%) per capita: 17 cu m/yr (1987)

Natural hazards:

active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Ring of Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamis

Environment - current issues:

rain forest subject to deforestation as a result of growing commercial demand for tropical timber; pollution from mining projects; severe drought

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast

People

Papua New Guinea

Population:

5,931,769 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 37.3% (male 1,124,174/female 1,086,478) 15-64 years: 58.7% (male 1,791,342/female 1,690,089) 65 years and over: 4% (male 111,023/female 128,663) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 21.5 years male: 21.6 years female: 21.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.118% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

28.14 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.96 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 46.67 deaths/1,000 live births male: 50.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 42.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 66 years male: 63.76 years female: 68.35 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.71 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.6% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

60,000 (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

600 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Papua New Guinean(s) adjective: Papua New Guinean

Ethnic groups:

Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian

Religions:

Roman Catholic 27%, Evangelical Lutheran 19.5%, United Church 11.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, Pentecostal 8.6%, Evangelical Alliance 5.2%, Anglican 3.2%, Baptist 2.5%, other Protestant 8.9%, Bahai 0.3%, indigenous beliefs and other 3.3% (2000 census)

Languages:

Melanesian Pidgin serves as the lingua franca, English spoken by 1%-2%, Motu spoken in Papua region note: 820 indigenous languages spoken (over one-tenth of the world's total)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 57.3% male: 63.4% female: 50.9% (2000 census)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Papua New Guinea

Country name:

conventional long form: Independent State of Papua New Guinea conventional short form: Papua New Guinea local short form: Papuaniugini former: Territory of Papua and New Guinea abbreviation: PNG

Government type:

constitutional parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Port Moresby geographic coordinates: 9 30 S, 147 10 E time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

20 provinces; Bougainville, Central, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, East

New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Madang, Manus, Milne Bay,

Morobe, National Capital, New Ireland, Northern, Sandaun, Southern

Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain

Independence:

16 September 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 16 September (1975)

Constitution:

16 September 1975

Legal system:

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by governor general Sir Paulius MATANE (since 29 June 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Sir Michael SOMARE (since 2 August 2002); Deputy Prime Minister Puka TEMU (since 29 August 2007) cabinet: National Executive Council appointed by governor general on recommendation of prime minister elections: monarch is hereditary; governor general nominated by parliament and appointed by chief of state; following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition usually is appointed prime minister by governor general

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Parliament (109 seats, 89 filled from open electorates and 20 from provinces and national capital district; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); constitution allows up to 126 seats elections: last held from 30 June to 10 July 2007; next to be held in June 2012 election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - National Alliance 27, PNGP 8, PAP 6, URP 6, PANGU 5, PDM 5, independents 19, others 33; note - election to 1 seat was nullified note: 15 other parties won 4 or fewer seats; association with political parties is fluid

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the proposal of the National Executive Council after consultation with the minister responsible for justice; other judges are appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission)

Political parties and leaders:

National Alliance Party or NA [Michael SOMARE]; Papua and Niugini

Union Party or PANGU PATI [Andrew KUMBAKOR]; Papua New Guinea Party

or PNGP [Sir Mekere MORAUTA]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM

[Michael OGIO]; People's Action Party or PAP [Gabriel KAPRIS];

United Resources Party or URP [William DUMA] (2007)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Ahora [Andrew MAMOKO] (represents local tribes); Centre for

Environment Law and Community Rights or Celcor [Damien ASE];

Community Coalition Against Corruption

International organization participation:

ACP, ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN (observer), C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM

(observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW,

PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Evan Jeremy PAKI chancery: 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 805, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 745-3680 FAX: [1] (202) 745-3679

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Leslie V. ROWE embassy: Douglas Street, Port Moresby, N.C.D. mailing address: 4240 Port Moresby PI, US Department of State, Washington DC 20521-4240 telephone: [675] 321-1455 FAX: [675] 321-3423

Flag description:

divided diagonally from upper hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is red with a soaring yellow bird of paradise centered; the lower triangle is black with five, white, five-pointed stars of the Southern Cross constellation centered

Economy

Papua New Guinea

Economy - overview:

Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources, but exploitation has been hampered by rugged terrain and the high cost of developing infrastructure. Agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for 85% of the population. Mineral deposits, including copper, gold, and oil, account for nearly two-thirds of export earnings. The government of Prime Minister SOMARE has expended much of its energy remaining in power. He was the first prime minister ever to serve a full five-year term. The government also brought stability to the national budget, largely through expenditure control; however, it relaxed spending constraints in 2006 and 2007 as elections approached. Numerous challenges still face the government including regaining investor confidence, restoring integrity to state institutions, promoting economic efficiency by privatizing moribund state institutions, and balancing relations with Australia, its former colonial ruler. Other socio-cultural challenges could upend the economy including a worsening HIV/AIDS epidemic and chronic law and order and land tenure issues. Australia will supply more than $300 million in aid in FY07/08, which accounts for nearly 20% of the national budget.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$12.05 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$6.001 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,100 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 34% industry: 37.3% services: 28.7% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

3.557 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 85% industry: NA% services: NA% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:

1.9% up to 80% in urban areas (2004)

Population below poverty line:

37% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.7% highest 10%: 40.5% (1996)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

50.9 (1996)

Investment (gross fixed):

19.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $2.363 billion expenditures: $2.21 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

40.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

0.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

7.38% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

9.78% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.685 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.482 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.486 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, cocoa, copra, palm kernels, tea, sugar, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables, vanilla; shell fish, poultry, pork

Industries:

copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood production, wood chip production; mining of gold, silver, and copper; crude oil production, petroleum refining; construction, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

6.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

2.875 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

2.674 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 54.1% hydro: 45.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

42,100 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - consumption:

29,050 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

39,310 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

24,150 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

88 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

140 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

140 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

226.5 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$125.8 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$4.686 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

oil, gold, copper ore, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crayfish, prawns

Exports - partners:

Australia 27.3%, Japan 9.5%, China 5.7% (2007)

Imports:

$2.629 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners:

Australia 51.3%, Singapore 11.6%, China 7.9%, Japan 5.7% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$266.1 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.087 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.646 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$4.863 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

kina (PGK)

Currency code:

PGK

Exchange rates:

kina (PGK) per US dollar - 3.03 (2007), 3.0643 (2006), 3.08 (2005), 3.2225 (2004), 3.5635 (2003)

Communications

Papua New Guinea

Telephones - main lines in use:

60,000 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

300,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: services are minimal; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services domestic: access to telephone services is not widely available; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is 6 per 100 persons international: country code - 675; submarine cables to Australia and Guam; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); international radio communication service (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 28 (1998)

Radios:

410,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (all in the Port Moresby area; stations at Mt. Hagen, Goroka, Lae, and Rabaul are planned) (2004)

Televisions:

59,841 (1999)

Internet country code:

.pg

Internet hosts:

3,422 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

3 (2000)

Internet users:

110,000 (2006)

Transportation

Papua New Guinea

Airports:

578 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 21 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 557 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 58 under 914 m: 489 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Pipelines:

oil 264 km (2007)

Roadways:

total: 19,600 km paved: 686 km unpaved: 18,914 km (2000)

Waterways:

11,000 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 21 by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 17, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 6 (UAE 6) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Kimbe, Lae, Madang, Rabaul, Wewak

Military

Papua New Guinea

Military branches:

Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF; includes Maritime Operations

Element, Air Operations Element) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,481,417 females age 16-49: 1,385,040 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,080,466 females age 16-49: 1,092,040 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 62,865 female: 61,102 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Papua New Guinea

Disputes - international:

relies on assistance from Australia to keep out illegal cross-border activities from primarily Indonesia, including goods smuggling, illegal narcotics trafficking, and squatters and secessionists

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 10,177 (Indonesia) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Papua New Guinea is a country of destination for women and children from Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and China trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; internal trafficking of women and children for the purposes of sexual exploitation and involuntary domestic servitude occurs as well tier rating: Tier 3 - Papua New Guinea does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the current legal framework does not contain elements of crimes that characterize trafficking; the government lacks victim protection services or a systematic procedure to identify victims of trafficking; the government did not prosecute anyone in 2007 for trafficking; Papua New Guinea has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Illicit drugs:

major consumer of cannabis

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Paracel Islands

Introduction

Paracel Islands

Background:

The Paracel Islands are surrounded by productive fishing grounds and by potential oil and gas reserves. In 1932, French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on Pattle Island; maintenance was continued by its successor, Vietnam. China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands. China built a military installation on Mischief Reef in 1999. The islands are claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.

Geography

Paracel Islands

Location:

Southeastern Asia, group of small islands and reefs in the South China Sea, about one-third of the way from central Vietnam to the northern Philippines

Geographic coordinates:

16 30 N, 112 00 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: NA sq km land: NA sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

NA

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

518 km

Maritime claims:

NA

Climate:

tropical

Terrain:

mostly low and flat

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 m

Natural resources:

none

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

typhoons

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group

People

Paracel Islands

Population:

no indigenous inhabitants note: there are scattered Chinese garrisons

Government

Paracel Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Paracel Islands

Economy

Paracel Islands

Economy - overview:

China announced plans in 1997 to open the islands for tourism.

Transportation

Paracel Islands

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Ports and terminals:

small Chinese port facilities on Woody Island and Duncan Island being expanded

Military

Paracel Islands

Military - note:

occupied by China

Transnational Issues

Paracel Islands

Disputes - international:

occupied by China, also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Paraguay

Introduction

Paraguay

Background:

In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70) - between Paraguay and Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay - Paraguay lost two-thirds of all adult males and much of its territory. It stagnated economically for the next half century. In the Chaco War of 1932-35, Paraguay won large, economically important areas from Bolivia. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER ended in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, Paraguay has held relatively free and regular presidential elections since then.

Geography

Paraguay

Location:

Central South America, northeast of Argentina

Geographic coordinates:

23 00 S, 58 00 W

Map references:

South America

Area:

total: 406,750 sq km land: 397,300 sq km water: 9,450 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than California

Land boundaries:

total: 3,995 km border countries: Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km, Brazil 1,365 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west

Terrain:

grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; Gran Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m highest point: Cerro Pero (Cerro Tres Kandu) 842 m

Natural resources:

hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone

Land use:

arable land: 7.47% permanent crops: 0.24% other: 92.29% (2005)

Irrigated land:

670 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

336 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.49 cu km/yr (20%/8%/71%) per capita: 80 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; water pollution; inadequate means for waste disposal pose health risks for many urban residents; loss of wetlands

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil; population concentrated in southern part of country

People

Paraguay

Population:

6,831,306 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 36.9% (male 1,283,311/female 1,240,769) 15-64 years: 57.9% (male 1,988,256/female 1,968,869) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 161,811/female 188,290) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 21.7 years male: 21.5 years female: 22 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.39% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

28.47 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.49 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 25.55 deaths/1,000 live births male: 29.74 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 75.56 years male: 72.99 years female: 78.26 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.8 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

15,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

600 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Paraguayan(s) adjective: Paraguayan

Ethnic groups:

mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 89.6%, Protestant 6.2%, other Christian 1.1%, other or unspecified 1.9%, none 1.1% (2002 census)

Languages:

Spanish (official), Guarani (official)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94% male: 94.9% female: 93% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 12 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

4% of GDP (2004)

Government

Paraguay

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Paraguay conventional short form: Paraguay local long form: Republica del Paraguay local short form: Paraguay

Government type:

constitutional republic

Capital:

name: Asuncion geographic coordinates: 25 16 S, 57 40 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

17 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital city*; Alto Paraguay, Alto Parana, Amambay, Asuncion*, Boqueron, Caaguazu, Caazapa, Canindeyu, Central, Concepcion, Cordillera, Guaira, Itapua, Misiones, Neembucu, Paraguari, Presidente Hayes, San Pedro

Independence:

14 May 1811 (from Spain)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 14 May 1811 (observed 15 May)

Constitution:

promulgated 20 June 1992

Legal system:

based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez (since 15 August 2008); Vice President Federico FRANCO (since 15 August 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez (since 15 August 2008); Vice President Federico FRANCO (since 15 August 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 20 April 2008 (next to be held April 2013) election results: Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez elected president; percent of vote - Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez 40.8%, Blanca OVELAR 30.6%, Lino OVIEDO 21.9%, Pedro FADUL 2.4%, other 4.3%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (80 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 20 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2013); Chamber of Deputies - last held 20 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2013) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ANR 15, PLRA 14, UNACE 9, PPQ 4, other 3; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ANR 30, PLRA 27, UNACE 15, PPQ 3, APC 2, other 3

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (nine judges appointed on the proposal of the Council of Magistrates or Consejo de la Magistratura)

Political parties and leaders:

Alianza Patriotica por el Cambio (Patriotic Alliance for Change) or

APC [Fernando LUGO]; Asociacion Nacional Republicana - Colorado

Party or ANR [Jose Alberto ALDERETE]; Movimiento Union Nacional de

Ciudadanos Eticos or UNACE [Enrique GONZALEZ Quintana]; Patria

Querida (Beloved Fatherland Party) or PPQ [Pedro Nicolas Maraa FADUL

Niella]; Partido del Movimiento al Socialismo or P-MAS; Partido

Encuentro Nacional or PEN [Emilio CAMACHO Paredes]; Partido Liberal

Radical Autentico or PLRA [Blas LLANO]; Partido Pais Solidario or

PPS [Carlos Alberto FILIZZOLA Pallares]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Ahorristas Estafados or AE; National Coordinating Board of Campesino

Organizations or MCNOC [Luis AGUAYO]; National Federation of

Campesinos or FNC [Odilon ESPINOLA]; National Workers Central or CNT

[Secretary General Juan TORRALES]; Paraguayan Workers Confederation

or CPT; Roman Catholic Church; Unitary Workers Central or CUT [Jorge

Guzman ALVARENGA Malgarejo]

International organization participation:

CAN (associate), FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO

(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA,

MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA,

RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS,

UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador James SPALDING Hellmers chancery: 2400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-6960 through 6962 FAX: [1] (202) 234-4508 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, Miami, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

Ambassador Liliana AYALDE embassy: 1776 Avenida Mariscal Lopez, Casilla Postal 402, Asuncion mailing address: Unit 4711, APO AA 34036-0001 telephone: [595] (21) 213-715 FAX: [595] (21) 228-603

Flag description:

three equal, horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue with an emblem centered in the white band; unusual flag in that the emblem is different on each side; the obverse (hoist side at the left) bears the national coat of arms (a yellow five-pointed star within a green wreath capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles); the reverse (hoist side at the right) bears the seal of the treasury (a yellow lion below a red Cap of Liberty and the words Paz y Justicia (Peace and Justice) capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles)

Economy

Paraguay

Economy - overview:

Landlocked Paraguay has a market economy marked by a large informal sector. This sector features both reexport of imported consumer goods to neighboring countries, as well as the activities of thousands of microenterprises and urban street vendors. Because of the importance of the informal sector, accurate economic measures are difficult to obtain. A large percentage of the population, especially in rural areas, derives its living from agricultural activity, often on a subsistence basis. On a per capita basis, real income has stagnated at 1980 levels. Most observers attribute Paraguay's poor economic performance to political uncertainty, corruption, limited progress on structural reform, and deficient infrastructure. The economy rebounded between 2003 and 2007, posting modest growth each year, as growing world demand for commodities combined with high prices and favorable weather to support Paraguay's commodity-based export expansion.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$26.7 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$10.87 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$4,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 22.7% industry: 17.6% services: 59.7% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.787 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 31% industry: 17% services: 52% (2007)

Unemployment rate:

5.6% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

32% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 46.1% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

56.8 (2008)

Investment (gross fixed):

18.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $2.159 billion expenditures: $2.042 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

27% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

20% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

25.03% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.943 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.368 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$2.457 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber

Industries:

sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products, steel, metallurgic, electric power

Industrial production growth rate:

-1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

70 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - consumption:

6 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - exports:

64 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 0% hydro: 99.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0.1% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

27,410 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2007)

Oil - imports:

25,940 bbl/day (2007)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2007 est.)

Current account balance:

$119 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$5.463 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, electricity, wood, leather

Exports - partners:

Argentina 28.1%, Uruguay 15.2%, Brazil 12.7%, Chile 5.9%, Germany 4.9%, Russia 4.5% (2007)

Imports:

$6.094 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products, electrical machinery, tractors, chemicals, vehicle parts

Imports - partners:

Brazil 30.4%, US 22.8%, Argentina 14.4%, China 8.6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$51.09 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.463 billion (31 December 2007)

Debt - external:

$3.492 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$2.057 million (2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$233.8 million (2005)

Currency (code):

guarani (PYG)

Currency code:

PYG

Exchange rates:

guarani (PYG) per US dollar - 5,031 (2007), 5,672.8 (2006), 6,178 (2005), 5,974.6 (2004), 6,424.3 (2003)

Communications

Paraguay

Telephones - main lines in use:

453,800 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

4.33 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: meager telephone service; principal switching center is in Asuncion domestic: the fixed-line market is a state monopoly; deficiencies in provision of fixed-line service have resulted in a rapid expansion of mobile-cellular services fostered by competition among multiple providers international: country code - 595; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 41, FM 121, shortwave 6 (3 inactive) (2006)

Radios:

925,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

5 (2007)

Televisions:

990,000 (2001)

Internet country code:

.py

Internet hosts:

19,691 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

4 (2000)

Internet users:

280,000 (2007)

Transportation

Paraguay

Airports:

838 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 13 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 5 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 825 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 267 under 914 m: 532 (2007)

Railways:

total: 36 km standard gauge: 36 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 29,500 km paved: 14,986 km unpaved: 14,514 km (2000)

Waterways:

3,100 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 23 by type: cargo 18, carrier 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 6 (Argentina 5, Netherlands 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion

Military

Paraguay

Military branches:

Army, National Navy (Armada Nacional, includes Naval Aviation,

Marine Corps, General Naval Prefecture), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea

Paraguay, FAP) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24 months for Navy (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,589,873 females age 16-49: 1,585,573 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,327,730 females age 16-49: 1,356,989 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 72,109 female: 70,509 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Paraguay

Disputes - international:

unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations

Illicit drugs:

major illicit producer of cannabis, most or all of which is consumed in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile; transshipment country for Andean cocaine headed for Brazil, other Southern Cone markets, and Europe; weak border controls, extensive corruption and money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area; weak anti-money-laundering laws and enforcement

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Peru

Introduction

Peru

Background:

Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by the Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces defeated in 1824. After a dozen years of military rule, Peru returned to democratic leadership in 1980, but experienced economic problems and the growth of a violent insurgency. President Alberto FUJIMORI's election in 1990 ushered in a decade that saw a dramatic turnaround in the economy and significant progress in curtailing guerrilla activity. Nevertheless, the president's increasing reliance on authoritarian measures and an economic slump in the late 1990s generated mounting dissatisfaction with his regime, which led to his ouster in 2000. A caretaker government oversaw new elections in the spring of 2001, which ushered in Alejandro TOLEDO as the new head of government - Peru's first democratically elected president of Native American ethnicity. The presidential election of 2006 saw the return of Alan GARCIA who, after a disappointing presidential term from 1985 to 1990, returned to the presidency with promises to improve social conditions and maintain fiscal responsibility.

Geography

Peru

Location:

Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between

Chile and Ecuador

Geographic coordinates:

10 00 S, 76 00 W

Map references:

South America

Area:

total: 1,285,220 sq km land: 1.28 million sq km water: 5,220 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Alaska

Land boundaries:

total: 7,461 km border countries: Bolivia 1,075 km, Brazil 2,995 km, Chile 171 km, Colombia 1,800 km, Ecuador 1,420 km

Coastline:

2,414 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate:

varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes

Terrain:

western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m

Natural resources:

copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas

Land use:

arable land: 2.88% permanent crops: 0.47% other: 96.65% (2005)

Irrigated land:

12,000 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

1,913 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 20.13 cu km/yr (8%/10%/82%) per capita: 720 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity

Environment - current issues:

deforestation (some the result of illegal logging); overgrazing of the slopes of the costa and sierra leading to soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Lima; pollution of rivers and coastal waters from municipal and mining wastes

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia; a remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316 m peak, is the ultimate source of the Amazon River

People

Peru

Population:

29,180,900 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 29.7% (male 4,409,227/female 4,253,836) 15-64 years: 64.7% (male 9,501,597/female 9,381,139) 65 years and over: 5.6% (male 770,389/female 864,711) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 25.8 years male: 25.5 years female: 26.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.264% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

19.77 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 29.53 deaths/1,000 live births male: 32.02 deaths/1,000 live births female: 26.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 70.44 years male: 68.61 years female: 72.37 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.42 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

82,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

4,200 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: dengue fever, malaria, Oroya fever, and yellow fever water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Peruvian(s) adjective: Peruvian

Ethnic groups:

Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, other Christian 0.7%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 16.3% (2003 est.)

Languages:

Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.7% male: 93.5% female: 82.1% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 14 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

2.5% of GDP (2006)

Government

Peru

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Peru conventional short form: Peru local long form: Republica del Peru local short form: Peru

Government type:

constitutional republic

Capital:

name: Lima geographic coordinates: 12 03 S, 77 03 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

25 regions (regiones, singular - region) and 1 province* (provincia); Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Callao, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Lima*, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali

Independence:

28 July 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 28 July (1821)

Constitution:

29 December 1993

Legal system:

based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70; note - for the first time in recent elections, members of the military and national police were eligible to vote in the 2006 elections

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Alan GARCIA Perez (since 28 July 2006); First Vice President Luis GIAMPIETRI Rojas; Second Vice President Lourdes MENDOZA del Solar (since 28 July 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Alan GARCIA Perez (since 28 July 2006); First Vice President Luis GIAMPIETRI Rojas; Second Vice President Lourdes MENDOZA del Solar (since 28 July 2006) note: Prime Minister Yehude SIMON Munaro (since 14 October 2008) does not exercise executive power; this power is in the hands of the president cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a nonconsecutive reelection); presidential and congressional elections held 9 April 2006 with runoff election held 4 June 2006; next to be held in April 2011 election results: Alan GARCIA elected president in runoff election; percent of vote - Alan GARCIA 52.5%, Ollanta HUMALA Tasso 47.5%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Congress of the Republic of Peru or Congreso de la Republica del Peru (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 9 April 2006 (next to be held in April 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - UPP 21.2%, PAP 20.6%, UN 15.3%, AF 13.1%, FC 7.1%, PP 4.1%, RN 4.0%, other 14.6%; seats by party - UPP 45, PAP 36, UN 17, AF 13, FC 5, PP 2, RN 2

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary)

Political parties and leaders:

Alliance For Progress (Alianza Para El Progreso) [Cesar ACUNA

Peralta]; Alliance For The Future (Alianza Por El Futuro) or AF (a

coalition of pro-FUJIMORI parties including Cambio 90, Nueva

Mayoria, and Si Cumple); Central Front (Frente Del Centro) or FC (a

coalition of Accion Popular, Somos Peru, and Coordinadora Nacional

de Independientes) [Victor Andres GARCIA Belaunde]; National

Renovation Party (Partido Renovacion Nacional) [Rafael REY];

National Restoration Party (Restauracion Nacional) or RN [Humberto

LAY Sun]; National Unity (Unidad Nacional) or UN (a coalition of

Partido Popular Cristiano and Partido Solidaridad Nacional) [Lourdes

FLORES Nano]; Peru Possible (Peru Posible) or PP [Alejandro TOLEDO

Manrique]; Peruvian Aprista Party (Partido Aprista Peruano) or PAP

[Alan GARCIA] (also referred to by its original name Alianza Popular

Revolucionaria Americana or APRA); Peruvian Nationalist Party

(Partido Nacionalista Peruano) or PNP [Ollanta HUMALA Tasso]; Union

for Peru (Union por el Peru) or UPP [Aldo ESTRADA Choque]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Shining Path [Abimael GUZMAN Reynoso (imprisoned), Gabriel MACARIO

(top leader at-large)] (leftist guerrilla group); Tupac Amaru

Revolutionary Movement or MRTA [Victor POLAY (imprisoned), Hugo

AVALLENEDA Valdez (top leader at-large)] (leftist guerrilla group)

International organization participation:

APEC, CAN, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur

(associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG,

UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS,

UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Felipe ORTIZ de Zevallos chancery: 1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 833-9860 through 9869 FAX: [1] (202) 659-8124 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paterson (New Jersey), San Francisco, Washington, DC

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador P. Michael MCKINLEY embassy: Avenida La Encalada, Cuadra 17s/n, Surco, Lima 33 mailing address: P. O. Box 1995, Lima 1; American Embassy (Lima), APO AA 34031-5000 telephone: [51] (1) 434-3000 FAX: [51] (1) 618-2397

Flag description:

three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), white, and red with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a shield bearing a vicuna, cinchona tree (the source of quinine), and a yellow cornucopia spilling out gold coins, all framed by a green wreath

Economy

Peru

Economy - overview:

Peru's economy reflects its varied geography - an arid coastal region, the Andes further inland, and tropical lands bordering Colombia and Brazil. Abundant mineral resources are found in the mountainous areas, and Peru's coastal waters provide excellent fishing grounds. However, overdependence on minerals and metals subjects the economy to fluctuations in world prices, and a lack of infrastructure deters trade and investment. After several years of inconsistent economic performance, the Peruvian economy grew by more than 4% per year during the period 2002-06, with a stable exchange rate and low inflation. Growth jumped to 7.5% in 2007, driven by higher world prices for minerals and metals. Risk premiums on Peruvian bonds on secondary markets reached historically low levels in late 2004, reflecting investor optimism regarding the government's prudent fiscal policies and openness to trade and investment. Despite the strong macroeconomic performance, underemployment and poverty have stayed persistently high. Growth prospects depend on exports of minerals, textiles, and agricultural products, and by expectations for the Camisea natural gas megaproject and for other promising energy projects. Upon taking office, President GARCIA announced Sierra Exportadora, a program aimed at promoting economic growth in Peru's southern and central highlands.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$219.6 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$109.1 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

9% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$7,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 8.4% industry: 25.6% services: 66% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

9.839 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 9% industry: 18% services: 73% (2001)

Unemployment rate:

6.9% in metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

44.5% (2006)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.3% highest 10%: 40.9% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

52 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

23% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $32.54 billion expenditures: $29.15 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

29.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

5.75% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

22.86% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$14.66 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$19.95 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$17.88 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

asparagus, coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, corn, plantains, grapes, oranges, coca; poultry, beef, dairy products; fish, guinea pigs

Industries:

mining and refining of minerals; steel, metal fabrication; petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas; fishing and fish processing, textiles, clothing, food processing

Industrial production growth rate:

9.8% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

24.92 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

22.37 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 14.5% hydro: 84.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0.8% (2001)

Oil - production:

125,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - consumption:

167,900 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

69,090 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:

115,600 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

382.9 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

1.78 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

1.78 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

337.8 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$1.516 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$27.96 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

copper, gold, zinc, crude petroleum and petroleum products, coffee, potatoes, asparagus, textiles, guinea pigs

Exports - partners:

US 19.5%, China 12.7%, Canada 7.6%, Japan 7.5%, Chile 5.9%,

Switzerland 4.2%, Spain 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$19.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

petroleum and petroleum products, plastics, machinery, vehicles, iron and steel, wheat, paper

Imports - partners:

US 20.5%, China 10.8%, Brazil 9%, Ecuador 6.1%, Argentina 5.6%,

Chile 5%, Colombia 4.8% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$397.8 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$27.78 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$32.83 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$24.72 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$1.476 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$59.66 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

nuevo sol (PEN)

Currency code:

PEN

Exchange rates:

nuevo sol (PEN) per US dollar - 3.1731 (2007), 3.2742 (2006), 3.2958 (2005), 3.4132 (2004), 3.4785 (2003)

Communications

Peru

Telephones - main lines in use:

2.673 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

15.417 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: adequate for most requirements domestic: fixed-line teledensity is only about 9 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity, spurred by competition among multiple providers, has increased to roughly 55 telephones per 100 persons; nationwide microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations international: country code - 51; the South America-1 (SAM-1) and Pan American (PAN-AM) submarine cable systems provide links to parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 472, FM 198, shortwave 189 (1999)

Radios:

6.65 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

13 (plus 112 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

3.06 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.pe

Internet hosts:

271,745 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

10 (2000)

Internet users:

7.636 million (2007)

Transportation

Peru

Airports:

237 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 54 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 20 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 183 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 40 under 914 m: 117 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 1,181 km; gas/liquid petroleum gas 61 km; liquid natural gas 106 km; liquid petroleum gas 517 km; oil 1,749 km; refined products 13 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 1,989 km standard gauge: 1,726 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 263 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 78,829 km paved: 11,351 km (includes 276 km of expressways) unpaved: 67,478 km (2004)

Waterways:

8,808 km note: 8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km of Lago Titicaca (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 8 by type: cargo 3, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 4 foreign-owned: 1 (Bahamas 1) registered in other countries: 17 (Belize 1, Panama 16) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Callao, Iquitos, Matarani, Paita, Pucallpa, Yurimaguas; note -

Iquitos, Pucallpa, and Yurimaguas are on the upper reaches of the

Amazon and its tributaries

Military

Peru

Military branches:

Army of Peru (Ejercito Peruano), Navy of Peru (Marina de Guerra del

Peru, MGP (includes naval air, naval infantry, and Coast Guard)),

Air Force of Peru (Fuerza Aerea del Peru, FAP) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-30 years of age for voluntary male and female military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 7,653,898 females age 16-49: 7,531,329 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,796,449 females age 16-49: 6,217,524 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 306,260 female: 296,819 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.5% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Peru

Disputes - international:

Chile and Ecuador rejected Peru's November 2005 unilateral legislation to shift the axis of their joint treaty-defined maritime boundaries along the parallels of latitude to equidistance lines which favor Peru; organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia have penetrated Peru's shared border; Peru rejects Bolivia's claim to restore maritime access through a sovereign corridor through Chile along the Peruvian border

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 60,000-150,000 (civil war from 1980-2000; most IDPs are indigenous peasants in Andean and Amazonian regions) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

until 1996 the world's largest coca leaf producer, Peru is now the world's second largest producer of coca leaf, though it lags far behind Colombia; cultivation of coca in Peru declined to 36,000 hectares in 2007; second largest producer of cocaine, estimated at 210 metric tons of potential pure cocaine in 2007; finished cocaine is shipped out from Pacific ports to the international drug market; increasing amounts of base and finished cocaine, however, are being moved to Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia for use in the Southern Cone or transshipment to Europe and Africa; increasing domestic drug consumption

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Philippines

Introduction

Philippines

Background:

The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century; they were ceded to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War. In 1935 the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth. Manuel QUEZON was elected president and was tasked with preparing the country for independence after a 10-year transition. In 1942 the islands fell under Japanese occupation during World War II, and US forces and Filipinos fought together during 1944-45 to regain control. On 4 July 1946 the Republic of the Philippines attained its independence. The 20-year rule of Ferdinand MARCOS ended in 1986, when a "people power" movement in Manila ("EDSA 1") forced him into exile and installed Corazon AQUINO as president. Her presidency was hampered by several coup attempts, which prevented a return to full political stability and economic development. Fidel RAMOS was elected president in 1992 and his administration was marked by greater stability and progress on economic reforms. In 1992, the US closed its last military bases on the islands. Joseph ESTRADA was elected president in 1998, but was succeeded by his vice-president, Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, in January 2001 after ESTRADA's stormy impeachment trial on corruption charges broke down and another "people power" movement ("EDSA 2") demanded his resignation. MACAPAGAL-ARROYO was elected to a six-year term as president in May 2004. The Philippine Government faces threats from three terrorist groups on the US Government's Foreign Terrorist Organization list, but in 2006 and 2007 scored some major successes in capturing or killing key wanted terrorists. Decades of Muslim insurgency in the southern Philippines have led to a peace accord with one group and an ongoing cease-fire and peace talks with another.

Geography

Philippines

Location:

Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the

South China Sea, east of Vietnam

Geographic coordinates:

13 00 N, 122 00 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 300,000 sq km land: 298,170 sq km water: 1,830 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Arizona

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

36,289 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: irregular polygon extending up to 100 nm from coastline as defined by 1898 treaty; since late 1970s has also claimed polygonal-shaped area in South China Sea up to 285 nm in breadth exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: to depth of exploitation

Climate:

tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April); southwest monsoon (May to October)

Terrain:

mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Philippine Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Apo 2,954 m

Natural resources:

timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper

Land use:

arable land: 19% permanent crops: 16.67% other: 64.33% (2005)

Irrigated land:

15,500 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

479 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 28.52 cu km/yr (17%/9%/74%) per capita: 343 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year; landslides; active volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis

Environment - current issues:

uncontrolled deforestation especially in watershed areas; soil erosion; air and water pollution in major urban centers; coral reef degradation; increasing pollution of coastal mangrove swamps that are important fish breeding grounds

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Geography - note:

the Philippine archipelago is made up of 7,107 islands; favorably located in relation to many of Southeast Asia's main water bodies: the South China Sea, Philippine Sea, Sulu Sea, Celebes Sea, and Luzon Strait

People

Philippines

Population:

96,061,680 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 35.5% (male 17,392,780/female 16,708,255) 15-64 years: 60.4% (male 28,986,232/female 29,076,329) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 1,682,485/female 2,215,602) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 22.3 years male: 21.8 years female: 22.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.991% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

26.42 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.15 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-1.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 21.2 deaths/1,000 live births male: 23.86 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 70.8 years male: 67.89 years female: 73.85 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.32 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

9,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Filipino(s) adjective: Philippine

Ethnic groups:

Tagalog 28.1%, Cebuano 13.1%, Ilocano 9%, Bisaya/Binisaya 7.6%, Hiligaynon Ilonggo 7.5%, Bikol 6%, Waray 3.4%, other 25.3% (2000 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 80.9%, Muslim 5%, Evangelical 2.8%, Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%, Aglipayan 2%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.6%, none 0.1% (2000 census)

Languages:

Filipino (official; based on Tagalog) and English (official); eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.6% male: 92.5% female: 92.7% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 11 years female: 12 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

2.5% of GDP (2005)

Government

Philippines

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of the Philippines conventional short form: Philippines local long form: Republika ng Pilipinas local short form: Pilipinas

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Manila geographic coordinates: 14 35 N, 121 00 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

81 provinces and 136 chartered cities

provinces: Abra, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Albay,

Antique, Apayao, Aurora, Basilan, Bataan, Batanes, Batangas,

Biliran, Benguet, Bohol, Bukidnon, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines

Norte, Camarines Sur, Camiguin, Capiz, Catanduanes, Cavite, Cebu,

Compostela, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Dinagat

Islands, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur,

Iloilo, Isabela, Kalinga, Laguna, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, La

Union, Leyte, Maguindanao, Marinduque, Masbate, Mindoro Occidental,

Mindoro Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Mountain

Province, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, North Cotabato,

Northern Samar, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Palawan, Pampanga,

Pangasinan, Quezon, Quirino, Rizal, Romblon, Samar, Sarangani,

Shariff Kabunsuan, Siquijor, Sorsogon, South Cotabato, Southern

Leyte, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur,

Tarlac, Tawi-Tawi, Zambales, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur,

Zamboanga Sibugay

chartered cities: Alaminos, Angeles, Antipolo, Bacolod, Bago,

Baguio, Bais, Balanga, Batac, Batangas, Bayawan, Baybay, Bayugan,

Bislig, Bogo, Borongan, Butuan, Cabadbaran, Cabanatuan, Cadiz,

Cagayan de Oro, Calamba, Calapan, Calbayog, Candon, Canlaon, Carcar,

Catbalogan, Cauayan, Cavite, Cebu, Cotabato, Dagupan, Danao,

Dapitan, Davao, Digos, Dipolog, Dumaguete, Escalante, El Salvador,

Gapan, General Santos, Gingoog, Guihulngan, Himamaylan, Iligan,

Iloilo, Isabela, Iriga, Kabankalan, Kalookan, Kidapawan, Koronadal,

La Carlota, Lamitan, Laoag, Lapu-Lapu, Las Pinas, Legazpi, Ligao,

Lipa, Lucena, Maasin, Makati, Malabon, Malaybalay, Malolos,

Mandaluyong, Mandaue, Manila, Marawi, Marikina, Masbate, Mati,

Meycauayan, Muntinlupa, Munoz, Naga (Camarines Sur), Naga (Cebu),

Navotas, Olongapo, Ormoc, Oroquieta, Ozamis, Pagadian, Palayan,

Panabo, Paranaque, Pasay, Pasig, Passi, Puerto Princesa, Quezon,

Roxas, Sagay, Samal, San Carlos (in Negros Occidental), San Carlos

(in Pangasinan), San Fernando (in La Union), San Fernando (in

Pampanga), San Jose, San Jose del Monte, San Juan, San Pablo, Santa

Rosa, Santiago, Silay, Sipalay, Sorsogon, Surigao, Tabaco, Tabuk,

Tacloban, Tacurong, Tagaytay, Tagbilaran, Taguig, Tagum, Talisay (in

Cebu), Talisay (in Negros Occidental), Tanauan, Tandag, Tangub,

Tanjay, Tarlac, Tayabas, Toledo, Tuguegarao, Trece Martires,

Urdaneta, Valencia, Valenzuela, Victorias, Vigan, Zamboanga (2007)

Independence:

12 June 1898 (independence proclaimed from Spain); 4 July 1946 (from the US)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 12 June (1898); note - 12 June 1898 was date of declaration of independence from Spain; 4 July 1946 was date of independence from US

Constitution:

2 February 1987, effective 11 February 1987

Legal system:

based on Spanish and Anglo-American law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO (since 20 January 2001); note - president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO (since 20 January 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with consent of Commission of Appointments elections: president and vice president (Manuel "Noli" DE CASTRO) elected on separate tickets by popular vote for a single six-year term; election last held on 10 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2010) election results: Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO elected president; percent of vote - Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO 40%, Fernando POE 37%, three others 23%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Congress or Kongreso consists of the Senate or Senado (24 seats - one-half elected every three years; members elected at large by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Kapulungan Ng Mga Kinatawan (as a result of May 2007 election it has 239 seats including 218 members representing districts and 21 sectoral party-list members representing special minorities elected on the basis of 1 seat for every 2% of the total vote but limited to 3 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; note - the Constitution prohibits the House of Representatives from having more than 250 members) elections: Senate - last held on 14 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2010); House of Representatives - elections last held on 14 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2010) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Lakas-Kampi 4, LP 4, NPC 3, Nacionalista 2, independents 4, others 6; note - there are 23 rather than 24 sitting senators because one senator was elected mayor of Manila; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Lakas 86, Kampi 46, NPC 29, LP 21, Party-list 21, others 36

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (15 justices are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council and serve until 70 years of age); Court of Appeals; Sandigan-bayan (special court for hearing corruption cases of government officials)

Political parties and leaders:

Genuine Opposition or GO (coalition of oppositon parties formed to

contest the 2007 elections); Kabalikat Ng Malayang Pilipino or Kampi

[Ronaldo PUNO]; Laban Ng Demokratikong Pilipino (Struggle of

Filipino Democrats) or LDP [Edgardo ANGARA]; Lakas Ng Edsa (National

Union of Christian Democrats) or Lakas [Jose DE VENECIA]; Liberal

Party or LP [Manuel ROXAS]; Nacionalista [Manuel VILLAR]; National

People's Coalition or NPC [Frisco SAN JUAN]; PDP-Laban [Aquilino

PIMENTEL]; People's Reform Party [Miriam Defensor SANTIAGO]; PROMDI

[Emilio OSMENA]; Pwersa Ng Masang Pilipino (Party of the Philippine

Masses) or PMP [Joseph ESTRADA]; Reporma [Renato DE VILLA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

AKBAYAN [Etta ROSALES, Mario AGUJA, and Risa HONTIVEROS-BARAQUIEL];

ALAGAD [Rodante MARROLITA]; ALIF [Acmad TOMAWIS]; An Waray [Horencio

NOEL]; Anak Mindanao [Mujiv HATAMIN]; ANAKPAWIS [Crispin BELTRAN and

Rafael MARIANO]; Association of Philippine Electric Cooperatives

(APEC) [Sunny Rose MADAMBA, Ernesto PABLO, and Edgar VALDEZ]; AVE

[Eulogio MAGSAYSAY]; Bayan Muna [Satur OCAMPO, Joel VIRADOR, and

Teodoro CASINO, Jr.]; BUHAY [Rene VELARDE and Hans Christian

SENERES]; BUTIL [Benjamin CRUZ]; CIBAC [Emmanuel Joel VILLANUEVA];

COOP-NATCO [Guillermo CUA]; GABRIELA [Liza MAZA]; Partido Ng

Manggagawa [Renato MAGTUBO]; Veterans Federation of the Philippines

[Ernesto GIDAYA]

International organization participation:

ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, CP, EAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PIF (partner), UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT,

UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Willy C. GAA chancery: 1600 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 467-9300 FAX: [1] (202) 467-9417 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands), Tamuning (Guam)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Kristie A. KENNEY embassy: 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita 1000, Manila mailing address: PSC 500, FPO AP 96515-1000 telephone: [63] (2) 301-2000 FAX: [63] (2) 301-2399

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of blue (top; representing peace and justice) and red (representing courage); a white equilateral triangle based on the hoist side represents equality; the center of the triangle displays a yellow sun with eight primary rays, each representing one of the first eight provinces that sought independence from Spain; each corner of the triangle contains a small, yellow, five-pointed star representing the three major geographical divisions of the country: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao; the design of the flag dates to 1897; in wartime the flag is flown upside down with the red band at the top

Economy

Philippines

Economy - overview:

The Philippine economy grew at its fastest pace in three decades with real GDP growth exceeding 7% in 2007. Higher government spending contributed to the growth, but a resilient service sector and large remittances from the millions of Filipinos who work abroad have played an increasingly important role. Economic growth has averaged 5% since President MACAPAGAL-ARROYO took office in 2001. Nevertheless, the Philippines will need still higher, sustained growth to make progress in alleviating poverty, given its high population growth and unequal distribution of income. MACAPAGAL-ARROYO averted a fiscal crisis by pushing for new revenue measures and, until recently, tightening expenditures. Declining fiscal deficits, tapering debt and debt service ratios, as well as recent efforts to increase spending on infrastructure and social services have heightened optimism over Philippine economic prospects. Although the general macroeconomic outlook has improved significantly, the Philippines continues to face important challenges and must maintain the reform momentum in order to catch up with regional competitors, improve employment opportunities, and alleviate poverty. Longer-term fiscal stability will require more sustainable revenue sources, rather than non-recurring revenues from privatization.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$300.1 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$144.1 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$3,200 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 13.8% industry: 31.7% services: 54.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

36.22 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 35% industry: 15% services: 50% (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate:

7.3% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

30% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 31.2% (2006)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

45.8 (2006)

Investment (gross fixed):

14.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $24.63 billion expenditures: $24.9 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

55.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4.28% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8.69% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$21.27 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$65.85 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$65.66 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

sugarcane, coconuts, rice, corn, bananas, cassavas, pineapples, mangoes; pork, eggs, beef; fish

Industries:

electronics assembly, garments, footwear, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, wood products, food processing, petroleum refining, fishing

Industrial production growth rate:

7.1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

56.51 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

47.04 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 55.6% hydro: 17.5% nuclear: 0% other: 26.9% (2001)

Oil - production:

23,930 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

340,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

41,160 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

355,800 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

138.5 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

2.2 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

2.2 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

98.54 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$6.351 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$49.32 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

semiconductors and electronic products, transport equipment, garments, copper products, petroleum products, coconut oil, fruits

Exports - partners:

US 17%, Japan 14.5%, Hong Kong 11.5%, China 11.4%, Netherlands 8.2%,

Singapore 6.2%, Malaysia 5%, Germany 4.3% (2007)

Imports:

$57.56 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

electronic products, mineral fuels, machinery and transport equipment, iron and steel, textile fabrics, grains, chemicals, plastic

Imports - partners:

US 14.1%, Japan 12.3%, Singapore 11.2%, Taiwan 7.3%, China 7.2%, Saudi Arabia 6.4%, South Korea 5.9%, Malaysia 4.1%, Thailand 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $451.4 million in commitments (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$33.75 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$61.78 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$19.88 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$5.584 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$103.4 billion (2007)

Currency (code):

Philippine peso (PHP)

Currency code:

PHP

Exchange rates:

Philippine pesos (PHP) per US dollar - 46.148 (2007), 51.246 (2006), 55.086 (2005), 56.04 (2004), 54.203 (2003)

Communications

Philippines

Telephones - main lines in use:

3.633 million (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

51.795 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: good international radiotelephone and submarine cable services; domestic and interisland service adequate domestic: domestic satellite system with 11 earth stations; cellular communications now dominate the industry; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone density about 60 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 63; a series of submarine cables together provide connectivity to Asia, US, the Middle East, and Europe; multiple international gateways (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 381, FM 628, shortwave 4 (each shortwave station operates on multiple frequencies in the language of the target audience) (2007)

Radios:

11.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

250 (plus 1,501 CATV networks) (2007)

Televisions:

3.7 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.ph

Internet hosts:

283,579 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

33 (2000)

Internet users:

5.3 million (2007)

Transportation

Philippines

Airports:

255 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 84 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 36 under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 171 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 68 under 914 m: 99 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 565 km; oil 135 km; refined products 105 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 897 km narrow gauge: 897 km 1.067-m gauge (492 km are in operation) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 200,037 km paved: 19,804 km unpaved: 180,233 km (2003)

Waterways:

3,219 km (limited to vessels with draft less than 1.5 m) (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 391 by type: bulk carrier 75, cargo 125, carrier 16, chemical tanker 17, container 6, liquefied gas 5, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 68, petroleum tanker 36, refrigerated cargo 15, roll on/roll off 11, vehicle carrier 11 foreign-owned: 161 (Bermuda 34, China 4, Greece 4, Hong Kong 1, Japan 81, Malaysia 1, Netherlands 23, Norway 10, Singapore 1, Taiwan 1, UAE 1) registered in other countries: 11 (Comoros 1, Cyprus 1, Hong Kong 1, Indonesia 1, Panama 7) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Liman, Manila, Nasipit Harbor

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift

Military

Philippines

Military branches:

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP): Army, Navy (includes Marine

Corps), Air Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-25 years of age (officers 21-29) for compulsory and voluntary military service; applicants must be single male or female Philippine citizens (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 23,547,252 females age 16-49: 23,177,487 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 18,232,050 females age 16-49: 19,827,538 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 1,012,779 female: 977,030 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Philippines

Disputes - international:

Philippines claims sovereignty over certain of the Spratly Islands, known locally as the Kalayaan (Freedom) Islands, also claimed by China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," has eased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; Philippines retains a dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo based on the Sultanate of Sulu's granting the Philippines Government power of attorney to pursue a sovereignty claim on his behalf; maritime delimitation negotiations continue with Palau

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 300,000 (fighting between government troops and MILF and Abu

Sayyaf groups) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

domestic methamphetamine production has been a growing problem in recent years despite government crackdowns; major consumer of amphetamines; longstanding marijuana producer mainly in rural areas where Manila's control is limited

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Pitcairn Islands

Introduction

Pitcairn Islands

Background:

Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by the British and settled in 1790 by the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. Pitcairn was the first Pacific island to become a British colony (in 1838) and today remains the last vestige of that empire in the South Pacific. Outmigration, primarily to New Zealand, has thinned the population from a peak of 233 in 1937 to less than 50 today.

Geography

Pitcairn Islands

Location:

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about midway between

Peru and New Zealand

Geographic coordinates:

25 04 S, 130 06 W

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 47 sq km land: 47 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

51 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast trade winds; rainy season (November to March)

Terrain:

rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with cliffs

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Pawala Valley Ridge 347 m

Natural resources:

miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish note: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been discovered offshore

Land use:

arable land: NA permanent crops: NA other: NA

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

typhoons (especially November to March)

Environment - current issues:

deforestation (only a small portion of the original forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement)

Geography - note:

Britain's most isolated dependency; only the larger island of Pitcairn is inhabited but it has no port or natural harbor; supplies must be transported by rowed longboat from larger ships stationed offshore

People

Pitcairn Islands

Population:

48 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA

Population growth rate:

0% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Death rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

NA

Infant mortality rate:

total: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

NA (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Pitcairn Islander(s) adjective: Pitcairn Islander

Ethnic groups:

descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian wives

Religions:

Seventh-Day Adventist 100%

Languages:

English (official), Pitkern (mixture of an 18th century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)

Literacy:

NA

Government

Pitcairn Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands conventional short form: Pitcairn Islands

Dependency status:

overseas territory of the UK

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Adamstown geographic coordinates: 25 04 S, 130 05 W time difference: UTC-9 (4 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:

Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)

Constitution:

30 November 1838; reformed 1904 with additional reforms in 1940; further refined by the Local Government Ordinance of 1964

Legal system:

local island by-laws

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal with three years residency

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by UK High Commissioner to New Zealand and Governor (nonresident) of the Pitcairn Islands George FERGUSSON (since April 2006); Commissioner (nonresident) Leslie JAQUES (since September 2003) serves as liaison between the governor and the Island Council head of government: Governor George FERGUSSON (since April 2006); Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Mike WARREN (since 1 January 2008) cabinet: NA elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor and commissioner appointed by the monarch; island mayor elected by popular vote for a three-year term; election last held December 2004 (next to be held in December 2007) election results: Jay WARREN elected mayor and chairman of the Island Council

Legislative branch:

unicameral Island Council (10 seats; 5 members elected by popular vote, 1 nominated by the 5 elected members, 2 appointed by the governor including 1 seat for the Island Secretary, the Island Mayor, and a commissioner liaising between the governor and council; elected members serve one-year terms) elections: last held 24 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents

Judicial branch:

Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Judicial

Officers are appointed by the Governor

Political parties and leaders:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

none

International organization participation:

SPC, UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Pitcairn Islander coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms is yellow, green, and light blue with a shield featuring a yellow anchor

Economy

Pitcairn Islands

Economy - overview:

The inhabitants of this tiny isolated economy exist on fishing, subsistence farming, handicrafts, and postage stamps. The fertile soil of the valleys produces a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including citrus, sugarcane, watermelons, bananas, yams, and beans. Bartering is an important part of the economy. The major sources of revenue are the sale of postage stamps to collectors and the sale of handicrafts to passing ships. In October 2004, more than one-quarter of Pitcairn's small labor force was arrested, putting the economy in a bind, since their services were required as lighter crew to load or unload passing ships.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$NA

Labor force:

15 able-bodied men (2004)

Labor force - by occupation:

note: no business community in the usual sense; some public works; subsistence farming and fishing

Budget:

revenues: $746,000 expenditures: $1.028 million (FY04/05)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Agriculture - products:

honey; wide variety of fruits and vegetables; goats, chickens, fish

Industries:

postage stamps, handicrafts, beekeeping, honey

Electricity - production:

NA kWh; note - electric power is provided by a small diesel-powered generator

Exports:

$NA

Exports - commodities:

fruits, vegetables, curios, stamps

Imports:

$NA

Imports - commodities:

fuel oil, machinery, building materials, flour, sugar, other foodstuffs

Economic aid - recipient:

$3.465 million (2004)

Currency (code):

New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Currency code:

NZD

Exchange rates:

New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003)

Communications

Pitcairn Islands

Telephones - main lines in use:

1 (there are 17 telephones on one party line); (2004)

Telephone system:

general assessment: satellite phone services domestic: domestic communication via radio (CB) international: country code - 872; satellite earth station - 1 (Inmarsat)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (15 Ham radio operators (VP6)) (2004)

Radios:

NA

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.pn

Internet hosts:

12 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

NA

Internet users:

NA

Transportation

Pitcairn Islands

Ports and terminals:

Adamstown (on Bounty Bay)

Military

Pitcairn Islands

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

Pitcairn Islands

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Poland

Introduction

Poland

Background:

Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived near the middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century. During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and internal disorders weakened the nation. In a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland amongst themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force and by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe, but Poland still faces the lingering challenges of high unemployment, underdeveloped and dilapidated infrastructure, and a poor rural underclass. Solidarity suffered a major defeat in the 2001 parliamentary elections when it failed to elect a single deputy to the lower house of Parliament, and the new leaders of the Solidarity Trade Union subsequently pledged to reduce the Trade Union's political role. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. With its transformation to a democratic, market-oriented country largely completed, Poland is an increasingly active member of Euro-Atlantic organizations.

Geography

Poland

Location:

Central Europe, east of Germany

Geographic coordinates:

52 00 N, 20 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 312,679 sq km land: 304,459 sq km water: 8,220 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than New Mexico

Land boundaries:

total: 3,047 km border countries: Belarus 605 km, Czech Republic 615 km, Germany 456 km, Lithuania 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 432 km, Slovakia 420 km, Ukraine 428 km

Coastline:

440 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: defined by international treaties

Climate:

temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers

Terrain:

mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m highest point: Rysy 2,499 m

Natural resources:

coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 40.25% permanent crops: 1% other: 58.75% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,000 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

63.1 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 11.73 cu km/yr (13%/79%/8%) per capita: 304 cu m/yr (2002)

Natural hazards:

flooding

Environment - current issues:

situation has improved since 1989 due to decline in heavy industry and increased environmental concern by post-Communist governments; air pollution nonetheless remains serious because of sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, and the resulting acid rain has caused forest damage; water pollution from industrial and municipal sources is also a problem, as is disposal of hazardous wastes; pollution levels should continue to decrease as industrial establishments bring their facilities up to EU code, but at substantial cost to business and the government

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,

Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic

Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,

Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94

Geography - note:

historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain

People

Poland

Population:

38,500,696 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 15.2% (male 3,013,109/female 2,849,977) 15-64 years: 71.4% (male 13,681,481/female 13,808,412) 65 years and over: 13.4% (male 1,964,477/female 3,183,240) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 37.6 years male: 35.8 years female: 39.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.045% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.01 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.99 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 6.93 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.66 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 75.41 years male: 71.42 years female: 79.65 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.27 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1%; note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

14,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

100 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea vectorborne disease: tickborne encephalitis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Pole(s) adjective: Polish

Ethnic groups:

Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 2.7% (2002 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 89.8% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox 1.3%,

Protestant 0.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 8.3% (2002)

Languages:

Polish 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.7% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

5.5% of GDP (2005)

Government

Poland

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Poland conventional short form: Poland local long form: Rzeczpospolita Polska local short form: Polska

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Warsaw geographic coordinates: 52 15 N, 21 00 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

16 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo); Dolnoslaskie

(Lower Silesia), Kujawsko-Pomorskie (Kuyavia-Pomerania), Lodzkie,

Lubelskie (Lublin), Lubuskie (Lubusz), Malopolskie (Lesser Poland),

Mazowieckie (Masovia), Opolskie, Podkarpackie (Subcarpathia),

Podlaskie, Pomorskie (Pomerania), Slaskie (Silesia), Swietokrzyskie,

Warminsko-Mazurskie (Warmia-Masuria), Wielkopolskie (Greater

Poland), Zachodniopomorskie (West Pomerania)

Independence:

11 November 1918 (republic proclaimed)

National holiday:

Constitution Day, 3 May (1791)

Constitution:

adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997; passed by national referendum 25 May 1997; effective 17 October 1997

Legal system:

based on a mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and holdover Communist legal theory; changes being gradually introduced as part of broader democratization process; limited judicial review of legislative acts, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are final; court decisions can be appealed to the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Lech KACZYNSKI (since 23 December 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Donald TUSK (since 16 November 2007); Deputy Prime Ministers Waldemar PAWLAK (since 16 November 2007) and Grzegorz SCHETYNA (since 16 November 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the prime minister and the Sejm; the prime minister proposes, the president appoints, and the Sejm approves the Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 9 and 23 October 2005 (next to be held in the fall 2010); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm election results: Lech KACZYNSKI elected president; percent of popular vote - Lech KACZYNSKI 54%, Donald Tusk 46%

Legislative branch:

bicameral legislature consists of an upper house, the Senate or Senat (100 seats; members are elected by a majority vote on a provincial basis to serve four-year terms), and a lower house, the Sejm (460 seats; members are elected under a complex system of proportional representation to serve four-year terms); the designation of National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe is only used on those rare occasions when the two houses meet jointly elections: Senate - last held 21 October 2007 (next to be held by October 2011); Sejm elections last held 21 October 2007 (next to be held by October 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PO 60, PiS 39, independents 1; Sejm - percent of vote by party - PO 41.5%, PiS 32.1%, LiD 13.2%, PSL 8.9%, other 4.3%; seats by party - PO 209, PiS 166, LiD 53, PSL 31, German minorities 1; note - seats by party as of February 2008 - PO 209, PiS 159, LiD 53, PSL 31, German minorities 1, nonaffiliated 7 note: one seat is assigned to ethnic minority parties in the Sejm only

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an indefinite period); Constitutional Tribunal (judges are chosen by the Sejm for nine-year terms)

Political parties and leaders:

Civic Platform or PO [Donald TUSK]; Democratic Left Alliance or SLD

[Grzegorz NAPIERALSKI]; Democratic Party or PD [Janusz

ONYSZKIEWICZ]; German Minority of Lower Silesia or MNSO [Henryk

KROLL]; Law and Justice or PiS [Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI]; League of

Polish Families or LPR [Sylwester CHRUSZCZ]; Left and Democrats or

LiD [Wojciech OLEJNICZAK] (a coalition formed by the SLD, PD, SDPL,

and UP); Polish People's Party or PSL [Waldemar PAWLAK]; Samoobrona

or SO [Andrzej LEPPER]; Social Democratic Party of Poland or SDPL

[Bartosz DOMINIK, acting]; Union of Labor or UP [Andrzej SPYCHALSKI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

All Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ (trade union) [Jan GUZ];

Roman Catholic Church [Cardinal Stanislaw DZIWISZ, Archbishop Jozef

MICHALIK]; Solidarity Trade Union [Janusz SNIADEK]

International organization participation:

Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer),

CBSS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU,

FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS

(observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen

Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR,

UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert KUPIECKI chancery: 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-3800 through 3802 FAX: [1] (202) 328-6271 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Victor ASHE embassy: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31 00-540 Warsaw mailing address: American Embassy Warsaw, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5010 (pouch) telephone: [48] (22) 504-2000 FAX: [48] (22) 504-2688 consulate(s) general: Krakow

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white

Economy

Poland

Economy - overview:

Poland has pursued a policy of economic liberalization since 1990 and today stands out as a success story among transition economies. In 2007, GDP grew an estimated 6.5%, based on rising private consumption, a jump in corporate investment, and EU funds inflows. GDP per capita is still much below the EU average, but is similar to that of the three Baltic states. Since 2004, EU membership and access to EU structural funds have provided a major boost to the economy. Unemployment is falling rapidly, though at roughly 12.8% in 2007, it remains well above the EU average. Tightening labor markets, and rising global energy and food prices, pose a risk to consumer price stability. In December 2007 inflation reached 4.1% on a year-over-year basis, or higher than the upper limit of the National Bank of Poland's target range. Poland's economic performance could improve further if the country addresses some of the remaining deficiencies in its business environment. An inefficient commercial court system, a rigid labor code, bureaucratic red tape, and persistent low-level corruption keep the private sector from performing up to its full potential. Rising demands to fund health care, education, and the state pension system present a challenge to the Polish government's effort to hold the consolidated public sector budget deficit under 3.0% of GDP, a target which was achieved in 2007. The PO/PSL coalition government which came to power in November 2007 plans to further reduce the budget deficit with the aim of eventually adopting the euro. The new government has also announced its intention to enact business-friendly reforms, reduce public sector spending growth, lower taxes, and accelerate privatization. However, the government does not have the necessary three-fifths majority needed to override a presidential veto, and thus may have to water down initiatives in order to garner enough support to pass its pro-business policies.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$623.1 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$420.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$16,200 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 4.1% industry: 31.6% services: 64.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

16.86 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 16.1% industry: 29% services: 54.9% (2002)

Unemployment rate:

12.8% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

17% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 27% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

36 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

21.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $85.39 billion expenditures: $91.16 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

43.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

5.48% (31 December 2006)

Stock of money:

$137.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$93.99 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$223.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork, dairy

Industries:

machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles

Industrial production growth rate:

8.9% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

149.3 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

126.2 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

13.11 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - imports:

7.761 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 98.1% hydro: 1.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0.4% (2001)

Oil - production:

37,670 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

524,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

57,920 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

499,200 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

96.38 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

6.025 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

16.38 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

45 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

10.12 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

164.8 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$15.91 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$144.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment 37.8%, intermediate manufactured goods 23.7%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 17.1%, food and live animals 7.6% (2003)

Exports - partners:

Germany 25.9%, Italy 6.6%, France 6.1%, UK 5.9%, Czech Republic 5.5%, Russia 4.6% (2007)

Imports:

$160.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment 38%, intermediate manufactured goods 21%, chemicals 14.8%, minerals, fuels, lubricants, and related materials 9.1% (2003)

Imports - partners:

Germany 29%, Russia 8.7%, Italy 6.6%, Netherlands 5.7%, France 5.1%,

China 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.524 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$65.75 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$169.8 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$143 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$19.69 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$149.1 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

zloty (PLN)

Currency code:

PLN

Exchange rates:

zlotych (PLN) per US dollar - 2.81 (2007), 3.1032 (2006), 3.2355 (2005), 3.6576 (2004), 3.8891 (2003) note: zlotych is the plural form of zloty

Communications

Poland

Telephones - main lines in use:

10.336 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

41.389 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modernization of the telecommunications network has accelerated with market based competition finalized in 2003; fixed-line service, dominated by the former state-owned company, is dwarfed by the growth in wireless telephony domestic: mobile-cellular service available since 1993 and provided by three nation-wide networks with a fourth provider beginning operations in late 2006; cellular coverage is generally good with some gaps in the east; fixed-line service is growing slowly and still lags in rural areas international: country code - 48; international direct dialing with automated exchanges; satellite earth station - 1 with access to Intelsat, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 14, FM 777, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

20.2 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

40 (2006)

Televisions:

13.05 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.pl

Internet hosts:

7.808 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

19 (2000)

Internet users:

16 million (2007)

Transportation

Poland

Airports:

123 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 83 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 39 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 40 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 22 (2007)

Heliports:

7 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 13,552 km; oil 1,384 km; refined products 777 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 23,072 km broad gauge: 629 km 1.524-m gauge standard gauge: 22,443 km 1.435-m gauge (20,555 km operational; 11,910 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 423,997 km paved: 295,356 km (includes 662 km of expressways) unpaved: 128,641 km (2006)

Waterways:

3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 15 by type: cargo 8, chemical tanker 4, passenger/cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 2 (Cyprus 1, Nigeria 1) registered in other countries: 98 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Bahamas 17, Cyprus 18, Liberia 13, Malta 24, Norway 3, Panama 11, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Slovakia 2, Vanuatu 7) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Gdansk, Gdynia, Swinoujscie, Szczecin

Military

Poland

Military branches:

Polish Armed Forces: Land Forces (includes Navy (Marynarka Wojenna,

MW)), Polish Air Force (Sily Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej,

SPRP) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age for male compulsory military service after January 1st of the year of 18th birthday; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscript service obligation shortened from 12 to 9 months in 2005; by 2008, plans call for at least 60% of military personnel to be volunteers; only soldiers who have completed their conscript service are allowed to volunteer for professional service; as of April 2004, women are only allowed to serve as officers and noncommissioned officers (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 9,741,508 females age 16-49: 9,514,843 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 7,937,840 females age 16-49: 7,949,677 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 257,605 female: 245,832 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.71% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Poland

Disputes - international:

as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Poland has implemented the strict Schengen border rules to restrict illegal immigration and trade along its eastern borders with Belarus and Ukraine

Illicit drugs:

despite diligent counternarcotics measures and international information sharing on cross-border crimes, a major illicit producer of synthetic drugs for the international market; minor transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Portugal

Introduction

Portugal

Background:

Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.

Geography

Portugal

Location:

Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of

Spain

Geographic coordinates:

39 30 N, 8 00 W

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 92,391 sq km land: 91,951 sq km water: 440 sq km note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries:

total: 1,214 km border countries: Spain 1,214 km

Coastline:

1,793 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south

Terrain:

mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in south

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Ponta do Pico (Pico or Pico Alto) on Ilha do Pico in the Azores 2,351 m

Natural resources:

fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin, tungsten, silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable land, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 17.29% permanent crops: 7.84% other: 74.87% (2005)

Irrigated land:

6,500 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

73.6 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 11.09 cu km/yr (10%/12%/78%) per capita: 1,056 cu m/yr (1998)

Natural hazards:

Azores subject to severe earthquakes

Environment - current issues:

soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life

Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical

Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic

Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental

Modification

Geography - note:

Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar

People

Portugal

Population:

10,676,910 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 16.4% (male 912,995/female 835,715) 15-64 years: 66.2% (male 3,514,905/female 3,555,097) 65 years and over: 17.4% (male 764,443/female 1,093,755) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 39.1 years male: 37 years female: 41.3 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.305% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.45 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.62 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

3.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.04 years male: 74.78 years female: 81.53 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.49 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.4% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

22,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 1,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Portuguese (singular and plural) adjective: Portuguese

Ethnic groups:

homogeneous Mediterranean stock; citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000; since 1990 East Europeans have entered Portugal

Religions:

Roman Catholic 84.5%, other Christian 2.2%, other 0.3%, unknown 9%, none 3.9% (2001 census)

Languages:

Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.3% male: 95.5% female: 91.3% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

5.5% of GDP (2005)

Government

Portugal

Country name:

conventional long form: Portuguese Republic conventional short form: Portugal local long form: Republica Portuguesa local short form: Portugal

Government type:

republic; parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Lisbon geographic coordinates: 38 43 N, 9 08 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

18 districts (distritos, singular - distrito) and 2 autonomous regions* (regioes autonomas, singular - regiao autonoma); Aveiro, Acores (Azores)*, Beja, Braga, Braganca, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Evora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa (Lisbon), Madeira*, Portalegre, Porto, Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu

Independence:

1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910 (republic proclaimed)

National holiday:

Portugal Day (Day of Portugal), 10 June (1580); note - also called Camoes Day, the day that revered national poet Luis de Camoes (1524-80) died

Constitution:

adopted 2 April 1976; note - subsequent revisions of the Constitution placed the military under strict civilian control, trimmed the powers of the president, and laid the groundwork for a stable, pluralistic liberal democracy; as well, they allowed for the privatization of nationalized firms and the government-owned communications media

Legal system:

based on civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Anibal CAVACO SILVA (since 9 March 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de Sousa (since 12 March 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative body to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2011); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Anibal CAVACO SILVA elected president; percent of vote - Anibal CAVACO SILVA 50.6%, Manuel ALEGRE 20.7%, Mario Alberto Nobre Lopes SOARES 14.3%, Jeronimo DE SOUSA 8.5%, Franciso LOUCA 5.3%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 20 February 2005 (next to be held in Fall 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - PS 45.1%, PSD 28.7%, CDU 7.6%, CDS/PP 7.3%, BE 6.4%, other 4.9%; seats by party - PS 121, PSD 75, CDU 14, CDS/PP 12, BE 8

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (judges appointed for life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura)

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic and Social Center/Popular Party or CDS/PP [Paulo PORTAS];

Green Ecologist Party (The Greens) or PEV [leadership commission

elected by members]; Portuguese Communist Party or PCP [Jeronimo DE

SOUSA]; Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Jose SOCRATES Carvalho

Pinto de Sousa]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Manuela FERREIRA

Leite]; The Left Bloc or BE [Franciso Anacleto LOUCA]; Unitarian

Democratic Coalition or CDU [Jeronimo DE SOUSA] (includes PCP and

PEV)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

the media

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Australia

Group, BIS, CE, CERN, CPLP, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO,

IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,

IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,

ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURCAT, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG,

OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI

(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina,

UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Joao DE VALLERA chancery: 2012 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 350-5400 FAX: [1] (202) 462-3726 consulate(s) general: Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), San Francisco consulate(s): New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence (Rhode Island)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas F. STEPHENSON embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon mailing address: Apartado 43033, 1601-301 Lisboa; PSC 83, APO AE 09726 telephone: [351] (21) 727-3300 FAX: [351] (21) 726-9109 consulate(s): Ponta Delgada (Azores)

Flag description:

two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red (three-fifths) with the Portuguese coat of arms centered on the dividing line

Economy

Portugal

Economy - overview:

Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly service-based economy since joining the European Community in 1986. Over the past two decades, successive governments have privatized many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy, including the financial and telecommunications sectors. The country qualified for the European Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and began circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU member economies. Economic growth had been above the EU average for much of the 1990s, but fell back in 2001-07. GDP per capita stands at roughly two-thirds of the EU-27 average. A poor educational system, in particular, has been an obstacle to greater productivity and growth. Portugal has been increasingly overshadowed by lower-cost producers in Central Europe and Asia as a target for foreign direct investment. The budget deficit surged to an all-time high of 6% of GDP in 2005, but the government reduced the deficit to 2.6% in 2007 - a year ahead of Portugal's targeted schedule. Nonetheless, the government faces tough choices in its attempts to boost Portugal's economic competitiveness while keeping the budget deficit within the eurozone's 3%-of-GDP ceiling.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$232.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$223.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

1.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$21,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 8.2% industry: 25.4% services: 66.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

5.618 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 10% industry: 30% services: 60% (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate:

8% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

18% (2006)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 28.4% (1995 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

38.5 (2007)

Investment (gross fixed):

21.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $96.01 billion expenditures: $101.9 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

63.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.4% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7.92% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

NA note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders

Stock of quasi money:

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$451.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

grain, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, grapes; sheep, cattle, goats, swine, poultry, dairy products; fish

Industries:

textiles, clothing, footwear, wood and cork, paper, chemicals, auto-parts manufacturing, base metals, diary products, wine and other foods, porcelain and ceramics, glassware, technology, telecommunications; ship construction and refurbishment; tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

2.3% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

44.83 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

48.02 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

2.153 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

9.641 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 64.5% hydro: 31.3% nuclear: 0% other: 4.1% (2001)

Oil - production:

6,281 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

301,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

50,490 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

390,300 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

NA bbl

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

4.112 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

4.095 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$21.75 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$51.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

agricultural products, food products, oil products, chemical products, plastics and rubber, skins and leather, wood and cork, wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear, minerals and mineral products, base metals, machinery and tools, vehicles and other transport material, and optical and precision

Exports - partners:

Spain 27.1%, Germany 12.9%, France 12.3%, UK 5.9%, US 4.8%, Angola 4.5%, Italy 4% (2007)

Imports:

$75.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

agricultural products, food products, oil products, chemical products, plastics and rubber, skins and leather, wood and cork, wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear, minerals and mineral products, base metals, machinery and tools, vehicles and other transport material, and optical and precision instruments, computer accessories and parts, semi-conductors and related devices, household goods, passenger cars new and used, and wine products

Imports - partners:

Spain 29.5%, Germany 12.9%, France 8.4%, Italy 5.2%, Netherlands 4.6% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $396 million (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$11.55 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$461.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$91.19 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$54.85 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$66.98 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Portugal

Telephones - main lines in use:

4.139 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

13.413 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: Portugal's telephone system has achieved a state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities domestic: integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwave radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations international: country code - 351; a combination of submarine cables provide connectivity to Europe, North and East Africa, South Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the US; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to Azores (1998)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 47, FM 172 (many are repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:

3.02 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

62 (plus 166 repeaters; includes Azores and Madeira Islands) (1995)

Televisions:

3.31 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.pt

Internet hosts:

1.858 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

16 (2000)

Internet users:

3.549 million (2007)

Transportation

Portugal

Airports:

66 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 44 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 12 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 21 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 1,098 km; oil 11 km; refined products 188 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,786 km broad gauge: 2,603 km 1.668-m gauge (1,351 km electrified) narrow gauge: 183 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 82,900 km paved: 71,294 km (includes 2,300 km of expressways) unpaved: 11,606 km (2005)

Waterways:

210 km (on Douro River from Porto) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 117 by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 36, carrier 1, chemical tanker 15, container 6, liquefied gas 9, passenger 10, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 15 foreign-owned: 84 (Bahamas 1, Belgium 7, Belgium 1, Denmark 3, Germany 20, Greece 4, Hong Kong 2, Italy 12, Japan 15, Mexico 1, Netherlands 1, Spain 11, Sweden 3, Switzerland 2, US 1) registered in other countries: 15 (Cyprus 1, Hong Kong 1, Italy 1, Malta 3, Panama 9) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Leixoes, Lisbon, Setubal, Sines

Military

Portugal

Military branches:

Portuguese Army (Exercito Portugues), Portuguese Navy (Marinha

Portuguesa; includes Marine Corps), Portuguese Air Force (Forca

Aerea Portuguesa, FAP) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; compulsory military service ended in 2004; women serve in the armed forces, on naval ships since 1993, but are prohibited from serving in some combatant specialties; reserve obligation to age 35 (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,573,913 females age 16-49: 2,498,262 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,099,647 females age 16-49: 2,060,559 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 64,910 female: 58,599 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Portugal

Disputes - international:

Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz

Illicit drugs:

seizing record amounts of Latin American cocaine destined for Europe; a European gateway for Southwest Asian heroin; transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe; consumer of Southwest Asian heroin

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Puerto Rico

Introduction

Puerto Rico

Background:

Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following COLUMBUS' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. Popularly-elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters chose not to alter the existing political status.

Geography

Puerto Rico

Location:

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic

Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic

Geographic coordinates:

18 15 N, 66 30 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 13,790 sq km land: 8,870 sq km water: 4,921 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

501 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain:

mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,339 m

Natural resources:

some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil

Land use:

arable land: 3.69% permanent crops: 5.59% other: 90.72% (2005)

Irrigated land:

400 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:

periodic droughts; hurricanes

Environment - current issues:

erosion; occasional drought causing water shortages

Geography - note:

important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean; many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north

People

Puerto Rico

Population:

3,958,128 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 20.5% (male 415,141/female 396,782) 15-64 years: 66% (male 1,254,416/female 1,358,229) 65 years and over: 13.5% (male 229,727/female 303,833) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 35.6 years male: 33.8 years female: 37.3 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.369% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

12.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.88 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-1.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 8.65 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.58 years male: 74.64 years female: 82.73 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.76 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

7,397 (1997)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens) adjective: Puerto Rican

Ethnic groups:

white (mostly Spanish origin) 80.5%, black 8%, Amerindian 0.4%, Asian 0.2%, mixed 4.2%, other 6.7% (2000 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15%

Languages:

Spanish, English

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 94.1% male: 93.9% female: 94.4% (2002 est.)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Puerto Rico

Country name:

conventional long form: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico conventional short form: Puerto Rico

Dependency status:

unincorporated, organized territory of the US with commonwealth status; policy relations between Puerto Rico and the US conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President

Government type:

commonwealth

Capital:

name: San Juan geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 66 07 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (territory of the US with commonwealth status); there are no

first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US

Government, but there are 78 municipalities (municipios, singular -

municipio) at the second order; Adjuntas, Aguada, Aguadilla, Aguas

Buenas, Aibonito, Anasco, Arecibo, Arroyo, Barceloneta,

Barranquitas, Bayamon, Cabo Rojo, Caguas, Camuy, Canovanas,

Carolina, Catano, Cayey, Ceiba, Ciales, Cidra, Coamo, Comerio,

Corozal, Culebra, Dorado, Fajardo, Florida, Guanica, Guayama,

Guayanilla, Guaynabo, Gurabo, Hatillo, Hormigueros, Humacao,

Isabela, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Juncos, Lajas, Lares, Las Marias, Las

Piedras, Loiza, Luquillo, Manati, Maricao, Maunabo, Mayaguez, Moca,

Morovis, Naguabo, Naranjito, Orocovis, Patillas, Penuelas, Ponce,

Quebradillas, Rincon, Rio Grande, Sabana Grande, Salinas, San

German, San Juan, San Lorenzo, San Sebastian, Santa Isabel, Toa

Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto, Utuado, Vega Alta, Vega Baja,

Vieques, Villalba, Yabucoa, Yauco

Independence:

none (territory of the US with commonwealth status)

National holiday:

US Independence Day, 4 July (1776); Puerto Rico Constitution Day, 25

July (1952)

Constitution:

ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July 1952; effective 25 July 1952

Legal system:

based on Spanish civil code and within the US Federal system of justice

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal; island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections

Executive branch:

chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA (since 2 January 2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor with the consent of the legislature elections: under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as Puerto Rico, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; however, they may vote in Democratic and Republican presidential primary elections; governor elected by popular vote for a four-year term (no term limits); election last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2012) election results: Luis FORTUNO elected governor with 52.8% of the vote, he will take office on 2 January 2009

Legislative branch:

bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate (at least 27 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (51 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held November 2012); House of Representatives - last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2012) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PNP 22, PPD 5; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA note: Puerto Rico elects, by popular vote, a resident commissioner to serve a four-year term as a nonvoting representative in the US House of Representatives; aside from not voting on the House floor, he enjoys all the rights of a member of Congress; elections last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2012); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PNP 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Appellate Court; Court of First Instance composed of two sections: a Superior Court and a Municipal Court (justices for all these courts appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate)

Political parties and leaders:

National Democratic Party [Roberto PRATS]; National Republican Party

of Puerto Rico [Dr. Tiody FERRE]; New Progressive Party or PNP

[Pedro ROSSELLO] (pro-US statehood); Popular Democratic Party or PPD

[Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA] (pro-commonwealth); Puerto Rican Independence

Party or PIP [Ruben BERRIOS Martinez] (pro-independence)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Boricua Popular Army or EPB (a revolutionary group also known as Los Macheteros); note - the following radical groups are considered dormant by Federal law enforcement: Armed Forces for National Liberation or FALN, Armed Forces of Popular Resistance, Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution

International organization participation:

Caricom (observer), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ITUC, UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (territory of the US with commonwealth status)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (territory of the US with commonwealth status)

Flag description:

five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large, white, five-pointed star in the center; design initially influenced by the US flag, but similar to the Cuban flag, with the colors of the bands and triangle reversed

Economy

Puerto Rico

Economy - overview:

Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. A diverse industrial sector has far surpassed agriculture as the primary locus of economic activity and income. Encouraged by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s. US minimum wage laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and other livestock products as the main source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important source of income, with estimated arrivals of nearly 5 million tourists in 2004. Growth fell off in 2001-03, largely due to the slowdown in the US economy, recovered in 2004-05, but declined again in 2006-07.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$72.61 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

-1.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$18,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1% industry: 45% services: 54% (2002 est.)

Labor force:

1.3 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 3% industry: 20% services: 77% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

12% (2002)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $6.7 billion expenditures: $9.6 billion (FY99/00)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6.5% (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products:

sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas; livestock products, chickens

Industries:

pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products, tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

23.84 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

22.17 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 99.2% hydro: 0.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

1,354 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

215,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

10,610 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

230,700 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

736.2 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

736.2 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$46.9 billion f.o.b. (2001)

Exports - commodities:

chemicals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage concentrates, medical equipment

Exports - partners:

US 90.3%, UK 1.6%, Netherlands 1.4%, Dominican Republic 1.4% (2006)

Imports:

$29.1 billion c.i.f. (2001)

Imports - commodities:

chemicals, machinery and equipment, clothing, food, fish, petroleum products

Imports - partners:

US 55.0%, Ireland 23.7%, Japan 5.4% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$NA

Debt - external:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

US dollar (USD)

Currency code:

USD

Exchange rates:

the US dollar is used

Communications

Puerto Rico

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.038 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

3.354 million (2005)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern system integrated with that of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with high-speed data capability domestic: digital telephone system; cellular telephone service international: country code - 1-787, 939; submarine cables provide connectivity to the US, Caribbean, Central and South America; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 74, FM 53, shortwave 0 (2005)

Radios:

2.7 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

32 (2006)

Televisions:

1.021 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.pr

Internet hosts:

404 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

76 (2000)

Internet users:

1 million (2007)

Transportation

Puerto Rico

Airports:

29 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 17 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Railways:

total: 96 km narrow gauge: 96 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 26,186 km paved: 24,877 km (includes 427 km of expressways) unpaved: 1,309 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 3 by type: roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 3 (US 3) registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Guayanilla, Mayaguez, San Juan

Military

Puerto Rico

Military branches:

no regular indigenous military forces; paramilitary National Guard, Police Force

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 30,760 female: 29,469 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues

Puerto Rico

Disputes - international:

increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico each year looking for work

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Qatar

Introduction

Qatar

Background:

Ruled by the Al-Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Qatari economy was crippled by a continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenues by the Amir, who had ruled the country since 1972. His son, the current Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al-Thani, overthrew him in a bloodless coup in 1995. In 2001, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. As of 2007, oil and natural gas revenues had enabled Qatar to attain the highest per capita income in the world.

Geography

Qatar

Location:

Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates:

25 30 N, 51 15 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 11,437 sq km land: 11,437 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries:

total: 60 km border countries: Saudi Arabia 60 km

Coastline:

563 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: as determined by bilateral agreements or the median line

Climate:

arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers

Terrain:

mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Qurayn Abu al Bawl 103 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, fish

Land use:

arable land: 1.64% permanent crops: 0.27% other: 98.09% (2005)

Irrigated land:

130 sq km (2002)

Total renewable water resources:

0.1 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.29 cu km/yr (24%/3%/72%) per capita: 358 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

haze, dust storms, sandstorms common

Environment - current issues:

limited natural fresh water resources are increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major petroleum deposits

People

Qatar

Population:

824,789 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 21.8% (male 92,896/female 87,201) 15-64 years: 76.8% (male 451,127/female 182,330) 65 years and over: 1.4% (male 6,545/female 4,690) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 30.7 years male: 32.8 years female: 25.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.093% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

15.69 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

2.47 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-2.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 2.47 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.4 male(s)/female total population: 2.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 13.09 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 75.19 years male: 73.5 years female: 76.98 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.47 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.09% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Qatari(s) adjective: Qatari

Ethnic groups:

Arab 40%, Indian 18%, Pakistani 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14%

Religions:

Muslim 77.5%, Christian 8.5%, other 14% (2004 census)

Languages:

Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89% male: 89.1% female: 88.6% (2004 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.3% of GDP (2005)

Government

Qatar

Country name:

conventional long form: State of Qatar conventional short form: Qatar local long form: Dawlat Qatar local short form: Qatar note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation falls between cutter and gutter, but not like guitar

Government type:

emirate

Capital:

name: Doha geographic coordinates: 25 17 N, 51 32 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

10 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ad Dawhah, Al Ghuwayriyah, Al Jumayliyah, Al Khawr, Al Wakrah, Ar Rayyan, Jarayan al Batinah, Madinat ash Shamal, Umm Sa'id, Umm Salal

Independence:

3 September 1971 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 3 September (1971); also observed is National Day, 18 December

Constitution:

ratified by public referendum on 29 April 2003, endorsed by the Amir on 8 June 2004, effective on 9 June 2005

Legal system:

based on Islamic and civil law codes; discretionary system of law controlled by the Amir, although civil codes are being implemented; Islamic law dominates family and personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al-Thani (since 27 June 1995 when, as heir apparent, he ousted his father, Amir KHALIFA bin Hamad Al-Thani, in a bloodless coup); Heir Apparent TAMIM bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, fourth son of the monarch (selected Heir Apparent by the monarch on 5 August 2003); note - Amir HAMAD also holds the positions of Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces head of government: Prime Minister HAMAD bin Jasim bin Jabir Al-Thani (since 3 April 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah bin Hamad al-ATIYAH (since 3 April 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch elections: the monarch is hereditary note: in April 2007, Qatar held nationwide elections for a 29-member Central Municipal Council (CMC), which has limited consultative powers aimed at improving the provision of municipal services; the first election for the CMC was held in March 1999

Legislative branch:

unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (35 seats; members appointed) note: no legislative elections have been held since 1970 when there were partial elections to the body; Council members have had their terms extended every year since the new constitution came into force on 9 June 2005; the constitution provides for a new 45-member Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura; the public would elect two-thirds of the Majlis al-Shura; the Amir would appoint the remaining members; preparations are underway to conduct elections to the Majlis al-Shura

Judicial branch:

Courts of First Instance, Appeal, and Cassation; an Administrative Court and a Constitutional Court were established in 2007; note - all judges are appointed by Amiri Decree based on the recommendation of the Supreme Judiciary Council for renewable three-year terms

Political parties and leaders:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

none

International organization participation:

ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM,

IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC,

IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC,

OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ali Fahad al-Shahwany al-HAJRI chancery: 2555 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 274-1600 and 274-1603 FAX: [1] (202) 237-0061 consulate(s) general: Houston

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph E. LEBARON embassy: Al-Luqta District, 22 February Road, Doha mailing address: P. O. Box 2399, Doha telephone: [974] 488 4161 FAX: [974] 488 4150

Flag description:

maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side

Economy

Qatar

Economy - overview:

Qatar is in the midst of an economic boom supported by its expanding production of natural gas and oil. Economic policy is focused on development of Qatar's nonassociated natural gas reserves and increasing private and foreign investment in non-energy sectors. Oil and gas account for more than 60% of GDP, roughly 85% of export earnings, and 70% of government revenues. Oil and gas have made Qatar the highest per-capita income country and one of the world's fastest growing. Sustained high oil prices and increased natural gas exports in recent years have helped build Qatar's budget and trade surpluses and foreign reserves. Proved oil reserves of more than 15 billion barrels should ensure continued output at current levels for 22 years. Qatar's proved reserves of natural gas are roughly 25 trillion cubic meters, about 15% of the world total and third largest in the world. Qatar has permitted substantial foreign investment in the development of its gas fields during the last decade and became the world's top liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter in 2007.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$71.42 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$67.76 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

8.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$87,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 0.1% industry: 77.8% services: 22.1% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

881,000 (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate:

0.7% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

43.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $27.12 billion expenditures: $22.55 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Public debt:

11% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

13.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7.43% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$9.718 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$22.6 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$30.52 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

fruits, vegetables; poultry, dairy products, beef; fish

Industries:

crude oil production and refining, ammonia, fertilizers, petrochemicals, steel reinforcing bars, cement, commercial ship repair

Industrial production growth rate:

8% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

14.41 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

13.19 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

1.125 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

108,900 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

1.026 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

15.21 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

59.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

20.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

39.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

25.63 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$10.41 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$42.02 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

liquefied natural gas (LNG), petroleum products, fertilizers, steel

Exports - partners:

Japan 39.9%, South Korea 19.9%, Singapore 9.9%, India 5.1%, Thailand 4.9%, UAE 4% (2007)

Imports:

$19.86 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, food, chemicals

Imports - partners:

US 13.3%, Italy 10.8%, Japan 8.9%, France 7.9%, Germany 7.3%, UK 5.7%, South Korea 5.6%, UAE 5.1%, Saudi Arabia 4.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$2.18 million (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$9.752 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$33.09 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$11.18 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$5.625 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$61.56 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Qatari rial (QAR)

Currency code:

QAR

Exchange rates:

Qatari rials (QAR) per US dollar - 3.64 (2007), 3.64 (2006), 3.64 (2005), 3.64 (2004), 3.64 (2003)

Communications

Qatar

Telephones - main lines in use:

237,400 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.264 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern system centered in Doha domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone density is roughly 165 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 974; landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and the US; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and the UAE; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

256,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (plus 3 repeaters) (2001)

Televisions:

230,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.qa

Internet hosts:

563 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

351,000 (2007)

Transportation

Qatar

Airports:

5 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 322 km; condensate/gas 209 km; gas 1,970 km; liquid petroleum gas 87 km; oil 741 km (2007)

Roadways:

total: 7,790 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 22 by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 2, chemical tanker 2, container 8, liquefied gas 4, petroleum tanker 4 foreign-owned: 7 (Kuwait 7) registered in other countries: 5 (Liberia 4, Panama 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Doha, Ra's Laffan

Military

Qatar

Military branches:

Qatari Amiri Land Force (QALF), Qatari Amiri Navy (QAN), Qatari

Amiri Air Force (QAAF) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 320,383 females age 16-49: 167,475 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 258,159 females age 16-49: 143,999 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 6,224 female: 4,845 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

10% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Qatar

Disputes - international:

none

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Qatar is a destination country for men and women from South and Southeast Asia who migrate willingly, but are subsequently trafficked into involuntary servitude as domestic workers and laborers, and, to a lesser extent, commercial sexual exploitation; the most common offense was forcing workers to accept worse contract terms than those under which they were recruited; other conditions include bonded labor, withholding of pay, restrictions on movement, arbitrary detention, and physical, mental, and sexual abuse tier rating: Tier 3 - Qatar failed, for the second consecutive year, to enforce criminal laws against traffickers, or to provide an effective mechanism to identify and protect victims; it continues to detain and deport victims rather than providing them protection; the government made little progress to increase prosecutions for trafficking in a meaningful way in 2007; workers complaining of working conditions or non-payment of wages were sometimes penalized (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Romania

Introduction

Romania

Background:

The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they united in 1859 and a few years later adopted the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the conflict. In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a Communist "people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former Communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.

Geography

Romania

Location:

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and

Ukraine

Geographic coordinates:

46 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 237,500 sq km land: 230,340 sq km water: 7,160 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries:

total: 2,508 km border countries: Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km, Serbia 476 km, Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (east) 169 km

Coastline:

225 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms

Terrain:

central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m

Natural resources:

petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt, arable land, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 39.49% permanent crops: 1.92% other: 58.59% (2005)

Irrigated land:

30,770 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

42.3 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 6.5 cu km/yr (9%/34%/57%) per capita: 299 cu m/yr (2003)

Natural hazards:

earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides

Environment - current issues:

soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine

People

Romania

Population:

22,246,862 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 15.6% (male 1,778,864/female 1,687,659) 15-64 years: 69.7% (male 7,718,125/female 7,791,102) 65 years and over: 14.7% (male 1,337,915/female 1,933,197) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 37.3 years male: 35.9 years female: 38.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.136% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

11.84 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 23.73 deaths/1,000 live births male: 26.81 deaths/1,000 live births female: 20.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 72.18 years male: 68.69 years female: 75.89 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.38 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

6,500 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

350 (2001 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Romanian(s) adjective: Romanian

Ethnic groups:

Romanian 89.5%, Hungarian 6.6%, Roma 2.5%, Ukrainian 0.3%, German 0.3%, Russian 0.2%, Turkish 0.2%, other 0.4% (2002 census)

Religions:

Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 86.8%, Protestant (various denominations including Reformate and Pentecostal) 7.5%, Roman Catholic 4.7%, other (mostly Muslim) and unspecified 0.9%, none 0.1% (2002 census)

Languages:

Romanian 91% (official), Hungarian 6.7%, Romany (Gypsy) 1.1%, other 1.2%

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.3% male: 98.4% female: 96.3% (2002 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 14 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.5% of GDP (2005)

Government

Romania

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Romania local long form: none local short form: Romania

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Bucharest geographic coordinates: 44 26 N, 26 06 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

41 counties (judete, singular - judet) and 1 municipality* (municipiu); Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud, Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti (Bucharest)*, Buzau, Calarasi, Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati, Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Ilfov, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea

Independence:

9 May 1877 (independence proclaimed from the Ottoman Empire; independence recognized 13 July 1878 by the Treaty of Berlin); 26 March 1881 (kingdom proclaimed); 30 December 1947 (republic proclaimed)

National holiday:

Unification Day (of Romania and Transylvania), 1 December (1918)

Constitution:

8 December 1991; revision effective 29 October 2003

Legal system:

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Traian BASESCU (since 20 December 2004); note - President Traian BASESCU was suspended by vote of parliament on 19 April 2007, but resumed his duties on 23 May 2007 after a popular referendum confirmed that his impeachment should not stand head of government: Prime Minister Calin Popescu-TARICEANU (since 29 December 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 28 November 2004 with runoff between the top two candidates held 12 December 2004 (next to be held in November-December 2009); prime minister appointed by the president with the consent of the Parliament election results: percent of vote - Traian BASESCU 51.23%, Adrian NASTASE 48.77%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (137 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera Deputatilor (334 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 30 November 2008 (next expected to be held in November 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held 30 November 2008 (next expected to be held November 2012) election results: Senate - percent of vote by alliance/party - PSD-PC 34.2%, PDL 33.6%, PNL 18.7%, UDMR 6.4%, other 7.1%; seats by alliance/party - PSD-PC 49, PDL 51, PNL 28, UDMR 9; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by alliance/party - PSD-PC 33.1%, PDL 32.4%, PNL 18.6%, UDMR 6.2%, ethnic minorities 3.6%, other 6.1%; seats by alliance/party - PSD-PC 114, PDL 115, PNL 65, UDMR 22, ethnic minorities 18

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Justice (comprised of 11 judges appointed for three-year terms by the president in consultation with the Superior Council of Magistrates, which is comprised of the minister of justice, the prosecutor general, two civil society representatives appointed by the Senate, and 14 judges and prosecutors elected by their peers); a separate body, the Constitutional Court, validates elections and makes decisions regarding the constitutionality of laws, treaties, ordinances, and internal rules of the Parliament; it is comprised of nine members serving nine-year terms, with three members each appointed by the president, the Senate, and the Chamber of Deputies

Political parties and leaders:

Conservative Party or PC [Daniela POPA] (formerly Humanist Party or PUR); Democratic Liberal Party or PDL [Emil BOC]; Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO]; National Liberal Party or PNL [Calin Popescu-TARICEANU]; Romania Mare Party (Greater Romania Party) or PRM [Corneliu Vadim TUDOR]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Mircea Dan GEOANA] (formerly Party of Social Democracy in Romania or PDSR)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: various human rights and professional associations

International organization participation:

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA

(cooperating state), EU (new member), FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer),

MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW,

OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina,

UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate

partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Adrian Cosmin VIERITA chancery: 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851, 4852 FAX: [1] (202) 232-4748 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Nicholas F. TAUBMAN embassy: Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest mailing address: pouch: American Embassy Bucharest, US Department of State, 5260 Bucharest Place, Washington, DC 20521-5260 (pouch) telephone: [40] (21) 200-3300 FAX: [40] (21) 200-3442

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; the national coat of arms that used to be centered in the yellow band has been removed; now similar to the flag of Chad, also resembles the flags of Andorra and Moldova

Economy

Romania

Economy - overview:

Romania, which joined the European Union on 1 January 2007, began the transition from Communism in 1989 with a largely obsolete industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the country's needs. The country emerged in 2000 from a punishing three-year recession thanks to strong demand in EU export markets. Domestic consumption and investment have fueled strong GDP growth in recent years, but have led to large current account imbalances. Romania's macroeconomic gains have only recently started to spur creation of a middle class and address Romania's widespread poverty. Corruption and red tape continue to handicap its business environment. Inflation rose in 2007 for the first time in eight years, driven in part by the depreciation of the currency, rising energy costs, a nation-wide drought affecting food prices, and a relaxation of fiscal discipline. Romania hopes to adopt the euro by 2014.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$247.1 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$166 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$11,100 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 7.9% industry: 35.6% services: 56.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

9.3 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 29.7% industry: 23.2% services: 47.1% (2006)

Unemployment rate:

4.1% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

25% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.2% highest 10%: 20.8% (2006)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

31 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

28% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $52.13 billion expenditures: $56.01 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

13% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

13.35% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$25.17 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$34.96 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$58.76 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes; eggs, sheep

Industries:

electric machinery and equipment, textiles and footwear, light machinery and auto assembly, mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, food processing, petroleum refining

Industrial production growth rate:

10.6% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

58.25 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

48.43 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

3.362 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

1.277 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 62.5% hydro: 27.6% nuclear: 9.9% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

112,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

238,200 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

125,200 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

219,000 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

600 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

12.5 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

17.09 billion cu m (2007)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

4.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

63 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$23.02 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$40.32 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, textiles and footwear, metals and metal products, machinery and equipment, minerals and fuels, chemicals, agricultural products

Exports - partners:

Italy 17.2%, Germany 16.9%, France 7.7%, Turkey 7%, Hungary 5.6%, UK 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$64.54 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, fuels and minerals, chemicals, textile and products, metals, agricultural products

Imports - partners:

Germany 17.2%, Italy 12.8%, Hungary 6.9%, Russia 6.3%, France 6.2%,

Turkey 5.4%, Austria 4.8% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$914.3 million (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$39.96 billion (31 December 2007)

Debt - external:

$74.54 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$60.82 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$915 million (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$45.42 billion (2007)

Currency (code):

"new" leu (RON) was introduced in 2005; "old" leu (ROL) was phased out in 2006; note - because of currency revaluation, 10,000 ROL = 1 RON

Currency code:

ROL

Exchange rates:

lei (RON) per US dollar - 2.43 (2007), 2.809 (2006), 3 (2005), 3 (2004), 3 (2003)

Communications

Romania

Telephones - main lines in use:

4.3 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

22.875 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: domestic and international service improving rapidly, especially in wireless telephony domestic: more than 90 percent of telephone network is automatic; liberalization in 2003 is transforming telecommunications; fixed-line teledensity is roughly 20 telephones per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity now slightly exceeds 100 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 40; the Black Sea Fiber Optic System provides connectivity to Bulgaria and Turkey; satellite earth stations - 10; digital, international, direct-dial exchanges operate in Bucharest (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

698 (frequency type NA) (2006)

Radios:

7.2 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

623 (plus 200 repeaters) (2006)

Televisions:

5.25 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.ro

Internet hosts:

2.195 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

38 (2000)

Internet users:

12 million (2007)

Transportation

Romania

Airports:

61 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 25 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 36 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 22 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 3,674 km; oil 2,424 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 11,385 km broad gauge: 60 km 1.524-m gauge standard gauge: 10,898 km 1.435-m gauge (3,888 km electrified) narrow gauge: 427 km 0.760-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 198,817 km paved: 60,043 km (includes 228 km of expressways) unpaved: 138,774 km (2004)

Waterways:

1,731 km note: includes 1,075 km on Danube River, 524 km on secondary branches, and 132 km on canals (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 17 by type: cargo 11, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1 registered in other countries: 49 (Cambodia 1, Georgia 16, North Korea 4, Liberia 2, Malta 8, Marshall Islands 1, Moldova 3, Panama 7, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Sierra Leone 3, Syria 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Braila, Constanta, Galati, Tulcea

Military

Romania

Military branches:

Land Forces, Naval Forces, Romanian Air Force (Fortele Aeriene

Romane, FAR), Special Operations (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription officially ended October 2006; all military inductees (including women) contract for an initial 5-year term of service; subsequent voluntary service contracts are for successive 3-year terms until the age of 36 (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,682,299 females age 16-49: 5,557,098 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 4,572,017 females age 16-49: 4,644,474 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 127,706 female: 121,852 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Transnational Issues

Romania

Disputes - international:

the ICJ gave Ukraine until December 2006 to reply, and Romania until June 2007 to issue a rejoinder, in their dispute submitted in 2004 over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy/Serpilor (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary delimitation; Romania also opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea

Illicit drugs:

major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound for Western Europe; although not a significant financial center, role as a narcotics conduit leaves it vulnerable to laundering, which occurs via the banking system, currency exchange houses, and casinos

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Russia

Introduction

Russia

Background:

Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy, was able to emerge from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th centuries) and to gradually conquer and absorb surrounding principalities. In the early 17th century, a new Romanov Dynasty continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific. Under PETER I (ruled 1682-1725), hegemony was extended to the Baltic Sea and the country was renamed the Russian Empire. During the 19th century, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia. Defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 contributed to the Revolution of 1905, which resulted in the formation of a parliament and other reforms. Repeated devastating defeats of the Russian army in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and to the overthrow in 1917 of the imperial household. The Communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the USSR. The brutal rule of Iosif STALIN (1928-53) strengthened Communist rule and Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize Communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into Russia and 14 other independent republics. Since then, Russia has shifted its post-Soviet democratic ambitions in favor of a centralized semi-authoritarian state whose legitimacy is buttressed, in part, by carefully managed national elections, former President PUTIN's genuine popularity, and the prudent management of Russia's windfall energy wealth. Russia has severely disabled a Chechen rebel movement, although violence still occurs throughout the North Caucasus.

Geography

Russia

Location:

Northern Asia (the area west of the Urals is considered part of

Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North

Pacific Ocean

Geographic coordinates:

60 00 N, 100 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 17,075,200 sq km land: 16,995,800 sq km water: 79,400 sq km

Area - comparative:

approximately 1.8 times the size of the US

Land boundaries:

total: 20,241.5 km border countries: Azerbaijan 284 km, Belarus 959 km, China (southeast) 3,605 km, China (south) 40 km, Estonia 290 km, Finland 1,313 km, Georgia 723 km, Kazakhstan 6,846 km, North Korea 17.5 km, Latvia 292 km, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 227 km, Mongolia 3,441 km, Norway 196 km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 432 km, Ukraine 1,576 km

Coastline:

37,653 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast

Terrain:

broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern border regions

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point: Gora El'brus 5,633 m

Natural resources:

wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, timber note: formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder exploitation of natural resources

Land use:

arable land: 7.17% permanent crops: 0.11% other: 92.72% (2005)

Irrigated land:

46,000 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

4,498 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 76.68 cu km/yr (19%/63%/18%) per capita: 535 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula; spring floods and summer/autumn forest fires throughout Siberia and parts of European Russia

Environment - current issues:

air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired electric plants, and transportation in major cities; industrial, municipal, and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and seacoasts; deforestation; soil erosion; soil contamination from improper application of agricultural chemicals; scattered areas of sometimes intense radioactive contamination; groundwater contamination from toxic waste; urban solid waste management; abandoned stocks of obsolete pesticides

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,

Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic

Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,

Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94

Geography - note:

largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite its size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture; Mount El'brus is Europe's tallest peak

People

Russia

Population:

140,702,096 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 14.6% (male 10,577,858/female 10,033,254) 15-64 years: 71.2% (male 48,187,807/female 52,045,102) 65 years and over: 14.1% (male 6,162,400/female 13,695,673) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 38.3 years male: 35.1 years female: 41.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.474% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

11.03 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

16.06 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.45 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 10.81 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.34 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 65.94 years male: 59.19 years female: 73.1 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.4 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

860,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

9,000 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne disease: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever and tickborne encephalitis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Russian(s) adjective: Russian

Ethnic groups:

Russian 79.8%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 2%, Bashkir 1.2%, Chuvash 1.1%, other or unspecified 12.1% (2002 census)

Religions:

Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2% (2006 est.) note: estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy of over seven decades of Soviet rule

Languages:

Russian, many minority languages

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.4% male: 99.7% female: 99.2% (2002 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.8% of GDP (2005)

Government

Russia

Country name:

conventional long form: Russian Federation conventional short form: Russia local long form: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya local short form: Rossiya former: Russian Empire, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic

Government type:

federation

Capital:

name: Moscow geographic coordinates: 55 45 N, 37 35 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: Russia is divided into 11 time zones

Administrative divisions:

46 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast), 21 republics (respublik, singular - respublika), 4 autonomous okrugs (avtonomnykh okrugov, singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 9 krays (krayev, singular - kray), 2 federal cities (goroda, singular - gorod), and 1 autonomous oblast (avtonomnaya oblast') oblasts: Amur (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', Belgorod, Bryansk, Chelyabinsk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Kaliningrad, Kaluga, Kemerovo, Kirov, Kostroma, Kurgan, Kursk, Leningrad, Lipetsk, Magadan, Moscow, Murmansk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Orenburg, Orel, Penza, Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan', Sakhalin (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg), Tambov, Tomsk, Tula, Tver', Tyumen', Ul'yanovsk, Vladimir, Volgograd, Vologda, Voronezh, Yaroslavl' republics: Adygeya (Maykop), Altay (Gorno-Altaysk), Bashkortostan (Ufa), Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude), Chechnya (Groznyy), Chuvashiya (Cheboksary), Dagestan (Makhachkala), Ingushetiya (Magas), Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal'chik), Kalmykiya (Elista), Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk), Kareliya (Petrozavodsk), Khakasiya (Abakan), Komi (Syktyvkar), Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola), Mordoviya (Saransk), North Ossetia (Vladikavkaz), Sakha [Yakutiya] (Yakutsk), Tatarstan (Kazan'), Tyva (Kyzyl), Udmurtiya (Izhevsk) autonomous okrugs: Chukotka (Anadyr'), Khanty-Mansi (Khanty-Mansiysk), Nenets (Nar'yan-Mar), Yamalo-Nenets (Salekhard) krays: Altay (Barnaul), Kamchatka (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy), Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Perm', Primorskiy (Vladivostok), Stavropol', Zabaykal'skiy (Chita) federal cities: Moscow (Moskva), Saint Petersburg (Sankt-Peterburg) autonomous oblast: Yevrey [Jewish] (Birobidzhan) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

Independence:

24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:

Russia Day, 12 June (1990)

Constitution:

adopted 12 December 1993

Legal system:

based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Dmitriy Anatolyevich MEDVEDEV (since 7 May 2008) head of government: Premier Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN (since 8 May 2008); First Deputy Premiers Igor Ivanovich SHUVALOV and Viktor Alekseyevich ZUBKOV (since 12 May 2008); Deputy Premiers Sergey Borisovich IVANOV (since 12 May 2008), Dmitriy Nikolayevich KOZAK (since 14 October 2008), Aleksey Leonidovich KUDRIN (since 24 September 2007), Igor Ivanovich SECHIN (since 12 May 2008), Sergey Semenovich SOBYANIN (since 12 May 2008), Aleksandr Dmitriyevich ZHUKOV (since 9 March 2004), and Dmitry Nikolayevich KOZAK (since 14 October 2008) cabinet: Ministries of the Government or "Government" composed of the premier and his deputies, ministers, and selected other individuals; all are appointed by the president note: there is also a Presidential Administration (PA) that provides staff and policy support to the president, drafts presidential decrees, and coordinates policy among government agencies; a Security Council also reports directly to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 2 March 2008 (next to be held in March 2012); note - no vice president; if the president dies in office, cannot exercise his powers because of ill health, is impeached, or resigns, the premier serves as acting president until a new presidential election is held, which must be within three months; premier appointed by the president with the approval of the Duma election results: Dmitriy MEDVEDEV elected president; percent of vote - Dmitry MEDVEDEV 70.2%, Gennady ZYUGANOV 17.7%, Vladimir ZHIRINOVSKY 9.4%, Andrey BOGDONOV 1.3%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoye Sobraniye consists of an upper house, the Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (168 seats; as of July 2000, members appointed by the top executive and legislative officials in each of the 84 federal administrative units - oblasts, krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the federal cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg; to serve four-year terms) and a lower house, the State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats; as of 2007, all members elected by proportional representation from party lists winning at least 7% of the vote; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: State Duma - last held 2 December 2007 (next to be held in December 2011) election results: State Duma - United Russia 64.3%, CPRF 11.5%, LDPR 8.1%, Just Russia 7.7%, other 8.4%; total seats by party - United Russia 315, CPRF 57, LDPR 40, Just Russia 38

Judicial branch:

Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Supreme Arbitration Court; judges for all courts are appointed for life by the Federation Council on the recommendation of the president

Political parties and leaders:

Communist Party of the Russian Federation or CPRF [Gennadiy

Andreyevich ZYUGANOV]; Just Russia [Sergey MIRONOV]; Liberal

Democratic Party of Russia or LDPR [Vladimir Volfovich

ZHIRINOVSKIY]; Patriots of Russia [Gennadiy SEMIGIN]; People's Union

[Sergey BABURIN]; Right Cause [Leonid Yakovlevich GOZMAN, Boris

Yuriyevich TITOV, and Georgiy Georgiyevich BOVT] (registration

pending; formed from merger of Union of Right Forces, Democratic

Party of Russia, and Civic Force); United Russia [Vladimir

Vladimirovich PUTIN]; Yabloko Party [Sergey Sergeyevich MITROKHIN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Levada Center (conducts polls); Memorial (human rights group; Movement Against Illegal Migration; Pamjat (preservation of historical monuments and recording of history); Russian Orthodox Church; Russian-Chechen Friendship Society other: ecology groups; human rights groups; nationalist pragmatists (no foreign influence over Central Eurasia); neo-Eurasianists (against Western influence for the area); religious groups; westernizers (lean towards the West)

International organization participation:

APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, BSEC,

CBSS, CE, CERN (observer), CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, G-8, GCTU,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NSG,

OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP,

SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR,

UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Yuriy Viktorovich USHAKOV chancery: 2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 298-5700, 5701, 5704, 5708 FAX: [1] (202) 298-5735 consulate(s) general: Houston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador John R. BEYRLE embassy: Bolshoy Deviatinskiy Pereulok No. 8, 121099 Moscow mailing address: PSC-77, APO AE 09721 telephone: [7] (495) 728-5000 FAX: [7] (495) 728-5090 consulate(s) general: Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red

Economy

Russia

Economy - overview:

Russia ended 2007 with its ninth straight year of growth, averaging 7% annually since the financial crisis of 1998. Although high oil prices and a relatively cheap ruble initially drove this growth, since 2003 consumer demand and, more recently, investment have played a significant role. Over the last six years, fixed capital investments have averaged real gains greater than 10% per year and personal incomes have achieved real gains more than 12% per year. During this time, poverty has declined steadily and the middle class has continued to expand. Russia has also improved its international financial position since the 1998 financial crisis. The federal budget has run surpluses since 2001 and ended 2007 with a surplus of about 3% of GDP. Over the past several years, Russia has used its stabilization fund based on oil taxes to prepay all Soviet-era sovereign debt to Paris Club creditors and the IMF. Foreign debt is approximately one-third of GDP. The state component of foreign debt has declined, but commercial debt to foreigners has risen strongly. Oil export earnings have allowed Russia to increase its foreign reserves from $12 billion in 1999 to some $470 billion at yearend 2007, the third largest reserves in the world. During President PUTIN's first administration, a number of important reforms were implemented in the areas of tax, banking, labor, and land codes. These achievements have raised business and investor confidence in Russia's economic prospects, with foreign direct investment rising from $14.6 billion in 2005 to approximately $45 billion in 2007. In 2007, Russia's GDP grew 8.1%, led by non-tradable services and goods for the domestic market, as opposed to oil or mineral extraction and exports. Rising inflation returned in the second half of 2007, driven largely by unsterilized capital inflows and by rising food costs, and approached 12% by year-end. In 2006, Russia signed a bilateral market access agreement with the US as a prelude to possible WTO entry, and its companies are involved in global merger and acquisition activity in the oil and gas, metals, and telecom sectors. Despite Russia's recent success, serious problems persist. Oil, natural gas, metals, and timber account for more than 80% of exports and 30% of government revenues, leaving the country vulnerable to swings in world commodity prices. Russia's manufacturing base is dilapidated and must be replaced or modernized if the country is to achieve broad-based economic growth. The banking system, while increasing consumer lending and growing at a high rate, is still small relative to the banking sectors of Russia's emerging market peers. Political uncertainties associated with this year's power transition, corruption, and lack of trust in institutions continue to dampen domestic and foreign investor sentiment. PUTIN has granted more influence to forces within his government that desire to reassert state control over the economy. Russia has made little progress in building the rule of law, the bedrock of a modern market economy. The government has promised additional legislative amendments to make its intellectual property protection WTO-consistent, but enforcement remains problematic.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.097 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.29 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

8.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$14,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 4.7% industry: 39.1% services: 56.2% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

75.1 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 10.8% industry: 28.8% services: 60.5% (November 2007 est.)

Unemployment rate:

6.2% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

15.8% (November 2007)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.9% highest 10%: 30.4% (September 2007)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

41.3 (September 2007)

Investment (gross fixed):

21% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $299 billion expenditures: $262 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

5.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

9% annual average note: 12% at year-end (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

10% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

10.03% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$303.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$292.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$339.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits; beef, milk

Industries:

complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; defense industries including radar, missile production, and advanced electronic components, shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles, foodstuffs, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate:

7.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

964.2 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

819.6 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

15.81 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

5.67 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 66.3% hydro: 17.2% nuclear: 16.4% other: 0.1% (2003)

Oil - production:

9.876 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2.858 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

5.08 million bbl/day (2007)

Oil - imports:

73,140 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

60 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

656.2 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

610 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

237.2 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

58.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

47.57 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$78.31 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$355.5 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures

Exports - partners:

Netherlands 12.2%, Italy 7.8%, Germany 7.5%, Turkey 5.2%, Belarus 5%, Ukraine 4.7%, China 4.5% (2007)

Imports:

$223.4 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, consumer goods, medicines, meat, sugar, semifinished metal products

Imports - partners:

Germany 13.3%, China 12.2%, Ukraine 6.7%, Japan 6.4%, US 4.8%,

Belarus 4.4%, South Korea 4.4%, Italy 4.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$982.7 million in FY06 from US, including $847 million in non-proliferation subsidies

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$476.4 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$356.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$271.6 billion (2006)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$209.6 billion (2006)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$1.322 trillion (2006)

Currency (code):

Russian ruble (RUB)

Currency code:

RUR

Exchange rates:

Russian rubles (RUB) per US dollar - 25.659 (2007), 27.19 (2006), 28.284 (2005), 28.814 (2004), 30.692 (2003)

Communications

Russia

Telephones - main lines in use:

43.9 million (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

170 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: the telephone system is experiencing significant changes; there are more than 1,000 companies licensed to offer communication services; access to digital lines has improved, particularly in urban centers; Internet and e-mail services are improving; Russia has made progress toward building the telecommunications infrastructure necessary for a market economy; the estimated number of mobile subscribers jumped from fewer than 1 million in 1998 to 170 million in 2007; a large demand for main line service remains unsatisfied, but fixed-line operators continue to grow their services domestic: cross-country digital trunk lines run from Saint Petersburg to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk; the telephone systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digital infrastructures; cellular services, both analog and digital, are available in many areas; in rural areas, the telephone services are still outdated, inadequate, and low density international: country code - 7; Russia is connected internationally by undersea fiber optic cables; digital switches in several cities provide more than 50,000 lines for international calls; satellite earth stations provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Orbita systems

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 323, FM 1,500 est., shortwave 62 (2004)

Radios:

61.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

7,306 (1998)

Televisions:

60.5 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.ru; note - Russia also has responsibility for a legacy domain ".su" that was allocated to the Soviet Union and is being phased out

Internet hosts:

4.822 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

300 (June 2000)

Internet users:

30 million (2007)

Transportation

Russia

Airports:

1,260 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 601 over 3,047 m: 51 2,438 to 3,047 m: 197 1,524 to 2,437 m: 129 914 to 1,523 m: 102 under 914 m: 122 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 659 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 13 1,524 to 2,437 m: 69 914 to 1,523 m: 89 under 914 m: 484 (2007)

Heliports:

47 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 122 km; gas 158,699 km; oil 72,347 km; refined products 13,658 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 87,157 km broad gauge: 86,200 km 1.520-m gauge (40,300 km electrified) narrow gauge: 957 km 1.067-m gauge (on Sakhalin Island) note: an additional 30,000 km of non-common carrier lines serve industries (2006)

Roadways:

total: 933,000 km paved: 754,984 km (includes 30,000 km of expressways) unpaved: 178,016 km note: includes public, local, and departmental roads (2006)

Waterways:

102,000 km (including 33,000 km with guaranteed depth) note: 72,000 km system in European Russia links Baltic Sea, White Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Azov, and Black Sea (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 1,074 by type: bulk carrier 25, cargo 663, carrier 2, chemical tanker 27, combination ore/oil 34, container 11, passenger 14, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 217, refrigerated cargo 59, roll on/roll off 10, specialized tanker 5 foreign-owned: 112 (Belgium 4, Cyprus 2, Germany 1, Greece 1, Italy 4, South Korea 1, Latvia 2, Norway 2, Switzerland 3, Turkey 80, Ukraine 11, US 1) registered in other countries: 486 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Bahamas 4, Belize 31, Bulgaria 1, Cambodia 83, Comoros 12, Cyprus 50, Dominica 3, Georgia 12, Hong Kong 2, Jamaica 3, Liberia 94, Malaysia 2, Malta 58, Marshall Islands 9, Moldova 3, Mongolia 9, Panama 18, Saint Kitts and Nevis 19, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 21, Sierra Leone 11, Slovakia 1, Tuvalu 2, Ukraine 1, Vanuatu 2, unknown 31) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Azov, Kaliningrad, Kavkaz, Nakhodka, Novorossiysk, Primorsk, Saint

Petersburg, Vostochnyy

Military

Russia

Military branches:

Ground Forces (SV), Navy (VMF), Air Forces (Voyenno-Vozdushniye Sily, VVS); Airborne Troops (VDV), Strategic Rocket Troops (Raketnyye Voyska Strategicheskogo Naznacheniya, RVSN), and Space Troops (KV) are independent "combat arms," not subordinate to any of the three branches; Russian Ground Forces include the following combat arms: motorized-rifle troops, tank troops, missile and artillery troops, air defense of ground troops (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-27 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military service; males are registered for the draft at 17 years of age; service obligation - 1 year; reserve obligation to age 50; as of July 2008, a draft military strategy called for the draft to continue up to the year 2030 (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 36,219,908 females age 16-49: 37,019,853 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 21,488,878 females age 16-49: 28,760,976 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 821,103 female: 781,570 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.9% of GDP (2005)

Transnational Issues

Russia

Disputes - international:

China and Russia have demarcated the once disputed islands at the Amur and Ussuri confluence and in the Argun River in accordance with the 2004 Agreement, ending their centuries-long border disputes; the sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kurils," occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities; Russia and Georgia agree on delimiting all but small, strategic segments of the land boundary and the maritime boundary; OSCE observers monitor volatile areas such as the Pankisi Gorge in the Akhmeti region and the Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia signed equidistance boundaries in the Caspian seabed but the littoral states have no consensus on dividing the water column; Russia and Norway dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone; various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia (Kareliya) and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union following the Second World War but the Finnish Government asserts no territorial demands; in May 2005, Russia recalled its signatures to the 1996 border agreements with Estonia (1996) and Latvia (1997), when the two Baltic states announced issuance of unilateral declarations referencing Soviet occupation and ensuing territorial losses; Russia demands better treatment of ethnic Russians in Estonia and Latvia; Estonian citizen groups continue to press for realignment of the boundary based on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within Estonia; Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still conforming, as an EU member state with an EU external border, where strict Schengen border rules apply; preparations for the demarcation delimitation of land boundary with Ukraine have commenced; the dispute over the boundary between Russia and Ukraine through the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov remains unresolved despite a December 2003 framework agreement and on-going expert-level discussions; Kazakhstan and Russia boundary delimitation was ratified on November 2005 and field demarcation should commence in 2007; Russian Duma has not yet ratified 1990 Bering Sea Maritime Boundary Agreement with the US

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 18,000-160,000 (displacement from Chechnya and North Ossetia) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Russia is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for various purposes; it remains a significant source of women trafficked to over 50 countries for commercial sexual exploitation; Russia is also a transit and destination country for men and women trafficked from Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and North Korea to Central and Western Europe and the Middle East for purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; internal trafficking remains a problem in Russia with women trafficked from rural areas to urban centers for commercial sexual exploitation, and men trafficked internally and from Central Asia for forced labor in the construction and agricultural industries; debt bondage is common among trafficking victims, and child sex tourism remains a concern tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Russia is on the Tier 2 Watch List for a fifth consecutive year for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking over the previous year, particularly in providing assistance to victims of trafficking; comprehensive trafficking victim assistance legislation, which would address key deficiencies, has been pending before the Duma since 2003 and was neither passed nor enacted in 2007 (2008)

Illicit drugs:

limited cultivation of illicit cannabis and opium poppy and producer of methamphetamine, mostly for domestic consumption; government has active illicit crop eradication program; used as transshipment point for Asian opiates, cannabis, and Latin American cocaine bound for growing domestic markets, to a lesser extent Western and Central Europe, and occasionally to the US; major source of heroin precursor chemicals; corruption and organized crime are key concerns; major consumer of opiates

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Rwanda

Introduction

Rwanda

Background:

In 1959, three years before independence from Belgium, the majority ethnic group, the Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the next several years, thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some 150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children of these exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along with several political and economic upheavals, exacerbated ethnic tensions, culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the killing in July 1994, but approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire. Since then, most of the refugees have returned to Rwanda, but several thousand remained in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC; the former Zaire) and formed an extremist insurgency bent on retaking Rwanda, much as the RPF tried in 1990. Despite substantial international assistance and political reforms - including Rwanda's first local elections in March 1999 and its first post-genocide presidential and legislative elections in August and September 2003 - the country continues to struggle to boost investment and agricultural output, and ethnic reconciliation is complicated by the real and perceived Tutsi political dominance. Kigali's increasing centralization and intolerance of dissent, the nagging Hutu extremist insurgency across the border, and Rwandan involvement in two wars in recent years in the neighboring DRC continue to hinder Rwanda's efforts to escape its bloody legacy.

Geography

Rwanda

Location:

Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geographic coordinates:

2 00 S, 30 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 26,338 sq km land: 24,948 sq km water: 1,390 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:

total: 893 km border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible

Terrain:

mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m

Natural resources:

gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 45.56% permanent crops: 10.25% other: 44.19% (2005)

Irrigated land:

90 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

5.2 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.15 cu km/yr (24%/8%/68%) per capita: 17 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo

Environment - current issues:

deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the population predominantly rural

People

Rwanda

Population:

10,186,063 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 41.9% (male 2,143,479/female 2,124,588) 15-64 years: 55.7% (male 2,826,557/female 2,842,020) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 99,721/female 149,698) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.7 years male: 18.5 years female: 18.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.779% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

39.97 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

14.46 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 83.42 deaths/1,000 live births male: 88.53 deaths/1,000 live births female: 78.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 49.76 years male: 48.56 years female: 51 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.31 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

5.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

250,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

22,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Rwandan(s) adjective: Rwandan

Ethnic groups:

Hutu (Bantu) 84%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 15%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001)

Languages:

Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 70.4% male: 76.3% female: 64.7% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 9 years male: 8 years female: 9 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

3.8% of GDP (2005)

People - note:

Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa

Government

Rwanda

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Rwanda conventional short form: Rwanda local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda local short form: Rwanda former: Ruanda, German East Africa

Government type:

republic; presidential, multiparty system

Capital:

name: Kigali geographic coordinates: 1 57 S, 30 04 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

4 provinces (in French - provinces, singular - province; in Kinyarwanda - intara for singular and plural) and 1 city* (in French - ville; in Kinyarwanda - umujyi); Est (Eastern), Kigali*, Nord (Northern), Ouest (Western), Sud (Southern)

Independence:

1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

Constitution:

new constitution passed by referendum 26 May 2003

Legal system:

based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: President elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 25 August 2003 (next to be held in 2010) election results: Paul KAGAME elected president in first direct popular vote; Paul KAGAME 95.05%, Faustin TWAGIRAMUNGU 3.62%, Jean-Nepomuscene NAYINZIRA 1.33%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of Senate (26 seats; 12 members elected by local councils, 8 appointed by the president, 4 by the Political Organizations Forum, 2 represent institutions of higher learning; to serve eight-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies (80 seats; 53 members elected by popular vote, 24 women elected by local bodies, 3 selected by youth and disability organizations; to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - members appointed as part of the transitional government (next to be held in 2011); Chamber of Deputies - last held 15 September 2008 (next to be held September 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - RPF 78.8%, PSD 13.1%, PL 7.5%; seats by party - RPF 42, PSD 7, PL 4, additional 27 members indirectly elected

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; High Courts of the Republic; Provincial Courts;

District Courts; mediation committees

Political parties and leaders:

Centrist Democratic Party or PDC [Alfred MUKEZAMFURA]; Democratic

Popular Union of Rwanda or UDPR [Adrien RANGIRA]; Democratic

Republican Movement or MDR [Celestin KABANDA] (officially banned);

Islamic Democratic Party or PDI [Andre BUMAYA]; Liberal Party or PL

[Protais MITALI]; Party for Democratic Renewal (officially banned);

Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF [Paul KAGAME]; Social Democratic

Party or PSD [Vincent BIRUTA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

IBUKA (association of genocide survivors)

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO

(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, NAM, OIF, OPCW,

UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador James KOMONYO chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 232-2882 FAX: [1] (202) 232-4544

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador W. Stuart SYMINGTON embassy: 2657 Avenue de la Gendarmerie, Kigali mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali telephone: [250] 596-400 FAX: [250] 596-591

Flag description:

three horizontal bands of sky blue (top, double width), yellow, and green, with a golden sun with 24 rays near the fly end of the blue band

Economy

Rwanda

Economy - overview:

Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the most densely populated country in Africa and is landlocked with few natural resources and minimal industry. Primary foreign exchange earners are coffee and tea. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's fragile economic base, severely impoverished the population, particularly women, and eroded the country's ability to attract private and external investment. However, Rwanda has made substantial progress in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy to pre-1994 levels, although poverty levels are higher now. GDP has rebounded and inflation has been curbed. Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem, food production often does not keep pace with population growth, requiring food imports. Rwanda continues to receive substantial aid money and obtained IMF-World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative debt relief in 2005-06. Rwanda also received Millennium Challenge Account Threshold status in 2006. The government has embraced an expansionary fiscal policy to reduce poverty by improving education, infrastructure, and foreign and domestic investment and pursuing market-oriented reforms, although energy shortages, instability in neighboring states, and lack of adequate transportation linkages to other countries continue to handicap growth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$8.057 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$3.32 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 36.9% industry: 21.7% services: 41.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

4.6 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 90% industry and services: 10% (2000)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

60% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 38.2% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

46.8 (2000)

Investment (gross fixed):

22% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $801.8 million expenditures: $878.3 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

9.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

12.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

15.84% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$233.6 million (31 December 2005)

Stock of quasi money:

$227.4 million (31 December 2005)

Stock of domestic credit:

$209.2 million (31 December 2005)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock

Industries:

cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes

Industrial production growth rate:

13.1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

134 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

234.6 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

10 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

130 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 2.3% hydro: 97.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

5,320 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

5,597 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

56.63 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$147 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$184 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

coffee, tea, hides, tin ore

Exports - partners:

China 8.9%, Germany 6.8%, US 4.9%, Hong Kong 4.8% (2007)

Imports:

$637 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material

Imports - partners:

Kenya 19.6%, Uganda 6.9%, Germany 6.2%, Belgium 5.9%, China 5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$576 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$552.8 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.4 billion (2004 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Rwandan franc (RWF)

Currency code:

RWF

Exchange rates:

Rwandan francs (RWF) per US dollar - 585 (2007), 560 (2006), 610 (2005), 574.62 (2004), 537.66 (2003)

Communications

Rwanda

Telephones - main lines in use:

23,100 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

635,100 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: small, inadequate telephone system primarily serves business and government domestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the provinces by microwave radio relay and, recently, by cellular telephone service; much of the network depends on wire and HF radiotelephone; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone density is only about 7 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 250; international connections employ microwave radio relay to neighboring countries and satellite communications to more distant countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 8 (two main FM programs are broadcast through a system of repeaters, three international FM programs include the BBC, VOA, and Deutchewelle), shortwave 1 (2005)

Radios:

601,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (2004)

Televisions:

NA; probably less than 1,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.rw

Internet hosts:

2,363 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2002)

Internet users:

100,000 (2007)

Transportation

Rwanda

Airports:

9 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 14,008 km paved: 2,662 km unpaved: 11,346 km (2004)

Waterways:

Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2006)

Ports and terminals:

Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye

Military

Rwanda

Military branches:

Rwandan Defense Forces: Army, Air Force

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,430,469 females age 16-49: 2,392,933 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,404,066 females age 16-49: 1,403,700 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 111,791 female: 112,131 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Rwanda

Disputes - international:

fighting among ethnic groups - loosely associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces in Great Lakes region transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda - abated substantially from a decade ago due largely to UN peacekeeping, international mediation, and efforts by local governments to create civil societies; nonetheless, 57,000 Rwandan refugees still reside in 21 African states, including Zambia, Gabon, and 20,000 who fled to Burundi in 2005 and 2006 to escape drought and recriminations from traditional courts investigating the 1994 massacres; the 2005 DROC and Rwanda border verification mechanism to stem rebel actions on both sides of the border remains in place

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 46,272 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); 4,400 (Burundi) (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Saint Barthelemy

Introduction

Saint Barthelemy

Background:

Discovered in 1493 by Christopher COLUMBUS who named it for his brother Bartolomeo, St. Barthelemy was first settled by the French in 1648. In 1784, the French sold the island to Sweden, who renamed the largest town Gustavia, after the Swedish King GUSTAV III, and made it a free port; the island prospered as a trade and supply center during the colonial wars of the 18th century. France repurchased the island in 1878 and placed it under the administration of Guadeloupe. St. Barthelemy retained its free port status along with various Swedish appelations such as Swedish street and town names, and the three-crown symbol on the coat of arms. In 2003, the populace of the island voted to secede from Guadeloupe and in 2007, the island became a French overseas collectivity.

Geography

Saint Barthelemy

Location:

located approximately 125 miles northwest of Guadeloupe

Geographic coordinates:

17 90 N, 62 85 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

21 sq km

Area - comparative:

less than an eighth of the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Climate:

tropical, with practically no variation in temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid)

Terrain:

hilly, almost completely surrounded by shallow-water reefs, with 20 beaches

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne du Vitet 286 m

Natural resources:

has few natural resouces, its beaches being the most important

Environment - current issues:

with no natural rivers or streams, fresh water is in short supply, especially in summer, and provided by desalinization of sea water, collection of rain water, or imported via water tanker

People

Saint Barthelemy

Population:

7,492 (July 2008 est.)

Ethnic groups:

white, Creole (mulatto), black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asia)

Religions:

Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jehovah's Witness

Languages:

French (primary), English

Government

Saint Barthelemy

Country name:

conventional long form: Overseas Collectivity of Saint Barthelemy conventional short form: Saint Barthelemy local long form: Collectivite d'outre mer de Saint-Barthelemy local short form: Saint-Barthelemy

Dependency status:

overseas collectivity of France

Capital:

name: Gustavia geographic coordinates: 17 53 N, 62 51 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Independence:

none (overseas collectivity of France)

National holiday:

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); note - local holiday is St. Barthelemy

Day, 24 August

Constitution:

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system:

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Suffrage:

18 years of age, universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007), represented by Prefect Dominique LACROIX (since 21 March 2007) head of government: President of the Territorial Council Bruno MAGRAS (since 16 July 2007) cabinet: Executive Council; note - there is also an advisory, economic, social, and cultural council elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the Territorial Council is elected by the members of the Council for a five-year term election results: Bruno MAGRAS unanimously elected president by the Territorial Council on 16 July 2007

Legislative branch:

unicameral Territorial Council (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 1 and 8 July 2007 (next to be held July 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - SBA 72.2%, Action-Equilibre-Transparence 9.9%, Ensemble pour Saint-Barthelemy 7.9%, Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy 9.9%; seats by party - SBA 16, Action-Equilibre-Transparence 1, Ensemble pour Saint-Barthelemy 1, Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy 1

Political parties and leaders:

Action-Equilibre-Transparence [Maxime DESOUCHES]; Ensemble pour

Saint-Barthelemy [Benoit CHAUVIN]; Saint-Barth d'Abord! or SBA

[Bruno MAGRAS]; Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy [Karine MIOT-RICHARD]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

The Marine Reserve (protection of fish); Rotary Club

International organization participation:

UPU, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Flag description:

the flag of France is used

Economy

Saint Barthelemy

Economy - overview:

The economy of Saint Barthelemy is based upon high-end tourism and duty-free luxury commerce, serving visitors primarily from North America. The luxury hotels and villas host 70,000 visitors each year with another 130,000 arriving by boat. The relative isolation and high cost of living inhibits mass tourism. The construction and public sectors also enjoy significant investment in support of tourism. With limited fresh water resources, all food must be imported, as must all energy resources and most manufactured goods. Employment is strong and attracts labor from Brazil and Portugal.

Currency (code):

euro (EUR); note - US dollar (USD) widely used

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Saint Barthelemy

Telephone system:

general assessment: fully integrated access domestic: direct dial capability with both fixed and wireless systems international: country code - 590; undersea fiber-optic cable provides voice and data connectivity to Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe

Internet country code:

.bl; note - .gp, the ccTLD for Guadeloupe, and .fr, the ccTLD for France, might also be encountered

Transportation

Saint Barthelemy

Airports:

1

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 under 914 m: 1

Transportation - note:

nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located in Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles)

Military

Saint Barthelemy

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 21 female: 20 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of France

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Saint Helena

Introduction

Saint Helena

Background:

Saint Helena is a British Overseas Territory consisting of Saint Helena and Ascension Islands, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha. Saint Helena: Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. It acquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile, from 1815 until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port of call declined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. During the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, several thousand Boer prisoners were confined on the island between 1900 and 1903. Ascension Island: This barren and uninhabited island was discovered and named by the Portuguese in 1503. The British garrisoned the island in 1815 to prevent a rescue of Napoleon from Saint Helena and it served as a provisioning station for the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron on anti-slavery patrol. The island remained under Admiralty control until 1922, when it became a dependency of Saint Helena. During World War II, the UK permitted the US to construct an airfield on Ascension in support of trans-Atlantic flights to Africa and anti-submarine operations in the South Atlantic. In the 1960s the island became an important space tracking station for the US. In 1982, Ascension was an essential staging area for British forces during the Falklands War, and it remains a critical refueling point in the air-bridge from the UK to the South Atlantic. Tristan da Cunha: The island group consists of the islands of Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Inaccessible, and Gough. Tristan da Cunha is named after its Portuguese discoverer (1506); it was garrisoned by the British in 1816 to prevent any attempt to rescue Napoleon from Saint Helena. Gough and Inaccessible Islands have been designated World Heritage Sites. South Africa leases a site for a meteorological station on Gough Island.

Geography

Saint Helena

Location:

islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa; Ascension Island lies 700 nm northwest of Saint Helena; Tristan da Cunha lies 2300 nm southwest of Saint Helena

Geographic coordinates:

Saint Helena: 15 57 S, 5 42 W

Ascension Island: 7 57 S, 14 22 W

Tristan da Cunha island group: 37 15 S, 12 30 W

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 413 sq km land: Saint Helena Island 122 sq km; Ascension Island 90 sq km; Tristan da Cunha island group 201 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

Saint Helena: 60 km

Ascension Island: NA

Tristan da Cunha: 40 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

Saint Helena: tropical marine; mild, tempered by trade winds

Ascension Island: tropical marine; mild, semi-arid

Tristan da Cunha: temperate marine; mild, tempered by trade winds

(tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)

Terrain:

the islands of this group result from volcanic activity associated with the Atlantic Mid-Ocean Ridge Saint Helena: rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains Ascension: surface covered by lava flows and cinder cones of 44 dormant volcanoes; ground rises to the east Tristan da Cunha: sheer cliffs line the coastline of the nearly circular island; the flanks of the central volcanic peak are deeply dissected; narrow coastal plain lies between The Peak and the coastal cliffs

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,062 m; Green Mountain on Ascension Island 859 m; Mount Actaeon on Saint Helena Island 818 m

Natural resources:

fish, lobster

Land use:

arable land: 12.9% permanent crops: 0% other: 87.1% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha, last eruption in 1961

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

Saint Helena harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns; Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha is the highest island mountain in the South Atlantic and a prominent landmark on the sea lanes around southern Africa

People

Saint Helena

Population:

7,601 note: only Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha islands are inhabited (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 18.5% (male 716/female 690) 15-64 years: 70.7% (male 2,754/female 2,618) 65 years and over: 10.8% (male 381/female 442) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 37.1 years male: 37.2 years female: 37 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.487% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

11.45 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.58 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 18.31 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.47 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.27 years male: 75.36 years female: 81.33 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.56 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Saint Helenian(s) adjective: Saint Helenian note: referred to locally as "Saints"

Ethnic groups:

African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25%

Religions:

Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic

Languages:

English

Literacy:

definition: age 20 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 97% female: 98% (1987 est.)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Saint Helena

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Helena

Dependency status:

overseas territory of the UK

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Jamestown geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 44 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha*

Independence:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:

Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)

Constitution:

1 January 1989

Legal system:

English common law and statutes, supplemented by local statutes

Suffrage:

NA years of age

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief Andrew GURR (since 11 November 2007) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, three ex-officio officers, and five elected members of the Legislative Council elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch:

unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats, including the speaker, three ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 31 August 2005 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 12

Judicial branch:

Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: private sector; unions

International organization participation:

UPU, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship

Economy

Saint Helena

Economy - overview:

The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which will amount to about $27 million in FY06/07 or almost 70% of annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income from fishing, raising livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seek employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$18 million (1998 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,500 (1998 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Labor force:

2,486 note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 6% industry: 48% services: 46% (1987 est.)

Unemployment rate:

14% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $13.09 million expenditures: $32.16 million note: revenue data reflect locally raised revenues only; the budget deficit is resolved by grant aid from the United Kingdom (FY06/07 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.2% (1997 est.)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, lobster (on Tristan da Cunha); livestock

Industries:

construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing, philatelic sales

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

8 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

7.44 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

60 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

85.42 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$19 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:

fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts

Exports - partners:

Tanzania 37.7%, US 17.4%, Japan 15.2%, UK 8.4%, Nigeria 4.8%, Spain 4.5% (2006)

Imports:

$45 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts

Imports - partners:

UK 53.5%, South Africa 14.3%, Spain 10.3%, Tanzania 8.5%, US 4.6% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$29.56 million obtained in a grant from the United Kingdom (FY06/07)

Debt - external:

$NA

Currency (code):

Saint Helenian pound (SHP)

Currency code:

SHP

Exchange rates:

Saint Helenian pounds (SHP) per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5434 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003) note: the Saint Helenian pound is on par with the British pound

Communications

Saint Helena

Telephones - main lines in use:

2,200 (2002)

Telephone system:

general assessment: can communicate worldwide domestic: automatic digital network international: country code (Saint Helena) - 290, (Ascension Island) - 247; international direct dialing; satellite voice and data communications; satellite earth stations - 5 (Ascension Island - 4, Saint Helena - 1)

Radio broadcast stations:

Saint Helena: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0

Ascension: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2005)

Radios:

3,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

0 (3 television channels are received via satellite and distributed by UHF) (2005)

Televisions:

2,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.sh; note - Ascension Island assigned .ac

Internet hosts:

306 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

1,000; note - includes Ascension Island (2003)

Communications - note:

South Africa maintains a meteorological station on Gough Island

Transportation

Saint Helena

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 198 km (Saint Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 20 km) paved: 168 km (Saint Helena 118 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) unpaved: 30 km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension 0 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) (2002)

Ports and terminals:

Saint Helena: Jamestown

Ascension Island: Georgetown

Tristan da Cunha: Calshot Harbor

Transportation - note:

there is no air connection to Saint Helena or Tristan da Cunha; an international airport for Saint Helena is in development for 2010

Military

Saint Helena

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 47 female: 43 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

Saint Helena

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Saint Kitts and Nevis

Introduction

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Background:

First settled by the British in 1623, the islands became an associated state with full internal autonomy in 1967. The island of Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in 1971. Saint Kitts and Nevis achieved independence in 1983. In 1998, a vote in Nevis on a referendum to separate from Saint Kitts fell short of the two-thirds majority needed. Nevis continues in its efforts to try and separate from Saint Kitts.

Geography

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Location:

Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates:

17 20 N, 62 45 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km) land: 261 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

135 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical, tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Terrain:

volcanic with mountainous interiors

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m

Natural resources:

arable land

Land use:

arable land: 19.44% permanent crops: 2.78% other: 77.78% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Total renewable water resources:

0.02 cu km (2000)

Natural hazards:

hurricanes (July to October)

Environment - current issues:

NA

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

with coastlines in the shape of a baseball bat and ball, the two volcanic islands are separated by a 3-km-wide channel called The Narrows; on the southern tip of long, baseball bat-shaped Saint Kitts lies the Great Salt Pond; Nevis Peak sits in the center of its almost circular namesake island and its ball shape complements that of its sister island

People

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Population:

39,817 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 26.7% (male 5,439/female 5,186) 15-64 years: 65.3% (male 13,018/female 12,968) 65 years and over: 8.1% (male 1,334/female 1,872) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 28.4 years male: 27.7 years female: 29.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.723% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

17.73 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.19 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-2.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 14.34 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 72.94 years male: 70.08 years female: 75.98 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.28 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Kittitian(s), Nevisian(s) adjective: Kittitian, Nevisian

Ethnic groups:

predominantly black; some British, Portuguese, and Lebanese

Religions:

Anglican, other Protestant, Roman Catholic

Languages:

English

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 97.8% male: NA% female: NA% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 13 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

9.3% of GDP (2005)

Government

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Country name:

conventional long form: Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis conventional short form: Saint Kitts and Nevis former: Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Basseterre geographic coordinates: 17 18 N, 62 43 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

14 parishes; Christ Church Nichola Town, Saint Anne Sandy Point,

Saint George Basseterre, Saint George Gingerland, Saint James

Windward, Saint John Capesterre, Saint John Figtree, Saint Mary

Cayon, Saint Paul Capesterre, Saint Paul Charlestown, Saint Peter

Basseterre, Saint Thomas Lowland, Saint Thomas Middle Island,

Trinity Palmetto Point

Independence:

19 September 1983 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 19 September (1983)

Constitution:

19 September 1983

Legal system:

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Cuthbert Montraville SEBASTIAN (since 1 January 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Denzil DOUGLAS (since 6 July 1995); Deputy Prime Minister Sam CONDOR (since 6 July 1995) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general in consultation with the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly (14 seats, 3 appointed and 11 popularly elected from single-member constituencies; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 25 October 2004 (next to be held by 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SKNLP 7, CCM 2, NRP 1, PAM 1

Judicial branch:

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Kitts and Nevis)

Political parties and leaders:

Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Vance AMORY]; Nevis Reformation

Party or NRP [Joseph PARRY]; People's Action Movement or PAM

[Lindsay GRANT]; Saint Kitts and Nevis Labor Party or SKNLP [Dr.

Denzil DOUGLAS]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS,

OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Izben Cordinal WILLIAMS chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 686-2636 FAX: [1] (202) 686-5740 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Saint Kitts and Nevis; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Kitts and Nevis

Flag description:

divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a broad black band bearing two white, five-pointed stars; the black band is edged in yellow; the upper triangle is green, the lower triangle is red

Economy

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Economy - overview:

Sugar was the traditional mainstay of the Saint Kitts economy until the 1970s. Following the 2005 harvest, the government closed the sugar industry after decades of losses of 3-4% of GDP annually. To compensate for employment losses, the government has embarked on a program to diversify the agricultural sector and to stimulate other sectors of the economy. Activities such as tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking have assumed larger roles in the economy and have contributed to the recent robust growth. Tourism revenues are now the chief source of the islands' foreign exchange; about 341,800 tourists visited Nevis in 2005. The current government is constrained by a high debt burden, public debt reached 190% of GDP by the end of 2005, largely attributable to public enterprise losses.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$721 million (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$527 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$13,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3.5% industry: 25.8% services: 70.7% (2001)

Labor force:

18,170 (June 1995)

Unemployment rate:

4.5% (1997)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $89.7 million expenditures: $128.2 million (2003 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

9.28% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$97.31 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$688.6 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$782.4 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables, bananas; fish

Industries:

tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

130 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

120.9 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

950 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

917.8 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$163 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$84 million (2006)

Exports - commodities:

machinery, food, electronics, beverages, tobacco

Exports - partners:

US 66.3%, Canada 4.9%, Turkey 3.3% (2007)

Imports:

$383 million (2006)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, manufactures, food, fuels

Imports - partners:

US 47.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.3%, UK 5.6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$3.52 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$314 million (2004)

Currency (code):

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code:

XCD

Exchange rates:

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)

Communications

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Telephones - main lines in use:

25,000 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

10,000 (2004)

Telephone system:

general assessment: good interisland and international connections domestic: interisland links via Eastern Caribbean Fiber Optic cable; construction of enhanced wireless infrastructure launched in November 2004 international: country code - 1-869; connected internationally by the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbean fiber optic system (SCF) submarine cables

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2003)

Radios:

28,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (plus 3 repeaters) (2003)

Televisions:

10,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.kn

Internet hosts:

45 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

16 (2000)

Internet users:

10,000 (2002)

Transportation

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Airports:

2 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Railways:

total: 50 km narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts for tourists (2006)

Roadways:

total: 320 km paved: 163 km unpaved: 220 km (2002)

Merchant marine:

total: 159 by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 109, chemical tanker 7, container 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 19, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 121 (Belgium 1, Cyprus 1, Egypt 2, Estonia 3, Finland 1, Greece 3, India 1, Italy 1, Japan 3, Kuwait 1, Latvia 5, Malaysia 1, Pakistan 3, Romania 1, Russia 19, Singapore 1, Spain 1, Syria 7, Turkey 35, Ukraine 9, UAE 18, UK 3, Yemen 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Basseterre

Military

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Military branches:

Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense Force (includes Coast Guard), Royal

Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 10,095 females age 16-49: 10,081 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 8,064 females age 16-49: 8,464 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 367 female: 352 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Transnational Issues

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Disputes - international:

joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; some money-laundering activity

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Saint Lucia

Introduction

Saint Lucia

Background:

The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries, was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries (changing possession 14 times); it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979.

Geography

Saint Lucia

Location:

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic

Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates:

13 53 N, 60 58 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 616 sq km land: 606 sq km water: 10 sq km

Area - comparative:

3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

158 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season May to August

Terrain:

volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m

Natural resources:

forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential

Land use:

arable land: 6.45% permanent crops: 22.58% other: 70.97% (2005)

Irrigated land:

30 sq km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.01 per capita: 81 cu m/yr (1997)

Natural hazards:

hurricanes and volcanic activity

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), striking cone-shaped peaks south of Soufriere, are one of the scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean

People

Saint Lucia

Population:

159,585 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 25.2% (male 20,614/female 19,559) 15-64 years: 65.8% (male 50,897/female 54,140) 65 years and over: 9% (male 6,481/female 7,894) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 29.2 years male: 28.2 years female: 30.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.436% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

15.4 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.71 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-4.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 13.8 deaths/1,000 live births male: 12.75 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.25 years male: 73.59 years female: 79.05 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.86 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Saint Lucian(s) adjective: Saint Lucian

Ethnic groups:

black 82.5%, mixed 11.9%, East Indian 2.4%, other or unspecified 3.1% (2001 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 67.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.5%, Pentecostal 5.7%, Rastafarian 2.1%, Anglican 2%, Evangelical 2%, other Christian 5.1%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.5% (2001 census)

Languages:

English (official), French patois

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 90.1% male: 89.5% female: 90.6% (2001 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

6.6% of GDP (2006)

Government

Saint Lucia

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Lucia

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Castries geographic coordinates: 14 01 N, 61 00 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort

Independence:

22 February 1979 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 22 February (1979)

Constitution:

22 February 1979

Legal system:

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette LOUISY (since September 1997) head of government: Prime Minister Stephenson KING (since 9 September 2007); note - Sir John COMPTON died in office Friday, 7 September 2007 cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; six members appointed on the advice of the prime minister, three on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and two after consultation with religious, economic, and social groups) and the House of Assembly (17 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Assembly - last held 11 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011) election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - UWP 50%, SLP 46.9%, other 3.1%; seats by party - UWP 11, SLP 6

Judicial branch:

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (jurisdiction extends to Anguilla,

Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada,

Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent

and the Grenadines)

Political parties and leaders:

National Alliance or NA [George ODLUM]; Saint Lucia Freedom Party or

SFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenneth

ANTHONY]; Sou Tout Apwe Fete Fini or STAFF [Christopher HUNTE];

United Workers Party or UWP [Stephenson KING]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, ITUC,

MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,

UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael LOUIS chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6723 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia

Flag description:

blue, with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border

Economy

Saint Lucia

Economy - overview:

The island nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries, with a surge in foreign direct investment in 2006, attributed to the construction of several tourism projects. Tourism is the main source of foreign exchange, with almost 900,000 arrivals in 2007. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to revitalize the banana industry. Saint Lucia is vulnerable to a variety of external shocks including declines in European Union banana preferences, volatile tourism receipts, natural disasters, and dependence on foreign oil. High debt servicing obligations constrain the KING administration's ability to respond to adverse external shocks. Economic fundamentals remain solid, even though unemployment needs to be reduced.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.794 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$958 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$10,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 5% industry: 15% services: 80% (2005 est.)

Labor force:

43,800 (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 21.7% industry: 24.7% services: 53.6% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:

20% (2003 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $141.2 million expenditures: $146.7 million (2000 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

10.12% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$264.7 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$720.9 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.217 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa

Industries:

clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism; lime processing, coconut processing

Industrial production growth rate:

-8.9% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:

325 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

289.2 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2,780 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

2,631 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$199 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$288 million (2006)

Exports - commodities:

bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil

Exports - partners:

US 24.5%, France 23.2%, UK 19.3%, Antigua and Barbuda 5%, Dominica 4.9%, Barbados 4.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$791 million (2006)

Imports - commodities:

food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels

Imports - partners:

Brazil 63.6%, US 10.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 8.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$11.06 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$257 million (2004)

Currency (code):

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code:

XCD

Exchange rates:

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)

Communications

Saint Lucia

Telephones - main lines in use:

51,100 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

105,700 (2005)

Telephone system:

general assessment: adequate system domestic: system is automatically switched international: country code - 1-758; the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbean fiber optic system (SCF) submarine cables, along with Intelsat from Martinique, carry calls internationally; direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2003)

Radios:

111,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (1 commercial broadcast station and 1 community antenna television or CATV channel) (2003)

Televisions:

32,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.lc

Internet hosts:

17 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

15 (2000)

Internet users:

110,000 (2007)

Transportation

Saint Lucia

Airports:

2 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 1,210 km (2002)

Ports and terminals:

Castries, Cul-de-Sac, Vieux-Fort

Military

Saint Lucia

Military branches:

no regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit, Coast Guard) (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 48,358 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 38,660 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 1,591 female: 1,504 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Transnational Issues

Saint Lucia

Disputes - international:

joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea

Illicit drugs:

transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Saint Martin

Introduction

Saint Martin

Background:

Although sighted by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 and claimed for Spain, it was the Dutch who occupied the island in 1631 and set about exploiting its salt deposits. The Spanish retook the island in 1633, but continued to be harassed by the Dutch. The Spanish finally relinquished St. Martin to the French and Dutch, who divided it amongst themselves in 1648. The cultivation of sugar cane introduced slavery to the island in the late 18th century; the practice was not abolished until 1848. The island became a free port in 1939; the tourism industry was dramatically expanded during the 1970s and 1980s. In 2003, the populace of St. Martin voted to secede from Guadeloupe and in 2007, the northern portion of the island became a French overseas collectivity.

Geography

Saint Martin

Location:

island 300 km southeast of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates:

18 05 N, 63 57 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 54.4 sq km land: 54.4 sq km water: NEGL

Area - comparative:

more than one-third the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

total: 15 km border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 15 km

Coastline:

58.9 km (for entire island)

Climate:

temperature averages 80-85 degrees all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; July-Novemeber is the hurricane season

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 m

Natural resources:

salt

Environment - current issues:

fresh water supply is dependent on desalinization of sea water

Geography - note:

the island of Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in the world shared by two independent states, the French territory of Saint Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten

People

Saint Martin

Population:

29,376 (July 2008 est.)

Ethnic groups:

creole (mulatto), black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asia), white, East Indian

Religions:

Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Hindu

Languages:

French (official language), English, Dutch, French Patois, Spanish,

Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles)

Government

Saint Martin

Country name:

conventional long form: Overseas Collectivity of Saint Martin conventional short form: Saint Martin local long form: Collectivity d'outre mer de Saint-Martin local short form: Saint-Martin

Dependency status:

overseas collectivity of France

Capital:

name: Marigot geographical coordinates: 18 04 N, 63 05 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight savings: +1 hour

Independence:

none (overseas collectivity of France)

National holiday:

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); note - local holiday is Schoalcher Day

(Slavery Abolition Day) 12 July (1848)

Constitution:

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system:

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Suffrage:

18 years of age, universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007), represented by Prefect Dominique LACROIX (since 21 March 2007) head of government: President of the Territorial Council Frantz GUMBS (since 7 August 2008) cabinet: Executive Council; note - there is also an advisory economic, social, and cultural council election: French president elected by popular vote to a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the Territorial Council is elected by the members of the Council for a five-year term election results: Frantz GUMBS elected president by the Territorial Council on 7 August 2008

Legislative branch:

unicameral Territorial Council (23 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 1 and 8 July 2007 (next to be held July 2012) election results: percent of seats by party - UPP 49%, RRR 42.2%, Reussir Saint-Martin 8.9%; seats by party - UPP 16, RRR 6, Reussir Saint-Martin 1

Political parties and leaders:

Union Pour le Progres or UPP [Louis-Constant FLEMING]; Rassemblement

Responsabilite Reussite or RRR [Alain RICHARDSON]; Reussir

Saint-Martin [Jean-Luc HAMLET]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

UPU, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Flag description:

the flag of France is used

Economy

Saint Martin

Economy - overview:

The economy of Saint Martin centers around tourism with 85% of the labor force engaged in this sector. Over one million visitors come to the island each year with most arriving through the Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten. No significant agriculture and limited local fishing means that almost all food must be imported. Energy resources and manufactured goods are also imported, primarily from Mexico and the United States. Saint Martin is reported to have the highest per capita income in the Caribbean.

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1% industry: 15% services: 84% (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:

85% directly or indirectly employed in tourist industry

Industries:

tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy industry

Imports - commodities:

crude petroleum, food, manufactured items

Imports - partners:

US, Mexico (2006)

Currency (code):

euro (EUR); note - US dollar (USD) widely used

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Saint Martin

Telephone system:

general assessment: fully integrated access domestic: direct dial capability with both fixed and wireless systems international: country code - 590; undersea fiber-optic cable provides voice and data connectivity to Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe

Radio broadcast stations:

FM 3 (2007)

Internet country code:

.mf; note - .gp, the ccTLD for Guadeloupe, and .fr, the ccTLD for France, might also be encountered

Transportation

Saint Martin

Airports:

1

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1

Transportation - note:

nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located in Sint Maarten

Military

Saint Martin

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 186 female: 162 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of France

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Introduction

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Background:

First settled by the French in the early 17th century, the islands represent the sole remaining vestige of France's once vast North American possessions.

Geography

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Location:

Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada)

Geographic coordinates:

46 50 N, 56 20 W

Map references:

North America

Area:

total: 242 sq km land: 242 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes eight small islands in the Saint Pierre and the Miquelon groups

Area - comparative:

1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

120 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

cold and wet, with much mist and fog; spring and autumn are windy

Terrain:

mostly barren rock

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m

Natural resources:

fish, deepwater ports

Land use:

arable land: 12.5% permanent crops: 0% other: 87.5% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard

Environment - current issues:

recent test drilling for oil in waters around Saint Pierre and Miquelon may bring future development that would impact the environment

Geography - note:

vegetation scanty

People

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Population:

7,044 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 22.4% (male 806/female 772) 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 2,370/female 2,301) 65 years and over: 11.3% (male 366/female 429) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 34.9 years male: 34.3 years female: 35.3 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.114% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

12.92 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.81 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-4.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 7.04 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.91 years male: 76.55 years female: 81.4 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.98 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women) adjective: French

Ethnic groups:

Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%

Languages:

French (official)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (1982 est.)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Country name:

conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon conventional short form: Saint Pierre and Miquelon local long form: Departement de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon local short form: Saint-Pierre et Miquelon

Dependency status:

self-governing territorial overseas collectivity of France

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Saint-Pierre geographic coordinates: 46 46 N, 56 11 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

Administrative divisions:

none (territorial overseas collectivity of France); note - there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are two communes - Saint Pierre, Miquelon at the second order

Independence:

none (territorial collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763)

National holiday:

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution:

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system:

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by Prefect Jean-Pierre BERCOT (since 28 July 2008) head of government: President of the Territorial Council Stephane ARTANO (since 21 February 2007) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 6 May 2007 (next to be held in 2012); prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the Territorial Council is elected by the members of the council

Legislative branch:

unicameral Territorial Council or Conseil Territorial (19 seats, 15 from Saint Pierre and four from Miquelon; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: elections last held 19 and 26 in March 2006 (next to be held in March 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AD 16, Cap sur l'Avenir 2, SPM 2000/AM 1 note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect one seat to the French Senate; elections last held 26 September 2004 (next to be held in September 2013); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP 1; Saint Pierre and Miquelon also elects one seat to the French National Assembly; elections last held, first round - 10 June 2007, second round - 17 June 2007 (next to be held in 2012); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Left Radical Party 1

Judicial branch:

Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel

Political parties and leaders:

Archipelago Tomorrow or AD affiliated with UDF/RPR list; Cap sur

l'Avenir affiliated with PRG; Left Radical Party or PRG;

Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR (now UMP); Saint Pierre and

Miquelon 2000/Avenir Miquelon or SPM 2000/AM; Socialist Party or PS;

Union pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

UPU, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)

Flag description:

a yellow sailing ship facing the hoist side rides on a dark blue background with yellow wavy lines under the ship; on the hoist side, a vertical band is divided into three parts: the top part (called ikkurina) is red with a green diagonal cross extending to the corners overlaid by a white cross dividing the rectangle into four sections; the middle part has a white background with an ermine pattern; the third part has a red background with two stylized yellow lions outlined in black, one above the other; these three heraldic arms represent settlement by colonists from the Basque Country (top), Brittany, and Normandy; the flag of France is used for official occasions

Economy

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Economy - overview:

The inhabitants have traditionally earned their livelihood by fishing and by servicing fishing fleets operating off the coast of Newfoundland. The economy has been declining, however, because of disputes with Canada over fishing quotas and a steady decline in the number of ships stopping at Saint Pierre. In 1992, an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of 12,348 sq km to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25% of what France had sought. France heavily subsidizes the islands to the great betterment of living standards. The government hopes an expansion of tourism will boost economic prospects. Fish farming, crab fishing, and agriculture are being developed to diversify the local economy. Recent test drilling for oil may pave the way for development of the energy sector.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$48.3 million note: supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60 million (2003 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$7,000 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Labor force:

3,450 (2005)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 18% industry: 41% services: 41% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate:

10.3% (1999)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $70 million expenditures: $60 million (1996 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8.1% (2005)

Agriculture - products:

vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish

Industries:

fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

53 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

49.29 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

560 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

556.8 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$5.5 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:

fish and fish products, soybeans, animal feed, mollusks and crustaceans, fox and mink pelts

Exports - partners:

Spain 33.6%, Belgium 21.8%, India 18.3%, France 9.4%, US 7.5% (2006)

Imports:

$68.2 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:

meat, clothing, fuel, electrical equipment, machinery, building materials

Imports - partners:

France 51.3%, Canada 31.8%, Belgium 4.1% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

approximately $60 million in annual grants from France

Debt - external:

$NA

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Telephones - main lines in use:

4,800 (2002)

Telephone system:

general assessment: adequate domestic: NA international: country code - 508; radiotelephone communication with most countries in the world; satellite earth station - 1 in French domestic satellite system

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

4,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

0 (2 repeaters rebroadcast programs from France, Canada, and the US) (1997)

Televisions:

4,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.pm

Internet hosts:

0 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

NA

Transportation

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Airports:

2 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 117 km paved: 80 km unpaved: 37 km (2000)

Ports and terminals:

Saint-Pierre

Military

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 61 female: 58 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Introduction

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Background:

Resistance by native Caribs prevented colonization on St. Vincent until 1719. Disputed between France and the United Kingdom for most of the 18th century, the island was ceded to the latter in 1783. Between 1960 and 1962, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines was a separate administrative unit of the Federation of the West Indies. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and independence in 1979.

Geography

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Location:

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic

Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates:

13 15 N, 61 12 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km) land: 389 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

84 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Terrain:

volcanic, mountainous

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: La Soufriere 1,234 m

Natural resources:

hydropower, cropland

Land use:

arable land: 17.95% permanent crops: 17.95% other: 64.1% (2005)

Irrigated land:

10 sq km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.01 per capita: 83 cu m/yr (1995)

Natural hazards:

hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat

Environment - current issues:

pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas, pollution is severe enough to make swimming prohibitive

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays

People

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Population:

118,432 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 25.1% (male 15,161/female 14,600) 15-64 years: 68.4% (male 41,855/female 39,105) 65 years and over: 6.5% (male 3,402/female 4,309) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 28 years male: 27.8 years female: 28.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.231% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

15.82 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.96 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-7.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 13.62 deaths/1,000 live births male: 14.83 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 74.34 years male: 72.42 years female: 76.31 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.79 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s) adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian

Ethnic groups:

black 66%, mixed 19%, East Indian 6%, European 4%, Carib Amerindian 2%, other 3%

Religions:

Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman Catholic 13%, other (includes

Hindu, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Protestant) 12%

Languages:

English, French patois

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 96% male: 96% female: 96% (1970 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 12 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

8.1% of GDP (2005)

Government

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Kingstown geographic coordinates: 13 09 N, 61 14 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick

Independence:

27 October 1979 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 27 October (1979)

Constitution:

27 October 1979

Legal system:

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir Fredrick Nathaniel BALLANTYNE (since 2 September 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Ralph E. GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

Legislative branch:

unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats, 15 elected representatives and six appointed senators; representatives are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 7 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - ULP 55.3%, NDP 44.7%; seats by party - ULP 12, NDP 3

Judicial branch:

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

Political parties and leaders:

New Democratic Party or NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE]; Unity Labor Party or

ULP [Ralph GONSALVES] (formed by the coalition of Saint Vincent

Labor Party or SVLP and the Movement for National Unity or MNU)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,

IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC,

MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,

WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador La Celia A. PRINCE chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Flag description:

three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double width), and green; the gold band bears three green diamonds arranged in a V pattern

Economy

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Economy - overview:

Economic growth slowed slightly in 2007 after reaching a 10 year high of nearly 7% in 2006, but is expected to remain robust, hinging upon seasonal variations in the agricultural and tourism sectors and a recent increase in construction activity. This lower-middle-income country is vulnerable to natural disasters - tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994, 1995, and 2002. In 2007, the islands had more than 200,000 tourist arrivals, mostly to the Grenadines. Saint Vincent is home to a small offshore banking sector and has moved to adopt international regulatory standards. The government's ability to invest in social programs and respond to external shocks is constrained by its high debt burden - 25 percent of current revenues are directed towards debt servicing.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.042 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$559 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$9,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 10% industry: 26% services: 64% (2001 est.)

Labor force:

41,680 (1991 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 26% industry: 17% services: 57% (1980 est.)

Unemployment rate:

15% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $94.6 million expenditures: $85.8 million (2000 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

9.61% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$155.5 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$280.2 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$387.8 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices; small numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats; fish

Industries:

food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch

Industrial production growth rate:

-0.9% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:

129 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

120 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 69.3% hydro: 30.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

1,570 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

1,460 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$149 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$193 million (2006)

Exports - commodities:

bananas, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch; tennis racquets

Exports - partners:

Greece 28.4%, Italy 14.6%, France 12%, UK 7.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.8%, Spain 4.6%, Germany 4.3%, Saint Lucia 4.2% (2007)

Imports:

$578 million (2006)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuels

Imports - partners:

Singapore 15.9%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.9%, Italy 13.3%, US 13%,

China 5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$4.89 million (1995); note - EU $34.5 million (2005)

Debt - external:

$223 million (2004)

Currency (code):

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code:

XCD

Exchange rates:

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)

Communications

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Telephones - main lines in use:

22,800 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

104,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: adequate system domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of the Grenadines; mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 100 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 1-784; the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbean fiber optic system (SCF) submarine cables carry international calls; connectivity also provided by VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to Barbados; SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:

77,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (plus 3 repeaters) (2004)

Televisions:

18,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.vc

Internet hosts:

124 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

15 (2000)

Internet users:

57,000 (2007)

Transportation

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Airports:

6 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 829 km paved: 580 km unpaved: 249 km (2003)

Merchant marine:

total: 525 by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 83, cargo 315, carrier 20, chemical tanker 2, liquefied gas 6, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 17, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 20, roll on/roll off 18, specialized tanker 2, container 21 foreign-owned: 476 (Austria 2, Barbados 1, Belgium 8, Bulgaria 15, Canada 1, China 94, Croatia 7, Cyprus 1, Czech Republic 1, Denmark 16, Egypt 3, Estonia 16, France 6, Germany 3, Gibraltar 1, Greece 71, Guyana 2, Hong Kong 6, Iceland 7, India 7, Iran 1, Israel 2, Italy 17, Japan 3, Kenya 2, Latvia 17, Lebanon 6, Lithuania 9, Monaco 5, Montenegro 1, Namibia 1, Netherlands 3, Norway 13, Poland 1, Puerto Rico 1, Romania 1, Russia 21, Singapore 4, Slovenia 5, South Africa 1, Sweden 2, Switzerland 6, Syria 13, Turkey 20, Ukraine 11, UAE 9, UK 13, UK 1, US 18, Venezuela 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Kingstown

Military

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Military branches:

no regular military forces; Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, Coast Guard (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 34,373 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 28,518 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 1,224 female: 1,169 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Transnational Issues

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Disputes - international:

joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; small-scale cannabis cultivation

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Samoa

Introduction

Samoa

Background:

New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962, when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the "Western" from its name in 1997.

Geography

Samoa

Location:

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand

Geographic coordinates:

13 35 S, 172 20 W

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 2,944 sq km land: 2,934 sq km water: 10 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

403 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October)

Terrain:

two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mauga Silisili (Savaii) 1,857 m

Natural resources:

hardwood forests, fish, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 21.13% permanent crops: 24.3% other: 54.57% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

occasional typhoons; active volcanism

Environment - current issues:

soil erosion, deforestation, invasive species, overfishing

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

occupies an almost central position within Polynesia

People

Samoa

Population:

217,083 note: prior estimates used official net migration data by sex, but a highly unusual pattern for 1993 lead to a significant imbalance in the sex ratios (more men and fewer women) and a seeming reduction in the female population; the revised total was calculated using a 1993 number that was an average of the 1992 and 1994 migration figures (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 37.9% (male 41,834/female 40,343) 15-64 years: 56.5% (male 64,402/female 58,257) 65 years and over: 5.6% (male 5,481/female 6,766) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 20.6 years male: 20.8 years female: 20.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.322% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

28.2 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.84 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-9.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 25.04 deaths/1,000 live births male: 29.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 20.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 71.58 years male: 68.76 years female: 74.55 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.18 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Samoan(s) adjective: Samoan

Ethnic groups:

Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian blood) 7%, Europeans 0.4% (2001 census)

Religions:

Congregationalist 34.8%, Roman Catholic 19.6%, Methodist 15%, Latter-Day Saints 12.7%, Assembly of God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.5%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.9%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)

Languages:

Samoan (Polynesian), English

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.7% male: 99.6% female: 99.7% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 12 years female: 12 years (2001)

Education expenditures:

4.3% of GDP (2002)

Government

Samoa

Country name:

conventional long form: Independent State of Samoa conventional short form: Samoa local long form: Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa local short form: Samoa former: Western Samoa

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Apia geographic coordinates: 13 50 S, 171 44 W time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea, Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano

Independence:

1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday:

Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962); note - 1 January 1962 is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship; it is observed in June

Constitution:

1 January 1962

Legal system:

based on English common law and local customs; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: TUIATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi (since 20 June 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA (since 1998); Deputy Prime Minister MISA Telefoni (since 2001) cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 members appointed by the chief of state on the prime minister's advice elections: chief of state is elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 15 June 2007 (next to be held in 2012); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the chief of state with the approval of the Legislative Assembly election results: TUIATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi unanimously elected by the Legislative Assembly

Legislative branch:

unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats, 47 elected by voters affiliated with traditional village-based electoral districts, 2 elected by independent, mostly non-Samoan or part-Samoan, voters who cannot, (or choose not to) establish a village affiliation; only chiefs (matai) may stand for election to the Fono from the 47 village-based electorates; members serve five-year terms) elections: election last held 31 March 2006 (next election to be held not later than March 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - HRPP 35, SDUP 10, independents 4

Judicial branch:

Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; District Court; Land and Titles Court

Political parties and leaders:

Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi

TUILA'EPA]; Samoa Christian Party or TCP [Tuala Tiresa MALIETOA];

Samoa Democratic United Party or SDUP [LE MAMEA Ropati]; Samoa Party

or SP [Su'a Rimoni Ah CHONG]; Samoa Progressive Political Party or

SPPP [Toeolesulusulu SIUEVA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ACP, ADB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,

IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IPU, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OPCW, PIF,

Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

(observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197 FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: none; US Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Samoa embassy: Accident Corporation Building, 5th Floor, Matafele, Apia mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Matafele, Apia telephone: [685] 21436/21631/21452/22696 FAX: [685] 22030

Flag description:

red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation

Economy

Samoa

Economy - overview:

The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on development aid, family remittances from overseas, agriculture, and fishing. The country is vulnerable to devastating storms. Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force and furnishes 90% of exports, featuring coconut cream, coconut oil, and copra. The fish catch declined during the El Nino of 2002-03 but returned to normal by mid-2005. The manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs 3,000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly plant in Australia. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for 25% of GDP; 116,000 tourists visited the islands in 2006. The Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector, encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline, while at the same time protecting the environment. Observers point to the flexibility of the labor market as a basic strength for future economic advances. Foreign reserves are in a relatively healthy state, the external debt is stable, and inflation is low.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.029 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$397 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$5,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 11.4% industry: 58.4% services: 30.2% (2004 est.)

Labor force:

90,000 (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $171.3 million expenditures: $78.1 million (FY04/05 est.)

Fiscal year:

June 1 - May 31

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

12.65% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$69.97 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$168.7 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$215.1 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coconuts, bananas, taro, yams, coffee, cocoa

Industries:

food processing, building materials, auto parts

Industrial production growth rate:

2.8% (2000)

Electricity - production:

109 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

101.4 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 58% hydro: 42% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

1,130 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

1,128 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$24 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$131 million f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

fish, coconut oil and cream, copra, taro, automotive parts, garments, beer

Exports - partners:

Australia 48.1%, American Samoa 30%, Taiwan 8% (2007)

Imports:

$324 million f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

NZ 22.1%, Fiji 17.2%, Singapore 16.1%, Australia 7.9%, Japan 6.8%,

Indonesia 5.4%, US 5.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$43.95 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$70.15 million (FY03/04)

Debt - external:

$177 million (2004)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

tala (SAT)

Currency code:

SAT (former WST code is still in wide use)

Exchange rates:

tala (SAT) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2.7594 (2006), 2.7103 (2005), 2.7807 (2004), 2.9732 (2003)

Communications

Samoa

Telephones - main lines in use:

19,500 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

86,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: adequate domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 50 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 685; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:

174,849 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (2002)

Televisions:

8,634 (1999)

Internet country code:

.ws

Internet hosts:

11,307 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

8,000 (2006)

Transportation

Samoa

Airports:

4 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 2,337 km paved: 332 km unpaved: 2,005 km (2001)

Merchant marine:

total: 1 by type: cargo 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Cyprus 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Apia

Military

Samoa

Military branches:

no regular military forces; Samoa Police Force (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 53,417 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 42,359 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 2,571 female: 2,454 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Military - note:

Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces; informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required to consider any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship

Transnational Issues

Samoa

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@San Marino

Introduction

San Marino

Background:

The third smallest state in Europe (after the Holy See and Monaco), San Marino also claims to be the world's oldest republic. According to tradition, it was founded by a Christian stonemason named Marinus in A.D. 301. San Marino's foreign policy is aligned with that of Italy; social and political trends in the republic also track closely with those of its larger neighbor.

Geography

San Marino

Location:

Southern Europe, an enclave in central Italy

Geographic coordinates:

43 46 N, 12 25 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 61.2 sq km land: 61.2 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about one third times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

total: 39 km border countries: Italy 39 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

Mediterranean; mild to cool winters; warm, sunny summers

Terrain:

rugged mountains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Torrente Ausa 55 m highest point: Monte Titano 755 m

Natural resources:

building stone

Land use:

arable land: 16.67% permanent crops: 0% other: 83.33% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

NA

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution

Geography - note:

landlocked; smallest independent state in Europe after the Holy See and Monaco; dominated by the Apennines

People

San Marino

Population:

29,973 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 16.8% (male 2,608/female 2,430) 15-64 years: 66% (male 9,464/female 10,304) 65 years and over: 17.2% (male 2,229/female 2,938) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 41.2 years male: 40.9 years female: 41.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.181% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

9.74 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.37 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

10.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 5.44 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.86 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 81.88 years male: 78.43 years female: 85.64 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.35 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Sammarinese (singular and plural) adjective: Sammarinese

Ethnic groups:

Sammarinese, Italian

Religions:

Roman Catholic

Languages:

Italian

Literacy:

definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 96% male: 97% female: 95%

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

San Marino

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of San Marino conventional short form: San Marino local long form: Repubblica di San Marino local short form: San Marino

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: San Marino geographic coordinates: 43 56 N, 12 25 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

9 municipalities (castelli, singular - castello); Acquaviva, Borgo Maggiore, Chiesanuova, Domagnano, Faetano, Fiorentino, Montegiardino, San Marino Citta, Serravalle

Independence:

3 September AD 301

National holiday:

Founding of the Republic, 3 September (AD 301)

Constitution:

8 October 1600; electoral law of 1926 serves some of the functions of a constitution

Legal system:

based on civil law system with Italian law influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Co-chiefs of State Captain Regent Ernesto BENEDETTINI and Captain Regent Assunta MELONI (for the period 1 October-31 March 2009) head of government: Secretary of State for Foreign and Political Affairs Fiorenzo STOLFI (since 27 July 2006) cabinet: Congress of State elected by the Great and General Council for a five-year term elections: co-chiefs of state (captains regent) elected by the Great and General Council for a six-month term; election last held in September 2007 (next to be held in March 2008); secretary of state for foreign and political affairs elected by the Great and General Council for a five-year term; election last held 27 July 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: Ernesto BENEDETTINI and Assunta MELONI elected captains regent; percent of legislative vote - NA; Fiorenzo STOLFI elected secretary of state for foreign and political affairs; percent of legislative vote - NA note: the popularly elected parliament (Grand and General Council) selects two of its members to serve as the Captains Regent (co-chiefs of state) for a six-month period; they preside over meetings of the Grand and General Council and its cabinet (Congress of State), which has 10 other members, all selected by the Grand and General Council; assisting the captains regent are 10 secretaries of state; the secretary of state for Foreign Affairs has assumed some prime ministerial roles

Legislative branch:

unicameral Grand and General Council or Consiglio Grande e Generale (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 9 November 2008 (next to be held by June 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - Pact for San Marino coalition 54.2%: PDCS 31.9%, AP 11.5%, Freedom List 6.3%, San Marino Union of Moderates 4.2%; Reforms and Freedom coalition 45.8%; Party of Socialists and Democrats 32%, United Left 8.6%, Democrats of the Center 4.9%; seats by party - Pact for San Marino coalition 35; PDCS 22, AP 7, the Freedom List 4, San Marino Union of Moderates 2; Reforms and Freedm coalition 25: Party of Socialists and Democrats 18, United Left 5, Democrats of the Center 2

Judicial branch:

Council of Twelve or Consiglio dei XII

Political parties and leaders:

Communist Refoundation or RC [Ivan FOSHI]; Democrats of the Center;

Freedom List; Ideas in Movement or IM [Alessandro ROSSI]; National

Alliance or AN [Glauco SANSOVINI]; New Socialist Party [Augusto

CASALI]; Party of Socialists and Democrats [Claudio FELICI]; San

Marino Christian Democratic Party or PDCS [Pier Marino MENICUCCI];

San Marino Popular Alliance of Democrats or AP [Roberto GIORGETTI];

San Marino Socialist Party or PSS [Alberto CECCHETTI]; Socialists

for Reform or SR [Renzo GIARDI]; Union of Moderates; United Left

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

CE, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Paolo RONDELLI chancery: 888 27th Street NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: 202-337-2260

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in San Marino; the ambassador to Italy is accredited to San Marino

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and light blue with the national coat of arms superimposed in the center; the coat of arms has a shield (featuring three towers on three peaks) flanked by a wreath, below a crown and above a scroll bearing the word LIBERTAS (Liberty)

Economy

San Marino

Economy - overview:

The tourist sector contributes over 50% of GDP. In 2006 more than 2.1 million tourists visited San Marino. The key industries are banking, clothing and apparel, electronics, and ceramics. Main agricultural products are wine and cheeses. The per capita level of output and standard of living are comparable to those of the most prosperous regions of Italy, which supplies much of its food.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$850 million (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.048 billion (2004)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.6% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$34,100 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Labor force:

20,470 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 0.2% industry: 40.1% services: 59.7% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

3.8% (2004)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $709.6 million expenditures: $672.3 million (2004)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

-1.5% (2006)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7.58% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.326 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$4.584 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$7.513 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, grapes, corn, olives; cattle, pigs, horses, beef, cheese, hides

Industries:

tourism, banking, textiles, electronics, ceramics, cement, wine

Industrial production growth rate:

5.6% (2005 est.)

Exports:

$1.291 billion (2004)

Exports - commodities:

building stone, lime, wood, chestnuts, wheat, wine, baked goods, hides, ceramics

Imports:

$2.035 billion (2004)

Imports - commodities:

wide variety of consumer manufactures, food

Economic aid - recipient:

$NA

Debt - external:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

San Marino

Telephones - main lines in use:

21,000 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

17,390 (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: adequate connections domestic: automatic telephone system completely integrated into Italian system; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 130 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 378; connected to Italian international network

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

16,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (San Marino residents also receive broadcasts from Italy) (1997)

Televisions:

9,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.sm

Internet hosts:

6,665 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

15,400 (2006)

Transportation

San Marino

Roadways:

total: 292 km paved: 292 km (2006)

Military

San Marino

Military branches:

no regular military forces; Voluntary Military Force (Corpi Militari Voluntar) performs ceremonial duties and limited police support functions (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

16-55 for voluntary service in Voluntary Military Force (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 6,613 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,345 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 156 female: 154 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of Italy

Transnational Issues

San Marino

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Sao Tome and Principe

Introduction

Sao Tome and Principe

Background:

Discovered and claimed by Portugal in the late 15th century, the islands' sugar-based economy gave way to coffee and cocoa in the 19th century - all grown with plantation slave labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. While independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not instituted until the late 1980s. The country held its first free elections in 1991, but frequent internal wrangling between the various political parties precipitated repeated changes in leadership and two failed coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. The recent discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea promises to attract increased attention to the small island nation.

Geography

Sao Tome and Principe

Location:

Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea, straddling the

Equator, west of Gabon

Geographic coordinates:

1 00 N, 7 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 1,001 sq km land: 1,001 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

more than five times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

209 km

Maritime claims:

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season (October to May)

Terrain:

volcanic, mountainous

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m

Natural resources:

fish, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 8.33% permanent crops: 48.96% other: 42.71% (2005)

Irrigated land:

100 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the smallest country in Africa; the two main islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are mountainous

People

Sao Tome and Principe

Population:

206,178 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 47.1% (male 49,196/female 47,941) 15-64 years: 49.3% (male 49,326/female 52,324) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 3,350/female 4,041) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 16.3 years male: 15.8 years female: 16.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.116% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

39.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.98 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-1.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 38.36 deaths/1,000 live births male: 40.11 deaths/1,000 live births female: 36.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 68 years male: 66.35 years female: 69.69 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.43 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Sao Tomean(s) adjective: Sao Tomean

Ethnic groups:

mestico, angolares (descendants of Angolan slaves), forros (descendants of freed slaves), servicais (contract laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde), tongas (children of servicais born on the islands), Europeans (primarily Portuguese)

Religions:

Catholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%, other 3.1%, none 19.4% (2001 census)

Languages:

Portuguese (official)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 84.9% male: 92.2% female: 77.9% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 10 years female: 10 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Sao Tome and Principe

Country name:

conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe conventional short form: Sao Tome and Principe local long form: Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe local short form: Sao Tome e Principe

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Sao Tome geographic coordinates: 0 12 N, 6 39 E time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome note: Principe has had self government since 29 April 1995

Independence:

12 July 1975 (from Portugal)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 12 July (1975)

Constitution:

approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990

Legal system:

based on Portuguese legal system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Fradique DE MENEZES (since 3 September 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Joachim Rafael BRANCO (since 22 June 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the proposal of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 30 July 2006 (next to be held July 2011); prime minister chosen by the National Assembly and approved by the president election results: Fradique DE MENEZES elected president; percent of vote - Fradique DE MENEZES 60%, Patrice TROVOADA 38.5%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (55 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held on 26 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - MDFM-PCD 37.2%, MLSTP 28.9%, ADI 20.0%, NR 4.7%, others 9.2%; seats by party - MDFM-PCD 23, MLSTP 19, ADI 12, NR 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the National Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:

Force for Change Democratic Movement or MDFM [Tome Soares da VERA

CRUZ]; Independent Democratic Action or ADI [[Patrice TROVOADA];

Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe-Social

Democratic Party or MLSTP-PSD [Rafael BRANCO]; New Way Movement or

NR; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Delfim NEVES];

Ue-Kedadji coalition; other small parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Association of Sao Tome and Principe NGOs or FONG other: the media

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),

IPU, ITU, ITUC, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union

Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: First Secretary Domingos Augusto FERREIRA chancery: 400 Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (212) 317-0580 FAX: [1] (212) 935-7348 consulate(s): Atlanta

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Sao Tome and Principe; the Ambassador to Gabon is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe on a nonresident basis and makes periodic visits to the islands

Flag description:

three horizontal bands of green (top), yellow (double width), and green with two black five-pointed stars placed side by side in the center of the yellow band and a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy

Sao Tome and Principe

Economy - overview:

This small, poor island economy has become increasingly dependent on cocoa since independence in 1975. Cocoa production has substantially declined in recent years because of drought and mismanagement. Sao Tome has to import all fuels, most manufactured goods, consumer goods, and a substantial amount of food. Over the years, it has had difficulty servicing its external debt and has relied heavily on concessional aid and debt rescheduling. Sao Tome benefited from $200 million in debt relief in December 2000 under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program, which helped bring down the country's $300 million debt burden. In August 2005, Sao Tome signed on to a new 3-year IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program worth $4.3 million. Considerable potential exists for development of a tourist industry, and the government has taken steps to expand facilities in recent years. The government also has attempted to reduce price controls and subsidies. Sao Tome is optimistic about the development of petroleum resources in its territorial waters in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea, which are being jointly developed in a 60-40 split with Nigeria. The first production licenses were sold in 2004, though a dispute over licensing with Nigeria delayed Sao Tome's receipt of more than $20 million in signing bonuses for almost a year. Real GDP growth exceeded 6% in 2007, as a result of increases in public expenditures and oil-related capital investment.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$256 million (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$144 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 14.9% industry: 14% services: 71% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

35,050 (1991)

Labor force - by occupation:

note: population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing; shortages of skilled workers

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

54% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

36.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $63.21 million expenditures: $54.94 million (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

18% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

28% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

32.4% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$19.99 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$33.5 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$31.84 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra, cinnamon, pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish

Industries:

light construction, textiles, soap, beer, fish processing, timber

Industrial production growth rate:

7% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

18 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

16.74 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 41.2% hydro: 58.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

660 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

659.5 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$55 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$9 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

cocoa 80%, copra, coffee, palm oil

Exports - partners:

Netherlands 23.7%, Belgium 23.7%, France 12.9%, US 5.9%, Portugal 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$66 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and electrical equipment, food products, petroleum products

Imports - partners:

Portugal 62.2%, US 11.6%, Gabon 4.5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$31.9 million in December 2000 under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) program (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$34.6 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$318 million (2002)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

dobra (STD)

Currency code:

STD

Exchange rates:

dobras (STD) per US dollar - 13,700 (2007), 12,050 (2006), 9,900.4 (2005), 9,902.3 (2004), 9,347.6 (2003)

Communications

Sao Tome and Principe

Telephones - main lines in use:

7,700 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

30,100 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: local telephone network of adequate quality with most lines connected to digital switches domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity approaching 20 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 239; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:

38,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (2001)

Televisions:

23,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.st

Internet hosts:

1,355 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Internet users:

23,000 (2007)

Transportation

Sao Tome and Principe

Airports:

2 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 320 km paved: 218 km unpaved: 102 km (2000)

Merchant marine:

total: 6 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 5 foreign-owned: 1 (Greece 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Sao Tome

Military

Sao Tome and Principe

Military branches:

Armed Forces of Sao Tome and Principe (FASTP): Army, Coast Guard of

Sao Tome e Principe (Guarda Costeira de Sao Tome e Principe, GCSTP),

Presidential Guard (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age (est.) (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 42,340 females age 16-49: 43,781 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 33,735 females age 16-49: 36,779 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 2,437 female: 2,394 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.8% of GDP (2006)

Military - note:

Sao Tome and Principe's army is a tiny force with almost no resources at its disposal and would be wholly ineffective operating unilaterally; infantry equipment is considered simple to operate and maintain but may require refurbishment or replacement after 25 years in tropical climates; poor pay, working conditions, and alleged nepotism in the promotion of officers have been problems in the past, as reflected in the 1995 and 2003 coups; these issues are being addressed with foreign assistance aimed at improving the army and its focus on realistic security concerns; command is exercised from the president, through the Minister of Defense, to the Chief of the Armed Forces staff (2005)

Transnational Issues

Sao Tome and Principe

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Saudi Arabia

Introduction

Saudi Arabia

Background:

Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to Islam's two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina. The king's official title is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The modern Saudi state was founded in 1932 by ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman AL SAUD (Ibn Saud) after a 30-year campaign to unify most of the Arabian Peninsula. A male descendent of Ibn Saud, his son ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz, rules the country today as required by the country's 1992 Basic Law. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. The continuing presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil after the liberation of Kuwait became a source of tension between the royal family and the public until all operational US troops left the country in 2003. Major terrorist attacks in May and November 2003 spurred a strong on-going campaign against domestic terrorism and extremism. King ABDALLAH has continued the cautious reform program begun when he was crown prince. To promote increased political participation, the government held elections nationwide from February through April 2005 for half the members of 179 municipal councils. In December 2005, King ABDALLAH completed the process by appointing the remaining members of the advisory municipal councils. The country remains a leading producer of oil and natural gas and holds more than 20% of the world's proven oil reserves. The government continues to pursue economic reform and diversification, particularly since Saudi Arabia's accession to the WTO in December 2005, and promotes foreign investment in the kingdom. A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all ongoing governmental concerns.

Geography

Saudi Arabia

Location:

Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of

Yemen

Geographic coordinates:

25 00 N, 45 00 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 2,149,690 sq km land: 2,149,690 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US

Land boundaries:

total: 4,431 km border countries: Iraq 814 km, Jordan 744 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km

Coastline:

2,640 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: not specified

Climate:

harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes

Terrain:

mostly uninhabited, sandy desert

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper

Land use:

arable land: 1.67% permanent crops: 0.09% other: 98.24% (2005)

Irrigated land:

16,200 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

2.4 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 17.32 cu km/yr (10%/1%/89%) per capita: 705 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

frequent sand and dust storms

Environment - current issues:

desertification; depletion of underground water resources; the lack of perennial rivers or permanent water bodies has prompted the development of extensive seawater desalination facilities; coastal pollution from oil spills

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal

People

Saudi Arabia

Population:

28,146,656 note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 38% (male 5,458,023/female 5,245,911) 15-64 years: 59.5% (male 9,470,353/female 7,284,696) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 356,910/female 330,764) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 21.5 years male: 22.9 years female: 19.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.954% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

28.85 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

2.49 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-6.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.3 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.08 male(s)/female total population: 1.19 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 11.94 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.09 years male: 74.04 years female: 78.25 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.89 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.01% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Saudi(s) adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian

Ethnic groups:

Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%

Religions:

Muslim 100%

Languages:

Arabic

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 78.8% male: 84.7% female: 70.8% (2003 est.)

Education expenditures:

6.8% of GDP (2004)

Government

Saudi Arabia

Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia conventional short form: Saudi Arabia local long form: Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah local short form: Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah

Government type:

monarchy

Capital:

name: Riyadh geographic coordinates: 24 38 N, 46 43 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

13 provinces (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern Province), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk

Independence:

23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom)

National holiday:

Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)

Constitution:

governed according to Islamic law; the Basic Law that articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was promulgated by royal decree in 1992

Legal system:

based on Sharia law, several secular codes have been introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

21 years of age; male

Executive branch:

chief of state: King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 1 August 2005); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SULTAN bin Abd al- Aziz Al Saud (half brother of the monarch, born 5 January 1928); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 1 August 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers is appointed by the monarch every four years and includes many royal family members elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; note - a new Allegiance Commission created by royal decree in October 2006 established a committee of Saudi princes that will play a role in selecting future Saudi kings, but the new system will not take effect until after Crown Prince Sultan becomes king

Legislative branch:

Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (150 members and a chairman appointed by the monarch for four-year terms); note - though the Council of Ministers announced in October 2003 its intent to introduce elections for half of the members of local and provincial assemblies and a third of the members of the national Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura, incrementally over a period of four to five years, to date no such elections have been held or announced

Judicial branch:

Supreme Council of Justice

Political parties and leaders:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Ansar Al Marah (supports women's rights) other: gas companies; religious groups

International organization participation:

ABEDA, AfDB (nonregional members), AFESD, AMF, BIS, FAO, G-77, GCC,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,

IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM,

OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Adil al-Ahmad al-JUBAYR chancery: 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 342-3800 FAX: [1] (202) 944-3113 consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ford M. FRAKER embassy: Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 61307, APO AE 09803-1307; International Mail: P. O. Box 94309, Riyadh 11693 telephone: [966] (1) 488-3800 FAX: [966] (1) 488-7360 consulate(s) general: Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah)

Flag description:

green, a traditional color in Islamic flags, with the Shahada or Muslim creed in large white Arabic script (translated as "There is no god but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God") above a white horizontal saber (the tip points to the hoist side); design dates to the early twentieth century and is closely associated with the Al Saud family which established the kingdom in 1932

Economy

Saudi Arabia

Economy - overview:

Saudi Arabia has an oil-based economy with strong government controls over major economic activities. It possesses more than 20% of the world's proven petroleum reserves, ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues, 45% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings. About 40% of GDP comes from the private sector. Roughly 5.5 million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, particularly in the oil and service sectors. High oil prices have boosted growth, government revenues, and Saudi ownership of foreign assets, while enabling Riyadh to pay down domestic debt. The government is encouraging private sector growth - especially in power generation, telecommunications, natural gas exploration, and petrochemicals - to lessen the kingdom's dependence on oil exports and to increase employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi population, nearly 40% of which are youths under 15 years old. Unemployment is high, and the large youth population generally lacks the education and technical skills the private sector needs. Riyadh has substantially boosted spending on job training and education, infrastructure development, and government salaries. As part of its effort to attract foreign investment and diversify the economy, Saudi Arabia acceded to the WTO in December 2005 after many years of negotiations. The government has announced plans to establish six "economic cities" in different regions of the country to promote development and diversification.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$546 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$376 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$19,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3% industry: 63.7% services: 33.3% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

6.563 million note: about one-third of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 12% industry: 25% services: 63% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:

13% among Saudi males only (local bank estimate; some estimates range as high as 25%) (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

20% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $163 billion expenditures: $118.3 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

24.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA

Stock of money:

$102.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$109.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$66.94 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk

Industries:

crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, ammonia, industrial gases, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), cement, fertilizer, plastics, metals, commercial ship repair, commercial aircraft repair, construction

Industrial production growth rate:

2.9% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

179.1 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

156.8 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

10.25 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

2.311 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

8.9 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports:

41,680 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

266.8 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

75.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

75.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

7.167 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$86.62 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$226.7 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum and petroleum products 90%

Exports - partners:

US 17.1%, Japan 16.3%, South Korea 9.7%, China 8.1%, Taiwan 4.7%,

Singapore 4% (2007)

Imports:

$82.64 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles

Imports - partners:

US 12.6%, China 9.4%, Germany 8.8%, Japan 8.1%, Italy 5%, South

Korea 4.9%, UK 4.5% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

since 2002, Saudi Arabia has provided more than $480 million in budgetary support to the Palestinian Authority, supported Palestinian refugees through contributions to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), provided more than $250 million to Arab League funds for the Palestinians, and pledged $500 million in assistance over the next three years at the Donors Conference in Dec 2007; pledged $230 million to development in Afghanistan; pledged $1 billion in export guarantees and soft loans to Iraq; pledged $133 million in direct grant aid, $187 million in concessional loans, and $153 million in export credits for Pakistan earthquake relief; pledged a total of $1.59 billion to Lebanon in assistance and deposits to the Central Bank of Lebanon in 2006 and pledged an additional $1.1 billion in early 2007

Economic aid - recipient:

$26.29 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$34.01 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$58.6 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$326.9 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Saudi riyal (SAR)

Currency code:

SAR

Exchange rates:

Saudi riyals (SAR) per US dollar - 3.745 (2007), 3.745 (2006), 3.747 (2005), 3.75 (2004), 3.75 (2003)

Communications

Saudi Arabia

Telephones - main lines in use:

3.996 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

28.381 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern system domestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and fiber-optic cable systems; mobile-cellular subscribership has been increasing rapidly international: country code - 966; landing point for the international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) and for both the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks providing connectivity to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and US; microwave radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait and Jordan; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 43, FM 31, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:

6.25 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

117 (1997)

Televisions:

5.1 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.sa

Internet hosts:

141,232 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

22 (2003)

Internet users:

6.2 million (2007)

Transportation

Saudi Arabia

Airports:

213 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 77 over 3,047 m: 32 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 136 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 73 914 to 1,523 m: 39 under 914 m: 15 (2007)

Heliports:

8 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 212 km; gas 1,880 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,183 km; oil 4,521 km; refined products 1,148 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 1,392 km standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and sidings) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 221,372 km paved: 47,529 km (includes 3,891 km of expressways) unpaved: 173,843 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 62 by type: cargo 5, chemical tanker 13, container 5, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker 20, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 8 foreign-owned: 12 (Egypt 1, Greece 3, Kuwait 7, UAE 1) registered in other countries: 71 (Bahamas 16, Comoros 1, Dominica 2, France 1, Liberia 27, Marshall Islands 5, Norway 3, Panama 16) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Jiddah, Yanbu' al Sinaiyah

Military

Saudi Arabia

Military branches:

Land Forces (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National

Guard, Ministry of Interior Forces (paramilitary)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 8,547,441 females age 16-49: 6,381,098 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 7,398,417 females age 16-49: 5,525,357 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 271,905 female: 261,795 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

10% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Saudi Arabia

Disputes - international:

Saudi Arabia has reinforced its concrete-filled security barrier along sections of the now fully demarcated border with Yemen to stem illegal cross-border activities; Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue discussions on a maritime boundary with Iran

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 240,015 (Palestinian Territories) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Saudi Arabia is a destination country for workers from South and Southeast Asia who are subjected to conditions that constitute involuntary servitude including being subjected to physical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages, confinement, and withholding of passports as a restriction on their movement; domestic workers are particularly vulnerable because some are confined to the house in which they work unable to seek help; Saudi Arabia is also a destination country for Nigerian, Yemeni, Pakistani, Afghan, Somali, Malian, and Sudanese children trafficked for forced begging and involuntary servitude as street vendors; some Nigerian women were reportedly trafficked into Saudi Arabia for commercial sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 3 - Saudi Arabia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the government continues to lack adequate anti-trafficking laws and, despite evidence of widespread trafficking abuses, did not report any criminal prosecutions, convictions, or prison sentences for trafficking crimes committed against foreign domestic workers (2008)

Illicit drugs:

death penalty for traffickers; improving anti-money-laundering legislation and enforcement

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Senegal

Introduction

Senegal

Background:

The French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were merged in 1959 and granted their independence as the Mali Federation in 1960. The union broke up after only a few months. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982, but the envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) has led a low-level separatist insurgency in southern Senegal since the 1980s, and several peace deals have failed to resolve the conflict. Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until current President Abdoulaye WADE was elected in 2000. He was reelected in February 2007, but complaints of fraud led opposition parties to boycott June 2007 legislative polls. Senegal has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping.

Geography

Senegal

Location:

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between

Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania

Geographic coordinates:

14 00 N, 14 00 W

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 196,190 sq km land: 192,000 sq km water: 4,190 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than South Dakota

Land boundaries:

total: 2,640 km border countries: The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau 338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km

Coastline:

531 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind

Terrain:

generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m

Natural resources:

fish, phosphates, iron ore

Land use:

arable land: 12.51% permanent crops: 0.24% other: 87.25% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,200 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

39.4 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.22 cu km/yr (4%/3%/93%) per capita: 190 cu m/yr (2002)

Natural hazards:

lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

Geography - note:

westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal

People

Senegal

Population:

12,853,259 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 41.9% (male 2,717,257/female 2,668,602) 15-64 years: 55.1% (male 3,524,683/female 3,552,643) 65 years and over: 3% (male 183,188/female 206,886) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.8 years male: 18.6 years female: 19 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.58% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

36.52 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.72 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 58.93 deaths/1,000 live births male: 62.79 deaths/1,000 live births female: 54.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 57.08 years male: 55.7 years female: 58.5 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.86 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.8% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

44,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

3,500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, dengue fever, malaria, Rift Valley fever, and yellow fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Senegalese (singular and plural) adjective: Senegalese

Ethnic groups:

Wolof 43.3%, Pular 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Jola 3.7%, Mandinka 3%,

Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4%

Religions:

Muslim 94%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic), indigenous beliefs 1%

Languages:

French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 39.3% male: 51.1% female: 29.2% (2002 est.)

Education expenditures:

5% of GDP (2006)

Government

Senegal

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Senegal conventional short form: Senegal local long form: Republique du Senegal local short form: Senegal former: Senegambia (along with The Gambia), Mali Federation

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Dakar geographic coordinates: 14 40 N, 17 26 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

11 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor

Independence:

4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960

National holiday:

Independence Day, 4 April (1960)

Constitution:

adopted 7 January 2001

Legal system:

based on French civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court; the Council of State audits the government's accounting office; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since 1 April 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Cheikh Hadjibou SOUMARE (since 19 June 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term) under new constitution; election last held on 25 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Abdoulaye WADE reelected president in the first round of voting; percent of vote - Abdoulaye WADE 55.9%, Idrissa SECK 14.9%, Ousmane Tanor DIENG 13.6%, Moustapha NIASSE 5.9%, other 9.7%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (150 seats; 90 members elected by direct popular vote with the remaining members elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) and the Senate reinstituted in 2007 (100 seats; 35 indirectly elected with the remaining 65 members to be appointed by the president) elections: National Assembly - last held on 3 June 2007 (next to be held 2012); note - the National Assembly in December 2005 voted to postpone legislative elections originally scheduled for 2006; legislative elections were first rescheduled to coincide with the 25 February 2007 presidential elections and later rescheduled for 3 June 2007; the June election was boycotted by 12 opposition parties, including the former ruling Socialist Party, that resulted in a record-low, 35-percent voter turnout; Senate - last held 19 August 2007 (next to be held - NA) election results: National Assembly results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SOPI Coalition 131, other 19; Senate results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDS 34, AJ/PADS 1, 65 appointed by the president

Judicial branch:

Constitutional Court; Council of State; Court of Final Appeals or

Cour de Cassation; Court of Appeals

Political parties and leaders:

African Party of Independence [Majhemout DIOP]; And-Jef/African

Party for Democracy and Socialism or AJ/PADS [Landing SAVANE];

Alliance of Forces of Progress or AFP [Moustapha NIASSE]; Democratic

League-Labor Party Movement or LD-MPT [Dr. Abdoulaye BATHILY]; Front

for Socialism and Democracy/Benno Jubel or FSD/BJ [Cheikh Abdoulaye

Bamba DIEYE]; Gainde Centrist Bloc or BGC [Jean-Paul DIAS];

Independence and Labor Party or PIT [Amath DANSOKHO]; Jef-Jel [Talla

SYLLA]; National Democratic Rally or RND [Madior DIOUF]; People's

Labor Party or PTP [Elhadji DIOUF]; Reform Party or PR [Abdourahim

AGNE]; Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS [Abdoulaye WADE];

Socialist Party or PS [Ousmane Tanor DIENG]; SOPI Coalition

[Abdoulaye WADE] (a coalition led by the PDS); Union for Democratic

Renewal or URD [Djibo Leyti KA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: labor; students; Sufi brotherhoods, including the Mourides and Tidjanes; teachers

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP (associate), ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,

IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU,

ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB

(regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Amadou Lamine BA chancery: 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-0540 FAX: [1] (202) 332-6315 consulate(s) general: Houston, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Marcia S. BERNICAT embassy: Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Rue Kleber, Dakar mailing address: B. P. 49, Dakar telephone: [221] 33-829-2100 FAX: [221] 33-822-2991

Flag description:

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy

Senegal

Economy - overview:

In January 1994, Senegal undertook a bold and ambitious economic reform program with the support of the international donor community. This reform began with a 50% devaluation of Senegal's currency, the CFA franc, which was linked at a fixed rate to the French franc. Government price controls and subsidies have been steadily dismantled. After seeing its economy contract by 2.1% in 1993, Senegal made an important turnaround, thanks to the reform program, with real growth in GDP averaging over 5% annually during 1995-2007. Annual inflation had been pushed down to the low single digits. As a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), Senegal is working toward greater regional integration with a unified external tariff and a more stable monetary policy. High unemployment, however, continues to prompt illegal migrants to flee Senegal in search of better job opportunities in Europe. Senegal was also beset by an energy crisis that caused widespread blackouts in 2006 and 2007. The phosphate industry has struggled for two years to secure capital, and reduced output has directly impacted GDP. In 2007, Senegal signed agreements for major new mining concessions for iron, zircon, and gold with foreign companies. Firms from Dubai have agreed to manage and modernize Dakar's maritime port, and create a new special economic zone. Senegal still relies heavily upon outside donor assistance. Under the IMF's Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief program, Senegal has benefited from eradication of two-thirds of its bilateral, multilateral, and private-sector debt. In 2007, Senegal and the IMF agreed to a new, non-disbursing, Policy Support Initiative program.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$21.02 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$11.12 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 16% industry: 19.4% services: 64.6% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

4.85 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 77.5% industry and services: 22.5% (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate:

48% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

54% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.7% highest 10%: 33.4% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

41.3 (2001)

Investment (gross fixed):

25.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $2.614 billion expenditures: $3.036 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

22.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$2.842 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.579 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$2.97 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; cattle, poultry, pigs; fish

Industries:

agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining; iron ore, zircon, and gold mining, construction materials, ship construction and repair

Industrial production growth rate:

5.2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

2.28 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

1.657 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:

36,200 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

4,298 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

40,450 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

50 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

50 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

NA cu m

Natural gas - imports:

NA cu m

Natural gas - proved reserves:

NA cu m

Current account balance:

-$1.458 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.65 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton

Exports - partners:

Mali 18.9%, France 9.1%, Italy 5.9%, India 5.7%, Gambia, The 5.2% (2007)

Imports:

$3.731 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food and beverages, capital goods, fuels

Imports - partners:

France 22.2%, Netherlands 10%, China 7.4%, UK 6.2%, Thailand 5.2%,

Belgium 4.5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$477 million (2007 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.66 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$2.19 billion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Currency code:

XOF

Exchange rates:

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 481.83 (2007), 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Communications

Senegal

Telephones - main lines in use:

269,100 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

4.123 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: good system domestic: above-average urban system with a fiber-optic network; nearly two-thirds of all fixed-line connections are in Dakar where a call-center industry is emerging; expansion of fixed-line services in rural areas needed; mobile-cellular service is expanding rapidly; microwave radio relay, coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system international: country code - 221; the SAT-3/WASC fiber optic cable provides connectivity to Europe and Asia while Atlantis-2 provides connectivity to South America; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 8, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:

1.24 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

4 (2007)

Televisions:

361,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.sn

Internet hosts:

217 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2002)

Internet users:

820,000 (2007)

Transportation

Senegal

Airports:

20 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 9 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 43 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 906 km narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000 meter gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 13,576 km paved: 3,972 km (includes 7 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,604 km (2003)

Waterways:

1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2005)

Ports and terminals:

Dakar

Military

Senegal

Military branches:

Army, Senegalese Navy (Marine Senegalaise), Senegalese Air Force

(Armee de l'Air du Senegal) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,943,619 females age 16-49: 2,955,179 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,866,602 females age 16-49: 1,947,076 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 141,832 female: 139,541 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Senegal

Disputes - international:

The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau attempt to stem separatist violence, cross border raids, and arms smuggling into their countries from Senegal's Casamance region, and in 2006, respectively accepted 6,000 and 10,000 Casamance residents fleeing the conflict; 2,500 Guinea-Bissau residents fled into Senegal in 2006 to escape armed confrontations along the border

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 19,630 (Mauritania) IDPs: 22,400 (approximately 65% of the IDP population returned in 2005, but new displacement is occurring due to clashes between government troops and separatists in Casamance region) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine moving to Europe and North America; illicit cultivator of cannabis

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Serbia

Introduction

Serbia

Background:

The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Various paramilitary bands resisted Nazi Germany's occupation and division of Yugoslavia from 1941 to 1945, but fought each other and ethnic opponents as much as the invaders. The military and political movement headed by Josip TITO (Partisans) took full control of Yugoslavia when German and Croatian separatist forces were defeated in 1945. Although Communist, TITO's new government and his successors (he died in 1980) managed to steer their own path between the Warsaw Pact nations and the West for the next four and a half decades. In 1989, Slobodan MILOSEVIC became president of the Serbian Republic and his ultranationalist calls for Serbian domination led to the violent breakup of Yugoslavia along ethnic lines. In 1991, Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia declared independence, followed by Bosnia in 1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in April 1992 and under MILOSEVIC's leadership, Serbia led various military campaigns to unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics into a "Greater Serbia." These actions led to Yugoslavia being ousted from the UN in 1992, but Serbia continued its - ultimately unsuccessful - campaign until signing the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. MILOSEVIC kept tight control over Serbia and eventually became president of the FRY in 1997. In 1998, an ethnic Albanian insurgency in the formerly autonomous Serbian province of Kosovo provoked a Serbian counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive expulsions of ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo. The MILOSEVIC government's rejection of a proposed international settlement led to NATO's bombing of Serbia in the spring of 1999 and to the eventual withdrawal of Serbian military and police forces from Kosovo in June 1999. UNSC Resolution 1244 in June 1999 authorized the stationing of a NATO-led force (KFOR) in Kosovo to provide a safe and secure environment for the region's ethnic communities, created a UN interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to foster self-governing institutions, and reserved the issue of Kosovo's final status for an unspecified date in the future. In 2001, UNMIK promulgated a constitutional framework that allowed Kosovo to establish institutions of self-government and led to Kosovo's first parliamentary election. FRY elections in September 2000 led to the ouster of MILOSEVIC and installed Vojislav KOSTUNICA as president. A broad coalition of democratic reformist parties known as DOS (the Democratic Opposition of Serbia) was subsequently elected to parliament in December 2000 and took control of the government. DOS arrested MILOSEVIC in 2001 and allowed for him to be tried in The Hague for crimes against humanity. (MILOSEVIC died in March 2006 before the completion of his trial.) In 2001, the country's suspension from the UN was lifted. In 2003, the FRY became Serbia and Montenegro, a loose federation of the two republics with a federal level parliament. Widespread violence predominantly targeting ethnic Serbs in Kosovo in March 2004 caused the international community to open negotiations on the future status of Kosovo in January 2006. In May 2006, Montenegro invoked its right to secede from the federation and - following a successful referendum - it declared itself an independent nation on 3 June 2006. Two days later, Serbia declared that it was the successor state to the union of Serbia and Montenegro. A new Serbian constitution was approved in October 2006 and adopted the following month. After 15 months of inconclusive negotiations mediated by the UN and four months of further inconclusive negotiations mediated by the US, EU, and Russia, on 17 February 2008, the UNMIK-administered province of Kosovo declared itself independent of Serbia.

Geography

Serbia

Location:

Southeastern Europe, between Macedonia and Hungary

Geographic coordinates:

44 00 N, 21 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 77,474 sq km land: 77,474 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries:

total: 2,026 km

border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 302 km, Bulgaria 318 km,

Croatia 241 km, Hungary 151 km, Kosovo 352 km, Macedonia 62 km,

Montenegro 124 km, Romania 476 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

in the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid summers with well distributed rainfall); in other parts, continental and Mediterranean climate (relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot, dry summers and autumns)

Terrain:

extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile plains; to the east, limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast, ancient mountains and hills

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: NA highest point: Midzor 2,169 m

Natural resources:

oil, gas, coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, chromite, gold, silver, magnesium, pyrite, limestone, marble, salt, arable land

Land use:

arable land: NA permanent crops: NA other: NA

Irrigated land:

NA

Total renewable water resources:

208.5 cu km (note - includes Kosovo) (2003)

Natural hazards:

destructive earthquakes

Environment - current issues:

air pollution around Belgrade and other industrial cities; water pollution from industrial wastes dumped into the Sava which flows into the Danube

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

controls one of the major land routes from Western Europe to Turkey and the Near East

People

Serbia

Population:

10,159,046 note: all population data includes Kosovo (July 2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 37.5 years male: 36.1 years female: 39 years (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 75.29 years male: 72.7 years female: 78.09 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.69 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne disease: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Serb(s) adjective: Serbian

Ethnic groups:

Serb 82.9%, Hungarian 3.9%, Romany (Gypsy) 1.4%, Yugoslavs 1.1%,

Bosniaks 1.8%, Montenegrin 0.9%, other 8% (2002 census)

Religions:

Serbian Orthodox 85%, Catholic 5.5%, Protestant 1.1%, Muslim 3.2%, unspecified 2.6%, other, unknown, or atheist 2.6% (2002 census)

Languages:

Serbian 88.3% (official), Hungarian 3.8%, Bosniak 1.8%, Romany (Gypsy) 1.1%, other 4.1%, unknown 0.9% (2002 census) note: Romanian, Hungarian, Slovak, Ukrainian, and Croatian all official in Vojvodina

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.4% male: 98.9% female: 94.1% (2003 census) note: includes Montenegro

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Serbia

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Serbia conventional short form: Serbia local long form: Republika Srbija local short form: Srbija former: People's Republic of Serbia, Socialist Republic of Serbia

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Belgrade (Beograd) geographic coordinates: 44 50 N, 20 30 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

161 municipalities (opcstine, singular - opcstina)

Serbia Proper: Beograd: Barajevo, Cukavica, Grocka, Lazarevac,

Mladnovac, Novi Beograd, Obrenovac, Palilula, Rakovica, Savski

Venac, Sopot, Stari Grad, Surcin, Vozdovac, Vracar, Zemun, Zrezdara;

Borski Okrug: Bor, Kladovo, Majdanpek, Negotin; Branicevski Okrug:

Golubac, Kucevo, Malo Crnice, Petrovac, Pozarevac, Veliko Gradiste,

Zabari, Zagubica; Jablanicki Okrug: Bojnik, Crna Trava, Lebane,

Leskovac, Medvedja, Vlasotince; Kolubarski Okrug: Lajkovac, Ljig,

Mionica, Osecina, Ub, Valjevo; Macvanski Okrug: Bogatic, Koceljeva,

Krupanj, Ljubovija, Loznica, Mali Zvornik, Sabac, Vladimirci;

Moravicki Okrug: Cacak, Gornkji Milanovac, Ivanjica, Lucani;

Nisavski Okrug: Aleksinac, Doljevac, Gadzin Han, Merosina, Nis,

Razanj, Svrljig; Pcinjski Okrug: Bosilegrad, Bujanovac, Presevo,

Surdulica, Trgoviste, Vladicin Han, Vranje; Pirotski Okrug:

Babusnica, Bela Palanka, Dimitrovgrad, Pirot; Podunavski Okrug:

Smederevo, Smederevskia Palanka, Velika Plana; Pomoravski Okrug:

Cuprija, Despotovac, Jagodina, Paracin, Rckovac, Svilajnac; Rasinski

Okrug: Aleksandrovac, Brus, Cicevac, Krusevac, Trstenik, Varvarin;

Raski Okrug: Kraljevo, Novi Pazar, Raska, Tutin, Vrnjacka Banja;

Sumadijski Okrug: Arandjelovac, Batocina, Knic, Kragujevac, Lapovo,

Raca, Topola; Toplicki Okrug: Blace, Kursumlija, Prokuplje,

Zitoradja; Zajecarski Okrug: Boljevac, Knjazevac, Sokobanja,

Zalecar; Zlatiborski Okrug: Arilje, Bajina Basta, Cajetina,

Kosjeric, Nova Varos, Pozega, Priboj, Prijepolje, Sjenica, Uzice

Vojvodina Autonomous Province: Juzno-Backi Okrug: Backi Petrovac,

Beocin, Novi Sad, Sremski Karlovci, Temerin, Titel, Zabalj; Juzno

Banatski Okrug: Alibunar, Bela Crkva, Kovacica, Kovin, Opovo,

Pancevo, Plandiste, Vrsac; Severno-Backi Okrug: Backa Topola, Mali

Idjos, Subotica; Severno-Banatski Okrug: Ada, Coka, Kanjiza,

Kikinda, Novi Knezevac, Senta; Srednje-Banatski Okrug: Nova Crnja,

Novi Becej, Secanj, Zitiste, Zrenjanin; Sremski Okrug: Indjija,

Irig, Pecinci, Ruma, Sid, Sremska Mitrovica, Stara Pazova;

Zapadno-Backi Okrug: Apatin, Kula, Odzaci, Sombor

Independence:

5 June 2006 (from Serbia and Montenegro)

National holiday:

National Day, 15 February

Constitution:

adopted 8 November 2006; effective 10 November 2006

Legal system:

based on civil law system

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Boris TADIC (since 11 July 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Mirko CVETKOVIC (since 7 July 2008) cabinet: Federal Ministries act as cabinet elections: president elected by direct vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 February 2008 (next to be held in 2013); prime minister elected by the Assembly election results: Boris TADIC elected president in the second round of voting; Boris TADIC received 51.2% of the vote and Tomislav NIKOLIC 48.8%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly (250 seats; deputies elected by direct vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held on 11 May 2008 (next to be held in May 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - For a European Serbia coalition 38.4%, SRS 29.5%, DSS-NS 11.6%, coalition led by the SPS 7.6%, LPD 5.2%, other 7.7%; seats by party - For a European Serbia 102, SRS 78, DSS-NS 30, coalition led by the SPS 20, LDP 13, other 7; note - the seat allocation for the SNS is uncertain because of an ongoing dispute with the SRS

Judicial branch:

Constitutional Court, Supreme Court (to become court of cassation under new constitution), appellate courts, district courts, municipal courts

Political parties and leaders:

Coalition of Albanians of the Presevo Valley or KAPD [Riza HALIMI];

Coalition for Sandzak or KZS [Sulejman UGLJANIN]; Democratic Party

of Albanians or PDSh [Ragmi MUSTAFA]; Democratic Party of Serbia or

DSS [Vojislav KOSTUNICA]; Democratic Party or DS [Boris TADIC];

Democratic Union of the Valley or BDL [Skender DESTANI]; For a

European Serbia [Boris TADIC]; Force of Serbia Movement or PSS

[Bogoljub KARIC]; G17 Plus [Mladjan DINKIC]; League of Vojvodina

Hungarians or SVM [Istvan PASTOR]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP

[Cedomir JOVANOVIC]; Movement for Democratic Progress or LPD [Jonuz

MUSLIU]; New Serbia or NS [Velimir ILIC]; Party of Democratic Action

or PVD [Riza HALIMI]; Roma Party or RP [Srdjan SAJN]; Serbian

Progressive Party or SNS [Tomislav NIKOLIC]; Serbian Radical Party

or SRS [Vojislav SESELJ (currently on trial at The Hague), but

Tomislav NIKOLIC is acting leader]; Socialist Party of Serbia or SPS

[Ivica DACIC]; Union of Roma of Serbia or URS [Rajko DJURIC]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD (suspended), IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM

(observer), OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP,

SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU,

WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ivan VUJACIC chancery: 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-0333 FAX: [1] (202) 332-3933 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Cameron MUNTER embassy: Kneza Milosa 50, 11000 Belgrade mailing address: 5070 Belgrade Place, Washington, DC 20521-5070 telephone: [381] (11) 361-9344 FAX: [381] (11) 361-8230

Flag description:

three equal horizontal stripes of red (top), blue, and white; charged with the coat of arms of Serbia shifted slightly to the hoist side

Economy

Serbia

Economy - overview:

MILOSEVIC-era mismanagement of the economy, an extended period of economic sanctions, and the damage to Yugoslavia's infrastructure and industry during the NATO airstrikes in 1999 left the economy only half the size it was in 1990. After the ousting of former Federal Yugoslav President MILOSEVIC in September 2000, the Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition government implemented stabilization measures and embarked on a market reform program. After renewing its membership in the IMF in December 2000, a down-sized Yugoslavia continued to reintegrate into the international community by rejoining the World Bank (IBRD) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). A World Bank-European Commission sponsored Donors' Conference held in June 2001 raised $1.3 billion for economic restructuring. In November 2001, the Paris Club agreed to reschedule the country's $4.5 billion public debt and wrote off 66% of the debt. In July 2004, the London Club of private creditors forgave $1.7 billion of debt just over half the total owed. Belgrade has made only minimal progress in restructuring and privatizing its holdings in major sectors of the economy, including energy and telecommunications. It has made halting progress towards EU membership and is currently pursuing a Stabilization and Association Agreement with Brussels. Serbia is also pursuing membership in the World Trade Organization. Unemployment remains an ongoing political and economic problem.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$77.28 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$41.68 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$10,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 12.3% industry: 24.2% services: 63.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.961 million (2002 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 30% industry: 46% services: 24% (2002)

Unemployment rate:

18.8% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

6.5% (2007 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

30 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

20.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $9.6 billion expenditures: $9.8 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt:

37% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6.8% (2007)

Central bank discount rate:

9.57% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

11.13% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$4.632 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$12.19 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$13.44 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, maize, sugar beets, sunflower, raspberries, beef, pork, milk

Industries:

sugar, agricultural machinery, electrical and communication equipment, paper and pulp, lead, transportation equipment

Industrial production growth rate:

1.8% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

33.87 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - consumption:

NA kWh

Electricity - exports:

12.05 billion kWh (2004 est.)

Electricity - imports:

11.23 billion kWh (2004)

Oil - production:

11,410 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

85,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:

NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:

NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves:

77.5 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

650 million cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

2.55 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

2.1 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

48.14 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$6.889 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$8.824 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

manufactured goods, food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment

Imports:

$18.35 billion (2007 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:

$2 billion pledged in 2001 to Serbia and Montenegro (disbursements to follow over several years; some aid pledged by EU and US has been placed on hold because of lack of cooperation by Serbia in handing over General Ratko MLADIC to the criminal court in The Hague)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$14.22 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$26.24 billion (includes debt for Montenegro and Kosovo) (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$11.95 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$5.409 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

Serbian dinar (RSD)

Exchange rates:

Serbian dinars (RSD) per US dollar - 54.5 (2007), 59.98 (2006)

Communications

Serbia

Telephones - main lines in use:

2.993 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

8.453 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modernization of the telecommunications network has been slow as a result of damage stemming from the 1999 war and transition to a competitive market-based system; network was only 65% digitalized in 2005 domestic: teledensity remains below the average for neighboring states; GSM wireless service, available through multiple providers with national coverage, is growing very rapidly; best telecommunications service limited to urban centers international: country code - 381

Radio broadcast stations:

153 (station types NA) (2001)

Internet country code:

.rs

Internet hosts:

NA

Internet users:

1.5 million (2007)

Transportation

Serbia

Airports:

39 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 16 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 23 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 12 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 1,921 km; oil 393 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 3,379 km standard gauge: 3,379 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified 1,254 km) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 36,875 km paved: 31,392 km unpaved: 5,483 km note: roadways in Kosovo listed separately (2006)

Waterways:

587 km (primarily on Danube and Sava rivers) (2005)

Military

Serbia

Military branches:

Serbian Armed Forces (Vojska Srbije, VS): Land Forces Command

(includes Riverine Component, consisting of a river flotilla on the

Danube), Joint Operations Command, Air and Air Defense Forces

Command (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

19-35 years of age for compulsory military service; under a state of war or impending war, conscription can begin at age 16; conscription is to be abolished in 2010; 9-month service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 60 for men and 50 for women (2007)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 66,263 female: 62,165 (2008 est.)

Transnational Issues

Serbia

Disputes - international:

Serbia with several other states protest the U.S. and other states' recognition of Kosovo's declaring itself as a sovereign and independent state in February 2008; ethnic Serbian municipalities along Kosovo's northern border challenge final status of Kosovo-Serbia boundary; several thousand NATO-led KFOR peacekeepers under UNMIK authority continue to keep the peace within Kosovo between the ethnic Albanian majority and the Serb minority in Kosovo; Serbia delimited about half of the boundary with Bosnia and Herzegovina, but sections along the Drina River remain in dispute

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 71,111 (Croatia); 27,414 (Bosnia and Herzegovina); 206,000 (Kosovo), note - mostly ethnic Serbs and Roma who fled Kosovo in 1999 (2007)

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin moving to Western Europe on the Balkan route; economy vulnerable to money laundering

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Seychelles

Introduction

Seychelles

Background:

A lengthy struggle between France and Great Britain for the islands ended in 1814, when they were ceded to the latter. Independence came in 1976. Socialist rule was brought to a close with a new constitution and free elections in 1993. President France-Albert RENE, who had served since 1977, was re-elected in 2001, but stepped down in 2004. Vice President James MICHEL took over the presidency and in July 2006 was elected to a new five-year term.

Geography

Seychelles

Location:

archipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar

Geographic coordinates:

4 35 S, 55 40 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 455 sq km land: 455 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

491 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May)

Terrain:

Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m

Natural resources:

fish, copra, cinnamon trees

Land use:

arable land: 2.17% permanent crops: 13.04% other: 84.79% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible

Environment - current issues:

water supply depends on catchments to collect rainwater

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

41 granitic and about 75 coralline islands

People

Seychelles

Population:

82,247 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 24.9% (male 10,337/female 10,108) 15-64 years: 69.1% (male 27,752/female 29,048) 65 years and over: 6.1% (male 1,575/female 3,427) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 28.7 years male: 27.6 years female: 29.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.428% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

15.6 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-5.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.46 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 14.36 deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.18 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 72.6 years male: 67.27 years female: 78.1 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.73 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Seychellois (singular and plural) adjective: Seychellois

Ethnic groups:

mixed French, African, Indian, Chinese, and Arab

Religions:

Roman Catholic 82.3%, Anglican 6.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.1%, other Christian 3.4%, Hindu 2.1%, Muslim 1.1%, other non-Christian 1.5%, unspecified 1.5%, none 0.6% (2002 census)

Languages:

Creole 91.8%, English 4.9% (official), other 3.1%, unspecified 0.2% (2002 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91.8% male: 91.4% female: 92.3% (2002 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 14 years female: 15 years (2007)

Education expenditures:

6.5% of GDP (2006)

Government

Seychelles

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles conventional short form: Seychelles local long form: Republic of Seychelles local short form: Seychelles

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Victoria geographic coordinates: 4 38 S, 55 27 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

23 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins, Anse Boileau, Anse

Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Baie Sainte Anne, Beau

Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand' Anse (on Mahe),

Grand' Anse (on Praslin), La Digue, La Riviere Anglaise, Mont

Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe La Rue, Port Glaud, Saint

Louis, Takamaka

Independence:

29 June 1976 (from UK)

National holiday:

Constitution Day (National Day), 18 June (1993)

Constitution:

18 June 1993

Legal system:

based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

17 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President James Alix MICHEL (since 14 April 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held 28-30 July 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: President James MICHEL elected president; percent of vote - James MICHEL 53.73%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN 45.71%, Philippe BOULLE 0.56%; note - this was the first election in which President James MICHEL participated; he was originally sworn in as president after former president France Albert RENE stepped down in April 2004

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (34 seats; 25 members elected by popular vote, 9 allocated on a proportional basis to parties winning at least 10% of the vote; to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 10-12 May 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - SPPF 56.2%, SNP 43.8%; seats by party - SPPF 23, SNP 11

Judicial branch:

Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the president

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Party or DP [James MANCHAM, Paul CHOW]; Seychelles

National Party or SNP [Wavel RAMKALAWAN] (formerly the United

Opposition or UO); Seychelles People's Progressive Front or SPPF

[France Albert RENE, James MICHEL] (the governing party)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Roman Catholic Church other: trade unions

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Jean Ronald JUMEAU chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785 FAX: [1] (212) 972-1786

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Seychelles; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to Seychelles

Flag description:

five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, red, white, and green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist side

Economy

Seychelles

Economy - overview:

Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this Indian Ocean archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the pre-independence, near-subsistence level, moving the island into the upper-middle income group of countries. Growth has been led by the tourist sector, which employs about 30% of the labor force and provides more than 70% of hard currency earnings, and by tuna fishing. In recent years, the government has encouraged foreign investment to upgrade hotels and other services. At the same time, the government has moved to reduce the dependence on tourism by promoting the development of farming, fishing, and small-scale manufacturing. Sharp drops illustrated the vulnerability of the tourist sector in 1991-92 due largely to the Gulf War and once again following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. Economic growth slowed in 1998-2002 and fell in 2003-04, due to sluggish tourist and tuna sectors, but resumed in 2005-07. Real GDP grew by 5.8% in 2007, driven by tourism and a boom in tourism-related construction. The Seychelles rupee was allowed to depreciate in 2006 after being overvalued for years and fell by 10% in the first 9 months of 2007.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.378 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$710 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$16,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.1% industry: 28.3% services: 69.6% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

39,560 (2006)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 3% industry: 23% services: 74% (2006)

Unemployment rate:

2% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

8.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $372.3 million expenditures: $362.2 million (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

92.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

5.13% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

10.89% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$330.8 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$249 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$660.2 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca), bananas; poultry; tuna

Industries:

fishing, tourism, processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir (coconut fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture; beverages

Industrial production growth rate:

7% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

208 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

193.4 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

6,560 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2006)

Oil - imports:

5,722 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$272 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$395 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

canned tuna, frozen fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products (reexports)

Exports - partners:

UK 23.7%, France 19.8%, Mauritius 10%, Japan 8.3%, Italy 5.7%, Spain 5.1% (2007)

Imports:

$823 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals

Imports - partners:

Saudi Arabia 17.6%, Germany 10.8%, France 8.1%, Spain 7.6%, South

Africa 6.4%, Singapore 5.8% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$18.81 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$40.8 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.059 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Seychelles rupee (SCR)

Currency code:

SCR

Exchange rates:

Seychelles rupees (SCR) per US dollar - 6.5 (2007), 5.5 (2006), 5.5 (2005), 5.5 (2004), 5.4007 (2003)

Communications

Seychelles

Telephones - main lines in use:

22,700 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

77,300 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: effective system domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is nearly 125 telephones per 100 persons; radiotelephone communications between islands in the archipelago international: country code - 248; direct radiotelephone communications with adjacent island countries and African coastal countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 2 (2001)

Radios:

42,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (plus 9 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

11,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.sc

Internet hosts:

284 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

32,000 (2007)

Transportation

Seychelles

Airports:

15 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 458 km paved: 440 km unpaved: 18 km (2003)

Merchant marine:

total: 8 by type: cargo 1, carrier 1, chemical tanker 6 foreign-owned: 3 (Hong Kong 1, Nigeria 1, South Africa 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Victoria

Military

Seychelles

Military branches:

Seychelles Defense Force: Army, Coast Guard (includes Naval Wing,

Air Wing), National Guard (2005)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service (younger with parental consent); no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 23,598 females age 16-49: 24,424 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 17,942 females age 16-49: 20,436 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 770 female: 750 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Seychelles

Disputes - international:

together with Mauritius, Seychelles claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Sierra Leone

Introduction

Sierra Leone

Background:

Democracy is slowly being reestablished after the civil war from 1991 to 2002 that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third of the population). The military, which took over full responsibility for security following the departure of UN peacekeepers at the end of 2005, is increasingly developing as a guarantor of the country's stability. The armed forces remained on the sideline during the 2007 presidential election, but still look to the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) - a civilian UN mission - to support efforts to consolidate peace. The new government's priorities include furthering development, creating jobs, and stamping out endemic corruption.

Geography

Sierra Leone

Location:

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia

Geographic coordinates:

8 30 N, 11 30 W

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 71,740 sq km land: 71,620 sq km water: 120 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries:

total: 958 km border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km

Coastline:

402 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)

Terrain:

coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m

Natural resources:

diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite

Land use:

arable land: 7.95% permanent crops: 1.05% other: 91% (2005)

Irrigated land:

300 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

160 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.38 cu km/yr (5%/3%/92%) per capita: 69 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms

Environment - current issues:

rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleted natural resources; overfishing

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note:

rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa

People

Sierra Leone

Population:

6,294,774 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 44.6% (male 1,377,981/female 1,429,993) 15-64 years: 52.2% (male 1,573,990/female 1,708,840) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 94,359/female 109,611) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 17.5 years male: 17.2 years female: 17.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.282% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

45.08 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

22.26 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 156.48 deaths/1,000 live births male: 173.59 deaths/1,000 live births female: 138.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 40.93 years male: 38.64 years female: 43.28 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.95 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

7% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

170,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

11,000 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Sierra Leonean(s) adjective: Sierra Leonean

Ethnic groups:

20 African ethnic groups 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians

Religions:

Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%

Languages:

English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic total population: 35.1% male: 46.9% female: 24.4% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 7 years male: 8 years female: 6 years (2001)

Education expenditures:

3.8% of GDP (2005)

Government

Sierra Leone

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone conventional short form: Sierra Leone local long form: Republic of Sierra Leone local short form: Sierra Leone

Government type:

constitutional democracy

Capital:

name: Freetown geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 13 15 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*

Independence:

27 April 1961 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 27 April (1961)

Constitution:

1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times

Legal system:

based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September 2007) cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 11 August 2007 and 8 September 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: second round results; percent of vote - Ernest Bai KOROMA 54.6%, Solomon BEREWA 45.4%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament (124 seats; 112 members elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 11 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - APC 59, SLPP 43, PMDC 10

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court

Political parties and leaders:

All People's Congress or APC [Ernest Bai KOROMA]; Peace and

Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON]; People's Movement for

Democratic Change or PMDC [Charles MARGAI]; Sierra Leone People's

Party or SLPP [Solomon BEREWA]; numerous others

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: student unions; trade unions

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIT,

UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Bockari Kortu STEVENS chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263 FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador June Carter PERRY embassy: Southridge-Hill Station, Freetown mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [232] (22) 515 000 or [232] (76) 515 000 FAX: [232] (22) 515 355

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue

Economy

Sierra Leone

Economy - overview:

Sierra Leone is an extremely poor nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, its physical and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. Nearly half of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Alluvial diamond mining remains the major source of hard currency earnings accounting for nearly half of Sierra Leone's exports. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and supplement government revenues. The IMF has completed a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility program that helped stabilize economic growth and reduce inflation. A recent increase in political stability has led to a revival of economic activity such as the rehabilitation of bauxite and rutile mining.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$3.991 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.664 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 49% industry: 31% services: 21% (2001 est.)

Labor force:

1.369 million (1981 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

70.2% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 43.6% (1989)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

62.9 (1989)

Budget:

revenues: $96 million expenditures: $351 million (2000 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

11.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

25% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$184.6 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$177.7 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$162.9 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish

Industries:

diamond mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship repair

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

250 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

232.5 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0.7008 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

8,430 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

432.3 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

8,271 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$63 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$216 million f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish

Exports - partners:

Belgium 49.3%, US 20.5%, Netherlands 4.5%, Canada 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$560 million f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals

Imports - partners:

Cote d'Ivoire 10%, China 10%, US 9.5%, UK 6.2%, Netherlands 5.1%,

India 4.7% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$343.4 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.61 billion (2003 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

leone (SLL)

Currency code:

SLL

Exchange rates:

leones (SLL) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2,961.7 (2006), 2,889.6 (2005), 2,701.3 (2004), 2,347.9 (2003)

Communications

Sierra Leone

Telephones - main lines in use:

24,000 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

776,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: marginal telephone service domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema; mobile-cellular service is growing rapidly from a small base international: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:

1.12 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2 (1999)

Televisions:

53,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.sl

Internet hosts:

8 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2001)

Internet users:

13,000 (2007)

Transportation

Sierra Leone

Airports:

10 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 11,300 km paved: 904 km unpaved: 10,396 km (2002)

Waterways:

800 km (600 km year round) (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 182 by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 143, carrier 2, chemical tanker 3, container 6, liquefied gas 2, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 10, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 2 foreign-owned: 95 (Belgium 1, China 15, Egypt 3, Greece 1, Hong Kong 1, Lebanon 1, Nigeria 1, Panama 1, Romania 3, Russia 11, Syria 18, Taiwan 1, Turkey 15, Ukraine 10, UAE 8, UK 2, US 1, Yemen 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Freetown, Pepel, Sherbro Islands

Military

Sierra Leone

Military branches:

Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): Army (includes Navy

(Maritime Wing), Air Wing) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service (younger with parental consent); no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,315,561 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 671,418 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 70,068 female: 73,930 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.3% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Sierra Leone

Disputes - international:

as domestic fighting among disparate ethnic groups, rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone gradually abate, the number of refugees in border areas has begun to slowly dwindle; UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has maintained over 4,000 peacekeepers in Sierra Leone since 1999; Sierra Leone considers excessive Guinea's definition of the flood plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the Makona and Moa rivers and protests Guinea's continued occupation of these lands including the hamlet of Yenga occupied since 1998

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 27,311 (Liberia) (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Singapore

Introduction

Singapore

Background:

Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819. It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.

Geography

Singapore

Location:

Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia

Geographic coordinates:

1 22 N, 103 48 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 692.7 sq km land: 682.7 sq km water: 10 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

193 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons - Northeastern monsoon (December to March) and Southwestern monsoon (June to September); inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early evening thunderstorms

Terrain:

lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m

Natural resources:

fish, deepwater ports

Land use:

arable land: 1.47% permanent crops: 1.47% other: 97.06% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Total renewable water resources:

0.6 cu km (1975)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.19 cu km/yr (45%/51%/4%) per capita: 44 cu m/yr (1975)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water resources; limited land availability presents waste disposal problems; seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes

People

Singapore

Population:

4,608,167 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 14.8% (male 353,333/female 329,005) 15-64 years: 76.5% (male 1,717,357/female 1,809,462) 65 years and over: 8.7% (male 177,378/female 221,632) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 38.4 years male: 38 years female: 38.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.135% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

8.99 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.53 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

6.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 2.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 2.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 81.89 years male: 79.29 years female: 84.68 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.08 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

4,100 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Singaporean(s) adjective: Singapore

Ethnic groups:

Chinese 76.8%, Malay 13.9%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4% (2000 census)

Religions:

Buddhist 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Taoist 8.5%, Hindu 4%, Catholic 4.8%, other Christian 9.8%, other 0.7%, none 14.8% (2000 census)

Languages:

Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%, Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects 1.8%, other 0.9% (2000 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.5% male: 96.6% female: 88.6% (2000 census)

Education expenditures:

3.7% of GDP (2001)

Government

Singapore

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Singapore conventional short form: Singapore local long form: Republic of Singapore local short form: Singapore

Government type:

parliamentary republic

Capital:

name: Singapore geographic coordinates: 1 17 N, 103 51 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none

Independence:

9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)

National holiday:

National Day, 9 August (1965)

Constitution:

3 June 1959; amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of Singapore Constitution)

Legal system:

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

21 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: President S R NATHAN (since 1 September 1999) note: uses S R NATHAN but his full name and the one used in formal communications is Sellapan RAMANATHAN head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August 2004); Senior Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 12 August 2004); Minister Mentor LEE Kuan Yew (since 12 August 2004); Deputy Prime Ministers Shunmugam JAYAKUMAR (since 12 August 2004) and WONG Kan Seng (since 1 September 2005) cabinet: appointed by president, responsible to parliament elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term; appointed on 17 August 2005 (next election to be held by August 2011); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by president; deputy prime ministers appointed by president election results: Sellapan Rama (S R) NATHAN appointed president in August 2005 after Presidential Elections Committee disqualified three other would-be candidates; scheduled election not held

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament (84 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - in addition, there are up to nine nominated members; up to three losing opposition candidates who came closest to winning seats may be appointed as "nonconstituency" members elections: last held on 6 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 66.6%, WP 16.3%, SDA 13%, SDP 4.1%; seats by party - PAP 82, WP 1, SDA 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president with the advice of the prime minister, other judges are appointed by the president with the advice of the chief justice); Court of Appeals

Political parties and leaders:

People's Action Party or PAP [LEE Hsien Loong]; Singapore Democratic

Alliance or SDA [CHIAM See Tong]; Singapore Democratic Party or SDP

[CHEE Soon Juan]; Workers' Party or WP [Sylvia LIM Swee Lian]

note: SDA includes Singapore Justice Party or SJP, Singapore

National Malay Organization or PKMS, Singapore People's Party or SPP

Political pressure groups and leaders:

UNFEM [Saleeman ISMAIL] other: investment companies; news organizations

International organization participation:

ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC,

IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNMIT, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador CHAN Heng Chee chancery: 3501 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 537-3100 FAX: [1] (202) 537-0876 consulate(s) general: San Francisco consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia L. HERBOLD embassy: 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258508 mailing address: FPO AP 96507-0001 telephone: [65] 6476-9100 FAX: [65] 6476-9340

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; near the hoist side of the red band, there is a vertical, white crescent (closed portion is toward the hoist side) partially enclosing five white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle

Economy

Singapore

Economy - overview:

Singapore has a highly developed and successful free-market economy. It enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices, and a per capita GDP equal to that of the four largest West European countries. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly in consumer electronics and information technology products. It was hard hit from 2001-03 by the global recession, by the slump in the technology sector, and by an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, which curbed tourism and consumer spending. Fiscal stimulus, low interest rates, a surge in exports, and internal flexibility led to vigorous growth in 2004-07 with real GDP growth averaging 7% annually. The government hopes to establish a new growth path that will be less vulnerable to the global demand cycle for information technology products - it has attracted major investments in pharmaceuticals and medical technology production - and will continue efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$227.1 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$161.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$49,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 0% industry: 31.2% services: 68.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.751 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

manufacturing 21%, construction 5%, transportation and communication 7%, financial, business, and other services 42%, other 25% (2006)

Unemployment rate:

2.1% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.9% highest 10%: 32.8% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

52.2 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

24.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $27 billion expenditures: $21.5 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Public debt:

96.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.1% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

5.33% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$44.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$162.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$129.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rubber, copra, fruit, orchids, vegetables; poultry, eggs; fish, ornamental fish

Industries:

electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling equipment, petroleum refining, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, offshore platform construction, life sciences, entrepot trade

Industrial production growth rate:

7.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

38.68 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

35.13 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

9,836 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

834,600 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

1.203 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

2.003 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

6.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

6.5 billion cu m note: from Indonesia and Malaysia (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$46.39 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$302.7 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer goods, chemicals, mineral fuels

Exports - partners:

Malaysia 12.9%, Hong Kong 10.5%, Indonesia 9.8%, China 9.7%, US 8.9%, Japan 4.8%, Thailand 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$252 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

Malaysia 13.1%, US 12.5%, China 12.1%, Japan 8.2%, Taiwan 5.9%,

Indonesia 5.6%, South Korea 4.9% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$0 (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$163 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$25.59 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$214.5 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$111.2 billion (2005)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$382.4 billion (2007)

Currency (code):

Singapore dollar (SGD)

Currency code:

SGD

Exchange rates:

Singapore dollars (SGD) per US dollar - 1.507 (2007), 1.5889 (2006), 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003)

Communications

Singapore

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.859 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

5.619 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: excellent service domestic: excellent domestic facilities; launched 3G wireless service in February 2005; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 165 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 65; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US; satellite earth stations -4; supplemented by VSAT coverage (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 17, shortwave 2 (2003)

Radios:

2.6 million (2000)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (broadcasting on six channels); additional reception of numerous UHF and VHF signals originating in Malaysia and Indonesia (2006)

Televisions:

1.33 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.sg

Internet hosts:

837,559 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

9 (2000)

Internet users:

3.105 million (2007)

Transportation

Singapore

Airports:

8 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 8 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 139 km; refined products 8 km (2007)

Roadways:

total: 3,262 km paved: 3,262 km (includes 150 km of expressways) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 1,292 by type: bulk carrier 167, cargo 87, carrier 5, chemical tanker 209, container 273, liquefied gas 96, petroleum tanker 386, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 7, vehicle carrier 53 foreign-owned: 774 (Australia 12, Bangladesh 2, Belgium 8, Chile 6, China 14, Cyprus 1, Denmark 87, France 1, Germany 24, Greece 15, Hong Kong 47, India 13, Indonesia 66, Italy 5, Japan 131, South Korea 3, Malaysia 27, Norway 143, Slovenia 1, Sweden 20, Switzerland 2, Taiwan 72, Thailand 23, UAE 12, UK 17, US 22) registered in other countries: 331 (Australia 1, Bahamas 17, Belize 2, Bolivia 1, Cambodia 4, Cayman Islands 10, Comoros 1, Cyprus 3, Dominica 7, France 2, Honduras 12, Hong Kong 18, Indonesia 27, Isle of Man 1, Kiribati 4, Liberia 32, Malaysia 16, Marshall Islands 18, Mongolia 9, Norway 1, Panama 100, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Thailand 2, Tuvalu 23, US 12, unknown 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Singapore

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift

Military

Singapore

Military branches:

Singapore Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force (includes Air Defense) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-21 years of age for male compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; 2-year conscript service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 40 (enlisted) or age 50 (officers) (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,277,862 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,038,603 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 27,742 female: 26,325 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

4.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Singapore

Disputes - international:

disputes persist with Malaysia over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore, Singapore's extensive land reclamation works, bridge construction, and maritime boundaries in the Johor and Singapore Straits; in November 2007, the ICJ will hold public hearings as a consequence of the Memorials and Countermemorials filed by the parties in 2003 and 2005 over sovereignty of Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge; Indonesia and Singapore continue to work on finalization of their 1973 maritime boundary agreement by defining unresolved areas north of Indonesia's Batam Island; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait

Illicit drugs:

drug abuse limited because of aggressive law enforcement efforts; as a transportation and financial services hub, Singapore is vulnerable, despite strict laws and enforcement, as a venue for money laundering

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Slovakia

Introduction

Slovakia

Background:

The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I allowed the Slovaks to join the closely related Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II, Czechoslovakia became a Communist nation within Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe. Soviet influence collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once more became free. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

Geography

Slovakia

Location:

Central Europe, south of Poland

Geographic coordinates:

48 40 N, 19 30 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 48,845 sq km land: 48,800 sq km water: 45 sq km

Area - comparative:

about twice the size of New Hampshire

Land boundaries:

total: 1,474 km border countries: Austria 91 km, Czech Republic 197 km, Hungary 676 km, Poland 420 km, Ukraine 90 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Terrain:

rugged mountains in the central and northern part and lowlands in the south

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Bodrok River 94 m highest point: Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m

Natural resources:

brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper and manganese ore; salt; arable land

Land use:

arable land: 29.23% permanent crops: 2.67% other: 68.1% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,830 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

50.1 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.04 per capita: 193 cu m/yr (2003)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

air pollution from metallurgical plants presents human health risks; acid rain damaging forests

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; most of the country is rugged and mountainous; the Tatra Mountains in the north are interspersed with many scenic lakes and valleys

People

Slovakia

Population:

5,455,407 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 16.1% (male 448,083/female 427,643) 15-64 years: 71.7% (male 1,947,112/female 1,961,788) 65 years and over: 12.3% (male 250,787/female 419,994) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 36.5 years male: 34.8 years female: 38.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.143% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.64 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.5 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 6.98 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.15 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 75.17 years male: 71.23 years female: 79.32 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.34 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Slovak(s) adjective: Slovak

Ethnic groups:

Slovak 85.8%, Hungarian 9.7%, Roma 1.7%, Ruthenian/Ukrainian 1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 68.9%, Protestant 10.8%, Greek Catholic 4.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%, none 13% (2001 census)

Languages:

Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%, Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.7% female: 99.6% (2001 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 14 years female: 15 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.9% of GDP (2005)

Government

Slovakia

Country name:

conventional long form: Slovak Republic conventional short form: Slovakia local long form: Slovenska Republika local short form: Slovensko

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Bratislava geographic coordinates: 48 09 N, 17 07 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

8 regions (kraje, singular - kraj); Banskobystricky, Bratislavsky, Kosicky, Nitriansky, Presovsky, Trenciansky, Trnavsky, Zilinsky

Independence:

1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia)

National holiday:

Constitution Day, 1 September (1992)

Constitution:

ratified 1 September 1992, effective 1 January 1993; changed in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president; amended February 2001 to allow Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU membership

Legal system:

civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; legal code modified to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Robert FICO (since 4 July 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Dusan CAPLOVIC, Robert KALINAK, Stefan HARABIN, Jan MIKOLAJ (since 4 July 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 April and 17 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2009); following National Council elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Ivan GASPAROVIC elected president in runoff; percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 59.9%, Vladimir MECIAR 40.1%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic or Narodna Rada Slovenskej Republiky (150 seats; members are elected on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 17 June 2006 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - Smer 29.1%, SDKU 18.4%, SMK 11.7%, SNS 11.7%, LS-HZDS 8.8%, KDH 8.3%, other 12%; seats by party - Smer 50, SDKU 31, SMK 20, SNS 19, LS-HZDS 16, KDH 14

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Council); Constitutional Court (judges appointed by president from group of nominees approved by the National Council); Special Court (judges elected by a council of judges and appointed by president)

Political parties and leaders:

Parties in the Parliament: Christian Democratic Movement or KDH

[Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Direction-Social Democracy or Smer-SD [Robert

FICO]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Pal CSAKY]; People's

Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia or LS-HZDS [Vladimir

MECIAR]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU-DS [Mikulas

DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Jan SLOTA]; Parties outside

the Parliament: Agrarian Party of the Provinces or ASV [Jozef

VASKEBA]; Civic Conservative Party or OKS [Peter TATAR]; Free Forum

[Zuzana MARTINAKOVA]; Hope or NADEJ [Alexandra NOVOTNA]; Left-wing

Bloc or LB [Jozef KALMAN]; Mission 21 - New Christian Democracy or

MISIA 21 [Ivan SIMKO]; Movement for Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA];

New Citizens Alliance or ANO [Pavol RUSKO]; Party of the Democratic

Left or SDL [Ladislav KOZMON]; Prosperita Slovenska or PS [Frantisek

A. ZVRSKOVEC]; Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Vladimir DADO]; Slovak

National Coalition or SLNKO [Vitazoslav MORIC]; Slovak People's

Party or SLS [Jozef SASIK]; Union of the Workers of Slovakia or ZRS

[Jan LUPTAK]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOS; Confederation of Trade

Unions or KOZ; Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia or ZPS;

Federation of Employers' Associations of the Slovak Republic;

National Union of Employers or RUZ; Slovak Chamber of Commerce and

Industry or SOPK; The Business Alliance of Slovakia or PAS

International organization participation:

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE, CEI,

CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),

OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI

(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU,

WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Peter BURIAN chancery: 3523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 237-1054 FAX: [1] (202) 237-6438 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Vincent OBSITNIK embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava mailing address: P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava telephone: [421] (2) 5443-3338 FAX: [421] (2) 5441-8861

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red superimposed with the coat of arms of Slovakia (consisting of a red shield bordered in white and bearing a white Cross of Lorraine surmounting three blue hills); the coat of arms is centered vertically and offset slightly to the hoist side

Economy

Slovakia

Economy - overview:

Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The DZURINDA government made excellent progress during 2001-04 in macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands, and the government has helped facilitate a foreign investment boom with business friendly policies such as labor market liberalization and a 19% flat tax. Foreign investment in the automotive sector has been strong. Slovakia's economic growth exceeded expectations in 2001-07 despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an unacceptable 18% in 2003-04, dropped to 8.6% in 2007 but remains the economy's Achilles heel. Slovakia joined the EU on 1 May 2004 and will be the second of the new EU member states to adopt the euro in 2009 if it continues to meet euro adoption criteria in 2008. Despite its 2006 pre-election promises to loosen fiscal policy and reverse the previous DZURINDA government's pro-market reforms, FICO's cabinet has thus far been careful to keep a lid on spending in order to meet euro adoption criteria. The FICO government is pursuing a state-interventionist economic policy, however, and has pushed to regulate energy and food prices.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$110.2 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$74.99 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

10.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$20,200 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.6% industry: 33.5% services: 63.9% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.654 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture 5.8%, industry 29.3%, construction 9%, services 55.9% (2003)

Unemployment rate:

8.4% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

21% (2002)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 20.9% (1996)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

26 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

25.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $34.34 billion expenditures: $35.99 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

35.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7.99% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$26.17 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$21.11 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$41.76 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle, poultry; forest products

Industries:

metal and metal products; food and beverages; electricity, gas, coke, oil, nuclear fuel; chemicals and manmade fibers; machinery; paper and printing; earthenware and ceramics; transport vehicles; textiles; electrical and optical apparatus; rubber products

Industrial production growth rate:

17.2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

26.17 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

26 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

11.85 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

12.73 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 30.3% hydro: 16% nuclear: 53.6% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

12,770 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

82,860 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

72,240 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

134,100 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

9 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

128 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

6.216 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

180 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

6.268 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

14.16 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$3.998 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$57.53 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

vehicles 25.9%, machinery and electrical equipment 21.3%, base metals 14.6%, chemicals and minerals 10.1%, plastics 5.4% (2004)

Exports - partners:

Germany 21.4%, Czech Republic 12.6%, France 6.7%, Italy 6.4%, Poland 6.2%, Hungary 6%, Austria 5.8%, UK 4.8% (2007)

Imports:

$58.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment 41.1%, intermediate manufactured goods 19.3%, fuels 12.3%, chemicals 9.8%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 10.2% (2003)

Imports - partners:

Germany 22.1%, Czech Republic 17.3%, Russia 9.2%, Hungary 6.7%,

Austria 5.1%, Poland 4.9%, South Korea 4.7% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$235 million in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$18.98 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$36.63 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$45.25 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$1.509 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$5.574 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Slovak koruna (SKK)

Currency code:

SKK

Exchange rates:

Slovak koruny (SKK) per US dollar - 24.919 (2007), 29.611 (2006), 31.018 (2005), 32.257 (2004), 36.773 (2003)

Communications

Slovakia

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.151 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

6.068 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: Slovakia has a modern telecommunications system that has expanded dramatically in recent years with the growth in cellular services domestic: analog system is now receiving digital equipment and is being enlarged with fiber-optic cable, especially in the larger cities; 3 companies provide nationwide cellular services international: country code - 421; 3 international exchanges (1 in Bratislava and 2 in Banska Bystrica) are available; Slovakia is participating in several international telecommunications projects that will increase the availability of external services

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 15, FM 78, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:

3.12 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

80 (national broadcasting 6, regional 7, local 67) (2004)

Televisions:

2.62 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.sk

Internet hosts:

717,744 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

6 (2000)

Internet users:

2.35 million (2007)

Transportation

Slovakia

Airports:

35 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 20 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 7 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 6,769 km; oil 416 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 3,662 km broad gauge: 100 km 1.520-m gauge standard gauge: 3,512 km 1.435-m gauge (1,588 km electrified) narrow gauge: 50 km (1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 43,761 km paved: 38,085 km (includes 316 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,676 km (2006)

Waterways:

172 km (on Danube River) (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 51 by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 42, refrigerated cargo 4 foreign-owned: 47 (Bulgaria 6, Germany 3, Greece 2, Ireland 1, Israel 4, Italy 2, Poland 2, Russia 1, Slovenia 1, Syria 2, Turkey 10, Ukraine 12, UK 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Bratislava, Komarno

Military

Slovakia

Military branches:

Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic (Ozbrojene Sily Slovenskej Republiky): Land Forces (Pozemne Sily), Air Forces (Vzdusne Sily) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

17-30 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2006; women are eligible to serve (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,420,966 females age 16-49: 1,386,259 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,166,833 females age 16-49: 1,156,874 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 38,183 female: 36,388 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.87% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Slovakia

Disputes - international:

bilateral government, legal, technical and economic working group negotiations continued in 2006 between Slovakia and Hungary over Hungary's completion of its portion of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Slovakia has implemented the strict Schengen border rules

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for regional market; consumer of ecstasy

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Slovenia

Introduction

Slovenia

Background:

The Slovene lands were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the latter's dissolution at the end of World War I. In 1918, the Slovenes joined the Serbs and Croats in forming a new multinational state, which was named Yugoslavia in 1929. After World War II, Slovenia became a republic of the renewed Yugoslavia, which though Communist, distanced itself from Moscow's rule. Dissatisfied with the exercise of power by the majority Serbs, the Slovenes succeeded in establishing their independence in 1991 after a short 10-day war. Historical ties to Western Europe, a strong economy, and a stable democracy have assisted in Slovenia's transformation to a modern state. Slovenia acceded to both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

Geography

Slovenia

Location:

Central Europe, eastern Alps bordering the Adriatic Sea, between

Austria and Croatia

Geographic coordinates:

46 07 N, 14 49 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 20,273 sq km land: 20,151 sq km water: 122 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries:

total: 1,086 km border countries: Austria 330 km, Croatia 455 km, Hungary 102 km, Italy 199 km

Coastline:

46.6 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate:

Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east

Terrain:

a short coastal strip on the Adriatic, an alpine mountain region adjacent to Italy and Austria, mixed mountains and valleys with numerous rivers to the east

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Triglav 2,864 m

Natural resources:

lignite coal, lead, zinc, building stone, hydropower, forests

Land use:

arable land: 8.53% permanent crops: 1.43% other: 90.04% (2005)

Irrigated land:

30 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

32.1 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.9 per capita: 457 cu m/yr (2002)

Natural hazards:

flooding and earthquakes

Environment - current issues:

Sava River polluted with domestic and industrial waste; pollution of coastal waters with heavy metals and toxic chemicals; forest damage near Koper from air pollution (originating at metallurgical and chemical plants) and resulting acid rain

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

despite its small size, this eastern Alpine country controls some of Europe's major transit routes

People

Slovenia

Population:

2,007,711 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 13.6% (male 140,686/female 132,778) 15-64 years: 70.1% (male 709,689/female 697,862) 65 years and over: 16.3% (male 127,313/female 199,383) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 41.4 years male: 39.8 years female: 42.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.088% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

8.99 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.51 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.87 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.73 years male: 73.04 years female: 80.66 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.27 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

280 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Slovene(s) adjective: Slovenian

Ethnic groups:

Slovene 83.1%, Serb 2%, Croat 1.8%, Bosniak 1.1%, other or unspecified 12% (2002 census)

Religions:

Catholic 57.8%, Muslim 2.4%, Orthodox 2.3%, other Christian 0.9%, unaffiliated 3.5%, other or unspecified 23%, none 10.1% (2002 census)

Languages:

Slovenian 91.1%, Serbo-Croatian 4.5%, other or unspecified 4.4% (2002 census)

Literacy:

definition: NA total population: 99.7% male: 99.7% female: 99.6%

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 17 years male: 16 years female: 17 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

6% of GDP (2005)

Government

Slovenia

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Slovenia conventional short form: Slovenia local long form: Republika Slovenija local short form: Slovenija former: People's Republic of Slovenia, Socialist Republic of Slovenia

Government type:

parliamentary republic

Capital:

name: Ljubljana geographic coordinates: 46 03 N, 14 31 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

182 municipalities (obcine, singular - obcina) and 11 urban

municipalities* (mestne obcine , singular - mestna obcina )

Ajdovscina, Beltinci, Benedikt, Bistrica ob Sotli, Bled, Bloke,

Bohinj, Borovnica, Bovec, Braslovce, Brda, Brezice, Brezovica,

Cankova, Celje*, Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Cerknica, Cerkno,

Cerkvenjak, Crensovci, Crna na Koroskem, Crnomelj, Destrnik, Divaca,

Dobje, Dobrepolje, Dobrna, Dobrova-Horjul-Polhov Gradec,

Dobrovnik-Dobronak, Dolenjske Toplice, Dol pri Ljubljani, Domzale,

Dornava, Dravograd, Duplek, Gorenja Vas-Poljane, Gorisnica, Gornja

Radgona, Gornji Grad, Gornji Petrovci, Grad, Grosuplje, Hajdina,

Hoce-Slivnica, Hodos-Hodos, Horjul, Hrastnik, Hrpelje-Kozina,

Idrija, Ig, Ilirska Bistrica, Ivancna Gorica, Izola-Isola, Jesenice,

Jezersko, Jursinci, Kamnik, Kanal, Kidricevo, Kobarid, Kobilje,

Kocevje, Komen, Komenda, Koper-Capodistria*, Kostel, Kozje, Kranj*,

Kranjska Gora, Krizevci, Krsko, Kungota, Kuzma, Lasko, Lenart,

Lendava-Lendva, Litija, Ljubljana*, Ljubno, Ljutomer, Logatec, Loska

Dolina, Loski Potok, Lovrenc na Pohorju, Luce, Lukovica, Majsperk,

Maribor*, Markovci, Medvode, Menges, Metlika, Mezica, Miklavz na

Dravskem Polju, Miren-Kostanjevica, Mirna Pec, Mislinja, Moravce,

Moravske Toplice, Mozirje, Murska Sobota*, Muta, Naklo, Nazarje,

Nova Gorica*, Novo Mesto*, Odranci, Oplotnica, Ormoz, Osilnica,

Pesnica, Piran-Pirano, Pivka, Podcetrtek, Podlehnik, Podvelka,

Polzela, Postojna, Prebold, Preddvor, Prevalje, Ptuj*, Puconci,

Race-Fram, Radece, Radenci, Radlje ob Dravi, Radovljica, Ravne na

Koroskem, Razkrizje, Ribnica, Ribnica na Pohorju, Rogasovci, Rogaska

Slatina, Rogatec, Ruse, Salovci, Selnica ob Dravi, Semic,

Sempeter-Vrtojba, Sencur, Sentilj, Sentjernej, Sentjur pri Celju,

Sevnica, Sezana, Skocjan, Skofja Loka, Skofljica, Slovenj Gradec*,

Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenske Konjice, Smarje pri Jelsah, Smartno ob

Paki, Smartno pri Litiji, Sodrazica, Solcava, Sostanj, Starse,

Store, Sveta Ana, Sveti Andraz v Slovenskih Goricah, Sveti Jurij,

Tabor, Tisina, Tolmin, Trbovlje, Trebnje, Trnovska Vas, Trzic,

Trzin, Turnisce, Velenje*, Velika Polana, Velike Lasce, Verzej,

Videm, Vipava, Vitanje, Vodice, Vojnik, Vransko, Vrhnika, Vuzenica,

Zagorje ob Savi, Zalec, Zavrc, Zelezniki, Zetale, Ziri, Zirovnica,

Zuzemberk, Zrece

note: the Government of Slovenia has reported 210 municipalities

Independence:

25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

National holiday:

Independence Day/Statehood Day, 25 June (1991)

Constitution:

adopted 23 December 1991

Legal system:

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Danilo TURK (since 22 December 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Borut PAHOR (since 7 November 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 21 October and 11 November 2007 (next to be held in the fall of 2012); following National Assembly elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually nominated to become prime minister by the president and elected by the National Assembly; election last held on 9 November 2004 (next National Assembly elections to be held in October 2008) election results: Danilo TURK elected president; percent of vote - Danilo TURK 68.2%, Alojze PETERLE 31.8%; Janez JANSA elected prime minister by National Assembly vote - 57 to 27 in 2004

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of a National Assembly or Drzavni Zbor (90 seats; 40 members are directly elected and 50 are elected on a proportional basis; note - the number of directly elected and proportionally elected seats varies with each election; the constitution mandates 1 seat each for Slovenia's Hungarian and Italian minorities; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the National Council or Drzavni Svet (40 seats; members indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve five-year terms; note - this is primarily an advisory body with limited legislative powers; it may propose laws, ask to review any National Assembly decision, and call national referenda) elections: National Assembly - last held 21 September 2008 (next to be held 8 October 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - SD 30.5%, SDS 29.3%, ZARES 9.4%, DeSUS 7.5%, SNS 5.5%, SLS+SMS 5.2%, LDS 5.2%, other 7.4%; seats by party - SD 29, SDS 28, ZARES 9, DeSUS 7, SNS 5, SLS+SMS 5, LDS 5, Hungarian minority 1, Italian minority 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the Judicial Council); Constitutional Court (judges elected for nine-year terms by the National Assembly and nominated by the president)

Political parties and leaders:

Liberal Democracy of Slovenia or LDS [Katarina KRESAL]; New Slovenia

or NSi [Andrej BAJUK]; Slovenian Democratic Party or SDS [Janez

JANSA]; Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia or DeSUS [Karl

ERJAVEC]; Slovene National Party or SNS [Zmago JELINCIC]; Slovene

People's Party or SLS [Bojan SROT]; Slovene Youth Party or SMS

[Darko KRANJC]; Social Democrats or SD [Borut PAHOR] (formerly

ZLSD); ZARES [Gregor Golobic]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Democratic Party of Slovenian Pensioners or DeSUS (protecting the rights of the older generation); Slovenian Roma Association [Jozek Horvat MUC] other: Catholic Church

International organization participation:

Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IADB,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,

IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO,

NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen

Convention, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNTSO, UNWTO,

UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mariam MOZGAN chancery: 2410 California Street N.W., Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 386-6601 FAX: [1] (202) 386-6633 consulate(s) general: Cleveland, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Yousif B. GHAFARI embassy: Presernova 31, 1000 Ljubljana mailing address: American Embassy Ljubljana, US Department of State, 7140 Ljubljana Place, Washington, DC 20521-7140 telephone: [386] (1) 200-5500 FAX: [386] (1) 200-5555

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red, with the Slovenian seal (a shield with the image of Triglav, Slovenia's highest peak, in white against a blue background at the center; beneath it are two wavy blue lines depicting seas and rivers, and above it are three six-pointed stars arranged in an inverted triangle, which are taken from the coat of arms of the Counts of Celje, the great Slovene dynastic house of the late 14th and early 15th centuries); the seal is in the upper hoist side of the flag centered on the white and blue bands

Economy

Slovenia

Economy - overview:

Slovenia, which on 1 January 2007 became the first 2004 European Union entrant to adopt the euro, is a model of economic success and stability for the region. With the highest per capita GDP in Central Europe, Slovenia has excellent infrastructure, a well-educated work force, and a strategic location between the Balkans and Western Europe. Privatization has lagged since 2002, and the economy has one of highest levels of state control in the EU. Structural reforms to improve the business environment have allowed for somewhat greater foreign participation in Slovenia's economy and have helped to lower unemployment. In March 2004, Slovenia became the first transition country to graduate from borrower status to donor partner at the World Bank. In December 2007, Slovenia was invited to begin the accession process for joining the OECD. Despite its economic success, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Slovenia has lagged behind the region average, and taxes remain relatively high. Furthermore, the labor market is often seen as inflexible, and legacy industries are losing sales to more competitive firms in China, India, and elsewhere.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$56.19 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$46.08 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$28,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.1% industry: 34.4% services: 63.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

925,000 (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 2.5% industry: 36% services: 61.5% (2007)

Unemployment rate:

7.7% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

12.9% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 21.4% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

24 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

28.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $19.17 billion expenditures: $19.04 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

23.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.6% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

6.82% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$9.347 billion note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders (31 December 2006)

Stock of quasi money:

$12.69 billion (31 December 2006)

Stock of domestic credit:

NA (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

potatoes, hops, wheat, sugar beets, corn, grapes; cattle, sheep, poultry

Industries:

ferrous metallurgy and aluminum products, lead and zinc smelting; electronics (including military electronics), trucks, automobiles, electric power equipment, wood products, textiles, chemicals, machine tools

Industrial production growth rate:

9.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

14.13 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

13.4 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

5.894 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

6.14 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 35.2% hydro: 27.3% nuclear: 36.8% other: 0.7% (2001)

Oil - production:

5 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

54,310 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

4,535 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

59,110 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

4 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

1.105 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

1.073 billion cu m (2005)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$2.181 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$27.06 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food

Exports - partners:

Germany 18.7%, Italy 12.5%, Croatia 8%, Austria 7.5%, France 5.9%,

Russia 4.4% (2007)

Imports:

$29.39 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, food

Imports - partners:

Germany 18.1%, Italy 17.1%, Austria 11.7%, France 5%, Croatia 4.6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $484 million (2004-06)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$5.682 billion (30 September 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$40.42 billion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$10.41 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$6.127 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$15.18 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

euro (EUR) note: on 1 January 2007, the euro became Slovenia's currency; both the tolar and the euro were in circulation from 1 January until 15 January 2007

Currency code:

SIT

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), tolars per US dollar - 190.85 (2006), 192.71 (2005), 192.38 (2004), 207.11 (2003) note: Slovenia adopted the euro as its currency on 1 January 2007

Communications

Slovenia

Telephones - main lines in use:

857,100 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.928 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: well-developed telecommunications infrastructure domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 140 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 386

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 10, FM 230, shortwave 0 (2006)

Radios:

805,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

31 (2006)

Televisions:

710,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.si

Internet hosts:

75,984 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

11 (2000)

Internet users:

1.3 million (2007)

Transportation

Slovenia

Airports:

14 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 6 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 840 km; oil 11 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 1,229 km standard gauge: 1,229 km 1.435-m gauge (504 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 38,562 km paved: 38,562 km (includes 579 km of expressways) (2006)

Merchant marine:

registered in other countries: 29 (Antigua and Barbuda 6, Bahamas 1, Cyprus 4, Liberia 3, Malta 4, Marshall Islands 4, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Singapore 1, Slovakia 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Koper

Military

Slovenia

Military branches:

Slovenian Army (includes air and naval forces)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2003 (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 494,496 females age 16-49: 481,180 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 406,951 females age 16-49: 395,444 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 10,516 female: 9,934 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.7% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Slovenia

Disputes - international:

the Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime boundary agreement, which would have ceded most of Piran Bay and maritime access to Slovenia and several villages to Croatia, remains unratified and in dispute; Slovenia also protests Croatia's 2003 claim to an exclusive economic zone in the Adriatic; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Slovenia has implemented the strict Schengen border rules to curb illegal migration and commerce through southeastern Europe while encouraging close cross-border ties with Croatia

Illicit drugs:

minor transit point for cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin bound for Western Europe, and for precursor chemicals

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Solomon Islands

Introduction

Solomon Islands

Background:

The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II occurred on this archipelago. Self-government was achieved in 1976 and independence two years later. Ethnic violence, government malfeasance, and endemic crime have undermined stability and civil society. In June 2003, then Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA sought the assistance of Australia in reestablishing law and order; the following month, an Australian-led multinational force arrived to restore peace and disarm ethnic militias. The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has generally been effective in restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutions.

Geography

Solomon Islands

Location:

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua

New Guinea

Geographic coordinates:

8 00 S, 159 00 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 28,450 sq km land: 27,540 sq km water: 910 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

5,313 km

Maritime claims:

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather

Terrain:

mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m

Natural resources:

fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel

Land use:

arable land: 0.62% permanent crops: 2.04% other: 97.34% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Total renewable water resources:

44.7 cu km (1987)

Natural hazards:

typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earthquakes, tremors, and volcanic activity; tsunamis

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea; on 2 April 2007 an undersea earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale occurred 345 km WNW of the capital Honiara, the resulting tsunami devastated coastal areas of Western and Choiseul provinces with dozens of deaths and thousands dislocated; the provincial capital of Gizo was especially hard hit

People

Solomon Islands

Population:

581,318 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 40.1% (male 118,856/female 114,173) 15-64 years: 56.5% (male 166,004/female 162,317) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 9,487/female 10,481) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 19.4 years male: 19.3 years female: 19.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.467% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

28.48 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

3.81 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 19.67 deaths/1,000 live births male: 22.36 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.44 years male: 70.9 years female: 76.1 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.65 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Solomon Islander(s) adjective: Solomon Islander

Ethnic groups:

Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (1999 census)

Religions:

Church of Melanesia 32.8%, Roman Catholic 19%, South Seas

Evangelical 17%, Seventh-Day Adventist 11.2%, United Church 10.3%,

Christian Fellowship Church 2.4%, other Christian 4.4%, other 2.4%,

unspecified 0.3%, none 0.2% (1999 census)

Languages:

Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English (official; but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population); 120 indigenous languages

Literacy:

NA

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 8 years male: 9 years female: 8 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

3.3% of GDP (1999)

Government

Solomon Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Solomon Islands local long form: none local short form: Solomon Islands former: British Solomon Islands

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Honiara geographic coordinates: 9 26 S, 159 57 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western

Independence:

7 July 1978 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

Constitution:

7 July 1978

Legal system:

English common law, which is widely disregarded; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Nathaniel WAENA (since 7 July 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Derek SIKUA (since 20 December 2007); note - Prime Minister Manasseh SOGAVARE defeated in a no confidence vote in parliament on 13 December 2007; SIKUA elected on 20 December 2007 cabinet: Cabinet consists of 20 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of Parliament for up to five years (eligible for a second term); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held on 5 April 2006 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - National Party 6.9%, PAP 6.3%, SIPRA 6.3%, Liberal 5%, Democratic 4.9%, SOCRED 4.3%, LAFARI 2.8%, independents 60.3%; seats by party - National Party 4, SIPRA 4, Democratic 3, PAP 3, LAFARI 2, Liberal 2, SOCRED 2, independents 30

Judicial branch:

Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders:

Association of Independent Members or AIM [Thomas CHAN]; Christian Alliance Solomon Islands or CASI [Edward RONIA]; LAFARI Party [John GARO]; National Party [Francis HILLY]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [Sir Allan KEMAKEZA]; Social Credit Party or SOCRED [Manasseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon First Party [David QUAN]; Solomon Islands Democratic Party [Gabriel SURI]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU]; Solomon Islands Liberal Party [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement or SIPRA [Job D. TAUSINGA]; United Party [Sir Peter KENILOREA] note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM); Malaita Eagle Force (MEF); note - these rival armed ethnic factions crippled the Solomon Islands in a wave of violence from 1999 to 2003

International organization participation:

ACP, ADB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF,

Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Collin David BECK chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193 FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Solomon Islands (embassy closed July 1993); the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands

Flag description:

divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green

Government - note:

by the end of 2007, the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) - originally made up of police and troops from Australia, NZ, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga - had been scaled back to 303 police officers, 197 civilian technical advisers, and 72 military advisers from 15 countries across the region

Economy

Solomon Islands

Economy - overview:

The bulk of the population depends on agriculture, fishing, and forestry for at least part of its livelihood. Most manufactured goods and petroleum products must be imported. The islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources such as lead, zinc, nickel, and gold. Prior to the arrival of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), severe ethnic violence, the closing of key businesses, and an empty government treasury culminated in economic collapse. RAMSI's efforts to restore law and order and economic stability have led to modest growth as the economy rebuilds.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$948 million (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$358 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 42% industry: 11% services: 47% (2000 est.)

Labor force:

249,200 (1999)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 75% industry: 5% services: 20% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $49.7 million expenditures: $75.1 million (2003)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6.3% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

14.12% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$118.3 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$57.89 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$126.9 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; timber; cattle, pigs; fish

Industries:

fish (tuna), mining, timber

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

70 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

70 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

1,320 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

1,426 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$143 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$237 million f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa

Exports - partners:

China 50.8%, South Korea 7%, Thailand 6.5%, Japan 5.7%, Philippines 4.3% (2007)

Imports:

$256 million f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners:

Singapore 28.2%, Australia 25.4%, Japan 4.6%, NZ 4.5%, Fiji 4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$198.2 million annually, mainly from Australia (2005 est.)

Debt - external:

$166 million (2004)

Currency (code):

Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)

Currency code:

SBD

Exchange rates:

Solomon Islands dollars (SBD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 7.3447 (2006), 7.5299 (2005), 7.4847 (2004), 7.5059 (2003)

Communications

Solomon Islands

Telephones - main lines in use:

7,600 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

10,900 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2004)

Radios:

57,000 (1997)

Televisions:

3,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.sb

Internet hosts:

3,804 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

8,000 (2006)

Transportation

Solomon Islands

Airports:

35 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 23 (2007)

Heliports:

3 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 1,360 km paved: 33 km unpaved: 1,327 km note: includes 800 km of private plantation roads (2002)

Ports and terminals:

Honiara, Malloco Bay, Viru Harbor

Military

Solomon Islands

Military branches:

no regular military forces; Solomon Islands Police Force (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 141,051 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 116,891 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 6,924 female: 6,679 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Solomon Islands

Disputes - international:

since 2003, the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), consisting of police, military, and civilian advisors drawn from 15 countries, has assisted in reestablishing and maintaining civil and political order while reinforcing regional stability and security

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 5,400 (displaced by tsunami on 2 April 2007) (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Somalia

Introduction

Somalia

Background:

Britain withdrew from British Somaliland in 1960 to allow its protectorate to join with Italian Somaliland and form the new nation of Somalia. In 1969, a coup headed by Mohamed SIAD Barre ushered in an authoritarian socialist rule that managed to impose a degree of stability in the country for a couple of decades. After the regime's collapse early in 1991, Somalia descended into turmoil, factional fighting, and anarchy. In May 1991, northern clans declared an independent Republic of Somaliland that now includes the administrative regions of Awdal, Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sanaag, and Sool. Although not recognized by any government, this entity has maintained a stable existence and continues efforts to establish a constitutional democracy, including holding municipal, parliamentary, and presidential elections. The regions of Bari, Nugaal, and northern Mudug comprise a neighboring self-declared autonomous state of Puntland, which has been self-governing since 1998 but does not aim at independence; it has also made strides toward reconstructing a legitimate, representative government but has suffered some civil strife. Puntland disputes its border with Somaliland as it also claims portions of eastern Sool and Sanaag. Beginning in 1993, a two-year UN humanitarian effort (primarily in the south) was able to alleviate famine conditions, but when the UN withdrew in 1995, having suffered significant casualties, order still had not been restored. A two-year peace process, led by the Government of Kenya under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), concluded in October 2004 with the election of Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed as President of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and the formation of an interim government, known as the Somalia Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs). The Somalia TFIs include a 275-member parliamentary body, known as the Transitional Federal Assembly (TFA), a transitional Prime Minister, Nur "Adde" Hassan HUSSEIN, and a 90-member cabinet. The TFIs are based on the Transitional Federal Charter, which outlines a five-year mandate leading to the establishment of a new Somali constitution and a transition to a representative government following national elections. While its institutions remain weak, the TFG continues to reach out to Somali stakeholders and work with international donors to help build the governance capacity of the TFIs and work towards national elections in 2009. In June 2006, a loose coalition of clerics, business leaders, and Islamic court militias known as the Council of Islamic Courts (CIC) defeated powerful Mogadishu warlords and took control of the capital. The Courts continued to expand militarily throughout much of southern Somalia and threatened to overthrow the TFG in Baidoa. Ethiopian and TFG forces, concerned over links between some CIC factions and the al-Qaida East Africa network and the al-Qaida operatives responsible for the bombings of the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998, intervened in late December 2006, resulting in the collapse of the CIC as an organization. However, the TFG continues to face violent resistance from extremist elements, such as the al-Shabaab militia previously affiliated with the now-defunct CIC.

Geography

Somalia

Location:

Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia

Geographic coordinates:

10 00 N, 49 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 637,657 sq km land: 627,337 sq km water: 10,320 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 2,340 km border countries: Djibouti 58 km, Ethiopia 1,600 km, Kenya 682 km

Coastline:

3,025 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 200 nm

Climate:

principally desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), moderate temperatures in north and hot in south; southwest monsoon (May to October), torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons

Terrain:

mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Shimbiris 2,416 m

Natural resources:

uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves

Land use:

arable land: 1.64% permanent crops: 0.04% other: 98.32% (2005)

Irrigated land:

2,000 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

15.7 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 3.29 cu km/yr (0%/0%/100%) per capita: 400 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; floods during rainy season

Environment - current issues:

famine; use of contaminated water contributes to human health problems; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

Geography - note:

strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal

People

Somalia

Population:

9,558,666 note: this estimate was derived from an official census taken in 1975 by the Somali Government; population counting in Somalia is complicated by the large number of nomads and by refugee movements in response to famine and clan warfare (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 44.7% (male 2,143,758/female 2,132,869) 15-64 years: 52.8% (male 2,525,562/female 2,516,879) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 100,655/female 138,943) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 17.5 years male: 17.4 years female: 17.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.824% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

44.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

15.89 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 110.97 deaths/1,000 live births male: 120.17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 101.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 49.25 years male: 47.43 years female: 51.12 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

6.6 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

43,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Rift Valley fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis animal contact disease: rabies (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Somali(s) adjective: Somali

Ethnic groups:

Somali 85%, Bantu and other non-Somali 15% (including Arabs 30,000)

Religions:

Sunni Muslim

Languages:

Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 37.8% male: 49.7% female: 25.8% (2001 est.)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Somalia

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Somalia local long form: Jamhuuriyada Demuqraadiga Soomaaliyeed local short form: Soomaaliya former: Somali Republic, Somali Democratic Republic

Government type:

no permanent national government; transitional, parliamentary federal government

Capital:

name: Mogadishu geographic coordinates: 2 04 N, 45 22 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

18 regions (plural - NA, singular - gobolka); Awdal, Bakool,

Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe,

Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag, Shabeellaha Dhexe, Shabeellaha

Hoose, Sool, Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed

Independence:

1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland, which became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960, and Italian Somaliland, which became independent from the Italian-administered UN trusteeship on 1 July 1960, to form the Somali Republic)

National holiday:

Foundation of the Somali Republic, 1 July (1960); note - 26 June (1960) in Somaliland

Constitution:

25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979 note: the formation of transitional governing institutions, known as the Transitional Federal Government, is currently ongoing

Legal system:

no national system; a mixture of English common law, Italian law, Islamic Sharia, and Somali customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Transitional Federal President Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed (since 14 October 2004); note - a transitional governing entity with a five-year mandate, known as the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs), was established in October 2004; the TFIs relocated to Somalia in June 2004 head of government: Prime Minister Nur "Adde" HASSAN Hussein (since 24 November 2007) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved by the Transitional Federal Assembly election results: Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed, the former leader of the semi-autonomous Puntland region of Somalia, was elected president by the Transitional Federal Assembly

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly note: unicameral Transitional Federal Assembly (TFA) (275 seats; 244 members appointed by the four major clans (61 for each clan), 31 seats allocated to smaller clans and subclans)

Judicial branch:

following the breakdown of the central government, most regions have reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, either secular, traditional Somali customary law, or Sharia (Islamic) law with a provision for appeal of all sentences

Political parties and leaders:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

other: numerous clan and sub-clan factions exist both in support and in opposition to the transitional government

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,

IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ITSO, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

Somalia does not have an embassy in the US (ceased operations on 8 May 1991); note - the TFG is represented in the United States through its Permanent Mission to the United Nations

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Somalia; US interests are represented by the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya at United Nations Avenue, Nairobi; mailing address: Unit 64100, Nairobi; APO AE 09831; telephone: [254] (20) 363-6000; FAX [254] (20) 363-6157

Flag description:

light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the center; blue field influenced by the flag of the UN

Government - note:

although an interim government was created in 2004, other regional and local governing bodies continue to exist and control various regions of the country, including the self-declared Republic of Somaliland in northwestern Somalia and the semi-autonomous State of Puntland in northeastern Somalia

Economy

Somalia

Economy - overview:

Despite the lack of effective national governance, Somalia has maintained a healthy informal economy, largely based on livestock, remittance/money transfer companies, and telecommunications. Agriculture is the most important sector, with livestock normally accounting for about 40% of GDP and about 65% of export earnings. Nomads and semi-pastoralists, who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihood, make up a large portion of the population. Livestock, hides, fish, charcoal, and bananas are Somalia's principal exports, while sugar, sorghum, corn, qat, and machined goods are the principal imports. Somalia's small industrial sector, based on the processing of agricultural products, has largely been looted and sold as scrap metal. Somalia's service sector also has grown. Telecommunication firms provide wireless services in most major cities and offer the lowest international call rates on the continent. In the absence of a formal banking sector, money exchange services have sprouted throughout the country, handling between $500 million and $1 billion in remittances annually. Mogadishu's main market offers a variety of goods from food to the newest electronic gadgets. Hotels continue to operate and are supported with private-security militias. Somalia's arrears to the IMF continued to grow in 2006-07. Statistics on Somalia's GDP, growth, per capita income, and inflation should be viewed skeptically. In late December 2004, a major tsunami caused an estimated 150 deaths and resulted in destruction of property in coastal areas.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$5.387 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$2.509 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 65% industry: 10% services: 25% (2000 est.)

Labor force:

3.7 million (few skilled laborers) (1975)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 71% industry and services: 29% (1975)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA

Fiscal year:

NA

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

NA%; note - businesses print their own money, so inflation rates cannot be easily determined

Agriculture - products:

bananas, sorghum, corn, coconuts, rice, sugarcane, mangoes, sesame seeds, beans; cattle, sheep, goats; fish

Industries:

a few light industries, including sugar refining, textiles, wireless communication

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

280 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

260.4 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

5,040 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

4,772 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Exports:

$300 million f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

livestock, bananas, hides, fish, charcoal, scrap metal

Exports - partners:

UAE 50.7%, Yemen 21%, Oman 6.1% (2007)

Imports:

$798 million f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

manufactures, petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction materials, qat

Imports - partners:

Djibouti 34.4%, India 9.1%, Kenya 9%, Oman 6%, UAE 5.6%, Yemen 5.5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$236.4 million (2005 est.)

Debt - external:

$3 billion (2001 est.)

Currency (code):

Somali shilling (SOS)

Currency code:

SOS

Exchange rates:

Somali shillings (SOS) per US dollar - NA (2007), 1,438.3 (2006) official rate; the unofficial black market rate was about 23,000 shillings per dollar as of February 2007 note: the Republic of Somaliland, a self-declared independent country not recognized by any foreign government, issues its own currency, the Somaliland shilling

Communications

Somalia

Telephones - main lines in use:

100,000 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

600,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: the public telecommunications system was almost completely destroyed or dismantled during the civil war; private wireless companies offer service in most major cities and charge the lowest international rates on the continent domestic: local cellular telephone systems have been established in Mogadishu and in several other population centers international: country code - 252; international connections are available from Mogadishu by satellite (2001)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 11 (also 1 station each in Puntland and Somaliland), shortwave 1 (in Mogadishu) (2001)

Radios:

470,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

4 (2 in Mogadishu and 2 in Hargeisa) (2001)

Televisions:

135,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.so

Internet hosts:

1 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

3 (one each in Boosaaso, Hargeisa, and Mogadishu) (2000)

Internet users:

98,000 (2007)

Transportation

Somalia

Airports:

67 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 7 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 60 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 7 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 22,100 km paved: 2,608 km unpaved: 19,492 km (2000)

Merchant marine:

total: 1 by type: cargo 1 foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Berbera, Kismaayo

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean are high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crew, passengers, and cargo are held for ransom

Military

Somalia

Military branches:

no national-level armed forces (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,181,050 females age 16-49: 2,125,558 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,274,783 females age 16-49: 1,317,991 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 95,446 female: 95,339 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Somalia

Disputes - international:

Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland" secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera to landlocked Ethiopia and have established commercial ties with other regional states; "Puntland" and "Somaliland" "governments" seek international support in their secessionist aspirations and overlapping border claims; the undemarcated former British administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading south across the border, which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 1.1 million (civil war since 1988, clan-based competition for resources) (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@South Africa

Introduction

South Africa

Background:

Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of modern day South Africa in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice route between the Netherlands and the East, founding the city of Cape Town. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902); however, the British and the Afrikaners, as the Boers became known, ruled together under the Union of South Africa. In 1948, the National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The first multi-racial elections in 1994 brought an end to apartheid and ushered in black majority rule.

Geography

South Africa

Location:

Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa

Geographic coordinates:

29 00 S, 24 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 1,219,912 sq km land: 1,219,912 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island)

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 4,862 km border countries: Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 967 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km

Coastline:

2,798 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin

Climate:

mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights

Terrain:

vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m

Natural resources:

gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas

Land use:

arable land: 12.1% permanent crops: 0.79% other: 87.11% (2005)

Irrigated land:

14,980 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

50 cu km (1990)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 12.5 cu km/yr (31%/6%/63%) per capita: 264 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

prolonged droughts

Environment - current issues:

lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water usage outpacing supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland

People

South Africa

Population:

48,782,756 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 29.2% (male 7,147,151/female 7,120,183) 15-64 years: 65.5% (male 16,057,340/female 15,889,750) 65 years and over: 5.3% (male 1,050,287/female 1,518,044) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 24.2 years male: 23.8 years female: 24.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.828% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

20.23 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

16.94 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

4.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 45.11 deaths/1,000 live births male: 49.47 deaths/1,000 live births female: 40.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 48.89 years male: 49.63 years female: 48.15 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.43 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

21.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

5.3 million (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

370,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever and malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: South African(s) adjective: South African

Ethnic groups:

black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001 census)

Religions:

Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census)

Languages:

IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.4% male: 87% female: 85.7% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 13 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

5.4% of GDP (2006)

Government

South Africa

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of South Africa conventional short form: South Africa former: Union of South Africa abbreviation: RSA

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Pretoria (administrative capital) geographic coordinates: 25 42 S, 28 13 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital)

Administrative divisions:

9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North-West, Western Cape

Independence:

31 May 1910 (Union of South Africa formed from four British colonies: Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange Free State); 31 May 1961 (republic declared) 27 April 1994 (majority rule)

National holiday:

Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)

Constitution:

10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified by the

Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then

President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 4

February 1997

Legal system:

based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Kgalema MOTLANTHE (since 25 September 2008); Executive Deputy President Baleka MBETE (since 25 September 2008); note - Thabo MBEKI resigned as president effective 25 September 2008; the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Kgalema MOTLANTHE (since 25 September 2008); Executive Deputy President Baleka MBETE (since 25 September 2008) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 25 September 2008 (next to be held in April 2009); note - Kgalema MOTLANTHE is serving out the term of Thabo MBEKI election results: Kgalema MOTLANTHE elected president; National Assembly vote - Kgalema MOTLANTHE 269, Joe SEREMANE 50, other 41; note - Thabo MBEKI resigned as president effective 25 September 2008, Kgalema MOTLANTHE is serving the remainder of his term

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly (400 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) and the National Council of Provinces (90 seats, 10 members elected by each of the nine provincial legislatures for five-year terms; has special powers to protect regional interests, including the safeguarding of cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnic minorities); note - following the implementation of the new constitution on 4 February 1997, the former Senate was disbanded and replaced by the National Council of Provinces with essentially no change in membership and party affiliations, although the new institution's responsibilities have been changed somewhat by the new constitution elections: National Assembly and National Council of Provinces - last held on 14 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC 69.7%, DA 12.4%, IFP 7%, UDM 2.3%, NNP 1.7%, ACDP 1.6%, other 5.3%; seats by party - ANC 279, DA 50, IFP 28, UDM 9, NNP 7, ACDP 6, other 21; National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA

Judicial branch:

Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts;

Magistrate Courts

Political parties and leaders:

African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE]; African

National Congress or ANC [Jacob ZUMA]; Democratic Alliance or DA

[Helen ZILLE]; Freedom Front Plus or FF+ [Pieter MULDER]; Inkatha

Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI]; New National Party or

NNP; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Motsoko PHEKO]; United

Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU [Zwelinzima VAVI, general secretary]; South African Communist Party or SACP [Blade NZIMANDE, general secretary]; South African National Civics Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president] note: note - COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, C, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, NSG, OPCW,

PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMID,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Welile Augustine NHLAPO chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-4400 FAX: [1] (202) 265-1607 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Eric BOST embassy: 877 Pretorius Street, Pretoria mailing address: P. O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001 telephone: [27] (12) 431-4000 FAX: [27] (12) 342-2299 consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg

Flag description:

two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band that splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side; the Y embraces a black isosceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes

Economy

South Africa

Economy - overview:

South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock exchange that is 17th largest in the world; and modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. Growth has been robust since 2004, as South Africa has reaped the benefits of macroeconomic stability and a global commodities boom. However, unemployment remains high and outdated infrastructure has constrained growth. At the end of 2007, South Africa began to experience an electricity crisis because state power supplier Eskom suffered supply problems with aged plants, necessitating "load-shedding" cuts to residents and businesses in the major cities. Daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era - especially poverty, lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups, and a shortage of public transportation. South African economic policy is fiscally conservative but pragmatic, focusing on controlling inflation, maintaining a budget surplus, and using state-owned enterprises to deliver basic services to low-income areas as a means to increase job growth and household income.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$467.8 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$282.6 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$9,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3.2% industry: 31.3% services: 65.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

20.49 million economically active (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 9% industry: 26% services: 65% (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate:

24.3% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

50% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 44.7% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

65 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

20.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $83.47 billion expenditures: $82.02 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Public debt:

31.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

11% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

13.17% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$58.49 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$141.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$254.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products

Industries:

mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair

Industrial production growth rate:

4.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

264 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - consumption:

241.4 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - exports:

13.77 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

11.32 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 93.5% hydro: 1.1% nuclear: 5.5% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

199,100 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

504,900 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

267,700 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

319,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

15 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

2.9 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

3.1 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2005)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

27.16 million cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$20.63 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$76.19 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment

Exports - partners:

US 11.9%, Japan 11.1%, Germany 8%, UK 7.7%, China 6.6%, Netherlands 4.5% (2007)

Imports:

$81.89 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

Germany 10.9%, China 10%, Spain 8.2%, US 7.2%, Japan 6.1%, UK 4.5%,

Saudi Arabia 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$700 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$32.94 billion (31 December 2007)

Debt - external:

$39.78 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$93.51 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$53.98 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$842 billion (January 2008)

Currency (code):

rand (ZAR)

Currency code:

ZAR

Exchange rates:

rand (ZAR) per US dollar - 7.05 (2007), 6.7649 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003)

Communications

South Africa

Telephones - main lines in use:

4.642 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

42.3 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is nearly 110 telephones per 100 persons; consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria international: country code - 27; the SAT-3/WASC and SAFE fiber optic cable systems connect South Africa to Europe and Asia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

17 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations:

556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

6 million (2000)

Internet country code:

.za

Internet hosts:

1.297 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

150 (2001)

Internet users:

5.1 million (2005)

Transportation

South Africa

Airports:

728 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 146 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 51 914 to 1,523 m: 67 under 914 m: 13 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 582 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 300 under 914 m: 248 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 100 km; gas 1,177 km; oil 992 km; refined products 1,379 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 20,872 km narrow gauge: 20,436 km 1.065-m gauge (8,931 km electrified); 436 km 0.610-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 362,099 km paved: 73,506 km (includes 239 km of expressways) unpaved: 288,593 km (2002)

Merchant marine:

total: 3 by type: container 1, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1) registered in other countries: 8 (Bahamas 1, Nigeria 1, NZ 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Seychelles 1, UK 3) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha Bay

Military

South Africa

Military branches:

South African National Defense Force (SANDF): South African Army,

South African Navy (SAN), South African Air Force (SAAF), Joint

Operations Command, Military Intelligence, Military Health Services

(2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; women have a long history of military service in noncombat roles dating back to World War I (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 11,622,507 females age 16-49: 11,501,537 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 6,042,498 females age 16-49: 5,471,103 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 529,201 female: 522,678 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.7% of GDP (2006)

Military - note:

with the end of apartheid and the establishment of majority rule, former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces were integrated into the South African National Defense Force (SANDF); as of 2003 the integration process was considered complete

Transnational Issues

South Africa

Disputes - international:

South Africa has placed military along the border to apprehend the thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing economic dysfunction and political persecution; as of January 2007, South Africa also supports large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (33,000), Somalia (20,000), Burundi (6,500), and other states in Africa (26,000); managed dispute with Namibia over the location of the boundary in the Orange River; in 2006, Swazi king advocates resort to ICJ to claim parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 10,772 (Democratic Republic of Congo); 7,818 (Somalia); 5,759 (Angola) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: South Africa is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation; women and girls are trafficked internally - and occasionally to European and Asian countries - for sexual exploitation; women from other African countries are trafficked to South Africa and, less frequently, onward to Europe for sexual exploitation; men and boys are trafficked from neighboring countries for forced agricultural labor; Asian and Eastern European women are trafficked to South Africa for debt-bonded sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - South Africa is on the Tier 2 Watch List for a fourth consecutive year for its failure to show increasing efforts to address trafficking; the government provided inadequate data in 2007 on trafficking crimes investigated or prosecuted, or on resulting convictions or sentences; it also did not provide information on its efforts to protect victims of trafficking; the country continues to deport and/or prosecute suspected foreign victims without providing appropriate protective services (2008)

Illicit drugs:

transshipment center for heroin, hashish, and cocaine, as well as a major cultivator of marijuana in its own right; cocaine and heroin consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various east African countries, but increasingly producing its own synthetic drugs for domestic consumption; attractive venue for money launderers given the increasing level of organized criminal and narcotics activity in the region and the size of the South African economy

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Southern Ocean

Introduction

Southern Ocean

Background:

A large body of recent oceanographic research has shown that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), an ocean current that flows from west to east around Antarctica, plays a crucial role in global ocean circulation. The region where the cold waters of the ACC meet and mingle with the warmer waters of the north defines a distinct border - the Antarctic Convergence - which fluctuates with the seasons, but which encompasses a discrete body of water and a unique ecologic region. The Convergence concentrates nutrients, which promotes marine plant life, and which in turn allows for a greater abundance of animal life. In the spring of 2000, the International Hydrographic Organization decided to delimit the waters within the Convergence as a fifth world ocean - the Southern Ocean - by combining the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude, which coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit and which approximates the extent of the Antarctic Convergence. As such, the Southern Ocean is now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic Ocean). It should be noted that inclusion of the Southern Ocean does not imply recognition of this feature as one of the world's primary oceans by the US Government.

Geography

Southern Ocean

Location:

body of water between 60 degrees south latitude and Antarctica

Geographic coordinates:

60 00 S, 90 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean has the unique distinction of being a large circumpolar body of water totally encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of water lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude

Map references:

Antarctic Region

Area:

total: 20.327 million sq km note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies

Area - comparative:

slightly more than twice the size of the US

Coastline:

17,968 km

Climate:

sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline ice-free throughout the winter

Terrain:

the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 m over most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep, its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 m (the global mean is 133 m); the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million sq km in March to about 18.8 million sq km in September, better than a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of the South Sandwich Trench highest point: sea level 0 m

Natural resources:

probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields on the continental margin; manganese nodules, possible placer deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs; squid, whales, and seals - none exploited; krill, fish

Natural hazards:

huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5 to 1 m thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances; high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and rescue

Environment - current issues:

increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from the Antarctic ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary productivity (phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA of some fish; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent years, especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries

Environment - international agreements:

the Southern Ocean is subject to all international agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (regulates fishing) note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence), which is in the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the cold polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north

Geography - note:

the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the cold polar surface waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of 60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly winds

Economy

Southern Ocean

Economy - overview:

Fisheries in 2005-06 landed 128,081 metric tons, of which 83% (106,591 tons) was krill (Euphausia superba) and 9.7% (12,364 tons) Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides), compared to 147,506 tons in 2004-05 of which 86% (127,035 tons) was krill and 8% (11,821 tons) Patagonian toothfish (estimated fishing from the area covered by the Convention of the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which extends slightly beyond the Southern Ocean area). International agreements were adopted in late 1999 to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, which in the 2000-01 season landed, by one estimate, 8,376 metric tons of Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish. In the 2006-07 Antarctic summer, 35,552 tourists visited the Southern Ocean, compared to 29,799 in 2005-2006 (estimates provided to the Antarctic Treaty by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), and does not include passengers on overflights and those flying directly in and out of Antarctica).

Transportation

Southern Ocean

Ports and terminals:

McMurdo, Palmer, and offshore anchorages in Antarctica note: few ports or harbors exist on southern side of Southern Ocean; ice conditions limit use of most to short periods in midsummer; even then some cannot be entered without icebreaker escort; most Antarctic ports are operated by government research stations and, except in an emergency, are not open to commercial or private vessels; vessels in any port south of 60 degrees south are subject to inspection by observers under Article 7 of the Antarctic Treaty; The Hydrographic Committee on Antarctica (HCA), a special hydrographic commission of International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), is responsible for hydrographic surveying and nautical charting matters in Antarctic Treaty area; it coordinates and facilitates provision of accurate and appropriate charts and other aids to navigation in support of safety of navigation in region; membership of HCA is open to any IHO Member State whose government has acceded to the Antarctic Treaty and which contributes resources and/or data to IHO Chart coverage of the area; members of HCA are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, NZ, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Spain, UK, and US (2007)

Transportation - note:

Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through the Panama Canal

Transnational Issues

Southern Ocean

Disputes - international:

Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctica entry), but Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK assert claims (some overlapping), including the continental shelf in the Southern Ocean; several states have expressed an interest in extending those continental shelf claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to include undersea ridges; the US and most other states do not recognize the land or maritime claims of other states and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formal claims exist in the waters in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@South Georgia and the South Sandwich

Introduction

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Background:

The islands, which have large bird and seal populations, lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands and have been under British administration since 1908 - except for a brief period in 1982 when Argentina occupied them. Grytviken, on South Georgia, was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station. Famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months later with a few companions in a small boat and arranged a successful rescue for the rest of his crew, stranded off the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition and is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. Recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the exclusive fishing zone from 12 nm to 200 nm around each island.

Geography

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Location:

Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America

Geographic coordinates:

54 30 S, 37 00 W

Map references:

Antarctic Region

Area:

total: 3,903 sq km land: 3,903 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist of 11 islands

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Rhode Island

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

NA km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow

Terrain:

most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m

Natural resources:

fish

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in the 20th century, live on South Georgia

People

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Population:

no indigenous inhabitants note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March 2001 replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the British Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited

Government

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands conventional short form: none abbreviation: SGSSI

Dependency status:

overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen ELIZABETH II

Legal system:

the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)

Flag description:

blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a shield with a golden lion centered; the shield is supported by a fur seal on the left and a penguin on the right; a reindeer appears above the shield, and below it on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect its Own Land)

Economy

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Economy - overview:

Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting finfish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK, sale of fishing licenses, and harbor and landing fees from tourist vessels. Tourism from specialized cruise ships is increasing rapidly.

Communications

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken

Radio broadcast stations:

0 (2003)

Television broadcast stations:

0 (2003)

Internet country code:

.gs

Internet hosts:

196 (2008)

Transportation

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Ports and terminals:

Grytviken

Military

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Disputes - international:

Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied them by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Spain

Introduction

Spain

Background:

Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) have given Spain one of the most dynamic economies in Europe and made it a global champion of freedom. Continuing challenges include Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorism, illegal immigration, and slowing economic growth.

Geography

Spain

Location:

Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea,

North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France

Geographic coordinates:

40 00 N, 4 00 W

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 504,782 sq km land: 499,542 sq km water: 5,240 sq km note: there are two autonomous cities - Ceuta and Melilla - and 17 autonomous communities including Balearic Islands and Canary Islands, and three small Spanish possessions off the coast of Morocco - Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera

Area - comparative:

slightly more than twice the size of Oregon

Land boundaries:

total: 1,917.8 km border countries: Andorra 63.7 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,214 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km

Coastline:

4,964 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean)

Climate:

temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast

Terrain:

large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m

Natural resources:

coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 27.18% permanent crops: 9.85% other: 62.97% (2005)

Irrigated land:

37,800 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

111.1 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 37.22 cu km/yr (13%/19%/68%) per capita: 864 cu m/yr (2002)

Natural hazards:

periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas; water quality and quantity nationwide; air pollution; deforestation; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Geography - note:

strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar

People

Spain

Population:

40,491,052 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 14.4% (male 3,011,815/female 2,832,788) 15-64 years: 67.6% (male 13,741,493/female 13,641,914) 65 years and over: 17.9% (male 3,031,597/female 4,231,444) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 40.7 years male: 39.3 years female: 42.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.096% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

9.87 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.9 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.26 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.65 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 79.92 years male: 76.6 years female: 83.45 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.3 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.7% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

140,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 1,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Spaniard(s) adjective: Spanish

Ethnic groups:

composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types

Religions:

Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%

Languages:

Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%, are official regionally

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.9% male: 98.7% female: 97.2% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 16 years male: 16 years female: 17 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4.2% of GDP (2005)

Government

Spain

Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain conventional short form: Spain local long form: Reino de Espana local short form: Espana

Government type:

parliamentary monarchy

Capital:

name: Madrid geographic coordinates: 40 24 N, 3 41 W time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: Spain is divided into two time zones including the Canary Islands

Administrative divisions:

17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular - comunidad autonoma) and 2 autonomous cities* (ciudades autonomas, singular - ciudad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Baleares (Balearic Islands), Ceuta*, Canarias (Canary Islands), Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna (Catalonia), Comunidad Valenciana (Valencian Community), Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Melilla*, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco (Basque Country) note: the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla plus three small islands of Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, administered directly by the Spanish central government, are all along the coast of Morocco and are collectively referred to as Places of Sovereignty (Plazas de Soberania)

Independence:

the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent kingdoms prior to the Muslim occupation that began in the early 8th century A.D. and lasted nearly seven centuries; the small Christian redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost immediately, culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this event completed the unification of several kingdoms and is traditionally considered the forging of present-day Spain

National holiday:

National Day, 12 October (1492); year when Columbus first set foot in the Americas

Constitution:

approved by legislature 31 October 1978; passed by referendum 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978

Legal system:

civil law system, with regional applications; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); Heir Apparent Prince FELIPE, son of the monarch, born 30 January 1968 head of government: President of the Government (Prime Minister equivalent) Jose Luis Rodriguez ZAPATERO (since 17 April 2004); First Vice President (and Minister of the Presidency) Maria Teresa FERNANDEZ DE LA VEGA (since 18 April 2004) and Second Vice President (and Minister of Economy and Finance) Pedro SOLBES Mira (since 18 April 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme consultative organ of the government, but its recommendations are non-binding elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually proposed president by the monarch and elected by the National Assembly; election last held on 9 and 11 April 2008 (next to be held in March 2012); vice presidents appointed by the monarch on the proposal of the president election results: Jose Luis Rodriguez ZAPATERO reelected President of the Government; percent of National Assembly vote - 46.94%

Legislative branch:

bicameral; General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (264 seats as of 2008; 208 members directly elected by popular vote and the other 56 - as of 2008 - appointed by the regional legislatures; to serve four-year terms) and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; each of the 50 electoral provinces fills a minimum of two seats and the North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla fill one seat each with members serving a four-year term; the other 248 members are determined by proportional representation based on popular vote on block lists who serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held on 9 March 2008 (next to be held in March 2012); Congress of Deputies - last held on 9 March 2008 (next to be held in March 2012) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PP 101, PSOE 88, Entesa Catalona de Progress 12, CiU 4, PNV 2, CC 1, members appointed by regional legislatures 56; Congress of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PSOE 43.6%, PP 40.1%, CiU 3.1%, PNV 1.2%, ERC 1.2%, other 10.8%; seats by party - PSOE 169, PP 154, CiU 10, PNV 6, ERC 3, other 8

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo

Political parties and leaders:

Aragonese Party or CHA [Bizen FUSTER]; Basque Nationalist Party or

PNV [Inigo URKULLU]; Basque Solidarity or EA [Begona ERRAZTI];

Canarian Coalition or CC [Jose Torres STINGA] (a coalition of five

parties); Convergence and Union or CiU [Artur MAS i Gavarro] (a

coalition of the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia or CDC [Artur

MAS i Gavarro] and the Democratic Union of Catalonia or UDC [Josep

Antoni DURAN i LLEIDA]); Entesa Catalonia de Progress (a Senate

coalition grouping four Catalan parties - PSC, ERC, ICV, EUA);

Galician Nationalist Bloc or BNG [Anxo Manuel QUINTANA Gonzalez];

Initiative for Catalonia Greens or ICV [Joan SAURA i Laporta];

Navarra yes or Na Bai [Uxue BARKOS Berruezo] (a coalition of four

Navarran parties); Popular Party or PP [Mariano RAJOY Brey];

Republican Left of Catalonia or ERC [Josep-Lluis CAROD-ROVIRA];

Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE [Jose Luis Rodriguez

ZAPATERO]; United Left or IU [Gaspar LLAMAZARES Trigo] (a coalition

of parties including the PCE and other small parties)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Association for Victims of Terrorism or AVT (grassroots organization devoted primarily to opposing ETA terrorist attacks and supporting its victims); Basta Ya (Spanish for "Enough is Enough"; grassroots organization devoted primarily to opposing ETA terrorist attacks and supporting its victims); Nunca Mais (Galician for "Never Again"; formed in response to the oil Tanker Prestige oil spill); Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union or USO; Trade Union Confederation of Workers' Commissions or CC.OO. other: business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977); university students

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic

Council (observer), Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC,

EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer),

MIGA, MINURCAT, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),

OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI

(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina,

UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Jorge DEZCALLAR de Mazarredo chancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2340 FAX: [1] (202) 833-5670 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Eduardo AGUIRRE, Jr. embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid mailing address: PSC 61, APO AE 09642 telephone: [34] (91) 587-2200 FAX: [34] (91) 587-2303 consulate(s) general: Barcelona

Flag description:

three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms is quartered to display the emblems of the traditional kingdoms of Spain (clockwise from upper left, Castile, Leon, Navarre, and Aragon) while Granada is represented by the stylized pomegranate at the bottom of the shield; the arms are framed by two columns representing the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar; the red scroll across the two columns bears the imperial motto of "Plus Ultra" (further beyond) referring to Spanish lands beyond Europe

Economy

Spain

Economy - overview:

The Spanish economy boomed from 1986 to 1990 averaging 5% annual growth. After a European-wide recession in the early 1990s, the Spanish economy resumed moderate growth starting in 1994. Spain's mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a per capita basis is equal to that of the leading West European economies. The center-right government of former President Jose Maria AZNAR successfully worked to gain admission to the first group of countries launching the European single currency (the euro) on 1 January 1999. The AZNAR administration continued to advocate liberalization, privatization, and deregulation of the economy and introduced some tax reforms to that end. Unemployment fell steadily under the AZNAR administration but remains high at 7.6%. Growth averaging more than 3% annually during 2003-07 was satisfactory given the background of a faltering European economy. The Socialist president, Jose Luis Rodriguez ZAPATERO, has made mixed progress in carrying out key structural reforms, which need to be accelerated and deepened to sustain Spain's economic growth. Despite the economy's relative solid footing significant downside risks remain including Spain's continued loss of competitiveness, the potential for a housing market collapse, the country's changing demographic profile, and a decline in EU structural funds.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.361 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$1.439 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$33,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3.6% industry: 30.2% services: 66.1% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

22.19 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 5.3% industry: 30.1% services: 64.6% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

8.3% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

19.8% (2005)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 26.6% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

32 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

31.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $588.5 billion expenditures: $556.5 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

36.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

9.89% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

NA note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi money circulating within their own borders

Stock of quasi money:

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$3.177 trillion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish

Industries:

textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism, clay and refractory products, footwear, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment

Industrial production growth rate:

3.1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

287.4 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

254.1 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

14.52 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

8.773 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 50.4% hydro: 18.2% nuclear: 27.2% other: 4.1% (2001)

Oil - production:

29,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

1.611 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

181,800 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

1.777 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

150 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

88 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

34.43 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

34.47 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

2.548 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$145.3 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$256.7 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods

Exports - partners:

France 18.8%, Germany 10.8%, Portugal 8.6%, Italy 8.5%, UK 7.6%, US 4.2% (2007)

Imports:

$380.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, measuring and medical control instruments

Imports - partners:

Germany 15.7%, France 12.7%, Italy 8.4%, China 5.8%, UK 4.8%,

Netherlands 4.6% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $3.814 billion (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$19.05 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.084 trillion (30 June 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$568.8 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$681.7 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$960 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

euro (EUR)

Currency code:

EUR

Exchange rates:

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Communications

Spain

Telephones - main lines in use:

18.583 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

48.813 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: well developed, modern facilities; fixed-line teledensity is about 45 per 100 persons domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is nearly 170 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 34; submarine cables provide connectivity to Europe, Middle East, Asia, and US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 208, FM 715, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

13.1 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

224 (plus 2,105 repeaters; includes 11 television broadcast stations and 88 repeaters in the Canary Islands) (1995)

Televisions:

16.2 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.es

Internet hosts:

3.264 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

56 (2000)

Internet users:

19.69 million (2007)

Transportation

Spain

Airports:

154 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 96 over 3,047 m: 18 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 25 under 914 m: 24 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 58 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 42 (2007)

Heliports:

8 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 7,858 km; oil 622 km; refined products 3,445 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 14,974 km broad gauge: 11,919 km 1.668-m gauge (6,950 km electrified) standard gauge: 1,099 km 1.435-m gauge (1,054 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,928 km 1.000-m gauge (815 km electrified); 28 km 0.914-m gauge (28 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 681,224 km paved: 681,224 km (includes 13,872 km of expressways) (2006)

Waterways:

1,000 km (2003)

Merchant marine:

total: 158 by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 14, chemical tanker 11, container 22, liquefied gas 11, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 47, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 15, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 26 (Canada 3, Canada 1, Denmark 2, Germany 5, Italy 2, Mexico 3, Norway 5, UK 3, UK 2) registered in other countries: 110 (Angola 1, Argentina 2, Bahamas 14, Belize 1, Brazil 9, Cape Verde 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 6, Malta 3, Marshall Islands 1, Nigeria 1, Panama 50, Portugal 11, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, UK 1, Uruguay 6, Venezuela 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Algeciras, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cartagena, Huelva, Tarragona, Valencia

Military

Spain

Military branches:

Spanish Armed Forces: Army (Ejercito de Tierra), Spanish Navy

(Armada Espanola, AE; includes Marine Corps), Spanish Air Force

(Ejercito del Aire Espanola, EdA) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

20 years of age (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 10,033,069 females age 16-49: 9,764,937 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 8,228,426 females age 16-49: 7,990,678 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 203,650 female: 191,352 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Spain

Disputes - international:

in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to remain a British colony and against a "total shared sovereignty" arrangement while demanding participation in talks between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; Morocco serves as the primary launching site of illegal migration into Spain from North Africa; Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz

Illicit drugs:

despite rigorous law enforcement efforts, North African, Latin American, Galician, and other European traffickers take advantage of Spain's long coastline to land large shipments of cocaine and hashish for distribution to the European market; consumer for Latin American cocaine and North African hashish; destination and minor transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering site for Colombian narcotics trafficking organizations and organized crime

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Spratly Islands

Introduction

Spratly Islands

Background:

The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing zone that overlaps a southern reef but has not made any formal claim.

Geography

Spratly Islands

Location:

Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the southern Philippines

Geographic coordinates:

8 38 N, 111 55 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: less than 5 sq km land: less than 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South China Sea

Area - comparative:

NA

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

926 km

Maritime claims:

NA

Climate:

tropical

Terrain:

flat

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 m

Natural resources:

fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

typhoons; numerous reefs and shoals pose a serious maritime hazard

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs

People

Spratly Islands

Population:

no indigenous inhabitants note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several claimant states

Government

Spratly Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Spratly Islands

Economy

Spratly Islands

Economy - overview:

Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored. There are no reliable estimates of potential reserves. Commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.

Transportation

Spratly Islands

Airports:

3 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Heliports:

3 (2007)

Ports and terminals:

none; offshore anchorage only

Military

Spratly Islands

Military - note:

Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam

Transnational Issues

Spratly Islands

Disputes - international:

all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands but has not publicly claimed the reef; claimants in November 2002 signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," which has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct"; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Sri Lanka

Introduction

Sri Lanka

Background:

The first Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C. probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty established a Tamil kingdom in northern Sri Lanka. The coastal areas of the island were controlled by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century. The island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. Tens of thousands have died in the ethnic conflict that continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) formalized a cease-fire in February 2002 with Norway brokering peace negotiations. Violence between the LTTE and government forces intensified in 2006 and the government regained control of the Eastern Province in 2007. In January 2008, the government officially withdrew from the ceasefire, and has begun engaging the LTTE in the northern portion of the country.

Geography

Sri Lanka

Location:

Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India

Geographic coordinates:

7 00 N, 81 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 65,610 sq km land: 64,740 sq km water: 870 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

1,340 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)

Terrain:

mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m

Natural resources:

limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 13.96% permanent crops: 15.24% other: 70.8% (2005)

Irrigated land:

7,430 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

50 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 12.61 cu km/yr (2%/2%/95%) per capita: 608 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

occasional cyclones and tornadoes

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes

People

Sri Lanka

Population:

21,128,772 note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the island and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 24.1% (male 2,596,463/female 2,495,136) 15-64 years: 68% (male 7,019,446/female 7,340,809) 65 years and over: 7.9% (male 783,823/female 893,096) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 30.4 years male: 29.5 years female: 31.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.943% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

16.63 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.07 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-1.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 19.01 deaths/1,000 live births male: 20.76 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 74.97 years male: 72.95 years female: 77.08 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.02 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

3,500 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Sri Lankan(s) adjective: Sri Lankan

Ethnic groups:

Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)

Religions:

Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)

Languages:

Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8% note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90.7% male: 92.3% female: 89.1% (2001 census)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Sri Lanka

Country name:

conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka conventional short form: Sri Lanka local long form: Shri Lamka Prajatantrika Samajaya di Janarajaya/Ilankai Jananayaka Choshalichak Kutiyarachu local short form: Shri Lamka/Ilankai former: Serendib, Ceylon

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Colombo geographic coordinates: 6 56 N, 79 51 E time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital)

Administrative divisions:

8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western note: in October 2006, a Sri Lankan Supreme Court ruling voided a presidential directive merging the North and Eastern Provinces; many have defended the merger as a prerequisite for a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict; a parliamentary decision on the issue is pending

Independence:

4 February 1948 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 4 February (1948)

Constitution:

adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978

Legal system:

a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Kandyan, and Jaffna Tamil law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; Ratnasiri WICKREMANAYAKE (since 21 November 2005) holds the largely ceremonial title of prime minister head of government: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November 2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 17 November 2005 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Mahinda RAJAPAKSA elected president; percent of vote - Mahinda RAJAPAKSA 50.3%, Ranil WICKREMESINGHE 48.4%, other 1.3%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of an open-list, proportional representation system by electoral district to serve six-year terms) elections: last held on 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010) election results: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance - SLFP and JVP (no longer in formal UPFA alliance) 45.6%, UNP 37.8%, TNA 6.8%, JHU 6%, SLMC 2%, UPF 0.5%, EPDP 0.3%, other 1%; seats by party - UNP 68, SLFP 57, JVP 39, TNA 22, CWC 8, JHU 7, SLMC 6, SLMC dissidents 4, Communist Party 2, JHU dissidents 2, LSSP 2, MEP 2, NUA 2, UPF 2, EPDP 1, UNP dissident 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are appointed by the president

Political parties and leaders:

All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [G.PONNAMBALAM]; Ceylon Workers

Congress or CWC [Arumugam THONDAMAN]; Communist Party or CP [D.

GUNASEKERA]; Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP [Douglas

DEVANANDA]; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front or EPRLF

[Suresh PREMACHANDRAN]; Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or JVP [Somawansa

AMARASINGHE]; Lanka Sama Samaja Party or LSSP [Tissa VITHARANA];

Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (People's United Front) or MEP [D.

GUNAWARDENE]; National Heritage Party or JHU [Ellawala METHANANDA];

National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial ASHRAFF]; People's Liberation

Organization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [D. SIDHARTHAN]; Sri Lanka

Freedom Party or SLFP [Mahinda RAJAPAKSA]; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress

or SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM]; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO

[Selvam ADAIKALANATHAN]; Tamil National Alliance or TNA [R.

SAMPANTHAN]; Tamil United Liberation Front or TULF [V.

ANANDASANGAREE]; United National Party or UNP [Ranil

WICKREMASINGHE]; Up-country People's Front or UPF [P. CHANDRASEKARAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE [Velupillai PRABHAKARAN](insurgent group fighting for a separate state); Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) or Karuna Faction [Vinayagamurthi MURALITHARAN] (paramilitary breakaway from LTTE and fighting LTTE) other: Buddhist clergy; labor unions; radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the National Movement Against Terrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups

International organization participation:

ADB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC,

NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Jaliya WICKRAMASURIYA chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4025 (through 4028) FAX: [1] (202) 232-7181 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert O. BLAKE, Jr. embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3 mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo telephone: [94] (11) 249-8500 FAX: [94] (11) 243-7345

Flag description:

yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border around the entire flag and extends between the two panels

Economy

Sri Lanka

Economy - overview:

In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import substitution trade policy for more market-oriented policies, export-oriented trade, and encouragement of foreign investment. Recent changes in government, however, have brought some policy reversals. Currently, the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party has a more statist economic approach, which seeks to reduce poverty by steering investment to disadvantaged areas, developing small and medium enterprises, promoting agriculture, and expanding the already enormous civil service. The government has halted privatizations. Although suffering a brutal civil war that began in 1983, Sri Lanka saw GDP growth average 4.5% in the last 10 years with the exception of a recession in 2001. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took about 31,000 lives, left more than 6,300 missing and 443,000 displaced, and destroyed an estimated $1.5 billion worth of property. Government spending and reconstruction drove growth to more than 7% in 2006 but reduced agriculture output probably slowed growth to about 6 percent in 2007. Government spending and loose monetary policy drove inflation to nearly 16% in 2007. Sri Lanka's most dynamic sectors now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, port construction, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. In 2006, plantation crops made up only about 15% of exports (compared with more than 90% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for more than 60%. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work abroad, 90% of them in the Middle East. They send home more than $1 billion a year. The struggle by the Tamil Tigers of the north and east for an independent homeland continues to cast a shadow over the economy.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$82.02 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$30.01 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$4,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 11.7% industry: 29.9% services: 58.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

7.489 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 34.3% industry: 25.3% services: 40.4% (30 June 2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

6% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

22% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.1% highest 10%: 39.7% (FY03/04)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

50 (FY03/04)

Investment (gross fixed):

24.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $5.384 billion expenditures: $7.608 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

85.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

15.8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

15% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

17.08% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$2.465 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$10.46 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$14.82 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef; fish

Industries:

processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking; clothing, textiles; cement, petroleum refining

Industrial production growth rate:

7.6% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

8.317 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

6.884 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 51.7% hydro: 48.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:

86,030 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

291.9 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

87,090 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$1.019 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$8.135 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

textiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish

Exports - partners:

US 25.5%, UK 13.2%, India 6.7%, Germany 5.7%, Italy 5.1% (2007)

Imports:

$10.36 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment

Imports - partners:

India 23.1%, Singapore 9.9%, China 8.2%, Iran 7.5%, Hong Kong 6.4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.189 billion (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$3.644 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$12.2 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$7.769 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)

Currency code:

LKR

Exchange rates:

Sri Lankan rupees (LKR) per US dollar - 110.78 (2007), 103.99 (2006), 100.498 (2005), 101.194 (2004), 96.521 (2003)

Communications

Sri Lanka

Telephones - main lines in use:

2.742 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

7.983 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: telephone services have improved significantly and are available in most parts of the country domestic: national trunk network consists mostly of digital microwave radio relay; fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo area and fixed wireless local loops have been installed; competition is strong in mobile cellular systems and mobile cellular subscribership is increasing; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 50 per 100 persons international: country code - 94; the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cables provide connectivity to Asia, Australia, Middle East, Europe, US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 15, FM 52, shortwave 4 (2007)

Radios:

3.85 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

14 (2006)

Televisions:

1.53 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.lk

Internet hosts:

4,940 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

5 (2000)

Internet users:

771,700 (2007)

Transportation

Sri Lanka

Airports:

18 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 14 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Railways:

total: 1,449 km broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 97,286 km paved: 78,802 km unpaved: 18,484 km (2003)

Waterways:

160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 26 by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 18, chemical tanker 1, container 1, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 5 (Germany 5) registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Colombo

Military

Sri Lanka

Military branches:

Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Air Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,458,720 females age 16-49: 5,594,006 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 4,477,437 females age 16-49: 4,683,716 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 174,065 female: 168,593 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.6% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Sri Lanka

Disputes - international:

none

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 460,000 (both Tamils and non-Tamils displaced due to long-term civil war between the government and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Sri Lanka is a source and destination country for men and women trafficked for the purposes of involuntary servitude and commercial sexual exploitation; Sri Lankan men and women migrate willingly to the Persian Gulf, Middle East, and East Asia to work as construction workers, domestic servants, or garment factory workers, where some find themselves in situations of involuntary servitude when faced with restrictions on movement, withholding of passports, threats, physical or sexual abuse, and debt bondage; children are trafficked internally for commercial sexual exploitation and, less frequently, for forced labor tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, Sri Lanka is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of human trafficking, particularly in the area of law enforcement; the government failed to arrest, prosecute, or convict any person for trafficking offenses and continued to punish some victims of trafficking for crimes committed as a result of being trafficked; Sri Lanka has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Sudan

Introduction

Sudan

Background:

Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since independence from the UK in 1956. Sudan was embroiled in two prolonged civil wars during most of the remainder of the 20th century. These conflicts were rooted in northern economic, political, and social domination of largely non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. The first civil war ended in 1972 but broke out again in 1983. The second war and famine-related effects resulted in more than four million people displaced and, according to rebel estimates, more than two million deaths over a period of two decades. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-04 with the signing of several accords. The final North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in January 2005, granted the southern rebels autonomy for six years. After which, a referendum for independence is scheduled to be held. A separate conflict, which broke out in the western region of Darfur in 2003, has displaced nearly two million people and caused an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 deaths. The UN took command of the Darfur peacekeeping operation from the African Union on 31 December 2007. As of early 2008, peacekeeping troops were struggling to stabilize the situation, which has become increasingly regional in scope, and has brought instability to eastern Chad, and Sudanese incursions into the Central African Republic. Sudan also has faced large refugee influxes from neighboring countries, primarily Ethiopia and Chad. Armed conflict, poor transport infrastructure, and lack of government support have chronically obstructed the provision of humanitarian assistance to affected populations.

Geography

Sudan

Location:

Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea

Geographic coordinates:

15 00 N, 30 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 2,505,810 sq km land: 2.376 million sq km water: 129,810 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US

Land boundaries:

total: 7,687 km border countries: Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 628 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Eritrea 605 km, Ethiopia 1,606 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 km

Coastline:

853 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies by region (April to November)

Terrain:

generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south, northeast and west; desert dominates the north

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Red Sea 0 m highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m

Natural resources:

petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 6.78% permanent crops: 0.17% other: 93.05% (2005)

Irrigated land:

18,630 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

154 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 37.32 cu km/yr (3%/1%/97%) per capita: 1,030 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

dust storms and periodic persistent droughts

Environment - current issues:

inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification; periodic drought

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries

People

Sudan

Population:

40,218,456 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 41.1% (male 8,451,576/female 8,093,609) 15-64 years: 56.4% (male 11,407,233/female 11,275,685) 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 518,822/female 471,530) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.9 years male: 18.7 years female: 19.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.134% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

34.31 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

13.64 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 86.98 deaths/1,000 live births male: 87.09 deaths/1,000 live births female: 86.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 50.28 years male: 49.38 years female: 51.23 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.58 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

2.3% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

400,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

23,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Sudanese (singular and plural) adjective: Sudanese

Ethnic groups:

black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%

Religions:

Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), Christian 5% (mostly in south and

Khartoum), indigenous beliefs 25%

Languages:

Arabic (official), English (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages note: program of "Arabization" in process

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 61.1% male: 71.8% female: 50.5% (2003 est.)

Education expenditures:

6% of GDP (1991)

Government

Sudan

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of the Sudan conventional short form: Sudan local long form: Jumhuriyat as-Sudan local short form: As-Sudan former: Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

Government type:

Government of National Unity (GNU) - the National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) formed a power-sharing government under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA); the NCP, which came to power by military coup in 1989, is the majority partner; the agreement stipulates national elections in 2009

Capital:

name: Khartoum geographic coordinates: 15 36 N, 32 32 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

25 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); A'ali an Nil (Upper Nile),

Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Buhayrat (Lakes), Al Jazirah (El

Gezira), Al Khartum (Khartoum), Al Qadarif (Gedaref), Al Wahdah

(Unity), An Nil al Abyad (White Nile), An Nil al Azraq (Blue Nile),

Ash Shamaliyah (Northern), Bahr al Jabal (Bahr al Jabal), Gharb al

Istiwa'iyah (Western Equatoria), Gharb Bahr al Ghazal (Western Bahr

al Ghazal), Gharb Darfur (Western Darfur), Janub Darfur (Southern

Darfur), Janub Kurdufan (Southern Kordofan), Junqali (Jonglei),

Kassala (Kassala), Nahr an Nil (Nile), Shamal Bahr al Ghazal

(Northern Bahr al Ghazal), Shamal Darfur (Northern Darfur), Shamal

Kurdufan (Northern Kordofan), Sharq al Istiwa'iyah (Eastern

Equatoria), Sinnar (Sinnar), Warab (Warab)

Independence:

1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 1 January (1956)

Constitution:

constitution implemented on 30 June 1998, partially suspended 12 December 1999 by President BASHIR; under the CPA, Interim National Constitution ratified 5 July 2005; Constitution of Southern Sudan signed December 2005

Legal system:

based on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20 January 1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic law in the northern states; Islamic law applies to all residents of the northern states regardless of their religion; however, the CPA establishes some protections for non-Muslims in Khartoum; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; the southern legal system is still developing under the CPA following the civil war; Islamic law will not apply to the southern states

Suffrage:

17 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August 2005), Vice President Ali Osman TAHA (since 20 September 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August 2005), Vice President Ali Osman TAHA (since 20 September 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - the National Congress Party or NCP (formerly the National Islamic Front or NIF) dominates al-BASHIR's cabinet elections: election last held 13-23 December 2000; next to be held no later than July 2009 under terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement election results: Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR reelected president; percent of vote - Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR 86.5%, Ja'afar Muhammed NUMAYRI 9.6%, three other candidates received a combined vote of 3.9%; election widely viewed as rigged; all popular opposition parties boycotted elections because of a lack of guarantees for a free and fair election note: al-BASHIR assumed power as chairman of Sudan's Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCC) in June 1989 and served concurrently as chief of state, chairman of the RCC, prime minister, and minister of defense until mid-October 1993 when he was appointed president by the RCC; he was elected president by popular vote for the first time in March 1996

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Legislature consists of a Council of States (50 seats; members indirectly elected by state legislatures to serve six-year terms) and a National Assembly (450 seats; members presently appointed, but in the future 75% of members to be directly elected and 25% elected in special or indirect elections; to serve six-year terms) elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held 2009) election results: NCP 355, others 5; note - replaced by appointments under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement

Judicial branch:

Constitutional Court of nine justices; National Supreme Court;

National Courts of Appeal; other national courts; National Judicial

Service Commission will undertake overall management of the National

Judiciary

Political parties and leaders:

National Congress Party or NCP [Umar Hassan al-BASHIR]; Sudan People's Liberation Movement or SPLM [Salva Mayardit KIIR]; and elements of the National Democratic Alliance or NDA including factions of the Democratic Union Party [Muhammad Uthman al-MIRGHANI] and Umma Party [SADIQ Siddiq al-Mahdi]; note - all political parties listed above in the Government of National Unity

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Umma Party [Sadiq al-MAHDI]; Popular Congress Party or PCP [Hassan al-TURABI]

International organization participation:

ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,

IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS,

MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO,

UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Akec KHOC Aciew Khoc chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565 FAX: [1] (202) 667-2406

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Alberto M. FERNANDEZ embassy: Sharia Ali Abdul Latif Street, Khartoum mailing address: P. O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829 telephone: [249] (183) 774701/2/3 FAX: [249] (183) 774137

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side

Economy

Sudan

Economy - overview:

Sudan's economy is booming on the back of increases in oil production, high oil prices, and large inflows of foreign direct investment. GDP growth registered more than 10% per year in 2006 and 2007. From 1997 to date, Sudan has been working with the IMF to implement macroeconomic reforms, including a managed float of the exchange rate. Sudan began exporting crude oil in the last quarter of 1999. Agricultural production remains important, because it employs 80% of the work force and contributes a third of GDP. The Darfur conflict, the aftermath of two decades of civil war in the south, the lack of basic infrastructure in large areas, and a reliance by much of the population on subsistence agriculture ensure much of the population will remain at or below the poverty line for years despite rapid rises in average per capita income. In January 2007, the government introduced a new currency, the Sudanese Pound, at an initial exchange rate of $1.00 equals 2 Sudanese Pounds.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$80.98 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$46.16 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

10.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 32% industry: 32.8% services: 35.2% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

7.415 million (1996 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 80% industry: 7% services: 13% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate:

18.7% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:

40% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

19% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $9.201 billion expenditures: $10.62 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

105.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8% (2007 est.)

Stock of money:

$5.549 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$4.068 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$8.659 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock

Industries:

oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals, armaments, automobile/light truck assembly

Industrial production growth rate:

22% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

4.037 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

3.398 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 52.1% hydro: 47.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

466,100 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

79,760 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

282,100 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

7,558 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

5 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

84.95 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$3.447 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$8.879 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock, groundnuts, gum arabic, sugar

Exports - partners:

China 82.1%, Japan 8.4%, UAE 2.5% (2007)

Imports:

$7.722 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat

Imports - partners:

China 27.9%, Saudi Arabia 7.5%, India 6.3%, Egypt 5.6%, UAE 5.5%,

Japan 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.829 billion (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.378 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$29.42 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Sudanese pounds (SDG)

Currency code:

SDD

Exchange rates:

Sudanese pounds (SDG) per US dollar - 2.06 (2007), 2.172 (2006), 2.4361 (2005), 2.5791 (2004), 2.6098 (2003) note: in October 2007 Sudan redenominated its currency by transforming 100 units of Sudanese dinar into one unit of Sudanese pound

Communications

Sudan

Telephones - main lines in use:

345,200 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

7.464 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: well-equipped system by regional standards and being upgraded; cellular communications started in 1996 and have expanded substantially domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: country code - 249; linked to international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Arabsat (2000)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

7.55 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (1997)

Televisions:

2.38 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.sd

Internet hosts:

33 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2002)

Internet users:

1.5 million (2007)

Transportation

Sudan

Airports:

101 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 16 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 85 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20 914 to 1,523 m: 37 under 914 m: 27 (2007)

Heliports:

4 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 156 km; oil 4,070 km; refined products 1,613 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 5,978 km narrow gauge: 4,578 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km 0.600-m gauge for cotton plantations (2006)

Roadways:

total: 11,900 km paved: 4,320 km unpaved: 7,580 km (2000)

Waterways:

4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 3 by type: cargo 2, carrier 1 (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Port Sudan

Military

Sudan

Military branches:

Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF): Land Forces, Navy, Air Force, Popular Defense Forces; Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA): Land Forces (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 9,639,923 females age 16-49: 9,321,106 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,586,468 females age 16-49: 5,678,427 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 488,679 female: 469,547 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Sudan

Disputes - international:

the effects of Sudan's almost constant ethnic and rebel militia fighting since the mid-20th century have penetrated all of the neighboring states; as of 2006, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda provided shelter for over half a million Sudanese refugees, which includes 240,000 Darfur residents driven from their homes by Janjawid armed militia and the Sudanese military forces; Sudan, in turn, hosted about 116,000 Eritreans, 20,000 Chadians, and smaller numbers of Ethiopians, Ugandans, Central Africans, and Congolese as refugees; in February 2006, Sudan and DROC signed an agreement to repatriate 13,300 Sudanese and 6,800 Congolese; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia proceed slowly due to civil and ethnic fighting in eastern Sudan; the boundary that separates Kenya and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi Triangle," which Kenya has administered since colonial times; while Sudan claims to administer the Hala'ib Triangle north of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel; both states withdrew their military presence in the 1990s, and Egypt has invested in and effectively administers the area; periodic violent skirmishes with Sudanese residents over water and grazing rights persist among related pastoral populations along the border with the Central African Republic

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 157,220 (Eritrea); 25,023 (Chad); 11,009 (Ethiopia); 7,895 (Uganda); 5,023 (Central African Republic) IDPs: 5.3 - 6.2 million (civil war 1983-2005; ongoing conflict in Darfur region) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Sudan is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked internally for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; Sudan is also a transit and destination country for Ethiopian women trafficked abroad for domestic servitude; Sudanese women and girls are trafficked within the country, as well as possibly to Middle Eastern countries for domestic servitude; the terrorist rebel organization, Lord's Resistance Army, continues to harbor small numbers of Sudanese and Ugandan children in the southern part of the country for use as cooks, porters, and combatants; some of these children are also trafficked across borders into Uganda or the Democratic Republic of the Congo; militia groups in Darfur, some of which are linked to the government, abduct women for short periods of forced labor and to perpetrate sexual violence; during the two decades-long north-south civil war, thousands of Dinka women and children were abducted and subsequently enslaved by members of the Missiriya and Rezeigat tribes; while there have been no known new abductions of Dinka by members of Baggara tribes in the last few years, inter-tribal abductions continue in southern Sudan tier rating: Tier 3 - Sudan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; combating human trafficking through law enforcement or prevention measures was not a priority for the government in 2007 (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Suriname

Introduction

Suriname

Background:

First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and then settled by the English in the mid-17th century, Suriname became a Dutch colony in 1667. With the abolition of slavery in 1863, workers were brought in from India and Java. Independence from the Netherlands was granted in 1975. Five years later the civilian government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared a socialist republic. It continued to exert control through a succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In 1990, the military overthrew the civilian leadership, but a democratically elected government - a four-party New Front coalition - returned to power in 1991 and has ruled since; the coalition expanded to eight parties in 2005.

Geography

Suriname

Location:

Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between

French Guiana and Guyana

Geographic coordinates:

4 00 N, 56 00 W

Map references:

South America

Area:

total: 163,270 sq km land: 161,470 sq km water: 1,800 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Georgia

Land boundaries:

total: 1,703 km border countries: Brazil 593 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km

Coastline:

386 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; moderated by trade winds

Terrain:

mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m highest point: Juliana Top 1,230 m

Natural resources:

timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore

Land use:

arable land: 0.36% permanent crops: 0.06% other: 99.58% (2005)

Irrigated land:

510 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

122 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.67 cu km/yr (4%/3%/93%) per capita: 1,489 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

deforestation as timber is cut for export; pollution of inland waterways by small-scale mining activities

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

smallest independent country on South American continent; mostly tropical rain forest; great diversity of flora and fauna that, for the most part, is increasingly threatened by new development; relatively small population, mostly along the coast

People

Suriname

Population:

475,996 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 27.5% (male 66,695/female 64,356) 15-64 years: 66.2% (male 156,961/female 158,234) 65 years and over: 6.3% (male 12,868/female 16,882) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 27.5 years male: 27.1 years female: 27.9 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.099% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

17.02 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.51 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 19.45 deaths/1,000 live births male: 22.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.48 years male: 70.76 years female: 76.39 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.01 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.7% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

5,200 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: dengue fever, Mayaro virus, and malaria water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Surinamer(s) adjective: Surinamese

Ethnic groups:

Hindustani (also known locally as "East Indians"; their ancestors emigrated from northern India in the latter part of the 19th century) 37%, Creole (mixed white and black) 31%, Javanese 15%, "Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior) 10%, Amerindian 2%, Chinese 2%, white 1%, other 2%

Religions:

Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian), Roman

Catholic 22.8%, Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5%

Languages:

Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo

(Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of

Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca

among others), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89.6% male: 92% female: 87.2% (2004 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 11 years female: 13 years (2002)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Suriname

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Suriname conventional short form: Suriname local long form: Republiek Suriname local short form: Suriname former: Netherlands Guiana, Dutch Guiana

Government type:

constitutional democracy

Capital:

name: Paramaribo geographic coordinates: 5 50 N, 55 10 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

10 districts (distrikten, singular - distrikt); Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica

Independence:

25 November 1975 (from the Netherlands)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 25 November (1975)

Constitution:

ratified 30 September 1987; effective 30 October 1987

Legal system:

based on Dutch legal system incorporating French penal theory; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN (since 12 August 2000); Vice President Ramdien SARDJOE (since 3 August 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN (since 12 August 2000); Vice President Ram SARDJOE (since 3 August 2005) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected by the National Assembly or, if no presidential or vice presidential candidate receives a two-thirds constitutional majority in the National Assembly after two votes, by a simple majority in the larger United People's Assembly (893 representatives from the national, local, and regional councils), for five-year terms (no term limits); election last held on 25 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN reelected president; percent of vote - Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN 62.9%, Rabin PARMESSAR 35.4%, other 1.7%; note - after two votes in the parliament failed to secure a two-thirds majority for a candidate, the vote then went to a special session of the United People's Assembly on 3 August 2005

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Nationale Assemblee (51 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 25 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NF 39.7%, NDP 22.2%, VVV 13.8%, A-Com 7.2%, A-1 5.9%, other 11.2%; seats by party - NF 23, NDP 15, VVV 5, A-Com 5, A-1 3

Judicial branch:

Cantonal Courts and a Court of Justice as an appellate court (justices are nominated for life)

Political parties and leaders:

Alternative-1 or A-1 (a coalition of Amazone Party of Suriname or

APS [Kenneth VAN GENDEREN], Democrats of the 21st Century or D-21

[Soewarto MOESTADJA], Nieuw Suriname or NS [Radjen Nanan PANDAY],

Political Wing of the FAL or PVF [Jiwan SITAL], Trefpunt 2000 or

T-2000 [Arti JESSURUN]); General Interior Development Party or ABOP

[Ronnie BRUNSWIJK]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Desire

BOUTERSE]; New Front for Democracy and Development or NF (a

coalition that includes A-Combination or A-Com, Democratic

Alternative 1991 or DA-91, an independent, business-oriented party

[Winston JESSURUN], National Party Suriname or NPS [Ronald

VENETIAAN], United Reform Party or VHP [Ramdien SARDJOE], Pertjaja

Luhur or PL [Salam Paul SOMOHARDJO], Surinamese Labor Party or SPA

[Siegfried GILDS]); Party for Democracy and Development in Unity or

DOE [Marten SCHALKWIJK]; People's Alliance for Progress or VVV (a

coalition of Democratic National Platform 2000 or DNP-2000 [Jules

WIJDENBOSCH], Grassroots Party for Renewal and Democracy or BVD

[Tjan GOBARDHAN], Party for National Unity and Solidarity of the

Highest Order or KTPI [Willy SOEMITA], Party for Progression,

Justice, and Perseverance or PPRS [Renee KAIMAN], Pendawalima or PL

[Raymond SAPOEN]); Progressive Laborers and Farmers Union or PALU

[Jim HOK]; Progressive Political Party or PPP [Surinder MUNGRA];

Seeka [Paul ABENA]; Union of Progressive Surinamers or UPS [Sheoradj

PANDAY]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Association of Indigenous Village Chiefs [Ricardo PANE]; Association of Saramaccan Authorities or Maroon [Head Captain WASE]; Women's Parliament Forum or PVF [Iris GILLIAD]

International organization participation:

ACP, Caricom, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDB, IFAD,

IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO

(subscriber), ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW,

PCA, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Jacques Ruben Constantijn KROSS chancery: Suite 460, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 244-7488 FAX: [1] (202) 244-5878 consulate(s) general: Miami

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Lisa Bobbie SCHREIBER HUGHES embassy: Dr. Sophie Redmondstraat 129, Paramaribo mailing address: US Department of State, PO Box 1821, Paramaribo telephone: [597] 472-900 FAX: [597] 410-025

Flag description:

five horizontal bands of green (top, double width), white, red (quadruple width), white, and green (double width); there is a large, yellow, five-pointed star centered in the red band

Economy

Suriname

Economy - overview:

The economy is dominated by the mining industry, with exports of alumina, gold, and oil accounting for about 85% of exports and 25% of government revenues, making the economy highly vulnerable to mineral price volatility. The short-term economic outlook depends on the government's ability to control inflation and on the development of projects in the bauxite and gold mining sectors. Suriname has received aid for these projects from Netherlands, Belgium, and the European Development Fund. Suriname's economic prospects for the medium term will depend on continued commitment to responsible monetary and fiscal policies and to the introduction of structural reforms to liberalize markets and promote competition. In 2000, the government of Ronald VENETIAAN, returned to office and inherited an economy with inflation of over 100% and a growing fiscal deficit. He quickly implemented an austerity program, raised taxes, attempted to control spending, and tamed inflation. These economic policies are likely to remain in effect during VENETIAAN's third term. Prospects for local onshore oil production are good as a drilling program is underway. Offshore oil drilling was given a boost in 2004 when the State Oil Company (Staatsolie) signed exploration agreements with Repsol, Maersk, and Occidental. Bidding on these new offshore blocks was completed in July 2006.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$3.846 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$2.404 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$8,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 10.8% industry: 24.4% services: 64.8% (2005 est.)

Labor force:

156,700 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 8% industry: 14% services: 78% (2004)

Unemployment rate:

9.5% (2004)

Population below poverty line:

70% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $392.6 million expenditures: $425.9 million (2004)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6.4% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

13.77% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$416.6 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$824.4 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$651 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

paddy rice, bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains, peanuts; beef, chickens; shrimp; forest products

Industries:

bauxite and gold mining, alumina production; oil, lumbering, food processing, fishing

Industrial production growth rate:

6.5% (1994 est.)

Electricity - production:

1.595 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

1.457 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 25.2% hydro: 74.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

13,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

12,370 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

2,899 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

6,369 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

88 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$24 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.391 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:

alumina, gold, crude oil, lumber, shrimp and fish, rice, bananas

Exports - partners:

Canada 26.8%, Norway 20.2%, Belgium 9.2%, US 8.9%, UAE 7.9%, France 7.2% (2007)

Imports:

$1.297 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:

capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer goods

Imports - partners:

US 27%, Netherlands 17.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.3%, China 5.9%,

Japan 5.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$43.97 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$263.3 million (2006)

Debt - external:

$504.3 million (2005 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Surinam dollar (SRD)

Currency code:

SRG

Exchange rates:

Surinamese dollars (SRD) per US dollar - 2.745 (2007), 2.745 (2006), 2.7317 (2005), 2.7336 (2004), 2.6013 (2003) note: in January 2004, the government replaced the guilder with the Surinamese dollar, tied to a US dollar-dominated currency basket

Communications

Suriname

Telephones - main lines in use:

81,500 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

320,000 (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: international facilities are good domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity about 90 telephones per 100 persons; microwave radio relay network international: country code - 597; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 4, FM 13, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

300,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (plus 7 repeaters) (2000)

Televisions:

63,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.sr

Internet hosts:

33 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

44,000 (2007)

Transportation

Suriname

Airports:

50 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 45 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 40 (2007)

Pipelines:

oil 50 km (2007)

Roadways:

total: 4,304 km paved: 1,130 km unpaved: 3,174 km (2003)

Waterways:

1,200 km (most navigable by ships with drafts up to 7 m) (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 1 by type: cargo 1 (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Paramaribo, Wageningen

Military

Suriname

Military branches:

National Army (Nationaal Leger, NL; includes Naval Wing, Air Wing) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age (est.); recruitment is voluntary, with personnel drawn almost exclusively from the Creole community (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 130,534 females age 16-49: 130,243 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 105,770 females age 16-49: 109,666 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 4,329 female: 4,350 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Suriname

Disputes - international:

area claimed by French Guiana between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa); Suriname claims a triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) arbitration to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters

Illicit drugs:

growing transshipment point for South American drugs destined for Europe via the Netherlands and Brazil; transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Svalbard

Introduction

Svalbard

Background:

First discovered by the Norwegians in the 12th century, the islands served as an international whaling base during the 17th and 18th centuries. Norway's sovereignty was recognized in 1920; five years later it officially took over the territory.

Geography

Svalbard

Location:

Northern Europe, islands between the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea,

Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea, north of Norway

Geographic coordinates:

78 00 N, 20 00 E

Map references:

Arctic Region

Area:

total: 61,020 sq km land: 61,020 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island)

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

3,587 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 4 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm unilaterally claimed by Norway but not recognized by Russia

Climate:

arctic, tempered by warm North Atlantic Current; cool summers, cold winters; North Atlantic Current flows along west and north coasts of Spitsbergen, keeping water open and navigable most of the year

Terrain:

wild, rugged mountains; much of high land ice covered; west coast clear of ice about one-half of the year; fjords along west and north coasts

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Arctic Ocean 0 m highest point: Newtontoppen 1,717 m

Natural resources:

coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, phosphate, wildlife, fish

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (no trees; the only bushes are crowberry and cloudberry) (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

ice floes often block the entrance to Bellsund (a transit point for coal export) on the west coast and occasionally make parts of the northeastern coast inaccessible to maritime traffic

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

northernmost part of the Kingdom of Norway; consists of nine main islands; glaciers and snowfields cover 60% of the total area; Spitsbergen Island is the site of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a seed repository established by the Global Crop Diversity Trust and the Norwegian Government

People

Svalbard

Population:

2,165 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA

Population growth rate:

-0.023% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Death rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

NA

Infant mortality rate:

total: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

NA (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0% (2001)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

0 (2001)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

0 (2001)

Ethnic groups:

Norwegian 55.4%, Russian and Ukrainian 44.3%, other 0.3% (1998)

Languages:

Norwegian, Russian

Literacy:

NA

Government

Svalbard

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Svalbard (sometimes referred to as Spitzbergen)

Dependency status:

territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice, through a governor (sysselmann) residing in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen; by treaty (9 February 1920) sovereignty was awarded to Norway

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Longyearbyen geographic coordinates: 78 13 N, 15 33 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Independence:

none (territory of Norway)

Legal system:

the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply

Executive branch:

chief of state: King HARALD V of Norway (since 17 January 1991) head of government: Governor Per SEFLAND (since 1 October 2005); Assistant Governor Rune Baard HANSEN (since 2003) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor and assistant governor responsible to the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

none

Flag description:

the flag of Norway is used

Economy

Svalbard

Economy - overview:

Coal mining is the major economic activity on Svalbard. The treaty of 9 February 1920 gave the 41 signatories equal rights to exploit mineral deposits, subject to Norwegian regulation. Although US, UK, Dutch, and Swedish coal companies have mined in the past, the only companies still mining are Norwegian and Russian. The settlements on Svalbard are essentially company towns. The Norwegian state-owned coal company employs nearly 60% of the Norwegian population on the island, runs many of the local services, and provides most of the local infrastructure. There is also some hunting of seal, reindeer, and fox.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

NA%

Labor force:

NA

Budget:

revenues: $25.07 million expenditures: $NA (2004 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 57.9984% hydro: 42.0016% nuclear: 0% other: 0%

Exports:

$197.6 million (2004)

Imports:

$NA

Economic aid - recipient:

$8.2 million from Norway (1998)

Currency (code):

Norwegian krone (NOK)

Currency code:

NOK

Exchange rates:

Norwegian kroner (NOK) per US dollar - 5.8396 (2007), 6.4117 (2006), 6.4425 (2005), 6.7408 (2004), 7.0802 (2003)

Communications

Svalbard

Telephones - main lines in use:

NA

Telephone system:

general assessment: probably adequate domestic: local telephone service international: country code - 47-790; satellite earth station - 1 of unknown type (for communication with Norwegian mainland only)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 1 (plus 2 repeaters), shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

NA

Television broadcast stations:

NA

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.sj

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

13 (Svalbard and Jan Mayen) (2000)

Internet users:

NA

Transportation

Svalbard

Airports:

4 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Barentsburg, Longyearbyen, Ny-Alesund, Pyramiden

Military

Svalbard

Military branches:

no regular military forces

Military - note:

Svalbard is a territory of Norway, demilitarized by treaty on 9

February 1920

Transnational Issues

Svalbard

Disputes - international:

despite recent discussions, Russia and Norway dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Swaziland

Introduction

Swaziland

Background:

Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured King MSWATI III, the world's last absolute monarch, to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy, although he has backslid on these promises in recent years. A constitution came into effect in 2006, but political parties remain banned. The African United Democratic Party tried unsuccessfully to register as an official political party in mid 2006. Talks over the constitution broke down between the government and progressive groups in 2007. Swaziland recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.

Geography

Swaziland

Location:

Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa

Geographic coordinates:

26 30 S, 31 30 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 17,363 sq km land: 17,203 sq km water: 160 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries:

total: 535 km border countries: Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

varies from tropical to near temperate

Terrain:

mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Great Usutu River 21 m highest point: Emlembe 1,862 m

Natural resources:

asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc

Land use:

arable land: 10.25% permanent crops: 0.81% other: 88.94% (2005)

Irrigated land:

500 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

4.5 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.04 cu km/yr (2%/1%/97%) per capita: 1,010 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

drought

Environment - current issues:

limited supplies of potable water; wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa

People

Swaziland

Population:

1,128,814 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 39.9% (male 226,947/female 222,922) 15-64 years: 56.5% (male 306,560/female 331,406) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 15,594/female 25,385) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.7 years male: 18 years female: 19.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.41% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

26.6 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

30.7 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 69.59 deaths/1,000 live births male: 72.87 deaths/1,000 live births female: 66.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 31.99 years male: 31.69 years female: 32.3 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.34 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

38.8% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

220,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

17,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Swazi(s) adjective: Swazi

Ethnic groups:

African 97%, European 3%

Religions:

Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship), Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, other (includes Anglican, Bahai, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish) 30%

Languages:

English (official, government business conducted in English), siSwati (official)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 81.6% male: 82.6% female: 80.8% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 10 years female: 10 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

7% of GDP (2005)

Government

Swaziland

Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Swaziland conventional short form: Swaziland local long form: Umbuso weSwatini local short form: eSwatini

Government type:

monarchy

Capital:

name: Mbabane geographic coordinates: 26 18 S, 31 06 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Lobamba (royal and legislative capital)

Administrative divisions:

4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni

Independence:

6 September 1968 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 6 September (1968)

Constitution:

signed by the King in July 2005 went into effect on 8 February 2006

Legal system:

based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age

Executive branch:

chief of state: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986) head of government: Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso DLAMINI (since 16 October 2008) cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the monarch elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch from among the elected members of the House of Assembly

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament or Libandla consists of the Senate (30 seats; 10 members appointed by the House of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats; 10 members appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Assembly - last held 19 September 2008 (next to be held in 2013) election results: House of Assembly - balloting is done on a nonparty basis; candidates for election are nominated by the local council of each constituency and for each constituency the three candidates with the most votes in the first round of voting are narrowed to a single winner by a second round

Judicial branch:

High Court; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch

Political parties and leaders:

the status of political parties, previously banned, is unclear under the new (2006) Constitution and currently being debated - the following are considered political associations; African United Democratic Party or AUDP [Stanley MAUNDZISA, president]; Imbokodvo National Movement or INM; Ngwane National Liberatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI, president]; People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU, president]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions; Swaziland and Solidarity

Network or SSN

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU,

ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,

UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ephraim Mandla HLOPHE chancery: 1712 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5002 FAX: [1] (202) 234-8254

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Maurice S. PARKER embassy: 2350 Mbabane Place, Mbabane mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane telephone: [268] 404-2445 FAX: [268] 404-2059

Flag description:

three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally

Economy

Swaziland

Economy - overview:

In this small, landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies approximately 70% of the population. The manufacturing sector has diversified since the mid-1980s. Sugar and wood pulp remain important foreign exchange earners. In 2007, the sugar industry increased efficiency and diversification efforts, in response to a 17% decline in EU sugar prices. Mining has declined in importance in recent years with only coal and quarry stone mines remaining active. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives more than nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends 60% of its exports. Swaziland's currency is pegged to the South African rand, subsuming Swaziland's monetary policy to South Africa. Customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union, which may equal as much as 70% of government revenue this year, and worker remittances from South Africa substantially supplement domestically earned income. Swaziland is not poor enough to merit an IMF program; however, the country is struggling to reduce the size of the civil service and control costs at public enterprises. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. With an estimated 40% unemployment rate, Swaziland's need to increase the number and size of small and medium enterprises and attract foreign direct investment is acute. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and sometimes floods persist as problems for the future. More than one-fourth of the population needed emergency food aid in 2006-07 because of drought, and nearly two-fifths of the adult population has been infected by HIV/AIDS.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$5.364 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$2.936 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$4,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 11.8% industry: 45.7% services: 42.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

300,000 (2006)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Unemployment rate:

40% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:

69% (2006)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.6% highest 10%: 40.7% (2001)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

50.4 (2001)

Investment (gross fixed):

18.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $1.13 billion expenditures: $1.143 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

11% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

13.17% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$244.8 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$529.4 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$204.1 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep

Industries:

coal, wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textiles and apparel

Industrial production growth rate:

1.1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

460 million kWh (2007)

Electricity - consumption:

1.2 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007)

Electricity - imports:

872 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2007)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 58% hydro: 42% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

3,490 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

3,530 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$24 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.926 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit

Exports - partners:

South Africa 59.7%, EU 8.8%, US 8.8%, Mozambique 6.2% (2006)

Imports:

$1.914 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals

Imports - partners:

South Africa 95.6%, EU 0.9%, Japan 0.9% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$46.03 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$762.7 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$524 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$196.8 million (2005)

Currency (code):

lilangeni (SZL)

Currency code:

SZL

Exchange rates:

emalangeni per US dollar - 7.4 (2007), 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003)

Communications

Swaziland

Telephones - main lines in use:

44,000 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

380,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: a somewhat modern but not an advanced system domestic: mobile-cellular subscribership is increasing; combined fixed-line and mobile cellular teledensity approaching 40 telephones per 100 persons; telephone system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay international: country code - 268; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 3, FM 2 (plus 4 repeaters), shortwave 3 (2004)

Radios:

170,000 (1999)

Television broadcast stations:

12 (includes 7 relay stations) (2004)

Televisions:

23,000 (2000)

Internet country code:

.sz

Internet hosts:

2,582 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

5 (2002)

Internet users:

42,000 (2006)

Transportation

Swaziland

Airports:

18 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Railways:

total: 301 km narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 3,594 km paved: 1,078 km unpaved: 2,516 km (2002)

Military

Swaziland

Military branches:

Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force (USDF): Ground Force (includes air wing) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-30 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 266,311 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 122,260 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 15,951 female: 15,728 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

4.7% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Swaziland

Disputes - international:

in 2006, Swazi king advocates resort to ICJ to claim parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Sweden

Introduction

Sweden

Background:

A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war in almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both World Wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in 2000-02 by the global economic downturn, but fiscal discipline over the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic vagaries. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum.

Geography

Sweden

Location:

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia,

Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway

Geographic coordinates:

62 00 N, 15 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 449,964 sq km land: 410,934 sq km water: 39,030 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than California

Land boundaries:

total: 2,233 km border countries: Finland 614 km, Norway 1,619 km

Coastline:

3,218 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm (adjustments made to return a portion of straits to high seas) exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or midlines continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north

Terrain:

mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near Kristianstad -2.41 m highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m

Natural resources:

iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten, uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 5.93% permanent crops: 0.01% other: 94.06% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,150 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

179 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.68 cu km/yr (37%/54%/9%) per capita: 296 cu m/yr (2002)

Natural hazards:

ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic

Environment - current issues:

acid rain damage to soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical

Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas

People

Sweden

Population:

9,045,389 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 16% (male 745,110/female 703,857) 15-64 years: 65.6% (male 3,008,148/female 2,928,930) 65 years and over: 18.3% (male 729,500/female 929,844) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 41.3 years male: 40.2 years female: 42.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.157% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.15 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.24 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

1.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 2.75 deaths/1,000 live births male: 2.91 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 80.74 years male: 78.49 years female: 83.13 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.67 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

3,600 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Swede(s) adjective: Swedish

Ethnic groups:

indigenous population: Swedes with Finnish and Sami minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks

Religions:

Lutheran 87%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist,

Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 13%

Languages:

Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 16 years male: 15 years female: 17 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

7.1% of GDP (2005)

Government

Sweden

Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Sweden conventional short form: Sweden local long form: Konungariket Sverige local short form: Sverige

Government type:

constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Stockholm geographic coordinates: 59 20 N, 18 03 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

21 counties (lan, singular and plural); Blekinge, Dalarnas,

Gavleborgs, Gotlands, Hallands, Jamtlands, Jonkopings, Kalmar,

Kronobergs, Norrbottens, Orebro, Ostergotlands, Skane,

Sodermanlands, Stockholm, Uppsala, Varmlands, Vasterbottens,

Vasternorrlands, Vastmanlands, Vastra Gotalands

Independence:

6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king)

National holiday:

Swedish Flag Day, 6 June (1916); National Day, 6 June (1983)

Constitution:

1 January 1975

Legal system:

civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 19 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the monarch (born 14 July 1977) head of government: Prime Minister Fredrik REINFELDT (since 5 October 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the prime minister is elected by the parliament; election last held on 17 September 2006 (next to be held in September 2010) election results: Fredrik REINFELDT elected prime minister with 175 out of 349 votes

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament or Riksdag (349 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) elections: last held on 17 September 2006 (next to be held in September 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - Social Democrats 37.2%, Moderates 27.8%, Center Party 8.3%, Liberal People's Party 8.0%, Christian Democrats 6.9%, Left Party 6.3%, Greens 5.4%; seats by party - Social Democrats 130, Moderates 97, Center Party 29, Liberal People's Party 28, Christian Democrats 24, Left Party 22, Greens 19

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Hogsta Domstolen (judges are appointed by the prime minister and the cabinet)

Political parties and leaders:

Center Party [Maud OLOFSSON]; Christian Democratic Party [Goran HAGGLUND]; Environment Party the Greens [no formal leader but party spokespersons are Maria WETTERSTRAND and Peter ERIKSSON]; Left Party or V (formerly Communist) [Lars OHLY]; Liberal People's Party [Jan BJORKLUND]; Moderate Party (conservative) [Fredrik REINFELDT]; Social Democratic Party [Mona SAHLIN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Children's Rights in Society; Central Association of Salarited Emplyees or TCO; Swedish Federation of Trade Unions or LO other: media

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic

Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA,

EU, FAO, G-9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MONUC, NAM (guest), NC,

NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA,

PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL,

UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer),

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Jonas HAFSTROM chancery: 2900 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 467-2600 FAX: [1] (202) 467-2699 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael M. WOOD embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Vag 31, SE-11589 Stockholm mailing address: American Embassy Stockholm, US Department of State, 5750 Stockholm Place, Washington, DC 20521-5750 telephone: [46] (08) 783 53 00 FAX: [46] (08) 661 19 64

Flag description:

blue with a golden yellow cross extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Economy

Sweden

Economy - overview:

Aided by peace and neutrality for the whole of the 20th century, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Agriculture accounts for only 1% of GDP and 2% of employment. Sweden is in the midst of a sustained economic upswing, boosted by increased domestic demand and strong exports. This and robust finances have offered the center-right government considerable scope to implement its reform program aimed at increasing employment, reducing welfare dependence, and streamlining the state's role in the economy. The government plans to sell $31 billion in state assets during the next three years to further stimulate growth and raise revenue to pay down the federal debt. In September 2003, Swedish voters turned down entry into the euro system concerned about the impact on the economy and sovereignty.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$338.5 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$455.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$37,500 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1.5% industry: 28.8% services: 69.7% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

4.839 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 2% industry: 24% services: 74% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

6.1% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 22.2% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

23 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

19% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $249.1 billion expenditures: $233.5 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

41.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.2% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

3.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

4% (31 December 2004)

Stock of money:

$217.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$48.49 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$630.8 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

barley, wheat, sugar beets; meat, milk

Industries:

iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles

Industrial production growth rate:

3% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

143.8 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

133.6 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

14.74 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - imports:

16.61 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 4% hydro: 50.8% nuclear: 43% other: 2.3% (2001)

Oil - production:

2,350 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

353,700 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

219,200 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

581,000 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

1.006 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

1.006 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$37.97 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$170.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery 35%, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals

Exports - partners:

Germany 10.4%, Norway 9.4%, US 7.6%, Denmark 7.4%, UK 7.1%, Finland 6.4%, Netherlands 5.1%, France 5%, Belgium 4.6% (2007)

Imports:

$151.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel; foodstuffs, clothing

Imports - partners:

Germany 18.4%, Denmark 9.2%, Norway 8.3%, UK 6.8%, Finland 6.1%,

Netherlands 5.8%, France 5%, China 4.3%, Belgium 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $3.955 billion (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$31.04 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:

$598.2 billion (30 June 2006)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$216.6 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$261.5 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$403.9 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

Swedish krona (SEK)

Currency code:

SEK

Exchange rates:

Swedish kronor (SEK) per US dollar - 6.7629 (2007), 7.3731 (2006), 7.4731 (2005), 7.3489 (2004), 8.0863 (2003)

Communications

Sweden

Telephones - main lines in use:

5.506 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

10.371 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: highly developed telecommunications infrastructure; ranked among leading countries for fixed-line, mobile-cellular, Internet and broadband penetration domestic: coaxial and multiconductor cables carry most of the voice traffic; parallel microwave radio relay systems carry some additional telephone channels international: country code - 46; submarine cables provide links to other Nordic countries and Europe; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Sweden shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 265, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

8.25 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

169 (plus 1,299 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

4.6 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.se

Internet hosts:

3.579 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

29 (2000)

Internet users:

7 million (2007)

Transportation

Sweden

Airports:

250 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 152 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 75 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 38 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 98 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 92 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 798 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 11,528 km standard gauge: 11,528 km 1.435-m gauge (7,527 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 425,300 km paved: 139,300 km (includes 1,740 km of expressways) unpaved: 286,000 km (2008)

Waterways:

2,052 km (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 195 by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 23, carrier 1, chemical tanker 45, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 36, petroleum tanker 15, roll on/roll off 37, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 25 foreign-owned: 41 (Denmark 4, Estonia 2, Finland 12, Germany 5, Italy 9, Norway 7, UK 2) registered in other countries: 207 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas 4, Barbados 7, Bermuda 20, Cook Islands 8, Cyprus 2, Denmark 6, Finland 2, France 9, Germany 1, Gibraltar 13, Isle of Man 1, Italy 1, Liberia 10, Malaysia 3, Malta 2, Marshall Islands 1, Netherlands 28, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 31, Norway 3, Panama 6, Portugal 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Singapore 20, UK 17, US 5) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Brofjorden, Goteborg, Helsingborg, Lulea, Malmo, Stenungsund,

Stockholm, Trelleborg, Visby

Military

Sweden

Military branches:

Swedish Armed Forces (Forsvarsmakten): Army (Armen), Royal Swedish

Navy (Marinen), Swedish Air Force (Svenska Flygvapnet) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

19 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation: 7-15 months (Navy), 8-12 months (Air Force); after completing initial service, soldiers have a reserve commitment until age 47 (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,052,890 females age 16-49: 1,980,550 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,699,115 females age 16-49: 1,637,868 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 64,605 female: 61,110 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Sweden

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Switzerland

Introduction

Switzerland

Background:

The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291 as a defensive alliance among three cantons. In succeeding years, other localities joined the original three. The Swiss Confederation secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499. A constitution of 1848, subsequently modified in 1874, replaced the confederation with a centralized federal government. Switzerland's sovereignty and neutrality have long been honored by the major European powers, and the country was not involved in either of the two World Wars. The political and economic integration of Europe over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN and international organizations, has strengthened Switzerland's ties with its neighbors. However, the country did not officially become a UN member until 2002. Switzerland remains active in many UN and international organizations but retains a strong commitment to neutrality.

Geography

Switzerland

Location:

Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy

Geographic coordinates:

47 00 N, 8 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 41,290 sq km land: 39,770 sq km water: 1,520 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Land boundaries:

total: 1,852 km border countries: Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km, Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers

Terrain:

mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m

Natural resources:

hydropower potential, timber, salt

Land use:

arable land: 9.91% permanent crops: 0.58% other: 89.51% (2005)

Irrigated land:

250 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

53.3 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.52 cu km/yr (24%/74%/2%) per capita: 348 cu m/yr (2002)

Natural hazards:

avalanches, landslides, flash floods

Environment - current issues:

air pollution from vehicle emissions and open-air burning; acid rain; water pollution from increased use of agricultural fertilizers; loss of biodiversity

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life

Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical

Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps

People

Switzerland

Population:

7,581,520 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 15.8% (male 623,213/female 577,430) 15-64 years: 68.2% (male 2,605,044/female 2,562,354) 65 years and over: 16% (male 501,699/female 711,780) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 40.7 years male: 39.6 years female: 41.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.329% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

9.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.54 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.23 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 80.74 years male: 77.91 years female: 83.71 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.44 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.4% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

13,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Swiss (singular and plural) adjective: Swiss

Ethnic groups:

German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%

Religions:

Roman Catholic 41.8%, Protestant 35.3%, Muslim 4.3%, Orthodox 1.8%, other Christian 0.4%, other 1%, unspecified 4.3%, none 11.1% (2000 census)

Languages:

German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 20.4%, Italian (official) 6.5%, Serbo-Croatian 1.5%, Albanian 1.3%, Portuguese 1.2%, Spanish 1.1%, English 1%, Romansch (official) 0.5%, other 2.8% (2000 census) note: German, French, Italian, and Romansch are all national and official languages

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 15 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

5.8% of GDP (2005)

Government

Switzerland

Country name:

conventional long form: Swiss Confederation conventional short form: Switzerland local long form: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German); Confederation Suisse (French); Confederazione Svizzera (Italian); Confederaziun Svizra (Romansh) local short form: Schweiz (German); Suisse (French); Svizzera (Italian); Svizra (Romansh)

Government type:

formally a confederation but similar in structure to a federal republic

Capital:

name: Bern geographic coordinates: 46 57 N, 7 26 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; Kantone, singular - Kanton in German); Aargau, Appenzell Ausser-Rhoden, Appenzell Inner-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus, Graubunden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich

Independence:

1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation)

National holiday:

Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)

Constitution:

revision of Constitution of 1874 approved by the Federal Parliament 18 December 1998, adopted by referendum 18 April 1999, officially entered into force 1 January 2000

Legal system:

civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees of general obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2008); Vice President Hans-Rudolf MERZ (since 1 January 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government representing the Federal Council; the Federal Council is the formal chief of state and head of government whose council members, rotating in one-year terms as federal president, represent the Council head of government: President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January 2008); Vice President Hans-Rudolf MERZ (since 1 January 2008) cabinet: Federal Council or Bundesrat (in German), Conseil Federal (in French), Consiglio Federale (in Italian) elected by the Federal Assembly usually from among its members for a four-year term elections: president and vice president elected by the Federal Assembly from among the members of the Federal Council for a one-year term (they may not serve consecutive terms); election last held on 12 December 2007 (next to be held in December 2008) election results: Pascal COUCHEPIN elected president; percent of Federal Assembly vote - 80.0%; Hans-Rudolf MERZ elected vice president; percent of Federal Assembly vote - 86.5%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung (in German), Assemblee Federale (in French), Assemblea Federale (in Italian) consists of the Council of States or Standerat (in German), Conseil des Etats (in French), Consiglio degli Stati (in Italian) (46 seats; membership consists of 2 representatives from each canton and 1 from each half canton; to serve four-year terms) and the National Council or Nationalrat (in German), Conseil National (in French), Consiglio Nazionale (in Italian) (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Council of States - last held in most cantons on 19 October 2003 (each canton determines when the next election will be held); National Council - last held on 21 October 2007 (next to be held in October 2011) election results: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CVP 15, FDP 14, SVP 8, SPS 6, other 3; National Council - percent of vote by party - SVP 29%, SPS 19.5%, FDP 15.6%, CVP 14.6%, Greens 9.6%, other 11.7%; seats by party - SVP 62, SPS 43, FDP 31, CVP 31, Green Party 20, other small parties 13; note - seating for the Council of States as of December 2007 is CVP 16, FDP 12, SVP 7, SPS 9, other 2

Judicial branch:

Federal Supreme Court (judges elected for six-year terms by the

Federal Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:

Green Party (Gruene Partei der Schweiz or Gruene, Parti Ecologiste

Suisse or Les Verts, Partito Ecologista Svizzero or I Verdi, Partida

Ecologica Svizra or La Verda) [Ruth GENNER]; Christian Democratic

People's Party (Christlichdemokratische Volkspartei der Schweiz or

CVP, Parti Democrate-Chretien Suisse or PDC, Partito

Democratico-Cristiano Popolare Svizzero or PDC, Partida

Cristiandemocratica dalla Svizra or PCD) [Christophe DARBELLAY];

Radical Free Democratic Party (Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der

Schweiz or FDP, Parti Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD, Partitio

Liberal-Radicale Svizzero or PLR) [Fulvio PELLI]; Social Democratic

Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz or SPS, Parti

Socialist Suisse or PSS, Partito Socialista Svizzero or PSS, Partida

Socialdemocratica de la Svizra or PSS) [Hans-Juerg FEHR]; Swiss

People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei or SVP, Union

Democratique du Centre or UDC, Unione Democratica de Centro or UDC,

Uniun Democratica dal Center or UDC) [Ueli MAURER]; and other minor

parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Australia

Group, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,

IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA

(observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),

OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Urs ZISWILER chancery: 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-7900 FAX: [1] (202) 387-2564 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Peter R. CONEWAY embassy: Sulgeneckstrasse 19, CH-3007 Bern mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [41] (031) 357 70 11 FAX: [41] (031) 357 73 44

Flag description:

red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag

Economy

Switzerland

Economy - overview:

Switzerland is a peaceful, prosperous, and stable modern market economy with low unemployment, a highly skilled labor force, and a per capita GDP larger than that of the big Western European economies. The Swiss in recent years have brought their economic practices largely into conformity with the EU's to enhance their international competitiveness. Switzerland remains a safehaven for investors, because it has maintained a degree of bank secrecy and has kept up the franc's long-term external value. Reflecting the anemic economic conditions of Europe, GDP growth stagnated during the 2001-03 period, improved during 2004-05, and jumped to 2.9% in 2006, and 2.6% in 2007. Unemployment has remained at less than half the EU average.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$303.2 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$423.9 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$40,100 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1.5% industry: 34% services: 64.5% (2003 est.)

Labor force:

3.954 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 4.6% industry: 26.3% services: 69.1% (1998)

Unemployment rate:

2.8% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 25.9% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

33.7 (2000)

Investment (gross fixed):

21.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $150.6 billion expenditures: $141.5 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

44.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

0.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

2.05% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

3.15% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$213.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$450.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$855.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs

Industries:

machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments, tourism, banking, and insurance

Industrial production growth rate:

6.5% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:

64.56 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

58.77 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

36.88 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

34.82 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 1.3% hydro: 59.5% nuclear: 37.1% other: 2% (2001)

Oil - production:

3,202 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

244,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

9,370 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

274,900 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

NA

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

3.232 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

3.232 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$72.35 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$200.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural products

Exports - partners:

Germany 20.3%, US 9.7%, Italy 8.7%, France 8.4%, UK 5.1% (2007)

Imports:

$187.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural products, textiles

Imports - partners:

Germany 32.6%, Italy 10.8%, France 9.5%, US 5.8%, Netherlands 4.6%,

Austria 4.2%, UK 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $1.646 billion (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$75.37 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.34 trillion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$306.4 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$605.6 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$938.6 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

Swiss franc (CHF)

Currency code:

CHF

Exchange rates:

Swiss francs (CHF) per US dollar - 1.1973 (2007), 1.2539 (2006), 1.2452 (2005), 1.2435 (2004), 1.3467 (2003)

Communications

Switzerland

Telephones - main lines in use:

5 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

8.096 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: highly developed telecommunications infrastructure with excellent domestic and international services domestic: ranked among leading countries for fixed-line teledensity and infrastructure; mobile-cellular subscribership roughly 100 per 100 persons; extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks international: country code - 41; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 4, FM 113 (plus many low-power stations), shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:

7.1 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

115 (plus 1,919 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

3.31 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.ch

Internet hosts:

3.437 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

44 (Switzerland and Liechtenstein) (2000)

Internet users:

4.61 million (2007)

Transportation

Switzerland

Airports:

65 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 42 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 16 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 23 under 914 m: 23 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 1,781 km; oil 94 km; refined products 7 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 4,839 km standard gauge: 3,561 km 1.435-m gauge (3,195 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,268 km 1.000-m gauge (1,274 km electrified); 10 km 0.800-m gauge (10 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 71,298 km paved: 71,298 km (includes 1,758 of expressways) (2006)

Waterways:

65 km (Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee) (2003)

Merchant marine:

total: 35 by type: bulk carrier 13, cargo 9, chemical tanker 6, container 6, specialized tanker 1 registered in other countries: 106 (Antigua and Barbuda 8, Bahamas 1, France 3, Italy 8, Liberia 13, Malta 20, Marshall Islands 12, Panama 25, Portugal 2, Russia 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Singapore 2, Tonga 1, UK 1, Vanuatu 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Basel

Military

Switzerland

Military branches:

Swiss Armed Forces: Land Forces, Swiss Air Force (Schweizer

Luftwaffe) (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

19 years of age for male compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary male and female military service; the Swiss Constitution states that "every Swiss male is obliged to do military service"; every Swiss male has to serve at least 260 days in the armed forces; conscripts receive 18 weeks of mandatory training, followed by seven 3-week intermittent recalls for training during the next 10 years (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,852,580 females age 16-49: 1,807,667 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,513,984 females age 16-49: 1,478,761 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 49,205 female: 45,220 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Switzerland

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

a major international financial center vulnerable to the layering and integration stages of money laundering; despite significant legislation and reporting requirements, secrecy rules persist and nonresidents are permitted to conduct business through offshore entities and various intermediaries; transit country for and consumer of South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and Western European synthetics; domestic cannabis cultivation and limited ecstasy production

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Syria

Introduction

Syria

Background:

Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, France administered Syria until its independence in 1946. The country lacked political stability, however, and experienced a series of military coups during its first decades. Syria united with Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic. In September 1961, the two entities separated, and the Syrian Arab Republic was reestablished. In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a member of the Socialist Ba'th Party and the minority Alawite sect, seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to the country. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel. During the 1990s, Syria and Israel held occasional peace talks over its return. Following the death of President al-ASAD, his son, Bashar al-ASAD, was approved as president by popular referendum in July 2000. Syrian troops - stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role - were withdrawn in April 2005. During the July-August 2006 conflict between Israel and Hizballah, Syria placed its military forces on alert but did not intervene directly on behalf of its ally Hizballah.

Geography

Syria

Location:

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon and

Turkey

Geographic coordinates:

35 00 N, 38 00 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 185,180 sq km land: 184,050 sq km water: 1,130 sq km note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than North Dakota

Land boundaries:

total: 2,253 km border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km

Coastline:

193 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm

Climate:

mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast; cold weather with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus

Terrain:

primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains in west

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 24.8% permanent crops: 4.47% other: 70.73% (2005)

Irrigated land:

13,330 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

46.1 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 19.95 cu km/yr (3%/2%/95%) per capita: 1,048 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

dust storms, sandstorms

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes; inadequate potable water

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note:

there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 2005 est.)

People

Syria

Population:

19,747,586 note: in addition, about 40,000 people live in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights - 20,000 Arabs (18,000 Druze and 2,000 Alawites) and about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 36.2% (male 3,679,473/female 3,467,096) 15-64 years: 60.5% (male 6,119,459/female 5,822,376) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 310,838/female 348,344) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 21.4 years male: 21.3 years female: 21.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.189% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

26.57 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.68 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 26.78 deaths/1,000 live births male: 27.04 deaths/1,000 live births female: 26.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 70.9 years male: 69.53 years female: 72.35 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.21 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Syrian(s) adjective: Syrian

Ethnic groups:

Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%

Religions:

Sunni Muslim 74%, other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%,

Christian (various denominations) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in

Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)

Languages:

Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79.6% male: 86% female: 73.6% (2004 census)

Education expenditures:

3.9% of GDP (1999)

Government

Syria

Country name:

conventional long form: Syrian Arab Republic conventional short form: Syria local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah local short form: Suriyah former: United Arab Republic (with Egypt)

Government type:

republic under an authoritarian military-dominated regime

Capital:

name: Damascus geographic coordinates: 33 30 N, 36 18 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins 1 April; ends 30 September

Administrative divisions:

14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah, Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq, Halab, Hamah, Hims, Idlib, Rif Dimashq, Tartus

Independence:

17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 17 April (1946)

Constitution:

13 March 1973

Legal system:

based on a combination of French and Ottoman civil law; Islamic law is used in the family court system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); Vice President Farouk al-SHARA (since 11 February 2006) oversees foreign policy; Vice President Najah al-ATTAR (since 23 March 2006) oversees cultural policy head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRI (since 10 September 2003); Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdallah al-DARDARI (since 14 June 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president approved by popular referendum for a second seven-year term (no term limits); referendum last held on 27 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2014); the president appoints the vice presidents, prime minister, and deputy prime ministers election results: Bashar al-ASAD approved as president; percent of vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.6%

Legislative branch:

unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held on 22-23 April 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NPF 172, independents 78

Judicial branch:

Supreme Judicial Council (appoints and dismisses judges; headed by the president); national level - Supreme Constitutional Court (adjudicates electoral disputes and rules on constitutionality of laws and decrees; justices appointed for four-year terms by the President); Court of Cassation; Appeals Courts (Appeals Courts represent an intermediate level between the Court of Cassation and local level courts); local level - Magistrate Courts; Courts of First Instance; Juvenile Courts; Customs Courts; specialized courts - Economic Security Courts (hear cases related to economic crimes); Supreme State Security Court (hear cases related to national security); Personal Status Courts (religious; hear cases related to marriage and divorce)

Political parties and leaders:

legal parties: National Progressive Front or NPF [President Bashar

al-ASAD, Dr. Suleiman QADDAH] (includes Arab Socialist Renaissance

(Ba'th) Party [President Bashar al-ASAD]; Socialist Unionist

Democratic Party [Fadlallah Nasr Al-DIN]; Syrian Arab Socialist

Union or ASU [Safwan QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party (two branches)

[Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Syrian Social

Nationalist Party [Ali QANSU]; Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez

ISMAIL])

opposition parties not legally recognized:: Arab Democratic

Socialist Union Party [Hasan Abdul AZIM]; Arab Socialist Movement;

Democratic Ba'th Party [Ibrahim MAHKOS]; People's Democratic Party

[Riad al TURK]; Revolutionary Workers' Party [Abdul Hafeez al HAFEZ]

Kurdish parties (considered illegal): Kurdish Democratic Front

[Abdul Hamid DARWISH] (includes four parties); Kurdish Coordination

[Abdul Hakim BASHAR] (includes Azadi Party [Kheirudin MURAD], Future

Party [Masha'l TAMMO], Yekity Party [Hasam SALE])

other parties: Nahda Party [Abdul Aziz al MISLET]; Syrian Democratic

Party [Mustafa QALAAJI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Damascus Declaration National Council [Riyad SEIF, secretary

general] (a broad alliance of opposition groups and individuals

including: Committee for Revival of Civil Society [Michel KILO,

Riyad SEIF], Communist Action Party [Fateh JAMOUS], Kurdish

Democratic Alliance, Kurdish Democratic Front, Liberal Nationalists'

Movement, National Democratic Front, National Democratic Rally, and

Syrian Human Rights Society or HRAS [Fawed FAWUZ]); National

Salvation Front (alliance between former Vice President Abd al-Halim

KHADDAM, the SMB, and other small opposition groups); Syrian Muslim

Brotherhood or SMB [Sadr al-Din al-BAYANUNI] (operates in exile in

London; endorsed the Damascus Declaration, but is not an official

member)

International organization participation:

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,

ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,

IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC,

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313 FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Maura CONNELLY embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansour Street, No. 2, Damascus mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus telephone: [963] (11) 3391-4444 FAX: [963] (11) 3391-3999

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, colors associated with the Arab Liberation flag; two small, green, five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; former flag of the United Arab Republic where the two stars represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; the current design dates to 1980

Economy

Syria

Economy - overview:

The Syrian economy grew by an estimated 3.3% in real terms in 2007 led by the petroleum and agricultural sectors, which together account for about one-half of GDP. Higher crude oil prices countered declining oil production and led to higher budgetary and export receipts. Damascus has implemented modest economic reforms in the past few years, including cutting lending interest rates, opening private banks, consolidating all of the multiple exchange rates, raising prices on some subsidized items, most notably gasoline and cement, and establishing the Damascus Stock Exchange - which is set to begin operations in 2009. In October 2007, for example, Damascus raised the price of subsidized gasoline by 20%, and may institute a rationing system in 2008. In addition, President ASAD signed legislative decrees to encourage corporate ownership reform, and to allow the Central Bank to issue Treasury bills and bonds for government debt. Nevertheless, the economy remains highly controlled by the government. Long-run economic constraints include declining oil production, high unemployment and inflation, rising budget deficits, and increasing pressure on water supplies caused by heavy use in agriculture, rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and water pollution.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$90.37 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$37.76 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$4,700 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 24% industry: 27.9% services: 48.2% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

5.462 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 19.2% industry: 14.5% services: 66.3% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

9% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

11.9% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

21.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $8.393 billion expenditures: $11.21 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

37.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

12.2% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8% (31 December 2005)

Stock of money:

$58.84 billion note: This number reflects the greatly overvalued official exchange rate of 11.23 Syrian pounds per dollar. At the unofficial rate of 50 Syrian pounds per dollar, the stock of Syrian pounds would equal US$13.22 billion and Syria's velocity of money (the number of times money turns over in the course of a year) would be three, in line with the velocity of money for other countries in the region. (31 December 2006)

Stock of quasi money:

$45.93 billion (31 December 2006)

Stock of domestic credit:

$50.92 billion (31 December 2006)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk

Industries:

petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining, cement, oil seeds crushing, car assembly

Industrial production growth rate:

2.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

34.94 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

34 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

986 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 57.6% hydro: 42.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

433,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

261,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

254,500 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:

160,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

2.5 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

7.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

4.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

NA cu m

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

240.7 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$908 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$11.14 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, textiles, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat

Exports - partners:

Iraq 30%, Lebanon 10%, Germany 9.7%, Italy 8%, Egypt 5.5%, Saudi

Arabia 5.2%, France 4.9% (2007)

Imports:

$10.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper

Imports - partners:

Saudi Arabia 12%, China 8.7%, Egypt 6.2%, Italy 6%, UAE 5.9%,

Ukraine 4.8%, Russia 4.8%, Germany 4.7%, Iran 4.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$213 million (2008 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$6.046 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$6.633 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Syrian pound (SYP)

Currency code:

SYP

Exchange rates:

Syrian pounds (SYP) per US dollar - 50.0085 (2007), 51.689 (2006), 50 (2005), 48.5 (2004), 52.8 (2003) note: data for 2004-06 are the public sector rate; data for 2002-03 are the parallel market rate in 'Amman and Beirut; the official rate for repaying loans was 11.25 Syrian pounds per US dollars during 2004-06,

Communications

Syria

Telephones - main lines in use:

3.452 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

6.7 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology domestic: the number of fixed-line connections has increased markedly since 2000; mobile-cellular service growing rapidly and teledensity about 35 wireless telephones per 100 persons; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network international: country code - 963; submarine cable connection to Cyprus; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

4.15 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

1.05 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.sy

Internet hosts:

7,857 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

3.47 million (2007)

Transportation

Syria

Airports:

90 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 26 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 64 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 52 (2007)

Heliports:

7 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 2,794 km; oil 2,000 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,711 km standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 97,401 km paved: 19,490 km (includes 1,103 km of expressways) unpaved: 77,911 km (2006)

Waterways:

900 km (not economically significant) (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 77 by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 65, carrier 4, container 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 7 (Jordan 2, Lebanon 3, Romania 2) registered in other countries: 196 (Barbados 1, Bolivia 2, Cambodia 48, Comoros 4, Cyprus 2, Dominica 2, Georgia 49, Hong Kong 1, North Korea 1, Lebanon 2, Libya 2, Malta 6, Moldova 1, Panama 32, Saint Kitts and Nevis 7, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13, Sierra Leone 18, Slovakia 2, Togo 2, unknown 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Latakia, Tartus

Military

Syria

Military branches:

Syrian Armed Forces: Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab

Air and Air Defense Forces (includes Air Defense Command) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 30 months (18 months in the Syrian Arab Navy); women are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,251,875 females age 16-49: 4,966,367 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 4,242,401 females age 16-49: 4,218,648 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 215,734 female: 203,106 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

5.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Syria

Disputes - international:

Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strong UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) patrolling a buffer zone since 1964; lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with several sections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shaba'a farms in the Golan Heights; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation settles border dispute with Jordan; approximately two million Iraqis have fled the conflict in Iraq with the majority taking refuge in Syria and Jordan

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 1-1.4 million (Iraq); 522,100

(Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA))

IDPs: 305,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967

Arab-Israeli War) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Syria is a destination and transit country for women and children trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; a significant number of women and children in the large and expanding Iraqi refugee community in Syria are reportedly forced into commercial sexual exploitation by Iraqi gangs or, in some cases, their families; women from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone are recruited for work in Syria as domestic servants, but some face conditions of involuntary servitude, including long hours, non-payment of wages, withholding of passports, restrictions on movement, threats, and physical or sexual abuse tier rating: Tier 3 - Syria again failed to report any law enforcement efforts to punish trafficking offenses in 2007; in addition, the government did not offer protection services to victims of trafficking and may have arrested, prosecuted, or deported some victims for prostitution or immigration violations; Syria has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Illicit drugs:

a transit point for opiates, hashish, and cocaine bound for regional and Western markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls and bank privatization may leave it vulnerable to money laundering

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Taiwan

Introduction

Taiwan

Background:

In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan. Taiwan reverted to Chinese control after World War II. Following the Communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established a government using the 1946 constitution drawn up for all of China. Over the next five decades, the ruling authorities gradually democratized and incorporated the local population within the governing structure. In 2000, Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the island prospered and became one of East Asia's economic "Tigers." The dominant political issues continue to be the relationship between Taiwan and China - specifically the question of eventual unification - as well as domestic political and economic reform.

Geography

Taiwan

Location:

Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the Philippines, off the southeastern coast of China

Geographic coordinates:

23 30 N, 121 00 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 35,980 sq km land: 32,260 sq km water: 3,720 sq km note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy islands

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

1,566.3 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year

Terrain:

eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling plains in west

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m

Natural resources:

small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos

Land use:

arable land: 24% permanent crops: 1% other: 75% (2001)

Irrigated land:

NA

Total renewable water resources:

67 cu km (2000)

Natural hazards:

earthquakes and typhoons

Environment - current issues:

air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, raw sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in endangered species; low-level radioactive waste disposal

Environment - international agreements:

party to: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's international status signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's international status

Geography - note:

strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon Strait

People

Taiwan

Population:

22,920,946 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 17.3% (male 2,057,458/female 1,900,449) 15-64 years: 72.3% (male 8,362,038/female 8,204,834) 65 years and over: 10.5% (male 1,167,476/female 1,228,691) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 36 years male: 35.5 years female: 36.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.238% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

8.99 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.65 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 5.45 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.75 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 77.76 years male: 74.89 years female: 80.89 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.13 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Taiwan (singular and plural) note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan adjective: Taiwan

Ethnic groups:

Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, indigenous 2%

Religions:

mixture of Buddhist and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%

Languages:

Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.1% male: NA female: NA (2003)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Taiwan

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Taiwan local long form: none local short form: T'ai-wan former: Formosa

Government type:

multiparty democracy

Capital:

name: Taipei geographic coordinates: 25 03 N, 121 30 E time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

includes main island of Taiwan plus smaller islands nearby and off coast of China's Fujian Province; Taiwan is divided into 18 counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5 municipalities (shih, singular and plural), and 2 special municipalities (chuan-shih, singular and plural) note: Taiwan uses a variety of romanization systems; while a modified Wade-Giles system still dominates, the city of Taipei has adopted a Pinyin romanization for street and place names within its boundaries; other local authorities use different romanization systems; names for administrative divisions that follow are taken from the Taiwan Yearbook 2007 published by the Government Information Office in Taipei. counties: Changhua, Chiayi [county], Hsinchu, Hualien, Kaohsiung [county], Kinmen, Lienchiang, Miaoli, Nantou, Penghu, Pingtung, Taichung, Tainan, Taipei [county], Taitung, Taoyuan, Yilan, and Yunlin municipalities: Chiayi [city], Hsinchu, Keelung, Taichung, Tainan special municipalities: Kaohsiung [city], Taipei [city]

National holiday:

Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October (1911)

Constitution:

25 December 1947; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005 note: constitution adopted on 25 December 1946; went into effect on 25 December 1947

Legal system:

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

20 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President MA Ying-jeou (since 20 May 2008); Vice President Vincent SIEW (since 20 May 2008) head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) LIO Chao-shiuan (since 20 May 2008); Vice Premier (Vice President of Executive Yuan) Paul CHIU (CHANG-hsiung) (since 20 May 2008) cabinet: Executive Yuan - (ministers appointed by president on recommendation of premier) elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 March 2008 (next to be held in March 2012); premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the premier election results: MA Ying-jeou elected president on 22 March 2008; percent of vote - MA Ying-jeou 58.45%, Frank HSIEH 41.55%; MA Ying-jeou takes office on 20 May 2008

Legislative branch:

unicameral Legislative Yuan (113 seats - 73 district members elected by popular vote, 34 at-large members elected on basis of proportion of islandwide votes received by participating political parties, 6 elected by popular vote among aboriginal populations; to serve four-year terms); parties must receive 5% of vote to qualify for at-large seats elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 12 January 2008 (next to be held in January 2012) election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - KMT 53.5%, DPP 38.2%, NPSU 2.4%, PFP 0.3%, others 1.6%, independents 4%; seats by party - KMT 81, DPP 27, NPSU 3, PFP 1, independent 1

Judicial branch:

Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan)

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [TSAI Ing-wen]; Kuomintang or

KMT (Nationalist Party) [WU Po-hsiung]; Non-Partisan Solidarity

Union or NPSU [CHANG Po-ya]; People First Party or PFP [James SOONG]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Organization for Taiwan Nation Building; World United Formosans for Independence other: environmental groups; independence movement; various business groups note: debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within the mainstream of domestic politics on Taiwan; political liberalization and the increased representation of opposition parties in Taiwan's legislature have opened public debate on the island's national identity; a broad popular consensus has developed that the island currently enjoys sovereign independence and - whatever the ultimate outcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwan's people must have the deciding voice; public opinion polls consistently show a substantial majority of Taiwan people supports maintaining Taiwan's status quo for the foreseeable future; advocates of Taiwan independence oppose the stand that the island will eventually unify with mainland China; goals of the Taiwan independence movement include establishing a sovereign nation on Taiwan and entering the UN

International organization participation:

ADB, APEC, BCIE, ICC, IOC, ITUC, WCL, WFTU, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people of the US are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), which has its headquarters in Taipei and in the US in Washington, DC; there are also branch offices called Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in 12 other US cities

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people on Taiwan are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality - the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) - which has offices in the US and Taiwan; US office at 1700 N. Moore St., Suite 1700, Arlington, VA 22209-1996, telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474, FAX: [1] (703) 841-1385); Taiwan offices at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (2) 2162-2000, FAX: [886] (2) 2162-2251; #2 Chung Cheng 3rd Road, 5th Floor, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (7) 238-7744, FAX: [886] (7) 238-5237; and the American Trade Center, Room 3208 International Trade Building, Taipei World Trade Center, 333 Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei, Taiwan 10548, telephone: [886] (2) 2720-1550, FAX: [886] (2) 2757-7162

Flag description:

red field with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays

Economy

Taiwan

Economy - overview:

Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually decreasing guidance of investment and foreign trade by the authorities. In keeping with this trend, some large, state-owned banks and industrial firms are being privatized. Exports have provided the primary impetus for industrialization. The island runs a large trade surplus, and its foreign reserves are among the world's largest. Despite restrictions on cross-strait links, China has overtaken the US to become Taiwan's largest export market and its second-largest source of imports after Japan. China is also the island's number one destination for foreign direct investment. Strong trade performance in 2007 pushed Taiwan's GDP growth rate above 5%, and unemployment is below 4%.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$698.6 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$383.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$30,100 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1.4% industry: 27.5% services: 71.1% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

10.71 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 5.3% industry: 36.8% services: 57.9% (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate:

3.9% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

0.95% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 6.7% highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):

21.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $76.2 billion expenditures: $75.65 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

27.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1.8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA

Stock of money:

NA

Stock of quasi money:

NA

Stock of domestic credit:

NA

Agriculture - products:

rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish

Industries:

electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals

Industrial production growth rate:

9.2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

216.6 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

208.7 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 71.4% hydro: 6% nuclear: 22.6% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

10,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

950,500 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

289,200 bbl/day (2006)

Oil - imports:

1.208 million bbl/day (2006)

Oil - proved reserves:

2.38 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

400 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

11.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

10.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

6.229 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$32.88 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$246.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

electronic and electrical products, metals, textiles, plastics, chemicals, auto parts (2002)

Exports - partners:

China 32.6%, US 12.9%, Hong Kong 8.6%, Japan 6.4%, Singapore 5% (2007)

Imports:

$215.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

electronic and electrical products, machinery, petroleum, precision instruments, organic chemicals, metals (2002)

Imports - partners:

Japan 22.7%, US 13.3%, China 11.2%, South Korea 6.6%, Saudi Arabia 4.8%, Singapore 4.6% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$275 billion (31 December 2007)

Debt - external:

$97.85 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$92.83 billion (2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$108.9 billion (2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$654 billion (28 December 2007)

Currency (code):

New Taiwan dollar (TWD)

Currency code:

TWD

Exchange rates:

New Taiwan dollars (TWD) per US dollar - 32.84 (2007), 32.534 (2006), 31.71 (2005), 34.418 (2004), 34.575 (2003)

Communications

Taiwan

Telephones - main lines in use:

14.313 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

24.302 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: provides telecommunications service for every business and private need domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized international: country code - 886; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 140, FM 229, shortwave 49

Radios:

16 million (1994)

Television broadcast stations:

76 (46 digital and 30 analog) (2007)

Televisions:

8.8 million (1998)

Internet country code:

.tw

Internet hosts:

5.225 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

8 (2000)

Internet users:

14.76 million (2007)

Transportation

Taiwan

Airports:

41 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 38 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Heliports:

4 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 25 km; gas 661 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 1,588 km standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,093 km 1.067-m gauge note: 150 km .762-m gauge (belonging primarily to Taiwan Sugar Corporation and Taiwan Forestry Bureau; some to other entities) (2007)

Roadways:

total: 40,262 km paved: 38,171 km (includes 976 km of expressways) unpaved: 2,091 km (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 102 by type: bulk carrier 32, cargo 19, chemical tanker 1, container 24, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 14, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 3 (Canada 2, France 1) registered in other countries: 536 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 1, Honduras 2, Hong Kong 11, Indonesia 2, Italy 13, Kiribati 5, Liberia 91, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 320, Philippines 1, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 72, Thailand 1, UK 11, unknown 3) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Chilung (Keelung), Kaohsiung, Taichung

Military

Taiwan

Military branches:

Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard

Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service

Forces Command, Armed Forces Police Command

Military service age and obligation:

19-35 years of age for male compulsory military service; service obligation 14 months (reducing to 1 year in 2009) year; women may enlist; women in Air Force service are restricted to noncombat roles; reserve obligation to age 30 (Army); the Ministry of Defense has announced plans to implement an incremental voluntary enlistment system beginning 2010, with 10% fewer conscripts each year thereafter, although nonvolunteers will still be required to perform alternative service or go through 3-4 months of military training (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 6,283,134 females age 16-49: 6,098,599 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,112,737 females age 16-49: 5,036,346 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 164,883 female: 152,085 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.2% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Taiwan

Disputes - international:

involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; Paracel Islands are occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; in 2003, China and Taiwan became more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea where all parties engage in hydrocarbon prospecting

Illicit drugs:

regional transit point for heroin, methamphetamine, and precursor chemicals; transshipment point for drugs to Japan; major problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin; rising problems with use of ketamine and club drugs

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Tajikistan

Introduction

Tajikistan

Background:

The Tajik people came under Russian rule in the 1860s and 1870s, but Russia's hold on Central Asia weakened following the Revolution of 1917. Bolshevik control of the area was fiercely contested and not fully reestablished until 1925. Much of present-day Sughd province was transferred from the Uzbekistan SSR to newly formed Tajikistan SSR in 1929. Ethnic Uzbeks form a substantial minority in Sughd province. Tajikistan became independent in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, and it is now in the process of strengthening its democracy and transitioning to a free market economy after its 1992-97 civil war. There have been no major security incidents in recent years, although the country remains the poorest in the former Soviet sphere. Attention by the international community in the wake of the war in Afghanistan has brought increased economic development and security assistance, which could create jobs and increase stability in the long term. Tajikistan is in the early stages of seeking World Trade Organization membership and has joined NATO's Partnership for Peace.

Geography

Tajikistan

Location:

Central Asia, west of China

Geographic coordinates:

39 00 N, 71 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 143,100 sq km land: 142,700 sq km water: 400 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Wisconsin

Land boundaries:

total: 3,651 km border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains

Terrain:

Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m

Natural resources:

hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold

Land use:

arable land: 6.52% permanent crops: 0.89% other: 92.59% (2005)

Irrigated land:

7,220 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

99.7 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 11.96 cu km/yr (4%/5%/92%) per capita: 1,837 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

earthquakes and floods

Environment - current issues:

inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; mountainous region dominated by the Trans-Alay Range in the north and the Pamirs in the southeast; highest point, Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain in the former USSR

People

Tajikistan

Population:

7,211,884 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 34.6% (male 1,270,289/female 1,226,954) 15-64 years: 61.7% (male 2,203,720/female 2,244,660) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 113,156/female 153,105) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 21.6 years male: 21.2 years female: 22.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.893% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

27.18 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.94 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-1.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 42.31 deaths/1,000 live births male: 47.3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 37.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 64.97 years male: 61.95 years female: 68.15 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.04 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Tajikistani(s) adjective: Tajikistani

Ethnic groups:

Tajik 79.9%, Uzbek 15.3%, Russian 1.1%, Kyrgyz 1.1%, other 2.6% (2000 census)

Religions:

Sunni Muslim 85%, Shia Muslim 5%, other 10% (2003 est.)

Languages:

Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.5% male: 99.7% female: 99.2% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 12 years female: 10 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

3.4% of GDP (2006)

Government

Tajikistan

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistan conventional short form: Tajikistan local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston local short form: Tojikiston former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Dushanbe geographic coordinates: 38 35 N, 68 48 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor); Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa), Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* [Gorno-Badakhshan] (Khorugh), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand) note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses

Independence:

9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:

Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991)

Constitution:

6 November 1994

Legal system:

based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Emomali RAHMON (since 6 November 1994; head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19 November 1992) head of government: Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV (since 20 January 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Supreme Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 6 November 2006 (next to be held in November 2013); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Emomali RAHMON reelected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMON 79.3%, Olimzon BOBOYEV 6.2%, other 14.5%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (34 seats; 25 members selected by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president; 1 seat reserved for the former president; to serve five-year terms) and the Assembly of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: National Assembly - last held 25 March 2005 (next to be held in February 2010); Assembly of Representatives 27 February and 13 March 2005 (next to be held in February 2010) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDPT 29, CPT 2, independents 3; Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 74.9%, CPT 13.6%, Islamic Revival Party 8.9%, other 2.5%; seats by party - PDPT 51, CPT 5, Islamic Revival Party 2, independents 5

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders:

Agrarian Party of Tajikistan or APT [Amir KARAKULOV]; Democratic

Party or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV (imprisoned October 2005);

Rahmatullo VALIYEV, deputy]; Islamic Revival Party [Muhiddin

KABIRI]; Party of Economic Reform or PER [Olimzon BOBOYEV]; People's

Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMON]; Social

Democratic Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOYIROV]; Socialist Party or

SPT [Mirhuseyn NARZIYEV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi

SHABDOLOV]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Agrarian Party [Hikmatullo NASREDDINOV] (unregistered political party); Democratic Party or DPT [Masud SOBIROV] (splintered from Iskanderov's DPT); Progressive Party [Sulton QUVVATOV]; Socialist Party or SPT [Abdualim GHAFFOROV] (splintered from Narziyev's SPT); Unity Party [Hikmatullo SAIDOV] other: splinter parties recognized by the government but not by the base of the party; unregistered political parties

International organization participation:

ADB, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC,

IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, OIC, OPCW, OSCE,

PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Abdujabbor SHIRINOV chancery: 1005 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 223-6090 FAX: [1] (202) 223-6091

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Tracey Ann JACOBSON embassy: 109-A Ismoili Somoni Avenue, Dushanbe 734019 mailing address: 7090 Dushanbe Place, Dulles, VA 20189 telephone: [992] (37) 229-20-00 FAX: [992] (37) 229-20-50

Flag description:

three horizontal stripes of red (top), a wider stripe of white, and green; a gold crown surmounted by seven gold, five-pointed stars is located in the center of the white stripe

Economy

Tajikistan

Economy - overview:

Tajikistan has one of the lowest per capita GDPs among the 15 former Soviet republics. Only 7% of the land area is arable. Cotton is the most important crop, but this sector is burdened with debt and an obsolete infrastructure. Mineral resources include silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten. Industry consists only of a large aluminum plant, hydropower facilities, and small obsolete factories mostly in light industry and food processing. The civil war (1992-97) severely damaged the already weak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in industrial and agricultural production. While Tajikistan has experienced steady economic growth since 1997, nearly two-thirds of the population continues to live in abject poverty. Economic growth reached 10.6% in 2004, but dropped to 8% in 2005, 7% in 2006, and 7.8% in 2007. Tajikistan's economic situation remains fragile due to uneven implementation of structural reforms, corruption, weak governance, widespread unemployment, seasonal power shortages, and the external debt burden. Continued privatization of medium and large state-owned enterprises could increase productivity. A debt restructuring agreement was reached with Russia in December 2002 including a $250 million write-off of Tajikistan's $300 million debt. Tajikistan ranks third in the world in terms of water resources per head, but suffers winter power shortages due to poor management of water levels in rivers and reservoirs. Completion of the Sangtuda I hydropower dam - built with Russian investment - and the Sangtuda II and Rogun dams will add substantially to electricity output. If finished according to Tajik plans, Rogun will be the world's tallest dam. Tajikistan has also received substantial infrastructure development loans from the Chinese government to improve roads and an electricity transmission network. To help increase north-south trade, the US funded a $36 million bridge which opened in August 2007 and links Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$11.96 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$3.712 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 23.8% industry: 30.4% services: 45.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.1 million (2007)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 67.2% industry: 7.5% services: 25.3% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

2.4% official rate; actual unemployment is higher (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

60% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 25.6% (2007 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

32.6 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

12.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $712.1 million expenditures: $674.5 million (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

13.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

15% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

22.87% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$91.59 million (31 December 2006)

Stock of quasi money:

$161 million (31 December 2006)

Stock of domestic credit:

$417.4 million (31 December 2006)

Agriculture - products:

cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats

Industries:

aluminum, zinc, lead; chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers

Industrial production growth rate:

5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

17.4 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - consumption:

17.9 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - exports:

4.259 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

4.36 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 1.9% hydro: 98.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

281.1 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

31,590 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

247.7 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

7,600 bbl/day (2007)

Oil - proved reserves:

12 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

32 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

842 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

810 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$351 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.606 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles

Exports - partners:

Netherlands 38.9%, Turkey 32.5%, Russia 6.6%, Uzbekistan 5.9%, Iran 5.1% (2007)

Imports:

$2.762 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

Russia 32.1%, Kazakhstan 13.1%, China 10.8%, Uzbekistan 8.4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$241.4 million from US (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$242 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.56 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

somoni (TJS)

Currency code:

TJS

Exchange rates:

Tajikistani somoni (TJS) per US dollar - 3.4418 (2007), 3.3 (2006), 3.1166 (2005), 2.9705 (2004), 3.0614 (2003)

Communications

Tajikistan

Telephones - main lines in use:

280,200 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

265,000 (2005)

Telephone system:

general assessment: poorly developed and not well maintained; many towns are not linked to the national network domestic: the domestic telecommunications network has historically been under funded and poorly maintained; main line availability has not changed significantly since 1998; cellular telephone use is growing but geographic coverage remains limited international: country code - 992; linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to international gateway switch in Ankara (Turkey); satellite earth stations - 3 (2 Intelsat and 1 Orbita) (2006)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 8, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2002)

Radios:

1.291 million (1991)

Television broadcast stations:

6 (2006)

Televisions:

820,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.tj

Internet hosts:

1,158 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

4 (2002)

Internet users:

19,500 (2005)

Transportation

Tajikistan

Airports:

26 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 18 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 8 under 914 m: 8 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 549 km; oil 38 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 482 km broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 27,767 km (2000)

Waterways:

200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2006)

Military

Tajikistan

Military branches:

Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Mobile Force (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,897,356 females age 16-49: 1,911,594 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,391,287 females age 16-49: 1,561,826 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 84,137 female: 81,777 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Tajikistan

Disputes - international:

in 2006, China and Tajikistan pledged to commence demarcation of the revised boundary agreed to in the delimitation of 2002; talks continue with Uzbekistan to delimit border and remove minefields; disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation with Kyrgyzstan

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Tajikistan is a source country for women trafficked through Kyrgyzstan and Russia to the UAE, Turkey, and Russia for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; men are trafficked to Russia and Kazakhstan for the purpose of forced labor, primarily in the construction and agricultural industries; boys and girls are trafficked internally for various purposes, including forced labor and forced begging tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Tajikistan is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking, especially efforts to investigate, prosecute, convict, and sentence traffickers; despite evidence of low- and mid-level officials' complicity in trafficking, the government did not punish any public officials for trafficking complicity during 2007; lack of capacity and poor coordination between government institutions remained key obstacles to effective anti-trafficking efforts (2008)

Illicit drugs:

major transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption; Tajikistan seizes roughly 80% of all drugs captured in Central Asia and stands third worldwide in seizures of opiates (heroin and raw opium); significant consumer of opiates

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Tanzania

Introduction

Tanzania

Background:

Shortly after achieving independence from Britain in the early 1960s, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania in 1964. One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the first democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s. Zanzibar's semi-autonomous status and popular opposition have led to two contentious elections since 1995, which the ruling party won despite international observers' claims of voting irregularities.

Geography

Tanzania

Location:

Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and

Mozambique

Geographic coordinates:

6 00 S, 35 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 945,087 sq km land: 886,037 sq km water: 59,050 sq km note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than twice the size of California

Land boundaries:

total: 3,861 km border countries: Burundi 451 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 459 km, Kenya 769 km, Malawi 475 km, Mozambique 756 km, Rwanda 217 km, Uganda 396 km, Zambia 338 km

Coastline:

1,424 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

Terrain:

plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Kilimanjaro 5,895 m

Natural resources:

hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel

Land use:

arable land: 4.23% permanent crops: 1.16% other: 94.61% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,840 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

91 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 5.18 cu km/yr (10%/0%/89%) per capita: 135 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought

Environment - current issues:

soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; destruction of coral reefs threatens marine habitats; recent droughts affected marginal agriculture; wildlife threatened by illegal hunting and trade, especially for ivory

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa; bordered by three of the largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the world's second deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa in the southwest

People

Tanzania

Population:

40,213,160 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 43.5% (male 8,763,471/female 8,719,198) 15-64 years: 53.7% (male 10,638,666/female 10,947,190) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 502,368/female 642,269) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 17.8 years male: 17.6 years female: 18.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.072% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

35.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

12.92 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-1.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 70.46 deaths/1,000 live births male: 77.51 deaths/1,000 live births female: 63.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 51.45 years male: 50.06 years female: 52.88 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.62 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

8.8% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

1.6 million (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

160,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Tanzanian(s) adjective: Tanzanian

Ethnic groups:

mainland - African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, African, mixed Arab and African

Religions:

mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim

Languages:

Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety of sources including Arabic and English; it has become the lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most people is one of the local languages

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write Kiswahili (Swahili), English, or Arabic total population: 69.4% male: 77.5% female: 62.2% (2002 census)

Education expenditures:

2.2% of GDP (1999)

Government

Tanzania

Country name:

conventional long form: United Republic of Tanzania conventional short form: Tanzania local long form: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania local short form: Tanzania former: United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Dar es Salaam geographic coordinates: 6 48 S, 39 17 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: legislative offices have been transferred to Dodoma, which is planned as the new national capital; the National Assembly now meets there on a regular basis

Administrative divisions:

26 regions; Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Iringa, Kagera, Kigoma,

Kilimanjaro, Lindi, Manyara, Mara, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mtwara, Mwanza,

Pemba North, Pemba South, Pwani, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Singida,

Tabora, Tanga, Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar North, Zanzibar

Urban/West

Independence:

26 April 1964; Tanganyika became independent 9 December 1961 (from UK-administered UN trusteeship); Zanzibar became independent 19 December 1963 (from UK); Tanganyika united with Zanzibar 26 April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; renamed United Republic of Tanzania 29 October 1964

National holiday:

Union Day (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), 26 April (1964)

Constitution:

25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984

Legal system:

based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December 2005); Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December 2005); Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001) note: Zanzibar elects a president who is head of government for matters internal to Zanzibar; Amani Abeid KARUME was reelected to that office on 30 October 2005 cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly elections: president and vice president elected on the same ballot by popular vote for five-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 14 December 2005 (next to be held in December 2010); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Jakaya KIKWETE elected president; percent of vote - Jakaya KIKWETE 80.3%, Ibrahim LIPUMBA 11.7%, Freeman MBOWE 5.9%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (274 seats; 232 members elected by popular vote, 37 allocated to women nominated by the president, 5 to members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives; to serve five-year terms); note - in addition to enacting laws that apply to the entire United Republic of Tanzania, the Assembly enacts laws that apply only to the mainland; Zanzibar has its own House of Representatives to make laws especially for Zanzibar (the Zanzibar House of Representatives has 50 seats elected by universal suffrage to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 14 December 2005 (next to be held in December 2010) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CCM 206, CUF 19, CHADEMA 5, other 2, women appointed by the president 37, Zanzibar representatives 5 Zanzibar House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CCM 30, CUF 19; 1 seat was nullified with a rerun to take place soon

Judicial branch:

Permanent Commission of Enquiry (official ombudsman); Court of Appeal (consists of a chief justice and four judges); High Court (consists of a Jaji Kiongozi and 29 judges appointed by the president; holds regular sessions in all regions); District Courts; Primary Courts (limited jurisdiction and appeals can be made to the higher courts)

Political parties and leaders:

Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Party of Democracy and

Development) or CHADEMA [Bob MAKANI]; Chama Cha Mapinduzi or CCM

(Revolutionary Party) [Jakaya Mrisho KIKWETE]; Civic United Front or

CUF [Ibrahim LIPUMBA]; Democratic Party [Christopher MTIKLA]

(unregistered); Tanzania Labor Party or TLP [Augustine Lyatonga

MREME]; United Democratic Party or UDP [John CHEYO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Economic and Social Research Foundation or ESRF; Free Zanzibar;

Tanzania Media Women's Association or TAMWA

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-6, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN,

UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO,

UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ombeni Yohana SEFUE chancery: 2139 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6125 FAX: [1] (202) 797-7408

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Mark GREEN embassy: 686 Old Bagamoyo Road, Msasani, Dar es Salaam mailing address: P. O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam telephone: [255] (22) 266-8001 FAX: [255] (22) 266-8238, 266-8373

Flag description:

divided diagonally by a yellow-edged black band from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is blue

Economy

Tanzania

Economy - overview:

Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy depends heavily on agriculture, which accounts for more than 40% of GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 80% of the work force. Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated crops to only 4% of the land area. Industry traditionally featured the processing of agricultural products and light consumer goods. The World Bank, the IMF, and bilateral donors have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's out-of-date economic infrastructure and to alleviate poverty. Long-term growth through 2005 featured a pickup in industrial production and a substantial increase in output of minerals led by gold. Recent banking reforms have helped increase private-sector growth and investment. Continued donor assistance and solid macroeconomic policies supported real GDP growth of nearly 7% in 2007.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$51.07 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$16.18 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 42.5% industry: 18.9% services: 38.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

20.04 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

36% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 26.9% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

34.6 (2000)

Investment (gross fixed):

23.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $3.561 billion expenditures: $3.594 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Public debt:

19.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

16.4% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

16.03% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$2.263 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$2.885 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$2.25 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves, corn, wheat, cassava (tapioca), bananas, fruits, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats

Industries:

agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine); diamond, gold, and iron mining, salt, soda ash; cement, oil refining, shoes, apparel, wood products, fertilizer

Industrial production growth rate:

9.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

2.682 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

2.225 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

123 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 18.9% hydro: 81.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

27,270 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

26,760 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

146 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

146 million cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

6.513 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$1.856 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$2.227 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

gold, coffee, cashew nuts, manufactures, cotton

Exports - partners:

China 10.3%, India 9.7%, Netherlands 6.5%, Germany 6.3%, UAE 4.9% (2007)

Imports:

$4.861 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

consumer goods, machinery and transportation equipment, industrial raw materials, crude oil

Imports - partners:

China 12%, Kenya 8%, South Africa 7.7%, India 6.9%, UAE 5.9% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.505 billion (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.91 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$4.382 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$587.9 million (2005)

Currency (code):

Tanzanian shilling (TZS)

Currency code:

TZS

Exchange rates:

Tanzanian shillings (TZS) per US dollar - 1,255 (2007), 1,251.9 (2006), 1,128.93 (2005), 1,089.33 (2004), 1,038.42 (2003)

Communications

Tanzania

Telephones - main lines in use:

165,013 (2008)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

9.358 million (2008)

Telephone system:

general assessment: telecommunications services are inadequate; system operating below capacity and being modernized for better service; small aperture terminal (VSAT) system under construction domestic: fixed-line telephone network inadequate with less than 1 connection per 100 persons; mobile-cellular service, aided by multiple providers, is increasing; trunk service provided by open-wire, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and fiber-optic cable; some links being made digital international: country code - 255; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean, 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 12, FM 11, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:

8.8 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (1999)

Televisions:

103,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.tz

Internet hosts:

24,271 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

6 (2000)

Internet users:

400,000 (2007)

Transportation

Tanzania

Airports:

124 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 10 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 114 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 63 under 914 m: 34 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 287 km; oil 891 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 3,690 km narrow gauge: 969 km 1.067-m gauge; 2,721 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 78,891 km paved: 6,808 km unpaved: 72,083 km (2003)

Waterways:

Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa principal avenues of commerce with neighboring countries; rivers not navigable (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 9 by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 4 registered in other countries: 1 (Honduras 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Dar es Salaam

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the Indian Ocean are high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen

Military

Tanzania

Military branches:

Tanzanian People's Defense Force (Jeshi la Wananchi la Tanzania, JWTZ): Army, Naval Wing (includes Coast Guard), Air Defense Command (includes Air Wing), National Service (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 9,108,177 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,278,833 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 478,812 female: 479,557 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Tanzania

Disputes - international:

Tanzania still hosts more than a half-million refugees, more than any other African country, mainly from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite the international community's efforts at repatriation; disputes with Malawi over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 352,640 (Burundi); 127,973 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

growing role in transshipment of Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for South African, European, and US markets and of South Asian methaqualone bound for southern Africa; money laundering remains a problem

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Thailand

Introduction

Thailand

Background:

A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US ally following the conflict. Thailand is currently facing separatist violence in its southern ethnic Malay-Muslim provinces.

Geography

Thailand

Location:

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of

Thailand, southeast of Burma

Geographic coordinates:

15 00 N, 100 00 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 514,000 sq km land: 511,770 sq km water: 2,230 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming

Land boundaries:

total: 4,863 km border countries: Burma 1,800 km, Cambodia 803 km, Laos 1,754 km, Malaysia 506 km

Coastline:

3,219 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid

Terrain:

central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m highest point: Doi Inthanon 2,576 m

Natural resources:

tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 27.54% permanent crops: 6.93% other: 65.53% (2005)

Irrigated land:

49,860 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

409.9 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 82.75 cu km/yr (2%/2%/95%) per capita: 1,288 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the water table; droughts

Environment - current issues:

air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from organic and factory wastes; deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by illegal hunting

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore

People

Thailand

Population:

65,493,296 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 21.2% (male 7,104,776/female 6,781,453) 15-64 years: 70.3% (male 22,763,274/female 23,304,793) 65 years and over: 8.5% (male 2,516,721/female 3,022,281) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 32.8 years male: 32 years female: 33.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.64% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

13.57 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.17 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 18.23 deaths/1,000 live births male: 19.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 72.83 years male: 70.51 years female: 75.27 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.64 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

570,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

58,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria animal contact disease: rabies water contact disease: leptospirosis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Thai (singular and plural) adjective: Thai

Ethnic groups:

Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%

Religions:

Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1% (2000 census)

Languages:

Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.6% male: 94.9% female: 90.5% (2000 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4.2% of GDP (2005)

Government

Thailand

Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Thailand conventional short form: Thailand local long form: Ratcha Anachak Thai local short form: Prathet Thai former: Siam

Government type:

constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Bangkok geographic coordinates: 13 45 N, 100 31 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

76 provinces (changwat, singular and plural); Amnat Charoen, Ang

Thong, Buriram, Chachoengsao, Chai Nat, Chaiyaphum, Chanthaburi,

Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chon Buri, Chumphon, Kalasin, Kamphaeng

Phet, Kanchanaburi, Khon Kaen, Krabi, Krung Thep Mahanakhon

(Bangkok), Lampang, Lamphun, Loei, Lop Buri, Mae Hong Son, Maha

Sarakham, Mukdahan, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Phanom,

Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nan,

Narathiwat, Nong Bua Lamphu, Nong Khai, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani,

Pattani, Phangnga, Phatthalung, Phayao, Phetchabun, Phetchaburi,

Phichit, Phitsanulok, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Phrae, Phuket,

Prachin Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ranong, Ratchaburi, Rayong, Roi

Et, Sa Kaeo, Sakon Nakhon, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Samut

Songkhram, Sara Buri, Satun, Sing Buri, Sisaket, Songkhla,

Sukhothai, Suphan Buri, Surat Thani, Surin, Tak, Trang, Trat, Ubon

Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Uthai Thani, Uttaradit, Yala, Yasothon

Independence:

1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized)

National holiday:

Birthday of King PHUMIPHON (BHUMIBOL), 5 December (1927)

Constitution:

constitution signed by King PHUMIPHON (BHUMIBOL) on 24 August 2007

Legal system:

based on civil law system, with influences of common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: King PHUMIPHON Adunyadet or (BHUMIBOL Adulyadej) (since 9 June 1946) head of government: Prime Minister ABHISIT Wetchachiwa, also spelled ABHISIT Vejjajiva (since 17 December 2008); Deputy Prime Minister OLARN Cahipravat (since 24 September 2008); Deputy Prime Minister SANAN Kachornprasat, also spelled SANAN Kachornparsart (since 7 February 2008); Deputy Prime Minister SOMPONG Amornwiwat (since 24 September 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers note: there is also a Privy Council elections: monarch is hereditary; according to 2007 constitution, prime minister is designated from among members of House of Representatives; following national elections for House of Representatives, leader of party that could organize a majority coalition usually was appointed prime minister by king; prime minister is limited to two 4-year terms

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Assembly or Rathasapha consisted of the Senate or Wuthisapha (150 seats; 76 members elected by popular vote representing 76 provinces, 74 appointed by judges and independent government bodies; all serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon (480 seats; 400 members elected from 157 multi-seat constituencies and 80 elected on proportional party-list basis of 10 per eight zones or groupings of provinces; all serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held on 2 March 2008 (next to be held in March 2014); House of Representatives - last election held on 23 December 2007 (next to be held in December 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPP 233, DP 164, TNP 34, Motherland 24, Middle Way 11, Unity 9, Royalist People's 5 note: 74 senators were appointed on 19 February 2008 by a seven-member committee headed by the chief of the Constitutional Court; 76 senators were elected on 2 March 2008; elections to the Senate are non-partisan; registered political party members are disqualified from being senators

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court or Sandika (judges appointed by the monarch)

Political parties and leaders:

Democrat Party or DP (Prachathipat Party) [ABHISIT Wetchachiwa, also

spelled ABHISIT Vejjajiva]; Matchima Thippatai (Middle Way Party)

[ANONGWAN Therpsuthin] - disbanded; Motherland Party (Peua Pandin

Party); People's Power Party (Palang Prachachon Party) or PPP

[SOMCHAI Wongsawat, acting] - disbanded; Royalist People's Party

(Pracharaj) [SANOH Thienthong]; Ruam Jai Thai Party (Thai Unity

Party) [CHETTA Thanacharo, also spelled CHETTHA Thanajaro]; Thai

Nation Party or TNP (Chat Thai Party) [BARNHARN SILPA-ARCHA] -

disbanded

Political pressure groups and leaders:

People's Alliance for Democracy; Campaign for Democracy [Pibob

THONGCHAI]

International organization participation:

ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, BIS, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW,

OSCE (partner), PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires DAMRONG Kraikruan chancery: 1024 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 401, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 944-3600 FAX: [1] (202) 944-3611 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Eric G. JOHN embassy: 120-122 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330 mailing address: APO AP 96546 telephone: [66] (2) 205-4000 FAX: [66] (2) 254-2990, 205-4131 consulate(s) general: Chiang Mai

Flag description:

five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue (double width), white, and red

Economy

Thailand

Economy - overview:

With a well-developed infrastructure, a free-enterprise economy, and generally pro-investment policies, Thailand appears to have fully recovered from the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis. The country was one of East Asia's best performers from 2002-04. Boosted by strong export growth, the Thai economy grew 4.5% in 2007. Bangkok has pursued preferential trade agreements with a variety of partners in an effort to boost exports and to maintain high growth. By 2007, the tourism sector had largely recovered from the major 2004 tsunami. Following the military coup in September 2006, investment and consumer confidence stagnated due to the uncertain political climate that lasted through the December 2007 elections. Foreign investor sentiment was further tempered by a 30% reserve requirement on capital inflows instituted in December 2006, and discussion of amending Thailand's rules governing foreign-owned businesses. Economic growth in 2007 was due almost entirely to robust export performance - despite the pressure of an appreciating currency. Exports have performed at record levels, rising nearly 17% in 2006 and 12% in 2007. Export-oriented manufacturing - in particular automobile production - and farm output are driving these gains.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$521.5 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$245.7 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$8,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 11.4% industry: 43.8% services: 44.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

36.9 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 49% industry: 14% services: 37% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

1.4% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

10% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.7% highest 10%: 33.4% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

42 (2002)

Investment (gross fixed):

26.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $44.14 billion expenditures: $49.83 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 October - 30 September

Public debt:

37.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.2% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

3.75% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7.05% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$28.62 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$216.6 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$241.8 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, cassava (tapioca), rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans

Industries:

tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing such as jewelry and electric appliances, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics, automobiles and automotive parts; world's second-largest tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer

Industrial production growth rate:

5.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

130.7 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

123.9 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

731 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

4.488 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 91.3% hydro: 6.4% nuclear: 0% other: 2.4% (2001)

Oil - production:

348,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

928,600 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

207,400 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

832,900 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

460 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

25.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

35.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

9.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

331.2 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$14.92 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$151.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry, automobiles, computers and electrical appliances

Exports - partners:

US 12.6%, Japan 11.9%, China 9.7%, Singapore 6.3%, Hong Kong 5.7%,

Malaysia 5.1% (2007)

Imports:

$125.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials, consumer goods, fuels

Imports - partners:

Japan 20.3%, China 11.6%, US 6.8%, Malaysia 6.2%, UAE 4.9%,

Singapore 4.5%, Taiwan 4.1% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$171.1 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$87.46 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$59.52 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$80.83 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$7.013 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$139.6 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

baht (THB)

Currency code:

THB

Exchange rates:

baht per US dollar - 33.599 (2007), 37.882 (2006), 40.22 (2005), 40.222 (2004), 41.485 (2003)

Communications

Thailand

Telephones - main lines in use:

7.024 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

51.377 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: high quality system, especially in urban areas like Bangkok domestic: fixed line system provided by both a government owned and commercial provider; wireless service expanding rapidly and outpacing fixed lines international: country code - 66; connected to major submarine cable systems providing links throughout Asia, Australia, Middle East, Europe, and US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean, 1 Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 238, FM 351, shortwave 6 (2007)

Radios:

13.96 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

111 (2006)

Televisions:

15.19 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.th

Internet hosts:

1.116 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

15 (2000)

Internet users:

13.416 million (2007)

Transportation

Thailand

Airports:

106 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 65 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 6 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 41 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 28 (2007)

Heliports:

3 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 4,381 km; refined products 320 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 4,071 km narrow gauge: 4,071 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 180,053 km (includes 450 km of expressways) (2006)

Waterways:

4,000 km note: 3,701 km navigable by boats with drafts up to 0.9 m (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 398 by type: bulk carrier 53, cargo 135, chemical tanker 15, container 22, liquefied gas 28, passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 100, refrigerated cargo 32, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 1 foreign-owned: 16 (China 1, Japan 4, Malaysia 3, Singapore 2, Taiwan 1, UK 5) registered in other countries: 40 (Bahamas 5, Mongolia 1, Panama 10, Singapore 23, Tuvalu 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Prachuap Port, Si Racha

Military

Thailand

Military branches:

Royal Thai Army (RTA), Royal Thai Navy (RTN, includes Royal Thai

Marine Corps), Royal Thai Air Force (Knogtap Agard Thai, RTAF) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

21 years of age for compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; males are registered at 18 years of age; 2-year conscript service obligation (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 17,553,410 females age 16-49: 17,751,268 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 12,968,674 females age 16-49: 14,058,779 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 531,315 female: 511,288 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Thailand

Disputes - international:

separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim southern provinces prompt border closures and controls with Malaysia to stem terrorist activities; Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of demarcation with Laos but disputes remain over several islands in the Mekong River; despite continuing border committee talks, Thailand must deal with Karen and other ethnic rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities, and as of 2006, over 116,000 Karen, Hmong, and other refugees and asylum seekers from Burma; Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of historic boundary with missing boundary markers; Cambodia claims Thai encroachments into Cambodian territory and obstructing access to Preah Vihear temple ruins awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962; Thailand is studying the feasibility of jointly constructing the Hatgyi Dam on the Salween river near the border with Burma; in 2004, international environmentalist pressure prompted China to halt construction of 13 dams on the Salween River that flows through China, Burma, and Thailand

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 132,241 (Burma) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

a minor producer of opium, heroin, and marijuana; transit point for illicit heroin en route to the international drug market from Burma and Laos; eradication efforts have reduced the area of cannabis cultivation and shifted some production to neighboring countries; opium poppy cultivation has been reduced by eradication efforts; also a drug money-laundering center; minor role in methamphetamine production for regional consumption; major consumer of methamphetamine since the 1990s despite a series of government crackdowns

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Timor-Leste

Introduction

Timor-Leste

Background:

The Portuguese began to trade with the island of Timor in the early 16th century and colonized it in mid-century. Skirmishing with the Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty in which Portugal ceded the western portion of the island. Imperial Japan occupied Portuguese Timor from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. East Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975 and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later. It was incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of Timor Timur (East Timor). An unsuccessful campaign of pacification followed over the next two decades, during which an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 individuals lost their lives. On 30 August 1999, in a UN-supervised popular referendum, an overwhelming majority of the people of Timor-Leste voted for independence from Indonesia. Between the referendum and the arrival of a multinational peacekeeping force in late September 1999, anti-independence Timorese militias - organized and supported by the Indonesian military - commenced a large-scale, scorched-earth campaign of retribution. The militias killed approximately 1,400 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into western Timor as refugees. The majority of the country's infrastructure, including homes, irrigation systems, water supply systems, and schools, and nearly 100% of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. On 20 September 1999 the Australian-led peacekeeping troops of the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) deployed to the country and brought the violence to an end. On 20 May 2002, Timor-Leste was internationally recognized as an independent state. In late April 2006, internal tensions threatened the new nation's security when a military strike led to violence and a near breakdown of law and order in Dili. At the request of the Government of Timor-Leste, an Australian-led International Stabilization Force (ISF) deployed to Timor-Leste in late May. In August, the UN Security Council established the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), which included an authorized police presence of over 1,600 personnel. In subsequent months, many of the ISF soldiers were replaced by UN police officers; approximately 80 ISF officers remained as of January 2008. From April to June 2007, the Government of Timor-Leste held presidential and parliamentary elections in a largely peaceful atmosphere with the support and assistance of UNMIT and international donors.

Geography

Timor-Leste

Location:

Southeastern Asia, northwest of Australia in the Lesser Sunda

Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago; note -

Timor-Leste includes the eastern half of the island of Timor, the

Oecussi (Ambeno) region on the northwest portion of the island of

Timor, and the islands of Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco

Geographic coordinates:

8 50 S, 125 55 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 15,007 sq km land: NA sq km water: NA sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Connecticut

Land boundaries:

total: 228 km border countries: Indonesia 228 km

Coastline:

706 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons

Terrain:

mountainous

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Timor Sea, Savu Sea, and Banda Sea 0 m highest point: Foho Tatamailau 2,963 m

Natural resources:

gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble

Land use:

arable land: 8.2% permanent crops: 4.57% other: 87.23% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,065 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:

floods and landslides are common; earthquakes, tsunamis, tropical cyclones

Environment - current issues:

widespread use of slash and burn agriculture has led to deforestation and soil erosion

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Climate Change, Desertification

Geography - note:

Timor comes from the Malay word for "East"; the island of Timor is part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands

People

Timor-Leste

Population:

1,108,777 note: other estimates range as low as 800,000 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 35.1% (male 197,975/female 191,716) 15-64 years: 61.6% (male 347,573/female 334,908) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 17,578/female 19,027) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 21.5 years male: 21.5 years female: 21.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.05% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

26.52 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 41.98 deaths/1,000 live births male: 48.16 deaths/1,000 live births female: 35.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 66.94 years male: 64.6 years female: 69.39 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.36 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: chikungunya, dengue fever and malaria (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Timorese adjective: Timorese

Ethnic groups:

Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian), Papuan, small Chinese minority

Religions:

Roman Catholic 98%, Muslim 1%, Protestant 1% (2005)

Languages:

Tetum (official), Portuguese (official), Indonesian, English note: there are about 16 indigenous languages; Tetum, Galole, Mambae, and Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 58.6% male: NA female: NA (2002)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Timor-Leste

Country name:

conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste conventional short form: Timor-Leste local long form: Republika Demokratika Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste [Portuguese] local short form: Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Timor-Leste [Portuguese] former: East Timor, Portuguese Timor

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Dili geographic coordinates: 8 35 S, 125 36 E time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

13 administrative districts; Aileu, Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro (Maliana), Cova-Lima (Suai), Dili, Ermera, Lautem (Los Palos), Liquica, Manatuto, Manufahi (Same), Oecussi (Ambeno), Viqueque

Independence:

28 November 1975 (independence proclaimed from Portugal); note - 20 May 2002 is the official date of international recognition of Timor-Leste's independence from Indonesia

National holiday:

Independence Day, 28 November (1975)

Constitution:

22 March 2002 (based on the Portuguese model)

Legal system:

UN-drafted legal system based on Indonesian law remains in place but is to be replaced by civil and penal codes based on Portuguese law; these have passed but have not been promulgated; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

17 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Jose RAMOS-HORTA (since 20 May 2007); note - the president plays a largely symbolic role but is able to veto legislation, dissolve parliament, and call national elections head of government: Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO (since 8 August 2007), note - he formerly used the name Jose Alexandre GUSMAO; Deputy Prime Minister Jose Luis GUTERRES (since 8 August 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 9 April 2007 with run-off on 8 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2012); following elections, president appoints leader of majority party or majority coalition as prime minister election results: Jose RAMOS-HORTA elected president; percent of vote - Jose RAMOS-HORTA 69.2%, Francisco GUTTERES 30.8%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Parliament (number of seats can vary from 52 to 65; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 30 June 2007 (next elections due by June 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - FRETILIN 29%, CNRT 24.1%, ASDT-PSD 15.8%, PD 11.3%, PUN 4.5%, KOTA-PPT (Democratic Alliance) 3.2%, UNTERDIM 3.2%, others 8.9%; seats by party - FRETILIN 21, CNRT 18, ASDT-PSD 11, PD 8, PUN 3, KOTA-PPT 2, UNDERTIM 2

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Justice - constitution calls for one judge to be

appointed by National Parliament and rest appointed by Superior

Council for Judiciary; note - until Supreme Court is established,

Court of Appeals is highest court

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Party or PD [Fernando de ARAUJO]; National Congress for

Timorese Reconstruction or CNRT [Xanana GUSMAO]; National Democratic

Union of Timorese Resistance or UNDERTIM [Cornelio DA Conceicao

GAMA]; National Unity Party or PUN [Fernanda BORGES]; People's Party

of Timor or PPT [Jacob XAVIER]; Revolutionary Front of Independent

Timor-Leste or FRETILIN [Mari ALKATIRI]; Social Democratic

Association of Timor or ASDT [Francisco Xavier do AMARAL]; Social

Democratic Party or PSD [Mario CARRASCALAO]; Sons of the Mountain

Warriors or KOTA [Manuel TILMAN] (also known as Association of

Timorese Heroes)

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ACP, ADB, ARF, CPLP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFAD, IFC,

IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PIF

(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU,

WCO, WFTU, WHO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jorge CAMEO chancery: 4201 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 504,Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-3202 FAX: [1] (202) 966-3205 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Hans G. KLEMM embassy: Avenida de Portugal, Praia dos Conqueiros, Dili mailing address: US Department of State, 8250 Dili Place, Washington, DC 20521-8250 telephone: (670) 332-4684 FAX: (670) 331-3206

Flag description:

red, with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) superimposed on a slightly longer yellow arrowhead that extends to the center of the flag; a white star is in the center of the black triangle

Economy

Timor-Leste

Economy - overview:

In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure of Timor-Leste was laid waste by Indonesian troops and anti-independence militias. Three hundred thousand people fled westward. Over the next three years a massive international program, manned by 5,000 peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1,300 police officers, led to substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural areas. By the end of 2005, refugees had returned or had settled in Indonesia. The country continues to face great challenges in rebuilding its infrastructure, strengthening the civil administration, and generating jobs for young people entering the work force. The development of oil and gas resources in offshore waters has begun to supplement government revenues ahead of schedule and above expectations - the result of high petroleum prices. The technology-intensive industry, however, has done little to create jobs for the unemployed because there are no production facilities in Timor. Gas is piped to Australia. In June 2005 the National Parliament unanimously approved the creation of a Petroleum Fund to serve as a repository for all petroleum revenues and preserve the value of Timor-Leste's petroleum wealth for future generations. The Fund held assets of US$1.8 billion as of September 2007. The mid-2006 outbreak of violence and civil unrest disrupted both private and public sector economic activity and created 100,000 internally displaced persons - about 10 percent of the population. While real non-oil GDP growth in 2006 was negative, the economy probably rebounded in 2007. The underlying economic policy challenge the country faces remains how best to use oil-and-gas wealth to lift the non-oil economy onto a higher growth path and reduce poverty. In late 2007, the new government announced plans aimed at increasing spending, reducing poverty, and improving the country's infrastructure, but it continues to face capacity constraints. In the short term, the government must also address continuing problems related to the crisis of 2006, especially the displaced Timorese.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.608 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$459 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

19.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,500 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 32.2% industry: 12.8% services: 55% (2005)

Labor force:

NA

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Unemployment rate:

50% estimated; note - unemployment in urban areas reached 20%; data do not include underemployed (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:

42% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

38 (2002 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $733 million expenditures: $309 million note: the government passed a transitional budget to cover the latter half of 2007 and has moved the fiscal cycle to a calendar year, starting with the budget they passed for 2008 (FY06/07 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

7.8% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

15.05% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$74.94 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$68.78 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

NA (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, rice, corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cabbage, mangoes, bananas, vanilla

Industries:

printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth

Industrial production growth rate:

8.5% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:

NA kWh

Electricity - consumption:

NA kWh

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

78,480 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

NA

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

200 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

$1.161 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$10 million; note - excludes oil (2005 est.)

Exports - commodities:

coffee, sandalwood, marble; note - potential for oil and vanilla exports

Exports - partners:

US, Germany, Portugal, Australia, Indonesia (2006)

Imports:

$202 million (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food, gasoline, kerosene, machinery

Economic aid - recipient:

$184.7 million (2005 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

US dollar (USD)

Currency code:

USD

Exchange rates:

the US dollar is used

Communications

Timor-Leste

Telephones - main lines in use:

2,400 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

69,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: rudimentary service limited to urban areas domestic: system suffered significant damage during the violence associated with independence; extremely limited fixed-line services; mobile-cellular services and coverage limited primarily to urban areas international: country code - 670; international service is available in major urban centers

Radio broadcast stations:

at least 21 (Timor-Leste has one national public broadcaster and 20 community and church radio stations - frequency type NA)

Radios:

NA

Television broadcast stations:

1 (Timor-Leste has one national public broadcaster)

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.tl

Internet hosts:

285 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

NA

Internet users:

1,200 (2006)

Transportation

Timor-Leste

Airports:

8 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Heliports:

9 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 6,040 km paved: 2,600 km unpaved: 3,440 km (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 1 by type: passenger/cargo 1 (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Dili

Military

Timor-Leste

Military branches:

Timor-Leste Defense Force (Forcas de Defesa de Timor-L'este,

Falintil (FDTL)): Army, Navy (Armada) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 284,903 females age 16-49: 272,212 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 224,096 females age 16-49: 231,901 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 13,045 female: 12,670 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Transnational Issues

Timor-Leste

Disputes - international:

Timor-Leste-Indonesia Boundary Committee has resolved all but a small portion of the land boundary, but discussions on maritime boundaries are stalemated over sovereignty of the uninhabited coral island of Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai in the north and alignment with Australian claims in the south; many refugees who left Timor-Leste in 2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse repatriation; Australia and Timor-Leste agreed in 2005 to defer the disputed portion of the boundary for 50 years and to split hydrocarbon revenues evenly outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area covered by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 100,000 (2007)

Illicit drugs:

NA

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Togo

Introduction

Togo

Background:

French Togoland became Togo in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA, installed as military ruler in 1967, ruled Togo with a heavy hand for almost four decades. Despite the facade of multiparty elections instituted in the early 1990s, the government was largely dominated by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party has maintained power almost continually since 1967 and maintains a majority of seats in today's legislature. Upon EYADEMA's death in February 2005, the military installed the president's son, Faure GNASSINGBE, and then engineered his formal election two months later. Democratic gains since then allowed Togo to hold its first relatively free and fair legislative elections in October 2007. After years of political unrest and fire from international organizations for human rights abuses, Togo is finally being re-welcomed into the international community.

Geography

Togo

Location:

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana

Geographic coordinates:

8 00 N, 1 10 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 56,785 sq km land: 54,385 sq km water: 2,400 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries:

total: 1,647 km border countries: Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km

Coastline:

56 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 30 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

Terrain:

gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Agou 986 m

Natural resources:

phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 44.2% permanent crops: 2.11% other: 53.69% (2005)

Irrigated land:

70 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

14.7 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.17 cu km/yr (53%/2%/45%) per capita: 28 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; water pollution presents health hazards and hinders the fishing industry; air pollution increasing in urban areas

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna

People

Togo

Population:

5,858,673 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 41.7% (male 1,226,320/female 1,218,182) 15-64 years: 55.6% (male 1,588,354/female 1,666,274) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 63,508/female 96,035) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.6 years male: 18.2 years female: 19 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.717% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

36.66 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.48 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 57.66 deaths/1,000 live births male: 65.01 deaths/1,000 live births female: 50.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 58.28 years male: 56.2 years female: 60.43 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.85 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

4.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

110,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

10,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Togolese (singular and plural) adjective: Togolese

Ethnic groups:

African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and

Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%

Religions:

Christian 29%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 51%

Languages:

French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina (the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 60.9% male: 75.4% female: 46.9% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 9 years male: 11 years female: 7 years (2000)

Education expenditures:

2.6% of GDP (2002)

Government

Togo

Country name:

conventional long form: Togolese Republic conventional short form: Togo local long form: Republique togolaise local short form: none former: French Togoland

Government type:

republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule

Capital:

name: Lome geographic coordinates: 6 08 N, 1 13 E time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

5 regions (regions, singular - region); Centrale, Kara, Maritime, Plateaux, Savanes

Independence:

27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 27 April (1960)

Constitution:

multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the Republic 1 July 1992, adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992

Legal system:

French-based court system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:

NA years of age; universal (adult)

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Faure GNASSINGBE (since 4 May 2005); note - Gnassingbe EYADEMA died on 5 February 2005 and was succeeded by his son, Faure GNASSINGBE, with the support of the military following international condemnation for the unconstitutional move he then stepped aside pending elections, and Abass BONFOH served as interim president; Faure GNASSINGBE later won popular elections in April 2005 head of government: Prime Minister Gilbert HOUNGBO (since 7 September 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held by 2010); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Faure GNASSINGBE elected president; percent of vote - Faure GNASSINGBE 60.2%, Emmanuel Akitani BOB 38.3%, Nicolas LAWSON 1%, Harry OLYMPIO 0.5%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 14 October 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - RPT 39.4%, UFC 37.0%, CAR 8.2%, independents 2.5%, other 12.9%; seats by party - RPT 50, UFC 27, CAR 4

Judicial branch:

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders:

Action Committee for Renewal or CAR [Yawovi AGBOYIBO]; Democratic

Convention of African Peoples or CDPA; Democratic Party for Renewal

or PDR; Juvento [Monsilia DJATO]; Movement of the Believers of Peace

and Equality or MOCEP; Pan-African Patriotic Convergence or CPP;

Rally for the Support for Development and Democracy or RSDD [Harry

OLYMPIO]; Rally of the Togolese People or RPT [Faure GNASSINGBE];

Socialist Pact for Renewal or PSR; Union for Democracy and Social

Progress or UDPS [Gagou KOKOU]; Union of Forces for a Change or UFC

[Gilchrist OLYMPIO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,

IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF,

OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO,

UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Lorempo LANDJERGUE chancery: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-4212 FAX: [1] (202) 232-3190

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia McMahon HAWKINS embassy: 4332 Blvd. Gnassingbe Eyadema, Cite OUA, Lome mailing address: B. P. 852, Lome; 2300 Lome Place, Washington, DC 20512-2300 telephone: [228] 261-5470 FAX: [228] 261-5501

Flag description:

five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with yellow; a white five-pointed star on a red square is in the upper hoist-side corner; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy

Togo

Economy - overview:

This small, sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on both commercial and subsistence agriculture, which provides employment for 65% of the labor force. Some basic foodstuffs must still be imported. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton generate about 40% of export earnings with cotton being the most important cash crop. Togo is the world's fourth-largest producer of phosphate. The government's decade-long effort, supported by the World Bank and the IMF, to implement economic reform measures, encourage foreign investment, and bring revenues in line with expenditures has moved slowly. Progress depends on follow through on privatization, increased openness in government financial operations, progress toward legislative elections, and continued support from foreign donors. Togo is working with donors to write a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) that could eventually lead to a debt reduction plan. Economic growth remains marginal due to declining cotton production, underinvestment in phosphate mining, and strained relations with donors.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$5.042 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$2.497 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 40% industry: 25% services: 35% (2003 est.)

Labor force:

1.302 million (1998)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 65% industry: 5% services: 30% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

32% (1989 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

24.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $466.8 million expenditures: $514.7 million (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

NA (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$624.9 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$383.9 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$590.7 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava (tapioca), corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum; livestock; fish

Industries:

phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement, handicrafts, textiles, beverages

Industrial production growth rate:

1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

203 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

607 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

505 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by Ghana (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 98.7% hydro: 1.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

17,770 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

1,547 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

16,650 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$159 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$702 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

reexports, cotton, phosphates, coffee, cocoa

Exports - partners:

Ghana 16.8%, Burkina Faso 14.5%, Germany 9.2%, Benin 9.1%,

Netherlands 5.9%, Mali 5.8%, India 4.7% (2007)

Imports:

$1.201 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products

Imports - partners:

China 36.3%, Estonia 9.6%, US 7.6%, Netherlands 7.3%, France 7% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $86.71 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$438 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$2 billion (2005)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Currency code:

XOF

Exchange rates:

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 482.71 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003) note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Communications

Togo

Telephones - main lines in use:

82,100 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.19 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: fair system based on a network of microwave radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and a mobile-cellular system domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional system; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 15 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 228; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Symphonie

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:

940,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (plus 2 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

73,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.tg

Internet hosts:

769 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

3 (2001)

Internet users:

320,000 (2006)

Transportation

Togo

Airports:

9 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Railways:

total: 568 km narrow gauge: 568 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 7,520 km paved: 2,376 km unpaved: 5,144 km (2000)

Waterways:

50 km (seasonally on Mono River depending on rainfall) (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 10 by type: cargo 9, refrigerated cargo 1 foreign-owned: 6 (Bangladesh 1, Denmark 1, Egypt 1, Lebanon 1, Syria 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Kpeme, Lome

Military

Togo

Military branches:

Togolese Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Togolese Navy (Marine du

Togo), Togolese Air Force (Force Aerienne Togolaise, FAT), National

Gendarmerie (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for selective compulsory and voluntary military service; 2-year service obligation (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,365,505 females age 16-49: 1,374,993 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 897,195 females age 16-49: 913,327 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 69,156 female: 69,200 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Togo

Disputes - international:

in 2001, Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - joint commission continues to resurvey the boundary; in 2006 14,000 Togolese refugees remain in Benin and Ghana out of the 40,000 who fled there in 2005

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 5,000 (Ghana) IDPs: 1,500 (2007)

Illicit drugs:

transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine traffickers; money laundering not a significant problem

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Tokelau

Introduction

Tokelau

Background:

Originally settled by Polynesian emigrants from surrounding island groups, the Tokelau Islands were made a British protectorate in 1889. They were transferred to New Zealand administration in 1925. Referenda held in 2006 and 2007 to change the status of the islands from that of a New Zealand territory to one of free association with New Zealand did not meet the needed threshold for approval.

Geography

Tokelau

Location:

Oceania, group of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Geographic coordinates:

9 00 S, 172 00 W

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 10 sq km land: 10 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about 17 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

101 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November)

Terrain:

low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m

Natural resources:

NEGL

Land use:

arable land: 0% (soil is thin and infertile) permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

lies in Pacific typhoon belt

Environment - current issues:

limited natural resources and overcrowding are contributing to emigration to New Zealand

Geography - note:

consists of three atolls (Atafu, Fakaofo, Nukunonu), each with a lagoon surrounded by a number of reef-bound islets of varying length and rising to over 3 m above sea level

People

Tokelau

Population:

1,433 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 42% 15-64 years: 53% 65 years and over: 5%

Population growth rate:

-0.011% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Death rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

NA

Infant mortality rate:

total: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

NA (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Tokelauan(s) adjective: Tokelauan

Ethnic groups:

Polynesian

Religions:

Congregational Christian Church 70%, Roman Catholic 28%, other 2% note: on Atafu, all Congregational Christian Church of Samoa; on Nukunonu, all Roman Catholic; on Fakaofo, both denominations, with the Congregational Christian Church predominant

Languages:

Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English

Literacy:

NA

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 10 years female: 11 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Tokelau

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Tokelau

Dependency status:

self-administering territory of New Zealand; note - Tokelau and New Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution as Tokelau moves toward free association with New Zealand; a UN sponsored referendum on self governance in October 2007 did not produce the two-thirds majority vote necessary for changing the political status

Government type:

NA

Capital:

none; each atoll has its own administrative center time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (territory of New Zealand)

Independence:

none (territory of New Zealand)

National holiday:

Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)

Constitution:

administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948; amended in 1970

Legal system:

New Zealand and local statutes

Suffrage:

21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General of New Zealand Anand SATYANAND (since 23 August 2006); New Zealand is represented by Administrator David PAYTON (since 17 October 2006) head of government: Pio TUIA (since 23 February 2008); note - position rotates annually among the three Faipule (village leaders) cabinet: the Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau, consisting of three Faipule (village leaders) and three Pulenuku (village mayors), functions as a cabinet elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade in New Zealand; the head of government is chosen from the Council of Faipule and serves a one-year term

Legislative branch:

unicameral General Fono (20 seats; based upon proportional representation from the three islands elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; Atafu has seven seats, Fakaofo has seven seats, Nukunonu has six seats); note - the Tokelau Amendment Act of 1996 confers limited legislative power on the General Fono elections: last held 17-19 January 2008 (next to be held in 2011) election results: independents 20

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court in New Zealand exercises civil and criminal jurisdiction in Tokelau

Political parties and leaders:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

none

International organization participation:

PIF (observer), SPC, UNESCO (associate), UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (territory of New Zealand)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (territory of New Zealand)

Flag description:

the flag of New Zealand is used

Economy

Tokelau

Economy - overview:

Tokelau's small size (three villages), isolation, and lack of resources greatly restrain economic development and confine agriculture to the subsistence level. The people rely heavily on aid from New Zealand - about $4 million annually - to maintain public services with annual aid being substantially greater than GDP. The principal sources of revenue come from sales of copra, postage stamps, souvenir coins, and handicrafts. Money is also remitted to families from relatives in New Zealand.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.5 million (1993 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,000 (1993 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Labor force:

440 (2001)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Budget:

revenues: $430,800 expenditures: $2.8 million (1987 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

NA%

Agriculture - products:

coconuts, copra, breadfruit, papayas, bananas; pigs, poultry, goats; fish

Industries:

small-scale enterprises for copra production, woodworking, plaited craft goods; stamps, coins; fishing

Electricity - production:

NA kWh

Electricity - consumption:

NA kWh

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Exports:

$0 (2002)

Exports - commodities:

stamps, copra, handicrafts

Exports - partners:

New Zealand (2006)

Imports:

$969,200 c.i.f. (2002)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, building materials, fuel

Imports - partners:

New Zealand (2006)

Currency (code):

New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Currency code:

NZD

Exchange rates:

New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003)

Communications

Tokelau

Telephones - main lines in use:

300 (2002)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern satellite-based communications system domestic: radiotelephone service between islands international: country code - 690; radiotelephone service to Samoa; government-regulated telephone service (TeleTok); satellite earth stations - 3

Radio broadcast stations:

AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA (one radio station provides service to all islands) (2002)

Radios:

1,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.tk

Internet hosts:

273 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

NA

Transportation

Tokelau

Ports and terminals:

none; offshore anchorage only

Military

Tokelau

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of New Zealand

Transnational Issues

Tokelau

Disputes - international:

Tokelau included American Samoa's Swains Island (Olohega) in its 2006 draft constitution

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Tonga

Introduction

Tonga

Background:

Tonga - unique among Pacific nations - never completely lost its indigenous governance. The archipelagos of "The Friendly Islands" were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. Tonga became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900; it withdrew from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1970. Tonga remains the only monarchy in the Pacific.

Geography

Tonga

Location:

Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Geographic coordinates:

20 00 S, 175 00 W

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 748 sq km land: 718 sq km water: 30 sq km

Area - comparative:

four times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

419 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December)

Terrain:

most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Kao Island 1,033 m

Natural resources:

fish, fertile soil

Land use:

arable land: 20% permanent crops: 14.67% other: 65.33% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou

Environment - current issues:

deforestation results as more and more land is being cleared for agriculture and settlement; some damage to coral reefs from starfish and indiscriminate coral and shell collectors; overhunting threatens native sea turtle populations

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited)

People

Tonga

Population:

119,009 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 33.7% (male 20,484/female 19,633) 15-64 years: 62% (male 36,699/female 37,108) 65 years and over: 4.3% (male 2,135/female 2,950) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 21.8 years male: 21.3 years female: 22.3 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.669% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

21.81 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.12 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 11.88 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.07 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 70.44 years male: 67.9 years female: 73.1 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.5 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Tongan(s) adjective: Tongan

Ethnic groups:

Polynesian, Europeans

Religions:

Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents)

Languages:

Tongan, English

Literacy:

definition: can read and write Tongan and/or English total population: 98.9% male: 98.8% female: 99% (1999 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 13 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

5% of GDP (2004)

Government

Tonga

Country name:

conventional long form: Kingdom of Tonga conventional short form: Tonga local long form: Pule'anga Tonga local short form: Tonga former: Friendly Islands

Government type:

constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: Nuku'alofa geographic coordinates: 21 08 S, 175 12 W time difference: UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

3 island groups; Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u

Independence:

4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate)

National holiday:

Emancipation Day, 4 June (1970)

Constitution:

4 November 1875; revised 1 January 1967

Legal system:

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: King George TUPOU V (since 11 September 2006) head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Feleti SEVELE (since 11 February 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Viliami TANGI (since 16 May 2006) cabinet: Cabinet consists of 14 members, 10 appointed by the monarch for life; four appointed from among the elected members of the Legislative Assembly, including two each from the nobles' and peoples' representatives serving three-year terms note: there is also a Privy Council that consists of the monarch, the cabinet, and two governors elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch:

unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (32 seats - 14 reserved for cabinet ministers sitting ex officio, nine for nobles selected by the country's 33 nobles, and nine elected by popular vote; members serve three-year terms) elections: last held on 23-24 April 2008 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Peoples Representatives: percent of vote - independents 54%, THRDM 28%, PDP 14%; seats - THRDM 4, independents 3, PDP 2

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal (Chief Justice and high court justices from overseas chosen and approved by Privy Council)

Political parties and leaders:

Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement or THRDM [Uliti UATA];

People's Democratic Party or PDP [Tesina FUKO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Human Rights and Democracy Movement Tonga or HRDMT [Rev. Simote VEA, chairman]; Public Servant's Association [Finau TUTONE]

International organization participation:

ACP, ADB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,

IHO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca,

SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Fekitamoeloa 'UTOIKAMANU chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (917) 369-1025 FAX: [1] (917) 369-1024 consulate(s) general: San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Tonga; the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tonga

Flag description:

red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner

Economy

Tonga

Economy - overview:

Tonga has a small, open, South Pacific island economy. It has a narrow export base in agricultural goods. Squash, vanilla beans, and yams are the main crops, and agricultural exports, including fish, make up two-thirds of total exports. The country must import a high proportion of its food, mainly from New Zealand. The country remains dependent on external aid and remittances from Tongan communities overseas to offset its trade deficit. Tourism is the second-largest source of hard currency earnings following remittances. The government is emphasizing the development of the private sector, especially the encouragement of investment, and is committing increased funds for health and education. Tonga has a reasonably sound basic infrastructure and well-developed social services. High unemployment among the young, a continuing upturn in inflation, pressures for democratic reform, and rising civil service expenditures are major issues facing the government.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$526 million (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$219 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

-3.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$5,100 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 25% industry: 17% services: 57% (FY05/06 est.)

Labor force:

33,910 (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 65% industry and services: 35% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:

13% (FY03/04 est.)

Population below poverty line:

24% (FY03/04)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $80.48 million expenditures: $109.8 million (FY07/08)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

5.9% (2007 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

12.16% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$46.38 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$106.8 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$163.1 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish

Industries:

tourism, construction, fishing

Industrial production growth rate:

1% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:

43 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

39.99 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

870 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports:

1,035 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2007 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2007 est.)

Current account balance:

-$23 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$22 million f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops

Exports - partners:

US 36.7%, Japan 21.6%, NZ 10.1%, Fiji 5.8%, Samoa 4.9% (2007)

Imports:

$139 million f.o.b. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners:

Fiji 32.5%, NZ 27.5%, US 9%, Australia 7.4%, China 5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$31.75 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$40.83 million (yearend, FY04/05)

Debt - external:

$80.7 million (2004)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

pa'anga (TOP)

Currency code:

TOP

Exchange rates:

pa'anga (TOP) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2.0277 (2006), 1.96 (2005), 1.9716 (2004), 2.142 (2003)

Communications

Tonga

Telephones - main lines in use:

21,000 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

46,500 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: competition between Tonga Telecommunications Corporation (TCC) and Shoreline Communications Tonga (SCT) is accelerating expansion of telecommunications; SCT recently granted authority to develop high-speed digital service for telephone, Internet, and television domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 40 telephones per 100 persons; fully automatic switched network international: country code - 676; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2004)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:

61,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (2004)

Televisions:

2,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.to

Internet hosts:

19,231 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

8,400 (2007)

Transportation

Tonga

Airports:

6 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 680 km paved: 184 km unpaved: 496 km (2000)

Merchant marine:

total: 13 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 8, carrier 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1 foreign-owned: 4 (Australia 1, Cyprus 1, Switzerland 1, UK 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Nuku'alofa

Military

Tonga

Military branches:

Tonga Defense Services (TDS): Land Force (Royal Guard), Naval Force (includes Royal Marines, Air Wing) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 32,053 females age 16-49: 30,981 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 25,520 females age 16-49: 26,893 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 1,464 female: 1,412 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Transnational Issues

Tonga

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Trinidad and Tobago

Introduction

Trinidad and Tobago

Background:

First colonized by the Spanish, the islands came under British control in the early 19th century. The islands' sugar industry was hurt by the emancipation of the slaves in 1834. Manpower was replaced with the importation of contract laborers from India between 1845 and 1917, which boosted sugar production as well as the cocoa industry. The discovery of oil on Trinidad in 1910 added another important export. Independence was attained in 1962. The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean thanks largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing. Tourism, mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is growing. The government is coping with a rise in violent crime.

Geography

Trinidad and Tobago

Location:

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic

Ocean, northeast of Venezuela

Geographic coordinates:

11 00 N, 61 00 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 5,128 sq km land: 5,128 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

362 km

Maritime claims:

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical; rainy season (June to December)

Terrain:

mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, asphalt

Land use:

arable land: 14.62% permanent crops: 9.16% other: 76.22% (2005)

Irrigated land:

40 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

3.8 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.31 cu km/yr (68%/26%/6%) per capita: 237 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms

Environment - current issues:

water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt

People

Trinidad and Tobago

Population:

1,047,366 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 19% (male 102,352/female 96,487) 15-64 years: 71.8% (male 396,352/female 356,080) 65 years and over: 9.2% (male 42,998/female 53,097) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 32.3 years male: 31.9 years female: 32.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.891% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

13.22 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.93 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-11.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 23.59 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.34 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 67 years male: 66.07 years female: 67.98 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.73 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

3.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

29,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

1,900 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s) adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian

Ethnic groups:

Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed 20.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 0.8% (2000 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%, Baptist 7.2%,

Pentecostal 6.8%, Muslim 5.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4%, other

Christian 5.8%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9% (2000

census)

Languages:

English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi),

French, Spanish, Chinese

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.6% male: 99.1% female: 98% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 11 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

4.2% of GDP (200)

People - note:

in 2007, the government of Trinidad and Tobago estimated the population to be 1.3 million

Government

Trinidad and Tobago

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Port-of-Spain geographic coordinates: 10 39 N, 61 31 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough corporations, 1 ward regional corporations: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco city corporations: Port-of-Spain, San Fernando borough corporations: Arima, Chaguanas, Point Fortin ward: Tobago

Independence:

31 August 1962 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 31 August (1962)

Constitution:

1 August 1976

Legal system:

based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President George Maxwell RICHARDS (since 17 March 2003) head of government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING (since 24 December 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament elections: president elected by an electoral college, which consists of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 11 February 2008 (next to be held by February 2013); the president usually appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS reelected president; percent of electoral college vote - NA

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; 16 members appointed by the ruling party, nine by the President, six by the opposition party to serve a maximum term of five years) and the House of Representatives (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held on 5 November 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM 46%, UNC 29.7%; seats by party - PNM 26, UNC 15 note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members serving four-year terms; last election held in January 2005; seats by party - PNM 11, DAC 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission); High Court of Justice; Caribbean Court of Appeals member; Court of Appeals; the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London

Political parties and leaders:

Congress of the People [Winston DOOKERAN]; Democratic Action

Congress or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES] (only active in Tobago); Democratic

National Alliance or DNA [Gerald YETMING] (coalition of NAR, DDPT,

MND); Movement for National Development or MND [Garvin NICHOLAS];

National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Dr. Carson CHARLES];

People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; United National

Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin BAKR]

International organization participation:

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Glenda MOREAN-PHILLIP chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490 FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain telephone: [1] (868) 622-6371 through 6376 FAX: [1] (868) 822-5905

Flag description:

red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side to the lower fly side

Economy

Trinidad and Tobago

Economy - overview:

Trinidad and Tobago has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses and has one of the highest growth rates and per capita incomes in Latin America. Recent growth has been fueled by investments in liquefied natural gas (LNG), petrochemicals, and steel. Additional petrochemical, aluminum, and plastics projects are in various stages of planning. Trinidad and Tobago is the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, and its economy is heavily dependent upon these resources but it also supplies manufactured goods, notably food and beverages, as well as cement to the Caribbean region. Oil and gas account for about 40% of GDP and 80% of exports, but only 5% of employment. The country is also a regional financial center, and tourism is a growing sector, although it is not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from a growing trade surplus. Economic growth reached 12.6% in 2006 and 5.5% in 2007 as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and LNG remained high, and as foreign direct investment continued to grow to support expanded capacity in the energy sector.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$26.79 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$20.7 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$25,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 0.6% industry: 62% services: 37.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

622,000 (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture 4%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 12.9%, construction and utilities 17.5%, services 65.6% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

4.5% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

17% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

16.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $6.332 billion expenditures: $5.969 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 October - 30 September

Public debt:

27.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

7.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

10% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

11.75% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$2.646 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$5.707 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$3.721 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry

Industries:

petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles

Industrial production growth rate:

6.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

7.704 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - consumption:

7.083 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 99.8% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0.2% (2001)

Oil - production:

163,300 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

28,730 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

218,800 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

72,780 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

728.3 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

39 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

20.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

18.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

531.5 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$5.378 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$13.39 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum and petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol, ammonia, urea, steel products, beverages, cereal and cereal products, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus fruit, vegetables, flowers

Exports - partners:

US 57.5%, Jamaica 6.5%, Spain 3.9% (2007)

Imports:

$7.67 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

mineral fuels, lubricants, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals, grain

Imports - partners:

US 28.2%, Brazil 11%, Venezuela 8.2%, Colombia 5.4%, Gabon 4.9%,

China 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$200,000 (2007 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$6.745 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$2.869 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$12.44 billion (2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$1.419 billion (2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$15.57 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD)

Currency code:

TTD

Exchange rates:

Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TTD) per US dollar - 6.3275 (2007), 6.3107 (2006), 6.2842 (2005), 6.299 (2004), 6.2951 (2003)

Communications

Trinidad and Tobago

Telephones - main lines in use:

323,800 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.008 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: excellent international service; good local service domestic: mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 125 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 1-868; submarine cable systems provide connectivity to US and parts of the Caribbean and South America; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2001)

Radios:

680,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

6 (2005)

Televisions:

425,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.tt

Internet hosts:

155,722 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

17 (2000)

Internet users:

430,800 (2007)

Transportation

Trinidad and Tobago

Airports:

6 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 245 km; gas 1,320 km; oil 563 km (2007)

Roadways:

total: 8,320 km paved: 4,252 km unpaved: 4,068 km (2000)

Merchant marine:

total: 9 by type: passenger 2, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 1 (US 1) registered in other countries: 2 (Bahamas 1, unknown 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Point Fortin, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain

Military

Trinidad and Tobago

Military branches:

Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (TTDF): Trinidad and Tobago

Regiment, Coast Guard, Air Guard (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service (16 years of age with parental consent); no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 301,561 females age 16-49: 264,225 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 215,310 females age 16-49: 180,526 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 8,671 female: 8,153 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

0.3% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Trinidad and Tobago

Disputes - international:

in April 2006, the Permanent Court of Arbitration issued a decision that delimited a maritime boundary with Trinidad and Tobago and compelled Barbados to enter a fishing agreement that limited Barbadian fishermen's catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration under UNCLOS challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to include itself in the arbitration as the Trinidad and Tobago-Venezuela maritime boundary may extend into its waters as well

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Tunisia

Introduction

Tunisia

Background:

Rivalry between French and Italian interests in Tunisia culminated in a French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a protectorate. Agitation for independence in the decades following World War I was finally successful in getting the French to recognize Tunisia as an independent state in 1956. The country's first president, Habib BOURGUIBA, established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation. In November 1987, BOURGUIBA was removed from office and replaced by Zine el Abidine BEN ALI in a bloodless coup. BEN ALI is currently serving his fourth consecutive five-year term as president; the next elections are scheduled for October 2009. Tunisia has long taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign relations. Domestically, it has sought to defuse rising pressure for a more open political society.

Geography

Tunisia

Location:

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya

Geographic coordinates:

34 00 N, 9 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 163,610 sq km land: 155,360 sq km water: 8,250 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Georgia

Land boundaries:

total: 1,424 km border countries: Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km

Coastline:

1,148 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 12 nm

Climate:

temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south

Terrain:

mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt

Land use:

arable land: 17.05% permanent crops: 13.08% other: 69.87% (2005)

Irrigated land:

3,940 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

4.6 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.64 cu km/yr (14%/4%/82%) per capita: 261 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and poses health risks; water pollution from raw sewage; limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration

People

Tunisia

Population:

10,383,577 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 23.2% (male 1,246,105/female 1,167,379) 15-64 years: 69.7% (male 3,638,062/female 3,595,254) 65 years and over: 7.1% (male 345,590/female 391,187) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 28.8 years male: 28.2 years female: 29.3 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.989% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

15.5 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.17 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 23.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 20.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 75.56 years male: 73.79 years female: 77.46 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.73 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

1,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Tunisian(s) adjective: Tunisian

Ethnic groups:

Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%

Religions:

Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%

Languages:

Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 74.3% male: 83.4% female: 65.3% (2004 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

7.3% of GDP (2005)

Government

Tunisia

Country name:

conventional long form: Tunisian Republic conventional short form: Tunisia local long form: Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah local short form: Tunis

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Tunis geographic coordinates: 36 48 N, 10 11 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

24 governorates; Ariana (Aryanah), Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous (Bin

'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah), Jendouba

(Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili

(Qibili), Kef (Al Kaf), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Manouba (Manubah),

Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul), Sfax

(Safaqis), Sidi Bou Zid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse

(Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar), Tunis, Zaghouan

(Zaghwan)

Independence:

20 March 1956 (from France)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 20 March (1956); also the anniversary of BEN ALI's assumption of the presidency, 7 November (1987)

Constitution:

1 June 1959; amended 1988, 2002

Legal system:

based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal except for active government security forces (including the police and the military), people with mental disabilities, people who have served more than three months in prison (criminal cases only), and people given a suspended sentence of more than six months

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Zine el Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November 1987) head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed GHANNOUCHI (since 17 November 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held on 24 October 2004 (next to be held in October 2009); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI reelected for a fourth term; percent of vote - Zine El Abidine BEN ALI 94.5%, Mohamed BOUCHIHA 3.8%, Mohamed Ali HALOUANI 1%

Legislative branch:

bicameral system consists of the Chamber of Deputies or Majlis al-Nuwaab (189 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Advisors (126 seats; 85 members elected by municipal counselors, deputies, mayors, and professional associations and trade unions; 41 members are presidential appointees; members serve six-year terms) elections: Chamber of Deputies - last held on 24 October 2004 (next to be held in October 2009); Chamber of Advisors - last held on 3 July 2005 (next to be held in July 2011) election results: Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RCD 152, MDS 14, PUP 11, UDU 7, Al-Tajdid 3, PSL 2; Chamber of Advisors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RCD 71 (14 trade union seats vacant (due to boycott))

Judicial branch:

Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation

Political parties and leaders:

Al-Tajdid Movement [Ahmed IBRAHIM]; Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (Rassemblement Constitutionnel Democratique) or RCD (official ruling party) [President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI]; Democratic Forum for Labor and Liberties or FDTL [Mustapha Ben JAFAAR]; Green Party for Progress or PVP [Mongi KHAMASSI]; Liberal Social Party or PSL [Mondher THABET]; Movement of Socialist Democrats or MDS [Ismail BOULAHYA]; Popular Unity Party or PUP [Mohamed BOUCHIHA]; Progressive Democratic Party [Maya JERIBI]; Unionist Democratic Union or UDU [Ahmed INOUBLI]; note - the Islamist party, Al Nahda (Renaissance), is outlawed

Political pressure groups and leaders:

18 October Group [collective leadership]; Tunisian League for Human Rights or LTDH [Mokhtar TRIFI]

International organization participation:

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BSEC (observer), FAO, G-77, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,

IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA,

MONUC, NAM, OAPEC (suspended), OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE

(partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge D'Affaires Tarek Ben YOUSSEF chancery: 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 862-1850 FAX: [1] (202) 862-1858

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert F. GODEC embassy: Zone Nord-Est des Berges du Lac Nord de Tunis 1053 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [216] 71 107-000 FAX: [216] 71 963-263

Flag description:

red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent nearly encircling a red five-pointed star; the crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam

Economy

Tunisia

Economy - overview:

Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of economic affairs while still heavy has gradually lessened over the past decade with increasing privatization, simplification of the tax structure, and a prudent approach to debt. Progressive social policies also have helped raise living conditions in Tunisia relative to the region. Real growth, which averaged almost 5% over the past decade, reached 6.3% in 2007 because of development in non-textile manufacturing, a recovery in agricultural production, and strong growth in the services sector. However, Tunisia will need to reach even higher growth levels to create sufficient employment opportunities for an already large number of unemployed as well as the growing population of university graduates. Broader privatization, further liberalization of the investment code to increase foreign investment, improvements in government efficiency, and reduction of the trade deficit are among the challenges ahead.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$76.07 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$35.01 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.3% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$7,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 11.6% industry: 25.7% services: 62.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

3.593 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 55% industry: 23% services: 22% (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate:

14.1% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

7.4% (2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 31.5% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

40 (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):

23.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $8.466 billion expenditures: $9.475 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

55.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.1% (2007 est.)

Stock of money:

$9.491 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$13.56 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$25.23 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

olives, olive oil, grain, tomatoes, citrus fruit, sugar beets, dates, almonds; beef, dairy products

Industries:

petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages

Industrial production growth rate:

7.2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

12.65 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

10.75 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

135 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 99.5% hydro: 0.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

86,210 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

91,110 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

73,790 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

89,130 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

400 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

2.55 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

3.85 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2005)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

65.13 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$905 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$15.15 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

clothing, semi-finished goods and textiles, agricultural products, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, hydrocarbons, electrical equipment

Exports - partners:

France 31.3%, Italy 21%, Germany 8.5%, Spain 5.5%, Libya 5.5% (2007)

Imports:

$18.02 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

France 23.8%, Italy 21.9%, Germany 9.7%, Spain 5%, Libya 4.4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$376.5 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$7.854 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$19.27 billion (December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$26.22 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$118 million (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$4.446 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Tunisian dinar (TND)

Currency code:

TND

Exchange rates:

Tunisian dinars (TND) per US dollar - 1.2776 (2007), 1.331 (2006), 1.2974 (2005), 1.2455 (2004), 1.2885 (2003)

Communications

Tunisia

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.273 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

7.842 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet access available domestic: in an effort jumpstart expansion of the fixed-line network, the government has awarded a concession to build and operate a VSAT network with international connectivity; competition between the two mobile-cellular service providers has resulted in lower activation and usage charges and a strong surge in subscribership; expansion of mobile-cellular services to include multimedia messaging and e-mail and Internet to mobile phone services also leading to a surge in subscribership; overall fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 90 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 216; a landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; 2 international gateway digital switches

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 7, FM 38, shortwave 2 (2007)

Radios:

2.06 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

920,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.tn

Internet hosts:

376 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

1.722 million (2007)

Transportation

Tunisia

Airports:

30 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 14 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 7 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 2,665 km; oil 1,235 km; refined products 353 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,153 km standard gauge: 471 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,674 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified) dual gauge: 8 km 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (three rails) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 19,232 km paved: 12,655 km (includes 262 km of expressways) unpaved: 6,577 km (2004)

Merchant marine:

total: 7 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 4 registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Rades, Sfax, Skhira

Military

Tunisia

Military branches:

Army, Navy, Republic of Tunisia Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriyah At'tunisia) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

20 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,992,249 females age 16-49: 2,912,819 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,539,962 females age 16-49: 2,465,295 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 101,794 female: 95,198 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.4% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Tunisia

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Turkey

Introduction

Turkey

Background:

Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the title Ataturk or "Father of the Turks." Under his authoritarian leadership, the country adopted wide-ranging social, legal, and political reforms. After a period of one-party rule, an experiment with multi-party politics led to the 1950 election victory of the opposition Democratic Party and the peaceful transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political parties have multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of instability and intermittent military coups (1960, 1971, 1980), which in each case eventually resulted in a return of political power to civilians. In 1997, the military again helped engineer the ouster - popularly dubbed a "post-modern coup" - of the then Islamic-oriented government. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which only Turkey recognizes. A separatist insurgency begun in 1984 by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - now known as the People's Congress of Kurdistan or Kongra-Gel (KGK) - has dominated the Turkish military's attention and claimed more than 30,000 lives. After the capture of the group's leader in 1999, the insurgents largely withdrew from Turkey mainly to northern Iraq. In 2004, KGK announced an end to its ceasefire and attacks attributed to the KGK increased. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and in 1952 it became a member of NATO. In 1964, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community; over the past decade, it has undertaken many reforms to strengthen its democracy and economy enabling it to begin accession membership talks with the European Union.

Geography

Turkey

Location:

Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria

Geographic coordinates:

39 00 N, 35 00 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 780,580 sq km land: 770,760 sq km water: 9,820 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 2,648 km border countries: Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km, Georgia 252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 352 km, Syria 822 km

Coastline:

7,200 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 6 nm in the Aegean Sea; 12 nm in Black Sea and in Mediterranean Sea exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea only: to the maritime boundary agreed upon with the former USSR

Climate:

temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior

Terrain:

high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m

Natural resources:

coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold, barite, borate, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites (sulfur), clay, arable land, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 29.81% permanent crops: 3.39% other: 66.8% (2005)

Irrigated land:

52,150 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

234 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 39.78 cu km/yr (15%/11%/74%) per capita: 544 cu m/yr (2001)

Natural hazards:

severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van

Environment - current issues:

water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; concern for oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note:

strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas; Mount Ararat, the legendary landing place of Noah's ark, is in the far eastern portion of the country

People

Turkey

Population:

71,892,808 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 24.4% (male 8,937,515/female 8,608,375) 15-64 years: 68.6% (male 25,030,793/female 24,253,312) 65 years and over: 7% (male 2,307,236/female 2,755,576) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 29 years male: 28.8 years female: 29.2 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.013% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

16.15 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 36.98 deaths/1,000 live births male: 40.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 33.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.14 years male: 70.67 years female: 75.73 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.87 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1%; note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Turk(s) adjective: Turkish

Ethnic groups:

Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated)

Religions:

Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)

Languages:

Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the European part of Turkey

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.4% male: 95.3% female: 79.6% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 12 years female: 11 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

4% of GDP (2004)

Government

Turkey

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Turkey conventional short form: Turkey local long form: Turkiye Cumhuriyeti local short form: Turkiye

Government type:

republican parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Ankara geographic coordinates: 39 56 N, 32 52 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

81 provinces (iller, singular - ili); Adana, Adiyaman,

Afyonkarahisar, Agri, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Ardahan,

Artvin, Aydin, Balikesir, Bartin, Batman, Bayburt, Bilecik, Bingol,

Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Bursa, Canakkale, Cankiri, Corum, Denizli,

Diyarbakir, Duzce, Edirne, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskisehir,

Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Hatay, Icel (Mersin), Igdir,

Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir (Smyrna), Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Karaman,

Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir,

Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mugla, Mus,

Nevsehir, Nigde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa,

Siirt, Sinop, Sirnak, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat, Trabzon (Trebizond),

Tunceli, Usak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak

Independence:

29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday:

Republic Day, 29 October (1923)

Constitution:

7 November 1982

Legal system:

civil law system derived from various European continental legal systems; note - member of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), although Turkey claims limited derogations on the ratified European Convention on Human Rights; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Abdullah GUL (since 28 August 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (since 14 March 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Cemil CICEK (since 29 August 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Hayati YAZICI (since 29 August 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Nazim EKREN (since 29 August 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister elections: president elected by the National Assembly for one seven-year terms; prime minister appointed by the president from among members of parliament election results: Abdullah GUL received 339 votes in the third round of voting on 28 August 2007, after failing to garner the two thirds vote required by law in the first two rounds note: president-elect must have a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly on the first two ballots and a simple majority on the third ballot

Legislative branch:

unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held on 22 July 2007 (next to be held on November 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - AKP 46.7%, CHP 20.8%, MHP 14.3%, independents 5.2%, and other 13.0%; seats by party - AKP 341, CHP 112, MHP 71, independents 26; note - seats by party as of 17 December 2007 - AKP 340, CHP 87, MHP 70, DTP 20, DSP 13, independents 6, other 12, vacant 2 (DTP entered parliament as independents; DSP entered parliament on CHP's party list); only parties surpassing the 10% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats

Judicial branch:

Constitutional Court; High Court of Appeals (Yargitay); Council of State (Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay); Military High Court of Appeals; Military High Administrative Court

Political parties and leaders:

Anavatan Partisi (Motherland Party) or Anavatan [Erkan MUMCU];

Democratic Left Party or DSP [Mehmet Zeki SEZER]; Democratic Society

Party or DTP [Nurettin DEMIRTAS]; Felicity Party or SP [Recai KUTAN]

(sometimes translated as Contentment Party); Justice and Development

Party or AKP [Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN]; Nationalist Action Party or MHP

[Devlet BAHCELI] (sometimes translated as Nationalist Movement

Party); People's Rise Party (Halkin Yukselisi Partisi) or HYP [Yasar

Nuri OZTURK]; Republican People's Party or CHP [Deniz BAYKAL];

Social Democratic People's Party or SHP [Murat KARAYALCIN]; True

Path Party or DYP [Mehmet AGAR] (sometimes translated as Correct Way

Party); Young Party or GP [Cem Cengiz UZAN]

note: the parties listed above are some of the more significant of

the 49 parties that Turkey had on 1 December 2004

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Confederation of Public Sector Unions or KESK [Ismail Hakki TOMBUL];

Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions or DISK [Suleyman

CELEBI]; Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association

or MUSIAD [Omer BOLAT]; Moral Rights Workers Union or Hak-Is [Salim

USLU]; Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions or TISK [Tugurl

KUDATGOBILIK]; Turkish Confederation of Labor or Turk-Is [Salih

KILIC]; Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen or TESK

[Dervis GUNDAY]; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's

Association or TUSIAD [Omer SABANCI]; Turkish Union of Chambers of

Commerce and Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat HISARCIKLIOGLU]

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN

(observer), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO,

NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA,

UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Nabi SENSOY chancery: 2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 612-6700 FAX: [1] (202) 612-6744 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Ross WILSON embassy: 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara mailing address: PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823 telephone: [90] (312) 455-5555 FAX: [90] (312) 467-0019 consulate(s) general: Istanbul consulate(s): Adana; note - there is a Consular Agent in Izmir

Flag description:

red with a vertical white crescent (the closed portion is toward the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just outside the crescent opening

Economy

Turkey

Economy - overview:

Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of modern industry and commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that still accounts for more than 35% of employment. It has a strong and rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a major role in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication. The largest industrial sector is textiles and clothing, which accounts for one-third of industrial employment; it faces stiff competition in international markets with the end of the global quota system. However, other sectors, notably the automotive and electronics industries, are rising in importance within Turkey's export mix. Real GNP growth has exceeded 6% in many years, but this strong expansion has been interrupted by sharp declines in output in 1994, 1999, and 2001. The economy is turning around with the implementation of economic reforms, and 2004 GDP growth reached 9%, followed by roughly 5% annual growth from 2005-07. Inflation fell to 7.7% in 2005 - a 30-year low - but climbed back to 8.5% in 2007. Despite the strong economic gains from 2002-07, which were largely due to renewed investor interest in emerging markets, IMF backing, and tighter fiscal policy, the economy is still burdened by a high current account deficit and high external debt. Further economic and judicial reforms and prospective EU membership are expected to boost foreign direct investment. The stock value of FDI currently stands at about $85 billion. Privatization sales are currently approaching $21 billion. Oil began to flow through the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan pipeline in May 2006, marking a major milestone that will bring up to 1 million barrels per day from the Caspian to market. In 2007, Turkish financial markets weathered significant domestic political turmoil, including turbulence sparked by controversy over the selection of former Foreign Minister Abdullah GUL as Turkey's 11th president. Economic fundamentals are sound, marked by strong economic growth and foreign direct investment. Turkey's high current account deficit leaves the economy vulnerable to destabilizing shifts in investor confidence, however.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$853.9 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$663.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$12,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 8.9% industry: 28.3% services: 62.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

23.53 million note: about 1.2 million Turks work abroad (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 35.9% industry: 22.8% services: 41.2% (3rd quarter, 2004)

Unemployment rate:

9.9% plus underemployment of 4% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

20% (2002)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 34.1% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

43.6 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

21.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $145.5 billion expenditures: $156.1 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

38.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

25% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$64.43 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$254.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$358.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, pulse, citrus; livestock

Industries:

textiles, food processing, autos, electronics, mining (coal, chromite, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper

Industrial production growth rate:

5.4% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

181.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

141.5 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

2.576 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

863 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 79.3% hydro: 20.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0.3% (2001)

Oil - production:

42,800 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

676,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

114,600 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

714,100 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

300 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

893 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

36.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

31 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

35.83 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

8.495 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$37.58 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$115.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment

Exports - partners:

Germany 11.2%, UK 8.1%, Italy 7%, France 5.6%, Russia 4.4%, Spain 4.3% (2007)

Imports:

$162 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport equipment

Imports - partners:

Russia 13.8%, Germany 10.3%, China 7.8%, Italy 5.9%, US 4.8%, France 4.6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $464 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$76.51 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$247.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$106.4 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$11.35 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$162.4 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Turkish lira (TRY); old Turkish lira (TRL) before 1 January 2005

Currency code:

TRL, YTL

Exchange rates:

Turkish liras (TRY) per US dollar - 1.319 (2007), 1.4286 (2006), 1.3436 (2005), 1.4255 (2004), 1.5009 (2003) note: on 1 January 2005 the old Turkish lira (TRL) was converted to new Turkish lira (TRY) at a rate of 1,000,000 old to 1 new Turkish lira

Communications

Turkey

Telephones - main lines in use:

18.413 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

61.976 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: undergoing rapid modernization and expansion especially with cellular telephones domestic: additional digital exchanges are permitting a rapid increase in subscribers; the construction of a network of technologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using both fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay, is facilitating communication between urban centers; remote areas are reached by a domestic satellite system; the number of subscribers to mobile-cellular telephone service is growing rapidly international: country code - 90; international service is provided by the SEA-ME-WE-3 submarine cable and by submarine fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black Seas that link Turkey with Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia; satellite earth stations - 12 Intelsat; mobile satellite terminals - 328 in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems (2002)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 16, FM 107, shortwave 6 (2001)

Radios:

11.3 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

635 (plus 2,934 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

20.9 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.tr

Internet hosts:

2.667 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

50 (2001)

Internet users:

13.15 million (2006)

Transportation

Turkey

Airports:

117 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 90 over 3,047 m: 15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 27 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 17 (2007)

Heliports:

18 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 7,511 km; oil 3,636 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 8,697 km standard gauge: 8,697 km 1.435-m gauge (1,920 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 426,951 km (includes 1,987 km of expressways) (2006)

Waterways:

1,200 km (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 612 by type: bulk carrier 101, cargo 281, chemical tanker 70, combination ore/oil 1, container 35, liquefied gas 7, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 51, petroleum tanker 31, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 28, specialized tanker 2 foreign-owned: 8 (Cyprus 2, Germany 1, Greece 1, Italy 3, UAE 1) registered in other countries: 595 (Albania 1, Antigua and Barbuda 6, Bahamas 8, Belize 15, Cambodia 26, Comoros 8, Dominica 5, Georgia 14, Greece 1, Isle of Man 2, Italy 1, Kiribati 1, Liberia 7, Malta 176, Marshall Islands 50, Moldova 3, Netherlands 1, Netherlands Antilles 10, Panama 94, Russia 80, Saint Kitts and Nevis 35, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 20, Sierra Leone 15, Slovakia 10, Tuvalu 2, UK 2, unknown 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Aliaga, Diliskelesi, Izmir, Kocaeli (Izmit), Mercin Limani, Nemrut

Limani

Military

Turkey

Military branches:

Turkish Armed Forces (TSK): Turkish Land Forces (Turk Kara

Kuvvetleri, TKK), Turkish Naval Forces (Turk Deniz Kuvvetleri, TDK;

includes naval air and naval infantry), Turkish Air Force (Turk Hava

Kuvvetleri, THK) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

20 years of age (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 20,213,205 females age 16-49: 19,432,688 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 17,011,635 females age 16-49: 16,433,364 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 660,452 female: 638,527 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

5.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military - note:

a "National Security Policy Document" adopted in October 2005 increases the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) role in internal security, augmenting the General Directorate of Security and Gendarmerie General Command (Jandarma); the TSK leadership continues to play a key role in politics and considers itself guardian of Turkey's secular state; in April 2007, it warned the ruling party about any pro-Islamic appointments; despite on-going negotiations on EU accession since October 2005, progress has been limited in establishing required civilian supremacy over the military; primary domestic threats are listed as fundamentalism (with the definition in some dispute with the civilian government), separatism (the Kurdish problem), and the extreme left wing; Ankara strongly opposed establishment of an autonomous Kurdish region; an overhaul of the Turkish Land Forces Command (TLFC) taking place under the "Force 2014" program is to produce 20-30% smaller, more highly trained forces characterized by greater mobility and firepower and capable of joint and combined operations; the TLFC has taken on increasing international peacekeeping responsibilities, and took charge of a NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) command in Afghanistan in April 2007; the Turkish Navy is a regional naval power that wants to develop the capability to project power beyond Turkey's coastal waters; the Navy is heavily involved in NATO, multinational, and UN operations; its roles include control of territorial waters and security for sea lines of communications; the Turkish Air Force adopted an "Aerospace and Missile Defense Concept" in 2002 and has initiated project work on an integrated missile defense system; Air Force priorities include attaining a modern deployable, survivable, and sustainable force structure, and establishing a sustainable command and control system (2008)

Transnational Issues

Turkey

Disputes - international:

complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece in the Aegean Sea; status of north Cyprus question remains; Syria and Iraq protest Turkish hydrological projects to control upper Euphrates waters; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraq; border with Armenia remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

IDPs: 1-1.2 million (fighting 1984-99 between Kurdish PKK and

Turkish military; most IDPs in southeastern provinces) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

key transit route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe and, to a lesser extent, the US - via air, land, and sea routes; major Turkish and other international trafficking organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert imported morphine base into heroin exist in remote regions of Turkey and near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over areas of legal opium poppy cultivation and over output of poppy straw concentrate; lax enforcement of money-laundering controls

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Turkmenistan

Introduction

Turkmenistan

Background:

Eastern Turkmenistan for centuries formed part of the Persian province of Khurasan; in medieval times Merv (today known as Mary) was one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road. Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1924. It achieved independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. Extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a boon to this underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery projects were to be expanded. The Turkmenistan Government is actively seeking to develop alternative petroleum transportation routes to break Russia's pipeline monopoly. President for Life Saparmurat NYYAZOW died in December 2006, and Turkmenistan held its first multi-candidate presidential electoral process in February 2007. Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW, a vice premier under NYYAZOW, emerged as the country's new president.

Geography

Turkmenistan

Location:

Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan

Geographic coordinates:

40 00 N, 60 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 488,100 sq km land: 488,100 sq km water: NEGL

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than California

Land boundaries:

total: 3,736 km border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km

Coastline:

0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

subtropical desert

Terrain:

flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya -81 m; note - Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya (the lake has dropped as low as -110 m) highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt

Land use:

arable land: 4.51% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 95.35% (2005)

Irrigated land:

18,000 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

60.9 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 24.65 cu km/yr (2%/1%/98%) per capita: 5,104 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural chemicals, pesticides; salination, water logging of soil due to poor irrigation methods; Caspian Sea pollution; diversion of a large share of the flow of the Amu Darya into irrigation contributes to that river's inability to replenish the Aral Sea; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; the western and central low-lying desolate portions of the country make up the great Garagum (Kara-Kum) desert, which occupies over 80% of the country; eastern part is plateau

People

Turkmenistan

Population:

5,179,571 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 34.2% (male 902,811/female 868,428) 15-64 years: 61.5% (male 1,577,187/female 1,607,353) 65 years and over: 4.3% (male 97,480/female 126,312) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 22.6 years male: 22 years female: 23.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.596% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

25.07 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.11 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 51.81 deaths/1,000 live births male: 56.01 deaths/1,000 live births female: 47.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 68.6 years male: 65.53 years female: 71.82 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.07 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 100 (2004 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Turkmen(s) adjective: Turkmenistani

Ethnic groups:

Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003)

Religions:

Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%

Languages:

Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.8% male: 99.3% female: 98.3% (1999 est.)

Education expenditures:

3.9% of GDP (1991)

Government

Turkmenistan

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Turkmenistan local long form: none local short form: Turkmenistan former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:

republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch

Capital:

name: Ashgabat (Ashkhabad) geographic coordinates: 37 57 N, 58 23 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat) and 1 independent city*: Ahal Welayaty (Anew), Ashgabat*, Balkan Welayaty (Balkanabat), Dashoguz Welayaty, Lebap Welayaty (Turkmenabat), Mary Welayaty note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

Independence:

27 October 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 27 October (1991)

Constitution:

adopted 18 May 1992

Legal system:

based on civil law system and Islamic law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (since 14 February 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (since 14 February 2007) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held on 11 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW elected president; percent of vote - Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW 89.2%, Amanyaz ATAJYKOW 3.2%, other candidates 7.6%

Legislative branch:

two parliamentary bodies, a People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (supreme legislative body of about 2,500 delegates, some elected by popular vote and some appointed; meets at least yearly) and a National Assembly or Mejlis (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003 (next to be held in December 2008); National Assembly - last held 19 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2008) election results: People's Council - percent of vote by party - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 2,507; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note - all elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and are preapproved by the president note: in late 2003, a law was adopted reducing the powers of the National Assembly and making the People's Council the supreme legislative organ; the People's Council can now legally dissolve the National Assembly, and the president is now able to participate in the National Assembly as its supreme leader; the National Assembly can no longer adopt or amend the constitution or announce referendums or its elections; since the president is both the chairman of the People's Council and the supreme leader of the National Assembly, the 2003 law has the effect of making him the sole authority of both the executive and legislative branches of government

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW] note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries; the two most prominent opposition groups-in-exile have been National Democratic Movement of Turkmenistan (NDMT) and the United Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (UDPT); NDMT was led by former Foreign Minister Boris SHIKHMURADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the wake of the 25 November 2002 attack on President NYYAZOW's motorcade

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ADB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB,

IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO

(correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO (guest),

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Meret Bairamovich ORAZOW chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500 FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Richard M. MILES embassy: No. 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 744000 mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070 telephone: [993] (12) 35-00-45 FAX: [993] (12) 39-26-14

Flag description:

green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five tribal guls (designs used in producing carpets) stacked above two crossed olive branches; a white crescent moon representing Islam with five white stars representing the regions or welayats of Turkmenistan appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe

Economy

Turkmenistan

Economy - overview:

Turkmenistan is a largely desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated oases and large gas and oil resources. One-half of its irrigated land is planted in cotton; formerly it was the world's 10th-largest producer. Poor harvests in recent years have led to an almost 50% decline in cotton exports. With an authoritarian ex-Communist regime in power and a tribally based social structure, Turkmenistan has taken a cautious approach to economic reform, hoping to use gas and cotton sales to sustain its inefficient economy. Privatization goals remain limited. From 1998-2005, Turkmenistan suffered from the continued lack of adequate export routes for natural gas and from obligations on extensive short-term external debt. At the same time, however, total exports rose by an average of roughly 15% per year from 2003-07, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. Overall prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, a poor educational system, government misuse of oil and gas revenues, and Ashgabat's reluctance to adopt market-oriented reforms. In the past, Turkmenistan's economic statistics were state secrets. The new government has established a State Agency for Statistics, but GDP numbers and other figures are subject to wide margins of error. In particular, the rate of GDP growth is uncertain. Since his election, President BERDIMUHAMEDOW has sought to improve the health and education systems, ordered unification of the country's dual currency exchange rate, begun decreasing state subsidies for gasoline, signed an agreement to build a gas line to China, and created a special tourism zone on the Caspian Sea. All of these moves hint that the new post-NYYAZOW government will work to create a friendlier foreign investment environment.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$26.92 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$26.91 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

11.5% (IMF estimate) note: official government statistics are widely regarded as unreliable (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$5,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 11.5% industry: 40.8% services: 47.7% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

2.089 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 48.2% industry: 14% services: 37.8% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:

60% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:

30% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 31.7% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

40.8 (1998)

Investment (gross fixed):

32.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $1.664 billion expenditures: $1.624 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

11.3% (2007 est.)

Agriculture - products:

cotton, grain; livestock

Industries:

natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing

Industrial production growth rate:

10.3% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

12.83 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

9.584 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

1.34 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 99.9% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

180,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

107,400 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

40,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports:

5,283 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

600 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

68.88 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

19.48 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

49.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

2.832 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$1.705 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$7.567 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, textiles, cotton fiber

Exports - partners:

Ukraine 51.3%, Iran 18.5%, Turkey 5% (2007)

Imports:

$4.516 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

UAE 14.3%, Russia 11.6%, Turkey 10.3%, China 9.1%, Ukraine 8.7%,

Iran 7%, Germany 6.5%, US 5.6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$28.25 million from the US (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$5.172 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.4 billion to $5 billion (2004 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Turkmen manat (TMM)

Currency code:

TMM

Exchange rates:

Turkmen manat (TMM) per US dollar - 6,250 (2007) official rate note: the commercial rate was 19,800 Turkemen manat per US$ (2007)

Communications

Turkmenistan

Telephones - main lines in use:

398,100 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

216,900 (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: poorly developed domestic: Turkmentelekom, in cooperation with foreign investors, is planning to upgrade the country's telephone exchanges and install a new digital switching system; mobile-cellular usage remains limited international: country code - 993; linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; a new telephone link from Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat (2006)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:

1.225 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

4 (government-owned and programmed) (2004)

Televisions:

820,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.tm

Internet hosts:

640 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1

Internet users:

70,000 (2007)

Transportation

Turkmenistan

Airports:

28 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 22 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 6,441 km; oil 1,361 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,440 km broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 58,592 km paved: 47,577 km unpaved: 11,015 km (2002)

Waterways:

1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 7 by type: cargo 4, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1 (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Turkmenbasy

Military

Turkmenistan

Military branches:

Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,316,698 females age 16-49: 1,331,005 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,064,965 females age 16-49: 1,136,553 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 57,615 female: 55,426 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Turkmenistan

Disputes - international:

cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; field demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan commenced in 2005, but Caspian seabed delimitation remains stalled with Azerbaijan, Iran, and Kazakhstan due to Turkmenistan's indecision over how to allocate the sea's waters and seabed

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 11,173 (Tajikistan); less than 1,000 (Afghanistan) (2007)

Illicit drugs:

transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and Western European markets; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Turks and Caicos Islands

Introduction

Turks and Caicos Islands

Background:

The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands remain a British overseas territory.

Geography

Turks and Caicos Islands

Location:

Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti

Geographic coordinates:

21 45 N, 71 35 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 430 sq km land: 430 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

389 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry

Terrain:

low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Hills 49 m

Natural resources:

spiny lobster, conch

Land use:

arable land: 2.33% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.67% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

frequent hurricanes

Environment - current issues:

limited natural fresh water resources, private cisterns collect rainwater

Geography - note:

about 40 islands (eight inhabited)

People

Turks and Caicos Islands

Population:

22,352 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 30.7% (male 3,497/female 3,374) 15-64 years: 65.2% (male 7,640/female 6,929) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 435/female 477) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 27.8 years male: 28.5 years female: 27 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.644% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

21.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

4.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

9.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 14.35 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 75.19 years male: 72.91 years female: 77.59 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.98 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: none adjective: none

Ethnic groups:

black 90%, mixed, European, or North American 10%

Religions:

Baptist 40%, Anglican 18%, Methodist 16%, Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990)

Languages:

English (official)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 99% female: 98% (1970 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 12 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

NA

People - note:

destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, The Bahamas, and the US

Government

Turks and Caicos Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands abbreviation: TCI

Dependency status:

overseas territory of the UK

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Grand Turk (Cockburn Town) geographic coordinates: 21 28 N, 71 08 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:

Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)

Constitution:

Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2006 (effective 9 August 2006)

Legal system:

based on laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Gordon WETHERELL (since 5 August 2008) head of government: Premier Michael Eugene MISICK (chief minister since 15 August 2003, sworn in as premier on 9 August 2006); note - the office of premier was created in the 2006 constitution cabinet: Cabinet consists of the governor, the premier, six ministers appointed by the governor from among the members of the House of Assembly, and the attorney general elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed premier by the governor

Legislative branch:

unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats of which 15 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 9 February 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 60%, PDM 40%; seats by party - PNP 13, PDM 2

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders:

People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Floyd SEYMOUR]; Progressive

National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:

blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus

Economy

Turks and Caicos Islands

Economy - overview:

The Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, offshore financial services, and fishing. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of tourists, accounting for more than three-quarters of the 175,000 visitors that arrived in 2004. Major sources of government revenue also include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$216 million (2002 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

4.9% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$11,500 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Labor force:

4,848 (1990 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

note: about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services

Unemployment rate:

10% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $47 million expenditures: $33.6 million (1997-98 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

4% (1995)

Agriculture - products:

corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish

Industries:

tourism, offshore financial services

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

10 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

9.3 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

80 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

83.78 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$169.2 million (2000)

Exports - commodities:

lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells

Exports - partners:

US, UK (2006)

Imports:

$175.6 million (2000)

Imports - commodities:

food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials

Imports - partners:

US, UK (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$4.1 million (1997)

Debt - external:

$NA

Currency (code):

US dollar (USD)

Currency code:

USD

Exchange rates:

the US dollar is used

Communications

Turks and Caicos Islands

Telephones - main lines in use:

5,700 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1,700 (1999)

Telephone system:

general assessment: fully digital system with international direct dialing domestic: full range of services available; GSM wireless service available international: country code - 1-649; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber optic telecommunications submarine cable provides connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2003)

Radios:

8,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

0 (broadcasts received from The Bahamas; 2 cable television networks) (2003)

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.tc

Internet hosts:

2,352 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

14 (2000)

Internet users:

NA

Transportation

Turks and Caicos Islands

Airports:

8 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 121 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 97 km (2003)

Merchant marine:

registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Grand Turk, Providenciales

Military

Turks and Caicos Islands

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 222 female: 214 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

Turks and Caicos Islands

Disputes - international:

have received Haitians fleeing economic and civil disorder

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Tuvalu

Introduction

Tuvalu

Background:

In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands. The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000, Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv" for $50 million in royalties over a 12-year period.

Geography

Tuvalu

Location:

Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South

Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia

Geographic coordinates:

8 00 S, 178 00 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 26 sq km land: 26 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

24 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)

Terrain:

very low-lying and narrow coral atolls

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m

Natural resources:

fish

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 66.67% other: 33.33% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

severe tropical storms are usually rare, but, in 1997, there were three cyclones; low level of islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level

Environment - current issues:

since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not potable, most water needs must be met by catchment systems with storage facilities (the Japanese Government has built one desalination plant and plans to build one other); beachhead erosion because of the use of sand for building materials; excessive clearance of forest undergrowth for use as fuel; damage to coral reefs from the spread of the Crown of Thorns starfish; Tuvalu is concerned about global increases in greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on rising sea levels, which threaten the country's underground water table; in 2000, the government appealed to Australia and New Zealand to take in Tuvaluans if rising sea levels should make evacuation necessary

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six of the nine coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, and Nukulaelae - have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya and Niutao have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon

People

Tuvalu

Population:

12,177 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 29.4% (male 1,826/female 1,754) 15-64 years: 65.4% (male 3,891/female 4,073) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 236/female 397) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 25.2 years male: 24.2 years female: 26.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.577% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

22.75 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.98 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 18.97 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 68.97 years male: 66.7 years female: 71.36 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.94 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Tuvaluan(s) adjective: Tuvaluan

Ethnic groups:

Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%

Religions:

Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%

Languages:

Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)

Literacy:

NA

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 11 years (2001)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Tuvalu

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Tuvalu local long form: none local short form: Tuvalu former: Ellice Islands note: "Tuvalu" means "group of eight," referring to the country's eight traditionally inhabited islands

Government type:

constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Funafuti geographic coordinates: 8 30 S, 179 12 E time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: administrative offices are located in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet

Administrative divisions:

none

Independence:

1 October 1978 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 1 October (1978)

Constitution:

1 October 1978

Legal system:

NA

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Filoimea TELITO (since 15 April 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Apisai IELEMIA (since 14 August 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from the members of Parliament; election last held 14 August 2006 (next to be held following parliamentary elections in 2010) election results: Apisai IELEMIA elected Prime Minister in a Parliamentary election on 14 August 2006

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House of Assembly (15 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 3 August 2006 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 15

Judicial branch:

High Court (a chief justice visits twice a year to preside over its sessions; its rulings can be appealed to the Court of Appeal in Fiji); eight Island Courts (with limited jurisdiction)

Political parties and leaders:

there are no political parties but members of Parliament usually align themselves in informal groupings

Political pressure groups and leaders:

none

International organization participation:

ACP, ADB, C, FAO, IFRCS (observer), IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF,

Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US - the country's only diplomatic post is in Fiji - Tuvalu does, however, have a UN office located at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017, telephone: [1] (212) 490-0534

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu

Flag description:

light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the outer half of the flag represents a map of the country with nine yellow five-pointed stars symbolizing the nine islands

Economy

Tuvalu

Economy - overview:

Tuvalu consists of a densely populated, scattered group of nine coral atolls with poor soil. The country has no known mineral resources and few exports. Subsistence farming and fishing are the primary economic activities. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average, visit Tuvalu annually. Job opportunities are scarce and public sector workers make up the majority of those employed. About 15% of the adult male population work as seamen on merchant ships abroad and remittances are a vital source of income, contributing around $4 million in 2006. Substantial income is received annually from the Tuvalu Trust Fund (TTF), an international trust fund established in 1987 by Australia, NZ, and the UK and supported also by Japan and South Korea. Thanks to wise investments and conservative withdrawals, this fund grew from an initial $17 million to an estimated value of $77 million in 2006. The TFF contributed nearly $9 million towards the government budget in 2006 and is an important cushion for meeting shortfalls in the government's budget. The US Government is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu because of payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries. In an effort to ensure financial stability and sustainability, the government is pursuing public sector reforms, including privatization of some government functions and personnel cuts. Tuvalu also derives royalties from the lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name, with revenue of more than $2 million in 2006. A minor source of government revenue comes from the sale of stamps and coins. With merchandise exports only a fraction of merchandise imports, continued reliance must be placed on fishing and telecommunications license fees, remittances from overseas workers, official transfers, and income from overseas investments. Growing income disparities and the vulnerability of the country to climatic change are among leading concerns for the nation.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$14.94 million (2002 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$14.94 million (2002)

GDP - real growth rate:

3% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,600 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 16.6% industry: 27.2% services: 56.2% (2002)

Labor force:

3,615 (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

note: people make a living mainly through exploitation of the sea, reefs, and atolls and from wages sent home by those abroad (mostly workers in the phosphate industry and sailors)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $21.54 million expenditures: $23.05 million (2006)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.8% (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:

coconuts; fish

Industries:

fishing, tourism, copra

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: NA hydro: NA nuclear: NA other: NA

Current account balance:

-$11.68 million (2003)

Exports:

$1 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:

copra, fish

Exports - partners:

Germany 60.5%, Italy 20.1%, Fiji 6.9% (2006)

Imports:

$12.91 million c.i.f. (2005)

Imports - commodities:

food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods

Imports - partners:

Fiji 46.1%, Japan 18.9%, China 18.2%, Australia 7.7%, NZ 4.1% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$10.49 million note: includes distributions from the Tuvalu Trust Fund (2006)

Debt - external:

$NA

Currency (code):

Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan dollar

Currency code:

AUD

Exchange rates:

Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)

Communications

Tuvalu

Telephones - main lines in use:

900 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1,300 (2005)

Telephone system:

general assessment: serves particular needs for internal communications domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands international: country code - 688; international calls can be made by satellite

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:

4,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

0 (2004)

Televisions:

800

Internet country code:

.tv

Internet hosts:

56,209 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

1,300 (2002)

Transportation

Tuvalu

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 8 km paved: 8 km (2002)

Merchant marine:

total: 80 by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 30, chemical tanker 14, container 2, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 22, refrigerated cargo 1, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 63 (China 16, Hong Kong 7, Kenya 1, South Korea 1, Malaysia 1, Maldives 1, Norway 1, Russia 2, Singapore 23, Thailand 1, Turkey 2, Ukraine 1, US 1, Vietnam 5) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Funafuti

Military

Tuvalu

Military branches:

no regular military forces; Tuvalu Police Force (2008)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 128 female: 125 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Transnational Issues

Tuvalu

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Uganda

Introduction

Uganda

Background:

The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. During the 1990s, the government promulgated non-party presidential and legislative elections.

Geography

Uganda

Location:

Eastern Africa, west of Kenya

Geographic coordinates:

1 00 N, 32 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 236,040 sq km land: 199,710 sq km water: 36,330 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries:

total: 2,698 km border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933 km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August); semiarid in northeast

Terrain:

mostly plateau with rim of mountains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m

Natural resources:

copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 21.57% permanent crops: 8.92% other: 69.51% (2005)

Irrigated land:

90 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

66 cu km (1970)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.3 cu km/yr (43%/17%/40%) per capita: 10 cu m/yr (2002)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; widespread poaching

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Geography - note:

landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers

People

Uganda

Population:

31,367,972 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 50% (male 7,903,935/female 7,789,792) 15-64 years: 47.8% (male 7,528,073/female 7,469,938) 65 years and over: 2.2% (male 284,122/female 392,112) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 15 years male: 14.9 years female: 15.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.603% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

48.15 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

12.32 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 65.99 deaths/1,000 live births male: 69.65 deaths/1,000 live births female: 62.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 52.34 years male: 51.31 years female: 53.4 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

6.81 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

4.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

530,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

78,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: chikungunya, malaria, plague, and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Ugandan(s) adjective: Ugandan

Ethnic groups:

Baganda 16.9%, Banyakole 9.5%, Basoga 8.4%, Bakiga 6.9%, Iteso 6.4%, Langi 6.1%, Acholi 4.7%, Bagisu 4.6%, Lugbara 4.2%, Bunyoro 2.7%, other 29.6% (2002 census)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 41.9%, Protestant 42% (Anglican 35.9%, Pentecostal 4.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.5%), Muslim 12.1%, other 3.1%, none 0.9% (2002 census)

Languages:

English (official national language, taught in grade schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages, preferred for native language publications in the capital and may be taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, Arabic

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 66.8% male: 76.8% female: 57.7% (2002 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 11 years female: 10 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

5.2% of GDP (2004)

Government

Uganda

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Uganda conventional short form: Uganda

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Kampala geographic coordinates: 0 19 N, 32 25 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

56 districts; Adjumani, Apac, Arua, Bugiri, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Busia, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole, Kaberamaido, Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kanungu, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Katakwi, Kayunga, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisoro, Kitgum, Kotido, Kumi, Kyenjojo, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mayuge, Mbale, Mbarara, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakapiripirit, Nakasongola, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pader, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Sembabule, Sironko, Soroti, Tororo, Wakiso, Yumbe note: as of a July 2005, 13 new districts were reportedly added bringing the total up to 69; the new districts are Amolatar, Amuria, Budaka, Butaleja, Ibanda, Kaabong, Kabingo, Kaliro, Kiruhura, Koboko, Manafwa, Mityana, Nakaseke; a total of ten more districts are in the process of being added

Independence:

9 October 1962 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 9 October (1962)

Constitution:

8 October 1995; in 2005 the constitution was amended removing presidential term limits and legalizing a multiparty political system

Legal system:

in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one based on English common law and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 26 January 1986); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 26 January 1986); Prime Minister Apolo NSIBAMBI (since 5 April 1999); note - the prime minister assists the president in the supervision of the cabinet cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected legislators elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 23 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 59.3%, Kizza BESIGYE 37.4%, other 3.3%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly (332 seats; 215 members elected by popular vote, 104 nominated by legally established special interest groups [women 79, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], 13 ex officio members; to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 23 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NRM 191, FDC 37, UPC 9, DP 8, CP 1, JEEMA 1, independents 36, other 49

Judicial branch:

Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president and approved by the legislature); High Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders:

Conservative Party or CP [Ken LUKYAMUZI]; Democratic Party or DP

[Kizito SSEBAANA]; Forum for Democratic Change or FDC [Kizza

BESIGYE]; Justice Forum or JEEMA [Muhammad Kibirige MAYANJA];

National Resistance Movement or NRM [Yoweri MUSEVENI]; Peoples

Progressive Party or PPP [Bidandi SSALI]; Ugandan People's Congress

or UPC [Miria OBOTE]

note: a national referendum in July 2005 opened the way for Uganda's

transition to a multi-party political system

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Lord's Resistence Group or LRA [Joseph KONY]; Young Parliamentary

Association [Henry BANYENZAKI]; Parliamentary Advocacy Forum or

PAFO; National Association of Women Organizations in Uganda or NAWOU

[Florence NEKYON]; The Ugandan Coalition for Political

Accountability to Wormen or COPAW

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT,

NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,

UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Perezi Karukubiro KAMUNANWIRE chancery: 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416 FAX: [1] (202) 726-1727

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Steven BROWNING embassy: 1577 Ggaba Road, Kampala mailing address: P. O. Box 7007, Kampala telephone: [256] (414) 259, 306-001 FAX: [256] (414) 258-451

Flag description:

six equal horizontal bands of black (top), yellow, red, black, yellow, and red; a white disk is superimposed at the center and depicts a red-crested crane (the national symbol) facing the hoist side

Economy

Uganda

Economy - overview:

Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper, cobalt, gold, and other minerals. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and export earnings. During 1990-2001, the economy turned in a solid performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. Growth continues to be solid, despite variability in the price of coffee, Uganda's principal export, and a consistent upturn in Uganda's export markets. In 2000, Uganda qualified for enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club debt relief worth $145 million. These amounts combined with the original HIPC debt relief added up to about $2 billion.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$29.13 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$11.23 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 30.2% industry: 24.7% services: 45.1% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

14.02 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 82% industry: 5% services: 13% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

35% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 37.7% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

45.7 (2002)

Investment (gross fixed):

25.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $2.211 billion expenditures: $2.443 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 July - 30 June

Public debt:

20.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

6.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

14.68% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

19.11% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.363 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.302 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$907.3 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses, cut flowers; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry

Industries:

sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles; cement, steel production

Industrial production growth rate:

5.8% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

1.161 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

899.7 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

180 million kWh (2006)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 0.9% hydro: 99.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

11,570 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

115.2 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

11,540 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$744.7 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.686 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

coffee, fish and fish products, tea, cotton, flowers, horticultural products; gold

Exports - partners:

Netherlands 10.2%, Belgium 9.8%, Germany 7.9%, France 7.2%, Rwanda 5.6% (2007)

Imports:

$2.983 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals

Imports - partners:

Kenya 31.8%, China 7.8%, UAE 7.7%, South Africa 5.9%, India 5.2%,

Japan 4.8% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.198 billion (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$2.56 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$1.498 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$103.4 million (2005)

Currency (code):

Ugandan shilling (UGX)

Currency code:

UGX

Exchange rates:

Ugandan shillings (UGX) per US dollar - 1,685.8 (2007), 1,834.9 (2006), 1,780.7 (2005), 1,810.3 (2004), 1,963.7 (2003)

Communications

Uganda

Telephones - main lines in use:

162,300 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

4.195 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: seriously inadequate; mobile cellular service is increasing rapidly, but the number of main lines is still deficient; e-mail and Internet services are available domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile-cellular systems for short-range traffic international: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and Tanzania

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 7, FM 33, shortwave 2 (2001)

Radios:

5 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations:

8 (plus 1 repeater) (2001)

Televisions:

500,000 (2001)

Internet country code:

.ug

Internet hosts:

1,090 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

2 (2000)

Internet users:

2 million (2007)

Transportation

Uganda

Airports:

32 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 5 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 27 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Railways:

total: 1,244 km narrow gauge: 1,244 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 70,746 km paved: 16,272 km unpaved: 54,474 km (2003)

Waterways:

on Lake Victoria, 200 km on Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, and parts of Albert Nile (2005)

Ports and terminals:

Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell

Military

Uganda

Military branches:

Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF): Army (includes Marine Unit),

Air Force (2007)

Military service age and obligation:

18-26 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military duty; 18-30 years of age for professionals; 9-year service obligation; the government has stated that recruitment below 18 years of age could occur with proper consent and that "no person under the apparent age of 13 years shall be enrolled in the armed forces"; Ugandan citizenship and secondary education required (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 6,532,894 females age 16-49: 6,352,416 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,856,365 females age 16-49: 3,769,120 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 384,638 female: 381,990 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.2% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Uganda

Disputes - international:

Uganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnic groups, rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government forces that extend across its borders; Uganda hosts 209,860 Sudanese, 27,560 Congolese, and 19,710 Rwandan refugees, while Ugandan refugees as well as members of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) seek shelter in southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Garamba National Park; LRA forces have also attacked Kenyan villages across the border

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 215,700 (Sudan); 28,880 (Democratic Republic of Congo); 24,900 (Rwanda) IDPs: 1.27 million (350,000 IDPs returned in 2006 following ongoing peace talks between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda) (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Ukraine

Introduction

Ukraine

Background:

Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine was able to bring about a short-lived period of independence (1917-20), but was reconquered and forced to endure a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although final independence for Ukraine was achieved in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR, democracy remained elusive as the legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. A peaceful mass protest "Orange Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. Subsequent internal squabbles in the YUSHCHENKO camp allowed his rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH to stage a comeback in parliamentary elections and become prime minister in August of 2006. An early legislative election, brought on by a political crisis in the spring of 2007, saw Yuliya TYMOSHENKO, as head of an "Orange" coalition, installed as a new prime minister in December 2007.

Geography

Ukraine

Location:

Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland, Romania, and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east

Geographic coordinates:

49 00 N, 32 00 E

Map references:

Asia, Europe

Area:

total: 603,700 sq km land: 603,700 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 4,566 km

border countries: Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 940 km,

Poland 428 km, Romania (south) 176 km, Romania (southwest) 362 km,

Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 90 km

Coastline:

2,782 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across the greater part of the country, hot in the south

Terrain:

most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m

Natural resources:

iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 53.8% permanent crops: 1.5% other: 44.7% (2005)

Irrigated land:

22,080 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

139.5 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 37.53 cu km/yr (12%/35%/52%) per capita: 807 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,

Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,

Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic

Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic

Compounds

Geography - note:

strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe

People

Ukraine

Population:

45,994,288 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 13.9% (male 3,277,905/female 3,106,012) 15-64 years: 70% (male 15,443,818/female 16,767,931) 65 years and over: 16.1% (male 2,489,235/female 4,909,386) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 39.4 years male: 36.1 years female: 42.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.651% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

9.55 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

15.93 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.51 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 9.23 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 68.06 years male: 62.24 years female: 74.24 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.25 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

1.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

360,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

20,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Ukrainian(s) adjective: Ukrainian

Ethnic groups:

Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 0.6%, Moldovan 0.5%,

Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian 0.3%,

Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001 census)

Religions:

Ukrainian Orthodox - Kyiv Patriarchate 50.4%, Ukrainian Orthodox -

Moscow Patriarchate 26.1%, Ukrainian Greek Catholic 8%, Ukrainian

Autocephalous Orthodox 7.2%, Roman Catholic 2.2%, Protestant 2.2%,

Jewish 0.6%, other 3.2% (2006 est.)

Languages:

Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%, other 9% (includes small

Romanian-, Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.4% male: 99.7% female: 99.2% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 14 years female: 15 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

6.3% of GDP (2006)

Government

Ukraine

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Ukraine local long form: none local short form: Ukrayina former: Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Kyiv (Kiev) geographic coordinates: 50 26 N, 30 31 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:

24 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtonomna respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista, singular - misto) with oblast status**; Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Crimea or Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Dnipropetrovs'k, Donets'k, Ivano-Frankivs'k, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmel'nyts'kyy, Kirovohrad, Kyiv**, Kyiv, Luhans'k, L'viv, Mykolayiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sevastopol'**, Sumy, Ternopil', Vinnytsya, Volyn' (Luts'k), Zakarpattya (Uzhhorod), Zaporizhzhya, Zhytomyr note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

Independence:

24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 24 August (1991); note - 22 January 1918, the day Ukraine first declared its independence (from Soviet Russia) and the day the short-lived Western and Central Ukrainian republics united (1919), is now celebrated as Unity Day

Constitution:

adopted 28 June 1996

Legal system:

based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Viktor A. YUSHCHENKO (since 23 January 2005) head of government: Prime Minister Yuliya TYMOSHENKO (since 18 December 2007); First Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr TURCHYNOV (since 18 December 2007); Deputy Prime Ministers Hryhoriy NEMYRYA and Ivan VASYUNYK (since 18 December 2007) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers selected by the prime minister; the only exceptions are the foreign and defense ministers, who are chosen by the president note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council; the NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on domestic and international matters and advising the president; a Presidential Secretariat helps draft presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); note - a special repeat runoff presidential election between Viktor YUSHCHENKO and Viktor YANUKOVYCH took place on 26 December 2004 after the earlier 21 November 2004 contest - won by YANUKOVYCH - was invalidated by the Ukrainian Supreme Court because of widespread and significant violations; under constitutional reforms that went into effect 1 January 2006, the majority in parliament takes the lead in naming the prime minister election results: Viktor YUSHCHENKO elected president; percent of vote - Viktor YUSHCHENKO 52%, Viktor YANUKOVYCH 44.2%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; members allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 3% or more of the national electoral vote; to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 30 September 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: percent of vote by party/bloc - Party of Regions 34.4%, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 30.7%, Our Ukraine-People's Self Defense 14.2%, CPU 5.4%, Lytvyn bloc 4%, other parties 11.3%; seats by party/bloc - Party of Regions 175, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 156, Our Ukraine-People's Self Defense 72, CPU 27, Lytvyn bloc 20

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders:

Christian Democratic Union [Volodymyr STRETOVYCH]; Communist Party

of Ukraine or CPU [Petro SYMONENKO]; European Party of Ukraine

[Mykola KATERYNCHUK]; Fatherland Party (Batkivshchyna) [Yuliya

TYMOSHENKO]; Forward Ukraine! [Viktor MUSIYAKA]; Labor Party of

Ukraine [Mykola SYROTA]; People's Union Our Ukraine [Vyacheslav

KYRYLENKO]; Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs [Anatoliy

KINAKH]; Party of the Defenders of the Fatherland [Yuriy Karmazin];

People's Movement of Ukraine (Rukh) [Borys TARASYUK]; People's Party

[Volodymyr LYTVYN]; PORA! (It's Time!) party [Vladyslav KASKIV];

Progressive Socialist Party [Natalya VITRENKO]; Reforms and Order

Party [Viktor PYNZENYK]; Party of Regions [Viktor YANUKOVYCH];

Republican Party [Yuriy BOYKO]; Sobor [Anatoliy MATVIYENKO]; Social

Democratic Party [Yevhen KORNICHUK]; Social Democratic Party

(United) or SDPU(o) [Yuriy ZAHORODNIY]; Socialist Party of Ukraine

or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ]; Ukrainian People's Party [Yuriy KOSTENKO];

Viche [Inna BOHOSLOVSKA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Committee of Voters of Ukraine [Ihor POPOV]; Peoples' Self-Defense

[Yuriy LUTSENKO]

International organization participation:

Australia Group, BSEC, CBSS (observer), CE, CEI, CIS, EAEC (observer), EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Oleh V. SHAMSHUR chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 333-0606 FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador William B. TAYLOR Jr. embassy: 10 Yurii Kotsiubynsky Street, 01901 Kyiv mailing address: 5850 Kiev Place, Washington, DC 20521-5850 telephone: [380] (44) 490-4000 FAX: [380] (44) 490-4085

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow represent grain fields under a blue sky

Economy

Ukraine

Economy - overview:

After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far and away the most important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise, its diversified heavy industry supplied the unique equipment (for example, large diameter pipes) and raw materials to industrial and mining sites (vertical drilling apparatus) in other regions of the former USSR. Shortly after independence was ratified in December 1991, the Ukrainian Government liberalized most prices and erected a legal framework for privatization, but widespread resistance to reform within the government and the legislature soon stalled reform efforts and led to some backtracking. Output by 1999 had fallen to less than 40% of the 1991 level. Ukraine's dependence on Russia for energy supplies and the lack of significant structural reform have made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external shocks. Ukraine depends on imports to meet about three-fourths of its annual oil and natural gas requirements. A dispute with Russia over pricing in late 2005 and early 2006 led to a temporary gas cut-off; Ukraine concluded a deal with Russia in January 2006 that almost doubled the price Ukraine pays for Russian gas. Outside institutions - particularly the IMF - have encouraged Ukraine to quicken the pace and scope of reforms. Ukrainian Government officials eliminated most tax and customs privileges in a March 2005 budget law, bringing more economic activity out of Ukraine's large shadow economy, but more improvements are needed, including fighting corruption, developing capital markets, and improving the legislative framework. Ukraine's economy remains buoyant despite political turmoil between the Prime Minister and President. Real GDP growth reached about 7% in 2006-07, fueled by high global prices for steel - Ukraine's top export - and by strong domestic consumption, spurred by rising pensions and wages. Although the economy is likely to expand in 2008, long-term growth could be threatened by the government's plans to reinstate tax, trade, and customs privileges and to maintain restrictive grain export quotas.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$324.8 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$140.5 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7.7% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$7,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 9% industry: 32.2% services: 58.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

21.58 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 25% industry: 20% services: 55% (1996)

Unemployment rate:

2.3% officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers; the International Labor Organization calculates that Ukraine's real unemployment level is nearly 7% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

37.7% (2003)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.4% highest 10%: 25.7% (2006)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

31 (2006)

Investment (gross fixed):

27.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $43.54 billion expenditures: $45.06 billion; note - this is the planned, consolidated budget (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

11.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

12.8% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

8% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

13.9% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$35.97 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$41.51 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$87.13 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk

Industries:

coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food processing (especially sugar)

Industrial production growth rate:

6% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

182.4 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

148.1 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

12.52 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

2.082 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 48.6% hydro: 7.9% nuclear: 43.5% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

102,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

344,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

190,500 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

441,200 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

395 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

19.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

84.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

4 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

65.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

1.104 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$5.918 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$49.84 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, food products

Exports - partners:

Russia 23.3%, Turkey 7.9%, Italy 5.8% (2007)

Imports:

$60.41 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

energy, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners:

Russia 23.9%, Germany 11.8%, China 8.5%, Poland 8.1%, Turkmenistan 5.4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$409.6 million (1995); IMF Extended Funds Facility $2.2 billion (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$32.48 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$69.04 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$31.08 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$895 million (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$42.87 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

hryvnia (UAH)

Currency code:

UAH

Exchange rates:

hryvnia (UAH) per US dollar - 5.05 (2007), 5.05 (2006), 5.1247 (2005), 5.3192 (2004), 5.3327 (2003)

Communications

Ukraine

Telephones - main lines in use:

12.858 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

55.24 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: Ukraine's telecommunication development plan emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines, international connections, and the mobile-cellular system domestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair; more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be satisfied; telephone density is rising and the domestic trunk system is being improved; about one-third of Ukraine's networks are digital and a majority of regional centers now have digital switching stations; improvements in local networks and local exchanges continue to lag; the mobile-cellular telephone system is expanding rapidly international: country code - 380; 2 new domestic trunk lines are a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and 3 Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic Trans-European Lines (TEL) project that connects 18 countries; additional international service is provided by the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and by an unknown number of earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems

Radio broadcast stations:

524 (station types NA) (2006)

Radios:

45.05 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

647 (2006)

Televisions:

18.05 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.ua

Internet hosts:

524,202 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

260 (2001)

Internet users:

10 million (2007)

Transportation

Ukraine

Airports:

437 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 193 over 3,047 m: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 53 1,524 to 2,437 m: 27 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 95 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 244 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 217 (2007)

Heliports:

10 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 33,721 km; oil 4,514 km; refined products 4,211 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 22,473 km broad gauge: 22,473 km 1.524-m gauge (9,250 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 169,422 km paved: 165,611 km (includes 15 km of expressways) unpaved: 3,811 km (2007)

Waterways:

2,253 km (most on Dnieper River) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 189 by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 141, chemical tanker 1, container 3, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 11, roll on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 2 foreign-owned: 2 (Luxembourg 1, Russia 1) registered in other countries: 204 (Belize 7, Cambodia 34, Comoros 8, Cyprus 4, Dominica 4, Georgia 18, Liberia 25, Lithuania 1, Malta 30, Moldova 5, Mongolia 1, Panama 10, Russia 11, Saint Kitts and Nevis 9, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 11, Sierra Leone 10, Slovakia 12, Tuvalu 1, unknown 3) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Feodosiya, Kerch, Kherson, Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Yuzhnyy

Military

Ukraine

Military branches:

Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Forces (Viyskovo-Povitryani Syly),

Air Defense Forces (2002)

Military service age and obligation:

18-25 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months for Army and Air Force, 24 months for Navy (2004)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 11,457,562 females age 16-49: 11,767,357 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 7,141,814 females age 16-49: 9,428,876 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 288,605 female: 276,324 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Ukraine

Disputes - international:

1997 boundary delimitation treaty with Belarus remains un-ratified due to unresolved financial claims, stalling demarcation and reducing border security; delimitation of land boundary with Russia is complete with preparations for demarcation underway; the dispute over the boundary between Russia and Ukraine through the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov remains unresolved despite a December 2003 framework agreement and ongoing expert-level discussions; Moldova and Ukraine operate joint customs posts to monitor transit of people and commodities through Moldova's break-away Transnistria Region, which remains under OSCE supervision; the ICJ gave Ukraine until December 2006 to reply, and Romania until June 2007 to rejoin, in their dispute submitted in 2004 over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy/Serpilor (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary; Romania opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea

Illicit drugs:

limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; some synthetic drug production for export to the West; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Africa, Latin America, and Turkey to Europe and Russia; Ukraine has improved anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and Territories List in February 2004; Ukraine's anti-money-laundering regime continues to be monitored by FATF

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@United Arab Emirates

Introduction

United Arab Emirates

Background:

The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Zaby, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region.

Geography

United Arab Emirates

Location:

Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates:

24 00 N, 54 00 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 83,600 sq km land: 83,600 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Maine

Land boundaries:

total: 867 km border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km

Coastline:

1,318 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

desert; cooler in eastern mountains

Terrain:

flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas

Land use:

arable land: 0.77% permanent crops: 2.27% other: 96.96% (2005)

Irrigated land:

760 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

0.2 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 2.3 cu km/yr (23%/9%/68%) per capita: 511 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

frequent sand and dust storms

Environment - current issues:

lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:

strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil

People

United Arab Emirates

Population:

4,621,399 note: estimate is based on the results of the 2005 census that included a significantly higher estimate of net inmigration of non-citizens than previous estimates (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 20.5% (male 484,102/female 462,405) 15-64 years: 78.6% (male 2,663,702/female 970,672) 65 years and over: 0.9% (male 26,244/female 14,274) note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 30.1 years male: 32 years female: 24.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.833% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

16.06 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

2.13 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

24.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 2.74 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.84 male(s)/female total population: 2.19 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 13.11 deaths/1,000 live births male: 15.32 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 75.89 years male: 73.35 years female: 78.56 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.43 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.18% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Emirati(s) adjective: Emirati

Ethnic groups:

Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982) note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)

Religions:

Muslim 96% (Shia 16%), other (includes Christian, Hindu) 4%

Languages:

Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 77.9% male: 76.1% female: 81.7% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 12 years (2003)

Education expenditures:

1.3% of GDP (2005)

Government

United Arab Emirates

Country name:

conventional long form: United Arab Emirates conventional short form: none local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah local short form: none former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States abbreviation: UAE

Government type:

federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates

Capital:

name: Abu Dhabi geographic coordinates: 24 28 N, 54 22 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn (Quwayn)

Independence:

2 December 1971 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 2 December (1971)

Constitution:

2 December 1971; made permanent in 1996

Legal system:

based on a dual system of Sharia and civil courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

none

Executive branch:

chief of state: President KHALIFA bin Zayid Al-Nuhayyan (since 3 November 2004), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 4 November 2004); Vice President and Prime Minister MUHAMMAD BIN RASHID Al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006) head of government: Prime Minister and Vice President MUHAMMAD bin Rashid Al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers SULTAN bin Zayid Al-Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) and HAMDAN bin Zayid Al-Nuhayyan (since 20 October 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) composed of the seven emirate rulers; the FSC is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation; meets four times a year; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC for five-year terms (no term limits); election last held 3 November 2004 upon the death of the UAE's Founding Father and first President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (next to be held in 2009); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: KHALIFA bin Zayid Al-Nuhayyan elected president by a unanimous vote of the FSC; MUHAMMAD bin Rashid Al-Maktum unanimously affirmed vice president after the 2006 death of his brother Sheikh Maktum bin Rashid Al-Maktum

Legislative branch:

unicameral Federal National Council (FNC) or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; 20 members appointed by the rulers of the constituent states, 20 members elected to serve two-year terms) elections: elections for one half of the FNC (the other half remains appointed) held in the UAE on 18-20 December 2006; the new electoral college - a body of 6,689 Emiratis (including 1,189 women) appointed by the rulers of the seven emirates - were the only eligible voters and candidates; 456 candidates including 65 women ran for 20 contested FNC seats; one female from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi won a seat note: reviews legislation but cannot change or veto

Judicial branch:

Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC,

OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Yousef bin Mani Saeed al-OTAIBA chancery: 3522 International Court NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 243-2400 FAX: [1] (202) 243-2432 consulate(s): New York, Houston

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard OLSON embassy: Embassies District, Plot 38 Sector W59-02, Street No. 4, Abu Dhabi mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi telephone: [971] (2) 414-2200 FAX: [971] (2) 414-2603 consulate(s) general: Dubai

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a wider vertical red band on the hoist side

Economy

United Arab Emirates

Economy - overview:

The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Despite largely successful efforts at economic diversification, nearly 40% of GDP is still directly based on oil and gas output. Since the discovery of oil in the UAE more than 30 years ago, the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up utilities to greater private sector involvement. In April 2004, the UAE signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with Washington and in November 2004 agreed to undertake negotiations toward a Free Trade Agreement with the US. The country's Free Trade Zones - offering 100% foreign ownership and zero taxes - are helping to attract foreign investors. Higher oil revenue, strong liquidity, housing shortages, and cheap credit in 2005-07 led to a surge in asset prices (shares and real estate) and consumer inflation. Rising prices are increasing the operating costs for businesses in the UAE and adversely impacting government employees and others on fixed incomes. Dependence on oil and a large expatriate workforce are significant long-term challenges. The UAE's strategic plan for the next few years focuses on diversification and creating more opportunities for nationals through improved education and increased private sector employment.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$164.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$192.6 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$37,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1.8% industry: 60.6% services: 37.6% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

3.065 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 7% industry: 15% services: 78% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

2.4% (2001)

Population below poverty line:

19.5% (2003)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):

20.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $68.27 billion expenditures: $38.06 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

21.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

14% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Stock of money:

$49.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$104.6 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$155.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish

Industries:

petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, commercial ship repair, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, textiles

Industrial production growth rate:

4.3% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

62.76 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

57.88 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

2.948 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

381,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

2.703 million bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:

232,300 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

97.8 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

48.79 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

43.11 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

6.848 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

1.343 billion cu m (2005)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

6.071 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$34.53 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$178.9 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates

Exports - partners:

Japan 23.6%, South Korea 9.2%, Thailand 5%, India 4.8% (2007)

Imports:

$116.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food

Imports - partners:

China 12.8%, India 10%, US 8.7%, Japan 6.1%, Germany 5.9%, UK 5.3%,

Italy 4.6% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

since its founding in 1971, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has given about $5.2 billion in aid to 56 countries (2004)

Economic aid - recipient:

$5.36 million (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$77.24 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$61.68 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$44.37 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$14.14 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$138.5 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Emirati dirham (AED)

Currency code:

AED

Exchange rates:

Emirati dirhams (AED) per US dollar - 3.673 (2007), 3.673 (2006), 3.6725 (2005), 3.6725 (2004), 3.6725 (2003) note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002

Communications

United Arab Emirates

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.385 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

7.595 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of mobile-cellular telephones; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber optic and coaxial cable international: country code - 971; linked to the international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe); landing point for both the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 13, FM 8, shortwave 2 (2004)

Radios:

820,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

15 (2004)

Televisions:

310,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ae

Internet hosts:

381,915 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

2.3 million (2007)

Transportation

United Arab Emirates

Airports:

39 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 22 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 17 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Heliports:

5 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 520 km; gas 2,908 km; liquid petroleum gas 300 km; oil 2,950 km; oil/gas/water 5 km; refined products 156 km (2007)

Roadways:

total: 4,080 km paved: 4,080 km (includes 253 km of expressways) (2008)

Merchant marine:

total: 58 by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 9, chemical tanker 4, container 8, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 24, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 14 (Denmark 1, Greece 3, Kuwait 10) registered in other countries: 313 (Bahamas 23, Bahrain 1, Belize 5, Cambodia 2, Comoros 7, Cyprus 9, Dominica 1, Georgia 1, Gibraltar 3, Hong Kong 1, India 6, Indonesia 2, Iran 1, Jordan 13, North Korea 8, Liberia 23, Malta 5, Marshall Islands 15, Mexico 1, Netherlands 5, Panama 109, Papua New Guinea 6, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 18, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 9, Saudi Arabia 1, Sierra Leone 8, Singapore 12, Somalia 1, Turkey 1, UK 9, unknown 6) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Mina' Zayid (Abu Dhabi), Al Fujayrah, Mina' Jabal 'Ali (Dubai),

Mina' Rashid (Dubai), Mina' Saqr (Ra's al Khaymah), Khawr Fakkan

(Sharjah)

Military

United Arab Emirates

Military branches:

United Arab Emirates Armed Forces: Army, Navy (includes Marines),

Air Force and Air Defense, National Coast Guard (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age (est.) for voluntary military service; 18 years of age for officers and women; no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,405,884 (includes non-nationals) females age 16-49: 884,853 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,004,558 females age 16-49: 760,637 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 25,856 female: 23,085 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

United Arab Emirates

Disputes - international:

boundary agreement was signed and ratified with Oman in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah enclaves, but contents of the agreement and detailed maps showing the alignment have not been published; Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which Iran occupies

Illicit drugs:

the UAE is a drug transshipment point for traffickers given its proximity to Southwest Asian drug-producing countries; the UAE's position as a major financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering; anti-money-laundering controls improving, but informal banking remains unregulated

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@United Kingdom

Introduction

United Kingdom

Background:

As the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars and the Irish republic withdraw from the union. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter was suspended until May 2007 due to wrangling over the peace process.

Geography

United Kingdom

Location:

Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France

Geographic coordinates:

54 00 N, 2 00 W

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 244,820 sq km land: 241,590 sq km water: 3,230 sq km note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries:

total: 360 km border countries: Ireland 360 km

Coastline:

12,429 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries

Climate:

temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast

Terrain:

mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: The Fens -4 m highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m

Natural resources:

coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 23.23% permanent crops: 0.2% other: 76.57% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,700 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

160.6 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 11.75 cu km/yr (22%/75%/3%) per capita: 197 cu m/yr (1994)

Natural hazards:

winter windstorms; floods

Environment - current issues:

continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has met Kyoto Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and intends to meet the legally binding target and move toward a domestic goal of a 20% cut in emissions by 2010); by 2005 the government reduced the amount of industrial and commercial waste disposed of in landfill sites to 85% of 1998 levels and recycled or composted at least 25% of household waste, increasing to 33% by 2015

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94,

Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental

Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters

People

United Kingdom

Population:

60,943,912 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 16.9% (male 5,287,590/female 5,036,881) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 20,698,645/female 20,185,040) 65 years and over: 16% (male 4,186,561/female 5,549,195) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 39.9 years male: 38.8 years female: 41 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.276% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

10.65 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

10.05 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 4.93 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.49 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.85 years male: 76.37 years female: 81.46 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.66 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.2% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

51,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural) adjective: British

Ethnic groups:

white (of which English 83.6%, Scottish 8.6%, Welsh 4.9%, Northern Irish 2.9%) 92.1%, black 2%, Indian 1.8%, Pakistani 1.3%, mixed 1.2%, other 1.6% (2001 census)

Religions:

Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified or none 23.1% (2001 census)

Languages:

English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 16 years male: 16 years female: 17 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

5.6% of GDP (2005)

Government

United Kingdom

Country name:

conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; note - Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales conventional short form: United Kingdom abbreviation: UK

Government type:

constitutional monarchy

Capital:

name: London geographic coordinates: 51 30 N, 0 10 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: applies to the United Kingdom proper, not to its overseas dependencies or territories

Administrative divisions:

England: 34 two-tier counties, 32 London boroughs and 1 City of

London or Greater London, 36 metropolitan counties, 46 unitary

authorities

two-tier counties: Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire,

Cheshire, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon,

Dorset, Durham, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire,

Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire,

Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Northumberland,

Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire,

Suffolk, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Sussex, Wiltshire, Worcestershire

London boroughs and City of London or Greater London: Barking and

Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing,

Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey,

Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and

Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, City of London,

Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton,

Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Westminster

metropolitan counties: Barnsley, Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Bury,

Calderdale, Coventry, Doncaster, Dudley, Gateshead, Kirklees,

Knowlsey, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, North

Tyneside, Oldham, Rochdale, Rotherham, Salford, Sandwell, Sefton,

Sheffield, Solihull, South Tyneside, St. Helens, Stockport,

Sunderland, Tameside, Trafford, Wakefield, Walsall, Wigan, Wirral,

Wolverhampton

unitary authorities: Bath and North East Somerset, Blackburn with

Darwen, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove,

City of Bristol, Darlington, Derby, East Riding of Yorkshire,

Halton, Hartlepool, County of Herefordshire, Isle of Wight, City of

Kingston upon Hull, Leicester, Luton, Medway, Middlesbrough, Milton

Keynes, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, North Somerset,

Nottingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole, Portsmouth, Reading,

Redcar and Cleveland, Rutland, Slough, South Gloucestershire,

Southampton, Southend-on-Sea, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent,

Swindon, Telford and Wrekin, Thurrock, Torbay, Warrington, West

Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham, York

Northern Ireland: 26 district council areas

district council areas: Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney,

Banbridge, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine,

Cookstown, Craigavon, Derry, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne,

Limavady, Lisburn, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne,

Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane

Scotland: 32 unitary authorities

unitary authorities: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and

Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East

Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City

of Edinburgh, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow

City, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North

Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire,

Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, The

Scottish Borders, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian

Wales: 22 unitary authorities

unitary authorities: Blaenau Gwent; Bridgend; Caerphilly; Cardiff;

Carmarthenshire; Ceredigion; Conwy; Denbighshire; Flintshire;

Gwynedd; Isle of Anglesey; Merthyr Tydfil; Monmouthshire; Neath Port

Talbot; Newport; Pembrokeshire; Powys; Rhondda, Cynon, Taff;

Swansea; The Vale of Glamorgan; Torfaen; Wrexham

Dependent areas:

Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin

Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat,

Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich

Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands

Independence:

England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales, begun in 1284 with the Statute of Rhuddlan, was not formalized until 1536 with an Act of Union; in another Act of Union in 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanently join as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927

National holiday:

the UK does not celebrate one particular national holiday

Constitution:

unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Legal system:

based on common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948) head of government: Prime Minister James Gordon BROWN (since 27 June 2007) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually the prime minister

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of House of Lords (618 seats; consisting of approximately 500 life peers, 92 hereditary peers, and 26 clergy) and House of Commons (646 seats since 2005 elections; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier) elections: House of Lords - no elections (note - in 1999, as provided by the House of Lords Act, elections were held in the House of Lords to determine the 92 hereditary peers who would remain there; elections are held only as vacancies in the hereditary peerage arise); House of Commons - last held 5 May 2005 (next to be held by May 2010) election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Labor 35.2%, Conservative 32.3%, Liberal Democrats 22%, other 10.5%; seats by party - Labor 355, Conservative 198, Liberal Democrat 62, other 31; seats by party in the House of Commons as of 4 June 2008 - Labor 351, Conservative 192, Liberal Democrat 63, Scottish National Party/Plaid Cymru 9, Democratic Unionist 9, Sinn Fein 5, other 17 note: in 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland Assembly (because of unresolved disputes among existing parties, the transfer of power from London to Northern Ireland came only at the end of 1999 and has been suspended four times, the latest occurring in October 2002 and lasting until 8 May 2007); in 1999, the UK held the first elections for a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly, the most recent of which were held in May 2007

Judicial branch:

House of Lords (highest court of appeal; several Lords of Appeal in

Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life); Supreme Courts of

England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (comprising the Courts of

Appeal, the High Courts of Justice, and the Crown Courts);

Scotland's Court of Session and Court of the Justiciary

Political parties and leaders:

Conservative [David CAMERON]; Democratic Unionist Party (Northern

Ireland) [Peter ROBINSON]; Labor Party [Gordon BROWN]; Liberal

Democrats [Nick CLEGG]; Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Ieuan Wyn

JONES]; Scottish National Party or SNP [Alex SALMOND]; Sinn Fein

(Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Social Democratic and Labor Party

or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [Mark DURKAN]; Ulster Unionist Party

(Northern Ireland) [Sir Reg EMPEY]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation of British Industry;

National Farmers' Union; Trades Union Congress

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic

Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, C, CBSS (observer), CDB,

CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club,

PCA, PIF (partner), SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council,

UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG,

UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Sir Nigel E. SHEINWALD chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500 FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco consulate(s): Denver, Orlando

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert Holmes TUTTLE embassy: 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 1AE mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040 telephone: [44] (0) 20 7499-9000 FAX: [44] (0) 20 7629-9124 consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh

Flag description:

blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); properly known as the Union Flag, but commonly called the Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or provinces, and British overseas territories

Economy

United Kingdom

Economy - overview:

The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, is one of the quintet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Over the past two decades, the government has greatly reduced public ownership and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with less than 2% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance. Since emerging from recession in 1992, Britain's economy has enjoyed the longest period of expansion on record; growth has remained in the 2-3% range since 2004, outpacing most of Europe. The economy's strength has complicated the Labor government's efforts to make a case for Britain to join the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Critics point out that the economy is doing well outside of EMU, and public opinion polls show a majority of Britons are opposed to the euro. The BROWN government has been speeding up the improvement of education, health services, and affordable housing at a cost in higher taxes and a widening public deficit.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.13 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$2.773 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

3.1% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$35,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 0.9% industry: 23.4% services: 75.7% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

30.89 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 1.4% industry: 18.2% services: 80.4% (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate:

5.3% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

14% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 28.5% (1999)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

34 (2005)

Investment (gross fixed):

18.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $1.154 trillion expenditures: $1.239 trillion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

6 April - 5 April

Public debt:

43.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

5.52% (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$5.278 trillion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish

Industries:

machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, other consumer goods

Industrial production growth rate:

0.5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

371 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

348.5 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

3.398 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

8.613 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 73.8% hydro: 0.9% nuclear: 23.7% other: 1.6% (2001)

Oil - production:

1.69 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

1.763 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

1.749 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

1.673 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

3.6 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

72.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

91.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

10.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

29.2 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

412 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$119.2 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$442.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco

Exports - partners:

US 14.2%, Germany 11.1%, France 8.1%, Ireland 8%, Netherlands 6.8%,

Belgium 5.3%, Spain 4.5%, Italy 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$621.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

Germany 14.2%, US 8.6%, China 7.3%, Netherlands 7.3%, France 6.9%,

Belgium 4.7%, Norway 4.7%, Italy 4.2% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $12.46 billion (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$57.3 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$10.45 trillion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$1.288 trillion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$1.707 trillion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$3.058 trillion (2005)

Currency (code):

British pound (GBP)

Currency code:

GBP

Exchange rates:

British pounds (GBP) per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003)

Communications

United Kingdom

Telephones - main lines in use:

33.682 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

71.992 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: technologically advanced domestic and international system domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems international: country code - 44; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and US; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios:

84.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

228 (plus 3,523 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:

30.5 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.uk

Internet hosts:

8.269 million (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

more than 400 (2000)

Internet users:

40.2 million (2007)

Transportation

United Kingdom

Airports:

449 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 310 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 131 914 to 1,523 m: 79 under 914 m: 59 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 139 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 113 (2007)

Heliports:

11 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate 567 km; condensate/gas 22 km; gas 18,980 km; liquid petroleum gas 59 km; oil 4,930 km; oil/gas/water 165 km; refined products 4,444 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 16,567 km broad gauge: 303 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland) standard gauge: 16,264 km 1.435-m gauge (5,361 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 398,366 km paved: 398,366 km (includes 3,520 km of expressways) (2006)

Waterways:

3,200 km (620 km used for commerce) (2003)

Merchant marine:

total: 518 by type: bulk carrier 33, cargo 67, carrier 5, chemical tanker 61, container 180, liquefied gas 18, passenger 10, passenger/cargo 67, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 12, roll on/roll off 24, vehicle carrier 18 foreign-owned: 264 (Cyprus 2, Denmark 62, Finland 1, France 23, Germany 76, Hong Kong 2, Ireland 1, Italy 5, Japan 4, NZ 1, Norway 31, South Africa 3, Spain 1, Sweden 17, Switzerland 1, Taiwan 11, Turkey 2, UAE 9, US 12) registered in other countries: 391 (Algeria 11, Antigua and Barbuda 9, Argentina 4, Australia 5, Bahamas 56, Barbados 9, Belize 5, Bermuda 3, Brunei 1, Cape Verde 1, Cayman Islands 3, Cyprus 19, Gibraltar 2, Greece 32, Hong Kong 39, India 2, Italy 7, South Korea 1, Liberia 20, Luxembourg 8, Malta 19, Marshall Islands 18, Netherlands 2, Norway 5, Panama 59, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 14, Sierra Leone 2, Singapore 17, Slovakia 1, Spain 5, Sweden 2, Thailand 5, Tonga 1, US 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Dover, Felixstowe, Immingham, Liverpool, London, Southampton,

Teesport (England), Forth Ports, Hound Point (Scotland), Milford

Haven (Wales)

Military

United Kingdom

Military branches:

Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force

Military service age and obligation:

16-33 years of age (officers 17-28) for voluntary military service (with parental consent under 18); women serve in military services, but are excluded from ground combat positions and some naval postings; must be citizen of the UK, Commonwealth, or Republic of Ireland; reservists serve a minimum of 3 years, to age 45 or 55; 16 years of age for voluntary military service by Nepalese citizens in the Brigade of the Gurkhas; 16-34 years of age for voluntary military service by Papua New Guinean citizens (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 14,729,500 females age 16-49: 14,125,600 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 12,121,602 females age 16-49: 11,616,582 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 400,927 female: 383,593 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

United Kingdom

Disputes - international:

in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement between the UK and Spain; the Government of Gibraltar insists on equal participation in talks between the two countries; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants since their eviction in 1965; most Chagossians reside in Mauritius, and in 2001 were granted UK citizenship, where some have since resettled; in May 2006, the High Court of London reversed the UK Government's 2004 orders of council that banned habitation on the islands; UK rejects sovereignty talks requested by Argentina, which still claims the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm

Illicit drugs:

producer of limited amounts of synthetic drugs and synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and synthetic drugs; money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@United States

Introduction

United States

Background:

Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65), in which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy of 11 southern slave states, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force lost its jobs. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.

Geography

United States

Location:

North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North

Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico

Geographic coordinates:

38 00 N, 97 00 W

Map references:

North America

Area:

total: 9,826,630 sq km land: 9,161,923 sq km water: 664,707 sq km note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia

Area - comparative:

about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; more than twice the size of the European Union

Land boundaries:

total: 12,034 km border countries: Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,141 km note: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased by the US and is part of Cuba; the base boundary is 28 km

Coastline:

19,924 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: not specified

Climate:

mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains

Terrain:

vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Death Valley -86 m highest point: Mount McKinley 6,198 m

Natural resources:

coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber note: the US has the world's largest coal reserves with 491 billion short tons accounting for 27% of the world's total

Land use:

arable land: 18.01% permanent crops: 0.21% other: 81.78% (2005)

Irrigated land:

223,850 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

3,069 cu km (1985)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 477 cu km/yr (13%/46%/41%) per capita: 1,600 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to development

Environment - current issues:

air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Desertification,

Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping,

Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic

Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes

Geography - note:

world's third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and India); Mt. McKinley is highest point in North America and Death Valley the lowest point on the continent

People

United States

Population:

303,824,640 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 20.1% (male 31,257,108/female 29,889,645) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 101,825,901/female 102,161,823) 65 years and over: 12.7% (male 16,263,255/female 22,426,914) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 36.7 years male: 35.4 years female: 38.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.883% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

14.18 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.27 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

2.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 6.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.14 years male: 75.29 years female: 81.13 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.1 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.6% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

950,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

17,011 (2005 est.)

Nationality:

noun: American(s) adjective: American

Ethnic groups:

white 79.96%, black 12.85%, Asian 4.43%, Amerindian and Alaska native 0.97%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.18%, two or more races 1.61% (July 2007 estimate) note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American descent (including persons of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.); about 15.1% of the total US population is Hispanic

Religions:

Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)

Languages:

English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census) note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 16 years male: 15 years female: 16 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

5.3% of GDP (2005)

Government

United States

Country name:

conventional long form: United States of America conventional short form: United States abbreviation: US or USA

Government type:

Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition

Capital:

name: Washington, DC geographic coordinates: 38 53 N, 77 02 W time difference: UTC-5 (during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November note: the 50 United States cover six time zones

Administrative divisions:

50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas,

California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*,

Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,

Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,

Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New

Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North

Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South

Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia,

Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Dependent areas:

American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island note: from 18 July 1947 until 1 October 1994, the US administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; it entered into a political relationship with all four political units: the Northern Mariana Islands is a commonwealth in political union with the US (effective 3 November 1986); the Republic of the Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 21 October 1986); the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 3 November 1986); Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 1 October 1994)

Independence:

4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 4 July (1776)

Constitution:

17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789

Legal system:

federal court system based on English common law; each state has its own unique legal system, of which all but one (Louisiana, which is still influenced by the Napoleonic Code) is based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President George W. BUSH (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with Senate approval elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by a college of representatives who are elected directly from each state; president and vice president serve four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held on 6 November 2012) election results: Barack H. OBAMA elected president; percent of popular vote - Barack H. OBAMA 52.4%, John MCCAIN 46.3%, other 1.3%; note - OBAMA is expected to assume office on 20 January 2009

Legislative branch:

bicameral Congress consists of the Senate (100 seats, 2 members are elected from each state by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third are elected every two years) and the House of Representatives (435 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008); House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 49, Republican Party 49, independent 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 233, Republican Party 202

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (nine justices; nominated by the president and confirmed with the advice and consent of the Senate; appointed to serve for life); United States Courts of Appeal; United States District Courts; State and County Courts

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Party [Howard DEAN]; Green Party; Libertarian Party

[William (Bill) REDPATH]; Republican Party [Robert M. (Mike) DUNCAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

environmentalists; business groups; labor unions; churches; ethnic groups; political action committees or PAC; health groups; education groups; cuvuc griyos; youth groups; transportation groups; agricultural groups; veterans groups; women's groups; reform lobbies

International organization participation:

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), ANZUS, APEC,

Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS,

BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE (observer), CERN (observer),

CP, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,

IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

MINUSTAH, NAFTA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club,

PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SECI (observer), SPC, UN, UN

Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNOMIG,

UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Flag description:

13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico

Economy

United States

Economy - overview:

The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $46,000. In this market-oriented economy, private individuals and business firms make most of the decisions, and the federal and state governments buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace. US business firms enjoy greater flexibility than their counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, to lay off surplus workers, and to develop new products. At the same time, they face higher barriers to enter their rivals' home markets than foreign firms face entering US markets. US firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances, especially in computers and in medical, aerospace, and military equipment; their advantage has narrowed since the end of World War II. The onrush of technology largely explains the gradual development of a "two-tier labor market" in which those at the bottom lack the education and the professional/technical skills of those at the top and, more and more, fail to get comparable pay raises, health insurance coverage, and other benefits. Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households. The response to the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 showed the remarkable resilience of the economy. The war in March-April 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq, and the subsequent occupation of Iraq, required major shifts in national resources to the military. The rise in GDP in 2004-07 was undergirded by substantial gains in labor productivity. Hurricane Katrina caused extensive damage in the Gulf Coast region in August 2005, but had a small impact on overall GDP growth for the year. Soaring oil prices in 2005-2007 threatened inflation and unemployment, yet the economy continued to grow through year-end 2007. Imported oil accounts for about two-thirds of US consumption. Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, sizable trade and budget deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups. The merchandise trade deficit reached a record $847 billion in 2007. Together, these problems caused a marked reduction in the value and status of the dollar worldwide in 2007.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$13.78 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$13.84 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$45,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1.2% industry: 19.8% services: 79% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

153.1 million (includes unemployed) (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

farming, forestry, and fishing 0.6%, manufacturing, extraction, transportation, and crafts 22.6%, managerial, professional, and technical 35.5%, sales and office 24.8%, other services 16.5% note: figures exclude the unemployed (2007)

Unemployment rate:

4.6% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

12% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 30% (2007 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

45 (2007)

Investment (gross fixed):

15.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $2.568 trillion expenditures: $2.73 trillion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

1 October - 30 September

Public debt:

60.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

4.83% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8.05% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$1.374 trillion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$10.1 trillion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$14.15 trillion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

wheat, corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish; forest products

Industries:

leading industrial power in the world, highly diversified and technologically advanced; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining

Industrial production growth rate:

-1.7% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

4.167 trillion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

3.892 trillion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

20.14 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

51.4 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 71.4% hydro: 5.6% nuclear: 20.7% other: 2.3% (2001)

Oil - production:

8.457 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

20.68 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

1.165 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

13.71 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

20.97 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

545.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

652.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

23.28 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

130.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

5.977 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$731.2 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.148 trillion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

agricultural products (soybeans, fruit, corn) 9.2%, industrial supplies (organic chemicals) 26.8%, capital goods (transistors, aircraft, motor vehicle parts, computers, telecommunications equipment) 49.0%, consumer goods (automobiles, medicines) 15.0% (2003)

Exports - partners:

Canada 21.4%, Mexico 11.7%, China 5.6%, Japan 5.4%, UK 4.3%, Germany 4.3% (2007)

Imports:

$1.968 trillion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

agricultural products 4.9%, industrial supplies 32.9% (crude oil 8.2%), capital goods 30.4% (computers, telecommunications equipment, motor vehicle parts, office machines, electric power machinery), consumer goods 31.8% (automobiles, clothing, medicines, furniture, toys) (2003)

Imports - partners:

China 16.9%, Canada 15.7%, Mexico 10.6%, Japan 7.4%, Germany 4.8% (2007)

Economic aid - donor:

ODA, $23.53 billion (2006)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$70.57 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$12.25 trillion (30 June 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$2.093 trillion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$2.791 trillion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$17 trillion (2005)

Currency (code):

US dollar (USD)

Currency code:

USD

Exchange rates:

British pounds per US dollar: 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003) Canadian dollars per US dollar: 1.0724 (2007), 1.1334 (2006), 1.2118 (2005), 1.3010 (2004), 1.4011 (2003) Japanese yen per US dollar: 117.99 (2007), 116.18 (2006) 110.22 (2005), 108.19 (2004), 115.93 (2003) euros per US dollar: 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.8860 (2003) Chinese yuan per US dollar: 7.61 (2007), 7.97 (2006), 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004), 8.2770 (2003)

Communications

United States

Telephones - main lines in use:

163.2 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

255 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: a large, technologically advanced, multipurpose communications system domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile telephone traffic throughout the country international: country code - 1; multiple ocean cable systems provide international connectivity; satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2000)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 4,789, FM 8,961, shortwave 19 (2006)

Radios:

575 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

2,218 (2006)

Televisions:

219 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.us

Internet hosts:

316 million (2008); note - the US Internet total host count includes the following top level domain host addresses: .us, .com, .edu, .gov, .mil, .net, and .org

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

7,000 (2002 est.)

Internet users:

223 million (2008)

Transportation

United States

Airports:

14,947 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 5,143 over 3,047 m: 191 2,438 to 3,047 m: 224 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1,452 914 to 1,523 m: 2,323 under 914 m: 953 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 9,804 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 153 914 to 1,523 m: 1,732 under 914 m: 7,912 (2007)

Heliports:

146 (2007)

Pipelines:

petroleum products 244,620 km; natural gas 548,665 km (2006)

Railways:

total: 226,612 km standard gauge: 226,612 km 1.435-m gauge (2005)

Roadways:

total: 6,465,799 km paved: 4,209,835 km (includes 75,040 km of expressways) unpaved: 2,255,964 km (2007)

Waterways:

41,009 km (19,312 km used for commerce) note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with Canada (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 422 by type: barge carrier 6, bulk carrier 61, cargo 69, carrier 2, chemical tanker 22, container 81, passenger 19, passenger/cargo 59, petroleum tanker 53, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 25, vehicle carrier 22 foreign-owned: 74 (Australia 1, Denmark 31, Germany 5, Japan 7, Malaysia 2, Netherlands 1, Norway 9, Singapore 12, Sweden 5, UK 1) registered in other countries: 732 (Antigua and Barbuda 8, Australia 2, Bahamas 106, Bermuda 23, Cambodia 6, Canada 10, Cayman Islands 42, Comoros 2, Cyprus 5, Ecuador 1, Greece 8, Hong Kong 29, Ireland 2, Isle of Man 4, Italy 17, South Korea 7, Liberia 98, Luxembourg 4, Malta 23, Marshall Islands 123, Netherlands 14, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 1, Norway 7, Panama 126, Portugal 1, Puerto Rico 3, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 18, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 22, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Tuvalu 1, UK 12, Vanuatu 1, unknown 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Corpus Christi, Duluth, Hampton Roads, Houston, Long Beach, Los

Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Tampa, Texas City

Military

United States

Military branches:

US Army, US Navy (includes Marine Corps), US Air Force, US Coast

Guard; note - Coast Guard administered in peacetime by the

Department of Homeland Security, but in wartime reports to the

Department of the Navy (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age (17 years of age with parental consent) for male and female voluntary service; maximum enlistment age 42 (Army), 27 (Air Force), 34 (Navy), 28 (Marines); service obligation 8 years, including 2-5 years active duty (Army), 2 years active (Navy), 4 years active (Air Force, Marines) (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 72,715,332 females age 16-49: 71,638,785 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 59,413,358 females age 16-49: 59,187,183 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 2,186,440 female: 2,079,688 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

4.06% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

United States

Disputes - international:

the U.S. has intensified domestic security measures and is collaborating closely with its neighbors, Canada and Mexico, to monitor and control legal and illegal personnel, transport, and commodities across the international borders; abundant rainfall in recent years along much of the Mexico-US border region has ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing arrangements; 1990 Maritime Boundary Agreement in the Bering Sea still awaits Russian Duma ratification; managed maritime boundary disputes with Canada at Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and around the disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; The Bahamas and US have not been able to agree on a maritime boundary; US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island; US has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other states; Marshall Islands claims Wake Island; Tokelau included American Samoa's Swains Island among the islands listed in its 2006 draft constitution

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): the US admitted 62,643 refugees during FY04/05 including; 10,586 (Somalia); 8,549 (Laos); 6,666 (Russia); 6,479 (Cuba); 3,100 (Haiti); 2,136 (Iran) (2006)

Illicit drugs:

world's largest consumer of cocaine (shipped from Colombia through Mexico and the Caribbean), Colombian heroin, and Mexican heroin and marijuana; major consumer of ecstasy and Mexican methamphetamine; minor consumer of high-quality Southeast Asian heroin; illicit producer of cannabis, marijuana, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, and methamphetamine; money-laundering center

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Introduction

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Background:

All of the following US Pacific island territories except Midway Atoll constitute the Pacific Remote Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex and as such are managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior. Midway Atoll NWR has been included in a Refuge Complex with the Hawaiian Islands NWR and also designated as part of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. These remote refuges are the most widespread collection of marine- and terrestrial-life protected areas on the planet under a single country's jurisdiction. They sustain many endemic species including corals, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, seabirds, water birds, land birds, insects, and vegetation not found elsewhere. Baker Island: The US took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization began on this island but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. The island was established as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1974. Howland Island: Discovered by the US early in the 19th century, the uninhabited atoll was officially claimed by the US in 1857. Both US and British companies mined for guano deposits until about 1890. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization began on this island, similar to the effort on nearby Baker Island, but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. The famed American aviatrix Amelia EARHART disappeared while seeking out Howland Island as a refueling stop during her 1937 round-the-world flight; Earhart Light, a day beacon near the middle of the west coast, was named in her memory. The island was established as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1974. Jarvis Island: First discovered by the British in 1821, the uninhabited island was annexed by the US in 1858, but abandoned in 1879 after tons of guano had been removed. The UK annexed the island in 1889, but never carried out plans for further exploitation. The US occupied and reclaimed the island in 1935 until it was abandoned in 1942 during World War II. The island was established as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1974. Johnston Atoll: Both the US and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed Johnston Atoll in 1858, but it was the US that mined the guano deposits until the late 1880s. Johnston and Sand Islands were designated wildlife refuges in 1926. The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934, and subsequently the US Air Force assumed control in 1948. The site was used for high-altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, and until late in 2000 the atoll was maintained as a storage and disposal site for chemical weapons. Munitions destruction, cleanup, and closure of the facility was completed by May 2005. The Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Air Force are currently discussing future management options; in the interim, Johnston Atoll and the three-mile Naval Defensive Sea around it remain under the jurisdiction and administrative control of the US Air Force. Kingman Reef: The US annexed the reef in 1922. Its sheltered lagoon served as a way station for flying boats on Hawaii-to-American Samoa flights during the late 1930s. There are no terrestrial plants on the reef, which is frequently awash, but it does support abundant and diverse marine fauna and flora. In 2001, the waters surrounding the reef out to 12 nm were designated a US National Wildlife Refuge. Midway Islands: The US took formal possession of the islands in 1867. The laying of the trans-Pacific cable, which passed through the islands, brought the first residents in 1903. Between 1935 and 1947, Midway was used as a refueling stop for trans-Pacific flights. The US naval victory over a Japanese fleet off Midway in 1942 was one of the turning points of World War II. The islands continued to serve as a naval station until closed in 1993. Today the islands are a National Wildlife Refuge and are the site of the world's largest Laysan albatross colony. Palmyra Atoll: The Kingdom of Hawaii claimed the atoll in 1862, and the US included it among the Hawaiian Islands when it annexed the archipelago in 1898. The Hawaii Statehood Act of 1959 did not include Palmyra Atoll, which is now partly privately owned by the Nature Conservancy with the rest owned by the Federal government and managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. These organizations are managing the atoll as a wildlife refuge. The lagoons and surrounding waters within the 12 nm US territorial seas were transferred to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and designated as a National Wildlife Refuge in January 2001.

Geography

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Location:

Oceania Baker Island: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 1,830 nm (3,389 km) southwest of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and Australia Howland Island: island in the North Pacific Ocean 1,815 nm (3,361 km) southwest of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and Australia Jarvis Island: island in the South Pacific Ocean 1,305 nm (2,417 km) south of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and Cook Islands Johnston Atoll: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 717 nm (1,328 km) southwest of Honolulu, about one-third of the way from Hawaii to the Marshall Islands Kingman Reef: reef in the North Pacific Ocean 930 nm (1,722 km) south of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa Midway Islands: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 1,260 nm (2,334 km) northwest of Honolulu near the end of the Hawaiian Archipelago, about one-third of the way from Honolulu to Tokyo Palmyra Atoll: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 960 nm (1,778 km) south of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa

Geographic coordinates:

Baker Island: 0 13 N, 176 28 W

Howland Island: 0 48 N, 176 38 W

Jarvis Island: 0 23 S, 160 01 W

Johnston Atoll: 16 45 N, 169 31 W

Kingman Reef: 6 23 N, 162 25 W

Midway Islands: 28 12 N, 177 22 W

Palmyra Atoll: 5 53 N, 162 05 W

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total - 6,959.41 sq km; emergent land - 22.41 sq km; submerged -

6,937 sq km

Baker Island: total - 129.1 sq km; emergent land - 2.1 sq km;

submerged - 127 sq km

Howland Island: total - 138.6 sq km; emergent land - 2.6 sq km;

submerged - 136 sq km

Jarvis Island: total - 152 sq km; emergent land - 5 sq km; submerged

- 147 sq km

Johnston Atoll: total - 276.6 sq km; emergent land - 2.6 sq km;

submerged - 274 sq km

Kingman Reef: total - 1,958.01 sq km; emergent land - 0.01 sq km;

submerged - 1,958 sq km

Midway Islands: total - 2,355.2 sq km; emergent land - 6.2 sq km;

submerged - 2,349 sq km

Palmyra Atoll: total - 1,949.9 sq km; emergent land - 3.9 sq km;

submerged - 1,946 sq km

Area - comparative:

Baker Island: about two and a half times the size of The Mall in

Washington, DC

Howland Island: about three times the size of The Mall in

Washington, DC

Jarvis Island: about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington,

DC

Johnston Atoll: about four and a half times the size of The Mall in

Washington, DC

Kingman Reef: a little more than one and a half times the size of

The Mall in Washington, DC

Midway Islands: about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington,

DC

Palmyra Atoll: about 20 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

none

Coastline:

Baker Island: 4.8 km

Howland Island: 6.4 km

Jarvis Island: 8 km

Johnston Atoll: 34 km

Kingman Reef: 3 km

Midway Islands: 15 km

Palmyra Atoll: 14.5 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands: equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun Johnston Atoll and Kingman Reef: tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation Midway Islands: subtropical with cool, moist winters (December to February) and warm, dry summers (May to October); moderated by prevailing easterly winds; most of the 1,067 mm (42 in) of annual rainfall occurs during the winter Palmyra Atoll: equatorial, hot; located within the low pressure area of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) where the northeast and southeast trade winds meet, it is extremely wet with between 4,000-5,000 mm (160-200 in) of rainfall each year

Terrain:

low and nearly level sandy coral islands with narrow fringing reefs that have developed at the top of submerged volcanic mountains, which in most cases rise steeply from the ocean floor

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Baker Island, unnamed location - 8 m; Howland Island, unnamed location - 3 m; Jarvis Island, unnamed location - 7 m; Johnston Atoll, Sand Island - 10 m; Kingman Reef, unnamed location - less than 2 m; Midway Islands, unnamed location - 13 m; Palmyra Atoll, unnamed location - 3 m

Natural resources:

terrestrial and aquatic wildlife

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2008)

Natural hazards:

Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard Kingman Reef: wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of less than 2 m makes Kingman Reef a maritime hazard Midway Islands, Johnston, and Palmyra Atolls: NA

Environment - current issues:

Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands, and Johnston Atoll: no natural

fresh water resources

Kingman Reef: none

Midway Islands and Palmyra Atoll: NA

Geography - note:

Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands: scattered vegetation consisting of grasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife; closed to the public Johnston Atoll: Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands, which have been expanded by coral dredging; North Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; the egg-shaped reef is 34 km in circumference; closed to the public Kingman Reef: barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; closed to the public Midway Islands: a coral atoll managed as a national wildlife refuge and open to the public for wildlife-related recreation in the form of wildlife observation and photography Palmyra Atoll: the high rainfall and resulting lush vegetation make the environment of this atoll unique among the US Pacific Island territories; supports a large undisturbed stand of Pisonia beach forest

People

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Population:

no indigenous inhabitants note: public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service Johnston Atoll: in previous years, an average of 1,100 US military and civilian contractor personnel were present; as of May 2005 all US government personnel had left the island Midway Islands: approximately 40 people make up the staff of US Fish and Wildlife Service and their services contractor living at the atoll Palmyra Atoll: four to 20 Nature Conservancy, US Fish and Wildlife staff, and researchers

Government

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Baker Island; Howland Island; Jarvis Island; Johnston Atoll; Kingman Reef; Midway Islands; Palmyra Atoll

Dependency status:

unincorporated territories of the US; administered from Washington, DC by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system note on Palmyra Atoll: incorporated Territory of the US; partly privately owned and partly federally owned; administered from Washington, DC by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior; the Office of Insular Affairs of the US Department of the Interior continues to administer nine excluded areas comprising certain tidal and submerged lands within the 12 nm territorial sea or within the lagoon

Legal system:

the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (territories of the US)

Flag description:

the flag of the US is used

Economy

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Economy - overview:

no economic activity

Transportation

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Airports:

Baker Island: one abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m covered with vegetation and unusable Howland Island: airstrip constructed in 1937 for scheduled refueling stop on the round-the-world flight of Amelia EARHART and Fred NOONAN; the aviators left Lae, New Guinea, for Howland Island but were never seen again; the airstrip is no longer serviceable Johnston Atoll: one closed and not maintained Kingman Reef: lagoon was used as a halfway station between Hawaii and American Samoa by Pan American Airways for flying boats in 1937 and 1938 Midway Islands: 3 - one operational (2,409 m paved); no fuel for sale except emergencies Palmyra Atoll: 1 - 1,846 m unpaved runway; privately owned (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands, and Kingman Reef: none; offshore

anchorage only

Johnston Atoll: Johnston Island

Midway Islands: Sand Island

Palmyra Atoll: West Lagoon

Military

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Uruguay

Introduction

Uruguay

Background:

Montevideo, founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold, soon took advantage of its natural harbor to become an important commercial center. Claimed by Argentina but annexed by Brazil in 1821, Uruguay declared its independence four years later and secured its freedom in 1828 after a three-year struggle. The administrations of President Jose BATLLE in the early 20th century established widespread political, social, and economic reforms that established a statist tradition. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement named the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to cede control of the government to the military in 1973. By yearend, the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold over the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. In 2004, the left-of-center Frente Amplio Coalition won national elections that effectively ended 170 years of political control previously held by the Colorado and Blanco parties. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent.

Geography

Uruguay

Location:

Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between

Argentina and Brazil

Geographic coordinates:

33 00 S, 56 00 W

Map references:

South America

Area:

total: 176,220 sq km land: 173,620 sq km water: 2,600 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than the state of Washington

Land boundaries:

total: 1,648 km border countries: Argentina 580 km, Brazil 1,068 km

Coastline:

660 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or edge of continental margin

Climate:

warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown

Terrain:

mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro Catedral 514 m

Natural resources:

arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fisheries

Land use:

arable land: 7.77% permanent crops: 0.24% other: 91.99% (2005)

Irrigated land:

2,100 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

139 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 3.15 cu km/yr (2%/1%/96%) per capita: 910 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and occasional violent wind that blows north from the Argentine pampas), droughts, floods; because of the absence of mountains, which act as weather barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid changes from weather fronts

Environment - current issues:

water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry; inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:

second-smallest South American country (after Suriname); most of the low-lying landscape (three-quarters of the country) is grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising

People

Uruguay

Population:

3,477,778 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 22.7% (male 401,209/female 388,315) 15-64 years: 64% (male 1,105,891/female 1,120,858) 65 years and over: 13.3% (male 185,704/female 275,801) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 33.2 years male: 31.8 years female: 34.6 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.486% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

14.17 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

9.12 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 11.66 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.1 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 76.14 years male: 72.89 years female: 79.51 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.94 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.3% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

6,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Uruguayan(s) adjective: Uruguayan

Ethnic groups:

white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian (practically nonexistent)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 47.1%, non-Catholic Christians 11.1%, nondenominational 23.2%, Jewish 0.3%, atheist or agnostic 17.2%, other 1.1% (2006)

Languages:

Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the

Brazilian frontier)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 97.6% female: 98.4% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 15 years male: 14 years female: 16 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

2.9% of GDP (2006)

Government

Uruguay

Country name:

conventional long form: Oriental Republic of Uruguay conventional short form: Uruguay local long form: Republica Oriental del Uruguay local short form: Uruguay former: Banda Oriental, Cisplatine Province

Government type:

constitutional republic

Capital:

name: Montevideo geographic coordinates: 34 53 S, 56 11 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in October; ends second Sunday in March

Administrative divisions:

19 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Artigas,

Canelones, Cerro Largo, Colonia, Durazno, Flores, Florida,

Lavalleja, Maldonado, Montevideo, Paysandu, Rio Negro, Rivera,

Rocha, Salto, San Jose, Soriano, Tacuarembo, Treinta y Tres

Independence:

25 August 1825 (from Brazil)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 25 August (1825)

Constitution:

27 November 1966, effective 15 February 1967; suspended 27 June 1973, new constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980; two constitutional reforms approved by plebiscite 26 November 1989 and 7 January 1997

Legal system:

based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Tabare VAZQUEZ Rosas (since 1 March 2005); Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVOA (since 1 March 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Tabare VAZQUEZ Rosas (since 1 March 2005); Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVOA (since 1 March 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president with parliamentary approval elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held in October 2009) election results: Tabare VAZQUEZ elected president; percent of vote - Tabare VAZQUEZ 50.5%, Jorge LARRANAGA 35.1%, Guillermo STIRLING 10.3%; other 4.1%

Legislative branch:

bicameral General Assembly or Asamblea General consists of Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (30 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; vice president has one vote in the Senate) and Chamber of Representatives or Camara de Representantes (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009); Chamber of Representatives - last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - EP-FA 16, Blanco 11, Colorado Party 3; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - EP-FA 52, Blanco 36, Colorado Party 10, Independent Party 1

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and elected for 10-year terms by the General Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:

Broad Front (Frente Amplio) - formerly known as the Progressive

Encounter/Broad Front Coalition or EP-FA [Jorge BROVETTO] (a broad

governing coalition that includes Movement of the Popular

Participation or MPP [Jose MUJICA], New Space Party (Nuevo Espacio)

[Rafael MICHELINI], Progressive Alliance (Alianza Progresista)

[Rodolfo NIN NOVOA], Socialist Party [Eduardo FERNANDEZ], the

Communist Party [Marina ARISMENDI], Uruguayan Assembly (Asamblea

Uruguay) [Danilo ASTORI], and Vertiente Artiguista [Mariano ARANA]);

Colorado Party (Foro Batllista) [Julio Maria SANGUINETTI]; National

Party or Blanco [Luis Alberto LACALLE and Jorge LARRANAGA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Architect's Society of Uruguay (professional organization); Chamber of Uruguayan Industries (manufacturer's association); Chemist and Pharmaceutical Association (professional organization); PIT/CNT (powerful federation of Uruguayan Unions - umbrella labor organization); Rural Association of Uruguay (rancher's association); Uruguayan Construction League; Uruguayan Network of Political Women other: Catholic Church; students

International organization participation:

CAN (associate), FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH,

MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNOMIG,

UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos Alberto GIANELLI Derois chancery: 1913 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 331-1313 through 1316 FAX: [1] (202) 331-8142 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Washington, DC consulate(s): San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Frank E. BAXTER embassy: Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo 11200 mailing address: APO AA 34035 telephone: [598] (2) 418-7777 FAX: [598] (2) 418-8611

Flag description:

nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating with blue; a white square in the upper hoist-side corner with a yellow sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May with 16 rays that alternate between triangular and wavy

Economy

Uruguay

Economy - overview:

Uruguay's economy is characterized by an export-oriented agricultural sector, a well-educated work force, and high levels of social spending. After averaging growth of 5% annually during 1996-98, in 1999-2002 the economy suffered a major downturn, stemming largely from the spillover effects of the economic problems of its large neighbors, Argentina and Brazil. For instance, in 2001-02 Argentina made massive withdrawals of dollars deposited in Uruguayan banks, which led to a plunge in the Uruguayan peso and a massive rise in unemployment. Total GDP in these four years dropped by nearly 20%, with 2002 the worst year due to the banking crisis. The unemployment rate rose to nearly 20% in 2002, inflation surged, and the burden of external debt doubled. Cooperation with the IMF helped stem the damage. Uruguay in 2007 improved its debt profile by paying off $1.1 billion in IMF debt, and continues to follow the orthodox economic plan set by the Fund in 2005. The construction of a pulp mill in Fray Bentos, which represents the largest foreign direct investment in Uruguay's history at $1.2 billion, came online in November 2007 and is expected to add 1.6% to GDP and boost already rising exports. The economy has grown strongly since 2004 as a result of high commodity prices for Uruguayan exports, a strong peso, growth in the region, and low international interest rates.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$37.5 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$22.95 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

7.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$10,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 10.1% industry: 32% services: 57.9% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

1.631 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 9% industry: 15% services: 76% (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate:

9.2% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

27.4% of households (2006)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.9% highest 10%: 34% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

45.2 (2006)

Investment (gross fixed):

13.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $6.701 billion expenditures: $6.807 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

64.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8.1% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

10% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8.94% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$2.145 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$7.919 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$6.396 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

rice, wheat, soybeans, barley; livestock, beef; fish; forestry

Industries:

food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals, beverages

Industrial production growth rate:

7.9% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

9.2 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - consumption:

7.03 billion kWh (2007)

Electricity - exports:

995.4 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

788.4 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 0.7% hydro: 99.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0.3% (2001)

Oil - production:

935.7 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

33,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

4,410 bbl/day (2007)

Oil - imports:

43,670 bbl/day (2007)

Oil - proved reserves:

NA

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

102.8 million cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

116.9 million cu m (2007)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$185.6 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$5.063 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

meat, rice, leather products, wool, fish, dairy products

Exports - partners:

Brazil 15.5%, US 9.4%, Argentina 8.4%, Mexico 6.6%, China 6.1%,

Germany 4.8% (2007)

Imports:

$5.554 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

crude petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, chemicals, road vehicles, paper, plastics

Imports - partners:

Brazil 19.1%, Argentina 17.9%, US 9.5%, China 9.1%, Paraguay 7.7%,

Nigeria 4.7% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$14.62 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$4.121 billion (December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$11.42 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$4.19 billion (2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$156 million (2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$224 million (2007)

Currency (code):

Uruguayan peso (UYU)

Currency code:

UYU

Exchange rates:

Uruguayan pesos (UYU) per US dollar - 23.947 (2007), 24.048 (2006), 24.479 (2005), 28.704 (2004), 28.209 (2003)

Communications

Uruguay

Telephones - main lines in use:

965,200 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

3.004 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: fully digitalized domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new nationwide microwave radio relay network; overall fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is 115 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 598; the UNISOR submarine cable system provides direct connectivity to Brazil and Argentina; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2002)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 93, FM 191, shortwave 7 (2005)

Radios:

1.97 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

62 (2005)

Televisions:

782,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.uy

Internet hosts:

480,593 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

14 (2001)

Internet users:

968,000 (2007)

Transportation

Uruguay

Airports:

60 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 9 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 51 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 29 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 257 km; oil 160 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,073 km standard gauge: 2,073 km 1.435-m gauge note: 461 km have been taken out of service and 460 km are in partial use (2006)

Roadways:

total: 77,732 km paved: 7,743 km unpaved: 69,989 km (2004)

Waterways:

1,600 km (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 17 by type: cargo 3, chemical tanker 2, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 10 (Argentina 3, Greece 1, Spain 6) registered in other countries: 3 (Liberia 3) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Montevideo

Military

Uruguay

Military branches:

Uruguayan Armed Forces: Army (Ejercito), Navy (Armada Nacional; includes naval air arm, Marines, Maritime Prefecture in wartime), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Uruguaya, FAU) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service; enlistment is voluntary in peacetime, but the government has the authority to conscript in emergencies (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 837,252 females age 16-49: 824,096 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 703,955 females age 16-49: 690,296 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 27,082 female: 26,075 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.6% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Uruguay

Disputes - international:

in Jan 2007, ICJ provisionally ruled Uruguay may begin construction of two paper mills on the Uruguay River, which forms the border with Argentina, while the court examines further whether Argentina has the legal right to stop such construction with potential environmental implications to both countries; uncontested dispute with Brazil over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina

Illicit drugs:

small-scale transit country for drugs mainly bound for Europe, often through sea-borne containers; law enforcement corruption; money laundering because of strict banking secrecy laws; weak border control along Brazilian frontier; increasing consumption of cocaine base and synthetic drugs

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Uzbekistan

Introduction

Uzbekistan

Background:

Russia conquered Uzbekistan in the late 19th century. Stiff resistance to the Red Army after World War I was eventually suppressed and a socialist republic set up in 1924. During the Soviet era, intensive production of "white gold" (cotton) and grain led to overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies, which have left the land poisoned and the Aral Sea and certain rivers half dry. Independent since 1991, the country seeks to gradually lessen its dependence on agriculture while developing its mineral and petroleum reserves. Current concerns include terrorism by Islamic militants, economic stagnation, and the curtailment of human rights and democratization.

Geography

Uzbekistan

Location:

Central Asia, north of Afghanistan

Geographic coordinates:

41 00 N, 64 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 447,400 sq km land: 425,400 sq km water: 22,000 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than California

Land boundaries:

total: 6,221 km border countries: Afghanistan 137 km, Kazakhstan 2,203 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,099 km, Tajikistan 1,161 km, Turkmenistan 1,621 km

Coastline:

0 km (doubly landlocked); note - Uzbekistan includes the southern portion of the Aral Sea with a 420 km shoreline

Maritime claims:

none (doubly landlocked)

Climate:

mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east

Terrain:

mostly flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; broad, flat intensely irrigated river valleys along course of Amu Darya, Syr Darya (Sirdaryo), and Zarafshon; Fergana Valley in east surrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; shrinking Aral Sea in west

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Sariqarnish Kuli -12 m highest point: Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m

Natural resources:

natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum

Land use:

arable land: 10.51% permanent crops: 0.76% other: 88.73% (2005)

Irrigated land:

42,810 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

72.2 cu km (2003)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 58.34 cu km/yr (5%/2%/93%) per capita: 2,194 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

shrinkage of the Aral Sea is resulting in growing concentrations of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then blown from the increasingly exposed lake bed and contribute to desertification; water pollution from industrial wastes and the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides is the cause of many human health disorders; increasing soil salination; soil contamination from buried nuclear processing and agricultural chemicals, including DDT

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world

People

Uzbekistan

Population:

27,345,026 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 29% (male 4,047,918/female 3,870,346) 15-64 years: 66% (male 8,971,017/female 9,079,170) 65 years and over: 5% (male 588,498/female 788,077) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 24.3 years male: 23.8 years female: 24.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.965% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

17.99 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.3 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-3.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 24.23 deaths/1,000 live births male: 28.61 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 71.69 years male: 68.69 years female: 74.87 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.01 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

11,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Uzbekistani adjective: Uzbekistani

Ethnic groups:

Uzbek 80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, Tatar 1.5%, other 2.5% (1996 est.)

Religions:

Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%

Languages:

Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.3% male: 99.6% female: 99% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 11 years male: 12 years female: 11 years (2007)

Education expenditures:

9.4% of GDP (1991)

Government

Uzbekistan

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Uzbekistan conventional short form: Uzbekistan local long form: Ozbekiston Respublikasi local short form: Ozbekiston former: Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:

republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch

Capital:

name: Tashkent (Toshkent) geographic coordinates: 41 20 N, 69 18 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

12 provinces (viloyatlar, singular - viloyat), 1 autonomous republic* (respublika), and 1 city** (shahar); Andijon Viloyati, Buxoro Viloyati, Farg'ona Viloyati, Jizzax Viloyati, Namangan Viloyati, Navoiy Viloyati, Qashqadaryo Viloyati (Qarshi), Qoraqalpog'iston Respublikasi [Karakalpakstan]* (Nukus), Samarqand Viloyati, Sirdaryo Viloyati (Guliston), Surxondaryo Viloyati (Termiz), Toshkent Shahri**, Toshkent Viloyati, Xorazm Viloyati (Urganch) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

Independence:

1 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 1 September (1991)

Constitution:

adopted 8 December 1992

Legal system:

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Islom KARIMOV (since 24 March 1990, when he was elected president by the then Supreme Soviet) head of government: Prime Minister Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV (since 11 December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Rustam AZIMOV (since 2 January 2008) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president with approval of the Supreme Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term (eligible for a second term; previously was a five-year term, extended by constitutional amendment in 2002); election last held 23 December 2007 (next to be held in 2014); prime minister, ministers, and deputy ministers appointed by the president election results: Islom KARIMOV reelected president; percent of vote - Islom KARIMOV 88.1%, Aslidden RUSTAMOV 3.2%, Dilorom TASHMUKHAMEDOVA 2.9%, Akmal SAIDOV 2.6%

Legislative branch:

bicameral Supreme Assembly or Oliy Majlis consists of an upper house or Senate (100 seats; 84 members are elected by regional governing councils and 16 appointed by the president; to serve five-year terms) and a lower house or Legislative Chamber (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 26 December 2004 and 9 January 2005 (next to be held December 2009) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Legislative Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LDPU 41, NDP 32, Fidokorlar 17, MTP 11, Adolat 9, unaffiliated 10 note: all parties in the Supreme Assembly support President KARIMOV

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Supreme Assembly)

Political parties and leaders:

Adolat (Justice) Social Democratic Party [Dilorom TASHMUHAMMEDOVA];

Democratic National Rebirth Party (Milly Tiklanish) or MTP [Hurshid

DOSMUHAMMEDOV]; Fidokorlar National Democratic Party

(Self-Sacrificers) [Ahtam TURSUNOV]; Liberal Democratic Party of

Uzbekistan or LDPU [Adham SHADMANOV; People's Democratic Party or

NDP (formerly Communist Party) [Asliddin RUSTAMOV]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Agrarian and Entrepreneurs' Party [Marat ZAHIDOV]; Birlik (Unity)

Movement [Abdurakhim POLAT, chairman]; Committee for the Protection

of Human Rights [Marat ZAHIDOV]; Erk (Freedom) Democratic Party

[Muhammad SOLIH, chairman] (was banned 9 December 1992); Ezgulik

Human Rights Society [Vasila INOYATOVA]; Free Farmers' Party or Ozod

Dehqonlar [Nigora KHIDOYATOVA]; Human Rights Society of Uzbekistan

[Talib YAKUBOV, chairman]; Independent Human Rights Organization of

Uzbekistan [Mikhail ARDZINOV, chairman]; Mazlum; Sunshine Coalition

[Sanjar UMAROV, chairman]

International organization participation:

ADB, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol,

IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

(observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Abdulaziz KAMILOV chancery: 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 887-5300 FAX: [1] (202) 293-6804 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard B. NORLAND embassy: 3 Moyqo'rq'on, 5th Block, Yunusobod District, Tashkent 100093 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [998] (71) 120-5450 FAX: [998] (71) 120-6335

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and green separated by red fimbriations with a white crescent moon and 12 white stars in the upper hoist-side quadrant

Economy

Uzbekistan

Economy - overview:

Uzbekistan is a dry, landlocked country of which 11% consists of intensely cultivated, irrigated river valleys. More than 60% of its population lives in densely populated rural communities. Uzbekistan is now the world's second-largest cotton exporter and fifth largest producer; it relies heavily on cotton production as the major source of export earnings. Other major export earners include gold, natural gas, and oil. Following independence in September 1991, the government sought to prop up its Soviet-style command economy with subsidies and tight controls on production and prices. While aware of the need to improve the investment climate, the government still sponsors measures that often increase, not decrease, its control over business decisions. A sharp increase in the inequality of income distribution has hurt the lower ranks of society since independence. In 2003, the government accepted Article VIII obligations under the IMF, providing for full currency convertibility. However, strict currency controls and tightening of borders have lessened the effects of convertibility and have also led to some shortages that have further stifled economic activity. The Central Bank often delays or restricts convertibility, especially for consumer goods. Potential investment by Russia and China in Uzbekistan's gas and oil industry may boost growth prospects. In November 2005, Russian President Vladimir PUTIN and Uzbekistan President KARIMOV signed an "alliance," which included provisions for economic and business cooperation. Russian businesses have shown increased interest in Uzbekistan, especially in mining, telecom, and oil and gas. In 2006, Uzbekistan took steps to rejoin the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Eurasian Economic Community (EurASEC), both organizations dominated by Russia. Uzbek authorities have accused US and other foreign companies operating in Uzbekistan of violating Uzbek tax laws and have frozen their assets.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$64.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$22.31 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

9.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 29.4% industry: 33.1% services: 37.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

14.6 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 44% industry: 20% services: 36% (1995)

Unemployment rate:

0.8% officially by the Ministry of Labor, plus another 20% underemployed (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

33% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 29.6% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

36.8 (2003)

Budget:

revenues: $6.478 billion expenditures: $6.5 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

18.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

12% officially, but 38% based on analysis of consumer prices (2007 est.)

Agriculture - products:

cotton, vegetables, fruits, grain; livestock

Industries:

textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy, gold, petroleum, natural gas, chemicals

Industrial production growth rate:

12.1% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

48.79 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

42.23 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

11.52 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

11.44 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 88.2% hydro: 11.8% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

99,260 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

157,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

11,940 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

31,440 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

594 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

65.19 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

51.18 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

14.01 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

1.841 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$4.615 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$8.05 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

cotton, gold, energy products, mineral fertilizers, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, textiles, food products, machinery, automobiles

Exports - partners:

Russia 22.4%, Poland 10.4%, Turkey 9.4%, Kazakhstan 6.1%, Hungary 6%, China 5.6%, Ukraine 4.8%, Bangladesh 4.3% (2007)

Imports:

$4.48 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, ferrous and non-ferrous metals

Imports - partners:

Russia 30.1%, China 13.3%, South Korea 13%, Germany 6.3%, Kazakhstan 6.2%, Ukraine 4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$172.3 million from the US (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$6.75 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$3.927 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$36.89 million (2005)

Currency (code):

soum (UZS)

Currency code:

UZS

Exchange rates:

Uzbekistani soum (UZS) per US dollar - 1,263.8 (2007), 1,219.8 (2006), 1,020 (2005), 971.265 (2004), 771.029 (2003)

Communications

Uzbekistan

Telephones - main lines in use:

1.793 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

5.8 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: antiquated and inadequate; in serious need of modernization domestic: the main line telecommunications system is dilapidated and telephone density is low; the state-owned telecommunications company, Uzbektelecom, is working on improving main line services; mobile services are growing swiftly, with the subscriber base more than doubling in 2007 to 5.8 million international: country code - 998; linked by landline or microwave radio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leased connection via the Moscow international gateway switch; after the completion of the Uzbek link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable, Uzbekistan will be independent of Russian facilities for international communications (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 3 (2006)

Radios:

10.8 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

28 (includes 1 cable rebroadcaster in Tashkent and approximately 20 stations in regional capitals) (2006)

Televisions:

6.4 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.uz

Internet hosts:

38,183 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

42 (2000)

Internet users:

1.2 million (2007)

Transportation

Uzbekistan

Airports:

54 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 33 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 13 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 21 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 under 914 m: 19 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 9,725 km; oil 868 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 3,950 km broad gauge: 3,950 km 1.520-m gauge (620 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 86,496 km paved: 75,511 km unpaved: 10,985 km (2000)

Waterways:

1,100 km (2006)

Ports and terminals:

Termiz (Amu Darya)

Military

Uzbekistan

Military branches:

Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for compulsory military service; 1-year conscript service obligation; moving toward a professional military, but conscription will continue; the military cannot accommodate everyone who wishes to enlist, and competition for entrance into the military is similar to the competition for admission to universities (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 7,480,484 females age 16-49: 7,542,017 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,684,540 females age 16-49: 6,432,976 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 324,094 female: 323,923 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Uzbekistan

Disputes - international:

prolonged drought and cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; field demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan commenced in 2004; border delimitation of 130 km of border with Kyrgyzstan is hampered by serious disputes around enclaves and other areas

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 39,202 (Tajikistan); 1,060 (Afghanistan) IDPs: 3,400 (forced population transfers by government from villages near Tajikistan border) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Uzbekistan is a source country for women and girls trafficked to Kazakhstan, Russia, Middle East, and Asia for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; men are trafficked to Kazakhstan and Russia for purposes of forced labor in the construction, cotton, and tobacco industries; men and women are also trafficked internally for the purposes of domestic servitude, forced labor in the agricultural and construction industries, and for commercial sexual exploitation tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Uzbekistan is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in 2007; the government did not amend its criminal code to increase penalties for convicted traffickers; in March 2008, Uzbekistan adopted ILO Conventions on minimum age of employment and on the elimination of the worst forms of child labor and is working with the ILO on implementation; the government also demonstrated its increasing commitment to combat trafficking in March 2008 by adopting a comprehensive anti-trafficking law; Uzbekistan has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Illicit drugs:

transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and small amounts of opium poppy for domestic consumption; poppy cultivation almost wiped out by government crop eradication program; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Vanuatu

Introduction

Vanuatu

Background:

Multiple waves of colonizers, each speaking a distinct language, migrated to the New Hebrides in the millennia preceding European exploration in the 18th century. This settlement pattern accounts for the complex linguistic diversity found on the archipelago to this day. The British and French, who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, which administered the islands until independence in 1980, when the new name of Vanuatu was adopted.

Geography

Vanuatu

Location:

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia

Geographic coordinates:

16 00 S, 167 00 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 12,200 sq km land: 12,200 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes more than 80 islands, about 65 of which are inhabited

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Connecticut

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

2,528 km

Maritime claims:

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds from May to October; moderate rainfall from November to April; may be affected by cyclones from December to April

Terrain:

mostly mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Tabwemasana 1,877 m

Natural resources:

manganese, hardwood forests, fish

Land use:

arable land: 1.64% permanent crops: 6.97% other: 91.39% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanic eruption on Aoba (Ambae) island began 27 November 2005, volcanism also causes minor earthquakes; tsunamis

Environment - current issues:

most of the population does not have access to a reliable supply of potable water; deforestation

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

a Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller islands; several of the islands have active volcanoes

People

Vanuatu

Population:

215,446 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 31.3% (male 34,441/female 33,000) 15-64 years: 64.8% (male 71,159/female 68,435) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 4,352/female 4,059) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 23.8 years male: 23.8 years female: 23.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.434% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

21.95 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.61 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.07 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 50.77 deaths/1,000 live births male: 53.32 deaths/1,000 live births female: 48.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 63.61 years male: 62.04 years female: 65.27 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.57 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural) adjective: Ni-Vanuatu

Ethnic groups:

Ni-Vanuatu 98.5%, other 1.5% (1999 Census)

Religions:

Presbyterian 31.4%, Anglican 13.4%, Roman Catholic 13.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, other Christian 13.8%, indigenous beliefs 5.6% (including Jon Frum cargo cult), other 9.6%, none 1%, unspecified 1.3% (1999 Census)

Languages:

local languages (more than 100) 72.6%, pidgin (known as Bislama or Bichelama) 23.1%, English 1.9%, French 1.4%, other 0.3%, unspecified 0.7% (1999 Census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 74% male: NA female: NA (1999 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 11 years female: 10 years (2004)

Education expenditures:

9.5% of GDP (2003)

Government

Vanuatu

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Vanuatu conventional short form: Vanuatu local long form: Ripablik blong Vanuatu local short form: Vanuatu former: New Hebrides

Government type:

parliamentary republic

Capital:

name: Port-Vila (on Efate) geographic coordinates: 17 44 S, 168 19 E time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba

Independence:

30 July 1980 (from France and UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 30 July (1980)

Constitution:

30 July 1980

Legal system:

unified system being created from former dual French and British systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Kalkot Matas KELEKELE (since 16 August 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Edward NATAPEI (since 22 September 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Ham LINI (since 22 September 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, responsible to Parliament elections: president elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the presidents of the regional councils; election for president last held 16 August 2004 (next to be held in 2009); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament from among its members; election for prime minister last held 22 September 2008 (next to be held following general elections in 2012) election results: Kalkot Matas KELEKELE elected president, with 49 votes out of 56, after several ballots on 16 August 2004

Legislative branch:

unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 2 September 2008 (next to be held 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - VP 11, NUP 8, UMP 7, VRP 7, PPP 4, GC 2, MPP 1, NA 1, NAG 1, PAP 1, Shepherds Alliance 1, VFFP 1, VLP 1, VNP 1, VPRFP 1, and independent 4; note - political party associations are fluid note: the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of culture and language

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, three other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission)

Political parties and leaders:

Greens Confederation or GC [Moana CARCASSES]; Jon Frum Movement or

JF [Song KEASPAI]; Melanesian Progressive Party or MPP [Barak SOPE];

Nagriamel movement or NAG [Havo MOLI]; Namangi Aute or NA [Paul

TELUKLUK]; National United Party or NUP [Ham LINI]; People's Action

Party or PAP [Peter VUTA]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Sato

KILMAN]; Shepherds Alliance Party [leader NA]; Union of Moderate

Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanuatu Family First Party or VFFP

[Eta RORI]; Vanuatu Labor Party or VLP [Joshua KALSAKAU]; Vanuatu

National Party or VNP [Issac HAMARILIU]; Vanua'aku Pati (Our Land

Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]; Vanuatu Republican Party or VRP

[Maxime Carlot KORMAN]; Vanuatu Republican Farmers Party or VPRFP

[Jean RAVOU]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ACCT, ACP, ADB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW,

PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO

(observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US; it does, however, have a

Permanent Mission to the UN

Diplomatic representation from the US:

the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all separated by a black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a horizontal Y (the two points of the Y face the hoist side and enclose the triangle); centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed namele leaves, all in yellow

Economy

Vanuatu

Economy - overview:

This South Pacific island economy is based primarily on small-scale agriculture, which provides a living for 65% of the population. Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism, with more than 60,000 visitors in 2005, are other mainstays of the economy. Mineral deposits are negligible; the country has no known petroleum deposits. A small light industry sector caters to the local market. Tax revenues come mainly from import duties. Economic development is hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity exports, vulnerability to natural disasters, and long distances from main markets and between constituent islands. In response to foreign concerns, the government has promised to tighten regulation of its offshore financial center. In mid-2002 the government stepped up efforts to boost tourism through improved air connections, resort development, and cruise ship facilities. Agriculture, especially livestock farming, is a second target for growth. Australia and New Zealand are the main suppliers of tourists and foreign aid.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$897 million (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$455 million (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$3,900 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 26% industry: 12% services: 62% (2000 est.)

Labor force:

76,410 (1999)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 65% industry: 5% services: 30% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:

1.7% (1999)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $78.7 million expenditures: $72.23 million (2005)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.9% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

8.16% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$107.1 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$421.8 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$229.5 million (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, fruits, vegetables; beef; fish

Industries:

food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning

Industrial production growth rate:

1% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production:

46 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

39.99 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

660 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

671.1 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$60 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$40 million f.o.b. (2006)

Exports - commodities:

copra, beef, cocoa, timber, kava, coffee

Exports - partners:

Thailand 58.3%, India 18.5%, Japan 11.3% (2007)

Imports:

$156 million c.i.f. (2006)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, fuels

Imports - partners:

Australia 20.7%, Singapore 11.8%, NZ 11.2%, Norway 8.5%, US 8.3%,

Fiji 8.1%, China 7.2%, New Caledonia 4.5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$39.48 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$40.54 million (2003)

Debt - external:

$81.2 million (2004)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

vatu (VUV)

Currency code:

VUV

Exchange rates:

vatu (VUV) per US dollar - NA (2007), 111.93 (2006), NA (2005), 111.79 (2004), 122.19 (2003)

Communications

Vanuatu

Telephones - main lines in use:

8,800 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

26,000 (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 678; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:

67,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

1 (2004)

Televisions:

2,300 (1999)

Internet country code:

.vu

Internet hosts:

990 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

17,000 (2007)

Transportation

Vanuatu

Airports:

31 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 28 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 22 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 1,070 km paved: 256 km unpaved: 814 km (1999)

Merchant marine:

total: 54 by type: bulk carrier 32, cargo 8, container 1, liquefied gas 2, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 4, vehicle carrier 5 foreign-owned: 54 (Australia 2, Belgium 4, Canada 5, Estonia 1, Greece 1, Japan 29, Monaco 1, Poland 7, Russia 2, Switzerland 1, US 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Forari, Port-Vila, Santo (Espiritu Santo)

Military

Vanuatu

Military branches:

no regular military forces; Vanuatu Police Force (VPF), Vanuatu Mobile Force (VMF; includes Police Maritime Wing (PMW)) (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 58,900 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 40,577 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 2,385 female: 2,290 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Transnational Issues

Vanuatu

Disputes - international:

Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by Vanuatu and France

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Venezuela

Introduction

Venezuela

Background:

Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and New Granada, which became Colombia). For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by generally benevolent military strongmen, who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since 1959. Hugo CHAVEZ, president since 1999, seeks to implement his "21st Century Socialism," which purports to alleviate social ills while at the same time attacking globalization and undermining regional stability. Current concerns include: a weakening of democratic institutions, political polarization, a politicized military, drug-related violence along the Colombian border, increasing internal drug consumption, overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples.

Geography

Venezuela

Location:

Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North

Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana

Geographic coordinates:

8 00 N, 66 00 W

Map references:

South America

Area:

total: 912,050 sq km land: 882,050 sq km water: 30,000 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly more than twice the size of California

Land boundaries:

total: 4,993 km border countries: Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km

Coastline:

2,800 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 15 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:

tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands

Terrain:

Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Pico Bolivar (La Columna) 5,007 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds

Land use:

arable land: 2.85% permanent crops: 0.88% other: 96.27% (2005)

Irrigated land:

5,750 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

1,233.2 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 8.37 cu km/yr (6%/7%/47%) per capita: 313 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues:

sewage pollution of Lago de Valencia; oil and urban pollution of Lago de Maracaibo; deforestation; soil degradation; urban and industrial pollution, especially along the Caribbean coast; threat to the rainforest ecosystem from irresponsible mining operations

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed but not ratified:: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

on major sea and air routes linking North and South America; Angel Falls in the Guiana Highlands is the world's highest waterfall

People

Venezuela

Population:

26,414,816 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 31% (male 4,162,862/female 4,034,044) 15-64 years: 63.8% (male 8,299,266/female 8,562,290) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 602,725/female 753,628) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 25.2 years male: 24.6 years female: 25.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.498% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

20.92 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

5.1 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 22.02 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.61 deaths/1,000 live births female: 18.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.45 years male: 70.4 years female: 76.65 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.52 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.7%; note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

110,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

4,100 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne disease: dengue fever, malaria, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Venezuelan(s) adjective: Venezuelan

Ethnic groups:

Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African, indigenous people

Religions:

nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2%

Languages:

Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93% male: 93.3% female: 92.7% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 12 years male: 11 years female: 12 years (2003)

Education expenditures:

3.7% of GDP (2006)

Government

Venezuela

Country name:

conventional long form: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela conventional short form: Venezuela local long form: Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela local short form: Venezuela

Government type:

federal republic

Capital:

name: Caracas geographic coordinates: 10 30 N, 66 56 W time difference: UTC-4.5 (half an hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

23 states (estados, singular - estado), 1 capital district* (distrito capital), and 1 federal dependency** (dependencia federal); Amazonas, Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro, Dependencias Federales**, Distrito Federal*, Falcon, Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo, Vargas, Yaracuy, Zulia note: the federal dependency consists of 11 federally controlled island groups with a total of 72 individual islands

Independence:

5 July 1811 (from Spain)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 5 July (1811)

Constitution:

30 December 1999

Legal system:

open, adversarial court system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999); Executive Vice President Ramon Alonzo CARRIZALEZ Rengifo (since 4 January 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February 1999); Executive Vice President Ramon Alonzo CARRIZALEZ Rengifo (since 4 January 2008) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 3 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2012) note: in 1999, a National Constituent Assembly drafted a new constitution that increased the presidential term to six years; an election was subsequently held on 30 July 2000 under the terms of this constitution election results: Hugo CHAVEZ Frias reelected president; percent of vote - Hugo CHAVEZ Frias 62.9%, Manuel ROSALES 36.9%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (167 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; three seats reserved for the indigenous peoples of Venezuela) elections: last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - pro-government 167 (MVR 114, PODEMOS 15, PPT 11, indigenous 2, other 25), opposition 0; total seats by party as of 1 January 2008 - pro-government 152 (PSUV 114, PPT 11, indigenous 2, other 25), PODEMOS 15

Judicial branch:

Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Tribuna Suprema de Justicia (magistrates are elected by the National Assembly for a single 12-year term)

Political parties and leaders:

A New Time or UNT [Manuel ROSALES]; Christian Democrats or COPEI

[Cesar PEREZ Vivas]; Communist Party of Venezuela or PCV [Jeronimo

CARRERA]; Democratic Action or AD [Henry RAMOS Allup]; Fatherland

for All or PPT [Jose ALBORNOZ]; Justice First [Julio BORGES];

Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Hector MUJICA]; United Socialist

Party of Venezuela or PSUV [Hugo CHAVEZ]; Venezuela Project or PV

[Henrique SALAS Romer]; We Can or PODEMOS [Ismael GARCIA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; VECINOS groups; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers or CTV (labor organization dominated by the Democratic Action)

International organization participation:

Caricom (observer), CDB, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, LAS

(observer), Mercosur (associate), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW,

OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union

Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Angelo SANTOS chancery: 1099 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 342-2214 FAX: [1] (202) 342-6820 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires John CAULFIELD embassy: Calle F con Calle Suapure, Urbanizacion Colinas de Valle Arriba, Caracas 1080 mailing address: P. O. Box 62291, Caracas 1060-A; APO AA 34037 telephone: [58] (212) 975-6411, 907-8400 (after hours) FAX: [58] (212) 907-8199

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and red with the coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band and an arc of eight white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band

Economy

Venezuela

Economy - overview:

Venezuela remains highly dependent on oil revenues, which account for roughly 90% of export earnings, more than 50% of the federal budget revenues, and around 30% of GDP. A nationwide strike between December 2002 and February 2003 had far-reaching economic consequences - real GDP declined by around 9% in 2002 and 8% in 2003 - but economic output since then has recovered strongly. Fueled by high oil prices, record government spending helped to boost GDP in 2006 by about 9% and in 2007 by about 8%. This spending, combined with recent minimum wage hikes and improved access to domestic credit, has created a consumption boom but has come at the cost of higher inflation-roughly 20 percent in 2007. Imports also have jumped significantly. Embolden by his December 2006 reelection, President Hugo CHAVEZ in 2007 nationalized firms in the petroleum, communications, and electricity sectors, which reduced foreign influence in the economy. Although voters in December 2007 rejected CHAVEZ's proposed constitutional changes, CHAVEZ still has significant control of the economy and has indicated he intends to continue to consolidate and centralize authority over the economy by implementing "21st Century Socialism."

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$334.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$236.4 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

8.4% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$12,800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3.8% industry: 38.4% services: 57.8% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

12.37 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 13% industry: 23% services: 64% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:

8.5% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

37.9% (end 2005 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 0.7% highest 10%: 35.2% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

48.2 (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):

23.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $65.83 billion expenditures: $58.9 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

19.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

18.7% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

28.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

17.11% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$63.18 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$8.889 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$50.24 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish

Industries:

petroleum, construction materials, food processing, textiles; iron ore mining, steel, aluminum; motor vehicle assembly

Industrial production growth rate:

3.9% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

110.7 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

83.84 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

542 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 31.7% hydro: 68.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

2.667 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

738,300 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

2.203 million bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - imports:

0 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

87.04 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

26.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

26.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

4.708 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

$20 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$69.17 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures

Exports - partners:

US 42.7%, Netherlands Antilles 8%, China 3.1% (2007)

Imports:

$45.46 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction materials

Imports - partners:

US 26.6%, Colombia 13.5%, Brazil 9.5%, China 6.7%, Mexico 5.2%,

Panama 5% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$48.66 million (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$33.48 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$43.33 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$43.96 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$13.81 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$8.251 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

bolivar (VEB)

Currency code:

VEB

Exchange rates:

bolivars (VEB) per US dollar - 2,147 (2007), 2,147 (2006), 2,089.8 (2005), 1,891.3 (2004), 1,607 (2003) note: On 1 January 2008 Venezuela revalued its currency with 1000 old bolivares equal to 1 new bolivar

Communications

Venezuela

Telephones - main lines in use:

5.082 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

23.82 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern and expanding domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations; recent substantial improvement in telephone service in rural areas; substantial increase in digitalization of exchanges and trunk lines; installation of a national interurban fiber-optic network capable of digital multimedia services; fixed-line teledensity 20 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity more than 90 per 100 persons international: country code - 58; submarine cable systems provide connectivity to the Caribbean, Central and South America, and US; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 PanAmSat; participating with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in the construction of an international fiber-optic network (2007)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 201, FM NA (20 in Caracas), shortwave 11 (1998)

Radios:

10.75 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

66 (plus 45 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:

4.1 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.ve

Internet hosts:

145,394 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

16 (2000)

Internet users:

5.72 million (2007)

Transportation

Venezuela

Airports:

390 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 128 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 61 under 914 m: 18 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 262 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 97 under 914 m: 149 (2007)

Heliports:

2 (2007)

Pipelines:

extra heavy crude oil 992 km; gas 5,400 km; oil 7,607 km; refined products 1,650 km; unknown (oil/water) 141 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 682 km standard gauge: 682 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 96,155 km paved: 32,308 km unpaved: 63,847 km (2002)

Waterways:

7,100 km note: Orinoco River (400 km) and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by oceangoing vessels (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 62 by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 16, chemical tanker 3, liquefied gas 5, passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 12 (Chile 1, Denmark 1, Greece 3, Mexico 5, Panama 1, Spain 1) registered in other countries: 12 (Bahamas 1, Panama 10, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

La Guaira, Maracaibo, Puerto Cabello, Punta Cardon

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the Caribbean Sea as a significant risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen

Military

Venezuela

Military branches:

National Armed Forces (Fuerza Armada Nacionale, FAN): Ground Forces

or Army (Fuerzas Terrestres or Ejercito), Naval Forces (Fuerzas

Navales or Armada; includes Marines, Coast Guard), Air Force

(Fuerzas Aereas or Aviacion), Armed Forces of Cooperation or

National Guard (Fuerzas Armadas de Cooperacion or Guardia Nacional)

Military service age and obligation:

18-30 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; 30-month conscript service obligation - all citizens 18-50 years old are obligated to register for military service (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 6,647,124 females age 16-49: 6,801,133 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,280,974 females age 16-49: 5,768,814 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 275,323 female: 274,106 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Venezuela

Disputes - international:

claims all of the area west of the Essequibo River in Guyana, preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into their waters; dispute with Colombia over maritime boundary and Venezuelan-administered Los Monjes islands near the Gulf of Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics and paramilitary activities penetrate Venezuela's shared border region; in 2006, an estimated 139,000 Colombians sought protection in 150 communities along the border in Venezuela; US, France, and the Netherlands recognize Venezuela's granting full effect to Aves Island, thereby claiming a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea; Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines protest Venezuela's full effect claim

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Venezuela is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; Venezuelan women and girls are trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation, lured from the nation's interior to urban and tourist areas; child prostitution in urban areas and child sex tourism in resort destinations appear to be growing; Venezuelan women and girls are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation to Western Europe, Mexico, and Caribbean destinations tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Venezuela is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List, up from Tier 3, as it showed greater resolve to address trafficking through law enforcement measures and prevention efforts in 2007, although stringent punishment of offenders and victim assistance remain lacking (2008)

Illicit drugs:

small-scale illicit producer of opium and coca for the processing of opiates and coca derivatives; however, large quantities of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana transit the country from Colombia bound for US and Europe; significant narcotics-related money-laundering activity, especially along the border with Colombia and on Margarita Island; active eradication program primarily targeting opium; increasing signs of drug-related activities by Colombian insurgents on border

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Vietnam

Introduction

Vietnam

Background:

The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Vietnam declared independence after World War II, but France continued to rule until its 1954 defeat by Communist forces under Ho Chi MINH. Under the Geneva Accords of 1954, Vietnam was divided into the Communist North and anti-Communist South. US economic and military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the South reuniting the country under Communist rule. Despite the return of peace, for over a decade the country experienced little economic growth because of conservative leadership policies. However, since the enactment of Vietnam's "doi moi" (renovation) policy in 1986, Vietnamese authorities have committed to increased economic liberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The country continues to experience protests from various groups - such as the Protestant Montagnard ethnic minority population of the Central Highlands and the Hoa Hao Buddhists in southern Vietnam over religious persecution. Montagnard grievances also include the loss of land to Vietnamese settlers.

Geography

Vietnam

Location:

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia

Geographic coordinates:

16 00 N, 106 00 E

Map references:

Southeast Asia

Area:

total: 329,560 sq km land: 325,360 sq km water: 4,200 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries:

total: 4,639 km border countries: Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km

Coastline:

3,444 km (excludes islands)

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March)

Terrain:

low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m

Natural resources:

phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 20.14% permanent crops: 6.93% other: 72.93% (2005)

Irrigated land:

30,000 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

891.2 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 71.39 cu km/yr (8%/24%/68%) per capita: 847 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta

Environment - current issues:

logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices contribute to deforestation and soil degradation; water pollution and overfishing threaten marine life populations; groundwater contamination limits potable water supply; growing urban industrialization and population migration are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point

People

Vietnam

Population:

86,116,560 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 25.6% (male 11,418,642/female 10,598,184) 15-64 years: 68.6% (male 29,341,216/female 29,777,696) 65 years and over: 5.8% (male 1,925,609/female 3,055,212) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 26.9 years male: 25.8 years female: 28 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.99% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

16.47 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.18 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 23.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 24.01 deaths/1,000 live births female: 23.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 71.33 years male: 68.52 years female: 74.33 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.86 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

220,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

9,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, and plague water contact disease: leptospirosis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Vietnamese (singular and plural) adjective: Vietnamese

Ethnic groups:

Kinh (Viet) 86.2%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.7%, Muong 1.5%, Khome 1.4%, Hoa 1.1%, Nun 1.1%, Hmong 1%, others 4.1% (1999 census)

Religions:

Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%, Protestant 0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8% (1999 census)

Languages:

Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90.3% male: 93.9% female: 86.9% (2002 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 10 years male: 11 years female: 10 years (2000)

Education expenditures:

1.8% of GDP (1991)

Government

Vietnam

Country name:

conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam conventional short form: Vietnam local long form: Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam local short form: Viet Nam abbreviation: SRV

Government type:

Communist state

Capital:

name: Hanoi geographic coordinates: 21 02 N, 105 51 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

59 provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5 municipalities (thanh

pho, singular and plural)

provinces: An Giang, Bac Giang, Bac Kan, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Ba

Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh

Thuan, Ca Mau, Cao Bang, Dac Lak, Dac Nong, Dien Bien, Dong Nai,

Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Ha Nam, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong,

Hau Giang, Hoa Binh, Hung Yen, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai

Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Ninh

Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang

Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh,

Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen

Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai

municipalities: Can Tho, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh

Independence:

2 September 1945 (from France)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 2 September (1945)

Constitution:

15 April 1992

Legal system:

based on communist legal theory and French civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Nguyen Minh TRIET (since 27 June 2006); Vice President Nguyen Thi DOAN (since 25 July 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 27 June 2006); Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh HUNG (since 28 June 2006), Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung HAI (since 2 August 2007), Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien NHAN (since 2 August 2007), Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia KHIEM (since 28 June 2006), and Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh TRONG (since 28 June 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president based on proposal of prime minister and confirmed by National Assembly elections: president elected by the National Assembly from among its members for five-year term; last held 27 June 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by the prime minister; appointment of prime minister and deputy prime ministers confirmed by National Assembly election results: Nguyen Minh TRIET elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 94%; Nguyen Tan DUNG elected prime minister; percent of National Assembly vote - 92%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly or Quoc Hoi (500 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 20 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPV 450, non-party CPV-approved 42, self-nominated 1; note - 493 candidates were elected; CPV and non-party CPV-approved delegates were members of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front

Judicial branch:

Supreme People's Court (chief justice is elected for a five-year term by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president)

Political parties and leaders:

Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [Nong Duc MANH]; other parties proscribed

Political pressure groups and leaders:

8406 Bloc; Democratic Party of Vietnam or DPV; People's Democratic Party Vietnam or PDP-VN; Alliance for Democracy note: these groups advocate democracy but are not recognized by the government

International organization participation:

ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC,

IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UN Security

Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Le Cong PHUNG chancery: 1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 861-0737 FAX: [1] (202) 861-0917 consulate(s) general: San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael W. MICHALAK embassy: 7 Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi mailing address: PSC 461, Box 400, FPO AP 96521-0002 telephone: [84] (4) 3850-5000 FAX: [84] (4) 3850-5010 consulate(s) general: Ho Chi Minh City

Flag description:

red field with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center

Economy

Vietnam

Economy - overview:

Vietnam is a densely-populated developing country that in the last 30 years has had to recover from the ravages of war, the loss of financial support from the old Soviet Bloc, and the rigidities of a centrally-planned economy. Economic stagnation marked the period after reunification from 1975 to 1985. In 1986, the Sixth Party Congress approved a broad economic reform package that introduced market reforms and set the groundwork for Vietnam's improved investment climate. Substantial progress was achieved from 1986 to 1997 in moving forward from an extremely low level of development and significantly reducing poverty. The 1997 Asian financial crisis highlighted the problems in the Vietnamese economy and temporarily allowed opponents of reform to slow progress toward a market-oriented economy. GDP growth averaged 6.8% per year from 1997 to 2004 even against the background of the Asian financial crisis and a global recession. Since 2001, Vietnamese authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to economic liberalization and international integration. They have moved to implement the structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. The economy grew 8.5% in 2007. Vietnam's membership in the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and entry into force of the US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement in December 2001 have led to even more rapid changes in Vietnam's trade and economic regime. Vietnam's exports to the US increased 900% from 2001 to 2007. Vietnam joined the WTO in January 2007, following over a decade long negotiation process. WTO membership has provided Vietnam an anchor to the global market and reinforced the domestic economic reform process. Among other benefits, accession allows Vietnam to take advantage of the phase-out of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing, which eliminated quotas on textiles and clothing for WTO partners on 1 January 2005. Agriculture's share of economic output has continued to shrink, from about 25% in 2000 to less than 20% in 2007. Deep poverty, defined as a percent of the population living under $1 per day, has declined significantly and is now smaller than that of China, India, and the Philippines. Vietnam is working to create jobs to meet the challenge of a labor force that is growing by more than one-and-a-half million people every year. In an effort to stem high inflation which took off in 2007, early in 2008 Vietnamese authorities began to raise benchmark interest rates and reserve requirements. Hanoi is targeting an economic growth rate of 7.5-8% during the next four years.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$221.1 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$70.02 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

8.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 19.5% industry: 42.3% services: 38.2% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

46.42 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 55.6% industry: 18.9% services: 25.5% (July 2005)

Unemployment rate:

4.3% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

14.8% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 28.9% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

37 (2004)

Investment (gross fixed):

37.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $18.62 billion expenditures: $19.71 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

42% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

8.3% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

11.18% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$27.15 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$51.08 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$68.63 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

paddy rice, coffee, rubber, cotton, tea, pepper, soybeans, cashews, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas; poultry; fish, seafood

Industries:

food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building; mining, coal, steel; cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, paper

Industrial production growth rate:

10.6% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

61.02 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

48.08 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 43.7% hydro: 56.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

350,700 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

271,100 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

394,400 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

271,100 bbl/day (2007)

Oil - proved reserves:

600 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

6.86 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

6.86 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

192.5 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$6.993 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$48.56 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber, tea, garments, shoes

Exports - partners:

US 20.8%, Japan 12.5%, Australia 7.3%, China 6.9%, Singapore 4.5% (2007)

Imports:

$58.92 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer, steel products, raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles

Imports - partners:

China 19.9%, Singapore 12.1%, Taiwan 11%, Japan 9.9%, South Korea 8.5%, Thailand 6% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$5.4 billion in credits and grants pledged by the 2007 Consultative Group meeting in Hanoi (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$23.87 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$21.83 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$32.74 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

dong (VND)

Currency code:

VND

Exchange rates:

dong (VND) per US dollar - 16,119 (2007), 15,983 (2006), 15,746 (2005), NA (2004), 15,510 (2003)

Communications

Vietnam

Telephones - main lines in use:

10.8 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

33.2 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: Vietnam is putting considerable effort into modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system, but its performance continues to lag behind that of its more modern neighbors domestic: all provincial exchanges are digitalized and connected to Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City by fiber-optic cable or microwave radio relay networks; main lines have been substantially increased, and the use of mobile telephones is growing rapidly international: country code - 84; a landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3, the C2C, and Thailand-Vietnam-Hong Kong submarine cable systems; the Asia-America Gateway submarine cable system, scheduled for completion by the end of 2008, will provide new access links to Asia and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 65, FM 7, shortwave 29 (1999)

Radios:

8.2 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

67 (includes 61 relay, provincial, and city TV stations) (2006)

Televisions:

3.57 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.vn

Internet hosts:

84,151 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

5 (2000)

Internet users:

17.87 million (2007)

Transportation

Vietnam

Airports:

44 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 37 over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 10 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Heliports:

1 (2007)

Pipelines:

condensate/gas 432 km; gas 510 km; oil 49 km; refined products 206 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,600 km standard gauge: 178 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 2,169 km 1.000-m gauge dual gauge: 253 km three-rail track combining 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (2006)

Roadways:

total: 222,179 km paved: 42,167 km unpaved: 180,012 km (2004)

Waterways:

17,702 km (5,000 km navigable by vessels up to 1.8 m draft) (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 387 by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 36, cargo 280, chemical tanker 12, container 14, liquefied gas 6, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 32, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 2 (Hong Kong 1, Japan 1) registered in other countries: 64 (Honduras 1, Liberia 4, Mongolia 23, Panama 30, Tuvalu 5, unknown 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift

Military

Vietnam

Military branches:

People's Armed Forces: People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) (includes

People's Navy Command (with naval infantry, coast guard), Air and

Air Defense Force (Kon Quan Nhan Dan), Border Defense Command),

People's Public Security Forces, Militia Force, Self-Defense Forces

(2005)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age (male) for compulsory military service; females may volunteer for active duty military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (3 to 4 years in the navy); 18-45 years of age (male) or 18-40 years of age (female) for Militia Force or Self Defense Forces (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 24,586,328 females age 16-49: 24,335,132 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 18,849,274 females age 16-49: 20,575,884 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 903,734 female: 845,306 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

2.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Vietnam

Disputes - international:

southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; Cambodia and Laos protest Vietnamese squatters and armed encroachments along border; an estimated 300,000 Vietnamese refugees reside in China; establishment of a maritime boundary with Cambodia is hampered by unresolved dispute over the sovereignty of offshore islands; demarcation of the China-Vietnam boundary proceeds slowly and although the maritime boundary delimitation and fisheries agreements were ratified in June 2004, implementation has been delayed; China occupies the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; Vietnam continues to expand construction of facilities in the Spratly Islands; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands

Illicit drugs:

minor producer of opium poppy; probable minor transit point for Southeast Asian heroin; government continues to face domestic opium/heroin/methamphetamine addiction problems despite longstanding crackdowns

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Virgin Islands

Introduction

Virgin Islands

Background:

During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848.

Geography

Virgin Islands

Location:

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic

Ocean, east of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates:

18 20 N, 64 50 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total: 1,910 sq km land: 346 sq km water: 1,564 sq km

Area - comparative:

twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

188 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season September to November

Terrain:

mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Crown Mountain 475 m

Natural resources:

sun, sand, sea, surf

Land use:

arable land: 5.71% permanent crops: 2.86% other: 91.43% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes

Environment - current issues:

lack of natural freshwater resources

Geography - note:

important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean

People

Virgin Islands

Population:

109,840 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 21% (male 11,698/female 11,390) 15-64 years: 66.2% (male 34,035/female 38,670) 65 years and over: 12.8% (male 6,312/female 7,735) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 38.5 years male: 38 years female: 39 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

0.002% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

12.29 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

6.55 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-5.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 7.72 deaths/1,000 live births male: 8.43 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 78.92 years male: 75.9 years female: 82.11 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.88 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Virgin Islander(s) (US citizens) adjective: Virgin Islander

Ethnic groups:

black 76.2%, white 13.1%, Asian 1.1%, other 6.1%, mixed 3.5% (2000 census)

Religions:

Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7%

Languages:

English 74.7%, Spanish or Spanish Creole 16.8%, French or French

Creole 6.6%, other 1.9% (2000 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90-95% est. male: NA% female: NA% (2005 est.)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

Virgin Islands

Country name:

conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies abbreviation: USVI

Dependency status:

organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Charlotte Amalie geographic coordinates: 18 21 N, 64 56 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three islands at the second order; Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas

Independence:

none (territory of the US)

National holiday:

Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 31 March (1917)

Constitution:

Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954

Legal system:

based on US laws

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal; island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections

Executive branch:

chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor John DeJONGH (since 1 January 2007) cabinet: NA elections: under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as the Virgin Islands, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; however, they may vote in the Democratic and Republican presidential primary elections; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 7 and 21 November 2006 (next to be held November 2010) election results: John DeJONGH elected governor; percent of vote - John DeJONGH 57.3%, Kenneth MAPP 42.7%

Legislative branch:

unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 8, ICM 4, independent 3 note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008)

Judicial branch:

US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Superior Court of the Virgin Islands (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms)

Political parties and leaders:

Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

IOC, UPU, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (territory of the US)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (territory of the US)

Flag description:

white field with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white stripes below a blue panel

Economy

Virgin Islands

Economy - overview:

Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for 80% of GDP and employment. The islands hosted 2.6 million visitors in 2005. The manufacturing sector consists of petroleum refining, textiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and watch assembly. One of the world's largest petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being imported. International business and financial services are small but growing components of the economy. The islands are vulnerable to substantial damage from storms. The government is working to improve fiscal discipline, to support construction projects in the private sector, to expand tourist facilities, to reduce crime, and to protect the environment.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$1.577 billion (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

2% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$14,500 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 1% industry: 19% services: 80% (2003 est.)

Labor force:

43,980 (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 1% industry: 19% services: 80% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:

6.2% (2004)

Population below poverty line:

28.9% (2002)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA

Fiscal year:

1 October - 30 September

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.2% (2003)

Agriculture - products:

fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle

Industries:

tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

960 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

892.8 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

17,620 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

91,680 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

398,500 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

492,300 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

NA

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$4.234 billion (2001)

Exports - commodities:

refined petroleum products

Exports - partners:

US, Puerto Rico (2006)

Imports:

$4.609 billion (2001)

Imports - commodities:

crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials

Imports - partners:

US, Puerto Rico (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$NA

Debt - external:

$NA

Currency (code):

US dollar (USD)

Currency code:

USD

Exchange rates:

the US dollar is used

Communications

Virgin Islands

Telephones - main lines in use:

71,700 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

80,300 (2005)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay domestic: full range of services available international: country code - 1-340; submarine cable connections to US, the Caribbean, Central and South America; satellite earth stations - NA

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 6, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2005)

Radios:

107,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

5 (2006)

Televisions:

68,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.vi

Internet hosts:

4,610 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

50 (2000)

Internet users:

30,000 (2007)

Transportation

Virgin Islands

Airports:

2 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 1,257 km (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Charlotte Amalie, Limetree Bay

Military

Virgin Islands

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 861 female: 897 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues

Virgin Islands

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Wake Island

Introduction

Wake Island

Background:

The US annexed Wake Island in 1899 for a cable station. An important air and naval base was constructed in 1940-41. In December 1941, the island was captured by the Japanese and held until the end of World War II. In subsequent years, Wake was developed as a stopover and refueling site for military and commercial aircraft transiting the Pacific. Since 1974, the island's airstrip has been used by the US military, as well as for emergency landings. All operations on the island were suspended and all personnel evacuated in August 2006 with the approach of super typhoon IOKE (category 5), which struck the island with sustained winds of 250 kph and a 6 m storm surge inflicting major damage. A US Air Force assessment and repair team returned to the island in September and restored limited function to the airfield and facilities. The future status of activities on the island will be determined upon completion of the survey and assessment.

Geography

Wake Island

Location:

Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to the Northern Mariana Islands

Geographic coordinates:

19 17 N, 166 39 E

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 6.5 sq km land: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

19.3 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical

Terrain:

atoll of three low coral islands, Peale, Wake, and Wilkes, built up on an underwater volcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 6 m

Natural resources:

none

Land use:

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)

Irrigated land:

0 sq km

Natural hazards:

occasional typhoons

Environment - current issues:

NA

Geography - note:

strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; emergency landing location for transpacific flights

People

Wake Island

Population:

no indigenous inhabitants note: since super typhoon IOKE, a small military contingent along with 75 contractor personnel have returned to the island to conduct clean-up and restore basic operations on the island (July 2008 est.)

Government

Wake Island

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Wake Island

Dependency status:

unorganized, unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Department of the Interior; activities in the atoll are currently conducted by the US Air Force

Legal system:

the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Flag description:

the flag of the US is used

Economy

Wake Island

Economy - overview:

Economic activity is limited to providing services to military personnel and contractors located on the island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.

Electricity - production:

NA kWh

Communications

Wake Island

Telephone system:

general assessment: satellite communications; 2 DSN circuits off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS) domestic: NA international: NA

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0 (Armed Forces Radio/Television Service

(AFRTS) radio service provided by satellite (2005)

Television broadcast stations:

0 (2005)

Transportation

Wake Island

Airports:

1 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Ports and terminals:

none; two offshore anchorages for large ships

Transportation - note:

there are no commercial or civilian flights to and from Wake Island, except in direct support of island missions; emergency landing is available

Military

Wake Island

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of the US; the US Air Force is responsible for overall administration and operation of the island; the launch support facility is administered by the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA)

Transnational Issues

Wake Island

Disputes - international:

claimed by Marshall Islands

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Wallis and Futuna

Introduction

Wallis and Futuna

Background:

The Futuna island group was discovered by the Dutch in 1616 and Wallis by the British in 1767, but it was the French who declared a protectorate over the islands in 1842. In 1959, the inhabitants of the islands voted to become a French overseas territory.

Geography

Wallis and Futuna

Location:

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Geographic coordinates:

13 18 S, 176 12 W

Map references:

Oceania

Area:

total: 274 sq km land: 274 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island), Ile Alofi, and 20 islets

Area - comparative:

1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:

0 km

Coastline:

129 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:

tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry season (May to October); rains 2,500-3,000 mm per year (80% humidity); average temperature 26.6 degrees C

Terrain:

volcanic origin; low hills

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Singavi 765 m

Natural resources:

NEGL

Land use:

arable land: 7.14% permanent crops: 35.71% other: 57.15% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

NA

Environment - current issues:

deforestation (only small portions of the original forests remain) largely as a result of the continued use of wood as the main fuel source; as a consequence of cutting down the forests, the mountainous terrain of Futuna is particularly prone to erosion; there are no permanent settlements on Alofi because of the lack of natural fresh water resources

Geography - note:

both island groups have fringing reefs

People

Wallis and Futuna

Population:

15,237 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: (male 2,215/female 1,999) 15-64 years: (male 4,982/female 4,996) 65 years and over: (male 465/female 580)

Population growth rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Death rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New Caledonia (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: NA male: NA female: NA (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

NA (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders adjective: Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander

Ethnic groups:

Polynesian

Religions:

Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%

Languages:

Wallisian 58.9% (indigenous Polynesian language), Futunian 30.1%,

French 10.8%, other 0.2% (2003 census)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 50% male: 50% female: 50% (1969 est.)

Government

Wallis and Futuna

Country name:

conventional long form: Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands conventional short form: Wallis and Futuna local long form: Territoire des Iles Wallis et Futuna local short form: Wallis et Futuna

Dependency status:

overseas territory of France

Government type:

NA

Capital:

name: Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea) geographic coordinates: 13 57 S, 171 56 W time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three kingdoms at the second order named Alo, Sigave, Wallis

Independence:

none (overseas territory of France)

National holiday:

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution:

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system:

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007); represented by High Administrator Philippe PAOLANTONI (since 28 July 2008) head of government: President of the Territorial Assembly Patalione KANIMOA (since January 2001) cabinet: Council of the Territory consists of three kings and three members appointed by the high administrator on the advice of the Territorial Assembly note: there are three traditional kings with limited powers elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high administrator appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the Territorial Government and the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly

Legislative branch:

unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (20 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 11 March 2002 (next to be held 22 April 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR and affiliates 13, Socialists and affiliates 7 note: Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the French Senate and one deputy to the French National Assembly; French Senate - elections last held 26 September 2004 (next to be held by September 2010); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - RPR (now UMP) 1; French National Assembly - elections last held 17 June 2007 (next to be held by 2012); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - PS 1

Judicial branch:

justice generally administered under French law by the high administrator, but the three traditional kings administer customary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu; a court of appeal is located in Noumea, New Caledonia

Political parties and leaders:

Lua Kae Tahi (Giscardians); Mouvement des Radicaux de Gauche or MRG;

Rally for the Republic or RPR (UMP) [Clovis LOGOLOGOFOLAU];

Socialist Party or PS; Taumu'a Lelei [Soane Muni UHILA]; Union

Populaire Locale or UPL [Falakiko GATA]; Union Pour la Democratie

Francaise or UDF

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

PIF (observer), SPC, UPU, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none (overseas territory of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none (overseas territory of France)

Flag description:

unofficial, local flag has a red field with four white isosceles triangles in the middle, representing the three native kings of the islands and the French administrator; the apexes of the triangles are oriented inward and at right angles to each other; the flag of France, outlined in white on two sides, is in the upper hoist quadrant; the flag of France is the only official flag

Economy

Wallis and Futuna

Economy - overview:

The economy is limited to traditional subsistence agriculture, with about 80% of labor force earnings from agriculture (coconuts and vegetables), livestock (mostly pigs), and fishing. About 4% of the population is employed in government. Revenues come from French Government subsidies, licensing of fishing rights to Japan and South Korea, import taxes, and remittances from expatriate workers in New Caledonia.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$60 million (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$3,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Labor force:

3,104 (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 80% industry: 4% services: 16% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:

15.2% (2003)

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $29,730 expenditures: $31,330 (2004)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

5.6% of GDP (2004 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.8% (2005)

Agriculture - products:

breadfruit, yams, taro, bananas; pigs, goats; fish

Industries:

copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

NA kWh

Electricity - consumption:

NA kWh

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 0% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0%

Exports:

$47,450 f.o.b. (2004)

Exports - commodities:

copra, chemicals, construction materials

Exports - partners:

Italy 40%, Croatia 15%, US 14%, Denmark 13% (2006)

Imports:

$61.17 million f.o.b. (2004)

Imports - commodities:

chemicals, machinery, passenger ships, consumer goods

Imports - partners:

France 97%, Australia 2%, NZ 1% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

assistance from France, $NA

Debt - external:

$3.67 million (2004)

Currency (code):

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF)

Currency code:

XPF

Exchange rates:

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - NA (2007), 95.03 (2006), 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003)

Communications

Wallis and Futuna

Telephones - main lines in use:

1,900 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

NA

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 681

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (2000)

Radios:

NA

Television broadcast stations:

2 (2000)

Televisions:

NA

Internet country code:

.wf

Internet hosts:

1 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

900 (2002)

Transportation

Wallis and Futuna

Airports:

2 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Merchant marine:

total: 8 by type: chemical tanker 2, passenger 6 foreign-owned: 8 (France 6, French Polynesia 2) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Leava, Mata-Utu

Military

Wallis and Futuna

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 172 female: 170 (2008 est.)

Military - note:

defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues

Wallis and Futuna

Disputes - international:

none

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@West Bank

Introduction

West Bank

Background:

The September 1993 Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements provided for a transitional period of Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Under a series of agreements signed between May 1994 and September 1999, Israel transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza stalled following the outbreak of an intifada in September 2000, as Israeli forces reoccupied most Palestinian-controlled areas. In April 2003, the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement was postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides had not followed through on their commitments. Following Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004, Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA president in January 2005. A month later, Israel and the PA agreed to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments in an effort to move the peace process forward. In September 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew all its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and withdrew settlers and redeployed soldiers from four small northern West Bank settlements. Nonetheless, Israel controls maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip. A November 2005 PA-Israeli agreement authorized the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt under joint PA and Egyptian control. In January 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won control of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The international community refused to accept the HAMAS-led government because it did not recognize Israel, would not renounce violence, and refused to honor previous peace agreements between Israel and the PA. HAMAS took control of the PA government in March 2006, but President ABBAS had little success negotiating with HAMAS to present a political platform acceptable to the international community so as to lift economic sanctions on Palestinians. The PLC was unable to convene throughout most of 2006 as a result of Israel's detention of many HAMAS PLC members and Israeli-imposed travel restrictions on other PLC members. Violent clashes took place between Fatah and HAMAS supporters in the Gaza Strip in 2006 and early 2007, resulting in numerous Palestinian deaths and injuries. ABBAS and HAMAS Political Bureau Chief MISHAL in February 2007 signed the Mecca Agreement in Saudi Arabia that resulted in the formation of a Palestinian National Unity Government (NUG) headed by HAMAS member Ismail HANIYA. However, fighting continued in the Gaza Strip, and in June, HAMAS militants succeeded in a violent takeover of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip. ABBAS dismissed the NUG and through a series of presidential decrees formed a PA government in the West Bank led by independent Salam FAYYAD. HAMAS rejected the NUG's dismissal and has called for resuming talks with Fatah, but ABBAS has ruled out negotiations until HAMAS agrees to a return of PA control over the Gaza Strip and recognizes the FAYYAD-led government. FAYYAD and his PA government initiated a series of security and economic reforms to improve conditions in the West Bank. ABBAS participated in talks with Israel's Prime Minister OLMERT and secured the release of some Palestinian prisoners and previously withheld customs revenue. During a November 2007 international meeting in Annapolis Maryland, ABBAS and OLMERT agreed to resume peace negotiations with the goal of reaching a final peace settlement by the end of 2008.

Geography

West Bank

Location:

Middle East, west of Jordan

Geographic coordinates:

32 00 N, 35 15 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 5,860 sq km land: 5,640 sq km water: 220 sq km note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries:

total: 404 km border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters

Terrain:

mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m

Natural resources:

arable land

Land use:

arable land: 16.9% permanent crops: 18.97% other: 64.13% (2001)

Irrigated land:

150 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003)

Natural hazards:

droughts

Environment - current issues:

adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment

Geography - note:

landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are about 340 Israeli civilian sites—including 100 small outpost communities in the West Bank and 29 sites in East Jerusalem (July 2008 est.)

People

West Bank

Population:

2,407,681 note: in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 38% (male 469,754/female 445,999) 15-64 years: 58.3% (male 719,267/female 684,790) 65 years and over: 3.6% (male 36,606/female 51,265) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 20.2 years male: 20 years female: 20.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.225% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

25.95 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

3.7 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 16.51 deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 74.29 years male: 72.32 years female: 76.38 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.31 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: NA adjective: NA

Ethnic groups:

Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%

Religions:

Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8%

Languages:

Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians),

English (widely understood)

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.4% male: 96.7% female: 88% (2004 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 14 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2006)

Education expenditures:

NA

Government

West Bank

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: West Bank

Economy

West Bank

Economy - overview:

The West Bank - the larger of the two areas comprising the Palestinian Authority (PA) - has experienced a general decline in economic conditions since the second intifada began in September 2000. The downturn has been largely a result of Israeli closure policies - the imposition of closures and access restrictions in response to security concerns in Israel - which disrupted labor and trading relationships. In 2001, and even more severely in 2002, Israeli military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of capital, the disruption of administrative structures, and widespread business closures. International aid of at least $1.14 billion to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2004 prevented the complete collapse of the economy and allowed some reforms in the government's financial operations. In 2005, high unemployment and limited trade opportunities - due to continued closures both within the West Bank and externally - stymied growth. Israel's and the international community's financial embargo of the PA when HAMAS ran the PA during March 2006 - June 2007 has interrupted the provision of PA social services and the payment of PA salaries. Since June the Fayyad government in the West Bank has restarted salary payments and the provision of services but would be unable to operate absent high levels of international assistance.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$5.034 billion (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$5.328 billion (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

-8% (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,100 (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 8% industry: 13% services: 79% (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)

Labor force:

605,000 (2006)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 18% industry: 15% services: 67% (2006)

Unemployment rate:

18.6% (2006)

Population below poverty line:

46% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $1.149 billion expenditures: $2.31 billion note: includes Gaza Strip (2006)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

3.6% (includes Gaza Strip) (2006)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

7.73% (31 December 2006)

Stock of money:

$1.574 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$3.048 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.455 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products

Industries:

generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers

Industrial production growth rate:

2.4% (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)

Electricity - production:

NA kWh; note - most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants

Electricity - consumption:

NA kWh

Electricity - imports:

NA kWh

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Exports:

$301 million f.o.b.; (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)

Exports - commodities:

olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone

Exports - partners:

Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2006)

Imports:

$2.44 billion c.i.f.; (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)

Imports - commodities:

food, consumer goods, construction materials

Imports - partners:

Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.4 billion; (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)

Debt - external:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$4.461 billion (2005)

Currency (code):

new Israeli shekel (ILS); Jordanian dinar (JOD)

Currency code:

ILS; JOD

Exchange rates:

new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003)

Communications

West Bank

Telephones - main lines in use:

350,400 (includes Gaza Strip) (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.026 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for fixed line services; the Palestinian JAWAL company provides cellular services international: country code - 970 (2004)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 0, FM 25, shortwave 0 (2008)

Radios:

NA; note - most Palestinian households have radios (1999)

Television broadcast stations:

30 (2008)

Televisions:

NA; note - many Palestinian households have televisions (1999)

Internet country code:

.ps; note - same as Gaza Strip

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

8 (1999)

Internet users:

355,500 (includes Gaza Strip) (2007)

Transportation

West Bank

Airports:

3 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Roadways:

total: 5,147 km paved: 5,147 km note: includes Gaza Strip (2006)

Military

West Bank

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 29,866 female: 28,372 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

NA

Transnational Issues

West Bank

Disputes - international:

West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in August 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 722,000 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)) (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Western Sahara

Introduction

Western Sahara

Background:

Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in 2007. Since June 2007, representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met four times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara.

Geography

Western Sahara

Location:

Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between

Mauritania and Morocco

Geographic coordinates:

24 30 N, 13 00 W

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 266,000 sq km land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

about the size of Colorado

Land boundaries:

total: 2,046 km border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km

Coastline:

1,110 km

Maritime claims:

contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue

Climate:

hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew

Terrain:

mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m highest point: unnamed elevation 805 m

Natural resources:

phosphates, iron ore

Land use:

arable land: 0.02% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2005)

Irrigated land:

NA

Natural hazards:

hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility

Environment - current issues:

sparse water and lack of arable land

Environment - international agreements:

party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas

People

Western Sahara

Population:

393,831 note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 45.1% (male 90,306/female 87,498) 15-64 years: 52.6% (male 101,730/female 105,313) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,786/female 5,198) (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

2.868% NA (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

39.95 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

11.74 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

NA

Infant mortality rate:

total: 71.13 deaths/1,000 live births male: 71.22 deaths/1,000 live births female: 71.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 53.92 years NA male: 51.64 years NA female: 56.31 years NA (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

NA 5.69 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Nationality:

noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian

Ethnic groups:

Arab, Berber

Religions:

Muslim

Languages:

Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic

Literacy:

NA

Government

Western Sahara

Country name:

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara

Government type:

legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an Organization of African Unity (OAU) member in 1984; guerrilla activities continued sporadically until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented on 6 September 1991 (Security Council Resolution 690) by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara or MINURSO

Capital:

none time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

none (under de facto control of Morocco)

Suffrage:

none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed

Executive branch:

none

Political pressure groups and leaders:

none

International organization participation:

WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US:

none

Diplomatic representation from the US:

none

Economy

Western Sahara

Economy - overview:

Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$NA

GDP (official exchange rate):

$NA

GDP - real growth rate:

NA%

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$NA

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: 40%

Labor force:

12,000 (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 50% industry and services: 50% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Budget:

revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

NA%

Agriculture - products:

fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish

Industries:

phosphate mining, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate:

NA%

Electricity - production:

90 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

83.7 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

1,760 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

1,925 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Exports:

$NA

Exports - commodities:

phosphates 62%

Exports - partners:

Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)

Imports:

$NA

Imports - commodities:

fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:

Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$NA

Debt - external:

$NA

Currency (code):

Moroccan dirham (MAD)

Currency code:

MAD

Exchange rates:

Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per US dollar - 8.3563 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003)

Communications

Western Sahara

Telephones - main lines in use:

about 2,000 (1999 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

0 (1999)

Telephone system:

general assessment: sparse and limited system domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios:

56,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

NA

Televisions:

6,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.eh

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

NA

Transportation

Western Sahara

Airports:

9 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun)

Military

Western Sahara

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 4,658 female: 4,545 (2008 est.)

Transnational Issues

Western Sahara

Disputes - international:

Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@World

Introduction

World

Background:

Globally, the 20th century was marked by: (a) two devastating world wars; (b) the Great Depression of the 1930s; (c) the end of vast colonial empires; (d) rapid advances in science and technology, from the first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (US) to the landing on the moon; (e) the Cold War between the Western alliance and the Warsaw Pact nations; (f) a sharp rise in living standards in North America, Europe, and Japan; (g) increased concerns about the environment, including loss of forests, shortages of energy and water, the decline in biological diversity, and air pollution; (h) the onset of the AIDS epidemic; and (i) the ultimate emergence of the US as the only world superpower. The planet's population continues to explode: from 1 billion in 1820, to 2 billion in 1930, 3 billion in 1960, 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in 1988, and 6 billion in 2000. For the 21st century, the continued exponential growth in science and technology raises both hopes (e.g., advances in medicine) and fears (e.g., development of even more lethal weapons of war).

Geography

World

Geographic overview:

The surface of the earth is approximately 70.9% water and 29.1% land. The former portion is divided into large water bodies termed oceans. The World Factbook recognizes and describes five oceans, which are in decreasing order of size: the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean. The land portion is generally divided into several, large, discrete landmasses termed continents. Depending on the convention used, the number of continents can vary from five to seven. The most common classification recognizes seven, which are (from largest to smallest): Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. Asia and Europe are sometimes lumped together into a Eurasian continent resulting in six continents. Alternatively, North and South America are sometimes grouped as simply the Americas, resulting in a continent total of six (or five, if the Eurasia designation is used). North America is commonly understood to include the island of Greenland, the isles of the Caribbean, and to extend south all the way to the Isthmus of Panama. The easternmost extent of Europe is generally defined as being the Ural Mountains and the Ural River; on the southeast the Caspian Sea; and on the south the Caucasus Mountains, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean. Africa's northeast extremity is frequently delimited at the Isthmus of Suez, but for geopolitical purposes, the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula is often included as part of Africa. Asia usually incorporates all the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The islands of the Pacific are often lumped with Australia into a "land mass" termed Oceania or Australasia. Although the above groupings are the most common, different continental dispositions are recognized or taught in certain parts of the world, with some arrangements more heavily based on cultural spheres rather than physical geographic considerations.

Map references:

Physical Map of the World, Political Map of the World, Standard Time

Zones of the World

Area:

total: 510.072 million sq km land: 148.94 million sq km water: 361.132 million sq km note: 70.9% of the world's surface is water, 29.1% is land

Area - comparative:

land area about 16 times the size of the US

Land boundaries:

the land boundaries in the world total 251,060 km (not counting shared boundaries twice); two nations, China and Russia, each border 14 other countries note: 45 nations and other areas are landlocked, these include: Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, West Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe; two of these, Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan, are doubly landlocked

Coastline:

356,000 km

note: 94 nations and other entities are islands that border no other

countries, they include: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and

Barbuda, Aruba, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, The Bahamas, Bahrain,

Baker Island, Barbados, Bermuda, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean

Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands,

Christmas Island, Clipperton Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands,

Comoros, Cook Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominica,

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Faroe Islands, Fiji, French

Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Greenland, Grenada,

Guam, Guernsey, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Howland Island,

Iceland, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jan Mayen, Japan, Jarvis Island,

Jersey, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Kiribati, Madagascar,

Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte,

Federated States of Micronesia, Midway Islands, Montserrat, Nauru,

Navassa Island, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island,

Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Palmyra Atoll, Paracel Islands,

Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saint

Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint

Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao

Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South

Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Spratly Islands, Sri Lanka,

Svalbard, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos

Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Virgin Islands, Wake Island, Wallis and

Futuna, Taiwan

Maritime claims:

a variety of situations exist, but in general, most countries make the following claims measured from the mean low-tide baseline as described in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea: territorial sea - 12 nm, contiguous zone - 24 nm, and exclusive economic zone - 200 nm; additional zones provide for exploitation of continental shelf resources and an exclusive fishing zone; boundary situations with neighboring states prevent many countries from extending their fishing or economic zones to a full 200 nm

Climate:

a wide equatorial band of hot and humid tropical climates - bordered north and south by subtropical temperate zones - that separate two large areas of cold and dry polar climates

Terrain:

the greatest ocean depth is the Mariana Trench at 10,924 m in the Pacific Ocean

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,540 m note: in the oceanic realm, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is the lowest point, lying -10,924 m below the surface of the Pacific Ocean highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m

Natural resources:

the rapid depletion of nonrenewable mineral resources, the depletion of forest areas and wetlands, the extinction of animal and plant species, and the deterioration in air and water quality (especially in Eastern Europe, the former USSR, and China) pose serious long-term problems that governments and peoples are only beginning to address

Land use:

arable land: 10.57% permanent crops: 1.04% other: 88.38% (2005)

Irrigated land:

2,770,980 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:

large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions)

Environment - current issues:

large areas subject to overpopulation, industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances), loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of wildlife, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion; global warming becoming a greater concern

Geography - note:

the world is now thought to be about 4.55 billion years old, just about one-third of the 13.7-billion-year age estimated for the universe

People

World

Population:

6,706,993,152 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 27.3% (male 944,665,142/female 887,471,328) 15-64 years: 65.1% 65 years and over: 7.6% (male 222,808,372/female 284,647,297) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: male: 27.4 years female: 28.7 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.188% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

20.18 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

8.23 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 42.09 deaths/1,000 live births male: 44.91 deaths/1,000 live births female: 39.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 66.26 years male: 64.3 years female: 68.35 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

2.61 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Religions:

Christians 33.32% (of which Roman Catholics 16.99%, Protestants 5.78%, Orthodox 3.53%, Anglicans 1.25%), Muslims 21.01%, Hindus 13.26%, Buddhists 5.84%, Sikhs 0.35%, Jews 0.23%, Baha'is 0.12%, other religions 11.78%, non-religious 11.77%, atheists 2.32% (2007 est.)

Languages:

Mandarin Chinese 13.22%, Spanish 4.88%, English 4.68%, Arabic 3.12%, Hindi 2.74%, Portuguese 2.69%, Bengali 2.59%, Russian 2.2%, Japanese 1.85%, Standard German 1.44%, French 1.2% (2005 est.) note: percents are for "first language" speakers only

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 82% male: 87% female: 77% note: over two-thirds of the world's 785 million illiterate adults are found in only eight countries (India, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Egypt); of all the illiterate adults in the world, two-thirds are women; extremely low literacy rates are concentrated in three regions, South and West Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Arab states, where around one-third of the men and half of all women are illiterate (2005 est.)

Government

World

Administrative divisions:

266 nations, dependent areas, and other entities

Legal system:

all members of the UN are parties to the statute that established the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court

Economy

World

Economy - overview:

Global output rose by 5.2% in 2007, led by China (11.4%), India (9.2%), and Russia (8.1%). The 14 other successor nations of the USSR and the other old Warsaw Pact nations again experienced widely divergent growth rates; the three Baltic nations continued as strong performers, in the 8%-10% range of growth. From 2006 to 2007 growth rates slowed in all the major industrial countries except for the United Kingdom (3.1%). Analysts attribute the slowdown to uncertainties in the financial markets and lowered consumer confidence. Worldwide, nations varied widely in their growth results. Externally, the nation-state, as a bedrock economic-political institution, is steadily losing control over international flows of people, goods, funds, and technology. Internally, the central government often finds its control over resources slipping as separatist regional movements - typically based on ethnicity - gain momentum, e.g., in many of the successor states of the former Soviet Union, in the former Yugoslavia, in India, in Iraq, in Indonesia, and in Canada. Externally, the central government is losing decisionmaking powers to international bodies, notably the EU. In Western Europe, governments face the difficult political problem of channeling resources away from welfare programs in order to increase investment and strengthen incentives to seek employment. The addition of 80 million people each year to an already overcrowded globe is exacerbating the problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine. Because of their own internal problems and priorities, the industrialized countries devote insufficient resources to deal effectively with the poorer areas of the world, which, at least from an economic point of view, are becoming further marginalized. The introduction of the euro as the common currency of much of Western Europe in January 1999, while paving the way for an integrated economic powerhouse, poses economic risks because of varying levels of income and cultural and political differences among the participating nations. The terrorist attacks on the US on 11 September 2001 accentuated a growing risk to global prosperity, illustrated, for example, by the reallocation of resources away from investment to anti-terrorist programs. The opening of war in March 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq added new uncertainties to global economic prospects. After the initial coalition victory, the complex political difficulties and the high economic cost of establishing domestic order in Iraq became major global problems that continued through 2007.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

GWP (gross world product): $65.61 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

GWP (gross world product): $54.62 trillion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

5.2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$10,000 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 4% industry: 32% services: 64% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

3.131 billion (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 40.2% industry: 20.5% services: 39.4% (2007 est.)

Unemployment rate:

30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12% unemployment (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 29.8% (2002 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):

22.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

developed countries 1% to 4% typically; developing countries 5% to 20% typically; national inflation rates vary widely in individual cases, from declining prices in Japan to hyperinflation in one Third World country (Zimbabwe); inflation rates have declined for most countries for the last several years, held in check by increasing international competition from several low wage countries (2005 est.)

Industries:

dominated by the onrush of technology, especially in computers, robotics, telecommunications, and medicines and medical equipment; most of these advances take place in OECD nations; only a small portion of non-OECD countries have succeeded in rapidly adjusting to these technological forces; the accelerated development of new industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating already grim environmental problems

Industrial production growth rate:

5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

18.96 trillion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

16.88 trillion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports:

655.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

627.9 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: NA hydro: NA nuclear: NA other: NA

Oil - production:

84.79 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

85.27 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - exports:

66.19 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

65.41 million bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

1.332 trillion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

3.021 trillion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

3.198 trillion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

929.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

957.6 billion cu m (2007)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

175.4 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Exports:

$13.89 trillion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:

the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services top ten - share of world trade: electrical machinery, including computers 14.8%; mineral fuels, including oil, coal, gas, and refined products 14.4%; nuclear reactors, boilers, and parts 14.2%; cars, trucks, and buses 8.9%; scientific and precision instruments 3.5%; plastics 3.4%; iron and steel 2.7%; organic chemicals 2.6%; pharmaceutical products 2.6%; diamonds, pearls, and precious stones 1.9% (2006 est.)

Exports - partners:

US 13.7%, Germany 7.3%, China 6.2%, France 4.6%, UK 4.5%, Japan 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$13.74 trillion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:

the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services top ten - share of world trade: see listing for exports

Imports - partners:

China 10.7%, Germany 9.23%, US 8.28%, Japan 5.14%, France 3.99% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

ODA, $106.4 billion (2005)

Debt - external:

$51.78 trillion note: this figure is the sum total of all countries' external debt, both public and private (2004 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

World total DFI $14 trillion top ten recipients of DFI: US $1.966 trillion; UK $1.324 trillion; France $872.4 billion; Germany $811.0 billion; HK $780.4 billion; China $758.9 billion; Belgium $703.9 billion; Netherlands $535.1 billion; Canada $527.4 billion; Spain $487.8 billion (year-end 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

World total DFI $14 trillion top ten sources of DFI: US $2.627 trillion; UK $1.741 trillion; France $1.211 trillion; Germany $1.123 trillion; Netherlands $811.4 billion; HK $716.2 billion; Spain $613.9 billion; Switzerland $591.5 billion; Belgium $537.6 billion; Japan $527.8 billion (year-end 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$53.51 trillion (2006)

Communications

World

Telephones - main lines in use:

1,263,367,600 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2,168,433,600 (2005)

Telephone system:

general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: NA

Radio broadcast stations:

AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA

Radios:

NA

Television broadcast stations:

NA

Televisions:

NA

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

10,350 (2000 est.)

Internet users:

1,018,057,389 (2005)

Transportation

World

Airports:

total airports - 49,024 top ten by passengers: Atlanta - 84,846,639; Chicago - 77,028,134; London - 67,530,197; Tokyo - 65,810,672; Los Angeles - 61,041,066; Dallas/Fort Worth - 60,226,138; Paris - 56,849,567; Frankfurt - 52,810,683; Beijing - 48,654,770; Denver - 47,325,016 top ten by cargo (metric tons): Memphis - 3,692,081; Hong Kong - 3,609,780; Anchorage - 2,691,395; Seoul - 2,336,572; Tokyo - 2,280,830; Shanghai - 2,168,122; Paris - 2,130,724; Frankfurt - 2,127,646; Louisville (US) - 1,983,032; Singapore - 1,931,881 (2006)

Heliports:

1,359 (2007)

Railways:

total: 1,370,782 km (2006)

Roadways:

total: 68,937,575 km (2008)

Waterways:

671,886 km (2004)

Ports and terminals:

top ten container ports (TEUs): Singapore - 24,792,400; Hong Kong - 23,539,000; Shanghai - 21,710,000; Shenzhen (China) - 18,468,890; Busan (South Korea) - 12,030,000; Kaohsiung (Taiwan) - 9,774,670; - Rotterdam - 9,603,000; Dubai (UAE) - 8,923,465; Hamburg - 8,861,545; Los Angeles - 8,469,853 (2006)

Military

World

Military expenditures:

roughly 2% of GDP of gross world product (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

World

Disputes - international:

stretching over 250,000 km, the world's 322 international land boundaries separate 194 independent states and 70 dependencies, areas of special sovereignty, and other miscellaneous entities; ethnicity, culture, race, religion, and language have divided states into separate political entities as much as history, physical terrain, political fiat, or conquest, resulting in sometimes arbitrary and imposed boundaries; most maritime states have claimed limits that include territorial seas and exclusive economic zones; overlapping limits due to adjacent or opposite coasts create the potential for 430 bilateral maritime boundaries of which 209 have agreements that include contiguous and non-contiguous segments; boundary, borderland/resource, and territorial disputes vary in intensity from managed or dormant to violent or militarized; undemarcated, indefinite, porous, and unmanaged boundaries tend to encourage illegal cross-border activities, uncontrolled migration, and confrontation; territorial disputes may evolve from historical and/or cultural claims, or they may be brought on by resource competition; ethnic and cultural clashes continue to be responsible for much of the territorial fragmentation and internal displacement of the estimated 6.6 million people and cross-border displacements of 8.6 million refugees around the world as of early 2006; just over one million refugees were repatriated in the same period; other sources of contention include access to water and mineral (especially hydrocarbon) resources, fisheries, and arable land; armed conflict prevails not so much between the uniformed armed forces of independent states as between stateless armed entities that detract from the sustenance and welfare of local populations, leaving the community of nations to cope with resultant refugees, hunger, disease, impoverishment, and environmental degradation

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that in December 2006 there was a global population of 8.8 million registered refugees and as many as 24.5 million IDPs in more than 50 countries; the actual global population of refugees is probably closer to 10 million given the estimated 1.5 million Iraqi refugees displaced throughout the Middle East (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: approximately 800,000 people, mostly women and children, are trafficked annually across national borders, not including millions trafficked within their own countries; at least 80% of the victims are female and up to 50% are minors; 75% of all victims are trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation; almost two-thirds of the global victims are trafficked intra-regionally within East Asia and the Pacific (260,000 to 280,000 people) and Europe and Eurasia (170,000 to 210,000 people) Tier 2 Watch List: Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, The Gambia, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, India, Jordan, Libya, Malaysia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Niger, Panama, Republic of the Congo, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe Tier 3: Algeria, Burma, Cuba, Fiji, Iran, Kuwait, Moldova, North Korea, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria (2008)

Illicit drugs:

cocaine: worldwide coca leaf cultivation in 2007 amounted to 232,500 hectares; Colombia produced slightly more than two-thirds of the worldwide crop, followed by Peru and Bolivia; potential pure cocaine production decreased 7% to 865 metric tons in 2007; Colombia conducts aggressive coca eradication campaign, but both Peruvian and Bolivian Governments are hesitant to eradicate coca in key growing areas; 551 metric tons of export-quality cocaine (85% pure) is documented to have been seized or destroyed in 2005; US consumption of export quality cocaine is estimated to have been in excess of 380 metric tons opiates: worldwide illicit opium poppy cultivation continued to increase in 2007, with a potential opium production of 8,400 metric tons, reaching the highest levels recorded since estimates began in mid-1980s; Afghanistan is world's primary opium producer, accounting for 95% of the global supply; Southeast Asia - responsible for 9% of global opium - saw marginal increases in production; Latin America produced 1% of global opium, but most was refined into heroin destined for the US market; if all potential opium was processed into pure heroin, the potential global production would be 1,000 metric tons of heroin in 2007

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Yemen

Introduction

Yemen

Background:

North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became South Yemen. Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility between the states. The two countries were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement in 1994 was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to a delimitation of their border.

Geography

Yemen

Location:

Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates:

15 00 N, 48 00 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 527,970 sq km land: 527,970 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR or North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen)

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming

Land boundaries:

total: 1,746 km border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km

Coastline:

1,906 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate:

mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east

Terrain:

narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west

Land use:

arable land: 2.91% permanent crops: 0.25% other: 96.84% (2005)

Irrigated land:

5,500 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

4.1 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 6.63 cu km/yr (4%/1%/95%) per capita: 316 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

sandstorms and dust storms in summer

Environment - current issues:

limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes

People

Yemen

Population:

23,013,376 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 46.2% (male 5,415,385/female 5,218,237) 15-64 years: 51.2% (male 5,996,202/female 5,795,779) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 284,195/female 303,578) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 16.7 years male: 16.7 years female: 16.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

3.46% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

42.42 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

7.83 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 56.27 deaths/1,000 live births male: 60.78 deaths/1,000 live births female: 51.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 62.9 years male: 60.96 years female: 64.94 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

6.41 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

12,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

NA

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Yemeni(s) adjective: Yemeni

Ethnic groups:

predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans

Religions:

Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shia), small numbers of

Jewish, Christian, and Hindu

Languages:

Arabic

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 50.2% male: 70.5% female: 30% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 9 years male: 11 years female: 7 years (2005)

Education expenditures:

9.6% of GDP (2001)

Government

Yemen

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Yemen conventional short form: Yemen local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah local short form: Al Yaman former: Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Sanaa geographic coordinates: 15 21 N, 44 12 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

19 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan, 'Adan, Ad Dali', Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, 'Amran, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib, Sa'dah, San'a', Shabwah, Ta'izz note: for electoral and administrative purposes, the capital city of Sanaa is treated as an additional governorate

Independence:

22 May 1990 (Republic of Yemen was established with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]); note - previously North Yemen became independent in November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and became a republic with the overthrow of the theocratic Imamate in 1962; South Yemen became independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)

National holiday:

Unification Day, 22 May (1990)

Constitution:

16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001

Legal system:

based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990, the former president of North Yemen, assumed office upon the merger of North and South Yemen); Vice President Maj. Gen. Abd al-Rab Mansur al-HADI (since 3 October 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Ali Muhammad MUJAWWAR (since 31 March 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 20 September 2006 (next to be held in September 2013); vice president appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Ali Abdallah SALIH elected president; percent of vote - Ali Abdallah SALIH 77.2%, Faysal BIN SHAMLAN 21.8%

Legislative branch:

a bicameral legislature consisting of a Shura Council (111 seats; members appointed by the president) and a House of Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections: last held on 27 April 2003 (next to be held in April 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GPC 228, Islah 47, YSP 7, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party 2, independents 14

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:

General People's Congress or GPC [Abdul-Kader BAJAMMAL]; Islamic

Reform Grouping or Islah [Mohammed Abdullah AL-YADOUMI (acting)];

Nasserite Unionist Party [Abdal Malik al-MAKHLAFI]; National Arab

Socialist Ba'th Party [Dr. Qasim SALAM]; Yemeni Socialist Party or

YSP [Ali Salih MUQBIL]; note - there are at least seven more active

political parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Muslim Brotherhood; Women National Committee other: conservative tribal groups

International organization participation:

AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory),

ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MINURCAT,

MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Abd al-Wahab Abdallah al-HAJRI chancery: 2319 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760 FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen A. SECHE embassy: Sa'awan Street, Sanaa mailing address: P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa telephone: [967] (1) 755-2000 ext. 2153 or 2266 FAX: [967] (1) 303-182

Flag description:

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars in the white band, and of Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt, which has a heraldic eagle centered in the white band

Economy

Yemen

Economy - overview:

Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, reported average annual growth in the range of 3-4% from 2000 through 2007. Its economic fortunes depend mostly on declining oil resources, but the country is trying to diversify its earnings. In 2006 Yemen began an economic reform program designed to bolster non-oil sectors of the economy and foreign investment. As a result of the program, international donors pledged about $5 billion for development projects. In addition, Yemen has made some progress on reforms over the last year that will likely encourage foreign investment. Oil revenues probably increased in 2007 as a result of higher prices.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$56.24 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$21.66 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

2.8% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$2,500 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 12.4% industry: 40.9% services: 46.7% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

6.305 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

note: most people are employed in agriculture and herding; services, construction, industry, and commerce account for less than one-fourth of the labor force

Unemployment rate:

35% (2003 est.)

Population below poverty line:

45.2% (2003)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 25.9% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

33.4 (1998)

Investment (gross fixed):

25% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $7.576 billion expenditures: $8.391 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

33.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

10% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

18% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$3.076 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$4.526 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$2.224 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

grain, fruits, vegetables, pulses, qat, coffee, cotton; dairy products, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, camels), poultry; fish

Industries:

crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; small aluminum products factory; cement; commercial ship repair

Industrial production growth rate:

3.2% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

5.017 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

3.804 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

320,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

135,400 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

336,600 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

62,850 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

3 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

478.5 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:

-$362 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$7.311 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish

Exports - partners:

China 23.3%, India 20.4%, Thailand 19.1%, Japan 7.2%, UAE 5%, US 4.2% (2007)

Imports:

$6.735 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

food and live animals, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners:

UAE 15.1%, China 11.6%, US 7.8%, Saudi Arabia 7.1%, Kuwait 5.3%,

Germany 4.8% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$2.3 billion (2003-07 disbursements)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$7.76 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$6.044 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$NA

Currency (code):

Yemeni rial (YER)

Currency code:

YER

Exchange rates:

Yemeni rials (YER) per US dollar - 199.14 (2007), 197.18 (2006), 192.67 (2005), 184.78 (2004), 183.45 (2003)

Communications

Yemen

Telephones - main lines in use:

968,300 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.978 million (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts have been made to create a national telecommunications network domestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay, cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM mobile-cellular telephone systems; fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity remains low by regional standards international: country code - 967; landing point for the international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 2 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:

1.05 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

3 (including one Egypt-based station that broadcasts in Yemen); plus several repeaters (2007)

Televisions:

470,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.ye

Internet hosts:

167 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

1 (2000)

Internet users:

320,000 (2007)

Transportation

Yemen

Airports:

50 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 17 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 33 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 71 km; liquid petroleum gas 22 km; oil 1,309 km (2007)

Roadways:

total: 71,300 km paved: 6,200 km unpaved: 65,100 km (2005)

Merchant marine:

total: 4 by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 registered in other countries: 13 (North Korea 2, Moldova 1, Panama 6, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Sierra Leone 2, unknown 1) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Aden, Hudaydah, Mukalla

Transportation - note:

the International Maritime Bureau reports offshore waters in the Gulf of Aden are high risk for piracy; numerous vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crew, passengers, and cargo are held for ransom

Military

Yemen

Military branches:

Army (includes Republican Guard), Navy (includes Marines), Yemen Air

Force (Al Quwwat al Jawwiya al Jamahiriya al Yemeniya; includes Air

Defense Force) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

voluntary military service program authorized in 2001; 2-year service obligation (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 5,080,038 females age 16-49: 4,852,555 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,585,947 females age 16-49: 3,619,195 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 268,468 female: 258,196 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

6.6% of GDP (2006)

Military - note:

a Coast Guard was established in 2002

Transnational Issues

Yemen

Disputes - international:

Saudi Arabia has reinforced its concrete-filled security barrier along sections of the fully demarcated border with Yemen to stem illegal cross-border activities

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 91,587 (Somalia) (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Zambia

Introduction

Zambia

Background:

The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the [British] South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by the UK in 1923. During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred development and immigration. The name was changed to Zambia upon independence in 1964. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule, but the subsequent vote in 1996 saw blatant harassment of opposition parties. The election in 2001 was marked by administrative problems with three parties filing a legal petition challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy MWANAWASA. The new president launched an anticorruption investigation in 2002 to probe high-level corruption during the previous administration. In 2006-07, this task force successfully prosecuted four cases, including a landmark civil case in the UK in which former President CHILUBA and numerous others were found liable for USD 41 million. MWANAWASA was reelected in 2006 in an election that was deemed free and fair.

Geography

Zambia

Location:

Southern Africa, east of Angola

Geographic coordinates:

15 00 S, 30 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 752,614 sq km land: 740,724 sq km water: 11,890 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Texas

Land boundaries:

total: 5,664 km border countries: Angola 1,110 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,930 km, Malawi 837 km, Mozambique 419 km, Namibia 233 km, Tanzania 338 km, Zimbabwe 797 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April)

Terrain:

mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Zambezi river 329 m highest point: unnamed location in Mafinga Hills 2,301 m

Natural resources:

copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower

Land use:

arable land: 6.99% permanent crops: 0.04% other: 92.97% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,560 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

105.2 cu km (2001)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 1.74 cu km/yr (17%/7%/76%) per capita: 149 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

periodic drought, tropical storms (November to April)

Environment - current issues:

air pollution and resulting acid rain in the mineral extraction and refining region; chemical runoff into watersheds; poaching seriously threatens rhinoceros, elephant, antelope, and large cat populations; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; lack of adequate water treatment presents human health risks

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zimbabwe

People

Zambia

Population:

11,669,534 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 45.4% (male 2,659,572/female 2,634,379) 15-64 years: 52.3% (male 3,045,536/female 3,053,465) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 115,662/female 160,920) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 16.9 years male: 16.8 years female: 17.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.654% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

40.52 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

21.35 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

-2.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 100.96 deaths/1,000 live births male: 105.73 deaths/1,000 live births female: 96.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 38.59 years male: 38.49 years female: 38.7 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

5.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

16.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

920,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

89,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some locations water contact disease: schistosomiasis animal contact disease: rabies (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Zambian(s) adjective: Zambian

Ethnic groups:

African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2%

Religions:

Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous beliefs 1%

Languages:

English (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi, Lunda,

Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write English total population: 80.6% male: 86.8% female: 74.8% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 7 years male: 7 years female: 7 years (2000)

Education expenditures:

2% of GDP (2005)

Government

Zambia

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Zambia conventional short form: Zambia former: Northern Rhodesia

Government type:

republic

Capital:

name: Lusaka geographic coordinates: 15 25 S, 28 17 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

9 provinces; Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka, Northern, North-Western, Southern, Western

Independence:

24 October 1964 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 24 October (1964)

Constitution:

24 August 1991; amended in 1996 to establish presidential term limits

Legal system:

based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in an ad hoc constitutional council; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Rupiah BANDA (since 19 August 2008); Vice President George KUNDA (since 14 November 2008); note - President BANDA was acting president since the illness and eventual death of President Levy MWANAWASA on 18 August 2008, he was then elected president on 30 October 2008 to serve out the remainder of MWANAWASA's term; the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Rupiah BANDA (since 19 August 2008); Vice President George KUNDA (since 14 November 2008) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 30 October 2008 (next to be held in 2011); vice president appointed by the president; note - due to the untimely death of former President Levy MWANAWASA, early elections were held to identify a replacement to serve out the remainder of his term election results: Rupiah BANDA elected president; percent of vote - Rupiah BANDA 40.1%, Michael SATA 38.1%, Hakainde HICHILEMA 19.7%, Godfrey MIYANDA 0.8%, other 1.3%

Legislative branch:

unicameral National Assembly (158 seats; 150 members are elected by popular vote, 8 members are appointed by the president, to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 28 September 2006 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MMD 72, PF 44, UDA 27, ULP 2, NDF 1, independents 2; seats not determined 2

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (the final court of appeal; justices are appointed by the president); High Court (has unlimited jurisdiction to hear civil and criminal cases)

Political parties and leaders:

All Peoples Congress Party [Winright NGONDO]; Forum for Democracy

and Development or FDD [Edith NAWAKWI]; Heritage Party or HP

[Godfrey MIYANDA]; Liberal Progressive Front or LPF [Roger CHONGWE];

Movement for Multiparty Democracy or MMD [Levy MWANAWASA]; National

Democratic Focus or NDF; Patriotic Front or PF [Michael SATA]; Party

of Unity for Democracy and Development or PUDD [Dan PULE]; Reform

Party [Nevers MUMBA]; United Democratic Alliance or UDA; United

Liberal Party or ULP [Sakwiba SIKOTA]; United National Independence

Party or UNIP [Tilyenji KAUNDA]; United Party for National

Development or UPND [Hakainde HICHILEMA]; Zambia Democratic Congress

or ZADECO [Langton SICHONE]; Zambian Republican Party or ZRP

[Benjamin MWILA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

NA

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO

(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MONUC, NAM, OPCW,

PCA, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS,

UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Inonge MBIKUSITA-LEWANIKA chancery: 2419 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-9717 through 9719 FAX: [1] (202) 332-0826

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Donald E. BOOTH embassy: corner of Independence and United Nations Avenues, Lusaka mailing address: P. O. Box 31617, Lusaka telephone: [260] (211) 250-955 FAX: [260] (211) 252-225

Flag description:

green field with a panel of three vertical bands of red (hoist side), black, and orange below a soaring orange eagle, on the outer edge of the flag

Economy

Zambia

Economy - overview:

Zambia's economy has experienced modest growth in recent years, with real GDP growth in 2005-07 between 5-6% per year. Privatization of government-owned copper mines in the 1990s relieved the government from covering mammoth losses generated by the industry and greatly improved the chances for copper mining to return to profitability and spur economic growth. Copper output has increased steadily since 2004, due to higher copper prices and foreign investment. In 2005, Zambia qualified for debt relief under the Highly Indebted Poor Country Initiative, consisting of approximately USD 6 billion in debt relief. Zambia experienced a bumper harvest in 2007, which helped to boost GDP and agricultural exports and contain inflation. Although poverty continues to be significant problem in Zambia, its economy has strengthened, featuring single-digit inflation, a relatively stable currency, decreasing interest rates, and increasing levels of trade.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$16.1 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$11.16 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$1,400 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 17.4% industry: 26.1% services: 56.5% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

4.989 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 85% industry: 6% services: 9% (2004)

Unemployment rate:

50% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:

86% (1993)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 1.2% highest 10%: 38.8% (2004)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

50.8 (2004)

Investment (gross fixed):

26.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $2.655 billion expenditures: $2.8 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

28.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

10.6% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

11.73% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

18.89% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$995.8 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$1.709 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$1.968 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

corn, sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower seed, vegetables, flowers, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), coffee; cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, milk, eggs, hides

Industries:

copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, fertilizer, horticulture

Industrial production growth rate:

6.3% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

9.289 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

8.625 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

255 million kWh (2006)

Electricity - imports:

68 million kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 0.5% hydro: 99.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

150 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

14,760 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

190.6 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:

13,810 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:

NA

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$228 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$4.594 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

copper/cobalt 64%, cobalt, electricity; tobacco, flowers, cotton

Exports - partners:

Switzerland 41.8%, South Africa 12%, Thailand 5.9%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 5.3%, Egypt 5%, Saudi Arabia 4.7%, China 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$3.611 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, electricity, fertilizer; foodstuffs, clothing

Imports - partners:

South Africa 47.4%, UAE 6.3%, China 6%, India 4.1%, UK 4% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$504 million (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.09 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$2.596 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$4.5 billion (2007)

Currency (code):

Zambian kwacha (ZMK)

Currency code:

ZMK

Exchange rates:

Zambian kwacha (ZMK) per US dollar - 3,990.2 (2007), 3,601.5 (2006), 4,463.5 (2005), 4,778.9 (2004), 4,733.3 (2003)

Communications

Zambia

Telephones - main lines in use:

91,800 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

2.639 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: facilities are aging but still among the best in Sub-Saharan Africa domestic: high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most larger towns and cities; several cellular telephone services in operation and network coverage is improving; Internet service is widely available; very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks are operated by private firms international: country code - 260; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 19, FM 5, shortwave 4 (2001)

Radios:

1.2 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations:

9 (2001)

Televisions:

277,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.zm

Internet hosts:

7,610 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

5 (2001)

Internet users:

500,000 (2007)

Transportation

Zambia

Airports:

107 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 9 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 98 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 64 under 914 m: 29 (2007)

Pipelines:

oil 771 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 2,157 km narrow gauge: 2,157 km 1.067-m gauge note: includes 891 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 91,440 km paved: 20,117 km unpaved: 71,323 km (2001)

Waterways:

2,250 km (includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi and Luapula rivers) (2005)

Ports and terminals:

Mpulungu

Military

Zambia

Military branches:

Zambian National Defense Force (ZNDF): Zambian Army, Zambian Air

Force, National Service (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service (16 years of age with parental consent); no conscription (2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 2,678,668 females age 16-49: 2,567,433 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,329,343 females age 16-49: 1,218,114 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 147,358 female: 146,771 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues

Zambia

Disputes - international:

in 2004, Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river; 42,250 Congolese refugees in Zambia are offered voluntary repatriation in November 2006, most of whom are expected to return in the next two years; Angolan refugees too have been repatriating but 26,450 still remain with 90,000 others from other neighboring states in 2006

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 42,565 (Angola); 60,874 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); 4,100 (Rwanda) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Zambia is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; many Zambian child laborers, particularly those in the agriculture, domestic service, and fishing sectors, are also victims of human trafficking; Zambian women, lured by false employment or marriage offers abroad, are trafficked to South Africa via Zimbabwe and to Europe via Malawi for sexual exploitation; Zambia is a transit point for regional trafficking of women and children, particularly from Angola to Namibia and from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to South Africa for agricultural labor tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Zambia is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking, particularly in regard to its inability to bring alleged traffickers to justice through prosecutions and convictions; unlike 2006, there were no new prosecutions or convictions of alleged traffickers in 2007; government efforts to protect victims of trafficking remained extremely limited throughout the year (2008)

Illicit drugs:

transshipment point for moderate amounts of methaqualone, small amounts of heroin, and cocaine bound for southern Africa and possibly Europe; a poorly developed financial infrastructure coupled with a government commitment to combating money laundering make it an unattractive venue for money launderers; major consumer of cannabis

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@Zimbabwe

Introduction

Zimbabwe

Background:

The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the [British] South Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that favored whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and demanded more complete voting rights for the black African majority in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert MUGABE, the nation's first prime minister, has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has dominated the country's political system since independence. His chaotic land redistribution campaign, which began in 2000, caused an exodus of white farmers, crippled the economy, and ushered in widespread shortages of basic commodities. Ignoring international condemnation, MUGABE rigged the 2002 presidential election to ensure his reelection. The ruling ZANU-PF party used fraud and intimidation to win a two-thirds majority in the March 2005 parliamentary election, allowing it to amend the constitution at will and recreate the Senate, which had been abolished in the late 1980s. In April 2005, Harare embarked on Operation Restore Order, ostensibly an urban rationalization program, which resulted in the destruction of the homes or businesses of 700,000 mostly poor supporters of the opposition. President MUGABE in June 2007 instituted price controls on all basic commodities causing panic buying and leaving store shelves empty for months. General elections held in March 2008 contained irregularities but still amounted to a censure of the ZANU-PF-led government with significant gains in opposition seats in parliament. MDC opposition leader Morgan TSVANGIRAI won the presidential polls, and may have won an out right majority, but official results posted by the Zimbabwe Electoral Committee did not reflect this. In the lead up to a run-off election in late June 2008, considerable violence enacted against opposition party members led to the withdrawal of TSVANGIRAI from the ballot. Extensive evidence of vote tampering and ballot-box stuffing resulted in international condemnation of the process, and calls for the creation of a power-sharing government have been ignored.

Geography

Zimbabwe

Location:

Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia

Geographic coordinates:

20 00 S, 30 00 E

Map references:

Africa

Area:

total: 390,580 sq km land: 386,670 sq km water: 3,910 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than Montana

Land boundaries:

total: 3,066 km border countries: Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km

Coastline:

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March)

Terrain:

mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 m highest point: Inyangani 2,592 m

Natural resources:

coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals

Land use:

arable land: 8.24% permanent crops: 0.33% other: 91.43% (2005)

Irrigated land:

1,740 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

20 cu km (1987)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 4.21 cu km/yr (14%/7%/79%) per capita: 324 cu m/yr (2002)

Natural hazards:

recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare

Environment - current issues:

deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; air and water pollution; the black rhinoceros herd - once the largest concentration of the species in the world - has been significantly reduced by poaching; poor mining practices have led to toxic waste and heavy metal pollution

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary with Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water

People

Zimbabwe

Population:

11,350,111 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 43.9% (male 2,514,135/female 2,465,715) 15-64 years: 52.3% (male 2,671,164/female 3,260,457) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 194,854/female 243,786) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 17.6 years male: 16.4 years female: 18.8 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.787% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

31.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

17.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.82 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 33.86 deaths/1,000 live births male: 36.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 31.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 44.28 years male: 45.08 years female: 43.46 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

3.72 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

24.6% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

1.8 million (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

170,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis animal contact disease: rabies (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Zimbabwean(s) adjective: Zimbabwean

Ethnic groups:

African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and Asian 1%, white less than 1%

Religions:

syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1%

Languages:

English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal dialects

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write English total population: 90.7% male: 94.2% female: 87.2% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 9 years male: 9 years female: 9 years (2003)

Education expenditures:

4.6% of GDP (2000)

Government

Zimbabwe

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Zimbabwe conventional short form: Zimbabwe former: Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia

Government type:

parliamentary democracy

Capital:

name: Harare geographic coordinates: 17 50 S, 31 03 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:

8 provinces and 2 cities* with provincial status; Bulawayo*,

Harare*, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East,

Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South,

Midlands

Independence:

18 April 1980 (from UK)

National holiday:

Independence Day, 18 April (1980)

Constitution:

21 December 1979

Legal system:

mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President Joseph MSIKA (since December 1999) and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President Joseph MSIKA (since December 1999) and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; responsible to the House of Assembly elections: presidential candidates nominated with a nomination paper signed by at least 10 registered voters (at least one from each province) and elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); elections last held 28 March 2008 followed by a run-off on 27 June 2008 (next to be held in 2013); co-vice presidents appointed by the president election results: Robert Gabriel MUGABE reelected president; percent of vote - Robert Gabriel MUGABE 85.5%, Morgan TSVANGIRAI 9.3%, other 5.2%; note - first round voting results - Morgan TSVANGIRAI 47.9%, Robert Gabriel MUGABE 43.2%, Simba MAKONI 8.3%, other 0.6%; first-round round polls were deemed to be flawed suppressing TSVANGIRAI's results; the 27 June 2008 run-off between MUGABE and TSVANGIRAI were severely flawed and internationally condemned

Legislative branch:

bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate (93 seats - 60 elected by popular vote for a five-year term, 10 provincial governors nominated by the president, 16 traditional chiefs elected by the Council of Chiefs, 2 held by the president and deputy president of the Council of Chiefs, and 5 appointed by the president) and a House of Assembly (210 seats - all elected by popular vote for five-year terms) elections: last held 28 March 2008 (next to be held in 2013) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - MDC 51.6%, ZANU-PF 45.8%, other 2.6%; seats by party - MDC 30, ZANU-PF 30; House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - MDC 51.3%, ZANU-PF 45.8%, other 2.9%; seats by party - MDC 109, ZANU-PF 97, other 4

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court; High Court

Political parties and leaders:

African National Party or ANP [Egypt DZINEMUNHENZVA]; Movement for

Democratic Change or MDC [Morgan TSVANGIRAI, anti-Senate faction;

Arthur MUTAMBARA, pro-Senate faction]; Peace Action is Freedom for

All or PAFA; United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA]; United People's Party

or UPP [Daniel SHUMBA]; Zimbabwe African National Union-Ndonga or

ZANU-Ndonga [Wilson KUMBULA]; Zimbabwe African National

Union-Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF [Robert Gabriel MUGABE]; Zimbabwe

African Peoples Union or ZAPU [Agrippa MADLELA]; Zimbabwe Youth in

Alliance or ZIYA

Political pressure groups and leaders:

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition [Xolani ZITHA]; National Constitutional

Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU]; Women of Zimbabwe Arise or WOZA

[Jenny WILLIAMS]; Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions or ZCTU

[Wellington CHIBEBE]

International organization participation:

ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Marina Annette VALERE chancery: 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 332-7100 FAX: [1] (202) 483-9326

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador James D. MCGEE embassy: 172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare mailing address: P. O. Box 3340, Harare telephone: [263] (4) 250-593 and 250-594 FAX: [263] (4) 796-488, or 722-618

Flag description:

seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black, red, yellow, and green with a white isosceles triangle edged in black with its base on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird representing the long history of the country is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in the center of the triangle, which symbolizes peace; green symbolizes agriculture, yellow - mineral wealth, red - blood shed to achieve independence, and black stands for the native people

Economy

Zimbabwe

Economy - overview:

The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems as it struggles with an unsustainable fiscal deficit, an overvalued official exchange rate, hyperinflation, and bare store shelves. Its 1998-2002 involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy. The government's land reform program, characterized by chaos and violence, has badly damaged the commercial farming sector, the traditional source of exports and foreign exchange and the provider of 400,000 jobs, turning Zimbabwe into a net importer of food products. The EU and the US provide food aid on humanitarian grounds. Badly needed support from the IMF has been suspended because of the government's arrears on past loans and the government's unwillingness to enact reforms that would stabilize the economy. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe routinely prints money to fund the budget deficit, causing the official annual inflation rate to rise from 32% in 1998, to 133% in 2004, 585% in 2005, passed 1000% in 2006, and 26000% in November 2007. Private sector estimates of inflation in 2007 are well above 100,000%. Meanwhile, the official exchange rate fell from approximately 1 (revalued) Zimbabwean dollar per US dollar in 2003 to 30,000 per US dollar in 2007.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$2.342 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$641 million note: hyperinflation and the plunging value of the Zimbabwean dollar makes Zimbabwe's GDP at the official exchange rate a highly inaccurate statistic (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

-5.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$200 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 18.1% industry: 22.6% services: 59.3% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

4.032 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 66% industry: 10% services: 24% (1996)

Unemployment rate:

80% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:

68% (2004)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 40.4% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

50.1 (2006)

Investment (gross fixed):

16.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $2.442 billion expenditures: $3.017 billion (2007 est.)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Public debt:

218.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

12,563% official data; private sector estimates are much higher (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate:

975% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

578.96% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:

$14.18 billion note: This number reflects the vastly overvalued official exchange rate of 30,000 Zimbabwe dollars per US dollar. At an unofficial rate of 800,000 Zimbabwe dollars per US dollar, the stock of Zimbabwe dollars would equal only about US$500 million and Zimbabwe's velocity of money (the number of times money turns over in the course of a year) would be nine, in line with the velocity of money for other countries in the region. (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:

$5.349 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:

$24.91 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:

corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; sheep, goats, pigs

Industries:

mining (coal, gold, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, clay, numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel; wood products, cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs, beverages

Industrial production growth rate:

-5% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

9.467 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:

11.59 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:

34 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - imports:

2.867 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 47% hydro: 53% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)

Oil - production:

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:

14,590 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:

15,800 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$649 million (2007 est.)

Exports:

$1.52 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

platinum, cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys, textiles/clothing

Exports - partners:

South Africa 33.8%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 8.3%, Japan 8.1%, Botswana 7.4%, Netherlands 5.2%, China 5.2%, Italy 4.1%, Zambia 4.1% (2007)

Imports:

$2.183 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures, chemicals, fuels

Imports - partners:

South Africa 50.7%, China 8.4%, US 4.5%, Botswana 4.3% (2007)

Economic aid - recipient:

$367.7 million (2005 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$120 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$5.155 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$NA

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$NA

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$26.56 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

Zimbabwean dollar (ZWD)

Currency code:

ZWD

Exchange rates:

Zimbabwean dollars (ZWD) per US dollar - 30,000 (2007), 162.07 (2006), 77.965 (2005), 5.729 (2004), 0.824 (2003) note: these are official exchange rates; non-official rates vary significantly

Communications

Zimbabwe

Telephones - main lines in use:

344,500 (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.226 million (2007)

Telephone system:

general assessment: system was once one of the best in Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000 outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number of installed but unused main lines domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines, radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop installations, and a substantial mobile-cellular network; Internet connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns and for some of the smaller ones international: country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat; 2 international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and Gweru)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 7, FM 20 (plus 17 repeater stations), shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

1.14 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

16 (1997)

Televisions:

370,000 (1997)

Internet country code:

.zw

Internet hosts:

19,157 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

6 (2000)

Internet users:

1.351 million (2007)

Transportation

Zimbabwe

Airports:

341 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 19 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 10 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 322 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 152 under 914 m: 166 (2007)

Pipelines:

refined products 270 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 3,077 km narrow gauge: 3,077 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 97,267 km paved: 18,481 km unpaved: 78,786 km (2002)

Waterways:

on Lake Kariba (2005)

Ports and terminals:

Binga, Kariba

Military

Zimbabwe

Military branches:

Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF): Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), Air

Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ), Zimbabwe Republic Police (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-24 years of age for compulsory military service; women are eligible to serve (2007)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 3,264,258 females age 16-49: 3,048,049 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 1,643,036 females age 16-49: 1,404,663 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 144,601 female: 147,627 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

3.8% of GDP (2006)

Transnational Issues

Zimbabwe

Disputes - international:

Botswana built electric fences and South Africa has placed military along the border to stem the flow of thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing to find work and escape political persecution; Namibia has supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to, plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river

Refugees and internally displaced persons:

refugees (country of origin): 2,500 (Democratic Republic of Congo) IDPs: 569,685 (MUGABE-led political violence, human rights violations, land reform, and economic collapse) (2007)

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Zimbabwe is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; large scale migration of Zimbabweans to surrounding countries - as they flee a progressively more desperate situation at home - has increased; rural Zimbabwean men, women, and children are trafficked internally to farms for agricultural labor and domestic servitude and to cities for domestic labor and commercial sexual exploitation; young men and boys are trafficked to South Africa for farm work, often laboring for months in South Africa without pay before "employers" have them arrested and deported as illegal immigrants; young women and girls are lured abroad with false employment offers that result in involuntary domestic servitude or commercial sexual exploitation; men, women, and children from neighboring states are trafficked through Zimbabwe en route to South Africa tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Zimbabwe is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of human trafficking, and because the absolute number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is significantly increasing; the trafficking situation in the country is worsening as more of the population is made vulnerable by declining socio-economic conditions (2008)

Illicit drugs:

transit point for cannabis and South Asian heroin, mandrax, and methamphetamines en route to South Africa

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

@2001 GDP (purchasing power parity)

Afghanistan

$35 billion (2007 est.)

Albania

$20.87 billion

note: Albania has a large gray economy that may be as large as 50%

of official GDP (2007 est.)

Algeria

$222.3 billion (2007 est.)

American Samoa

$510.1 million (2003 est.)

Andorra

$2.77 billion (2005)

Angola

$95.46 billion (2007 est.)

Anguilla

$108.9 million (2004 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

$1.526 billion (2007 est.)

Argentina

$526.4 billion (2007 est.)

Armenia

$17.17 billion (2007 est.)

Aruba

$2.258 billion (2005 est.)

Australia

$773 billion (2007 est.)

Austria

$322 billion (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

$64.66 billion (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

$8.553 billion (2007 est.)

Bahrain

$24.01 billion (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

$208.3 billion (2007 est.)

Barbados

$5.31 billion (2007 est.)

Belarus

$103.5 billion (2007 est.)

Belgium

$376.5 billion (2007 est.)

Belize

$2.444 billion (2007 est.)

Benin

$12 billion (2007 est.)

Bermuda

$4.5 billion (2004 est.)

Bhutan

$3.359 billion (2007 est.)

Bolivia

$39.75 billion (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

$27.7 billion

note: Bosnia has a large informal sector that could also be as much

as 50% of official GDP (2007 est.)

Botswana

$26.04 billion (2007 est.)

Brazil

$1.849 trillion (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

$853.4 million (2004 est.)

Brunei

$19.64 billion (2007 est.)

Bulgaria

$86.71 billion (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

$17.41 billion (2007 est.)

Burma

$91.13 billion (2007 est.)

Burundi

$2.907 billion (2007 est.)

Cambodia

$26.19 billion (2007 est.)

Cameroon

$40.24 billion (2007 est.)

Canada

$1.271 trillion (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

$1.603 billion (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

$1.939 billion (2004 est.)

Central African Republic

$3.007 billion (2007 est.)

Chad

$15.26 billion (2007 est.)

Chile

$232.8 billion (2007 est.)

China

$7.099 trillion (2007 est.)

Christmas Island

$NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

$NA

Colombia

$327.7 billion (2007 est.)

Comoros

$1.262 billion (2007 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

$19.03 billion (2007 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

$12.86 billion (2007 est.)

Cook Islands

$183.2 million (2005 est.)

Costa Rica

$45.77 billion (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

$32.85 billion (2007 est.)

Croatia

$69.59 billion (2007 est.)

Cuba

$125.5 billion (2007 est.)

Cyprus

$21.4 billion (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

$251 billion (2007 est.)

Denmark

$203.3 billion (2007 est.)

Djibouti

$1.738 billion (2007 est.)

Dominica

$648 million (2007 est.)

Dominican Republic

$61.67 billion (2007 est.)

Ecuador

$98.71 billion (2007 est.)

Egypt

$405.4 billion (2007 est.)

El Salvador

$41.63 billion (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

$15.54 billion (2007 est.)

Eritrea

$3.619 billion (2007 est.)

Estonia

$28.69 billion (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

$56.05 billion (2007 est.)

European Union

$14.43 trillion (2007 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

$75 million (2002 est.)

Faroe Islands

$1 billion (2001 est.)

Fiji

$5.079 billion (2007 est.)

Finland

$188.4 billion (2007 est.)

France

$2.075 trillion (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

$4.58 billion (2003 est.)

Gabon

$20.44 billion (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

$2.061 billion (2007 est.)

Gaza Strip

$5.034 billion (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)

Georgia

$20.6 billion (2007 est.)

Germany

$2.807 trillion (2007 est.)

Ghana

$31.13 billion (2007 est.)

Gibraltar

$1.066 billion (2005 est.)

Greece

$327.6 billion (2007 est.)

Greenland

$1.1 billion (2001 est.)

Grenada

$1.108 billion (2007 est.)

Guam

$2.5 billion (2005 est.)

Guatemala

$64.76 billion (2007 est.)

Guernsey

$2.742 billion (2005)

Guinea

$10.96 billion (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

$826.4 million (2007 est.)

Guyana

$2.819 billion (2007 est.)

Haiti

$11.38 billion (2007 est.)

Holy See (Vatican City)

$NA

Honduras

$32.26 billion (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

$293.3 billion (2007 est.)

Hungary

$191.7 billion (2007 est.)

Iceland

$12.19 billion (2007 est.)

India

$2.966 trillion (2007 est.)

Indonesia

$843.7 billion (2007 est.)

Iran

$762.9 billion (2007 est.)

Iraq

$102.4 billion (2007 est.)

Ireland

$191.6 billion (2007 est.)

Isle of Man

$2.719 billion (2005 est.)

Israel

$185.8 billion (2007 est.)

Italy

$1.8 trillion (2007 est.)

Jamaica

$20.48 billion (2007 est.)

Japan

$4.272 trillion (2007 est.)

Jersey

$5.1 billion (2005 est.)

Jordan

$28.45 billion (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

$168.2 billion (2007 est.)

Kenya

$61.22 billion (2007 est.)

Kiribati

$348 million (2007 est.)

Korea, North

$40 billion

note: North Korea does not publish any reliable National Income

Accounts data; the datum shown here is derived from purchasing power

parity (PPP) GDP estimates for North Korea that were made by Angus

MADDISON in a study conducted for the OECD; his figure for 1999 was

extrapolated to 2007 using estimated real growth rates for North

Korea's GDP and an inflation factor based on the US GDP deflator;

the result was rounded to the nearest $10 billion (2007 est.)

Korea, South

$1.206 trillion (2007 est.)

Kosovo

$4 billion (2007 est.)

Kuwait

$140 billion (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

$10.55 billion (2007 est.)

Laos

$12.8 billion (2007 est.)

Latvia

$40.05 billion (2007 est.)

Lebanon

$40.44 billion (2007 est.)

Lesotho

$3.063 billion (2007 est.)

Liberia

$1.525 billion (2007 est.)

Libya

$74.72 billion (2007 est.)

Liechtenstein

$1.786 billion (2001 est.)

Lithuania

$59.98 billion (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

$38.14 billion (2007 est.)

Macau

$12.5 billion (2006)

Macedonia $17.35 billion note: Macedonia has a large informal sector (2007 est.)

Madagascar

$18.44 billion (2007 est.)

Malawi

$10.59 billion (2007 est.)

Malaysia

$361.2 billion (2007 est.)

Maldives

$1.588 billion (2007 est.)

Mali

$13.63 billion (2007 est.)

Malta

$9.4 billion (2007 est.)

Marshall Islands

$115 million (2001 est.)

Mauritania

$5.974 billion (2007 est.)

Mauritius

$14.27 billion (2007 est.)

Mayotte

$953.6 million (2005 est.)

Mexico

$1.353 trillion (2007 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of $277 million; note - supplemented by grant aid, averaging perhaps $100 million annually (2002 est.)

Moldova

$9.756 billion (2007 est.)

Monaco

$976.3 million

note: Monaco does not publish national income figures; the estimates

are extremely rough (2006 est.)

Mongolia

$8.542 billion (2007 est.)

Montenegro

$5.918 billion (2007 est.)

Montserrat

$29 million (2002 est.)

Morocco

$125 billion (2007 est.)

Mozambique

$17.64 billion (2007 est.)

Namibia

$10.69 billion (2007 est.)

Nauru

$60 million (2005 est.)

Nepal

$29.29 billion (2007 est.)

Netherlands

$645.5 billion (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

$2.8 billion (2004 est.)

New Caledonia

$3.158 billion (2003 est.)

New Zealand

$112.4 billion (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

$16.17 billion (2007 est.)

Niger

$8.859 billion (2007 est.)

Nigeria

$296.1 billion (2007 est.)

Niue

$7.6 million (2000 est.)

Norfolk Island

$NA

Northern Mariana Islands $900 million note: GDP estimate includes US subsidy (2000 est.)

Norway

$246.6 billion (2007 est.)

Oman

$60.89 billion (2007 est.)

Pakistan

$411.9 billion (2007 est.)

Palau

$124.5 million

note: GDP estimates includes US subsidy (2004 est.)

Panama

$34.81 billion (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

$12.05 billion (2007 est.)

Paraguay

$26.7 billion (2007 est.)

Peru

$219.6 billion (2007 est.)

Philippines

$300.1 billion (2007 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

$NA

Poland

$623.1 billion (2007 est.)

Portugal

$232.3 billion (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

$72.61 billion (2007 est.)

Qatar

$71.42 billion (2007 est.)

Romania

$247.1 billion (2007 est.)

Russia

$2.097 trillion (2007 est.)

Rwanda

$8.057 billion (2007 est.)

Saint Helena

$18 million (1998 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

$721 million (2007 est.)

Saint Lucia

$1.794 billion (2007 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

$48.3 million

note: supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60

million (2003 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

$1.042 billion (2007 est.)

Samoa

$1.029 billion (2007 est.)

San Marino

$850 million (2004 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

$256 million (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

$546 billion (2007 est.)

Senegal

$21.02 billion (2007 est.)

Serbia

$77.28 billion (2007 est.)

Seychelles

$1.378 billion (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

$3.991 billion (2007 est.)

Singapore

$227.1 billion (2007 est.)

Slovakia

$110.2 billion (2007 est.)

Slovenia

$56.19 billion (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

$948 million (2007 est.)

Somalia

$5.387 billion (2007 est.)

South Africa

$467.8 billion (2007 est.)

Spain

$1.361 trillion (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

$82.02 billion (2007 est.)

Sudan

$80.98 billion (2007 est.)

Suriname

$3.846 billion (2007 est.)

Svalbard

$NA

Swaziland

$5.364 billion (2007 est.)

Sweden

$338.5 billion (2007 est.)

Switzerland

$303.2 billion (2007 est.)

Syria

$90.37 billion (2007 est.)

Taiwan

$698.6 billion (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

$11.96 billion (2007 est.)

Tanzania

$51.07 billion (2007 est.)

Thailand

$521.5 billion (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

$2.608 billion (2007 est.)

Togo

$5.042 billion (2007 est.)

Tokelau

$1.5 million (1993 est.)

Tonga

$526 million (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

$26.79 billion (2007 est.)

Tunisia

$76.07 billion (2007 est.)

Turkey

$853.9 billion (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

$26.92 billion (2007 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

$216 million (2002 est.)

Tuvalu

$14.94 million (2002 est.)

Uganda

$29.13 billion (2007 est.)

Ukraine

$324.8 billion (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

$164.4 billion (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

$2.13 trillion (2007 est.)

United States

$13.78 trillion (2007 est.)

Uruguay

$37.5 billion (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

$64.4 billion (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

$897 million (2007 est.)

Venezuela

$334.3 billion (2007 est.)

Vietnam

$221.1 billion (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

$1.577 billion (2004 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

$60 million (2004 est.)

West Bank

$5.034 billion (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)

Western Sahara

$NA

World

GWP (gross world product): $65.61 trillion (2007 est.)

Yemen

$56.24 billion (2007 est.)

Zambia

$16.1 billion (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

$2.342 billion (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2002 Population growth rate (%)

Afghanistan

2.626% (2008 est.)

Albania

0.538% (2008 est.)

Algeria

1.209% (2008 est.)

American Samoa

1.236% (2008 est.)

Andorra

1.899% (2008 est.)

Angola

2.136% (2008 est.)

Anguilla

2.332% (2008 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

1.305% (2008 est.)

Argentina

1.068% (2008 est.)

Armenia

-0.077% (2008 est.)

Aruba

1.501% (2008 est.)

Australia

1.221% (2008 est.)

Austria

0.064% (2008 est.)

Azerbaijan

0.723% (2008 est.)

Bahamas, The

0.57% (2008 est.)

Bahrain

1.337% (2008 est.)

Bangladesh

2.022% (2008 est.)

Barbados

0.36% (2008 est.)

Belarus

-0.393% (2008 est.)

Belgium

0.106% (2008 est.)

Belize

2.207% (2008 est.)

Benin

3.01% (2008 est.)

Bermuda

0.546% (2008 est.)

Bhutan

1.301% (2008 est.)

Bolivia

1.383% (2008 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

0.666% (2008 est.)

Botswana

1.434% (2008 est.)

Brazil

1.228% (2008 est.)

British Virgin Islands

1.88% (2008 est.)

Brunei

1.785% (2008 est.)

Bulgaria

-0.813% (2008 est.)

Burkina Faso

3.109% (2008 est.)

Burma

0.8% (2008 est.)

Burundi

3.443% (2008 est.)

Cambodia

1.752% (2008 est.)

Cameroon

2.218% (2008 est.)

Canada

0.83% (2008 est.)

Cape Verde

0.595% (2008 est.)

Cayman Islands

2.449% (2008 est.)

Central African Republic

1.509% (2008 est.)

Chad

2.195% (2008 est.)

Chile

0.905% (2008 est.)

China

0.629% (2008 est.)

Christmas Island

0% (2008 est.)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

0% (2008 est.)

Colombia

1.405% (2008 est.)

Comoros

2.803% (2008 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

3.236% (2008 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

2.696% (2008 est.)

Cook Islands

NA (2008 est.)

Costa Rica

1.388% (2008 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

2.156% (2008 est.)

Croatia

-0.043% (2008 est.)

Cuba

0.251% (2008 est.)

Cyprus

0.522% (2008 est.)

Czech Republic

-0.082% (2008 est.)

Denmark

0.295% (2008 est.)

Djibouti

1.945% (2008 est.)

Dominica

0.196% (2008 est.)

Dominican Republic

1.495% (2008 est.)

Ecuador

0.935% (2008 est.)

Egypt

1.682% (2008 est.)

El Salvador

1.679% (2008 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

2.732% (2008 est.)

Eritrea

2.631% (2008 est.)

Estonia

-0.632% (2008 est.)

Ethiopia

3.212% (2008 est.)

European Union

0.11% (2008 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

0.011% (2008 est.)

Faroe Islands

0.376% (2008 est.)

Fiji

1.388% (2008 est.)

Finland

0.112% (2008 est.)

France

0.574% (2008 est.)

French Polynesia

1.425% (2008 est.)

Gabon

1.954% (2008 est.)

Gambia, The

2.724% (2008 est.)

Gaza Strip

3.422% (2008 est.)

Georgia

-0.325% (2008 est.)

Germany

-0.044% (2008 est.)

Ghana

1.928% (2008 est.)

Gibraltar

0.125% (2008 est.)

Greece

0.146% (2008 est.)

Greenland

0.064% (2008 est.)

Grenada

0.406% (2008 est.)

Guam

1.373% (2008 est.)

Guatemala

2.11% (2008 est.)

Guernsey

0.228% (2008 est.)

Guinea

2.492% (2008 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

2.035% (2008 est.)

Guyana

0.211% (2008 est.)

Haiti

2.493% (2008 est.)

Holy See (Vatican City)

0.003% (2008 est.)

Honduras

2.024% (2008 est.)

Hong Kong

0.532% (2008 est.)

Hungary

-0.254% (2008 est.)

Iceland

0.783% (2008 est.)

India

1.578% (2008 est.)

Indonesia

1.175% (2008 est.)

Iran

0.792% (2008 est.)

Iraq

2.562% (2008 est.)

Ireland

1.133% (2008 est.)

Isle of Man

0.509% (2008 est.)

Israel

1.713% (2008 est.)

Italy

-0.019% (2008 est.)

Jamaica

0.779% (2008 est.)

Japan

-0.139% (2008 est.)

Jersey

0.221% (2008 est.)

Jordan

2.338% (2008 est.)

Kazakhstan

0.374% (2008 est.)

Kenya

2.758% (2008 est.)

Kiribati

2.235% (2008 est.)

Korea, North

0.732% (2008 est.)

Korea, South

0.269% (2008 est.)

Kuwait

3.591%

note: this rate reflects a return to pre-Gulf crisis immigration of

expatriates (2008 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

1.38% (2008 est.)

Laos

2.344% (2008 est.)

Latvia

-0.629% (2008 est.)

Lebanon

1.154% (2008 est.)

Lesotho

0.129% (2008 est.)

Liberia

3.661% (2008 est.)

Libya

2.216% (2008 est.)

Liechtenstein

0.713% (2008 est.)

Lithuania

-0.284% (2008 est.)

Luxembourg

1.188% (2008 est.)

Macau

3.148% (2008 est.)

Macedonia

0.262% (2008 est.)

Madagascar

3.005% (2008 est.)

Malawi

2.39% (2008 est.)

Malaysia

1.742% (2008 est.)

Maldives

5.566% (2008 est.)

Mali

2.725% (2008 est.)

Malta

0.407% (2008 est.)

Marshall Islands

2.142% (2008 est.)

Mauritania

2.852% (2008 est.)

Mauritius

0.8% (2008 est.)

Mayotte

3.465% (2008 est.)

Mexico

1.142% (2008 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

-0.191% (2008 est.)

Moldova

-0.092% (2008 est.)

Monaco

0.375% (2008 est.)

Mongolia

1.493% (2008 est.)

Montenegro

-0.925% (2008 est.)

Montserrat

0.315% (2008 est.)

Morocco

1.505% (2008 est.)

Mozambique

1.792% (2008 est.)

Namibia

0.947% (2008 est.)

Nauru

1.772% (2008 est.)

Nepal

2.095% (2008 est.)

Netherlands

0.436% (2008 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

0.754% (2008 est.)

New Caledonia

1.175% (2008 est.)

New Zealand

0.971% (2008 est.)

Nicaragua

1.825% (2008 est.)

Niger

2.878% (2008 est.)

Nigeria

2.025% (2008 est.)

Niue

-0.032% (2008 est.)

Norfolk Island

0.006% (2008 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands

2.377% (2008 est.)

Norway

0.35% (2008 est.)

Oman

3.19% (2008 est.)

Pakistan

1.999% (2008 est.)

Palau

1.157% (2008 est.)

Panama

1.544% (2008 est.)

Papua New Guinea

2.118% (2008 est.)

Paraguay

2.39% (2008 est.)

Peru

1.264% (2008 est.)

Philippines

1.991% (2008 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

0% (2008 est.)

Poland

-0.045% (2008 est.)

Portugal

0.305% (2008 est.)

Puerto Rico

0.369% (2008 est.)

Qatar

1.093% (2008 est.)

Romania

-0.136% (2008 est.)

Russia

-0.474% (2008 est.)

Rwanda

2.779% (2008 est.)

Saint Helena

0.487% (2008 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

0.723% (2008 est.)

Saint Lucia

0.436% (2008 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

0.114% (2008 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

0.231% (2008 est.)

Samoa

1.322% (2008 est.)

San Marino

1.181% (2008 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

3.116% (2008 est.)

Saudi Arabia

1.954% (2008 est.)

Senegal

2.58% (2008 est.)

Seychelles

0.428% (2008 est.)

Sierra Leone

2.282% (2008 est.)

Singapore

1.135% (2008 est.)

Slovakia

0.143% (2008 est.)

Slovenia

-0.088% (2008 est.)

Solomon Islands

2.467% (2008 est.)

Somalia

2.824% (2008 est.)

South Africa

0.828% (2008 est.)

Spain

0.096% (2008 est.)

Sri Lanka

0.943% (2008 est.)

Sudan

2.134% (2008 est.)

Suriname

1.099% (2008 est.)

Svalbard

-0.023% (2008 est.)

Swaziland

-0.41% (2008 est.)

Sweden

0.157% (2008 est.)

Switzerland

0.329% (2008 est.)

Syria

2.189% (2008 est.)

Taiwan

0.238% (2008 est.)

Tajikistan

1.893% (2008 est.)

Tanzania

2.072% (2008 est.)

Thailand

0.64% (2008 est.)

Timor-Leste

2.05% (2008 est.)

Togo

2.717% (2008 est.)

Tokelau

-0.011% (2008 est.)

Tonga

1.669% (2008 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

-0.891% (2008 est.)

Tunisia

0.989% (2008 est.)

Turkey

1.013% (2008 est.)

Turkmenistan

1.596% (2008 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

2.644% (2008 est.)

Tuvalu

1.577% (2008 est.)

Uganda

3.603% (2008 est.)

Ukraine

-0.651% (2008 est.)

United Arab Emirates

3.833% (2008 est.)

United Kingdom

0.276% (2008 est.)

United States

0.883% (2008 est.)

Uruguay

0.486% (2008 est.)

Uzbekistan

0.965% (2008 est.)

Vanuatu

1.434% (2008 est.)

Venezuela

1.498% (2008 est.)

Vietnam

0.99% (2008 est.)

Virgin Islands

0.002% (2008 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

NA (2008 est.)

West Bank

2.225% (2008 est.)

Western Sahara

2.868% NA (2008 est.)

World

1.188% (2008 est.)

Yemen

3.46% (2008 est.)

Zambia

1.654% (2008 est.)

Zimbabwe

-0.787% (2008 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2003 GDP - real growth rate (%)

Afghanistan

11.5% (2007 est.)

Albania

6% (2007 est.)

Algeria

4.5% (2007 est.)

American Samoa

3% (2003 est.)

Andorra

3.5% (2005 est.)

Angola

16.7% (2007 est.)

Anguilla

10.2% (2004 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

6.1% (2007 est.)

Argentina

8.7% (2007 est.)

Armenia

13.7% (2007 est.)

Aruba

2.4% (2005 est.)

Australia

4.3% (2007 est.)

Austria

3.1% (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

23.4% (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

2.8% (2007 est.)

Bahrain

6.7% (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

6.3% (2007 est.)

Barbados

4.3% (2007 est.)

Belarus

8.2% (2007 est.)

Belgium

2.8% (2007 est.)

Belize

2.2% (2007 est.)

Benin

4.5% (2007 est.)

Bermuda

4.6% (2004 est.)

Bhutan

22.4% (2007 est.)

Bolivia

4.6% (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

6% (2007 est.)

Botswana

4.8% (2007 est.)

Brazil

5.4% (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

1% (2002 est.)

Brunei

0.4% (2007 est.)

Bulgaria

6.2% (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

4.2% (2007 est.)

Burma

3.8% (2007 est.)

Burundi

3.6% (2007 est.)

Cambodia

10.1% (2007 est.)

Cameroon

2.7% (2007 est.)

Canada

2.7% (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

6.9% (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

0.9% (2004 est.)

Central African Republic

4% (2007 est.)

Chad

1.3% (2007 est.)

Chile

5.1% (2007 est.)

China

11.9% (2007 est.)

Colombia

8.2% (2007 est.)

Comoros

-1% (2007 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

7% (2007 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

-1.6% (2007 est.)

Cook Islands

0.1% (2005 est.)

Costa Rica

6.8% (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

1.6% (2007 est.)

Croatia

5.7% (2007 est.)

Cuba

6.5% (2007 est.)

Cyprus

4.4% (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

6.6% (2007 est.)

Denmark

1.7% (2007 est.)

Djibouti

5.2% (2007 est.)

Dominica

0.9% (2007 est.)

Dominican Republic

8.5% (2007 est.)

Ecuador

2% (2007 est.)

Egypt

7.1% (2007 est.)

El Salvador

4.7% (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

12.4% (2007 est.)

Eritrea

1.3% (2007 est.)

Estonia

7.1% (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

11.1% (2007 est.)

European Union

3% (2007 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

NA%

Faroe Islands

2.4% (2005 est.)

Fiji

-4.4% (2007 est.)

Finland

4.5% (2007 est.)

France

2.1% (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

5.1% (2002)

Gabon

6.2% (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

7% (2007 est.)

Gaza Strip

-8% (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)

Georgia

12% (2007 est.)

Germany

2.5% (2007 est.)

Ghana

5.5% (2007 est.)

Gibraltar

7% (2005 est.)

Greece

4% (2007 est.)

Greenland

2% (2005 est.)

Grenada

3.1% (2007 est.)

Guam

NA%

Guatemala

5.7% (2007 est.)

Guernsey

3% (2005 est.)

Guinea

1.5% (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

2.7% (2007 est.)

Guyana

5.3% (2007 est.)

Haiti

3.2% (2007 est.)

Honduras

6.3% (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

6.4% (2007 est.)

Hungary

1.3% (2007 est.)

Iceland

3.8% (2007 est.)

India

9% (2007 est.)

Indonesia

6.3% (2007 est.)

Iran

6.2% (2007 est.)

Iraq

5.9% (2007 est.)

Ireland

6% (2007 est.)

Isle of Man

5.2% (2005)

Israel

5.3% (2007 est.)

Italy

1.4% (2007 est.)

Jamaica

1.2% (2007 est.)

Japan

2% (2007 est.)

Jersey

NA%

Jordan

6% (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

8.5% (2007 est.)

Kenya

7% (2007 est.)

Kiribati

2% (2007 est.)

Korea, North

-1.1% (2007 est.)

Korea, South

5% (2007 est.)

Kosovo

2.6% (2007 est.)

Kuwait

4.7% (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

8.2% (2007 est.)

Laos

7.5% (2007 est.)

Latvia

10.3% (2007 est.)

Lebanon

3.6% (2007 est.)

Lesotho

4.8% (2007 est.)

Liberia

9.4% (2007 est.)

Libya

5.8% (2007 est.)

Liechtenstein

11% (1999 est.)

Lithuania

8.8% (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

4.5% (2007 est.)

Macau

16.6% (2006)

Macedonia

5.1% (2007 est.)

Madagascar

6.3% (2007 est.)

Malawi

8% (2007 est.)

Malaysia

6.3% (2007 est.)

Maldives

6.6% (2007 est.)

Mali

2.8% (2007 est.)

Malta

3.8% (2007 est.)

Marshall Islands

3.5% (2005 est.)

Mauritania

1% (2007 est.)

Mauritius

5.4% (2007 est.)

Mayotte

NA%

Mexico

3.2% (2007 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

0.3% (2005 est.)

Moldova

3% (2007 est.)

Monaco

0.9% (2000 est.)

Mongolia

9.9% (2007 est.)

Montenegro

7.5% (2007 est.)

Montserrat

-1% (2002 est.)

Morocco

2.2% (2007 est.)

Mozambique

7.3% (2007 est.)

Namibia

3.6% (2007 est.)

Nauru

NA%

Nepal

3.2% (2007 est.)

Netherlands

3.5% (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

1% (2004 est.)

New Caledonia

NA%

New Zealand

3.1% (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

3.8% (2007 est.)

Niger

3.2% (2007 est.)

Nigeria

6.4% (2007 est.)

Niue

6.2% (2003 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands

NA%

Norway

3.7% (2007 est.)

Oman

5.6% (2007 est.)

Pakistan

5.3% (2007 est.)

Palau

5.5% (2005 est.)

Panama

11.2% (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

6% (2007 est.)

Paraguay

6.6% (2007 est.)

Peru

9% (2007 est.)

Philippines

7.3% (2007 est.)

Poland

6.6% (2007 est.)

Portugal

1.8% (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

-1.2% (2007 est.)

Qatar

8.4% (2007 est.)

Romania

6% (2007 est.)

Russia

8.1% (2007 est.)

Rwanda

6% (2007 est.)

Saint Helena

NA%

Saint Kitts and Nevis

3.3% (2007 est.)

Saint Lucia

3.2% (2007 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

NA%

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

6.6% (2007 est.)

Samoa

6% (2007 est.)

San Marino

4.6% (2004 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

6% (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

3.5% (2007 est.)

Senegal

4.6% (2007 est.)

Serbia

7.3% (2007 est.)

Seychelles

5.3% (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

7% (2007 est.)

Singapore

7.7% (2007 est.)

Slovakia

10.4% (2007 est.)

Slovenia

6.1% (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

5.4% (2007 est.)

Somalia

2.6% (2007 est.)

South Africa

5.1% (2007 est.)

Spain

3.8% (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

6.8% (2007 est.)

Sudan

10.2% (2007 est.)

Suriname

5.1% (2007 est.)

Svalbard

NA%

Swaziland

2.3% (2007 est.)

Sweden

2.7% (2007 est.)

Switzerland

3.1% (2007 est.)

Syria

4.3% (2007 est.)

Taiwan

5.7% (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

7.8% (2007 est.)

Tanzania

7.3% (2007 est.)

Thailand

4.8% (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

19.8% (2007 est.)

Togo

2.1% (2007 est.)

Tokelau

NA%

Tonga

-3.5% (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

5.5% (2007 est.)

Tunisia

6.3% (2007 est.)

Turkey

4.5% (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

11.5% (IMF estimate)

note: official government statistics are widely regarded as

unreliable (2007 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

4.9% (2000 est.)

Tuvalu

3% (2006 est.)

Uganda

6% (2007 est.)

Ukraine

7.7% (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

7.5% (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

3.1% (2007 est.)

United States

2% (2007 est.)

Uruguay

7.4% (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

9.5% (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

5% (2007 est.)

Venezuela

8.4% (2007 est.)

Vietnam

8.5% (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

2% (2002 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

NA%

West Bank

-8% (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)

Western Sahara

NA%

World

5.2% (2007 est.)

Yemen

2.8% (2007 est.)

Zambia

6% (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

-5.5% (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2004 GDP - per capita (PPP)

Afghanistan

$1,000 (2007 est.)

Albania

$5,800 (2007 est.)

Algeria

$6,700 (2007 est.)

American Samoa

$5,800 (2005 est.)

Andorra

$38,800 (2005)

Angola

$7,800 (2007 est.)

Anguilla

$8,800 (2004 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

$18,300 (2007 est.)

Argentina

$13,100 (2007 est.)

Armenia

$5,800 (2007 est.)

Aruba

$21,800 (2004 est.)

Australia

$37,300 (2007 est.)

Austria

$39,300 (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

$8,000 (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

$28,000 (2007 est.)

Bahrain

$33,900 (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

$1,400 (2007 est.)

Barbados

$18,900 (2007 est.)

Belarus

$10,600 (2007 est.)

Belgium

$36,200 (2007 est.)

Belize

$7,900 (2007 est.)

Benin

$1,400 (2007 est.)

Bermuda

$69,900 (2004 est.)

Bhutan

$5,200 (2007 est.)

Bolivia

$4,400 (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

$6,100 (2007 est.)

Botswana

$14,300 (2007 est.)

Brazil

$9,500 (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

$38,500 (2004 est.)

Brunei

$51,000 (2007 est.)

Bulgaria

$11,800 (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

$1,200 (2007 est.)

Burma

$1,900 (2007 est.)

Burundi

$300 (2007 est.)

Cambodia

$1,900 (2007 est.)

Cameroon

$2,200 (2007 est.)

Canada

$38,600 (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

$3,200 (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

$43,800 (2004 est.)

Central African Republic

$700 (2007 est.)

Chad

$1,500 (2007 est.)

Chile

$14,300 (2007 est.)

China

$5,400 (2007 est.)

Colombia

$7,400 (2007 est.)

Comoros

$1,100 (2007 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

$300 (2007 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

$3,400 (2007 est.)

Cook Islands

$9,100 (2005 est.)

Costa Rica

$11,100 (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

$1,700 (2007 est.)

Croatia

$15,500 (2007 est.)

Cuba

$11,000 (2007 est.)

Cyprus

$27,100 (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

$24,500 (2007 est.)

Denmark

$37,200 (2007 est.)

Djibouti

$2,300 (2007 est.)

Dominica

$9,000 (2007 est.)

Dominican Republic

$6,600 (2007 est.)

Ecuador

$7,200 (2007 est.)

Egypt

$5,000 (2007 est.)

El Salvador

$6,000 (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

$28,200 (2007 est.)

Eritrea

$800 (2007 est.)

Estonia

$21,800 (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

$700 (2007 est.)

European Union

$32,700 (2007 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

$25,000 (2002 est.)

Faroe Islands

$31,000 (2001 est.)

Fiji

$3,900 (2007 est.)

Finland

$36,000 (2007 est.)

France

$32,600 (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

$17,500 (2003 est.)

Gabon

$14,000 (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

$1,200 (2007 est.)

Gaza Strip

$1,100 (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)

Georgia

$4,400 (2007 est.)

Germany

$34,100 (2007 est.)

Ghana

$1,400 (2007 est.)

Gibraltar

$38,200 (2005 est.)

Greece

$30,600 (2007 est.)

Greenland

$20,000 (2001 est.)

Grenada

$10,500 (2007 est.)

Guam

$15,000 (2005 est.)

Guatemala

$5,100 (2007 est.)

Guernsey

$44,600 (2005)

Guinea

$1,100 (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

$600 (2007 est.)

Guyana

$3,700 (2007 est.)

Haiti

$1,300 (2007 est.)

Honduras

$4,300 (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

$42,000 (2007 est.)

Hungary

$19,300 (2007 est.)

Iceland

$40,400 (2007 est.)

India

$2,600 (2007 est.)

Indonesia

$3,600 (2007 est.)

Iran

$11,700 (2007 est.)

Iraq

$3,700 (2007 est.)

Ireland

$46,600 (2007 est.)

Isle of Man

$35,000 (2005 est.)

Israel

$26,600 (2007 est.)

Italy

$30,900 (2007 est.)

Jamaica

$7,400 (2007 est.)

Japan

$33,500 (2007 est.)

Jersey

$57,000 (2005 est.)

Jordan

$4,700 (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

$11,000 (2007 est.)

Kenya

$1,700 (2007 est.)

Kiribati

$3,600 (2007 est.)

Korea, North

$1,700 (2007 est.)

Korea, South

$25,000 (2007 est.)

Kosovo

$1,800 (2007 est.)

Kuwait

$55,900 (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

$2,000 (2007 est.)

Laos

$2,000 (2007 est.)

Latvia

$17,700 (2007 est.)

Lebanon

$10,300 (2007 est.)

Lesotho

$1,400 (2007 est.)

Liberia

$500 (2007 est.)

Libya

$12,400 (2007 est.)

Liechtenstein

$25,000 (1999 est.)

Lithuania

$16,800 (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

$79,400 (2007 est.)

Macau

$28,400 (2006)

Macedonia

$8,400 (2007 est.)

Madagascar

$900 (2007 est.)

Malawi

$800 (2007 est.)

Malaysia

$14,500 (2007 est.)

Maldives

$4,600 (2007 est.)

Mali

$1,100 (2007 est.)

Malta

$23,400 (2007 est.)

Marshall Islands

$2,900 (2005 est.)

Mauritania

$1,800 (2007 est.)

Mauritius

$11,300 (2007 est.)

Mayotte

$4,900 (2005 est.)

Mexico

$12,400 (2007 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

$2,300 (2005 est.)

Moldova

$2,300 (2007 est.)

Monaco

$30,000 (2006 est.)

Mongolia

$2,900 (2007 est.)

Montenegro

$3,800 (2005 est.)

Montserrat

$3,400 (2002 est.)

Morocco

$3,700 (2007 est.)

Mozambique

$800 (2007 est.)

Namibia

$5,200 (2007 est.)

Nauru

$5,000 (2005 est.)

Nepal

$1,000 (2007 est.)

Netherlands

$39,000 (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

$16,000 (2004 est.)

New Caledonia

$15,000 (2003 est.)

New Zealand

$27,200 (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

$2,800 (2007 est.)

Niger

$700 (2007 est.)

Nigeria

$2,100 (2007 est.)

Niue

$5,800 (2003 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands

$12,500 (2000 est.)

Norway

$53,300 (2007 est.)

Oman

$19,000 (2007 est.)

Pakistan

$2,400 (2007 est.)

Palau

$7,600 (2005 est.)

Panama

$10,700 (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

$2,100 (2007 est.)

Paraguay

$4,000 (2007 est.)

Peru

$7,600 (2007 est.)

Philippines

$3,200 (2007 est.)

Poland

$16,200 (2007 est.)

Portugal

$21,800 (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

$18,400 (2007 est.)

Qatar

$87,600 (2007 est.)

Romania

$11,100 (2007 est.)

Russia

$14,800 (2007 est.)

Rwanda

$800 (2007 est.)

Saint Helena

$2,500 (1998 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

$13,900 (2007 est.)

Saint Lucia

$10,700 (2007 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

$7,000 (2001 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

$9,800 (2007 est.)

Samoa

$5,400 (2007 est.)

San Marino

$34,100 (2004 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

$1,600 (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

$19,800 (2007 est.)

Senegal

$1,700 (2007 est.)

Serbia

$10,400 (2007 est.)

Seychelles

$16,600 (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

$600 (2007 est.)

Singapore

$49,900 (2007 est.)

Slovakia

$20,200 (2007 est.)

Slovenia

$28,000 (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

$1,900 (2007 est.)

Somalia

$600 (2007 est.)

South Africa

$9,700 (2007 est.)

Spain

$33,600 (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

$4,000 (2007 est.)

Sudan

$1,900 (2007 est.)

Suriname

$8,700 (2007 est.)

Swaziland

$4,700 (2007 est.)

Sweden

$37,500 (2007 est.)

Switzerland

$40,100 (2007 est.)

Syria

$4,700 (2007 est.)

Taiwan

$30,100 (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

$1,600 (2007 est.)

Tanzania

$1,300 (2007 est.)

Thailand

$8,000 (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

$2,500 (2007 est.)

Togo

$900 (2007 est.)

Tokelau

$1,000 (1993 est.)

Tonga

$5,100 (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

$25,400 (2007 est.)

Tunisia

$7,400 (2007 est.)

Turkey

$12,000 (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

$5,300 (2007 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

$11,500 (2002 est.)

Tuvalu

$1,600 (2002 est.)

Uganda

$1,000 (2007 est.)

Ukraine

$7,000 (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

$37,000 (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

$35,000 (2007 est.)

United States

$45,800 (2007 est.)

Uruguay

$10,800 (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

$2,400 (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

$3,900 (2007 est.)

Venezuela

$12,800 (2007 est.)

Vietnam

$2,600 (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

$14,500 (2004 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

$3,800 (2004 est.)

West Bank

$1,100 (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)

Western Sahara

$NA

World

$10,000 (2007 est.)

Yemen

$2,500 (2007 est.)

Zambia

$1,400 (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

$200 (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2006 Dependency status

Akrotiri

a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an

administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus

American Samoa

unincorporated and unorganized territory of the US;

administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the

Interior

Anguilla

overseas territory of the UK

Aruba

member country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full

autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from

the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense

and foreign affairs

Ashmore and Cartier Islands territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Attorney-General's Department

Bermuda

overseas territory of the UK

Bouvet Island

territory of Norway; administered by the Polar

Department of the Ministry of Justice and Police from Oslo

British Indian Ocean Territory overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London

British Virgin Islands overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing

Cayman Islands

overseas territory of the UK

Christmas Island

non-self governing territory of Australia;

administered from Canberra by the Australian Attorney-General's

Department

Clipperton Island

possession of France; administered directly by the

Minister of Overseas France

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

non-self governing territory of Australia;

administered from Canberra by the Australian Attorney-General's

Department

Cook Islands

self-governing in free association with New Zealand;

Cook Islands is fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand

retains responsibility for external affairs and defense, in

consultation with the Cook Islands

Coral Sea Islands

territory of Australia; administered from Canberra

by the Australian Attorney-General's Department

Dhekelia

a special form of UK overseas territory; administered by an

administrator who is also the Commander, British Forces Cyprus

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

overseas territory of the UK; also

claimed by Argentina

Faroe Islands

part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing

overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948

French Polynesia

overseas lands of France; overseas territory of

France from 1946-2004

French Southern and Antarctic Lands overseas territory of France since 1955; administered from Paris by Administrateur Superieur Eric PILLOTON (since 10 April 2007)

Gibraltar

overseas territory of the UK

Greenland

part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas

administrative division of Denmark since 1979

Guam

organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy

relations between Guam and the US under the jurisdiction of the

Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior

Guernsey

British crown dependency

Heard Island and McDonald Islands territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Antarctic Division of the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts

Hong Kong

special administrative region of China

Isle of Man

British crown dependency

Jan Mayen

territory of Norway; since August 1994, administered from

Oslo through the county governor (fylkesmann) of Nordland; however,

authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian

Defense Communication Service

Jersey

British crown dependency

Macau

special administrative region of China

Mayotte

departmental collectivity of France

Montserrat

overseas territory of the UK

Navassa Island

unorganized, unincorporated territory of the US;

administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the

Interior, from the Caribbean Islands National Wildlife Refuge in

Boqueron, Puerto Rico; in September 1996, the Coast Guard ceased

operations and maintenance of Navassa Island Light, a 46-meter-tall

lighthouse on the southern side of the island; there has also been a

private claim advanced against the island

Netherlands Antilles

an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the

Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954;

Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs

New Caledonia

territorial collectivity of France since 1998

Niue

self-governing in free association with New Zealand since 1974;

Niue fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains

responsibility for external affairs and defense; however, these

responsibilities confer no rights of control and are only exercised

at the request of the Government of Niue

Norfolk Island

self governing territory of Australia; administered

from Canberra by the Australian Attorney-General's Department

Northern Mariana Islands

commonwealth in political union with the

US; federal funds to the Commonwealth administered by the US

Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs

Pitcairn Islands

overseas territory of the UK

Puerto Rico

unincorporated, organized territory of the US with

commonwealth status; policy relations between Puerto Rico and the US

conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President

Saint Barthelemy

overseas collectivity of France

Saint Helena

overseas territory of the UK

Saint Martin

overseas collectivity of France

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

self-governing territorial overseas

collectivity of France

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

overseas territory of

the UK, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland

Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the

Falkland Islands, representing Queen ELIZABETH II

Svalbard

territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department

of the Ministry of Justice, through a governor (sysselmann) residing

in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen; by treaty (9 February 1920)

sovereignty was awarded to Norway

Tokelau

self-administering territory of New Zealand; note - Tokelau

and New Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution as Tokelau moves

toward free association with New Zealand; a UN sponsored referendum

on self governance in October 2007 did not produce the two-thirds

majority vote necessary for changing the political status

Turks and Caicos Islands

overseas territory of the UK

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

unincorporated

territories of the US; administered from Washington, DC by the Fish

and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of

the National Wildlife Refuge system

note on Palmyra Atoll: incorporated Territory of the US; partly

privately owned and partly federally owned; administered from

Washington, DC by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department

of the Interior; the Office of Insular Affairs of the US Department

of the Interior continues to administer nine excluded areas

comprising certain tidal and submerged lands within the 12 nm

territorial sea or within the lagoon

Virgin Islands

organized, unincorporated territory of the US with

policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the US under the

jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the

Interior

Wake Island

unorganized, unincorporated territory of the US;

administered from Washington, DC, by the Department of the Interior;

activities in the atoll are currently conducted by the US Air Force

Wallis and Futuna

overseas territory of France

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2007 Diplomatic representation from the US

Afghanistan

chief of mission: Ambassador William B. WOOD

embassy: The Great Masood Road, Kabul

mailing address: U.S. Embassy Kabul, APO, AE 09806

telephone: [93] 0700 108 001

FAX: [93] 0700 108 564

Akrotiri

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Albania

chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. John L. WITHERS, II

embassy: Rruga e Elbasanit, Labinoti #103, Tirana

mailing address: US Department of State, 9510 Tirana Place, Dulles,

VA 20189-9510

telephone: [355] (4) 2247285

FAX: [355] (4) 2232222

Algeria

chief of mission: Ambassador David D. PEARCE

embassy: 05 Chemin Cheikh Bachir, El-Ibrahimi, El-Biar 16000 Algiers

mailing address: B. P. 408, Alger-Gare, 16030 Algiers

telephone: [213] 770-08-2000

FAX: [213] 21-60-7355

American Samoa

none (territory of the US)

Andorra

the US does not have an embassy in Andorra; the US

Ambassador to Spain is accredited to Andorra; US interests in

Andorra are represented by the Consulate General's office in

Barcelona (Spain); mailing address: Paseo Reina Elisenda de

Montcada, 23, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; telephone: [34] (93) 280-2227;

FAX: [34] (93) 280-6175

Angola

chief of mission: Ambassador Dan MOZENA

embassy: number 32 Rua Houari Boumedienne (in the Miramar area of

Luanda), Luanda

mailing address: international mail: Caixa Postal 6468, Luanda;

pouch: US Embassy Luanda, US Department of State, 2550 Luanda Place,

Washington, DC 20521-2550

telephone: [244] (222) 64-1000

FAX: [244] (222) 64-1232

Anguilla

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Antigua and Barbuda

the US does not have an embassy in Antigua and

Barbuda; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and

Barbuda

Argentina

chief of mission: Ambassador Earl Anthony WAYNE

embassy: Avenida Colombia 4300, C1425GMN Buenos Aires

mailing address: international mail: use embassy street address; APO

address: US Embassy Buenos Aires, Unit 4334, APO AA 34034

telephone: [54] (11) 5777-4533

FAX: [54] (11) 5777-4240

Armenia

chief of mission: Ambassador Marie L. YOVANOVITCH

embassy: 1 American Ave., Yerevan 0082

mailing address: American Embassy Yerevan, US Department of State,

7020 Yerevan Place, Washington, DC 20521-7020

telephone: [374](10) 464-700

FAX: [374](10) 464-742

Aruba

the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General

to Netherlands Antilles is accredited to Aruba

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

none (territory of Australia)

Australia

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert D. McCALLUM, Jr.

embassy: Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital

Territory 2600

mailing address: APO AP 96549

telephone: [61] (02) 6214-5600

FAX: [61] (02) 6214-5970

consulate(s) general: Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Austria

chief of mission: Ambassador David F. GIRARD-DICARLO

embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [43] (1) 31339-0

FAX: [43] (1) 3100682

Azerbaijan

chief of mission: Ambassador Anne E. DERSE

embassy: 83 Azadlig Prospecti, Baku AZ1007

mailing address: American Embassy Baku, US Department of State, 7050

Baku Place, Washington, DC 20521-7050

telephone: [994] (12) 4980-335 through 337

FAX: [994] (12) 4656-671

Bahamas, The

chief of mission: Ambassador Ned L. SIEGEL

embassy: 42 Queen Street, Nassau, New Providence

mailing address: local or express mail address: P. O. Box N-8197,

Nassau; US Department of State, 3370 Nassau Place, Washington, DC

20521-3370

telephone: [1] (242) 322-1181, 328-2206 (after hours)

FAX: [1] (242) 328-2206

Bahrain

chief of mission: Ambassador J. Adam ERELI

embassy: Building #979, Road 3119 (next to Al-Ahli Sports Club),

Block 331, Zinj District, Manama

mailing address: PSC 451, Box 660, FPO AE 09834-5100; international

mail: American Embassy, Box 26431, Manama

telephone: [973] 1724-2700

FAX: [973] 1727-0547

Bangladesh

chief of mission: Ambassador James F. MORIARTY

embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212

mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000

telephone: [880] (2) 885-5500

FAX: [880] (2) 882-3744

Barbados

chief of mission: Ambassador Mary M. OURISMAN

embassy: U.S. Embassy, Wildey Business Park, Wildey, St. Michael BB

14006

mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown BB 11000; CMR 1014, APO

AA 34055

telephone: [1] (246) 227-4399

FAX: [1] (246) 431-0179

Belarus

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires

Jonathan MOORE

embassy: 46 Starovilenskaya Street, Minsk 220002

mailing address: PSC 78, Box B Minsk, APO 09723

telephone: [375] (17) 210-12-83, 217-7347, 217-7348

FAX: [375] (17) 234-7853

Belgium

chief of mission: Ambassador Sam FOX

embassy: 27 Boulevard du Regent [Regentlaan], B-1000 Brussels

mailing address: PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE 09710

telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111

FAX: [32] (2) 511-2725

Belize

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert J. DIETER

embassy: Floral Park Road, Belmopan City, Cayo District

mailing address: P.O. Box 497, Belmopan City, Cayo District, Belize

telephone: [501] 822-4011

FAX: [501] 822-4012

Benin

chief of mission: Ambassador Gayleatha B. BROWN

embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani, Cotonou

mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012, Cotonou

telephone: [229] 21-30-06-50

FAX: [229] 21-30-03-84

Bermuda

chief of mission: Consul General Gregory W. SLAYTON

consulate(s) general: Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire DVO3

mailing address: P. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; American Consulate

General Hamilton, US Department of State, 5300 Hamilton Place,

Washington, DC 20520-5300

telephone: [1] (441) 295-1342

FAX: [1] (441) 295-1592, [1] (441) 296-9233

Bhutan

the US and Bhutan have no formal diplomatic relations,

although informal contact is maintained between the Bhutanese and US

Embassy in New Delhi (India)

Bolivia

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires

Krishna URS

embassy: Avenida Arce 2780, Casilla 425, La Paz

mailing address: P. O. Box 425, La Paz; APO AA 34032

telephone: [591] (2) 216-8000

FAX: [591] (2) 216-8111

Bosnia and Herzegovina

chief of mission: Ambassador Charles L.

ENGLISH

embassy: Alipasina 43, 71000 Sarajevo

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [387] (33) 445-700

FAX: [387] (33) 659-722

branch office(s): Banja Luka, Mostar

Botswana

chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen J. NOLAN

embassy: Embassy Enclave (off Khama Crescent), Gaborone

mailing address: Embassy Enclave, P. O. Box 90, Gaborone

telephone: [267] 395-3982

FAX: [267] 395-6947

Brazil

chief of mission: Ambassador Clifford M. SOBEL

embassy: Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, Distrito Federal

Cep 70403-900, Brasilia

mailing address: Unit 3500, APO AA 34030

telephone: [55] (61) 3312-7000

FAX: [55] (61) 3225-9136

consulate(s) general: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo

consulate(s): Recife

British Indian Ocean Territory

none (overseas territory of the UK)

British Virgin Islands

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Brunei

chief of mission: Ambassador William E. TODD

embassy: Third Floor, Teck Guan Plaza, Jalan Sultan, Bandar Seri

Begawan, BS8811

mailing address: PSC 470 (BSB), FPO AP 96507; P.O. Box 2991, Bandar

Seri Begawan BS8675, Negara Brunei Darussalam

telephone: [673] 222-0384

FAX: [673] 222-5293

Bulgaria

chief of mission: Ambassador Nancy McELDOWNEY

embassy: 16 Kozyak Street, Sofia 1407

mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, US Department of State,

5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740

telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100

FAX: [359] (2) 937-5320

Burkina Faso

chief of mission: Ambassador Jeanine E. JACKSON

embassy: 602 Avenue Raoul Follereau, Koulouba, Secteur 4

mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou 01; pouch mail - US

Department of State, 2440 Ouagadougou Place, Washington, DC

20521-2440

telephone: [226] 50-30-67-23

FAX: [226] 50-30-38-90

Burma

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Larry

M. DINGER

embassy: 110 University Avenue, Kamayut Township, Rangoon

mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546

telephone: [95] (1) 536-509, 535-756, 538-038

FAX: [95] (1) 650-306

Burundi

chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia Newton MOLLER

embassy: Avenue des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura

mailing address: B. P. 1720, Bujumbura

telephone: [257] 223454

FAX: [257] 222926

Cambodia

chief of mission: Ambassador Carol A. RODLEY

embassy: #1, Street 96, Sangkat Wat Phnom, Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh

mailing address: Box P, APO AP 96546

telephone: [855] (23) 728-000

FAX: [855] (23) 728-600

Cameroon

chief of mission: Ambassador Janet E. GARVEY

embassy: Avenue Rosa Parks, Yaounde

mailing address: P. O. Box 817, Yaounde; pouch: American Embassy, US

Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520

telephone: [237] 2220 15 00; Consular: [237] 2220 16 03

FAX: [237] 2220 16 00 Ext. 4531; Consular FAX: [237] 2220 17 52

branch office(s): Douala

Canada

chief of mission: Ambassador David H. WILKINS

embassy: 490 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1G8

mailing address: P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburgh, NY 13669-0430; P.O.

Box 866, Station B, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5T1

telephone: [1] (613) 688-5335

FAX: [1] (613) 688-3082

consulate(s) general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto,

Vancouver, Winnipeg

Cape Verde

chief of mission: Ambassador Marianne M. MYLES

embassy: Rua Abilio Macedo n6, Praia

mailing address: C. P. 201, Praia

telephone: [238] 2-60-89-00

FAX: [238] 2-61-13-55

Cayman Islands

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Central African Republic

chief of mission: Ambassador Frederick B.

COOK

embassy: Avenue David Dacko, Bangui

mailing address: B. P. 924, Bangui

telephone: [236] 61 02 00

FAX: [236] 61 44 94

note: the embassy is currently operating with a minimal staff

Chad

chief of mission: Ambassador Louis NIGRO

embassy: Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena

mailing address: B. P. 413, N'Djamena

telephone: [235] 251-62-11, [235] 251-70-09, [235] 251-77-59

FAX: [235] 251-56-54

Chile

chief of mission: Ambassador Paul E. SIMONS

embassy: Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Las Condes, Santiago

mailing address: APO AA 34033

telephone: [56] (2) 330-3000

FAX: [56] (2) 330-3710, 330-3160

China

chief of mission: Ambassador Clark T. RANDT, Jr.

embassy: 55 An Jia Lou Lu, 100600 Beijing

mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002

telephone: [86] (10) 8531-3000

FAX: [86] (10) 8531-3300

consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau,

Shanghai, Shenyang

Christmas Island

none (territory of Australia)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

none (territory of Australia)

Colombia

chief of mission: Ambassador William R. BROWNFIELD

embassy: Calle 24 Bis No. 48-50, Bogota, D.C.

mailing address: Carrera 45 No. 24B-27, Bogota, D.C.

telephone: [57] (1) 315-0811

FAX: [57] (1) 315-2197

Comoros

the US does not have an embassy in Comoros; the ambassador

to Madagascar is accredited to Comoros

Congo, Democratic Republic of the chief of mission: Ambassador William GARVELINK embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828 telephone: [243] (81) 225-5872 FAX: [243] (81) 301-0561

Congo, Republic of the

chief of mission: Ambassador Allan EASTHAM

embassy: Boulevard de la Revolution, BDEAC Building, 4th Floor,

Brazzaville; note - a new embassy is expected to open in 2009

mailing address: B.P. 1015, Brazzaville

telephone: [242] 281-1481, [242] 281-3368; note - until the new

embassy in Brazzaville becomes operational, some duties will still

be handled in the US embassy in Kinshasha, Democratic Republic of

the Congo

Cook Islands

none (self-governing in free association with New

Zealand)

Coral Sea Islands

none (territory of Australia)

Costa Rica

chief of mission: Ambassador Peter CIANCHETTE

embassy: Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose

mailing address: APO AA 34020

telephone: [506] 519-2000

FAX: [506] 519-2305

Cote d'Ivoire

chief of mission: Ambassador Wanda L. NESBITT

embassy: Cocody Riviera Golf 01, Abidjan

mailing address: B. P. 1712, Abidjan 01

telephone: [225] 22 49 40 00

FAX: [225] 22 49 43 32

Croatia

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert A. BRADTKE

embassy: 2 Thomas Jefferson Street, 10010 Zagreb

mailing address: use street address

telephone: [385] (1) 661-2200

FAX: [385] (1) 661-2373

Cuba

none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Swiss

Embassy, headed by Chief of Mission Jonathan D. FARRAR; address:

USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada between L and M Streets, Vedado,

Havana; telephone: [53] (7) 833-3551 through 3559 (operator

assistance required); FAX: [53] (7) 833-1653; protecting power in

Cuba is Switzerland

Cyprus

chief of mission: Ambassador Frank C. URBANCIC, Jr.

embassy: corner of Metochiou and Ploutarchou Streets, 2407 Engomi,

Nicosia

mailing address: P. O. Box 24536, 1385 Nicosia

telephone: [357] (22) 393939

FAX: [357] (22) 780944

Czech Republic

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard W. GRABER

embassy: Trziste 15, 118 01 Prague 1

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [420] 257 022 000

FAX: [420] 257 022 809

Denmark

chief of mission: Ambassador James P. CAIN

embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen

mailing address: PSC 73, APO AE 09716

telephone: [45] 33 41 71 00

FAX: [45] 35 43 02 23

Dhekelia

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Djibouti

chief of mission: Ambassador James C. SWAN

embassy: Plateau du Serpent, Boulevard Marechal Joffre, Djibouti

mailing address: B. P. 185, Djibouti

telephone: [253] 35 39 95

FAX: [253] 35 39 40

Dominica

the US does not have an embassy in Dominica; the US

Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Dominica

Dominican Republic

chief of mission: Ambassador P. Robert FANNIN

embassy: corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo

Navarro, Santo Domingo

mailing address: Unit 5500, APO AA 34041-5500

telephone: [1] (809) 221-2171

FAX: [1] (809) 686-7437

Ecuador

chief of mission: Ambassador Heather HODGES

embassy: Avenida Avigiras E12-170 y Avenida Eloy Alfaro, Quito

mailing address: Avenida Guayacanes N52-205 y Avenida Avigiras

telephone: [593] (2) 398-5000

FAX: [593] (2) 398-5100

consulate(s) general: Guayaquil

Egypt

chief of mission: Ambassador Margaret SCOBEY

embassy: 8 Kamal El Din Salah St., Garden City, Cairo

mailing address: Unit 64900, Box 15, APO AE 09839-4900; 5 Tawfik

Diab Street, Garden City, Cairo

telephone: [20] (2) 2797-3300

FAX: [20] (2) 2797-3200

El Salvador

chief of mission: Ambassador Charles L. GLAZER

embassy: Final Boulevard Santa Elena Sur, Antiguo Cuscatlan, La

Libertad, San Salvador

mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023; 3450 San Salvador Place,

Washington, DC 20521-3450

telephone: [503] 2501-2999

FAX: [503] 2501-2150

Equatorial Guinea

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)

embassy: K-3, Carreterade Aeropuerto, al lado de Restaurante El

Paraiso, Malabo; note - relocated embassy is opened for limited

functions; inquiries should continue to be directed to the US

Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon

mailing address: B.P. 817, Yaounde, Cameroon; US Embassy Yaounde, US

Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520

telephone: [237] 2220-1500

FAX: [237] 2220-1572

Eritrea

chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald MCMULLEN

embassy: 179 Ala Street, Asmara

mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara

telephone: [291] (1) 120004

FAX: [291] (1) 127584

Estonia

chief of mission: Ambassador Stanley Davis PHILLIPS

embassy: Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [372] 668-8100

FAX: [372] 668-8265

Ethiopia

chief of mission: Ambassador Donald Y. YAMAMOTO

embassy: Entoto Street, Addis Ababa

mailing address: P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa

telephone: [251] 11-517-40-00

FAX: [251] 11-517-40-01

European Union

chief of mission: Ambassador Kristen SILVERBERG

embassy: 13 Zinnerstraat/Rue Zinner, B-1000 Brussels

mailing address: same as above

telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111

FAX: [32] (2) 508-2063

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

none (overseas territory of the

UK; also claimed by Argentina)

Faroe Islands

none (self-governing overseas administrative division

of Denmark)

Fiji

chief of mission: Ambassador C. Steven McGANN

embassy: 31 Loftus Street, Suva

mailing address: P. O. Box 218, Suva

telephone: [679] 331-4466

FAX: [679] 330-0081

Finland

chief of mission: Ambassador Barbara BARRETT

embassy: Itainen Puistotie 14B, 00140 Helsinki

mailing address: APO AE 09723

telephone: [358] (9) 616250

FAX: [358] (9) 6162 5800

France

chief of mission: Ambassador Craig R. STAPLETON

embassy: 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08

mailing address: PSC 116, APO AE 09777

telephone: [33] (1) 43-12-22-22

FAX: [33] (1) 42 66 97 83

consulate(s) general: Marseille, Strasbourg

French Polynesia

none (overseas lands of France)

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

none (overseas territory of

France)

Gabon

chief of mission: Ambassador Eunice S. REDDICK

embassy: Boulevard du Bord de Mer, Libreville

mailing address: Centre Ville, B. P. 4000, Libreville; pouch:2270

Libreville Place, Washington, DC 20521-2270

telephone: [241] 76 20 03 through 76 20 04, after hours - 07380171

FAX: [241] 74 55 07

Gambia, The

chief of mission: Ambassador Barry L. WELLS

embassy: Kairaba Avenue, Fajara, Banjul

mailing address: P. M. B. No. 19, Banjul

telephone: [220] 439-2856, 437-6169, 437-6170

FAX: [220] 439-2475

Georgia

chief of mission: Ambassador John F. TEFFT

embassy: 11 George Balanchine Street, T'bilisi 0131

mailing address: 7060 T'bilisi Place, Washington, DC 20521-7060

telephone: [995] (32) 27-70-00

FAX: [995] (32) 53-23-10

Germany

chief of mission: Ambassador William R. TIMKEN, Jr.

embassy: Pariser Platz 2, 10117 Berlin; note - new embassy opened 4

July 2008

mailing address: PSC 120, Box 1000, APO AE 09265, clayallee 170,

14195 Berlin

telephone: [49] (030) 2385174

FAX: [49] (030) 8305-1215

consulate(s) general: Duesseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg,

Leipzig, Munich

Ghana

chief of mission: Ambassador Donald G. TEITELBAUM

embassy: 24 4th Circular Rd. Cantonments, Accra

mailing address: P. O. Box 194, Accra

telephone: [233] (21) 741-000

FAX: [233] (21) 741-389

Gibraltar

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Greece

chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel V. SPECKHARD

embassy: 91 Vasilisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens

mailing address: PSC 108, APO AE 09842-0108

telephone: [30] (210) 721-2951

FAX: [30] (210) 645-6282

consulate(s) general: Thessaloniki

Greenland

none (self-governing overseas administrative division of

Denmark)

Grenada

chief of mission: the US Ambassador to Barbados is

accredited to Grenada

embassy: Lance-aux-Epines Stretch, Saint George's

mailing address: P. O. Box 54, Saint George's

telephone: [1] (473) 444-1173 through 1177

FAX: [1] (473) 444-4820

Guam

none (territory of the US)

Guatemala

chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen G. MCFARLAND

embassy: 7-01 Avenida Reforma, Zone 10, Guatemala City

mailing address: APO AA 34024

telephone: [502] 2326-4000

FAX: [502] 2326-4654

Guernsey

none (British crown dependency)

Guinea

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires

Elizabeth RASPOLIC

embassy: Koloma, Conakry, east of Hamdallaye Circle

mailing address: B. P. 603, Transversale No. 2, Centre Administratif

de Koloma, Commune de Ratoma, Conakry

telephone: [224] 65-10-40-00

FAX: [224] 65-10-42-97

Guinea-Bissau

the US Embassy suspended operations on 14 June 1998 in

the midst of violent conflict between forces loyal to then President

VIEIRA and military-led junta; the US Ambassador to Senegal is

accredited to Guinea-Bissau

Guyana

chief of mission: Ambassador John Melvin JONES

embassy: US Embassy, 100 Young and Duke Streets, Kingston, Georgetown

mailing address: P. O. Box 10507, Georgetown; US Embassy, 3170

Georgetown Place, Washington DC 20521-3170

telephone: [592] 225-4900 through 4909

FAX: [592] 225-8497

Haiti

chief of mission: Ambassador Janet A. SANDERSON

embassy: Tabarre 41, Route de Tabarre, Port-au-Prince

mailing address: use mailing address

telephone: [509] 229-8000

FAX: [509] 229-8028

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

none (territory of Australia)

Holy See (Vatican City)

chief of mission: Ambassador Mary Ann GLENDON

embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00153 Rome

mailing address: PSC 59, Box 66, APO AE 09624

telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428

FAX: [39] (06) 575-8346

Honduras

chief of mission: Ambassador Hugo LLORENS

embassy: Avenida La Paz, Apartado Postal No. 3453, Tegucigalpa

mailing address: American Embassy, APO AA 34022, Tegucigalpa

telephone: [504] 236-9320, 238-5114

FAX: [504] 238-4357

Hong Kong

chief of mission: Consul General Joseph A. DONOVAN, Jr.

consulate(s) general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong

mailing address: PSC 461, Box 1, FPO AP 96521-0006

telephone: [852] 2523-9011

FAX: [852] 2845-1598

Hungary

chief of mission: Ambassador April H. FOLEY

embassy: Szabadsag ter 12, H-1054 Budapest

mailing address: pouch: American Embassy Budapest, 5270 Budapest

Place, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5270

telephone: [36] (1) 475-4400

FAX: [36] (1) 475-4764

Iceland

chief of mission: Ambassador Carol VAN VOORST

embassy: Laufasvegur 21, 101 Reykjavik

mailing address: US Department of State, 5640 Reykjavik Place,

Washington, D.C. 20521-5640

telephone: [354] 562-9100

FAX: [354] 562-9118

India

chief of mission: Ambassador David C. MULFORD

embassy: Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [91] (011) 2419-8000

FAX: [91] (11) 2419-0017

consulate(s) general: Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai

(Bombay)

Indonesia

chief of mission: Ambassador Cameron R. HUME

embassy: Jalan 1 Medan Merdeka Selatan 3-5, Jakarta 10110

mailing address: Unit 8129, Box 1, FPO AP 96520

telephone: [62] (21) 3435-9000

FAX: [62] (21) 3435-9922

consulate(s) general: Surabaya

Iran

none; note - the American Interests Section is located in the

Swiss Embassy compound at Africa Avenue, West Farzan Street, number

32, Tehran, Iran; telephone [98] 21 8878 2964 or 21 8879 2364; FAX

[98] 21 8877 3265

Iraq

chief of mission: Ambassador Ryan C. CROCKER

embassy: Baghdad

mailing address: APO AE 09316

telephone: 1-240-553-0589 ext. 5340 or 5635; note - Consular Section

FAX: NA

Ireland

chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas C. FOLEY

embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [353] (1) 668-8777

FAX: [353] (1) 668-9946

Isle of Man

none (British crown dependency)

Israel

chief of mission: Ambassador James B. CUNNINGHAM

embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv 63903

mailing address: PSC 98, Box 29, APO AE 09830

telephone: [972] (3) 519-7575

FAX: [972] (3) 516-4390

consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note - an independent US mission,

established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign

government

Italy

chief of mission: Ambassador Ronald P. SPOGLI

embassy: Via Vittorio Veneto 121, 00187-Rome

mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624

telephone: [39] (06) 46741

FAX: [39] (06) 488-2672, 4674-2356

consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples

Jamaica

chief of mission: Ambassador Brenda LaGrange JOHNSON

embassy: 142 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6

mailing address: P.O. Box 541, Kingston 5

telephone: [1] (876) 702-6000

FAX: [1] (876) 702-6001

Japan

chief of mission: Ambassador J. Thomas SCHIEFFER

embassy: 1-10-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420

mailing address: Unit 9800, Box 300, APO AP 96303-0300

telephone: [81] (03) 3224-5000

FAX: [81] (03) 3505-1862

consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo

consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya

Jersey

none (British crown dependency)

Jordan

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert S. Beecroft

embassy: Abdun, Amman

mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; Unit 70200, Box

5, APO AE 09892-0200

telephone: [962] (6) 590-6000

FAX: [962] (6) 592-0121

Kazakhstan

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard E. HOAGLAND

embassy: Ak Bulak 4, Str. 23-22, Building #3, Astana 010010

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [7] (7172) 70-21-00

FAX: [7] (7172) 34-08-90

Kenya

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael RANNEBERGER

embassy: US Embassy, United Nations Avenue, Nairobi; P. O. Box 606

Village Market, Nairobi 00621

mailing address: Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831

telephone: [254] (20) 363-6000

FAX: [254] (20) 363-410

Kiribati

the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador

to Fiji is accredited to Kiribati

Korea, North

none; note - Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang represents

the US as consular protecting power

Korea, South

chief of mission: Ambassador Kathleen STEPHENS

embassy: 32 Sejong-no, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-710

mailing address: US Embassy Seoul, APO AP 96205-5550

telephone: [82] (2) 397-4114

FAX: [82] (2) 738-8845

Kosovo

chief of mission: Ambassador Tina KAIDANOW

embassy: Arberia/Dragodan, Nazim Hikmet 30, Pristina, Kosovo

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: 381 38 59 59 3000

FAX: 381 38 549 890

Kuwait

chief of mission: Ambassador Deborah K. JONES

embassy: Bayan 36302, Block 13, Al-Masjed Al-Aqsa Street (near the

Bayan palace), Kuwait City

mailing address: P. O. Box 77 Safat 13001 Kuwait; or PSC 1280 APO AE

09880-9000

telephone: [965] 259-1001

FAX: [965] 538-0282

Kyrgyzstan

chief of mission: Ambassador Tatiana C. GFOELLER

embassy: 171 Prospect Mira, Bishkek 720016

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [996] (312) 551-241, (517) 777-217

FAX: [996] (312) 551-264

Laos

chief of mission: Ambassador Ravic R. HUSO

embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, That Dam, Vientiane

mailing address: American Embassy Vientiane, APO AP 96546

telephone: [856] 21-26-7000

FAX: [856] 21-26-7190

Latvia

chief of mission: Ambassador Charles LARSON Jr.

embassy: 7 Raina Boulevard, Riga LV-1510

mailing address: American Embassy Riga, PSC 78, Box Riga, APO AE

09723

telephone: [371] 670-36200

FAX: [371] 678-20047

Lebanon

chief of mission: Ambassador Michele J. SISON

embassy: Awkar, Lebanon; (Awkar facing the Municipality)

mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Antelias, Lebanon; from US: US

Embassy Beirut, 6070 Beirut Place, Washington, DC 20521-6070

telephone: [961] (4) 542600, 543600

FAX: [961] (4) 544136

Lesotho

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert NOLAN

embassy: 254 Kingsway, Maseru West (Consular Section)

mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho

telephone: [266] 22 312666

FAX: [266] 22 310116

Liberia

chief of mission: Ambassador Linda THOMAS-GREENFIELD

embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 98, Mamba Point, 1000

Monrovia, 10

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [231] 7-705-4826

FAX: [231] 7-701-0370

Libya

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires J.

Christopher STEVENS

embassy: Serraj Area, Tripoli

mailing address: US Embassy, 8850 Tripoli Place, Washington, DC

20521-8850

telephone: [218] 91-220-0125

Liechtenstein

the US does not have an embassy in Liechtenstein; the

US Ambassador to Switzerland is accredited to Liechtenstein

Lithuania

chief of mission: Ambassador John A. CLOUD

embassy: Akmenu gatve 6, Vilnius, LT-03106

mailing address: American Embassy, Akmenu Gatve 6, Vilnius LT-03106

telephone: [370] (5) 266 5500

FAX: [370] (5) 266 5510

Luxembourg

chief of mission: Ambassador Ann WAGNER

embassy: 22 Boulevard Emmanuel Servais, L-2535 Luxembourg City

mailing address: American Embassy Luxembourg, Unit 1410, APO AE

09126-1410 (official mail); American Embassy Luxembourg, PSC 9, Box

9500, APO AE 09123 (personal mail)

telephone: [352] 46 01 23

FAX: [352] 46 14 01

Macau

the US has no offices in Macau; US Consulate General in Hong

Kong is accredited to Macau

Macedonia

chief of mission: Ambassador Philip T. REEKER

embassy: Bul. Ilindenska bb, 1000 Skopje

mailing address: American Embassy Skopje, US Department of State,

7120 Skopje Place, Washington, DC 20521-7120 (pouch)

telephone: [389] 2 311-6180

FAX: [389] 2 311-7103

Madagascar

chief of mission: Ambassador R. Niels MARQUARDT

embassy: 14-16 Rue Rainitovo, Antsahavola, Antananarivo 101

mailing address: B. P. 620, Antsahavola, Antananarivo

telephone: [261] (20) 22-212-57, 22-212-73, 22-209-56

FAX: [261] (20) 22-345-39

Malawi

chief of mission: Ambassador Peter W. BODDE

embassy: 16 Jomo Kenyatta Road, Lilongwe 3

mailing address: P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe 3, Malawi

telephone: [265] (1) 773 166

FAX: [265] (1) 770 471

Malaysia

chief of mission: Ambassador James R. KEITH

embassy: 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur

mailing address: US Embassy Kuala Lumpur, APO AP 96535-8152

telephone: [60] (3) 2168-5000

FAX: [60] (3) 2142-2207

Maldives

the US does not have an embassy in Maldives; the US

Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic

visits

Mali

chief of mission: Ambassador Gillian A. MILOVANOVIC

embassy: located just off the Roi Bin Fahad Aziz Bridge just west of

the Bamako central district

mailing address: ACI 2000, Rue 243, Porte 297, Bamako

telephone: [223] 270-2300

FAX: [223] 270-2479

Malta

chief of mission: Ambassador Molly BORDONARO

embassy: 3rd Floor, Development House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana,

VLT 01

mailing address: P. O. Box 535, Valletta, CMR01

telephone: [356] 2561 4000

FAX: [356] 21 243229

Marshall Islands

chief of mission: Ambassador Clyde BISHOP

embassy: Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro

mailing address: P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall

Islands 96960-1379

telephone: [692] 247-4011

FAX: [692] 247-4012

Mauritania

chief of mission: Ambassador Mark M. BOULWARE

embassy: 288 Rue Abdallaye, Rue 42-100 (between Presidency building

and Spanish Embassy), Nouakchott

mailing address: BP 222, Nouakchott

telephone: [222] 525-2660/525-2663

FAX: [222] 525-1592

Mauritius

chief of mission: Ambassador Cesar CABRERA

embassy: 4th Floor, Rogers House, John Kennedy Street, Port Louis

mailing address: international mail: P. O. Box 544, Port Louis; US

mail: American Embassy, Port Louis, US Department of State,

Washington, DC 20521-2450

telephone: [230] 202-4400

FAX: [230] 208-9534

Mayotte

none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)

Mexico

chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio O. GARZA, Jr.

embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico,

Distrito Federal

mailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 78520-9000

telephone: [52] (55) 5080-2000

FAX: [52] (55) 5511-9980

consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana

consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo

Micronesia, Federated States of

chief of mission: Ambassador Miriam

K. HUGHES

embassy: 101 Upper Pics Road, Kolonia

mailing address: P. O. Box 1286, Kolonia, Pohnpei, 96941

telephone: [691] 320-2187

FAX: [691] 320-2186

Moldova

chief of mission: Ambassador Asif CHAUDHRY

embassy: 103 Mateevici Street, Chisinau MD-2009

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [373] (22) 40-8300

FAX: [373] (22) 23-3044

Monaco

the US does not have an embassy in Monaco; the US Ambassador

to France is accredited to Monaco; the US Consul General in

Marseille (France), under the authority of the US ambassador to

France, handles routine diplomatic and consular matters concerning

Monaco

Mongolia

chief of mission: Ambassador Mark C. MINTON

embassy: Big Ring Road, 11th Micro Region, Ulaanbaatar

mailing address: PSC 461, Box 300, FPO AP 96521-0002; P.O. Box 1021,

Ulaanbaatar-13

telephone: [976] (11) 329-095

FAX: [976] (11) 320-776

Montenegro

chief of mission: Ambassador Roderick W. MOORE

embassy: Ljubljanska bb, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [382] 81 225 417

FAX: [382] 81 241 358

Montserrat

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Morocco

chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas T. RILEY

embassy: 2 Avenue de Mohamed El Fassi, Rabat

mailing address: PSC 74, Box 021, APO AE 09718

telephone: [212] (37) 76 22 65

FAX: [212] (37) 76 56 61

consulate(s) general: Casablanca

Mozambique

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires

Todd C. CHAPMAN

embassy: Avenida Kenneth Kuanda 193, Maputo

mailing address: P. O. Box 783, Maputo

telephone: [258] (21) 492797

FAX: [258] (21) 490114

Namibia

chief of mission: Ambassador G. Dennise MATHIEU

embassy: 14 Lossen Street, Windhoek

mailing address: Private Bag 12029 Ausspannplatz, Windhoek

telephone: [264] (61) 295-8500

FAX: [264] (61) 295-8603

Nauru

the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to

Fiji is accredited to Nauru

Navassa Island

none (territory of the US)

Nepal

chief of mission: Ambassador Nancy J. POWELL

embassy: Maharajgunj, Kathmandu

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [977] (1) 400-7200

FAX: [977] (1) 400-7272

Netherlands

chief of mission: Ambassador James B. CULBERTSON

embassy: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ, The Hague

mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715

telephone: [31] (70) 310-2209

FAX: [31] (70) 361-4688

consulate(s) general: Amsterdam

Netherlands Antilles

chief of mission: Consul General Robert E.

SORENSON

consulate(s) general: J. B. Gorsiraweg #1, Willemstad, Curacao

mailing address: P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao

telephone: [599] (9) 461-3066

FAX: [599] (9) 461-6489

New Caledonia

none (overseas territory of France)

New Zealand

chief of mission: Ambassador William P. McCORMICK

embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington

mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP

96531-1034

telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000

FAX: [64] (4) 499-0490

consulate(s) general: Auckland

Nicaragua

chief of mission: Ambassador Paul A. TRIVELLI

embassy: Kilometer 5.5 Carretera Sur, Managua

mailing address: American Embassy Managua, APO AA 34021

telephone: [505] 252-7100, 252-7888; 252-7634 (after hours)

FAX: [505] 252-7304

Niger

chief of mission: Ambassador Bernadette M. ALLEN

embassy: Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey

mailing address: B. P. 11201, Niamey

telephone: [227] 20-72-26-61 thru 64

FAX: [227] 20-73-31-67

Nigeria

chief of mission: Ambassador Robin SANDERS

embassy: 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central District Area, Abuja

mailing address: P. O. Box 5760, Garki, Abuja

telephone: [234] (9) 461-4000

FAX: [234] (9) 461-4036

Niue

none (self-governing territory in free association with New

Zealand)

Norfolk Island

none (territory of Australia)

Norway

chief of mission: Ambassador Benson K. WHITNEY

embassy: Henrik Ibsens gate 48, 0244 Oslo; note - the embassy will

move to Huseby in the near future

mailing address: PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 09707

telephone: [47] (22) 44 85 50

FAX: [47] (22) 44 33 63, 56 27 51

Oman

chief of mission: Ambassador Gary A. GRAPPO

embassy: Jameat A'Duwal Al Arabiya Street, Al Khuwair area, Muscat

mailing address: P. O. Box 202, P.C. 115, Madinat Sultan Qaboos,

Muscat

telephone: [968] 24-643-400

FAX: [968] 24-699771

Pakistan

chief of mission: Ambassador Anne W. PATTERSON

embassy: Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad

mailing address: P. O. Box 1048, Unit 62200, APO AE 09812-2200

telephone: [92] (51) 208-0000

FAX: [92] (51) 2276427

consulate(s) general: Karachi

consulate(s): Lahore, Peshawar

Palau

chief of mission: Charge d'Affaires Mark BEZNER

embassy: Koror (no street address)

mailing address: P. O. Box 6028, Republic of Palau 96940

telephone: [680] 488-2920, 2990

FAX: [680] 488-2911

Panama

chief of mission: Ambassador William A. EATON

embassy: Edificio 783, Avenida Demetrio Basilio Lakas Panama,

Apartado Postal 0816-02561, Zona 5, Panama City

mailing address: American Embassy Panama, Unit 0945, APO AA 34002

telephone: [507] 207-7000

FAX: [507] 317-5568

Papua New Guinea

chief of mission: Ambassador Leslie V. ROWE

embassy: Douglas Street, Port Moresby, N.C.D.

mailing address: 4240 Port Moresby PI, US Department of State,

Washington DC 20521-4240

telephone: [675] 321-1455

FAX: [675] 321-3423

Paraguay

Ambassador Liliana AYALDE

embassy: 1776 Avenida Mariscal Lopez, Casilla Postal 402, Asuncion

mailing address: Unit 4711, APO AA 34036-0001

telephone: [595] (21) 213-715

FAX: [595] (21) 228-603

Peru

chief of mission: Ambassador P. Michael MCKINLEY

embassy: Avenida La Encalada, Cuadra 17s/n, Surco, Lima 33

mailing address: P. O. Box 1995, Lima 1; American Embassy (Lima),

APO AA 34031-5000

telephone: [51] (1) 434-3000

FAX: [51] (1) 618-2397

Philippines

chief of mission: Ambassador Kristie A. KENNEY

embassy: 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita 1000, Manila

mailing address: PSC 500, FPO AP 96515-1000

telephone: [63] (2) 301-2000

FAX: [63] (2) 301-2399

Pitcairn Islands

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Poland

chief of mission: Ambassador Victor ASHE

embassy: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31 00-540 Warsaw

mailing address: American Embassy Warsaw, US Department of State,

Washington, DC 20521-5010 (pouch)

telephone: [48] (22) 504-2000

FAX: [48] (22) 504-2688

consulate(s) general: Krakow

Portugal

chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas F. STEPHENSON

embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon

mailing address: Apartado 43033, 1601-301 Lisboa; PSC 83, APO AE

09726

telephone: [351] (21) 727-3300

FAX: [351] (21) 726-9109

consulate(s): Ponta Delgada (Azores)

Puerto Rico

none (territory of the US with commonwealth status)

Qatar

chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph E. LEBARON

embassy: Al-Luqta District, 22 February Road, Doha

mailing address: P. O. Box 2399, Doha

telephone: [974] 488 4161

FAX: [974] 488 4150

Romania

chief of mission: Ambassador Nicholas F. TAUBMAN

embassy: Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest

mailing address: pouch: American Embassy Bucharest, US Department of

State, 5260 Bucharest Place, Washington, DC 20521-5260 (pouch)

telephone: [40] (21) 200-3300

FAX: [40] (21) 200-3442

Russia

chief of mission: Ambassador John R. BEYRLE

embassy: Bolshoy Deviatinskiy Pereulok No. 8, 121099 Moscow

mailing address: PSC-77, APO AE 09721

telephone: [7] (495) 728-5000

FAX: [7] (495) 728-5090

consulate(s) general: Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg

Rwanda

chief of mission: Ambassador W. Stuart SYMINGTON

embassy: 2657 Avenue de la Gendarmerie, Kigali

mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali

telephone: [250] 596-400

FAX: [250] 596-591

Saint Barthelemy

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Saint Helena

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

the US does not have an embassy in Saint Kitts

and Nevis; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint

Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US

Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia

Saint Martin

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

none (territorial overseas collectivity of

France)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

the US does not have an embassy in

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador to Barbados is

accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

chief of mission: none; US Ambassador to New Zealand is

accredited to Samoa

embassy: Accident Corporation Building, 5th Floor, Matafele, Apia

mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Matafele, Apia

telephone: [685] 21436/21631/21452/22696

FAX: [685] 22030

San Marino

the US does not have an embassy in San Marino; the

ambassador to Italy is accredited to San Marino

Sao Tome and Principe

the US does not have an embassy in Sao Tome

and Principe; the Ambassador to Gabon is accredited to Sao Tome and

Principe on a nonresident basis and makes periodic visits to the

islands

Saudi Arabia

chief of mission: Ambassador Ford M. FRAKER

embassy: Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh

mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 61307, APO AE 09803-1307;

International Mail: P. O. Box 94309, Riyadh 11693

telephone: [966] (1) 488-3800

FAX: [966] (1) 488-7360

consulate(s) general: Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah)

Senegal

chief of mission: Ambassador Marcia S. BERNICAT

embassy: Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Rue Kleber, Dakar

mailing address: B. P. 49, Dakar

telephone: [221] 33-829-2100

FAX: [221] 33-822-2991

Serbia

chief of mission: Ambassador Cameron MUNTER

embassy: Kneza Milosa 50, 11000 Belgrade

mailing address: 5070 Belgrade Place, Washington, DC 20521-5070

telephone: [381] (11) 361-9344

FAX: [381] (11) 361-8230

Seychelles

the US does not have an embassy in Seychelles; the

ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to Seychelles

Sierra Leone

chief of mission: Ambassador June Carter PERRY

embassy: Southridge-Hill Station, Freetown

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [232] (22) 515 000 or [232] (76) 515 000

FAX: [232] (22) 515 355

Singapore

chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia L. HERBOLD

embassy: 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258508

mailing address: FPO AP 96507-0001

telephone: [65] 6476-9100

FAX: [65] 6476-9340

Slovakia

chief of mission: Ambassador Vincent OBSITNIK

embassy: Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 4, 81102 Bratislava

mailing address: P.O. Box 309, 814 99 Bratislava

telephone: [421] (2) 5443-3338

FAX: [421] (2) 5441-8861

Slovenia

chief of mission: Ambassador Yousif B. GHAFARI

embassy: Presernova 31, 1000 Ljubljana

mailing address: American Embassy Ljubljana, US Department of State,

7140 Ljubljana Place, Washington, DC 20521-7140

telephone: [386] (1) 200-5500

FAX: [386] (1) 200-5555

Solomon Islands

the US does not have an embassy in Solomon Islands

(embassy closed July 1993); the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is

accredited to the Solomon Islands

Somalia

the US does not have an embassy in Somalia; US interests are

represented by the US Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya at United Nations

Avenue, Nairobi; mailing address: Unit 64100, Nairobi; APO AE 09831;

telephone: [254] (20) 363-6000; FAX [254] (20) 363-6157

South Africa

chief of mission: Ambassador Eric BOST

embassy: 877 Pretorius Street, Pretoria

mailing address: P. O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001

telephone: [27] (12) 431-4000

FAX: [27] (12) 342-2299

consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

none (overseas

territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)

Spain

chief of mission: Ambassador Eduardo AGUIRRE, Jr.

embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid

mailing address: PSC 61, APO AE 09642

telephone: [34] (91) 587-2200

FAX: [34] (91) 587-2303

consulate(s) general: Barcelona

Sri Lanka

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert O. BLAKE, Jr.

embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3

mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo

telephone: [94] (11) 249-8500

FAX: [94] (11) 243-7345

Sudan

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires

Alberto M. FERNANDEZ

embassy: Sharia Ali Abdul Latif Street, Khartoum

mailing address: P. O. Box 699, Khartoum; APO AE 09829

telephone: [249] (183) 774701/2/3

FAX: [249] (183) 774137

Suriname

chief of mission: Ambassador Lisa Bobbie SCHREIBER HUGHES

embassy: Dr. Sophie Redmondstraat 129, Paramaribo

mailing address: US Department of State, PO Box 1821, Paramaribo

telephone: [597] 472-900

FAX: [597] 410-025

Swaziland

chief of mission: Ambassador Maurice S. PARKER

embassy: 2350 Mbabane Place, Mbabane

mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane

telephone: [268] 404-2445

FAX: [268] 404-2059

Sweden

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael M. WOOD

embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds Vag 31, SE-11589 Stockholm

mailing address: American Embassy Stockholm, US Department of State,

5750 Stockholm Place, Washington, DC 20521-5750

telephone: [46] (08) 783 53 00

FAX: [46] (08) 661 19 64

Switzerland

chief of mission: Ambassador Peter R. CONEWAY

embassy: Sulgeneckstrasse 19, CH-3007 Bern

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [41] (031) 357 70 11

FAX: [41] (031) 357 73 44

Syria

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Maura

CONNELLY

embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansour Street, No. 2, Damascus

mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus

telephone: [963] (11) 3391-4444

FAX: [963] (11) 3391-3999

Taiwan

none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the

people on Taiwan are maintained through an unofficial

instrumentality - the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) - which has

offices in the US and Taiwan; US office at 1700 N. Moore St., Suite

1700, Arlington, VA 22209-1996, telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474, FAX:

[1] (703) 841-1385); Taiwan offices at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road,

Section 3, Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (2) 2162-2000, FAX:

[886] (2) 2162-2251; #2 Chung Cheng 3rd Road, 5th Floor, Kaohsiung,

Taiwan, telephone: [886] (7) 238-7744, FAX: [886] (7) 238-5237; and

the American Trade Center, Room 3208 International Trade Building,

Taipei World Trade Center, 333 Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei,

Taiwan 10548, telephone: [886] (2) 2720-1550, FAX: [886] (2)

2757-7162

Tajikistan

chief of mission: Ambassador Tracey Ann JACOBSON

embassy: 109-A Ismoili Somoni Avenue, Dushanbe 734019

mailing address: 7090 Dushanbe Place, Dulles, VA 20189

telephone: [992] (37) 229-20-00

FAX: [992] (37) 229-20-50

Tanzania

chief of mission: Ambassador Mark GREEN

embassy: 686 Old Bagamoyo Road, Msasani, Dar es Salaam

mailing address: P. O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam

telephone: [255] (22) 266-8001

FAX: [255] (22) 266-8238, 266-8373

Thailand

chief of mission: Ambassador Eric G. JOHN

embassy: 120-122 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330

mailing address: APO AP 96546

telephone: [66] (2) 205-4000

FAX: [66] (2) 254-2990, 205-4131

consulate(s) general: Chiang Mai

Timor-Leste

chief of mission: Ambassador Hans G. KLEMM

embassy: Avenida de Portugal, Praia dos Conqueiros, Dili

mailing address: US Department of State, 8250 Dili Place,

Washington, DC 20521-8250

telephone: (670) 332-4684

FAX: (670) 331-3206

Togo

chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia McMahon HAWKINS

embassy: 4332 Blvd. Gnassingbe Eyadema, Cite OUA, Lome

mailing address: B. P. 852, Lome; 2300 Lome Place, Washington, DC

20512-2300

telephone: [228] 261-5470

FAX: [228] 261-5501

Tokelau

none (territory of New Zealand)

Tonga

the US does not have an embassy in Tonga; the ambassador to

Fiji is accredited to Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

chief of mission: Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN

embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain

mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain

telephone: [1] (868) 622-6371 through 6376

FAX: [1] (868) 822-5905

Tunisia

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert F. GODEC

embassy: Zone Nord-Est des Berges du Lac Nord de Tunis 1053

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [216] 71 107-000

FAX: [216] 71 963-263

Turkey

chief of mission: Ambassador Ross WILSON

embassy: 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara

mailing address: PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823

telephone: [90] (312) 455-5555

FAX: [90] (312) 467-0019

consulate(s) general: Istanbul

consulate(s): Adana; note - there is a Consular Agent in Izmir

Turkmenistan

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge

d'Affaires Richard M. MILES

embassy: No. 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat,

Turkmenistan 744000

mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070

telephone: [993] (12) 35-00-45

FAX: [993] (12) 39-26-14

Turks and Caicos Islands

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Tuvalu

the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador

to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu

Uganda

chief of mission: Ambassador Steven BROWNING

embassy: 1577 Ggaba Road, Kampala

mailing address: P. O. Box 7007, Kampala

telephone: [256] (414) 259, 306-001

FAX: [256] (414) 258-451

Ukraine

chief of mission: Ambassador William B. TAYLOR Jr.

embassy: 10 Yurii Kotsiubynsky Street, 01901 Kyiv

mailing address: 5850 Kiev Place, Washington, DC 20521-5850

telephone: [380] (44) 490-4000

FAX: [380] (44) 490-4085

United Arab Emirates

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard OLSON

embassy: Embassies District, Plot 38 Sector W59-02, Street No. 4,

Abu Dhabi

mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi

telephone: [971] (2) 414-2200

FAX: [971] (2) 414-2603

consulate(s) general: Dubai

United Kingdom

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert Holmes TUTTLE

embassy: 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 1AE

mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040

telephone: [44] (0) 20 7499-9000

FAX: [44] (0) 20 7629-9124

consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

none (territories of

the US)

Uruguay

chief of mission: Ambassador Frank E. BAXTER

embassy: Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo 11200

mailing address: APO AA 34035

telephone: [598] (2) 418-7777

FAX: [598] (2) 418-8611

Uzbekistan

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard B. NORLAND

embassy: 3 Moyqo'rq'on, 5th Block, Yunusobod District, Tashkent

100093

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [998] (71) 120-5450

FAX: [998] (71) 120-6335

Vanuatu

the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador

to Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu

Venezuela

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires

John CAULFIELD

embassy: Calle F con Calle Suapure, Urbanizacion Colinas de Valle

Arriba, Caracas 1080

mailing address: P. O. Box 62291, Caracas 1060-A; APO AA 34037

telephone: [58] (212) 975-6411, 907-8400 (after hours)

FAX: [58] (212) 907-8199

Vietnam

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael W. MICHALAK

embassy: 7 Lang Ha Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi

mailing address: PSC 461, Box 400, FPO AP 96521-0002

telephone: [84] (4) 3850-5000

FAX: [84] (4) 3850-5010

consulate(s) general: Ho Chi Minh City

Virgin Islands

none (territory of the US)

Wallis and Futuna

none (overseas territory of France)

Western Sahara

none

Yemen

chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen A. SECHE

embassy: Sa'awan Street, Sanaa

mailing address: P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa

telephone: [967] (1) 755-2000 ext. 2153 or 2266

FAX: [967] (1) 303-182

Zambia

chief of mission: Ambassador Donald E. BOOTH

embassy: corner of Independence and United Nations Avenues, Lusaka

mailing address: P. O. Box 31617, Lusaka

telephone: [260] (211) 250-955

FAX: [260] (211) 252-225

Zimbabwe

chief of mission: Ambassador James D. MCGEE

embassy: 172 Herbert Chitepo Avenue, Harare

mailing address: P. O. Box 3340, Harare

telephone: [263] (4) 250-593 and 250-594

FAX: [263] (4) 796-488, or 722-618

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2008 Transportation - note

Arctic Ocean

sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes;

the Northwest Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route

(Eurasia) are important seasonal waterways

Atlantic Ocean

Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two

important waterways; significant domestic commercial and

recreational use of Intracoastal Waterway on central and south

Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico coast of US; the International

Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of littoral states

and offshore Atlantic waters as high risk for piracy and armed

robbery against ships, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea off West

Africa, the east coast of Brazil, and the Caribbean Sea; numerous

commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor

and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargoes

stolen; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen

Bangladesh

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial

waters of Bangladesh as high risk for armed robbery against ships;

numerous commercial vessels have been attacked both at anchor and

while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen

Brazil

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and

offshore waters in the Atlantic Ocean as a significant risk for

piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels

have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway;

crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen

Djibouti

the International Maritime Bureau reports offshore waters

in the Gulf of Aden are high risk for piracy; numerous vessels,

including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked

and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crew, passengers,

and cargo are held for ransom

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

aids to navigation -

lighthouses: Europa Island 18m; Juan de Nova Island (W side) 37m;

Tromelin Island (NW point) 11m (all in the Iles Eparses district)

Georgia

large parts of transportation network are in poor condition

because of lack of maintenance and repair

Indian Ocean

the International Maritime Bureau reports the

territorial waters of littoral states and offshore waters as high

risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships, particularly in the

Gulf of Aden, along the east coast of Africa, the Bay of Bengal, and

the Strait of Malacca; numerous vessels, including commercial

shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at

anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and

cargoes stolen; crew and passengers are often held for ransom,

murdered, or cast adrift

Indonesia

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial

and offshore waters in the Strait of Malacca and South China Sea as

high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous

commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor

and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo

diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast

adrift

Malaysia

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial

and offshore waters in the Strait of Malacca and South China Sea as

high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous

commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor

and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo

diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast

adrift

Nigeria

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial

and offshore waters in the Niger Delta and Gulf of Guinea as high

risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial

vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while

underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen

Pacific Ocean

Inside Passage offers protected waters from southeast

Alaska to Puget Sound (Washington state); the International Maritime

Bureau reports the territorial waters of littoral states and

offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and

armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been

attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked

vessels are often disguised and cargoes stolen; crew and passengers

are often held for ransom, murdered, or cast adrift

Philippines

the International Maritime Bureau reports the

territorial and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk

for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial

vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while

underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to

ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift

Saint Barthelemy

nearest airport for international flights is

Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located in Sint Maarten

(Netherlands Antilles)

Saint Helena

there is no air connection to Saint Helena or Tristan

da Cunha; an international airport for Saint Helena is in

development for 2010

Saint Martin

nearest airport for international flights is Princess

Juliana International Airport (SXM) located in Sint Maarten

Singapore

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial

and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy

and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have

been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway;

hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in

East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift

Somalia

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial

and offshore waters in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean are high

risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous vessels,

including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked

and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crew, passengers,

and cargo are held for ransom

Southern Ocean

Drake Passage offers alternative to transit through

the Panama Canal

Tanzania

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial

and offshore waters in the Indian Ocean are high risk for piracy and

armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been

attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have

been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen

Venezuela

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial

and offshore waters in the Caribbean Sea as a significant risk for

piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous vessels, including

commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and

hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed

and stores or cargoes stolen

Vietnam

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial

and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy

and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have

been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway;

hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in

East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift

Wake Island

there are no commercial or civilian flights to and from

Wake Island, except in direct support of island missions; emergency

landing is available

Yemen

the International Maritime Bureau reports offshore waters in

the Gulf of Aden are high risk for piracy; numerous vessels,

including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked

and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crew, passengers,

and cargo are held for ransom

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2010 Age structure (%)

Afghanistan

0-14 years: 44.6% (male 7,474,394/female 7,121,145)

15-64 years: 53% (male 8,901,880/female 8,447,983)

65 years and over: 2.4% (male 383,830/female 409,144) (2008 est.)

Albania

0-14 years: 23.6% (male 447,126/female 406,757)

15-64 years: 66.9% (male 1,239,819/female 1,180,720)

65 years and over: 9.5% (male 160,241/female 185,115) (2008 est.)

Algeria

0-14 years: 26.3% (male 4,528,919/female 4,349,746)

15-64 years: 68.7% (male 11,699,701/female 11,509,619)

65 years and over: 5% (male 779,467/female 902,217) (2008 est.)

American Samoa

0-14 years: 34.4% (male 11,337/female 10,946)

15-64 years: 61.8% (male 20,335/female 19,728)

65 years and over: 3.8% (male 1,161/female 1,320) (2008 est.)

Andorra

0-14 years: 15.5% (male 6,606/female 6,192)

15-64 years: 72.5% (male 31,313/female 28,563)

65 years and over: 12% (male 4,906/female 5,047) (2008 est.)

Angola

0-14 years: 43.6% (male 2,760,264/female 2,707,665)

15-64 years: 53.6% (male 3,416,914/female 3,302,552)

65 years and over: 2.7% (male 151,609/female 192,353) (2008 est.)

Anguilla

0-14 years: 24.8% (male 1,795/female 1,706)

15-64 years: 67.6% (male 4,569/female 4,970)

65 years and over: 7.6% (male 510/female 558) (2008 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

0-14 years: 27.2% (male 11,670/female 11,318)

15-64 years: 66.3% (male 26,138/female 29,859)

65 years and over: 6.6% (male 2,408/female 3,129) (2008 est.)

Argentina

0-14 years: 25.8% (male 5,341,642/female 5,095,325)

15-64 years: 63.5% (male 12,807,458/female 12,884,745)

65 years and over: 10.8% (male 1,784,652/female 2,568,176) (2008

est.)

Armenia

0-14 years: 18.7% (male 296,401/female 259,594)

15-64 years: 70.3% (male 975,438/female 1,111,989)

65 years and over: 11% (male 128,398/female 196,766) (2008 est.)

Aruba

0-14 years: 19.4% (male 9,933/female 9,747)

15-64 years: 70.3% (male 34,123/female 37,228)

65 years and over: 10.4% (male 4,189/female 6,321) (2008 est.)

Australia

0-14 years: 18.8% (male 2,022,151/female 1,919,002)

15-64 years: 67.9% (male 7,233,555/female 7,038,722)

65 years and over: 13.3% (male 1,266,166/female 1,527,714) (2008

est.)

Austria

0-14 years: 14.8% (male 621,326/female 592,131)

15-64 years: 67.5% (male 2,783,531/female 2,753,389)

65 years and over: 17.7% (male 599,415/female 855,741) (2008 est.)

Azerbaijan

0-14 years: 24.6% (male 1,061,318/female 947,607)

15-64 years: 68.6% (male 2,753,277/female 2,855,406)

65 years and over: 6.8% (male 208,293/female 351,816) (2008 est.)

Bahamas, The

0-14 years: 26.4% (male 40,608/female 40,506)

15-64 years: 66.9% (male 101,150/female 104,457)

65 years and over: 6.7% (male 8,472/female 12,258) (2008 est.)

Bahrain

0-14 years: 26.4% (male 95,709/female 93,747)

15-64 years: 69.8% (male 288,957/female 212,706)

65 years and over: 3.8% (male 14,224/female 12,963) (2008 est.)

Bangladesh

0-14 years: 33.4% (male 26,364,370/female 24,859,792)

15-64 years: 63.1% (male 49,412,903/female 47,468,013)

65 years and over: 3.5% (male 2,912,321/female 2,529,502) (2008 est.)

Barbados

0-14 years: 19.3% (male 27,270/female 27,193)

15-64 years: 71.7% (male 99,357/female 102,683)

65 years and over: 9% (male 9,856/female 15,609) (2008 est.)

Belarus

0-14 years: 14.4% (male 717,885/female 677,254)

15-64 years: 70.9% (male 3,333,699/female 3,531,920)

65 years and over: 14.7% (male 459,627/female 965,383) (2008 est.)

Belgium

0-14 years: 16.3% (male 864,287/female 828,435)

15-64 years: 66.3% (male 3,476,802/female 3,416,383)

65 years and over: 17.5% (male 751,745/female 1,066,299) (2008 est.)

Belize

0-14 years: 38.4% (male 58,987/female 56,674)

15-64 years: 58.1% (male 88,521/female 86,450)

65 years and over: 3.5% (male 5,095/female 5,543) (2008 est.)

Benin

0-14 years: 45.5% (male 1,978,897/female 1,901,005)

15-64 years: 51.9% (male 2,195,667/female 2,236,458)

65 years and over: 2.6% (male 91,213/female 129,307) (2008 est.)

Bermuda

0-14 years: 18% (male 6,055/female 5,954)

15-64 years: 69.1% (male 22,795/female 23,189)

65 years and over: 12.8% (male 3,728/female 4,815) (2008 est.)

Bhutan

0-14 years: 30.8% (male 107,360/female 103,093)

15-64 years: 63.7% (male 231,323/female 203,649)

65 years and over: 5.4% (male 19,561/female 17,335) (2008 est.)

Bolivia

0-14 years: 33.5% (male 1,580,887/female 1,519,960)

15-64 years: 61.8% (male 2,800,457/female 2,912,375)

65 years and over: 4.7% (male 192,701/female 241,436) (2008 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

0-14 years: 14.7% (male 347,679/female

326,091)

15-64 years: 70.6% (male 1,634,053/female 1,606,341)

65 years and over: 14.7% (male 277,504/female 398,642) (2008 est.)

Botswana

0-14 years: 35.2% (male 329,418/female 318,160)

15-64 years: 60.9% (male 566,239/female 556,286)

65 years and over: 3.9% (male 29,165/female 43,055) (2008 est.)

Brazil

0-14 years: 27% (male 26,986,909/female 25,961,947)

15-64 years: 66.8% (male 64,939,225/female 66,157,812)

65 years and over: 6.3% (male 5,182,987/female 7,113,707) (2008 est.)

British Virgin Islands

0-14 years: 20% (male 2,432/female 2,366)

15-64 years: 74.4% (male 9,178/female 8,715)

65 years and over: 5.6% (male 697/female 653) (2008 est.)

Brunei

0-14 years: 27.2% (male 53,400/female 50,333)

15-64 years: 69.6% (male 132,895/female 132,391)

65 years and over: 3.2% (male 5,927/female 6,425) (2008 est.)

Bulgaria

0-14 years: 13.8% (male 514,238/female 489,608)

15-64 years: 68.6% (male 2,449,812/female 2,532,845)

65 years and over: 17.6% (male 520,962/female 755,210) (2008 est.)

Burkina Faso

0-14 years: 46.3% (male 3,549,034/female 3,521,684)

15-64 years: 51.1% (male 3,885,124/female 3,922,198)

65 years and over: 2.5% (male 154,476/female 232,219) (2008 est.)

Burma

0-14 years: 25.7% (male 6,236,484/female 6,038,576)

15-64 years: 68.9% (male 16,300,380/female 16,627,045)

65 years and over: 5.4% (male 1,098,344/female 1,457,352) (2008 est.)

Burundi

0-14 years: 46.3% (male 2,021,320/female 1,998,502)

15-64 years: 51.2% (male 2,210,157/female 2,240,921)

65 years and over: 2.5% (male 87,600/female 132,505) (2008 est.)

Cambodia

0-14 years: 33.2% (male 2,389,668/female 2,338,838)

15-64 years: 63.2% (male 4,372,480/female 4,627,895)

65 years and over: 3.6% (male 193,338/female 319,421) (2008 est.)

Cameroon

0-14 years: 41.1% (male 3,826,232/female 3,757,859)

15-64 years: 55.7% (male 5,164,338/female 5,122,817)

65 years and over: 3.2% (male 274,821/female 321,625) (2008 est.)

Canada

0-14 years: 16.3% (male 2,780,491/female 2,644,276)

15-64 years: 68.8% (male 11,547,354/female 11,300,639)

65 years and over: 14.9% (male 2,150,991/female 2,788,945) (2008

est.)

Cape Verde

0-14 years: 36.1% (male 77,533/female 76,489)

15-64 years: 57.4% (male 120,208/female 125,009)

65 years and over: 6.5% (male 10,226/female 17,533) (2008 est.)

Cayman Islands

0-14 years: 19.9% (male 4,774/female 4,759)

15-64 years: 71.1% (male 16,594/female 17,434)

65 years and over: 9% (male 2,022/female 2,279) (2008 est.)

Central African Republic

0-14 years: 41.3% (male 922,053/female

911,601)

15-64 years: 54.6% (male 1,206,121/female 1,221,158)

65 years and over: 4.1% (male 71,597/female 111,800) (2008 est.)

Chad

0-14 years: 47% (male 2,408,638/female 2,346,984)

15-64 years: 50.1% (male 2,317,406/female 2,746,104)

65 years and over: 2.9% (male 123,561/female 168,644) (2008 est.)

Chile

0-14 years: 23.6% (male 1,987,962/female 1,899,489)

15-64 years: 67.6% (male 5,556,867/female 5,563,666)

65 years and over: 8.8% (male 602,789/female 843,370) (2008 est.)

China

0-14 years: 20.1% (male 142,085,665/female 125,300,391)

15-64 years: 71.9% (male 491,513,378/female 465,020,030)

65 years and over: 8% (male 50,652,480/female 55,472,661) (2008 est.)

Christmas Island

0-14 years: NA

15-64 years: NA

65 years and over: NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

0-14 years: NA

15-64 years: NA

65 years and over: NA

Colombia

0-14 years: 29.4% (male 6,688,530/female 6,531,768)

15-64 years: 65.1% (male 14,292,647/female 15,017,204)

65 years and over: 5.5% (male 1,072,644/female 1,410,881) (2008 est.)

Comoros

0-14 years: 42.4% (male 155,662/female 154,520)

15-64 years: 54.6% (male 197,178/female 202,231)

65 years and over: 3% (male 10,203/female 11,981) (2008 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

0-14 years: 47.1% (male

15,711,817/female 15,594,449)

15-64 years: 50.4% (male 16,672,399/female 16,875,468)

65 years and over: 2.5% (male 674,766/female 985,607) (2008 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

0-14 years: 46.1% (male 906,345/female

894,568)

15-64 years: 51% (male 989,126/female 1,002,682)

65 years and over: 2.8% (male 45,560/female 65,037) (2008 est.)

Cook Islands

0-14 years: (male 1,834/female 1,624)

15-64 years: (male 3,973/female 3,747)

65 years and over: (male 542/female 551)

Costa Rica

0-14 years: 27.2% (male 584,782/female 557,952)

15-64 years: 66.8% (male 1,416,456/female 1,384,692)

65 years and over: 6% (male 116,461/female 135,571) (2008 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

0-14 years: 40.9% (male 4,161,238/female 4,092,593)

15-64 years: 56.3% (male 5,790,503/female 5,568,621)

65 years and over: 2.8% (male 285,116/female 281,531) (2008 est.)

Croatia

0-14 years: 15.8% (male 363,551/female 345,132)

15-64 years: 67.2% (male 1,501,949/female 1,517,962)

65 years and over: 17% (male 295,229/female 467,720) (2008 est.)

Cuba

0-14 years: 18.5% (male 1,088,311/female 1,030,499)

15-64 years: 70.5% (male 4,029,381/female 4,025,154)

65 years and over: 10.9% (male 569,002/female 681,605) (2008 est.)

Cyprus

0-14 years: 19.5% (male 78,922/female 75,523)

15-64 years: 68.5% (male 275,223/female 267,798)

65 years and over: 12% (male 41,592/female 53,546) (2008 est.)

Czech Republic

0-14 years: 13.8% (male 723,521/female 684,786)

15-64 years: 71.2% (male 3,653,679/female 3,619,872)

65 years and over: 15.1% (male 604,419/female 934,634) (2008 est.)

Denmark

0-14 years: 18.4% (male 516,735/female 490,532)

15-64 years: 65.9% (male 1,818,681/female 1,796,753)

65 years and over: 15.7% (male 374,388/female 487,634) (2008 est.)

Djibouti

0-14 years: 43.3% (male 110,089/female 109,331)

15-64 years: 53.1% (male 139,164/female 129,614)

65 years and over: 3.6% (male 9,068/female 8,955) (2008 est.)

Dominica

0-14 years: 24.7% (male 9,175/female 8,762)

15-64 years: 65.1% (male 24,192/female 22,995)

65 years and over: 10.2% (male 3,178/female 4,212) (2008 est.)

Dominican Republic

0-14 years: 31.8% (male 1,537,981/female

1,482,546)

15-64 years: 62.4% (male 3,029,349/female 2,905,471)

65 years and over: 5.8% (male 255,898/female 295,888) (2008 est.)

Ecuador

0-14 years: 32.1% (male 2,274,986/female 2,189,437)

15-64 years: 62.7% (male 4,355,909/female 4,381,141)

65 years and over: 5.2% (male 340,861/female 385,316) (2008 est.)

Egypt

0-14 years: 31.8% (male 13,292,961/female 12,690,711)

15-64 years: 63.5% (male 26,257,440/female 25,627,390)

65 years and over: 4.7% (male 1,636,560/female 2,208,455) (2008 est.)

El Salvador

0-14 years: 35.8% (male 1,291,147/female 1,237,453)

15-64 years: 59% (male 1,987,671/female 2,179,620)

65 years and over: 5.2% (male 162,100/female 208,412) (2008 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

0-14 years: 42% (male 131,696/female 127,253)

15-64 years: 53.8% (male 162,458/female 169,445)

65 years and over: 4.2% (male 11,394/female 14,213) (2008 est.)

Eritrea

0-14 years: 43% (male 1,188,496/female 1,178,520)

15-64 years: 53.4% (male 1,437,653/female 1,502,449)

65 years and over: 3.5% (male 89,634/female 105,274) (2008 est.)

Estonia

0-14 years: 14.9% (male 100,143/female 94,450)

15-64 years: 67.5% (male 420,896/female 462,072)

65 years and over: 17.6% (male 76,171/female 153,873) (2008 est.)

Ethiopia

0-14 years: 46% (male 18,922,334/female 19,017,593)

15-64 years: 51.4% (male 20,749,002/female 21,656,509)

65 years and over: 2.7% (male 947,323/female 1,252,077) (2008 est.)

European Union

0-14 years: 15.7% (male 37,208,905/female 35,254,445)

15-64 years: 67.2% (male 155,807,769/female 153,690,235)

65 years and over: 17.1% (male 32,592,595/female 46,273,197) (2008

est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

0-14 years: NA

15-64 years: NA

65 years and over: NA

Faroe Islands

0-14 years: 21.9% (male 5,489/female 5,166)

15-64 years: 64% (male 16,650/female 14,482)

65 years and over: 14.1% (male 3,233/female 3,648) (2008 est.)

Fiji

0-14 years: 30.6% (male 145,430/female 139,498)

15-64 years: 64.8% (male 302,460/female 301,344)

65 years and over: 4.6% (male 19,413/female 23,596) (2008 est.)

Finland

0-14 years: 16.6% (male 443,738/female 427,875)

15-64 years: 66.8% (male 1,773,232/female 1,731,808)

65 years and over: 16.6% (male 349,826/female 518,270) (2008 est.)

France

0-14 years: 18.6% (male 6,091,571/female 5,803,127)

15-64 years: 65.2% (male 20,884,919/female 20,849,988)

65 years and over: 16.3% (male 4,335,996/female 6,092,189) (2008

est.)

French Polynesia

0-14 years: 24.8% (male 35,903/female 34,364)

15-64 years: 68.6% (male 100,700/female 93,492)

65 years and over: 6.6% (male 9,374/female 9,186) (2008 est.)

Gabon

0-14 years: 42.1% (male 314,078/female 311,900)

15-64 years: 53.9% (male 399,586/female 401,602)

65 years and over: 3.9% (male 24,388/female 34,278) (2008 est.)

Gambia, The

0-14 years: 43.9% (male 382,385/female 378,853)

15-64 years: 53.4% (male 459,315/female 466,689)

65 years and over: 2.8% (male 24,303/female 23,919) (2008 est.)

Gaza Strip

0-14 years: 44.7% (male 343,988/female 325,856)

15-64 years: 52.7% (male 403,855/female 386,681)

65 years and over: 2.7% (male 16,196/female 23,626) (2008 est.)

Georgia

0-14 years: 16.3% (male 402,961/female 352,735)

15-64 years: 67.1% (male 1,496,802/female 1,610,725)

65 years and over: 16.6% (male 307,795/female 459,823) (2008 est.)

Germany

0-14 years: 13.8% (male 5,826,066/female 5,524,568)

15-64 years: 66.2% (male 27,763,917/female 26,739,934)

65 years and over: 20% (male 6,892,743/female 9,622,320) (2008 est.)

Ghana

0-14 years: 37.8% (male 4,470,382/female 4,360,359)

15-64 years: 58.7% (male 6,852,363/female 6,866,470)

65 years and over: 3.6% (male 386,150/female 447,124) (2008 est.)

Gibraltar

0-14 years: 16.9% (male 2,426/female 2,309)

15-64 years: 66.6% (male 9,507/female 9,153)

65 years and over: 16.5% (male 2,103/female 2,504) (2008 est.)

Greece

0-14 years: 14.3% (male 789,137/female 742,469)

15-64 years: 66.6% (male 3,568,101/female 3,575,572)

65 years and over: 19.1% (male 898,337/female 1,149,200) (2008 est.)

Greenland

0-14 years: 23.5% (male 6,867/female 6,634)

15-64 years: 69.9% (male 21,683/female 18,575)

65 years and over: 6.6% (male 1,892/female 1,913) (2008 est.)

Grenada

0-14 years: 32.4% (male 14,725/female 14,524)

15-64 years: 64.7% (male 30,911/female 27,502)

65 years and over: 3% (male 1,310/female 1,371) (2008 est.)

Guam

0-14 years: 28.2% (male 25,644/female 23,910)

15-64 years: 64.8% (male 58,034/female 55,900)

65 years and over: 7% (male 5,801/female 6,588) (2008 est.)

Guatemala

0-14 years: 40.1% (male 2,653,915/female 2,565,841)

15-64 years: 56.2% (male 3,539,874/female 3,762,471)

65 years and over: 3.7% (male 222,303/female 257,802) (2008 est.)

Guernsey

0-14 years: 14.6% (male 4,849/female 4,727)

15-64 years: 67.5% (male 22,013/female 22,380)

65 years and over: 17.9% (male 4,988/female 6,769) (2008 est.)

Guinea

0-14 years: 42.9% (male 2,126,575/female 2,080,048)

15-64 years: 53.7% (male 2,628,675/female 2,633,876)

65 years and over: 3.4% (male 148,159/female 189,176) (2008 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

0-14 years: 41% (male 307,353/female 308,726)

15-64 years: 55.9% (male 404,747/female 436,245)

65 years and over: 3.1% (male 18,819/female 27,292) (2008 est.)

Guyana

0-14 years: 25.9% (male 101,712/female 97,907)

15-64 years: 68.7% (male 267,239/female 262,188)

65 years and over: 5.4% (male 17,610/female 24,138) (2008 est.)

Haiti

0-14 years: 41.8% (male 1,881,509/female 1,851,591)

15-64 years: 54.7% (male 2,386,761/female 2,495,233)

65 years and over: 3.5% (male 135,695/female 173,764) (2008 est.)

Honduras

0-14 years: 38.7% (male 1,508,835/female 1,446,530)

15-64 years: 57.8% (male 2,210,187/female 2,203,620)

65 years and over: 3.5% (male 121,839/female 148,316) (2008 est.)

Hong Kong

0-14 years: 12.6% (male 463,300/female 422,945)

15-64 years: 74.4% (male 2,535,246/female 2,684,495)

65 years and over: 13% (male 425,500/female 487,150) (2008 est.)

Hungary

0-14 years: 15.2% (male 774,092/female 730,485)

15-64 years: 69.3% (male 3,393,630/female 3,488,011)

65 years and over: 15.6% (male 559,483/female 985,214) (2008 est.)

Iceland

0-14 years: 21% (male 32,500/female 31,566)

15-64 years: 67% (male 103,231/female 100,545)

65 years and over: 12% (male 16,530/female 19,995) (2008 est.)

India

0-14 years: 31.5% (male 189,238,487/female 172,168,306)

15-64 years: 63.3% (male 374,157,581/female 352,868,003)

65 years and over: 5.2% (male 28,285,796/female 31,277,725) (2008

est.)

Indonesia

0-14 years: 28.4% (male 34,343,198/female 33,175,135)

15-64 years: 65.7% (male 78,330,830/female 77,812,339)

65 years and over: 5.8% (male 6,151,305/female 7,699,548) (2008 est.)

Iran

0-14 years: 22.3% (male 7,548,116/female 7,164,921)

15-64 years: 72.3% (male 24,090,976/female 23,522,861)

65 years and over: 5.4% (male 1,713,533/female 1,834,816) (2008 est.)

Iraq

0-14 years: 39.2% (male 5,613,420/female 5,438,770)

15-64 years: 57.9% (male 8,270,573/female 8,057,423)

65 years and over: 3% (male 396,751/female 444,244) (2008 est.)

Ireland

0-14 years: 20.9% (male 448,333/female 418,476)

15-64 years: 67.3% (male 1,400,222/female 1,398,194)

65 years and over: 11.8% (male 218,459/female 272,435) (2008 est.)

Isle of Man

0-14 years: 17% (male 6,629/female 6,318)

15-64 years: 65.9% (male 25,251/female 24,959)

65 years and over: 17.1% (male 5,294/female 7,769) (2008 est.)

Israel

0-14 years: 28% (male 1,018,229/female 971,083)

15-64 years: 62.2% (male 2,242,928/female 2,183,688)

65 years and over: 9.8% (male 303,289/female 393,142) (2008 est.)

Italy

0-14 years: 13.6% (male 4,086,951/female 3,842,765)

15-64 years: 66.3% (male 19,534,247/female 19,024,776)

65 years and over: 20% (male 4,864,189/female 6,792,393) (2008 est.)

Jamaica

0-14 years: 32% (male 455,871/female 440,928)

15-64 years: 60.6% (male 837,241/female 861,906)

65 years and over: 7.4% (male 93,415/female 114,971) (2008 est.)

Japan

0-14 years: 13.7% (male 8,926,439/female 8,460,629)

15-64 years: 64.7% (male 41,513,061/female 40,894,057)

65 years and over: 21.6% (male 11,643,845/female 15,850,388) (2008

est.)

Jersey

0-14 years: 16.6% (male 7,851/female 7,298)

15-64 years: 67.5% (male 30,744/female 30,997)

65 years and over: 16% (male 6,499/female 8,144) (2008 est.)

Jordan

0-14 years: 32.2% (male 1,017,233/female 976,284)

15-64 years: 63.7% (male 2,110,293/female 1,840,531)

65 years and over: 4.1% (male 122,975/female 131,361) (2008 est.)

Kazakhstan

0-14 years: 22.1% (male 1,734,622/female 1,659,723)

15-64 years: 69.6% (male 5,219,983/female 5,463,468)

65 years and over: 8.2% (male 443,483/female 819,254) (2008 est.)

Kenya

0-14 years: 42.2% (male 8,065,789/female 7,953,077)

15-64 years: 55.2% (male 10,498,468/female 10,434,764)

65 years and over: 2.6% (male 457,886/female 543,854) (2008 est.)

Kiribati

0-14 years: 37.9% (male 21,180/female 20,604)

15-64 years: 58.7% (male 31,993/female 32,797)

65 years and over: 3.4% (male 1,606/female 2,176) (2008 est.)

Korea, North

0-14 years: 22.9% (male 2,733,352/female 2,654,186)

15-64 years: 68.2% (male 7,931,484/female 8,083,626)

65 years and over: 8.8% (male 751,401/female 1,325,040) (2008 est.)

Korea, South

0-14 years: 17.4% (male 4,431,315/female 4,004,810)

15-64 years: 72% (male 17,760,975/female 17,095,436)

65 years and over: 10.5% (male 2,030,931/female 3,055,925) (2008

est.)

Kuwait

0-14 years: 26.6% (male 351,057/female 338,634)

15-64 years: 70.6% (male 1,172,460/female 659,927)

65 years and over: 2.9% (male 46,770/female 27,951) (2008 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

0-14 years: 29.9% (male 817,369/female 784,782)

15-64 years: 64% (male 1,681,440/female 1,748,222)

65 years and over: 6.1% (male 127,263/female 197,793) (2008 est.)

Laos

0-14 years: 41% (male 1,374,966/female 1,362,945)

15-64 years: 55.9% (male 1,846,375/female 1,885,029)

65 years and over: 3.1% (male 91,028/female 117,191) (2008 est.)

Latvia

0-14 years: 13.4% (male 154,077/female 146,825)

15-64 years: 69.7% (male 760,976/female 803,106)

65 years and over: 16.9% (male 124,658/female 255,781) (2008 est.)

Lebanon

0-14 years: 26% (male 526,994/female 505,894)

15-64 years: 66.8% (male 1,275,021/female 1,380,131)

65 years and over: 7.1% (male 128,002/female 155,899) (2008 est.)

Lesotho

0-14 years: 35.3% (male 377,784/female 372,840)

15-64 years: 59.8% (male 621,687/female 649,981)

65 years and over: 5% (male 42,348/female 63,540) (2008 est.)

Liberia

0-14 years: 44% (male 734,375/female 731,287)

15-64 years: 53.3% (male 879,848/female 896,319)

65 years and over: 2.8% (male 45,175/female 47,583) (2008 est.)

Libya

0-14 years: 33.2% (male 1,046,400/female 1,002,148)

15-64 years: 62.6% (male 1,988,038/female 1,875,034)

65 years and over: 4.2% (male 128,386/female 133,573) (2008 est.)

Liechtenstein

0-14 years: 16.9% (male 2,892/female 2,927)

15-64 years: 69.8% (male 11,905/female 12,180)

65 years and over: 13.3% (male 1,964/female 2,630) (2008 est.)

Lithuania

0-14 years: 14.5% (male 264,668/female 250,997)

15-64 years: 69.5% (male 1,214,236/female 1,263,198)

65 years and over: 16% (male 197,498/female 374,608) (2008 est.)

Luxembourg

0-14 years: 18.6% (male 46,729/female 43,889)

15-64 years: 66.6% (male 163,356/female 160,425)

65 years and over: 14.7% (male 29,206/female 42,401) (2008 est.)

Macau

0-14 years: 16.5% (male 47,935/female 42,301)

15-64 years: 75.8% (male 193,571/female 220,108)

65 years and over: 7.7% (male 19,340/female 22,419) (2008 est.)

Macedonia

0-14 years: 19.5% (male 207,954/female 193,428)

15-64 years: 69.3% (male 719,708/female 708,033)

65 years and over: 11.3% (male 101,036/female 131,156) (2008 est.)

Madagascar

0-14 years: 43.7% (male 4,408,615/female 4,349,862)

15-64 years: 53.2% (male 5,298,805/female 5,371,764)

65 years and over: 3.1% (male 275,087/female 338,418) (2008 est.)

Malawi

0-14 years: 46% (male 3,208,112/female 3,194,600)

15-64 years: 51.4% (male 3,592,073/female 3,563,840)

65 years and over: 2.7% (male 159,450/female 213,756) (2008 est.)

Malaysia

0-14 years: 31.8% (male 4,135,013/female 3,898,761)

15-64 years: 63.3% (male 8,026,755/female 7,965,332)

65 years and over: 4.9% (male 548,970/female 699,302) (2008 est.)

Maldives

0-14 years: 23.5% (male 46,174/female 44,396)

15-64 years: 72.7% (male 172,279/female 108,152)

65 years and over: 3.9% (male 7,510/female 7,414) (2008 est.)

Mali

0-14 years: 48.2% (male 3,004,003/female 2,937,138)

15-64 years: 48.7% (male 2,976,314/female 3,028,433)

65 years and over: 3.1% (male 150,597/female 227,544) (2008 est.)

Malta

0-14 years: 16.4% (male 33,954/female 32,158)

15-64 years: 69.7% (male 142,338/female 138,792)

65 years and over: 13.9% (male 24,240/female 32,050) (2008 est.)

Marshall Islands

0-14 years: 38.5% (male 12,404/female 11,946)

15-64 years: 58.6% (male 18,937/female 18,095)

65 years and over: 2.8% (male 869/female 923) (2008 est.)

Mauritania

0-14 years: 45.3% (male 763,845/female 759,957)

15-64 years: 52.5% (male 872,924/female 894,980)

65 years and over: 2.2% (male 29,147/female 44,087) (2008 est.)

Mauritius

0-14 years: 23% (male 148,573/female 143,859)

15-64 years: 70.1% (male 443,968/female 449,670)

65 years and over: 6.9% (male 35,269/female 52,850) (2008 est.)

Mayotte

0-14 years: 45.5% (male 49,521/female 48,996)

15-64 years: 52.7% (male 61,267/female 52,641)

65 years and over: 1.8% (male 1,971/female 1,910) (2008 est.)

Mexico

0-14 years: 29.6% (male 16,619,995/female 15,936,154)

15-64 years: 64.3% (male 34,179,440/female 36,530,154)

65 years and over: 6.1% (male 3,023,185/female 3,666,472) (2008 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of 0-14 years: 35.3% (male 19,344/female 18,687) 15-64 years: 61.8% (male 33,142/female 33,389) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 1,320/female 1,783) (2008 est.)

Moldova

0-14 years: 16.3% (male 361,000/female 341,785)

15-64 years: 72.9% (male 1,528,080/female 1,622,620)

65 years and over: 10.9% (male 174,448/female 296,517) (2008 est.)

Monaco

0-14 years: 14.8% (male 2,488/female 2,369)

15-64 years: 62.4% (male 10,110/female 10,353)

65 years and over: 22.8% (male 3,048/female 4,428) (2008 est.)

Mongolia

0-14 years: 28.4% (male 433,835/female 416,549)

15-64 years: 67.7% (male 1,013,215/female 1,015,221)

65 years and over: 3.9% (male 51,093/female 66,168) (2008 est.)

Montserrat

0-14 years: 27.8% (male 738/female 675)

15-64 years: 64.8% (male 1,575/female 1,716)

65 years and over: 7.4% (male 245/female 130) (2008 est.)

Morocco

0-14 years: 30.5% (male 5,337,322/female 5,136,156)

15-64 years: 64.3% (male 11,015,409/female 11,069,038)

65 years and over: 5.2% (male 765,882/female 1,019,412) (2008 est.)

Mozambique

0-14 years: 44.5% (male 4,762,335/female 4,711,422)

15-64 years: 52.7% (male 5,472,184/female 5,736,154)

65 years and over: 2.8% (male 251,026/female 351,580) (2008 est.)

Namibia

0-14 years: 36.7% (male 386,252/female 379,426)

15-64 years: 59.5% (male 627,752/female 615,241)

65 years and over: 3.8% (male 35,960/female 44,038) (2008 est.)

Nauru

0-14 years: 35.5% (male 2,492/female 2,393)

15-64 years: 62.5% (male 4,237/female 4,363)

65 years and over: 2.1% (male 148/female 137) (2008 est.)

Nepal

0-14 years: 38% (male 5,792,042/female 5,427,370)

15-64 years: 58.2% (male 8,832,488/female 8,345,724)

65 years and over: 3.8% (male 542,192/female 579,298) (2008 est.)

Netherlands

0-14 years: 17.6% (male 1,496,348/female 1,427,297)

15-64 years: 67.8% (male 5,705,003/female 5,583,787)

65 years and over: 14.6% (male 1,040,932/female 1,391,946) (2008

est.)

Netherlands Antilles

0-14 years: 23.2% (male 26,749/female 25,467)

15-64 years: 67.5% (male 73,319/female 78,842)

65 years and over: 9.3% (male 8,541/female 12,451) (2008 est.)

New Caledonia

0-14 years: 27.3% (male 31,376/female 30,064)

15-64 years: 65.6% (male 74,064/female 73,369)

65 years and over: 7.1% (male 7,377/female 8,574) (2008 est.)

New Zealand

0-14 years: 20.9% (male 446,883/female 424,240)

15-64 years: 66.5% (male 1,390,669/female 1,385,686)

65 years and over: 12.6% (male 238,560/female 287,422) (2008 est.)

Nicaragua

0-14 years: 34.6% (male 1,019,281/female 981,903)

15-64 years: 62.1% (male 1,792,398/female 1,803,133)

65 years and over: 3.3% (male 82,840/female 106,291) (2008 est.)

Niger

0-14 years: 47% (male 3,174,834/female 3,057,003)

15-64 years: 50.6% (male 3,450,393/female 3,267,496)

65 years and over: 2.4% (male 159,945/female 163,008) (2008 est.)

Nigeria

0-14 years: 41.7% (male 31,171,949/female 29,806,204)

15-64 years: 55.3% (male 41,243,003/female 39,611,565)

65 years and over: 3% (male 2,152,318/female 2,270,267) (2008 est.)

Niue

0-14 years: NA

15-64 years: NA

65 years and over: NA

Norfolk Island

0-14 years: 20.2%

15-64 years: 63.9%

65 years and over: 15.9% (2007 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands

0-14 years: 18.4% (male 8,342/female 7,594)

15-64 years: 79.9% (male 27,996/female 41,245)

65 years and over: 1.7% (male 740/female 699) (2008 est.)

Norway

0-14 years: 18.8% (male 446,146/female 426,166)

15-64 years: 66.2% (male 1,559,750/female 1,516,217)

65 years and over: 15% (male 297,175/female 399,003) (2008 est.)

Oman

0-14 years: 42.7% (male 721,796/female 692,699)

15-64 years: 54.5% (male 1,053,040/female 752,962)

65 years and over: 2.8% (male 51,290/female 39,853) (2008 est.)

Pakistan

0-14 years: 37.8% (male 33,617,953/female 31,741,258)

15-64 years: 58% (male 51,292,535/female 48,921,023)

65 years and over: 4.2% (male 3,408,749/female 3,818,533) (2008 est.)

Palau

0-14 years: 25.8% (male 2,797/female 2,637)

15-64 years: 69.4% (male 7,864/female 6,779)

65 years and over: 4.8% (male 482/female 534) (2008 est.)

Panama

0-14 years: 29.6% (male 499,254/female 479,242)

15-64 years: 63.8% (male 1,066,915/female 1,043,499)

65 years and over: 6.7% (male 102,937/female 117,832) (2008 est.)

Papua New Guinea

0-14 years: 37.3% (male 1,124,174/female 1,086,478)

15-64 years: 58.7% (male 1,791,342/female 1,690,089)

65 years and over: 4% (male 111,023/female 128,663) (2008 est.)

Paraguay

0-14 years: 36.9% (male 1,283,311/female 1,240,769)

15-64 years: 57.9% (male 1,988,256/female 1,968,869)

65 years and over: 5.1% (male 161,811/female 188,290) (2008 est.)

Peru

0-14 years: 29.7% (male 4,409,227/female 4,253,836)

15-64 years: 64.7% (male 9,501,597/female 9,381,139)

65 years and over: 5.6% (male 770,389/female 864,711) (2008 est.)

Philippines

0-14 years: 35.5% (male 17,392,780/female 16,708,255)

15-64 years: 60.4% (male 28,986,232/female 29,076,329)

65 years and over: 4.1% (male 1,682,485/female 2,215,602) (2008 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

0-14 years: NA

15-64 years: NA

65 years and over: NA

Poland

0-14 years: 15.2% (male 3,013,109/female 2,849,977)

15-64 years: 71.4% (male 13,681,481/female 13,808,412)

65 years and over: 13.4% (male 1,964,477/female 3,183,240) (2008

est.)

Portugal

0-14 years: 16.4% (male 912,995/female 835,715)

15-64 years: 66.2% (male 3,514,905/female 3,555,097)

65 years and over: 17.4% (male 764,443/female 1,093,755) (2008 est.)

Puerto Rico

0-14 years: 20.5% (male 415,141/female 396,782)

15-64 years: 66% (male 1,254,416/female 1,358,229)

65 years and over: 13.5% (male 229,727/female 303,833) (2008 est.)

Qatar

0-14 years: 21.8% (male 92,896/female 87,201)

15-64 years: 76.8% (male 451,127/female 182,330)

65 years and over: 1.4% (male 6,545/female 4,690) (2008 est.)

Romania

0-14 years: 15.6% (male 1,778,864/female 1,687,659)

15-64 years: 69.7% (male 7,718,125/female 7,791,102)

65 years and over: 14.7% (male 1,337,915/female 1,933,197) (2008

est.)

Russia

0-14 years: 14.6% (male 10,577,858/female 10,033,254)

15-64 years: 71.2% (male 48,187,807/female 52,045,102)

65 years and over: 14.1% (male 6,162,400/female 13,695,673) (2008

est.)

Rwanda

0-14 years: 41.9% (male 2,143,479/female 2,124,588)

15-64 years: 55.7% (male 2,826,557/female 2,842,020)

65 years and over: 2.4% (male 99,721/female 149,698) (2008 est.)

Saint Helena

0-14 years: 18.5% (male 716/female 690)

15-64 years: 70.7% (male 2,754/female 2,618)

65 years and over: 10.8% (male 381/female 442) (2008 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

0-14 years: 26.7% (male 5,439/female 5,186)

15-64 years: 65.3% (male 13,018/female 12,968)

65 years and over: 8.1% (male 1,334/female 1,872) (2008 est.)

Saint Lucia

0-14 years: 25.2% (male 20,614/female 19,559)

15-64 years: 65.8% (male 50,897/female 54,140)

65 years and over: 9% (male 6,481/female 7,894) (2008 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

0-14 years: 22.4% (male 806/female 772)

15-64 years: 66.3% (male 2,370/female 2,301)

65 years and over: 11.3% (male 366/female 429) (2008 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0-14 years: 25.1% (male 15,161/female 14,600) 15-64 years: 68.4% (male 41,855/female 39,105) 65 years and over: 6.5% (male 3,402/female 4,309) (2008 est.)

Samoa

0-14 years: 37.9% (male 41,834/female 40,343)

15-64 years: 56.5% (male 64,402/female 58,257)

65 years and over: 5.6% (male 5,481/female 6,766) (2008 est.)

San Marino

0-14 years: 16.8% (male 2,608/female 2,430)

15-64 years: 66% (male 9,464/female 10,304)

65 years and over: 17.2% (male 2,229/female 2,938) (2008 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

0-14 years: 47.1% (male 49,196/female 47,941)

15-64 years: 49.3% (male 49,326/female 52,324)

65 years and over: 3.6% (male 3,350/female 4,041) (2008 est.)

Saudi Arabia

0-14 years: 38% (male 5,458,023/female 5,245,911)

15-64 years: 59.5% (male 9,470,353/female 7,284,696)

65 years and over: 2.4% (male 356,910/female 330,764) (2008 est.)

Senegal

0-14 years: 41.9% (male 2,717,257/female 2,668,602)

15-64 years: 55.1% (male 3,524,683/female 3,552,643)

65 years and over: 3% (male 183,188/female 206,886) (2008 est.)

Seychelles

0-14 years: 24.9% (male 10,337/female 10,108)

15-64 years: 69.1% (male 27,752/female 29,048)

65 years and over: 6.1% (male 1,575/female 3,427) (2008 est.)

Sierra Leone

0-14 years: 44.6% (male 1,377,981/female 1,429,993)

15-64 years: 52.2% (male 1,573,990/female 1,708,840)

65 years and over: 3.2% (male 94,359/female 109,611) (2008 est.)

Singapore

0-14 years: 14.8% (male 353,333/female 329,005)

15-64 years: 76.5% (male 1,717,357/female 1,809,462)

65 years and over: 8.7% (male 177,378/female 221,632) (2008 est.)

Slovakia

0-14 years: 16.1% (male 448,083/female 427,643)

15-64 years: 71.7% (male 1,947,112/female 1,961,788)

65 years and over: 12.3% (male 250,787/female 419,994) (2008 est.)

Slovenia

0-14 years: 13.6% (male 140,686/female 132,778)

15-64 years: 70.1% (male 709,689/female 697,862)

65 years and over: 16.3% (male 127,313/female 199,383) (2008 est.)

Solomon Islands

0-14 years: 40.1% (male 118,856/female 114,173)

15-64 years: 56.5% (male 166,004/female 162,317)

65 years and over: 3.4% (male 9,487/female 10,481) (2008 est.)

Somalia

0-14 years: 44.7% (male 2,143,758/female 2,132,869)

15-64 years: 52.8% (male 2,525,562/female 2,516,879)

65 years and over: 2.5% (male 100,655/female 138,943) (2008 est.)

South Africa

0-14 years: 29.2% (male 7,147,151/female 7,120,183)

15-64 years: 65.5% (male 16,057,340/female 15,889,750)

65 years and over: 5.3% (male 1,050,287/female 1,518,044) (2008 est.)

Spain

0-14 years: 14.4% (male 3,011,815/female 2,832,788)

15-64 years: 67.6% (male 13,741,493/female 13,641,914)

65 years and over: 17.9% (male 3,031,597/female 4,231,444) (2008

est.)

Sri Lanka

0-14 years: 24.1% (male 2,596,463/female 2,495,136)

15-64 years: 68% (male 7,019,446/female 7,340,809)

65 years and over: 7.9% (male 783,823/female 893,096) (2008 est.)

Sudan

0-14 years: 41.1% (male 8,451,576/female 8,093,609)

15-64 years: 56.4% (male 11,407,233/female 11,275,685)

65 years and over: 2.5% (male 518,822/female 471,530) (2008 est.)

Suriname

0-14 years: 27.5% (male 66,695/female 64,356)

15-64 years: 66.2% (male 156,961/female 158,234)

65 years and over: 6.3% (male 12,868/female 16,882) (2008 est.)

Svalbard

0-14 years: NA

15-64 years: NA

65 years and over: NA

Swaziland

0-14 years: 39.9% (male 226,947/female 222,922)

15-64 years: 56.5% (male 306,560/female 331,406)

65 years and over: 3.6% (male 15,594/female 25,385) (2008 est.)

Sweden

0-14 years: 16% (male 745,110/female 703,857)

15-64 years: 65.6% (male 3,008,148/female 2,928,930)

65 years and over: 18.3% (male 729,500/female 929,844) (2008 est.)

Switzerland

0-14 years: 15.8% (male 623,213/female 577,430)

15-64 years: 68.2% (male 2,605,044/female 2,562,354)

65 years and over: 16% (male 501,699/female 711,780) (2008 est.)

Syria

0-14 years: 36.2% (male 3,679,473/female 3,467,096)

15-64 years: 60.5% (male 6,119,459/female 5,822,376)

65 years and over: 3.3% (male 310,838/female 348,344) (2008 est.)

Taiwan

0-14 years: 17.3% (male 2,057,458/female 1,900,449)

15-64 years: 72.3% (male 8,362,038/female 8,204,834)

65 years and over: 10.5% (male 1,167,476/female 1,228,691) (2008

est.)

Tajikistan

0-14 years: 34.6% (male 1,270,289/female 1,226,954)

15-64 years: 61.7% (male 2,203,720/female 2,244,660)

65 years and over: 3.7% (male 113,156/female 153,105) (2008 est.)

Tanzania

0-14 years: 43.5% (male 8,763,471/female 8,719,198)

15-64 years: 53.7% (male 10,638,666/female 10,947,190)

65 years and over: 2.8% (male 502,368/female 642,269) (2008 est.)

Thailand

0-14 years: 21.2% (male 7,104,776/female 6,781,453)

15-64 years: 70.3% (male 22,763,274/female 23,304,793)

65 years and over: 8.5% (male 2,516,721/female 3,022,281) (2008 est.)

Timor-Leste

0-14 years: 35.1% (male 197,975/female 191,716)

15-64 years: 61.6% (male 347,573/female 334,908)

65 years and over: 3.3% (male 17,578/female 19,027) (2008 est.)

Togo

0-14 years: 41.7% (male 1,226,320/female 1,218,182)

15-64 years: 55.6% (male 1,588,354/female 1,666,274)

65 years and over: 2.7% (male 63,508/female 96,035) (2008 est.)

Tokelau

0-14 years: 42%

15-64 years: 53%

65 years and over: 5%

Tonga

0-14 years: 33.7% (male 20,484/female 19,633)

15-64 years: 62% (male 36,699/female 37,108)

65 years and over: 4.3% (male 2,135/female 2,950) (2008 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

0-14 years: 19% (male 102,352/female 96,487)

15-64 years: 71.8% (male 396,352/female 356,080)

65 years and over: 9.2% (male 42,998/female 53,097) (2008 est.)

Tunisia

0-14 years: 23.2% (male 1,246,105/female 1,167,379)

15-64 years: 69.7% (male 3,638,062/female 3,595,254)

65 years and over: 7.1% (male 345,590/female 391,187) (2008 est.)

Turkey

0-14 years: 24.4% (male 8,937,515/female 8,608,375)

15-64 years: 68.6% (male 25,030,793/female 24,253,312)

65 years and over: 7% (male 2,307,236/female 2,755,576) (2008 est.)

Turkmenistan

0-14 years: 34.2% (male 902,811/female 868,428)

15-64 years: 61.5% (male 1,577,187/female 1,607,353)

65 years and over: 4.3% (male 97,480/female 126,312) (2008 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

0-14 years: 30.7% (male 3,497/female 3,374)

15-64 years: 65.2% (male 7,640/female 6,929)

65 years and over: 4.1% (male 435/female 477) (2008 est.)

Tuvalu

0-14 years: 29.4% (male 1,826/female 1,754)

15-64 years: 65.4% (male 3,891/female 4,073)

65 years and over: 5.2% (male 236/female 397) (2008 est.)

Uganda

0-14 years: 50% (male 7,903,935/female 7,789,792)

15-64 years: 47.8% (male 7,528,073/female 7,469,938)

65 years and over: 2.2% (male 284,122/female 392,112) (2008 est.)

Ukraine

0-14 years: 13.9% (male 3,277,905/female 3,106,012)

15-64 years: 70% (male 15,443,818/female 16,767,931)

65 years and over: 16.1% (male 2,489,235/female 4,909,386) (2008

est.)

United Arab Emirates

0-14 years: 20.5% (male 484,102/female 462,405)

15-64 years: 78.6% (male 2,663,702/female 970,672)

65 years and over: 0.9% (male 26,244/female 14,274)

note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national

(2008 est.)

United Kingdom

0-14 years: 16.9% (male 5,287,590/female 5,036,881)

15-64 years: 67.1% (male 20,698,645/female 20,185,040)

65 years and over: 16% (male 4,186,561/female 5,549,195) (2008 est.)

United States

0-14 years: 20.1% (male 31,257,108/female 29,889,645)

15-64 years: 67.1% (male 101,825,901/female 102,161,823)

65 years and over: 12.7% (male 16,263,255/female 22,426,914) (2008

est.)

Uruguay

0-14 years: 22.7% (male 401,209/female 388,315)

15-64 years: 64% (male 1,105,891/female 1,120,858)

65 years and over: 13.3% (male 185,704/female 275,801) (2008 est.)

Uzbekistan

0-14 years: 29% (male 4,047,918/female 3,870,346)

15-64 years: 66% (male 8,971,017/female 9,079,170)

65 years and over: 5% (male 588,498/female 788,077) (2008 est.)

Vanuatu

0-14 years: 31.3% (male 34,441/female 33,000)

15-64 years: 64.8% (male 71,159/female 68,435)

65 years and over: 3.9% (male 4,352/female 4,059) (2008 est.)

Venezuela

0-14 years: 31% (male 4,162,862/female 4,034,044)

15-64 years: 63.8% (male 8,299,266/female 8,562,290)

65 years and over: 5.1% (male 602,725/female 753,628) (2008 est.)

Vietnam

0-14 years: 25.6% (male 11,418,642/female 10,598,184)

15-64 years: 68.6% (male 29,341,216/female 29,777,696)

65 years and over: 5.8% (male 1,925,609/female 3,055,212) (2008 est.)

Virgin Islands

0-14 years: 21% (male 11,698/female 11,390)

15-64 years: 66.2% (male 34,035/female 38,670)

65 years and over: 12.8% (male 6,312/female 7,735) (2008 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

0-14 years: (male 2,215/female 1,999)

15-64 years: (male 4,982/female 4,996)

65 years and over: (male 465/female 580)

West Bank

0-14 years: 38% (male 469,754/female 445,999)

15-64 years: 58.3% (male 719,267/female 684,790)

65 years and over: 3.6% (male 36,606/female 51,265) (2008 est.)

Western Sahara

0-14 years: 45.1% (male 90,306/female 87,498)

15-64 years: 52.6% (male 101,730/female 105,313)

65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,786/female 5,198) (2008 est.)

World

0-14 years: 27.3% (male 944,665,142/female 887,471,328)

15-64 years: 65.1%

65 years and over: 7.6% (male 222,808,372/female 284,647,297) (2008

est.)

Yemen

0-14 years: 46.2% (male 5,415,385/female 5,218,237)

15-64 years: 51.2% (male 5,996,202/female 5,795,779)

65 years and over: 2.6% (male 284,195/female 303,578) (2008 est.)

Zambia

0-14 years: 45.4% (male 2,659,572/female 2,634,379)

15-64 years: 52.3% (male 3,045,536/female 3,053,465)

65 years and over: 2.4% (male 115,662/female 160,920) (2008 est.)

Zimbabwe

0-14 years: 43.9% (male 2,514,135/female 2,465,715)

15-64 years: 52.3% (male 2,671,164/female 3,260,457)

65 years and over: 3.9% (male 194,854/female 243,786) (2008 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2011 Geographic coordinates

Afghanistan

33 00 N, 65 00 E

Akrotiri

34 37 N, 32 58 E

Albania

41 00 N, 20 00 E

Algeria

28 00 N, 3 00 E

American Samoa

14 20 S, 170 00 W

Andorra

42 30 N, 1 30 E

Angola

12 30 S, 18 30 E

Anguilla

18 15 N, 63 10 W

Antarctica

90 00 S, 0 00 E

Antigua and Barbuda

17 03 N, 61 48 W

Arctic Ocean

90 00 N, 0 00 E

Argentina

34 00 S, 64 00 W

Armenia

40 00 N, 45 00 E

Aruba

12 30 N, 69 58 W

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

12 14 S, 123 05 E

Atlantic Ocean

0 00 N, 25 00 W

Australia

27 00 S, 133 00 E

Austria

47 20 N, 13 20 E

Azerbaijan

40 30 N, 47 30 E

Bahamas, The

24 15 N, 76 00 W

Bahrain

26 00 N, 50 33 E

Bangladesh

24 00 N, 90 00 E

Barbados

13 10 N, 59 32 W

Belarus

53 00 N, 28 00 E

Belgium

50 50 N, 4 00 E

Belize

17 15 N, 88 45 W

Benin

9 30 N, 2 15 E

Bermuda

32 20 N, 64 45 W

Bhutan

27 30 N, 90 30 E

Bolivia

17 00 S, 65 00 W

Bosnia and Herzegovina

44 00 N, 18 00 E

Botswana

22 00 S, 24 00 E

Bouvet Island

54 26 S, 3 24 E

Brazil

10 00 S, 55 00 W

British Indian Ocean Territory 6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E

British Virgin Islands

18 30 N, 64 30 W

Brunei

4 30 N, 114 40 E

Bulgaria

43 00 N, 25 00 E

Burkina Faso

13 00 N, 2 00 W

Burma

22 00 N, 98 00 E

Burundi

3 30 S, 30 00 E

Cambodia

13 00 N, 105 00 E

Cameroon

6 00 N, 12 00 E

Canada

60 00 N, 95 00 W

Cape Verde

16 00 N, 24 00 W

Cayman Islands

19 30 N, 80 30 W

Central African Republic

7 00 N, 21 00 E

Chad

15 00 N, 19 00 E

Chile

30 00 S, 71 00 W

China

35 00 N, 105 00 E

Christmas Island

10 30 S, 105 40 E

Clipperton Island

10 17 N, 109 13 W

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

12 30 S, 96 50 E

Colombia

4 00 N, 72 00 W

Comoros

12 10 S, 44 15 E

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

0 00 N, 25 00 E

Congo, Republic of the

1 00 S, 15 00 E

Cook Islands

21 14 S, 159 46 W

Coral Sea Islands

18 00 S, 152 00 E

Costa Rica

10 00 N, 84 00 W

Cote d'Ivoire

8 00 N, 5 00 W

Croatia

45 10 N, 15 30 E

Cuba

21 30 N, 80 00 W

Cyprus

35 00 N, 33 00 E

Czech Republic

49 45 N, 15 30 E

Denmark

56 00 N, 10 00 E

Dhekelia

34 59 N, 33 45 E

Djibouti

11 30 N, 43 00 E

Dominica

15 25 N, 61 20 W

Dominican Republic

19 00 N, 70 40 W

Ecuador

2 00 S, 77 30 W

Egypt

27 00 N, 30 00 E

El Salvador

13 50 N, 88 55 W

Equatorial Guinea

2 00 N, 10 00 E

Eritrea

15 00 N, 39 00 E

Estonia

59 00 N, 26 00 E

Ethiopia

8 00 N, 38 00 E

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

51 45 S, 59 00 W

Faroe Islands

62 00 N, 7 00 W

Fiji

18 00 S, 175 00 E

Finland

64 00 N, 26 00 E

France

metropolitan France: 46 00 N, 2 00 E

French Guiana: 4 00 N, 53 00 W

Guadeloupe: 16 15 N, 61 35 W

Martinique: 14 40 N, 61 00 W

Reunion: 21 06 S, 55 36 E

French Polynesia

15 00 S, 140 00 W

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et

Ile Saint-Paul): 37 50 S, 77 32 E

Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): 38 72 S, 77 53 E

Iles Crozet: 46 25 S, 51 00 E

Iles Kerguelen: 49 15 S, 69 35 E

Bassas da India (Iles Eparses): 21 30 S, 39 50 E

Europa Island (Iles Eparses): 22 20 S, 40 22 E

Glorioso Islands (Iles Eparses): 11 30 S, 47 20 E

Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses): 17 03 S, 42 45 E

Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): 15 52 S, 54 25 E

Gabon

1 00 S, 11 45 E

Gambia, The

13 28 N, 16 34 W

Gaza Strip

31 25 N, 34 20 E

Georgia

42 00 N, 43 30 E

Germany

51 00 N, 9 00 E

Ghana

8 00 N, 2 00 W

Gibraltar

36 08 N, 5 21 W

Greece

39 00 N, 22 00 E

Greenland

72 00 N, 40 00 W

Grenada

12 07 N, 61 40 W

Guam

13 28 N, 144 47 E

Guatemala

15 30 N, 90 15 W

Guernsey

49 28 N, 2 35 W

Guinea

11 00 N, 10 00 W

Guinea-Bissau

12 00 N, 15 00 W

Guyana

5 00 N, 59 00 W

Haiti

19 00 N, 72 25 W

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

53 06 S, 72 31 E

Holy See (Vatican City)

41 54 N, 12 27 E

Honduras

15 00 N, 86 30 W

Hong Kong

22 15 N, 114 10 E

Hungary

47 00 N, 20 00 E

Iceland

65 00 N, 18 00 W

India

20 00 N, 77 00 E

Indian Ocean

20 00 S, 80 00 E

Indonesia

5 00 S, 120 00 E

Iran

32 00 N, 53 00 E

Iraq

33 00 N, 44 00 E

Ireland

53 00 N, 8 00 W

Isle of Man

54 15 N, 4 30 W

Israel

31 30 N, 34 45 E

Italy

42 50 N, 12 50 E

Jamaica

18 15 N, 77 30 W

Jan Mayen

71 00 N, 8 00 W

Japan

36 00 N, 138 00 E

Jersey

49 15 N, 2 10 W

Jordan

31 00 N, 36 00 E

Kazakhstan

48 00 N, 68 00 E

Kenya

1 00 N, 38 00 E

Kiribati

1 25 N, 173 00 E

Korea, North

40 00 N, 127 00 E

Korea, South

37 00 N, 127 30 E

Kosovo

42 35 N, 21 00 E

Kuwait

29 30 N, 45 45 E

Kyrgyzstan

41 00 N, 75 00 E

Laos

18 00 N, 105 00 E

Latvia

57 00 N, 25 00 E

Lebanon

33 50 N, 35 50 E

Lesotho

29 30 S, 28 30 E

Liberia

6 30 N, 9 30 W

Libya

25 00 N, 17 00 E

Liechtenstein

47 16 N, 9 32 E

Lithuania

56 00 N, 24 00 E

Luxembourg

49 45 N, 6 10 E

Macau

22 10 N, 113 33 E

Macedonia

41 50 N, 22 00 E

Madagascar

20 00 S, 47 00 E

Malawi

13 30 S, 34 00 E

Malaysia

2 30 N, 112 30 E

Maldives

3 15 N, 73 00 E

Mali

17 00 N, 4 00 W

Malta

35 50 N, 14 35 E

Marshall Islands

9 00 N, 168 00 E

Mauritania

20 00 N, 12 00 W

Mauritius

20 17 S, 57 33 E

Mayotte

12 50 S, 45 10 E

Mexico

23 00 N, 102 00 W

Micronesia, Federated States of

6 55 N, 158 15 E

Moldova

47 00 N, 29 00 E

Monaco

43 44 N, 7 24 E

Mongolia

46 00 N, 105 00 E

Montenegro

42 30 N, 19 18 E

Montserrat

16 45 N, 62 12 W

Morocco

32 00 N, 5 00 W

Mozambique

18 15 S, 35 00 E

Namibia

22 00 S, 17 00 E

Nauru

0 32 S, 166 55 E

Navassa Island

18 25 N, 75 02 W

Nepal

28 00 N, 84 00 E

Netherlands

52 30 N, 5 45 E

Netherlands Antilles

Bonaire: 12 12 N, 68 15 W

Curacao: 12 10 N, 69 00 W

Saba: 17 38 N, 63 14 W

Sint Eustatius: 17 30 N, 62 58 W

Sint Maarten: 18 04 N, 63 04 W

New Caledonia

21 30 S, 165 30 E

New Zealand

41 00 S, 174 00 E

Nicaragua

13 00 N, 85 00 W

Niger

16 00 N, 8 00 E

Nigeria

10 00 N, 8 00 E

Niue

19 02 S, 169 52 W

Norfolk Island

29 02 S, 167 57 E

Northern Mariana Islands

15 12 N, 145 45 E

Norway

62 00 N, 10 00 E

Oman

21 00 N, 57 00 E

Pacific Ocean

0 00 N, 160 00 W

Pakistan

30 00 N, 70 00 E

Palau

7 30 N, 134 30 E

Panama

9 00 N, 80 00 W

Papua New Guinea

6 00 S, 147 00 E

Paracel Islands

16 30 N, 112 00 E

Paraguay

23 00 S, 58 00 W

Peru

10 00 S, 76 00 W

Philippines

13 00 N, 122 00 E

Pitcairn Islands

25 04 S, 130 06 W

Poland

52 00 N, 20 00 E

Portugal

39 30 N, 8 00 W

Puerto Rico

18 15 N, 66 30 W

Qatar

25 30 N, 51 15 E

Romania

46 00 N, 25 00 E

Russia

60 00 N, 100 00 E

Rwanda

2 00 S, 30 00 E

Saint Barthelemy

17 90 N, 62 85 W

Saint Helena

Saint Helena: 15 57 S, 5 42 W

Ascension Island: 7 57 S, 14 22 W

Tristan da Cunha island group: 37 15 S, 12 30 W

Saint Kitts and Nevis

17 20 N, 62 45 W

Saint Lucia

13 53 N, 60 58 W

Saint Martin

18 05 N, 63 57 W

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

46 50 N, 56 20 W

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

13 15 N, 61 12 W

Samoa

13 35 S, 172 20 W

San Marino

43 46 N, 12 25 E

Sao Tome and Principe

1 00 N, 7 00 E

Saudi Arabia

25 00 N, 45 00 E

Senegal

14 00 N, 14 00 W

Serbia

44 00 N, 21 00 E

Seychelles

4 35 S, 55 40 E

Sierra Leone

8 30 N, 11 30 W

Singapore

1 22 N, 103 48 E

Slovakia

48 40 N, 19 30 E

Slovenia

46 07 N, 14 49 E

Solomon Islands

8 00 S, 159 00 E

Somalia

10 00 N, 49 00 E

South Africa

29 00 S, 24 00 E

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

54 30 S, 37 00 W

Southern Ocean

60 00 S, 90 00 E (nominally), but the Southern Ocean

has the unique distinction of being a large circumpolar body of

water totally encircling the continent of Antarctica; this ring of

water lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of

Antarctica and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude

Spain

40 00 N, 4 00 W

Spratly Islands

8 38 N, 111 55 E

Sri Lanka

7 00 N, 81 00 E

Sudan

15 00 N, 30 00 E

Suriname

4 00 N, 56 00 W

Svalbard

78 00 N, 20 00 E

Swaziland

26 30 S, 31 30 E

Sweden

62 00 N, 15 00 E

Switzerland

47 00 N, 8 00 E

Syria

35 00 N, 38 00 E

Taiwan

23 30 N, 121 00 E

Tajikistan

39 00 N, 71 00 E

Tanzania

6 00 S, 35 00 E

Thailand

15 00 N, 100 00 E

Timor-Leste

8 50 S, 125 55 E

Togo

8 00 N, 1 10 E

Tokelau

9 00 S, 172 00 W

Tonga

20 00 S, 175 00 W

Trinidad and Tobago

11 00 N, 61 00 W

Tunisia

34 00 N, 9 00 E

Turkey

39 00 N, 35 00 E

Turkmenistan

40 00 N, 60 00 E

Turks and Caicos Islands

21 45 N, 71 35 W

Tuvalu

8 00 S, 178 00 E

Uganda

1 00 N, 32 00 E

Ukraine

49 00 N, 32 00 E

United Arab Emirates

24 00 N, 54 00 E

United Kingdom

54 00 N, 2 00 W

United States

38 00 N, 97 00 W

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Baker Island: 0 13 N,

176 28 W

Howland Island: 0 48 N, 176 38 W

Jarvis Island: 0 23 S, 160 01 W

Johnston Atoll: 16 45 N, 169 31 W

Kingman Reef: 6 23 N, 162 25 W

Midway Islands: 28 12 N, 177 22 W

Palmyra Atoll: 5 53 N, 162 05 W

Uruguay

33 00 S, 56 00 W

Uzbekistan

41 00 N, 64 00 E

Vanuatu

16 00 S, 167 00 E

Venezuela

8 00 N, 66 00 W

Vietnam

16 00 N, 106 00 E

Virgin Islands

18 20 N, 64 50 W

Wake Island

19 17 N, 166 39 E

Wallis and Futuna

13 18 S, 176 12 W

West Bank

32 00 N, 35 15 E

Western Sahara

24 30 N, 13 00 W

Yemen

15 00 N, 48 00 E

Zambia

15 00 S, 30 00 E

Zimbabwe

20 00 S, 30 00 E

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2012 GDP - composition by sector (%)

Afghanistan agriculture: 38% industry: 24% services: 38% note: data exclude opium production (2005 est.)

Albania

agriculture: 21.2%

industry: 20.5%

services: 58.3% (2007 est.)

Algeria

agriculture: 8.2%

industry: 61.5%

services: 30.3% (2007 est.)

American Samoa

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Andorra

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Angola

agriculture: 9.5%

industry: 65.8%

services: 24.6% (2007 est.)

Anguilla

agriculture: 4%

industry: 18%

services: 78% (2002 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

agriculture: 3.8%

industry: 22%

services: 74.3% (2002 est.)

Argentina

agriculture: 9.5%

industry: 34%

services: 56.5% (2007 est.)

Armenia

agriculture: 17.2%

industry: 36.4%

services: 46.4% (2007 est.)

Aruba

agriculture: 0.4%

industry: 33.3%

services: 66.3% (2002 est.)

Australia

agriculture: 3%

industry: 26.4%

services: 70.6% (2007 est.)

Austria

agriculture: 1.6%

industry: 30.3%

services: 68% (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

agriculture: 6.2%

industry: 63.3%

services: 30.5% (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

agriculture: 3%

industry: 7%

services: 90% (2001 est.)

Bahrain

agriculture: 0.3%

industry: 43.6%

services: 56% (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

agriculture: 19%

industry: 28.7%

services: 52.3% (2007 est.)

Barbados

agriculture: 6%

industry: 16%

services: 78% (2000 est.)

Belarus

agriculture: 8.7%

industry: 40.6%

services: 50.6% (2007 est.)

Belgium

agriculture: 1.1%

industry: 24.5%

services: 74.4% (2007 est.)

Belize

agriculture: 21.3%

industry: 13.7%

services: 65% (2007 est.)

Benin

agriculture: 33.2%

industry: 14.5%

services: 52.3% (2007 est.)

Bermuda

agriculture: 1%

industry: 10%

services: 89% (2002 est.)

Bhutan

agriculture: 22.3%

industry: 37.9%

services: 39.8% (2006)

Bolivia

agriculture: 14.5%

industry: 30.5%

services: 55% (2006 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

agriculture: 10.2%

industry: 23.9%

services: 66% (2006 est.)

Botswana

agriculture: 1.6%

industry: 51.5% (including 36% mining)

services: 46.9% (2006 est.)

Brazil

agriculture: 5.5%

industry: 28.7%

services: 65.8% (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

agriculture: 1.8%

industry: 6.2%

services: 92% (1996 est.)

Brunei

agriculture: 0.9%

industry: 71.6%

services: 27.5% (2005 est.)

Bulgaria

agriculture: 6.2%

industry: 32.3%

services: 61.5% (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

agriculture: 29.7%

industry: 19.4%

services: 50.9% (2007 est.)

Burma

agriculture: 42.4%

industry: 18.9%

services: 38.7% (2007 est.)

Burundi

agriculture: 33.7%

industry: 20.9%

services: 45.4% (2007 est.)

Cambodia

agriculture: 31%

industry: 26%

services: 43% (2007 est.)

Cameroon

agriculture: 43.9%

industry: 15.8%

services: 40.3% (2007 est.)

Canada

agriculture: 2.1%

industry: 28.8%

services: 69.1% (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

agriculture: 9.3%

industry: 16.7%

services: 74% (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

agriculture: 1.4%

industry: 3.2%

services: 95.4% (1994 est.)

Central African Republic

agriculture: 55%

industry: 20%

services: 25% (2001 est.)

Chad

agriculture: 21.5%

industry: 47.8%

services: 30.6% (2007 est.)

Chile

agriculture: 4.8%

industry: 51.2%

services: 44% (2007 est.)

China

agriculture: 11.3%

industry: 48.6%

services: 40.1% (2007 est.)

Colombia

agriculture: 11.5%

industry: 36%

services: 52.5% (2007 est.)

Comoros

agriculture: 40%

industry: 4%

services: 56% (2001 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

agriculture: 55%

industry: 11%

services: 34% (2000 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

agriculture: 5.6%

industry: 57.1%

services: 37.3% (2006 est.)

Cook Islands

agriculture: 15.1%

industry: 9.6%

services: 75.3% (2004)

Costa Rica

agriculture: 8.6%

industry: 29.4%

services: 62.1% (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

agriculture: 28.1%

industry: 21.5%

services: 50.5% (2007 est.)

Croatia

agriculture: 7.2%

industry: 31.7%

services: 61.2% (2007 est.)

Cuba

agriculture: 5.2%

industry: 25%

services: 69.8% (2007 est.)

Cyprus

agriculture: 2.7%

industry: 19.2%

services: 78% (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

agriculture: 2.7%

industry: 38.7%

services: 58.6% (2007 est.)

Denmark

agriculture: 1.3%

industry: 25.7%

services: 73% (2007 est.)

Djibouti

agriculture: 3.2%

industry: 14.9%

services: 81.9% (2006)

Dominica

agriculture: 17.7%

industry: 32.8%

services: 49.5% (2004 est.)

Dominican Republic

agriculture: 11.7%

industry: 23.8%

services: 64.4% (2007 est.)

Ecuador

agriculture: 6.7%

industry: 35.1%

services: 58.2% (2007 est.)

Egypt

agriculture: 13.8%

industry: 38.1%

services: 48% (2007 est.)

El Salvador

agriculture: 10.8%

industry: 30.8%

services: 58.4% (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

agriculture: 2.9%

industry: 92.2%

services: 4.8% (2007 est.)

Eritrea

agriculture: 17.5%

industry: 23.2%

services: 59.3% (2007 est.)

Estonia

agriculture: 3%

industry: 28.5%

services: 68.5% (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

agriculture: 47%

industry: 13.2%

services: 39.8% (2007 est.)

European Union

agriculture: 2.1%

industry: 27.1%

services: 70.7% (2006 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

agriculture: 95%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Faroe Islands

agriculture: 27%

industry: 11%

services: 62% (1999)

Fiji

agriculture: 8.9%

industry: 13.5%

services: 77.6% (2004 est.)

Finland

agriculture: 3.1%

industry: 32.6%

services: 64.3% (2007 est.)

France

agriculture: 2.2%

industry: 20.6%

services: 77.2% (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

agriculture: 3.1%

industry: 19%

services: 77.8% (2005)

Gabon

agriculture: 6.1%

industry: 58%

services: 35.9% (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

agriculture: 32.8%

industry: 8.7%

services: 58.5% (2007 est.)

Gaza Strip

agriculture: 8%

industry: 13%

services: 79% (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)

Georgia

agriculture: 13%

industry: 28.7%

services: 58.3% (2007 est.)

Germany

agriculture: 0.9%

industry: 30.1%

services: 69% (2007 est.)

Ghana

agriculture: 37.3%

industry: 25.3%

services: 37.5% (2006 est.)

Gibraltar

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Greece

agriculture: 3.6%

industry: 24.5%

services: 71.9% (2007 est.)

Greenland

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Grenada

agriculture: 5.4%

industry: 18%

services: 76.6% (2003)

Guam

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Guatemala

agriculture: 13.3%

industry: 25.8%

services: 60.9% (2007 est.)

Guernsey

agriculture: 3%

industry: 10%

services: 87% (2000)

Guinea

agriculture: 23.8%

industry: 38.6%

services: 37.6% (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

agriculture: 62%

industry: 12%

services: 26% (1999 est.)

Guyana

agriculture: 31.1%

industry: 21.7%

services: 47.1% (2007 est.)

Haiti

agriculture: 28%

industry: 20%

services: 52% (2004 est.)

Honduras

agriculture: 13.4%

industry: 28.1%

services: 58.6% (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

agriculture: 0.1%

industry: 8.1%

services: 91.7% (2007 est.)

Hungary

agriculture: 2.8%

industry: 31.5%

services: 65.8% (2007 est.)

Iceland

agriculture: 5.2%

industry: 25.7%

services: 69.1% (2007 est.)

India

agriculture: 17.8%

industry: 29.4%

services: 52.8% (2007 est.)

Indonesia

agriculture: 13.8%

industry: 46.7%

services: 39.4% (2007 est.)

Iran

agriculture: 10.7%

industry: 42.9%

services: 46.5% (2007 est.)

Iraq

agriculture: 5%

industry: 68%

services: 27% (2006 est.)

Ireland

agriculture: 5%

industry: 46%

services: 49% (2002 est.)

Isle of Man

agriculture: 1%

industry: 13%

services: 86% (2000 est.)

Israel

agriculture: 2.7%

industry: 30.2%

services: 67.1% (2007 est.)

Italy

agriculture: 2%

industry: 27%

services: 70.9% (2007 est.)

Jamaica

agriculture: 5.1%

industry: 32.7%

services: 62.2% (2007 est.)

Japan

agriculture: 1.4%

industry: 26.5%

services: 72% (2007 est.)

Jersey

agriculture: 1%

industry: 2%

services: 97% (2005)

Jordan

agriculture: 3.5%

industry: 10.3%

services: 86.2% (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

agriculture: 5.8%

industry: 39.4%

services: 54.8% (2007 est.)

Kenya

agriculture: 23.8%

industry: 16.7%

services: 59.5% (2007 est.)

Kiribati

agriculture: 8.9%

industry: 24.2%

services: 66.8% (2004)

Korea, North

agriculture: 23.3%

industry: 43.1%

services: 33.6% (2002 est.)

Korea, South

agriculture: 3%

industry: 39.4%

services: 57.6% (2007 est.)

Kosovo

agriculture: 20%

industry: 20%

services: 60% (2007 est.)

Kuwait

agriculture: 0.3%

industry: 52.4%

services: 47.3% (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

agriculture: 33.6%

industry: 18.9%

services: 47.5% (2007 est.)

Laos

agriculture: 40.9%

industry: 33.2%

services: 25.9% (2007 est.)

Latvia

agriculture: 3.3%

industry: 22%

services: 74.7% (2007 est.)

Lebanon

agriculture: 5.2%

industry: 19.5%

services: 75.4% (2007 est.)

Lesotho

agriculture: 15.2%

industry: 45%

services: 39.7% (2007 est.)

Liberia

agriculture: 76.9%

industry: 5.4%

services: 17.7% (2002 est.)

Libya

agriculture: 2%

industry: 83.1%

services: 14.8% (2007 est.)

Liechtenstein

agriculture: 6%

industry: 39%

services: 55% (2001)

Lithuania

agriculture: 5.3%

industry: 33.3%

services: 61.4% (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

agriculture: 1%

industry: 13%

services: 86% (2005 est.)

Macau

agriculture: 0.1%

industry: 3.9%

services: 96% (2006 est.)

Macedonia

agriculture: 11.9%

industry: 28.2%

services: 59.9% (2007 est.)

Madagascar

agriculture: 26.8%

industry: 15.8%

services: 57.4% (2007 est.)

Malawi

agriculture: 37.8%

industry: 18.1%

services: 44.1% (2007 est.)

Malaysia

agriculture: 9.9%

industry: 45.3%

services: 44.8% (2007 est.)

Maldives

agriculture: 16%

industry: 7%

services: 77% (2006 est.)

Mali

agriculture: 45%

industry: 17%

services: 38% (2001 est.)

Malta

agriculture: 2.7%

industry: 22.3%

services: 74.9% (2003 est.)

Marshall Islands

agriculture: 31.7%

industry: 14.9%

services: 53.4% (2004 est.)

Mauritania

agriculture: 25%

industry: 29%

services: 46% (2001 est.)

Mauritius

agriculture: 4.8%

industry: 25%

services: 70.1% (2007 est.)

Mayotte

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Mexico

agriculture: 4%

industry: 26.6%

services: 69.5% (2007 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

agriculture: 28.9%

industry: 15.2%

services: 55.9% (2004 est.)

Moldova

agriculture: 17.8%

industry: 21.7%

services: 60.5% (2007 est.)

Monaco

agriculture: 0%

industry: 4.9%

services: 95.1% (2005)

Mongolia

agriculture: 18.8%

industry: 40.4%

services: 40.8% (2006)

Montenegro

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Montserrat

agriculture: 1.2%

industry: 23.1%

services: 75.7% (1999 est.)

Morocco

agriculture: 13.8%

industry: 38.4%

services: 47.8% (2007 est.)

Mozambique

agriculture: 23%

industry: 30.1%

services: 46.9% (2007 est.)

Namibia

agriculture: 10.6%

industry: 35.4%

services: 53.9% (2007 est.)

Nauru

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Nepal

agriculture: 38%

industry: 20%

services: 42% (FY05/06 est.)

Netherlands

agriculture: 2%

industry: 24.4%

services: 73.6% (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

agriculture: 1%

industry: 15%

services: 84% (2000 est.)

New Caledonia

agriculture: 15%

industry: 8.8%

services: 76.2% (2003)

New Zealand

agriculture: 4.5%

industry: 26.2%

services: 69.3% (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

agriculture: 16.9%

industry: 25.8%

services: 57.2% (2007 est.)

Niger

agriculture: 39%

industry: 17%

services: 44% (2001)

Nigeria

agriculture: 17.7%

industry: 52.6%

services: 29.8% (2007 est.)

Niue

agriculture: 23.5%

industry: 26.9%

services: 49.5% (2003)

Northern Mariana Islands

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Norway

agriculture: 2.4%

industry: 41.9%

services: 55.7% (2007 est.)

Oman

agriculture: 2.2%

industry: 38.2%

services: 59.6% (2007 est.)

Pakistan

agriculture: 20.6%

industry: 26.6%

services: 52.8% (2007 est.)

Palau

agriculture: 6.2%

industry: 12%

services: 81.8% (2003)

Panama

agriculture: 6.6%

industry: 16.4%

services: 77% (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

agriculture: 34%

industry: 37.3%

services: 28.7% (2007 est.)

Paraguay

agriculture: 22.7%

industry: 17.6%

services: 59.7% (2007 est.)

Peru

agriculture: 8.4%

industry: 25.6%

services: 66% (2007 est.)

Philippines

agriculture: 13.8%

industry: 31.7%

services: 54.5% (2007 est.)

Poland

agriculture: 4.1%

industry: 31.6%

services: 64.4% (2007 est.)

Portugal

agriculture: 8.2%

industry: 25.4%

services: 66.4% (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

agriculture: 1%

industry: 45%

services: 54% (2002 est.)

Qatar

agriculture: 0.1%

industry: 77.8%

services: 22.1% (2007 est.)

Romania

agriculture: 7.9%

industry: 35.6%

services: 56.5% (2007 est.)

Russia

agriculture: 4.7%

industry: 39.1%

services: 56.2% (2007 est.)

Rwanda

agriculture: 36.9%

industry: 21.7%

services: 41.4% (2007 est.)

Saint Helena

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Saint Kitts and Nevis

agriculture: 3.5%

industry: 25.8%

services: 70.7% (2001)

Saint Lucia

agriculture: 5%

industry: 15%

services: 80% (2005 est.)

Saint Martin

agriculture: 1%

industry: 15%

services: 84% (2000)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

agriculture: 10%

industry: 26%

services: 64% (2001 est.)

Samoa

agriculture: 11.4%

industry: 58.4%

services: 30.2% (2004 est.)

San Marino

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Sao Tome and Principe

agriculture: 14.9%

industry: 14%

services: 71% (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

agriculture: 3%

industry: 63.7%

services: 33.3% (2007 est.)

Senegal

agriculture: 16%

industry: 19.4%

services: 64.6% (2007 est.)

Serbia

agriculture: 12.3%

industry: 24.2%

services: 63.5% (2007 est.)

Seychelles

agriculture: 2.1%

industry: 28.3%

services: 69.6% (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

agriculture: 49%

industry: 31%

services: 21% (2001 est.)

Singapore

agriculture: 0%

industry: 31.2%

services: 68.8% (2007 est.)

Slovakia

agriculture: 2.6%

industry: 33.5%

services: 63.9% (2007 est.)

Slovenia

agriculture: 2.1%

industry: 34.4%

services: 63.5% (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

agriculture: 42%

industry: 11%

services: 47% (2000 est.)

Somalia

agriculture: 65%

industry: 10%

services: 25% (2000 est.)

South Africa

agriculture: 3.2%

industry: 31.3%

services: 65.5% (2007 est.)

Spain

agriculture: 3.6%

industry: 30.2%

services: 66.1% (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

agriculture: 11.7%

industry: 29.9%

services: 58.4% (2007 est.)

Sudan

agriculture: 32%

industry: 32.8%

services: 35.2% (2007 est.)

Suriname

agriculture: 10.8%

industry: 24.4%

services: 64.8% (2005 est.)

Swaziland

agriculture: 11.8%

industry: 45.7%

services: 42.5% (2007 est.)

Sweden

agriculture: 1.5%

industry: 28.8%

services: 69.7% (2007 est.)

Switzerland

agriculture: 1.5%

industry: 34%

services: 64.5% (2003 est.)

Syria

agriculture: 24%

industry: 27.9%

services: 48.2% (2007 est.)

Taiwan

agriculture: 1.4%

industry: 27.5%

services: 71.1% (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

agriculture: 23.8%

industry: 30.4%

services: 45.8% (2007 est.)

Tanzania

agriculture: 42.5%

industry: 18.9%

services: 38.5% (2007 est.)

Thailand

agriculture: 11.4%

industry: 43.8%

services: 44.8% (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

agriculture: 32.2%

industry: 12.8%

services: 55% (2005)

Togo

agriculture: 40%

industry: 25%

services: 35% (2003 est.)

Tokelau

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Tonga

agriculture: 25%

industry: 17%

services: 57% (FY05/06 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

agriculture: 0.6%

industry: 62%

services: 37.5% (2007 est.)

Tunisia

agriculture: 11.6%

industry: 25.7%

services: 62.8% (2007 est.)

Turkey

agriculture: 8.9%

industry: 28.3%

services: 62.8% (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

agriculture: 11.5%

industry: 40.8%

services: 47.7% (2007 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Tuvalu

agriculture: 16.6%

industry: 27.2%

services: 56.2% (2002)

Uganda

agriculture: 30.2%

industry: 24.7%

services: 45.1% (2007 est.)

Ukraine

agriculture: 9%

industry: 32.2%

services: 58.8% (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

agriculture: 1.8%

industry: 60.6%

services: 37.6% (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

agriculture: 0.9%

industry: 23.4%

services: 75.7% (2007 est.)

United States

agriculture: 1.2%

industry: 19.8%

services: 79% (2007 est.)

Uruguay

agriculture: 10.1%

industry: 32%

services: 57.9% (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

agriculture: 29.4%

industry: 33.1%

services: 37.5% (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

agriculture: 26%

industry: 12%

services: 62% (2000 est.)

Venezuela

agriculture: 3.8%

industry: 38.4%

services: 57.8% (2007 est.)

Vietnam

agriculture: 19.5%

industry: 42.3%

services: 38.2% (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

agriculture: 1%

industry: 19%

services: 80% (2003 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

West Bank

agriculture: 8%

industry: 13%

services: 79% (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)

Western Sahara

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: 40%

World

agriculture: 4%

industry: 32%

services: 64% (2007 est.)

Yemen

agriculture: 12.4%

industry: 40.9%

services: 46.7% (2007 est.)

Zambia

agriculture: 17.4%

industry: 26.1%

services: 56.5% (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

agriculture: 18.1%

industry: 22.6%

services: 59.3% (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2013 Radio broadcast stations

Afghanistan

AM 21, FM 5, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pashto, Dari

(Afghan Persian), Urdu, and English) (2006)

Akrotiri

AM NA, FM 1, shortwave NA (British Forces Broadcasting

Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service to Akrotiri,

Dhekelia, and Nicosia) (2006)

Albania

AM 13, FM 46, shortwave 1 (2005)

Algeria

AM 25, FM 1, shortwave 8 (1999)

American Samoa

AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005)

Andorra

AM 0, FM 15, shortwave 0 (1998)

Angola

AM 21, FM 6, shortwave 7 (2001)

Anguilla

AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004)

Antarctica

FM 2, shortwave 1 (information for US bases only); note -

many research stations have a local FM radio station (2007)

Antigua and Barbuda

AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

Argentina

AM 260 (includes 10 inactive stations), FM (probably more

than 1,000, mostly unlicensed), shortwave 6 (1998)

Armenia

AM 9, FM 16, shortwave 1 (2006)

Aruba

AM 2, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2004)

Australia

AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998)

Austria

AM 2, FM 65 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1

(2001)

Azerbaijan

AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998)

Bahamas, The

AM 3, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2006)

Bahrain

AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)

Bangladesh

AM 15, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006)

Barbados

AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)

Belarus

AM 28, FM 37, shortwave 11 (1998)

Belgium

AM 7, FM 79, shortwave 1 (1998)

Belize

AM 1, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2006)

Benin

AM 1, FM 34, shortwave 1 (2007)

Bermuda

AM 5, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005)

Bhutan

AM 0, FM 9, shortwave 1 (2007)

Bolivia

AM 171, FM 73, shortwave 77 (1999)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

AM 8, FM 16, shortwave 1 (1998)

Botswana

AM 8, FM 13, shortwave 4 (2001)

Brazil

AM 1,365, FM 296, shortwave 161 (of which 91 are collocated

with AM stations) (1999)

British Indian Ocean Territory

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

British Virgin Islands

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)

Brunei

AM 1, FM 2 (transmitting on 18 different frequencies),

shortwave 0 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) station

transmits two FM signals with English and Nepali service) (2006)

Bulgaria

AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001)

Burkina Faso

AM 2, FM 26, shortwave 3

Burma

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 3 (2007)

Burundi

AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)

Cambodia

AM 2, FM 17, shortwave NA (2003)

Cameroon

AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (2001)

Canada

AM 245, FM 582, shortwave 6 (2004)

Cape Verde

AM 0, FM 22 (plus 12 repeaters), shortwave 0 (2001)

Cayman Islands

AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2004)

Central African Republic

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2001)

Chad

AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 5 (2001)

Chile

AM 180 (8 inactive), FM 64, shortwave 17 (1 inactive) (1998)

China

AM 369, FM 259, shortwave 45 (1998)

Christmas Island

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2006)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2004)

Colombia

AM 454, FM 34, shortwave 27 (1999)

Comoros

AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001)

Congo, Republic of the

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2001)

Cook Islands

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)

Costa Rica

AM 65, FM 51, shortwave 19 (2002)

Cote d'Ivoire

AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 3 (1998)

Croatia

AM 16, FM 98, shortwave 5 (1999)

Cuba

AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998)

Cyprus

area under government control: AM 5, FM 76, shortwave 0

area administered by Turkish Cypriots: AM 1, FM 20, shortwave 1

(2004)

Czech Republic

AM 31, FM 304, shortwave 17 (2000)

Denmark

AM 2, FM 355, shortwave 0 (1998)

Dhekelia

AM NA, FM 1 (located in Akrotiri), shortwave NA (British

Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2

service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia) (2006)

Djibouti

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)

Dominica

AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 0 (2003)

Dominican Republic

AM 120, FM 56, shortwave 4 (1998)

Ecuador

AM 392, FM 35, shortwave 29 (2001)

Egypt

AM 42 (plus 15 repeaters), FM 14, shortwave 3 (1999)

El Salvador

AM 52, FM 144, shortwave 0 (2005)

Equatorial Guinea

AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 5 (2001)

Eritrea

AM 2, FM NA, shortwave 2 (2000)

Estonia

AM 0, FM 98, shortwave 0 (2001)

Ethiopia

AM 8, FM 0, shortwave 1 (2001)

European Union

AM 930, FM 13,655, shortwave 71 (1998); note - sum of

individual country radio broadcast stations; there is also a

European-wide station (Euroradio)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0 (British

Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2

service) (2006)

Faroe Islands

AM 1, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)

Fiji

AM 13, FM 40, shortwave 0 (1998)

Finland

AM 2, FM 186, shortwave 1 (1998)

France

AM 41, FM about 3,500 (this figure is an approximation and

includes many repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998)

French Polynesia

AM 2, FM 14, shortwave 2 (1998)

Gabon

AM 6, FM 7 (plus 11 repeaters), shortwave 4 (2001)

Gambia, The

AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2001)

Gaza Strip

AM 0, FM 10, shortwave 0 (2008)

Georgia

AM 7, FM 12, shortwave 4 (1998)

Germany

AM 51, FM 787, shortwave 4 (1998)

Ghana

AM 0, FM 86, shortwave 3 (2007)

Gibraltar

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)

Greece

AM 26, FM 88, shortwave 4 (1998)

Greenland

AM 5, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998)

Grenada

AM 2, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)

Guam

AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2005)

Guatemala

AM 130, FM 487, shortwave 15 (2000)

Guernsey

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)

Guinea

AM 0, FM 5, shortwave 3 (2006)

Guinea-Bissau

AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0

(2001)

Guyana

AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)

Haiti

AM 41, FM 26, shortwave 0 (1999)

Holy See (Vatican City)

AM 4, FM 3, shortwave 2 (2004)

Honduras

AM 241, FM 53, shortwave 12 (1998)

Hong Kong

AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2004)

Hungary

AM 17, FM 57, shortwave 3 (1998)

Iceland

AM 3, FM about 70 (including repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998)

India

AM 153, FM 91, shortwave 68 (1998)

Indonesia

AM 678, FM 43, shortwave 82 (1998)

Iran

AM 72, FM 5, shortwave 5 (1998)

Iraq

after 17 months of unregulated media growth, there are

approximately 80 radio stations (types NA) on the air inside Iraq

(2004)

Ireland

AM 9, FM 106, shortwave 0 (1998)

Isle of Man

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)

Israel

AM 23, FM 15, shortwave 2 (1998)

Italy

AM about 100, FM about 4,600, shortwave 9 (1998)

Jamaica

AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)

Jan Mayen

NA; note - there is one radio and meteorological station

(1998)

Japan

AM 215 (plus 370 repeaters), FM 89 (plus 485 repeaters),

shortwave 21 (2001)

Jersey

AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)

Jordan

FM 31 (2007)

Kazakhstan

AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998)

Kenya

AM 24, FM 18, shortwave 6 (2001)

Kiribati

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (may be inactive) (2002)

Korea, North

AM 17 (including 11 stations of Korean Central

Broadcasting Station; North Korea has a "national intercom" cable

radio station wired throughout the country that is a significant

source of information for the average North Korean citizen; it is

wired into most residences and workplaces and carries news and

commentary), FM 14, shortwave 14 (2006)

Korea, South

AM 61, FM 150, shortwave 2 (2005)

Kuwait

AM 6, FM 11, shortwave 1 (1998)

Kyrgyzstan

AM 3 (plus 10 repeater stations), FM 23, shortwave NA

(2007)

Laos

AM 7, FM 14, shortwave 2 (2006)

Latvia

AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998)

Lebanon

AM 20, FM 22, shortwave 4 (1998)

Lesotho

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

Liberia

AM 0, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2007)

Libya

AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 3 (2001)

Liechtenstein

AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

Lithuania

AM 29, FM 142, shortwave 1 (2001)

Luxembourg

AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999)

Macau

AM 0, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

Macedonia

AM 29, FM 63, shortwave 0 (2007)

Madagascar

AM 2 (plus a number of repeater stations), FM 9,

shortwave 6 (2001)

Malawi

AM 9, FM 5 (plus 15 repeater stations), shortwave 2 (plus one

shortwave station on standby) (2001)

Malaysia

AM 35, FM 391, shortwave 15 (2001)

Maldives

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)

Mali

AM 1, FM 230 (27 regional and government stations, and 203

private stations), shortwave 1 (2001)

Malta

AM 1, FM 18, shortwave 6 (1999)

Marshall Islands

AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (additionally, the US Armed

Forces Radio and Television Services (Central Pacific Network)

operate one FM and one AM station on Kwajalein) (2005)

Mauritania

AM 1, FM 14, shortwave 1 (2001)

Mauritius

AM 4, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2001)

Mayotte

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2001)

Mexico

AM 850, FM 545, shortwave 15 (2003)

Micronesia, Federated States of

AM 5, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)

Moldova

AM 2, FM 29, shortwave NA (2006)

Monaco

AM 1, FM NA, shortwave 8 (1998)

Mongolia

AM 7, FM 115 (includes 20 National radio broadcaster

repeaters), shortwave 4 (2006)

Montenegro

31 (station types NA) (2004)

Montserrat

AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

Morocco

AM 27, FM 25, shortwave 6 (1998)

Mozambique

AM 13, FM 17, shortwave 11 (2001)

Namibia

AM 2, FM 39, shortwave 4 (2001)

Nauru

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Nepal

AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2000)

Netherlands

AM 4, FM 246, shortwave 3 (2004)

Netherlands Antilles

AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 0 (2003)

New Caledonia

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)

New Zealand

AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998)

Nicaragua

AM 63, FM 32, shortwave 1 (1998)

Niger

AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 4 (2001)

Nigeria

AM 83, FM 36, shortwave 11 (2001)

Niue

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)

Norfolk Island

AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005)

Northern Mariana Islands

AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 1 (2005)

Norway

AM 5, FM at least 650, shortwave 1 (1998)

Oman

AM 3, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999)

Pakistan

AM 31, FM 68, shortwave NA (2006)

Palau

AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)

Panama

AM 101, FM 134, shortwave 0 (1998)

Papua New Guinea

AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 28 (1998)

Paraguay

AM 41, FM 121, shortwave 6 (3 inactive) (2006)

Peru

AM 472, FM 198, shortwave 189 (1999)

Philippines

AM 381, FM 628, shortwave 4 (each shortwave station

operates on multiple frequencies in the language of the target

audience) (2007)

Pitcairn Islands

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (15 Ham radio operators

(VP6)) (2004)

Poland

AM 14, FM 777, shortwave 1 (1998)

Portugal

AM 47, FM 172 (many are repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998)

Puerto Rico

AM 74, FM 53, shortwave 0 (2005)

Qatar

AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1998)

Romania

698 (frequency type NA) (2006)

Russia

AM 323, FM 1,500 est., shortwave 62 (2004)

Rwanda

AM 0, FM 8 (two main FM programs are broadcast through a

system of repeaters, three international FM programs include the

BBC, VOA, and Deutchewelle), shortwave 1 (2005)

Saint Helena

Saint Helena: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0

Ascension: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2005)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

AM 3, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2003)

Saint Lucia

AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2003)

Saint Martin

FM 3 (2007)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

AM 1, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004)

Samoa

AM 2, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)

San Marino

AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)

Sao Tome and Principe

AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 1 (2001)

Saudi Arabia

AM 43, FM 31, shortwave 2 (1998)

Senegal

AM 8, FM 20, shortwave 1 (2001)

Serbia

153 (station types NA) (2001)

Seychelles

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 2 (2001)

Sierra Leone

AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (2001)

Singapore

AM 0, FM 17, shortwave 2 (2003)

Slovakia

AM 15, FM 78, shortwave 2 (1998)

Slovenia

AM 10, FM 230, shortwave 0 (2006)

Solomon Islands

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2004)

Somalia

AM 0, FM 11 (also 1 station each in Puntland and

Somaliland), shortwave 1 (in Mogadishu) (2001)

South Africa

AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998)

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

0 (2003)

Spain

AM 208, FM 715, shortwave 1 (1998)

Sri Lanka

AM 15, FM 52, shortwave 4 (2007)

Sudan

AM 12, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)

Suriname

AM 4, FM 13, shortwave 1 (1998)

Svalbard

AM 1, FM 1 (plus 2 repeaters), shortwave 0 (1998)

Swaziland

AM 3, FM 2 (plus 4 repeaters), shortwave 3 (2004)

Sweden

AM 1, FM 265, shortwave 1 (1998)

Switzerland

AM 4, FM 113 (plus many low-power stations), shortwave 2

(1998)

Syria

AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

Taiwan

AM 140, FM 229, shortwave 49

Tajikistan

AM 8, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2002)

Tanzania

AM 12, FM 11, shortwave 2 (1998)

Thailand

AM 238, FM 351, shortwave 6 (2007)

Timor-Leste

at least 21 (Timor-Leste has one national public

broadcaster and 20 community and church radio stations - frequency

type NA)

Togo

AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998)

Tokelau

AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA (one radio station provides

service to all islands) (2002)

Tonga

AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)

Trinidad and Tobago

AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2001)

Tunisia

AM 7, FM 38, shortwave 2 (2007)

Turkey

AM 16, FM 107, shortwave 6 (2001)

Turkmenistan

AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998)

Turks and Caicos Islands

AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2003)

Tuvalu

AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)

Uganda

AM 7, FM 33, shortwave 2 (2001)

Ukraine

524 (station types NA) (2006)

United Arab Emirates

AM 13, FM 8, shortwave 2 (2004)

United Kingdom

AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998)

United States

AM 4,789, FM 8,961, shortwave 19 (2006)

Uruguay

AM 93, FM 191, shortwave 7 (2005)

Uzbekistan

AM 4, FM 6, shortwave 3 (2006)

Vanuatu

AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)

Venezuela

AM 201, FM NA (20 in Caracas), shortwave 11 (1998)

Vietnam

AM 65, FM 7, shortwave 29 (1999)

Virgin Islands

AM 6, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2005)

Wake Island

AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0 (Armed Forces Radio/Television

Service (AFRTS) radio service provided by satellite (2005)

Wallis and Futuna

AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (2000)

West Bank

AM 0, FM 25, shortwave 0 (2008)

Western Sahara

AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

World

AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA

Yemen

AM 6, FM 1, shortwave 2 (1998)

Zambia

AM 19, FM 5, shortwave 4 (2001)

Zimbabwe

AM 7, FM 20 (plus 17 repeater stations), shortwave 1 (1998)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2015 Television broadcast stations

Afghanistan

at least 7 (1 government-run central television station

in Kabul and regional stations in 6 of the 34 provinces) (2006)

Akrotiri

0 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides

multi-channel satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia)

(2006)

Albania

65 (3 national, 62 local); 2 cable networks (2005)

Algeria

46 (plus 216 repeaters) (1995)

American Samoa

1 (2006)

Andorra

0 (1997)

Angola

6 (2000)

Anguilla

1 (1997)

Antarctica

1 (cable system with 6 channels; American Forces

Antarctic Network-McMurdo - information for US bases only) (2002)

Antigua and Barbuda

2 (1997)

Argentina

42 (plus 444 repeaters) (1997)

Armenia

48 (private television stations alongside 2 public networks;

major Russian channels widely available) (2006)

Aruba

1 (1997)

Australia

104 (1997)

Austria

10 (plus more than 1,000 repeaters) (2001)

Azerbaijan

2 (1997)

Bahamas, The

2 (2006)

Bahrain

4 (1997)

Bangladesh

15 (1999)

Barbados

1 (plus 2 cable channels) (2004)

Belarus

47 (plus 27 repeaters) (1995)

Belgium

25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997)

Belize

5 (2006)

Benin

6 (2007)

Bermuda

3 (2005)

Bhutan

1 (2007)

Bolivia

48 (1997)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

33 (plus 277 repeaters) (September 1995)

Botswana

2 (1 state-owned, 1 private)

Brazil

138 (1997)

British Indian Ocean Territory

1 (1997)

British Virgin Islands

1 (plus 1 cable company) (1997)

Brunei

4 (includes 2 UHF stations broadcasting a subscription

service) (2006)

Bulgaria

39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001)

Burkina Faso

3 (1 national, 2 private)

Burma

4 (2008)

Burundi

1 (2001)

Cambodia

9 (including 2 TV relay stations with French and Vietnamese

broadcasts); excludes 18 regional relay stations (2006)

Cameroon

1 (2001)

Canada

80 (plus many repeaters) (1997)

Cape Verde

1 (plus 7 repeaters) (2001)

Cayman Islands

4 with cable system (2004)

Central African Republic

1 (2001)

Chad

1 (2001)

Chile

63 (plus 121 repeaters) (1997)

China

3,240 (of which 209 are operated by China Central Television,

31 are provincial TV stations, and nearly 3,000 are local city

stations) (1997)

Christmas Island 0 (TV broadcasts received via satellite from mainland Australia) (2006)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

4 (2007)

Colombia

60 (1997)

Comoros

NA

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

4 (2001)

Congo, Republic of the

1 (2001)

Cook Islands

1 (outer islands receive satellite broadcasts) (2004)

Costa Rica

20 (plus 43 repeaters) (2002)

Cote d'Ivoire

14 (1998)

Croatia

36 (plus 321 repeaters) (1995)

Cuba

58 (1997)

Cyprus

area under government control: 8

area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 2 (plus 4 relay) (2004)

Czech Republic

150 (plus 1,434 repeaters) (2000)

Denmark

26 (plus 51 repeaters) (1998)

Dhekelia

0 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides

multi-channel satellite service to Akrotiri, Dhekelia, and Nicosia)

(2006)

Djibouti

1 (2001)

Dominica

1 (2004)

Dominican Republic

25 (2003)

Ecuador

7 (plus 14 repeaters) (2000)

Egypt

98 (September 1995)

El Salvador

5 (1997)

Equatorial Guinea

1 (2001)

Eritrea

2 (2006)

Estonia

3 (2001)

Ethiopia

1 (plus 24 repeaters) (2001)

European Union

2,700 (1995); note - sum of individual country

television broadcast stations excluding repeaters; there is also a

European-wide station (Eurovision)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 2 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to members of UK Forces as well as islanders); cable television is available in Stanley (2006)

Faroe Islands

3 (plus 43 repeaters) (September 1995)

Fiji

NA

Finland

120 (plus 431 repeaters) (1999); note - On 1 September 2007,

Finland became one of the first countries in the world to broadcast

all television signals digitally

France

584 (plus 9,676 repeaters) (1995)

French Polynesia

7 (plus 17 repeaters) (1997)

Gabon

4 (plus 4 repeaters) (2001)

Gambia, The

1 (government-owned) (1997)

Gaza Strip

1 (2008)

Georgia

12 (plus repeaters) (1998)

Germany

373 (plus 8,042 repeaters) (1995)

Ghana

7 (2007)

Gibraltar

1 (plus 3 repeaters) (1997)

Greece

36 (plus 1,341 repeaters); also 2 stations in the US Armed

Forces Radio and Television Service (1995)

Greenland

1 (plus some local low-power stations, and 3 Armed Forces

Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) stations (1997)

Grenada

2 (1997)

Guam

3 (2006)

Guatemala

26 (plus 27 repeaters) (1997)

Guernsey

1 (1997)

Guinea

6 (2001)

Guinea-Bissau

NA (2005)

Guyana

3 (1 public station; 2 private stations which relay US

satellite services) (1997)

Haiti

2 (plus a cable TV service) (1997)

Holy See (Vatican City)

1 (2005)

Honduras

11 (plus 17 repeaters) (1997)

Hong Kong

55 (2 TV networks, each broadcasting on 2 channels) (2007)

Hungary

35 (plus 161 repeaters) (1995)

Iceland

14 (plus 156 repeaters) (1997)

India

562 (1997)

Indonesia

54 local TV stations (11 national TV networks; each with

its group of local transmitters) (2006)

Iran

28 (plus 450 repeaters) (1997)

Iraq

21 (2004)

Ireland

4 (many repeaters) (2001)

Isle of Man

0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999)

Israel

17 (plus 36 repeaters) (1995)

Italy

358 (plus 4,728 repeaters) (1995)

Jamaica

7 (1997)

Japan

211 (plus 7,341 repeaters); in addition, US Forces are served

by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services (1999)

Jersey

2 (1997)

Jordan

22 (2007)

Kazakhstan

12 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998)

Kenya

8 (2001)

Kiribati

1 (possibly inactive) (2002)

Korea, North

4 (includes Korean Central Television, Mansudae

Television, Korean Educational and Cultural Network, and Kaesong

Television targeting South Korea) (2003)

Korea, South

43 (plus 59 cable operators and 190 relay cable

operators) (2005)

Kuwait

13 (plus several satellite channels) (1997)

Kyrgyzstan

8 (2 countrywide and 6 regional stations; state-owned);

note - there are about 20 private TV stations, most of which

rebroadcast other channels (2007)

Laos

7 (includes 1 station relaying Vietnam Television from Hanoi)

(2006)

Latvia

44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995)

Lebanon

15 (plus 5 repeaters) (1995)

Lesotho

1 (2000)

Liberia

4 (plus 4 repeaters) (2007)

Libya

12 (plus 1 repeater) (1999)

Liechtenstein

NA (linked to Swiss networks) (1997)

Lithuania

27 (may have as many as 100 transmitters, including

repeater stations) (2001)

Luxembourg

5 (1999)

Macau

1 (2006)

Macedonia

52 (2007)

Madagascar

1 (plus 36 repeaters) (2001)

Malawi

1 (2001)

Malaysia

88 (mainland Malaysia 51, Sabah 16, and Sarawak 21) (2006)

Maldives

1 (2006)

Mali

2 (plus repeaters) (2007)

Malta

5 (2006)

Marshall Islands

2 (both are US military stations; Marshalls

Broadcasting Service, a cable company, operates on Majuro) (2005)

Mauritania

1 (2002)

Mauritius

2 (plus several repeaters) (1997)

Mayotte

3 (2001)

Mexico

236 (plus repeaters) (1997)

Micronesia, Federated States of

3 (cable TV also available) (2004)

Moldova

40 (2006)

Monaco

5 (1998)

Mongolia

456 (including provincial and low-power repeaters) (2006)

Montenegro

13 (2004)

Montserrat

1 (1997)

Morocco

35 (plus 66 repeaters) (1995)

Mozambique

1 (2000)

Namibia

2 (2007)

Nauru

1 (1997)

Nepal

1 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998)

Netherlands

21 (plus 26 repeaters) (1995)

Netherlands Antilles

3 (there is also a cable service that supplies

programs received from various US satellite networks and 4

Venezuelan channels) (2003)

New Caledonia

6 (plus 25 repeaters) (1997)

New Zealand

41 (plus about 700 repeaters) (1997)

Nicaragua

3 (plus 7 repeaters) (1997)

Niger

5 (2007)

Nigeria

3 (the government controls 2 of the broadcasting stations

and 15 repeater stations) (2001)

Niue

1 (1997)

Norfolk Island

1 (local programming station plus 2 repeaters that

air Australian programs by satellite) (2005)

Northern Mariana Islands

1 (on Saipan; in addition, 2 cable services

on Saipan provide varied programming from satellite networks) (2006)

Norway

360 (plus 2,729 repeaters) (1995)

Oman

13 (plus 25 repeaters) (1999)

Pakistan

20 (5 state-run channels and 15 privately-owned satellite

channels) (2006)

Palau

1 (cable) (2005)

Panama

38 (including repeaters) (1998)

Papua New Guinea

3 (all in the Port Moresby area; stations at Mt.

Hagen, Goroka, Lae, and Rabaul are planned) (2004)

Paraguay

5 (2007)

Peru

13 (plus 112 repeaters) (1997)

Philippines

250 (plus 1,501 CATV networks) (2007)

Poland

40 (2006)

Portugal

62 (plus 166 repeaters; includes Azores and Madeira

Islands) (1995)

Puerto Rico

32 (2006)

Qatar

1 (plus 3 repeaters) (2001)

Romania

623 (plus 200 repeaters) (2006)

Russia

7,306 (1998)

Rwanda

2 (2004)

Saint Helena

0 (3 television channels are received via satellite and

distributed by UHF) (2005)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

1 (plus 3 repeaters) (2003)

Saint Lucia

2 (1 commercial broadcast station and 1 community

antenna television or CATV channel) (2003)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

0 (2 repeaters rebroadcast programs from

France, Canada, and the US) (1997)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

1 (plus 3 repeaters) (2004)

Samoa

2 (2002)

San Marino

1 (San Marino residents also receive broadcasts from

Italy) (1997)

Sao Tome and Principe

2 (2001)

Saudi Arabia

117 (1997)

Senegal

4 (2007)

Seychelles

2 (plus 9 repeaters) (1997)

Sierra Leone

2 (1999)

Singapore

1 (broadcasting on six channels); additional reception of

numerous UHF and VHF signals originating in Malaysia and Indonesia

(2006)

Slovakia

80 (national broadcasting 6, regional 7, local 67) (2004)

Slovenia

31 (2006)

Somalia

4 (2 in Mogadishu and 2 in Hargeisa) (2001)

South Africa

556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997)

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

0 (2003)

Spain

224 (plus 2,105 repeaters; includes 11 television broadcast

stations and 88 repeaters in the Canary Islands) (1995)

Sri Lanka

14 (2006)

Sudan

3 (1997)

Suriname

3 (plus 7 repeaters) (2000)

Svalbard

NA

Swaziland

12 (includes 7 relay stations) (2004)

Sweden

169 (plus 1,299 repeaters) (1995)

Switzerland

115 (plus 1,919 repeaters) (1995)

Syria

44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)

Taiwan

76 (46 digital and 30 analog) (2007)

Tajikistan

6 (2006)

Tanzania

3 (1999)

Thailand

111 (2006)

Timor-Leste

1 (Timor-Leste has one national public broadcaster)

Togo

3 (plus 2 repeaters) (1997)

Tonga

3 (2004)

Trinidad and Tobago

6 (2005)

Tunisia

26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995)

Turkey

635 (plus 2,934 repeaters) (1995)

Turkmenistan

4 (government-owned and programmed) (2004)

Turks and Caicos Islands 0 (broadcasts received from The Bahamas; 2 cable television networks) (2003)

Tuvalu

0 (2004)

Uganda

8 (plus 1 repeater) (2001)

Ukraine

647 (2006)

United Arab Emirates

15 (2004)

United Kingdom

228 (plus 3,523 repeaters) (1995)

United States

2,218 (2006)

Uruguay

62 (2005)

Uzbekistan

28 (includes 1 cable rebroadcaster in Tashkent and

approximately 20 stations in regional capitals) (2006)

Vanuatu

1 (2004)

Venezuela

66 (plus 45 repeaters) (1997)

Vietnam

67 (includes 61 relay, provincial, and city TV stations)

(2006)

Virgin Islands

5 (2006)

Wake Island

0 (2005)

Wallis and Futuna

2 (2000)

West Bank

30 (2008)

Western Sahara

NA

World

NA

Yemen

3 (including one Egypt-based station that broadcasts in

Yemen); plus several repeaters (2007)

Zambia

9 (2001)

Zimbabwe

16 (1997)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2018 Sex ratio (male(s)/female)

Afghanistan

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female

total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Albania

at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female

total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Algeria

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

American Samoa

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female

total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Andorra

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female

total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Angola

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female

total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Anguilla

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female

total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Argentina

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Armenia

at birth: 1.15 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.14 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female

total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Aruba

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female

total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Australia

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Austria

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Azerbaijan

at birth: 1.14 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.12 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Bahamas, The

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Bahrain

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.36 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female

total population: 1.25 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Bangladesh

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.15 male(s)/female

total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Barbados

at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female

total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Belarus

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female

total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Belgium

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Belize

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female

total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Benin

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Bermuda

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Bhutan

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female

total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Bolivia

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Botswana

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Brazil

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

British Virgin Islands

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.07 male(s)/female

total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Brunei

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female

total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Bulgaria

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female

total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Burkina Faso

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Burma

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Burundi

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Cambodia

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Cameroon

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Canada

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Cape Verde

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.58 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Cayman Islands

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Central African Republic

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Chad

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.84 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female

total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Chile

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

China

at birth: 1.11 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female

total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Christmas Island

NA

Colombia

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Comoros

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Cook Islands

total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2001 census)

Costa Rica

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female

total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female

total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Croatia

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female

total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Cuba

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Cyprus

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Czech Republic

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Denmark

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Djibouti

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female

total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Dominica

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female

total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Dominican Republic

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female

total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Ecuador

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Egypt

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female

total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

El Salvador

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Eritrea

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Estonia

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female

total population: 0.84 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Ethiopia

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

European Union

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female

total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Faroe Islands

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.15 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female

total population: 1.09 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Fiji

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Finland

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

France

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

French Polynesia

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female

total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Gabon

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Gambia, The

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Gaza Strip

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female

total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Georgia

at birth: 1.13 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.14 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female

total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Germany

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Ghana

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Gibraltar

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Greece

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Greenland

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.17 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female

total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Grenada

at birth: 1 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female

total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Guam

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female

total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Guatemala

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Guernsey

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female

total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Guinea

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Guyana

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Haiti

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Honduras

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Hong Kong

at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Hungary

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female

total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Iceland

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

India

at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female

total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Indonesia

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Iran

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female

total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Iraq

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female

total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Ireland

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Isle of Man

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Israel

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Italy

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Jamaica

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Japan

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Jersey

at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Jordan

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.15 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female

total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Kazakhstan

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.54 male(s)/female

total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Kenya

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Kiribati

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Korea, North

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Korea, South

at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.11 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Kuwait

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.78 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.67 male(s)/female

total population: 1.53 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Laos

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Latvia

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female

total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Lebanon

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female

total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Lesotho

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Liberia

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Libya

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female

total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Liechtenstein

at birth: 1 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female

total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Lithuania

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.53 male(s)/female

total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Luxembourg

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Macau

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female

total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Macedonia

at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Madagascar

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Malawi

at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Malaysia

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Maldives

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.59 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female

total population: 1.41 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Mali

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Malta

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Marshall Islands

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female

total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Mauritania

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Mauritius

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Mayotte

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.16 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female

total population: 1.09 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Mexico

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

NA

Moldova

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female

total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Monaco

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female

total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Mongolia

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Montserrat

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.88 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Morocco

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Mozambique

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Namibia

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Nauru

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.08 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Nepal

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female

total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Netherlands

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female

total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

New Caledonia

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

New Zealand

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Nicaragua

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Niger

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female

total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Nigeria

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female

total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Niue

NA

Norfolk Island

NA

Northern Mariana Islands

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.68 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female

total population: 0.75 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Norway

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Oman

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.4 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.29 male(s)/female

total population: 1.23 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Pakistan

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female

total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Palau

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.16 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female

total population: 1.12 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Panama

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female

total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Papua New Guinea

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female

total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Paraguay

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Peru

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Philippines

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

NA

Poland

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female

total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Portugal

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Puerto Rico

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female

total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Qatar

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 2.47 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.4 male(s)/female

total population: 2.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Romania

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Russia

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.45 male(s)/female

total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Rwanda

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Saint Helena

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female

total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Saint Lucia

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female

total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Samoa

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female

total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

San Marino

at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female

total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Saudi Arabia

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.3 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.08 male(s)/female

total population: 1.19 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Senegal

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Seychelles

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.46 male(s)/female

total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Sierra Leone

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female

total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Singapore

at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Slovakia

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female

total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Slovenia

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Solomon Islands

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female

total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Somalia

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

South Africa

at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Spain

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Sri Lanka

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Sudan

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female

total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Suriname

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Svalbard

NA

Swaziland

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Sweden

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Switzerland

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Syria

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female

total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Taiwan

at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female

total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Tajikistan

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Tanzania

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Thailand

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Timor-Leste

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female

total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Togo

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Tokelau

NA

Tonga

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female

total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Tunisia

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Turkey

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female

total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Turkmenistan

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female

total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Tuvalu

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Uganda

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Ukraine

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.51 male(s)/female

total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

United Arab Emirates

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 2.74 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.84 male(s)/female

total population: 2.19 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

United Kingdom

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

United States

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Uruguay

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Uzbekistan

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Vanuatu

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.07 male(s)/female

total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Venezuela

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Vietnam

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Virgin Islands

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female

total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

West Bank

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female

total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Western Sahara

NA

World

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Yemen

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female

total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Zambia

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Zimbabwe

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.82 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female

total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2019 Heliports

Afghanistan

9 (2007)

Albania

1 (2007)

Algeria

2 (2007)

Antarctica

53

note: all year-round and seasonal stations operated by National

Antarctic Programs stations have some kind of helicopter landing

facilities, prepared (helipads) or unprepared (2007)

Argentina

1 (2007)

Australia

1 (2007)

Austria

1 (2007)

Azerbaijan

1 (2007)

Bahamas, The

1 (2007)

Bahrain

1 (2007)

Belarus

1 (2007)

Belgium

1 (2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

5 (2007)

Brazil

16 (2007)

Brunei

3 (2007)

Bulgaria

4 (2007)

Burma

4 (2007)

Burundi

1 (2007)

Cambodia

1 (2007)

Canada

11 (2007)

China

35 (2007)

Colombia

2 (2007)

Croatia

2 (2007)

Cyprus

10 (2007)

Czech Republic

1 (2007)

Ecuador

1 (2007)

Egypt

3 (2007)

El Salvador

1 (2007)

Eritrea

1 (2007)

Estonia

1 (2007)

European Union

100 (2007)

France

3 (2007)

French Polynesia

1 (2007)

Gaza Strip

1 (2007)

Georgia

3 (2007)

Germany

28 (2007)

Greece

9 (2007)

Hong Kong

5 (2007)

Hungary

5 (2007)

India

30 (2007)

Indonesia

17 (2007)

Iran

14 (2007)

Iraq

17 (2007)

Israel

3 (2007)

Italy

5 (2007)

Japan

14 (2007)

Jordan

1 (2007)

Kazakhstan

5 (2007)

Korea, North

23 (2007)

Korea, South

536 (2007)

Kosovo

2 (2008)

Kuwait

4 (2007)

Libya

2 (2007)

Luxembourg

1 (2007)

Macau

1 (2007)

Malaysia

2 (2007)

Mexico

1 (2007)

Monaco

1 (2007)

Mongolia

1 (2007)

Montenegro

1 (2007)

Morocco

1 (2007)

Netherlands

1 (2007)

New Caledonia

6 (2007)

Nigeria

2 (2007)

Northern Mariana Islands

1 (2007)

Norway

1 (2007)

Oman

2 (2007)

Pakistan

18 (2007)

Panama

2 (2007)

Papua New Guinea

2 (2007)

Peru

1 (2007)

Philippines

2 (2007)

Poland

7 (2007)

Qatar

1 (2007)

Romania

2 (2007)

Russia

47 (2007)

Saudi Arabia

8 (2007)

Serbia

2 (2007)

Sierra Leone

2 (2007)

Slovakia

1 (2007)

Solomon Islands

3 (2007)

South Africa

1 (2007)

Spain

8 (2007)

Spratly Islands

3 (2007)

Sudan

4 (2007)

Svalbard

1 (2007)

Sweden

2 (2007)

Switzerland

2 (2007)

Syria

7 (2007)

Taiwan

4 (2007)

Thailand

3 (2007)

Timor-Leste

9 (2007)

Turkey

18 (2007)

Turkmenistan

1 (2007)

Ukraine

10 (2007)

United Arab Emirates

5 (2007)

United Kingdom

11 (2007)

United States

146 (2007)

Venezuela

2 (2007)

Vietnam

1 (2007)

World

1,359 (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2020 Elevation extremes (m)

Afghanistan

lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m

highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m

Albania

lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m

highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m

Algeria

lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m

highest point: Tahat 3,003 m

American Samoa

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Lata Mountain 964 m

Andorra

lowest point: Riu Runer 840 m

highest point: Coma Pedrosa 2,946 m

Angola

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Morro de Moco 2,620 m

Anguilla

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Crocus Hill 65 m

Antarctica

lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,555 m

highest point: Vinson Massif 4,897 m

note: the lowest known land point in Antarctica is hidden in the

Bentley Subglacial Trench; at its surface is the deepest ice yet

discovered and the world's lowest elevation not under seawater

Antigua and Barbuda

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Boggy Peak 402 m

Arctic Ocean

lowest point: Fram Basin -4,665 m

highest point: sea level 0 m

Argentina

lowest point: Laguna del Carbon -105 m (located between

Puerto San Julian and Comandante Luis Piedra Buena in the province

of Santa Cruz)

highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,960 m (located in the northwestern

corner of the province of Mendoza)

Armenia

lowest point: Debed River 400 m

highest point: Aragats Lerrnagagat' 4,090 m

Aruba

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location 3 m

Atlantic Ocean

lowest point: Milwaukee Deep in the Puerto Rico

Trench -8,605 m

highest point: sea level 0 m

Australia

lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m

highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m

Austria

lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m

highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m

Azerbaijan

lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m

highest point: Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m

Bahamas, The

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m

Bahrain

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m

highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m

Bangladesh

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m

Barbados

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m

Belarus

lowest point: Nyoman River 90 m

highest point: Dzyarzhynskaya Hara 346 m

Belgium

lowest point: North Sea 0 m

highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m

Belize

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Doyle's Delight 1,160 m

Benin

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m

Bermuda

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Town Hill 76 m

Bhutan

lowest point: Drangme Chhu 97 m

highest point: Kula Kangri 7,553 m

Bolivia

lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m

highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m

Bosnia and Herzegovina

lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m

highest point: Maglic 2,386 m

Botswana

lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513

m

highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m

Bouvet Island

lowest point: South Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Olav Peak 935 m

Brazil

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Pico da Neblina 3,014 m

British Indian Ocean Territory

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m

British Virgin Islands

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Mount Sage 521 m

Brunei

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m

highest point: Bukit Pagon 1,850 m

Bulgaria

lowest point: Black Sea 0 m

highest point: Musala 2,925 m

Burkina Faso

lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m

highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m

Burma

lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m

highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m

Burundi

lowest point: Lake Tanganyika 772 m

highest point: Heha 2,670 m

Cambodia

lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m

highest point: Phnum Aoral 1,810 m

Cameroon

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Fako 4,095 m (on Mt. Cameroon)

Canada

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Logan 5,959 m

Cape Verde

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mt. Fogo 2,829 m (a volcano on Fogo Island)

Cayman Islands

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: The Bluff (Cayman Brac) 43 m

Central African Republic

lowest point: Oubangui River 335 m

highest point: Mont Ngaoui 1,420 m

Chad

lowest point: Djourab Depression 160 m

highest point: Emi Koussi 3,415 m

Chile

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m

China

lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m

highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m

Christmas Island

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Murray Hill 361 m

Clipperton Island

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Rocher Clipperton 29 m

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location 5 m

Colombia

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Pico Cristobal Colon 5,775 m

note: nearby Pico Simon Bolivar also has the same elevation

Comoros

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Le Karthala 2,360 m

Congo, Democratic Republic of the lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m

Congo, Republic of the

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Berongou 903 m

Cook Islands

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Te Manga 652 m

Coral Sea Islands

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location on Cato Island 6 m

Costa Rica

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Cerro Chirripo 3,810 m

Cote d'Ivoire

lowest point: Gulf of Guinea 0 m

highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m

Croatia

lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m

highest point: Dinara 1,830 m

Cuba

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m

Cyprus

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m

highest point: Mount Olympus 1,951 m

Czech Republic

lowest point: Elbe River 115 m

highest point: Snezka 1,602 m

Denmark

lowest point: Lammefjord -7 m

highest point: Yding Skovhoej 173 m

Djibouti

lowest point: Lac Assal -155 m

highest point: Moussa Ali 2,028 m

Dominica

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Morne Diablatins 1,447 m

Dominican Republic

lowest point: Lago Enriquillo -46 m

highest point: Pico Duarte 3,175 m

Ecuador

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Chimborazo 6,267 m

Egypt

lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m

highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m

El Salvador

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m

Equatorial Guinea

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m

Eritrea

lowest point: near Kulul within the Denakil depression -75 m

highest point: Soira 3,018 m

Estonia

lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m

highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m

Ethiopia

lowest point: Denakil Depression -125 m

highest point: Ras Dejen 4,533 m

European Union

lowest point: Lammefjord, Denmark -7 m;

Zuidplaspolder, Netherlands -7 m

highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m; note - situated on the border

between France and Italy

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Usborne 705 m

Faroe Islands

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Slaettaratindur 882 m

Fiji

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Tomanivi 1,324 m

Finland

lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m

highest point: Haltiatunturi 1,328 m

France

lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m

highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m

French Polynesia

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mont Orohena 2,241 m

French Southern and Antarctic Lands lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont de la Dives on Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul) 867 m; unnamed location on Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul) 272 m; Pic Marion-Dufresne in Iles Crozet 1,090 m; Mont Ross in Iles Kerguelen 1,850 m; unnamed location on Bassas de India (Iles Eparses) 2.4 m; unnamed location on Europa Island (Iles Eparses) 24 m; unnamed location on Glorioso Islands (Iles Eparses) 12 m; unnamed location on Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses) 10 m; unnamed location on Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses) 7 m

Gabon

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mont Iboundji 1,575 m

Gambia, The

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location 53 m

Gaza Strip

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m

highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m

Georgia

lowest point: Black Sea 0 m

highest point: Mt'a Shkhara 5,201 m

Germany

lowest point: Neuendorf bei Wilster -3.54 m

highest point: Zugspitze 2,963 m

Ghana

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m

Gibraltar

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m

highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m

Greece

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m

highest point: Mount Olympus 2,917 m

Greenland

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Gunnbjorn 3,700 m

Grenada

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Mount Saint Catherine 840 m

Guam

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Lamlam 406 m

Guatemala

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Volcan Tajumulco 4,211 m

Guernsey

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m

Guinea

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mont Nimba 1,752 m

Guinea-Bissau

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location in the northeast corner of the

country 300 m

Guyana

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Roraima 2,835 m

Haiti

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Chaine de la Selle 2,680 m

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mawson Peak, on Big Ben 2,745 m

Holy See (Vatican City)

lowest point: unnamed location 19 m

highest point: unnamed location 75 m

Honduras

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Cerro Las Minas 2,870 m

Hong Kong

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m

highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m

Hungary

lowest point: Tisza River 78 m

highest point: Kekes 1,014 m

Iceland

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Hvannadalshnukur 2,110 m (at Vatnajokull glacier)

India

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m

Indian Ocean

lowest point: Java Trench -7,258 m

highest point: sea level 0 m

Indonesia

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Puncak Jaya 5,030 m

Iran

lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m

highest point: Kuh-e Damavand 5,671 m

Iraq

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m

highest point: unnamed peak; 3,611 m; note - this peak is neither

Gundah Zhur 3,607 m nor Kuh-e Hajji-Ebrahim 3,595 m

Ireland

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Carrauntoohil 1,041 m

Isle of Man

lowest point: Irish Sea 0 m

highest point: Snaefell 621 m

Israel

lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m

highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m

Italy

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m

highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) de Courmayeur 4,748 m (a

secondary peak of Mont Blanc)

Jamaica

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m

Jan Mayen

lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m

highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg 2,277 m

Japan

lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m

highest point: Mount Fuji 3,776 m

Jersey

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location 143 m

Jordan

lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m

highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m

Kazakhstan

lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m

highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m

Kenya

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m

Kiribati

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m

Korea, North

lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m

highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m

Korea, South

lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m

highest point: Halla-san 1,950 m

Kosovo

lowest point: Drini i Bardhe/Beli Drim 297 m (located on the

border with Albania)

highest point: Gjeravica/Deravica 2,565 m

Kuwait

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m

highest point: unnamed location 306 m

Kyrgyzstan

lowest point: Kara-Daryya (Karadar'ya) 132 m

highest point: Jengish Chokusu (Pik Pobedy) 7,439 m

Laos

lowest point: Mekong River 70 m

highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m

Latvia

lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m

highest point: Galzina Kalns 312 m

Lebanon

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m

highest point: Qurnat as Sawda' 3,088 m

Lesotho

lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers

1,400 m

highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m

Liberia

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m

Libya

lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m

highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m

Liechtenstein

lowest point: Ruggeller Riet 430 m

highest point: Vorder-Grauspitz 2,599 m

Lithuania

lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m

highest point: Juozapines Kalnas 293.6 m

Luxembourg

lowest point: Moselle River 133 m

highest point: Buurgplaatz 559 m

Macau

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m

highest point: Coloane Alto 172.4 m

Macedonia

lowest point: Vardar River 50 m

highest point: Golem Korab (Maja e Korabit) 2,764 m

Madagascar

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Maromokotro 2,876 m

Malawi

lowest point: junction of the Shire River and international

boundary with Mozambique 37 m

highest point: Sapitwa (Mount Mlanje) 3,002 m

Malaysia

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m

Maldives

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location on Wilingili island in the Addu

Atoll 2.4 m

Mali

lowest point: Senegal River 23 m

highest point: Hombori Tondo 1,155 m

Malta

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m

highest point: Ta'Dmejrek 253 m (near Dingli)

Marshall Islands

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m

Mauritania

lowest point: Sebkhet Te-n-Dghamcha -5 m

highest point: Kediet Ijill 915 m

Mauritius

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mont Piton 828 m

Mayotte

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Benara 660 m

Mexico

lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m

highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m

Micronesia, Federated States of

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Dolohmwar (Totolom) 791 m

Moldova

lowest point: Dniester River 2 m

highest point: Dealul Balanesti 430 m

Monaco

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m

highest point: Mont Agel 140 m

Mongolia

lowest point: Hoh Nuur 518 m

highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Huyten Orgil) 4,374 m

Montenegro

lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m

highest point: Bobotov Kuk 2,522 m

Montserrat

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: lava dome in English's Crater (in the Soufriere Hills

volcanic complex) estimated at over 930 m (2006)

Morocco

lowest point: Sebkha Tah -55 m

highest point: Jebel Toubkal 4,165 m

Mozambique

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m

Namibia

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m

Nauru

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m

Navassa Island

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: unnamed location on southwest side 77 m

Nepal

lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m

highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m

Netherlands

lowest point: Zuidplaspolder -7 m

highest point: Vaalserberg 322 m

Netherlands Antilles

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m

New Caledonia

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mont Panie 1,628 m

New Zealand

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m

Nicaragua

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mogoton 2,438 m

Niger

lowest point: Niger River 200 m

highest point: Mont Bagzane 2,022 m

Nigeria

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Chappal Waddi 2,419 m

Niue

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location near Mutalau settlement 68 m

Norfolk Island

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Bates 319 m

Northern Mariana Islands

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location on Agrihan 965 m

Norway

lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m

highest point: Galdhopiggen 2,469 m

Oman

lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m

highest point: Jabal Shams 2,980 m

Pacific Ocean

lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench

-10,924 m

highest point: sea level 0 m

Pakistan

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m

Palau

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Ngerchelchuus 242 m

Panama

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Volcan Baru 3,475 m

Papua New Guinea

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m

Paracel Islands

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m

highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 m

Paraguay

lowest point: junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m

highest point: Cerro Pero (Cerro Tres Kandu) 842 m

Peru

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m

Philippines

lowest point: Philippine Sea 0 m

highest point: Mount Apo 2,954 m

Pitcairn Islands

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Pawala Valley Ridge 347 m

Poland

lowest point: near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m

highest point: Rysy 2,499 m

Portugal

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Ponta do Pico (Pico or Pico Alto) on Ilha do Pico in

the Azores 2,351 m

Puerto Rico

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,339 m

Qatar

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m

highest point: Qurayn Abu al Bawl 103 m

Romania

lowest point: Black Sea 0 m

highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m

Russia

lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m

highest point: Gora El'brus 5,633 m

Rwanda

lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m

highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m

Saint Barthelemy

lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m

highest point: Morne du Vitet 286 m

Saint Helena

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,062 m; Green

Mountain on Ascension Island 859 m; Mount Actaeon on Saint Helena

Island 818 m

Saint Kitts and Nevis

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m

Saint Lucia

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m

Saint Martin

lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m

highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 m

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: La Soufriere 1,234 m

Samoa

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mauga Silisili (Savaii) 1,857 m

San Marino

lowest point: Torrente Ausa 55 m

highest point: Monte Titano 755 m

Sao Tome and Principe

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Pico de Sao Tome 2,024 m

Saudi Arabia

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m

highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m

Senegal

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m

Serbia

lowest point: NA

highest point: Midzor 2,169 m

Seychelles

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m

Sierra Leone

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m

Singapore

lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m

highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m

Slovakia

lowest point: Bodrok River 94 m

highest point: Gerlachovsky Stit 2,655 m

Slovenia

lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m

highest point: Triglav 2,864 m

Solomon Islands

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m

Somalia

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Shimbiris 2,416 m

South Africa

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

lowest point: Atlantic

Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m

Southern Ocean

lowest point: -7,235 m at the southern end of the

South Sandwich Trench

highest point: sea level 0 m

Spain

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m

Spratly Islands

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m

highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 m

Sri Lanka

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m

Sudan

lowest point: Red Sea 0 m

highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m

Suriname

lowest point: unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m

highest point: Juliana Top 1,230 m

Svalbard

lowest point: Arctic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Newtontoppen 1,717 m

Swaziland

lowest point: Great Usutu River 21 m

highest point: Emlembe 1,862 m

Sweden

lowest point: reclaimed bay of Lake Hammarsjon, near

Kristianstad -2.41 m

highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m

Switzerland

lowest point: Lake Maggiore 195 m

highest point: Dufourspitze 4,634 m

Syria

lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m

highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m

Taiwan

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m

highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m

Tajikistan

lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m

highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m

Tanzania

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Kilimanjaro 5,895 m

Thailand

lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m

highest point: Doi Inthanon 2,576 m

Timor-Leste

lowest point: Timor Sea, Savu Sea, and Banda Sea 0 m

highest point: Foho Tatamailau 2,963 m

Togo

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mont Agou 986 m

Tokelau

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location 5 m

Tonga

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location on Kao Island 1,033 m

Trinidad and Tobago

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m

Tunisia

lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m

highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m

Turkey

lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m

highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m

Turkmenistan

lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya -81 m; note -

Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water

level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina

Akchanaya (the lake has dropped as low as -110 m)

highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m

Turks and Caicos Islands

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Blue Hills 49 m

Tuvalu

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location 5 m

Uganda

lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m

highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m

Ukraine

lowest point: Black Sea 0 m

highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m

United Arab Emirates

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m

highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m

United Kingdom

lowest point: The Fens -4 m

highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m

United States

lowest point: Death Valley -86 m

highest point: Mount McKinley 6,198 m

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

lowest point: Pacific

Ocean 0 m

highest point: Baker Island, unnamed location - 8 m; Howland Island,

unnamed location - 3 m; Jarvis Island, unnamed location - 7 m;

Johnston Atoll, Sand Island - 10 m; Kingman Reef, unnamed location -

less than 2 m; Midway Islands, unnamed location - 13 m; Palmyra

Atoll, unnamed location - 3 m

Uruguay

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Cerro Catedral 514 m

Uzbekistan

lowest point: Sariqarnish Kuli -12 m

highest point: Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m

Vanuatu

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Tabwemasana 1,877 m

Venezuela

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Pico Bolivar (La Columna) 5,007 m

Vietnam

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m

highest point: Fan Si Pan 3,144 m

Virgin Islands

lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Crown Mountain 475 m

Wake Island

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location 6 m

Wallis and Futuna

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mont Singavi 765 m

West Bank

lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m

highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m

Western Sahara

lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m

highest point: unnamed elevation 805 m

World

lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,540 m

note: in the oceanic realm, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is

the lowest point, lying -10,924 m below the surface of the Pacific

Ocean

highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m

Yemen

lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m

highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m

Zambia

lowest point: Zambezi river 329 m

highest point: unnamed location in Mafinga Hills 2,301 m

Zimbabwe

lowest point: junction of the Runde and Save rivers 162 m

highest point: Inyangani 2,592 m

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2021 Natural hazards

Afghanistan

damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains;

flooding; droughts

Albania

destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern

coast; floods; drought

Algeria

mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides

and floods in rainy season

American Samoa

typhoons common from December to March

Andorra

avalanches

Angola

locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on the plateau

Anguilla

frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to

October)

Antarctica

katabatic (gravity-driven) winds blow coastward from the

high interior; frequent blizzards form near the foot of the plateau;

cyclonic storms form over the ocean and move clockwise along the

coast; volcanism on Deception Island and isolated areas of West

Antarctica; other seismic activity rare and weak; large icebergs may

calve from ice shelf

Antigua and Barbuda

hurricanes and tropical storms (July to

October); periodic droughts

Arctic Ocean

ice islands occasionally break away from northern

Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland

and extreme northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually

ice locked from October to June; ships subject to superstructure

icing from October to May

Argentina

San Miguel de Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes

subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can

strike the pampas and northeast; heavy flooding

Armenia

occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts

Aruba

hurricanes; lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt and is

rarely threatened

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

surrounded by shoals and reefs that can

pose maritime hazards

Atlantic Ocean

icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and

the northwestern Atlantic Ocean from February to August and have

been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; ships

subject to superstructure icing in extreme northern Atlantic from

October to May; persistent fog can be a maritime hazard from May to

September; hurricanes (May to December)

Australia

cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires

Austria

landslides; avalanches; earthquakes

Azerbaijan

droughts

Bahamas, The

hurricanes and other tropical storms cause extensive

flood and wind damage

Bahrain

periodic droughts; dust storms

Bangladesh

droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely

inundated during the summer monsoon season

Barbados

infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides

Belarus

NA

Belgium

flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed

coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes

Belize

frequent, devastating hurricanes (June to November) and

coastal flooding (especially in south)

Benin

hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December

to March

Bermuda

hurricanes (June to November)

Bhutan

violent storms from the Himalayas are the source of the

country's name, which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon;

frequent landslides during the rainy season

Bolivia

flooding in the northeast (March-April)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

destructive earthquakes

Botswana

periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from the

west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure

visibility

Bouvet Island

NA

Brazil

recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost

in south

British Indian Ocean Territory

NA

British Virgin Islands

hurricanes and tropical storms (July to

October)

Brunei

typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are rare

Bulgaria

earthquakes, landslides

Burkina Faso

recurring droughts

Burma

destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides

common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts

Burundi

flooding, landslides, drought

Cambodia

monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional

droughts

Cameroon

volcanic activity with periodic releases of poisonous gases

from Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun volcanoes

Canada

continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to

development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a

result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and

North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and

snow east of the mountains

Cape Verde

prolonged droughts; seasonal harmattan wind produces

obscuring dust; volcanically and seismically active

Cayman Islands

hurricanes (July to November)

Central African Republic

hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect

northern areas; floods are common

Chad

hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; periodic

droughts; locust plagues

Chile

severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis

China

frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and

eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts;

land subsidence

Christmas Island

the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can

be a maritime hazard

Clipperton Island

NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

cyclone season is October to April

Colombia

highlands subject to volcanic eruptions; occasional

earthquakes; periodic droughts

Comoros

cyclones possible during rainy season (December to April);

Le Kartala on Grand Comore is an active volcano

Congo, Democratic Republic of the periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes

Congo, Republic of the

seasonal flooding

Cook Islands

typhoons (November to March)

Coral Sea Islands

occasional tropical cyclones

Costa Rica

occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along Atlantic coast;

frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season and

landslides; active volcanoes

Cote d'Ivoire

coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during

the rainy season torrential flooding is possible

Croatia

destructive earthquakes

Cuba

the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to November

(in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other

year); droughts are common

Cyprus

moderate earthquake activity; droughts

Czech Republic

flooding

Denmark

flooding is a threat in some areas of the country (e.g.,

parts of Jutland, along the southern coast of the island of Lolland)

that are protected from the sea by a system of dikes

Djibouti

earthquakes; droughts; occasional cyclonic disturbances

from the Indian Ocean bring heavy rains and flash floods

Dominica

flash floods are a constant threat; destructive hurricanes

can be expected during the late summer months

Dominican Republic

lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and

subject to severe storms from June to October; occasional flooding;

periodic droughts

Ecuador

frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; floods;

periodic droughts

Egypt

periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods,

landslides; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring;

dust storms, sandstorms

El Salvador

known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes

destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity; extremely susceptible

to hurricanes

Equatorial Guinea

violent windstorms, flash floods

Eritrea

frequent droughts; locust swarms

Estonia

sometimes flooding occurs in the spring

Ethiopia

geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to

earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; frequent droughts

European Union

flooding along coasts; avalanches in mountainous

area; earthquakes in the south; volcanic eruptions in Italy;

periodic droughts in Spain; ice floes in the Baltic

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

strong winds persist throughout

the year

Faroe Islands

NA

Fiji

cyclonic storms can occur from November to January

Finland

NA

France

metropolitan France: flooding; avalanches; midwinter

windstorms; drought; forest fires in south near the Mediterranean

overseas departments: hurricanes (cyclones), flooding, volcanic

activity (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion)

French Polynesia

occasional cyclonic storms in January

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul

are inactive volcanoes; Iles Eparses subject to periodic cyclones;

Bassas da India is a maritime hazard since it is under water for a

period of three hours prior to and following the high tide and

surrounded by reefs

Gabon

NA

Gambia, The

drought (rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30

years)

Gaza Strip

droughts

Georgia

earthquakes

Germany

flooding

Ghana

dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to

March; droughts

Gibraltar

NA

Greece

severe earthquakes

Greenland

continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the

island

Grenada

lies on edge of hurricane belt; hurricane season lasts from

June to November

Guam

frequent squalls during rainy season; relatively rare, but

potentially very destructive typhoons (June - December)

Guatemala

numerous volcanoes in mountains, with occasional violent

earthquakes; Caribbean coast extremely susceptible to hurricanes and

other tropical storms

Guernsey

NA

Guinea

hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during

dry season

Guinea-Bissau

hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility

during dry season; brush fires

Guyana

flash floods are a constant threat during rainy seasons

Haiti

lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe

storms from June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes;

periodic droughts

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Mawson Peak, an active volcano, is

on Heard Island

Holy See (Vatican City)

NA

Honduras

frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; extremely

susceptible to damaging hurricanes and floods along the Caribbean

coast

Hong Kong

occasional typhoons

Iceland

earthquakes and volcanic activity

India

droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive

flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes

Indian Ocean

occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in

southern reaches

Indonesia

occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes,

volcanoes, forest fires

Iran

periodic droughts, floods; dust storms, sandstorms; earthquakes

Iraq

dust storms, sandstorms, floods

Ireland

NA

Isle of Man

NA

Israel

sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; droughts;

periodic earthquakes

Italy

regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches,

earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice

Jamaica

hurricanes (especially July to November)

Jan Mayen

dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg;

volcanic activity resumed in 1970; the most recent eruption occurred

in 1985

Japan

many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic

occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis; typhoons

Jersey

NA

Jordan

droughts; periodic earthquakes

Kazakhstan

earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty

Kenya

recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons

Kiribati

typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March;

occasional tornadoes; low level of some of the islands make them

sensitive to changes in sea level

Korea, North

late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding;

occasional typhoons during the early fall

Korea, South

occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods;

low-level seismic activity common in southwest

Kuwait

sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April and bring

heavy rain, which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and dust

storms occur throughout the year but are most common between March

and August

Kyrgyzstan

NA

Laos

floods, droughts

Latvia

NA

Lebanon

dust storms, sandstorms

Lesotho

periodic droughts

Liberia

dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to

March)

Libya

hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to

four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms

Liechtenstein

NA

Lithuania

NA

Luxembourg

NA

Macau

typhoons

Macedonia

high seismic risks

Madagascar

periodic cyclones, drought, and locust infestation

Malawi

NA

Malaysia

flooding, landslides, forest fires

Maldives

low level of islands makes them sensitive to sea level rise

Mali

hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons;

recurring droughts; occasional Niger River flooding

Malta

NA

Marshall Islands

infrequent typhoons

Mauritania

hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind blows primarily in

March and April; periodic droughts

Mauritius

cyclones (November to April); almost completely surrounded

by reefs that may pose maritime hazards

Mayotte

cyclones during rainy season

Mexico

tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive

earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific,

Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts

Micronesia, Federated States of

typhoons (June to December)

Moldova

landslides

Monaco

NA

Mongolia

dust storms, grassland and forest fires, drought, and

"zud," which is harsh winter conditions

Montenegro

destructive earthquakes

Montserrat

severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions

(Soufriere Hills volcano has erupted continuously since 1995)

Morocco

northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to

earthquakes; periodic droughts

Mozambique

severe droughts; devastating cyclones and floods in

central and southern provinces

Namibia

prolonged periods of drought

Nauru

periodic droughts

Navassa Island

hurricanes

Nepal

severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and

famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the

summer monsoons

Netherlands

flooding

Netherlands Antilles

Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are

subject to hurricanes from July to October; Curacao and Bonaire are

south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened

New Caledonia

cyclones, most frequent from November to March

New Zealand

earthquakes are common, though usually not severe;

volcanic activity

Nicaragua

destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides; extremely

susceptible to hurricanes

Niger

recurring droughts

Nigeria

periodic droughts; flooding

Niue

typhoons

Norfolk Island

typhoons (especially May to July)

Northern Mariana Islands active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November)

Norway

rockslides, avalanches

Oman

summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in

interior; periodic droughts

Pacific Ocean

surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and

earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of

Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east

Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October);

tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike

Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in

August and September); cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in

the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western

Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure

icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the

northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December

Pakistan

frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in

north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and

August)

Palau

typhoons (June to December)

Panama

occasional severe storms and forest fires in the Darien area

Papua New Guinea

active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Ring

of Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe

earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamis

Paracel Islands

typhoons

Paraguay

local flooding in southeast (early September to June);

poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)

Peru

earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic

activity

Philippines

astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck

by five to six cyclonic storms per year; landslides; active

volcanoes; destructive earthquakes; tsunamis

Pitcairn Islands

typhoons (especially November to March)

Poland

flooding

Portugal

Azores subject to severe earthquakes

Puerto Rico

periodic droughts; hurricanes

Qatar

haze, dust storms, sandstorms common

Romania

earthquakes, most severe in south and southwest; geologic

structure and climate promote landslides

Russia

permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to

development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and

earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula; spring floods and

summer/autumn forest fires throughout Siberia and parts of European

Russia

Rwanda

periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the

northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo

Saint Helena

active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha, last eruption in

1961

Saint Kitts and Nevis

hurricanes (July to October)

Saint Lucia

hurricanes and volcanic activity

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

persistent fog throughout the year can be

a maritime hazard

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on

the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat

Samoa

occasional typhoons; active volcanism

San Marino

NA

Sao Tome and Principe

NA

Saudi Arabia

frequent sand and dust storms

Senegal

lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts

Serbia

destructive earthquakes

Seychelles

lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare;

short droughts possible

Sierra Leone

dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara

(December to February); sandstorms, dust storms

Singapore

NA

Slovakia

NA

Slovenia

flooding and earthquakes

Solomon Islands

typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically

active region with frequent earthquakes, tremors, and volcanic

activity; tsunamis

Somalia

recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains

in summer; floods during rainy season

South Africa

prolonged droughts

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

the South Sandwich

Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them

difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active

volcanism

Southern Ocean

huge icebergs with drafts up to several hundred

meters; smaller bergs and iceberg fragments; sea ice (generally 0.5

to 1 m thick) with sometimes dynamic short-term variations and with

large annual and interannual variations; deep continental shelf

floored by glacial deposits varying widely over short distances;

high winds and large waves much of the year; ship icing, especially

May-October; most of region is remote from sources of search and

rescue

Spain

periodic droughts

Spratly Islands

typhoons; numerous reefs and shoals pose a serious

maritime hazard

Sri Lanka

occasional cyclones and tornadoes

Sudan

dust storms and periodic persistent droughts

Suriname

NA

Svalbard

ice floes often block the entrance to Bellsund (a transit

point for coal export) on the west coast and occasionally make parts

of the northeastern coast inaccessible to maritime traffic

Swaziland

drought

Sweden

ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf

of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic

Switzerland

avalanches, landslides, flash floods

Syria

dust storms, sandstorms

Taiwan

earthquakes and typhoons

Tajikistan

earthquakes and floods

Tanzania

flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season;

drought

Thailand

land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the

depletion of the water table; droughts

Timor-Leste

floods and landslides are common; earthquakes, tsunamis,

tropical cyclones

Togo

hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during

winter; periodic droughts

Tokelau

lies in Pacific typhoon belt

Tonga

cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity

on Fonuafo'ou

Trinidad and Tobago

outside usual path of hurricanes and other

tropical storms

Tunisia

NA

Turkey

severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an

arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van

Turkmenistan

NA

Turks and Caicos Islands

frequent hurricanes

Tuvalu

severe tropical storms are usually rare, but, in 1997, there

were three cyclones; low level of islands make them sensitive to

changes in sea level

Uganda

NA

Ukraine

NA

United Arab Emirates

frequent sand and dust storms

United Kingdom

winter windstorms; floods

United States

tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around

Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico

coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud slides in

California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in

northern Alaska, a major impediment to development

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Baker, Howland, and

Jarvis Islands: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can

be a maritime hazard

Kingman Reef: wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of

less than 2 m makes Kingman Reef a maritime hazard

Midway Islands, Johnston, and Palmyra Atolls: NA

Uruguay

seasonally high winds (the pampero is a chilly and

occasional violent wind that blows north from the Argentine pampas),

droughts, floods; because of the absence of mountains, which act as

weather barriers, all locations are particularly vulnerable to rapid

changes from weather fronts

Uzbekistan

NA

Vanuatu

tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanic

eruption on Aoba (Ambae) island began 27 November 2005, volcanism

also causes minor earthquakes; tsunamis

Venezuela

subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts

Vietnam

occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive

flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta

Virgin Islands

several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and

severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes

Wake Island

occasional typhoons

Wallis and Futuna

NA

West Bank

droughts

Western Sahara

hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur

during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of

time, often severely restricting visibility

World

large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones),

natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic

eruptions)

Yemen

sandstorms and dust storms in summer

Zambia

periodic drought, tropical storms (November to April)

Zimbabwe

recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2022 People - note

Cook Islands

2001 census counted a resident population of 15,017

Cuba

illicit emigration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to

depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien

smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; Cubans also use

non-maritime routes to enter the US including direct flights to

Miami and over-land via the southwest border

Germany

second most populous country in Europe after Russia

Rwanda

Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa

Trinidad and Tobago

in 2007, the government of Trinidad and Tobago

estimated the population to be 1.3 million

Turks and Caicos Islands

destination and transit point for illegal

Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, The

Bahamas, and the US

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2023 Area - comparative

Afghanistan

slightly smaller than Texas

Akrotiri

about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC

Albania

slightly smaller than Maryland

Algeria

slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas

American Samoa

slightly larger than Washington, DC

Andorra

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Angola

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Anguilla

about half the size of Washington, DC

Antarctica

slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US

Antigua and Barbuda

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Arctic Ocean

slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US

Argentina

slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US

Armenia

slightly smaller than Maryland

Aruba

slightly larger than Washington, DC

Ashmore and Cartier Islands about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Atlantic Ocean

slightly less than 6.5 times the size of the US

Australia

slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states

Austria

slightly smaller than Maine

Azerbaijan

slightly smaller than Maine

Bahamas, The

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Bahrain

3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Bangladesh

slightly smaller than Iowa

Barbados

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Belarus

slightly smaller than Kansas

Belgium

about the size of Maryland

Belize

slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Benin

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Bermuda

about one-third the size of Washington, DC

Bhutan

about one-half the size of Indiana

Bolivia

slightly less than three times the size of Montana

Bosnia and Herzegovina

slightly smaller than West Virginia

Botswana

slightly smaller than Texas

Bouvet Island

about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Brazil

slightly smaller than the US

British Indian Ocean Territory land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC

British Virgin Islands

about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC

Brunei

slightly smaller than Delaware

Bulgaria

slightly larger than Tennessee

Burkina Faso

slightly larger than Colorado

Burma

slightly smaller than Texas

Burundi

slightly smaller than Maryland

Cambodia

slightly smaller than Oklahoma

Cameroon

slightly larger than California

Canada

somewhat larger than the US

Cape Verde

slightly larger than Rhode Island

Cayman Islands

1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Central African Republic

slightly smaller than Texas

Chad

slightly more than three times the size of California

Chile

slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana

China

slightly smaller than the US

Christmas Island

about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC

Clipperton Island

about 12 times the size of The Mall in Washington,

DC

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

about 24 times the size of The Mall in

Washington, DC

Colombia

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Comoros

slightly more than 12 times the size of Washington, DC

Congo, Democratic Republic of the slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US

Congo, Republic of the

slightly smaller than Montana

Cook Islands

1.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Coral Sea Islands

NA

Costa Rica

slightly smaller than West Virginia

Cote d'Ivoire

slightly larger than New Mexico

Croatia

slightly smaller than West Virginia

Cuba

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Cyprus

about 0.6 times the size of Connecticut

Czech Republic

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Denmark

slightly less than twice the size of Massachusetts

Dhekelia

about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC

Djibouti

slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Dominica

slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC

Dominican Republic

slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire

Ecuador

slightly smaller than Nevada

Egypt

slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico

El Salvador

slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Equatorial Guinea

slightly smaller than Maryland

Eritrea

slightly larger than Pennsylvania

Estonia

slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined

Ethiopia

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

European Union

less than one-half the size of the US

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Faroe Islands

eight times the size of Washington, DC

Fiji

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Finland

slightly smaller than Montana

France

slightly less than the size of Texas

French Polynesia

slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et

Ile Saint-Paul): less than one-half the size of Washington, DC

Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): more than 10 times

the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Iles Crozet: about twice the size of Washington, DC

Iles Kerguelen: a little larger than Delaware

Bassas da India (Iles Eparses): land area about one-third the size

of The Mall in Washington, DC

Europa Island (Iles Eparses): about one-sixth the size of

Washington, DC

Glorioso Islands (Iles Eparses): about eight times the size of The

Mall in Washington, DC

Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses): about seven times the size of

The Mall in Washington, DC

Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): about 1.7 times the size of The Mall

in Washington, DC

Gabon

slightly smaller than Colorado

Gambia, The

slightly less than twice the size of Delaware

Gaza Strip

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Georgia

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Germany

slightly smaller than Montana

Ghana

slightly smaller than Oregon

Gibraltar

a little less than one half the size of Rhode Island

Greece

slightly smaller than Alabama

Greenland

slightly more than three times the size of Texas

Grenada

twice the size of Washington, DC

Guam

three times the size of Washington, DC

Guatemala

slightly smaller than Tennessee

Guernsey

about one-half the size of Washington, DC

Guinea

slightly smaller than Oregon

Guinea-Bissau

slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut

Guyana

slightly smaller than Idaho

Haiti

slightly smaller than Maryland

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

slightly more than two times the

size of Washington, DC

Holy See (Vatican City)

about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in

Washington, DC

Honduras

slightly larger than Tennessee

Hong Kong

six times the size of Washington, DC

Hungary

slightly smaller than Indiana

Iceland

slightly smaller than Kentucky

India

slightly more than one-third the size of the US

Indian Ocean

about 5.5 times the size of the US

Indonesia

slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Iran

slightly larger than Alaska

Iraq

slightly more than twice the size of Idaho

Ireland

slightly larger than West Virginia

Isle of Man

slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC

Israel

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Italy

slightly larger than Arizona

Jamaica

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Jan Mayen

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Japan

slightly smaller than California

Jersey

about two-thirds the size of Washington, DC

Jordan

slightly smaller than Indiana

Kazakhstan

slightly less than four times the size of Texas

Kenya

slightly more than twice the size of Nevada

Kiribati

four times the size of Washington, DC

Korea, North

slightly smaller than Mississippi

Korea, South

slightly larger than Indiana

Kosovo

slightly larger than Delaware

Kuwait

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Kyrgyzstan

slightly smaller than South Dakota

Laos

slightly larger than Utah

Latvia

slightly larger than West Virginia

Lebanon

about 0.7 times the size of Connecticut

Lesotho

slightly smaller than Maryland

Liberia

slightly larger than Tennessee

Libya

slightly larger than Alaska

Liechtenstein

about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC

Lithuania

slightly larger than West Virginia

Luxembourg

slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Macau

less than one-sixth the size of Washington, DC

Macedonia

slightly larger than Vermont

Madagascar

slightly less than twice the size of Arizona

Malawi

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Malaysia

slightly larger than New Mexico

Maldives

about 1.7 times the size of Washington, DC

Mali

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Malta

slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC

Marshall Islands

about the size of Washington, DC

Mauritania

slightly larger than three times the size of New Mexico

Mauritius

almost 11 times the size of Washington, DC

Mayotte

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Mexico

slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Micronesia, Federated States of

four times the size of Washington,

DC (land area only)

Moldova

slightly larger than Maryland

Monaco

about three times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Mongolia

slightly smaller than Alaska

Montenegro

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Montserrat

about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC

Morocco

slightly larger than California

Mozambique

slightly less than twice the size of California

Namibia

slightly more than half the size of Alaska

Nauru

about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Navassa Island

about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington,

DC

Nepal

slightly larger than Arkansas

Netherlands

slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Netherlands Antilles

more than five times the size of Washington, DC

New Caledonia

slightly smaller than New Jersey

New Zealand

about the size of Colorado

Nicaragua

slightly smaller than the state of New York

Niger

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Nigeria

slightly more than twice the size of California

Niue

1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Norfolk Island

about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC

Northern Mariana Islands

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Norway

slightly larger than New Mexico

Oman

slightly smaller than Kansas

Pacific Ocean

about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of

the global surface; larger than the total land area of the world

Pakistan

slightly less than twice the size of California

Palau

slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Panama

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Papua New Guinea

slightly larger than California

Paracel Islands

NA

Paraguay

slightly smaller than California

Peru

slightly smaller than Alaska

Philippines

slightly larger than Arizona

Pitcairn Islands

about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Poland

slightly smaller than New Mexico

Portugal

slightly smaller than Indiana

Puerto Rico

slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island

Qatar

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Romania

slightly smaller than Oregon

Russia

approximately 1.8 times the size of the US

Rwanda

slightly smaller than Maryland

Saint Barthelemy

less than an eighth of the size of Washington, DC

Saint Helena

slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Saint Kitts and Nevis

1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Saint Lucia

3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Saint Martin

more than one-third the size of Washington, DC

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

twice the size of Washington, DC

Samoa

slightly smaller than Rhode Island

San Marino

about one third times the size of Washington, DC

Sao Tome and Principe

more than five times the size of Washington, DC

Saudi Arabia

slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US

Senegal

slightly smaller than South Dakota

Serbia

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Seychelles

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Sierra Leone

slightly smaller than South Carolina

Singapore

slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Slovakia

about twice the size of New Hampshire

Slovenia

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Solomon Islands

slightly smaller than Maryland

Somalia

slightly smaller than Texas

South Africa

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

slightly larger than

Rhode Island

Southern Ocean

slightly more than twice the size of the US

Spain

slightly more than twice the size of Oregon

Spratly Islands

NA

Sri Lanka

slightly larger than West Virginia

Sudan

slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US

Suriname

slightly larger than Georgia

Svalbard

slightly smaller than West Virginia

Swaziland

slightly smaller than New Jersey

Sweden

slightly larger than California

Switzerland

slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Syria

slightly larger than North Dakota

Taiwan

slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined

Tajikistan

slightly smaller than Wisconsin

Tanzania

slightly larger than twice the size of California

Thailand

slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming

Timor-Leste

slightly larger than Connecticut

Togo

slightly smaller than West Virginia

Tokelau

about 17 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Tonga

four times the size of Washington, DC

Trinidad and Tobago

slightly smaller than Delaware

Tunisia

slightly larger than Georgia

Turkey

slightly larger than Texas

Turkmenistan

slightly larger than California

Turks and Caicos Islands

2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Tuvalu

0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Uganda

slightly smaller than Oregon

Ukraine

slightly smaller than Texas

United Arab Emirates

slightly smaller than Maine

United Kingdom

slightly smaller than Oregon

United States

about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the

size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly

larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; more than twice the

size of the European Union

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Baker Island: about

two and a half times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Howland Island: about three times the size of The Mall in

Washington, DC

Jarvis Island: about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington,

DC

Johnston Atoll: about four and a half times the size of The Mall in

Washington, DC

Kingman Reef: a little more than one and a half times the size of

The Mall in Washington, DC

Midway Islands: about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington,

DC

Palmyra Atoll: about 20 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Uruguay

slightly smaller than the state of Washington

Uzbekistan

slightly larger than California

Vanuatu

slightly larger than Connecticut

Venezuela

slightly more than twice the size of California

Vietnam

slightly larger than New Mexico

Virgin Islands

twice the size of Washington, DC

Wake Island

about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Wallis and Futuna

1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

West Bank

slightly smaller than Delaware

Western Sahara

about the size of Colorado

World

land area about 16 times the size of the US

Yemen

slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming

Zambia

slightly larger than Texas

Zimbabwe

slightly larger than Montana

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2024 Military service age and obligation (years of age)

Afghanistan

22 years of age; inductees are contracted into service

for a 4-year term (2005)

Albania

19 years of age (2004)

Algeria

19-30 years of age for compulsory military service;

conscript service obligation - 18 months (6 months basic training,

12 months civil projects) (2006)

Angola

17 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript

service obligation - 2 years plus time for training (2001)

Antigua and Barbuda

18 years of age for voluntary military service;

no conscription (2008)

Argentina

18-24 years of age for voluntary military service (18-21

requires parental permission); no conscription (2001)

Armenia

18-27 years of age for voluntary or compulsory military

service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2007)

Australia

17 years of age for voluntary military service (with

parental consent); no conscription; women allowed to serve in Army

combat units in non-combat support roles (2008)

Austria

18-35 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years

of age for male or female voluntary service; service obligation 7

months of training, followed by an 8-year reserve obligation (2006)

Azerbaijan

men between 18 and 35 are liable for military service; 18

years of age for voluntary military service; length of military

service is 18 months and 12 months for university graduates (2006)

Bahamas, The

18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2008)

Bahrain

17 years of age for voluntary military service; 15 years of

age for NCOs, technicians, and cadets; no conscription (2008)

Bangladesh

16 years of age for voluntary military service; 17 years

of age for officers (both with parental consent); conscription

legally possible in emergency, but has never been implemented (2008)

Barbados

18 years of age for voluntary military service (younger

requires parental consent); no conscription (2008)

Belarus

18-27 years of age for compulsory military service;

conscript service obligation - 18 months (2005)

Belgium

18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription

suspended (2008)

Belize

18 years of age for voluntary military service; laws allow

for conscription only if volunteers are insufficient; conscription

has never been implemented; volunteers typically outnumber available

positions by 3:1 (2008)

Benin

21 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;

in practice, volunteers may be taken at the age of 18; both sexes

are eligible for military service; conscript tour of duty - 18

months (2006)

Bermuda

18-23 years of age; eligible men required to register for

conscription as needed into the Bermuda Regiment, which is largely

voluntary; term of service 39 months (2007)

Bhutan

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no

conscription (2008)

Bolivia

18 years of age for 12-month compulsory military service;

when annual number of volunteers falls short of goal, compulsory

recruitment is effected, including conscription of boys as young as

14; 15-19 years of age for voluntary premilitary service, provides

exemption from further military service (2008)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

17 years of age for voluntary military

service in the Federation and in the Republika Srpska; conscription

abolished January 2006; 4-month service obligation (2006)

Botswana

18 is the apparent age of voluntary military service; the

official qualifications for determining minimum age are unknown

(2001)

Brazil

21-45 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript

service obligation - 9 to 12 months; 17-45 years of age for

voluntary service; an increasing percentage of the ranks are

"long-service" volunteer professionals; women were allowed to serve

in the armed forces beginning in early 1980s when the Brazilian Army

became the first army in South America to accept women into career

ranks; women serve in Navy and Air Force only in Women's Reserve

Corps (2001)

Brunei

18 years of age (est.) for voluntary military service;

non-Malays are ineligible to serve (2007)

Bulgaria

18-27 years of age for voluntary military service;

conscript service obligation - 9 months; as of May 2006, 67% of the

Bulgarian Army comprised of professional soldiers; conscription

ended as of 1 January 2008; Air and Air Defense Forces and Naval

Forces became fully professional at the end of 2006 (2008)

Burkina Faso

18 years of age for compulsory military service; 20

years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Burma

18 years of age for voluntary military service for both sexes;

forced conscription of children, although officially prohibited,

reportedly continues (2007)

Burundi

16 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military

service; children as young as 10 years of age have been conscripted

into the armed forces; the enrollment of children is still not

prohibited (2007)

Cambodia

conscription law of October 2006 requires all males between

18-30 to register for military service; 18-month service obligation

(2006)

Cameroon

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no

conscription; the government makes periodic calls for volunteers

(2006)

Canada

17 years of age for male and female voluntary military

service (with parental consent); 16 years of age for reserve and

military college applicants; Canadian citizenship or permanent

residence status required; maximum 34 years of age; service

obligation 3-9 years (2008)

Cape Verde

18 years of age (est.) for selective compulsory military

service; 14-month conscript service obligation (2006)

Central African Republic

18 years of age for compulsory and

voluntary military service; 2-year conscript service obligation

(2006)

Chad

20 years of age for conscripts, with 3-year service obligation;

18 years of age for volunteers; no minimum age restriction for

volunteers with consent from a guardian; women are subject to 1 year

of compulsory military or civic service at age of 21 (2004)

Chile

18-45 years of age for voluntary male and female military

service, although the right to compulsory recruitment is retained;

service obligation - 12 months for Army, 22 months for Navy and Air

Force (2008)

China

18-22 years of age for selective compulsory military service,

with 24-month service obligation; no minimum age for voluntary

service (all officers are volunteers); 18-19 years of age for women

high school graduates who meet requirements for specific military

jobs (2007)

Colombia

18-24 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military

service; service obligation - 18 months (2004)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

18-45 years of age for military

service

Congo, Republic of the

18 years of age for voluntary military

service; women allowed to serve (2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military

service (2008)

Croatia

18-27 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years

of age with consent for voluntary service; 6-month conscript service

obligation; full conversion to professional military service by 2010

(2006)

Cuba

17-28 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year

service obligation; both sexes subject to military service (2006)

Cyprus

Greek Cypriot National Guard (GCNG): 18-50 years of age for

compulsory military service for all Greek Cypriot males; 17 years of

age for voluntary service; females are not conscripted; age of

military eligibility 17 to 50; length of normal service is 25 months

with a minimum of 3 months (2006)

Czech Republic

18-28 years of age for voluntary and 19-28 for

compulsory military service (2008)

Denmark

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military

service; conscripts serve an initial training period that varies

from 4 to 12 months according to specialization; reservists are

assigned to mobilization units following completion of their

conscript service; women eligible to volunteer for military service

(2004)

Djibouti

18 years of age for voluntary military service; 16-25 years

of age for voluntary military training; no conscription (2008)

Dominican Republic

18 years of age for voluntary military service

(2007)

Ecuador

20 years of age for selective conscript military service;

12-month service obligation (2008)

Egypt

18-30 years of age for male conscript military service;

service obligation 12-36 months, followed by a 9-year reserve

obligation (2008)

El Salvador

18 years of age for selective compulsory military

service; 16 years of age for voluntary service; service obligation -

8 months, but 11 months for officers and NCOs (2008)

Equatorial Guinea

18 years of age (est.) for compulsory military

service (2008)

Eritrea

18-40 years of age for male and female voluntary and

compulsory military service; 16-month conscript service obligation

(2006)

Estonia

compulsory military service for men between 19 and 28;

conscription lasts 11 months for junior NCOs and reserve platoon

leaders; reserve officers and designated specialists have a

different conscript service obligation; Estonia has committed to

retaining conscription for men up to 2010 and, unlike Latvia and

Lithuania, has no plan to transition to a contract armed forces; 17

years of age for volunteers; reserve commitment up to the age of 60

(2006)

Ethiopia

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military

service; theoretically, no compulsory military service, but the

military can conduct call-ups when necessary and compliance is

compulsory (2008)

Fiji

18 years of age for voluntary military service; reserve

obligation to age 45 (2006)

Finland

18 years of age for male voluntary and compulsory national

military and nonmilitary service; service obligation 6-12 months

(2008)

France

17-40 years of age for male or female voluntary military

service); no conscription; 12-month service obligation; women serve

in noncombat military posts (2005)

Gabon

20 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service

(2007)

Gambia, The

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no

conscription (2008)

Georgia

18 to 34 years of age for compulsory and voluntary active

duty military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months

(2005)

Germany

18 years of age (conscripts serve a 9-month tour of

compulsory military service) (2004)

Ghana

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no

conscription (2008)

Greece

19-45 years of age for compulsory military service; during

wartime the law allows for recruitment beginning January of the year

of inductee's 18th birthday, thus including 17 year olds; 17 years

of age for volunteers; conscript service obligation - 1 year for all

services; women are eligible for voluntary military service (2008)

Guatemala

all male citizens between the ages of 18 and 50 are liable

for military service; conscript service obligation varies from 12 to

24 months; women can serve as officers (2007)

Guinea

18 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year

conscript service obligation (2006)

Guinea-Bissau

18 years of age for selective compulsory military

service (2006)

Guyana

18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no

conscription (2008)

Honduras

18 years of age for voluntary 2 to 3-year military service

(2004)

Hungary

18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription

abolished in June 2004; 6-month service obligation, with reserve

obligation to age 50 (2006)

India

16 years of age for voluntary military service; no

conscription; women officers allowed in noncombat roles only (2008)

Indonesia

18 years of age for selective compulsory and voluntary

military service; 2-year conscript service obligation, with reserve

obligation to age 45 (officers); Indonesian citizens only (2008)

Iran

19 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of

age for volunteers; 17 years of age for Law Enforcement Forces; 15

years of age for Basij Forces (Popular Mobilization Army); conscript

military service obligation - 18 months; women exempt from military

service (2008)

Iraq

18-49 years of age for voluntary military service (2008)

Ireland

17-25 years of age for male or female voluntary military

service (17-27 years of age for the Naval Service); enlistees 16

years of age can be recruited for apprentice specialist positions;

maximum obligation 12 years; 17-35 years of age for the Reserve

Defense Forces; EU citizenship or 5-year residence in Ireland

required (2008)

Israel

18 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) and voluntary

(Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service; both sexes are

obligated to military service; conscript service obligation - 36

months for enlisted men, 21 months for enlisted women, 48 months for

officers; reserve obligation to age 41-51 (men), 24 (women) (2008)

Italy

18-27 year of age for voluntary military service; conscription

abolished January 2005; women may serve in any military branch;

10-month service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 45

(Army and Air Force) or 39 (Navy) (2006)

Jamaica

18 years of age for voluntary military service; younger

recruits may be conscripted with parental consent (2001)

Japan

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Jordan

17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription

at age 18 was suspended in 1999, although all males under age 37 are

required to register; women not subject to conscription, but can

volunteer to serve in non-combat military positions (2004)

Kazakhstan

18 years of age for compulsory military service;

conscript service obligation - 2 years; minimum age for volunteers

NA (2004)

Kenya

18 years of age (est.) for voluntary service, with a 9-year

obligation (2007)

Korea, North

17 years of age (2004)

Korea, South

20-30 years of age for compulsory military service,

with middle school education required; conscript service obligation

- 24-28 months, depending on the military branch involved (to be

reduced to 18 months beginning 2016); 18-26 years of age for

voluntary military service; women, in service since 1950, admitted

to 7 service branches, including infantry, but excluded from

artillery, armor, anti-air, and chaplaincy corps; some 4,000 women

serve as commissioned and noncommissioned officers, approx. 2.3% of

all officers (2008)

Kuwait

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military

service; reserve obligation to age 40 with 1 month annual training;

women have served in police forces since 1999 (2006)

Kyrgyzstan

18 years of age for compulsory military service (2001)

Laos

15 years of age for compulsory military service; minimum

18-month conscript service obligation (2006)

Latvia

18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription

abolished January 2007; under current law, every citizen is entitled

to serve in the armed forces for life (2006)

Lebanon

18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no

conscription (2007)

Lesotho

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no

conscription (2008)

Liberia

16 years of age for voluntary military service; no

conscription (2008)

Libya

17 years of age (2004)

Lithuania

19-45 years of age for compulsory military service; 18

years of age for volunteers; 12-month conscript service obligation

(2006)

Luxembourg

17-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military

service; soldiers under 18 are not deployed into combat or with

peacekeeping missions; no conscription; Luxembourg citizen or EU

citizen with 3-year residence in Luxembourg (2008)

Macedonia

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)

Madagascar

18-25 years of age for male-only compulsory military

service; 18-month conscript service obligation (either military or

equivalent civil service); 20-30 years of age for National

Gendarmerie recruits (35 years of age for those with military

experience) (2008)

Malawi

18 years of age for voluntary military service; standard

obligation is 2 years of active duty and 5 years of reserve service

(2007)

Malaysia

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2005)

Maldives

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no

conscription (2008)

Mali

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service;

conscript service obligation - 2 years (2008)

Malta

17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service; no

conscription (2008)

Mauritania

18 years of age (est.); conscript service obligation - 2

years; majority of servicemen believed to be volunteers; service in

Air Force and Navy is voluntary (2006)

Mexico

18 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript

service obligation - 12 months; 16 years of age with consent for

voluntary enlistment; conscripts serve only in the Army; Navy and

Air Force service is all voluntary; women are eligible for voluntary

military service (2007)

Moldova

18 years of age for compulsory military service; 12-month

service obligation (2006)

Mongolia

18-25 years of age for compulsory military service;

conscript service obligation - 12 months in land or air defense

forces or police; a small portion of Mongolian land forces (2.5

percent) is comprised of contract soldiers; women cannot be deployed

overseas for military operations (2006)

Montenegro

compulsory national military service abolished August 2006

Morocco

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military

service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)

Mozambique

18-30 years of age for compulsory military service;

2-year service obligation (2006)

Namibia

18-25 years of age for voluntary military service; no

conscription (2008)

Nepal

18 years of age for voluntary military service; 15 years of

age for military training; no conscription (2008)

Netherlands

20 years of age for an all-volunteer force (2004)

Netherlands Antilles

16 years of age for National Guard recruitment;

no conscription (2004)

New Zealand

17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers

cannot be deployed until the age of 18; no conscription (2008)

Nicaragua

17 years of age for voluntary military service; tour of

duty 18-36 months (2008)

Niger

17-21 years of age for voluntary military service; 2-year

service term; women may serve in health care (2008)

Nigeria

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)

Norway

18-44 years of age for male compulsory military service; 16

years of age in wartime; 17 years of age for male volunteers; 18

years of age for women; 12-month service obligation, in practice

shortened to 8 to 9 months; although all males between ages of 18

and 44 are liable for service, in practice they are seldom called to

duty after age 30; reserve obligation to age 35-60; 16 years of age

for volunteers to the Home Guard, who serve 6-month duty tours (2006)

Oman

18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no

conscription (2008)

Pakistan

16 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers

cannot be deployed for combat until age of 18; the Pakistani Air

Force and Pakistani Navy have inducted their first female pilots and

sailors (2006)

Papua New Guinea

16 years of age for voluntary military service; no

conscription (2008)

Paraguay

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military

service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24

months for Navy (2006)

Peru

18-30 years of age for voluntary male and female military

service; no conscription (2008)

Philippines

18-25 years of age (officers 21-29) for compulsory and

voluntary military service; applicants must be single male or female

Philippine citizens (2007)

Poland

17 years of age for male compulsory military service after

January 1st of the year of 18th birthday; 17 years of age for

voluntary military service; conscript service obligation shortened

from 12 to 9 months in 2005; by 2008, plans call for at least 60% of

military personnel to be volunteers; only soldiers who have

completed their conscript service are allowed to volunteer for

professional service; as of April 2004, women are only allowed to

serve as officers and noncommissioned officers (2006)

Portugal

18 years of age for voluntary military service; compulsory

military service ended in 2004; women serve in the armed forces, on

naval ships since 1993, but are prohibited from serving in some

combatant specialties; reserve obligation to age 35 (2007)

Qatar

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no

conscription (2008)

Romania

18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription

officially ended October 2006; all military inductees (including

women) contract for an initial 5-year term of service; subsequent

voluntary service contracts are for successive 3-year terms until

the age of 36 (2006)

Russia

18-27 years of age for compulsory or voluntary military

service; males are registered for the draft at 17 years of age;

service obligation - 1 year; reserve obligation to age 50; as of

July 2008, a draft military strategy called for the draft to

continue up to the year 2030 (2008)

Rwanda

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no

conscription (2008)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

18 years of age for voluntary military

service; no conscription (2008)

San Marino

16-55 for voluntary service in Voluntary Military Force

(2006)

Sao Tome and Principe

18 years of age (est.) (2004)

Saudi Arabia

18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2004)

Senegal

18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military

service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)

Serbia

19-35 years of age for compulsory military service; under a

state of war or impending war, conscription can begin at age 16;

conscription is to be abolished in 2010; 9-month service obligation,

with a reserve obligation to age 60 for men and 50 for women (2007)

Seychelles

18 years of age for voluntary military service (younger

with parental consent); no conscription (2008)

Sierra Leone

17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service

(younger with parental consent); no conscription (2008)

Singapore

18-21 years of age for male compulsory military service;

16 years of age for volunteers; 2-year conscript service obligation,

with a reserve obligation to age 40 (enlisted) or age 50 (officers)

(2008)

Slovakia

17-30 years of age for voluntary military service;

conscription abolished in 2006; women are eligible to serve (2007)

Slovenia

17 years of age for voluntary military service;

conscription abolished in 2003 (2007)

South Africa

18 years of age for voluntary military service; women

have a long history of military service in noncombat roles dating

back to World War I (2004)

Spain

20 years of age (2004)

Sri Lanka

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)

Sudan

18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year

service obligation (2006)

Suriname

18 years of age (est.); recruitment is voluntary, with

personnel drawn almost exclusively from the Creole community (2007)

Swaziland

18-30 years of age for male and female voluntary military

service; no conscription (2008)

Sweden

19 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript

service obligation: 7-15 months (Navy), 8-12 months (Air Force);

after completing initial service, soldiers have a reserve commitment

until age 47 (2006)

Switzerland

19 years of age for male compulsory military service; 18

years of age for voluntary male and female military service; the

Swiss Constitution states that "every Swiss male is obliged to do

military service"; every Swiss male has to serve at least 260 days

in the armed forces; conscripts receive 18 weeks of mandatory

training, followed by seven 3-week intermittent recalls for training

during the next 10 years (2008)

Syria

18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript

service obligation - 30 months (18 months in the Syrian Arab Navy);

women are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve (2004)

Taiwan

19-35 years of age for male compulsory military service;

service obligation 14 months (reducing to 1 year in 2009) year;

women may enlist; women in Air Force service are restricted to

noncombat roles; reserve obligation to age 30 (Army); the Ministry

of Defense has announced plans to implement an incremental voluntary

enlistment system beginning 2010, with 10% fewer conscripts each

year thereafter, although nonvolunteers will still be required to

perform alternative service or go through 3-4 months of military

training (2008)

Tajikistan

18 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year

conscript service obligation (2007)

Tanzania

18 years of age for voluntary military service (2007)

Thailand

21 years of age for compulsory military service; 18 years

of age for voluntary military service; males are registered at 18

years of age; 2-year conscript service obligation (2006)

Timor-Leste

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no

conscription (2008)

Togo

18 years of age for selective compulsory and voluntary military

service; 2-year service obligation (2006)

Tonga

18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2008)

Trinidad and Tobago

18 years of age for voluntary military service

(16 years of age with parental consent); no conscription (2008)

Tunisia

20 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript

service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary

military service (2007)

Turkey

20 years of age (2004)

Turkmenistan

18-30 years of age for compulsory military service;

2-year conscript service obligation (2007)

Uganda

18-26 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military

duty; 18-30 years of age for professionals; 9-year service

obligation; the government has stated that recruitment below 18

years of age could occur with proper consent and that "no person

under the apparent age of 13 years shall be enrolled in the armed

forces"; Ugandan citizenship and secondary education required (2008)

Ukraine

18-25 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military

service; conscript service obligation - 18 months for Army and Air

Force, 24 months for Navy (2004)

United Arab Emirates

18 years of age (est.) for voluntary military

service; 18 years of age for officers and women; no conscription

(2008)

United Kingdom

16-33 years of age (officers 17-28) for voluntary

military service (with parental consent under 18); women serve in

military services, but are excluded from ground combat positions and

some naval postings; must be citizen of the UK, Commonwealth, or

Republic of Ireland; reservists serve a minimum of 3 years, to age

45 or 55; 16 years of age for voluntary military service by Nepalese

citizens in the Brigade of the Gurkhas; 16-34 years of age for

voluntary military service by Papua New Guinean citizens (2008)

United States

18 years of age (17 years of age with parental

consent) for male and female voluntary service; maximum enlistment

age 42 (Army), 27 (Air Force), 34 (Navy), 28 (Marines); service

obligation 8 years, including 2-5 years active duty (Army), 2 years

active (Navy), 4 years active (Air Force, Marines) (2008)

Uruguay

18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military

service; enlistment is voluntary in peacetime, but the government

has the authority to conscript in emergencies (2007)

Uzbekistan

18 years of age for compulsory military service; 1-year

conscript service obligation; moving toward a professional military,

but conscription will continue; the military cannot accommodate

everyone who wishes to enlist, and competition for entrance into the

military is similar to the competition for admission to universities

(2007)

Venezuela

18-30 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military

service; 30-month conscript service obligation - all citizens 18-50

years old are obligated to register for military service (2008)

Vietnam

18 years of age (male) for compulsory military service;

females may volunteer for active duty military service; conscript

service obligation - 2 years (3 to 4 years in the navy); 18-45 years

of age (male) or 18-40 years of age (female) for Militia Force or

Self Defense Forces (2006)

Yemen

voluntary military service program authorized in 2001; 2-year

service obligation (2006)

Zambia

18 years of age for voluntary military service (16 years of

age with parental consent); no conscription (2008)

Zimbabwe

18-24 years of age for compulsory military service; women

are eligible to serve (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2025 Manpower fit for military service

Afghanistan

males age 16-49: 4,234,180

females age 16-49: 3,946,685 (2008 est.)

Albania

males age 16-49: 798,454

females age 16-49: 767,143 (2008 est.)

Algeria

males age 16-49: 8,141,864

females age 16-49: 8,215,895 (2008 est.)

Andorra

males age 16-49: 14,976 (2008 est.)

Angola

males age 16-49: 1,430,658

females age 16-49: 1,371,689 (2008 est.)

Anguilla

males age 16-49: 2,929 (2008 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

males age 16-49: 15,591

females age 16-49: 15,542 (2008 est.)

Argentina

males age 16-49: 8,352,147

females age 16-49: 8,366,781 (2008 est.)

Armenia

males age 16-49: 637,776

females age 16-49: 729,846 (2008 est.)

Aruba

males age 16-49: 20,173

females age 16-49: 21,062 (2008 est.)

Australia

males age 16-49: 4,137,176

females age 16-49: 4,022,588 (2008 est.)

Austria

males age 16-49: 1,617,385

females age 16-49: 1,583,886 (2008 est.)

Azerbaijan

males age 16-49: 1,696,167

females age 16-49: 1,923,556 (2008 est.)

Bahamas, The

males age 16-49: 50,282 (2008 est.)

Bahrain

males age 16-49: 171,536

females age 16-49: 142,714 (2008 est.)

Bangladesh

males age 16-49: 31,968,168 (2008 est.)

Barbados

males age 16-49: 58,556

females age 16-49: 58,143 (2008 est.)

Belarus

males age 16-49: 1,727,974

females age 16-49: 2,093,106 (2008 est.)

Belgium

males age 16-49: 1,973,167

females age 16-49: 1,915,990 (2008 est.)

Belize

males age 16-49: 54,627

females age 16-49: 53,500 (2008 est.)

Benin

males age 16-49: 1,173,742

females age 16-49: 1,162,113 (2008 est.)

Bermuda

males age 16-49: 12,682 (2008 est.)

Bhutan

males age 16-49: 146,063

females age 16-49: 131,193 (2008 est.)

Bolivia

males age 16-49: 1,600,219

females age 16-49: 1,815,514 (2008 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

males age 16-49: 996,225

females age 16-49: 962,927 (2008 est.)

Botswana

males age 16-49: 290,093

females age 16-49: 257,700 (2008 est.)

Brazil

males age 16-49: 39,263,710

females age 16-49: 44,109,056 (2008 est.)

British Virgin Islands

males age 16-49: 5,921 (2008 est.)

Brunei

males age 16-49: 91,297

females age 16-49: 93,228 (2008 est.)

Bulgaria

males age 16-49: 1,364,029

females age 16-49: 1,401,348 (2008 est.)

Burkina Faso

males age 16-49: 2,115,948 (2008 est.)

Burma

males age 16-49: 9,031,046

females age 16-49: 9,396,547 (2008 est.)

Burundi

males age 16-49: 1,083,899

females age 16-49: 1,062,488 (2008 est.)

Cambodia

males age 16-49: 2,581,045

females age 16-49: 2,676,075 (2008 est.)

Cameroon

males age 16-49: 2,567,428

females age 16-49: 2,498,990 (2008 est.)

Canada

males age 16-49: 6,646,281

females age 16-49: 6,417,924 (2008 est.)

Cape Verde

males age 16-49: 83,082

females age 16-49: 88,832 (2008 est.)

Cayman Islands

males age 16-49: 9,577 (2008 est.)

Central African Republic

males age 16-49: 534,141

females age 16-49: 495,303 (2008 est.)

Chad

males age 16-49: 1,066,565

females age 16-49: 1,279,318 (2008 est.)

Chile

males age 16-49: 3,542,448

females age 16-49: 3,500,059 (2008 est.)

China

males age 16-49: 313,321,639

females age 16-49: 295,951,438 (2008 est.)

Colombia

males age 16-49: 8,056,336

females age 16-49: 9,919,952 (2008 est.)

Comoros

males age 16-49: 121,550

females age 16-49: 131,015 (2008 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

males age 16-49: 8,562,989 (2008

est.)

Congo, Republic of the

males age 16-49: 519,296

females age 16-49: 509,564 (2008 est.)

Costa Rica

males age 16-49: 958,013

females age 16-49: 925,727 (2008 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

males age 16-49: 2,393,104

females age 16-49: 2,381,607 (2008 est.)

Croatia

males age 16-49: 771,323

females age 16-49: 855,937 (2008 est.)

Cuba

males age 16-49: 2,543,044

females age 16-49: 2,481,823 (2008 est.)

Cyprus

Greek Cypriot National Guard (GCNG):

males age 16-49: 165,042

females age 16-49: 158,869 (2008 est.)

Czech Republic

males age 16-49: 2,100,789

females age 16-49: 2,018,101 (2008 est.)

Denmark

males age 16-49: 1,012,716

females age 16-49: 996,436 (2008 est.)

Djibouti

males age 16-49: 54,460

females age 16-49: 51,684 (2008 est.)

Dominica

males age 16-49: 15,648 (2008 est.)

Dominican Republic

males age 16-49: 2,020,490

females age 16-49: 1,883,875 (2008 est.)

Ecuador

males age 16-49: 3,030,664

females age 16-49: 3,037,892 (2008 est.)

Egypt

males age 16-49: 18,153,158

females age 16-49: 17,405,837 (2008 est.)

El Salvador

males age 16-49: 1,168,406

females age 16-49: 1,519,375 (2008 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

males age 16-49: 101,712

females age 16-49: 104,381 (2008 est.)

Eritrea

males age 16-49: 715,531

females age 16-49: 731,511 (2008 est.)

Estonia

males age 16-49: 218,448

females age 16-49: 264,187 (2008 est.)

Ethiopia

males age 16-49: 10,060,775

females age 16-49: 9,854,710 (2008 est.)

Faroe Islands

males age 16-49: 9,735 (2008 est.)

Fiji

males age 16-49: 189,282

females age 16-49: 202,350 (2008 est.)

Finland

males age 16-49: 965,131

females age 16-49: 923,224 (2008 est.)

France

males age 16-49: 12,110,718

females age 16-49: 11,849,988 (2008 est.)

French Polynesia

males age 16-49: 64,287 (2008 est.)

Gabon

males age 16-49: 192,717

females age 16-49: 188,539 (2008 est.)

Gambia, The

males age 16-49: 230,202

females age 16-49: 244,480 (2008 est.)

Gaza Strip

males age 16-49: 291,467 (2008 est.)

Georgia

males age 16-49: 910,720

females age 16-49: 967,566 (2008 est.)

Germany

males age 16-49: 15,906,930

females age 16-49: 15,051,183 (2008 est.)

Ghana

males age 16-49: 3,737,481

females age 16-49: 3,729,699 (2008 est.)

Gibraltar

males age 16-49: 5,244 (2008 est.)

Greece

males age 16-49: 2,084,469

females age 16-49: 2,065,956 (2008 est.)

Greenland

males age 16-49: 10,739 (2008 est.)

Grenada

males age 16-49: 20,249 (2008 est.)

Guatemala

males age 16-49: 2,310,272

females age 16-49: 2,622,450 (2008 est.)

Guinea

males age 16-49: 1,268,193

females age 16-49: 1,259,913 (2008 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

males age 16-49: 188,605

females age 16-49: 195,429 (2008 est.)

Guyana

males age 16-49: 150,623 (2008 est.)

Haiti

males age 16-49: 1,303,743

females age 16-49: 1,332,316 (2008 est.)

Honduras

males age 16-49: 1,359,406

females age 16-49: 1,371,418 (2008 est.)

Hong Kong

males age 16-49: 1,438,165

females age 16-49: 1,561,252 (2008 est.)

Hungary

males age 16-49: 1,890,105

females age 16-49: 1,943,422 (2008 est.)

Iceland

males age 16-49: 62,342 (2008 est.)

India

males age 16-49: 231,161,111

females age 16-49: 236,633,962 (2008 est.)

Indonesia

males age 16-49: 52,367,788

females age 16-49: 52,129,123 (2008 est.)

Iran

males age 16-49: 17,416,126

females age 16-49: 16,928,226 (2008 est.)

Iraq

males age 16-49: 6,019,795

females age 16-49: 5,878,905 (2008 est.)

Ireland

males age 16-49: 854,982

females age 16-49: 852,592 (2008 est.)

Israel

males age 16-49: 1,452,926

females age 16-49: 1,383,796 (2008 est.)

Italy

males age 16-49: 11,285,488

females age 16-49: 10,680,672 (2008 est.)

Jamaica

males age 16-49: 566,477

females age 16-49: 583,075 (2008 est.)

Japan

males age 16-49: 22.963 million

females age 16-49: 22,134,127 (2008 est.)

Jordan

males age 16-49: 1,546,766

females age 16-49: 1,339,366 (2008 est.)

Kazakhstan

males age 16-49: 2,871,205

females age 16-49: 3,551,032 (2008 est.)

Kenya

males age 16-49: 5,688,259

females age 16-49: 5,396,166 (2008 est.)

Kiribati

males age 16-49: 17,577 (2008 est.)

Korea, North

males age 16-49: 5,141,240

females age 16-49: 5,139,447 (2008 est.)

Korea, South

males age 16-49: 11,282,699

females age 16-49: 10,683,668 (2008 est.)

Kuwait

males age 16-49: 892,816

females age 16-49: 500,540 (2008 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

males age 16-49: 1,061,942

females age 16-49: 1,211,249 (2008 est.)

Laos

males age 16-49: 993,162

females age 16-49: 1,052,053 (2008 est.)

Latvia

males age 16-49: 412,849

females age 16-49: 468,827 (2008 est.)

Lebanon

males age 16-49: 934,828

females age 16-49: 948,327 (2008 est.)

Lesotho

males age 16-49: 262,101

females age 16-49: 238,350 (2008 est.)

Liberia

males age 16-49: 371,287

females age 16-49: 373,265 (2008 est.)

Libya

males age 16-49: 1,439,941

females age 16-49: 1,381,914 (2008 est.)

Liechtenstein

males age 16-49: 6,584 (2008 est.)

Lithuania

males age 16-49: 678,434

females age 16-49: 749,483 (2008 est.)

Luxembourg

males age 16-49: 95,152

females age 16-49: 93,792 (2008 est.)

Macau

males age 16-49: 100,826 (2008 est.)

Macedonia

males age 16-49: 444,693

females age 16-49: 428,341 (2008 est.)

Madagascar

males age 16-49: 3,034,600

females age 16-49: 3,271,732 (2008 est.)

Malawi

males age 16-49: 1,676,117 (2008 est.)

Malaysia

males age 16-49: 5,374,006

females age 16-49: 5,316,865 (2008 est.)

Maldives

males age 16-49: 72,150

females age 16-49: 69,058 (2008 est.)

Mali

males age 16-49: 1,594,184

females age 16-49: 1,529,871 (2008 est.)

Malta

males age 16-49: 80,227

females age 16-49: 76,623 (2008 est.)

Marshall Islands

males age 16-49: 12,864 (2008 est.)

Mauritania

males age 16-49: 463,305

females age 16-49: 484,777 (2008 est.)

Mexico

males age 16-49: 22,188,284

females age 16-49: 24,884,614 (2008 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

males age 16-49: 21,748 (2008 est.)

Moldova

males age 16-49: 877,070

females age 16-49: 994,091 (2008 est.)

Monaco

males age 16-49: 5,376 (2008 est.)

Mongolia

males age 16-49: 696,652

females age 16-49: 731,480 (2008 est.)

Montserrat

males age 16-49: 2,097 (2008 est.)

Morocco

males age 16-49: 7,627,988

females age 16-49: 7,754,873 (2008 est.)

Mozambique

males age 16-49: 2,287,526 (2008 est.)

Namibia

males age 16-49: 313,497 (2008 est.)

Nepal

males age 16-49: 5,146,958

females age 16-49: 4,724,495 (2008 est.)

Netherlands

males age 16-49: 3,233,773

females age 16-49: 3,150,790 (2008 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

males age 16-49: 46,102

females age 16-49: 47,219 (2008 est.)

New Caledonia

males age 16-49: 47,342 (2008 est.)

New Zealand

males age 16-49: 833,073

females age 16-49: 822,807 (2008 est.)

Nicaragua

males age 16-49: 1,235,400

females age 16-49: 1,302,318 (2008 est.)

Niger

males age 16-49: 1,665,108

females age 16-49: 1,548,965 (2008 est.)

Nigeria

males age 16-49: 18,556,755

females age 16-49: 17,288,225 (2008 est.)

Norway

males age 16-49: 888,101

females age 16-49: 862,159 (2008 est.)

Oman

males age 16-49: 663,881

females age 16-49: 543,410 (2008 est.)

Pakistan

males age 16-49: 32,453,913

females age 16-49: 31,369,057 (2008 est.)

Palau

males age 16-49: 4,397 (2008 est.)

Panama

males age 16-49: 673,103 (2008 est.)

Papua New Guinea

males age 16-49: 1,080,466

females age 16-49: 1,092,040 (2008 est.)

Paraguay

males age 16-49: 1,327,730

females age 16-49: 1,356,989 (2008 est.)

Peru

males age 16-49: 5,796,449

females age 16-49: 6,217,524 (2008 est.)

Philippines

males age 16-49: 18,232,050

females age 16-49: 19,827,538 (2008 est.)

Poland

males age 16-49: 7,937,840

females age 16-49: 7,949,677 (2008 est.)

Portugal

males age 16-49: 2,099,647

females age 16-49: 2,060,559 (2008 est.)

Qatar

males age 16-49: 258,159

females age 16-49: 143,999 (2008 est.)

Romania

males age 16-49: 4,572,017

females age 16-49: 4,644,474 (2008 est.)

Russia

males age 16-49: 21,488,878

females age 16-49: 28,760,976 (2008 est.)

Rwanda

males age 16-49: 1,404,066

females age 16-49: 1,403,700 (2008 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

males age 16-49: 8,064

females age 16-49: 8,464 (2008 est.)

Saint Lucia

males age 16-49: 38,660 (2008 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

males age 16-49: 28,518 (2008 est.)

Samoa

males age 16-49: 42,359 (2008 est.)

San Marino

males age 16-49: 5,345 (2008 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

males age 16-49: 33,735

females age 16-49: 36,779 (2008 est.)

Saudi Arabia

males age 16-49: 7,398,417

females age 16-49: 5,525,357 (2008 est.)

Senegal

males age 16-49: 1,866,602

females age 16-49: 1,947,076 (2008 est.)

Seychelles

males age 16-49: 17,942

females age 16-49: 20,436 (2008 est.)

Sierra Leone

males age 16-49: 671,418 (2008 est.)

Singapore

males age 16-49: 1,038,603 (2008 est.)

Slovakia

males age 16-49: 1,166,833

females age 16-49: 1,156,874 (2008 est.)

Slovenia

males age 16-49: 406,951

females age 16-49: 395,444 (2008 est.)

Solomon Islands

males age 16-49: 116,891 (2008 est.)

Somalia

males age 16-49: 1,274,783

females age 16-49: 1,317,991 (2008 est.)

South Africa

males age 16-49: 6,042,498

females age 16-49: 5,471,103 (2008 est.)

Spain

males age 16-49: 8,228,426

females age 16-49: 7,990,678 (2008 est.)

Sri Lanka

males age 16-49: 4,477,437

females age 16-49: 4,683,716 (2008 est.)

Sudan

males age 16-49: 5,586,468

females age 16-49: 5,678,427 (2008 est.)

Suriname

males age 16-49: 105,770

females age 16-49: 109,666 (2008 est.)

Swaziland

males age 16-49: 122,260 (2008 est.)

Sweden

males age 16-49: 1,699,115

females age 16-49: 1,637,868 (2008 est.)

Switzerland

males age 16-49: 1,513,984

females age 16-49: 1,478,761 (2008 est.)

Syria

males age 16-49: 4,242,401

females age 16-49: 4,218,648 (2008 est.)

Taiwan

males age 16-49: 5,112,737

females age 16-49: 5,036,346 (2008 est.)

Tajikistan

males age 16-49: 1,391,287

females age 16-49: 1,561,826 (2008 est.)

Tanzania

males age 16-49: 5,278,833 (2008 est.)

Thailand

males age 16-49: 12,968,674

females age 16-49: 14,058,779 (2008 est.)

Timor-Leste

males age 16-49: 224,096

females age 16-49: 231,901 (2008 est.)

Togo

males age 16-49: 897,195

females age 16-49: 913,327 (2008 est.)

Tonga

males age 16-49: 25,520

females age 16-49: 26,893 (2008 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

males age 16-49: 215,310

females age 16-49: 180,526 (2008 est.)

Tunisia

males age 16-49: 2,539,962

females age 16-49: 2,465,295 (2008 est.)

Turkey

males age 16-49: 17,011,635

females age 16-49: 16,433,364 (2008 est.)

Turkmenistan

males age 16-49: 1,064,965

females age 16-49: 1,136,553 (2008 est.)

Uganda

males age 16-49: 3,856,365

females age 16-49: 3,769,120 (2008 est.)

Ukraine

males age 16-49: 7,141,814

females age 16-49: 9,428,876 (2008 est.)

United Arab Emirates

males age 16-49: 2,004,558

females age 16-49: 760,637 (2008 est.)

United Kingdom

males age 16-49: 12,121,602

females age 16-49: 11,616,582 (2008 est.)

United States

males age 16-49: 59,413,358

females age 16-49: 59,187,183 (2008 est.)

Uruguay

males age 16-49: 703,955

females age 16-49: 690,296 (2008 est.)

Uzbekistan

males age 16-49: 5,684,540

females age 16-49: 6,432,976 (2008 est.)

Vanuatu

males age 16-49: 40,577 (2008 est.)

Venezuela

males age 16-49: 5,280,974

females age 16-49: 5,768,814 (2008 est.)

Vietnam

males age 16-49: 18,849,274

females age 16-49: 20,575,884 (2008 est.)

Yemen

males age 16-49: 3,585,947

females age 16-49: 3,619,195 (2008 est.)

Zambia

males age 16-49: 1,329,343

females age 16-49: 1,218,114 (2008 est.)

Zimbabwe

males age 16-49: 1,643,036

females age 16-49: 1,404,663 (2008 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2026 Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

Afghanistan

male: 371,451

female: 351,295 (2008 est.)

Albania

male: 36,340

female: 33,077 (2008 est.)

Algeria

male: 374,365

female: 360,942 (2008 est.)

American Samoa

male: 806

female: 781 (2008 est.)

Andorra

male: 412

female: 395 (2008 est.)

Angola

male: 142,791

female: 139,539 (2008 est.)

Anguilla

male: 103

female: 103 (2008 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

male: 744

female: 742 (2008 est.)

Argentina

male: 348,310

female: 332,944 (2008 est.)

Armenia

male: 30,548

female: 29,170 (2008 est.)

Aruba

male: 705

female: 719 (2008 est.)

Australia

male: 144,934

female: 137,511 (2008 est.)

Austria

male: 50,869

female: 48,246 (2008 est.)

Azerbaijan

male: 94,402

female: 89,686 (2008 est.)

Bahamas, The

male: 3,016

female: 3,024 (2008 est.)

Bahrain

male: 6,543

female: 6,429 (2008 est.)

Bangladesh

male: 1,311,850

female: 1,246,012 (2008 est.)

Barbados

male: 2,157

female: 2,155 (2008 est.)

Belarus

male: 64,232

female: 60,788 (2008 est.)

Belgium

male: 64,659

female: 61,881 (2008 est.)

Belize

male: 3,580

female: 3,449 (2008 est.)

Benin

male: 97,543

female: 94,008 (2008 est.)

Bermuda

male: 426

female: 445 (2008 est.)

Bhutan

male: 7,847

female: 7,530 (2008 est.)

Bolivia

male: 107,051

female: 103,620 (2008 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

male: 30,246

female: 28,189 (2008 est.)

Botswana

male: 23,007

female: 22,551 (2008 est.)

Brazil

male: 1,666,791

female: 1,608,363 (2008 est.)

British Virgin Islands

male: 184

female: 179 (2008 est.)

Brunei

male: 3,223

female: 3,182 (2008 est.)

Bulgaria

male: 39,477

female: 37,339 (2008 est.)

Burkina Faso

male: 176,358

female: 173,856 (2008 est.)

Burma

male: 423,809

female: 415,843 (2008 est.)

Burundi

male: 98,105

female: 98,533 (2008 est.)

Cambodia

male: 185,959

female: 182,558 (2008 est.)

Cameroon

male: 212,205

female: 207,545 (2008 est.)

Canada

male: 227,435

female: 215,556 (2008 est.)

Cape Verde

male: 5,566

female: 5,441 (2008 est.)

Cayman Islands

male: 336

female: 336 (2008 est.)

Central African Republic

male: 54,655

female: 54,420 (2008 est.)

Chad

male: 116,824

female: 117,831 (2008 est.)

Chile

male: 147,518

female: 141,139 (2008 est.)

China

male: 10,760,380

female: 9,710,032 (2008 est.)

Colombia

male: 442,403

female: 433,192 (2008 est.)

Comoros

male: 7,901

female: 7,894 (2008 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

male: 783,762

female: 780,922 (2008 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

male: 45,671

female: 45,248 (2008 est.)

Cook Islands

male: 157

female: 133 (2008 est.)

Costa Rica

male: 40,767

female: 38,899 (2008 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

male: 234,032

female: 230,799 (2008 est.)

Croatia

male: 27,500

female: 25,893 (2008 est.)

Cuba

male: 79,945

female: 76,014 (2008 est.)

Cyprus

male: 6,482

female: 6,208 (2008 est.)

Czech Republic

male: 63,124

female: 59,786 (2008 est.)

Denmark

male: 36,561

female: 34,603 (2008 est.)

Djibouti

male: 5,618

female: 5,609 (2008 est.)

Dominica

male: 756

female: 713 (2008 est.)

Dominican Republic

male: 96,971

female: 93,116 (2008 est.)

Ecuador

male: 144,821

female: 139,091 (2008 est.)

Egypt

male: 825,300

female: 786,590 (2008 est.)

El Salvador

male: 73,915

female: 71,252 (2008 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

male: 6,784

female: 6,543 (2008 est.)

Eritrea

male: 60,490

female: 60,639 (2008 est.)

Estonia

male: 8,322

female: 7,846 (2008 est.)

Ethiopia

male: 887,061

female: 896,048 (2008 est.)

Faroe Islands

male: 400

female: 387 (2008 est.)

Fiji

male: 9,077

female: 8,728 (2008 est.)

Finland

male: 34,152

female: 32,870 (2008 est.)

France

male: 401,379

female: 382,409 (2008 est.)

French Polynesia

male: 2,699

female: 2,589 (2008 est.)

Gabon

male: 16,558

female: 16,577 (2008 est.)

Gambia, The

male: 19,650

female: 19,582 (2008 est.)

Gaza Strip

male: 19,275

female: 18,309 (2008 est.)

Georgia

male: 35,917

female: 34,566 (2008 est.)

Germany

male: 442,972

female: 420,801 (2008 est.)

Ghana

male: 273,265

female: 267,204 (2008 est.)

Gibraltar

male: 190

female: 185 (2008 est.)

Greece

male: 53,858

female: 50,488 (2008 est.)

Greenland

male: 534

female: 503 (2008 est.)

Grenada

male: 1,034

female: 970 (2008 est.)

Guam

male: 1,665

female: 1,547 (2008 est.)

Guatemala

male: 161,550

female: 159,760 (2008 est.)

Guernsey

male: 379

female: 353 (2008 est.)

Guinea

male: 106,967

female: 104,631 (2008 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

male: 16,634

female: 16,841 (2008 est.)

Guyana

male: 6,713

female: 6,451 (2008 est.)

Haiti

male: 105,655

female: 104,376 (2008 est.)

Honduras

male: 90,876

female: 87,292 (2008 est.)

Hong Kong

male: 42,173

female: 38,753 (2008 est.)

Hungary

male: 62,197

female: 59,267 (2008 est.)

Iceland

male: 2,393

female: 2,317 (2008 est.)

India

male: 11,592,516

female: 10,636,857 (2008 est.)

Indonesia

male: 2,181,303

female: 2,110,397 (2008 est.)

Iran

male: 766,668

female: 727,654 (2008 est.)

Iraq

male: 302,926

female: 294,747 (2008 est.)

Ireland

male: 28,610

female: 27,095 (2008 est.)

Isle of Man

male: 471

female: 447 (2008 est.)

Israel

male: 60,602

female: 57,532 (2008 est.)

Italy

male: 290,740

female: 273,569 (2008 est.)

Jamaica

male: 32,000

female: 31,428 (2008 est.)

Japan

male: 622,168

female: 590,153 (2008 est.)

Jersey

male: 587

female: 540 (2008 est.)

Jordan

male: 68,067

female: 65,512 (2008 est.)

Kazakhstan

male: 145,495

female: 140,149 (2008 est.)

Kenya

male: 411,032

female: 406,794 (2008 est.)

Kiribati

male: 1,247

female: 1,226 (2008 est.)

Korea, North

male: 199,628

female: 192,388 (2008 est.)

Korea, South

male: 371,108

female: 325,408 (2008 est.)

Kuwait

male: 17,737

female: 18,519 (2008 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

male: 60,706

female: 58,721 (2008 est.)

Laos

male: 73,973

female: 72,758 (2008 est.)

Latvia

male: 14,506

female: 13,982 (2008 est.)

Lebanon

male: 32,815

female: 31,610 (2008 est.)

Lesotho

male: 26,084

female: 26,006 (2008 est.)

Liberia

male: 30,448

female: 29,902 (2008 est.)

Libya

male: 61,305

female: 58,788 (2008 est.)

Liechtenstein

male: 202

female: 222 (2008 est.)

Lithuania

male: 25,907

female: 24,735 (2008 est.)

Luxembourg

male: 3,066

female: 2,909 (2008 est.)

Macau

male: 4,601

female: 4,171 (2008 est.)

Macedonia

male: 15,141

female: 14,434 (2008 est.)

Madagascar

male: 230,088

female: 229,932 (2008 est.)

Malawi

male: 168,858

female: 168,946 (2008 est.)

Malaysia

male: 260,725

female: 247,309 (2008 est.)

Maldives

male: 4,749

female: 4,084 (2008 est.)

Mali

male: 144,293

female: 136,381 (2008 est.)

Malta

male: 2,815

female: 2,657 (2008 est.)

Marshall Islands

male: 512

female: 494 (2008 est.)

Mauritania

male: 38,191

female: 38,638 (2008 est.)

Mauritius

male: 11,089

female: 10,843 (2008 est.)

Mayotte

male: 2,407

female: 2,401 (2008 est.)

Mexico

male: 1,110,544

female: 1,073,223 (2008 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

male: 1,310

female: 1,262 (2008 est.)

Moldova

male: 33,053

female: 31,712 (2008 est.)

Monaco

male: 191

female: 182 (2008 est.)

Mongolia

male: 29,990

female: 29,256 (2008 est.)

Montenegro

male: 4,426

female: 4,201 (2008 est.)

Montserrat

male: 31

female: 39 (2008 est.)

Morocco

male: 355,479

female: 343,016 (2008 est.)

Mozambique

male: 257,261

female: 259,114 (2008 est.)

Namibia

male: 25,525

female: 25,182 (2008 est.)

Nauru

male: 173

female: 159 (2008 est.)

Nepal

male: 335,747

female: 312,297 (2008 est.)

Netherlands

male: 105,735

female: 100,747 (2008 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

male: 1,855

female: 1,760 (2008 est.)

New Caledonia

male: 2,202

female: 2,121 (2008 est.)

New Zealand

male: 31,834

female: 30,243 (2008 est.)

Nicaragua

male: 72,689

female: 70,452 (2008 est.)

Niger

male: 150,728

female: 143,379 (2008 est.)

Nigeria

male: 1,663,025

female: 1,585,224 (2008 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands

male: 572

female: 594 (2008 est.)

Norway

male: 32,185

female: 30,683 (2008 est.)

Oman

male: 34,238

female: 33,139 (2008 est.)

Pakistan

male: 2,062,065

female: 1,936,916 (2008 est.)

Palau

male: 179

female: 165 (2008 est.)

Panama

male: 31,042

female: 29,969 (2008 est.)

Papua New Guinea

male: 62,865

female: 61,102 (2008 est.)

Paraguay

male: 72,109

female: 70,509 (2008 est.)

Peru

male: 306,260

female: 296,819 (2008 est.)

Philippines

male: 1,012,779

female: 977,030 (2008 est.)

Poland

male: 257,605

female: 245,832 (2008 est.)

Portugal

male: 64,910

female: 58,599 (2008 est.)

Puerto Rico

male: 30,760

female: 29,469 (2008 est.)

Qatar

male: 6,224

female: 4,845 (2008 est.)

Romania

male: 127,706

female: 121,852 (2008 est.)

Russia

male: 821,103

female: 781,570 (2008 est.)

Rwanda

male: 111,791

female: 112,131 (2008 est.)

Saint Barthelemy

male: 21

female: 20 (2008 est.)

Saint Helena

male: 47

female: 43 (2008 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

male: 367

female: 352 (2008 est.)

Saint Lucia

male: 1,591

female: 1,504 (2008 est.)

Saint Martin

male: 186

female: 162 (2008 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

male: 61

female: 58 (2008 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

male: 1,224

female: 1,169 (2008 est.)

Samoa

male: 2,571

female: 2,454 (2008 est.)

San Marino

male: 156

female: 154 (2008 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

male: 2,437

female: 2,394 (2008 est.)

Saudi Arabia

male: 271,905

female: 261,795 (2008 est.)

Senegal

male: 141,832

female: 139,541 (2008 est.)

Serbia

male: 66,263

female: 62,165 (2008 est.)

Seychelles

male: 770

female: 750 (2008 est.)

Sierra Leone

male: 70,068

female: 73,930 (2008 est.)

Singapore

male: 27,742

female: 26,325 (2008 est.)

Slovakia

male: 38,183

female: 36,388 (2008 est.)

Slovenia

male: 10,516

female: 9,934 (2008 est.)

Solomon Islands

male: 6,924

female: 6,679 (2008 est.)

Somalia

male: 95,446

female: 95,339 (2008 est.)

South Africa

male: 529,201

female: 522,678 (2008 est.)

Spain

male: 203,650

female: 191,352 (2008 est.)

Sri Lanka

male: 174,065

female: 168,593 (2008 est.)

Sudan

male: 488,679

female: 469,547 (2008 est.)

Suriname

male: 4,329

female: 4,350 (2008 est.)

Swaziland

male: 15,951

female: 15,728 (2008 est.)

Sweden

male: 64,605

female: 61,110 (2008 est.)

Switzerland

male: 49,205

female: 45,220 (2008 est.)

Syria

male: 215,734

female: 203,106 (2008 est.)

Taiwan

male: 164,883

female: 152,085 (2008 est.)

Tajikistan

male: 84,137

female: 81,777 (2008 est.)

Tanzania

male: 478,812

female: 479,557 (2008 est.)

Thailand

male: 531,315

female: 511,288 (2008 est.)

Timor-Leste

male: 13,045

female: 12,670 (2008 est.)

Togo

male: 69,156

female: 69,200 (2008 est.)

Tonga

male: 1,464

female: 1,412 (2008 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

male: 8,671

female: 8,153 (2008 est.)

Tunisia

male: 101,794

female: 95,198 (2008 est.)

Turkey

male: 660,452

female: 638,527 (2008 est.)

Turkmenistan

male: 57,615

female: 55,426 (2008 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

male: 222

female: 214 (2008 est.)

Tuvalu

male: 128

female: 125 (2008 est.)

Uganda

male: 384,638

female: 381,990 (2008 est.)

Ukraine

male: 288,605

female: 276,324 (2008 est.)

United Arab Emirates

male: 25,856

female: 23,085 (2008 est.)

United Kingdom

male: 400,927

female: 383,593 (2008 est.)

United States

male: 2,186,440

female: 2,079,688 (2008 est.)

Uruguay

male: 27,082

female: 26,075 (2008 est.)

Uzbekistan

male: 324,094

female: 323,923 (2008 est.)

Vanuatu

male: 2,385

female: 2,290 (2008 est.)

Venezuela

male: 275,323

female: 274,106 (2008 est.)

Vietnam

male: 903,734

female: 845,306 (2008 est.)

Virgin Islands

male: 861

female: 897 (2008 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

male: 172

female: 170 (2008 est.)

West Bank

male: 29,866

female: 28,372 (2008 est.)

Western Sahara

male: 4,658

female: 4,545 (2008 est.)

Yemen

male: 268,468

female: 258,196 (2008 est.)

Zambia

male: 147,358

female: 146,771 (2008 est.)

Zimbabwe

male: 144,601

female: 147,627 (2008 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2028 Background

Afghanistan

Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and

founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between

the British and Russian empires until it won independence from

notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy

ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 Communist counter-coup. The Soviet

Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan Communist

regime, touching off a long and destructive war. The USSR withdrew

in 1989 under relentless pressure by internationally supported

anti-Communist mujahedin rebels. A series of subsequent civil wars

saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline

Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the

country's civil war and anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001

terrorist attacks in New York City, a US, Allied, and anti-Taliban

Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering

Osama BIN LADIN. The UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001

established a process for political reconstruction that included the

adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and

National Assembly elections in 2005. In December 2004, Hamid KARZAI

became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan and

the National Assembly was inaugurated the following December.

Despite gains toward building a stable central government, a

resurgent Taliban and continuing provincial instability -

particularly in the south and the east - remain serious challenges

for the Afghan Government.

Akrotiri

By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created

the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty

and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers -

Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The southernmost and smallest of these is the

Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as the

Western Sovereign Base Area.

Albania

Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in

1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939. Communist partisans took

over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR

(until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s,

Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established

a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as

successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment,

widespread corruption, a dilapidated physical infrastructure,

powerful organized crime networks, and combative political

opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development

since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies

remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free

and fair since the restoration of political stability following the

collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997. In the 2005 general elections,

the Democratic Party and its allies won a decisive victory on

pledges of reducing crime and corruption, promoting economic growth,

and decreasing the size of government. The election, and

particularly the orderly transition of power, was considered an

important step forward. Although Albania's economy continues to

grow, the country is still one of the poorest in Europe, hampered by

a large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation

infrastructure. Albania has played a largely helpful role in

managing inter-ethnic tensions in southeastern Europe, and is

continuing to work toward joining NATO and the EU. Albania, with

troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been a strong supporter of the

global war on terrorism.

Algeria

After more than a century of rule by France, Algerians

fought through much of the 1950s to achieve independence in 1962.

Algeria's primary political party, the National Liberation Front

(FLN), has dominated politics ever since. Many Algerians in the

subsequent generation were not satisfied, however, and moved to

counter the FLN's centrality in Algerian politics. The surprising

first round success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the

December 1991 balloting spurred the Algerian army to intervene and

postpone the second round of elections to prevent what the secular

elite feared would be an extremist-led government from assuming

power. The army began a crackdown on the FIS that spurred FIS

supporters to begin attacking government targets. The government

later allowed elections featuring pro-government and moderate

religious-based parties, but did not appease the activists who

progressively widened their attacks. The fighting escalated into an

insurgency, which saw intense fighting between 1992-98 and which

resulted in over 100,000 deaths - many attributed to indiscriminate

massacres of villagers by extremists. The government gained the

upper hand by the late-1990s and FIS's armed wing, the Islamic

Salvation Army, disbanded in January 2000. However, small numbers of

armed militants persist in confronting government forces and

conducting ambushes and occasional attacks on villages. The army

placed Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA in the presidency in 1999 in a

fraudulent election but claimed neutrality in his 2004 landslide

reelection victory. Longstanding problems continue to face

BOUTEFLIKA in his second term, including the ethnic minority

Berbers' ongoing autonomy campaign, large-scale unemployment, a

shortage of housing, unreliable electrical and water supplies,

government inefficiencies and corruption, and the continuing

activities of extremist militants. The 2006 merger of the Salafist

Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) with al-Qaida (followed by a

name change to al-Qaida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb)

signaled an increase in bombings, including high-profile,

mass-casualty suicide attacks targeted against the Algerian

government and Western interests. Algeria must also diversify its

petroleum-based economy, which has yielded a large cash reserve but

which has not been used to redress Algeria's many social and

infrastructure problems.

American Samoa

Settled as early as 1000 B.C., Samoa was "discovered"

by European explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries

in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899

treaty in which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago.

The US formally occupied its portion - a smaller group of eastern

islands with the excellent harbor of Pago Pago - the following year.

Andorra

For 715 years, from 1278 to 1993, Andorrans lived under a

unique co-principality, ruled by French and Spanish leaders (from

1607 onward, the French chief of state and the Spanish bishop of

Urgel). In 1993, this feudal system was modified with the titular

heads of state retained, but the government transformed into a

parliamentary democracy. Long isolated and impoverished, mountainous

Andorra achieved considerable prosperity since World War II through

its tourist industry. Many immigrants (legal and illegal) are

attracted to the thriving economy with its lack of income taxes.

Angola

Angola is rebuilding its country after the end of a 27-year

civil war in 2002. Fighting between the Popular Movement for the

Liberation of Angola (MPLA), led by Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS, and the

National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), led by

Jonas SAVIMBI, followed independence from Portugal in 1975. Peace

seemed imminent in 1992 when Angola held national elections, but

UNITA renewed fighting after being beaten by the MPLA at the polls.

Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost - and 4 million people

displaced - in the quarter century of fighting. SAVIMBI's death in

2002 ended UNITA's insurgency and strengthened the MPLA's hold on

power. President DOS SANTOS has announced legislative elections will

be held in September 2008, with presidential elections planned for

sometime in 2009.

Anguilla

Colonized by English settlers from Saint Kitts in 1650,

Anguilla was administered by Great Britain until the early 19th

century, when the island - against the wishes of the inhabitants -

was incorporated into a single British dependency, along with Saint

Kitts and Nevis. Several attempts at separation failed. In 1971, two

years after a revolt, Anguilla was finally allowed to secede; this

arrangement was formally recognized in 1980, with Anguilla becoming

a separate British dependency.

Antarctica

Speculation over the existence of a "southern land" was

not confirmed until the early 1820s when British and American

commercial operators and British and Russian national expeditions

began exploring the Antarctic Peninsula region and other areas south

of the Antarctic Circle. Not until 1840 was it established that

Antarctica was indeed a continent and not just a group of islands.

Several exploration "firsts" were achieved in the early 20th

century. Following World War II, there was an upsurge in scientific

research on the continent. A number of countries have set up a range

of year-round and seasonal stations, camps, and refuges to support

scientific research in Antarctica. Seven have made territorial

claims, but not all countries recognize these claims. In order to

form a legal framework for the activities of nations on the

continent, an Antarctic Treaty was negotiated that neither denies

nor gives recognition to existing territorial claims; signed in

1959, it entered into force in 1961.

Antigua and Barbuda

The Siboney were the first to inhabit the

islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak Indians

populated the islands when COLUMBUS landed on his second voyage in

1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were succeeded by

the English who formed a colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run

the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands

became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of

Nations in 1981.

Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean is the smallest of the world's five

oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and

the recently delimited Southern Ocean). The Northwest Passage (US

and Canada) and Northern Sea Route (Norway and Russia) are two

important seasonal waterways. A sparse network of air, ocean, river,

and land routes circumscribes the Arctic Ocean.

Argentina

In 1816, the United Provinces of the Rio Plata declared

their independence from Spain. After Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay

went their separate ways, the area that remained became Argentina.

The country's population and culture were heavily shaped by

immigrants from throughout Europe, but most particularly Italy and

Spain, which provided the largest percentage of newcomers from 1860

to 1930. Up until about the mid-20th century, much of Argentina's

history was dominated by periods of internal political conflict

between Federalists and Unitarians and between civilian and military

factions. After World War II, an era of Peronist authoritarian rule

and interference in subsequent governments was followed by a

military junta that took power in 1976. Democracy returned in 1983,

and has persisted despite numerous challenges, the most formidable

of which was a severe economic crisis in 2001-02 that led to violent

public protests and the resignation of several interim presidents.

The economy has recovered strongly since bottoming out in 2002.

Armenia

Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally

adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy,

over the centuries Armenia came under the sway of various empires

including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. During

World War I in the western portion of Armenia, Ottoman Turkey

instituted a policy of forced resettlement coupled with other harsh

practices that resulted in an estimated 1 million Armenian deaths.

The eastern area of Armenia was ceded by the Ottomans to Russia in

1828; this portion declared its independence in 1918, but was

conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenian leaders remain

preoccupied by the long conflict with Muslim Azerbaijan over

Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to

Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan

began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after

both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, Armenian forces held not

only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of Azerbaijan

proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their

inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution.

Turkey imposed an economic blockade on Armenia and closed the common

border because of the Armenian separatists' control of

Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas.

Aruba

Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired

by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by

three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by

prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The

last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry.

Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a

separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in

1990.

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

These uninhabited islands came under

Australian authority in 1931; formal administration began two years

later. Ashmore Reef supports a rich and diverse avian and marine

habitat; in 1983, it became a National Nature Reserve. Cartier

Island, a former bombing range, became a marine reserve in 2000.

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the

world's five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than the

Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). The Kiel Canal

(Germany), Oresund (Denmark-Sweden), Bosporus (Turkey), Strait of

Gibraltar (Morocco-Spain), and the Saint Lawrence Seaway (Canada-US)

are important strategic access waterways. The decision by the

International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to

delimit a fifth world ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion

of the Atlantic Ocean south of 60 degrees south latitude.

Australia

Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from

Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began

exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were

made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name

of Great Britain. Six colonies were created in the late 18th and

19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of

Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural

resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing

industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in

World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has transformed

itself into an internationally competitive, advanced market economy.

It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the

1990s, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted

in the 1980s. Long-term concerns include climate-change issues such

as the depletion of the ozone layer and more frequent droughts, and

management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great

Barrier Reef.

Austria

Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian

Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in

World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and

subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's

status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955

ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade

unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year

declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for

Soviet military withdrawal. The Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and

Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995 have altered the

meaning of this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country,

Austria entered the EU Economic and Monetary Union in 1999.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan - a nation with a majority-Turkic and

majority-Muslim population - was briefly independent from 1918 to

1920; it regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet

Union in 1991. Despite a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to

resolve its conflict with Armenia over the Azerbaijani

Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (largely Armenian populated). Azerbaijan

has lost 16% of its territory and must support some 600,000

internally displaced persons as a result of the conflict. Corruption

is ubiquitous, and the government has been accused of

authoritarianism. Although the poverty rate has been reduced in

recent years, the promise of widespread wealth from development of

Azerbaijan's energy sector remains largely unfulfilled.

Bahamas, The

Lucayan Indians inhabited the islands when Christopher

COLUMBUS first set foot in the New World on San Salvador in 1492.

British settlement of the islands began in 1647; the islands became

a colony in 1783. Since attaining independence from the UK in 1973,

The Bahamas have prospered through tourism and international banking

and investment management. Because of its geography, the country is

a major transshipment point for illegal drugs, particularly

shipments to the US and Europe, and its territory is used for

smuggling illegal migrants into the US.

Bahrain

In 1783, the al-Khalifa family captured Bahrain from the

Persians. In order to secure these holdings, it entered into a

series of treaties with the UK during the 19th century that made

Bahrain a British protectorate. The archipelago attained its

independence in 1971. Bahrain's small size and central location

among Persian Gulf countries require it to play a delicate balancing

act in foreign affairs among its larger neighbors. Facing declining

oil reserves, Bahrain has turned to petroleum processing and

refining and has transformed itself into an international banking

center. King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa, after coming to power in

1999, pushed economic and political reforms to improve relations

with the Shia community. Shia political societies participated in

2006 parliamentary and municipal elections. Al Wifaq, the largest

Shia political society, won the largest number of seats in the

elected chamber of the legislature. However, Shi'a discontent has

resurfaced in recent years with street demonstrations and occasional

low-level violence.

Bangladesh

Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of

Bangladesh in the 16th century; eventually the British came to

dominate the region and it became part of British India. In 1947,

West Pakistan and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from

India (largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of

Pakistan. East Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955, but the awkward

arrangement of a two-part country with its territorial units

separated by 1,600 km left the Bengalis marginalized and

dissatisfied. East Pakistan seceded from its union with West

Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed Bangladesh. A military-backed

caretaker regime suspended planned parliamentary elections in

January 2007 in an effort to reform the political system and root

out corruption; the regime has pledged new democratic elections by

the end of 2008. About a third of this extremely poor country floods

annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic

development.

Barbados

The island was uninhabited when first settled by the

British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on

the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy

remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production

through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social

and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete

independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and

manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance.

Belarus

After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR,

Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer

political and economic ties to Russia than any of the other former

Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state

union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic

integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the

accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his

election in July 1994 as the country's first president, Alexandr

LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian

means. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press,

peaceful assembly, and religion continue.

Belgium

Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it

was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. The country

prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically

advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions

between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the

French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to

constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition

and autonomy.

Belize

Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their

decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and

Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it

formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial

disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of

Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation

until 1992. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current

concerns include an unsustainable foreign debt, high unemployment,

growing involvement in the South American drug trade, growing urban

crime, and increasing incidences of HIV/AIDS.

Benin

Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a prominent West

African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became

a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960,

as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended

in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the

establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles.

A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later,

free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as

president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa

from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by

elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were

alleged. KEREKOU stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006

and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni, a political outsider and

independent. YAYI has begun a high profile fight against corruption

and has strongly promoted accelerating Benin's economic growth.

Bermuda

Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English

colonists headed for Virginia. Tourism to the island to escape North

American winters first developed in Victorian times. Tourism

continues to be important to the island's economy, although

international business has overtaken it in recent years. Bermuda has

developed into a highly successful offshore financial center.

Although a referendum on independence from the UK was soundly

defeated in 1995, the present government has reopened debate on the

issue.

Bhutan

In 1865, Britain and Bhutan signed the Treaty of Sinchulu,

under which Bhutan would receive an annual subsidy in exchange for

ceding some border land to British India. Under British influence, a

monarchy was set up in 1907; three years later, a treaty was signed

whereby the British agreed not to interfere in Bhutanese internal

affairs and Bhutan allowed Britain to direct its foreign affairs.

This role was assumed by independent India after 1947. Two years

later, a formal Indo-Bhutanese accord returned the areas of Bhutan

annexed by the British, formalized the annual subsidies the country

received, and defined India's responsibilities in defense and

foreign relations. A refugee issue of over 100,000 Bhutanese in

Nepal remains unresolved; 90% of the refugees are housed in seven

United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

camps. In March 2005, King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK unveiled the

government's draft constitution - which would introduce major

democratic reforms - and pledged to hold a national referendum for

its approval. In December 2006, the King abdicated the throne to his

son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel WANGCHUCK, in order to give him experience

as head of state before the democratic transition. In early 2007,

India and Bhutan renegotiated their treaty to allow Bhutan greater

autonomy in conducting its foreign policy, although Thimphu

continues to coordinate policy decisions in this area with New

Delhi. In July 2007, seven ministers of Bhutan's ten-member cabinet

resigned to join the political process, and the cabinet acted as a

caretaker regime until democratic elections for seats to the

country's first parliament were completed in March 2008. The king

ratified the country's first constitution in July 2008.

Bolivia

Bolivia, named after independence fighter Simon BOLIVAR,

broke away from Spanish rule in 1825; much of its subsequent history

has consisted of a series of nearly 200 coups and countercoups.

Democratic civilian rule was established in 1982, but leaders have

faced difficult problems of deep-seated poverty, social unrest, and

illegal drug production. In December 2005, Bolivians elected

Movement Toward Socialism leader Evo MORALES president - by the

widest margin of any leader since the restoration of civilian rule

in 1982 - after he ran on a promise to change the country's

traditional political class and empower the nation's poor majority.

However, since taking office, his controversial strategies have

exacerbated racial and economic tensions between the Amerindian

populations of the Andean west and the non-indigenous communities of

the eastern lowlands.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of

sovereignty in October 1991 was followed by a declaration of

independence from the former Yugoslavia on 3 March 1992 after a

referendum boycotted by ethnic Serbs. The Bosnian Serbs - supported

by neighboring Serbia and Montenegro - responded with armed

resistance aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic lines and

joining Serb-held areas to form a "Greater Serbia." In March 1994,

Bosniaks and Croats reduced the number of warring factions from

three to two by signing an agreement creating a joint Bosniak/Croat

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 21 November 1995, in

Dayton, Ohio, the warring parties initialed a peace agreement that

brought to a halt three years of interethnic civil strife (the final

agreement was signed in Paris on 14 December 1995). The Dayton Peace

Accords retained Bosnia and Herzegovina's international boundaries

and created a joint multi-ethnic and democratic government charged

with conducting foreign, diplomatic, and fiscal policy. Also

recognized was a second tier of government comprised of two entities

roughly equal in size: the Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and

Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska (RS). The

Federation and RS governments were charged with overseeing most

government functions. The Office of the High Representative (OHR)

was established to oversee the implementation of the civilian

aspects of the agreement. In 1995-96, a NATO-led international

peacekeeping force (IFOR) of 60,000 troops served in Bosnia to

implement and monitor the military aspects of the agreement. IFOR

was succeeded by a smaller, NATO-led Stabilization Force (SFOR)

whose mission was to deter renewed hostilities. European Union

peacekeeping troops (EUFOR) replaced SFOR in December 2004; their

mission is to maintain peace and stability throughout the country.

EUFOR's mission changed from peacekeeping to civil policing in

October 2007, with its presence reduced from nearly 7,000 to 2,500

troops.

Botswana

Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana

adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. Four decades of

uninterrupted civilian leadership, progressive social policies, and

significant capital investment have created one of the most dynamic

economies in Africa. Mineral extraction, principally diamond mining,

dominates economic activity, though tourism is a growing sector due

to the country's conservation practices and extensive nature

preserves. Botswana has one of the world's highest known rates of

HIV/AIDS infection, but also one of Africa's most progressive and

comprehensive programs for dealing with the disease.

Bouvet Island

This uninhabited volcanic island is almost entirely

covered by glaciers and is difficult to approach. It was discovered

in 1739 by a French naval officer after whom the island was named.

No claim was made until 1825, when the British flag was raised. In

1928, the UK waived its claim in favor of Norway, which had occupied

the island the previous year. In 1971, Norway designated Bouvet

Island and the adjacent territorial waters a nature reserve. Since

1977, it has run an automated meteorological station on the island.

Brazil

Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal, Brazil

became an independent nation in 1822 and a republic in 1889. By far

the largest and most populous country in South America, Brazil

overcame more than half a century of military intervention in the

governance of the country when in 1985 the military regime

peacefully ceded power to civilian rulers. Brazil continues to

pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development of its

interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor pool,

it is today South America's leading economic power and a regional

leader. Highly unequal income distribution and crime remain pressing

problems.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Formerly administered as part of the

British Crown Colony of Mauritius, the British Indian Ocean

Territory (BIOT) was established as an overseas territory of the UK

in 1965. A number of the islands of the territory were later

transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976.

Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups

comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of

the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support

facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Between 1967

and 1973, former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the

islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius, but also to the

Seychelles. Negotiations between 1971 and 1982 resulted in the

establishment of a trust fund by the British Government as

compensation for the displaced islanders, known as Chagossians.

Beginning in 1998, the islanders pursued a series of lawsuits

against the British Government seeking further compensation and the

right to return to the territory. In 2006 and 2007, British court

rulings invalidated the immigration policies contained in the 2004

BIOT Constitution Order that had excluded the islanders from the

archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.

In 2008, the House of Lords, as the final court of appeal in the UK,

ruled in favor of the British Goverment by overturning the lower

court rulings and finding no right of return on the part of the

Chagossians.

British Virgin Islands

First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib

Indians, the Virgin Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and

then annexed by the English in 1672. The islands were part of the

British colony of the Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were

granted autonomy in 1967. The economy is closely tied to the larger

and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is

the legal currency.

Brunei

The Sultanate of Brunei's influence peaked between the 15th

and 17th centuries when its control extended over coastal areas of

northwest Borneo and the southern Philippines. Brunei subsequently

entered a period of decline brought on by internal strife over royal

succession, colonial expansion of European powers, and piracy. In

1888, Brunei became a British protectorate; independence was

achieved in 1984. The same family has ruled Brunei for over six

centuries. Brunei benefits from extensive petroleum and natural gas

fields, the source of one of the highest per capita GDPs in Asia.

Bulgaria

The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the

local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first

Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with

the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the

end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman

Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of

Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having

fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within

the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in

1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its

first multiparty election since World War II and began the

contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a

market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption,

and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.

Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved

independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the

1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early

1990s. Current President Blaise COMPAORE came to power in a 1987

military coup and has won every election since then. Burkina Faso's

high population density and limited natural resources result in poor

economic prospects for the majority of its citizens. Recent unrest

in Cote d'Ivoire and northern Ghana has hindered the ability of

several hundred thousand seasonal Burkinabe farm workers to find

employment in neighboring countries.

Burma

Britain conquered Burma over a period of 62 years (1824-1886)

and incorporated it into its Indian Empire. Burma was administered

as a province of India until 1937 when it became a separate,

self-governing colony; independence from the Commonwealth was

attained in 1948. Gen. NE WIN dominated the government from 1962 to

1988, first as military ruler, then as self-appointed president, and

later as political kingpin. Despite multiparty legislative elections

in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party - the National

League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory, the ruling

junta refused to hand over power. NLD leader and Nobel Peace Prize

recipient AUNG SAN SUU KYI, who was under house arrest from 1989 to

1995 and 2000 to 2002, was imprisoned in May 2003 and subsequently

transferred to house arrest. After Burma's ruling junta in August

2007 unexpectedly increased fuel prices, tens of thousands of

Burmese marched in protest, led by prodemocracy activists and

Buddhist monks. In late September 2007, the government brutally

suppressed the protests, killing at least 13 people and arresting

thousands for participating in the demonstrations. Since then, the

regime has continued to raid homes and monasteries and arrest

persons suspected of participating in the pro-democracy protests.

The junta appointed Labor Minister AUNG KYI in October 2007 as

liaison to AUNG SAN SUU KYI, who remains under house arrest and

virtually incommunicado with her party and supporters.

Burundi

Burundi's first democratically elected president was

assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office,

triggering widespread ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi

factions. More than 200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict

that spanned almost a dozen years. Hundreds of thousands of

Burundians were internally displaced or became refugees in

neighboring countries. An internationally brokered power-sharing

agreement between the Tutsi-dominated government and the Hutu rebels

in 2003 paved the way for a transition process that led to an

integrated defense force, established a new constitution in 2005,

and elected a majority Hutu government in 2005. The new government,

led by President Pierre NKURUNZIZA, signed a South African brokered

ceasefire with the country's last rebel group in September of 2006

but still faces many challenges.

Cambodia

Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers,

descendants of the Angkor Empire that extended over much of

Southeast Asia and reached its zenith between the 10th and 13th

centuries. Attacks by the Thai and Cham (from present-day Vietnam)

weakened the empire, ushering in a long period of decline. The king

placed the country under French protection in 1863 and it became

part of French Indochina in 1887. Following Japanese occupation in

World War II, Cambodia gained full independence from France in 1953.

In April 1975, after a five-year struggle, Communist Khmer Rouge

forces captured Phnom Penh and evacuated all cities and towns. At

least 1.5 million Cambodians died from execution, forced hardships,

or starvation during the Khmer Rouge regime under POL POT. A

December 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the

countryside, began a 10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off

almost 13 years of civil war. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated

democratic elections and a ceasefire, which was not fully respected

by the Khmer Rouge. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore

some semblance of normalcy under a coalition government. Factional

fighting in 1997 ended the first coalition government, but a second

round of national elections in 1998 led to the formation of another

coalition government and renewed political stability. The remaining

elements of the Khmer Rouge surrendered in early 1999. Some of the

remaining Khmer Rouge leaders are awaiting trial by a UN-sponsored

tribunal for crimes against humanity. Elections in July 2003 were

relatively peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between

contending political parties before a coalition government was

formed. In October 2004, King SIHANOUK abdicated the throne due to

illness and his son, Prince Norodom SIHAMONI, was selected to

succeed him. Local elections were held in Cambodia in April 2007,

and there was little in the way of pre-election violence that

preceded prior elections. National elections are scheduled for July

2008.

Cameroon

The former French Cameroon and part of British Cameroon

merged in 1961 to form the present country. Cameroon has generally

enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of

agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry.

Despite a slow movement toward democratic reform, political power

remains firmly in the hands of President Paul BIYA.

Canada

A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada

became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the

British crown. Economically and technologically the nation has

developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across

an unfortified border. Canada faces the political challenges of

meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care and

education services, as well as responding to separatist concerns in

predominantly francophone Quebec. Canada also aims to develop its

diverse energy resources while maintaining its commitment to the

environment.

Cape Verde

The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by

the Portuguese in the 15th century; Cape Verde subsequently became a

trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and

resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. Following

independence in 1975, and a tentative interest in unification with

Guinea-Bissau, a one-party system was established and maintained

until multi-party elections were held in 1990. Cape Verde continues

to exhibit one of Africa's most stable democratic governments.

Repeated droughts during the second half of the 20th century caused

significant hardship and prompted heavy emigration. As a result,

Cape Verde's expatriate population is greater than its domestic one.

Most Cape Verdeans have both African and Portuguese antecedents.

Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the

British during the 18th and 19th centuries, and were administered by

Jamaica after 1863. In 1959, the islands became a territory within

the Federation of the West Indies, but when the Federation dissolved

in 1962, the Cayman Islands chose to remain a British dependency.

Central African Republic

The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari

became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After

three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments

- civilian rule was established in 1993 and lasted for one decade.

President Ange-Felix PATASSE's civilian government was plagued by

unrest, and in March 2003 he was deposed in a military coup led by

General Francois BOZIZE, who established a transitional government.

Though the government has the tacit support of civil society groups

and the main parties, a wide field of candidates contested the

municipal, legislative, and presidential elections held in March and

May of 2005 in which General BOZIZE was affirmed as president. The

government still does not fully control the countryside, where

pockets of lawlessness persist. Unrest in neighboring nations, Chad,

Sudan, and the DRC, continues to affect stability in the Central

African Republic as well.

Chad

Chad, part of France's African holdings until 1960, endured

three decades of civil warfare as well as invasions by Libya before

a semblance of peace was finally restored in 1990. The government

eventually drafted a democratic constitution, and held flawed

presidential elections in 1996 and 2001. In 1998, a rebellion broke

out in northern Chad, which has sporadically flared up despite

several peace agreements between the government and the rebels. In

2005, new rebel groups emerged in western Sudan and made probing

attacks into eastern Chad, despite signing peace agreements in

December 2006 and October 2007. Power remains in the hands of an

ethnic minority. In June 2005, President Idriss DEBY held a

referendum successfully removing constitutional term limits and won

another controversial election in 2006. Sporadic rebel campaigns

continued throughout 2006 and 2007, and the capital experienced a

significant rebel threat in early 2008.

Chile

Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century,

northern Chile was under Inca rule while Araucanian Indians (also

known as Mapuches) inhabited central and southern Chile. Although

Chile declared its independence in 1810, decisive victory over the

Spanish was not achieved until 1818. In the War of the Pacific

(1879-83), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its present

northern regions. It was not until the 1880s that the Araucanian

Indians were completely subjugated. A three-year-old Marxist

government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown in 1973 by a military

coup led by Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a freely elected

president was installed in 1990. Sound economic policies, maintained

consistently since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth,

reduced poverty rates by over half, and have helped secure the

country's commitment to democratic and representative government.

Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership

roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation.

China

For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing

the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and

early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major

famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War

II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic

socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed

strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of

millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and

other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by

2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living

standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal

choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.

Christmas Island

Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the

island was annexed and settlement began by the UK in 1888. Phosphate

mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to

Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared

a national park.

Clipperton Island

This isolated island was named for John

CLIPPERTON, a pirate who made it his hideout early in the 18th

century. Annexed by France in 1855, it was seized by Mexico in 1897.

Arbitration eventually awarded the island to France, which took

possession in 1935.

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

There are 27 coral islands in the group.

Captain William KEELING discovered the islands in 1609, but they

remained uninhabited until the 19th century. From the 1820s to 1978,

members of the CLUNIE-ROSS family controlled the islands and the

copra produced from local coconuts. Annexed by the UK in 1857, the

Cocos Islands were transferred to the Australian Government in 1955.

The population on the two inhabited islands generally is split

between the ethnic Europeans on West Island and the ethnic Malays on

Home Island.

Colombia

Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from

the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and

Venezuela). A 40-year conflict between government forces and

anti-government insurgent groups and illegal paramilitary groups -

both heavily funded by the drug trade - escalated during the 1990s.

The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to

overthrow the government, and violence has been decreasing since

about 2002, but insurgents continue attacks against civilians and

large swaths of the countryside are under guerrilla influence. More

than 32,000 former paramilitaries had demobilized by the end of 2006

and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) as a formal

organization had ceased to function. Still, some renegades continued

to engage in criminal activities. The Colombian Government has

stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the

country, and now has a presence in every one of its administrative

departments. However, neighboring countries worry about the violence

spilling over their borders.

Comoros

Comoros has endured more than 20 coups or attempted coups

since gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997, the islands

of Anjouan and Moheli declared independence from Comoros. In 1999,

military chief Col. AZALI seized power in a bloodless coup, and

helped negotiate the 2000 Fomboni Accords power-sharing agreement in

which the federal presidency rotates among the three islands, and

each island maintains its own local government. AZALI won the 2002

Presidential election, and each island in the archipelago elected

its own president. AZALI stepped down in 2006 and President SAMBI

took office. Since 2006, Anjouan's President Mohamed BACAR has

refused to work effectively with the Union presidency. In 2007,

BACAR effected Anjouan's de-facto secession from the Union, refusing

to step down in favor of fresh Anjouanais elections when Comoros'

other islands held legitimate elections in July. The African Union

(AU) initially attempted to resolve the political crisis by applying

sanctions and a naval blockade on Anjouan, but in March 2008, AU and

Comoran soldiers seized the island. The move was generally welcomed

by the island's inhabitants.

Congo, Democratic Republic of the Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the Republic of the Congo gained its independence in 1960, but its early years were marred by political and social instability. Col. Joseph MOBUTU seized power and declared himself president in a November 1965 coup. He subsequently changed his name - to MOBUTU Sese Seko - as well as that of the country - to Zaire. MOBUTU retained his position for 32 years through several sham elections, as well as through the use of brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi, led in May 1997 to the toppling of the MOBUTU regime by a rebellion backed by Rwanda and Uganda and fronted by Laurent KABILA. He renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but in August 1998 his regime was itself challenged by a second insurrection again backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Troops from Angola, Chad, Namibia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe intervened to support KABILA's regime. A cease-fire was signed in July 1999 by the DRC, Congolese armed rebel groups, Angola, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe but sporadic fighting continued. Laurent KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and his son, Joseph KABILA, was named head of state. In October 2002, the new president was successful in negotiating the withdrawal of Rwandan forces occupying eastern Congo; two months later, the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and establish a government of national unity. A transitional government was set up in July 2003. Joseph KABILA as president and four vice presidents represented the former government, former rebel groups, the political opposition, and civil society. The transitional government held a successful constitutional referendum in December 2005 and elections for the presidency, National Assembly, and provincial legislatures in 2006. KABILA was inaugurated president in December 2006. The National Assembly was installed in September 2006. Its president, Vital KAMERHE, was chosen in December. Provincial assemblies were constituted in early 2007, and elected governors and national senators in January 2007.

Congo, Republic of the

Upon independence in 1960, the former French

region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter

century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a

democratically elected government took office in 1992. A brief civil

war in 1997 restored former Marxist President Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO,

and ushered in a period of ethnic and political unrest.

Southern-based rebel groups agreed to a final peace accord in March

2003, but the calm is tenuous and refugees continue to present a

humanitarian crisis. The Republic of Congo was once one of Africa's

largest petroleum producers, but with declining production it will

need new offshore oil finds to sustain its oil earnings over the

long term.

Cook Islands

Named after Captain COOK, who sighted them in 1770, the

islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900,

administrative control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965,

residents chose self-government in free association with New

Zealand. The emigration of skilled workers to New Zealand and

government deficits are continuing problems.

Coral Sea Islands

Scattered over more than three-quarters of a

million square kilometers of ocean, the Coral Sea Islands were

declared a territory of Australia in 1969. They are uninhabited

except for a small meteorological staff on the Willis Islets.

Automated weather stations, beacons, and a lighthouse occupy many

other islands and reefs.

Costa Rica

Although explored by the Spanish early in the 16th

century, initial attempts at colonizing Costa Rica proved

unsuccessful due to a combination of factors, including: disease

from mosquito-infested swamps, brutal heat, resistance by natives,

and pirate raids. It was not until 1563 that a permanent settlement

of Cartago was established in the cooler, fertile central highlands.

The area remained a colony for some two and a half centuries. In

1821, Costa Rica became one of several Central American provinces

that jointly declared their independence from Spain. Two years later

it joined the United Provinces of Central America, but this

federation disintegrated in 1838, at which time Costa Rica

proclaimed its sovereignty and independence. Since the late 19th

century, only two brief periods of violence have marred the

country's democratic development. Although it still maintains a

large agricultural sector, Costa Rica has expanded its economy to

include strong technology and tourism industries. The standard of

living is relatively high. Land ownership is widespread.

Cote d'Ivoire

Close ties to France since independence in 1960, the

development of cocoa production for export, and foreign investment

made Cote d'Ivoire one of the most prosperous of the West African

states, but did not protect it from political turmoil. In December

1999, a military coup - the first ever in Cote d'Ivoire's history -

overthrew the government. Junta leader Robert GUEI blatantly rigged

elections held in late 2000 and declared himself the winner. Popular

protest forced him to step aside and brought Laurent GBAGBO into

power. Ivorian dissidents and disaffected members of the military

launched a failed coup attempt in September 2002. Rebel forces

claimed the northern half of the country, and in January 2003 were

granted ministerial positions in a unity government under the

auspices of the Linas-Marcoussis Peace Accord. President GBAGBO and

rebel forces resumed implementation of the peace accord in December

2003 after a three-month stalemate, but issues that sparked the

civil war, such as land reform and grounds for citizenship, remained

unresolved. In March 2007 President GBAGBO and former New Force

rebel leader Guillaume SORO signed the Ouagadougou Political

Agreement. As a result of the agreement, SORO joined GBAGBO's

government as Prime Minister and the two agreed to reunite the

country by dismantling the zone of confidence separating North from

South, integrate rebel forces into the national armed forces, and

hold elections. Several thousand French and UN troops remain in Cote

d'Ivoire to help the parties implement their commitments and to

support the peace process.

Croatia

The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close of World War I. In 1918, the

Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as

Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal

independent Communist state under the strong hand of Marshal TITO.

Although Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991,

it took four years of sporadic, but often bitter, fighting before

occupying Serb armies were mostly cleared from Croatian lands. Under

UN supervision, the last Serb-held enclave in eastern Slavonia was

returned to Croatia in 1998.

Cuba

The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after

the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492

and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next

several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to

work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the

launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from

Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule, marked initially by neglect, became

increasingly repressive, provoking an independence movement and

occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. It was US

intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 that finally

overthrew Spanish rule. The subsequent Treaty of Paris established

Cuban independence, which was granted in 1902 after a three-year

transition period. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959;

his iron rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five

decades. He stepped down as president in February 2008 in favor of

his younger brother Raul CASTRO. Cuba's Communist revolution, with

Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa

during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The country is now slowly

recovering from a severe economic downturn in 1990, following the

withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6

billion annually. Cuba portrays its difficulties as the result of

the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration to the US -

using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the

southwest border - is a continuing problem. The US Coast Guard

intercepted 2,864 individuals attempting to cross the Straits of

Florida in fiscal year 2006.

Cyprus

A former British colony, Cyprus became independent in 1960

following years of resistance to British rule. Tensions between the

Greek Cypriot majority and Turkish Cypriot minority came to a head

in December 1963, when violence broke out in the capital of Nicosia.

Despite the deployment of UN peacekeepers in 1964, sporadic

intercommunal violence continued forcing most Turkish Cypriots into

enclaves throughout the island. In 1974, a Greek

Government-sponsored attempt to seize control of Cyprus was met by

military intervention from Turkey, which soon controlled more than a

third of the island. In 1983, the Turkish-held area declared itself

the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), but it is

recognized only by Turkey. The latest two-year round of UN-brokered

talks - between the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot

communities to reach an agreement to reunite the divided island -

ended when the Greek Cypriots rejected the UN settlement plan in an

April 2004 referendum. The entire island entered the EU on 1 May

2004, although the EU acquis - the body of common rights and

obligations - applies only to the areas under direct government

control, and is suspended in the areas administered by Turkish

Cypriots. However, individual Turkish Cypriots able to document

their eligibility for Republic of Cyprus citizenship legally enjoy

the same rights accorded to other citizens of European Union states.

The election of a new Cypriot president in 2008 served as the

impetus for the UN to encourage both the Turkish and Cypriot

Governments to reopen unification negotiations.

Czech Republic

Following the First World War, the closely related

Czechs and Slovaks of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire merged to

form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar years, the new country's

leaders were frequently preoccupied with meeting the demands of

other ethnic minorities within the republic, most notably the

Sudeten Germans and the Ruthenians (Ukrainians). After World War II,

a truncated Czechoslovakia fell within the Soviet sphere of

influence. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the

efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize Communist party rule

and create "socialism with a human face." Anti-Soviet demonstrations

the following year ushered in a period of harsh repression. With the

collapse of Soviet authority in 1989, Czechoslovakia regained its

freedom through a peaceful "Velvet Revolution." On 1 January 1993,

the country underwent a "velvet divorce" into its two national

components, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic

joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.

Denmark

Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north

European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation

that is participating in the general political and economic

integration of Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the

EU) in 1973. However, the country has opted out of certain elements

of the European Union's Maastricht Treaty, including the European

Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), European defense cooperation, and

issues concerning certain justice and home affairs.

Dhekelia

By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created

the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovereignty

and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers -

Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The larger of these is the Dhekelia Sovereign

Base Area, which is also referred to as the Eastern Sovereign Base

Area.

Djibouti

The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became

Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian

one-party state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999.

Unrest among the Afars minority during the 1990s led to a civil war

that ended in 2001 following the conclusion of a peace accord

between Afar rebels and the Issa-dominated government. In 1999,

Djibouti's first multi-party presidential elections resulted in the

election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH; he was re-elected to a second and

final term in 2005. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic

location at the mouth of the Red Sea and serves as an important

transshipment location for goods entering and leaving the east

African highlands. The present leadership favors close ties to

France, which maintains a significant military presence in the

country, but also has strong ties with the US. Djibouti hosts the

only US military base in sub-Saharan Africa and is a front-line

state in the global war on terrorism.

Dominica

Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be

colonized by Europeans due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the

native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763,

which made the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after

independence, Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and

tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia

CHARLES, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who

remained in office for 15 years. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still

living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining

in the eastern Caribbean.

Dominican Republic

Explored and claimed by Christopher COLUMBUS on

his first voyage in 1492, the island of Hispaniola became a

springboard for Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and the American

mainland. In 1697, Spain recognized French dominion over the western

third of the island, which in 1804 became Haiti. The remainder of

the island, by then known as Santo Domingo, sought to gain its own

independence in 1821, but was conquered and ruled by the Haitians

for 22 years; it finally attained independence as the Dominican

Republic in 1844. In 1861, the Dominicans voluntarily returned to

the Spanish Empire, but two years later they launched a war that

restored independence in 1865. A legacy of unsettled, mostly

non-representative rule followed, capped by the dictatorship of

Rafael Leonidas TRUJILLO from 1930-61. Juan BOSCH was elected

president in 1962, but was deposed in a military coup in 1963. In

1965, the United States led an intervention in the midst of a civil

war sparked by an uprising to restore BOSCH. In 1966, Joaquin

BALAGUER defeated BOSCH in an election to become president. BALAGUER

maintained a tight grip on power for most of the next 30 years when

international reaction to flawed elections forced him to curtail his

term in 1996. Since then, regular competitive elections have been

held in which opposition candidates have won the presidency. Former

President (1996-2000) Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna won election to a

second term in 2004 following a constitutional amendment allowing

presidents to serve more than one term.

Ecuador

What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire

until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of Spanish

colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New

Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty - New Granada

(Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito - gained their independence between

1819 and 1822 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When

Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of

the "Republic of the Equator." Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost

territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border

war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although

Ecuador marked 25 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period

has been marred by political instability. Protests in Quito have

contributed to the mid-term ouster of Ecuador's last three

democratically elected Presidents. In 2007, a Constituent Assembly

was elected to draft a new constitution; Ecuador's twentieth since

gaining independence.

Egypt

The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood,

coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and

west, allowed for the development of one of the world's great

civilizations. A unified kingdom arose circa 3200 B.C., and a series

of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last

native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who in turn were

replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. It was the Arabs who

introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who

ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the

Mamluks took control about 1250 and continued to govern after the

conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Following the

completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became an important

world transportation hub, but also fell heavily into debt.

Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of

Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal allegiance to the Ottoman

Empire continued until 1914. Partially independent from the UK in

1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty with the overthrow of the

British-backed monarchy in 1952. The completion of the Aswan High

Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the

time-honored place of the Nile River in the agriculture and ecology

of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab

world), limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue

to overtax resources and stress society. The government has

struggled to meet the demands of Egypt's growing population through

economic reform and massive investment in communications and

physical infrastructure.

El Salvador

El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and

from the Central American Federation in 1839. A 12-year civil war,

which cost about 75,000 lives, was brought to a close in 1992 when

the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for

military and political reforms.

Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968

after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a

mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest

on the African continent. President Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO

has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup.

Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996

and 2002 presidential elections - as well as the 1999 and 2004

legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president

exerts almost total control over the political system and has

discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced

rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil

reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's

third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall

from oil production resulting in a massive increase in government

revenue in recent years, there have been few improvements in the

population's living standards.

Eritrea

Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a

federation. Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years

later sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991

with Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces; independence was

overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two-and-a-half-year

border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN

auspices in December 2000. Eritrea currently hosts a UN peacekeeping

operation that is monitoring a 25 km-wide Temporary Security Zone

(TSZ) on the border with Ethiopia. An international commission,

organized to resolve the border dispute, posted its findings in

2002. However, both parties have been unable to reach agreement on

implementing the decision. On 30 November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia

Boundary Commission remotely demarcated the border by coordinates

and dissolved itself, leaving Ethiopia still occupying several

tracts of disputed territory, including the town of Badme. Eritrea

accepted the EEBC's "virtual demarcation" decision and called on

Ethiopia to remove its troops from the TSZ which it states is

Eritrean territory. Ethiopia has not accepted the virtual

demarcation decision.

Estonia

After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian

rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated

into the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US - it

regained its freedom in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to

promote economic and political ties with Western Europe. It joined

both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

Ethiopia

Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian

monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the

exception of the 1936-41 Italian occupation during World War II. In

1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE

(who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn

by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee

problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of

rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front

(EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first

multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea

late in the 1990s ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. The

Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission in November 2007 remotely

demarcated the border by geographical coordinates, but final

demarcation of the boundary on the ground is currently on hold

because of Ethiopian objections to an international commission's

finding requiring it to surrender territory considered sensitive to

Ethiopia.

European Union

Following the two devastating World Wars of the first

half of the 20th century, a number of European leaders in the late

1940s became convinced that the only way to establish a lasting

peace was to unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and

Germany - both economically and politically. In 1950, the French

Foreign Minister Robert SCHUMAN proposed an eventual union of all

Europe, the first step of which would be the integration of the coal

and steel industries of Western Europe. The following year the

European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was set up when six

members, Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the

Netherlands, signed the Treaty of Paris.

The ECSC was so successful that within a few years the decision was

made to integrate other parts of the countries' economies. In 1957,

the Treaties of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC)

and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), and the six

member states undertook to eliminate trade barriers among themselves

by forming a common market. In 1967, the institutions of all three

communities were formally merged into the European Community (EC),

creating a single Commission, a single Council of Ministers, and the

European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament were

initially selected by national parliaments, but in 1979 the first

direct elections were undertaken and they have been held every five

years since.

In 1973, the first enlargement of the EC took place with the

addition of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The 1980s saw

further membership expansion with Greece joining in 1981 and Spain

and Portugal in 1986. The 1992 Treaty of Maastricht laid the basis

for further forms of cooperation in foreign and defense policy, in

judicial and internal affairs, and in the creation of an economic

and monetary union - including a common currency. This further

integration created the European Union (EU). In 1995, Austria,

Finland, and Sweden joined the EU, raising the membership total to

15.

A new currency, the euro, was launched in world money markets on 1

January 1999; it became the unit of exchange for all of the EU

states except the United Kingdom, Sweden, and Denmark. In 2002,

citizens of the 12 euro-area countries began using the euro

banknotes and coins. Ten new countries joined the EU in 2004 -

Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania,

Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia - and in 2007 Bulgaria and

Romania joined, bringing the current membership to 27. In order to

ensure that the EU can continue to function efficiently with an

expanded membership, the Treaty of Nice (in force as of 1 February

2003) set forth rules streamlining the size and procedures of EU

institutions. An effort to establish an EU constitution, begun in

October 2004, failed to attain unanimous ratification. A new effort,

undertaken in June 2007, calls for the creation of an

Intergovernmental Conference to form a political agreement, known as

the Reform Treaty, which is to serve as a constitution. Unlike the

constitution, however, the Reform Treaty would amend existing

treaties rather than replace them.

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Although first sighted by an

English navigator in 1592, the first landing (English) did not occur

until almost a century later in 1690, and the first settlement

(French) was not established until 1764. The colony was turned over

to Spain two years later and the islands have since been the subject

of a territorial dispute, first between Britain and Spain, then

between Britain and Argentina. The UK asserted its claim to the

islands by establishing a naval garrison there in 1833. Argentina

invaded the islands on 2 April 1982. The British responded with an

expeditionary force that landed seven weeks later and after fierce

fighting forced an Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982.

Faroe Islands

The population of the Faroe Islands is largely

descended from Viking settlers who arrived in the 9th century. The

islands have been connected politically to Denmark since the 14th

century. A high degree of self government was attained in 1948.

Fiji

Fiji became independent in 1970, after nearly a century as a

British colony. Democratic rule was interrupted by two military

coups in 1987, caused by concern over a government perceived as

dominated by the Indian community (descendants of contract laborers

brought to the islands by the British in the 19th century). The

coups and a 1990 constitution that cemented native Melanesian

control of Fiji, led to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss

resulted in economic difficulties, but ensured that Melanesians

became the majority. A new constitution enacted in 1997 was more

equitable. Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a

government led by an Indo-Fijian, but a civilian-led coup in May

2000 ushered in a prolonged period of political turmoil.

Parliamentary elections held in August 2001 provided Fiji with a

democratically elected government led by Prime Minister Laisenia

QARASE. Re-elected in May 2006, QARASE was ousted in a December 2006

military coup led by Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA, who initially

appointed himself acting president. In January 2007, BAINIMARAMA was

appointed interim prime minister.

Finland

Finland was a province and then a grand duchy under Sweden

from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and an autonomous grand duchy

of Russia after 1809. It won its complete independence in 1917.

During World War II, it was able to successfully defend its freedom

and resist invasions by the Soviet Union - albeit with some loss of

territory. In the subsequent half century, the Finns made a

remarkable transformation from a farm/forest economy to a

diversified modern industrial economy; per capita income is now

among the highest in Western Europe. A member of the European Union

since 1995, Finland was the only Nordic state to join the euro

system at its initiation in January 1999.

France

Although ultimately a victor in World Wars I and II, France

suffered extensive losses in its empire, wealth, manpower, and rank

as a dominant nation-state. Nevertheless, France today is one of the

most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European

nations. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid

presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the

instabilities experienced in earlier more purely parliamentary

administrations. In recent years, its reconciliation and cooperation

with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of

Europe, including the introduction of a common exchange currency,

the euro, in January 1999. At present, France is at the forefront of

efforts to develop the EU's military capabilities to supplement

progress toward an EU foreign policy.

French Polynesia

The French annexed various Polynesian island groups

during the 19th century. In September 1995, France stirred up

widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing on the Mururoa atoll

after a three-year moratorium. The tests were suspended in January

1996. In recent years, French Polynesia's autonomy has been

considerably expanded.

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

In February 2007, the Iles

Eparses became an integral part of the French Southern and Antarctic

Lands (TAAF). The Southern Lands are now divided into five

administrative districts, two of which are archipelagos, Iles Crozet

and Iles Kerguelen; the third is a district composed of two volcanic

islands, Ile Saint-Paul and Ile Amsterdam; the fourth, Iles Eparses,

consists of five scattered tropical islands around Madagascar. They

contain no permanent inhabitants and are visited only by researchers

studying the native fauna, scientists at the various scientific

stations, fishermen, and military personnel. The fifth district is

the Antarctic portion, which consists of "Adelie Land," a thin slice

of the Antarctic continent discovered and claimed by the French in

1840.

Ile Amsterdam: Discovered but not named in 1522 by the Spanish, the

island subsequently received the appellation of Nieuw Amsterdam from

a Dutchman; it was claimed by France in 1843. A short-lived attempt

at cattle farming began in 1871. A French meteorological station

established on the island in 1949 is still in use.

Ile Saint Paul: Claimed by France since 1893, the island was a

fishing industry center from 1843 to 1914. In 1928, a spiny lobster

cannery was established, but when the company went bankrupt in 1931,

seven workers were abandoned. Only two survived until 1934 when

rescue finally arrived.

Iles Crozet: A large archipelago formed from the Crozet Plateau,

Iles Crozet is divided into two main groups: L'Occidental (the

West), which includes Ile aux Cochons, Ilots des Apotres, Ile des

Pingouins, and the reefs Brisants de l'Heroine; and L'Oriental (the

east), which includes Ile d'Est and Ile de la Possession (the

largest island of the Crozets). Discovered and claimed by France in

1772, the islands were used for seal hunting and as a base for

whaling. Originally administered as a dependency of Madagascar, they

became part of the TAAF in 1955.

Iles Kerguelen: This island group, discovered in 1772, is made up of

one large island (Ile Kerguelen) and about 300 smaller islands. A

permanent group of 50 to 100 scientists resides at the main base at

Port-aux-Francais.

Adelie Land: The only non-insular district of the TAAF is the

Antarctic claim known as "Adelie Land." The US Government does not

recognize it as a French dependency.

Bassas da India: A French possession since 1897, this atoll is a

volcanic rock surrounded by reefs and is awash at high tide.

Europa Island: This heavily wooded island has been a French

possession since 1897; it is the site of a small military garrison

that staffs a weather station.

Glorioso Islands: A French possession since 1892, the Glorioso

Islands are composed of two lushly vegetated coral islands (Ile

Glorieuse and Ile du Lys) and three rock islets. A military garrison

operates a weather and radio station on Ile Glorieuse.

Juan de Nova Island: Named after a famous 15th century Spanish

navigator and explorer, the island has been a French possession

since 1897. It has been exploited for its guano and phosphate.

Presently a small military garrison oversees a meteorological

station.

Tromelin Island: First explored by the French in 1776, the island

came under the jurisdiction of Reunion in 1814. At present, it

serves as a sea turtle sanctuary and is the site of an important

meteorological station.

Gabon

Only two autocratic presidents have ruled Gabon since

independence from France in 1960. The current president of Gabon, El

Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba - one of the longest-serving heads of state

in the world - has dominated the country's political scene for four

decades. President BONGO introduced a nominal multiparty system and

a new constitution in the early 1990s. However, allegations of

electoral fraud during local elections in 2002-03 and the

presidential elections in 2005 have exposed the weaknesses of formal

political structures in Gabon. Gabon's political opposition remains

weak, divided, and financially dependent on the current regime.

Despite political conditions, a small population, abundant natural

resources, and considerable foreign support have helped make Gabon

one of the more prosperous and stable African countries.

Gambia, The

The Gambia gained its independence from the UK in 1965.

Geographically surrounded by Senegal, it formed a short-lived

federation of Senegambia between 1982 and 1989. In 1991 the two

nations signed a friendship and cooperation treaty, but tensions

have flared up intermittently since then. Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH led

a military coup in 1994 that overthrew the president and banned

political activity. A new constitution and presidential elections in

1996, followed by parliamentary balloting in 1997, completed a

nominal return to civilian rule. JAMMEH has been elected president

in all subsequent elections, including most recently in late 2006.

Gaza Strip The September 1993 Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements provided for a transitional period of Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Under a series of agreements signed between May 1994 and September 1999, Israel transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank and Gaza. Negotiations to determine the permanent status of the West Bank and Gaza stalled following the outbreak of an intifada in September 2000, as Israeli forces reoccupied most Palestinian-controlled areas. In April 2003, the Quartet (US, EU, UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The proposed date for a permanent status agreement was postponed indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides had not followed through on their commitments. Following Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004, Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA president in January 2005. A month later, Israel and the PA agreed to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments in an effort to move the peace process forward. In September 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew all its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in the Gaza Strip and withdrew settlers and redeployed soldiers from four small northern West Bank settlements. Nonetheless, Israel controls maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip. A November 2005 PA-Israeli agreement authorized the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt under joint PA and Egyptian control. In January 2006, the Islamic Resistance Movement, HAMAS, won control of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). The international community refused to accept the HAMAS-led government because it did not recognize Israel, would not renounce violence, and refused to honor previous peace agreements between Israel and the PA. HAMAS took control of the PA government in March 2006, but President ABBAS had little success negotiating with HAMAS to present a political platform acceptable to the international community so as to lift economic sanctions on Palestinians. The PLC was unable to convene throughout most of 2006 as a result of Israel's detention of many HAMAS PLC members and Israeli-imposed travel restrictions on other PLC members. Violent clashes took place between Fatah and HAMAS supporters in the Gaza Strip in 2006 and early 2007, resulting in numerous Palestinian deaths and injuries. ABBAS and HAMAS Political Bureau Chief MISHAL in February 2007 signed the Mecca Agreement in Saudi Arabia that resulted in the formation of a Palestinian National Unity Government (NUG) headed by HAMAS member Ismail HANIYA. However, fighting continued in the Gaza Strip, and in June, HAMAS militants succeeded in a violent takeover of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip. ABBAS dismissed the NUG and through a series of Presidential decrees formed a PA government in the West Bank led by independent Salam FAYYAD. HAMAS rejected the NUG's dismissal and has called for resuming talks with Fatah, but ABBAS has ruled out negotiations until HAMAS agrees to a return of PA control over the Gaza Strip and recognizes the FAYYAD-led government. FAYYAD and his PA government initiated a series of security and economic reforms to improve conditions in the West Bank. ABBAS participated in talks with Israel's Prime Minister OLMERT and secured the release of some Palestinian prisoners and previously withheld customs revenue. During a November 2007 international meeting in Annapolis Maryland, ABBAS and OLMERT agreed to resume peace negotiations with the goal of reaching a final peace settlement by the end of 2008.

Georgia

The region of present-day Georgia contained the ancient

kingdoms of Colchis and Kartli-Iberia. The area came under Roman

influence in the first centuries A.D. and Christianity became the

state religion in the 330s. Domination by Persians, Arabs, and Turks

was followed by a Georgian golden age (11th-13th centuries) that was

cut short by the Mongol invasion of 1236. Subsequently, the Ottoman

and Persian empires competed for influence in the region. Georgia

was absorbed into the Russian Empire in the 19th century.

Independent for three years (1918-1921) following the Russian

revolution, it was forcibly incorporated into the USSR until the

Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. An attempt by the incumbent Georgian

government to manipulate national legislative elections in November

2003 touched off widespread protests that led to the resignation of

Eduard SHEVARDNADZE, president since 1995. New elections in early

2004 swept Mikheil SAAKASHVILI into power along with his National

Movement party. Progress on market reforms and democratization has

been made in the years since independence, but this progress has

been complicated by Russian assistance and support to the breakaway

regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgian military action in

South Ossetia in early August 2008 led to a Russian military

response that not only occupied the breakaway areas, but large

portions of Georgia proper as well. Russian troops pulled back from

most occupied Georgian territory, but in late August 2008 Russia

unilaterally recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South

Ossetia. This action was strongly condemned by most of the world's

nations and international organizations.

Germany

As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation,

Germany is a key member of the continent's economic, political, and

defense organizations. European power struggles immersed Germany in

two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and

left the country occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US,

UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the advent of the

Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal

Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic

(GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic

and security organizations, the EC, which became the EU, and NATO,

while the Communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led

Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War

allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then, Germany has

expended considerable funds to bring Eastern productivity and wages

up to Western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU

countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the euro.

Ghana

Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast

and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first

sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence.

Ghana endured a long series of coups before Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS took

power in 1981 and banned political parties. After approving a new

constitution and restoring multiparty politics in 1992, RAWLINGS won

presidential elections in 1992 and 1996, but was constitutionally

prevented from running for a third term in 2000. John KUFUOR

succeeded him and was reelected in 2004. Kufuor is constitutionally

barred from running for a third term in upcoming Presidential

elections, which are scheduled for December 2008.

Gibraltar

Strategically important, Gibraltar was reluctantly ceded

to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British

garrison was formally declared a colony in 1830. In a referendum

held in 1967, Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain a British

dependency. The subsequent granting of autonomy in 1969 by the UK

led to Spain closing the border and severing all communication

links. A series of talks were held by the UK and Spain between 1997

and 2002 on establishing temporary joint sovereignty over Gibraltar.

In response to these talks, the Gibraltar Government called a

referendum in late 2002 in which the majority of citizens voted

overwhelmingly against any sharing of sovereignty with Spain. Since

the referendum, tripartite talks on other issues have been held with

Spain, the UK, and Gibraltar, and in September 2006 a three-way

agreement was signed. Spain agreed to remove restrictions on air

movements, to speed up customs procedures, to implement

international telephone dialing, and to allow mobile roaming

agreements. Britain agreed to pay increased pensions to Spaniards

who had been employed in Gibraltar before the border closed. Spain

will be allowed to open a cultural institute from which the Spanish

flag will fly. A new noncolonial constitution came into effect in

2007, but the UK retains responsibility for defense, foreign

relations, internal security, and financial stability.

Greece

Greece achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829.

During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the

20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and

territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II,

Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied

by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war

between supporters of the king and Communist rebels. Following the

latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. A military

dictatorship, which in 1967 suspended many political liberties and

forced the king to flee the country, lasted seven years. The 1974

democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary

republic and abolished the monarchy. In 1981, Greece joined the EC

(now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and

Monetary Union in 2001.

Greenland

Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 81%

ice-capped. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from

Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and

Greenland was made an integral part of Denmark in 1953. It joined

the European Community (now the EU) with Denmark in 1973, but

withdrew in 1985 over a dispute centered on stringent fishing

quotas. Greenland was granted self-government in 1979 by the Danish

parliament; the law went into effect the following year. Denmark

continues to exercise control of Greenland's foreign affairs in

consultation with Greenland's Home Rule Government.

Grenada

Carib Indians inhabited Grenada when COLUMBUS discovered the

island in 1498, but it remained uncolonized for more than a century.

The French settled Grenada in the 17th century, established sugar

estates, and imported large numbers of African slaves. Britain took

the island in 1762 and vigorously expanded sugar production. In the

19th century, cacao eventually surpassed sugar as the main export

crop; in the 20th century, nutmeg became the leading export. In

1967, Britain gave Grenada autonomy over its internal affairs. Full

independence was attained in 1974, making Grenada one of the

smallest independent countries in the Western Hemisphere. Grenada

was seized by a Marxist military council on 19 October 1983. Six

days later the island was invaded by US forces and those of six

other Caribbean nations, which quickly captured the ringleaders and

their hundreds of Cuban advisers. Free elections were reinstituted

the following year and have continued since that time. Hurricane

Ivan struck Grenada in September of 2004 causing severe damage.

Guam

Guam was ceded to the US by Spain in 1898. Captured by the

Japanese in 1941, it was retaken by the US three years later. The

military installation on the island is one of the most strategically

important US bases in the Pacific.

Guatemala

The Mayan civilization flourished in Guatemala and

surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost

three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence

in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced

a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year

guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement

formally ending the conflict, which had left more than 100,000

people dead and had created, by some estimates, some 1 million

refugees.

Guernsey

Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last

remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which held sway in

both France and England. The islands were the only British soil

occupied by German troops in World War II. Guernsey is a British

crown dependency, but is not part of the UK. However, the UK

Government is constitutionally responsible for its defense and

international representation.

Guinea

Guinea has had only two presidents since gaining its

independence from France in 1958. Lansana CONTE came to power in

1984 when the military seized the government after the death of the

first president, Sekou TOURE. Guinea did not hold democratic

elections until 1993 when Gen. CONTE (head of the military

government) was elected president of the civilian government. He was

reelected in 1998 and again in 2003, though all the polls have been

marred by irregularities. Guinea has maintained its internal

stability despite spillover effects from conflict in Sierra Leone

and Liberia. As those countries have rebuilt, Guinea's own

vulnerability to political and economic crisis has increased.

Declining economic conditions and popular dissatisfaction with

corruption and bad governance prompted two massive strikes in 2006;

a third nationwide strike in early 2007 sparked violent protests in

many Guinean cities and prompted two weeks of martial law. To

appease the unions and end the unrest, CONTE named a new prime

minister in March 2007.

Guinea-Bissau

Since independence from Portugal in 1974,

Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military

upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established authoritarian

dictator Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. Despite setting a

path to a market economy and multiparty system, VIEIRA's regime was

characterized by the suppression of political opposition and the

purging of political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s

and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In 1994 VIEIRA was elected

president in the country's first free elections. A military mutiny

and resulting civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in

May 1999. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over

power to opposition leader Kumba YALA, after he was elected

president in transparent polling. In September 2003, after only

three years in office, YALA was ousted by the military in a

bloodless coup, and businessman Henrique ROSA was sworn in as

interim president. In 2005, former President VIEIRA was re-elected

president pledging to pursue economic development and national

reconciliation.

Guyana

Originally a Dutch colony in the 17th century, by 1815 Guyana

had become a British possession. The abolition of slavery led to

black settlement of urban areas and the importation of indentured

servants from India to work the sugar plantations. This

ethnocultural divide has persisted and has led to turbulent

politics. Guyana achieved independence from the UK in 1966, and

since then it has been ruled mostly by socialist-oriented

governments. In 1992, Cheddi JAGAN was elected president in what is

considered the country's first free and fair election since

independence. After his death five years later, his wife, Janet

JAGAN, became president but resigned in 1999 due to poor health. Her

successor, Bharrat JAGDEO, was reelected in 2001 and again in 2006.

Haiti

The native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of

Hispaniola when it was discovered by COLUMBUS in 1492 - were

virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the

early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola,

and in 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the

island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on

forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest

in the Caribbean, but only through the heavy importation of African

slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th

century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint

L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first

black republic to declare its independence in 1804. The poorest

country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by

political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion

led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand

ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to

organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations

Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence and

technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti finally

did inaugurate a democratically elected president and parliament in

May of 2006.

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

These uninhabited, barren,

sub-Antarctic islands were transferred from the UK to Australia in

1947. Populated by large numbers of seal and bird species, the

islands have been designated a nature preserve.

Holy See (Vatican City)

Popes in their secular role ruled portions

of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the

mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the

newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were

further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between

a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by

three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of

Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy.

In 1984, a concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain

of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman

Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the

Holy See include religious freedom, international development, the

environment, the Middle East, China, the decline of religion in

Europe, terrorism, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and

the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and

globalization. About one billion people worldwide profess the

Catholic faith.

Honduras

Once part of Spain's vast empire in the New World, Honduras

became an independent nation in 1821. After two and a half decades

of mostly military rule, a freely elected civilian government came

to power in 1982. During the 1980s, Honduras proved a haven for

anti-Sandinista contras fighting the Marxist Nicaraguan Government

and an ally to Salvadoran Government forces fighting leftist

guerrillas. The country was devastated by Hurricane Mitch in 1998,

which killed about 5,600 people and caused approximately $2 billion

in damage.

Hong Kong

Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded

by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later

in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and

the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special

Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 1 July 1997. In this

agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems"

formula, China's socialist economic system would not be imposed on

Hong Kong and that Hong Kong would enjoy a high degree of autonomy

in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50

years.

Hungary

Hungary became a Christian kingdom in A.D. 1000 and for many

centuries served as a bulwark against Ottoman Turkish expansion in

Europe. The kingdom eventually became part of the polyglot

Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed during World War I. The

country fell under Communist rule following World War II. In 1956, a

revolt and an announced withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact were met

with a massive military intervention by Moscow. Under the leadership

of Janos KADAR in 1968, Hungary began liberalizing its economy,

introducing so-called "Goulash Communism." Hungary held its first

multiparty elections in 1990 and initiated a free market economy. It

joined NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004.

Iceland

Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish)

immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland

boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the

Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland

was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja

volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused

widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the

island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Limited

home rule from Denmark was granted in 1874 and complete independence

attained in 1944. Literacy, longevity, income, and social cohesion

are first-rate by world standards.

India

Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated onto the Indian

subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier

Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. The

Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its

zenith under ASHOKA - united much of South Asia. The Golden Age

ushered in by the Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a

flowering of Indian science, art, and culture. Arab incursions

starting in the 8th century and Turkic in the 12th were followed by

those of European traders, beginning in the late 15th century. By

the 19th century, Britain had assumed political control of virtually

all Indian lands. Indian armed forces in the British army played a

vital role in both World Wars. Nonviolent resistance to British

colonialism led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU brought

independence in 1947. The subcontinent was divided into the secular

state of India and the smaller Muslim state of Pakistan. A third war

between the two countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming

the separate nation of Bangladesh. India's nuclear weapons testing

in 1998 caused Pakistan to conduct its own tests that same year. The

dispute between the countries over the state of Kashmir is ongoing,

but discussions and confidence-building measures have led to

decreased tensions since 2002. Despite impressive gains in economic

investment and output, India faces pressing problems such as

significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive

poverty, and ethnic and religious strife.

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's

five oceans (after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, but larger

than the Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean). Four critically important

access waterways are the Suez Canal (Egypt), Bab el Mandeb

(Djibouti-Yemen), Strait of Hormuz (Iran-Oman), and Strait of

Malacca (Indonesia-Malaysia). The decision by the International

Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth

ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Indian Ocean

south of 60 degrees south latitude.

Indonesia

The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th

century; the islands were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945.

Indonesia declared its independence after Japan's surrender, but it

required four years of intermittent negotiations, recurring

hostilities, and UN mediation before the Netherlands agreed to

relinquish its colony. Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic

state and home to the world's largest Muslim population. Current

issues include: alleviating poverty, preventing terrorism,

consolidating democracy after four decades of authoritarianism,

implementing financial sector reforms, stemming corruption, holding

the military and police accountable for human rights violations, and

controlling avian influenza. In 2005, Indonesia reached a historic

peace agreement with armed separatists in Aceh, which led to

democratic elections in December 2006. Indonesia continues to face a

low intensity separatist movement in Papua.

Iran

Known as Persia until 1935, Iran became an Islamic republic in

1979 after the ruling monarchy was overthrown and the shah was

forced into exile. Conservative clerical forces established a

theocratic system of government with ultimate political authority

vested in a learned religious scholar referred to commonly as the

Supreme Leader who, according to the constitution, is accountable

only to the Assembly of Experts. US-Iranian relations have been

strained since a group of Iranian students seized the US Embassy in

Tehran on 4 November 1979 and held it until 20 January 1981. During

1980-88, Iran fought a bloody, indecisive war with Iraq that

eventually expanded into the Persian Gulf and led to clashes between

US Navy and Iranian military forces between 1987 and 1988. Iran has

been designated a state sponsor of terrorism for its activities in

Lebanon and elsewhere in the world and remains subject to US and UN

economic sanctions and export controls because of its continued

involvement in terrorism and conventional weapons proliferation.

Following the election of reformer Hojjat ol-Eslam Mohammad KHATAMI

as president in 1997 and similarly a reformer Majles (parliament) in

2000, a campaign to foster political reform in response to popular

dissatisfaction was initiated. The movement floundered as

conservative politicians, through the control of unelected

institutions, prevented reform measures from being enacted and

increased repressive measures. Starting with nationwide municipal

elections in 2003 and continuing through Majles elections in 2004,

conservatives reestablished control over Iran's elected government

institutions, which culminated with the August 2005 inauguration of

hardliner Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD as president. In December 2006 and

March 2007, the international community passed resolutions 1737 and

1747 respectively after Iran failed to comply with UN demands to

halt the enrichment of uranium or to agree to full IAEA oversight of

its nuclear program. In October 2007, Iranian entities were also

subject to US sanctions under EO 13382 designations for

proliferation activities and EO 13224 designations for providing

material support to the Taliban and other terrorist organizations.

Iraq

Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was occupied by

Britain during the course of World War I; in 1920, it was declared a

League of Nations mandate under UK administration. In stages over

the next dozen years, Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in

1932. A "republic" was proclaimed in 1958, but in actuality a series

of military strongmen ruled the country until 2003. The last was

SADDAM Husayn. Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive

and costly eight-year war (1980-88). In August 1990, Iraq seized

Kuwait but was expelled by US-led, UN coalition forces during the

Gulf War of January-February 1991. Following Kuwait's liberation,

the UN Security Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of

mass destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN

verification inspections. Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC

resolutions over a period of 12 years led to the US-led invasion of

Iraq in March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime.

Coalition forces remain in Iraq under a UNSC mandate, helping to

provide security and to support the freely elected government. The

Coalition Provisional Authority, which temporarily administered Iraq

after the invasion, transferred full governmental authority on 28

June 2004 to the Iraqi Interim Government, which governed under the

Transitional Administrative Law for Iraq (TAL). Under the TAL,

elections for a 275-member Transitional National Assembly (TNA) were

held in Iraq on 30 January 2005. Following these elections, the

Iraqi Transitional Government (ITG) assumed office. The TNA was

charged with drafting Iraq's permanent constitution, which was

approved in a 15 October 2005 constitutional referendum. An election

under the constitution for a 275-member Council of Representatives

(CoR) was held on 15 December 2005. The CoR approval in the

selection of most of the cabinet ministers on 20 May 2006 marked the

transition from the ITG to Iraq's first constitutional government in

nearly a half-century.

Ireland

Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600-150 B.C.

Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were

finally ended when King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014.

English invasions began in the 12th century and set off more than

seven centuries of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions

and harsh repressions. A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched

off several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in

independence from the UK for 26 southern counties; six northern

(Ulster) counties remained part of the UK. In 1949, Ireland withdrew

from the British Commonwealth; it joined the European Community in

1973. Irish governments have sought the peaceful unification of

Ireland and have cooperated with Britain against terrorist groups. A

peace settlement for Northern Ireland is being implemented with some

difficulties. In 2006, the Irish and British governments developed

and began to implement the St. Andrews Agreement, building on the

Good Friday Agreement approved in 1998.

Isle of Man

Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the

13th century when it was ceded to Scotland, the isle came under the

British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost

extinct Manx Gaelic language. Isle of Man is a British crown

dependency but is not part of the UK. However, the UK Government

remains constitutionally responsible for its defense and

international representation.

Israel

Following World War II, the British withdrew from their

mandate of Palestine, and the UN partitioned the area into Arab and

Jewish states, an arrangement rejected by the Arabs. Subsequently,

the Israelis defeated the Arabs in a series of wars without ending

the deep tensions between the two sides. The territories Israel

occupied since the 1967 war are not included in the Israel country

profile, unless otherwise noted. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew

from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty. In

keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in

October 1991, bilateral negotiations were conducted between Israel

and Palestinian representatives and Syria to achieve a permanent

settlement. Israel and Palestinian officials signed on 13 September

1993 a Declaration of Principles (also known as the "Oslo Accords")

guiding an interim period of Palestinian self-rule. Outstanding

territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26

October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace. In addition, on 25 May

2000, Israel withdrew unilaterally from southern Lebanon, which it

had occupied since 1982. In April 2003, US President BUSH, working

in conjunction with the EU, UN, and Russia - the "Quartet" - took

the lead in laying out a roadmap to a final settlement of the

conflict by 2005, based on reciprocal steps by the two parties

leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. However,

progress toward a permanent status agreement was undermined by

Israeli-Palestinian violence between September 2003 and February

2005. An Israeli-Palestinian agreement reached at Sharm al-Sheikh in

February 2005, along with an internally-brokered Palestinian

ceasefire, significantly reduced the violence. In the summer of

2005, Israel unilaterally disengaged from the Gaza Strip, evacuating

settlers and its military while retaining control over most points

of entry into the Gaza Strip. The election of HAMAS in January 2006

to head the Palestinian Legislative Council froze relations between

Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Ehud OLMERT became prime

minister in March 2006; following an Israeli military operation in

Gaza in June-July 2006 and a 34-day conflict with Hizballah in

Lebanon in June-August 2006, he shelved plans to unilaterally

evacuate from most of the West Bank. OLMERT in June 2007 resumed

talks with the PA after HAMAS seized control of the Gaza Strip and

PA President Mahmoud ABBAS formed a new government without HAMAS.

Italy

Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states

of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under

King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to

a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a

Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's

defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy

in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy was a charter member of

NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the

forefront of European economic and political unification, joining

the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include

illegal immigration, organized crime, corruption, high unemployment,

sluggish economic growth, and the low incomes and technical

standards of southern Italy compared with the prosperous north.

Jamaica

The island - discovered by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1494 -

was settled by the Spanish early in the 16th century. The native

Taino Indians, who had inhabited Jamaica for centuries, were

gradually exterminated and replaced by African slaves. England

seized the island in 1655 and established a plantation economy based

on sugar, cocoa, and coffee. The abolition of slavery in 1834 freed

a quarter million slaves, many of whom became small farmers. Jamaica

gradually obtained increasing independence from Britain, and in 1958

it joined other British Caribbean colonies in forming the Federation

of the West Indies. Jamaica gained full independence when it

withdrew from the Federation in 1962. Deteriorating economic

conditions during the 1970s led to recurrent violence as rival gangs

affiliated with the major political parties evolved into powerful

organized crime networks involved in international drug smuggling

and money laundering. Violent crime, drug trafficking, and poverty

pose significant challenges to the government today. Nonetheless,

many rural and resort areas remain relatively safe and contribute

substantially to the economy.

Jan Mayen

This desolate, arctic, mountainous island was named after

a Dutch whaling captain who indisputably discovered it in 1614

(earlier claims are inconclusive). Visited only occasionally by seal

hunters and trappers over the following centuries, the island came

under Norwegian sovereignty in 1929. The long dormant Haakon VII

Toppen/Beerenberg volcano resumed activity in 1970; the most recent

eruption occurred in 1985. It is the northernmost active volcano on

earth.

Japan

In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered

in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to

secure its power. For more than two centuries this policy enabled

Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture.

Following the Treaty of Kanagawa with the US in 1854, Japan opened

its ports and began to intensively modernize and industrialize.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Japan became a

regional power that was able to defeat the forces of both China and

Russia. It occupied Korea, Formosa (Taiwan), and southern Sakhalin

Island. In 1931-32 Japan occupied Manchuria, and in 1937 it launched

a full-scale invasion of China. Japan attacked US forces in 1941 -

triggering America's entry into World War II - and soon occupied

much of East and Southeast Asia. After its defeat in World War II,

Japan recovered to become an economic power and a staunch ally of

the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national

unity, elected politicians - with heavy input from bureaucrats and

business executives - wield actual decisionmaking power. The economy

experienced a major slowdown starting in the 1990s following three

decades of unprecedented growth, but Japan still remains a major

economic power, both in Asia and globally.

Jersey

Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last

remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both

France and England. These islands were the only British soil

occupied by German troops in World War II. Jersey is a British crown

dependency but is not part of the UK. However, the UK Government is

constitutionally responsible for its defense and international

representation.

Jordan

Following World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman

Empire, the UK received a mandate to govern much of the Middle East.

Britain separated out a semi-autonomous region of Transjordan from

Palestine in the early 1920s, and the area gained its independence

in 1946; it adopted the name of Jordan in 1950. The country's

long-time ruler was King HUSSEIN (1953-99). A pragmatic leader, he

successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers

(US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large

internal Palestinian population, despite several wars and coup

attempts. In 1989 he reinstituted parliamentary elections and

gradual political liberalization; in 1994 he signed a peace treaty

with Israel. King ABDALLAH II, the son of King HUSSEIN, assumed the

throne following his father's death in February 1999. Since then, he

has consolidated his power and undertaken an aggressive economic

reform program. Jordan acceded to the World Trade Organization in

2000, and began to participate in the European Free Trade

Association in 2001. Municipal elections were held in July 2007

under a system in which 20% of seats in all municipal councils were

reserved by quota for women. Parliamentary elections were held in

November 2007 and saw independent pro-government candidates win the

vast majority of seats. In November 2007, King Abdallah instructed

his new prime minister to focus on socioeconomic reform, developing

a healthcare and housing network for civilians and military

personnel, and improving the educational system.

Kazakhstan

Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes

who migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely united

as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th

century, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the

1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens

were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures.

This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other

deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled

non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence in 1991 caused many

of these newcomers to emigrate. Kazakhstan's economy is larger than

those of all the other Central Asian states combined, largely due to

the country's vast natural resources and a recent history of

political stability. Current issues include: developing a cohesive

national identity; expanding the development of the country's vast

energy resources and exporting them to world markets; achieving a

sustainable economic growth; diversifying the economy outside the

oil, gas, and mining sectors; enhancing Kazakhstan's

competitiveness; and strengthening relations with neighboring states

and other foreign powers.

Kenya

Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA

led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when

President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional

succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969

until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made

itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and

external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The

ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power

in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and

fraud, but were viewed as having generally reflected the will of the

Kenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December 2002 following

fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate

of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow

Coalition (NARC), defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed

the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption

platform. KIBAKI's NARC coalition splintered in 2005 over the

constitutional review process. Government defectors joined with KANU

to form a new opposition coalition, the Orange Democratic Movement,

which defeated the government's draft constitution in a popular

referendum in November 2005. KIBAKI's reelection in December 2007

brought charges of vote rigging from ODM candidate Raila ODINGA and

unleashed two months of violence in which as many as 1,500 people

died. UN-sponsored talks in late February produced a powersharing

accord bringing ODINGA into the government in the restored position

of prime minister.

Kiribati

The Gilbert Islands became a British protectorate in 1892

and a colony in 1915; they were captured by the Japanese in the

Pacific War in 1941. The islands of Makin and Tarawa were the sites

of major US amphibious victories over entrenched Japanese garrisons

in 1943. The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in

1971 and complete independence in 1979 under the new name of

Kiribati. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited

Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with

Kiribati.

Korea, North

An independent kingdom for much of its long history,

Korea was occupied by Japan in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese

War. Five years later, Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula.

Following World War II, Korea was split with the northern half

coming under Soviet-sponsored Communist domination. After failing in

the Korean War (1950-53) to conquer the US-backed Republic of Korea

(ROK) in the southern portion by force, North Korea (DPRK), under

its founder President KIM Il Sung, adopted a policy of ostensible

diplomatic and economic "self-reliance" as a check against excessive

Soviet or Communist Chinese influence. The DPRK demonized the US as

the ultimate threat to its social system through state-funded

propaganda, and molded political, economic, and military policies

around the core ideological objective of eventual unification of

Korea under Pyongyang's control. KIM's son, the current ruler KIM

Jong Il, was officially designated as his father's successor in

1980, assuming a growing political and managerial role until the

elder KIM's death in 1994. After decades of economic mismanagement

and resource misallocation, the DPRK since the mid-1990s has relied

heavily on international aid to feed its population while continuing

to expend resources to maintain an army of approximately 1 million.

North Korea's history of regional military provocations,

proliferation of military-related items, and long-range missile

development - as well as its nuclear, chemical, and biological

weapons programs and massive conventional armed forces - are of

major concern to the international community. In December 2002,

following revelations that the DPRK was pursuing a nuclear weapons

program based on enriched uranium in violation of a 1994 agreement

with the US to freeze and ultimately dismantle its existing

plutonium-based program, North Korea expelled monitors from the

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). In January 2003, it

declared its withdrawal from the international Non-Proliferation

Treaty. In mid-2003 Pyongyang announced it had completed the

reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel rods (to extract weapons-grade

plutonium) and was developing a "nuclear deterrent." Beginning in

August 2003, North Korea, China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the

US have participated in the Six-Party Talks aimed at resolving the

stalemate over the DPRK's nuclear programs. North Korea pulled out

of the talks in November 2005. It test-fired ballistic missiles in

July 2006 and conducted a nuclear test in October 2006. North Korea

returned to the Six-Party Talks in December 2006 and subsequently

signed two agreements on denuclearization. The 13 February 2007

Initial Actions Agreement shut down the North's nuclear facilities

at Yongbyon in July 2007. In the 3 October 2007 Second Phase Actions

Agreement, Pyongyang pledged to disable those facilities and provide

a correct and complete declaration of its nuclear programs. Under

the supervision of US nuclear experts, North Korean personnel

completed a number of agreed-upon disablement actions at the three

core facilities at the Yongbyon nuclear complex by the end of 2007.

North Korea also began the discharge of spent fuel rods in December

2007, but it did not provide a declaration of its nuclear programs

by the end of the year.

Korea, South

An independent Korean state or collection of states has

existed almost continuously for several millennia. Between its

initial unification in the 7th century - from three predecessor

Korean states - until the 20th century, Korea existed as a single

independent country. In 1905, following the Russo-Japanese War,

Korea became a protectorate of imperial Japan, and in 1910 it was

annexed as a colony. Korea regained its independence following

Japan's surrender to the United States in 1945. After World War II,

a Republic of Korea (ROK) was set up in the southern half of the

Korean Peninsula while a Communist-style government was installed in

the north (the DPRK). During the Korean War (1950-53), US troops and

UN forces fought alongside soldiers from the ROK to defend South

Korea from DPRK attacks supported by China and the Soviet Union. An

armistice was signed in 1953, splitting the peninsula along a

demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel. Thereafter, South

Korea achieved rapid economic growth with per capita income rising

to roughly 14 times the level of North Korea. In 1993, KIM Young-sam

became South Korea's first civilian president following 32 years of

military rule. South Korea today is a fully functioning modern

democracy. In June 2000, a historic first North-South summit took

place between the South's President KIM Dae-jung and the North's

leader KIM Jong Il. In October 2007, a second North-South summit

took place between the South's President ROH Moo-hyun and the North

Korean leader.

Kosovo Serbs migrated to the territories of modern Kosovo in the 7th century but did not fully incorporate them into the Serbian realm until the early 13th century. The Serbian defeat at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 led to five centuries of Ottoman rule during which large numbers of Turks and Albanians moved to Kosovo. By the end of the 19th century, Albanians replaced the Serbs as the dominant ethnic group in Kosovo. Serbia reacquired control over Kosovo from the Ottoman Empire during the First Balkan War (1912). After World War II (1945), the government of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia led by Josip TITO reorganized Kosovo as an autonomous province within the constituent republic of Serbia. Over the next four decades, Kosovo Albanians lobbied for greater autonomy, and Kosovo was granted the status almost equal to that of a republic in the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution. Despite the legislative concessions, Albanian nationalism increased in the 1980s leading to nationalist riots and calls for Kosovo's independence. Serbs in Kosovo complained of mistreatment and Serb nationalist leaders, such as Slobodan MILOSEVIC, exploited those charges to win support among Serbian voters many of whom viewed Kosovo as their cultural heartland. Under MILOSEVIC's leadership, Serbia instituted a new constitution in 1989 that drastically curtailed Kosovo's autonomy. Kosovo Albanian leaders responded in 1991 by organizing a referendum that declared Kosovo independent from Serbia. The MILOSEVIC regime carried out repressive measures against the Albanians in the early 1990s as the unofficial government of Kosovo, led by Ibrahim RUGOVA, tried to use passive resistance to gain international assistance and recognition of its demands for independence. In 1995, Albanians dissatisfied with RUGOVA's nonviolent strategy created the Kosovo Liberation Army and launched an insurgency. In 1998, MILOSEVIC authorized a counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive expulsions of ethnic Albanians by Serbian military, police, and paramilitary forces. The international community tried to resolve the conflict peacefully, but MILOSEVIC rejected the proposed international settlement - the Rambouillet Accords - leading to a three-month NATO bombing of Serbia beginning in March 1999, which forced Serbia to withdraw its military and police forces from Kosovo in June 1999. UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999) placed Kosovo under a transitional administration, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), pending a determination of Kosovo's future status. Under the resolution, Serbia's territorial integrity was protected, but it was UNMIK that assumed responsibility for governing Kosovo. In 2001, UNMIK promulgated a Constitutional Framework, which established Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG). In succeeding years UNMIK increasingly devolved responsibilities to the PISG. A UN-led process began in late 2005 to determine Kosovo's future status. Negotiations held intermittently between 2006 and 2007 on issues related to decentralization, religious heritage, and minority rights failed to yield a resolution between Serbia's willingness to grant a high degree of autonomy and the Albanians' call for full independence for Kosovo. On 17 February 2008, the Kosovo Assembly declared its independence from Serbia.

Kuwait

Britain oversaw foreign relations and defense for the ruling

Kuwaiti AL-SABAH dynasty from 1899 until independence in 1961.

Kuwait was attacked and overrun by Iraq on 2 August 1990. Following

several weeks of aerial bombardment, a US-led, UN coalition began a

ground assault on 23 February 1991 that liberated Kuwait in four

days. Kuwait spent more than $5 billion to repair oil infrastructure

damaged during 1990-91. The AL-SABAH family has ruled since

returning to power in 1991 and reestablished an elected legislature

that in recent years has become increasingly assertive.

Kyrgyzstan

A Central Asian country of incredible natural beauty and

proud nomadic traditions, most of Kyrgyzstan was formally annexed to

Russia in 1876. The Kyrgyz staged a major revolt against the Tsarist

Empire in 1916 in which almost one-sixth of the Kyrgyz population

was killed. Kyrgyzstan became a Soviet republic in 1936 and achieved

independence in 1991 when the USSR dissolved. Nationwide

demonstrations in the spring of 2005 resulted in the ouster of

President Askar AKAYEV, who had run the country since 1990.

Subsequent presidential elections in July 2005 were won

overwhelmingly by former prime minister Kurmanbek BAKIEV. The

political opposition organized demonstrations in Bishkek in April,

May, and November 2006 resulting in the adoption of a new

constitution that transferred some of the president's powers to

parliament and the government. In December 2006, the Kyrgyz

parliament voted to adopt new amendments, restoring some of the

presidential powers lost in the November 2006 constitutional change.

By late-September 2007, both previous versions of the constitution

were declared illegal, and the country reverted to the AKAYEV-era

2003 constitution, which was subsequently modified in a flawed

referendum initiated by BAKIEV. The president then dissolved

parliament, called for early elections, and gained control of the

new parliament through his newly-created political party, Ak Jol, in

December 2007 elections. Current concerns include: privatization of

state-owned enterprises, negative trends in democracy and political

freedoms, reduction of corruption, improving interethnic relations,

and combating terrorism.

Laos

Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan

Xang, established in the 14th Century under King FA NGUM. For 300

years Lan Xang had influence reaching into present-day Cambodia and

Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. After centuries

of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination of Siam

(Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century

when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty

of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the

Communist Pathet Lao took control of the government ending a

six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime

closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual return to private enterprise

and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1986.

Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997.

Latvia

The name "Latvia" originates from the ancient Latgalians, one

of four eastern Baltic tribes that formed the ethnic core of the

Latvian people (ca. 8th-12th centuries A.D.). The region

subsequently came under the control of Germans, Poles, Swedes, and

finally, Russians. A Latvian republic emerged following World War I,

but it was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized

by the US and many other countries. Latvia reestablished its

independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the

Russian minority (some 30% of the population) remains of concern to

Moscow. Latvia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

Lebanon

Following the capture of Syria from the Ottoman Empire by

Anglo-French forces in 1918, France received a mandate over this

territory and separated out the region of Lebanon in 1920. France

granted this area independence in 1943. A lengthy civil war

(1975-1990) devastated the country, but Lebanon has since made

progress toward rebuilding its political institutions. Under the

Ta'if Accord - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the

Lebanese established a more equitable political system, particularly

by giving Muslims a greater voice in the political process while

institutionalizing sectarian divisions in the government. Since the

end of the war, Lebanon has conducted several successful elections.

Most militias have been disbanded, and the Lebanese Armed Forces

(LAF) have extended authority over about two-thirds of the country.

Hizballah, a radical Shia organization listed by the US State

Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, retains its weapons.

During Lebanon's civil war, the Arab League legitimized in the Ta'if

Accord Syria's troop deployment, numbering about 16,000 based mainly

east of Beirut and in the Bekaa Valley. Israel's withdrawal from

southern Lebanon in May 2000 and the passage in October 2004 of

UNSCR 1559 - a resolution calling for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon

and end its interference in Lebanese affairs - encouraged some

Lebanese groups to demand that Syria withdraw its forces as well.

The assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI and 20

others in February 2005 led to massive demonstrations in Beirut

against the Syrian presence ("the Cedar Revolution"), and Syria

withdrew the remainder of its military forces in April 2005. In

May-June 2005, Lebanon held its first legislative elections since

the end of the civil war free of foreign interference, handing a

majority to the bloc led by Saad HARIRI, the slain prime minister's

son. Lebanon continues to be plagued by violence - Hizballah

kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in July 2006 leading to a 34-day

conflict with Israel. The LAF in May-September 2007 battled Sunni

extremist group Fatah al-Islam in the Nahr al-Barid Palestinian

refugee camp; and the country has witnessed a string of politically

motivated assassinations since the death of Rafiq HARIRI. Lebanese

politicians in November 2007 were unable to agree on a successor to

Emile LAHUD when he stepped down as president, creating a political

vacuum until the election of Army Commander Michel SULAYMAN in May

2008 and the formation of a new cabinet in July 2008.

Lesotho

Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon

independence from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled

for the first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990, but

returned to Lesotho in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995.

Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven years of

military rule. In 1998, violent protests and a military mutiny

following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody

intervention by South African and Botswanan military forces under

the aegis of the Southern African Development Community. Subsequent

constitutional reforms restored relative political stability.

Peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002, but the National

Assembly elections of February 2007 were hotly contested and

aggrieved parties continue to periodically demonstrate their

distrust of the results.

Liberia

Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today

Liberia began in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians were able to

establish a republic. William TUBMAN, president from 1944-71, did

much to promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic,

social, and political gaps between the descendents of the original

settlers and the inhabitants of the interior. In 1980, a military

coup led by Samuel DOE ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule. In

December 1989, Charles TAYLOR launched a rebellion against DOE's

regime that led to a prolonged civil war in which DOE himself was

killed. A period of relative peace in 1997 allowed for elections

that brought TAYLOR to power, but major fighting resumed in 2000. An

August 2003 peace agreement ended the war and prompted the

resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR, who faces war crimes

charges in The Hague related to his involvement in Sierra Leone's

civil war. After two years of rule by a transitional government,

democratic elections in late 2005 brought President Ellen JOHNSON

SIRLEAF to power. The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) maintains a

strong presence throughout the country, but the security situation

is still fragile and the process of rebuilding the social and

economic structure of this war-torn country will take many years.

Libya

The Italians supplanted the Ottoman Turks in the area around

Tripoli in 1911 and did not relinquish their hold until 1943 when

defeated in World War II. Libya then passed to UN administration and

achieved independence in 1951. Following a 1969 military coup, Col.

Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI began to espouse his own political

system, the Third Universal Theory. The system is a combination of

socialism and Islam derived in part from tribal practices and is

supposed to be implemented by the Libyan people themselves in a

unique form of "direct democracy." QADHAFI has always seen himself

as a revolutionary and visionary leader. He used oil funds during

the 1970s and 1980s to promote his ideology outside Libya,

supporting subversives and terrorists abroad to hasten the end of

Marxism and capitalism. In addition, beginning in 1973, he engaged

in military operations in northern Chad's Aozou Strip - to gain

access to minerals and to use as a base of influence in Chadian

politics - but was forced to retreat in 1987. UN sanctions in 1992

isolated QADHAFI politically following the downing of Pan AM Flight

103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. During the 1990s, QADHAFI began to

rebuild his relationships with Europe. UN sanctions were suspended

in April 1999 and finally lifted in September 2003 after Libya

accepted responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing. In December 2003,

Libya announced that it had agreed to reveal and end its programs to

develop weapons of mass destruction and to renounce terrorism.

QADHAFI has made significant strides in normalizing relations with

Western nations since then. He has received various Western European

leaders as well as many working-level and commercial delegations,

and made his first trip to Western Europe in 15 years when he

traveled to Brussels in April 2004. Libya has responded in good

faith to legal cases brought against it in US courts for terrorist

acts that predate its renunciation of violence. Claims for

compensation in the Lockerbie bombing, LaBelle disco bombing, and

UTA 772 bombing cases are ongoing. The US rescinded Libya's

designation as a state sponsor of terrorism in June 2006. In late

2007, Libya was elected by the General Assembly to a nonpermanent

seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2008-09 term.

Liechtenstein

The Principality of Liechtenstein was established

within the Holy Roman Empire in 1719. Occupied by both French and

Russian troops during the Napoleanic wars, it became a sovereign

state in 1806 and joined the Germanic Confederation in 1815.

Liechtenstein became fully independent in 1866 when the

Confederation dissolved. Until the end of World War I, it was

closely tied to Austria, but the economic devastation caused by that

conflict forced Liechtenstein to enter into a customs and monetary

union with Switzerland. Since World War II (in which Liechtenstein

remained neutral), the country's low taxes have spurred outstanding

economic growth. In 2000, shortcomings in banking regulatory

oversight resulted in concerns about the use of financial

institutions for money laundering. However, Liechtenstein

implemented anti-money-laundering legislation and a Mutual Legal

Assistance Treaty with the US went into effect in 2003.

Lithuania

Lithuanian lands were united under MINDAUGAS in 1236; over

the next century, through alliances and conquest, Lithuania extended

its territory to include most of present-day Belarus and Ukraine. By

the end of the 14th century Lithuania was the largest state in

Europe. An alliance with Poland in 1386 led the two countries into a

union through the person of a common ruler. In 1569, Lithuania and

Poland formally united into a single dual state, the

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This entity survived until 1795,

when its remnants were partitioned by surrounding countries.

Lithuania regained its independence following World War I but was

annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US

and many other countries. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the

first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but

Moscow did not recognize this proclamation until September of 1991

(following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops

withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy

for integration into Western European institutions; it joined both

NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

Luxembourg

Founded in 963, Luxembourg became a grand duchy in 1815

and an independent state under the Netherlands. It lost more than

half of its territory to Belgium in 1839, but gained a larger

measure of autonomy. Full independence was attained in 1867. Overrun

by Germany in both World Wars, it ended its neutrality in 1948 when

it entered into the Benelux Customs Union and when it joined NATO

the following year. In 1957, Luxembourg became one of the six

founding countries of the European Economic Community (later the

European Union), and in 1999 it joined the euro currency area.

Macau

Colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century, Macau was the

first European settlement in the Far East. Pursuant to an agreement

signed by China and Portugal on 13 April 1987, Macau became the

Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 20 December

1999. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one

country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system

would not be practiced in Macau, and that Macau would enjoy a high

degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs

for the next 50 years.

Macedonia

Macedonia gained its independence peacefully from

Yugoslavia in 1991, but Greece's objection to the new state's use of

what it considered a Hellenic name and symbols delayed international

recognition, which occurred under the provisional designation of

"the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia." In 1995, Greece lifted

a 20-month trade embargo and the two countries agreed to normalize

relations. The United States began referring to Macedonia by its

constitutional name, Republic of Macedonia, in 2004 and negotiations

continue between Greece and Macedonia to resolve the name issue.

Some ethnic Albanians, angered by perceived political and economic

inequities, launched an insurgency in 2001 that eventually won the

support of the majority of Macedonia's Albanian population and led

to the internationally-brokered Framework Agreement, which ended the

fighting by establishing a set of new laws enhancing the rights of

minorities. Fully implementating the Framework Agreement and

stimulating economic growth and development continue to be

challenges for Macedonia, although progress has been made on both

fronts over the past several years.

Madagascar

Formerly an independent kingdom, Madagascar became a

French colony in 1896 but regained independence in 1960. During

1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were held

ending 17 years of single-party rule. In 1997, in the second

presidential race, Didier RATSIRAKA, the leader during the 1970s and

1980s, was returned to the presidency. The 2001 presidential

election was contested between the followers of Didier RATSIRAKA and

Marc RAVALOMANANA, nearly causing secession of half of the country.

In April 2002, the High Constitutional Court announced RAVALOMANANA

the winner. RAVALOMANANA is now in his second term following a

landslide victory in the generally free and fair presidential

elections of 2006.

Malawi

Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland

became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades

of one-party rule under President Hastings Kamuzu BANDA the country

held multiparty elections in 1994, under a provisional constitution

that came into full effect the following year. Current President

Bingu wa MUTHARIKA, elected in May 2004 after a failed attempt by

the previous president to amend the constitution to permit another

term, struggled to assert his authority against his predecessor and

subsequently started his own party, the Democratic Progressive Party

(DPP) in 2005. As president, MUTHARIKA has overseen substantial

economic improvement but because of political deadlock in the

legislature, his minority party has been unable to pass significant

legislation, and anti-corruption measures have stalled. Population

growth, increasing pressure on agricultural lands, corruption, and

the spread of HIV/AIDS pose major problems for Malawi.

Malaysia

During the late 18th and 19th centuries, Great Britain

established colonies and protectorates in the area of current

Malaysia; these were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. In 1948,

the British-ruled territories on the Malay Peninsula formed the

Federation of Malaya, which became independent in 1957. Malaysia was

formed in 1963 when the former British colonies of Singapore and the

East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak on the northern coast of

Borneo joined the Federation. The first several years of the

country's history were marred by a Communist insurgency, Indonesian

confrontation with Malaysia, Philippine claims to Sabah, and

Singapore's secession from the Federation in 1965. During the

22-year term of Prime Minister MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (1981-2003),

Malaysia was successful in diversifying its economy from dependence

on exports of raw materials to expansion in manufacturing, services,

and tourism.

Maldives

The Maldives was long a sultanate, first under Dutch and

then under British protection. It became a republic in 1968, three

years after independence. President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM dominated

the islands' political scene for 30 years, elected to six successive

terms by single-party referendums. Following riots in the capital

Male in August 2004, the president and his government pledged to

embark upon democratic reforms including a more representative

political system and expanded political freedoms. Progress was

sluggish, however, and many promised reforms were slow to be

realized. Nonetheless, political parties were legalized in 2005. In

June 2008, a constituent assembly - termed the "Special Majlis" -

finalized a new constitution, which was ratified by the president in

August. The first-ever presidential elections under a

multi-candidate, multi-party system were held in October 2008.

GAYOOM was defeated in a runoff poll by Mohamed NASHEED, a political

activist who had been jailed several years earlier by the former

regime. Challenges facing the new president include strengthening

democracy and combating poverty and drug abuse.

Mali

The Sudanese Republic and Senegal became independent of France

in 1960 as the Mali Federation. When Senegal withdrew after only a

few months, what formerly made up the Sudanese Republic was renamed

Mali. Rule by dictatorship was brought to a close in 1991 by a

military coup - led by the current president Amadou TOURE - enabling

Mali's emergence as one of the strongest democracies on the

continent. President Alpha KONARE won Mali's first democratic

presidential election in 1992 and was reelected in 1997. In keeping

with Mali's two-term constitutional limit, KONARE stepped down in

2002 and was succeeded by Amadou TOURE, who was subsequently elected

to a second term in 2007. The elections were widely judged to be

free and fair.

Malta

Great Britain formally acquired possession of Malta in 1814.

The island staunchly supported the UK through both World Wars and

remained in the Commonwealth when it became independent in 1964. A

decade later Malta became a republic. Since about the mid-1980s, the

island has transformed itself into a freight transshipment point, a

financial center, and a tourist destination. Malta became an EU

member in May 2004 and began to use the euro as currency in 2008.

Marshall Islands

After almost four decades under US administration

as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific

Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a

Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a

result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and

1962. The Marshall Islands hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA)

Reagan Missile Test Site, a key installation in the US missile

defense network.

Mauritania

Independent from France in 1960, Mauritania annexed the

southern third of the former Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara) in

1976, but relinquished it after three years of raids by the

Polisario guerrilla front seeking independence for the territory.

Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed TAYA seized power in a coup in 1984 and ruled

Mauritania with a heavy hand for over two decades. A series of

presidential elections that he held were widely seen as flawed. A

bloodless coup in August 2005 deposed President TAYA and ushered in

a military council that oversaw a transition to democratic rule.

Independent candidate Sidi Ould Cheikh ABDALLAHI was inaugurated in

April 2007 as Mauritania's first freely and fairly elected

president. His term ended prematurely in August 2008 when a coup

deposed him and ushered in a military council government. Meanwhile,

the country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black

population (Afro-Mauritanians) and White and Black Moor

(Arab-Berber) communities.

Mauritius

Although known to Arab and Malay sailors as early as the

10th century, Mauritius was first explored by the Portuguese in the

16th century and subsequently settled by the Dutch - who named it in

honor of Prince Maurits van NASSAU - in the 17th century. The French

assumed control in 1715, developing the island into an important

naval base overseeing Indian Ocean trade, and establishing a

plantation economy of sugar cane. The British captured the island in

1810, during the Napoleonic Wars. Mauritius remained a strategically

important British naval base, and later an air station, playing an

important role during World War II for anti-submarine and convoy

operations, as well as the collection of signals intelligence.

Independence from the UK was attained in 1968. A stable democracy

with regular free elections and a positive human rights record, the

country has attracted considerable foreign investment and has earned

one of Africa's highest per capita incomes. Recent poor weather,

declining sugar prices, and declining textile and apparel

production, have slowed economic growth, leading to some protests

over standards of living in the Creole community.

Mayotte

Mayotte was ceded to France along with the other islands of

the Comoros group in 1843. It was the only island in the archipelago

that voted in 1974 to retain its link with France and forego

independence.

Mexico

The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came

under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence

early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994

threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession

in over half a century. The nation continues to make an impressive

recovery. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real

wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population,

inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities

for the largely Amerindian population in the impoverished southern

states. The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the

1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX

of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in

government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was

succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON.

Micronesia, Federated States of

In 1979 the Federated States of

Micronesia, a UN Trust Territory under US administration, adopted a

constitution. In 1986 independence was attained under a Compact of

Free Association with the US, which was amended and renewed in 2004.

Present concerns include large-scale unemployment, overfishing, and

overdependence on US aid.

Moldova

Formerly part of Romania, Moldova was incorporated into the

Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although independent from

the USSR since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan

territory east of the Dniester River supporting the Slavic majority

population, mostly Ukrainians and Russians, who have proclaimed a

"Transnistria" republic. One of the poorest nations in Europe,

Moldova became the first former Soviet state to elect a Communist as

its president in 2001.

Monaco

The Genoese built a fortress on the site of present-day

Monaco in 1215. The current ruling Grimaldi family secured control

in the late 13th century, and a principality was established in

1338. Economic development was spurred in the late 19th century with

a railroad linkup to France and the opening of a casino. Since then,

the principality's mild climate, splendid scenery, and gambling

facilities have made Monaco world famous as a tourist and recreation

center.

Mongolia

The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under

Chinggis KHAN they conquered a huge Eurasian empire. After his death

the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but

these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually

retired to their original steppe homelands and in the late 17th

century came under Chinese rule. Mongolia won its independence in

1921 with Soviet backing. A Communist regime was installed in 1924.

Following a peaceful democratic revolution, the ex-Communist

Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) won elections in 1990

and 1992, but was defeated by the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC)

in the 1996 parliamentary election. Since then, parliamentary

elections returned the MPRP overwhelmingly to power in 2000, but

2004 elections reduced MPRP representation and, therefore, its

authority.

Montenegro

The use of the name Montenegro began in the 15th century

when the Crnojevic dynasty began to rule the Serbian principality of

Zeta; over subsequent centuries Montenegro was able to maintain its

independence from the Ottoman Empire. From the 16th to 19th

centuries, Montenegro became a theocracy ruled by a series of bishop

princes; in 1852, it was transformed into a secular principality.

After World War I, Montenegro was absorbed by the Kingdom of Serbs,

Croats, and Slovenes, which became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in

1929; at the conclusion of World War II, it became a constituent

republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. When the

latter dissolved in 1992, Montenegro federated with Serbia, first as

the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and, after 2003, in a looser

union of Serbia and Montenegro. In May 2006, Montenegro invoked its

right under the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro to

hold a referendum on independence from the state union. The vote for

severing ties with Serbia exceeded 55% - the threshold set by the EU

- allowing Montenegro to formally declare its independence on 3 June

2006.

Montserrat

English and Irish colonists from St. Kitts first settled

on Montserrat in 1632; the first African slaves arrived three

decades later. The British and French fought for possession of the

island for most of the 18th century, but it finally was confirmed as

a British possession in 1783. The island's sugar plantation economy

was converted to small farm landholdings in the mid 19th century.

Much of this island was devastated and two-thirds of the population

fled abroad because of the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano

that began on 18 July 1995. Montserrat has endured volcanic activity

since, with the last eruption occurring in July 2003.

Morocco

In 788, about a century after the Arab conquest of North

Africa, successive Moorish dynasties began to rule in Morocco. In

the 16th century, the Sa'adi monarchy, particularly under Ahmad

AL-MANSUR (1578-1603), repelled foreign invaders and inaugurated a

golden age. In 1860, Spain occupied northern Morocco and ushered in

a half century of trade rivalry among European powers that saw

Morocco's sovereignty steadily erode; in 1912, the French imposed a

protectorate over the country. A protracted independence struggle

with France ended successfully in 1956. The internationalized city

of Tangier and most Spanish possessions were turned over to the new

country that same year. Morocco virtually annexed Western Sahara

during the late 1970s, but final resolution on the status of the

territory remains unresolved. Gradual political reforms in the 1990s

resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature, which

first met in 1997. Improvements in human rights have occurred and

there is a largely free press. Despite the continuing reforms,

ultimate authority remains in the hands of the monarch.

Mozambique

Almost five centuries as a Portuguese colony came to a

close with independence in 1975. Large-scale emigration by whites,

economic dependence on South Africa, a severe drought, and a

prolonged civil war hindered the country's development until the mid

1990's. The ruling Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO)

party formally abandoned Marxism in 1989, and a new constitution the

following year provided for multiparty elections and a free market

economy. A UN-negotiated peace agreement between FRELIMO and rebel

Mozambique National Resistance (RENAMO) forces ended the fighting in

1992. In December 2004, Mozambique underwent a delicate transition

as Joaquim CHISSANO stepped down after 18 years in office. His

elected successor, Armando Emilio GUEBUZA, promised to continue the

sound economic policies that have encouraged foreign investment.

Mozambique has seen very strong economic growth since the end of the

civil war largely due to post-conflict reconstruction.

Namibia

South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa

during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after

World War II, when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist

South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group

launched a war of independence for the area that was soon named

Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end

its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire

region. Namibia has been governed by SWAPO since the country won

independence in 1990. Hifikepunye POHAMBA was elected president in

November 2004 in a landslide victory replacing Sam NUJOMA who led

the country during its first 14 years of self rule.

Nauru

The exact origins of the Nauruans are unclear, since their

language does not resemble any other in the Pacific. The island was

annexed by Germany in 1888 and its phosphate deposits began to be

mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium.

Nauru was occupied by Australian forces in World War I and

subsequently became a League of Nations mandate. After the Second

World War - and a brutal occupation by Japan - Nauru became a UN

trust territory. It achieved its independence in 1968 and joined the

UN in 1999 as the world's smallest independent republic.

Navassa Island

This uninhabited island was claimed by the US in 1857

for its guano. Mining took place between 1865 and 1898. The

lighthouse, built in 1917, was shut down in 1996 and administration

of Navassa Island transferred from the Coast Guard to the Department

of the Interior. A 1998 scientific expedition to the island

described it as a unique preserve of Caribbean biodiversity; the

following year it became a National Wildlife Refuge and annual

scientific expeditions have continued.

Nepal

In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of

rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of

government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy

within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. An insurgency led

by Maoist extremists broke out in 1996. The ensuing nine-year civil

war between insurgents and government forces witnessed the

dissolution of the cabinet and parliament and assumption of absolute

power by the king. Several weeks of mass protests in April 2006 were

followed by several months of peace negotiations between the Maoists

and government officials, and culminated in a November 2006 peace

accord and the promulgation of an interim constitution. The newly

formed interim parliament declared Nepal a democratic federal

republic at its first meeting in May 2008, the king vacated the

throne in mid-June 2008, and parliament elected the country's first

president the following month.

Netherlands

The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence

from Spain in 1579; during the 17th century, they became a leading

seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around

the world. After a 20-year French occupation, a Kingdom of the

Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a

separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I,

but suffered invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A

modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large

exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member

of NATO and the EEC (now the EU), and participated in the

introduction of the euro in 1999.

Netherlands Antilles

Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade,

the island of Curacao was hard hit by the abolition of slavery in

1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in

the early 20th century with the construction of oil refineries to

service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The island of

Saint Martin is shared with France; its southern portion is named

Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles; its northern

portion, called Saint Martin, is an overseas collectivity of France.

New Caledonia

Settled by both Britain and France during the first

half of the 19th century, the island was made a French possession in

1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864.

Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in

the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will

transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from

France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to

conduct as many as three referenda between 2013 and 2018, to decide

whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and

independence.

New Zealand

The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D.

800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain,

the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen

Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the

British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of

land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native

peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent

dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars.

New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances

lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to

address longstanding Maori grievances.

Nicaragua

The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish

colony from Panama in the early 16th century. Independence from

Spain was declared in 1821 and the country became an independent

republic in 1838. Britain occupied the Caribbean Coast in the first

half of the 19th century, but gradually ceded control of the region

in subsequent decades. Violent opposition to governmental

manipulation and corruption spread to all classes by 1978 and

resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought the Marxist

Sandinista guerrillas to power in 1979. Nicaraguan aid to leftist

rebels in El Salvador caused the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista

contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s. Free elections in 1990,

1996, and 2001, saw the Sandinistas defeated, but voting in 2006

announced the return of former Sandinista President Daniel ORTEGA

Saavedra. Nicaragua's infrastructure and economy - hard hit by the

earlier civil war and by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 - are slowly being

rebuilt.

Niger

Niger became independent from France in 1960 and experienced

single-party and military rule until 1991, when Gen. Ali SAIBOU was

forced by public pressure to allow multiparty elections, which

resulted in a democratic government in 1993. Political infighting

brought the government to a standstill and in 1996 led to a coup by

Col. Ibrahim BARE. In 1999 BARE was killed in a coup by military

officers who promptly restored democratic rule and held elections

that brought Mamadou TANDJA to power in December of that year.

TANDJA was reelected in 2004. Niger is one of the poorest countries

in the world with minimal government services and insufficient funds

to develop its resource base. The largely agrarian and

subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended

droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa. A predominately

Tuareg ethnic group emerged in February 2007, the Nigerien Movement

for Justice (MNJ), and attacked several military targets in Niger's

northern region throughout 2007. Events have since evolved into a

budding insurrection.

Nigeria

British influence and control over what would become Nigeria

grew through the 19th century. A series of constitutions after World

War II granted Nigeria greater autonomy; independence came in 1960.

Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was

adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government

was completed. The government continues to face the daunting task of

reforming a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been

squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and

institutionalizing democracy. In addition, Nigeria continues to

experience longstanding ethnic and religious tensions. Although both

the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections were marred by significant

irregularities and violence, Nigeria is currently experiencing its

longest period of civilian rule since independence. The general

elections of April 2007 marked the first civilian-to-civilian

transfer of power in the country's history.

Niue

Niue's remoteness, as well as cultural and linguistic

differences between its Polynesian inhabitants and those of the rest

of the Cook Islands, have caused it to be separately administered.

The population of the island continues to drop (from a peak of 5,200

in 1966 to an estimated 1,444 in 2008), with substantial emigration

to New Zealand, 2,400 km to the southwest.

Norfolk Island

Two British attempts at establishing the island as a

penal colony (1788-1814 and 1825-55) were ultimately abandoned. In

1856, the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of

the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions.

Northern Mariana Islands

Under US administration as part of the UN

Trust Territory of the Pacific, the people of the Northern Mariana

Islands decided in the 1970s not to seek independence but instead to

forge closer links with the US. Negotiations for territorial status

began in 1972. A covenant to establish a commonwealth in political

union with the US was approved in 1975, and came into force on 24

March 1976. A new government and constitution went into effect in

1978.

Norway

Two centuries of Viking raids into Europe tapered off

following the adoption of Christianity by King Olav TRYGGVASON in

994. Conversion of the Norwegian kingdom occurred over the next

several decades. In 1397, Norway was absorbed into a union with

Denmark that lasted more than four centuries. In 1814, Norwegians

resisted the cession of their country to Sweden and adopted a new

constitution. Sweden then invaded Norway but agreed to let Norway

keep its constitution in return for accepting the union under a

Swedish king. Rising nationalism throughout the 19th century led to

a 1905 referendum granting Norway independence. Although Norway

remained neutral in World War I, it suffered heavy losses to its

shipping. Norway proclaimed its neutrality at the outset of World

War II, but was nonetheless occupied for five years by Nazi Germany

(1940-45). In 1949, neutrality was abandoned and Norway became a

member of NATO. Discovery of oil and gas in adjacent waters in the

late 1960s boosted Norway's economic fortunes. The current focus is

on containing spending on the extensive welfare system and planning

for the time when petroleum reserves are depleted. In referenda held

in 1972 and 1994, Norway rejected joining the EU.

Oman

The inhabitants of the area of Oman have long prospered on

Indian Ocean trade. In the late 18th century, a newly established

sultanate in Muscat signed the first in a series of friendship

treaties with Britain. Over time, Oman's dependence on British

political and military advisors increased, but it never became a

British colony. In 1970, QABOOS bin Said al-Said overthrew the

restrictive rule of his father; he has ruled as sultan ever since.

His extensive modernization program has opened the country to the

outside world while preserving the longstanding close ties with the

UK. Oman's moderate, independent foreign policy has sought to

maintain good relations with all Middle Eastern countries.

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five

oceans (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern

Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). Strategically important access waterways

include the La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and

Torres Straits. The decision by the International Hydrographic

Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the

Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of 60

degrees south.

Pakistan

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the

world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of what

is presently Pakistan. During the second millennium B.C., remnants

of this culture fused with the migrating Indo-Aryan peoples. The

area underwent successive invasions in subsequent centuries from the

Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Arabs (who brought Islam), Afghans, and

Turks. The Mughal Empire flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries;

the British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The

separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of

Pakistan (with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India was

never satisfactorily resolved, and India and Pakistan fought two

wars - in 1947-48 and 1965 - over the disputed Kashmir territory. A

third war between these countries in 1971 - in which India

capitalized on Islamabad's marginalization of Bengalis in Pakistani

politics - resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of

Bangladesh. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan

conducted its own tests in 1998. The dispute over the state of

Kashmir is ongoing, but discussions and confidence-building measures

have led to decreased tensions since 2002. Mounting public

dissatisfaction with President MUSHARRAF, coupled with the

assassination of the prominent and popular political leader, Benazir

BHUTTO, in late 2007, and MUSHARRAF?s resignation in August 2008,

led to the September presidential election of Asif ZARDARI, BHUTTO?s

widower. Pakistani government and military leaders are struggling to

control Islamist militants, many of whom are located in the tribal

areas adjacent to the border with Afghanistan. The Pakistani

government is also faced with a deteriorating economy as foreign

exchange reserves decline, the currency depreciates, and the current

account deficit widens.

Palau

After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the

Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the

Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the

Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with

the US was approved in 1986, but not ratified until 1993. It entered

into force the following year, when the islands gained independence.

Panama

Explored and settled by the Spanish in the 16th century,

Panama broke with Spain in 1821 and joined a union of Colombia,

Ecuador, and Venezuela - named the Republic of Gran Colombia. When

the latter dissolved in 1830, Panama remained part of Colombia. With

US backing, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903 and promptly signed

a treaty with the US allowing for the construction of a canal and US

sovereignty over a strip of land on either side of the structure

(the Panama Canal Zone). The Panama Canal was built by the US Army

Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. In 1977, an agreement was

signed for the complete transfer of the Canal from the US to Panama

by the end of the century. Certain portions of the Zone and

increasing responsibility over the Canal were turned over in the

subsequent decades. With US help, dictator Manuel NORIEGA was

deposed in 1989. The entire Panama Canal, the area supporting the

Canal, and remaining US military bases were transferred to Panama by

the end of 1999. In October 2006, Panamanians approved an ambitious

plan to expand the Canal. The project, which began in 2007 and could

double the Canal's capacity, is expected to be completed in 2014-15.

Papua New Guinea

The eastern half of the island of New Guinea -

second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north)

and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to

Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World

War I and continued to administer the combined areas until

independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island

of Bougainville ended in 1997 after claiming some 20,000 lives.

Paracel Islands

The Paracel Islands are surrounded by productive

fishing grounds and by potential oil and gas reserves. In 1932,

French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on

Pattle Island; maintenance was continued by its successor, Vietnam.

China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops

seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands.

China built a military installation on Mischief Reef in 1999. The

islands are claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.

Paraguay

In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70) -

between Paraguay and Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay - Paraguay lost

two-thirds of all adult males and much of its territory. It

stagnated economically for the next half century. In the Chaco War

of 1932-35, Paraguay won large, economically important areas from

Bolivia. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER

ended in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political

infighting in recent years, Paraguay has held relatively free and

regular presidential elections since then.

Peru

Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean

civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was

captured by the Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peruvian independence

was declared in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces defeated in 1824.

After a dozen years of military rule, Peru returned to democratic

leadership in 1980, but experienced economic problems and the growth

of a violent insurgency. President Alberto FUJIMORI's election in

1990 ushered in a decade that saw a dramatic turnaround in the

economy and significant progress in curtailing guerrilla activity.

Nevertheless, the president's increasing reliance on authoritarian

measures and an economic slump in the late 1990s generated mounting

dissatisfaction with his regime, which led to his ouster in 2000. A

caretaker government oversaw new elections in the spring of 2001,

which ushered in Alejandro TOLEDO as the new head of government -

Peru's first democratically elected president of Native American

ethnicity. The presidential election of 2006 saw the return of Alan

GARCIA who, after a disappointing presidential term from 1985 to

1990, returned to the presidency with promises to improve social

conditions and maintain fiscal responsibility.

Philippines

The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during

the 16th century; they were ceded to the US in 1898 following the

Spanish-American War. In 1935 the Philippines became a

self-governing commonwealth. Manuel QUEZON was elected president and

was tasked with preparing the country for independence after a

10-year transition. In 1942 the islands fell under Japanese

occupation during World War II, and US forces and Filipinos fought

together during 1944-45 to regain control. On 4 July 1946 the

Republic of the Philippines attained its independence. The 20-year

rule of Ferdinand MARCOS ended in 1986, when a "people power"

movement in Manila ("EDSA 1") forced him into exile and installed

Corazon AQUINO as president. Her presidency was hampered by several

coup attempts, which prevented a return to full political stability

and economic development. Fidel RAMOS was elected president in 1992

and his administration was marked by greater stability and progress

on economic reforms. In 1992, the US closed its last military bases

on the islands. Joseph ESTRADA was elected president in 1998, but

was succeeded by his vice-president, Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, in

January 2001 after ESTRADA's stormy impeachment trial on corruption

charges broke down and another "people power" movement ("EDSA 2")

demanded his resignation. MACAPAGAL-ARROYO was elected to a six-year

term as president in May 2004. The Philippine Government faces

threats from three terrorist groups on the US Government's Foreign

Terrorist Organization list, but in 2006 and 2007 scored some major

successes in capturing or killing key wanted terrorists. Decades of

Muslim insurgency in the southern Philippines have led to a peace

accord with one group and an ongoing cease-fire and peace talks with

another.

Pitcairn Islands

Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1767 by the

British and settled in 1790 by the Bounty mutineers and their

Tahitian companions. Pitcairn was the first Pacific island to become

a British colony (in 1838) and today remains the last vestige of

that empire in the South Pacific. Outmigration, primarily to New

Zealand, has thinned the population from a peak of 233 in 1937 to

less than 50 today.

Poland

Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived near the

middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th

century. During the following century, the strengthening of the

gentry and internal disorders weakened the nation. In a series of

agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria

partitioned Poland amongst themselves. Poland regained its

independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet

Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following

the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and

progressive. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the

independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a

political force and by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and

the presidency. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s

enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most

robust in Central Europe, but Poland still faces the lingering

challenges of high unemployment, underdeveloped and dilapidated

infrastructure, and a poor rural underclass. Solidarity suffered a

major defeat in the 2001 parliamentary elections when it failed to

elect a single deputy to the lower house of Parliament, and the new

leaders of the Solidarity Trade Union subsequently pledged to reduce

the Trade Union's political role. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the

European Union in 2004. With its transformation to a democratic,

market-oriented country largely completed, Poland is an increasingly

active member of Euro-Atlantic organizations.

Portugal

Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and

16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the

destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the

Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony.

A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six

decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a

left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The

following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African

colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC

(now the EU) in 1986.

Puerto Rico

Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the

island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following COLUMBUS'

second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial

rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and

African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a

result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US

citizenship in 1917. Popularly-elected governors have served since

1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal

self government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters

chose not to alter the existing political status.

Qatar

Ruled by the Al-Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar

transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for

pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural

gas revenues. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Qatari

economy was crippled by a continuous siphoning off of petroleum

revenues by the Amir, who had ruled the country since 1972. His son,

the current Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al-Thani, overthrew him in a

bloodless coup in 1995. In 2001, Qatar resolved its longstanding

border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. As of 2007, oil

and natural gas revenues had enabled Qatar to attain the highest per

capita income in the world.

Romania

The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries

under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their

autonomy in 1856; they united in 1859 and a few years later adopted

the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its

independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and

acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the

conflict. In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and

participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years

later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The

post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a Communist

"people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The

decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in

1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive

and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and

executed in late 1989. Former Communists dominated the government

until 1996 when they were swept from power. Romania joined NATO in

2004 and the EU in 2007.

Russia

Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy, was

able to emerge from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th

centuries) and to gradually conquer and absorb surrounding

principalities. In the early 17th century, a new Romanov Dynasty

continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific.

Under PETER I (ruled 1682-1725), hegemony was extended to the Baltic

Sea and the country was renamed the Russian Empire. During the 19th

century, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia.

Defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 contributed to the

Revolution of 1905, which resulted in the formation of a parliament

and other reforms. Repeated devastating defeats of the Russian army

in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities of the

Russian Empire and to the overthrow in 1917 of the imperial

household. The Communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon

after and formed the USSR. The brutal rule of Iosif STALIN (1928-53)

strengthened Communist rule and Russian dominance of the Soviet

Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and

society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary

Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and

perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize Communism,

but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December

1991 splintered the USSR into Russia and 14 other independent

republics. Since then, Russia has shifted its post-Soviet democratic

ambitions in favor of a centralized semi-authoritarian state whose

legitimacy is buttressed, in part, by carefully managed national

elections, former President PUTIN's genuine popularity, and the

prudent management of Russia's windfall energy wealth. Russia has

severely disabled a Chechen rebel movement, although violence still

occurs throughout the North Caucasus.

Rwanda

In 1959, three years before independence from Belgium, the

majority ethnic group, the Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi king.

Over the next several years, thousands of Tutsis were killed, and

some 150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The

children of these exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan

Patriotic Front (RPF), and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along

with several political and economic upheavals, exacerbated ethnic

tensions, culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly

800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated the

Hutu regime and ended the killing in July 1994, but approximately 2

million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to

neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire. Since then, most

of the refugees have returned to Rwanda, but several thousand

remained in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC;

the former Zaire) and formed an extremist insurgency bent on

retaking Rwanda, much as the RPF tried in 1990. Despite substantial

international assistance and political reforms - including Rwanda's

first local elections in March 1999 and its first post-genocide

presidential and legislative elections in August and September 2003

- the country continues to struggle to boost investment and

agricultural output, and ethnic reconciliation is complicated by the

real and perceived Tutsi political dominance. Kigali's increasing

centralization and intolerance of dissent, the nagging Hutu

extremist insurgency across the border, and Rwandan involvement in

two wars in recent years in the neighboring DRC continue to hinder

Rwanda's efforts to escape its bloody legacy.

Saint Barthelemy

Discovered in 1493 by Christopher COLUMBUS who

named it for his brother Bartolomeo, St. Barthelemy was first

settled by the French in 1648. In 1784, the French sold the island

to Sweden, who renamed the largest town Gustavia, after the Swedish

King GUSTAV III, and made it a free port; the island prospered as a

trade and supply center during the colonial wars of the 18th

century. France repurchased the island in 1878 and placed it under

the administration of Guadeloupe. St. Barthelemy retained its free

port status along with various Swedish appelations such as Swedish

street and town names, and the three-crown symbol on the coat of

arms. In 2003, the populace of the island voted to secede from

Guadeloupe and in 2007, the island became a French overseas

collectivity.

Saint Helena

Saint Helena is a British Overseas Territory consisting

of Saint Helena and Ascension Islands, and the island group of

Tristan da Cunha.

Saint Helena: Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in

1502, Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th

century. It acquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's

exile, from 1815 until his death in 1821, but its importance as a

port of call declined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.

During the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, several thousand Boer

prisoners were confined on the island between 1900 and 1903.

Ascension Island: This barren and uninhabited island was discovered

and named by the Portuguese in 1503. The British garrisoned the

island in 1815 to prevent a rescue of Napoleon from Saint Helena and

it served as a provisioning station for the Royal Navy's West Africa

Squadron on anti-slavery patrol. The island remained under Admiralty

control until 1922, when it became a dependency of Saint Helena.

During World War II, the UK permitted the US to construct an

airfield on Ascension in support of trans-Atlantic flights to Africa

and anti-submarine operations in the South Atlantic. In the 1960s

the island became an important space tracking station for the US. In

1982, Ascension was an essential staging area for British forces

during the Falklands War, and it remains a critical refueling point

in the air-bridge from the UK to the South Atlantic.

Tristan da Cunha: The island group consists of the islands of

Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Inaccessible, and Gough. Tristan da

Cunha is named after its Portuguese discoverer (1506); it was

garrisoned by the British in 1816 to prevent any attempt to rescue

Napoleon from Saint Helena. Gough and Inaccessible Islands have been

designated World Heritage Sites. South Africa leases a site for a

meteorological station on Gough Island.

Saint Kitts and Nevis

First settled by the British in 1623, the

islands became an associated state with full internal autonomy in

1967. The island of Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in

1971. Saint Kitts and Nevis achieved independence in 1983. In 1998,

a vote in Nevis on a referendum to separate from Saint Kitts fell

short of the two-thirds majority needed. Nevis continues in its

efforts to try and separate from Saint Kitts.

Saint Lucia

The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries,

was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and

early 18th centuries (changing possession 14 times); it was finally

ceded to the UK in 1814. Even after the abolition of slavery on its

plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island,

dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. Self-government was

granted in 1967 and independence in 1979.

Saint Martin

Although sighted by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 and

claimed for Spain, it was the Dutch who occupied the island in 1631

and set about exploiting its salt deposits. The Spanish retook the

island in 1633, but continued to be harassed by the Dutch. The

Spanish finally relinquished St. Martin to the French and Dutch, who

divided it amongst themselves in 1648. The cultivation of sugar cane

introduced slavery to the island in the late 18th century; the

practice was not abolished until 1848. The island became a free port

in 1939; the tourism industry was dramatically expanded during the

1970s and 1980s. In 2003, the populace of St. Martin voted to secede

from Guadeloupe and in 2007, the northern portion of the island

became a French overseas collectivity.

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

First settled by the French in the early

17th century, the islands represent the sole remaining vestige of

France's once vast North American possessions.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Resistance by native Caribs

prevented colonization on St. Vincent until 1719. Disputed between

France and the United Kingdom for most of the 18th century, the

island was ceded to the latter in 1783. Between 1960 and 1962, Saint

Vincent and the Grenadines was a separate administrative unit of the

Federation of the West Indies. Autonomy was granted in 1969 and

independence in 1979.

Samoa

New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa

at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer

the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962,

when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish

independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the "Western"

from its name in 1997.

San Marino

The third smallest state in Europe (after the Holy See

and Monaco), San Marino also claims to be the world's oldest

republic. According to tradition, it was founded by a Christian

stonemason named Marinus in A.D. 301. San Marino's foreign policy is

aligned with that of Italy; social and political trends in the

republic also track closely with those of its larger neighbor.

Sao Tome and Principe

Discovered and claimed by Portugal in the late

15th century, the islands' sugar-based economy gave way to coffee

and cocoa in the 19th century - all grown with plantation slave

labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. While

independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not

instituted until the late 1980s. The country held its first free

elections in 1991, but frequent internal wrangling between the

various political parties precipitated repeated changes in

leadership and two failed coup attempts in 1995 and 2003. The recent

discovery of oil in the Gulf of Guinea promises to attract increased

attention to the small island nation.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home to

Islam's two holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina. The king's official

title is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The modern Saudi

state was founded in 1932 by ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman AL SAUD

(Ibn Saud) after a 30-year campaign to unify most of the Arabian

Peninsula. A male descendent of Ibn Saud, his son ABDALLAH bin Abd

al-Aziz, rules the country today as required by the country's 1992

Basic Law. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia

accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while

allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the

liberation of Kuwait the following year. The continuing presence of

foreign troops on Saudi soil after the liberation of Kuwait became a

source of tension between the royal family and the public until all

operational US troops left the country in 2003. Major terrorist

attacks in May and November 2003 spurred a strong on-going campaign

against domestic terrorism and extremism. King ABDALLAH has

continued the cautious reform program begun when he was crown

prince. To promote increased political participation, the government

held elections nationwide from February through April 2005 for half

the members of 179 municipal councils. In December 2005, King

ABDALLAH completed the process by appointing the remaining members

of the advisory municipal councils. The country remains a leading

producer of oil and natural gas and holds more than 20% of the

world's proven oil reserves. The government continues to pursue

economic reform and diversification, particularly since Saudi

Arabia's accession to the WTO in December 2005, and promotes foreign

investment in the kingdom. A burgeoning population, aquifer

depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and

prices are all ongoing governmental concerns.

Senegal

The French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were

merged in 1959 and granted their independence as the Mali Federation

in 1960. The union broke up after only a few months. Senegal joined

with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in

1982, but the envisaged integration of the two countries was never

carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The Movement of

Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) has led a low-level

separatist insurgency in southern Senegal since the 1980s, and

several peace deals have failed to resolve the conflict.

Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in

Africa. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until

current President Abdoulaye WADE was elected in 2000. He was

reelected in February 2007, but complaints of fraud led opposition

parties to boycott June 2007 legislative polls. Senegal has a long

history of participating in international peacekeeping.

Serbia The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Various paramilitary bands resisted Nazi Germany's occupation and division of Yugoslavia from 1941 to 1945, but fought each other and ethnic opponents as much as the invaders. The military and political movement headed by Josip TITO (Partisans) took full control of Yugoslavia when German and Croatian separatist forces were defeated in 1945. Although Communist, TITO's new government and his successors (he died in 1980) managed to steer their own path between the Warsaw Pact nations and the West for the next four and a half decades. In 1989, Slobodan MILOSEVIC became president of the Serbian Republic and his ultranationalist calls for Serbian domination led to the violent breakup of Yugoslavia along ethnic lines. In 1991, Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia declared independence, followed by Bosnia in 1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in April 1992 and under MILOSEVIC's leadership, Serbia led various military campaigns to unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics into a "Greater Serbia." These actions led to Yugoslavia being ousted from the UN in 1992, but Serbia continued its - ultimately unsuccessful - campaign until signing the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. MILOSEVIC kept tight control over Serbia and eventually became president of the FRY in 1997. In 1998, an ethnic Albanian insurgency in the formerly autonomous Serbian province of Kosovo provoked a Serbian counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive expulsions of ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo. The MILOSEVIC government's rejection of a proposed international settlement led to NATO's bombing of Serbia in the spring of 1999 and to the eventual withdrawal of Serbian military and police forces from Kosovo in June 1999. UNSC Resolution 1244 in June 1999 authorized the stationing of a NATO-led force (KFOR) in Kosovo to provide a safe and secure environment for the region's ethnic communities, created a UN interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to foster self-governing institutions, and reserved the issue of Kosovo's final status for an unspecified date in the future. In 2001, UNMIK promulgated a constitutional framework that allowed Kosovo to establish institutions of self-government and led to Kosovo's first parliamentary election. FRY elections in September 2000 led to the ouster of MILOSEVIC and installed Vojislav KOSTUNICA as president. A broad coalition of democratic reformist parties known as DOS (the Democratic Opposition of Serbia) was subsequently elected to parliament in December 2000 and took control of the government. DOS arrested MILOSEVIC in 2001 and allowed for him to be tried in The Hague for crimes against humanity. (MILOSEVIC died in March 2006 before the completion of his trial.) In 2001, the country's suspension from the UN was lifted. In 2003, the FRY became Serbia and Montenegro, a loose federation of the two republics with a federal level parliament. Widespread violence predominantly targeting ethnic Serbs in Kosovo in March 2004 caused the international community to open negotiations on the future status of Kosovo in January 2006. In May 2006, Montenegro invoked its right to secede from the federation and - following a successful referendum - it declared itself an independent nation on 3 June 2006. Two days later, Serbia declared that it was the successor state to the union of Serbia and Montenegro. A new Serbian constitution was approved in October 2006 and adopted the following month. After 15 months of inconclusive negotiations mediated by the UN and four months of further inconclusive negotiations mediated by the US, EU, and Russia, on 17 February 2008, the UNMIK-administered province of Kosovo declared itself independent of Serbia.

Seychelles

A lengthy struggle between France and Great Britain for

the islands ended in 1814, when they were ceded to the latter.

Independence came in 1976. Socialist rule was brought to a close

with a new constitution and free elections in 1993. President

France-Albert RENE, who had served since 1977, was re-elected in

2001, but stepped down in 2004. Vice President James MICHEL took

over the presidency and in July 2006 was elected to a new five-year

term.

Sierra Leone

Democracy is slowly being reestablished after the civil

war from 1991 to 2002 that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths

and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third

of the population). The military, which took over full

responsibility for security following the departure of UN

peacekeepers at the end of 2005, is increasingly developing as a

guarantor of the country's stability. The armed forces remained on

the sideline during the 2007 presidential election, but still look

to the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) - a civilian

UN mission - to support efforts to consolidate peace. The new

government's priorities include furthering development, creating

jobs, and stamping out endemic corruption.

Singapore

Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819.

It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years

later and became independent. Singapore subsequently became one of

the world's most prosperous countries with strong international

trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of

tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the

leading nations of Western Europe.

Slovakia

The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close

of World War I allowed the Slovaks to join the closely related

Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II,

Czechoslovakia became a Communist nation within Soviet-dominated

Eastern Europe. Soviet influence collapsed in 1989 and

Czechoslovakia once more became free. The Slovaks and the Czechs

agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993. Slovakia joined

both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

Slovenia

The Slovene lands were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire

until the latter's dissolution at the end of World War I. In 1918,

the Slovenes joined the Serbs and Croats in forming a new

multinational state, which was named Yugoslavia in 1929. After World

War II, Slovenia became a republic of the renewed Yugoslavia, which

though Communist, distanced itself from Moscow's rule. Dissatisfied

with the exercise of power by the majority Serbs, the Slovenes

succeeded in establishing their independence in 1991 after a short

10-day war. Historical ties to Western Europe, a strong economy, and

a stable democracy have assisted in Slovenia's transformation to a

modern state. Slovenia acceded to both NATO and the EU in the spring

of 2004.

Solomon Islands

The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon

Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II

occurred on this archipelago. Self-government was achieved in 1976

and independence two years later. Ethnic violence, government

malfeasance, and endemic crime have undermined stability and civil

society. In June 2003, then Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA sought

the assistance of Australia in reestablishing law and order; the

following month, an Australian-led multinational force arrived to

restore peace and disarm ethnic militias. The Regional Assistance

Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has generally been effective

in restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutions.

Somalia

Britain withdrew from British Somaliland in 1960 to allow

its protectorate to join with Italian Somaliland and form the new

nation of Somalia. In 1969, a coup headed by Mohamed SIAD Barre

ushered in an authoritarian socialist rule that managed to impose a

degree of stability in the country for a couple of decades. After

the regime's collapse early in 1991, Somalia descended into turmoil,

factional fighting, and anarchy. In May 1991, northern clans

declared an independent Republic of Somaliland that now includes the

administrative regions of Awdal, Woqooyi Galbeed, Togdheer, Sanaag,

and Sool. Although not recognized by any government, this entity has

maintained a stable existence and continues efforts to establish a

constitutional democracy, including holding municipal,

parliamentary, and presidential elections. The regions of Bari,

Nugaal, and northern Mudug comprise a neighboring self-declared

autonomous state of Puntland, which has been self-governing since

1998 but does not aim at independence; it has also made strides

toward reconstructing a legitimate, representative government but

has suffered some civil strife. Puntland disputes its border with

Somaliland as it also claims portions of eastern Sool and Sanaag.

Beginning in 1993, a two-year UN humanitarian effort (primarily in

the south) was able to alleviate famine conditions, but when the UN

withdrew in 1995, having suffered significant casualties, order

still had not been restored. A two-year peace process, led by the

Government of Kenya under the auspices of the Intergovernmental

Authority on Development (IGAD), concluded in October 2004 with the

election of Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed as President of the Transitional

Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia and the formation of an interim

government, known as the Somalia Transitional Federal Institutions

(TFIs). The Somalia TFIs include a 275-member parliamentary body,

known as the Transitional Federal Assembly (TFA), a transitional

Prime Minister, Nur "Adde" Hassan HUSSEIN, and a 90-member cabinet.

The TFIs are based on the Transitional Federal Charter, which

outlines a five-year mandate leading to the establishment of a new

Somali constitution and a transition to a representative government

following national elections. While its institutions remain weak,

the TFG continues to reach out to Somali stakeholders and work with

international donors to help build the governance capacity of the

TFIs and work towards national elections in 2009. In June 2006, a

loose coalition of clerics, business leaders, and Islamic court

militias known as the Council of Islamic Courts (CIC) defeated

powerful Mogadishu warlords and took control of the capital. The

Courts continued to expand militarily throughout much of southern

Somalia and threatened to overthrow the TFG in Baidoa. Ethiopian and

TFG forces, concerned over links between some CIC factions and the

al-Qaida East Africa network and the al-Qaida operatives responsible

for the bombings of the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998,

intervened in late December 2006, resulting in the collapse of the

CIC as an organization. However, the TFG continues to face violent

resistance from extremist elements, such as the al-Shabaab militia

previously affiliated with the now-defunct CIC.

South Africa

Dutch traders landed at the southern tip of modern day

South Africa in 1652 and established a stopover point on the spice

route between the Netherlands and the East, founding the city of

Cape Town. After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in

1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found

their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold

(1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the

subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British

encroachments but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902);

however, the British and the Afrikaners, as the Boers became known,

ruled together under the Union of South Africa. In 1948, the

National Party was voted into power and instituted a policy of

apartheid - the separate development of the races. The first

multi-racial elections in 1994 brought an end to apartheid and

ushered in black majority rule.

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

The islands, which have

large bird and seal populations, lie approximately 1,000 km east of

the Falkland Islands and have been under British administration

since 1908 - except for a brief period in 1982 when Argentina

occupied them. Grytviken, on South Georgia, was a 19th and early

20th century whaling station. Famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON

stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated attempt to cross

Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months later with a few

companions in a small boat and arranged a successful rescue for the

rest of his crew, stranded off the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in

1922 on a subsequent expedition and is buried in Grytviken. Today,

the station houses scientists from the British Antarctic Survey.

Recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in

adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the exclusive fishing

zone from 12 nm to 200 nm around each island.

Southern Ocean

A large body of recent oceanographic research has

shown that the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), an ocean current

that flows from west to east around Antarctica, plays a crucial role

in global ocean circulation. The region where the cold waters of the

ACC meet and mingle with the warmer waters of the north defines a

distinct border - the Antarctic Convergence - which fluctuates with

the seasons, but which encompasses a discrete body of water and a

unique ecologic region. The Convergence concentrates nutrients,

which promotes marine plant life, and which in turn allows for a

greater abundance of animal life. In the spring of 2000, the

International Hydrographic Organization decided to delimit the

waters within the Convergence as a fifth world ocean - the Southern

Ocean - by combining the southern portions of the Atlantic Ocean,

Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean. The Southern Ocean extends from the

coast of Antarctica north to 60 degrees south latitude, which

coincides with the Antarctic Treaty Limit and which approximates the

extent of the Antarctic Convergence. As such, the Southern Ocean is

now the fourth largest of the world's five oceans (after the Pacific

Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean, but larger than the Arctic

Ocean). It should be noted that inclusion of the Southern Ocean does

not imply recognition of this feature as one of the world's primary

oceans by the US Government.

Spain

Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries

ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent

failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused

the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic

and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II

but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful

transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco

FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the

EU in 1986) have given Spain one of the most dynamic economies in

Europe and made it a global champion of freedom. Continuing

challenges include Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorism,

illegal immigration, and slowing economic growth.

Spratly Islands

The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small

islands or reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and

potentially by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their

entirety by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed

by Malaysia and the Philippines. About 45 islands are occupied by

relatively small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia,

the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a

fishing zone that overlaps a southern reef but has not made any

formal claim.

Sri Lanka

The first Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th

century B.C. probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced

in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization

developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C.

to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In

the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty established a Tamil kingdom

in northern Sri Lanka. The coastal areas of the island were

controlled by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in

the 17th century. The island was ceded to the British in 1796,

became a crown colony in 1802, and was united under British rule by

1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed

to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and

Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. Tens of thousands have

died in the ethnic conflict that continues to fester. After two

decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil

Eelam (LTTE) formalized a cease-fire in February 2002 with Norway

brokering peace negotiations. Violence between the LTTE and

government forces intensified in 2006 and the government regained

control of the Eastern Province in 2007. In January 2008, the

government officially withdrew from the ceasefire, and has begun

engaging the LTTE in the northern portion of the country.

Sudan

Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have

dominated national politics since independence from the UK in 1956.

Sudan was embroiled in two prolonged civil wars during most of the

remainder of the 20th century. These conflicts were rooted in

northern economic, political, and social domination of largely

non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese. The first civil war ended in

1972 but broke out again in 1983. The second war and famine-related

effects resulted in more than four million people displaced and,

according to rebel estimates, more than two million deaths over a

period of two decades. Peace talks gained momentum in 2002-04 with

the signing of several accords. The final North/South Comprehensive

Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in January 2005, granted the southern

rebels autonomy for six years. After which, a referendum for

independence is scheduled to be held. A separate conflict, which

broke out in the western region of Darfur in 2003, has displaced

nearly two million people and caused an estimated 200,000 to 400,000

deaths. The UN took command of the Darfur peacekeeping operation

from the African Union on 31 December 2007. As of early 2008,

peacekeeping troops were struggling to stabilize the situation,

which has become increasingly regional in scope, and has brought

instability to eastern Chad, and Sudanese incursions into the

Central African Republic. Sudan also has faced large refugee

influxes from neighboring countries, primarily Ethiopia and Chad.

Armed conflict, poor transport infrastructure, and lack of

government support have chronically obstructed the provision of

humanitarian assistance to affected populations.

Suriname

First explored by the Spaniards in the 16th century and

then settled by the English in the mid-17th century, Suriname became

a Dutch colony in 1667. With the abolition of slavery in 1863,

workers were brought in from India and Java. Independence from the

Netherlands was granted in 1975. Five years later the civilian

government was replaced by a military regime that soon declared a

socialist republic. It continued to exert control through a

succession of nominally civilian administrations until 1987, when

international pressure finally forced a democratic election. In

1990, the military overthrew the civilian leadership, but a

democratically elected government - a four-party New Front coalition

- returned to power in 1991 and has ruled since; the coalition

expanded to eight parties in 2005.

Svalbard

First discovered by the Norwegians in the 12th century, the

islands served as an international whaling base during the 17th and

18th centuries. Norway's sovereignty was recognized in 1920; five

years later it officially took over the territory.

Swaziland

Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed

by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in

1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured King

MSWATI III, the world's last absolute monarch, to grudgingly allow

political reform and greater democracy, although he has backslid on

these promises in recent years. A constitution came into effect in

2006, but political parties remain banned. The African United

Democratic Party tried unsuccessfully to register as an official

political party in mid 2006. Talks over the constitution broke down

between the government and progressive groups in 2007. Swaziland

recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest

known HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.

Sweden

A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not

participated in any war in almost two centuries. An armed neutrality

was preserved in both World Wars. Sweden's long-successful economic

formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare

elements was challenged in the 1990s by high unemployment and in

2000-02 by the global economic downturn, but fiscal discipline over

the past several years has allowed the country to weather economic

vagaries. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the

introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum.

Switzerland

The Swiss Confederation was founded in 1291 as a

defensive alliance among three cantons. In succeeding years, other

localities joined the original three. The Swiss Confederation

secured its independence from the Holy Roman Empire in 1499. A

constitution of 1848, subsequently modified in 1874, replaced the

confederation with a centralized federal government. Switzerland's

sovereignty and neutrality have long been honored by the major

European powers, and the country was not involved in either of the

two World Wars. The political and economic integration of Europe

over the past half century, as well as Switzerland's role in many UN

and international organizations, has strengthened Switzerland's ties

with its neighbors. However, the country did not officially become a

UN member until 2002. Switzerland remains active in many UN and

international organizations but retains a strong commitment to

neutrality.

Syria

Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War

I, France administered Syria until its independence in 1946. The

country lacked political stability, however, and experienced a

series of military coups during its first decades. Syria united with

Egypt in February 1958 to form the United Arab Republic. In

September 1961, the two entities separated, and the Syrian Arab

Republic was reestablished. In November 1970, Hafiz al-ASAD, a

member of the Socialist Ba'th Party and the minority Alawite sect,

seized power in a bloodless coup and brought political stability to

the country. In the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Syria lost the Golan

Heights to Israel. During the 1990s, Syria and Israel held

occasional peace talks over its return. Following the death of

President al-ASAD, his son, Bashar al-ASAD, was approved as

president by popular referendum in July 2000. Syrian troops -

stationed in Lebanon since 1976 in an ostensible peacekeeping role -

were withdrawn in April 2005. During the July-August 2006 conflict

between Israel and Hizballah, Syria placed its military forces on

alert but did not intervene directly on behalf of its ally Hizballah.

Taiwan

In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to

Japan. Taiwan reverted to Chinese control after World War II.

Following the Communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million

Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established a government using the

1946 constitution drawn up for all of China. Over the next five

decades, the ruling authorities gradually democratized and

incorporated the local population within the governing structure. In

2000, Taiwan underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the

Nationalist to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this

period, the island prospered and became one of East Asia's economic

"Tigers." The dominant political issues continue to be the

relationship between Taiwan and China - specifically the question of

eventual unification - as well as domestic political and economic

reform.

Tajikistan

The Tajik people came under Russian rule in the 1860s and

1870s, but Russia's hold on Central Asia weakened following the

Revolution of 1917. Bolshevik control of the area was fiercely

contested and not fully reestablished until 1925. Much of

present-day Sughd province was transferred from the Uzbekistan SSR

to newly formed Tajikistan SSR in 1929. Ethnic Uzbeks form a

substantial minority in Sughd province. Tajikistan became

independent in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, and

it is now in the process of strengthening its democracy and

transitioning to a free market economy after its 1992-97 civil war.

There have been no major security incidents in recent years,

although the country remains the poorest in the former Soviet

sphere. Attention by the international community in the wake of the

war in Afghanistan has brought increased economic development and

security assistance, which could create jobs and increase stability

in the long term. Tajikistan is in the early stages of seeking World

Trade Organization membership and has joined NATO's Partnership for

Peace.

Tanzania

Shortly after achieving independence from Britain in the

early 1960s, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of

Tanzania in 1964. One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the

first democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s.

Zanzibar's semi-autonomous status and popular opposition have led to

two contentious elections since 1995, which the ruling party won

despite international observers' claims of voting irregularities.

Thailand

A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th

century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast

Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A

bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In

alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US ally

following the conflict. Thailand is currently facing separatist

violence in its southern ethnic Malay-Muslim provinces.

Timor-Leste

The Portuguese began to trade with the island of Timor

in the early 16th century and colonized it in mid-century.

Skirmishing with the Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an

1859 treaty in which Portugal ceded the western portion of the

island. Imperial Japan occupied Portuguese Timor from 1942 to 1945,

but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in

World War II. East Timor declared itself independent from Portugal

on 28 November 1975 and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian

forces nine days later. It was incorporated into Indonesia in July

1976 as the province of Timor Timur (East Timor). An unsuccessful

campaign of pacification followed over the next two decades, during

which an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 individuals lost their lives.

On 30 August 1999, in a UN-supervised popular referendum, an

overwhelming majority of the people of Timor-Leste voted for

independence from Indonesia. Between the referendum and the arrival

of a multinational peacekeeping force in late September 1999,

anti-independence Timorese militias - organized and supported by the

Indonesian military - commenced a large-scale, scorched-earth

campaign of retribution. The militias killed approximately 1,400

Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into western Timor as

refugees. The majority of the country's infrastructure, including

homes, irrigation systems, water supply systems, and schools, and

nearly 100% of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. On 20

September 1999 the Australian-led peacekeeping troops of the

International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) deployed to the

country and brought the violence to an end. On 20 May 2002,

Timor-Leste was internationally recognized as an independent state.

In late April 2006, internal tensions threatened the new nation's

security when a military strike led to violence and a near breakdown

of law and order in Dili. At the request of the Government of

Timor-Leste, an Australian-led International Stabilization Force

(ISF) deployed to Timor-Leste in late May. In August, the UN

Security Council established the UN Integrated Mission in

Timor-Leste (UNMIT), which included an authorized police presence of

over 1,600 personnel. In subsequent months, many of the ISF soldiers

were replaced by UN police officers; approximately 80 ISF officers

remained as of January 2008. From April to June 2007, the Government

of Timor-Leste held presidential and parliamentary elections in a

largely peaceful atmosphere with the support and assistance of UNMIT

and international donors.

Togo

French Togoland became Togo in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA,

installed as military ruler in 1967, ruled Togo with a heavy hand

for almost four decades. Despite the facade of multiparty elections

instituted in the early 1990s, the government was largely dominated

by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party

has maintained power almost continually since 1967 and maintains a

majority of seats in today's legislature. Upon EYADEMA's death in

February 2005, the military installed the president's son, Faure

GNASSINGBE, and then engineered his formal election two months

later. Democratic gains since then allowed Togo to hold its first

relatively free and fair legislative elections in October 2007.

After years of political unrest and fire from international

organizations for human rights abuses, Togo is finally being

re-welcomed into the international community.

Tokelau

Originally settled by Polynesian emigrants from surrounding

island groups, the Tokelau Islands were made a British protectorate

in 1889. They were transferred to New Zealand administration in

1925. Referenda held in 2006 and 2007 to change the status of the

islands from that of a New Zealand territory to one of free

association with New Zealand did not meet the needed threshold for

approval.

Tonga

Tonga - unique among Pacific nations - never completely lost

its indigenous governance. The archipelagos of "The Friendly

Islands" were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. Tonga became

a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in

1900; it withdrew from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth

of Nations in 1970. Tonga remains the only monarchy in the Pacific.

Trinidad and Tobago

First colonized by the Spanish, the islands came

under British control in the early 19th century. The islands' sugar

industry was hurt by the emancipation of the slaves in 1834.

Manpower was replaced with the importation of contract laborers from

India between 1845 and 1917, which boosted sugar production as well

as the cocoa industry. The discovery of oil on Trinidad in 1910

added another important export. Independence was attained in 1962.

The country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean thanks

largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing.

Tourism, mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is growing.

The government is coping with a rise in violent crime.

Tunisia

Rivalry between French and Italian interests in Tunisia

culminated in a French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a

protectorate. Agitation for independence in the decades following

World War I was finally successful in getting the French to

recognize Tunisia as an independent state in 1956. The country's

first president, Habib BOURGUIBA, established a strict one-party

state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic

fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any

other Arab nation. In November 1987, BOURGUIBA was removed from

office and replaced by Zine el Abidine BEN ALI in a bloodless coup.

BEN ALI is currently serving his fourth consecutive five-year term

as president; the next elections are scheduled for October 2009.

Tunisia has long taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign

relations. Domestically, it has sought to defuse rising pressure for

a more open political society.

Turkey

Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants

of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who

was later honored with the title Ataturk or "Father of the Turks."

Under his authoritarian leadership, the country adopted wide-ranging

social, legal, and political reforms. After a period of one-party

rule, an experiment with multi-party politics led to the 1950

election victory of the opposition Democratic Party and the peaceful

transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political parties have

multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of

instability and intermittent military coups (1960, 1971, 1980),

which in each case eventually resulted in a return of political

power to civilians. In 1997, the military again helped engineer the

ouster - popularly dubbed a "post-modern coup" - of the then

Islamic-oriented government. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus

in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since

acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,"

which only Turkey recognizes. A separatist insurgency begun in 1984

by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - now known as the People's

Congress of Kurdistan or Kongra-Gel (KGK) - has dominated the

Turkish military's attention and claimed more than 30,000 lives.

After the capture of the group's leader in 1999, the insurgents

largely withdrew from Turkey mainly to northern Iraq. In 2004, KGK

announced an end to its ceasefire and attacks attributed to the KGK

increased. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and in 1952 it became a

member of NATO. In 1964, Turkey became an associate member of the

European Community; over the past decade, it has undertaken many

reforms to strengthen its democracy and economy enabling it to begin

accession membership talks with the European Union.

Turkmenistan

Eastern Turkmenistan for centuries formed part of the

Persian province of Khurasan; in medieval times Merv (today known as

Mary) was one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an

important stop on the Silk Road. Annexed by Russia between 1865 and

1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1924. It achieved

independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. Extensive

hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a boon to this

underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery projects were to

be expanded. The Turkmenistan Government is actively seeking to

develop alternative petroleum transportation routes to break

Russia's pipeline monopoly. President for Life Saparmurat NYYAZOW

died in December 2006, and Turkmenistan held its first

multi-candidate presidential electoral process in February 2007.

Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW, a vice premier under NYYAZOW, emerged as

the country's new president.

Turks and Caicos Islands

The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican

colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate crown

colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas

oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the

islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence

was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands

remain a British overseas territory.

Tuvalu

In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the

Gilbert and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice

Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert

Islands. The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate

British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000,

Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv"

for $50 million in royalties over a 12-year period.

Uganda

The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda

grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different

political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the

establishment of a working political community after independence

was achieved in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79)

was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla

war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at

least another 100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986

has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. During

the 1990s, the government promulgated non-party presidential and

legislative elections.

Ukraine

Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state,

Kyivan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest

and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels

and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand

Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian

Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid

the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent

centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was

established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against

the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate

managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the

latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic

territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse

of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine was able to bring about a

short-lived period of independence (1917-20), but was reconquered

and forced to endure a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two

artificial famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million

died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for

some 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although final independence for

Ukraine was achieved in 1991 with the dissolution of the USSR,

democracy remained elusive as the legacy of state control and

endemic corruption stalled efforts at economic reform,

privatization, and civil liberties. A peaceful mass protest "Orange

Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the authorities to

overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new

internationally monitored vote that swept into power a reformist

slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. Subsequent internal squabbles in the

YUSHCHENKO camp allowed his rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH to stage a

comeback in parliamentary elections and become prime minister in

August of 2006. An early legislative election, brought on by a

political crisis in the spring of 2007, saw Yuliya TYMOSHENKO, as

head of an "Orange" coalition, installed as a new prime minister in

December 2007.

United Arab Emirates

The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast

granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th

century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Zaby, 'Ajman,

Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to

form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by

Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of

leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and

its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a

vital role in the affairs of the region.

United Kingdom

As the dominant industrial and maritime power of the

19th century, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland played

a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in

advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire

stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of

the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two

World Wars and the Irish republic withdraw from the union. The

second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK

rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As

one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding

member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global

approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of

its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it

chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union for the time

being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK.

The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the

Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter

was suspended until May 2007 due to wrangling over the peace process.

United States

Britain's American colonies broke with the mother

country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United

States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the

19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13

as the nation expanded across the North American continent and

acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic

experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65), in

which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy

of 11 southern slave states, and the Great Depression of the 1930s,

an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force

lost its jobs. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the

end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most

powerful nation state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low

unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges All of the following US Pacific island territories except Midway Atoll constitute the Pacific Remote Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex and as such are managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior. Midway Atoll NWR has been included in a Refuge Complex with the Hawaiian Islands NWR and also designated as part of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. These remote refuges are the most widespread collection of marine- and terrestrial-life protected areas on the planet under a single country's jurisdiction. They sustain many endemic species including corals, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, seabirds, water birds, land birds, insects, and vegetation not found elsewhere. Baker Island: The US took possession of the island in 1857, and its guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization began on this island but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. The island was established as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1974. Howland Island: Discovered by the US early in the 19th century, the uninhabited atoll was officially claimed by the US in 1857. Both US and British companies mined for guano deposits until about 1890. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization began on this island, similar to the effort on nearby Baker Island, but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. The famed American aviatrix Amelia EARHART disappeared while seeking out Howland Island as a refueling stop during her 1937 round-the-world flight; Earhart Light, a day beacon near the middle of the west coast, was named in her memory. The island was established as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1974. Jarvis Island: First discovered by the British in 1821, the uninhabited island was annexed by the US in 1858, but abandoned in 1879 after tons of guano had been removed. The UK annexed the island in 1889, but never carried out plans for further exploitation. The US occupied and reclaimed the island in 1935 until it was abandoned in 1942 during World War II. The island was established as a National Wildlife Refuge in 1974. Johnston Atoll: Both the US and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed Johnston Atoll in 1858, but it was the US that mined the guano deposits until the late 1880s. Johnston and Sand Islands were designated wildlife refuges in 1926. The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934, and subsequently the US Air Force assumed control in 1948. The site was used for high-altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, and until late in 2000 the atoll was maintained as a storage and disposal site for chemical weapons. Munitions destruction, cleanup, and closure of the facility was completed by May 2005. The Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Air Force are currently discussing future management options; in the interim, Johnston Atoll and the three-mile Naval Defensive Sea around it remain under the jurisdiction and administrative control of the US Air Force. Kingman Reef: The US annexed the reef in 1922. Its sheltered lagoon served as a way station for flying boats on Hawaii-to-American Samoa flights during the late 1930s. There are no terrestrial plants on the reef, which is frequently awash, but it does support abundant and diverse marine fauna and flora. In 2001, the waters surrounding the reef out to 12 nm were designated a US National Wildlife Refuge. Midway Islands: The US took formal possession of the islands in 1867. The laying of the trans-Pacific cable, which passed through the islands, brought the first residents in 1903. Between 1935 and 1947, Midway was used as a refueling stop for trans-Pacific flights. The US naval victory over a Japanese fleet off Midway in 1942 was one of the turning points of World War II. The islands continued to serve as a naval station until closed in 1993. Today the islands are a National Wildlife Refuge and are the site of the world's largest Laysan albatross colony. Palmyra Atoll: The Kingdom of Hawaii claimed the atoll in 1862, and the US included it among the Hawaiian Islands when it annexed the archipelago in 1898. The Hawaii Statehood Act of 1959 did not include Palmyra Atoll, which is now partly privately owned by the Nature Conservancy with the rest owned by the Federal government and managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. These organizations are managing the atoll as a wildlife refuge. The lagoons and surrounding waters within the 12 nm US territorial seas were transferred to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and designated as a National Wildlife Refuge in January 2001.

Uruguay

Montevideo, founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military

stronghold, soon took advantage of its natural harbor to become an

important commercial center. Claimed by Argentina but annexed by

Brazil in 1821, Uruguay declared its independence four years later

and secured its freedom in 1828 after a three-year struggle. The

administrations of President Jose BATLLE in the early 20th century

established widespread political, social, and economic reforms that

established a statist tradition. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla

movement named the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led

Uruguay's president to cede control of the government to the

military in 1973. By yearend, the rebels had been crushed, but the

military continued to expand its hold over the government. Civilian

rule was not restored until 1985. In 2004, the left-of-center Frente

Amplio Coalition won national elections that effectively ended 170

years of political control previously held by the Colorado and

Blanco parties. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among

the freest on the continent.

Uzbekistan

Russia conquered Uzbekistan in the late 19th century.

Stiff resistance to the Red Army after World War I was eventually

suppressed and a socialist republic set up in 1924. During the

Soviet era, intensive production of "white gold" (cotton) and grain

led to overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies,

which have left the land poisoned and the Aral Sea and certain

rivers half dry. Independent since 1991, the country seeks to

gradually lessen its dependence on agriculture while developing its

mineral and petroleum reserves. Current concerns include terrorism

by Islamic militants, economic stagnation, and the curtailment of

human rights and democratization.

Vanuatu

Multiple waves of colonizers, each speaking a distinct

language, migrated to the New Hebrides in the millennia preceding

European exploration in the 18th century. This settlement pattern

accounts for the complex linguistic diversity found on the

archipelago to this day. The British and French, who settled the New

Hebrides in the 19th century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French

Condominium, which administered the islands until independence in

1980, when the new name of Vanuatu was adopted.

Venezuela

Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the

collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and New

Granada, which became Colombia). For most of the first half of the

20th century, Venezuela was ruled by generally benevolent military

strongmen, who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social

reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since

1959. Hugo CHAVEZ, president since 1999, seeks to implement his

"21st Century Socialism," which purports to alleviate social ills

while at the same time attacking globalization and undermining

regional stability. Current concerns include: a weakening of

democratic institutions, political polarization, a politicized

military, drug-related violence along the Colombian border,

increasing internal drug consumption, overdependence on the

petroleum industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible

mining operations that are endangering the rain forest and

indigenous peoples.

Vietnam

The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was

completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887.

Vietnam declared independence after World War II, but France

continued to rule until its 1954 defeat by Communist forces under Ho

Chi MINH. Under the Geneva Accords of 1954, Vietnam was divided into

the Communist North and anti-Communist South. US economic and

military aid to South Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt

to bolster the government, but US armed forces were withdrawn

following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North

Vietnamese forces overran the South reuniting the country under

Communist rule. Despite the return of peace, for over a decade the

country experienced little economic growth because of conservative

leadership policies. However, since the enactment of Vietnam's "doi

moi" (renovation) policy in 1986, Vietnamese authorities have

committed to increased economic liberalization and enacted

structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce

more competitive, export-driven industries. The country continues to

experience protests from various groups - such as the Protestant

Montagnard ethnic minority population of the Central Highlands and

the Hoa Hao Buddhists in southern Vietnam over religious

persecution. Montagnard grievances also include the loss of land to

Vietnamese settlers.

Virgin Islands During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848.

Wake Island

The US annexed Wake Island in 1899 for a cable station.

An important air and naval base was constructed in 1940-41. In

December 1941, the island was captured by the Japanese and held

until the end of World War II. In subsequent years, Wake was

developed as a stopover and refueling site for military and

commercial aircraft transiting the Pacific. Since 1974, the island's

airstrip has been used by the US military, as well as for emergency

landings. All operations on the island were suspended and all

personnel evacuated in August 2006 with the approach of super

typhoon IOKE (category 5), which struck the island with sustained

winds of 250 kph and a 6 m storm surge inflicting major damage. A US

Air Force assessment and repair team returned to the island in

September and restored limited function to the airfield and

facilities. The future status of activities on the island will be

determined upon completion of the survey and assessment.

Wallis and Futuna

The Futuna island group was discovered by the

Dutch in 1616 and Wallis by the British in 1767, but it was the

French who declared a protectorate over the islands in 1842. In

1959, the inhabitants of the islands voted to become a French

overseas territory.

West Bank

The September 1993 Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on

Interim Self-Government Arrangements provided for a transitional

period of Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Under a series of agreements signed between May 1994 and September

1999, Israel transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA) security

and civilian responsibility for Palestinian-populated areas of the

West Bank and Gaza. Negotiations to determine the permanent status

of the West Bank and Gaza stalled following the outbreak of an

intifada in September 2000, as Israeli forces reoccupied most

Palestinian-controlled areas. In April 2003, the Quartet (US, EU,

UN, and Russia) presented a roadmap to a final settlement of the

conflict by 2005 based on reciprocal steps by the two parties

leading to two states, Israel and a democratic Palestine. The

proposed date for a permanent status agreement was postponed

indefinitely due to violence and accusations that both sides had not

followed through on their commitments. Following Palestinian leader

Yasir ARAFAT's death in late 2004, Mahmud ABBAS was elected PA

president in January 2005. A month later, Israel and the PA agreed

to the Sharm el-Sheikh Commitments in an effort to move the peace

process forward. In September 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew all

its settlers and soldiers and dismantled its military facilities in

the Gaza Strip and withdrew settlers and redeployed soldiers from

four small northern West Bank settlements. Nonetheless, Israel

controls maritime, airspace, and most access to the Gaza Strip. A

November 2005 PA-Israeli agreement authorized the reopening of the

Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt under joint

PA and Egyptian control. In January 2006, the Islamic Resistance

Movement, HAMAS, won control of the Palestinian Legislative Council

(PLC). The international community refused to accept the HAMAS-led

government because it did not recognize Israel, would not renounce

violence, and refused to honor previous peace agreements between

Israel and the PA. HAMAS took control of the PA government in March

2006, but President ABBAS had little success negotiating with HAMAS

to present a political platform acceptable to the international

community so as to lift economic sanctions on Palestinians. The PLC

was unable to convene throughout most of 2006 as a result of

Israel's detention of many HAMAS PLC members and Israeli-imposed

travel restrictions on other PLC members. Violent clashes took place

between Fatah and HAMAS supporters in the Gaza Strip in 2006 and

early 2007, resulting in numerous Palestinian deaths and injuries.

ABBAS and HAMAS Political Bureau Chief MISHAL in February 2007

signed the Mecca Agreement in Saudi Arabia that resulted in the

formation of a Palestinian National Unity Government (NUG) headed by

HAMAS member Ismail HANIYA. However, fighting continued in the Gaza

Strip, and in June, HAMAS militants succeeded in a violent takeover

of all military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip.

ABBAS dismissed the NUG and through a series of presidential decrees

formed a PA government in the West Bank led by independent Salam

FAYYAD. HAMAS rejected the NUG's dismissal and has called for

resuming talks with Fatah, but ABBAS has ruled out negotiations

until HAMAS agrees to a return of PA control over the Gaza Strip and

recognizes the FAYYAD-led government. FAYYAD and his PA government

initiated a series of security and economic reforms to improve

conditions in the West Bank. ABBAS participated in talks with

Israel's Prime Minister OLMERT and secured the release of some

Palestinian prisoners and previously withheld customs revenue.

During a November 2007 international meeting in Annapolis Maryland,

ABBAS and OLMERT agreed to resume peace negotiations with the goal

of reaching a final peace settlement by the end of 2008.

Western Sahara

Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of

Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of

the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A

guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's

sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized

referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April

2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the

UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario

also presented a plan to the UN in 2007. Since June 2007,

representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario

Front have met four times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara.

World

Globally, the 20th century was marked by: (a) two devastating

world wars; (b) the Great Depression of the 1930s; (c) the end of

vast colonial empires; (d) rapid advances in science and technology,

from the first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (US) to

the landing on the moon; (e) the Cold War between the Western

alliance and the Warsaw Pact nations; (f) a sharp rise in living

standards in North America, Europe, and Japan; (g) increased

concerns about the environment, including loss of forests, shortages

of energy and water, the decline in biological diversity, and air

pollution; (h) the onset of the AIDS epidemic; and (i) the ultimate

emergence of the US as the only world superpower. The planet's

population continues to explode: from 1 billion in 1820, to 2

billion in 1930, 3 billion in 1960, 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in

1988, and 6 billion in 2000. For the 21st century, the continued

exponential growth in science and technology raises both hopes

(e.g., advances in medicine) and fears (e.g., development of even

more lethal weapons of war).

Yemen

North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918.

The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern

port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became

South Yemen. Three years later, the southern government adopted a

Marxist orientation. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of

Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of

hostility between the states. The two countries were formally

unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist

movement in 1994 was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and

Yemen agreed to a delimitation of their border.

Zambia

The territory of Northern Rhodesia was administered by the

[British] South Africa Company from 1891 until it was taken over by

the UK in 1923. During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining

spurred development and immigration. The name was changed to Zambia

upon independence in 1964. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper

prices and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991

brought an end to one-party rule, but the subsequent vote in 1996

saw blatant harassment of opposition parties. The election in 2001

was marked by administrative problems with three parties filing a

legal petition challenging the election of ruling party candidate

Levy MWANAWASA. The new president launched an anticorruption

investigation in 2002 to probe high-level corruption during the

previous administration. In 2006-07, this task force successfully

prosecuted four cases, including a landmark civil case in the UK in

which former President CHILUBA and numerous others were found liable

for USD 41 million. MWANAWASA was reelected in 2006 in an election

that was deemed free and fair.

Zimbabwe

The UK annexed Southern Rhodesia from the [British] South

Africa Company in 1923. A 1961 constitution was formulated that

favored whites in power. In 1965 the government unilaterally

declared its independence, but the UK did not recognize the act and

demanded more complete voting rights for the black African majority

in the country (then called Rhodesia). UN sanctions and a guerrilla

uprising finally led to free elections in 1979 and independence (as

Zimbabwe) in 1980. Robert MUGABE, the nation's first prime minister,

has been the country's only ruler (as president since 1987) and has

dominated the country's political system since independence. His

chaotic land redistribution campaign, which began in 2000, caused an

exodus of white farmers, crippled the economy, and ushered in

widespread shortages of basic commodities. Ignoring international

condemnation, MUGABE rigged the 2002 presidential election to ensure

his reelection. The ruling ZANU-PF party used fraud and intimidation

to win a two-thirds majority in the March 2005 parliamentary

election, allowing it to amend the constitution at will and recreate

the Senate, which had been abolished in the late 1980s. In April

2005, Harare embarked on Operation Restore Order, ostensibly an

urban rationalization program, which resulted in the destruction of

the homes or businesses of 700,000 mostly poor supporters of the

opposition. President MUGABE in June 2007 instituted price controls

on all basic commodities causing panic buying and leaving store

shelves empty for months. General elections held in March 2008

contained irregularities but still amounted to a censure of the

ZANU-PF-led government with significant gains in opposition seats in

parliament. MDC opposition leader Morgan TSVANGIRAI won the

presidential polls, and may have won an out right majority, but

official results posted by the Zimbabwe Electoral Committee did not

reflect this. In the lead up to a run-off election in late June

2008, considerable violence enacted against opposition party members

led to the withdrawal of TSVANGIRAI from the ballot. Extensive

evidence of vote tampering and ballot-box stuffing resulted in

international condemnation of the process, and calls for the

creation of a power-sharing government have been ignored.

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

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@2030 Airports - with paved runways

Afghanistan total: 12 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Albania total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)

Algeria

total: 52

over 3,047 m: 10

2,438 to 3,047 m: 27

1,524 to 2,437 m: 10

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

American Samoa total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Angola

total: 31

over 3,047 m: 5

2,438 to 3,047 m: 8

1,524 to 2,437 m: 12

914 to 1,523 m: 5

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Anguilla total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Antigua and Barbuda total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Argentina total: 154 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 26 1,524 to 2,437 m: 65 914 to 1,523 m: 50 under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Armenia

total: 10

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Aruba total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Australia

total: 317

over 3,047 m: 11

2,438 to 3,047 m: 12

1,524 to 2,437 m: 138

914 to 1,523 m: 143

under 914 m: 13 (2007)

Austria

total: 25

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 5

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 15 (2007)

Azerbaijan

total: 27

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 6

1,524 to 2,437 m: 13

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Bahamas, The total: 24 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2007)

Bahrain total: 3 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Bangladesh total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Barbados total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Belarus

total: 36

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 22

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 7 (2007)

Belgium

total: 27

over 3,047 m: 6

2,438 to 3,047 m: 7

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Belize

total: 4

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Benin

total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Bermuda

total: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Bhutan

total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Bolivia

total: 16

over 3,047 m: 4

2,438 to 3,047 m: 4

1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

total: 8

2,438 to 3,047 m: 4

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Botswana

total: 11

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 7

914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Brazil

total: 718

over 3,047 m: 7

2,438 to 3,047 m: 25

1,524 to 2,437 m: 167

914 to 1,523 m: 467

under 914 m: 52 (2007)

British Indian Ocean Territory total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

British Virgin Islands total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Brunei total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Bulgaria

total: 131

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 18

1,524 to 2,437 m: 15

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 95 (2007)

Burkina Faso

total: 2

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Burma

total: 25

over 3,047 m: 8

2,438 to 3,047 m: 10

1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Burundi total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Cambodia total: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Cameroon

total: 11

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 4

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Canada

total: 509

over 3,047 m: 18

2,438 to 3,047 m: 16

1,524 to 2,437 m: 149

914 to 1,523 m: 248

under 914 m: 78 (2007)

Cape Verde total: 8 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Cayman Islands total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)

Central African Republic total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)

Chad

total: 7

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 3

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Chile

total: 79

over 3,047 m: 5

2,438 to 3,047 m: 8

1,524 to 2,437 m: 22

914 to 1,523 m: 25

under 914 m: 19 (2007)

China

total: 403

over 3,047 m: 58

2,438 to 3,047 m: 128

1,524 to 2,437 m: 130

914 to 1,523 m: 20

under 914 m: 67 (2007)

Christmas Island

total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Colombia

total: 103

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 8

1,524 to 2,437 m: 39

914 to 1,523 m: 42

under 914 m: 12 (2007)

Comoros total: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the total: 26 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Congo, Republic of the total: 5 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)

Cook Islands total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)

Costa Rica total: 36 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 21 under 914 m: 11 (2007)

Cote d'Ivoire total: 7 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2007)

Croatia

total: 23

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 6

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Cuba

total: 70

over 3,047 m: 7

2,438 to 3,047 m: 9

1,524 to 2,437 m: 18

914 to 1,523 m: 5

under 914 m: 31 (2007)

Cyprus

total: 13

2,438 to 3,047 m: 7

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Czech Republic

total: 45

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 10

1,524 to 2,437 m: 13

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 18 (2007)

Denmark

total: 28

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 7

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 12

under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Djibouti total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Dominica total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Dominican Republic

total: 15

over 3,047 m: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 4

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Ecuador

total: 104

over 3,047 m: 4

2,438 to 3,047 m: 3

1,524 to 2,437 m: 17

914 to 1,523 m: 26

under 914 m: 54 (2007)

Egypt

total: 72

over 3,047 m: 15

2,438 to 3,047 m: 36

1,524 to 2,437 m: 16

under 914 m: 5 (2007)

El Salvador total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Equatorial Guinea total: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Eritrea total: 4 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2007)

Estonia

total: 12

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 7

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)

Ethiopia

total: 15

over 3,047 m: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 5

1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

European Union

total: 1,991

over 3,047m: 110

2,438 to 3,047m: 347

1,524 to 2,437m: 545

914 to 1,523m: 420

under 914m: 569 (2007)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

total: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Faroe Islands

total: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Fiji

total: 3

over 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Finland

total: 76

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 27

1,524 to 2,437 m: 10

914 to 1,523 m: 22

under 914 m: 15 (2007)

France

total: 292

over 3,047 m: 14

2,438 to 3,047 m: 27

1,524 to 2,437 m: 97

914 to 1,523 m: 80

under 914 m: 74 (2007)

French Polynesia

total: 37

over 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

914 to 1,523 m: 27

under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Gabon

total: 10

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 7

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Gambia, The

total: 1

over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Gaza Strip

total: 1

over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Georgia

total: 19

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 7

1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Germany

total: 331

over 3,047 m: 14

2,438 to 3,047 m: 52

1,524 to 2,437 m: 58

914 to 1,523 m: 72

under 914 m: 135 (2007)

Ghana

total: 7

over 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Gibraltar

total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Greece

total: 66

over 3,047 m: 5

2,438 to 3,047 m: 15

1,524 to 2,437 m: 20

914 to 1,523 m: 17

under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Greenland total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Grenada

total: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Guam

total: 4

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Guatemala total: 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Guernsey total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Guinea

total: 5

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 (2007)

Guinea-Bissau

total: 3

over 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Guyana

total: 9

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

under 914 m: 6 (2007)

Haiti

total: 4

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)

Honduras total: 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Hong Kong total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Hungary

total: 20

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 8

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Iceland total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

India

total: 250

over 3,047 m: 18

2,438 to 3,047 m: 52

1,524 to 2,437 m: 75

914 to 1,523 m: 84

under 914 m: 21 (2007)

Indonesia

total: 158

over 3,047 m: 4

2,438 to 3,047 m: 15

1,524 to 2,437 m: 51

914 to 1,523 m: 49

under 914 m: 39 (2007)

Iran

total: 129

over 3,047 m: 40

2,438 to 3,047 m: 28

1,524 to 2,437 m: 24

914 to 1,523 m: 32

under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Iraq

total: 76

over 3,047 m: 19

2,438 to 3,047 m: 37

1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

914 to 1,523 m: 6

under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Ireland

total: 15

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Isle of Man

total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Israel

total: 30

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 5

1,524 to 2,437 m: 7

914 to 1,523 m: 10

under 914 m: 6 (2007)

Italy

total: 101

over 3,047 m: 7

2,438 to 3,047 m: 32

1,524 to 2,437 m: 15

914 to 1,523 m: 34

under 914 m: 13 (2007)

Jamaica

total: 11

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Japan

total: 145

over 3,047 m: 7

2,438 to 3,047 m: 41

1,524 to 2,437 m: 40

914 to 1,523 m: 28

under 914 m: 29 (2007)

Jersey

total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Jordan

total: 15

over 3,047 m: 7

2,438 to 3,047 m: 6

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Kazakhstan

total: 65

over 3,047 m: 9

2,438 to 3,047 m: 27

1,524 to 2,437 m: 17

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 8 (2007)

Kenya

total: 15

over 3,047 m: 4

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 5

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Kiribati total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2007)

Korea, North

total: 36

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 22

1,524 to 2,437 m: 8

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Korea, South

total: 68

over 3,047 m: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 21

1,524 to 2,437 m: 14

914 to 1,523 m: 11

under 914 m: 19 (2007)

Kosovo

total: 6

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

under 914 m: 4 (2008)

Kuwait

total: 4

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Kyrgyzstan total: 18 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Laos

total: 9

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)

Latvia

total: 21

2,438 to 3,047 m: 7

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Lebanon

total: 5

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Lesotho total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Liberia total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Libya

total: 60

over 3,047 m: 23

2,438 to 3,047 m: 6

1,524 to 2,437 m: 23

914 to 1,523 m: 6

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Lithuania

total: 30

over 3,047 m: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 7

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 17 (2007)

Luxembourg

total: 1

over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Macau

total: 1

over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Macedonia total: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 under 914 m: 8 (2007)

Madagascar total: 27 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Malawi

total: 6

over 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2007)

Malaysia

total: 36

over 3,047 m: 5

2,438 to 3,047 m: 9

1,524 to 2,437 m: 8

914 to 1,523 m: 8

under 914 m: 6 (2007)

Maldives total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Mali

total: 8

2,438 to 3,047 m: 4

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2007)

Malta total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Marshall Islands

total: 4

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Mauritania

total: 8

2,438 to 3,047 m: 3

1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (2007)

Mauritius

total: 2

over 3,047 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Mayotte

total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Mexico

total: 231

over 3,047 m: 12

2,438 to 3,047 m: 29

1,524 to 2,437 m: 84

914 to 1,523 m: 77

under 914 m: 29 (2007)

Micronesia, Federated States of

total: 6

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Moldova

total: 6

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Mongolia total: 13 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)

Montenegro total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Montserrat total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Morocco

total: 27

over 3,047 m: 11

2,438 to 3,047 m: 6

1,524 to 2,437 m: 7

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Mozambique

total: 22

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 3

1,524 to 2,437 m: 10

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Namibia

total: 21

over 3,047 m: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 13

914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)

Nauru

total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Nepal

total: 10

over 3,047 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 8

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Netherlands

total: 20

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 9

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Netherlands Antilles

total: 5

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

New Caledonia total: 12 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

New Zealand total: 41 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 26 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Nicaragua total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Niger

total: 9

2,438 to 3,047 m: 3

1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Nigeria

total: 36

over 3,047 m: 6

2,438 to 3,047 m: 12

1,524 to 2,437 m: 10

914 to 1,523 m: 6

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Niue

total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Norfolk Island

total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Northern Mariana Islands

total: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Norway

total: 67

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 12

1,524 to 2,437 m: 12

914 to 1,523 m: 13

under 914 m: 29 (2007)

Oman

total: 7

over 3,047 m: 4

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Pakistan

total: 92

over 3,047 m: 16

2,438 to 3,047 m: 19

1,524 to 2,437 m: 29

914 to 1,523 m: 18

under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Palau

total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Panama

total: 54

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

914 to 1,523 m: 18

under 914 m: 29 (2007)

Papua New Guinea total: 21 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Paracel Islands total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Paraguay total: 13 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 5 (2007)

Peru

total: 54

over 3,047 m: 6

2,438 to 3,047 m: 20

1,524 to 2,437 m: 14

914 to 1,523 m: 11

under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Philippines

total: 84

over 3,047 m: 4

2,438 to 3,047 m: 8

1,524 to 2,437 m: 26

914 to 1,523 m: 36

under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Poland

total: 83

over 3,047 m: 4

2,438 to 3,047 m: 30

1,524 to 2,437 m: 39

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Portugal

total: 44

over 3,047 m: 5

2,438 to 3,047 m: 9

1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

914 to 1,523 m: 13

under 914 m: 12 (2007)

Puerto Rico total: 17 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Qatar

total: 3

over 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Romania

total: 25

over 3,047 m: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 9

1,524 to 2,437 m: 12

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Russia

total: 601

over 3,047 m: 51

2,438 to 3,047 m: 197

1,524 to 2,437 m: 129

914 to 1,523 m: 102

under 914 m: 122 (2007)

Rwanda

total: 4

over 3,047 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Saint Barthelemy

total: 1

under 914 m: 1

Saint Helena

total: 1

over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

total: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Saint Lucia

total: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Saint Martin total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

total: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

total: 5

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Samoa

total: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Sao Tome and Principe

total: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Saudi Arabia total: 77 over 3,047 m: 32 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Senegal total: 9 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Serbia

total: 16

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 4

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Seychelles total: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Sierra Leone total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Singapore total: 8 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Slovakia

total: 20

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Slovenia

total: 6

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Solomon Islands total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Somalia total: 7 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

South Africa

total: 146

over 3,047 m: 10

2,438 to 3,047 m: 5

1,524 to 2,437 m: 51

914 to 1,523 m: 67

under 914 m: 13 (2007)

Spain

total: 96

over 3,047 m: 18

2,438 to 3,047 m: 11

1,524 to 2,437 m: 18

914 to 1,523 m: 25

under 914 m: 24 (2007)

Spratly Islands total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Sri Lanka total: 14 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2007)

Sudan

total: 16

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 9

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Suriname total: 5 over 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Svalbard

total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Swaziland

total: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Sweden

total: 152

over 3,047 m: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 12

1,524 to 2,437 m: 75

914 to 1,523 m: 24

under 914 m: 38 (2007)

Switzerland

total: 42

over 3,047 m: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 4

1,524 to 2,437 m: 12

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 16 (2007)

Syria

total: 26

over 3,047 m: 6

2,438 to 3,047 m: 15

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Taiwan

total: 38

over 3,047 m: 8

2,438 to 3,047 m: 9

1,524 to 2,437 m: 11

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Tajikistan

total: 18

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 4

1,524 to 2,437 m: 6

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Tanzania total: 10 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Thailand

total: 65

over 3,047 m: 8

2,438 to 3,047 m: 11

1,524 to 2,437 m: 23

914 to 1,523 m: 17

under 914 m: 6 (2007)

Timor-Leste total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Togo

total: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2007)

Tonga

total: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Trinidad and Tobago total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Tunisia

total: 14

over 3,047 m: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 6

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)

Turkey

total: 90

over 3,047 m: 15

2,438 to 3,047 m: 33

1,524 to 2,437 m: 19

914 to 1,523 m: 19

under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Turkmenistan total: 22 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Turks and Caicos Islands

total: 6

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Uganda

total: 5

over 3,047 m: 3

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Ukraine

total: 193

over 3,047 m: 13

2,438 to 3,047 m: 53

1,524 to 2,437 m: 27

914 to 1,523 m: 5

under 914 m: 95 (2007)

United Arab Emirates

total: 22

over 3,047 m: 10

2,438 to 3,047 m: 3

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 3 (2007)

United Kingdom

total: 310

over 3,047 m: 8

2,438 to 3,047 m: 33

1,524 to 2,437 m: 131

914 to 1,523 m: 79

under 914 m: 59 (2007)

United States

total: 5,143

over 3,047 m: 191

2,438 to 3,047 m: 224

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1,452

914 to 1,523 m: 2,323

under 914 m: 953 (2007)

Uruguay

total: 9

over 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Uzbekistan total: 33 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 13 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Vanuatu

total: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Venezuela total: 128 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 61 under 914 m: 18 (2007)

Vietnam

total: 37

over 3,047 m: 9

2,438 to 3,047 m: 5

1,524 to 2,437 m: 13

914 to 1,523 m: 10 (2007)

Virgin Islands total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Wake Island

total: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)

Wallis and Futuna

total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

West Bank total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Western Sahara total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)

Yemen

total: 17

over 3,047 m: 4

2,438 to 3,047 m: 8

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Zambia

total: 9

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Zimbabwe

total: 19

over 3,047 m: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 10 (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2031 Airports - with unpaved runways

Afghanistan total: 34 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Albania

total: 8

over 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Algeria

total: 98

2,438 to 3,047 m: 3

1,524 to 2,437 m: 26

914 to 1,523 m: 44

under 914 m: 25 (2007)

Angola

total: 201

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 5

1,524 to 2,437 m: 30

914 to 1,523 m: 95

under 914 m: 69 (2007)

Anguilla total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Antarctica total: 27 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 6 (2008)

Antigua and Barbuda total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Argentina total: 1,118 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 44 914 to 1,523 m: 515 under 914 m: 556 (2007)

Armenia total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Australia

total: 144

1,524 to 2,437 m: 19

914 to 1,523 m: 109

under 914 m: 16 (2007)

Austria

total: 30

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 26 (2007)

Azerbaijan total: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 7 (2007)

Bahamas, The total: 38 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 22 (2007)

Bangladesh total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Belarus

total: 31

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 27 (2007)

Belgium

total: 16

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 15 (2007)

Belize

total: 40

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 12

under 914 m: 27 (2007)

Benin

total: 4

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Bhutan

total: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Bolivia

total: 1,045

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 4

1,524 to 2,437 m: 57

914 to 1,523 m: 183

under 914 m: 800 (2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

total: 20

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 12 (2007)

Botswana

total: 74

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 54

under 914 m: 17 (2007)

Brazil

total: 3,545

1,524 to 2,437 m: 83

914 to 1,523 m: 1,555

under 914 m: 1,907 (2007)

British Virgin Islands

total: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Brunei

total: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Bulgaria

total: 83

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 9

under 914 m: 72 (2007)

Burkina Faso

total: 31

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 11

under 914 m: 17 (2007)

Burma

total: 61

over 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 14

914 to 1,523 m: 14

under 914 m: 32 (2007)

Burundi total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Cambodia

total: 11

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 9

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Cameroon

total: 34

1,524 to 2,437 m: 6

914 to 1,523 m: 20

under 914 m: 8 (2007)

Canada

total: 834

1,524 to 2,437 m: 68

914 to 1,523 m: 356

under 914 m: 410 (2007)

Cayman Islands total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Central African Republic total: 48 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 13 (2007)

Chad

total: 48

1,524 to 2,437 m: 16

914 to 1,523 m: 21

under 914 m: 11 (2007)

Chile

total: 279

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 12

914 to 1,523 m: 49

under 914 m: 216 (2007)

China

total: 64

over 3,047 m: 4

2,438 to 3,047 m: 4

1,524 to 2,437 m: 13

914 to 1,523 m: 17

under 914 m: 26 (2007)

Colombia total: 831 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 216 under 914 m: 580 (2007)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

total: 211

1,524 to 2,437 m: 17

914 to 1,523 m: 95

under 914 m: 99 (2007)

Congo, Republic of the

total: 26

1,524 to 2,437 m: 7

914 to 1,523 m: 10

under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Cook Islands

total: 7

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Costa Rica total: 115 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 96 (2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

total: 27

1,524 to 2,437 m: 8

914 to 1,523 m: 14

under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Croatia

total: 45

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 37 (2007)

Cuba

total: 95

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 23

under 914 m: 71 (2007)

Cyprus

total: 3

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Czech Republic total: 77 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 26 under 914 m: 50 (2007)

Denmark total: 63 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 60 (2007)

Djibouti

total: 10

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 5

under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Dominican Republic

total: 19

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 5

under 914 m: 11 (2007)

Ecuador

total: 302

914 to 1,523 m: 34

under 914 m: 268 (2007)

Egypt

total: 16

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 5

under 914 m: 7 (2007)

El Salvador total: 61 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 48 (2007)

Eritrea

total: 14

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 6

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Estonia

total: 7

over 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Ethiopia

total: 69

over 3,047 m: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 5

1,524 to 2,437 m: 11

914 to 1,523 m: 29

under 914 m: 21 (2007)

European Union

total: 1,373

over 3,047m: 2

2,438 to 3,047m: 5

1,524 to 2,437m: 30

914m to 1,523m: 267

under 914m: 1,043 (2007)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

total: 4

under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Fiji

total: 25

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 18 (2007)

Finland

total: 72

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 68 (2007)

France

total: 184

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 72

under 914 m: 108 (2007)

French Polynesia

total: 17

914 to 1,523 m: 9

under 914 m: 8 (2007)

Gabon

total: 43

1,524 to 2,437 m: 7

914 to 1,523 m: 13

under 914 m: 23 (2007)

Gaza Strip

total: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Georgia

total: 4

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Germany

total: 219

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 34

under 914 m: 181 (2007)

Ghana

total: 5

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Greece

total: 15

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 12 (2007)

Greenland total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Guam total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Guatemala total: 390 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 82 under 914 m: 301 (2007)

Guinea

total: 11

1,524 to 2,437 m: 6

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Guinea-Bissau

total: 24

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 19 (2007)

Guyana

total: 84

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 14

under 914 m: 69 (2007)

Haiti

total: 10

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Honduras total: 100 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 83 (2007)

Hungary

total: 26

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 11

under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Iceland

total: 94

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 28

under 914 m: 63 (2007)

India

total: 96

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 7

914 to 1,523 m: 40

under 914 m: 47 (2007)

Indonesia total: 494 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 27 under 914 m: 462 (2007)

Iran

total: 202

over 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 10

914 to 1,523 m: 145

under 914 m: 46 (2007)

Iraq

total: 34

over 3,047 m: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 4

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 13

under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Ireland

total: 19

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 16 (2007)

Israel

total: 23

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 20 (2007)

Italy

total: 31

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 11

under 914 m: 19 (2007)

Jamaica total: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 21 (2007)

Jan Mayen total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Japan

total: 31

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 27 (2007)

Jordan total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Kazakhstan total: 32 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 12 (2007)

Kenya

total: 210

1,524 to 2,437 m: 12

914 to 1,523 m: 113

under 914 m: 85 (2007)

Kiribati total: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Korea, North total: 41 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 7 (2007)

Korea, South total: 37 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 34 (2007)

Kosovo total: 4 under 914 m: 4 (2008)

Kuwait

total: 3

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Kyrgyzstan

total: 12

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Laos

total: 33

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 9

under 914 m: 23 (2007)

Latvia total: 21 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 20 (2007)

Lebanon total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Lesotho total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 21 (2007)

Liberia

total: 51

1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

914 to 1,523 m: 8

under 914 m: 38 (2007)

Libya

total: 81

over 3,047 m: 5

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 15

914 to 1,523 m: 41

under 914 m: 18 (2007)

Lithuania total: 57 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 53 (2007)

Luxembourg total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Macedonia total: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Madagascar

total: 77

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 41

under 914 m: 34 (2007)

Malawi

total: 33

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 16

under 914 m: 16 (2007)

Malaysia

total: 80

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 72 (2007)

Maldives

total: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)

Mali

total: 21

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 8 (2007)

Marshall Islands total: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Mauritania total: 17 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Mauritius total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Mexico

total: 1,603

over 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 63

914 to 1,523 m: 408

under 914 m: 1,131 (2007)

Moldova

total: 4

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Mongolia

total: 31

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 5

1,524 to 2,437 m: 23

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Montenegro

total: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Morocco

total: 33

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 9

914 to 1,523 m: 11

under 914 m: 11 (2007)

Mozambique

total: 125

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 9

914 to 1,523 m: 36

under 914 m: 79 (2007)

Namibia

total: 116

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 22

914 to 1,523 m: 72

under 914 m: 20 (2007)

Nepal

total: 37

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 6

under 914 m: 30 (2007)

Netherlands

total: 7

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 4 (2007)

New Caledonia

total: 13

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 6 (2007)

New Zealand

total: 80

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 31

under 914 m: 46 (2007)

Nicaragua

total: 152

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 16

under 914 m: 135 (2007)

Niger

total: 19

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 14

under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Nigeria

total: 34

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 14

under 914 m: 19 (2007)

Northern Mariana Islands

total: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Norway

total: 31

914 to 1,523 m: 6

under 914 m: 25 (2007)

Oman

total: 130

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 8

1,524 to 2,437 m: 51

914 to 1,523 m: 35

under 914 m: 34 (2007)

Pakistan

total: 54

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 16

914 to 1,523 m: 13

under 914 m: 24 (2007)

Palau

total: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2007)

Panama

total: 62

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 11

under 914 m: 50 (2007)

Papua New Guinea

total: 557

1,524 to 2,437 m: 10

914 to 1,523 m: 58

under 914 m: 489 (2007)

Paraguay

total: 825

1,524 to 2,437 m: 26

914 to 1,523 m: 267

under 914 m: 532 (2007)

Peru

total: 183

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 24

914 to 1,523 m: 40

under 914 m: 117 (2007)

Philippines total: 171 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 68 under 914 m: 99 (2007)

Poland

total: 40

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 13

under 914 m: 22 (2007)

Portugal total: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 21 (2007)

Puerto Rico total: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Qatar

total: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Romania

total: 36

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 12

under 914 m: 22 (2007)

Russia

total: 659

over 3,047 m: 4

2,438 to 3,047 m: 13

1,524 to 2,437 m: 69

914 to 1,523 m: 89

under 914 m: 484 (2007)

Rwanda

total: 5

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

total: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Samoa

total: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Saudi Arabia total: 136 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 73 914 to 1,523 m: 39 under 914 m: 15 (2007)

Senegal

total: 11

1,524 to 2,437 m: 6

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Serbia

total: 23

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 9

under 914 m: 12 (2007)

Seychelles

total: 6

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Sierra Leone

total: 9

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Slovakia

total: 15

914 to 1,523 m: 8

under 914 m: 7 (2007)

Slovenia

total: 8

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Solomon Islands

total: 33

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 9

under 914 m: 23 (2007)

Somalia

total: 60

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 3

1,524 to 2,437 m: 20

914 to 1,523 m: 29

under 914 m: 7 (2007)

South Africa

total: 582

1,524 to 2,437 m: 34

914 to 1,523 m: 300

under 914 m: 248 (2007)

Spain

total: 58

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 14

under 914 m: 42 (2007)

Spratly Islands total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Sri Lanka total: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Sudan

total: 85

over 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 20

914 to 1,523 m: 37

under 914 m: 27 (2007)

Suriname total: 45 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 40 (2007)

Svalbard total: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Swaziland

total: 17

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 10 (2007)

Sweden

total: 98

914 to 1,523 m: 6

under 914 m: 92 (2007)

Switzerland

total: 23

under 914 m: 23 (2007)

Syria

total: 64

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 11

under 914 m: 52 (2007)

Taiwan

total: 3

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Tajikistan total: 8 under 914 m: 8 (2007)

Tanzania

total: 114

1,524 to 2,437 m: 17

914 to 1,523 m: 63

under 914 m: 34 (2007)

Thailand

total: 41

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 12

under 914 m: 28 (2007)

Timor-Leste

total: 5

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Togo

total: 7

914 to 1,523 m: 4

under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Tonga

total: 5

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 1 (2007)

Trinidad and Tobago

total: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Tunisia

total: 16

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 7 (2007)

Turkey

total: 27

over 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 17 (2007)

Turkmenistan total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Turks and Caicos Islands

total: 2

under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Tuvalu

total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Uganda

total: 27

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 6

914 to 1,523 m: 11

under 914 m: 9 (2007)

Ukraine

total: 244

2,438 to 3,047 m: 3

1,524 to 2,437 m: 11

914 to 1,523 m: 13

under 914 m: 217 (2007)

United Arab Emirates total: 17 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 5 (2007)

United Kingdom

total: 139

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 23

under 914 m: 113 (2007)

United States

total: 9,804

2,438 to 3,047 m: 7

1,524 to 2,437 m: 153

914 to 1,523 m: 1,732

under 914 m: 7,912 (2007)

Uruguay

total: 51

1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

914 to 1,523 m: 19

under 914 m: 29 (2007)

Uzbekistan

total: 21

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

under 914 m: 19 (2007)

Vanuatu

total: 28

914 to 1,523 m: 6

under 914 m: 22 (2007)

Venezuela total: 262 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 97 under 914 m: 149 (2007)

Vietnam

total: 7

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Wallis and Futuna total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

Western Sahara total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2007)

Yemen

total: 33

over 3,047 m: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 8

1,524 to 2,437 m: 5

914 to 1,523 m: 13

under 914 m: 4 (2007)

Zambia

total: 98

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 64

under 914 m: 29 (2007)

Zimbabwe total: 322 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 152 under 914 m: 166 (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2032 Environment - current issues

Afghanistan

limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate

supplies of potable water; soil degradation; overgrazing;

deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for

fuel and building materials); desertification; air and water

pollution

Akrotiri

shooting around the salt lake; note - breeding place for

loggerhead and green turtles; only remaining colony of griffon

vultures is on the base

Albania

deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial

and domestic effluents

Algeria

soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming

practices; desertification; dumping of raw sewage, petroleum

refining wastes, and other industrial effluents is leading to the

pollution of rivers and coastal waters; Mediterranean Sea, in

particular, becoming polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion, and

fertilizer runoff; inadequate supplies of potable water

American Samoa

limited natural fresh water resources; the water

division of the government has spent substantial funds in the past

few years to improve water catchments and pipelines

Andorra

deforestation; overgrazing of mountain meadows contributes

to soil erosion; air pollution; wastewater treatment and solid waste

disposal

Angola

overuse of pastures and subsequent soil erosion attributable

to population pressures; desertification; deforestation of tropical

rain forest, in response to both international demand for tropical

timber and to domestic use as fuel, resulting in loss of

biodiversity; soil erosion contributing to water pollution and

siltation of rivers and dams; inadequate supplies of potable water

Anguilla

supplies of potable water sometimes cannot meet increasing

demand largely because of poor distribution system

Antarctica

in 1998, NASA satellite data showed that the Antarctic

ozone hole was the largest on record, covering 27 million square

kilometers; researchers in 1997 found that increased ultraviolet

light passing through the hole damages the DNA of icefish, an

Antarctic fish lacking hemoglobin; ozone depletion earlier was shown

to harm one-celled Antarctic marine plants; in 2002, significant

areas of ice shelves disintegrated in response to regional warming

Antigua and Barbuda

water management - a major concern because of

limited natural fresh water resources - is further hampered by the

clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to

run off quickly

Arctic Ocean

endangered marine species include walruses and whales;

fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from

disruptions or damage; thinning polar icepack

Argentina

environmental problems (urban and rural) typical of an

industrializing economy such as deforestation, soil degradation,

desertification, air pollution, and water pollution

note: Argentina is a world leader in setting voluntary greenhouse

gas targets

Armenia

soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT; the energy

crisis of the 1990s led to deforestation when citizens scavenged for

firewood; pollution of Hrazdan (Razdan) and Aras Rivers; the

draining of Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), a result of its use as a

source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies; restart of

Metsamor nuclear power plant in spite of its location in a

seismically active zone

Aruba

NA

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

illegal killing of protected wildlife by

traditional Indonesian fisherman, as well as fishing by

non-traditional Indonesian vessels, are ongoing problems

Atlantic Ocean

endangered marine species include the manatee, seals,

sea lions, turtles, and whales; drift net fishing is hastening the

decline of fish stocks and contributing to international disputes;

municipal sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil, and

eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico,

Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste

and municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and

Mediterranean Sea

Australia

soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development,

urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due

to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for

agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique

animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast

coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by

increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site; limited

natural fresh water resources

Austria

some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution;

soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air

pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power

stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria

between northern and southern Europe

Azerbaijan

local scientists consider the Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron

Peninsula) (including Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be

the ecologically most devastated area in the world because of severe

air, soil, and water pollution; soil pollution results from oil

spills, from the use of DDT pesticide, and from toxic defoliants

used in the production of cotton

Bahamas, The

coral reef decay; solid waste disposal

Bahrain

desertification resulting from the degradation of limited

arable land, periods of drought, and dust storms; coastal

degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation)

resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers,

oil refineries, and distribution stations; lack of freshwater

resources (groundwater and seawater are the only sources for all

water needs)

Bangladesh

many people are landless and forced to live on and

cultivate flood-prone land; waterborne diseases prevalent in surface

water; water pollution, especially of fishing areas, results from

the use of commercial pesticides; ground water contaminated by

naturally occurring arsenic; intermittent water shortages because of

falling water tables in the northern and central parts of the

country; soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; severe

overpopulation

Barbados

pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships;

soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination

of aquifers

Belarus

soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of the

country contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident

at Chornobyl' in northern Ukraine

Belgium

the environment is exposed to intense pressures from human

activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry,

extensive animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water

pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries;

uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now

resolved) had slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges

Belize

deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial

effluents, agricultural runoff; solid and sewage waste disposal

Benin

inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens

wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification

Bermuda

sustainable development

Bhutan

soil erosion; limited access to potable water

Bolivia

the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the

international demand for tropical timber are contributing to

deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and poor cultivation

methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture); desertification;

loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used

for drinking and irrigation

Bosnia and Herzegovina

air pollution from metallurgical plants;

sites for disposing of urban waste are limited; water shortages and

destruction of infrastructure because of the 1992-95 civil strife;

deforestation

Botswana

overgrazing; desertification; limited fresh water resources

Bouvet Island

NA

Brazil

deforestation in Amazon Basin destroys the habitat and

endangers a multitude of plant and animal species indigenous to the

area; there is a lucrative illegal wildlife trade; air and water

pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and several other large

cities; land degradation and water pollution caused by improper

mining activities; wetland degradation; severe oil spills

British Indian Ocean Territory

NA

British Virgin Islands

limited natural fresh water resources (except

for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the

islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments)

Brunei

seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in Indonesia

Bulgaria

air pollution from industrial emissions; rivers polluted

from raw sewage, heavy metals, detergents; deforestation; forest

damage from air pollution and resulting acid rain; soil

contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical plants and

industrial wastes

Burkina Faso

recent droughts and desertification severely affecting

agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy;

overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation

Burma

deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water;

inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease

Burundi

soil erosion as a result of overgrazing and the expansion of

agriculture into marginal lands; deforestation (little forested land

remains because of uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel); habitat

loss threatens wildlife populations

Cambodia

illegal logging activities throughout the country and strip

mining for gems in the western region along the border with Thailand

have resulted in habitat loss and declining biodiversity (in

particular, destruction of mangrove swamps threatens natural

fisheries); soil erosion; in rural areas, most of the population

does not have access to potable water; declining fish stocks because

of illegal fishing and overfishing

Cameroon

waterborne diseases are prevalent; deforestation;

overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing

Canada

air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting

lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities,

and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest

productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to

agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities

Cape Verde

soil erosion; deforestation due to demand for wood used

as fuel; water shortages; desertification; environmental damage has

threatened several species of birds and reptiles; illegal beach sand

extraction; overfishing

Cayman Islands

no natural fresh water resources; drinking water

supplies must be met by rainwater catchments

Central African Republic

tap water is not potable; poaching has

diminished the country's reputation as one of the last great

wildlife refuges; desertification; deforestation

Chad

inadequate supplies of potable water; improper waste disposal

in rural areas contributes to soil and water pollution;

desertification

Chile

widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural

resources; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions;

water pollution from raw sewage

China

air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates)

from reliance on coal produces acid rain; water shortages,

particularly in the north; water pollution from untreated wastes;

deforestation; estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land

since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development;

desertification; trade in endangered species

Christmas Island

loss of rainforest; impact of phosphate mining

Clipperton Island

NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

fresh water resources are limited to

rainwater accumulations in natural underground reservoirs

Colombia

deforestation; soil and water quality damage from overuse

of pesticides; air pollution, especially in Bogota, from vehicle

emissions

Comoros

soil degradation and erosion results from crop cultivation

on slopes without proper terracing; deforestation

Congo, Democratic Republic of the poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and gold) causing environmental damage

Congo, Republic of the

air pollution from vehicle emissions; water

pollution from the dumping of raw sewage; tap water is not potable;

deforestation

Cook Islands

NA

Coral Sea Islands

no permanent fresh water resources

Costa Rica

deforestation and land use change, largely a result of

the clearing of land for cattle ranching and agriculture; soil

erosion; coastal marine pollution; fisheries protection; solid waste

management; air pollution

Cote d'Ivoire

deforestation (most of the country's forests - once

the largest in West Africa - have been heavily logged); water

pollution from sewage and industrial and agricultural effluents

Croatia

air pollution (from metallurgical plants) and resulting acid

rain is damaging the forests; coastal pollution from industrial and

domestic waste; landmine removal and reconstruction of

infrastructure consequent to 1992-95 civil strife

Cuba

air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation

Cyprus

water resource problems (no natural reservoir catchments,

seasonal disparity in rainfall, sea water intrusion to island's

largest aquifer, increased salination in the north); water pollution

from sewage and industrial wastes; coastal degradation; loss of

wildlife habitats from urbanization

Czech Republic

air and water pollution in areas of northwest Bohemia

and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present health risks; acid

rain damaging forests; efforts to bring industry up to EU code

should improve domestic pollution

Denmark

air pollution, principally from vehicle and power plant

emissions; nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the North Sea;

drinking and surface water becoming polluted from animal wastes and

pesticides

Dhekelia

netting and trapping of small migrant songbirds in the

spring and autumn

Djibouti

inadequate supplies of potable water; limited arable land;

desertification; endangered species

Dominica

NA

Dominican Republic

water shortages; soil eroding into the sea

damages coral reefs; deforestation

Ecuador

deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; water

pollution; pollution from oil production wastes in ecologically

sensitive areas of the Amazon Basin and Galapagos Islands

Egypt

agricultural land being lost to urbanization and windblown

sands; increasing soil salination below Aswan High Dam;

desertification; oil pollution threatening coral reefs, beaches, and

marine habitats; other water pollution from agricultural pesticides,

raw sewage, and industrial effluents; limited natural fresh water

resources away from the Nile, which is the only perennial water

source; rapid growth in population overstraining the Nile and

natural resources

El Salvador

deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution;

contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes

Equatorial Guinea

tap water is not potable; deforestation

Eritrea

deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing;

loss of infrastructure from civil warfare

Estonia

air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning

power plants in northeast; however, the amount of pollutants emitted

to the air have fallen steadily, the emissions of 2000 were 80% less

than in 1980; the amount of unpurified wastewater discharged to

water bodies in 2000 was one-20th the level of 1980; in connection

with the start-up of new water purification plants, the pollution

load of wastewater decreased; Estonia has more than 1,400 natural

and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areas need

to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations

Ethiopia

deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification;

water shortages in some areas from water-intensive farming and poor

management

European Union

NA

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) overfishing by unlicensed vessels is a problem; reindeer were introduced to the islands in 2001 for commercial reasons; this is the only commercial reindeer herd in the world unaffected by the 1986 Chornobyl disaster

Faroe Islands

NA

Fiji

deforestation; soil erosion

Finland

air pollution from manufacturing and power plants

contributing to acid rain; water pollution from industrial wastes,

agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife populations

France

some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from

industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes,

agricultural runoff

French Polynesia

NA

French Southern and Antarctic Lands introduction of foreign species on Iles Crozet has caused severe damage to the original ecosystem; overfishing of Patagonian Toothfish around Iles Crozet and Iles Kerguelen

Gabon

deforestation; poaching

Gambia, The

deforestation; desertification; water-borne diseases

prevalent

Gaza Strip

desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage

treatment; water-borne disease; soil degradation; depletion and

contamination of underground water resources

Georgia

air pollution, particularly in Rust'avi; heavy pollution of

Mtkvari River and the Black Sea; inadequate supplies of potable

water; soil pollution from toxic chemicals

Germany

emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries

contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur

dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea

from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern

Germany; hazardous waste disposal; government established a

mechanism for ending the use of nuclear power over the next 15

years; government working to meet EU commitment to identify nature

preservation areas in line with the EU's Flora, Fauna, and Habitat

directive

Ghana

recurrent drought in north severely affects agricultural

activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching and

habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations; water pollution;

inadequate supplies of potable water

Gibraltar

limited natural freshwater resources: large concrete or

natural rock water catchments collect rainwater (no longer used for

drinking water) and adequate desalination plant

Greece

air pollution; water pollution

Greenland

protection of the arctic environment; preservation of the

Inuit traditional way of life, including whaling and seal hunting

Grenada

NA

Guam

extirpation of native bird population by the rapid

proliferation of the brown tree snake, an exotic, invasive species

Guatemala

deforestation in the Peten rainforest; soil erosion; water

pollution

Guernsey

NA

Guinea

deforestation; inadequate supplies of potable water;

desertification; soil contamination and erosion; overfishing,

overpopulation in forest region; poor mining practices have led to

environmental damage

Guinea-Bissau

deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing

Guyana

water pollution from sewage and agricultural and industrial

chemicals; deforestation

Haiti

extensive deforestation (much of the remaining forested land

is being cleared for agriculture and used as fuel); soil erosion;

inadequate supplies of potable water

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

NA

Holy See (Vatican City)

NA

Honduras

urban population expanding; deforestation results from

logging and the clearing of land for agricultural purposes; further

land degradation and soil erosion hastened by uncontrolled

development and improper land use practices such as farming of

marginal lands; mining activities polluting Lago de Yojoa (the

country's largest source of fresh water), as well as several rivers

and streams, with heavy metals

Hong Kong

air and water pollution from rapid urbanization

Hungary

the upgrading of Hungary's standards in waste management,

energy efficiency, and air, soil, and water pollution to meet EU

requirements will require large investments

Iceland

water pollution from fertilizer runoff; inadequate

wastewater treatment

India

deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air

pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water

pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap

water is not potable throughout the country; huge and growing

population is overstraining natural resources

Indian Ocean

endangered marine species include the dugong, seals,

turtles, and whales; oil pollution in the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf,

and Red Sea

Indonesia

deforestation; water pollution from industrial wastes,

sewage; air pollution in urban areas; smoke and haze from forest

fires

Iran

air pollution, especially in urban areas, from vehicle

emissions, refinery operations, and industrial effluents;

deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; oil pollution in the

Persian Gulf; wetland losses from drought; soil degradation

(salination); inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution

from raw sewage and industrial waste; urbanization

Iraq

government water control projects have drained most of the

inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting

the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Marsh

Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been

displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses

serious threats to the area's wildlife populations; inadequate

supplies of potable water; development of the Tigris and Euphrates

rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparian

Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation (salination) and

erosion; desertification

Ireland

water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural

runoff

Isle of Man

waste disposal (both household and industrial);

transboundary air pollution

Israel

limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose

serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial

and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and

domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides

Italy

air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur

dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and

agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate

industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities

Jamaica

heavy rates of deforestation; coastal waters polluted by

industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air

pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions

Jan Mayen

NA

Japan

air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain;

acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and

threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers of

fish and tropical timber, contributing to the depletion of these

resources in Asia and elsewhere

Jersey

NA

Jordan

limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation;

overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Kazakhstan

radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with

former defense industries and test ranges scattered throughout the

country pose health risks for humans and animals; industrial

pollution is severe in some cities; because the two main rivers that

flowed into the Aral Sea have been diverted for irrigation, it is

drying up and leaving behind a harmful layer of chemical pesticides

and natural salts; these substances are then picked up by the wind

and blown into noxious dust storms; pollution in the Caspian Sea;

soil pollution from overuse of agricultural chemicals and salination

from poor infrastructure and wasteful irrigation practices

Kenya

water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation

of water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers;

water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil

erosion; desertification; poaching

Kiribati

heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to

heavy migration mixed with traditional practices such as lagoon

latrines and open-pit dumping; ground water at risk

Korea, North

water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water;

waterborne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation

Korea, South

air pollution in large cities; acid rain; water

pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents;

drift net fishing

Kuwait

limited natural fresh water resources; some of world's

largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much

of the water; air and water pollution; desertification

Kyrgyzstan

water pollution; many people get their water directly

from contaminated streams and wells; as a result, water-borne

diseases are prevalent; increasing soil salinity from faulty

irrigation practices

Laos

unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the

population does not have access to potable water

Latvia

Latvia's environment has benefited from a shift to service

industries after the country regained independence; the main

environmental priorities are improvement of drinking water quality

and sewage system, household, and hazardous waste management, as

well as reduction of air pollution; in 2001, Latvia closed the EU

accession negotiation chapter on environment committing to full

enforcement of EU environmental directives by 2010

Lebanon

deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution

in Beirut from vehicular traffic and the burning of industrial

wastes; pollution of coastal waters from raw sewage and oil spills

Lesotho

population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas

results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion;

desertification; Highlands Water Project controls, stores, and

redirects water to South Africa

Liberia

tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of

biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw

sewage

Libya

desertification; limited natural fresh water resources; the

Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in

the world, is being built to bring water from large aquifers under

the Sahara to coastal cities

Liechtenstein

NA

Lithuania

contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum

products and chemicals at military bases

Luxembourg

air and water pollution in urban areas, soil pollution of

farmland

Macau

NA

Macedonia

air pollution from metallurgical plants

Madagascar

soil erosion results from deforestation and overgrazing;

desertification; surface water contaminated with raw sewage and

other organic wastes; several endangered species of flora and fauna

unique to the island

Malawi

deforestation; land degradation; water pollution from

agricultural runoff, sewage, industrial wastes; siltation of

spawning grounds endangers fish populations

Malaysia

air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions;

water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation; smoke/haze from

Indonesian forest fires

Maldives

depletion of freshwater aquifers threatens water supplies;

global warming and sea level rise; coral reef bleaching

Mali

deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; inadequate

supplies of potable water; poaching

Malta

limited natural fresh water resources; increasing reliance on

desalination

Marshall Islands

inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of

Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing

vessels

Mauritania

overgrazing, deforestation, and soil erosion aggravated

by drought are contributing to desertification; limited natural

fresh water resources away from the Senegal, which is the only

perennial river; locust infestation

Mauritius

water pollution, degradation of coral reefs

Mayotte

NA

Mexico

scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to

urban migration; natural fresh water resources scarce and polluted

in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme

southeast; raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in

urban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification;

deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in

the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; land

subsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletion

note: the government considers the lack of clean water and

deforestation national security issues

Micronesia, Federated States of

overfishing, climate change,

pollution

Moldova

heavy use of agricultural chemicals, including banned

pesticides such as DDT, has contaminated soil and groundwater;

extensive soil erosion from poor farming methods

Monaco

NA

Mongolia

limited natural fresh water resources in some areas; the

policies of former Communist regimes promoted rapid urbanization and

industrial growth that had negative effects on the environment; the

burning of soft coal in power plants and the lack of enforcement of

environmental laws severely polluted the air in Ulaanbaatar;

deforestation, overgrazing, and the converting of virgin land to

agricultural production increased soil erosion from wind and rain;

desertification and mining activities had a deleterious effect on

the environment

Montenegro

pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets,

especially in tourist-related areas such as Kotor

Montserrat

land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for

cultivation

Morocco

land degradation/desertification (soil erosion resulting

from farming of marginal areas, overgrazing, destruction of

vegetation); water supplies contaminated by raw sewage; siltation of

reservoirs; oil pollution of coastal waters

Mozambique

a long civil war and recurrent drought in the hinterlands

have resulted in increased migration of the population to urban and

coastal areas with adverse environmental consequences;

desertification; pollution of surface and coastal waters; elephant

poaching for ivory is a problem

Namibia

limited natural fresh water resources; desertification;

wildlife poaching; land degradation has led to few conservation areas

Nauru

limited natural fresh water resources, roof storage tanks

collect rainwater, but mostly dependent on a single, aging

desalination plant; intensive phosphate mining during the past 90

years - mainly by a UK, Australia, and NZ consortium - has left the

central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining

land resources

Navassa Island

NA

Nepal

deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of

alternatives); contaminated water (with human and animal wastes,

agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents); wildlife

conservation; vehicular emissions

Netherlands

water pollution in the form of heavy metals, organic

compounds, and nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates; air

pollution from vehicles and refining activities; acid rain

Netherlands Antilles

NA

New Caledonia

erosion caused by mining exploitation and forest fires

New Zealand

deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna

hard-hit by invasive species

Nicaragua

deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution

Niger

overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification;

wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and

lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction

Nigeria

soil degradation; rapid deforestation; urban air and water

pollution; desertification; oil pollution - water, air, and soil;

has suffered serious damage from oil spills; loss of arable land;

rapid urbanization

Niue

increasing attention to conservationist practices to counter

loss of soil fertility from traditional slash and burn agriculture

Norfolk Island

NA

Northern Mariana Islands

contamination of groundwater on Saipan may

contribute to disease; clean-up of landfill; protection of

endangered species conflicts with development

Norway

water pollution; acid rain damaging forests and adversely

affecting lakes, threatening fish stocks; air pollution from vehicle

emissions

Oman

rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; limited

natural fresh water resources

Pacific Ocean

endangered marine species include the dugong, sea

lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in

Philippine Sea and South China Sea

Pakistan

water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and

agricultural runoff; limited natural fresh water resources; most of

the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation;

soil erosion; desertification

Palau

inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste; threats to

the marine ecosystem from sand and coral dredging, illegal fishing

practices, and overfishing

Panama

water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery

resources; deforestation of tropical rain forest; land degradation

and soil erosion threatens siltation of Panama Canal; air pollution

in urban areas; mining threatens natural resources

Papua New Guinea

rain forest subject to deforestation as a result of

growing commercial demand for tropical timber; pollution from mining

projects; severe drought

Paracel Islands

NA

Paraguay

deforestation; water pollution; inadequate means for waste

disposal pose health risks for many urban residents; loss of wetlands

Peru

deforestation (some the result of illegal logging); overgrazing

of the slopes of the costa and sierra leading to soil erosion;

desertification; air pollution in Lima; pollution of rivers and

coastal waters from municipal and mining wastes

Philippines

uncontrolled deforestation especially in watershed

areas; soil erosion; air and water pollution in major urban centers;

coral reef degradation; increasing pollution of coastal mangrove

swamps that are important fish breeding grounds

Pitcairn Islands

deforestation (only a small portion of the original

forest remains because of burning and clearing for settlement)

Poland

situation has improved since 1989 due to decline in heavy

industry and increased environmental concern by post-Communist

governments; air pollution nonetheless remains serious because of

sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, and the

resulting acid rain has caused forest damage; water pollution from

industrial and municipal sources is also a problem, as is disposal

of hazardous wastes; pollution levels should continue to decrease as

industrial establishments bring their facilities up to EU code, but

at substantial cost to business and the government

Portugal

soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and

vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas

Puerto Rico

erosion; occasional drought causing water shortages

Qatar

limited natural fresh water resources are increasing

dependence on large-scale desalination facilities

Romania

soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution

in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta

wetlands

Russia

air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired

electric plants, and transportation in major cities; industrial,

municipal, and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and

seacoasts; deforestation; soil erosion; soil contamination from

improper application of agricultural chemicals; scattered areas of

sometimes intense radioactive contamination; groundwater

contamination from toxic waste; urban solid waste management;

abandoned stocks of obsolete pesticides

Rwanda

deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for

fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching

Saint Barthelemy

with no natural rivers or streams, fresh water is

in short supply, especially in summer, and provided by

desalinization of sea water, collection of rain water, or imported

via water tanker

Saint Helena

NA

Saint Kitts and Nevis

NA

Saint Lucia

deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the

northern region

Saint Martin

fresh water supply is dependent on desalinization of

sea water

Saint Pierre and Miquelon recent test drilling for oil in waters around Saint Pierre and Miquelon may bring future development that would impact the environment

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas, pollution is severe enough to make swimming prohibitive

Samoa

soil erosion, deforestation, invasive species, overfishing

San Marino

NA

Sao Tome and Principe

deforestation; soil erosion and exhaustion

Saudi Arabia

desertification; depletion of underground water

resources; the lack of perennial rivers or permanent water bodies

has prompted the development of extensive seawater desalination

facilities; coastal pollution from oil spills

Senegal

wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation;

overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing

Serbia

air pollution around Belgrade and other industrial cities;

water pollution from industrial wastes dumped into the Sava which

flows into the Danube

Seychelles

water supply depends on catchments to collect rainwater

Sierra Leone

rapid population growth pressuring the environment;

overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and

slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil

exhaustion; civil war depleted natural resources; overfishing

Singapore

industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water

resources; limited land availability presents waste disposal

problems; seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in

Indonesia

Slovakia

air pollution from metallurgical plants presents human

health risks; acid rain damaging forests

Slovenia

Sava River polluted with domestic and industrial waste;

pollution of coastal waters with heavy metals and toxic chemicals;

forest damage near Koper from air pollution (originating at

metallurgical and chemical plants) and resulting acid rain

Solomon Islands

deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding

coral reefs are dead or dying

Somalia

famine; use of contaminated water contributes to human

health problems; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion;

desertification

South Africa

lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires

extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water

usage outpacing supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff

and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil

erosion; desertification

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

NA

Southern Ocean

increased solar ultraviolet radiation resulting from

the Antarctic ozone hole in recent years, reducing marine primary

productivity (phytoplankton) by as much as 15% and damaging the DNA

of some fish; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in recent

years, especially the landing of an estimated five to six times more

Patagonian toothfish than the regulated fishery, which is likely to

affect the sustainability of the stock; large amount of incidental

mortality of seabirds resulting from long-line fishing for toothfish

note: the now-protected fur seal population is making a strong

comeback after severe overexploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries

Spain

pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and

effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas; water quality

and quantity nationwide; air pollution; deforestation;

desertification

Spratly Islands

NA

Sri Lanka

deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations

threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from

mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources

being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste

disposal; air pollution in Colombo

Sudan

inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations

threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification;

periodic drought

Suriname

deforestation as timber is cut for export; pollution of

inland waterways by small-scale mining activities

Svalbard

NA

Swaziland

limited supplies of potable water; wildlife populations

being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing; soil

degradation; soil erosion

Sweden

acid rain damage to soils and lakes; pollution of the North

Sea and the Baltic Sea

Switzerland

air pollution from vehicle emissions and open-air

burning; acid rain; water pollution from increased use of

agricultural fertilizers; loss of biodiversity

Syria

deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification;

water pollution from raw sewage and petroleum refining wastes;

inadequate potable water

Taiwan

air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, raw

sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in

endangered species; low-level radioactive waste disposal

Tajikistan

inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of

soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides

Tanzania

soil degradation; deforestation; desertification;

destruction of coral reefs threatens marine habitats; recent

droughts affected marginal agriculture; wildlife threatened by

illegal hunting and trade, especially for ivory

Thailand

air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from

organic and factory wastes; deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife

populations threatened by illegal hunting

Timor-Leste

widespread use of slash and burn agriculture has led to

deforestation and soil erosion

Togo

deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and

the use of wood for fuel; water pollution presents health hazards

and hinders the fishing industry; air pollution increasing in urban

areas

Tokelau

limited natural resources and overcrowding are contributing

to emigration to New Zealand

Tonga

deforestation results as more and more land is being cleared

for agriculture and settlement; some damage to coral reefs from

starfish and indiscriminate coral and shell collectors; overhunting

threatens native sea turtle populations

Trinidad and Tobago

water pollution from agricultural chemicals,

industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches;

deforestation; soil erosion

Tunisia

toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and poses

health risks; water pollution from raw sewage; limited natural fresh

water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion;

desertification

Turkey

water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air

pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; concern for

oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic

Turkmenistan

contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural

chemicals, pesticides; salination, water logging of soil due to poor

irrigation methods; Caspian Sea pollution; diversion of a large

share of the flow of the Amu Darya into irrigation contributes to

that river's inability to replenish the Aral Sea; desertification

Turks and Caicos Islands

limited natural fresh water resources,

private cisterns collect rainwater

Tuvalu

since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not

potable, most water needs must be met by catchment systems with

storage facilities (the Japanese Government has built one

desalination plant and plans to build one other); beachhead erosion

because of the use of sand for building materials; excessive

clearance of forest undergrowth for use as fuel; damage to coral

reefs from the spread of the Crown of Thorns starfish; Tuvalu is

concerned about global increases in greenhouse gas emissions and

their effect on rising sea levels, which threaten the country's

underground water table; in 2000, the government appealed to

Australia and New Zealand to take in Tuvaluans if rising sea levels

should make evacuation necessary

Uganda

draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation;

overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake

Victoria; widespread poaching

Ukraine

inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water

pollution; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast

from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant

United Arab Emirates

lack of natural freshwater resources

compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution

from oil spills

United Kingdom

continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has met

Kyoto Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and

intends to meet the legally binding target and move toward a

domestic goal of a 20% cut in emissions by 2010); by 2005 the

government reduced the amount of industrial and commercial waste

disposed of in landfill sites to 85% of 1998 levels and recycled or

composted at least 25% of household waste, increasing to 33% by 2015

United States

air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US

and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide

from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of

pesticides and fertilizers; limited natural fresh water resources in

much of the western part of the country require careful management;

desertification

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Baker, Howland, and

Jarvis Islands, and Johnston Atoll: no natural fresh water resources

Kingman Reef: none

Midway Islands and Palmyra Atoll: NA

Uruguay

water pollution from meat packing/tannery industry;

inadequate solid/hazardous waste disposal

Uzbekistan

shrinkage of the Aral Sea is resulting in growing

concentrations of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these

substances are then blown from the increasingly exposed lake bed and

contribute to desertification; water pollution from industrial

wastes and the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides is the cause

of many human health disorders; increasing soil salination; soil

contamination from buried nuclear processing and agricultural

chemicals, including DDT

Vanuatu

most of the population does not have access to a reliable

supply of potable water; deforestation

Venezuela

sewage pollution of Lago de Valencia; oil and urban

pollution of Lago de Maracaibo; deforestation; soil degradation;

urban and industrial pollution, especially along the Caribbean

coast; threat to the rainforest ecosystem from irresponsible mining

operations

Vietnam

logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices contribute

to deforestation and soil degradation; water pollution and

overfishing threaten marine life populations; groundwater

contamination limits potable water supply; growing urban

industrialization and population migration are rapidly degrading

environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

Virgin Islands

lack of natural freshwater resources

Wake Island

NA

Wallis and Futuna

deforestation (only small portions of the original

forests remain) largely as a result of the continued use of wood as

the main fuel source; as a consequence of cutting down the forests,

the mountainous terrain of Futuna is particularly prone to erosion;

there are no permanent settlements on Alofi because of the lack of

natural fresh water resources

West Bank

adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment

Western Sahara

sparse water and lack of arable land

World

large areas subject to overpopulation, industrial disasters,

pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances), loss of

vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of

wildlife, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion; global warming

becoming a greater concern

Yemen

limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of

potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Zambia

air pollution and resulting acid rain in the mineral

extraction and refining region; chemical runoff into watersheds;

poaching seriously threatens rhinoceros, elephant, antelope, and

large cat populations; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification;

lack of adequate water treatment presents human health risks

Zimbabwe

deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; air and

water pollution; the black rhinoceros herd - once the largest

concentration of the species in the world - has been significantly

reduced by poaching; poor mining practices have led to toxic waste

and heavy metal pollution

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2033 Environment - international agreements

Afghanistan

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,

Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping,

Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Life Conservation

Albania

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Algeria

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Andorra

party to: Biodiversity, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Angola

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone

Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Antigua and Barbuda

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Argentina

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,

Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic

Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Armenia

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes,

Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Australia

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,

Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic

Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life

Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical

Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Austria

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,

Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Azerbaijan

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Bahamas, The

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Bahrain

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone

Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Bangladesh

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone

Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Barbados

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Belarus

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Sulfur 85, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Belgium

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Belize

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Benin

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Bhutan

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Bolivia

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life

Conservation

Bosnia and Herzegovina

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity,

Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone

Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Botswana

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Brazil

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine

Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,

Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,

Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,

Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Brunei

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,

Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,

Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Bulgaria

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Burkina Faso

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone

Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Burma

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone

Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical

Timber 94

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Burundi

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,

Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Cambodia

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection,

Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Cameroon

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical

Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Canada

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,

Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic

Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,

Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Marine Life Conservation

Cape Verde

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Central African Republic

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 94,

Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Chad

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,

Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection,

Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

Chile

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine

Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,

Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,

Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,

Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

China

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the

Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Colombia

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection,

Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Comoros

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

party to: Biodiversity, Climate

Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered

Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone

Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Congo, Republic of the

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical

Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Cook Islands

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the

Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Costa Rica

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Cote d'Ivoire

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,

Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Croatia

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94,

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the

Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Cuba

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Cyprus

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94,

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Czech Republic

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen

Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air

Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile

Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic

Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Denmark

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Djibouti

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Dominica

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone

Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Dominican Republic

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone

Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Ecuador

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic

Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,

Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Egypt

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical

Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

El Salvador

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Equatorial Guinea

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Eritrea

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,

Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Estonia

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty,

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Ethiopia

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea

European Union

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen

Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air

Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer

Protection, Tropical Timber 82, Tropical Timber 94

signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds

Faroe Islands

party to: Marine Dumping -associate member to the

London Convention and Ship Pollution

Fiji

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,

Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber

83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Finland

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

France

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life

Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical

Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Gabon

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea,

Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical

Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Gambia, The

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Georgia

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Germany

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,

Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Ghana

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,

Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Greece

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,

Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,

Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,

Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,

Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic

Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds

Grenada

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone

Layer Protection, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Guatemala

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Guinea

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Guinea-Bissau

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of

the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Guyana

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber

83, Tropical Timber 94

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Haiti

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine

Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: Hazardous Wastes

Holy See (Vatican City)

party to: Climate Change

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification

Honduras

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,

Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Hong Kong

party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship

Pollution (associate member)

Hungary

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Iceland

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic

Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,

Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Transboundary Air Pollution, Wetlands,

Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life

Conservation

India

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine

Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone

Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical

Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Indonesia

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone

Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical

Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Iran

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,

Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the

Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Iraq

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Ireland

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,

Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic

Pollutants, Marine Life Conservation

Israel

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,

Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Italy

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,

Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Jamaica

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Japan

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine

Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,

Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,

Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,

Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

Jordan

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Kazakhstan

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Kenya

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Kiribati

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the

Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Korea, North

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate

Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Environmental Modification,

Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Korea, South

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,

Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,

Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,

Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,

Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Kuwait

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer

Protection

signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping

Kyrgyzstan

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes,

Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Laos

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Latvia

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic

Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,

Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Lebanon

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone

Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life

Conservation

Lesotho

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection,

Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Liberia

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,

Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical

Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the

Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Libya

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,

Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Liechtenstein

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen

Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air

Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile

Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Lithuania

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,

Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate

Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous

Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Luxembourg

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,

Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur

85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic

Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Macau

party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution

(associate member)

Macedonia

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Madagascar

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone

Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Malawi

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone

Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Malaysia

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone

Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical

Timber 94, Wetlands

Maldives

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the

Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Mali

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Malta

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Marshall Islands

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the

Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Mauritania

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Mauritius

party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity,

Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,

Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,

Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection,

Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Mexico

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Micronesia, Federated States of

party to: Biodiversity, Climate

Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous

Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Moldova

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic

Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,

Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Monaco

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air

Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Mongolia

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone

Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Montenegro

party to: Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ship Pollution

Morocco

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Mozambique

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Namibia

party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity,

Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,

Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer

Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Nauru

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Nepal

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical

Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Netherlands

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,

Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur

85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic

Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living

Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of

the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,

Wetlands, Whaling

New Zealand

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,

Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,

Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,

Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,

Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation

Nicaragua

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Niger

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Nigeria

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Niue

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Norway

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,

Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Oman

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Pakistan

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Palau

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,

Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Panama

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Papua New Guinea

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate

Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered

Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the

Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Paraguay

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Peru

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine

Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Philippines

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,

Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Poland

party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,

Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic

Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,

Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94

Portugal

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life

Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical

Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic

Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental

Modification

Qatar

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Romania

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic

Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Russia

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,

Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic

Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,

Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94

Rwanda

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,

Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Saint Kitts and Nevis

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Saint Lucia

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

party to: Biodiversity, Climate

Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered

Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the

Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Samoa

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone

Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

San Marino

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,

Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution

Sao Tome and Principe

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law

of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Saudi Arabia

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Senegal

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

Serbia

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,

Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone

Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Seychelles

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sierra Leone

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of

the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Singapore

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Slovakia

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Slovenia

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Sulfur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Solomon Islands

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification,

Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone

Layer Protection, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Somalia

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,

Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

South Africa

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,

Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic

Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,

Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the

Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Southern Ocean

the Southern Ocean is subject to all international

agreements regarding the world's oceans; in addition, it is subject

to these agreements specific to the Antarctic region: International

Whaling Commission (prohibits commercial whaling south of 40 degrees

south [south of 60 degrees south between 50 degrees and 130 degrees

west]); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (limits

sealing); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living

Resources (regulates fishing)

note: many nations (including the US) prohibit mineral resource

exploration and exploitation south of the fluctuating Polar Front

(Antarctic Convergence), which is in the middle of the Antarctic

Circumpolar Current and serves as the dividing line between the cold

polar surface waters to the south and the warmer waters to the north

Spain

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Sri Lanka

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone

Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Sudan

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Suriname

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of

the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,

Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Swaziland

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Sweden

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85,

Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical

Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Switzerland

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,

Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur

85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic

Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine

Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical

Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Syria

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,

Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Taiwan

party to: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's

international status

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements because of

Taiwan's international status

Tajikistan

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,

Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Tanzania

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Thailand

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection,

Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Timor-Leste

party to: Climate Change, Desertification

Togo

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone

Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical

Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Tonga

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine

Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Trinidad and Tobago

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life

Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical

Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Tunisia

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,

Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Turkey

party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,

Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous

Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Turkmenistan

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone

Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Tuvalu

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,

Ship Pollution, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Uganda

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection,

Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Ukraine

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air

Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,

Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,

Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic

Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic

Compounds

United Arab Emirates

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

United Kingdom

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen

Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air

Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,

Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine

Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship

Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

United States

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen

Oxides, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living

Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change,

Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,

Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection,

Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands,

Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic

Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes

Uruguay

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine

Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone

Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

Uzbekistan

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate

Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer

Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Vanuatu

party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity,

Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,

Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Venezuela

party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,

Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection,

Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed but not ratified:: none of the selected agreements

Vietnam

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer

Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Western Sahara

party to: none of the selected agreements

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Yemen

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental

Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer

Protection

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Zambia

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto

Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law

of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Zimbabwe

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,

Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2034 Military expenditures (% of GDP)

Afghanistan

1.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Albania

1.49% of GDP (2005 est.)

Algeria

3.3% of GDP (2006)

Angola

5.7% of GDP (2006)

Antigua and Barbuda

NA

Argentina

1.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Armenia

6.5% of GDP (FY01)

Australia

2.4% of GDP (2006)

Austria

0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Azerbaijan

2.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Bahamas, The

0.5% of GDP (2006)

Bahrain

4.5% of GDP (2006)

Bangladesh

1.5% of GDP (2006)

Barbados

0.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Belarus

1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Belgium

1.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Belize

1.4% of GDP (2006)

Benin

1.7% of GDP (2006)

Bermuda

0.11% of GDP (2005 est.)

Bhutan

1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Bolivia

1.9% of GDP (2006)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

4.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Botswana

3.3% of GDP (2006)

Brazil

2.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

Brunei

4.5% of GDP (2006)

Bulgaria

2.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Burkina Faso

1.2% of GDP (2006)

Burma

2.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Burundi

5.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Cambodia

3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Cameroon

1.3% of GDP (2006)

Canada

1.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Cape Verde

0.7% of GDP (2005)

Central African Republic

1.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Chad

4.2% of GDP (2006)

Chile

2.7% of GDP (2006)

China

4.3% of GDP (2006)

Colombia

3.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Comoros

2.8% of GDP (2006)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

2.5% of GDP (2006)

Congo, Republic of the

3.1% of GDP (2006)

Costa Rica

0.4% of GDP (2006)

Cote d'Ivoire

1.6% of GDP (2005 est)

Croatia

2.39% of GDP (2005 est.)

Cuba

3.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Cyprus

3.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Czech Republic

1.46% of GDP (2007 est.)

Denmark

1.5% of GDP (2006; 1.28% 2007 est.)

Djibouti

3.8% of GDP (2006)

Dominica

NA (2006)

Dominican Republic

0.8% of GDP (2006)

Ecuador

2.8% of GDP (2006)

Egypt

3.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

El Salvador

5% of GDP (2006)

Equatorial Guinea

0.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Eritrea

6.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Estonia

2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Ethiopia

3% of GDP (2006)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

NA

Faroe Islands

NA

Fiji

2.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Finland

2% of GDP (2005 est.)

France

2.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Gabon

3.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Gambia, The

0.5% of GDP (2006)

Gaza Strip

NA

Georgia

0.59% of GDP (2005 est.)

Germany

1.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Ghana

0.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Greece

4.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Grenada

NA

Guatemala

0.4% of GDP (2006)

Guinea

1.7% of GDP (2006)

Guinea-Bissau

3.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Guyana

1.8% of GDP (2006)

Haiti

0.4% of GDP (2006)

Honduras

0.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

Hong Kong

NA

Hungary

1.75% of GDP (2005 est.)

Iceland

0% of GDP (2005 est.)

India

2.5% of GDP (2006)

Indonesia

3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Iran

2.5% of GDP (2006)

Iraq

8.6% of GDP (2006)

Ireland

0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Israel

7.3% of GDP (2006)

Italy

1.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Jamaica

0.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

Japan

0.8% of GDP (2006)

Jordan

8.6% of GDP (2006)

Kazakhstan

0.9% of GDP (Ministry of Defense expenditures) (FY02)

Kenya

2.8% of GDP (2006)

Kiribati

NA

Korea, North

NA

Korea, South

2.7% of GDP (2006)

Kuwait

5.3% of GDP (2006)

Kyrgyzstan

1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Laos

0.5% of GDP (2006)

Latvia

1.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Lebanon

3.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Lesotho

2.6% of GDP (2006)

Liberia

1.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Libya

3.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Lithuania

1.2% of GDP (2006; 1.23% 2007 est.)

Luxembourg

0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Macedonia

6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Madagascar

1% of GDP (2006)

Malawi

1.3% of GDP (2006)

Malaysia

2.03% of GDP (2005 est.)

Maldives

5.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Mali

1.9% of GDP (2006)

Malta

0.7% of GDP (2006 est.)

Marshall Islands

NA

Mauritania

5.5% of GDP (2006)

Mauritius

0.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Mexico

0.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Moldova

0.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Mongolia

1.4% of GDP (2006)

Morocco

5% of GDP (2003 est.)

Mozambique

0.8% of GDP (2006)

Namibia

3.7% of GDP (2006)

Nauru

NA

Nepal

1.6% of GDP (2006)

Netherlands

1.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

New Caledonia

NA

New Zealand

1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Nicaragua

0.6% of GDP (2006)

Niger

1.3% of GDP (2006)

Nigeria

1.5% of GDP (2006)

Norway

1.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Oman

11.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Pakistan

3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Palau

NA

Panama

1% of GDP (2006)

Papua New Guinea

1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Paraguay

1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Peru

1.5% of GDP (2006)

Philippines

0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Poland

1.71% of GDP (2005 est.)

Portugal

2.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Qatar

10% of GDP (2005 est.)

Romania

1.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Russia

3.9% of GDP (2005)

Rwanda

2.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

NA

Saint Lucia

NA

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

NA

Samoa

NA

San Marino

NA

Sao Tome and Principe

0.8% of GDP (2006)

Saudi Arabia

10% of GDP (2005 est.)

Senegal

1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Seychelles

2% of GDP (2006 est.)

Sierra Leone

2.3% of GDP (2006)

Singapore

4.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Slovakia

1.87% of GDP (2005 est.)

Slovenia

1.7% of GDP (2005 est.)

Solomon Islands

3% of GDP (2006)

Somalia

0.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

South Africa

1.7% of GDP (2006)

Spain

1.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Sri Lanka

2.6% of GDP (2006)

Sudan

3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Suriname

0.6% of GDP (2006 est.)

Swaziland

4.7% of GDP (2006)

Sweden

1.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

Switzerland

1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Syria

5.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Taiwan

2.2% of GDP (2006)

Tajikistan

3.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

Tanzania

0.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Thailand

1.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Timor-Leste

NA

Togo

1.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Tonga

0.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

0.3% of GDP (2006)

Tunisia

1.4% of GDP (2006)

Turkey

5.3% of GDP (2005 est.)

Turkmenistan

3.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Tuvalu

NA

Uganda

2.2% of GDP (2006)

Ukraine

1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

United Arab Emirates

3.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

United Kingdom

2.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

United States

4.06% of GDP (2005 est.)

Uruguay

1.6% of GDP (2006)

Uzbekistan

2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Vanuatu

NA

Venezuela

1.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Vietnam

2.5% of GDP (2005 est.)

West Bank

NA

World

roughly 2% of GDP of gross world product (2005 est.)

Yemen

6.6% of GDP (2006)

Zambia

1.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

Zimbabwe

3.8% of GDP (2006)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2038 Electricity - production (kWh)

Afghanistan

839 million kWh (2007 est.)

Albania

2.892 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Algeria

33.12 billion kWh (2006 est.)

American Samoa

180 million kWh (2006 est.)

Andorra

NA kWh

Angola

3.513 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Anguilla

NA kWh

Antigua and Barbuda

105 million kWh (2006 est.)

Argentina

109.4 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Armenia

5.544 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Aruba

800 million kWh (2006 est.)

Australia

244.2 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Austria

59.31 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

23.8 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

2.05 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Bahrain

9.233 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Bangladesh

22.78 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Barbados

1.003 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Belarus

29.91 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Belgium

82.94 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Belize

213.5 million kWh (2007 est.)

Benin

120 million kWh (2006 est.)

Bermuda

675.6 million kWh (2007 est.)

Bhutan

4.475 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Bolivia

5.668 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

12.84 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Botswana

979 million kWh (2006 est.)

Brazil

437.3 billion kWh (2007 est.)

British Indian Ocean Territory

NA kWh; note - electricity supplied

by the US military

British Virgin Islands

45 million kWh (2006 est.)

Brunei

3.1 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Bulgaria

43.15 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Burkina Faso

611.6 million kWh (2007 est.)

Burma

5.961 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Burundi

87 million kWh (2006 est.)

Cambodia

1.163 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Cameroon

3.903 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Canada

612.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

47 million kWh (2006 est.)

Cayman Islands

546.1 million kWh (2007 est.)

Central African Republic

110 million kWh (2006 est.)

Chad

95 million kWh (2006 est.)

Chile

50.37 billion kWh (2006 est.)

China

3.256 trillion kWh (2007)

Colombia

51.83 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Comoros

20 million kWh (2006 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

7.243 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

444 million kWh (2006 est.)

Cook Islands

30 million kWh (2006 est.)

Costa Rica

8.521 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

5.274 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Croatia

12.41 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Cuba

16.97 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Cyprus

4.52 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

82.88 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Denmark

36.99 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Djibouti

250 million kWh (2006 est.)

Dominica

90 million kWh (2006 est.)

Dominican Republic

13.37 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Ecuador

14.84 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Egypt

109.1 billion kWh (2006 est.)

El Salvador

5.338 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

27 million kWh (2006 est.)

Eritrea

253 million kWh (2006 est.)

Estonia

9.158 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Ethiopia

3.268 billion kWh (2006 est.)

European Union

3.056 trillion kWh (2007 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

16 million kWh (2006 est.)

Faroe Islands

295 million kWh (2006 est.)

Fiji

928 million kWh (2007 est.)

Finland

77.02 billion kWh (2007 est.)

France

537.9 billion kWh (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

475 million kWh (2006 est.)

Gabon

1.671 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Gambia, The

200.2 million kWh (2007 est.)

Gaza Strip

140,000 kWh (2005)

Georgia

7.116 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Germany

594.7 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Ghana

8.204 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Gibraltar

142 million kWh (2006 est.)

Greece

59.33 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Greenland

305 million kWh (2006 est.)

Grenada

167.2 million kWh (2006 est.)

Guam

1.789 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Guatemala

7.643 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Guernsey

NA kWh

Guinea

800 million kWh

note: excludes electricity generated at interior mining sites (2006

est.)

Guinea-Bissau

60 million kWh (2006 est.)

Guyana

901 million kWh (2006 est.)

Haiti

549 million kWh (2006 est.)

Holy See (Vatican City)

NA kWh

Honduras

5.753 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Hong Kong

36.61 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Hungary

37.66 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Iceland

11.71 billion kWh (2007 est.)

India

665.3 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Indonesia

125.7 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Iran

189.9 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Iraq

33.53 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Ireland

25.77 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Israel

48.7 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Italy

292.1 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Jamaica

7.04 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Japan

1.082 trillion kWh (2007 est.)

Jordan

10.87 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Kazakhstan

74.93 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Kenya

6.264 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Kiribati

10 million kWh (2006 est.)

Korea, North

21.72 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Korea, South

412.7 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Kosovo

3.996 billion kWh (2006)

Kuwait

44.75 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

15.62 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Laos

1.639 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Latvia

4.734 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Lebanon

8.764 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Lesotho

200 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa

(2006 est.)

Liberia

320 million kWh (2006 est.)

Libya

23.98 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Lithuania

11.91 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Luxembourg

3.01 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Macau

1.454 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Macedonia

6.051 billion kWh (2007)

Madagascar

1.045 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Malawi

1.13 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Malaysia

102.9 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Maldives

230 million kWh (2007 est.)

Mali

505 million kWh (2006 est.)

Malta

2.146 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Mauritania

412.3 million kWh (2006 est.)

Mauritius

2.321 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Mayotte

NA kWh

Mexico

243.3 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

192 million kWh (2002)

Moldova

3.824 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Mongolia

3.078 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Montenegro

2.864 billion kWh (2005 est.)

Montserrat

22 million kWh (2006 est.)

Morocco

21.88 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Mozambique

14.62 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Namibia

1.606 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Nauru

31 million kWh (2006 est.)

Nepal

2.703 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Netherlands

97.33 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

1.195 billion kWh (2006 est.)

New Caledonia

1.602 billion kWh (2006 est.)

New Zealand

42.41 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

3.012 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Niger

240 million kWh (2006 est.)

Nigeria

22.11 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Niue

4 million kWh (2006 est.)

Norfolk Island

NA kWh

Northern Mariana Islands

NA kWh

Norway

135 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Oman

13.58 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Pakistan

93.26 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Panama

5.805 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Papua New Guinea

2.875 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Paraguay

70 billion kWh (2007)

Peru

24.92 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Philippines

56.51 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

NA kWh; note - electric power is provided by a

small diesel-powered generator

Poland

149.3 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Portugal

44.83 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

23.84 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Qatar

14.41 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Romania

58.25 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Russia

964.2 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Rwanda

134 million kWh (2006 est.)

Saint Helena

8 million kWh (2006 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

130 million kWh (2006 est.)

Saint Lucia

325 million kWh (2007 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

53 million kWh (2006 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

129 million kWh (2006 est.)

Samoa

109 million kWh (2006 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

18 million kWh (2006 est.)

Saudi Arabia

179.1 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Senegal

2.28 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Serbia

33.87 billion kWh (2004)

Seychelles

208 million kWh (2006 est.)

Sierra Leone

250 million kWh (2006 est.)

Singapore

38.68 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Slovakia

26.17 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Slovenia

14.13 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

70 million kWh (2007 est.)

Somalia

280 million kWh (2006 est.)

South Africa

264 billion kWh (2007)

Spain

287.4 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

8.317 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Sudan

4.037 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Suriname

1.595 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Swaziland

460 million kWh (2007)

Sweden

143.8 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Switzerland

64.56 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Syria

34.94 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Taiwan

216.6 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Tajikistan

17.4 billion kWh (2007)

Tanzania

2.682 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Thailand

130.7 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Timor-Leste

NA kWh

Togo

203 million kWh (2006 est.)

Tokelau

NA kWh

Tonga

43 million kWh (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

7.704 billion kWh (2007)

Tunisia

12.65 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Turkey

181.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

12.83 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

10 million kWh (2006 est.)

Uganda

1.161 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Ukraine

182.4 billion kWh (2006 est.)

United Arab Emirates

62.76 billion kWh (2006 est.)

United Kingdom

371 billion kWh (2007 est.)

United States

4.167 trillion kWh (2007 est.)

Uruguay

9.2 billion kWh (2007)

Uzbekistan

48.79 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

46 million kWh (2007 est.)

Venezuela

110.7 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Vietnam

61.02 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

960 million kWh (2006 est.)

Wake Island

NA kWh

Wallis and Futuna

NA kWh

West Bank

NA kWh; note - most electricity imported from Israel; East

Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to

Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank;

the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most

Jewish residents and military facilities; some Palestinian

municipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their own

electricity from small power plants

Western Sahara

90 million kWh (2006 est.)

World

18.96 trillion kWh (2007 est.)

Yemen

5.017 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Zambia

9.289 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Zimbabwe

9.467 billion kWh (2006 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2042 Electricity - consumption (kWh)

Afghanistan

1.088 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Albania

3.607 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Algeria

26.91 billion kWh (2006 est.)

American Samoa

167.4 million kWh (2006 est.)

Andorra

NA kWh

Angola

3.084 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

97.65 million kWh (2006 est.)

Argentina

97.72 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Armenia

4.539 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Aruba

744 million kWh (2006 est.)

Australia

220 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Austria

62.35 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Azerbaijan

27.5 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

1.793 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Bahrain

8.742 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Bangladesh

21.37 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Barbados

939.9 million kWh (2007 est.)

Belarus

30.43 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Belgium

85.54 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Belize

193.3 million kWh (2006 est.)

Benin

595 million kWh (2006 est.)

Bermuda

619.8 million kWh (2006 est.)

Bhutan

528.8 million kWh (2007 est.)

Bolivia

5.092 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

8.501 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Botswana

2.574 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Brazil

402.2 billion kWh (2007 est.)

British Indian Ocean Territory

NA kWh

British Virgin Islands

41.85 million kWh (2006 est.)

Brunei

2.924 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Bulgaria

30.5 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Burkina Faso

509.3 million kWh (2006 est.)

Burma

4.289 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Burundi

120.9 million kWh (2006 est.)

Cambodia

1.178 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Cameroon

3.323 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Canada

530 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Cape Verde

43.71 million kWh (2006 est.)

Cayman Islands

546.1 million kWh (2007 est.)

Central African Republic

102.3 million kWh (2006 est.)

Chad

88.35 million kWh (2006 est.)

Chile

45.52 billion kWh (2006 est.)

China

2.859 trillion kWh (2006)

Colombia

39.58 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Comoros

18.6 million kWh (2006 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

5.158 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

564 million kWh (2006 est.)

Cook Islands

27.9 million kWh (2006 est.)

Costa Rica

7.779 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

3.177 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Croatia

15.57 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Cuba

14.02 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Cyprus

4.151 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Czech Republic

61.52 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Denmark

34.68 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Djibouti

232.5 million kWh (2006 est.)

Dominica

83.7 million kWh (2006 est.)

Dominican Republic

11.81 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Ecuador

12.9 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Egypt

96.2 billion kWh (2006 est.)

El Salvador

4.426 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

25.11 million kWh (2006 est.)

Eritrea

216 million kWh (2006 est.)

Estonia

7.331 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Ethiopia

2.941 billion kWh (2006 est.)

European Union

2.858 trillion kWh (2007 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

14.88 million kWh (2006 est.)

Faroe Islands

274.4 million kWh (2006 est.)

Fiji

1.016 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Finland

86.04 billion kWh (2006 est.)

France

447.3 billion kWh (2006 est.)

French Polynesia

441.8 million kWh (2006 est.)

Gabon

1.365 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Gambia, The

143.6 million kWh (2006 est.)

Gaza Strip

230,000 kWh (2005)

Georgia

6.694 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Germany

549.1 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Ghana

6.76 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Gibraltar

142 million kWh (2006 est.)

Greece

55.98 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Greenland

283.7 million kWh (2006 est.)

Grenada

144.2 million kWh (2006 est.)

Guam

1.664 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Guatemala

6.617 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Guernsey

NA kWh

Guinea

744 million kWh (2006 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

55.8 million kWh (2006 est.)

Guyana

747 million kWh (2006 est.)

Haiti

330 million kWh (2006 est.)

Holy See (Vatican City)

NA kWh

Honduras

4.233 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Hong Kong

38.02 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Hungary

37.11 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Iceland

9.312 billion kWh (2006 est.)

India

517.2 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Indonesia

110.7 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Iran

149.4 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Iraq

35.84 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Ireland

25.67 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Israel

44.74 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Italy

316.3 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Jamaica

6.1 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Japan

982.5 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Jersey

630.1 million kWh (2004 est.)

Jordan

9.852 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Kazakhstan

61.81 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Kenya

5.124 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Kiribati

9.3 million kWh (2006 est.)

Korea, North

18.18 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Korea, South

368.6 billion kWh (2007)

Kosovo

4.281 billion kWh (2006)

Kuwait

39.54 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

8.997 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Laos

1.344 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Latvia

6.424 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Lebanon

8.161 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Lesotho

226 million kWh (2006 est.)

Liberia

297.6 million kWh (2006 est.)

Libya

20.71 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Lithuania

10.4 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Luxembourg

6.748 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Macau

2.984 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Macedonia

8.651 billion kWh (2007)

Madagascar

907 million kWh (2006 est.)

Malawi

1.051 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Malaysia

95.98 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Maldives

203.7 million kWh (2006 est.)

Mali

469.7 million kWh (2006 est.)

Malta

1.85 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Mauritania

383.4 million kWh (2006 est.)

Mauritius

2.058 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Mayotte

139.2 million kWh (2005)

Mexico

202 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

178.6 million kWh (2002)

Moldova

5.806 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Monaco

NA kWh

Mongolia

2.638 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Montenegro

18.6 million kWh (2005)

Montserrat

20.46 million kWh (2006 est.)

Morocco

19.58 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Mozambique

9.555 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Namibia

3.194 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Nauru

28.83 million kWh (2006 est.)

Nepal

2.276 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Netherlands

109.6 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

992 million kWh (2006 est.)

New Caledonia

1.49 billion kWh (2006 est.)

New Zealand

38.93 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Nicaragua

2.413 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Niger

443.2 million kWh (2006 est.)

Nigeria

15.85 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Niue

3.72 million kWh (2006 est.)

Norfolk Island

NA kWh

Northern Mariana Islands

NA kWh

Norway

111.5 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Oman

10.53 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Pakistan

68.4 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Panama

4.768 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Papua New Guinea

2.674 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Paraguay

6 billion kWh (2007)

Peru

22.37 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Philippines

47.04 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Poland

126.2 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Portugal

48.02 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Puerto Rico

22.17 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Qatar

13.19 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Romania

48.43 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Russia

819.6 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Rwanda

234.6 million kWh (2006 est.)

Saint Helena

7.44 million kWh (2006 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

120.9 million kWh (2006 est.)

Saint Lucia

289.2 million kWh (2006 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

49.29 million kWh (2006 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

120 million kWh (2006 est.)

Samoa

101.4 million kWh (2006 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

16.74 million kWh (2006 est.)

Saudi Arabia

156.8 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Senegal

1.657 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Serbia

NA kWh

Seychelles

193.4 million kWh (2006 est.)

Sierra Leone

232.5 million kWh (2006 est.)

Singapore

35.13 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Slovakia

26 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Slovenia

13.4 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Solomon Islands

70 million kWh (2007 est.)

Somalia

260.4 million kWh (2006 est.)

South Africa

241.4 billion kWh (2007)

Spain

254.1 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Sri Lanka

6.884 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Sudan

3.398 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Suriname

1.457 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Swaziland

1.2 billion kWh (2007)

Sweden

133.6 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Switzerland

58.77 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Syria

34 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Taiwan

208.7 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Tajikistan

17.9 billion kWh (2007)

Tanzania

2.225 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Thailand

123.9 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Timor-Leste

NA kWh

Togo

607 million kWh (2006 est.)

Tokelau

NA kWh

Tonga

39.99 million kWh (2006 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

7.083 billion kWh (2007)

Tunisia

10.75 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Turkey

141.5 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Turkmenistan

9.584 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

9.3 million kWh (2006 est.)

Uganda

899.7 million kWh (2006 est.)

Ukraine

148.1 billion kWh (2006 est.)

United Arab Emirates

57.88 billion kWh (2006 est.)

United Kingdom

348.5 billion kWh (2006 est.)

United States

3.892 trillion kWh (2007 est.)

Uruguay

7.03 billion kWh (2007)

Uzbekistan

42.23 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Vanuatu

39.99 million kWh (2006 est.)

Venezuela

83.84 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Vietnam

48.08 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Virgin Islands

892.8 million kWh (2006 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

NA kWh

West Bank

NA kWh

Western Sahara

83.7 million kWh (2006 est.)

World

16.88 trillion kWh (2007 est.)

Yemen

3.804 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Zambia

8.625 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Zimbabwe

11.59 billion kWh (2006 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2043 Electricity - imports (kWh)

Afghanistan

230 million kWh (2007 est.)

Albania

2.8 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Algeria

382 million kWh (2006 est.)

American Samoa

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Andorra

NA kWh; note - most electricity supplied by Spain and

France; Andorra generates a small amount of hydropower

Angola

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Argentina

10.27 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Armenia

400.6 million kWh; note - imports an unknown quantity from

Iran (2007 est.)

Aruba

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Australia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Austria

22.13 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

500 million kWh (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Bahrain

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Barbados

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Belarus

10.15 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Belgium

15.78 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Belize

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Benin

590 million kWh (2006 est.)

Bermuda

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Bhutan

11 million kWh (2007 est.)

Bolivia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

3.015 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Botswana

1.959 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Brazil

40.47 billion kWh; note - supplied by Paraguay (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Brunei

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Bulgaria

3.054 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Burma

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Burundi

40 million kWh; note - supplied by the Democratic Republic

of the Congo (2007 est.)

Cambodia

110 million kWh (2006 est.)

Cameroon

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Canada

19.66 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Central African Republic

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Chad

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Chile

1.628 billion kWh (2007 est.)

China

4.771 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Colombia

39.4 million kWh (2007 est.)

Comoros

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

6 million kWh (2006 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

411 million kWh (2006 est.)

Cook Islands

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Costa Rica

203.2 million kWh (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Croatia

8.374 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Cuba

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Cyprus

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

10.2 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Denmark

10.43 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Djibouti

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Dominica

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Dominican Republic

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Ecuador

861 million kWh (2006 est.)

Egypt

208 million kWh (2006 est.)

El Salvador

11.08 million kWh (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Eritrea

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Estonia

400 million kWh (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

European Union

NA kWh

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Faroe Islands

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Fiji

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Finland

15.42 billion kWh (2007 est.)

France

10.78 billion kWh (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Gabon

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Gaza Strip

90,000 kWh; note - from Israeli Electric Company (2005)

Georgia

532 million kWh (2007 est.)

Germany

46.13 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Ghana

629 million kWh (2006 est.)

Gibraltar

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Greece

5.894 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Greenland

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Grenada

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Guam

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Guatemala

8.11 million kWh (2007 est.)

Guernsey

0 kWh (2002)

Guinea

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Guyana

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Haiti

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Holy See (Vatican City)

NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy

Honduras

11.8 million kWh (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

10.96 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Hungary

14.68 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Iceland

0 kWh (2007 est.)

India

3.189 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Indonesia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Iran

2.54 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Iraq

2.315 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Ireland

1.412 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Israel

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Italy

48.57 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Jamaica

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Japan

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Jersey

NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France

Jordan

472 million kWh (2006 est.)

Kazakhstan

3.665 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Kenya

22.5 million kWh (2007 est.)

Kiribati

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Korea, North

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Korea, South

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Kuwait

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Laos

367 million kWh (2006 est.)

Latvia

4.671 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Lebanon

929 million kWh (2006 est.)

Lesotho

50 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa

(2007 est.)

Liberia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Libya

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Lithuania

5.846 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

6.847 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Macau

1.683 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Macedonia

2.6 billion kWh (2007)

Madagascar

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Malawi

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Malaysia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Maldives

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Mali

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Malta

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Mauritania

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Mauritius

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Mexico

484.2 million kWh (2007 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

0 kWh (2002)

Moldova

3.741 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Monaco

NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France

Mongolia

195 million kWh (2007 est.)

Montenegro

0 kWh (2005)

Montserrat

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Morocco

1.998 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Mozambique

9.839 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Namibia

1.948 billion kWh; note - electricity supplied by South

Africa (2006 est.)

Nauru

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Nepal

380 million kWh (2007 est.)

Netherlands

23.14 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

0 kWh (2007 est.)

New Caledonia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

New Zealand

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

63.95 million kWh (2007 est.)

Niger

225 million kWh (2007 est.)

Nigeria

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Niue

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Norway

5.284 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Oman

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Pakistan

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Panama

8.74 million kWh (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Paraguay

0 kWh (2007)

Peru

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Philippines

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Poland

7.761 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Portugal

9.641 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Qatar

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Romania

1.277 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Russia

5.67 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Rwanda

130 million kWh (2007 est.)

Saint Helena

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Saint Lucia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Samoa

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Senegal

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Serbia

11.23 billion kWh (2004)

Seychelles

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Singapore

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Slovakia

12.73 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Slovenia

6.14 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Somalia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

South Africa

11.32 billion kWh (2007)

Spain

8.773 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Sudan

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Suriname

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Swaziland

872 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South

Africa (2007)

Sweden

16.61 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Switzerland

34.82 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Syria

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Taiwan

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

4.36 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Tanzania

123 million kWh (2006 est.)

Thailand

4.488 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

0 kWh

Togo

505 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by Ghana (2006

est.)

Tonga

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Tunisia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Turkey

863 million kWh (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Uganda

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Ukraine

2.082 billion kWh (2006 est.)

United Arab Emirates

0 kWh (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

8.613 billion kWh (2007 est.)

United States

51.4 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Uruguay

788.4 million kWh (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

11.44 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Vanuatu

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Venezuela

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Vietnam

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

0 kWh (2002)

West Bank

NA kWh

Western Sahara

0 kWh (2007 est.)

World

627.9 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Yemen

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Zambia

68 million kWh (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

2.867 billion kWh (2006 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2044 Electricity - exports (kWh)

Afghanistan

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Albania

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Algeria

300 million kWh (2006 est.)

American Samoa

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Andorra

NA kWh

Angola

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Argentina

2.628 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Armenia

322.6 million kWh; note - exports an unknown quantity to

Georgia; includes exports to Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan

(2007 est.)

Aruba

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Australia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Austria

15.51 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

800 million kWh (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Bahrain

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Barbados

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Belarus

5.789 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Belgium

9.035 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Belize

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Benin

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Bermuda

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Bhutan

3.644 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Bolivia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

5.123 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Botswana

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Brazil

2.034 billion kWh (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Brunei

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Bulgaria

7.534 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Burma

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Burundi

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Cambodia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Cameroon

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Canada

50.12 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Central African Republic

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Chad

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Chile

0 kWh (2007 est.)

China

14.04 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Colombia

876.7 million kWh (2007 est.)

Comoros

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

1.799 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Cook Islands

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Costa Rica

39.55 million kWh (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

1.066 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Croatia

3.306 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Cuba

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Cyprus

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

26.36 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Denmark

11.38 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Djibouti

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Dominica

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Dominican Republic

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Ecuador

38.53 million kWh (2006 est.)

Egypt

557 million kWh (2006 est.)

El Salvador

8.64 million kWh (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Eritrea

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Estonia

3.179 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

European Union

NA kWh

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Faroe Islands

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Fiji

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Finland

2.86 billion kWh (2007 est.)

France

67.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Gabon

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Gaza Strip

0 kWh (2005)

Georgia

635 million kWh (2007 est.)

Germany

62.51 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Ghana

755 million kWh (2006 est.)

Gibraltar

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Greece

269 million kWh (2007 est.)

Greenland

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Grenada

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Guam

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Guatemala

131.9 million kWh (2007 est.)

Guernsey

0 kWh (2002)

Guinea

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Guyana

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Haiti

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Honduras

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

4.035 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Hungary

10.69 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Iceland

0 kWh (2007 est.)

India

378 million kWh (2006 est.)

Indonesia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Iran

2.775 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Iraq

0 kWh (2007)

Ireland

82 million kWh (2007 est.)

Israel

1.844 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Italy

2.64 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Jamaica

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Japan

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Jordan

13 million kWh (2006 est.)

Kazakhstan

3.528 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Kenya

58.3 million kWh (2007 est.)

Kiribati

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Korea, North

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Korea, South

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Kuwait

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

2.387 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Laos

547 million kWh (2006 est.)

Latvia

1.676 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Lebanon

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Lesotho

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Liberia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Libya

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Lithuania

7.217 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

2.887 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Macau

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Macedonia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Madagascar

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Malawi

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Malaysia

2.524 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Maldives

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Mali

0 kWh; note - recent hydropower developments may be providing

electricity to Senegal and Mauritania (2007 est.)

Malta

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Mauritania

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Mauritius

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Mexico

1.278 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

0 kWh (2002)

Moldova

229 million kWh (2006 est.)

Mongolia

10 million kWh (2007 est.)

Montenegro

0 kWh (2005)

Montserrat

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Morocco

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Mozambique

12.83 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Namibia

40 million kWh (2007 est.)

Nauru

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Nepal

165 million kWh (2007 est.)

Netherlands

5.565 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

0 kWh (2007 est.)

New Caledonia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

New Zealand

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Niger

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Nigeria

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Niue

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Norway

15.32 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Oman

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Pakistan

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Panama

124.9 million kWh (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Paraguay

64 billion kWh (2007)

Peru

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Philippines

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Poland

13.11 billion kWh (2007)

Portugal

2.153 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Qatar

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Romania

3.362 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Russia

15.81 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Rwanda

10 million kWh (2007 est.)

Saint Helena

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Saint Lucia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Samoa

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

0 kWh (2007)

Saudi Arabia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Senegal

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Serbia

12.05 billion kWh (2004 est.)

Seychelles

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Singapore

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Slovakia

11.85 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Slovenia

5.894 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Somalia

0 kWh (2007 est.)

South Africa

13.77 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Spain

14.52 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Sudan

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Suriname

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Swaziland

0 kWh (2007)

Sweden

14.74 billion kWh (2007)

Switzerland

36.88 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Syria

986 million kWh (2006 est.)

Taiwan

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

4.259 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Tanzania

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Thailand

731 million kWh (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Togo

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Tonga

0 kWh (2007)

Trinidad and Tobago

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Tunisia

135 million kWh (2006 est.)

Turkey

2.576 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

1.34 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Uganda

180 million kWh (2006)

Ukraine

12.52 billion kWh (2006 est.)

United Arab Emirates

0 kWh (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

3.398 billion kWh (2007 est.)

United States

20.14 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Uruguay

995.4 million kWh (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

11.52 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Vanuatu

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Venezuela

542 million kWh (2006 est.)

Vietnam

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

0 kWh (2002)

Western Sahara

0 kWh (2007)

World

655.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Yemen

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Zambia

255 million kWh (2006)

Zimbabwe

34 million kWh (2006 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2046 Population below poverty line (%)

Afghanistan

53% (2003)

Albania

25% (2004 est.)

Algeria

25% (2005 est.)

American Samoa

NA%

Andorra

NA%

Angola

70% (2003 est.)

Anguilla

23% (2002)

Antigua and Barbuda

NA%

Argentina

23.4% (January-June 2007)

Armenia

26.5% (2006 est.)

Aruba

NA%

Australia

NA%

Austria

5.9% (2004)

Azerbaijan

24% (2005 est.)

Bahamas, The

9.3% (2004)

Bahrain

NA%

Bangladesh

45% (2004 est.)

Barbados

NA%

Belarus

27.1% (2003 est.)

Belgium

15.2% (2007 est.)

Belize

33.5% (2002 est.)

Benin

37.4% (2007 est.)

Bermuda

19% (2000)

Bhutan

31.7% (2003)

Bolivia

60% (2006 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

25% (2004 est.)

Botswana

30.3% (2003)

Brazil

31% (2005)

British Virgin Islands

NA%

Brunei

NA%

Bulgaria

14.1% (2003 est.)

Burkina Faso

46.4% (2004)

Burma

32.7% (2007 est.)

Burundi

68% (2002 est.)

Cambodia

35% (2004)

Cameroon

48% (2000 est.)

Canada

10.8%; note - this figure is the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO), a

calculation that results in higher figures than found in many

comparable economies; Canada does not have an official poverty line

(2005)

Cape Verde

30% (2000)

Cayman Islands

NA%

Central African Republic

NA%

Chad

80% (2001 est.)

Chile

18.2% (2005)

China

8%

note: 21.5 million rural population live below the official

"absolute poverty" line (approximately $90 per year); and an

additional 35.5 million rural population above that but below the

official "low income" line (approximately $125 per year) (2006 est.)

Colombia

49.2% (2005)

Comoros

60% (2002 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

NA%

Congo, Republic of the

NA%

Cook Islands

NA%

Costa Rica

16% (2006 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

42% (2006 est.)

Croatia

11% (2003)

Cuba

NA%

Cyprus

NA%

Czech Republic

NA%

Denmark

NA%

Djibouti

42% (2007 est.)

Dominica

30% (2002 est.)

Dominican Republic

42.2% (2004)

Ecuador

38.3% (2006)

Egypt

20% (2005 est.)

El Salvador

30.7% (2006 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

NA%

Eritrea

50% (2004 est.)

Estonia

5% (2003)

Ethiopia

38.7% (FY05/06 est.)

European Union

note - see individual country entries of member states

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

NA%

Faroe Islands

NA%

Fiji

25.5% (FY90/91)

Finland

NA%

France

6.2% (2004)

French Polynesia

NA%

Gabon

NA%

Gambia, The

NA%

Gaza Strip

80% (2007 est.)

Georgia

31% (2006)

Germany

11% (2001 est.)

Ghana

28.5% (2007 est.)

Gibraltar

NA%

Greece

NA%

Greenland

NA%

Grenada

32% (2000)

Guam

23% (2001 est.)

Guatemala

56.2% (2004 est.)

Guernsey

NA%

Guinea

47% (2006 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

NA%

Guyana

NA%

Haiti

80% (2003 est.)

Holy See (Vatican City)

NA%

Honduras

50.7% (2004)

Hong Kong

NA%

Hungary

8.6% (1993 est.)

Iceland

NA%

India

25% (2007 est.)

Indonesia

17.8% (2006)

Iran

18% (2007 est.)

Iraq

NA%

Ireland

7% (2005 est.)

Isle of Man

NA%

Israel

21.6%

note: Israel's poverty line is $7.30 per person per day (2005)

Italy

NA%

Jamaica

14.8% (2003 est.)

Japan

NA%

Jersey

NA%

Jordan

14.2% (2002)

Kazakhstan

13.8% (2007)

Kenya

50% (2000 est.)

Kiribati

NA%

Korea, North

NA%

Korea, South

15% (2003 est.)

Kosovo

37% (2007 est.)

Kuwait

NA%

Kyrgyzstan

40% (2004 est.)

Laos

30.7% (2005 est.)

Latvia

NA%

Lebanon

28% (1999 est.)

Lesotho

49% (1999)

Liberia

80% (2000 est.)

Libya

7.4% (2005 est.)

Liechtenstein

NA%

Lithuania

4% (2003)

Luxembourg

NA%

Macau

NA%

Macedonia

29.8% (2006)

Madagascar

50% (2004 est.)

Malawi

53% (2004)

Malaysia

5.1% (2002 est.)

Maldives

21% (2004)

Mali

36.1% (2005 est.)

Malta

NA%

Marshall Islands

NA%

Mauritania

40% (2004 est.)

Mauritius

8% (2006 est.)

Mayotte

NA%

Mexico

13.8% using food-based definition of poverty; asset based

poverty amounted to more than 40% (2006)

Micronesia, Federated States of

26.7% (2000)

Moldova

29.5% (2005)

Monaco

NA%

Mongolia

36.1% (2004)

Montenegro

7% (2007 est.)

Montserrat

NA%

Morocco

15% (2007 est.)

Mozambique

70% (2001 est.)

Namibia

the UNDP's 2005 Human Development Report indicated that

34.9% of the population live on $1 per day and 55.8% live on $2 per

day

Nauru

NA%

Nepal

30.9% (2004)

Netherlands

10.5% (2005)

Netherlands Antilles

NA%

New Caledonia

NA%

New Zealand

NA%

Nicaragua

48% (2005)

Niger

63% (1993 est.)

Nigeria

70% (2007 est.)

Niue

NA%

Northern Mariana Islands

NA%

Norway

NA%

Oman

NA%

Pakistan

24% (FY05/06 est.)

Palau

NA%

Panama

37% (1999 est.)

Papua New Guinea

37% (2002 est.)

Paraguay

32% (2005 est.)

Peru

44.5% (2006)

Philippines

30% (2003 est.)

Poland

17% (2003 est.)

Portugal

18% (2006)

Puerto Rico

NA%

Qatar

NA%

Romania

25% (2005 est.)

Russia

15.8% (November 2007)

Rwanda

60% (2001 est.)

Saint Helena

NA%

Saint Kitts and Nevis

NA%

Saint Lucia

NA%

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

NA%

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

NA%

Samoa

NA%

San Marino

NA%

Sao Tome and Principe

54% (2004 est.)

Saudi Arabia

NA%

Senegal

54% (2001 est.)

Serbia

6.5% (2007 est.)

Seychelles

NA%

Sierra Leone

70.2% (2004)

Singapore

NA%

Slovakia

21% (2002)

Slovenia

12.9% (2004)

Solomon Islands

NA%

Somalia

NA%

South Africa

50% (2000 est.)

Spain

19.8% (2005)

Sri Lanka

22% (2002 est.)

Sudan

40% (2004 est.)

Suriname

70% (2002 est.)

Swaziland

69% (2006)

Sweden

NA%

Switzerland

NA%

Syria

11.9% (2006 est.)

Taiwan

0.95% (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

60% (2007 est.)

Tanzania

36% (2002 est.)

Thailand

10% (2004 est.)

Timor-Leste

42% (2003 est.)

Togo

32% (1989 est.)

Tokelau

NA%

Tonga

24% (FY03/04)

Trinidad and Tobago

17% (2007 est.)

Tunisia

7.4% (2005 est.)

Turkey

20% (2002)

Turkmenistan

30% (2004 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

NA%

Tuvalu

NA%

Uganda

35% (2001 est.)

Ukraine

37.7% (2003)

United Arab Emirates

19.5% (2003)

United Kingdom

14% (2006 est.)

United States

12% (2004 est.)

Uruguay

27.4% of households (2006)

Uzbekistan

33% (2004 est.)

Vanuatu

NA%

Venezuela

37.9% (end 2005 est.)

Vietnam

14.8% (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

28.9% (2002)

Wallis and Futuna

NA%

West Bank

46% (2007 est.)

Western Sahara

NA%

Yemen

45.2% (2003)

Zambia

86% (1993)

Zimbabwe

68% (2004)

This page was last updated on 13 November 2008

======================================================================

@2047 Household income or consumption by percentage share (%)

Afghanistan

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Albania

lowest 10%: 3.4%

highest 10%: 24.4% (2004)

Algeria

lowest 10%: 2.8%

highest 10%: 26.8% (1995)

American Samoa

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Andorra

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Angola

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Anguilla

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Antigua and Barbuda

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Argentina

lowest 10%: 1%

highest 10%: 35% (January-March 2007)

Armenia

lowest 10%: 1.6%

highest 10%: 41.3% (2004)

Aruba

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Australia

lowest 10%: 2%

highest 10%: 25.4% (1994)

Austria

lowest 10%: 3.3%

highest 10%: 22.5% (2004)

Azerbaijan

lowest 10%: 3.1%

highest 10%: 29.5% (2001)

Bahamas, The

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: 27% (2000)

Bahrain

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Bangladesh

lowest 10%: 3.7%

highest 10%: 27.9% (2000)

Barbados

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Belarus

lowest 10%: 3.4%

highest 10%: 23.5% (2002)

Belgium

lowest 10%: 3.4%

highest 10%: 28.4% (2006)

Belize

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Benin

lowest 10%: 3.1%

highest 10%: 29% (2003)

Bermuda

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Bhutan

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Bolivia

lowest 10%: 0.3%

highest 10%: 47.2% (2002)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

lowest 10%: 3.9%

highest 10%: 21.4% (2001)

Botswana

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Brazil

lowest 10%: 0.9%

highest 10%: 44.8% (2004)

British Virgin Islands

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Brunei

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Bulgaria

lowest 10%: 2.9%

highest 10%: 25.4% (2005)

Burkina Faso

lowest 10%: 2.8%

highest 10%: 32.2% (2004)

Burma

lowest 10%: 2.8%

highest 10%: 32.4% (1998)

Burundi

lowest 10%: 1.7%

highest 10%: 32.8% (1998)

Cambodia

lowest 10%: 2.9%

highest 10%: 34.8% (2004)

Cameroon

lowest 10%: 2.3%

highest 10%: 35.4% (2001)

Canada

lowest 10%: 2.6%

highest 10%: 24.8% (2000)

Cape Verde

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Cayman Islands

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Central African Republic

lowest 10%: 0.7%

highest 10%: 47.7% (1993)

Chad

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Chile

lowest 10%: 1.4%

highest 10%: 45% (2003)

China

lowest 10%: 1.6%

highest 10%: 34.9% (2004)

Colombia

lowest 10%: 7.9%

highest 10%: 34.3% (2004)

Comoros

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Congo, Republic of the

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Cook Islands

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Costa Rica

lowest 10%: 1%

highest 10%: 37.4% (2003)

Cote d'Ivoire

lowest 10%: 2%

highest 10%: 34% (2002)

Croatia

lowest 10%: 3.4%

highest 10%: 24.5% (2003 est.)

Cuba

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Cyprus

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Czech Republic

lowest 10%: 4.3%

highest 10%: 22.4% (1996)

Denmark

lowest 10%: 2%

highest 10%: 24% (2000 est.)

Djibouti

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Dominica

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Dominican Republic

lowest 10%: 1.4%

highest 10%: 41.1% (2004)

Ecuador

lowest 10%: 2%

highest 10%: 35%

note: data for urban households only (October 2006)

Egypt

lowest 10%: 3.7%

highest 10%: 29.5% (2000)

El Salvador

lowest 10%: 0.7%

highest 10%: 38.8% (2002)

Equatorial Guinea

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Eritrea

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Estonia

lowest 10%: 2.5%

highest 10%: 27.6% (2003)

Ethiopia

lowest 10%: 3.9%

highest 10%: 25.5% (2000)

European Union

lowest 10%: 2.8%

highest 10%: 25.2% (2001 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Faroe Islands

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Fiji

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Finland

lowest 10%: 4%

highest 10%: 22.6% (2000)

France

lowest 10%: 3%

highest 10%: 24.8% (2004)

French Polynesia

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Gabon

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Gambia, The

lowest 10%: 1.8%

highest 10%: 37% (1998)

Gaza Strip

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Georgia

lowest 10%: 2.4%

highest 10%: 27% (2005)

Germany

lowest 10%: 3.2%

highest 10%: 22.1% (2000)

Ghana

lowest 10%: 2.2%

highest 10%: 30.1% (1999)

Gibraltar

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Greece

lowest 10%: 2.5%

highest 10%: 26% (2000 est.)

Greenland

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Grenada

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Guam

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Guatemala

lowest 10%: 0.9%

highest 10%: 43.4% (2002)

Guernsey

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Guinea

lowest 10%: 1.9%

highest 10%: 41% (2006)

Guinea-Bissau

lowest 10%: 0.5%

highest 10%: 42.4% (1991)

Guyana

lowest 10%: 1.3%

highest 10%: 33.8% (1999)

Haiti

lowest 10%: 0.7%

highest 10%: 47.7% (2001)

Honduras

lowest 10%: 1.2%

highest 10%: 42.2% (2003)

Hong Kong

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Hungary

lowest 10%: 4%

highest 10%: 22.2% (2002)

Iceland

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

India

lowest 10%: 3.6%

highest 10%: 31.1% (2004)

Indonesia

lowest 10%: 3.6%

highest 10%: 28.5% (2002)

Iran

lowest 10%: 2%

highest 10%: 33.7% (1998)

Iraq

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Ireland

lowest 10%: 2.9%

highest 10%: 27.2% (2000)

Isle of Man

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Israel

lowest 10%: 2.4%

highest 10%: 28.3% (2005)

Italy

lowest 10%: 2.3%

highest 10%: 26.8% (2000)

Jamaica

lowest 10%: 2.1%

highest 10%: 35.8% (2004)

Japan

lowest 10%: 4.8%

highest 10%: 21.7% (1993)

Jersey

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Jordan

lowest 10%: 2.7%

highest 10%: 30.6% (2003)

Kazakhstan

lowest 10%: 3.3%

highest 10%: 26.5% (2004 est.)

Kenya

lowest 10%: 2%

highest 10%: 37.2% (2000)

Kiribati

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Korea, North

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Korea, South

lowest 10%: 2.9%

highest 10%: 25% (2005 est.)

Kuwait

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Kyrgyzstan

lowest 10%: 3.8%

highest 10%: 24.3% (2003)

Laos

lowest 10%: 3.4%

highest 10%: 28.5% (2002)

Latvia

lowest 10%: 2.5%

highest 10%: 29.1% (2003)

Lebanon

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Lesotho

lowest 10%: 0.9%

highest 10%: 43.4% (2002 est.)

Liberia

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Libya

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Liechtenstein

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Lithuania

lowest 10%: 2.7%

highest 10%: 27.7% (2003)

Luxembourg

lowest 10%: 3.5%

highest 10%: 23.8% (2000)

Macau

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Macedonia

lowest 10%: 2.4%

highest 10%: 29.6% (2003)

Madagascar

lowest 10%: 1.9%

highest 10%: 36.6% (2001)

Malawi

lowest 10%: 2.9%

highest 10%: 31.8% (2004)

Malaysia

lowest 10%: 1.4%

highest 10%: 39.2% (2003 est.)

Maldives

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Mali

lowest 10%: 2.4%

highest 10%: 30.2% (2001)

Malta

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Marshall Islands

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Mauritania

lowest 10%: 2.5%

highest 10%: 29.5% (2000)

Mauritius

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Mayotte

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Mexico

lowest 10%: 1.2%

highest 10%: 37% (2006)

Micronesia, Federated States of

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Moldova

lowest 10%: 3.2%

highest 10%: 26.4% (2003)

Monaco

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Mongolia

lowest 10%: 3%

highest 10%: 24.6% (2002)

Montserrat

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Morocco

lowest 10%: 2.6%

highest 10%: 30.9% (1999)

Mozambique

lowest 10%: 2.1%

highest 10%: 39.4% (2002)

Namibia

lowest 10%: 0.5%

highest 10%: 64.5% (2003)

Nauru

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Nepal

lowest 10%: 2.6%

highest 10%: 40.6% (2004)

Netherlands

lowest 10%: 2.5%

highest 10%: 22.9% (1999)

Netherlands Antilles

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

New Caledonia

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

New Zealand

lowest 10%: %NA

highest 10%: %NA

Nicaragua

lowest 10%: 2.2%

highest 10%: 33.8% (2001)

Niger

lowest 10%: 0.8%

highest 10%: 35.4% (1995)

Nigeria

lowest 10%: 1.9%

highest 10%: 33.2% (2003)

Niue

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Northern Mariana Islands

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Norway

lowest 10%: 3.9%

highest 10%: 23.4% (2000)

Oman

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Pakistan

lowest 10%: 4%

highest 10%: 26.3% (2002)

Palau

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Panama

lowest 10%: 0.7%

highest 10%: 43% (2003)

Papua New Guinea

lowest 10%: 1.7%

highest 10%: 40.5% (1996)

Paraguay

lowest 10%: 0.7%

highest 10%: 46.1% (2003)

Peru

lowest 10%: 1.3%

highest 10%: 40.9% (2003)

Philippines

lowest 10%: 2.4%

highest 10%: 31.2% (2006)

Poland

lowest 10%: 3.1%

highest 10%: 27% (2002)

Portugal

lowest 10%: 3.1%

highest 10%: 28.4% (1995 est.)

Puerto Rico

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Qatar

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Romania

lowest 10%: 1.2%

highest 10%: 20.8% (2006)

Russia

lowest 10%: 1.9%

highest 10%: 30.4% (September 2007)

Rwanda

lowest 10%: 2.1%

highest 10%: 38.2% (2000)

Saint Helena

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Saint Kitts and Nevis

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Saint Lucia

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Samoa

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

San Marino

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Sao Tome and Principe

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Saudi Arabia

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Senegal

lowest 10%: 2.7%

highest 10%: 33.4% (2001)

Seychelles

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Sierra Leone

lowest 10%: 0.5%

highest 10%: 43.6% (1989)

Singapore

lowest 10%: 1.9%

highest 10%: 32.8% (1998)

Slovakia

lowest 10%: 3.1%

highest 10%: 20.9% (1996)

Slovenia

lowest 10%: 3.6%

highest 10%: 21.4% (1998)

Solomon Islands

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Somalia

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

South Africa

lowest 10%: 1.4%

highest 10%: 44.7% (2000)

Spain

lowest 10%: 2.6%

highest 10%: 26.6% (2000)

Sri Lanka

lowest 10%: 1.1%

highest 10%: 39.7% (FY03/04)

Sudan

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Suriname

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Swaziland

lowest 10%: 1.6%

highest 10%: 40.7% (2001)

Sweden

lowest 10%: 3.6%

highest 10%: 22.2% (2000)

Switzerland

lowest 10%: 2.9%

highest 10%: 25.9% (2000)

Syria

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Taiwan

lowest 10%: 6.7%

highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)

Tajikistan

lowest 10%: 3.3%

highest 10%: 25.6% (2007 est.)

Tanzania

lowest 10%: 2.9%

highest 10%: 26.9% (2000)

Thailand

lowest 10%: 2.7%

highest 10%: 33.4% (2002)

Timor-Leste

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Togo

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Tonga

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Trinidad and Tobago

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Tunisia

lowest 10%: 2.3%

highest 10%: 31.5% (2000)

Turkey

lowest 10%: 2%

highest 10%: 34.1% (2003)

Turkmenistan

lowest 10%: 2.6%

highest 10%: 31.7% (1998)

Turks and Caicos Islands

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Tuvalu

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Uganda

lowest 10%: 2.3%

highest 10%: 37.7% (2002)

Ukraine

lowest 10%: 3.4%

highest 10%: 25.7% (2006)

United Arab Emirates

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

United Kingdom

lowest 10%: 2.1%

highest 10%: 28.5% (1999)

United States

lowest 10%: 2%

highest 10%: 30% (2007 est.)

Uruguay

lowest 10%: 1.9%

highest 10%: 34% (2003)

Uzbekistan

lowest 10%: 2.8%

highest 10%: 29.6% (2003)

Vanuatu

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Venezuela

lowest 10%: 0.7%

highest 10%: 35.2% (2003)

Vietnam

lowest 10%: 2.9%

highest 10%: 28.9% (2004)

Virgin Islands

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Wallis and Futuna

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

West Bank

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Western Sahara

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

World

lowest 10%: 2.5%

highest 10%: 29.8% (2002 est.)

Yemen

lowest 10%: 3%

highest 10%: 25.9% (2003)

Zambia

lowest 10%: 1.2%

highest 10%: 38.8% (2004)

Zimbabwe

lowest 10%: 2%

highest 10%: 40.4% (1995)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2048 Labor force - by occupation (%)

Afghanistan

agriculture: 80%

industry: 10%

services: 10% (2004 est.)

Albania

agriculture: 58%

industry: 15%

services: 27% (September 2006 est.)

Algeria

agriculture 14%, industry 13.4%, construction and public

works 10%, trade 14.6%, government 32%, other 16% (2003 est.)

American Samoa

agriculture: 34%

industry: 33%

services: 33% (1990)

Andorra

agriculture: 0.3%

industry: 20.3%

services: 79.4% (2005)

Angola

agriculture: 85%

industry and services: 15% (2003 est.)

Anguilla

agriculture/fishing/forestry/mining 4%, manufacturing 3%,

construction 18%, transportation and utilities 10%, commerce 36%,

services 29% (2000 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

agriculture: 7%

industry: 11%

services: 82% (1983)

Argentina

agriculture: 1%

industry: 23%

services: 76% (2007 est.)

Armenia

agriculture: 46.2%

industry: 15.6%

services: 38.2% (2006 est.)

Aruba

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

note: most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair,

followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining

Australia

agriculture: 3.6%

industry: 21.2%

services: 75.2% (2004 est.)

Austria

agriculture: 3%

industry: 27%

services: 70% (2005 est.)

Azerbaijan

agriculture: 41%

industry: 7%

services: 52% (2001)

Bahamas, The

agriculture 5%, industry 5%, tourism 50%, other

services 40% (2005 est.)

Bahrain

agriculture: 1%

industry: 79%

services: 20% (1997 est.)

Bangladesh

agriculture: 63%

industry: 11%

services: 26% (FY95/96)

Barbados

agriculture: 10%

industry: 15%

services: 75% (1996 est.)

Belarus

agriculture: 14%

industry: 34.7%

services: 51.3% (2003 est.)

Belgium

agriculture: 2%

industry: 25%

services: 73% (2007 est.)

Belize

agriculture: 22.5%

industry: 15.2%

services: 62.3% (2005 est.)

Bermuda

agriculture and fishing 3%, laborers 17%, clerical 19%,

professional and technical 21%, administrative and managerial 15%,

sales 7%, services 19% (2004 est.)

Bhutan

agriculture: 63%

industry: 6%

services: 31% (2004 est.)

Bolivia

agriculture: 40%

industry: 17%

services: 43% (2006 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Botswana

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Brazil

agriculture: 20%

industry: 14%

services: 66% (2003 est.)

British Virgin Islands

agriculture: 0.6%

industry: 40%

services: 59.4% (2005)

Brunei

agriculture: 2.9%

industry: 61.1%

services: 36% (2003 est.)

Bulgaria

agriculture: 8.5%

industry: 33.6%

services: 57.9% (2nd qtr. 2006 est.)

Burkina Faso

agriculture: 90%

industry and services: 10% (2000 est.)

Burma

agriculture: 70%

industry: 7%

services: 23% (2001)

Burundi

agriculture: 93.6%

industry: 2.3%

services: 4.1% (2002 est.)

Cambodia

agriculture: 75%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Cameroon

agriculture: 70%

industry: 13%

services: 17% (2001 est.)

Canada

agriculture 2%, manufacturing 13%, construction 6%, services

76%, other 3% (2006)

Cayman Islands

agriculture: 1.4%

industry: 12.6%

services: 86% (1995)

Chad

agriculture: 80% (subsistence farming, herding, and fishing)

industry and services: 20% (2006 est.)

Chile

agriculture: 13.6%

industry: 23.4%

services: 63% (2003)

China

agriculture: 43%

industry: 25%

services: 32% (2006 est.)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

note: the Cocos Islands Cooperative Society

Ltd. employs construction workers, stevedores, and lighterage

workers; tourism employs others

Colombia

agriculture: 22.7%

industry: 18.7%

services: 58.5% (2000 est.)

Comoros agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (1996 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Cook Islands

agriculture: 29%

industry: 15%

services: 56% (1995)

Costa Rica

agriculture: 14%

industry: 22%

services: 64% (2006 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

agriculture: 68%

industry and services: NA (2007 est.)

Croatia

agriculture: 2.7%

industry: 32.8%

services: 64.5% (2004)

Cuba

agriculture: 20%

industry: 19.4%

services: 60.6% (2005)

Cyprus

agriculture: 8.5%

industry: 20.5%

services: 71% (2006 est.)

Czech Republic

agriculture: 4.1%

industry: 37.6%

services: 58.3% (2003)

Denmark

agriculture: 3%

industry: 21%

services: 76% (2004 est.)

Djibouti

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Dominica

agriculture: 40%

industry: 32%

services: 28% (2000 est.)

Dominican Republic

agriculture: 17%

industry: 24.3%

services: 58.7% (1998 est.)

Ecuador

agriculture: 8%

industry: 24%

services: 68% (2001)

Egypt

agriculture: 32%

industry: 17%

services: 51% (2001 est.)

El Salvador

agriculture: 19%

industry: 23%

services: 58% (2006 est.)

Eritrea agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2004 est.)

Estonia

agriculture: 11%

industry: 20%

services: 69% (1999 est.)

Ethiopia

agriculture: 80%

industry: 8%

services: 12% (1985)

European Union agriculture: 4.4% industry: 27.1% services: 67.1% note: the remainder is in miscellaneous public and private sector industries and services (2002 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

agriculture: 95% (mostly

sheepherding and fishing)

industry and services: 5% (1996)

Faroe Islands

agriculture: 33%

industry: 33%

services: 34% (October 2000)

Fiji

agriculture: 70%

industry and services: 30% (2001 est.)

Finland

agriculture and forestry 4.4%, industry 18.6%, construction

6%, commerce 16.3%, finance, insurance, and business services 13.9%,

transport and communications 7.6%, public services 33.2% (2004)

France

agriculture: 4.1%

industry: 24.4%

services: 71.5% (1999)

French Polynesia

agriculture: 13%

industry: 19%

services: 68% (2002)

Gabon

agriculture: 60%

industry: 15%

services: 25%

Gambia, The

agriculture: 75%

industry: 19%

services: 6% (1996)

Gaza Strip

agriculture: 12%

industry: 18%

services: 70% (2005)

Georgia

agriculture: 55.6%

industry: 8.9%

services: 35.5% (2006 est.)

Germany

agriculture: 2.8%

industry: 33.4%

services: 63.8% (1999)

Ghana

agriculture: 56%

industry: 15%

services: 29% (2005 est.)

Gibraltar

agriculture: negligible

industry: 40%

services: 60% (2001)

Greece

agriculture: 12%

industry: 20%

services: 68% (2004 est.)

Grenada

agriculture: 24%

industry: 14%

services: 62% (1999 est.)

Guam

agriculture: 26%

industry: 10%

services: 64% (2004 est.)

Guatemala

agriculture: 50%

industry: 15%

services: 35% (1999 est.)

Guinea

agriculture: 76%

industry and services: 24% (2006 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

agriculture: 82%

industry and services: 18% (2000 est.)

Guyana

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Haiti

agriculture: 66%

industry: 9%

services: 25% (1995)

Holy See (Vatican City)

note: essentially services with a small

amount of industry; nearly all dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards,

and the approximately 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican

Honduras

agriculture: 34%

industry: 23%

services: 43% (2003 est.)

Hong Kong

manufacturing 6.5%, construction 2.1%, wholesale and

retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 43.3%, financing, insurance,

and real estate 20.7%, transport and communications 7.8%, community

and social services 19.5%

note: above data exclude public sector (2007 est.)

Hungary

agriculture: 5.5%

industry: 33.3%

services: 61.2% (2003)

Iceland

agriculture: 5.1%

industry: 23%

services: 71.8% (2005)

India

agriculture: 60%

industry: 12%

services: 28% (2003)

Indonesia

agriculture: 43.3%

industry: 18%

services: 38.7% (2004 est.)

Iran

agriculture: 25%

industry: 31%

services: 45% (June 2007)

Iraq

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Ireland

agriculture: 6%

industry: 27%

services: 67% (2006 est.)

Isle of Man

agriculture, forestry, and fishing 3%, manufacturing

11%, construction 10%, transport and communication 8%, wholesale and

retail distribution 11%, professional and scientific services 18%,

public administration 6%, banking and finance 18%, tourism 2%,

entertainment and catering 3%, miscellaneous services 10% (2001)

Israel

agriculture 18.5%, industry 23.7%, services 50%, other 7.8%

(2002)

Italy

agriculture: 5%

industry: 32%

services: 63% (2001)

Jamaica

agriculture: 17%

industry: 19%

services: 64% (2006)

Japan

agriculture: 4.6%

industry: 27.8%

services: 67.7% (2004)

Jordan

agriculture: 5%

industry: 12.5%

services: 82.5% (2001 est.)

Kazakhstan

agriculture: 32.2%

industry: 18%

services: 49.8% (2005)

Kenya

agriculture: 75%

industry and services: 25% (2003 est.)

Kiribati agriculture: 2.7% industry: 32% services: 65.3% (2000)

Korea, North agriculture: 37% industry and services: 63% (2004 est.)

Korea, South

agriculture: 7.5%

industry: 17.3%

services: 75.2% (2007)

Kosovo

agriculture: 21.4%

industry: NA

services: NA (2006 est,)

Kuwait

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Kyrgyzstan

agriculture: 55%

industry: 15%

services: 30% (2000 est.)

Laos

agriculture: 80%

industry and services: 20% (2005 est.)

Latvia

agriculture: 13%

industry: 19%

services: 68% (2005 est.)

Lebanon

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Lesotho

agriculture: 86% of resident population engaged in

subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners

work in South Africa

industry and services: 14% (2002 est.)

Liberia

agriculture: 70%

industry: 8%

services: 22% (2000 est.)

Libya

agriculture: 17%

industry: 23%

services: 59% (2004 est.)

Liechtenstein

agriculture: 2%

industry: 47%

services: 51% (31 December 2001)

Lithuania

agriculture: 15.8%

industry: 28.2%

services: 56% (2004)

Luxembourg

agriculture: 1%

industry: 13%

services: 86% (2004 est.)

Macau

manufacturing 11.1%, construction 11.7%, transport and

communications 6.3%, wholesale and retail trade 13.7%, restaurants

and hotels 11.3%, gambling 19.8%, public sector 7.7%, financial

services 2.6%, other services and agriculture 15.7% (2006)

Macedonia agriculture: 19.6% industry: 30.4% services: 50% (September 2007)

Malawi agriculture: 90% industry and services: 10% (2003 est.)

Malaysia

agriculture: 13%

industry: 36%

services: 51% (2005 est.)

Maldives

agriculture: 22%

industry: 18%

services: 60% (1995)

Mali

agriculture: 80%

industry and services: 20% (2005 est.)

Malta

agriculture: 3%

industry: 22%

services: 75% (2005 est.)

Marshall Islands

agriculture: 21.4%

industry: 20.9%

services: 57.7% (2000)

Mauritania

agriculture: 50%

industry: 10%

services: 40% (2001 est.)

Mauritius

agriculture and fishing 9%, construction and industry 30%,

transportation and communication 7%, trade, restaurants, hotels 22%,

finance 6%, other services 25% (2007)

Mexico

agriculture: 18%

industry: 24%

services: 58% (2003)

Micronesia, Federated States of agriculture: 0.9% industry: 34.4% services: 64.7% note: two-thirds are government employees (FY05 est.)

Moldova

agriculture: 40.7%

industry: 12.1%

services: 47.2% (2005)

Mongolia

agriculture: 39.9%

industry: 11.7%

services: 49.4% (2006)

Montenegro

agriculture: 2%

industry: 30%

services: 68% (2004 est.)

Morocco

agriculture: 40%

industry: 15%

services: 45% (2003 est.)

Mozambique

agriculture: 81%

industry: 6%

services: 13% (1997 est.)

Namibia

agriculture: 47%

industry: 20%

services: 33% (1999 est.)

Nauru

note: employed in mining phosphates, public administration,

education, and transportation (1992)

Nepal

agriculture: 76%

industry: 6%

services: 18% (2004 est.)

Netherlands

agriculture: 3%

industry: 21%

services: 76% (2005 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

agriculture: 1%

industry: 20%

services: 79% (2005 est.)

New Caledonia

agriculture: 20%

industry: 20%

services: 60% (2002)

New Zealand

agriculture: 7%

industry: 19%

services: 74% (2006 est.)

Nicaragua

agriculture: 29%

industry: 19%

services: 52% (2006 est.)

Niger

agriculture: 90%

industry: 6%

services: 4% (1995)

Nigeria

agriculture: 70%

industry: 10%

services: 20% (1999 est.)

Niue

note: most work on family plantations; paid work exists only in

government service, small industry, and the Niue Development Board

Norfolk Island

agriculture: 10%

industry and services: 90%

Northern Mariana Islands

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Norway

agriculture: 4%

industry: 22%

services: 74% (1995)

Oman

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Pakistan

agriculture: 42%

industry: 20%

services: 38% (2004 est.)

Palau

agriculture: 20%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Panama

agriculture: 15%

industry: 18%

services: 67% (2006)

Papua New Guinea

agriculture: 85%

industry: NA%

services: NA% (2005 est.)

Paraguay

agriculture: 31%

industry: 17%

services: 52% (2007)

Peru

agriculture: 9%

industry: 18%

services: 73% (2001)

Philippines

agriculture: 35%

industry: 15%

services: 50% (2007 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

note: no business community in the usual sense;

some public works; subsistence farming and fishing

Poland

agriculture: 16.1%

industry: 29%

services: 54.9% (2002)

Portugal

agriculture: 10%

industry: 30%

services: 60% (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

agriculture: 3%

industry: 20%

services: 77% (2000 est.)

Romania

agriculture: 29.7%

industry: 23.2%

services: 47.1% (2006)

Russia

agriculture: 10.8%

industry: 28.8%

services: 60.5% (November 2007 est.)

Rwanda agriculture: 90% industry and services: 10% (2000)

Saint Helena

agriculture: 6%

industry: 48%

services: 46% (1987 est.)

Saint Lucia

agriculture: 21.7%

industry: 24.7%

services: 53.6% (2002 est.)

Saint Martin

85% directly or indirectly employed in tourist industry

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

agriculture: 18%

industry: 41%

services: 41% (1996 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

agriculture: 26%

industry: 17%

services: 57% (1980 est.)

Samoa

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

San Marino

agriculture: 0.2%

industry: 40.1%

services: 59.7% (2006 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe note: population mainly engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing; shortages of skilled workers

Saudi Arabia agriculture: 12% industry: 25% services: 63% (1999 est.)

Senegal agriculture: 77.5% industry and services: 22.5% (2007 est.)

Serbia

agriculture: 30%

industry: 46%

services: 24% (2002)

Seychelles

agriculture: 3%

industry: 23%

services: 74% (2006)

Sierra Leone

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Singapore

manufacturing 21%, construction 5%, transportation and

communication 7%, financial, business, and other services 42%, other

25% (2006)

Slovakia

agriculture 5.8%, industry 29.3%, construction 9%, services

55.9% (2003)

Slovenia

agriculture: 2.5%

industry: 36%

services: 61.5% (2007)

Solomon Islands

agriculture: 75%

industry: 5%

services: 20% (2000 est.)

Somalia agriculture: 71% industry and services: 29% (1975)

South Africa

agriculture: 9%

industry: 26%

services: 65% (2007 est.)

Spain

agriculture: 5.3%

industry: 30.1%

services: 64.6% (2004 est.)

Sri Lanka

agriculture: 34.3%

industry: 25.3%

services: 40.4% (30 June 2006 est.)

Sudan

agriculture: 80%

industry: 7%

services: 13% (1998 est.)

Suriname

agriculture: 8%

industry: 14%

services: 78% (2004)

Swaziland

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Sweden

agriculture: 2%

industry: 24%

services: 74% (2000 est.)

Switzerland

agriculture: 4.6%

industry: 26.3%

services: 69.1% (1998)

Syria

agriculture: 19.2%

industry: 14.5%

services: 66.3% (2006 est.)

Taiwan

agriculture: 5.3%

industry: 36.8%

services: 57.9% (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

agriculture: 67.2%

industry: 7.5%

services: 25.3% (2000 est.)

Tanzania agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2002 est.)

Thailand

agriculture: 49%

industry: 14%

services: 37% (2000 est.)

Timor-Leste

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Togo

agriculture: 65%

industry: 5%

services: 30% (1998 est.)

Tonga

agriculture: 65%

industry and services: 35% (1997 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

agriculture 4%, manufacturing, mining, and

quarrying 12.9%, construction and utilities 17.5%, services 65.6%

(2006 est.)

Tunisia

agriculture: 55%

industry: 23%

services: 22% (1995 est.)

Turkey

agriculture: 35.9%

industry: 22.8%

services: 41.2% (3rd quarter, 2004)

Turkmenistan

agriculture: 48.2%

industry: 14%

services: 37.8% (2004 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

note: about 33% in government and 20% in

agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial,

and other services

Tuvalu

note: people make a living mainly through exploitation of the

sea, reefs, and atolls and from wages sent home by those abroad

(mostly workers in the phosphate industry and sailors)

Uganda

agriculture: 82%

industry: 5%

services: 13% (1999 est.)

Ukraine

agriculture: 25%

industry: 20%

services: 55% (1996)

United Arab Emirates

agriculture: 7%

industry: 15%

services: 78% (2000 est.)

United Kingdom

agriculture: 1.4%

industry: 18.2%

services: 80.4% (2006 est.)

United States

farming, forestry, and fishing 0.6%, manufacturing,

extraction, transportation, and crafts 22.6%, managerial,

professional, and technical 35.5%, sales and office 24.8%, other

services 16.5%

note: figures exclude the unemployed (2007)

Uruguay

agriculture: 9%

industry: 15%

services: 76% (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

agriculture: 44%

industry: 20%

services: 36% (1995)

Vanuatu

agriculture: 65%

industry: 5%

services: 30% (2000 est.)

Venezuela

agriculture: 13%

industry: 23%

services: 64% (1997 est.)

Vietnam

agriculture: 55.6%

industry: 18.9%

services: 25.5% (July 2005)

Virgin Islands

agriculture: 1%

industry: 19%

services: 80% (2003 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

agriculture: 80%

industry: 4%

services: 16% (2001 est.)

West Bank

agriculture: 18%

industry: 15%

services: 67% (2006)

Western Sahara

agriculture: 50%

industry and services: 50% (2005 est.)

World

agriculture: 40.2%

industry: 20.5%

services: 39.4% (2007 est.)

Yemen

note: most people are employed in agriculture and herding;

services, construction, industry, and commerce account for less than

one-fourth of the labor force

Zambia

agriculture: 85%

industry: 6%

services: 9% (2004)

Zimbabwe

agriculture: 66%

industry: 10%

services: 24% (1996)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

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@2049 Exports - commodities (%)

Afghanistan

opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton,

hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems

Albania

textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores,

crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco

Algeria

petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97%

American Samoa

canned tuna 93% (2004 est.)

Andorra

tobacco products, furniture

Angola

crude oil, diamonds, refined petroleum products, gas, coffee,

sisal, fish and fish products, timber, cotton

Anguilla

lobster, fish, livestock, salt, concrete blocks, rum

Antigua and Barbuda

petroleum products, bedding, handicrafts,

electronic components, transport equipment, food and live animals

Argentina

soybeans and derivatives, petroleum and gas, vehicles,

corn, wheat

Armenia

pig iron, unwrought copper, nonferrous metals, diamonds,

mineral products, foodstuffs, energy

Aruba

live animals and animal products, art and collectibles,

machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment

Australia

coal, iron ore, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat,

machinery and transport equipment

Austria

machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and

paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles,

foodstuffs

Azerbaijan

oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs

Bahamas, The

mineral products and salt, animal products, rum,

chemicals, fruit and vegetables

Bahrain

petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles

Bangladesh

garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and

seafood

Barbados

manufactures, sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and

beverages, chemicals, electrical components

Belarus

machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals,

metals, textiles, foodstuffs

Belgium

machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and

metal products, foodstuffs

Belize

sugar, bananas, citrus, clothing, fish products, molasses,

wood

Benin

cotton, cashews, shea butter, textiles, palm products, seafood

Bermuda

reexports of pharmaceuticals

Bhutan

electricity (to India), cardamom, gypsum, timber,

handicrafts, cement, fruit, precious stones, spices

Bolivia

natural gas, soybeans and soy products, crude petroleum,

zinc ore, tin

Bosnia and Herzegovina

metals, clothing, wood products

Botswana

diamonds, copper, nickel, soda ash, meat, textiles

Brazil

transport equipment, iron ore, soybeans, footwear, coffee,

autos

British Virgin Islands

rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand

Brunei

crude oil, natural gas, refined products, clothing

Bulgaria

clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and

equipment, fuels

Burkina Faso

cotton, livestock, gold

Burma

natural gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice,

clothing, jade and gems

Burundi

coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides

Cambodia

clothing, timber, rubber, rice, fish, tobacco, footwear

Cameroon

crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans,

aluminum, coffee, cotton

Canada

motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft,

telecommunications equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood

pulp, timber, crude petroleum, natural gas, electricity, aluminum

Cape Verde

fuel, shoes, garments, fish, hides

Cayman Islands

turtle products, manufactured consumer goods

Central African Republic

diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco

Chad

oil, cattle, cotton, gum arabic

Chile

copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, chemicals, wine

China

machinery, electrical products, data processing equipment,

apparel, textile, steel, mobile phones

Christmas Island

phosphate

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

copra

Colombia

petroleum, coffee, coal, nickel, emeralds, apparel,

bananas, cut flowers

Comoros

vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), cloves, copra

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

diamonds, copper, crude oil,

coffee, cobalt

Congo, Republic of the

petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa,

coffee, diamonds

Cook Islands

copra, papayas, fresh and canned citrus fruit, coffee;

fish; pearls and pearl shells; clothing

Costa Rica

bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants,

sugar; seafood; electronic components, medical equipment

Cote d'Ivoire

cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas,

pineapples, palm oil, fish

Croatia

transport equipment, textiles, chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels

Cuba

sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee

Cyprus

citrus, potatoes, pharmaceuticals, cement, and clothing

Czech Republic

machinery and transport equipment 52%, raw materials

and fuel 9%, chemicals 5% (2003)

Denmark

machinery and instruments, meat and meat products, dairy

products, fish, pharmaceuticals, furniture, windmills

Djibouti

reexports, hides and skins, coffee (in transit)

Dominica

bananas, soap, bay oil, vegetables, grapefruit, oranges

Dominican Republic

ferronickel, sugar, gold, silver, coffee, cocoa,

tobacco, meats, consumer goods

Ecuador

petroleum, bananas, cut flowers, shrimp, cacao, coffee,

hemp, wood, fish

Egypt

crude oil and petroleum products, cotton, textiles, metal

products, chemicals

El Salvador

offshore assembly exports, coffee, sugar, shrimp,

textiles, chemicals, electricity

Equatorial Guinea

petroleum, methanol, timber, cocoa

Eritrea

livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures

Estonia

machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles

14%, food products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001)

Ethiopia

coffee, qat, gold, leather products, live animals, oilseeds

European Union

machinery, motor vehicles, aircraft, plastics,

pharmaceuticals and other chemicals, fuels, iron and steel,

nonferrous metals, wood pulp and paper products, textiles, meat,

dairy products, fish, alcoholic beverages.

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

wool, hides, meat, fish, squid

Faroe Islands

fish and fish products 94%, stamps, ships (1999)

Fiji

sugar, garments, gold, timber, fish, molasses, coconut oil

Finland

machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals; timber, paper,

pulp

France

machinery and transportation equipment, aircraft, plastics,

chemicals, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, beverages

French Polynesia

cultured pearls, coconut products, mother-of-pearl,

vanilla, shark meat

Gabon

crude oil 77%, timber, manganese, uranium (2001)

Gambia, The

peanut products, fish, cotton lint, palm kernels,

re-exports

Gaza Strip

citrus, flowers, textiles

Georgia

scrap metal, wine, mineral water, ores, vehicles, fruits and

nuts

Germany

machinery, vehicles, chemicals, metals and manufactures,

foodstuffs, textiles

Ghana

gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore,

diamonds, horticulture

Gibraltar

(principally reexports) petroleum 51%, manufactured goods

41%, other 8%

Greece

food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products,

chemicals, textiles

Greenland

fish and fish products 94% (prawns 63%) (2001 est.)

Grenada

bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, fruit and vegetables, clothing, mace

Guam

transshipments of refined petroleum products, construction

materials, fish, food and beverage products

Guatemala

coffee, sugar, petroleum, apparel, bananas, fruits and

vegetables, cardamom

Guernsey

tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other

vegetables

Guinea

bauxite, alumina, gold, diamonds, coffee, fish, agricultural

products

Guinea-Bissau

cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, sawn lumber

Guyana

sugar, gold, bauxite, alumina, rice, shrimp, molasses, rum,

timber

Haiti

apparel, manufactures, oils, cocoa, mangoes, coffee

Honduras

coffee, shrimp, bananas, gold, palm oil, fruit, lobster,

lumber

Hong Kong

electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel,

footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones,

printed material

Hungary

machinery and equipment 61.1%, other manufactures 28.7%,

food products 6.5%, raw materials 2%, fuels and electricity 1.6%

(2003)

Iceland

fish and fish products 70%, aluminum, animal products,

ferrosilicon, diatomite

India

petroleum products, textile goods, gems and jewelry,

engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures

Indonesia

oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, textiles,

rubber

Iran

petroleum 80%, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and

nuts, carpets

Iraq

crude oil 84%, crude materials excluding fuels 8%, food and

live animals 5%

Ireland

machinery and equipment, computers, chemicals,

pharmaceuticals; live animals, animal products

Isle of Man

tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb

Israel

machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural

products, chemicals, textiles and apparel

Italy

engineering products, textiles and clothing, production

machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food,

beverages and tobacco; minerals, and nonferrous metals

Jamaica

alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum, coffee, yams,

beverages, chemicals, wearing apparel, mineral fuels

Japan

transport equipment, motor vehicles, semiconductors,

electrical machinery, chemicals

Jersey

light industrial and electrical goods, dairy cattle,

foodstuffs, textiles

Jordan

clothing, pharmaceuticals, potash, phosphates, fertilizers,

vegetables, manufactures;

Kazakhstan

oil and oil products 59%, ferrous metals 19%, chemicals

5%, machinery 3%, grain, wool, meat, coal (2001)

Kenya

tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish,

cement

Kiribati

copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fish

Korea, North

minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures

(including armaments), textiles, agricultural and fishery products

Korea, South

semiconductors, wireless telecommunications equipment,

motor vehicles, computers, steel, ships, petrochemicals

Kosovo

mining and processed metal products, scrap metals, leather

products, machinery, appliances

Kuwait

oil and refined products, fertilizers

Kyrgyzstan

cotton, wool, meat, tobacco; gold, mercury, uranium,

natural gas, hydropower; machinery; shoes

Laos

wood products, coffee, electricity, tin, copper, gold

Latvia

wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals,

textiles, foodstuffs

Lebanon

authentic jewelry, inorganic chemicals, miscellaneous

consumer goods, fruit and vegetables, tobacco, construction

minerals, electric power machinery and switchgear, textile fibers,

paper

Lesotho

manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool

and mohair, food and live animals (2000)

Liberia

rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee

Libya

crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas, chemicals

Liechtenstein

small specialty machinery, connectors for audio and

video, parts for motor vehicles, dental products, hardware, prepared

foodstuffs, electronic equipment, optical products

Lithuania

mineral products 23%, textiles and clothing 16%, machinery

and equipment 11%, chemicals 6%, wood and wood products 5%,

foodstuffs 5% (2001)

Luxembourg

machinery and equipment, steel products, chemicals,

rubber products, glass

Macau

clothing, textiles, footwear, toys, electronics, machinery and

parts

Macedonia

food, beverages, tobacco; textiles, miscellaneous

manufactures, iron and steel

Madagascar

coffee, vanilla, shellfish, sugar, cotton cloth,

chromite, petroleum products

Malawi

tobacco 53%, tea, sugar, cotton, coffee, peanuts, wood

products, apparel

Malaysia

electronic equipment, petroleum and liquefied natural gas,

wood and wood products, palm oil, rubber, textiles, chemicals

Maldives

fish

Mali

cotton, gold, livestock

Malta

machinery and transport equipment, manufactures

Marshall Islands

copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts, fish

Mauritania

iron ore, fish and fish products, gold

Mauritius

clothing and textiles, sugar, cut flowers, molasses, fish

Mayotte

ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra, coconuts,

coffee, cinnamon

Mexico

manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits,

vegetables, coffee, cotton

Micronesia, Federated States of

fish, garments, bananas, black

pepper, sakau (kava), betel nut

Moldova

foodstuffs, textiles, machinery

Mongolia

copper, apparel, livestock, animal products, cashmere,

wool, hides, fluorspar, other nonferrous metals

Montserrat

electronic components, plastic bags, apparel; hot

peppers, limes, live plants; cattle

Morocco

clothing and textiles, electric components, inorganic

chemicals, transistors, crude minerals, fertilizers (including

phosphates), petroleum products, citrus fruits, vegetables, fish

Mozambique

aluminum, prawns, cashews, cotton, sugar, citrus, timber;

bulk electricity

Namibia

diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle,

processed fish, karakul skins

Nauru

phosphates

Nepal

carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain

Netherlands

machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs

Netherlands Antilles

petroleum products

New Caledonia

ferronickels, nickel ore, fish

New Zealand

dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish,

machinery

Nicaragua

coffee, beef, shrimp and lobster, tobacco, sugar, gold,

peanuts

Niger

uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions

Nigeria

petroleum and petroleum products 95%, cocoa, rubber

Niue

canned coconut cream, copra, honey, vanilla, passion fruit

products, pawpaws, root crops, limes, footballs, stamps, handicrafts

Norfolk Island

postage stamps, seeds of the Norfolk Island pine and

Kentia palm, small quantities of avocados

Northern Mariana Islands

garments

Norway

petroleum and petroleum products, machinery and equipment,

metals, chemicals, ships, fish

Oman

petroleum, reexports, fish, metals, textiles

Pakistan

textiles (garments, bed linen, cotton cloth, yarn), rice,

leather goods, sports goods, chemicals, manufactures, carpets and

rugs

Palau

shellfish, tuna, copra, garments

Panama

bananas, shrimp, sugar, coffee, clothing

Papua New Guinea

oil, gold, copper ore, logs, palm oil, coffee,

cocoa, crayfish, prawns

Paraguay

soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, electricity,

wood, leather

Peru

copper, gold, zinc, crude petroleum and petroleum products,

coffee, potatoes, asparagus, textiles, guinea pigs

Philippines

semiconductors and electronic products, transport

equipment, garments, copper products, petroleum products, coconut

oil, fruits

Pitcairn Islands

fruits, vegetables, curios, stamps

Poland

machinery and transport equipment 37.8%, intermediate

manufactured goods 23.7%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 17.1%,

food and live animals 7.6% (2003)

Portugal

agricultural products, food products, oil products,

chemical products, plastics and rubber, skins and leather, wood and

cork, wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear,

minerals and mineral products, base metals, machinery and tools,

vehicles and other transport material, and optical and precision

Puerto Rico

chemicals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum,

beverage concentrates, medical equipment

Qatar

liquefied natural gas (LNG), petroleum products, fertilizers,

steel

Romania

machinery and equipment, textiles and footwear, metals and

metal products, machinery and equipment, minerals and fuels,

chemicals, agricultural products

Russia

petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and wood

products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and

military manufactures

Rwanda

coffee, tea, hides, tin ore

Saint Helena

fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna),

coffee, handicrafts

Saint Kitts and Nevis

machinery, food, electronics, beverages,

tobacco

Saint Lucia

bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits,

coconut oil

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

fish and fish products, soybeans, animal

feed, mollusks and crustaceans, fox and mink pelts

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

bananas, eddoes and dasheen (taro),

arrowroot starch; tennis racquets

Samoa

fish, coconut oil and cream, copra, taro, automotive parts,

garments, beer

San Marino

building stone, lime, wood, chestnuts, wheat, wine, baked

goods, hides, ceramics

Sao Tome and Principe

cocoa 80%, copra, coffee, palm oil

Saudi Arabia

petroleum and petroleum products 90%

Senegal

fish, groundnuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates,

cotton

Serbia

manufactured goods, food and live animals, machinery and

transport equipment

Seychelles

canned tuna, frozen fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum

products (reexports)

Sierra Leone

diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish

Singapore

machinery and equipment (including electronics), consumer

goods, chemicals, mineral fuels

Slovakia

vehicles 25.9%, machinery and electrical equipment 21.3%,

base metals 14.6%, chemicals and minerals 10.1%, plastics 5.4% (2004)

Slovenia

manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment,

chemicals, food

Solomon Islands

timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa

Somalia

livestock, bananas, hides, fish, charcoal, scrap metal

South Africa

gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals,

machinery and equipment

Spain

machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals,

medicines, other consumer goods

Sri Lanka

textiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds,

rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish

Sudan

oil and petroleum products; cotton, sesame, livestock,

groundnuts, gum arabic, sugar

Suriname

alumina, gold, crude oil, lumber, shrimp and fish, rice,

bananas

Swaziland

soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn,

refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit

Sweden

machinery 35%, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood,

iron and steel products, chemicals

Switzerland

machinery, chemicals, metals, watches, agricultural

products

Syria

crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and

vegetables, cotton fiber, textiles, clothing, meat and live animals,

wheat

Taiwan

electronic and electrical products, metals, textiles,

plastics, chemicals, auto parts (2002)

Tajikistan

aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil,

textiles

Tanzania

gold, coffee, cashew nuts, manufactures, cotton

Thailand

textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber,

jewelry, automobiles, computers and electrical appliances

Timor-Leste

coffee, sandalwood, marble; note - potential for oil and

vanilla exports

Togo

reexports, cotton, phosphates, coffee, cocoa

Tokelau

stamps, copra, handicrafts

Tonga

squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops

Trinidad and Tobago

petroleum and petroleum products, liquefied

natural gas (LNG), methanol, ammonia, urea, steel products,

beverages, cereal and cereal products, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus

fruit, vegetables, flowers

Tunisia

clothing, semi-finished goods and textiles, agricultural

products, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, hydrocarbons,

electrical equipment

Turkey

apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport

equipment

Turkmenistan

gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, textiles, cotton fiber

Turks and Caicos Islands

lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells

Tuvalu

copra, fish

Uganda

coffee, fish and fish products, tea, cotton, flowers,

horticultural products; gold

Ukraine

ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products,

chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, food products

United Arab Emirates

crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried

fish, dates

United Kingdom

manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food,

beverages, tobacco

United States

agricultural products (soybeans, fruit, corn) 9.2%,

industrial supplies (organic chemicals) 26.8%, capital goods

(transistors, aircraft, motor vehicle parts, computers,

telecommunications equipment) 49.0%, consumer goods (automobiles,

medicines) 15.0% (2003)

Uruguay

meat, rice, leather products, wool, fish, dairy products

Uzbekistan

cotton, gold, energy products, mineral fertilizers,

ferrous and non-ferrous metals, textiles, food products, machinery,

automobiles

Vanuatu

copra, beef, cocoa, timber, kava, coffee

Venezuela

petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals,

agricultural products, basic manufactures

Vietnam

crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber, tea,

garments, shoes

Virgin Islands

refined petroleum products

Wallis and Futuna

copra, chemicals, construction materials

West Bank

olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone

Western Sahara

phosphates 62%

World

the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and

services

top ten - share of world trade: electrical machinery, including

computers 14.8%; mineral fuels, including oil, coal, gas, and

refined products 14.4%; nuclear reactors, boilers, and parts 14.2%;

cars, trucks, and buses 8.9%; scientific and precision instruments

3.5%; plastics 3.4%; iron and steel 2.7%; organic chemicals 2.6%;

pharmaceutical products 2.6%; diamonds, pearls, and precious stones

1.9% (2006 est.)

Yemen

crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish

Zambia

copper/cobalt 64%, cobalt, electricity; tobacco, flowers,

cotton

Zimbabwe

platinum, cotton, tobacco, gold, ferroalloys,

textiles/clothing

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2050 Exports - partners (%)

Afghanistan

India 22.8%, Pakistan 21.8%, US 20.5%, Tajikistan 7.2%

(2007)

Albania

Italy 72%, Greece 8.8%, China 2.7% (2007)

Algeria

US 29.4%, Italy 13.8%, Spain 9.6%, Canada 8.4%, France 7.4%,

Netherlands 5% (2007)

American Samoa

Indonesia 28.2%, India 22.3%, Australia 15.3%, Japan

11.2%, NZ 7.1% (2006)

Angola

US 32.1%, China 32%, France 5.9%, Taiwan 5.3%, South Africa

4.5% (2007)

Anguilla

UK, US, Puerto Rico, Saint-Martin (2006)

Antigua and Barbuda

Spain 34%, Germany 20.7%, Italy 7.7%, Singapore

5.8%, UK 4.9% (2006)

Argentina

Brazil 19.1%, China 9.4%, US 7.9%, Chile 7.6% (2007)

Armenia

Russia 17.5%, Germany 14.7%, Netherlands 13.5%, Belgium

8.7%, Georgia 7.6%, US 6.6%, Switzerland 4.3%, Bulgaria 4.1%,

Ukraine 4% (2007)

Aruba

Panama 29.7%, Colombia 17%, Netherlands Antilles 13.2%, US

11.3%, Venezuela 10.9%, Netherlands 9.2% (2007)

Australia

Japan 18.9%, China 14.2%, South Korea 8%, US 6%, NZ 5.6%,

India 5.5%, UK 4.2% (2007)

Austria

Germany 29.8%, Italy 8.8%, US 4.9%, Switzerland 4.3% (2007)

Azerbaijan

Turkey 17.4%, Italy 15.5%, Russia 8.7%, Iran 7.2%,

Indonesia 6.4%, Israel 6.1%, Georgia 5.7%, US 4.8%, France 4.3%

(2007)

Bahamas, The

US 20.4%, Singapore 15.5%, Spain 14.5%, Poland 14.3%,

Germany 6.6%, Guatemala 5.7%, Switzerland 5.2% (2007)

Bahrain

Saudi Arabia 3.5%, US 2.5%, UAE 2.5% (2007)

Bangladesh

US 23%, Germany 13%, UK 9.1%, France 5.5%, Belgium 4%

(2007)

Barbados

Trinidad and Tobago 15.5%, Jamaica 13.5%, UK 9.4%, US 9.3%,

Brazil 8.3%, Saint Lucia 7.2%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4.5%

(2007)

Belarus

Russia 36.5%, Netherlands 17.8%, UK 6.3%, Ukraine 6.1%,

Poland 5%, Latvia 4.1% (2007)

Belgium

Germany 19.5%, France 16.7%, Netherlands 11.9%, UK 7.6%, US

5.7%, Italy 5.2% (2007)

Belize

US 28.7%, UK 16.3%, Thailand 5.8%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.4%,

Finland 4.2%, Spain 4% (2007)

Benin

China 24.7%, India 8.2%, Niger 6.6%, Togo 5.4%, Nigeria 5.3%,

Belgium 4.6% (2007)

Bermuda

Spain 13.8%, Germany 11.7%, Switzerland 8.8%, Denmark 6.6%,

UK 6% (2007)

Bhutan

India 58.6%, Hong Kong 30.1%, Bangladesh 7.3% (2007)

Bolivia

Brazil 46%, US 9.8%, Japan 7.6%, Argentina 5.8%, South Korea

4.8%, Peru 4.1% (2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Croatia 21%, Slovenia 16.5%, Italy 16.1%,

Germany 13.3%, Austria 9.6%, Hungary 5.7% (2007)

Botswana

European Free Trade Association (EFTA) 87%, Southern

African Customs Union (SACU) 7%, Zimbabwe 4% (2006)

Brazil

US 16.1%, Argentina 9.2%, China 6.8%, Netherlands 5.6%,

Germany 4.6% (2007)

British Virgin Islands

Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)

Brunei

Japan 32.8%, Indonesia 24.4%, Australia 13.4%, South Korea

12.2%, US 5.5% (2007)

Bulgaria

Turkey 11.5%, Germany 10.3%, Italy 10.2%, Greece 9.1%,

Belgium 6.2%, Romania 4.9% (2007)

Burkina Faso

China 29.6%, Singapore 15.7%, Thailand 7.2%, Ghana

6.4%, Niger 4.8% (2007)

Burma

Thailand 44.3%, India 14.5%, China 7.1%, Japan 5.7% (2007)

Burundi

Germany 31.3%, Pakistan 6.8%, Belgium 5.8%, Sweden 4.3%,

Rwanda 4.3%, France 4.2%, Sudan 4% (2007)

Cambodia

US 58.1%, Germany 7.3%, UK 5.2%, Canada 4.6%, Vietnam 4.5%

(2007)

Cameroon

Spain 19.8%, Italy 15.7%, France 11.7%, South Korea 9.4%,

Netherlands 6.1%, US 5.7% (2007)

Canada

US 78.9%, UK 2.8%, China 2.1% (2007)

Cape Verde

Spain 37.2%, Portugal 29.9%, Morocco 7%, US 6.6% (2007)

Cayman Islands

mostly US (2006)

Central African Republic

Belgium 22.7%, Indonesia 19.3%, Italy 7.7%,

France 7.1%, Spain 6.9%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 6.8%,

China 4.9%, Turkey 4.7% (2007)

Chad

US 89.5%, Japan 3.7%, China 3.4% (2007)

Chile

China 14.8%, US 12.5%, Japan 10.5%, Netherlands 5.8%, South

Korea 5.7%, Italy 5.1%, Brazil 5% (2007)

China

US 19.1%, Hong Kong 15.1%, Japan 8.4%, South Korea 4.6%,

Germany 4% (2007)

Christmas Island

Australia, NZ (2006)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Australia (2006)

Colombia

US 35.4%, Venezuela 17.4%, Ecuador 4.3% (2007)

Comoros

Turkey 38%, France 27.5%, Singapore 9.2%, Saudi Arabia 4.1%

(2007)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Belgium 23.6%, China 21.7%, US

9.8%, Finland 9.1%, Brazil 9.1%, France 6.8%, Zambia 6% (2007)

Congo, Republic of the

US 41%, China 36.5%, Taiwan 3.6% (2007)

Cook Islands

Australia 34%, Japan 27%, NZ 25%, US 8% (2006)

Costa Rica

US 25.7%, China 14.1%, Netherlands 10.9%, UK 6.3%, Mexico

5% (2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

Germany 9.7%, Nigeria 9.2%, Netherlands 8.4%, France

7.3%, US 7%, Burkina Faso 4.4% (2007)

Croatia

Italy 19.3%, Bosnia and Herzegovina 13.9%, Germany 10.2%,

Slovenia 8.4%, Austria 6.2% (2007)

Cuba

China 27.5%, Canada 26.9%, Netherlands 11.1%, Spain 4.7% (2007)

Cyprus

Greece 21.1%, UK 14.3%, Germany 6.6% (2007)

Czech Republic

Germany 30.7%, Slovakia 8.7%, Poland 5.9%, France

5.4%, UK 5.1%, Italy 4.9%, Austria 4.6% (2007)

Denmark

Germany 17.4%, Sweden 14.5%, UK 8%, US 6.1%, Norway 5.7%,

France 4.8%, Netherlands 4.8% (2007)

Djibouti

Somalia 66.4%, Ethiopia 21.5%, Yemen 3.4% (2007)

Dominica

China 24.4%, Jamaica 10.3%, Antigua and Barbuda 10.1%,

Guyana 8.5%, UK 8.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 5.5%, Saint Lucia 4.6%,

Saint Kitts & Nevis 4% (2007)

Dominican Republic

US 66.4%, Belgium 3.7%, Finland 3.2% (2007)

Ecuador

US 41.9%, Peru 8.5%, Chile 4.9%, Russia 4.8%, Colombia 4.7%

(2007)

Egypt

US 9.7%, Italy 9.5%, Spain 7.6%, Syria 5.5%, Saudi Arabia

4.9%, UK 4.2% (2007)

El Salvador

US 51%, Guatemala 13.6%, Honduras 11.2%, Nicaragua 5.5%

(2007)

Equatorial Guinea

US 20.6%, China 18.8%, Spain 13.9%, Taiwan 13.4%,

France 7.5%, Japan 6.5%, Portugal 6.4% (2007)

Eritrea

Italy 34.4%, China 16.2%, Sudan 15.2%, France 9.4%, Saudi

Arabia 5.2%, Australia 4.4% (2007)

Estonia

Finland 17.9%, Sweden 13.2%, Latvia 11.4%, Russia 8.9%,

Lithuania 5.8%, Germany 5.2%, US 4.1% (2007)

Ethiopia

Germany 8.2%, Saudi Arabia 7%, US 6.9%, Djibouti 6.6%,

China 6.5%, Italy 6.5%, Japan 5.9%, Netherlands 4.8% (2007)

European Union

US 23.3%, Switzerland 7.6%, Russia 5.2%, China 4.8%

(2006)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Spain 81.9%, US 6%, UK 4.5% (2006)

Faroe Islands

Denmark 29.6%, UK 24.5%, Norway 13.3%, Nigeria 10.5%,

Netherlands 6.8% (2007)

Fiji

US 17.3%, UK 11.3%, Australia 10%, Samoa 5.4%, Tonga 4.7%, NZ

4.5%, Japan 4.1% (2007)

Finland

Germany 10.9%, Sweden 10.7%, Russia 10.3%, US 6.4%, UK 5.8%,

Netherlands 5.6% (2007)

France

Germany 14.9%, Spain 9.3%, Italy 8.9%, UK 8.1%, Belgium 7.3%,

US 6.1%, Netherlands 4.1% (2007)

French Polynesia

France 46.3%, Japan 20.8%, Niger 12.8%, US 12.5%

(2006)

Gabon

US 32.5%, China 15.8%, France 9.4%, Malaysia 6%, Trinidad and

Tobago 5% (2007)

Gambia, The

India 37.7%, China 17.5%, UK 8.7%, France 5.1%, Belgium

4.2% (2007)

Gaza Strip

Israel, Egypt, West Bank (2006)

Georgia

Turkey 13%, US 11.2%, Azerbaijan 6.3%, UK 5.4%, Bulgaria

5.1%, Ukraine 5%, Armenia 4.8%, Turkmenistan 4.5%, Canada 4.2% (2007)

Germany

France 9.7%, US 7.5%, UK 7.3%, Italy 6.7%, Netherlands 6.4%,

Austria 5.4%, Belgium 5.3%, Spain 5% (2007)

Ghana

Netherlands 11%, UK 9%, France 6.2%, US 5.9%, Germany 4.6%,

Belgium 4.4% (2007)

Gibraltar

UK 30.8%, Spain 22.7%, Germany 13.7%, Turkmenistan 10.4%,

Switzerland 8.3%, Italy 6.7% (2006)

Greece

Germany 11.6%, Italy 10.8%, Cyprus 6.6%, Bulgaria 6.5%, UK

5.5%, Romania 4.5%, France 4.2%, US 4.2% (2007)

Greenland

Denmark 61.8%, Japan 9.9%, Canada 7.3%, China 5.8% (2007)

Grenada

Jamaica 92.8%, Saint Lucia 1.3%, US 1.2% (2007)

Guam

Japan 67.2%, Singapore 11.6%, UK 4.8% (2006)

Guatemala

US 42.2%, El Salvador 9.6%, Honduras 8.6%, Mexico 6.5%,

Costa Rica 4.5% (2007)

Guernsey

UK; note - regarded as internal trade (2006)

Guinea

Russia 10.8%, Ukraine 9.6%, Spain 8.8%, US 7.5%, Germany

7.4%, South Korea 7.2%, France 7%, Ireland 5.5%, China 5% (2007)

Guinea-Bissau

Brazil 56.2%, India 33.6%, Nigeria 8.3% (2007)

Guyana

Canada 18.7%, US 16.5%, UK 9.1%, Portugal 7.6%, Trinidad and

Tobago 5.2%, France 4.7%, Netherlands 4.6%, Jamaica 4% (2007)

Haiti

US 72.9%, Dominican Republic 8.8%, Canada 3.3% (2007)

Honduras

US 67.2%, El Salvador 4.9%, Guatemala 3.9% (2007)

Hong Kong

China 48.7%, US 13.7%, Japan 4.5% (2007)

Hungary

Germany 28.1%, Italy 5.6%, France 4.7%, Austria 4.6%,

Romania 4.5%, UK 4.5%, Slovakia 4.2%, Poland 4.2% (2007)

Iceland

Netherlands 21.3%, Germany 13.3%, UK 13.2%, Ireland 7.7%, US

7.3%, Spain 4.6%, Japan 4.3% (2007)

India

US 15%, China 8.7%, UAE 8.7%, UK 4.4% (2007)

Indonesia

Japan 20.7%, US 10.2%, Singapore 9.2%, China 8.5%, South

Korea 6.6%, Malaysia 4.5%, India 4.3% (2007)

Iran

China 15%, Japan 14.3%, Turkey 7.4%, South Korea 7.3%, Italy

6.4% (2007)

Iraq

US 36.8%, Italy 12.6%, South Korea 9.5%, Taiwan 6.3%, Spain

5.2%, Canada 4.7%, France 4.4%, Netherlands 4.2% (2007)

Ireland

UK 18.7%, US 17.9%, Belgium 14.5%, Germany 7.4%, France 5.8%

(2007)

Isle of Man

UK (2006)

Israel

US 35%, Belgium 7.5%, Hong Kong 5.8% (2007)

Italy

Germany 12.9%, France 11.4%, Spain 7.4%, US 6.8%, UK 5.8%

(2007)

Jamaica

US 37.2%, Canada 15%, UK 9.7%, Netherlands 9.1% (2007)

Japan

US 20.4%, China 15.3%, South Korea 7.6%, Taiwan 6.3%, Hong

Kong 5.4% (2007)

Jersey

UK (2006)

Jordan

US 22.4%, Iraq 12.9%, India 8.3%, UAE 7.8%, Saudi Arabia

7.5%, Syria 4.9% (2007)

Kazakhstan

China 15.5%, Germany 11.5%, Russia 11.2%, Italy 7.2%,

France 6.7% (2007)

Kenya

Uganda 16.9%, UK 9.3%, Tanzania 8.2%, Netherlands 8.2%, US

6.4%, Pakistan 5.2% (2007)

Kiribati

US 22.8%, Belgium 21.5%, Japan 14.3%, Samoa 7.8%, Australia

7.5%, Malaysia 6.7%, Taiwan 5.6%, Denmark 4.6% (2006)

Korea, North

South Korea 32%, China 29%, Thailand 9% (2006)

Korea, South

China 22.1%, US 12.4%, Japan 7.1%, Hong Kong 5% (2007)

Kosovo

Central Europe Free Trade Area (CFTA) 56% (2006)

Kuwait

Japan 19.9%, South Korea 17%, Taiwan 11.2%, Singapore 9.9%,

US 8.4%, Netherlands 4.8%, China 4.4% (2007)

Kyrgyzstan

Russia 20.7%, Switzerland 19.9%, Kazakhstan 18%,

Afghanistan 10.4%, Uzbekistan 7.6%, China 5.5% (2007)

Laos

Thailand 32.7%, Vietnam 14.3%, China 5.9%, South Korea 4.8%

(2007)

Latvia

Lithuania 15.1%, Estonia 13.8%, Russia 13%, Germany 8.3%,

Sweden 7.4%, UK 6.5% (2007)

Lebanon

Syria 25.2%, UAE 11.8%, Switzerland 8.2%, Saudi Arabia 5.6%

(2007)

Lesotho

US 71.5%, Belgium 25.6%, Canada 1.2% (2007)

Liberia

Malaysia 27.5%, Poland 18.5%, Germany 11.5%, US 10.5%, Spain

8.2%, Norway 5.5% (2007)

Libya

Italy 40.5%, Germany 12.2%, US 7.4%, Spain 7.4%, France 6.3%

(2007)

Liechtenstein

EU 62.6% (Germany 24.3%, Austria 9.5%, France 8.9%,

Italy 6.6%, UK 4.6%), US 18.9%, Switzerland 15.7% (2006)

Lithuania

Russia 15%, Latvia 12.9%, Germany 10.5%, Poland 6.3%,

Estonia 5.8%, UK 4.6%, Denmark 4.1%, Belarus 4% (2007)

Luxembourg

Germany 21.1%, France 16.3%, Belgium 10.1%, Italy 7.4%,

UK 7.1%, Netherlands 5.4%, Spain 5% (2007)

Macau

US 40.6%, China 14.8%, Hong Kong 13.1%, Germany 6.4%, UK 4%

(2007)

Macedonia

Serbia and Montenegro 19.2%, Germany 14.5%, Greece 10.4%,

Italy 10.1%, Bulgaria 9.8%, Croatia 5.6%, Belgium 5%, Spain 5% (2007)

Madagascar

France 31.8%, US 26.6%, Germany 6.1%, UK 4.9%, Italy 4.4%

(2007)

Malawi

Germany 11.7%, South Africa 10%, Egypt 9.2%, Zimbabwe 8.2%,

US 7.3%, Russia 5.8%, Netherlands 4.5% (2007)

Malaysia

US 15.6%, Singapore 14.6%, Japan 9.1%, China 8.8%, Thailand

5%, Hong Kong 4.6% (2007)

Maldives

Thailand 28.3%, UK 17.6%, France 8.8%, Sri Lanka 8.6%,

Algeria 8.2%, Japan 6.4%, Italy 4.1% (2007)

Mali

China 19.6%, Thailand 10.5%, Brazil 4.6%, France 4.5%,

Indonesia 4.5% (2007)

Malta

Singapore 14.4%, Germany 13.7%, France 12.6%, US 11.3%, UK

10%, Hong Kong 6.1%, Japan 4.9%, Italy 4% (2007)

Marshall Islands

US, Japan, Australia, China (2006)

Mauritania

China 30.5%, France 9.5%, Italy 8.5%, Spain 8.5%, Japan

5.5%, Netherlands 5.3%, Belgium 5%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.7% (2007)

Mauritius

UK 35.1%, France 14.4%, US 7.7%, Madagascar 6.3%, Italy

5.8% (2007)

Mayotte

France 43%, Comoros 36%, Reunion 15% (2006)

Mexico

US 82.2%, Canada 2.4%, Germany 1.5% (2007)

Micronesia, Federated States of

Japan, US, Guam (2006)

Moldova

Russia 25.3%, Romania 13%, Italy 10%, Ukraine 8.7%, Germany

8.5%, Poland 6.2%, Belarus 4.2% (2007)

Mongolia

China 71.9%, Canada 10.7%, US 4.8% (2007)

Montenegro

Switzerland 83.9%, Italy 6.1%, Bosnia and Herzegovina

1.3% (2006)

Montserrat

US, Antigua and Barbuda (2006)

Morocco

Spain 21.2%, France 19%, Italy 4.9%, UK 4.6%, India 4.2%

(2007)

Mozambique

Italy 19.4%, Belgium 18.4%, Spain 12.5%, South Africa

12.3%, UK 7.3%, China 4.1% (2007)

Namibia

South Africa 33.4%, US 4% (2006)

Nauru

South Africa 63.7%, South Korea 7.6%, Canada 6.6% (2006)

Nepal

India 69.3%, US 8.8%, Germany 4.1% (2007)

Netherlands

Germany 24.4%, Belgium 13.6%, UK 9.1%, France 8.5%,

Italy 5.1%, US 4.3% (2007)

Netherlands Antilles

US 18.9%, Mexico 13.3%, Panama 11.4%, Singapore

6.9%, Haiti 6.6%, Bahamas, The 5.3% (2007)

New Caledonia

Japan 20.1%, China 14.5%, Taiwan 14.2%, France 11.6%,

Belgium 10.4%, Spain 8.6%, South Africa 6.9% (2007)

New Zealand

Australia 22%, US 11.5%, Japan 9.2%, China 5.3%, UK 4.6%

(2007)

Nicaragua

US 31.7%, El Salvador 14%, Honduras 9.3%, Costa Rica 7.2%,

Canada 5.8%, Guatemala 5.5%, Mexico 4.8% (2007)

Niger

France 57%, Nigeria 26.4%, Ghana 4.1% (2007)

Nigeria

US 51.6%, Brazil 8.9%, Spain 7.7% (2007)

Niue

New Zealand mainly, Fiji, Cook Islands, Australia (2006)

Norfolk Island

Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia,

Europe (2006)

Northern Mariana Islands

US (2006)

Norway

UK 26.3%, Germany 12.3%, Netherlands 10.2%, France 8%, Sweden

6.5%, US 6.2% (2007)

Oman

China 26.8%, South Korea 15.2%, Japan 14.3%, Thailand 10.4%,

UAE 7.6%, US 4.3%, Iran 4.1% (2007)

Pakistan

US 18%, UAE 10.4%, Afghanistan 8.4%, China 5.2%, UK 4.7%

(2007)

Palau

US, Japan, Singapore (2006)

Panama

US 35.6%, Netherlands 10.2%, China 6%, Sweden 5.5%, UK 5.4%,

Costa Rica 5.1%, Spain 5% (2007)

Papua New Guinea

Australia 27.3%, Japan 9.5%, China 5.7% (2007)

Paraguay

Argentina 28.1%, Uruguay 15.2%, Brazil 12.7%, Chile 5.9%,

Germany 4.9%, Russia 4.5% (2007)

Peru

US 19.5%, China 12.7%, Canada 7.6%, Japan 7.5%, Chile 5.9%,

Switzerland 4.2%, Spain 4.1% (2007)

Philippines

US 17%, Japan 14.5%, Hong Kong 11.5%, China 11.4%,

Netherlands 8.2%, Singapore 6.2%, Malaysia 5%, Germany 4.3% (2007)

Poland

Germany 25.9%, Italy 6.6%, France 6.1%, UK 5.9%, Czech

Republic 5.5%, Russia 4.6% (2007)

Portugal

Spain 27.1%, Germany 12.9%, France 12.3%, UK 5.9%, US 4.8%,

Angola 4.5%, Italy 4% (2007)

Puerto Rico

US 90.3%, UK 1.6%, Netherlands 1.4%, Dominican Republic

1.4% (2006)

Qatar

Japan 39.9%, South Korea 19.9%, Singapore 9.9%, India 5.1%,

Thailand 4.9%, UAE 4% (2007)

Romania

Italy 17.2%, Germany 16.9%, France 7.7%, Turkey 7%, Hungary

5.6%, UK 4.1% (2007)

Russia

Netherlands 12.2%, Italy 7.8%, Germany 7.5%, Turkey 5.2%,

Belarus 5%, Ukraine 4.7%, China 4.5% (2007)

Rwanda

China 8.9%, Germany 6.8%, US 4.9%, Hong Kong 4.8% (2007)

Saint Helena

Tanzania 37.7%, US 17.4%, Japan 15.2%, UK 8.4%, Nigeria

4.8%, Spain 4.5% (2006)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

US 66.3%, Canada 4.9%, Turkey 3.3% (2007)

Saint Lucia

US 24.5%, France 23.2%, UK 19.3%, Antigua and Barbuda

5%, Dominica 4.9%, Barbados 4.4%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.1% (2007)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Spain 33.6%, Belgium 21.8%, India 18.3%,

France 9.4%, US 7.5% (2006)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Greece 28.4%, Italy 14.6%, France

12%, UK 7.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 4.8%, Spain 4.6%, Germany 4.3%,

Saint Lucia 4.2% (2007)

Samoa

Australia 48.1%, American Samoa 30%, Taiwan 8% (2007)

Sao Tome and Principe

Netherlands 23.7%, Belgium 23.7%, France

12.9%, US 5.9%, Portugal 4.1% (2007)

Saudi Arabia

US 17.1%, Japan 16.3%, South Korea 9.7%, China 8.1%,

Taiwan 4.7%, Singapore 4% (2007)

Senegal

Mali 18.9%, France 9.1%, Italy 5.9%, India 5.7%, Gambia, The

5.2% (2007)

Seychelles

UK 23.7%, France 19.8%, Mauritius 10%, Japan 8.3%, Italy

5.7%, Spain 5.1% (2007)

Sierra Leone

Belgium 49.3%, US 20.5%, Netherlands 4.5%, Canada 4.1%

(2007)

Singapore

Malaysia 12.9%, Hong Kong 10.5%, Indonesia 9.8%, China

9.7%, US 8.9%, Japan 4.8%, Thailand 4.1% (2007)

Slovakia

Germany 21.4%, Czech Republic 12.6%, France 6.7%, Italy

6.4%, Poland 6.2%, Hungary 6%, Austria 5.8%, UK 4.8% (2007)

Slovenia

Germany 18.7%, Italy 12.5%, Croatia 8%, Austria 7.5%,

France 5.9%, Russia 4.4% (2007)

Solomon Islands

China 50.8%, South Korea 7%, Thailand 6.5%, Japan

5.7%, Philippines 4.3% (2007)

Somalia

UAE 50.7%, Yemen 21%, Oman 6.1% (2007)

South Africa

US 11.9%, Japan 11.1%, Germany 8%, UK 7.7%, China 6.6%,

Netherlands 4.5% (2007)

Spain

France 18.8%, Germany 10.8%, Portugal 8.6%, Italy 8.5%, UK

7.6%, US 4.2% (2007)

Sri Lanka

US 25.5%, UK 13.2%, India 6.7%, Germany 5.7%, Italy 5.1%

(2007)

Sudan

China 82.1%, Japan 8.4%, UAE 2.5% (2007)

Suriname

Canada 26.8%, Norway 20.2%, Belgium 9.2%, US 8.9%, UAE

7.9%, France 7.2% (2007)

Swaziland

South Africa 59.7%, EU 8.8%, US 8.8%, Mozambique 6.2%

(2006)

Sweden

Germany 10.4%, Norway 9.4%, US 7.6%, Denmark 7.4%, UK 7.1%,

Finland 6.4%, Netherlands 5.1%, France 5%, Belgium 4.6% (2007)

Switzerland

Germany 20.3%, US 9.7%, Italy 8.7%, France 8.4%, UK 5.1%

(2007)

Syria

Iraq 30%, Lebanon 10%, Germany 9.7%, Italy 8%, Egypt 5.5%,

Saudi Arabia 5.2%, France 4.9% (2007)

Taiwan

China 32.6%, US 12.9%, Hong Kong 8.6%, Japan 6.4%, Singapore

5% (2007)

Tajikistan

Netherlands 38.9%, Turkey 32.5%, Russia 6.6%, Uzbekistan

5.9%, Iran 5.1% (2007)

Tanzania

China 10.3%, India 9.7%, Netherlands 6.5%, Germany 6.3%,

UAE 4.9% (2007)

Thailand

US 12.6%, Japan 11.9%, China 9.7%, Singapore 6.3%, Hong

Kong 5.7%, Malaysia 5.1% (2007)

Timor-Leste

US, Germany, Portugal, Australia, Indonesia (2006)

Togo

Ghana 16.8%, Burkina Faso 14.5%, Germany 9.2%, Benin 9.1%,

Netherlands 5.9%, Mali 5.8%, India 4.7% (2007)

Tokelau

New Zealand (2006)

Tonga

US 36.7%, Japan 21.6%, NZ 10.1%, Fiji 5.8%, Samoa 4.9% (2007)

Trinidad and Tobago

US 57.5%, Jamaica 6.5%, Spain 3.9% (2007)

Tunisia

France 31.3%, Italy 21%, Germany 8.5%, Spain 5.5%, Libya

5.5% (2007)

Turkey

Germany 11.2%, UK 8.1%, Italy 7%, France 5.6%, Russia 4.4%,

Spain 4.3% (2007)

Turkmenistan

Ukraine 51.3%, Iran 18.5%, Turkey 5% (2007)

Turks and Caicos Islands

US, UK (2006)

Tuvalu

Germany 60.5%, Italy 20.1%, Fiji 6.9% (2006)

Uganda

Netherlands 10.2%, Belgium 9.8%, Germany 7.9%, France 7.2%,

Rwanda 5.6% (2007)

Ukraine

Russia 23.3%, Turkey 7.9%, Italy 5.8% (2007)

United Arab Emirates

Japan 23.6%, South Korea 9.2%, Thailand 5%,

India 4.8% (2007)

United Kingdom

US 14.2%, Germany 11.1%, France 8.1%, Ireland 8%,

Netherlands 6.8%, Belgium 5.3%, Spain 4.5%, Italy 4.1% (2007)

United States

Canada 21.4%, Mexico 11.7%, China 5.6%, Japan 5.4%, UK

4.3%, Germany 4.3% (2007)

Uruguay

Brazil 15.5%, US 9.4%, Argentina 8.4%, Mexico 6.6%, China

6.1%, Germany 4.8% (2007)

Uzbekistan

Russia 22.4%, Poland 10.4%, Turkey 9.4%, Kazakhstan 6.1%,

Hungary 6%, China 5.6%, Ukraine 4.8%, Bangladesh 4.3% (2007)

Vanuatu

Thailand 58.3%, India 18.5%, Japan 11.3% (2007)

Venezuela

US 42.7%, Netherlands Antilles 8%, China 3.1% (2007)

Vietnam

US 20.8%, Japan 12.5%, Australia 7.3%, China 6.9%, Singapore

4.5% (2007)

Virgin Islands

US, Puerto Rico (2006)

Wallis and Futuna

Italy 40%, Croatia 15%, US 14%, Denmark 13% (2006)

West Bank

Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2006)

Western Sahara

Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so

trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)

World

US 13.7%, Germany 7.3%, China 6.2%, France 4.6%, UK 4.5%,

Japan 4.1% (2007)

Yemen

China 23.3%, India 20.4%, Thailand 19.1%, Japan 7.2%, UAE 5%,

US 4.2% (2007)

Zambia

Switzerland 41.8%, South Africa 12%, Thailand 5.9%,

Democratic Republic of the Congo 5.3%, Egypt 5%, Saudi Arabia 4.7%,

China 4.1% (2007)

Zimbabwe

South Africa 33.8%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 8.3%,

Japan 8.1%, Botswana 7.4%, Netherlands 5.2%, China 5.2%, Italy 4.1%,

Zambia 4.1% (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2051 Administrative divisions

Afghanistan

34 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan,

Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Daykundi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni,

Ghor, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khost,

Kunar, Kunduz, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nimroz, Nuristan, Paktika,

Paktiya, Panjshir, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e Pul, Takhar, Uruzgan,

Wardak, Zabul

Albania

12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Berat, Diber, Durres,

Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokaster, Korce, Kukes, Lezhe, Shkoder, Tirane,

Vlore

Algeria

48 provinces (wilayat, singular - wilaya); Adrar, Ain Defla,

Ain Temouchent, Alger, Annaba, Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Blida,

Bordj Bou Arreridj, Bouira, Boumerdes, Chlef, Constantine, Djelfa,

El Bayadh, El Oued, El Tarf, Ghardaia, Guelma, Illizi, Jijel,

Khenchela, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mila, Mostaganem, M'Sila,

Naama, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi, Relizane, Saida, Setif, Sidi

Bel Abbes, Skikda, Souk Ahras, Tamanghasset, Tebessa, Tiaret,

Tindouf, Tipaza, Tissemsilt, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen

American Samoa

none (territory of the US); there are no first-order

administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there

are three districts and two islands* at the second order; Eastern,

Manu'a, Rose Island*, Swains Island*, Western

Andorra

7 parishes (parroquies, singular - parroquia); Andorra la

Vella, Canillo, Encamp, Escaldes-Engordany, La Massana, Ordino, Sant

Julia de Loria

Angola

18 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Bengo,

Benguela, Bie, Cabinda, Cuando Cubango, Cuanza Norte, Cuanza Sul,

Cunene, Huambo, Huila, Luanda, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Malanje,

Moxico, Namibe, Uige, Zaire

Anguilla

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Antigua and Barbuda

6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*,

Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint

Peter, Saint Philip

Argentina

23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1

autonomous city* (distrito federal); Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires

Capital Federal*, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Cordoba, Corrientes,

Entre Rios, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones,

Neuquen, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe,

Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego - Antartida e Islas del

Atlantico Sur, Tucuman

note: the US does not recognize any claims to Antarctica

Armenia

11 provinces (marzer, singular - marz); Aragatsotn, Ararat,

Armavir, Geghark'unik', Kotayk', Lorri, Shirak, Syunik', Tavush,

Vayots' Dzor, Yerevan

Aruba

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Australia

6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital

Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South

Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

Austria

9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland,

Kaernten (Carinthia), Niederoesterreich (Lower Austria),

Oberoesterreich (Upper Austria), Salzburg, Steiermark (Styria),

Tirol (Tyrol), Vorarlberg, Wien (Vienna)

Azerbaijan

59 rayons (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11 cities

(saharlar; sahar - singular), 1 autonomous republic (muxtar

respublika)

rayons: Abseron Rayonu, Agcabadi Rayonu, Agdam Rayonu, Agdas Rayonu,

Agstafa Rayonu, Agsu Rayonu, Astara Rayonu, Balakan Rayonu, Barda

Rayonu, Beylaqan Rayonu, Bilasuvar Rayonu, Cabrayil Rayonu,

Calilabad Rayonu, Daskasan Rayonu, Davaci Rayonu, Fuzuli Rayonu,

Gadabay Rayonu, Goranboy Rayonu, Goycay Rayonu, Haciqabul Rayonu,

Imisli Rayonu, Ismayilli Rayonu, Kalbacar Rayonu, Kurdamir Rayonu,

Lacin Rayonu, Lankaran Rayonu, Lerik Rayonu, Masalli Rayonu,

Neftcala Rayonu, Oguz Rayonu, Qabala Rayonu, Qax Rayonu, Qazax

Rayonu, Qobustan Rayonu, Quba Rayonu, Qubadli Rayonu, Qusar Rayonu,

Saatli Rayonu, Sabirabad Rayonu, Saki Rayonu, Salyan Rayonu, Samaxi

Rayonu, Samkir Rayonu, Samux Rayonu, Siyazan Rayonu, Susa Rayonu,

Tartar Rayonu, Tovuz Rayonu, Ucar Rayonu, Xacmaz Rayonu, Xanlar

Rayonu, Xizi Rayonu, Xocali Rayonu, Xocavand Rayonu, Yardimli

Rayonu, Yevlax Rayonu, Zangilan Rayonu, Zaqatala Rayonu, Zardab

Rayonu

cities: Ali Bayramli Sahari, Baki Sahari, Ganca Sahari, Lankaran

Sahari, Mingacevir Sahari, Naftalan Sahari, Saki Sahari, Sumqayit

Sahari, Susa Sahari, Xankandi Sahari, Yevlax Sahari

autonomous republic: Naxcivan Muxtar Respublikasi

Bahamas, The

21 districts; Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bimini, Cat

Island, Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's Harbour, Green

Turtle Cay, Harbour Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps Bay, Long

Island, Marsh Harbour, Mayaguana, New Providence, Nichollstown and

Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador

and Rum Cay

Bahrain

5 governorates; Asamah, Janubiyah, Muharraq, Shamaliyah,

Wasat

note: each governorate administered by an appointed governor

Bangladesh

6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna,

Rajshahi, Sylhet

Barbados

11 parishes and 1 city*; Bridgetown*, Christ Church, Saint

Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint

Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas

Belarus

6 provinces (voblastsi, singular - voblasts') and 1

municipality* (horad); Brest, Homyel', Horad Minsk*, Hrodna,

Mahilyow, Minsk, Vitsyebsk

note: administrative divisions have the same names as their

administrative centers

Belgium

10 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Dutch:

provincies, singular - provincie) and 3 regions* (French: regions;

Dutch: gewesten); Brussels* (Bruxelles) capital region; Flanders*

region (five provinces): Antwerpen (Antwerp), Limburg,

Oost-Vlaanderen (East Flanders), Vlaams-Brabant (Flemish Brabant),

West-Vlaanderen (West Flanders); Wallonia* region (five provinces):

Brabant Wallon (Walloon Brabant), Hainaut, Liege, Luxembourg, Namur

note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered

devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of

government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a

complex division of responsibilities

Belize

6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek,

Toledo

Benin

12 departments; Alibori, Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou,

Collines, Kouffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou

Bermuda

9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire, Hamilton,

Hamilton*, Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint George's, Sandys,

Smith's, Southampton, Warwick

Bhutan

20 districts (dzongkhag, singular and plural); Bumthang,

Chhukha, Chirang, Daga, Gasa, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi, Mongar,

Paro, Pemagatsel, Punakha, Samchi, Samdrup Jongkhar, Shemgang,

Tashigang, Tashi Yangtse, Thimphu, Tongsa, Wangdi Phodrang

Bolivia

9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento);

Beni, Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa

Cruz, Tarija

Bosnia and Herzegovina

2 first-order administrative divisions and 1

internationally supervised district* - Brcko district (Brcko

Distrikt)*, the Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

(Federacija Bosna i Hercegovina) and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika

Srpska; note - Brcko district is in northeastern Bosnia and is an

administrative unit under the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina;

the district remains under international supervision

Botswana

9 districts and 5 town councils*; Central, Francistown*,

Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Jwaneng*, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng, Lobatse*,

Northeast, Northwest, Selebi-Pikwe*, Southeast, Southern

Brazil

26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal

district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Amazonas, Bahia,

Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato

Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana,

Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande

do Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe,

Tocantins

British Virgin Islands

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Brunei

4 districts (daerah-daerah, singular - daerah); Belait,

Brunei and Muara, Temburong, Tutong

Bulgaria

28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Blagoevgrad,

Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo, Kurdzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech,

Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen,

Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofiya, Sofiya-Grad, Stara Zagora,

Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol

Burkina Faso

45 provinces; Bale, Bam, Banwa, Bazega, Bougouriba,

Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Comoe, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Ioba,

Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komondjari, Kompienga, Kossi, Koulpelogo,

Kouritenga, Kourweogo, Leraba, Loroum, Mouhoun, Nahouri, Namentenga,

Nayala, Noumbiel, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie,

Sanmatenga, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Tuy, Yagha, Yatenga,

Ziro, Zondoma, Zoundweogo

Burma

7 divisions (taing-myar, singular - taing) and 7 states (pyi

ne-myar, singular - pyi ne)

divisions: Ayeyarwady, Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing, Tanintharyi,

Yangon

states: Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Mon, Rakhine, Shan

Burundi

17 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura Mairie, Bujumbura Rurale,

Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo,

Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Mwaro, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi

Cambodia

20 provinces (khaitt, singular and plural) and 4

municipalities* (krong, singular and plural)

provinces: Banteay Mean Cheay, Batdambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong

Chhnang, Kampong Spoe, Kampong Thum, Kampot, Kandal, Kaoh Kong,

Krachen, Mondol Kiri, Otdar Mean Cheay, Pouthisat, Preah Vihear,

Prey Veng, Rotanah Kiri, Siem Reab, Stoeng Treng, Svay Rieng, Takev

municipalities: Keb, Pailin, Phnum Penh (Phnom Penh), Preah Seihanu

(Sihanoukville)

Cameroon

10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est, Extreme-Nord,

Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest

Canada

10 provinces and 3 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia,

Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest

Territories*, Nova Scotia, Nunavut*, Ontario, Prince Edward Island,

Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*

Cape Verde

17 municipalities (concelhos, singular - concelho); Boa

Vista, Brava, Maio, Mosteiros, Paul, Praia, Porto Novo, Ribeira

Grande, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Cruz, Sao Domingos, Sao Filipe,

Sao Miguel, Sao Nicolau, Sao Vicente, Tarrafal

Cayman Islands

8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town,

Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western

Central African Republic

14 prefectures (prefectures, singular -

prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques,

singular - prefecture economique), and 1 commune**;

Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui**, Basse-Kotto, Haute-Kotto, Haut-Mbomou,

Kemo, Lobaye, Mambere-Kadei, Mbomou, Nana-Grebizi*, Nana-Mambere,

Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha-Mbaere*, Vakaga

Chad

18 regions (regions, singular - region); Batha,

Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti, Chari-Baguirmi, Guera, Hadjer-Lamis, Kanem,

Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mandoul, Mayo-Kebbi Est,

Mayo-Kebbi Ouest, Moyen-Chari, Ouaddai, Salamat, Tandjile, Ville de

N'Djamena, Wadi Fira

Chile

15 regions (regiones, singular - region); Aisen del General

Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania, Arica y Parinacota,

Atacama, Biobio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins,

Los Lagos, Los Rios, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule,

Region Metropolitana (Santiago), Tarapaca, Valparaiso

note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica

China

23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous

regions (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities (shi,

singular and plural)

provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei,

Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin,

Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan,

Zhejiang; (see note on Taiwan)

autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Xinjiang Uygur,

Xizang (Tibet)

municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin

note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries

for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau

Christmas Island

none (territory of Australia)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

none (territory of Australia)

Colombia

32 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and

1 capital district* (distrito capital); Amazonas, Antioquia, Arauca,

Atlantico, Bogota*, Bolivar, Boyaca, Caldas, Caqueta, Casanare,

Cauca, Cesar, Choco, Cordoba, Cundinamarca, Guainia, Guaviare,

Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Narino, Norte de Santander,

Putumayo, Quindio, Risaralda, San Andres y Providencia, Santander,

Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Vaupes, Vichada

Comoros

3 islands and 4 municipalities*; Grande Comore, Anjouan,

Domoni*, Fomboni*, Moheli, Moroni*, Mutsamudu*

Congo, Democratic Republic of the 10 provinces (provinces, singular - province) and 1 city* (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Orientale, Sud-Kivu note: according to the Constitution adopted in December 2005, the current administrative divisions will be subdivided into 26 new provinces by 2009

Congo, Republic of the

10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1

commune*; Bouenza, Brazzaville*, Cuvette, Cuvette-Ouest, Kouilou,

Lekoumou, Likouala, Niari, Plateaux, Pool, Sangha

Cook Islands

none

Costa Rica

7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Alajuela,

Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon, Puntarenas, San Jose

Cote d'Ivoire

19 regions; Agneby, Bafing, Bas-Sassandra, Denguele,

Dix-Huit Montagnes, Fromager, Haut-Sassandra, Lacs, Lagunes,

Marahoue, Moyen-Cavally, Moyen-Comoe, N'zi-Comoe, Savanes,

Sud-Bandama, Sud-Comoe, Vallee du Bandama, Worodougou, Zanzan

Croatia

20 counties (zupanije, zupanija - singular) and 1 city*

(grad - singular); Bjelovarsko-Bilogorska, Brodsko-Posavska,

Dubrovacko-Neretvanska (Dubrovnik-Neretva), Istarska (Istria),

Karlovacka, Koprivnicko-Krizevacka, Krapinsko-Zagorska,

Licko-Senjska (Lika-Senj), Medimurska, Osjecko-Baranjska,

Pozesko-Slavonska (Pozega-Slavonia), Primorsko-Goranska,

Sibensko-Kninska, Sisacko-Moslavacka, Splitsko-Dalmatinska

(Split-Dalmatia), Varazdinska, Viroviticko-Podravska,

Vukovarsko-Srijemska, Zadarska, Zagreb*, Zagrebacka

Cuba

14 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special

municipality* (municipio especial); Camaguey, Ciego de Avila,

Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla

de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Pinar del Rio,

Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara

Cyprus

6 districts; Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Nicosia,

Paphos; note - Turkish Cypriot area's administrative divisions

include Kyrenia, all but a small part of Famagusta, and small parts

of Lefkosia (Nicosia)

Czech Republic

13 regions (kraje, singular - kraj) and 1 capital

city* (hlavni mesto); Jihocesky (South Bohemia), Jihomoravsky (South

Moravia), Karlovarsky, Kralovehradecky, Liberecky, Moravskoslezsky

(Moravia-Silesia), Olomoucky, Pardubicky, Plzensky (Pilsen), Praha

(Prague)*, Stredocesky (Central Bohemia), Ustecky, Vysocina, Zlinsky

Denmark

metropolitan Denmark - 5 regions (regioner, singular -

region); Hovedstaden, Midtjylland, Nordjylland, Sjaelland, Syddanmark

note: an extensive local government reform merged 271 municipalities

into 98 and 13 counties into five regions, effective 1 January 2007

Djibouti

6 districts (cercles, singular - cercle); Ali Sabieh, Arta,

Dikhil, Djibouti, Obock, Tadjourah

Dominica

10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint

John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint

Paul, Saint Peter

Dominican Republic

31 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia)

and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Bahoruco, Barahona, Dajabon,

Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, El Seibo, Elias Pina, Espaillat, Hato

Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria

Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata,

Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, San Cristobal,

San Jose de Ocoa, San Juan, San Pedro de Macoris, Sanchez Ramirez,

Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Santo Domingo, Valverde

Ecuador

24 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Azuay,

Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas,

Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi,

Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Santa Elena,

Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, Sucumbios, Tungurahua,

Zamora-Chinchipe

Egypt

26 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ad

Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Buhayrah (El Beheira), Al

Fayyum (El Faiyum), Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah (Alexandria), Al

Isma'iliyah (Ismailia), Al Jizah (Giza), Al Minufiyah (El Monofia),

Al Minya, Al Qahirah (Cairo), Al Qalyubiyah, Al Wadi al Jadid (New

Valley), As Suways (Suez), Ash Sharqiyah, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf

(Beni Suef), Bur Sa'id (Port Said), Dumyat (Damietta), Janub Sina'

(South Sinai), Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh (Western Desert), Qina

(Qena), Shamal Sina' (North Sinai), Suhaj (Sohag)

El Salvador

14 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento);

Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La Libertad, La Paz,

La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, San Vicente, Santa Ana,

Sonsonate, Usulutan

Equatorial Guinea

7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia);

Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral,

Wele-Nzas

Eritrea

6 regions (zobatat, singular - zoba); Anseba, Debub

(Southern), Debubawi K'eyih Bahri (Southern Red Sea), Gash Barka,

Ma'akel (Central), Semenawi Keyih Bahri (Northern Red Sea)

Estonia

15 counties (maakonnad, singular - maakond): Harjumaa

(Tallinn), Hiiumaa (Kardla), Ida-Virumaa (Johvi), Jarvamaa (Paide),

Jogevamaa (Jogeva), Laanemaa (Haapsalu), Laane-Virumaa (Rakvere),

Parnumaa (Parnu), Polvamaa (Polva), Raplamaa (Rapla), Saaremaa

(Kuressaare), Tartumaa (Tartu), Valgamaa (Valga), Viljandimaa

(Viljandi), Vorumaa (Voru)

note: counties have the administrative center name following in

parentheses

Ethiopia

9 ethnically based states (kililoch, singular - kilil) and

2 self-governing administrations* (astedaderoch, singular -

astedader); Adis Abeba* (Addis Ababa), Afar, Amara (Amhara),

Binshangul Gumuz, Dire Dawa*, Gambela Hizboch (Gambela Peoples),

Hareri Hizb (Harari People), Oromiya (Oromia), Sumale (Somali),

Tigray, Ye Debub Biheroch Bihereseboch na Hizboch (Southern Nations,

Nationalities and Peoples)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

none (overseas territory of the

UK; also claimed by Argentina)

Faroe Islands

none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing

overseas administrative division of Denmark); there are no

first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US

Government, but there are 34 municipalities

Fiji

4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central, Eastern, Northern,

Rotuma*, Western

Finland

6 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Aland, Etela-Suomen

Laani (Southern Finland), Ita-Suomen Laani (Eastern Finland),

Lansi-Suomen Laani (Western Finland), Lappi (Lapland), Oulun Laani

France

26 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine,

Auvergne, Basse-Normandie (Lower Normandy), Bourgogne (Burgundy),

Bretagne (Brittany), Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse (Corsica),

Franche-Comte, Guadeloupe, Guyane (French Guiana), Haute-Normandie

(Upper Normandy), Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin,

Lorraine, Martinique, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la

Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur,

Reunion, Rhone-Alpes

note: France is divided into 22 metropolitan regions (including the

"territorial collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and 4 overseas

regions (including French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and

Reunion) and is subdivided into 96 metropolitan departments and 4

overseas departments (which are the same as the overseas regions)

French Polynesia

none (overseas lands of France); there are no

first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US

Government, but there are five archipelagic divisions named Archipel

des Marquises, Archipel des Tuamotu, Archipel des Tubuai, Iles du

Vent, Iles Sous-le-Vent

French Southern and Antarctic Lands none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are five administrative districts named Iles Crozet, Iles Eparses, Iles Kerguelen, Ile Saint-Paul et Ile Amsterdam; the fifth district is the "Adelie Land" claim in Antarctica that is not recognized by the US

Gabon

9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie,

Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem

Gambia, The

5 divisions and 1 city*; Banjul*, Central River, Lower

River, North Bank, Upper River, Western

Georgia

9 regions (mkharebi, singular - mkhare), 1 city (k'alak'i),

and 2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom

respublika)

regions: Guria, Imereti, Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti,

Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Samegrelo and Zemo Svaneti,

Samtskhe-Javakheti, Shida Kartli

city: Tbilisi

autonomous republics: Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is Avtonomiuri

Respublika (Sokhumi), Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika

(Bat'umi)

note: the administrative centers of the two autonomous republics are

shown in parentheses

Germany

16 states (Laender, singular - Land); Baden-Wuerttemberg,

Bayern (Bavaria), Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen,

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania),

Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), Nordrhein-Westfalen (North

Rhine-Westphalia), Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate), Saarland,

Sachsen (Saxony), Sachsen-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt),

Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen (Thuringia); note - Bayern, Sachsen,

and Thueringen refer to themselves as free states (Freistaaten,

singular - Freistaat)

Ghana

10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater

Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western

Gibraltar

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Greece

51 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos) and 1 autonomous

region*; Achaia, Agion Oros* (Mt. Athos), Aitolia kai Akarnania,

Argolis, Arkadia, Arta, Attiki, Chalkidiki, Chanion, Chios,

Dodekanisos, Drama, Evros, Evrytania, Evvoia, Florina, Fokidos,

Fthiotis, Grevena, Ileia, Imathia, Ioannina, Irakleion, Karditsa,

Kastoria, Kavala, Kefallinia, Kerkyra, Kilkis, Korinthia, Kozani,

Kyklades, Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lefkas, Lesvos, Magnisia,

Messinia, Pella, Pieria, Preveza, Rethynnis, Rodopi, Samos, Serrai,

Thesprotia, Thessaloniki, Trikala, Voiotia, Xanthi, Zakynthos

Greenland

3 districts (landsdele); Avannaa (Nordgronland), Tunu

(Ostgronland), Kitaa (Vestgronland)

note: there are 18 municipalities in Greenland

Grenada

6 parishes and 1 dependency*; Carriacou and Petite

Martinique*, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John,

Saint Mark, Saint Patrick

Guam

none (territory of the US)

Guatemala

22 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento);

Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Chiquimula, El Progreso,

Escuintla, Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Izabal, Jalapa, Jutiapa, Peten,

Quetzaltenango, Quiche, Retalhuleu, Sacatepequez, San Marcos, Santa

Rosa, Solola, Suchitepequez, Totonicapan, Zacapa

Guernsey

none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order

administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there

are 10 parishes including Castel, Forest, Saint Andrew, Saint

Martin, Saint Peter Port, Saint Pierre du Bois, Saint Sampson, Saint

Saviour, Torteval, Vale

Guinea

33 prefectures and 1 special zone (zone special)*; Beyla,

Boffa, Boke, Conakry*, Coyah, Dabola, Dalaba, Dinguiraye, Dubreka,

Faranah, Forecariah, Fria, Gaoual, Gueckedou, Kankan, Kerouane,

Kindia, Kissidougou, Koubia, Koundara, Kouroussa, Labe, Lelouma,

Lola, Macenta, Mali, Mamou, Mandiana, Nzerekore, Pita, Siguiri,

Telimele, Tougue, Yomou

Guinea-Bissau

9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata,

Biombo, Bissau, Bolama, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali; note -

Bolama may have been renamed Bolama/Bijagos

Guyana

10 regions; Barima-Waini, Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Demerara-Mahaica,

East Berbice-Corentyne, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara,

Mahaica-Berbice, Pomeroon-Supenaam, Potaro-Siparuni, Upper

Demerara-Berbice, Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo

Haiti

10 departments (departements, singular - departement);

Artibonite, Centre, Grand 'Anse, Nippes, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest,

Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est

Holy See (Vatican City)

none

Honduras

18 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento);

Atlantida, Choluteca, Colon, Comayagua, Copan, Cortes, El Paraiso,

Francisco Morazan, Gracias a Dios, Intibuca, Islas de la Bahia, La

Paz, Lempira, Ocotepeque, Olancho, Santa Barbara, Valle, Yoro

Hong Kong

none (special administrative region of China)

Hungary

19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 23 urban counties

(singular - megyei varos), and 1 capital city (fovaros)

counties: Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen,

Csongrad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves,

Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy,

Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala

urban counties: Bekescsaba, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Erd, Gyor,

Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa,

Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Salgotarjan, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar,

Szekszard, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem, Zalaegerszeg

capital city: Budapest

Iceland

8 regions; Austurland, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Nordhurland

Eystra, Nordhurland Vestra, Sudhurland, Sudhurnes, Vestfirdhir,

Vesturland

India

28 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar

Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar,

Chandigarh*, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*,

Delhi*, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir,

Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh,

Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa,

Puducherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar

Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal

Indonesia

30 provinces (propinsi-propinsi, singular - propinsi), 2

special regions* (daerah-daerah istimewa, singular - daerah

istimewa), and 1 special capital city district** (daerah khusus

ibukota); Aceh*, Bali, Banten, Bengkulu, Gorontalo, Jakarta Raya**,

Jambi, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Jawa Timur, Kalimantan Barat,

Kalimantan Selatan, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Timur, Kepulauan

Bangka Belitung, Kepulauan Riau, Lampung, Maluku, Maluku Utara, Nusa

Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Papua, Papua Barat (Irian Jaya

Barat), Riau, Sulawesi Barat, Sulawesi Selatan, Sulawesi Tengah,

Sulawesi Tenggara, Sulawesi Utara, Sumatera Barat, Sumatera Selatan,

Sumatera Utara, Yogyakarta*

note: following the implementation of decentralization beginning on

1 January 2001, the 465 regencies and municipalities have become the

key administrative units responsible for providing most government

services

Iran

30 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Ardabil, Azarbayjan-e

Gharbi, Azarbayjan-e Sharqi, Bushehr, Chahar Mahall va Bakhtiari,

Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Golestan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman,

Kermanshah, Khorasan-e Jonubi, Khorasan-e Razavi, Khorasan-e

Shomali, Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh va Buyer Ahmad, Kordestan, Lorestan,

Markazi, Mazandaran, Qazvin, Qom, Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan,

Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan

Iraq

18 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah) and 1

region*; Al Anbar, Al Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, An Najaf,

Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah, At Ta'mim, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar,

Diyala, Karbala', Kurdistan Regional Government*, Maysan, Ninawa,

Salah ad Din, Wasit

Ireland

26 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin,

Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick,

Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo,

Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow

Isle of Man

none; there are no first-order administrative divisions

as defined by the US Government, but there are 24 local authorities

each with its own elections

Israel

6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa,

Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv

Italy

15 regions (regioni, singular - regione) and 5 autonomous

regions* (regioni autonome, singular - regione autonoma); Abruzzo,

Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia

Giulia*, Lazio (Latium), Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise,

Piemonte (Piedmont), Puglia (Apulia), Sardegna* (Sardinia),

Sicilia*, Toscana (Tuscany), Trentino-Alto Adige* (Trentino-South

Tyrol), Umbria, Valle d'Aosta* (Aosta Valley), Veneto (Venetia)

Jamaica

14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester,

Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth,

Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland

note: for local government purposes, Kingston and Saint Andrew were

amalgamated in 1923 into the present single corporate body known as

the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation

Japan

47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui,

Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gunma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo,

Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi,

Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara,

Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga,

Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama,

Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi

Jersey

none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order

administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there

are 12 parishes including Grouville, Saint Brelade, Saint Clement,

Saint Helier, Saint John, Saint Lawrence, Saint Martin, Saint Mary,

Saint Quen, Saint Peter, Saint Saviour, and Trinity

Jordan

12 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ajlun, Al

'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az

Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba

Kazakhstan

14 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 3 cities*

(qalalar, singular - qala); Almaty Oblysy, Almaty Qalasy*, Aqmola

Oblysy (Astana), Aqtobe Oblysy, Astana Qalasy*, Atyrau Oblysy, Batys

Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Bayqongyr Qalasy*, Mangghystau Oblysy

(Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Pavlodar Oblysy,

Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Shyghys

Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen), Soltustik Qazaqstan Oblysy

(Petropavlovsk), Zhambyl Oblysy (Taraz)

note: administrative divisions have the same names as their

administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center

name following in parentheses); in 1995, the Governments of

Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would

lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the

Baykonur space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr

(Baykonur, formerly Leninsk); in 2004, a new agreement extended the

lease to 2050

Kenya

7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi

Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western

Kiribati

3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands;

note - in addition, there are 6 districts (Banaba, Central Gilberts,

Line Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa) and 21

island councils - one for each of the inhabited islands (Abaiang,

Abemama, Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton,

Kiritimati, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa,

Tabiteuea, Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina)

Korea, North

9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4

municipalities (si, singular and plural)

provinces: Chagang-do (Chagang), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong),

Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae),

Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae), Kangwon-do (Kangwon),

P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan),

Yanggang-do (Yanggang)

municipalities: Kaesong-si (Kaesong), Najin Sonbong-si

(Najin-Sonbong), Namp'o-si (Namp'o), P'yongyang-si (Pyongyang)

Korea, South

9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 7

metropolitan cities (gwangyoksi, singular and plural)

provinces: Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto (North Cholla), Cholla-namdo

(South Cholla), Ch'ungch'ong-bukto (North Ch'ungch'ong),

Ch'ungch'ong-namdo (South Ch'ungch'ong), Kangwon-do, Kyonggi-do,

Kyongsang-bukto (North Kyongsang), Kyongsang-namdo (South Kyongsang)

metropolitan cities: Inch'on-gwangyoksi (Inch'on),

Kwangju-gwangyoksi (Kwangju), Pusan-gwangyoksi (Pusan),

Soul-t'ukpyolsi (Seoul), Taegu-gwangyoksi (Taegu), Taejon-gwangyoksi

(Taejon), Ulsan-gwangyoksi (Ulsan)

Kosovo

30 municipalities (komunat, singular - komuna in Albanian;

opstine, singular - opstina in Serbian); Decan (Decani), Dragash

(Dragas), Ferizaj (Urosevac), Fushe Kosove (Kosovo Polje), Gjakove

(Dakovica), Gllogoc/Drenas (Glogovac), Gjilan (Gnjilane), Istog

(Istok), Kacanik, Kamenice/Dardana (Kamenica), Kline (Klina),

Leposaviq (Leposavic), Lipjan (Lipljan), Malisheve (Malisevo),

Mitrovice (Mitrovica), Novoberde (Novo Brdo), Obiliq (Obilic), Peje

(Pec), Podujeve (Podujevo), Prishtine (Pristina), Prizren, Rahovec

(Orahovac), Shtime (Stimlje), Shterpce (Strpce), Skenderaj (Srbica),

Suhareke (Suva Reka), Viti (Vitina), Vushtrri (Vucitrn), Zubin

Potok, Zvecan

Kuwait

6 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Ahmadi,

Al 'Asimah, Al Farwaniyah, Al Jahra', Hawalli, Mubarak al Kabir

Kyrgyzstan

7 provinces (oblastlar, singular - oblasty) and 1 city*

(shaar); Batken Oblasty, Bishkek Shaary*, Chuy Oblasty (Bishkek),

Jalal-Abad Oblasty, Naryn Oblasty, Osh Oblasty, Talas Oblasty,

Ysyk-Kol Oblasty (Karakol)

note: administrative divisions have the same names as their

administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center

name following in parentheses)

Laos

16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural) and 1 capital city*

(nakhon luang, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai,

Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphrabang,

Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane)*,

Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xekong, Xiangkhoang

Latvia

26 counties (singular - rajons) and 7 municipalities*:

Aizkraukles Rajons, Aluksnes Rajons, Balvu Rajons, Bauskas Rajons,

Cesu Rajons, Daugavpils*, Daugavpils Rajons, Dobeles Rajons,

Gulbenes Rajons, Jekabpils Rajons, Jelgava*, Jelgavas Rajons,

Jurmala*, Kraslavas Rajons, Kuldigas Rajons, Liepaja*, Liepajas

Rajons, Limbazu Rajons, Ludzas Rajons, Madonas Rajons, Ogres Rajons,

Preilu Rajons, Rezekne*, Rezeknes Rajons, Riga*, Rigas Rajons,

Saldus Rajons, Talsu Rajons, Tukuma Rajons, Valkas Rajons, Valmieras

Rajons, Ventspils*, Ventspils Rajons

Lebanon

8 governorates (mohafazat, singular - mohafazah); Aakar,

Baalbek-Hermel, Beqaa, Beyrouth, Liban-Nord, Liban-Sud, Mont-Liban,

Nabatiye

Lesotho

10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru,

Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka

Liberia

15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape

Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado,

Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe

Libya

25 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ajdabiya,

Al 'Aziziyah, Al Fatih, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al Jufrah, Al Khums, Al

Kufrah, An Nuqat al Khams, Ash Shati', Awbari, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi,

Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Misratah, Murzuq, Sabha, Sawfajjin, Surt,

Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran, Zlitan; note - the 25

municipalities may have been replaced by 13 regions

Liechtenstein

11 communes (Gemeinden, singular - Gemeinde); Balzers,

Eschen, Gamprin, Mauren, Planken, Ruggell, Schaan, Schellenberg,

Triesen, Triesenberg, Vaduz

Lithuania

10 counties (apskritys, singular - apskritis); Alytaus,

Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages,

Telsiu, Utenos, Vilniaus

Luxembourg

3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg

Macau

none (special administrative region of China)

Macedonia

84 municipalities (opstini, singular - opstina); Aerodrom

(Skopje), Aracinovo, Berovo, Bitola, Bogdanci, Bogovinje, Bosilovo,

Brvenica, Butel (Skopje), Cair (Skopje), Caska, Centar (Skopje),

Centar Zupa, Cesinovo-Oblesevo, Cucer-Sandevo, Debar, Debarca,

Delcevo, Demir Hisar, Demir Kapija, Dojran, Dolneni, Drugovo, Gazi

Baba (Skopje), Gevgelija, Gjorce Petrov (Skopje), Gostivar, Gradsko,

Ilinden, Jegunovce, Karbinci, Karpos (Skopje), Kavadarci, Kicevo,

Kisela Voda (Skopje), Kocani, Konce, Kratovo, Kriva Palanka,

Krivogastani, Krusevo, Kumanovo, Lipkovo, Lozovo, Makedonska

Kamenica, Makedonski Brod, Mavrovo i Rostusa, Mogila, Negotino,

Novaci, Novo Selo, Ohrid, Oslomej, Pehcevo, Petrovec, Plasnica,

Prilep, Probistip, Radovis, Rankovce, Resen, Rosoman, Saraj

(Skopje), Sopiste, Staro Nagoricane, Stip, Struga, Strumica,

Studenicani, Suto Orizari (Skopje), Sveti Nikole, Tearce, Tetovo,

Valandovo, Vasilevo, Veles, Vevcani, Vinica, Vranestica, Vrapciste,

Zajas, Zelenikovo, Zelino, Zrnovci

note: the 10 municipalities followed by Skopje in parentheses

collectively constitute the larger Skopje Municipality

Madagascar

6 provinces (faritany); Antananarivo, Antsiranana,

Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara

Malawi

28 districts; Balaka, Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu,

Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Likoma, Lilongwe, Machinga

(Kasupe), Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Neno, Ntcheu,

Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Phalombe, Rumphi, Salima,

Thyolo, Zomba

Malaysia

13 states (negeri-negeri, singular - negeri) Johor, Kedah,

Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau

Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, and Terengganu; and one federal

territory (wilayah persekutuan) with three components, city of Kuala

Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya

Maldives

19 atolls (atholhu, singular and plural) and the capital

city*; Alifu, Baa, Dhaalu, Faafu, Gaafu Alifu, Gaafu Dhaalu,

Gnaviyani, Haa Alifu, Haa Dhaalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Lhaviyani, Maale*

(Male), Meemu, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Vaavu

Mali

8 regions (regions, singular - region); Gao, Kayes, Kidal,

Koulikoro, Mopti, Segou, Sikasso, Tombouctou

Malta

none (administered directly from Valletta); note - local

councils carry out administrative orders

Marshall Islands

33 municipalities; Ailinginae, Ailinglaplap, Ailuk,

Arno, Aur, Bikar, Bikini, Bokak, Ebon, Enewetak, Erikub, Jabat,

Jaluit, Jemo, Kili, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap,

Mejit, Mili, Namorik, Namu, Rongelap, Rongrik, Toke, Ujae, Ujelang,

Utirik, Wotho, Wotje

Mauritania

12 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 capital

district*; Adrar, Assaba, Brakna, Dakhlet Nouadhibou, Gorgol,

Guidimaka, Hodh Ech Chargui, Hodh El Gharbi, Inchiri, Nouakchott*,

Tagant, Tiris Zemmour, Trarza

Mauritius

9 districts and 3 dependencies*; Agalega Islands*, Black

River, Cargados Carajos Shoals*, Flacq, Grand Port, Moka,

Pamplemousses, Plaines Wilhems, Port Louis, Riviere du Rempart,

Rodrigues*, Savanne

Mayotte

none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)

Mexico

31 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal

district* (distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja

California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza,

Colima, Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo,

Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon,

Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro de Arteaga, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi,

Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz-Llave,

Yucatan, Zacatecas

Micronesia, Federated States of

4 states; Chuuk (Truk), Kosrae

(Kosaie), Pohnpei (Ponape), Yap

Moldova

32 raions (raioane, singular - raionul), 3 municipalities

(municipiul), 1 autonomous territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala

autonoma), and 1 territorial unit (unitatea teritoriala)

raions: Anenii Noi, Basarabeasca, Briceni, Cahul, Cantemir,

Calarasi, Causeni, Cimislia, Criuleni, Donduseni, Drochia, Dubasari,

Edinet, Falesti, Floresti, Glodeni, Hincesti, Ialoveni, Leova,

Nisporeni, Ocnita, Orhei, Rezina, Riscani, Singerei, Soldanesti,

Soroca, Stefan-Voda, Straseni, Taraclia, Telenesti, Ungheni

municipalities: Balti, Bender, Chisinau

autonomous territorial unit: Gagauzia

territorial unit: Stinga Nistrului (Transnistria)

Monaco

none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as

defined by the US Government, but there are four quarters

(quartiers, singular - quartier); Fontvieille, La Condamine,

Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo

Mongolia

21 provinces (aymguud, singular - aymag) and 1

municipality* (singular - hot); Arhangay, Bayanhongor, Bayan-Olgiy,

Bulgan, Darhan-Uul, Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi, Dzavhan,

Govi-Altay, Govisumber, Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol, Omnogovi, Orhon,

Ovorhangay, Selenge, Suhbaatar, Tov, Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs

Montenegro

21 municipalities (opstine, singular - opstina);

Andrijevica, Bar, Berana, Bijelo Polje, Budva, Cetinje, Danilovgrad,

Herceg Novi, Kolasin, Kotor, Mojkovac, Niksic, Plav, Pljevlja,

Pluzine, Podgorica, Rozaje, Savnik, Tivat, Ulcinj, Zabljak

Montserrat

3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter

Morocco

15 regions; Grand Casablanca, Chaouia-Ouardigha,

Doukkala-Abda, Fes-Boulemane, Gharb-Chrarda-Beni Hssen, Guelmim-Es

Smara, Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra, Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz,

Meknes-Tafilalet, Oriental, Rabat-Sale-Zemmour-Zaer,

Souss-Massa-Draa, Tadla-Azilal, Tanger-Tetouan, Taza-Al

Hoceima-Taounate

note: Morocco claims the territory of Western Sahara, the political

status of which is considered undetermined by the US Government;

portions of the regions Guelmim-Es Smara and Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia

El Hamra as claimed by Morocco lie within Western Sahara; Morocco

claims another region, Oued Eddahab-Lagouira, which falls entirely

within Western Sahara

Mozambique

10 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), 1 city

(cidade)*; Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Cidade de

Maputo*, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia

Namibia

13 regions; Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Khomas, Kunene,

Ohangwena, Okavango, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa

Nauru

14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe,

Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren

Nepal

14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri,

Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali,

Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti

Netherlands

12 provinces (provincies, singular - provincie);

Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland (Fryslan), Gelderland, Groningen,

Limburg, Noord-Brabant (North Brabant), Noord-Holland (North

Holland), Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland (Zealand), Zuid-Holland

(South Holland)

Netherlands Antilles

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

note: each island has its own government

New Caledonia

none (overseas territory of France); there are no

first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US

Government, but there are 3 provinces named Province des Iles,

Province Nord, and Province Sud

New Zealand

16 regions and 1 territory*; Auckland, Bay of Plenty,

Canterbury, Chatham Islands*, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay,

Manawatu-Wanganui, Marlborough, Nelson, Northland, Otago, Southland,

Taranaki, Tasman, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast

Nicaragua

15 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento)

and 2 autonomous regions* (regiones autonomistas, singular - region

autonoma); Atlantico Norte*, Atlantico Sur*, Boaco, Carazo,

Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz,

Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas

Niger

8 regions (regions, singular - region) includes 1 capital

district* (communite urbaine); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi,

Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder

Nigeria

36 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom,

Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi,

Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Federal Capital Territory*, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa,

Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nassarawa, Niger,

Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara

Niue

none; note - there are no first-order administrative divisions

as defined by the US Government, but there are 14 villages at the

second order

Norfolk Island

none (territory of Australia)

Northern Mariana Islands

none (commonwealth in political union with

the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as

defined by the US Government, but there are four municipalities at

the second order: Northern Islands, Rota, Saipan, Tinian

Norway

19 counties (fylker, singular - fylke); Akershus, Aust-Agder,

Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, More og Romsdal, Nordland,

Nord-Trondelag, Oppland, Oslo, Ostfold, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane,

Sor-Trondelag, Telemark, Troms, Vest-Agder, Vestfold

Oman

5 regions (manatiq, singular - mintaqat) and 4 governorates*

(muhafazat, singular - muhafazat) Ad Dakhiliyah, Al Batinah, Al

Buraymi*, Al Wusta, Ash Sharqiyah, Az Zahirah, Masqat (Muscat)*,

Musandam*, Zufar (Dhofar)*

Pakistan

4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capital territory**;

Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas*, Islamabad Capital

Territory**, North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, Sindh

note: the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and

Kashmir region consists of two administrative entities: Azad Kashmir

and Northern Areas

Palau

16 states; Aimeliik, Airai, Angaur, Hatohobei, Kayangel,

Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngarchelong, Ngardmau, Ngatpang,

Ngchesar, Ngeremlengui, Ngiwal, Peleliu, Sonsorol

Panama

11 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1

territory* (comarca); Bocas del Toro, Comarca Kuna Yala, Comarca

Ngobe-Bugle, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Herrera, Los Santos,

Panama, San Blas*(Kuna Yala), and Veraguas

Papua New Guinea

20 provinces; Bougainville, Central, Chimbu,

Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Madang,

Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital, New Ireland, Northern,

Sandaun, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New

Britain

Paraguay

17 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and

1 capital city*; Alto Paraguay, Alto Parana, Amambay, Asuncion*,

Boqueron, Caaguazu, Caazapa, Canindeyu, Central, Concepcion,

Cordillera, Guaira, Itapua, Misiones, Neembucu, Paraguari,

Presidente Hayes, San Pedro

Peru

25 regions (regiones, singular - region) and 1 province*

(provincia); Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho,

Cajamarca, Callao, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La

Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Lima*, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua,

Pasco, Piura, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali

Philippines

81 provinces and 136 chartered cities

provinces: Abra, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Albay,

Antique, Apayao, Aurora, Basilan, Bataan, Batanes, Batangas,

Biliran, Benguet, Bohol, Bukidnon, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines

Norte, Camarines Sur, Camiguin, Capiz, Catanduanes, Cavite, Cebu,

Compostela, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Dinagat

Islands, Eastern Samar, Guimaras, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur,

Iloilo, Isabela, Kalinga, Laguna, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, La

Union, Leyte, Maguindanao, Marinduque, Masbate, Mindoro Occidental,

Mindoro Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Mountain

Province, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, North Cotabato,

Northern Samar, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Palawan, Pampanga,

Pangasinan, Quezon, Quirino, Rizal, Romblon, Samar, Sarangani,

Shariff Kabunsuan, Siquijor, Sorsogon, South Cotabato, Southern

Leyte, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur,

Tarlac, Tawi-Tawi, Zambales, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur,

Zamboanga Sibugay

chartered cities: Alaminos, Angeles, Antipolo, Bacolod, Bago,

Baguio, Bais, Balanga, Batac, Batangas, Bayawan, Baybay, Bayugan,

Bislig, Bogo, Borongan, Butuan, Cabadbaran, Cabanatuan, Cadiz,

Cagayan de Oro, Calamba, Calapan, Calbayog, Candon, Canlaon, Carcar,

Catbalogan, Cauayan, Cavite, Cebu, Cotabato, Dagupan, Danao,

Dapitan, Davao, Digos, Dipolog, Dumaguete, Escalante, El Salvador,

Gapan, General Santos, Gingoog, Guihulngan, Himamaylan, Iligan,

Iloilo, Isabela, Iriga, Kabankalan, Kalookan, Kidapawan, Koronadal,

La Carlota, Lamitan, Laoag, Lapu-Lapu, Las Pinas, Legazpi, Ligao,

Lipa, Lucena, Maasin, Makati, Malabon, Malaybalay, Malolos,

Mandaluyong, Mandaue, Manila, Marawi, Marikina, Masbate, Mati,

Meycauayan, Muntinlupa, Munoz, Naga (Camarines Sur), Naga (Cebu),

Navotas, Olongapo, Ormoc, Oroquieta, Ozamis, Pagadian, Palayan,

Panabo, Paranaque, Pasay, Pasig, Passi, Puerto Princesa, Quezon,

Roxas, Sagay, Samal, San Carlos (in Negros Occidental), San Carlos

(in Pangasinan), San Fernando (in La Union), San Fernando (in

Pampanga), San Jose, San Jose del Monte, San Juan, San Pablo, Santa

Rosa, Santiago, Silay, Sipalay, Sorsogon, Surigao, Tabaco, Tabuk,

Tacloban, Tacurong, Tagaytay, Tagbilaran, Taguig, Tagum, Talisay (in

Cebu), Talisay (in Negros Occidental), Tanauan, Tandag, Tangub,

Tanjay, Tarlac, Tayabas, Toledo, Tuguegarao, Trece Martires,

Urdaneta, Valencia, Valenzuela, Victorias, Vigan, Zamboanga (2007)

Pitcairn Islands

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Poland

16 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo);

Dolnoslaskie (Lower Silesia), Kujawsko-Pomorskie

(Kuyavia-Pomerania), Lodzkie, Lubelskie (Lublin), Lubuskie (Lubusz),

Malopolskie (Lesser Poland), Mazowieckie (Masovia), Opolskie,

Podkarpackie (Subcarpathia), Podlaskie, Pomorskie (Pomerania),

Slaskie (Silesia), Swietokrzyskie, Warminsko-Mazurskie

(Warmia-Masuria), Wielkopolskie (Greater Poland), Zachodniopomorskie

(West Pomerania)

Portugal

18 districts (distritos, singular - distrito) and 2

autonomous regions* (regioes autonomas, singular - regiao autonoma);

Aveiro, Acores (Azores)*, Beja, Braga, Braganca, Castelo Branco,

Coimbra, Evora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa (Lisbon), Madeira*,

Portalegre, Porto, Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real,

Viseu

Puerto Rico

none (territory of the US with commonwealth status);

there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the

US Government, but there are 78 municipalities (municipios, singular

- municipio) at the second order; Adjuntas, Aguada, Aguadilla, Aguas

Buenas, Aibonito, Anasco, Arecibo, Arroyo, Barceloneta,

Barranquitas, Bayamon, Cabo Rojo, Caguas, Camuy, Canovanas,

Carolina, Catano, Cayey, Ceiba, Ciales, Cidra, Coamo, Comerio,

Corozal, Culebra, Dorado, Fajardo, Florida, Guanica, Guayama,

Guayanilla, Guaynabo, Gurabo, Hatillo, Hormigueros, Humacao,

Isabela, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Juncos, Lajas, Lares, Las Marias, Las

Piedras, Loiza, Luquillo, Manati, Maricao, Maunabo, Mayaguez, Moca,

Morovis, Naguabo, Naranjito, Orocovis, Patillas, Penuelas, Ponce,

Quebradillas, Rincon, Rio Grande, Sabana Grande, Salinas, San

German, San Juan, San Lorenzo, San Sebastian, Santa Isabel, Toa

Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto, Utuado, Vega Alta, Vega Baja,

Vieques, Villalba, Yabucoa, Yauco

Qatar

10 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ad

Dawhah, Al Ghuwayriyah, Al Jumayliyah, Al Khawr, Al Wakrah, Ar

Rayyan, Jarayan al Batinah, Madinat ash Shamal, Umm Sa'id, Umm Salal

Romania

41 counties (judete, singular - judet) and 1 municipality*

(municipiu); Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud,

Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti (Bucharest)*, Buzau, Calarasi,

Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati,

Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Ilfov,

Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare,

Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea

Russia

46 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast), 21 republics

(respublik, singular - respublika), 4 autonomous okrugs (avtonomnykh

okrugov, singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 9 krays (krayev, singular -

kray), 2 federal cities (goroda, singular - gorod), and 1 autonomous

oblast (avtonomnaya oblast')

oblasts: Amur (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', Belgorod,

Bryansk, Chelyabinsk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Kaliningrad, Kaluga,

Kemerovo, Kirov, Kostroma, Kurgan, Kursk, Leningrad, Lipetsk,

Magadan, Moscow, Murmansk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Novgorod, Novosibirsk,

Omsk, Orenburg, Orel, Penza, Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan', Sakhalin

(Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Sverdlovsk

(Yekaterinburg), Tambov, Tomsk, Tula, Tver', Tyumen', Ul'yanovsk,

Vladimir, Volgograd, Vologda, Voronezh, Yaroslavl'

republics: Adygeya (Maykop), Altay (Gorno-Altaysk), Bashkortostan

(Ufa), Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude), Chechnya (Groznyy), Chuvashiya

(Cheboksary), Dagestan (Makhachkala), Ingushetiya (Magas),

Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal'chik), Kalmykiya (Elista),

Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk), Kareliya (Petrozavodsk),

Khakasiya (Abakan), Komi (Syktyvkar), Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola),

Mordoviya (Saransk), North Ossetia (Vladikavkaz), Sakha [Yakutiya]

(Yakutsk), Tatarstan (Kazan'), Tyva (Kyzyl), Udmurtiya (Izhevsk)

autonomous okrugs: Chukotka (Anadyr'), Khanty-Mansi

(Khanty-Mansiysk), Nenets (Nar'yan-Mar), Yamalo-Nenets (Salekhard)

krays: Altay (Barnaul), Kamchatka (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy),

Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Perm', Primorskiy (Vladivostok),

Stavropol', Zabaykal'skiy (Chita)

federal cities: Moscow (Moskva), Saint Petersburg (Sankt-Peterburg)

autonomous oblast: Yevrey [Jewish] (Birobidzhan)

note: administrative divisions have the same names as their

administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center

name following in parentheses)

Rwanda

4 provinces (in French - provinces, singular - province; in

Kinyarwanda - intara for singular and plural) and 1 city* (in French

- ville; in Kinyarwanda - umujyi); Est (Eastern), Kigali*, Nord

(Northern), Ouest (Western), Sud (Southern)

Saint Helena

1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*,

Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha*

Saint Kitts and Nevis

14 parishes; Christ Church Nichola Town, Saint

Anne Sandy Point, Saint George Basseterre, Saint George Gingerland,

Saint James Windward, Saint John Capesterre, Saint John Figtree,

Saint Mary Cayon, Saint Paul Capesterre, Saint Paul Charlestown,

Saint Peter Basseterre, Saint Thomas Lowland, Saint Thomas Middle

Island, Trinity Palmetto Point

Saint Lucia

11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin,

Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

none (territorial overseas collectivity of

France); note - there are no first-order administrative divisions as

defined by the US Government, but there are two communes - Saint

Pierre, Miquelon at the second order

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines,

Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick

Samoa

11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga,

Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea, Tuamasaga,

Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano

San Marino

9 municipalities (castelli, singular - castello);

Acquaviva, Borgo Maggiore, Chiesanuova, Domagnano, Faetano,

Fiorentino, Montegiardino, San Marino Citta, Serravalle

Sao Tome and Principe

2 provinces; Principe, Sao Tome

note: Principe has had self government since 29 April 1995

Saudi Arabia

13 provinces (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah); Al Bahah,

Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Ar Riyad,

Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern Province), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah,

Najran, Tabuk

Senegal

11 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel,

Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda,

Thies, Ziguinchor

Serbia

161 municipalities (opcstine, singular - opcstina)

Serbia Proper: Beograd: Barajevo, Cukavica, Grocka, Lazarevac,

Mladnovac, Novi Beograd, Obrenovac, Palilula, Rakovica, Savski

Venac, Sopot, Stari Grad, Surcin, Vozdovac, Vracar, Zemun, Zrezdara;

Borski Okrug: Bor, Kladovo, Majdanpek, Negotin; Branicevski Okrug:

Golubac, Kucevo, Malo Crnice, Petrovac, Pozarevac, Veliko Gradiste,

Zabari, Zagubica; Jablanicki Okrug: Bojnik, Crna Trava, Lebane,

Leskovac, Medvedja, Vlasotince; Kolubarski Okrug: Lajkovac, Ljig,

Mionica, Osecina, Ub, Valjevo; Macvanski Okrug: Bogatic, Koceljeva,

Krupanj, Ljubovija, Loznica, Mali Zvornik, Sabac, Vladimirci;

Moravicki Okrug: Cacak, Gornkji Milanovac, Ivanjica, Lucani;

Nisavski Okrug: Aleksinac, Doljevac, Gadzin Han, Merosina, Nis,

Razanj, Svrljig; Pcinjski Okrug: Bosilegrad, Bujanovac, Presevo,

Surdulica, Trgoviste, Vladicin Han, Vranje; Pirotski Okrug:

Babusnica, Bela Palanka, Dimitrovgrad, Pirot; Podunavski Okrug:

Smederevo, Smederevskia Palanka, Velika Plana; Pomoravski Okrug:

Cuprija, Despotovac, Jagodina, Paracin, Rckovac, Svilajnac; Rasinski

Okrug: Aleksandrovac, Brus, Cicevac, Krusevac, Trstenik, Varvarin;

Raski Okrug: Kraljevo, Novi Pazar, Raska, Tutin, Vrnjacka Banja;

Sumadijski Okrug: Arandjelovac, Batocina, Knic, Kragujevac, Lapovo,

Raca, Topola; Toplicki Okrug: Blace, Kursumlija, Prokuplje,

Zitoradja; Zajecarski Okrug: Boljevac, Knjazevac, Sokobanja,

Zalecar; Zlatiborski Okrug: Arilje, Bajina Basta, Cajetina,

Kosjeric, Nova Varos, Pozega, Priboj, Prijepolje, Sjenica, Uzice

Vojvodina Autonomous Province: Juzno-Backi Okrug: Backi Petrovac,

Beocin, Novi Sad, Sremski Karlovci, Temerin, Titel, Zabalj; Juzno

Banatski Okrug: Alibunar, Bela Crkva, Kovacica, Kovin, Opovo,

Pancevo, Plandiste, Vrsac; Severno-Backi Okrug: Backa Topola, Mali

Idjos, Subotica; Severno-Banatski Okrug: Ada, Coka, Kanjiza,

Kikinda, Novi Knezevac, Senta; Srednje-Banatski Okrug: Nova Crnja,

Novi Becej, Secanj, Zitiste, Zrenjanin; Sremski Okrug: Indjija,

Irig, Pecinci, Ruma, Sid, Sremska Mitrovica, Stara Pazova;

Zapadno-Backi Okrug: Apatin, Kula, Odzaci, Sombor

Seychelles

23 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins, Anse Boileau,

Anse Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Baie Sainte Anne,

Beau Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand' Anse (on

Mahe), Grand' Anse (on Praslin), La Digue, La Riviere Anglaise, Mont

Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe La Rue, Port Glaud, Saint

Louis, Takamaka

Sierra Leone

3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern,

Western*

Singapore

none

Slovakia

8 regions (kraje, singular - kraj); Banskobystricky,

Bratislavsky, Kosicky, Nitriansky, Presovsky, Trenciansky, Trnavsky,

Zilinsky

Slovenia

182 municipalities (obcine, singular - obcina) and 11 urban

municipalities* (mestne obcine , singular - mestna obcina )

Ajdovscina, Beltinci, Benedikt, Bistrica ob Sotli, Bled, Bloke,

Bohinj, Borovnica, Bovec, Braslovce, Brda, Brezice, Brezovica,

Cankova, Celje*, Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Cerknica, Cerkno,

Cerkvenjak, Crensovci, Crna na Koroskem, Crnomelj, Destrnik, Divaca,

Dobje, Dobrepolje, Dobrna, Dobrova-Horjul-Polhov Gradec,

Dobrovnik-Dobronak, Dolenjske Toplice, Dol pri Ljubljani, Domzale,

Dornava, Dravograd, Duplek, Gorenja Vas-Poljane, Gorisnica, Gornja

Radgona, Gornji Grad, Gornji Petrovci, Grad, Grosuplje, Hajdina,

Hoce-Slivnica, Hodos-Hodos, Horjul, Hrastnik, Hrpelje-Kozina,

Idrija, Ig, Ilirska Bistrica, Ivancna Gorica, Izola-Isola, Jesenice,

Jezersko, Jursinci, Kamnik, Kanal, Kidricevo, Kobarid, Kobilje,

Kocevje, Komen, Komenda, Koper-Capodistria*, Kostel, Kozje, Kranj*,

Kranjska Gora, Krizevci, Krsko, Kungota, Kuzma, Lasko, Lenart,

Lendava-Lendva, Litija, Ljubljana*, Ljubno, Ljutomer, Logatec, Loska

Dolina, Loski Potok, Lovrenc na Pohorju, Luce, Lukovica, Majsperk,

Maribor*, Markovci, Medvode, Menges, Metlika, Mezica, Miklavz na

Dravskem Polju, Miren-Kostanjevica, Mirna Pec, Mislinja, Moravce,

Moravske Toplice, Mozirje, Murska Sobota*, Muta, Naklo, Nazarje,

Nova Gorica*, Novo Mesto*, Odranci, Oplotnica, Ormoz, Osilnica,

Pesnica, Piran-Pirano, Pivka, Podcetrtek, Podlehnik, Podvelka,

Polzela, Postojna, Prebold, Preddvor, Prevalje, Ptuj*, Puconci,

Race-Fram, Radece, Radenci, Radlje ob Dravi, Radovljica, Ravne na

Koroskem, Razkrizje, Ribnica, Ribnica na Pohorju, Rogasovci, Rogaska

Slatina, Rogatec, Ruse, Salovci, Selnica ob Dravi, Semic,

Sempeter-Vrtojba, Sencur, Sentilj, Sentjernej, Sentjur pri Celju,

Sevnica, Sezana, Skocjan, Skofja Loka, Skofljica, Slovenj Gradec*,

Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenske Konjice, Smarje pri Jelsah, Smartno ob

Paki, Smartno pri Litiji, Sodrazica, Solcava, Sostanj, Starse,

Store, Sveta Ana, Sveti Andraz v Slovenskih Goricah, Sveti Jurij,

Tabor, Tisina, Tolmin, Trbovlje, Trebnje, Trnovska Vas, Trzic,

Trzin, Turnisce, Velenje*, Velika Polana, Velike Lasce, Verzej,

Videm, Vipava, Vitanje, Vodice, Vojnik, Vransko, Vrhnika, Vuzenica,

Zagorje ob Savi, Zalec, Zavrc, Zelezniki, Zetale, Ziri, Zirovnica,

Zuzemberk, Zrece

note: the Government of Slovenia has reported 210 municipalities

Solomon Islands

9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central,

Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell

and Bellona, Temotu, Western

Somalia

18 regions (plural - NA, singular - gobolka); Awdal, Bakool,

Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe,

Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag, Shabeellaha Dhexe, Shabeellaha

Hoose, Sool, Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed

South Africa

9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng,

KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North-West,

Western Cape

Spain

17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular -

comunidad autonoma) and 2 autonomous cities* (ciudades autonomas,

singular - ciudad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Baleares

(Balearic Islands), Ceuta*, Canarias (Canary Islands), Cantabria,

Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna (Catalonia), Comunidad

Valenciana (Valencian Community), Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja,

Madrid, Melilla*, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco (Basque Country)

note: the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla plus three small

islands of Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez

de la Gomera, administered directly by the Spanish central

government, are all along the coast of Morocco and are collectively

referred to as Places of Sovereignty (Plazas de Soberania)

Sri Lanka

8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North

Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western

note: in October 2006, a Sri Lankan Supreme Court ruling voided a

presidential directive merging the North and Eastern Provinces; many

have defended the merger as a prerequisite for a negotiated

settlement to the ethnic conflict; a parliamentary decision on the

issue is pending

Sudan

25 states (wilayat, singular - wilayah); A'ali an Nil (Upper

Nile), Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Buhayrat (Lakes), Al Jazirah

(El Gezira), Al Khartum (Khartoum), Al Qadarif (Gedaref), Al Wahdah

(Unity), An Nil al Abyad (White Nile), An Nil al Azraq (Blue Nile),

Ash Shamaliyah (Northern), Bahr al Jabal (Bahr al Jabal), Gharb al

Istiwa'iyah (Western Equatoria), Gharb Bahr al Ghazal (Western Bahr

al Ghazal), Gharb Darfur (Western Darfur), Janub Darfur (Southern

Darfur), Janub Kurdufan (Southern Kordofan), Junqali (Jonglei),

Kassala (Kassala), Nahr an Nil (Nile), Shamal Bahr al Ghazal

(Northern Bahr al Ghazal), Shamal Darfur (Northern Darfur), Shamal

Kurdufan (Northern Kordofan), Sharq al Istiwa'iyah (Eastern

Equatoria), Sinnar (Sinnar), Warab (Warab)

Suriname

10 districts (distrikten, singular - distrikt); Brokopondo,

Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo,

Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica

Swaziland

4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni

Sweden

21 counties (lan, singular and plural); Blekinge, Dalarnas,

Gavleborgs, Gotlands, Hallands, Jamtlands, Jonkopings, Kalmar,

Kronobergs, Norrbottens, Orebro, Ostergotlands, Skane,

Sodermanlands, Stockholm, Uppsala, Varmlands, Vasterbottens,

Vasternorrlands, Vastmanlands, Vastra Gotalands

Switzerland

26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French;

cantoni, singular - cantone in Italian; Kantone, singular - Kanton

in German); Aargau, Appenzell Ausser-Rhoden, Appenzell Inner-Rhoden,

Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve, Glarus,

Graubunden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, Sankt

Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau, Ticino, Uri,

Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich

Syria

14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al

Ladhiqiyah, Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az

Zawr, Dimashq, Halab, Hamah, Hims, Idlib, Rif Dimashq, Tartus

Taiwan

includes main island of Taiwan plus smaller islands nearby

and off coast of China's Fujian Province; Taiwan is divided into 18

counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5 municipalities (shih,

singular and plural), and 2 special municipalities (chuan-shih,

singular and plural)

note: Taiwan uses a variety of romanization systems; while a

modified Wade-Giles system still dominates, the city of Taipei has

adopted a Pinyin romanization for street and place names within its

boundaries; other local authorities use different romanization

systems; names for administrative divisions that follow are taken

from the Taiwan Yearbook 2007 published by the Government

Information Office in Taipei.

counties: Changhua, Chiayi [county], Hsinchu, Hualien, Kaohsiung

[county], Kinmen, Lienchiang, Miaoli, Nantou, Penghu, Pingtung,

Taichung, Tainan, Taipei [county], Taitung, Taoyuan, Yilan, and

Yunlin

municipalities: Chiayi [city], Hsinchu, Keelung, Taichung, Tainan

special municipalities: Kaohsiung [city], Taipei [city]

Tajikistan

2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1

autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor); Viloyati Khatlon

(Qurghonteppa), Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon*

[Gorno-Badakhshan] (Khorugh), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand)

note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses

Tanzania

26 regions; Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Iringa, Kagera,

Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Lindi, Manyara, Mara, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mtwara,

Mwanza, Pemba North, Pemba South, Pwani, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga,

Singida, Tabora, Tanga, Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar North,

Zanzibar Urban/West

Thailand

76 provinces (changwat, singular and plural); Amnat

Charoen, Ang Thong, Buriram, Chachoengsao, Chai Nat, Chaiyaphum,

Chanthaburi, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chon Buri, Chumphon, Kalasin,

Kamphaeng Phet, Kanchanaburi, Khon Kaen, Krabi, Krung Thep

Mahanakhon (Bangkok), Lampang, Lamphun, Loei, Lop Buri, Mae Hong

Son, Maha Sarakham, Mukdahan, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon

Phanom, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nan,

Narathiwat, Nong Bua Lamphu, Nong Khai, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani,

Pattani, Phangnga, Phatthalung, Phayao, Phetchabun, Phetchaburi,

Phichit, Phitsanulok, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Phrae, Phuket,

Prachin Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ranong, Ratchaburi, Rayong, Roi

Et, Sa Kaeo, Sakon Nakhon, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Samut

Songkhram, Sara Buri, Satun, Sing Buri, Sisaket, Songkhla,

Sukhothai, Suphan Buri, Surat Thani, Surin, Tak, Trang, Trat, Ubon

Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Uthai Thani, Uttaradit, Yala, Yasothon

Timor-Leste

13 administrative districts; Aileu, Ainaro, Baucau,

Bobonaro (Maliana), Cova-Lima (Suai), Dili, Ermera, Lautem (Los

Palos), Liquica, Manatuto, Manufahi (Same), Oecussi (Ambeno),

Viqueque

Togo

5 regions (regions, singular - region); Centrale, Kara,

Maritime, Plateaux, Savanes

Tokelau

none (territory of New Zealand)

Tonga

3 island groups; Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u

Trinidad and Tobago

9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3

borough corporations, 1 ward

regional corporations: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin,

Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San

Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco

city corporations: Port-of-Spain, San Fernando

borough corporations: Arima, Chaguanas, Point Fortin

ward: Tobago

Tunisia

24 governorates; Ariana (Aryanah), Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous

(Bin 'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah),

Jendouba (Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn),

Kebili (Qibili), Kef (Al Kaf), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Manouba

(Manubah), Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul

(Nabul), Sfax (Safaqis), Sidi Bou Zid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana

(Silyanah), Sousse (Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar),

Tunis, Zaghouan (Zaghwan)

Turkey

81 provinces (iller, singular - ili); Adana, Adiyaman,

Afyonkarahisar, Agri, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Ardahan,

Artvin, Aydin, Balikesir, Bartin, Batman, Bayburt, Bilecik, Bingol,

Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Bursa, Canakkale, Cankiri, Corum, Denizli,

Diyarbakir, Duzce, Edirne, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskisehir,

Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Hatay, Icel (Mersin), Igdir,

Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir (Smyrna), Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Karaman,

Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir,

Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mugla, Mus,

Nevsehir, Nigde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa,

Siirt, Sinop, Sirnak, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat, Trabzon (Trebizond),

Tunceli, Usak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak

Turkmenistan

5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat) and 1

independent city*: Ahal Welayaty (Anew), Ashgabat*, Balkan Welayaty

(Balkanabat), Dashoguz Welayaty, Lebap Welayaty (Turkmenabat), Mary

Welayaty

note: administrative divisions have the same names as their

administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center

name following in parentheses)

Turks and Caicos Islands

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Tuvalu

none

Uganda

56 districts; Adjumani, Apac, Arua, Bugiri, Bundibugyo,

Bushenyi, Busia, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole,

Kaberamaido, Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kanungu,

Kapchorwa, Kasese, Katakwi, Kayunga, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisoro, Kitgum,

Kotido, Kumi, Kyenjojo, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mayuge,

Mbale, Mbarara, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakapiripirit,

Nakasongola, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pader, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri,

Sembabule, Sironko, Soroti, Tororo, Wakiso, Yumbe

note: as of a July 2005, 13 new districts were reportedly added

bringing the total up to 69; the new districts are Amolatar, Amuria,

Budaka, Butaleja, Ibanda, Kaabong, Kabingo, Kaliro, Kiruhura,

Koboko, Manafwa, Mityana, Nakaseke; a total of ten more districts

are in the process of being added

Ukraine

24 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous

republic* (avtonomna respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista,

singular - misto) with oblast status**; Cherkasy, Chernihiv,

Chernivtsi, Crimea or Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'),

Dnipropetrovs'k, Donets'k, Ivano-Frankivs'k, Kharkiv, Kherson,

Khmel'nyts'kyy, Kirovohrad, Kyiv**, Kyiv, Luhans'k, L'viv,

Mykolayiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sevastopol'**, Sumy, Ternopil',

Vinnytsya, Volyn' (Luts'k), Zakarpattya (Uzhhorod), Zaporizhzhya,

Zhytomyr

note: administrative divisions have the same names as their

administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center

name following in parentheses)

United Arab Emirates

7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu

Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah),

Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn (Quwayn)

United Kingdom

England: 34 two-tier counties, 32 London boroughs and

1 City of London or Greater London, 36 metropolitan counties, 46

unitary authorities

two-tier counties: Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire,

Cheshire, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon,

Dorset, Durham, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire,

Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire,

Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Northumberland,

Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire,

Suffolk, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Sussex, Wiltshire, Worcestershire

London boroughs and City of London or Greater London: Barking and

Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing,

Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey,

Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and

Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, City of London,

Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton,

Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Westminster

metropolitan counties: Barnsley, Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Bury,

Calderdale, Coventry, Doncaster, Dudley, Gateshead, Kirklees,

Knowlsey, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, North

Tyneside, Oldham, Rochdale, Rotherham, Salford, Sandwell, Sefton,

Sheffield, Solihull, South Tyneside, St. Helens, Stockport,

Sunderland, Tameside, Trafford, Wakefield, Walsall, Wigan, Wirral,

Wolverhampton

unitary authorities: Bath and North East Somerset, Blackburn with

Darwen, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove,

City of Bristol, Darlington, Derby, East Riding of Yorkshire,

Halton, Hartlepool, County of Herefordshire, Isle of Wight, City of

Kingston upon Hull, Leicester, Luton, Medway, Middlesbrough, Milton

Keynes, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, North Somerset,

Nottingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole, Portsmouth, Reading,

Redcar and Cleveland, Rutland, Slough, South Gloucestershire,

Southampton, Southend-on-Sea, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent,

Swindon, Telford and Wrekin, Thurrock, Torbay, Warrington, West

Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham, York

Northern Ireland: 26 district council areas

district council areas: Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney,

Banbridge, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine,

Cookstown, Craigavon, Derry, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne,

Limavady, Lisburn, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne,

Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane

Scotland: 32 unitary authorities

unitary authorities: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and

Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East

Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City

of Edinburgh, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow

City, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North

Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire,

Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, The

Scottish Borders, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian

Wales: 22 unitary authorities

unitary authorities: Blaenau Gwent; Bridgend; Caerphilly; Cardiff;

Carmarthenshire; Ceredigion; Conwy; Denbighshire; Flintshire;

Gwynedd; Isle of Anglesey; Merthyr Tydfil; Monmouthshire; Neath Port

Talbot; Newport; Pembrokeshire; Powys; Rhondda, Cynon, Taff;

Swansea; The Vale of Glamorgan; Torfaen; Wrexham

United States

50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona,

Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of

Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,

Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,

Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska,

Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North

Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode

Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah,

Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

Uruguay

19 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento);

Artigas, Canelones, Cerro Largo, Colonia, Durazno, Flores, Florida,

Lavalleja, Maldonado, Montevideo, Paysandu, Rio Negro, Rivera,

Rocha, Salto, San Jose, Soriano, Tacuarembo, Treinta y Tres

Uzbekistan

12 provinces (viloyatlar, singular - viloyat), 1

autonomous republic* (respublika), and 1 city** (shahar); Andijon

Viloyati, Buxoro Viloyati, Farg'ona Viloyati, Jizzax Viloyati,

Namangan Viloyati, Navoiy Viloyati, Qashqadaryo Viloyati (Qarshi),

Qoraqalpog'iston Respublikasi [Karakalpakstan]* (Nukus), Samarqand

Viloyati, Sirdaryo Viloyati (Guliston), Surxondaryo Viloyati

(Termiz), Toshkent Shahri**, Toshkent Viloyati, Xorazm Viloyati

(Urganch)

note: administrative divisions have the same names as their

administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center

name following in parentheses)

Vanuatu

6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba

Venezuela

23 states (estados, singular - estado), 1 capital

district* (distrito capital), and 1 federal dependency**

(dependencia federal); Amazonas, Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas,

Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro, Dependencias Federales**,

Distrito Federal*, Falcon, Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas,

Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo, Vargas,

Yaracuy, Zulia

note: the federal dependency consists of 11 federally controlled

island groups with a total of 72 individual islands

Vietnam

59 provinces (tinh, singular and plural) and 5

municipalities (thanh pho, singular and plural)

provinces: An Giang, Bac Giang, Bac Kan, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Ba

Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh

Thuan, Ca Mau, Cao Bang, Dac Lak, Dac Nong, Dien Bien, Dong Nai,

Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Ha Nam, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hai Duong,

Hau Giang, Hoa Binh, Hung Yen, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai

Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Ninh

Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang

Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh,

Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen

Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai

municipalities: Can Tho, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh

Virgin Islands

none (territory of the US); there are no first-order

administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there

are three islands at the second order; Saint Croix, Saint John,

Saint Thomas

Wallis and Futuna

none (overseas territory of France); there are no

first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US

Government, but there are three kingdoms at the second order named

Alo, Sigave, Wallis

Western Sahara

none (under de facto control of Morocco)

World

266 nations, dependent areas, and other entities

Yemen

19 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan,

'Adan, Ad Dali', Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al

Mahwit, 'Amran, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib,

Sa'dah, San'a', Shabwah, Ta'izz

note: for electoral and administrative purposes, the capital city of

Sanaa is treated as an additional governorate

Zambia

9 provinces; Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka,

Northern, North-Western, Southern, Western

Zimbabwe

8 provinces and 2 cities* with provincial status;

Bulawayo*, Harare*, Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland

East, Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland

South, Midlands

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2052 Agriculture - products

Afghanistan

opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins,

lambskins

Albania

wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets,

grapes; meat, dairy products

Algeria

wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep,

cattle

American Samoa

bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit,

yams, copra, pineapples, papayas; dairy products, livestock

Andorra

small quantities of rye, wheat, barley, oats, vegetables;

sheep

Angola

bananas, sugarcane, coffee, sisal, corn, cotton, manioc

(tapioca), tobacco, vegetables, plantains; livestock; forest

products; fish

Anguilla

small quantities of tobacco, vegetables; cattle raising

Antigua and Barbuda

cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts,

cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock

Argentina

sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco,

peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock

Armenia

fruit (especially grapes), vegetables; livestock

Aruba

aloes; livestock; fish

Australia

wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits, cattle, sheep, poultry

Austria

grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products,

cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber

Azerbaijan

cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea,

tobacco; cattle, pigs, sheep, goats

Bahamas, The

citrus, vegetables; poultry

Bahrain

fruit, vegetables; poultry, dairy products; shrimp, fish

Bangladesh

rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco,

pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry

Barbados

sugarcane, vegetables, cotton

Belarus

grain, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, flax; beef, milk

Belgium

sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef,

veal, pork, milk

Belize

bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar; fish, cultured shrimp; lumber;

garments

Benin

cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil,

peanuts, cashews; livestock

Bermuda

bananas, vegetables, citrus, flowers; dairy products, honey

Bhutan

rice, corn, root crops, citrus, foodgrains; dairy products,

eggs

Bolivia

soybeans, coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice,

potatoes; timber

Bosnia and Herzegovina

wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables; livestock

Botswana

livestock, sorghum, maize, millet, beans, sunflowers,

groundnuts

Brazil

coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa,

citrus; beef

British Virgin Islands

fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish

Brunei

rice, vegetables, fruits; chickens, water buffalo, cattle,

goats, eggs

Bulgaria

vegetables, fruits, tobacco, wine, wheat, barley,

sunflowers, sugar beets; livestock

Burkina Faso

cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum, millet,

corn, rice; livestock

Burma

rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane; hardwood;

fish and fish products

Burundi

coffee, cotton, tea, corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas,

manioc (tapioca); beef, milk, hides

Cambodia

rice, rubber, corn, vegetables, cashews, tapioca

Cameroon

coffee, cocoa, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains,

root starches; livestock; timber

Canada

wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy

products; forest products; fish

Cape Verde

bananas, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, sugarcane, coffee,

peanuts; fish

Cayman Islands

vegetables, fruit; livestock; turtle farming

Central African Republic

timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc

(tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber

Chad

cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc

(tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels

Chile

grapes, apples, pears, onions, wheat, corn, oats, peaches,

garlic, asparagus, beans; beef, poultry, wool; fish; timber

China

rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tea, millet, barley,

apples, cotton, oilseed; pork; fish

Christmas Island

NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

vegetables, bananas, pawpaws, coconuts

Colombia

coffee, cut flowers, bananas, rice, tobacco, corn,

sugarcane, cocoa beans, oilseed, vegetables; forest products; shrimp

Comoros

vanilla, cloves, ylang-ylang, perfume essences, copra,

coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products

Congo, Republic of the

cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn,

peanuts, vegetables, coffee, cocoa; forest products

Cook Islands

copra, citrus, pineapples, tomatoes, beans, pawpaws,

bananas, yams, taro, coffee; pigs, poultry

Costa Rica

bananas, pineapples, coffee, melons, ornamental plants,

sugar, corn, rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber

Cote d'Ivoire

coffee, cocoa beans, bananas, palm kernels, corn,

rice, manioc (tapioca), sweet potatoes, sugar, cotton, rubber; timber

Croatia

wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, barley, alfalfa,

clover, olives, citrus, grapes, soybeans, potatoes; livestock, dairy

products

Cuba

sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock

Cyprus

citrus, vegetables, barley, grapes, olives, vegetables;

poultry, pork, lamb; dairy, cheese

Czech Republic

wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs,

poultry

Denmark

barley, wheat, potatoes, sugar beets; pork, dairy products;

fish

Djibouti

fruits, vegetables; goats, sheep, camels, animal hides

Dominica

bananas, citrus, mangoes, root crops, coconuts, cocoa;

forest and fishery potential not exploited

Dominican Republic

sugarcane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, tobacco, rice,

beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; cattle, pigs, dairy products, beef,

eggs

Ecuador

bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes, manioc (tapioca),

plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef, pork, dairy

products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp

Egypt

cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables; cattle,

water buffalo, sheep, goats

El Salvador

coffee, sugar, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton,

sorghum; beef, dairy products; shrimp

Equatorial Guinea

coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca),

bananas, palm oil nuts; livestock; timber

Eritrea

sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, sisal;

livestock, goats; fish

Estonia

potatoes, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish

Ethiopia

cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseed, cotton, sugarcane,

potatoes, qat, cut flowers; hides, cattle, sheep, goats; fish

European Union

wheat, barley, oilseeds, sugar beets, wine, grapes;

dairy products, cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry; fish

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

fodder and vegetable crops; sheep,

dairy products; fish, squid

Faroe Islands

milk, potatoes, vegetables; sheep; salmon, other fish

Fiji

sugarcane, coconuts, cassava (tapioca), rice, sweet potatoes,

bananas; cattle, pigs, horses, goats; fish

Finland

barley, wheat, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy cattle; fish

France

wheat, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; beef,

dairy products; fish

French Polynesia

fish; coconuts, vanilla, vegetables, fruits,

coffee; poultry, beef, dairy products

Gabon

cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber; cattle; okoume (a

tropical softwood); fish

Gambia, The

rice, millet, sorghum, peanuts, corn, sesame, cassava

(tapioca), palm kernels; cattle, sheep, goats

Gaza Strip

olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products

Georgia

citrus, grapes, tea, hazelnuts, vegetables; livestock

Germany

potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages;

cattle, pigs, poultry

Ghana

cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts,

bananas; timber

Gibraltar

none

Greece

wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, olives, tomatoes, wine,

tobacco, potatoes; beef, dairy products

Greenland

forage crops, garden and greenhouse vegetables; sheep,

reindeer; fish

Grenada

bananas, cocoa, nutmeg, mace, citrus, avocados, root crops,

sugarcane, corn, vegetables

Guam

fruits, copra, vegetables; eggs, pork, poultry, beef

Guatemala

sugarcane, corn, bananas, coffee, beans, cardamom; cattle,

sheep, pigs, chickens

Guernsey

tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant,

fruit; Guernsey cattle

Guinea

rice, coffee, pineapples, palm kernels, cassava (tapioca),

bananas, sweet potatoes; cattle, sheep, goats; timber

Guinea-Bissau

rice, corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), cashew nuts,

peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish

Guyana

sugarcane, rice, shrimp, fish, vegetable oils; beef, pork,

poultry, dairy products

Haiti

coffee, mangoes, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum; wood

Honduras

bananas, coffee, citrus; beef; timber; shrimp, tilapia,

lobster; corn, African palm

Hong Kong

fresh vegetables; poultry, pork; fish

Hungary

wheat, corn, sunflower seed, potatoes, sugar beets; pigs,

cattle, poultry, dairy products

Iceland

potatoes, green vegetables; mutton, dairy products; fish

India

rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes;

cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry; fish

Indonesia

rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee,

palm oil, copra; poultry, beef, pork, eggs

Iran

wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, sugar cane, fruits,

nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar

Iraq

wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, cotton; cattle, sheep,

poultry

Ireland

turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; beef, dairy

products

Isle of Man

cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry

Israel

citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products

Italy

fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans,

grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish

Jamaica

sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, yams, ackees,

vegetables; poultry, goats, milk; crustaceans, mollusks

Japan

rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork, poultry, dairy

products, eggs; fish

Jersey

potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products

Jordan

citrus, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives; sheep, poultry, stone

fruits, strawberries, dairy

Kazakhstan

grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; livestock

Kenya

tea, coffee, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy

products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs

Kiribati

copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish

Korea, North

rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs,

pork, eggs

Korea, South

rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle,

pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish

Kosovo

NA

Kuwait

practically no crops; fish

Kyrgyzstan

tobacco, cotton, potatoes, vegetables, grapes, fruits and

berries; sheep, goats, cattle, wool

Laos

sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco,

cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry

Latvia

grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, pork, milk,

eggs; fish

Lebanon

citrus, grapes, tomatoes, apples, vegetables, potatoes,

olives, tobacco; sheep, goats

Lesotho

corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Liberia

rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil,

sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber

Libya

wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus, vegetables, peanuts,

soybeans; cattle

Liechtenstein

wheat, barley, corn, potatoes; livestock, dairy

products

Lithuania

grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax, vegetables; beef,

milk, eggs; fish

Luxembourg

wine, grapes, barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits;

dairy products, livestock products

Macau

only 2% of land area is cultivated, mainly by vegetable

growers; fishing, mostly for crustaceans, is important; some of the

catch is exported to Hong Kong

Macedonia

grapes, wine, tobacco, vegetables, fruits; milk, eggs

Madagascar

coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa, rice, cassava

(tapioca), beans, bananas, peanuts; livestock products

Malawi

tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava

(tapioca), sorghum, pulses, groundnuts, Macadamia nuts; cattle, goats

Malaysia

Peninsular Malaysia - rubber, palm oil, cocoa, rice; Sabah

- subsistence crops, rubber, timber, coconuts, rice; Sarawak -

rubber, pepper, timber

Maldives

coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; fish

Mali

cotton, millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; cattle, sheep,

goats

Malta

potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes,

citrus, cut flowers, green peppers; pork, milk, poultry, eggs

Marshall Islands

coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit,

fruits; pigs, chickens

Mauritania

dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn; cattle, sheep

Mauritius

sugarcane, tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses; cattle,

goats; fish

Mayotte

vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coffee, copra, fish,

livestock

Mexico

corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit,

tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products

Micronesia, Federated States of

black pepper, tropical fruits and

vegetables, coconuts, bananas, cassava (tapioca), sakau (kava),

betel nuts, sweet potatoes; pigs, chickens; fish

Moldova

vegetables, fruits, wine, grain, sugar beets, sunflower

seed, tobacco; beef, milk

Monaco

none

Mongolia

wheat, barley, vegetables, forage crops; sheep, goats,

cattle, camels, horses

Montenegro

grains, tobacco, potatoes, citrus fruits, olives, grapes;

sheepherding; commercial fishing negligible

Montserrat

cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers;

livestock products

Morocco

barley, wheat, citrus, wine, vegetables, olives; livestock

Mozambique

cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava (tapioca),

corn, coconuts, sisal, citrus and tropical fruits, potatoes,

sunflowers; beef, poultry

Namibia

millet, sorghum, peanuts, grapes; livestock; fish

Nauru

coconuts

Nepal

rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, jute, root crops; milk, water

buffalo meat

Netherlands

grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables;

livestock

Netherlands Antilles

aloes, sorghum, peanuts, vegetables, tropical

fruit

New Caledonia

vegetables; beef, deer, other livestock products; fish

New Zealand

dairy products, lamb and mutton; wheat, barley,

potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef; fish

Nicaragua

coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco,

sesame, soya, beans; beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products;

shrimp, lobsters

Niger

cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca),

rice; cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry

Nigeria

cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, corn, rice, sorghum, millet,

cassava (tapioca), yams, rubber; cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; timber;

fish

Niue

coconuts, passion fruit, honey, limes, taro, yams, cassava

(tapioca), sweet potatoes; pigs, poultry, beef cattle

Norfolk Island

Norfolk Island pine seed, Kentia palm seed, cereals,

vegetables, fruit; cattle, poultry

Northern Mariana Islands

coconuts, fruits, vegetables; cattle

Norway

barley, wheat, potatoes; pork, beef, veal, milk; fish

Oman

dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables; camels, cattle; fish

Pakistan

cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; milk,

beef, mutton, eggs

Palau

coconuts, copra, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; fish

Panama

bananas, rice, corn, coffee, sugarcane, vegetables;

livestock; shrimp

Papua New Guinea

coffee, cocoa, copra, palm kernels, tea, sugar,

rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables, vanilla; shell fish,

poultry, pork

Paraguay

cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava

(tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber

Peru

asparagus, coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, corn,

plantains, grapes, oranges, coca; poultry, beef, dairy products;

fish, guinea pigs

Philippines

sugarcane, coconuts, rice, corn, bananas, cassavas,

pineapples, mangoes; pork, eggs, beef; fish

Pitcairn Islands

honey; wide variety of fruits and vegetables;

goats, chickens, fish

Poland

potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork,

dairy

Portugal

grain, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, grapes; sheep, cattle,

goats, swine, poultry, dairy products; fish

Puerto Rico

sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas;

livestock products, chickens

Qatar

fruits, vegetables; poultry, dairy products, beef; fish

Romania

wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes,

grapes; eggs, sheep

Russia

grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits; beef,

milk

Rwanda

coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from

chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock

Saint Helena

coffee, corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish,

lobster (on Tristan da Cunha); livestock

Saint Kitts and Nevis

sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables, bananas;

fish

Saint Lucia

bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs;

fish

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes,

spices; small numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats; fish

Samoa

coconuts, bananas, taro, yams, coffee, cocoa

San Marino

wheat, grapes, corn, olives; cattle, pigs, horses, beef,

cheese, hides

Sao Tome and Principe

cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, copra,

cinnamon, pepper, coffee, bananas, papayas, beans; poultry; fish

Saudi Arabia

wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton,

chickens, eggs, milk

Senegal

peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes,

green vegetables; cattle, poultry, pigs; fish

Serbia

wheat, maize, sugar beets, sunflower, raspberries, beef,

pork, milk

Seychelles

coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava

(tapioca), bananas; poultry; tuna

Sierra Leone

rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts;

poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish

Singapore

rubber, copra, fruit, orchids, vegetables; poultry, eggs;

fish, ornamental fish

Slovakia

grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit; pigs, cattle,

poultry; forest products

Slovenia

potatoes, hops, wheat, sugar beets, corn, grapes; cattle,

sheep, poultry

Solomon Islands

cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes,

vegetables, fruit; timber; cattle, pigs; fish

Somalia

bananas, sorghum, corn, coconuts, rice, sugarcane, mangoes,

sesame seeds, beans; cattle, sheep, goats; fish

South Africa

corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef,

poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products

Spain

grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus;

beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish

Sri Lanka

rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea,

rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef; fish

Sudan

cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum

arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet

potatoes, sesame; sheep, livestock

Suriname

paddy rice, bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains,

peanuts; beef, chickens; shrimp; forest products

Swaziland

sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus,

pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep

Sweden

barley, wheat, sugar beets; meat, milk

Switzerland

grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs

Syria

wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar

beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk

Taiwan

rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef,

milk; fish

Tajikistan

cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep,

goats

Tanzania

coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made

from chrysanthemums), cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves, corn, wheat,

cassava (tapioca), bananas, fruits, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats

Thailand

rice, cassava (tapioca), rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts,

soybeans

Timor-Leste

coffee, rice, corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, soybeans,

cabbage, mangoes, bananas, vanilla

Togo

coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava (tapioca), corn, beans,

rice, millet, sorghum; livestock; fish

Tokelau

coconuts, copra, breadfruit, papayas, bananas; pigs,

poultry, goats; fish

Tonga

squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa,

coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish

Trinidad and Tobago

cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry

Tunisia

olives, olive oil, grain, tomatoes, citrus fruit, sugar

beets, dates, almonds; beef, dairy products

Turkey

tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, pulse, citrus;

livestock

Turkmenistan

cotton, grain; livestock

Turks and Caicos Islands corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish

Tuvalu

coconuts; fish

Uganda

coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes,

corn, millet, pulses, cut flowers; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry

Ukraine

grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk

United Arab Emirates

dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs,

dairy products; fish

United Kingdom

cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle,

sheep, poultry; fish

United States

wheat, corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton;

beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish; forest products

Uruguay

rice, wheat, soybeans, barley; livestock, beef; fish;

forestry

Uzbekistan

cotton, vegetables, fruits, grain; livestock

Vanuatu

copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, fruits,

vegetables; beef; fish

Venezuela

corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables,

coffee; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish

Vietnam

paddy rice, coffee, rubber, cotton, tea, pepper, soybeans,

cashews, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas; poultry; fish, seafood

Virgin Islands

fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle

Wallis and Futuna

breadfruit, yams, taro, bananas; pigs, goats; fish

West Bank

olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products

Western Sahara

fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases);

camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish

Yemen

grain, fruits, vegetables, pulses, qat, coffee, cotton; dairy

products, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, camels), poultry; fish

Zambia

corn, sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower seed, vegetables,

flowers, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), coffee;

cattle, goats, pigs, poultry, milk, eggs, hides

Zimbabwe

corn, cotton, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugarcane, peanuts;

sheep, goats, pigs

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2053 Airports

Afghanistan

46 (2007)

Albania

11 (2007)

Algeria

150 (2007)

American Samoa

3 (2007)

Angola

232 (2007)

Anguilla

3 (2007)

Antarctica

27 (2008)

Antigua and Barbuda

3 (2007)

Argentina

1,272 (2007)

Armenia

12 (2007)

Aruba

1 (2007)

Australia

461 (2007)

Austria

55 (2007)

Azerbaijan

35 (2007)

Bahamas, The

62 (2007)

Bahrain

3 (2007)

Bangladesh

16 (2007)

Barbados

1 (2007)

Belarus

67 (2007)

Belgium

43 (2007)

Belize

44 (2007)

Benin

5 (2007)

Bermuda

1 (2007)

Bhutan

2 (2007)

Bolivia

1,061 (2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

28 (2007)

Botswana

85 (2007)

Brazil

4,263 (2007)

British Indian Ocean Territory

1 (2007)

British Virgin Islands

3 (2007)

Brunei

2 (2007)

Bulgaria

214 (2007)

Burkina Faso

33 (2007)

Burma

86 (2007)

Burundi

8 (2007)

Cambodia

17 (2007)

Cameroon

45 (2007)

Canada

1,343 (2007)

Cape Verde

8 (2007)

Cayman Islands

3 (2007)

Central African Republic

51 (2007)

Chad

55 (2007)

Chile

358 (2007)

China

467 (2007)

Christmas Island

1 (2007)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

1 (2007)

Colombia

934 (2007)

Comoros

4 (2007)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

237 (2007)

Congo, Republic of the

31 (2007)

Cook Islands

9 (2007)

Costa Rica

151 (2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

34 (2007)

Croatia

68 (2007)

Cuba

165 (2007)

Cyprus

16 (2007)

Czech Republic

122 (2007)

Denmark

91 (2007)

Djibouti

13 (2007)

Dominica

2 (2007)

Dominican Republic

34 (2007)

Ecuador

406 (2007)

Egypt

88 (2007)

El Salvador

65 (2007)

Equatorial Guinea

5 (2007)

Eritrea

18 (2007)

Estonia

19 (2007)

Ethiopia

84 (2007)

European Union

3,393 (2006)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

6 (2007)

Faroe Islands

1 (2007)

Fiji

28 (2007)

Finland

148 (2007)

France

476 (2007)

French Polynesia

54 (2007)

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

4 (one each on Europa Island,

Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island in the

Iles Eparses district) (2006)

Gabon

53 (2007)

Gambia, The

1 (2007)

Gaza Strip

2 (2007)

Georgia

23 (2007)

Germany

550 (2007)

Ghana

12 (2007)

Gibraltar

1 (2007)

Greece

81 (2007)

Greenland

14 (2007)

Grenada

3 (2007)

Guam

5 (2007)

Guatemala

402 (2007)

Guernsey

2 (2007)

Guinea

16 (2007)

Guinea-Bissau

27 (2007)

Guyana

93 (2007)

Haiti

14 (2007)

Honduras

112 (2007)

Hong Kong

2 (2007)

Hungary

46 (2007)

Iceland

99 (2007)

India

346 (2007)

Indonesia

652 (2007)

Iran

331 (2007)

Iraq

110 (2007)

Ireland

34 (2007)

Isle of Man

1 (2007)

Israel

53 (2007)

Italy

132 (2007)

Jamaica

34 (2007)

Jan Mayen

1 (2007)

Japan

176 (2007)

Jersey

1 (2007)

Jordan

17 (2007)

Kazakhstan

97 (2007)

Kenya

225 (2007)

Kiribati

19 (2007)

Korea, North

77 (2007)

Korea, South

105 (2007)

Kosovo

10 (2008)

Kuwait

7 (2007)

Kyrgyzstan

30 (2007)

Laos

42 (2007)

Latvia

42 (2007)

Lebanon

7 (2007)

Lesotho

28 (2007)

Liberia

53 (2007)

Libya

141 (2007)

Lithuania

87 (2007)

Luxembourg

2 (2007)

Macau

1 (2007)

Macedonia

17 (2007)

Madagascar

104 (2007)

Malawi

39 (2007)

Malaysia

116 (2007)

Maldives

5 (2007)

Mali

29 (2007)

Malta

1 (2007)

Marshall Islands

15 (2007)

Mauritania

25 (2007)

Mauritius

5 (2007)

Mayotte

1 (2007)

Mexico

1,834 (2007)

Micronesia, Federated States of

6 (2007)

Moldova

10 (2007)

Mongolia

44 (2007)

Montenegro

5 (2007)

Montserrat

2 (2007)

Morocco

60 (2007)

Mozambique

147 (2007)

Namibia

137 (2007)

Nauru

1 (2007)

Nepal

47 (2007)

Netherlands

27 (2007)

Netherlands Antilles

5 (2007)

New Caledonia

25 (2007)

New Zealand

121 (2007)

Nicaragua

163 (2007)

Niger

28 (2007)

Nigeria

70 (2007)

Niue

1 (2007)

Norfolk Island

1 (2007)

Northern Mariana Islands

5 (2007)

Norway

98 (2007)

Oman

137 (2007)

Pakistan

146 (2007)

Palau

3 (2007)

Panama

116 (2007)

Papua New Guinea

578 (2007)

Paracel Islands

1 (2007)

Paraguay

838 (2007)

Peru

237 (2007)

Philippines

255 (2007)

Poland

123 (2007)

Portugal

66 (2007)

Puerto Rico

29 (2007)

Qatar

5 (2007)

Romania

61 (2007)

Russia

1,260 (2007)

Rwanda

9 (2007)

Saint Barthelemy

1

Saint Helena

1 (2007)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

2 (2007)

Saint Lucia

2 (2007)

Saint Martin

1

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

2 (2007)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

6 (2007)

Samoa

4 (2007)

Sao Tome and Principe

2 (2007)

Saudi Arabia

213 (2007)

Senegal

20 (2007)

Serbia

39 (2007)

Seychelles

15 (2007)

Sierra Leone

10 (2007)

Singapore

8 (2007)

Slovakia

35 (2007)

Slovenia

14 (2007)

Solomon Islands

35 (2007)

Somalia

67 (2007)

South Africa

728 (2007)

Spain

154 (2007)

Spratly Islands

3 (2007)

Sri Lanka

18 (2007)

Sudan

101 (2007)

Suriname

50 (2007)

Svalbard

4 (2007)

Swaziland

18 (2007)

Sweden

250 (2007)

Switzerland

65 (2007)

Syria

90 (2007)

Taiwan

41 (2007)

Tajikistan

26 (2007)

Tanzania

124 (2007)

Thailand

106 (2007)

Timor-Leste

8 (2007)

Togo

9 (2007)

Tonga

6 (2007)

Trinidad and Tobago

6 (2007)

Tunisia

30 (2007)

Turkey

117 (2007)

Turkmenistan

28 (2007)

Turks and Caicos Islands

8 (2007)

Tuvalu

1 (2007)

Uganda

32 (2007)

Ukraine

437 (2007)

United Arab Emirates

39 (2007)

United Kingdom

449 (2007)

United States

14,947 (2007)

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Baker Island: one

abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m covered with vegetation and

unusable

Howland Island: airstrip constructed in 1937 for scheduled refueling

stop on the round-the-world flight of Amelia EARHART and Fred

NOONAN; the aviators left Lae, New Guinea, for Howland Island but

were never seen again; the airstrip is no longer serviceable

Johnston Atoll: one closed and not maintained

Kingman Reef: lagoon was used as a halfway station between Hawaii

and American Samoa by Pan American Airways for flying boats in 1937

and 1938

Midway Islands: 3 - one operational (2,409 m paved); no fuel for

sale except emergencies

Palmyra Atoll: 1 - 1,846 m unpaved runway; privately owned (2008)

Uruguay

60 (2007)

Uzbekistan

54 (2007)

Vanuatu

31 (2007)

Venezuela

390 (2007)

Vietnam

44 (2007)

Virgin Islands

2 (2007)

Wake Island

1 (2007)

Wallis and Futuna

2 (2007)

West Bank

3 (2007)

Western Sahara

9 (2007)

World

total airports - 49,024

top ten by passengers: Atlanta - 84,846,639; Chicago - 77,028,134;

London - 67,530,197; Tokyo - 65,810,672; Los Angeles - 61,041,066;

Dallas/Fort Worth - 60,226,138; Paris - 56,849,567; Frankfurt -

52,810,683; Beijing - 48,654,770; Denver - 47,325,016

top ten by cargo (metric tons): Memphis - 3,692,081; Hong Kong -

3,609,780; Anchorage - 2,691,395; Seoul - 2,336,572; Tokyo -

2,280,830; Shanghai - 2,168,122; Paris - 2,130,724; Frankfurt -

2,127,646; Louisville (US) - 1,983,032; Singapore - 1,931,881 (2006)

Yemen

50 (2007)

Zambia

107 (2007)

Zimbabwe

341 (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2054 Birth rate (births/1,000 population)

Afghanistan

45.82 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Albania

15.22 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Algeria

17.03 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

American Samoa

23.66 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Andorra

10.59 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Angola

44.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Anguilla

13.11 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

16.78 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Argentina

18.11 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Armenia

12.53 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Aruba

12.81 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Australia

12.55 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Austria

8.66 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Azerbaijan

17.52 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bahamas, The

17.06 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bahrain

17.26 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bangladesh

28.86 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Barbados

12.48 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Belarus

9.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Belgium

10.22 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Belize

27.84 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Benin

39.8 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bermuda

11.15 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bhutan

20.56 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bolivia

22.31 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

8.82 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Botswana

22.96 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Brazil

18.72 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

British Virgin Islands

14.72 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Brunei

18.39 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bulgaria

9.58 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Burkina Faso

44.68 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Burma

17.23 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Burundi

41.72 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cambodia

25.68 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cameroon

34.59 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Canada

10.29 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cape Verde

23.95 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cayman Islands

12.43 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Central African Republic

33.13 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Chad

41.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Chile

14.82 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

China

13.71 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Christmas Island

NA (2008 est.)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

NA (2008 est.)

Colombia

19.86 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Comoros

35.78 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the 43 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

41.76 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cook Islands

16.71 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Costa Rica

17.71 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

32.73 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Croatia

9.64 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cuba

11.27 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cyprus

12.56 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Czech Republic

8.89 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Denmark

10.71 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Djibouti

38.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Dominica

15.73 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Dominican Republic

22.65 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Ecuador

21.54 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Egypt

22.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

El Salvador

25.72 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

37.04 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Eritrea

34.94 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Estonia

10.28 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Ethiopia

43.97 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

European Union

10.25 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

NA (2008 est.)

Faroe Islands

13.25 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Fiji

22.15 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Finland

10.39 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

France

12.73 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

French Polynesia

16.16 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Gabon

35.75 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Gambia, The

38.36 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Gaza Strip

37.75 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Georgia

10.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Germany

8.18 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Ghana

29.22 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Gibraltar

10.71 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Greece

9.54 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Greenland

14.87 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Grenada

21.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Guam

18.37 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Guatemala

28.55 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Guernsey

8.57 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Guinea

37.84 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

36.4 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Guyana

17.85 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Haiti

35.69 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Honduras

26.93 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Hong Kong

7.37 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Hungary

9.59 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Iceland

13.5 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

India

22.22 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Indonesia

19.24 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Iran

16.89 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Iraq

30.77 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Ireland

14.33 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Isle of Man

10.86 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Israel

20.02 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Italy

8.36 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Jamaica

20.04 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Japan

7.87 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Jersey

8.84 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Jordan

20.13 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Kazakhstan

16.44 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Kenya

37.89 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Kiribati

30.31 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Korea, North

14.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Korea, South

9.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Kuwait

21.9 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

23.31 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Laos

34.46 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Latvia

9.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Lebanon

17.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Lesotho

24.41 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Liberia

42.92 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Libya

25.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Liechtenstein

9.86 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Lithuania

9 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Luxembourg

11.77 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Macau

8.69 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Macedonia

12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Madagascar

38.38 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Malawi

41.79 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Malaysia

22.44 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Maldives

14.84 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mali

49.38 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Malta

10.33 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Marshall Islands

31.52 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mauritania

40.14 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mauritius

14.64 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mayotte

39.79 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mexico

20.04 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of 23.66 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Moldova

11.01 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Monaco

9.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mongolia

21.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Montenegro

11.17 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Montserrat

12.01 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Morocco

21.31 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mozambique

38.21 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Namibia

23.19 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Nauru

24.26 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Nepal

29.92 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Netherlands

10.53 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

14.37 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

New Caledonia

17.39 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

New Zealand

14.09 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Nicaragua

23.7 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Niger

49.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Nigeria

37.23 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Niue

NA (2008 est.)

Norfolk Island

NA (2008 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands

19.04 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Norway

11.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Oman

35.26 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Pakistan

28.35 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Palau

17.4 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Panama

20.68 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Papua New Guinea

28.14 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Paraguay

28.47 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Peru

19.77 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Philippines

26.42 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

NA (2008 est.)

Poland

10.01 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Portugal

10.45 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Puerto Rico

12.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Qatar

15.69 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Romania

10.61 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Russia

11.03 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Rwanda

39.97 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Saint Helena

11.45 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

17.73 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Saint Lucia

15.4 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

12.92 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 15.82 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Samoa

28.2 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

San Marino

9.74 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

39.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Saudi Arabia

28.85 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Senegal

36.52 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Seychelles

15.6 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sierra Leone

45.08 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Singapore

8.99 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Slovakia

10.64 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Slovenia

8.99 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Solomon Islands

28.48 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Somalia

44.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

South Africa

20.23 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Spain

9.87 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sri Lanka

16.63 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sudan

34.31 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Suriname

17.02 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Svalbard

NA (2008 est.)

Swaziland

26.6 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sweden

10.15 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Switzerland

9.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Syria

26.57 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Taiwan

8.99 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Tajikistan

27.18 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Tanzania

35.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Thailand

13.57 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Timor-Leste

26.52 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Togo

36.66 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Tokelau

NA (2008 est.)

Tonga

21.81 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

13.22 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Tunisia

15.5 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Turkey

16.15 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Turkmenistan

25.07 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

21.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Tuvalu

22.75 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Uganda

48.15 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Ukraine

9.55 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

United Arab Emirates

16.06 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

United Kingdom

10.65 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

United States

14.18 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Uruguay

14.17 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Uzbekistan

17.99 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Vanuatu

21.95 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Venezuela

20.92 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Vietnam

16.47 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Virgin Islands

12.29 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

NA (2008 est.)

West Bank

25.95 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Western Sahara

39.95 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

World

20.18 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Yemen

42.42 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Zambia

40.52 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Zimbabwe

31.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2055 Military branches

Afghanistan

Afghan Armed Forces: Afghan National Army (ANA, includes

Afghan National Army Air Corps) (2008)

Albania

Land Forces Command (Army), Naval Forces Command, Air

Defense Command, General Staff Headquarters (includes Logistics

Command, Training and Doctrine Command) (2007)

Algeria

National Popular Army (ANP; includes Land Forces), Algerian

National Navy (MRA), Air Force (QJJ), Territorial Air Defense Force

(2005)

Andorra

no regular military forces, Police Service of Andorra

Angola

Angolan Armed Forces (FAA): Army, Navy (Marinha de Guerra,

MdG), Angolan National Air Force (FANA) (2007)

Antigua and Barbuda

Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force (2007)

Argentina

Argentine Army (Ejercito Argentino), Navy of the Argentine

Republic (Armada Republica; includes naval aviation and naval

infantry), Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Argentina, FAA) (2008)

Armenia

Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Nagorno-Karabakh Self Defense

Force (NKSDF), Air Force and Air Defense (2008)

Aruba

no regular indigenous military forces; the Netherlands

maintains a detachment of marines, a frigate, and an amphibious

combat detachment in the neighboring Netherlands Antilles (2008)

Australia

Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army, Royal

Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Special Operations

Command (2006)

Austria

Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK)

Azerbaijan

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2008)

Bahamas, The

Royal Bahamian Defense Force: Land Force, Navy, Air

Wing (2007)

Bahrain

Bahrain Defense Forces (BDF): Ground Force (includes Air

Defense), Naval Force, Air Force, National Guard

Bangladesh

Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh

Navy, Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini, BAF) (2008)

Barbados

Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command, Barbados

Coast Guard (2007)

Belarus

Belarus Armed Forces: Land Force, Air and Air Defense Force

(2008)

Belgium

Belgian Armed Forces: Land Operations Command, Naval

Operations Command, Air Operations Command (2008)

Belize

Belize Defense Force (BDF): Army, BDF Air Wing, BDF Volunteer

Guard (2007)

Benin

Benin Armed Forces (FAB): Army (l'Arme de Terre), Benin Navy

(Forces Navales Beninois, FNB), Benin People's Air Force (Force

Aerienne Populaire de Benin, FAPB) (2008)

Bermuda

Bermuda Regiment (2008)

Bhutan

Royal Bhutan Army (includes Royal Bodyguard and Royal Bhutan

Police) (2008)

Bolivia

Bolivian Armed Forces: Bolivian Army (Ejercito Boliviano),

Bolivian Navy (Armada Boliviana; includes marines), Bolivian Air

Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana, FAB) (2008)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina Armed Forces (OSBiH):

Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Air and Air Defense Forces of Bosnia

and Herzegovina (Zrakoplovstvo i Protuzracna Obrana, ZPO) (2007)

Botswana

Botswana Defense Force: Ground Forces, Air Wing (2008)

Brazil

Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (Marinha do Brasil (MB),

includes Naval Air and Marine Corps (Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais)),

Brazilian Air Force (Forca Aerea Brasileira, FAB) (2008)

Brunei

Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF): Royal Brunei Land Forces,

Royal Brunei Navy, Royal Brunei Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja

Brunei) (2008)

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Naval Forces,

Bulgarian Air Forces (Bulgarski Voennovazdyshni Sily, BVVS) (2008)

Burkina Faso

Army, Air Force of Burkina Faso (Force Aerienne de

Burkina Faso, FABF), National Gendarmerie (2008)

Burma

Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw): Army, Navy, Air Force

(Tatmadaw Lay) (2008)

Burundi

National Defense Force (Forces de Defense Nationales, FDN):

Army (includes Naval Detachment and Air Wing), Gendarmerie (2008)

Cambodia

Royal Cambodian Armed Forces: Royal Cambodian Army, Royal

Khmer Navy, Royal Cambodian Air Force (2008)

Cameroon

Cameroon Armed Forces: Army, Navy (includes naval

infantry), Air Force (Armee de l'Air du Cameroun, AAC) (2008)

Canada

Canadian Forces: Land Forces Command (LFC), Maritime Command

(MARCOM), Air Command (AIRCOM), Canada Command (homeland security)

(2008)

Cape Verde

People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARP): Army, Coast

Guard (includes maritime air wing) (2007)

Cayman Islands

no regular military forces; Royal Cayman Islands

Police Force (2007)

Central African Republic

Central African Armed Forces (Forces Armees

Centrafricaines, FACA): Ground Forces, General Directorate of

Gendarmerie Inspection (DGIG), Military Air Service, National Police

(2008)

Chad

Armed Forces: Chadian National Army (Armee Nationale du Tchad,

ANT), Chadian Air Force (Force Aerienne Tchadienne, FAT),

Gendarmerie (2008)

Chile

Army of the Nation, Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile, includes

naval air, marine corps, and Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine

Directorate (Directemar)), Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Chile,

FACh), Carabineros Corps (Cuerpo de Carabineros) (2008)

China

People's Liberation Army (PLA): Ground Forces, Navy (includes

marines and naval aviation), Air Force (includes airborne forces),

and Second Artillery Corps (strategic missile force); People's Armed

Police (PAP); PLA Reserve Force (2008)

Colombia

National Army (Ejercito Nacional), National Navy (Armada

Nacional, includes Naval Aviation, Naval Infantry (Infanteria de

Marina, Colmar), and Coast Guard), Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea

de Colombia, FAC) (2008)

Comoros

National Development Army (AND): Comoran Security Force;

Comoran Federal Police (2008)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Armed Forces of the Democratic

Republic of the Congo (Forces d'Armees de la Republique Democratique

du Congo, FARDC): Army, National Navy (La Marine Nationale),

Congolese Air Force (Force Aerienne Congolaise, FAC) (2008)

Congo, Republic of the

Congolese Armed Forces (Forces Armees

Congolaises, FAC): Army, Navy, Congolese Air Force (Armee de l'Air

Congolaise), Gendarmerie, Special Presidential Security Guard (GSSP)

(2008)

Cook Islands

no regular military forces; National Police Department

(2007)

Costa Rica

no regular military forces; Ministry of Public Security,

Government, and Police (2008)

Cote d'Ivoire

Cote d'Ivoire Defense and Security Forces (FDSC):

Army, Navy, Air Force (2006)

Croatia

Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia (Oruzane Snage

Republike Hrvatske, OSRH), consists of five major commands directly

subordinate to a General Staff: Ground Forces (Hrvatska Kopnena

Vojska, HKoV), Naval Forces (Hrvatska Ratna Mornarica, HRM), Air

Force (Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo, HRZ), Joint Education and

Training Command, Logistics Command; Military Police Force supports

each of the three Croatian military forces (2008)

Cuba

Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias,

FAR): Revolutionary Army (ER; includes Territorial Militia Troops,

MTT), Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR;

includes Marine Corps), Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force

(DAAFAR), Youth Labor Army (EJT) (2008)

Cyprus

Republic of Cyprus: Greek Cypriot National Guard (Ethniki

Forea, EF; includes air and naval elements); northern Cyprus:

Turkish Cypriot Security Force (GKK) (2007)

Czech Republic

Army of the Czech Republic (ACR): Joint Forces

Command (includes Army and Air Forces), Support and Training Forces

Command (2008)

Denmark

Defense Command: Army Operational Command, Admiral Danish

Fleet, Island Command Greenland, Tactical Air Command, Home Guard

(2008)

Djibouti

Djibouti National Army (includes Navy and Air Force)

Dominica

no regular military forces; Commonwealth of Dominica Police

Force (includes Coast Guard) (2008)

Dominican Republic

Army, Navy, Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Dominicana,

FAD) (2007)

Ecuador

Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry, Naval Aviation, Coast

Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana, FAE) (2007)

Egypt

Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command

El Salvador

Salvadoran Army (ES), Salvadoran Navy (FNES), Salvadoran

Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Salvadorena, FAS) (2008)

Equatorial Guinea

National Guard (Guardia Nacional (Army), with

Coast Guard (Navy) and Air Wing) (2008)

Eritrea

Eritrean Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force (2008)

Estonia

Estonian Defense Forces: Land Force, Navy, Air Force (Eesti

Ohuvagi), Volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit, KL) (2008)

Ethiopia

Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF): Ground Forces,

Ethiopian Air Force (ETAF) (2008)

note: Ethiopia is landlocked and has no navy; following the

secession of Eritrea, Ethiopian naval facilities remained in

Eritrean possession

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

no regular military forces

Faroe Islands

no regular military forces

Fiji

Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF): Land Forces, Naval

Forces (2008)

Finland

Finnish Defense Forces (FDF): Army, Navy (includes Coastal

Defense Forces), Air Force (Suomen Ilmavoimat) (2007)

France

Army (Armee de Terre; includes Marines, Foreign Legion, Army

Light Aviation), Navy (Marine Nationale, includes Naval Air), Air

Force (Armee de l'Air, includes Air Defense), National Gendarmerie

(2008)

French Polynesia

no regular military forces; Gendarmerie and

National Police Force (2007)

Gabon

Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police

Gambia, The

Office of the Chief of Defense: Gambian National Army

(National Guard, GNA), Gambian Navy (GN) (2008)

Gaza Strip

in accordance with the peace agreement, the Palestinian

Authority is not permitted conventional military forces; there are,

however, public security forces (2008)

Georgia

Georgian Armed Forces: Land Forces, Navy (includes coast

guard), Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard (2008)

Germany

Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr): Army (Heer), Navy

(Deutsche Marine, includes naval air arm), Air Force (Luftwaffe),

Central Medical Service (Zentraler Sanitaetsdienst) (2008)

Ghana

Ghanaian Army, Ghanaian Navy, Ghanaian Air Force (2007)

Gibraltar

Royal Gibraltar Regiment

Greece

Hellenic Army (Ellinikos Stratos, ES), Hellenic Navy

(Ellinikos Polemiko Navtiko, EPN), Hellenic Air Force (Elliniki

Polimiki Aeroporia, EPA) (2007)

Greenland

no regular military forces

Grenada

no regular military forces; Royal Grenada Police Force

(includes Coast Guard) (2007)

Guatemala

Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force

Guinea

Armed Forces: Army, Navy (Marine Guineenne, includes

Marines), Air Force, Presidential Guard (2008)

Guinea-Bissau

People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP): Army, Navy,

Air Force; paramilitary force

Guyana

Guyana Defense Force: Army (includes Coast Guard, Air Corps)

(2007)

Haiti

no regular military forces - small Coast Guard; the regular

Haitian Armed Forces (FAdH) - Army, Navy, and Air Force - have been

demobilized but still exist on paper unless they are

constitutionally abolished (2007)

Holy See (Vatican City)

Pontifical Swiss Guard (Corpo della Guardia

Svizzera Pontificia) (2007)

Honduras

Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry), Honduran Air Force

(Fuerza Aerea Hondurena, FAH) (2008)

Hong Kong

no regular indigenous military forces; Hong Kong garrison

of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) includes elements of the

PLA Ground Forces, PLA Navy, and PLA Air Force; these forces are

under the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission in

Beijing and under administrative control of the adjacent Guangzhou

Military Region (2007)

Hungary

Ground Forces, Hungarian Air Force (Magyar Legiero, ML)

(2008)

Iceland

no regular military forces; Icelandic National Police (2008)

India

Army, Navy (includes naval air arm), Air Force (Bharatiya Vayu

Sena), Coast Guard (2008)

Indonesia

Indonesian Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, TNI):

Army (TNI-Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD)), Navy (TNI-Angkatan Laut

(TNI-AL); includes marines, naval air arm), Air Force (TNI-Angkatan

Udara (TNI-AU)), National Air Defense Command (Kommando Pertahanan

Udara Nasional (Kohanudnas)) (2008)

Iran

Islamic Republic of Iran Regular Forces (Artesh): Ground

Forces, Navy, Air Force of the Military of the Islamic Republic of

Iran (Niru-ye Hava'i-ye Artesh-e Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran; includes

air defense); Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Sepah-e Pasdaran-e

Enqelab-e Eslami, IRGC): Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Qods Force

(special operations), and Basij Force (Popular Mobilization Army);

Law Enforcement Forces (2008)

Iraq

Iraqi Armed Forces: Iraqi Army (includes Iraqi Special

Operations Force, Iraqi Intervention Force), Iraqi Navy (former

Iraqi Coastal Defense Force), Iraqi Air Force (former Iraqi Army Air

Corps) (2005)

Ireland

Irish Defense Forces (Oglaigh na h-Eireann): Army (includes

Naval Service and Air Corps (Aer-Chor na h-Eireann)) (2008)

Israel

Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel Naval Forces (INF),

Israel Air Force (IAF) (2007)

Italy

Italian Army (Esercito Italiano, EI), Italian Navy (Marina

Militare Italiana, MMI), Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare

Italiana, AMI), Carabinieri Corps (Arma dei Carabinieri, CC) (2008)

Jamaica

Jamaica Defense Force: Ground Forces, Coast Guard, Air Wing

(2007)

Japan

Japanese Ministry of Defense (MOD): Ground Self-Defense Force

(Rikujou Jietai, GSDF), Maritime Self-Defense Force (Kaijou Jietai,

MSDF), Air Self-Defense Force (Koku Jieitai, ASDF) (2008)

Jordan

Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Land Force,

Royal Jordanian Navy, Royal Jordanian Air Force (Al-Quwwat

al-Jawwiya al-Malakiya al-Urduniya, RJAF), Special Operations

Command (Socom); Public Security Directorate (normally falls under

Ministry of Interior, but comes under JAF in wartime or crisis)

(2008)

Kazakhstan

Ground Forces, Naval Force, Air and Air Defense Forces,

Republican Guard

Kenya

Kenyan Army, Kenyan Navy, Kenyan Air Force (2008)

Kiribati

no regular military forces (constitutionally prohibited);

Police Force (2008)

Korea, North

North Korean People's Army: Ground Forces, Navy, Air

Force; civil security forces (2005)

Korea, South

Republic of Korea Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps),

Air Force (2008)

Kuwait

Land Forces, Kuwaiti Navy, Kuwaiti Air Force (Al-Quwwat

al-Jawwiya al-Kuwaitiya), National Guard (2007)

Kyrgyzstan

Army, Air Force, National Guard (2005)

Laos

Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF): Lao People's Army (LPA;

includes Riverine Force), Air Force (2008)

Latvia

National Armed Forces (Nacionalo Brunoto Speku): Ground

Forces, Navy (Latvijas Juras Speki; includes Coast Guard (Latvijas

Kara Flotes)), Latvian Air Force (Latvijas Gaisa Speki), Border

Guard, Latvian Home Guard (Latvijas Zemessardze) (2008)

Lebanon

Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF): Army (includes Navy), Air Force

(2008)

Lesotho

Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army (includes Air Wing) (2008)

Liberia

Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Navy, Air Force

Libya

Armed Peoples on Duty (APOD, Army), Libyan Arab Navy, Libyan

Arab Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriya al-Arabia

al-Libyya, LAAF) (2008)

Liechtenstein

no regular military forces (constitutionally

prohibited); Principality of Liechtenstein National Police

(Landespolizei, LP) (2008)

Lithuania

Ground Forces, Naval Force, Lithuanian Military Air

Forces, National Defense Volunteer Forces (2005)

Luxembourg

Army (2007)

Macau

no regular military forces; defense is the responsibility of

China (2008)

Macedonia

Army of the Republic of Macedonia (ARM): Joint Operational

Command, with subordinate Air Wing (Makedonsko Voeno

Vozduhoplovstvo, MVV), Special Operations Regiment (2007)

Madagascar

People's Armed Forces: Intervention Force, Development

Force, and Aeronaval Force (navy and air); National Gendarmerie

Malawi

Malawi Armed Forces: Army (includes Air Wing and Naval

Detachment) (2007)

Malaysia

Malaysian Armed Forces (Angkatan Tentera Malaysia, ATM):

Malaysian Army (Tentera Darat Malaysia), Royal Malaysian Navy

(Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia, TLDM), Royal Malaysian Air Force

(Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia, TUDM) (2008)

Maldives

Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF): Quick Reaction

Force, Security Protection Group, Coast Guard (2007)

Mali

Malian Armed Forces: Army, Republic of Mali Air Force (Force

Aerienne de la Republique du Mali, FARM), National Guard (2008)

Malta

Armed Forces of Malta (AFM; includes air and maritime

elements) (2007)

Marshall Islands

no regular military forces; under the 1983 Compact

of Free Association, the US has full authority and responsibility

for security and defense of the Marshall Islands; Marshall Islands

Police (2008)

Mauritania

Mauritanian Armed Forces: Army, Mauritanian Navy (Marine

Mauritanienne; includes naval infantry), Islamic Air Force of

Mauritania (Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie, FAIM) (2008)

Mauritius

no regular military forces; National Police Force, Special

Mobile Force, National Coast Guard (2008)

Mexico

Secretariat of National Defense (Secretaria de Defensa

Nacional, Sedena): Army (Ejercito, includes Mexican Air Force

(Fuerza Aerea Mexicana, FAM)); Secretariat of the Navy (Secretaria

de Marina, Semar): Mexican Navy (Armada de Mexico, ARM, includes

Naval Air Force (FAN) and naval infantry) (2008)

Micronesia, Federated States of

no regular military forces

Moldova

National Army: Ground Forces, Rapid Reaction Forces, Air and

Air Defense Forces (2008)

Monaco

no regular military forces; the Palace Guard performs

ceremonial duties

Mongolia

Mongolian Armed Forces: Mongolian Army, Mongolian Air

Force; there is no navy (2008)

Montenegro

Armed Forces of the Republic of Montenegro: Army, Navy

(serves as Coast Guard), Air Force (2008)

Montserrat

no regular military forces; Royal Montserrat Police Force

(2008)

Morocco

Royal Armed Forces (Forces Armees Royales, FAR): Royal

Moroccan Army (includes Air Defense), Navy (includes Marines), Royal

Moroccan Air Force (Al Quwwat al Jawyiya al Malakiya Marakishiya;

Force Aerienne Royale Marocaine) (2008)

Mozambique

Mozambique Armed Defense Forces (FADM): Mozambique Army,

Mozambique Navy (Marinha Mocambique, MM), Mozambique Air Force

(Forca Aerea de Mocambique, FAM) (2006)

Namibia

Namibian Defense Force: Army, Navy, Air Wing (2008)

Nauru

no regular military forces; Nauru Police Force (2008)

Nepal

Nepalese Army, Armed Police Force (2008)

Netherlands

Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes

Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force

(Koninklijke Luchtmacht, KLu), Royal Military Police (2008)

Netherlands Antilles

no regular military forces; National Guard

(2008)

New Caledonia

no regular indigenous military forces; French Armed

Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie); Police Force

New Zealand

New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF): New Zealand Army,

Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force (2008)

Nicaragua

National Army of Nicaragua (ENN; includes Navy, Air Force)

(2008)

Niger

Nigerien Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army,

Niger Air Force (Force Aerienne du Niger) (2008)

Nigeria

Nigerian Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force (2008)

Niue

no regular indigenous military forces; Police Force

Norway

Norwegian Army (Haeren), Royal Norwegian Navy (Kongelige

Norske Sjoeforsvaret, RNoN; includes Coastal Rangers and Coast Guard

(Kystvakt)), Royal Norwegian Air Force (Kongelige Norske

Luftforsvaret, RNoAF), Home Guard (Heimevernet, HV) (2007)

Oman

Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF): Royal Army of Oman, Royal Navy of

Oman, Royal Air Force of Oman (2008)

Pakistan

Army (includes National Guard), Navy (includes Marines and

Maritime Security Agency), Pakistan Air Force (Pakistan Fiza'ya)

(2008)

Palau

no regular military forces; Palau National Police (2008)

Panama

no regular military forces; Panamanian Public Forces or PPF

includes the Panamanian National Police (PNP), National Maritime

Service (NMS), and National Air Service (NAS) (2008)

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF; includes

Maritime Operations Element, Air Operations Element) (2008)

Paraguay

Army, National Navy (Armada Nacional, includes Naval

Aviation, Marine Corps, General Naval Prefecture), Air Force (Fuerza

Aerea Paraguay, FAP) (2008)

Peru

Army of Peru (Ejercito Peruano), Navy of Peru (Marina de Guerra

del Peru, MGP (includes naval air, naval infantry, and Coast

Guard)), Air Force of Peru (Fuerza Aerea del Peru, FAP) (2008)

Philippines

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP): Army, Navy

(includes Marine Corps), Air Force (2008)

Poland

Polish Armed Forces: Land Forces (includes Navy (Marynarka

Wojenna, MW)), Polish Air Force (Sily Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej

Polskiej, SPRP) (2008)

Portugal

Portuguese Army (Exercito Portugues), Portuguese Navy

(Marinha Portuguesa; includes Marine Corps), Portuguese Air Force

(Forca Aerea Portuguesa, FAP) (2008)

Puerto Rico

no regular indigenous military forces; paramilitary

National Guard, Police Force

Qatar

Qatari Amiri Land Force (QALF), Qatari Amiri Navy (QAN),

Qatari Amiri Air Force (QAAF) (2007)

Romania

Land Forces, Naval Forces, Romanian Air Force (Fortele

Aeriene Romane, FAR), Special Operations (2008)

Russia

Ground Forces (SV), Navy (VMF), Air Forces

(Voyenno-Vozdushniye Sily, VVS); Airborne Troops (VDV), Strategic

Rocket Troops (Raketnyye Voyska Strategicheskogo Naznacheniya,

RVSN), and Space Troops (KV) are independent "combat arms," not

subordinate to any of the three branches; Russian Ground Forces

include the following combat arms: motorized-rifle troops, tank

troops, missile and artillery troops, air defense of ground troops

(2008)

Rwanda

Rwandan Defense Forces: Army, Air Force

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense Force (includes

Coast Guard), Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force

Saint Lucia

no regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police

Force (includes Special Service Unit, Coast Guard) (2007)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

no regular military forces; Royal

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, Coast Guard (2007)

Samoa

no regular military forces; Samoa Police Force (2008)

San Marino

no regular military forces; Voluntary Military Force

(Corpi Militari Voluntar) performs ceremonial duties and limited

police support functions (2008)

Sao Tome and Principe

Armed Forces of Sao Tome and Principe (FASTP):

Army, Coast Guard of Sao Tome e Principe (Guarda Costeira de Sao

Tome e Principe, GCSTP), Presidential Guard (2007)

Saudi Arabia

Land Forces (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force,

National Guard, Ministry of Interior Forces (paramilitary)

Senegal

Army, Senegalese Navy (Marine Senegalaise), Senegalese Air

Force (Armee de l'Air du Senegal) (2008)

Serbia

Serbian Armed Forces (Vojska Srbije, VS): Land Forces Command

(includes Riverine Component, consisting of a river flotilla on the

Danube), Joint Operations Command, Air and Air Defense Forces

Command (2008)

Seychelles

Seychelles Defense Force: Army, Coast Guard (includes

Naval Wing, Air Wing), National Guard (2005)

Sierra Leone

Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): Army

(includes Navy (Maritime Wing), Air Wing) (2008)

Singapore

Singapore Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force (includes

Air Defense) (2008)

Slovakia

Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic (Ozbrojene Sily

Slovenskej Republiky): Land Forces (Pozemne Sily), Air Forces

(Vzdusne Sily) (2008)

Slovenia

Slovenian Army (includes air and naval forces)

Solomon Islands

no regular military forces; Solomon Islands Police

Force (2008)

Somalia

no national-level armed forces (2008)

South Africa

South African National Defense Force (SANDF): South

African Army, South African Navy (SAN), South African Air Force

(SAAF), Joint Operations Command, Military Intelligence, Military

Health Services (2008)

Spain

Spanish Armed Forces: Army (Ejercito de Tierra), Spanish Navy

(Armada Espanola, AE; includes Marine Corps), Spanish Air Force

(Ejercito del Aire Espanola, EdA) (2007)

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy, Sri Lanka Air Force (2008)

Sudan

Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF): Land Forces, Navy, Air Force,

Popular Defense Forces; Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA): Land

Forces (2008)

Suriname

National Army (Nationaal Leger, NL; includes Naval Wing,

Air Wing) (2007)

Svalbard

no regular military forces

Swaziland

Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force (USDF): Ground Force

(includes air wing) (2008)

Sweden

Swedish Armed Forces (Forsvarsmakten): Army (Armen), Royal

Swedish Navy (Marinen), Swedish Air Force (Svenska Flygvapnet) (2008)

Switzerland

Swiss Armed Forces: Land Forces, Swiss Air Force

(Schweizer Luftwaffe) (2007)

Syria

Syrian Armed Forces: Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy,

Syrian Arab Air and Air Defense Forces (includes Air Defense

Command) (2008)

Taiwan

Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard

Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service

Forces Command, Armed Forces Police Command

Tajikistan

Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Mobile Force

(2008)

Tanzania

Tanzanian People's Defense Force (Jeshi la Wananchi la

Tanzania, JWTZ): Army, Naval Wing (includes Coast Guard), Air

Defense Command (includes Air Wing), National Service (2007)

Thailand

Royal Thai Army (RTA), Royal Thai Navy (RTN, includes Royal

Thai Marine Corps), Royal Thai Air Force (Knogtap Agard Thai, RTAF)

(2008)

Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste Defense Force (Forcas de Defesa de

Timor-L'este, Falintil (FDTL)): Army, Navy (Armada) (2008)

Togo

Togolese Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Togolese Navy (Marine du

Togo), Togolese Air Force (Force Aerienne Togolaise, FAT), National

Gendarmerie (2008)

Tonga

Tonga Defense Services (TDS): Land Force (Royal Guard), Naval

Force (includes Royal Marines, Air Wing) (2008)

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (TTDF):

Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, Coast Guard, Air Guard (2008)

Tunisia

Army, Navy, Republic of Tunisia Air Force (Al-Quwwat

al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriyah At'tunisia) (2008)

Turkey

Turkish Armed Forces (TSK): Turkish Land Forces (Turk Kara

Kuvvetleri, TKK), Turkish Naval Forces (Turk Deniz Kuvvetleri, TDK;

includes naval air and naval infantry), Turkish Air Force (Turk Hava

Kuvvetleri, THK) (2008)

Turkmenistan

Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2007)

Tuvalu

no regular military forces; Tuvalu Police Force (2008)

Uganda

Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF): Army (includes Marine

Unit), Air Force (2007)

Ukraine

Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Forces (Viyskovo-Povitryani

Syly), Air Defense Forces (2002)

United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates Armed Forces: Army, Navy

(includes Marines), Air Force and Air Defense, National Coast Guard

(2008)

United Kingdom

Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air

Force

United States

US Army, US Navy (includes Marine Corps), US Air

Force, US Coast Guard; note - Coast Guard administered in peacetime

by the Department of Homeland Security, but in wartime reports to

the Department of the Navy (2008)

Uruguay

Uruguayan Armed Forces: Army (Ejercito), Navy (Armada

Nacional; includes naval air arm, Marines, Maritime Prefecture in

wartime), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Uruguaya, FAU) (2008)

Uzbekistan

Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard

Vanuatu

no regular military forces; Vanuatu Police Force (VPF),

Vanuatu Mobile Force (VMF; includes Police Maritime Wing (PMW))

(2008)

Venezuela

National Armed Forces (Fuerza Armada Nacionale, FAN):

Ground Forces or Army (Fuerzas Terrestres or Ejercito), Naval Forces

(Fuerzas Navales or Armada; includes Marines, Coast Guard), Air

Force (Fuerzas Aereas or Aviacion), Armed Forces of Cooperation or

National Guard (Fuerzas Armadas de Cooperacion or Guardia Nacional)

Vietnam

People's Armed Forces: People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN)

(includes People's Navy Command (with naval infantry, coast guard),

Air and Air Defense Force (Kon Quan Nhan Dan), Border Defense

Command), People's Public Security Forces, Militia Force,

Self-Defense Forces (2005)

Yemen

Army (includes Republican Guard), Navy (includes Marines),

Yemen Air Force (Al Quwwat al Jawwiya al Jamahiriya al Yemeniya;

includes Air Defense Force) (2008)

Zambia

Zambian National Defense Force (ZNDF): Zambian Army, Zambian

Air Force, National Service (2008)

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF): Zimbabwe National Army

(ZNA), Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ), Zimbabwe Republic Police (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2056 Budget

Afghanistan

revenues: $715 million

expenditures: $2.6 billion

note: Afghanistan has also received $273 million from the

Reconstruction Trust Fund and $63 million from the Law and Order

Trust Fund (2007 est.)

Albania

revenues: $2.782 billion

expenditures: $3.155 billion (2007 est.)

Algeria

revenues: $57.03 billion

expenditures: $40.53 billion (2007 est.)

American Samoa

revenues: $121 million (37% in local revenue and 63%

in US grants)

expenditures: $127 million (FY96/97)

Andorra

revenues: $333.5 million

expenditures: $386.6 million (2005)

Angola

revenues: $20.18 billion

expenditures: $15.53 billion (2007 est.)

Anguilla

revenues: $22.8 million

expenditures: $22.5 million (2000 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

revenues: $123.7 million

expenditures: $145.9 million (2000 est.)

Argentina

revenues: $48.99 billion

expenditures: $61.23 billion (2007 est.)

Armenia

revenues: $1.666 billion

expenditures: $1.735 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA

(2007 est.)

Aruba

revenues: $507.9 million

expenditures: $577.9 million (2005 est.)

Australia

revenues: $321.9 billion

expenditures: $315.8 billion (2007 est.)

Austria

revenues: $177.5 billion

expenditures: $179.9 billion (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

revenues: $6.755 billion

expenditures: $8.572 billion (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

revenues: $1.03 billion

expenditures: $1.03 billion (FY04/05)

Bahrain

revenues: $5.418 billion

expenditures: $4.968 billion (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

revenues: $7.01 billion

expenditures: $9.464 billion (2007 est.)

Barbados

revenues: $847 million (including grants)

expenditures: $886 million (2000 est.)

Belarus

revenues: $20.75 billion

expenditures: $20.87 billion (2007 est.)

Belgium

revenues: $220.1 billion

expenditures: $221 billion (2007 est.)

Belize

revenues: $307 million

expenditures: $344 million (2007 est.)

Benin

revenues: $959.2 million

expenditures: $1.211 billion (2007 est.)

Bermuda

revenues: $738 million

expenditures: $665 million (FY04/05)

Bhutan

revenues: $272 million

expenditures: $350 million

note: the government of India finances nearly three-fifths of

Bhutan's budget expenditures (2005)

Bolivia

revenues: $5.723 billion

expenditures: $5.495 billion (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

revenues: $7.094 billion

expenditures: $7.137 billion (2007 est.)

Botswana

revenues: $4.741 billion

expenditures: $3.816 billion (2007 est.)

Brazil

revenues: $244 billion

expenditures: $219.9 billion (FY07)

British Virgin Islands

revenues: $204.7 million

expenditures: $180.4 million (2004)

Brunei

revenues: $3.765 billion

expenditures: $4.815 billion (2004 est.)

Bulgaria

revenues: $16.84 billion

expenditures: $15.35 billion (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

revenues: $1.415 billion

expenditures: $1.847 billion (2007 est.)

Burma

revenues: NA

expenditures: NA (2007 est.)

Burundi

revenues: $264.2 million

expenditures: $335.4 million; including capital expenditures of $NA

(2007 est.)

Cambodia

revenues: $1.015 billion

expenditures: $1.168 billion (2007 est.)

Cameroon

revenues: $4.179 billion

expenditures: $3.297 billion (2007 est.)

Canada

revenues: $569.3 billion

expenditures: $556.2 billion (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

revenues: $436.1 million

expenditures: $449.7 million (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

revenues: $423.8 million

expenditures: $392.6 million (2004)

Central African Republic

revenues: $250 million

expenditures: $273 million (2007 est.)

Chad

revenues: $1.864 billion

expenditures: $1.749 billion (2007 est.)

Chile

revenues: $44.96 billion

expenditures: $30.51 billion (2007 est.)

China

revenues: $674.3 billion

expenditures: $651.6 billion (2007 est.)

Christmas Island

revenues: $NA

expenditures: $NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

revenues: $NA

expenditures: $NA

Colombia

revenues: $63.69 billion

expenditures: $64.96 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA

(2007 est.)

Comoros

revenues: $27.6 million

expenditures: $NA (2001 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

revenues: $700 million

expenditures: $2 billion (2006 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

revenues: $3.295 billion

expenditures: $2.444 billion (2007 est.)

Cook Islands

revenues: $70.95 million

expenditures: $69.05 million (FY05/06)

Costa Rica

revenues: $3.976 billion

expenditures: $3.808 billion (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

revenues: $3.884 billion

expenditures: $4.106 billion (2007 est.)

Croatia

revenues: $22.56 billion

expenditures: $23.92 billion (2007 est.)

Cuba

revenues: $41.84 billion

expenditures: $43.9 billion (2007 est.)

Cyprus

revenues:: $9.996 billion

expenditures:: $9.304 billion (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

revenues: $72.1 billion

expenditures: $74.98 billion (2007 est.)

Denmark

revenues: $170.6 billion

expenditures: $156.8 billion (2007 est.)

Djibouti

revenues: $135 million

expenditures: $182 million (1999 est.)

Dominica

revenues: $73.9 million

expenditures: $84.4 million (2001)

Dominican Republic

revenues: $7.423 billion

expenditures: $7.259 billion (2007 est.)

Ecuador

revenues: $13.46 billion

expenditures: planned $11.96 billion (2007 est.)

Egypt

revenues: $35.05 billion

expenditures: $44.83 billion (2007 est.)

El Salvador

revenues: $3.659 billion

expenditures: $3.709 billion (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

revenues: $4.963 billion

expenditures: $2.494 billion (2007 est.)

Eritrea

revenues: $234.6 million

expenditures: $471.4 million (2007 est.)

Estonia

revenues: $7.854 billion

expenditures: $7.171 billion (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

revenues: $3.231 billion

expenditures: $3.785 billion (2007 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

revenues: $66.2 million

expenditures: $67.9 million (FY98/99 est.)

Faroe Islands

revenues: $588 million

expenditures: $623 million (2005)

Fiji

revenues: $1.363 billion

expenditures: $1.376 billion (2006)

Finland

revenues: $62.02 billion

expenditures: $58.16 billion (2007)

France

revenues: $1.287 trillion

expenditures: $1.356 trillion (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

revenues: $865 million

expenditures: $644.1 million (1999)

Gabon

revenues: $3.536 billion

expenditures: $2.347 billion (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

revenues: $181.1 million

expenditures: $163.4 million (2007 est.)

Gaza Strip

revenues: $1.149 billion

expenditures: $2.31 billion

note: includes West Bank (2006)

Georgia

revenues: $3.68 billion

expenditures: $3.08 billion (2007 est.)

Germany

revenues: $1.454 trillion

expenditures: $1.453 trillion (2007 est.)

Ghana

revenues: $4.262 billion

expenditures: $5.481 billion (2007 est.)

Gibraltar

revenues: $455.1 million

expenditures: $423.6 million (2005 est.)

Greece

revenues: $115.2 billion

expenditures: $124.1 billion (2007 est.)

Greenland

revenues: $1.36 billion

expenditures: $1.27 billion (2005)

Grenada

revenues: $85.8 million

expenditures: $102.1 million (1997)

Guam

revenues: $319.6 million

expenditures: $427.8 million (2002 est.)

Guatemala

revenues: $4.38 billion

expenditures: $4.872 billion (2007 est.)

Guernsey

revenues: $563.6 million

expenditures: $530.9 million (2005)

Guinea

revenues: $347.1 million

expenditures: $742.7 million (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

revenues: $NA

expenditures: $NA

Guyana

revenues: $446.2 million

expenditures: $531.2 million (2007 est.)

Haiti

revenues: $815.9 million

expenditures: $802.2 million (2007 est.)

Holy See (Vatican City)

revenues: $310 million

expenditures: $307 million (2006)

Honduras

revenues: $2.344 billion

expenditures: $2.631 billion; including capital expenditures of $106

million (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

revenues: $36.9 billion

expenditures: $29.4 billion (FY07-08 est.)

Hungary

revenues: $64 billion

expenditures: $71.87 billion (2007 est.)

Iceland

revenues: $9.64 billion

expenditures: $8.602 billion (2007 est.)

India

revenues: $141.2 billion

expenditures: $172.6 billion (2007 est.)

Indonesia

revenues: $79.56 billion

expenditures: $84.87 billion (2007 est.)

Iran

revenues: $104 billion

expenditures: $101 billion (2008 est.)

Iraq

revenues: $42.3 billion

expenditures: $48.4 billion (FY08 est.)

Ireland

revenues: $93.22 billion

expenditures: $92.46 billion (2007 est.)

Isle of Man

revenues: $965 million

expenditures: $943 million (FY05/06 est.)

Israel

revenues: $53.6 billion

expenditures: $53.63 billion (2007 est.)

Italy

revenues: $991.2 billion

expenditures: $1.031 trillion (2007 est.)

Jamaica

revenues: $3.716 billion

expenditures: $4.261 billion (2007 est.)

Japan

revenues: $1.462 trillion

expenditures: $1.567 trillion (2007 est.)

Jersey

revenues: $829 million

expenditures: $851 million (2005)

Jordan

revenues: $5.117 billion

expenditures: $6.468 billion (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

revenues: $23.58 billion

expenditures: $25.33 billion (2007 est.)

Kenya

revenues: $5.924 billion

expenditures: $6.878 billion (2007 est.)

Kiribati

revenues: $55.52 million

expenditures: $59.71 million (FY05)

Korea, North

revenues: $2.88 billion $NA

expenditures: $2.98 billion $NA

Korea, South

revenues: $262.2 billion

expenditures: $225.8 billion (2007 est.)

Kosovo

revenues: $1.364 billion

expenditures: $1.008 billion (2007 est.)

Kuwait

revenues: $85.28 billion

expenditures: $37.77 billion (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

revenues: $964.6 million

expenditures: $961.1 million (2007 est.)

Laos

revenues: $473.1 million

expenditures: $647.2 million (2007 est.)

Latvia

revenues: $10.47 billion

expenditures: $10.29 billion (2007 est.)

Lebanon

revenues: $6.178 billion

expenditures: $8.35 billion (2007 est.)

Lesotho

revenues: $779.9 million

expenditures: $696.9 million (2007 est.)

Liberia

revenues: NA

expenditures: NA

Libya

revenues: $39.88 billion

expenditures: $19.48 billion (2007 est.)

Liechtenstein

revenues: $424.2 million

expenditures: $414.1 million (1998 est.)

Lithuania

revenues: $13.28 billion

expenditures: $13.75 billion (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

revenues: $19.78 billion

expenditures: $18.9 billion (2007 est.)

Macau

revenues: $4.6 billion

expenditures: $3.4 billion (2006)

Macedonia

revenues: $2.508 billion

expenditures: $2.487 billion (2007 est.)

Madagascar

revenues: $1.319 billion

expenditures: $1.629 billion (2007 est.)

Malawi

revenues: $1.128 billion

expenditures: $1.185 billion (2007 est.)

Malaysia

revenues: $40.69 billion

expenditures: $46.7 billion (2007 est.)

Maldives

revenues: $508 million (including foreign grants)

expenditures: $671 million (2006 est.)

Mali

revenues: $1.5 billion

expenditures: $1.8 billion (2006 est.)

Malta

revenues: $3.485 billion

expenditures: $3.554 billion (2007 est.)

Marshall Islands

revenues: $42 million

expenditures: $40 million (1999)

Mauritania

revenues: $421 million

expenditures: $378 million (2002 est.)

Mauritius

revenues: $1.344 billion

expenditures: $1.773 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA

(2007 est.)

Mayotte

revenues: $420 million

expenditures: $394 million (2005)

Mexico

revenues: $227.5 billion

expenditures: $227.2 billion (2007 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

revenues: $127.3 million ($69

million less grants)

expenditures: $144.2 million (FY05 est.)

Moldova

revenues: $1.83 billion

expenditures: $1.841 billion (2007 est.)

Monaco

revenues: $863 million

expenditures: $920.6 million (2005 est.)

Mongolia

revenues: $1.58 billion

expenditures: $1.497 billion (2007)

Montenegro

revenues: NA

expenditures: NA

Montserrat

revenues: $31.4 million

expenditures: $31.6 million (1997 est.)

Morocco

revenues: $20.49 billion

expenditures: $21.85 billion (2007 est.)

Mozambique

revenues: $2.302 billion

expenditures: $2.63 billion (2007 est.)

Namibia

revenues: $2.765 billion

expenditures: $2.515 billion (2007 est.)

Nauru

revenues: $13.5 million

expenditures: $13.5 million (2005)

Nepal

revenues: $1.153 billion

expenditures: $1.927 billion (FY06/07)

Netherlands

revenues: $359.5 billion

expenditures: $356.5 billion (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

revenues: $757.9 million

expenditures: $949.5 million (2004)

New Caledonia

revenues: $996 million

expenditures: $1.072 billion (2001 est.)

New Zealand

revenues: $58.31 billion

expenditures: $53.5 billion (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

revenues: $1.115 billion

expenditures: $1.291 billion (2007 est.)

Niger

revenues: $320 million (includes $134 million from foreign

sources)

expenditures: $320 million (2002 est.)

Nigeria

revenues: $19.43 billion

expenditures: $20.36 billion (2007 est.)

Niue

revenues: $15.07 million

expenditures: $16.33 million (FY0405)

Norfolk Island

revenues: $4.6 million

expenditures: $4.8 million (FY99/00)

Northern Mariana Islands

revenues: $193 million

expenditures: $223 million (FY01/02 est.)

Norway

revenues: $226.3 billion

expenditures: $158.7 billion (2007 est.)

Oman

revenues: $14.02 billion

expenditures: $13.68 billion (2007 est.)

Pakistan

revenues: $18.25 billion

expenditures: $24.69 billion (2007 est.)

Palau

revenues: $72.07 million

expenditures: $72.43 million (FY04/05 est.)

Panama

revenues: $5.505 billion

expenditures: $4.822 billion (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

revenues: $2.363 billion

expenditures: $2.21 billion (2007 est.)

Paraguay

revenues: $2.159 billion

expenditures: $2.042 billion (2007 est.)

Peru

revenues: $32.54 billion

expenditures: $29.15 billion (2007 est.)

Philippines

revenues: $24.63 billion

expenditures: $24.9 billion (2007 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

revenues: $746,000

expenditures: $1.028 million (FY04/05)

Poland

revenues: $85.39 billion

expenditures: $91.16 billion (2007 est.)

Portugal

revenues: $96.01 billion

expenditures: $101.9 billion (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

revenues: $6.7 billion

expenditures: $9.6 billion (FY99/00)

Qatar

revenues: $27.12 billion

expenditures: $22.55 billion (2007 est.)

Romania

revenues: $52.13 billion

expenditures: $56.01 billion (2007 est.)

Russia

revenues: $299 billion

expenditures: $262 billion (2007 est.)

Rwanda

revenues: $801.8 million

expenditures: $878.3 million; including capital expenditures of $NA

(2007 est.)

Saint Helena

revenues: $13.09 million

expenditures: $32.16 million

note: revenue data reflect locally raised revenues only; the budget

deficit is resolved by grant aid from the United Kingdom (FY06/07

est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

revenues: $89.7 million

expenditures: $128.2 million (2003 est.)

Saint Lucia

revenues: $141.2 million

expenditures: $146.7 million (2000 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

revenues: $70 million

expenditures: $60 million (1996 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

revenues: $94.6 million

expenditures: $85.8 million (2000 est.)

Samoa

revenues: $171.3 million

expenditures: $78.1 million (FY04/05 est.)

San Marino

revenues: $709.6 million

expenditures: $672.3 million (2004)

Sao Tome and Principe

revenues: $63.21 million

expenditures: $54.94 million (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

revenues: $163 billion

expenditures: $118.3 billion (2007 est.)

Senegal

revenues: $2.614 billion

expenditures: $3.036 billion (2007 est.)

Serbia

revenues: $9.6 billion

expenditures: $9.8 billion (2007 est.)

Seychelles

revenues: $372.3 million

expenditures: $362.2 million (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

revenues: $96 million

expenditures: $351 million (2000 est.)

Singapore

revenues: $27 billion

expenditures: $21.5 billion (2007 est.)

Slovakia

revenues: $34.34 billion

expenditures: $35.99 billion (2007 est.)

Slovenia

revenues: $19.17 billion

expenditures: $19.04 billion (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

revenues: $49.7 million

expenditures: $75.1 million (2003)

Somalia

revenues: $NA

expenditures: $NA

South Africa

revenues: $83.47 billion

expenditures: $82.02 billion (2007 est.)

Spain

revenues: $588.5 billion

expenditures: $556.5 billion (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

revenues: $5.384 billion

expenditures: $7.608 billion (2007 est.)

Sudan

revenues: $9.201 billion

expenditures: $10.62 billion (2007 est.)

Suriname

revenues: $392.6 million

expenditures: $425.9 million (2004)

Svalbard

revenues: $25.07 million

expenditures: $NA (2004 est.)

Swaziland

revenues: $1.13 billion

expenditures: $1.143 billion (2007 est.)

Sweden

revenues: $249.1 billion

expenditures: $233.5 billion (2007 est.)

Switzerland

revenues: $150.6 billion

expenditures: $141.5 billion (2007 est.)

Syria

revenues: $8.393 billion

expenditures: $11.21 billion (2007 est.)

Taiwan

revenues: $76.2 billion

expenditures: $75.65 billion (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

revenues: $712.1 million

expenditures: $674.5 million (2007 est.)

Tanzania

revenues: $3.561 billion

expenditures: $3.594 billion (2007 est.)

Thailand

revenues: $44.14 billion

expenditures: $49.83 billion (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

revenues: $733 million

expenditures: $309 million

note: the government passed a transitional budget to cover the

latter half of 2007 and has moved the fiscal cycle to a calendar

year, starting with the budget they passed for 2008 (FY06/07 est.)

Togo

revenues: $466.8 million

expenditures: $514.7 million (2007 est.)

Tokelau

revenues: $430,800

expenditures: $2.8 million (1987 est.)

Tonga

revenues: $80.48 million

expenditures: $109.8 million (FY07/08)

Trinidad and Tobago

revenues: $6.332 billion

expenditures: $5.969 billion (2007 est.)

Tunisia

revenues: $8.466 billion

expenditures: $9.475 billion (2007 est.)

Turkey

revenues: $145.5 billion

expenditures: $156.1 billion (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

revenues: $1.664 billion

expenditures: $1.624 billion (2007 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

revenues: $47 million

expenditures: $33.6 million (1997-98 est.)

Tuvalu

revenues: $21.54 million

expenditures: $23.05 million (2006)

Uganda

revenues: $2.211 billion

expenditures: $2.443 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA

(2007 est.)

Ukraine

revenues: $43.54 billion

expenditures: $45.06 billion; note - this is the planned,

consolidated budget (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

revenues: $68.27 billion

expenditures: $38.06 billion (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

revenues: $1.154 trillion

expenditures: $1.239 trillion (2007 est.)

United States

revenues: $2.568 trillion

expenditures: $2.73 trillion (2007 est.)

Uruguay

revenues: $6.701 billion

expenditures: $6.807 billion (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

revenues: $6.478 billion

expenditures: $6.5 billion (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

revenues: $78.7 million

expenditures: $72.23 million (2005)

Venezuela

revenues: $65.83 billion

expenditures: $58.9 billion (2007 est.)

Vietnam

revenues: $18.62 billion

expenditures: $19.71 billion (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

revenues: $NA

expenditures: $NA

Wallis and Futuna

revenues: $29,730

expenditures: $31,330 (2004)

West Bank

revenues: $1.149 billion

expenditures: $2.31 billion

note: includes Gaza Strip (2006)

Western Sahara

revenues: $NA

expenditures: $NA

Yemen

revenues: $7.576 billion

expenditures: $8.391 billion (2007 est.)

Zambia

revenues: $2.655 billion

expenditures: $2.8 billion (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

revenues: $2.442 billion

expenditures: $3.017 billion (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2057 Capital

Afghanistan

name: Kabul

geographic coordinates: 34 31 N, 69 11 E

time difference: UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Akrotiri

name: Episkopi Cantonment (base administrative center for

Akrotiri and Dhekelia)

geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Albania

name: Tirana (Tirane)

geographic coordinates: 41 19 N, 19 49 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Algeria

name: Algiers

geographic coordinates: 36 45 N, 3 03 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

American Samoa

name: Pago Pago

geographic coordinates: 14 16 S, 170 42 W

time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Andorra

name: Andorra la Vella

geographic coordinates: 42 30 N, 1 31 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Angola

name: Luanda

geographic coordinates: 8 50 S, 13 14 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Anguilla

name: The Valley

geographic coordinates: 18 13 N, 63 03 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Antigua and Barbuda

name: Saint John's

geographic coordinates: 17 07 N, 61 51 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Argentina

name: Buenos Aires

geographic coordinates: 34 36 S, 58 40 W

time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends

third Saturday in March; note - a new policy of daylight saving time

was initiated by the government on 30 December 2007

Armenia

name: Yerevan

geographic coordinates: 40 10 N, 44 30 E

time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Aruba

name: Oranjestad

geographic coordinates: 12 31 N, 70 02 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Australia

name: Canberra

geographic coordinates: 35 17 S, 149 13 E

time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in October; ends last

Sunday in March

note: Australia is divided into three time zones

Austria

name: Vienna

geographic coordinates: 48 12 N, 16 22 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Azerbaijan

name: Baku (Baki, Baky)

geographic coordinates: 40 23 N, 49 52 E

time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Bahamas, The

name: Nassau

geographic coordinates: 25 05 N, 77 21 W

time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends

first Sunday in November

Bahrain

name: Manama

geographic coordinates: 26 14 N, 50 34 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Bangladesh

name: Dhaka

geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 24 E

time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Barbados

name: Bridgetown

geographic coordinates: 13 06 N, 59 37 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Belarus

name: Minsk

geographic coordinates: 53 54 N, 27 34 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Belgium

name: Brussels

geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Belize

name: Belmopan

geographic coordinates: 17 15 N, 88 46 W

time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

Benin

name: Porto-Novo (official capital)

geographic coordinates: 6 29 N, 2 37 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

note: Cotonou (seat of government)

Bermuda

name: Hamilton

geographic coordinates: 32 17 N, 64 47 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends

first Sunday in November

Bhutan

name: Thimphu

geographic coordinates: 27 29 N, 89 36 E

time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Bolivia

name: La Paz (administrative capital)

geographic coordinates: 16 30 S, 68 09 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

note: Sucre (constitutional capital)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

name: Sarajevo

geographic coordinates: 43 52 N, 18 25 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Botswana

name: Gaborone

geographic coordinates: 24 45 S, 25 55 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Brazil

name: Brasilia

geographic coordinates: 15 47 S, 47 55 W

time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins third Sunday in October; ends

third Sunday in February

note: Brazil is divided into four time zones, including one for the

Fernando de Noronha Islands

British Virgin Islands

name: Road Town

geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Brunei

name: Bandar Seri Begawan

geographic coordinates: 4 53 N, 114 56 E

time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Bulgaria

name: Sofia

geographic coordinates: 42 41 N, 23 19 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Burkina Faso

name: Ouagadougou

geographic coordinates: 12 22 N, 1 31 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Burma

name: Rangoon (Yangon)

geographic coordinates: 16 48 N, 96 09 E

time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

note: Nay Pyi Taw is administrative capital

Burundi

name: Bujumbura

geographic coordinates: 3 22 S, 29 21 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Cambodia

name: Phnom Penh

geographic coordinates: 11 33 N, 104 55 E

time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Cameroon

name: Yaounde

geographic coordinates: 3 52 N, 11 31 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Canada

name: Ottawa

geographic coordinates: 45 25 N, 75 42 W

time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends

first Sunday in November

note: Canada is divided into six time zones

Cape Verde

name: Praia

geographic coordinates: 14 55 N, 23 31 W

time difference: UTC-1 (4 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Cayman Islands

name: George Town (on Grand Cayman)

geographic coordinates: 19 18 N, 81 23 W

time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

Central African Republic

name: Bangui

geographic coordinates: 4 22 N, 18 35 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Chad

name: N'Djamena

geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 15 02 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Chile

name: Santiago

geographic coordinates: 33 27 S, 70 40 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in October; ends

second Sunday in March

China

name: Beijing

geographic coordinates: 39 55 N, 116 23 E

time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

note: despite its size, all of China falls within one time zone

Christmas Island

name: The Settlement

geographic coordinates: 10 25 S, 105 43 E

time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

name: West Island

geographic coordinates: 12 10 S, 96 50 E

time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Colombia

name: Bogota

geographic coordinates: 4 36 N, 74 05 W

time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

Comoros

name: Moroni

geographic coordinates: 11 42 S, 43 14 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

name: Kinshasa

geographic coordinates: 4 19 S, 15 18 E

time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Congo, Republic of the

name: Brazzaville

geographic coordinates: 4 15 S, 15 17 E

time difference: UTC+1 (six hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Cook Islands

name: Avarua

geographic coordinates: 21 12 S, 159 46 W

time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Costa Rica

name: San Jose

geographic coordinates: 9 56 N, 84 05 W

time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

Cote d'Ivoire

name: Yamoussoukro

geographic coordinates: 6 49 N, 5 17 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

note: although Yamoussoukro has been the official capital since

1983, Abidjan remains the commercial and administrative center; the

US, like other countries, maintains its Embassy in Abidjan

Croatia

name: Zagreb

geographic coordinates: 45 48 N, 16 00 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Cuba

name: Havana

geographic coordinates: 23 07 N, 82 21 W

time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Cyprus

name: Nicosia (Lefkosia)

geographic coordinates: 35 10 N, 33 22 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Czech Republic

name: Prague

geographic coordinates: 50 05 N, 14 28 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Denmark

name: Copenhagen

geographic coordinates: 55 40 N, 12 35 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

note: applies to continental Denmark only, not to the North Atlantic

components

Dhekelia

name: Episkopi Cantonment (base administrative center for

Akrotiri and Dhekelia); located in Akrotiri

geographic coordinates: 34 40 N, 32 51 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Djibouti

name: Djibouti

geographic coordinates: 11 35 N, 43 09 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Dominica

name: Roseau

geographic coordinates: 15 18 N, 61 24 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Dominican Republic

name: Santo Domingo

geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 69 54 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Ecuador

name: Quito

geographic coordinates: 0 13 S, 78 30 W

time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

Egypt

name: Cairo

geographic coordinates: 30 03 N, 31 15 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in April; ends last

Thursday in September

El Salvador

name: San Salvador

geographic coordinates: 13 42 N, 89 12 W

time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

Equatorial Guinea

name: Malabo

geographic coordinates: 3 45 N, 8 47 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Eritrea

name: Asmara (Asmera)

geographic coordinates: 15 20 N, 38 56 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Estonia

name: Tallinn

geographic coordinates: 59 26 N, 24 43 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Ethiopia

name: Addis Ababa

geographic coordinates: 9 02 N, 38 42 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

European Union

name: Brussels (Belgium), Strasbourg (France),

Luxembourg

geographic coordinates: 50 50 N, 4 20 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

note: the Council of the European Union meets in Brussels, Belgium,

the European Parliament meets in Brussels and Strasbourg, France,

and the Court of Justice of the European Communities meets in

Luxembourg

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

name: Stanley

geographic coordinates: 51 42 S, 57 51 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends

third Sunday in April

Faroe Islands

name: Torshavn

geographic coordinates: 62 01 N, 6 46 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Fiji

name: Suva (on Viti Levu)

geographic coordinates: 18 08 S, 178 25 E

time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Finland

name: Helsinki

geographic coordinates: 60 10 N, 24 56 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

France

name: Paris

geographic coordinates: 48 52 N, 2 20 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

note: applies to metropolitan France only, not to its overseas

departments, collectivities, or territories

French Polynesia

name: Papeete

geographic coordinates: 17 32 S, 149 34 W

time difference: UTC-10 (5 hours behind Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Gabon

name: Libreville

geographic coordinates: 0 23 N, 9 27 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Gambia, The

name: Banjul

geographic coordinates: 13 27 N, 16 34 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Georgia

name: T'bilisi

geographic coordinates: 41 43 N, 44 47 E

time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Germany

name: Berlin

geographic coordinates: 52 31 N, 13 24 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Ghana

name: Accra

geographic coordinates: 5 33 N, 0 13 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Gibraltar

name: Gibraltar

geographic coordinates: 36 08 N, 5 21 W

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Greece

name: Athens

geographic coordinates: 37 59 N, 23 44 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Greenland

name: Nuuk (Godthab)

geographic coordinates: 64 11 N, 51 45 W

time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

note: Greenland is divided into four time zones

Grenada

name: Saint George's

geographic coordinates: 12 03 N, 61 45 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Guam

name: Hagatna (Agana)

geographic coordinates: 13 28 N, 144 44 E

time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Guatemala

name: Guatemala

geographic coordinates: 14 37 N, 90 31 W

time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in April; ends last

Friday in September; note - there is no DST planned for 2007-2009

Guernsey

name: Saint Peter Port

geographic coordinates: 49 27 N, 2 32 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Guinea

name: Conakry

geographic coordinates: 9 33 N, 13 42 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Guinea-Bissau

name: Bissau

geographic coordinates: 11 51 N, 15 35 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Guyana

name: Georgetown

geographic coordinates: 6 48 N, 58 10 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Haiti

name: Port-au-Prince

geographic coordinates: 18 32 N, 72 20 W

time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last

Sunday in October

Holy See (Vatican City)

name: Vatican City

geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 27 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Honduras

name: Tegucigalpa

geographic coordinates: 14 06 N, 87 13 W

time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends

first Sunday in November

Hungary

name: Budapest

geographic coordinates: 47 30 N, 19 05 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Iceland

name: Reykjavik

geographic coordinates: 64 09 N, 21 57 W

time difference: UTC (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

India

name: New Delhi

geographic coordinates: 28 36 N, 77 12 E

time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Indonesia

name: Jakarta

geographic coordinates: 6 10 S, 106 49 E

time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

note: Indonesia is divided into three time zones

Iran

name: Tehran

geographic coordinates: 35 40 N, 51 25 E

time difference: UTC+3.5 (8.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Iraq

name: Baghdad

geographic coordinates: 33 20 N, 44 23 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins 1 April; ends 1 October

Ireland

name: Dublin

geographic coordinates: 53 19 N, 6 14 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Isle of Man

name: Douglas

geographic coordinates: 54 09 N, 4 29 W

time difference: UTC 0 (five hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Israel

name: Jerusalem

geographic coordinates: 31 46 N, 35 14 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in March; ends the

Sunday between the holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur

note: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the

US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel

Aviv

Italy

name: Rome

geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 29 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Jamaica

name: Kingston

geographic coordinates: 18 00 N, 76 48 W

time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

Japan

name: Tokyo

geographic coordinates: 35 41 N, 139 45 E

time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Jersey

name: Saint Helier

geographic coordinates: 49 11 N, 2 06 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Jordan

name: Amman

geographic coordinates: 31 57 N, 35 56 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Thursday in March; ends last

Friday in September

Kazakhstan

name: Astana

geographic coordinates: 51 10 N, 71 25 E

time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

note: Kazakhstan is divided into two time zones

Kenya

name: Nairobi

geographic coordinates: 1 17 S, 36 49 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Kiribati

name: Tarawa

geographic coordinates: 1 19 N, 172 58 E

time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Korea, North

name: Pyongyang

geographic coordinates: 39 01 N, 125 45 E

time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Korea, South

name: Seoul

geographic coordinates: 37 33 N, 126 59 E

time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Kosovo

name: Pristina (Prishtine)

geographic coordinates: 42 40 N, 21 10 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Kuwait

name: Kuwait

geographic coordinates: 29 22 N, 47 58 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Kyrgyzstan

name: Bishkek

geographic coordinates: 42 52 N, 74 36 E

time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Laos

name: Vientiane

geographic coordinates: 17 58 N, 102 36 E

time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Latvia

name: Riga

geographic coordinates: 56 57 N, 24 06 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Lebanon

name: Beirut

geographic coordinates: 33 52 N, 35 30 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Lesotho

name: Maseru

geographic coordinates: 29 19 S, 27 29 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Liberia

name: Monrovia

geographic coordinates: 6 18 N, 10 48 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Libya

name: Tripoli

geographic coordinates: 32 53 N, 13 10 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Liechtenstein

name: Vaduz

geographic coordinates: 47 08 N, 9 31 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Lithuania

name: Vilnius

geographic coordinates: 54 41 N, 25 19 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Luxembourg

name: Luxembourg

geographic coordinates: 49 36 N, 6 07 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Macedonia

name: Skopje

geographic coordinates: 42 00 N, 21 26 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Madagascar

name: Antananarivo

geographic coordinates: 18 55 S, 47 31 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Malawi

name: Lilongwe

geographic coordinates: 13 59 S, 33 47 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Malaysia

name: Kuala Lumpur

geographic coordinates: 3 10 N, 101 42 E

time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

note: Putrajaya is referred to as administrative center not capital;

Parliament meets in Kuala Lumpur

Maldives

name: Male

geographic coordinates: 4 10 N, 73 30 E

time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Mali

name: Bamako

geographic coordinates: 12 39 N, 8 00 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Malta

name: Valletta

geographic coordinates: 35 53 N, 14 30 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Marshall Islands

name: Majuro

geographic coordinates: 7 06 N, 171 23 E

time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Mauritania

name: Nouakchott

geographic coordinates: 18 07 N, 16 02 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Mauritius

name: Port Louis

geographic coordinates: 20 09 S, 57 29 E

time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Mayotte

name: Mamoudzou

geographic coordinates: 12 46 S, 45 13 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Mexico

name: Mexico (Distrito Federal)

geographic coordinates: 19 26 N, 99 08 W

time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last

Sunday in October

note: Mexico is divided into three time zones

Micronesia, Federated States of

name: Palikir

geographic coordinates: 6 55 N, 158 09 E

time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Moldova

name: Chisinau (Kishinev)

note: pronounced kee-shee-now

geographic coordinates: 47 00 N, 28 51 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Monaco

name: Monaco

geographic coordinates: 43 44 N, 7 25 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Mongolia

name: Ulaanbaatar

geographic coordinates: 47 55 N, 106 55 E

time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Montenegro

name: Podgorica

geographic coordinates: 42 26 N, 19 16 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1 hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Montserrat

name: Plymouth

geographic coordinates: 16 42 N, 62 13 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

note: Plymouth was abandoned in 1997 because of volcanic activity;

interim government buildings have been built at Brades Estate in the

Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat

Morocco

name: Rabat

geographic coordinates: 34 01 N, 6 49 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Mozambique

name: Maputo

geographic coordinates: 25 57 S, 32 35 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Namibia

name: Windhoek

geographic coordinates: 22 34 S, 17 05 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends

first Sunday in April

Nauru

no official capital; government offices in Yaren District

time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Nepal

name: Kathmandu

geographic coordinates: 27 43 N, 85 19 E

time difference: UTC+5.75 (10.75 hours ahead of Washington, DC

during Standard Time)

Netherlands

name: Amsterdam

geographic coordinates: 52 23 N, 4 54 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

note: The Hague is the seat of government; time descriptions apply

to the continental Netherlands only, not to the Caribbean components

Netherlands Antilles

name: Willemstad (on Curacao)

geographic coordinates: 12 06 N, 68 56 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

New Caledonia

name: Noumea

geographic coordinates: 22 16 S, 166 27 E

time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

New Zealand

name: Wellington

geographic coordinates: 41 28 S, 174 51 E

time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends

third Sunday in March

note: New Zealand is divided into two time zones, including Chatham

Island

Nicaragua

name: Managua

geographic coordinates: 12 09 N, 86 17 W

time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

Niger

name: Niamey

geographic coordinates: 13 31 N, 2 07 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Nigeria

name: Abuja

geographic coordinates: 9 05 N, 7 32 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Niue

name: Alofi

geographic coordinates: 19 01 S, 169 55 W

time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Norfolk Island

name: Kingston

geographic coordinates: 29 03 S, 167 58 E

time difference: UTC+11.5 (16.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Northern Mariana Islands

name: Saipan

geographic coordinates: 15 12 N, 145 45 E

time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Norway

name: Oslo

geographic coordinates: 59 55 N, 10 45 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Oman

name: Muscat

geographic coordinates: 23 37 N, 58 35 E

time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Pakistan

name: Islamabad

geographic coordinates: 33 42 N, 73 10 E

time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Palau

name: Melekeok

geographic coordinates: 7 29 N, 134 38 E

time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Panama

name: Panama

geographic coordinates: 8 58 N, 79 32 W

time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

Papua New Guinea

name: Port Moresby

geographic coordinates: 9 30 S, 147 10 E

time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Paraguay

name: Asuncion

geographic coordinates: 25 16 S, 57 40 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Peru

name: Lima

geographic coordinates: 12 03 S, 77 03 W

time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

Philippines

name: Manila

geographic coordinates: 14 35 N, 121 00 E

time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Pitcairn Islands

name: Adamstown

geographic coordinates: 25 04 S, 130 05 W

time difference: UTC-9 (4 hours behind Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Poland

name: Warsaw

geographic coordinates: 52 15 N, 21 00 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Portugal

name: Lisbon

geographic coordinates: 38 43 N, 9 08 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Puerto Rico

name: San Juan

geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 66 07 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Qatar

name: Doha

geographic coordinates: 25 17 N, 51 32 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Romania

name: Bucharest

geographic coordinates: 44 26 N, 26 06 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Russia

name: Moscow

geographic coordinates: 55 45 N, 37 35 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

note: Russia is divided into 11 time zones

Rwanda

name: Kigali

geographic coordinates: 1 57 S, 30 04 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Saint Barthelemy

name: Gustavia

geographic coordinates: 17 53 N, 62 51 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during

Standard Time)

Saint Helena

name: Jamestown

geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 44 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

name: Basseterre

geographic coordinates: 17 18 N, 62 43 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Saint Lucia

name: Castries

geographic coordinates: 14 01 N, 61 00 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Saint Martin

name: Marigot

geographical coordinates: 18 04 N, 63 05 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during

Standard Time)

daylight savings: +1 hour

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

name: Saint-Pierre

geographic coordinates: 46 46 N, 56 11 W

time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends

first Sunday in November

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

name: Kingstown

geographic coordinates: 13 09 N, 61 14 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Samoa

name: Apia

geographic coordinates: 13 50 S, 171 44 W

time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

San Marino

name: San Marino

geographic coordinates: 43 56 N, 12 25 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Sao Tome and Principe

name: Sao Tome

geographic coordinates: 0 12 N, 6 39 E

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Saudi Arabia

name: Riyadh

geographic coordinates: 24 38 N, 46 43 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Senegal

name: Dakar

geographic coordinates: 14 40 N, 17 26 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Serbia

name: Belgrade (Beograd)

geographic coordinates: 44 50 N, 20 30 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Seychelles

name: Victoria

geographic coordinates: 4 38 S, 55 27 E

time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Sierra Leone

name: Freetown

geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 13 15 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Singapore

name: Singapore

geographic coordinates: 1 17 N, 103 51 E

time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Slovakia

name: Bratislava

geographic coordinates: 48 09 N, 17 07 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Slovenia

name: Ljubljana

geographic coordinates: 46 03 N, 14 31 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Solomon Islands

name: Honiara

geographic coordinates: 9 26 S, 159 57 E

time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Somalia

name: Mogadishu

geographic coordinates: 2 04 N, 45 22 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

South Africa

name: Pretoria (administrative capital)

geographic coordinates: 25 42 S, 28 13 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

note: Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial

capital)

Spain

name: Madrid

geographic coordinates: 40 24 N, 3 41 W

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

note: Spain is divided into two time zones including the Canary

Islands

Sri Lanka

name: Colombo

geographic coordinates: 6 56 N, 79 51 E

time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

note: Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital)

Sudan

name: Khartoum

geographic coordinates: 15 36 N, 32 32 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Suriname

name: Paramaribo

geographic coordinates: 5 50 N, 55 10 W

time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Svalbard

name: Longyearbyen

geographic coordinates: 78 13 N, 15 33 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Swaziland

name: Mbabane

geographic coordinates: 26 18 S, 31 06 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

note: Lobamba (royal and legislative capital)

Sweden

name: Stockholm

geographic coordinates: 59 20 N, 18 03 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Switzerland

name: Bern

geographic coordinates: 46 57 N, 7 26 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Syria

name: Damascus

geographic coordinates: 33 30 N, 36 18 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins 1 April; ends 30 September

Taiwan

name: Taipei

geographic coordinates: 25 03 N, 121 30 E

time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Tajikistan

name: Dushanbe

geographic coordinates: 38 35 N, 68 48 E

time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Tanzania

name: Dar es Salaam

geographic coordinates: 6 48 S, 39 17 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

note: legislative offices have been transferred to Dodoma, which is

planned as the new national capital; the National Assembly now meets

there on a regular basis

Thailand

name: Bangkok

geographic coordinates: 13 45 N, 100 31 E

time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Timor-Leste

name: Dili

geographic coordinates: 8 35 S, 125 36 E

time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Togo

name: Lome

geographic coordinates: 6 08 N, 1 13 E

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Tokelau

none; each atoll has its own administrative center

time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Tonga

name: Nuku'alofa

geographic coordinates: 21 08 S, 175 12 W

time difference: UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Trinidad and Tobago

name: Port-of-Spain

geographic coordinates: 10 39 N, 61 31 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Tunisia

name: Tunis

geographic coordinates: 36 48 N, 10 11 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Turkey

name: Ankara

geographic coordinates: 39 56 N, 32 52 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

Turkmenistan

name: Ashgabat (Ashkhabad)

geographic coordinates: 37 57 N, 58 23 E

time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Turks and Caicos Islands

name: Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)

geographic coordinates: 21 28 N, 71 08 W

time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard

Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last

Sunday in October

Tuvalu

name: Funafuti

geographic coordinates: 8 30 S, 179 12 E

time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

note: administrative offices are located in Vaiaku Village on

Fongafale Islet

Uganda

name: Kampala

geographic coordinates: 0 19 N, 32 25 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Ukraine

name: Kyiv (Kiev)

geographic coordinates: 50 26 N, 30 31 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

United Arab Emirates

name: Abu Dhabi

geographic coordinates: 24 28 N, 54 22 E

time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

United Kingdom

name: London

geographic coordinates: 51 30 N, 0 10 W

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last

Sunday in October

note: applies to the United Kingdom proper, not to its overseas

dependencies or territories

United States

name: Washington, DC

geographic coordinates: 38 53 N, 77 02 W

time difference: UTC-5 (during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends

first Sunday in November

note: the 50 United States cover six time zones

Uruguay

name: Montevideo

geographic coordinates: 34 53 S, 56 11 W

time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in October; ends

second Sunday in March

Uzbekistan

name: Tashkent (Toshkent)

geographic coordinates: 41 20 N, 69 18 E

time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Vanuatu

name: Port-Vila (on Efate)

geographic coordinates: 17 44 S, 168 19 E

time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Venezuela

name: Caracas

geographic coordinates: 10 30 N, 66 56 W

time difference: UTC-4.5 (half an hour ahead of Washington, DC

during Standard Time)

Vietnam

name: Hanoi

geographic coordinates: 21 02 N, 105 51 E

time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Virgin Islands

name: Charlotte Amalie

geographic coordinates: 18 21 N, 64 56 W

time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Wallis and Futuna

name: Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea)

geographic coordinates: 13 57 S, 171 56 W

time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Western Sahara

none

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Yemen

name: Sanaa

geographic coordinates: 15 21 N, 44 12 E

time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Zambia

name: Lusaka

geographic coordinates: 15 25 S, 28 17 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

Zimbabwe

name: Harare

geographic coordinates: 17 50 S, 31 03 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during

Standard Time)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2058 Imports - commodities (%)

Afghanistan

capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products

Albania

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals

Algeria

capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods

American Samoa

materials for canneries 56%, food 8%, petroleum

products 7%, machinery and parts 6% (2004 est.)

Andorra

consumer goods, food, electricity

Angola

machinery and electrical equipment, vehicles and spare parts;

medicines, food, textiles, military goods

Anguilla

fuels, foodstuffs, manufactures, chemicals, trucks, textiles

Antigua and Barbuda

food and live animals, machinery and transport

equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil

Argentina

machinery, motor vehicles, petroleum and natural gas,

organic chemicals, plastics

Armenia

natural gas, petroleum, tobacco products, foodstuffs,

diamonds

Aruba

machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and

reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs

Australia

machinery and transport equipment, computers and office

machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and

petroleum products

Austria

machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal

goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs

Azerbaijan

machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs,

metals, chemicals

Bahamas, The

machinery and transport equipment, manufactures,

chemicals, mineral fuels; food and live animals

Bahrain

crude oil, machinery, chemicals

Bangladesh

machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel,

textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement

Barbados

consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction

materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components

Belarus

mineral products, machinery and equipment, chemicals,

foodstuffs, metals

Belgium

machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds,

pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, transportation equipment, oil products

Belize

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods; fuels,

chemicals, pharmaceuticals; food, beverages, tobacco

Benin

foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products

Bermuda

clothing, fuels, machinery and transport equipment,

construction materials, chemicals, food and live animals

Bhutan

fuel and lubricants, grain, aircraft, machinery and parts,

vehicles, fabrics, rice

Bolivia

petroleum products, plastics, paper, aircraft and aircraft

parts, prepared foods, automobiles, insecticides, soybeans

Bosnia and Herzegovina

machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels,

foodstuffs

Botswana

foodstuffs, machinery, electrical goods, transport

equipment, textiles, fuel and petroleum products, wood and paper

products, metal and metal products

Brazil

machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical

products, oil, automotive parts, electronics

British Virgin Islands

building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs,

machinery

Brunei

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food,

chemicals

Bulgaria

machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and

plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials

Burkina Faso

capital goods, foodstuffs, petroleum

Burma

fabric, petroleum products, fertilizer, plastics, machinery,

transport equipment; cement, construction materials, crude oil; food

products, edible oil

Burundi

capital goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs

Cambodia

petroleum products, cigarettes, gold, construction

materials, machinery, motor vehicles, pharmaceutical products

Cameroon

machinery, electrical equipment, transport equipment, fuel,

food

Canada

machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, crude oil,

chemicals, electricity, durable consumer goods

Cape Verde

foodstuffs, industrial products, transport equipment,

fuels

Cayman Islands

foodstuffs, manufactured goods

Central African Republic

food, textiles, petroleum products,

machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals,

pharmaceuticals

Chad

machinery and transportation equipment, industrial goods,

foodstuffs, textiles

Chile

petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, electrical and

telecommunications equipment, industrial machinery, vehicles,

natural gas

China

machinery and equipment, oil and mineral fuels, plastics, LED

screens, data processing equipment, optical and medical equipment,

organic chemicals, steel, copper

Christmas Island

consumer goods

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

foodstuffs

Colombia

industrial equipment, transportation equipment, consumer

goods, chemicals, paper products, fuels, electricity

Comoros

rice and other foodstuffs, consumer goods, petroleum

products, cement, transport equipment

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

foodstuffs, mining and other

machinery, transport equipment, fuels

Congo, Republic of the

capital equipment, construction materials,

foodstuffs

Cook Islands

foodstuffs, textiles, fuels, timber, capital goods

Costa Rica

raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment,

petroleum, construction materials

Cote d'Ivoire

fuel, capital equipment, foodstuffs

Croatia

machinery, transport and electrical equipment; chemicals,

fuels and lubricants; foodstuffs

Cuba

petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Cyprus

consumer goods, petroleum and lubricants, intermediate goods,

machinery, transport equipment

Czech Republic

machinery and transport equipment 46%, raw materials

and fuels 15%, chemicals 10% (2003)

Denmark

machinery and equipment, raw materials and semimanufactures

for industry, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs, consumer goods

Djibouti

foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum

products

Dominica

manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, food, chemicals

Dominican Republic

foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics,

chemicals and pharmaceuticals

Ecuador

industrial materials, fuels and lubricants, nondurable

consumer goods

Egypt

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, wood products,

fuels

El Salvador

raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods, fuels,

foodstuffs, petroleum, electricity

Equatorial Guinea

petroleum sector equipment, other equipment

Eritrea

machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods

Estonia

machinery and equipment 33.5%, chemical products 11.6%,

textiles 10.3%, foodstuffs 9.4%, transportation equipment 8.9% (2001)

Ethiopia

food and live animals, petroleum and petroleum products,

chemicals, machinery, motor vehicles, cereals, textiles

European Union

machinery, vehicles, aircraft, plastics, crude oil,

chemicals, textiles, metals, foodstuffs, clothing

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

fuel, food and drink, building

materials, clothing

Faroe Islands

consumer goods 36%, raw materials and

semi-manufactures 32%, machinery and transport equipment 29%, fuels,

fish, salt (1999)

Fiji

manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment,

petroleum products, food, chemicals

Finland

foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals,

transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and

fabrics, grains

France

machinery and equipment, vehicles, crude oil, aircraft,

plastics, chemicals

French Polynesia

fuels, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment

Gabon

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction

materials

Gambia, The

foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel, machinery and transport

equipment

Gaza Strip

food, consumer goods, construction materials

Georgia

fuels, vehicles, machinery and parts, grain and other foods,

pharmaceuticals

Germany

machinery, vehicles, chemicals, foodstuffs, textiles, metals

Ghana

capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs

Gibraltar

fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs

Greece

machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals

Greenland

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods,

food, petroleum products

Grenada

food, manufactured goods, machinery, chemicals, fuel

Guam

petroleum and petroleum products, food, manufactured goods

Guatemala

fuels, machinery and transport equipment, construction

materials, grain, fertilizers, electricity

Guernsey

coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment

Guinea

petroleum products, metals, machinery, transport equipment,

textiles, grain and other foodstuffs

Guinea-Bissau

foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment,

petroleum products

Guyana

manufactures, machinery, petroleum, food

Haiti

food, manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment,

fuels, raw materials

Honduras

machinery and transport equipment, industrial raw

materials, chemical products, fuels, foodstuffs

Hong Kong

raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods,

capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most is re-exported)

Hungary

machinery and equipment 51.6%, other manufactures 35.7%,

fuels and electricity 7.7%, food products 3.1%, raw materials 2.0%

(2003)

Iceland

machinery and equipment, petroleum products, foodstuffs,

textiles

India

crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, chemicals

Indonesia

machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs

Iran

industrial raw materials and intermediate goods, capital goods,

foodstuffs and other consumer goods, technical services

Iraq

food, medicine, manufactures

Ireland

data processing equipment, other machinery and equipment,

chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products, textiles, clothing

Isle of Man

timber, fertilizers, fish

Israel

raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough

diamonds, fuels, grain, consumer goods

Italy

engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy

products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing;

food, beverages, and tobacco

Jamaica

food and other consumer goods, industrial supplies, fuel,

parts and accessories of capital goods, machinery and transport

equipment, construction materials

Japan

machinery and equipment, fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals,

textiles, raw materials

Jersey

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods,

foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals

Jordan

crude oil, textile fabrics, machinery, transport equipment,

manufactured goods

Kazakhstan

machinery and equipment, metal products, foodstuffs

Kenya

machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products,

motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics

Kiribati

foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous

manufactured goods, fuel

Korea, North

petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment,

textiles, grain

Korea, South

machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil,

steel, transport equipment, organic chemicals, plastics

Kosovo

foodstuffs, wood, petroleum, chemicals, machinery and

electrical equipment

Kuwait

food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing

Kyrgyzstan

oil and gas, machinery and equipment, chemicals,

foodstuffs

Laos

machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods

Latvia

machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, vehicles

Lebanon

petroleum products, cars, medicinal products, clothing, meat

and live animals, consumer goods, paper, textile fabrics, tobacco,

electrical machinery

Lesotho

food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines,

petroleum products

Liberia

fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment,

manufactured goods; foodstuffs

Libya

machinery, semi-finished goods, food, transport equipment,

consumer products

Liechtenstein

agricultural products, raw materials, energy products,

machinery, metal goods, textiles, foodstuffs, motor vehicles

Lithuania

mineral products, machinery and equipment, transport

equipment, chemicals, textiles and clothing, metals

Luxembourg

minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods

Macau

raw materials and semi-manufactured goods, consumer goods

(foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco), capital goods, mineral fuels and

oils

Macedonia

machinery and equipment, automobiles, chemicals, fuels,

food products

Madagascar

capital goods, petroleum, consumer goods, food

Malawi

food, petroleum products, semimanufactures, consumer goods,

transportation equipment

Malaysia

electronics, machinery, petroleum products, plastics,

vehicles, iron and steel products, chemicals

Maldives

petroleum products, ships, foodstuffs, clothing,

intermediate and capital goods

Mali

petroleum, machinery and equipment, construction materials,

foodstuffs, textiles

Malta

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured and

semi-manufactured goods; food, drink, tobacco

Marshall Islands

foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels,

beverages and tobacco

Mauritania

machinery and equipment, petroleum products, capital

goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods

Mauritius

manufactured goods, capital equipment, foodstuffs,

petroleum products, chemicals

Mayotte

food, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment,

metals, chemicals

Mexico

metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural

machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair

parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts

Micronesia, Federated States of

food, manufactured goods, machinery

and equipment, beverages

Moldova

mineral products and fuel, machinery and equipment,

chemicals, textiles

Mongolia

machinery and equipment, fuel, cars, food products,

industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building materials, sugar, tea

Montserrat

machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs,

manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials

Morocco

crude petroleum, textile fabric, telecommunications

equipment, wheat, gas and electricity, transistors, plastics

Mozambique

machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, chemicals, metal

products, foodstuffs, textiles

Namibia

foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and

equipment, chemicals

Nauru

food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery

Nepal

gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer

Netherlands

machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels,

foodstuffs, clothing

Netherlands Antilles

crude petroleum, food, manufactures

New Caledonia

machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, foodstuffs

New Zealand

machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft,

petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics

Nicaragua

consumer goods, machinery and equipment, raw materials,

petroleum products

Niger

foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals

Nigeria

machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, manufactured

goods, food and live animals

Niue

food, live animals, manufactured goods, machinery, fuels,

lubricants, chemicals, drugs

Norfolk Island

NA

Northern Mariana Islands food, construction equipment and materials, petroleum products

Norway

machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs

Oman

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food,

livestock, lubricants

Pakistan

petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, plastics,

transportation equipment, edible oils, paper and paperboard, iron

and steel, tea

Palau

machinery and equipment, fuels, metals; foodstuffs

Panama

capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals

Papua New Guinea

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured

goods, food, fuels, chemicals

Paraguay

road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products,

electrical machinery, tractors, chemicals, vehicle parts

Peru

petroleum and petroleum products, plastics, machinery,

vehicles, iron and steel, wheat, paper

Philippines

electronic products, mineral fuels, machinery and

transport equipment, iron and steel, textile fabrics, grains,

chemicals, plastic

Pitcairn Islands

fuel oil, machinery, building materials, flour,

sugar, other foodstuffs

Poland

machinery and transport equipment 38%, intermediate

manufactured goods 21%, chemicals 14.8%, minerals, fuels,

lubricants, and related materials 9.1% (2003)

Portugal

agricultural products, food products, oil products,

chemical products, plastics and rubber, skins and leather, wood and

cork, wood pulp and paper, textile materials, clothing, footwear,

minerals and mineral products, base metals, machinery and tools,

vehicles and other transport material, and optical and precision

instruments, computer accessories and parts, semi-conductors and

related devices, household goods, passenger cars new and used, and

wine products

Puerto Rico

chemicals, machinery and equipment, clothing, food,

fish, petroleum products

Qatar

machinery and transport equipment, food, chemicals

Romania

machinery and equipment, fuels and minerals, chemicals,

textile and products, metals, agricultural products

Russia

machinery and equipment, consumer goods, medicines, meat,

sugar, semifinished metal products

Rwanda

foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum

products, cement and construction material

Saint Helena

food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed,

building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts

Saint Kitts and Nevis

machinery, manufactures, food, fuels

Saint Lucia

food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and

transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels

Saint Martin

crude petroleum, food, manufactured items

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

meat, clothing, fuel, electrical

equipment, machinery, building materials

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

foodstuffs, machinery and

equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuels

Samoa

machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs

San Marino

wide variety of consumer manufactures, food

Sao Tome and Principe

machinery and electrical equipment, food

products, petroleum products

Saudi Arabia

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor

vehicles, textiles

Senegal

food and beverages, capital goods, fuels

Seychelles

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products,

chemicals

Sierra Leone

foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and

lubricants, chemicals

Singapore

machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals,

foodstuffs

Slovakia

machinery and transport equipment 41.1%, intermediate

manufactured goods 19.3%, fuels 12.3%, chemicals 9.8%, miscellaneous

manufactured goods 10.2% (2003)

Slovenia

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods,

chemicals, fuels and lubricants, food

Solomon Islands

food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods,

fuels, chemicals

Somalia

manufactures, petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction

materials, qat

South Africa

machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products,

scientific instruments, foodstuffs

Spain

machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods,

foodstuffs, consumer goods, measuring and medical control instruments

Sri Lanka

textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs,

machinery and transportation equipment

Sudan

foodstuffs, manufactured goods, refinery and transport

equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles, wheat

Suriname

capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer

goods

Swaziland

motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment,

foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals

Sweden

machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor

vehicles, iron and steel; foodstuffs, clothing

Switzerland

machinery, chemicals, vehicles, metals; agricultural

products, textiles

Syria

machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery,

food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical

products, plastics, yarn, paper

Taiwan

electronic and electrical products, machinery, petroleum,

precision instruments, organic chemicals, metals (2002)

Tajikistan

electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide,

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs

Tanzania

consumer goods, machinery and transportation equipment,

industrial raw materials, crude oil

Thailand

capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials,

consumer goods, fuels

Timor-Leste

food, gasoline, kerosene, machinery

Togo

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products

Tokelau

foodstuffs, building materials, fuel

Tonga

foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals

Trinidad and Tobago

mineral fuels, lubricants, machinery,

transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals,

grain

Tunisia

textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals,

foodstuffs

Turkey

machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport

equipment

Turkmenistan

machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs

Turks and Caicos Islands food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials

Tuvalu

food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods

Uganda

capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies;

cereals

Ukraine

energy, machinery and equipment, chemicals

United Arab Emirates machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food

United Kingdom

manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs

United States

agricultural products 4.9%, industrial supplies 32.9%

(crude oil 8.2%), capital goods 30.4% (computers, telecommunications

equipment, motor vehicle parts, office machines, electric power

machinery), consumer goods 31.8% (automobiles, clothing, medicines,

furniture, toys) (2003)

Uruguay

crude petroleum and petroleum products, machinery,

chemicals, road vehicles, paper, plastics

Uzbekistan

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, ferrous

and non-ferrous metals

Vanuatu

machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, fuels

Venezuela

raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport

equipment, construction materials

Vietnam

machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer,

steel products, raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles

Virgin Islands

crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building

materials

Wallis and Futuna

chemicals, machinery, passenger ships, consumer

goods

West Bank

food, consumer goods, construction materials

Western Sahara

fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs

World

the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and

services

top ten - share of world trade: see listing for exports

Yemen

food and live animals, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Zambia

machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products,

electricity, fertilizer; foodstuffs, clothing

Zimbabwe

machinery and transport equipment, other manufactures,

chemicals, fuels

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2059 Climate

Afghanistan

arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

Akrotiri

temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool

winters

Albania

mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry

summers; interior is cooler and wetter

Algeria

arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers

along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high

plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in

summer

American Samoa

tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds;

annual rainfall averages about 3 m; rainy season (November to

April), dry season (May to October); little seasonal temperature

variation

Andorra

temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers

Angola

semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool,

dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April)

Anguilla

tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds

Antarctica

severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation,

and distance from the ocean; East Antarctica is colder than West

Antarctica because of its higher elevation; Antarctic Peninsula has

the most moderate climate; higher temperatures occur in January

along the coast and average slightly below freezing

Antigua and Barbuda

tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature

variation

Arctic Ocean

polar climate characterized by persistent cold and

relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized

by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and

clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and

foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow

Argentina

mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in

southwest

Armenia

highland continental, hot summers, cold winters

Aruba

tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

tropical

Atlantic Ocean

tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast

of Africa near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea;

hurricanes can occur from May to December, but are most frequent

from August to November

Australia

generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east;

tropical in north

Austria

temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent

rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate

summers with occasional showers

Azerbaijan

dry, semiarid steppe

Bahamas, The

tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream

Bahrain

arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers

Bangladesh

tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid

summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)

Barbados

tropical; rainy season (June to October)

Belarus

cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between

continental and maritime

Belgium

temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy

Belize

tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to November);

dry season (February to May)

Benin

tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

Bermuda

subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in

winter

Bhutan

varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot

summers in central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in

Himalayas

Bolivia

varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid

Bosnia and Herzegovina

hot summers and cold winters; areas of high

elevation have short, cool summers and long, severe winters; mild,

rainy winters along coast

Botswana

semiarid; warm winters and hot summers

Bouvet Island

antarctic

Brazil

mostly tropical, but temperate in south

British Indian Ocean Territory

tropical marine; hot, humid,

moderated by trade winds

British Virgin Islands

subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by

trade winds

Brunei

tropical; hot, humid, rainy

Bulgaria

temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers

Burkina Faso

tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers

Burma

tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest

monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild

temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon,

December to April)

Burundi

equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude

variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level); average annual

temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade

but is generally moderate as the average altitude is about 1,700 m;

average annual rainfall is about 150 cm; two wet seasons (February

to May and September to November), and two dry seasons (June to

August and December to January)

Cambodia

tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry

season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation

Cameroon

varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid

and hot in north

Canada

varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in

north

Cape Verde

temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and

very erratic

Cayman Islands

tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October)

and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April)

Central African Republic

tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot,

wet summers

Chad

tropical in south, desert in north

Chile

temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region;

cool and damp in south

China

extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north

Christmas Island

tropical with a wet season (December to April) and

dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds

Clipperton Island

tropical; humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees

C, wet season (May to October)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

tropical with high humidity, moderated by

the southeast trade winds for about nine months of the year

Colombia

tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands

Comoros

tropical marine; rainy season (November to May)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season (April to October), dry season (December to February); south of Equator - wet season (November to March), dry season (April to October)

Congo, Republic of the

tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry

season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity;

particularly enervating climate astride the Equator

Cook Islands

tropical oceanic; moderated by trade winds; a dry

season from April to November and a more humid season from December

to March

Coral Sea Islands

tropical

Costa Rica

tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April);

rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands

Cote d'Ivoire

tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three

seasons - warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to

May), hot and wet (June to October)

Croatia

Mediterranean and continental; continental climate

predominant with hot summers and cold winters; mild winters, dry

summers along coast

Cuba

tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to

April); rainy season (May to October)

Cyprus

temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool

winters

Czech Republic

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Denmark

temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool

summers

Dhekelia

temperate; Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cool

winters

Djibouti

desert; torrid, dry

Dominica

tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall

Dominican Republic

tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature

variation; seasonal variation in rainfall

Ecuador

tropical along coast, becoming cooler inland at higher

elevations; tropical in Amazonian jungle lowlands

Egypt

desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters

El Salvador

tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season

(November to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands

Equatorial Guinea

tropical; always hot, humid

Eritrea

hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter

in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest

June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands

Estonia

maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers

Ethiopia

tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation

European Union

cold temperate; potentially subarctic in the north to

temperate; mild wet winters; hot dry summers in the south

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on more than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 24 inches in Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but does not accumulate

Faroe Islands

mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy,

windy

Fiji

tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation

Finland

cold temperate; potentially subarctic but comparatively mild

because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current,

Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes

France

metropolitan France: generally cool winters and mild summers,

but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean; occasional

strong, cold, dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral

French Guiana: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature

variation

Guadeloupe and Martinique: subtropical tempered by trade winds;

moderately high humidity; rainy season (June to October); vulnerable

to devastating cyclones (hurricanes) every eight years on average

Reunion: tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool

and dry (May to November), hot and rainy (November to April)

French Polynesia

tropical, but moderate

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul:

oceanic with persistent westerly winds and high humidity

Iles Crozet: windy, cold, wet, and cloudy

Iles Kerguelen: oceanic, cold, overcast, windy

Iles Eparses: tropical

Gabon

tropical; always hot, humid

Gambia, The

tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler,

dry season (November to May)

Gaza Strip

temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

Georgia

warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast

Germany

temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers;

occasional warm mountain (foehn) wind

Ghana

tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast;

hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north

Gibraltar

Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers

Greece

temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers

Greenland

arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters

Grenada

tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds

Guam

tropical marine; generally warm and humid, moderated by

northeast trade winds; dry season (January to June), rainy season

(July to December); little seasonal temperature variation

Guatemala

tropical; hot, humid in lowlands; cooler in highlands

Guernsey

temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of

days are overcast

Guinea

generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to

November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May)

with northeasterly harmattan winds

Guinea-Bissau

tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type

rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season

(December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Guyana

tropical; hot, humid, moderated by northeast trade winds; two

rainy seasons (May to August, November to January)

Haiti

tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

antarctic

Holy See (Vatican City)

temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to

May) with hot, dry summers (May to September)

Honduras

subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains

Hong Kong

subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and

rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall

Hungary

temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers

Iceland

temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy

winters; damp, cool summers

India

varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north

Indian Ocean

northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest

monsoon (June to October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June

and October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and

January/February in the southern Indian Ocean

Indonesia

tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands

Iran

mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast

Iraq

mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless

summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish

borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that

melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in

central and southern Iraq

Ireland

temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild

winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the

time

Isle of Man

temperate; cool summers and mild winters; overcast about

one-third of the time

Israel

temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas

Italy

predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in

south

Jamaica

tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior

Jan Mayen

arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog

Japan

varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Jersey

temperate; mild winters and cool summers

Jordan

mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)

Kazakhstan

continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and

semiarid

Kenya

varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior

Kiribati

tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds

Korea, North

temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer

Korea, South

temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter

Kosovo

influenced by continental air masses resulting in relatively

cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot, dry summers and autumns;

Mediterranean and alpine influences create regional variation;

maximum rainfall between October and December

Kuwait

dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters

Kyrgyzstan

dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan; subtropical

in southwest (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone

Laos

tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season

(December to April)

Latvia

maritime; wet, moderate winters

Lebanon

Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry

summers; Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows

Lesotho

temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers

Liberia

tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to

cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers

Libya

Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior

Liechtenstein

continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow

or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers

Lithuania

transitional, between maritime and continental; wet,

moderate winters and summers

Luxembourg

modified continental with mild winters, cool summers

Macau

subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers

Macedonia

warm, dry summers and autumns; relatively cold winters

with heavy snowfall

Madagascar

tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south

Malawi

sub-tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May

to November)

Malaysia

tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast

(October to February) monsoons

Maldives

tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to

March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)

Mali

subtropical to arid; hot and dry (February to June); rainy,

humid, and mild (June to November); cool and dry (November to

February)

Malta

Mediterranean; mild, rainy winters; hot, dry summers

Marshall Islands

tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to

November; islands border typhoon belt

Mauritania

desert; constantly hot, dry, dusty

Mauritius

tropical, modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry

winter (May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)

Mayotte

tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during

northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to

November)

Mexico

varies from tropical to desert

Micronesia, Federated States of tropical; heavy year-round rainfall, especially in the eastern islands; located on southern edge of the typhoon belt with occasionally severe damage

Moldova

moderate winters, warm summers

Monaco

Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers

Mongolia

desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature

ranges)

Montenegro

Mediterranean climate, hot dry summers and autumns and

relatively cold winters with heavy snowfalls inland

Montserrat

tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation

Morocco

Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior

Mozambique

tropical to subtropical

Namibia

desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic

Nauru

tropical with a monsoonal pattern; rainy season (November to

February)

Navassa Island

marine, tropical

Nepal

varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to

subtropical summers and mild winters in south

Netherlands

temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters

Netherlands Antilles

tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds

New Caledonia

tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid

New Zealand

temperate with sharp regional contrasts

Nicaragua

tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

Niger

desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south

Nigeria

varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in

north

Niue

tropical; modified by southeast trade winds

Norfolk Island

subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature

variation

Northern Mariana Islands

tropical marine; moderated by northeast

trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season

December to June, rainy season July to October

Norway

temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current;

colder interior with increased precipitation and colder summers;

rainy year-round on west coast

Oman

dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong

southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south

Pacific Ocean

planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind

patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade

winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by

seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south

of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central

America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much

less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same

latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is

monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when

moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry

season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian

landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike

southeast and east Asia from May to December

Pakistan

mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in

north

Palau

tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November

Panama

tropical maritime; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season

(May to January), short dry season (January to May)

Papua New Guinea

tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March),

southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature

variation

Paracel Islands

tropical

Paraguay

subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the

eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west

Peru

varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate

to frigid in Andes

Philippines

tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April);

southwest monsoon (May to October)

Pitcairn Islands

tropical; hot and humid; modified by southeast

trade winds; rainy season (November to March)

Poland

temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with

frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and

thundershowers

Portugal

maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and

drier in south

Puerto Rico

tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature

variation

Qatar

arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers

Romania

temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog;

sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms

Russia

ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in

much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in

the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to

frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool

along Arctic coast

Rwanda

temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to

January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible

Saint Barthelemy

tropical, with practically no variation in

temperature; has two seasons (dry and humid)

Saint Helena

Saint Helena: tropical marine; mild, tempered by trade

winds

Ascension Island: tropical marine; mild, semi-arid

Tristan da Cunha: temperate marine; mild, tempered by trade winds

(tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

tropical, tempered by constant sea breezes;

little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Saint Lucia

tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season

January to April, rainy season May to August

Saint Martin

temperature averages 80-85 degrees all year long; low

humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers;

July-Novemeber is the hurricane season

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

cold and wet, with much mist and fog;

spring and autumn are windy

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

tropical; little seasonal

temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Samoa

tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to

October)

San Marino

Mediterranean; mild to cool winters; warm, sunny summers

Sao Tome and Principe

tropical; hot, humid; one rainy season

(October to May)

Saudi Arabia

harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes

Senegal

tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has

strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by

hot, dry, harmattan wind

Serbia

in the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot,

humid summers with well distributed rainfall); in other parts,

continental and Mediterranean climate (relatively cold winters with

heavy snowfall and hot, dry summers and autumns)

Seychelles

tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast

monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest

monsoon (March to May)

Sierra Leone

tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to

December); winter dry season (December to April)

Singapore

tropical; hot, humid, rainy; two distinct monsoon seasons

- Northeastern monsoon (December to March) and Southwestern monsoon

(June to September); inter-monsoon - frequent afternoon and early

evening thunderstorms

Slovakia

temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters

Slovenia

Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate

with mild to hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and

valleys to the east

Solomon Islands

tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and

weather

Somalia

principally desert; northeast monsoon (December to

February), moderate temperatures in north and hot in south;

southwest monsoon (May to October), torrid in the north and hot in

the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili)

between monsoons

South Africa

mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny

days, cool nights

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

variable, with mostly

westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of

calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow

Southern Ocean

sea temperatures vary from about 10 degrees Celsius

to -2 degrees Celsius; cyclonic storms travel eastward around the

continent and frequently are intense because of the temperature

contrast between ice and open ocean; the ocean area from about

latitude 40 south to the Antarctic Circle has the strongest average

winds found anywhere on Earth; in winter the ocean freezes outward

to 65 degrees south latitude in the Pacific sector and 55 degrees

south latitude in the Atlantic sector, lowering surface temperatures

well below 0 degrees Celsius; at some coastal points intense

persistent drainage winds from the interior keep the shoreline

ice-free throughout the winter

Spain

temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and

cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy

and cool along coast

Spratly Islands

tropical

Sri Lanka

tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March);

southwest monsoon (June to October)

Sudan

tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season varies

by region (April to November)

Suriname

tropical; moderated by trade winds

Svalbard

arctic, tempered by warm North Atlantic Current; cool

summers, cold winters; North Atlantic Current flows along west and

north coasts of Spitsbergen, keeping water open and navigable most

of the year

Swaziland

varies from tropical to near temperate

Sweden

temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly

cloudy summers; subarctic in north

Switzerland

temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy,

rainy/snowy winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with

occasional showers

Syria

mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and

mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast; cold weather

with snow or sleet periodically in Damascus

Taiwan

tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June

to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year

Tajikistan

midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters;

semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains

Tanzania

varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

Thailand

tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to

September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March);

southern isthmus always hot and humid

Timor-Leste

tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons

Togo

tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

Tokelau

tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November)

Tonga

tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to

May), cool season (May to December)

Trinidad and Tobago

tropical; rainy season (June to December)

Tunisia

temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry

summers; desert in south

Turkey

temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher

in interior

Turkmenistan

subtropical desert

Turks and Caicos Islands

tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds;

sunny and relatively dry

Tuvalu

tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to

November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)

Uganda

tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to

February, June to August); semiarid in northeast

Ukraine

temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern

Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest

in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from

cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm

across the greater part of the country, hot in the south

United Arab Emirates

desert; cooler in eastern mountains

United Kingdom

temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds

over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are

overcast

United States

mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida,

arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the

Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low

winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in

January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes

of the Rocky Mountains

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Baker, Howland, and

Jarvis Islands: equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning

sun

Johnston Atoll and Kingman Reef: tropical, but generally dry;

consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature

variation

Midway Islands: subtropical with cool, moist winters (December to

February) and warm, dry summers (May to October); moderated by

prevailing easterly winds; most of the 1,067 mm (42 in) of annual

rainfall occurs during the winter

Palmyra Atoll: equatorial, hot; located within the low pressure area

of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) where the northeast and

southeast trade winds meet, it is extremely wet with between

4,000-5,000 mm (160-200 in) of rainfall each year

Uruguay

warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown

Uzbekistan

mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild

winters; semiarid grassland in east

Vanuatu

tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds from May to

October; moderate rainfall from November to April; may be affected

by cyclones from December to April

Venezuela

tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands

Vietnam

tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season

(May to September) and warm, dry season (October to March)

Virgin Islands

subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds,

relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation;

rainy season September to November

Wake Island

tropical

Wallis and Futuna

tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April);

cool, dry season (May to October); rains 2,500-3,000 mm per year

(80% humidity); average temperature 26.6 degrees C

West Bank

temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with

altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters

Western Sahara

hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air

currents produce fog and heavy dew

World

a wide equatorial band of hot and humid tropical climates -

bordered north and south by subtropical temperate zones - that

separate two large areas of cold and dry polar climates

Yemen

mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in

western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot,

dry, harsh desert in east

Zambia

tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to

April)

Zimbabwe

tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to

March)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2060 Coastline (km)

Afghanistan

0 km (landlocked)

Akrotiri

56.3 km

Albania

362 km

Algeria

998 km

American Samoa

116 km

Andorra

0 km (landlocked)

Angola

1,600 km

Anguilla

61 km

Antarctica

17,968 km

Antigua and Barbuda

153 km

Arctic Ocean

45,389 km

Argentina

4,989 km

Armenia

0 km (landlocked)

Aruba

68.5 km

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

74.1 km

Atlantic Ocean

111,866 km

Australia

25,760 km

Austria

0 km (landlocked)

Azerbaijan

0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian

Sea (713 km)

Bahamas, The

3,542 km

Bahrain

161 km

Bangladesh

580 km

Barbados

97 km

Belarus

0 km (landlocked)

Belgium

66.5 km

Belize

386 km

Benin

121 km

Bermuda

103 km

Bhutan

0 km (landlocked)

Bolivia

0 km (landlocked)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

20 km

Botswana

0 km (landlocked)

Bouvet Island

29.6 km

Brazil

7,491 km

British Indian Ocean Territory

698 km

British Virgin Islands

80 km

Brunei

161 km

Bulgaria

354 km

Burkina Faso

0 km (landlocked)

Burma

1,930 km

Burundi

0 km (landlocked)

Cambodia

443 km

Cameroon

402 km

Canada

202,080 km

Cape Verde

965 km

Cayman Islands

160 km

Central African Republic

0 km (landlocked)

Chad

0 km (landlocked)

Chile

6,435 km

China

14,500 km

Christmas Island

138.9 km

Clipperton Island

11.1 km

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

26 km

Colombia

3,208 km (Caribbean Sea 1,760 km, North Pacific Ocean 1,448

km)

Comoros

340 km

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

37 km

Congo, Republic of the

169 km

Cook Islands

120 km

Coral Sea Islands

3,095 km

Costa Rica

1,290 km

Cote d'Ivoire

515 km

Croatia

5,835 km (mainland 1,777 km, islands 4,058 km)

Cuba

3,735 km

Cyprus

648 km

Czech Republic

0 km (landlocked)

Denmark

7,314 km

Dhekelia

27.5 km

Djibouti

314 km

Dominica

148 km

Dominican Republic

1,288 km

Ecuador

2,237 km

Egypt

2,450 km

El Salvador

307 km

Equatorial Guinea

296 km

Eritrea

2,234 km (mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea

1,083 km)

Estonia

3,794 km

Ethiopia

0 km (landlocked)

European Union

65,992.9 km

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

1,288 km

Faroe Islands

1,117 km

Fiji

1,129 km

Finland

1,250 km

France total: 4,668 km metropolitan France: 3,427 km

French Polynesia

2,525 km

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et

Ile Saint-Paul): 28 km

Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul):

Iles Kerguelen: 2,800 km

Bassas da India (Iles Eparses): 35.2 km

Europa Island (Iles Eparses): 22.2 km

Glorioso Islands (Iles Eparses): 35.2 km

Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses): 24.1 km

Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): 3.7 km

Gabon

885 km

Gambia, The

80 km

Gaza Strip

40 km

Georgia

310 km

Germany

2,389 km

Ghana

539 km

Gibraltar

12 km

Greece

13,676 km

Greenland

44,087 km

Grenada

121 km

Guam

125.5 km

Guatemala

400 km

Guernsey

50 km

Guinea

320 km

Guinea-Bissau

350 km

Guyana

459 km

Haiti

1,771 km

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

101.9 km

Holy See (Vatican City)

0 km (landlocked)

Honduras

820 km

Hong Kong

733 km

Hungary

0 km (landlocked)

Iceland

4,970 km

India

7,000 km

Indian Ocean

66,526 km

Indonesia

54,716 km

Iran

2,440 km; note - Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)

Iraq

58 km

Ireland

1,448 km

Isle of Man

160 km

Israel

273 km

Italy

7,600 km

Jamaica

1,022 km

Jan Mayen

124.1 km

Japan

29,751 km

Jersey

70 km

Jordan

26 km

Kazakhstan

0 km (landlocked); note - Kazakhstan borders the Aral

Sea, now split into two bodies of water (1,070 km), and the Caspian

Sea (1,894 km)

Kenya

536 km

Kiribati

1,143 km

Korea, North

2,495 km

Korea, South

2,413 km

Kosovo

0 km (landlocked)

Kuwait

499 km

Kyrgyzstan

0 km (landlocked)

Laos

0 km (landlocked)

Latvia

498 km

Lebanon

225 km

Lesotho

0 km (landlocked)

Liberia

579 km

Libya

1,770 km

Liechtenstein

0 km (doubly landlocked)

Lithuania

90 km

Luxembourg

0 km (landlocked)

Macau

41 km

Macedonia

0 km (landlocked)

Madagascar

4,828 km

Malawi

0 km (landlocked)

Malaysia

4,675 km (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607

km)

Maldives

644 km

Mali

0 km (landlocked)

Malta

196.8 km (does not include 56.01 km for the island of Gozo)

Marshall Islands

370.4 km

Mauritania

754 km

Mauritius

177 km

Mayotte

185.2 km

Mexico

9,330 km

Micronesia, Federated States of

6,112 km

Moldova

0 km (landlocked)

Monaco

4.1 km

Mongolia

0 km (landlocked)

Montenegro

293.5 km

Montserrat

40 km

Morocco

1,835 km

Mozambique

2,470 km

Namibia

1,572 km

Nauru

30 km

Navassa Island

8 km

Nepal

0 km (landlocked)

Netherlands

451 km

Netherlands Antilles

364 km

New Caledonia

2,254 km

New Zealand

15,134 km

Nicaragua

910 km

Niger

0 km (landlocked)

Nigeria

853 km

Niue

64 km

Norfolk Island

32 km

Northern Mariana Islands

1,482 km

Norway

25,148 km (includes mainland 2,650 km, as well as long

fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations 22,498 km;

length of island coastlines 58,133 km)

Oman

2,092 km

Pacific Ocean

135,663 km

Pakistan

1,046 km

Palau

1,519 km

Panama

2,490 km

Papua New Guinea

5,152 km

Paracel Islands

518 km

Paraguay

0 km (landlocked)

Peru

2,414 km

Philippines

36,289 km

Pitcairn Islands

51 km

Poland

440 km

Portugal

1,793 km

Puerto Rico

501 km

Qatar

563 km

Romania

225 km

Russia

37,653 km

Rwanda

0 km (landlocked)

Saint Helena

Saint Helena: 60 km

Ascension Island: NA

Tristan da Cunha: 40 km

Saint Kitts and Nevis

135 km

Saint Lucia

158 km

Saint Martin

58.9 km (for entire island)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

120 km

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

84 km

Samoa

403 km

San Marino

0 km (landlocked)

Sao Tome and Principe

209 km

Saudi Arabia

2,640 km

Senegal

531 km

Serbia

0 km (landlocked)

Seychelles

491 km

Sierra Leone

402 km

Singapore

193 km

Slovakia

0 km (landlocked)

Slovenia

46.6 km

Solomon Islands

5,313 km

Somalia

3,025 km

South Africa

2,798 km

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

NA km

Southern Ocean

17,968 km

Spain

4,964 km

Spratly Islands

926 km

Sri Lanka

1,340 km

Sudan

853 km

Suriname

386 km

Svalbard

3,587 km

Swaziland

0 km (landlocked)

Sweden

3,218 km

Switzerland

0 km (landlocked)

Syria

193 km

Taiwan

1,566.3 km

Tajikistan

0 km (landlocked)

Tanzania

1,424 km

Thailand

3,219 km

Timor-Leste

706 km

Togo

56 km

Tokelau

101 km

Tonga

419 km

Trinidad and Tobago

362 km

Tunisia

1,148 km

Turkey

7,200 km

Turkmenistan

0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea

(1,768 km)

Turks and Caicos Islands

389 km

Tuvalu

24 km

Uganda

0 km (landlocked)

Ukraine

2,782 km

United Arab Emirates

1,318 km

United Kingdom

12,429 km

United States

19,924 km

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Baker Island: 4.8 km

Howland Island: 6.4 km

Jarvis Island: 8 km

Johnston Atoll: 34 km

Kingman Reef: 3 km

Midway Islands: 15 km

Palmyra Atoll: 14.5 km

Uruguay

660 km

Uzbekistan

0 km (doubly landlocked); note - Uzbekistan includes the

southern portion of the Aral Sea with a 420 km shoreline

Vanuatu

2,528 km

Venezuela

2,800 km

Vietnam

3,444 km (excludes islands)

Virgin Islands

188 km

Wake Island

19.3 km

Wallis and Futuna

129 km

West Bank

0 km (landlocked)

Western Sahara

1,110 km

World

356,000 km

note: 94 nations and other entities are islands that border no other

countries, they include: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and

Barbuda, Aruba, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, The Bahamas, Bahrain,

Baker Island, Barbados, Bermuda, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean

Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands,

Christmas Island, Clipperton Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands,

Comoros, Cook Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominica,

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Faroe Islands, Fiji, French

Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Greenland, Grenada,

Guam, Guernsey, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Howland Island,

Iceland, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jan Mayen, Japan, Jarvis Island,

Jersey, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Kiribati, Madagascar,

Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte,

Federated States of Micronesia, Midway Islands, Montserrat, Nauru,

Navassa Island, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island,

Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Palmyra Atoll, Paracel Islands,

Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saint

Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint

Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao

Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South

Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Spratly Islands, Sri Lanka,

Svalbard, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos

Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Virgin Islands, Wake Island, Wallis and

Futuna, Taiwan

Yemen

1,906 km

Zambia

0 km (landlocked)

Zimbabwe

0 km (landlocked)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2061 Imports - partners (%)

Afghanistan

Pakistan 36.8%, US 11%, India 5%, Germany 4.2% (2007)

Albania

Italy 27.6%, Greece 14.8%, Turkey 7.4%, China 6.8%, Germany

5.6%, Switzerland 5%, Russia 4.2% (2007)

Algeria

France 18.7%, China 9%, Italy 8.5%, Spain 6%, US 5.5%,

Germany 5.3%, Russia 4.6%, Turkey 4.1% (2007)

American Samoa

Australia 66%, Samoa 13.8%, NZ 10.8% (2006)

Angola

Portugal 19.7%, US 10.9%, China 10.5%, Brazil 10.3%, South

Africa 6.6%, France 6.3%, UK 4.6%, Germany 4.3% (2007)

Anguilla

US, Puerto Rico, UK (2006)

Antigua and Barbuda

US 21.1%, China 16.4%, Germany 13.3%, Singapore

12.7%, Spain 6.5% (2006)

Argentina

Brazil 34.6%, US 12.6%, China 12%, Germany 5% (2007)

Armenia

Russia 15.1%, Ukraine 7.7%, Kazakhstan 7.4%, Germany 6.8%,

China 6%, France 4.6%, US 4.5%, Iraq 4.3% (2007)

Aruba

US 54.6%, Netherlands 12%, UK 4.7% (2007)

Australia

China 15.5%, US 12.8%, Japan 9.6%, Singapore 5.6%, Germany

5.2%, UK 4.3%, Thailand 4.2% (2007)

Austria

Germany 45.5%, Italy 7.1%, Switzerland 5%, Netherlands 4.3%

(2007)

Azerbaijan

Russia 17.6%, Turkey 10.9%, Germany 8.2%, Ukraine 8.2%,

UK 7.2%, Japan 5.2%, China 4.9%, US 4.7% (2007)

Bahamas, The

US 26.7%, South Korea 14.1%, Japan 13.5%, Italy 7.5%,

Singapore 5.2%, Venezuela 4.5%, Spain 4.3% (2007)

Bahrain

Saudi Arabia 37.7%, Japan 7.2%, US 6.2%, Germany 4.7%, UK

4.5%, UAE 4.2%, China 4.1% (2007)

Bangladesh

China 15%, India 14.3%, Kuwait 8.3%, Singapore 6.2%, Hong

Kong 4.2% (2007)

Barbados

US 30.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 27.6%, UK 6.5% (2007)

Belarus

Russia 59.9%, Germany 7.6%, Ukraine 5.4% (2007)

Belgium

Germany 17.7%, Netherlands 17.6%, France 11.2%, UK 6.2%, US

5.4%, Ireland 4.9%, China 4.1% (2007)

Belize

US 31.2%, Mexico 13.6%, Cuba 8.5%, Guatemala 8%, Russia 4.6%

(2007)

Benin

China 44.5%, France 8.2%, US 6.5%, Thailand 6.3%, Malaysia

4.8% (2007)

Bermuda

South Korea 36.4%, US 15.7%, Germany 13.2%, Italy 11.8%

(2007)

Bhutan

India 74.5%, Japan 7.4%, Sweden 3.2% (2007)

Bolivia

Brazil 29.9%, Argentina 16.2%, Chile 10.5%, US 9.8%, Peru

8.1% (2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Croatia 24.7%, Slovenia 13.3%, Germany 13.1%,

Italy 10.4%, Austria 7%, Turkey 6.5%, Hungary 5.4% (2007)

Botswana

Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 74%, EFTA 17%,

Zimbabwe 4% (2006)

Brazil

US 15.7%, China 10.5%, Argentina 8.6%, Germany 7.2%, Nigeria

4.4% (2007)

British Virgin Islands

Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)

Brunei

UK 46.4%, Singapore 19.5%, Malaysia 11.3% (2007)

Bulgaria

Russia 12.3%, Germany 12.3%, Italy 8.7%, Ukraine 7.2%,

Turkey 6.9%, Greece 6.2%, Romania 4.5%, Austria 4.3% (2007)

Burkina Faso

Cote d'Ivoire 25.8%, France 20.6%, Togo 7.1% (2007)

Burma

China 33.7%, Thailand 19.1%, Singapore 15.5%, South Korea

5.8%, Indonesia 5.2%, Malaysia 4.2% (2007)

Burundi

Saudi Arabia 17%, Kenya 11.4%, Belgium 8.7%, France 6.1%,

Uganda 5.4%, Germany 5.4%, India 4.8%, Pakistan 4.2% (2007)

Cambodia

Thailand 23.1%, Vietnam 16.9%, China 15%, Hong Kong 10.4%,

Singapore 7.5%, Taiwan 7.2%, South Korea 4.8% (2007)

Cameroon

France 23.4%, Nigeria 12.8%, China 9%, Belgium 5.8%, US 4%

(2007)

Canada

US 54.1%, China 9.4%, Mexico 4.2% (2007)

Cape Verde

Portugal 40.7%, Netherlands 10.9%, France 6.5%, Spain

5.6%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.9%, Brazil 4.7%, Italy 4.7% (2007)

Cayman Islands

US, Netherlands Antilles, Japan (2006)

Central African Republic

France 16.6%, Netherlands 13%, Cameroon

9.7%, US 6.3% (2007)

Chad

France 20.4%, Cameroon 16.1%, US 10.9%, China 10%, Germany

7.5%, Saudi Arabia 4.4% (2007)

Chile

US 16.7%, China 11.2%, Brazil 10.3%, Argentina 9.9% (2007)

China

Japan 14%, South Korea 10.9%, Taiwan 10.5%, US 7.3%, Germany

4.7% (2007)

Christmas Island

principally Australia (2006)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Australia (2006)

Colombia

US 26.2%, China 10.1%, Mexico 9.3%, Brazil 7.3%, Venezuela

4.2% (2007)

Comoros

France 18.2%, UAE 10.8%, South Africa 8.5%, Pakistan 7.2%,

Kenya 5.7%, China 5.4%, India 5% (2007)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

South Africa 22.5%, Belgium 10.3%,

Zambia 8.9%, Zimbabwe 7.5%, France 6.8%, Kenya 6.3%, US 4.1%, Cote

d'Ivoire 4.1% (2007)

Congo, Republic of the

France 18.1%, South Korea 14.7%, China 12.6%,

Italy 10.3%, India 4.7%, US 4.2% (2007)

Cook Islands

NZ 61%, Fiji 19%, US 9%, Australia 6% (2006)

Costa Rica

US 41%, Mexico 6.1%, Venezuela 5.7%, Japan 5.4%, China

5.1%, Brazil 4.3% (2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

Nigeria 31.1%, France 16.7%, China 7.3% (2007)

Croatia

Italy 16.1%, Germany 14.4%, Russia 10.1%, China 6.2%,

Slovenia 6%, Austria 5.3% (2007)

Cuba

Venezuela 29.6%, China 13.4%, Spain 10.4%, Canada 6%, US 5.1%

(2007)

Cyprus

Greece 17.7%, Italy 10.2%, UK 9.6%, Germany 9.4%, Israel

6.5%, France 5.4%, China 5.3%, Netherlands 4.1% (2007)

Czech Republic

Germany 31.8%, Netherlands 6.7%, Slovakia 6.4%,

Poland 6.3%, Austria 5.1%, China 5.1%, Russia 4.5%, Italy 4.4%,

France 4.1% (2007)

Denmark

Germany 21.6%, Sweden 14.4%, Netherlands 7.1%, Norway 6%,

China 5.4%, UK 5.3%, Italy 4.1%, France 4% (2007)

Djibouti

Saudi Arabia 21%, India 18.1%, China 9.4%, Ethiopia 4.7%,

Malaysia 4.6%, Japan 4.2% (2007)

Dominica

US 24.1%, China 21.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.2%, Japan

11.1% (2007)

Dominican Republic

US 46%, Venezuela 8.1%, Mexico 5.9%, Colombia

4.7% (2007)

Ecuador

US 23.7%, Colombia 10.3%, China 7.6%, Brazil 5.3%, Japan

4.3% (2007)

Egypt

US 11.7%, China 9.7%, Italy 6.4%, Germany 6.3%, Saudi Arabia

4.7%, Russia 4.3% (2007)

El Salvador

US 35.7%, Mexico 9.8%, Guatemala 8.5%, China 4.7% (2007)

Equatorial Guinea

US 19.6%, Spain 13.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 11.9%, France

9.6%, China 7.7%, Italy 6.6%, UK 6.4%, Netherlands 4.1% (2007)

Eritrea

Saudi Arabia 19.1%, Italy 15.1%, China 11.1%, Turkey 8.3%,

Germany 7.2%, Ukraine 5.1% (2007)

Estonia

Finland 15.9%, Germany 12.8%, Sweden 10.1%, Russia 10%,

Latvia 7.6%, Lithuania 6.9%, Poland 4.5% (2007)

Ethiopia

Saudi Arabia 17%, China 15.9%, India 7.8%, Italy 5.1% (2007)

European Union

US 13.8%, China 13.4%, Russia 8.2%, Japan 6.2% (2006)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

UK 72.5%, US 15.1%, Netherlands

8.5% (2006)

Faroe Islands

Denmark 51.9%, Norway 21.6%, Sweden 5%, UK 4.6% (2007)

Fiji

Singapore 30.4%, Australia 21.6%, NZ 17.7%, China 4.5% (2007)

Finland

Germany 15.8%, Russia 14%, Sweden 13.7%, Netherlands 6.8%,

China 5.5%, UK 4.9% (2007)

France

Germany 18.9%, Belgium 11.4%, Italy 8.4%, Spain 7.1%,

Netherlands 7%, UK 5.6%, US 4.4%, China 4% (2007)

French Polynesia

France 52.7%, Singapore 14.9%, NZ 6.8%, US 6.6%

(2006)

Gabon

France 27.7%, US 19.1%, Belgium 5.4%, Netherlands 4.7%, China

4.1% (2007)

Gambia, The

China 23.7%, Senegal 11.5%, Cote d'Ivoire 8.3%, Brazil

8%, Netherlands 5.2% (2007)

Gaza Strip

Israel, Egypt, West Bank (2006)

Georgia

Turkey 14%, Russia 12.3%, Ukraine 8.5%, Azerbaijan 7.3%,

Germany 6.8%, US 5%, Bulgaria 4.6% (2007)

Germany

Netherlands 12%, France 8.6%, Belgium 7.8%, China 6.2%,

Italy 5.8%, UK 5.6%, US 4.5%, Austria 4.4% (2007)

Ghana

Nigeria 15.1%, China 14.9%, UK 5.2%, US 5.1% (2007)

Gibraltar

Spain 23.4%, Russia 12.3%, Italy 12%, UK 9%, France 8.9%,

Netherlands 6.8%, US 4.7% (2006)

Greece

Germany 12.9%, Italy 11.7%, Russia 5.6%, France 5.6%, China

5%, Netherlands 5% (2007)

Greenland

Denmark 68.1%, Sweden 19.3%, Canada 2.5% (2007)

Grenada

Trinidad and Tobago 36.5%, US 23.3%, Italy 4.1% (2007)

Guam

Singapore 50%, South Korea 21.4%, Japan 14%, Hong Kong 4.6%

(2006)

Guatemala

US 34.9%, Mexico 9.9%, China 6.8%, El Salvador 4.6%, Costa

Rica 4.1% (2007)

Guernsey

UK; note - regarded as internal trade (2006)

Guinea

China 10%, France 7%, Netherlands 6.3% (2007)

Guinea-Bissau

Portugal 21.7%, Senegal 16.8%, France 6%, Pakistan

4.7% (2007)

Guyana

Trinidad and Tobago 26.2%, US 20.5%, Cuba 7.2%, China 7.1%,

UK 5.4% (2007)

Haiti

US 41.2%, Netherlands Antilles 14.9%, China 4.7%, Brazil 4.4%

(2007)

Honduras

US 52.4%, Guatemala 7.1%, El Salvador 5.2%, Mexico 4.5%,

Costa Rica 4.2% (2007)

Hong Kong

China 46.3%, Japan 10%, Taiwan 7.1%, Singapore 6.8%, US

4.9%, South Korea 4.2% (2007)

Hungary

Germany 26.6%, China 7.8%, Russia 6.9%, Austria 6.1%, Italy

4.5%, France 4.3%, Netherlands 4.3% (2007)

Iceland

US 13.7%, Germany 12.2%, Sweden 10.2%, Denmark 7.5%,

Netherlands 5.7%, UK 5.4%, China 5.1%, Norway 4.6% (2007)

India

China 10.6%, US 7.8%, Germany 4.4%, Singapore 4.4% (2007)

Indonesia

Singapore 13.2%, China 11.5%, Japan 8.8%, Malaysia 8.6%,

US 6.4%, Thailand 5.8%, Saudi Arabia 4.5%, South Korea 4.3%,

Australia 4% (2007)

Iran

China 14.2%, Germany 9.6%, UAE 9.1%, South Korea 6.3%, Russia

5.7%, Italy 5% (2007)

Iraq

Syria 30.5%, Turkey 19.8%, US 11.1%, Jordan 5%, China 4.8%

(2007)

Ireland

UK 38.3%, US 11.3%, Germany 9.7%, Netherlands 5%, France

4.2% (2007)

Isle of Man

UK (2006)

Israel

US 13.9%, Belgium 7.9%, Germany 6.2%, China 6.1%, Switzerland

5.1%, UK 4.7%, Italy 4.1% (2007)

Italy

Germany 16.9%, France 9%, China 5.9%, Netherlands 5.5%,

Belgium 4.3%, Spain 4.2% (2007)

Jamaica

US 37.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.5%, Grenada 9.7%, Venezuela

8.3%, Brazil 4.2% (2007)

Japan

China 20.5%, US 11.6%, Saudi Arabia 5.7%, UAE 5.2%, Australia

5%, South Korea 4.4%, Indonesia 4.2% (2007)

Jersey

UK (2006)

Jordan

Saudi Arabia 21%, China 9.7%, Germany 7.5%, US 4.7%, Egypt

4.4% (2007)

Kazakhstan

Russia 35.4%, China 22.1%, Germany 8% (2007)

Kenya

UAE 11.4%, China 9.9%, India 8.7%, Saudi Arabia 8%, South

Africa 6.9%, US 6.2%, Japan 5.9%, UK 4.6% (2007)

Kiribati

Australia 33%, Fiji 27.1%, Japan 18.1%, NZ 6.9% (2006)

Korea, North

China 27%, South Korea 16%, Thailand 9%, Russia 7%

(2006)

Korea, South

China 17.7%, Japan 15.8%, US 10.5%, Saudi Arabia 5.9%

(2007)

Kosovo

EU 35%, Macedonia 15%, Serbia 13%, Turkey 8% (2006)

Kuwait

US 12.7%, Japan 8.5%, Germany 7.3%, China 6.8%, South Korea

6.6%, Saudi Arabia 6.2%, Italy 5.8%, UK 4.6% (2007)

Kyrgyzstan

Russia 40.5%, China 14.7%, Kazakhstan 12.9%, Uzbekistan

5% (2007)

Laos

Thailand 68.5%, China 9.3%, Vietnam 5.5% (2007)

Latvia

Germany 15.1%, Lithuania 13.8%, Russia 8.7%, Estonia 8%,

Poland 6.9%, Finland 5.1%, Sweden 4.9% (2007)

Lebanon

Syria 12.1%, Italy 8.5%, France 8.3%, US 7%, China 5.9%,

Germany 5.3%, Saudi Arabia 4.8% (2007)

Lesotho

China 30%, Hong Kong 29.6%, India 10%, South Korea 6.6%,

Germany 6.4%, Pakistan 4.6% (2007)

Liberia

South Korea 31.4%, Singapore 22.1%, Japan 14.9%, China 10.1%

(2007)

Libya

Italy 18.9%, Germany 7.7%, China 7.3%, Tunisia 6.8%, France

5.7%, Turkey 5.4%, US 4.3% (2007)

Liechtenstein

EU, Switzerland (2006)

Lithuania

Russia 18%, Germany 15%, Poland 10.6%, Latvia 5.5%,

Netherlands 4.3% (2007)

Luxembourg

Belgium 27.4%, Germany 23.8%, China 17.1%, France 9.2%,

Netherlands 5% (2007)

Macau

China 42.6%, Hong Kong 10.1%, Japan 9%, US 5.6%, Germany 4.4%,

France 4.2% (2007)

Macedonia

Germany 13.2%, Greece 12.9%, Bulgaria 9.6%, Serbia and

Montenegro 7.7%, Turkey 6.6%, Italy 6.3%, Slovenia 5% (2007)

Madagascar

France 13.6%, China 13%, Iran 8.1%, South Africa 6.4%,

Hong Kong 4.9%, Mauritius 4.8% (2007)

Malawi

South Africa 36.1%, India 8.5%, Tanzania 6.1%, US 6.1%, China

4.9% (2007)

Malaysia

Japan 13%, China 12.9%, Singapore 11.5%, US 10.8%, Taiwan

5.7%, Thailand 5.3%, South Korea 4.9%, Germany 4.6%, Indonesia 4.2%

(2007)

Maldives

Canada 35.2%, Singapore 15%, UAE 10.2%, India 7.4%,

Malaysia 7.1% (2007)

Mali

France 12.9%, Senegal 12.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 10.9%, China 4.9%

(2007)

Malta

Italy 26%, UK 15%, France 9.5%, Germany 8.8%, Singapore 5.2%

(2007)

Marshall Islands

US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Fiji, China,

Philippines (2006)

Mauritania

France 16.5%, China 8.1%, Spain 6.7%, US 6.1%, Belgium

5.8%, Brazil 5.7% (2007)

Mauritius

India 21.2%, China 11.4%, France 10.7%, South Africa 7.4%

(2007)

Mayotte

France 49%, Seychelles 8.8%, China 4.1% (2006)

Mexico

US 49.6%, China 10.5%, Japan 5.8%, South Korea 4.5% (2007)

Micronesia, Federated States of

US, Japan, Hong Kong (2006)

Moldova

Russia 20.5%, Ukraine 15.8%, Romania 15%, Germany 8.7%,

Italy 5.7%, Poland 4.1% (2007)

Mongolia

China 32%, Russia 29.4%, South Korea 7.9%, Japan 7.2% (2007)

Montenegro

Greece 10.2%, Italy 10.2%, Germany 9.6%, Bosnia and

Herzegovina 9.2% (2006)

Montserrat

US, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada (2006)

Morocco

France 16.1%, Spain 13.6%, China 7.3%, Italy 6.7%, Saudi

Arabia 6.4%, Germany 5.9%, US 4.5%, Netherlands 4.1% (2007)

Mozambique

South Africa 36.7%, Australia 8.5%, China 4.6% (2007)

Namibia

South Africa 85.2%, US (2006)

Nauru

South Korea 43.8%, Australia 36.2%, US 5.9%, Germany 4.3%

(2006)

Nepal

India 58.9%, China 13.6%, Japan 1.6% (2007)

Netherlands

Germany 17.7%, China 10.5%, Belgium 9.3%, US 7.3%, UK

5.8%, Russia 5.1%, France 4.4% (2007)

Netherlands Antilles

Venezuela 59.1%, US 17.7%, Brazil 7.1% (2007)

New Caledonia

France 36.7%, Singapore 14.7%, Australia 12.1%, NZ

5.2%, Germany 4.6% (2007)

New Zealand

Australia 20.7%, China 13.4%, US 9.7%, Japan 9.5%,

Singapore 4.9%, Germany 4.7% (2007)

Nicaragua

US 22.5%, Mexico 13.5%, Costa Rica 8.4%, Venezuela 6.4%,

Guatemala 6.2%, El Salvador 4.8% (2007)

Niger

France 15.9%, French Polynesia 8.8%, Nigeria 8.6%, Belgium

8.6%, US 6.9%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.6% (2007)

Nigeria

China 10.6%, Netherlands 7.9%, US 7.8%, South Korea 6.6%, UK

5.7%, France 4.3%, Brazil 4.2%, Germany 4.1% (2007)

Niue

New Zealand mainly, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, Australia, US (2006)

Norfolk Island

Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia,

Europe (2006)

Northern Mariana Islands

US, Japan (2006)

Norway

Sweden 14.7%, Germany 13.6%, UK 6.9%, Denmark 6.4%, China

6.1%, US 4.8%, Canada 4.3% (2007)

Oman

UAE 19.3%, Japan 17.6%, US 7.4%, Germany 5.2%, India 4.1% (2007)

Pakistan

China 16.2%, Saudi Arabia 10.9%, UAE 10.1%, US 5.7%, Kuwait

4.9%, Japan 4.4% (2007)

Palau

US, Singapore, Japan, South Korea (2006)

Panama

US 32.8%, Netherlands Antilles 7.6%, China 5.6%, Japan 5.1%,

Costa Rica 5.1%, South Korea 4.1% (2007)

Papua New Guinea

Australia 51.3%, Singapore 11.6%, China 7.9%, Japan

5.7% (2007)

Paraguay

Brazil 30.4%, US 22.8%, Argentina 14.4%, China 8.6% (2007)

Peru

US 20.5%, China 10.8%, Brazil 9%, Ecuador 6.1%, Argentina 5.6%,

Chile 5%, Colombia 4.8% (2007)

Philippines

US 14.1%, Japan 12.3%, Singapore 11.2%, Taiwan 7.3%,

China 7.2%, Saudi Arabia 6.4%, South Korea 5.9%, Malaysia 4.1%,

Thailand 4.1% (2007)

Poland

Germany 29%, Russia 8.7%, Italy 6.6%, Netherlands 5.7%,

France 5.1%, China 4.2% (2007)

Portugal

Spain 29.5%, Germany 12.9%, France 8.4%, Italy 5.2%,

Netherlands 4.6% (2007)

Puerto Rico

US 55.0%, Ireland 23.7%, Japan 5.4% (2006)

Qatar

US 13.3%, Italy 10.8%, Japan 8.9%, France 7.9%, Germany 7.3%,

UK 5.7%, South Korea 5.6%, UAE 5.1%, Saudi Arabia 4.3% (2007)

Romania

Germany 17.2%, Italy 12.8%, Hungary 6.9%, Russia 6.3%,

France 6.2%, Turkey 5.4%, Austria 4.8% (2007)

Russia

Germany 13.3%, China 12.2%, Ukraine 6.7%, Japan 6.4%, US

4.8%, Belarus 4.4%, South Korea 4.4%, Italy 4.3% (2007)

Rwanda

Kenya 19.6%, Uganda 6.9%, Germany 6.2%, Belgium 5.9%, China

5% (2007)

Saint Helena

UK 53.5%, South Africa 14.3%, Spain 10.3%, Tanzania

8.5%, US 4.6% (2006)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

US 47.7%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.3%, UK 5.6%

(2007)

Saint Lucia

Brazil 63.6%, US 10.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 8.2% (2007)

Saint Martin

US, Mexico (2006)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

France 51.3%, Canada 31.8%, Belgium 4.1%

(2006)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Singapore 15.9%, Trinidad and

Tobago 14.9%, Italy 13.3%, US 13%, China 5% (2007)

Samoa

NZ 22.1%, Fiji 17.2%, Singapore 16.1%, Australia 7.9%, Japan

6.8%, Indonesia 5.4%, US 5.3% (2007)

Sao Tome and Principe

Portugal 62.2%, US 11.6%, Gabon 4.5% (2007)

Saudi Arabia

US 12.6%, China 9.4%, Germany 8.8%, Japan 8.1%, Italy

5%, South Korea 4.9%, UK 4.5% (2007)

Senegal

France 22.2%, Netherlands 10%, China 7.4%, UK 6.2%, Thailand

5.2%, Belgium 4.5% (2007)

Seychelles

Saudi Arabia 17.6%, Germany 10.8%, France 8.1%, Spain

7.6%, South Africa 6.4%, Singapore 5.8% (2007)

Sierra Leone

Cote d'Ivoire 10%, China 10%, US 9.5%, UK 6.2%,

Netherlands 5.1%, India 4.7% (2007)

Singapore

Malaysia 13.1%, US 12.5%, China 12.1%, Japan 8.2%, Taiwan

5.9%, Indonesia 5.6%, South Korea 4.9% (2007)

Slovakia

Germany 22.1%, Czech Republic 17.3%, Russia 9.2%, Hungary

6.7%, Austria 5.1%, Poland 4.9%, South Korea 4.7% (2007)

Slovenia

Germany 18.1%, Italy 17.1%, Austria 11.7%, France 5%,

Croatia 4.6% (2007)

Solomon Islands

Singapore 28.2%, Australia 25.4%, Japan 4.6%, NZ

4.5%, Fiji 4% (2007)

Somalia

Djibouti 34.4%, India 9.1%, Kenya 9%, Oman 6%, UAE 5.6%,

Yemen 5.5% (2007)

South Africa

Germany 10.9%, China 10%, Spain 8.2%, US 7.2%, Japan

6.1%, UK 4.5%, Saudi Arabia 4.2% (2007)

Spain

Germany 15.7%, France 12.7%, Italy 8.4%, China 5.8%, UK 4.8%,

Netherlands 4.6% (2007)

Sri Lanka

India 23.1%, Singapore 9.9%, China 8.2%, Iran 7.5%, Hong

Kong 6.4% (2007)

Sudan

China 27.9%, Saudi Arabia 7.5%, India 6.3%, Egypt 5.6%, UAE

5.5%, Japan 4.2% (2007)

Suriname

US 27%, Netherlands 17.3%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.3%, China

5.9%, Japan 5.1% (2007)

Swaziland

South Africa 95.6%, EU 0.9%, Japan 0.9% (2006)

Sweden

Germany 18.4%, Denmark 9.2%, Norway 8.3%, UK 6.8%, Finland

6.1%, Netherlands 5.8%, France 5%, China 4.3%, Belgium 4.1% (2007)

Switzerland

Germany 32.6%, Italy 10.8%, France 9.5%, US 5.8%,

Netherlands 4.6%, Austria 4.2%, UK 4.2% (2007)

Syria

Saudi Arabia 12%, China 8.7%, Egypt 6.2%, Italy 6%, UAE 5.9%,

Ukraine 4.8%, Russia 4.8%, Germany 4.7%, Iran 4.3% (2007)

Taiwan

Japan 22.7%, US 13.3%, China 11.2%, South Korea 6.6%, Saudi

Arabia 4.8%, Singapore 4.6% (2007)

Tajikistan

Russia 32.1%, Kazakhstan 13.1%, China 10.8%, Uzbekistan

8.4% (2007)

Tanzania

China 12%, Kenya 8%, South Africa 7.7%, India 6.9%, UAE

5.9% (2007)

Thailand

Japan 20.3%, China 11.6%, US 6.8%, Malaysia 6.2%, UAE 4.9%,

Singapore 4.5%, Taiwan 4.1% (2007)

Togo

China 36.3%, Estonia 9.6%, US 7.6%, Netherlands 7.3%, France 7%

(2007)

Tokelau

New Zealand (2006)

Tonga

Fiji 32.5%, NZ 27.5%, US 9%, Australia 7.4%, China 5% (2007)

Trinidad and Tobago

US 28.2%, Brazil 11%, Venezuela 8.2%, Colombia

5.4%, Gabon 4.9%, China 4.2% (2007)

Tunisia

France 23.8%, Italy 21.9%, Germany 9.7%, Spain 5%, Libya

4.4% (2007)

Turkey

Russia 13.8%, Germany 10.3%, China 7.8%, Italy 5.9%, US 4.8%,

France 4.6% (2007)

Turkmenistan

UAE 14.3%, Russia 11.6%, Turkey 10.3%, China 9.1%,

Ukraine 8.7%, Iran 7%, Germany 6.5%, US 5.6% (2007)

Turks and Caicos Islands

US, UK (2006)

Tuvalu

Fiji 46.1%, Japan 18.9%, China 18.2%, Australia 7.7%, NZ 4.1%

(2006)

Uganda

Kenya 31.8%, China 7.8%, UAE 7.7%, South Africa 5.9%, India

5.2%, Japan 4.8% (2007)

Ukraine

Russia 23.9%, Germany 11.8%, China 8.5%, Poland 8.1%,

Turkmenistan 5.4% (2007)

United Arab Emirates

China 12.8%, India 10%, US 8.7%, Japan 6.1%,

Germany 5.9%, UK 5.3%, Italy 4.6% (2007)

United Kingdom

Germany 14.2%, US 8.6%, China 7.3%, Netherlands 7.3%,

France 6.9%, Belgium 4.7%, Norway 4.7%, Italy 4.2% (2007)

United States

China 16.9%, Canada 15.7%, Mexico 10.6%, Japan 7.4%,

Germany 4.8% (2007)

Uruguay

Brazil 19.1%, Argentina 17.9%, US 9.5%, China 9.1%, Paraguay

7.7%, Nigeria 4.7% (2007)

Uzbekistan

Russia 30.1%, China 13.3%, South Korea 13%, Germany 6.3%,

Kazakhstan 6.2%, Ukraine 4% (2007)

Vanuatu

Australia 20.7%, Singapore 11.8%, NZ 11.2%, Norway 8.5%, US

8.3%, Fiji 8.1%, China 7.2%, New Caledonia 4.5% (2007)

Venezuela

US 26.6%, Colombia 13.5%, Brazil 9.5%, China 6.7%, Mexico

5.2%, Panama 5% (2007)

Vietnam

China 19.9%, Singapore 12.1%, Taiwan 11%, Japan 9.9%, South

Korea 8.5%, Thailand 6% (2007)

Virgin Islands

US, Puerto Rico (2006)

Wallis and Futuna

France 97%, Australia 2%, NZ 1% (2006)

West Bank

Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2006)

Western Sahara

Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so

trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)

World

China 10.7%, Germany 9.23%, US 8.28%, Japan 5.14%, France

3.99% (2007)

Yemen

UAE 15.1%, China 11.6%, US 7.8%, Saudi Arabia 7.1%, Kuwait

5.3%, Germany 4.8% (2007)

Zambia

South Africa 47.4%, UAE 6.3%, China 6%, India 4.1%, UK 4%

(2007)

Zimbabwe

South Africa 50.7%, China 8.4%, US 4.5%, Botswana 4.3%

(2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2062 Economic aid - donor

Australia

ODA, $2.123 billion (2006)

Austria

ODA, $1.498 billion (2006)

Belgium

ODA, $1.978 billion (2006)

Canada

ODA, $3.9 billion (2007)

Cyprus

$25.9 million (2006)

Denmark

ODA, $2.236 billion (2006)

Finland

ODA, $1.023 billion (2007)

France

ODA, $10.6 billion (2006)

Germany

ODA, $10.44 billion (2006)

Greece

$424 million (2006)

Iceland

$6.7 million (2004)

Ireland

ODA, $1.022 billion (2006)

Italy

ODA, $3.641 billion (2006)

Japan

ODA, $11.19 billion (2006)

Korea, South

ODA, $455.3 million (2006)

Luxembourg

ODA, $291 million (2006)

Netherlands

ODA, $5.452 billion (2006)

New Zealand

ODA, $259 million (2006)

Norway

ODA, $2.954 billion (2006)

Portugal

ODA, $396 million (2006)

Saudi Arabia

since 2002, Saudi Arabia has provided more than $480

million in budgetary support to the Palestinian Authority, supported

Palestinian refugees through contributions to the UN Relief and

Works Agency (UNRWA), provided more than $250 million to Arab League

funds for the Palestinians, and pledged $500 million in assistance

over the next three years at the Donors Conference in Dec 2007;

pledged $230 million to development in Afghanistan; pledged $1

billion in export guarantees and soft loans to Iraq; pledged $133

million in direct grant aid, $187 million in concessional loans, and

$153 million in export credits for Pakistan earthquake relief;

pledged a total of $1.59 billion to Lebanon in assistance and

deposits to the Central Bank of Lebanon in 2006 and pledged an

additional $1.1 billion in early 2007

Spain

ODA, $3.814 billion (2006)

Sweden

ODA, $3.955 billion (2006)

Switzerland

ODA, $1.646 billion (2006)

United Arab Emirates

since its founding in 1971, the Abu Dhabi Fund

for Development has given about $5.2 billion in aid to 56 countries

(2004)

United Kingdom

ODA, $12.46 billion (2006)

United States

ODA, $23.53 billion (2006)

This page was last updated on 13 November 2008

======================================================================

@2063 Constitution

Afghanistan

new constitution drafted 14 December 2003-4 January

2004; signed 16 January 2004

Akrotiri

Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in

Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960, functions as a basic legal

document

Albania

adopted by popular referendum on 22 November 1998;

promulgated 28 November 1998

Algeria

8 September 1963; revised 19 November 1976, effective 22

November 1976; revised 3 November 1988, 23 February 1989, 28

November 1996, and 12 November 2008

American Samoa

ratified 2 June 1966, effective 1 July 1967

Andorra

Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in 1991,

approved by referendum 14 March 1993, effective 28 April 1993

Angola

adopted by People's Assembly 25 August 1992

Anguilla

Anguilla Constitutional Order 1 April 1982; amended 1990

Antigua and Barbuda

1 November 1981

Argentina

1 May 1853; amended many times starting in 1860

Armenia

adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995; amendments

adopted through a nationwide referendum 27 November 2005

Aruba

1 January 1986

Australia

9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901

Austria

1920; revised 1929; reinstated 1 May 1945; note - during the

period 1 May 1934-1 May 1945 there was a fascist (corporative)

constitution in place

Azerbaijan

adopted 12 November 1995

Bahamas, The

10 July 1973

Bahrain

adopted 14 February 2002

Bangladesh

4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended

following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended

many times

Barbados

30 November 1966

Belarus

15 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November

1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became

effective 27 November 1996; revised again 17 October 2004 removing

presidential term limits

Belgium

7 February 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993 to

create a federal state

Belize

21 September 1981

Benin

adopted by referendum 2 December 1990

Bermuda

8 June 1968; amended 1989 and 2003

Bhutan

ratified 23 July 2008

Bolivia

2 February 1967; revised in August 1994; possible referendum

on new constitution to be held in 2008

Bosnia and Herzegovina

the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995

in Paris, included a new constitution now in force; note - each of

the entities also has its own constitution

Botswana

March 1965, effective 30 September 1966

Brazil

5 October 1988

British Virgin Islands

13 June 2007

Brunei

29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended under a State of

Emergency since December 1962, others since independence on 1

January 1984)

Bulgaria

adopted 12 July 1991

Burkina Faso

2 June 1991 approved by referendum, 11 June 1991

formally adopted; last amended January 2002

Burma

30 May 2008

Burundi

28 February 2005; ratified by popular referendum

Cambodia

promulgated 21 September 1993

Cameroon

20 May 1972 approved by referendum, adopted 2 June 1972;

revised January 1996

Canada

made up of unwritten and written acts, customs, judicial

decisions, and traditions; the written part of the constitution

consists of the Constitution Act of 29 March 1867, which created a

federation of four provinces, and the Constitution Act of 17 April

1982, which transferred formal control over the constitution from

Britain to Canada, and added a Canadian Charter of Rights and

Freedoms as well as procedures for constitutional amendments

Cape Verde

25 September 1992; a major revision on 23 November 1995

substantially increased the powers of the president; a 1999 revision

created the position of national ombudsman (Provedor de Justica)

Cayman Islands

1959; revised 1962, 1972, and 1994

Central African Republic

ratified by popular referendum 5 December

2004; effective 27 December 2004

Chad

passed by referendum 31 March 1996; a June 2005 referendum

removed constitutional term limits

Chile

11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 1989,

1991, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2005

China

most recent promulgation 4 December 1982

Christmas Island

Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as

amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23

November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992

Colombia

5 July 1991; amended many times

Comoros

23 December 2001

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

18 February 2006

Congo, Republic of the

approved by referendum 20 January 2002

Cook Islands

4 August 1965

Costa Rica

7 November 1949

Cote d'Ivoire

approved by referendum 23 July 2000

Croatia

adopted on 22 December 1990; revised 2000, 2001

Cuba

24 February 1976; amended July 1992 and June 2002

Cyprus

16 August 1960

note: from December 1963, the Turkish Cypriots no longer

participated in the government; negotiations to create the basis for

a new or revised constitution to govern the island and for better

relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held

intermittently since the mid-1960s; in 1975, following the 1974

Turkish intervention, Turkish Cypriots created their own

constitution and governing bodies within the "Turkish Federated

State of Cyprus," which became the "Turkish Republic of Northern

Cyprus (TRNC)" when the Turkish Cypriots declared their independence

in 1983; a new constitution for the "TRNC" passed by referendum on 5

May 1985, although the "TRNC" remains unrecognized by any country

other than Turkey

Czech Republic

ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993

Denmark

5 June 1953 constitution allowed for a unicameral

legislature and a female chief of state

Dhekelia

Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in

Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960, functions as a basic legal

document

Djibouti

multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September

1992

Dominica

3 November 1978

Dominican Republic

28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002

Ecuador

10 August 1998

Egypt

11 September 1971; amended 22 May 1980, 25 May 2005, and 26

March 2007

El Salvador

20 December 1983

Equatorial Guinea

approved by national referendum 17 November 1991;

amended January 1995

Eritrea

a transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was

replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet

implemented

Estonia

adopted 28 June 1992

Ethiopia

ratified 8 December 1994, effective 22 August 1995

European Union

based on a series of treaties: the Treaty of Paris,

which set up the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951;

the Treaties of Rome, which set up the European Economic Community

(EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in 1957;

the Single European Act in 1986; the Treaty on European Union

(Maastricht) in 1992; the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997; and the

Treaty of Nice in 2003; note - a new draft Constitutional Treaty,

signed on 29 October 2004 in Rome, gave member states two years for

ratification either by parliamentary vote or national referendum

before it was scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006; defeat in

French and Dutch referenda in May-June 2005 dealt a severe setback

to the ratification process; in June 2007, the European Council

agreed on a clear and concise mandate for an Intergovernmental

Conference to form a political agreement and put it into legal form;

this agreement, known as the Reform Treaty, would have served as a

constitution and was presented to the European Council in October

2007 for individual country ratification; it was rejected by Irish

voters in June 2008, again stalling the ratification process

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998

Faroe Islands

5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)

Fiji

enacted on 25 July 1997 to encourage multiculturalism and make

multiparty government mandatory; effective 28 July 1998

Finland

1 March 2000

France

adopted by referendum 28 September 1958, effective 4 October

1958

note: amended concerning election of president in 1962; amended to

comply with provisions of 1992 EC Maastricht Treaty, 1997 Amsterdam

Treaty, 2003 Treaty of Nice; amended to tighten immigration laws in

1993; amended in 2000 to change the seven-year presidential term to

a five-year term; amended in 2005 to make the EU constitutional

treaty compatible with the Constitution of France and to ensure that

the decision to ratify EU accession treaties would be made by

referendum

French Polynesia

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Gabon

adopted 14 March 1991

Gambia, The

approved by national referendum 8 August 1996; effective

16 January 1997

Georgia

adopted 24 August 1995

Germany

23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the

united Germany 3 October 1990

Ghana

approved 28 April 1992

Gibraltar

5 June 2006; came into force 2 January 2007

Greece

11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001

Greenland

5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)

Grenada

19 December 1973

Guam

Organic Act of Guam, 1 August 1950

Guatemala

31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; note - suspended

25 May 1993 by former President Jorge SERRANO; reinstated 5 June

1993 following ouster of president; amended November 1993

Guernsey

unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Guinea

23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale)

Guinea-Bissau

16 May 1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26

February 1993, 9 June 1993, and in 1996

Guyana

6 October 1980

Haiti

approved March 1987; suspended June 1988 with most articles

reinstated March 1989; constitutional government ousted in a

military coup in September 1991, although in October 1991, military

government claimed to be observing the constitution; returned to

constitutional rule in October 1994; constitution, while technically

in force between 2004-2006, was not enforced; returned to

constitutional rule in May 2006

Holy See (Vatican City)

new Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN

PAUL II on 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaces

the first Fundamental Law of 1929)

Honduras

11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended many

times

Hong Kong

Basic Law, approved in March 1990 by China's National

People's Congress, is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution"

Hungary

18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949; revised 19 April

1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals

and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and

also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997

amendment streamlined the judicial system

Iceland

16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944; amended many times

India

26 January 1950; amended many times

Indonesia

August 1945; abrogated by Federal Constitution of 1949 and

Provisional Constitution of 1950, restored 5 July 1959; series of

amendments concluded in 2002

Iran

2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the

presidency and eliminate the prime ministership

Iraq

ratified on 15 October 2005 (subject to review by the

Constitutional Review Committee and a possible public referendum )

Ireland

adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite; effective 29 December 1937

Isle of Man

unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of

1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution

Israel

no formal constitution; some of the functions of a

constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948),

the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli

citizenship law; note - since May 2003 the Constitution, Law, and

Justice Committee of the Knesset has been working on a draft

constitution

Italy

passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended

many times

Jamaica

6 August 1962

Japan

3 May 1947

Jersey

unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Jordan

1 January 1952; amended many times

Kazakhstan

first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January

1993; new constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995

Kenya

12 December 1963; amended as a republic 1964; reissued with

amendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001; note - a

new draft constitution was defeated by popular referendum in 2005

Kiribati

12 July 1979

Korea, North

adopted 1948; completely revised 27 December 1972,

revised again in April 1992, and September 1998

Korea, South

17 July 1948; note - amended or rewritten nine times;

current constitution approved on 29 October 1987

Kosovo

ratified 9 April 2008; effective 15 June 2008

Kuwait

approved and promulgated 11 November 1962

Kyrgyzstan

adopted 5 May 1993; note - amendment proposed by

President Askar AKAYEV and passed in a national referendum on 2

February 2003 significantly expanded the powers of the president at

the expense of the legislature; during large-scale demonstrations in

November 2006, President BAKIEV and the opposition negotiated a new

constitution granting greater powers to the parliament and the

government; amendments added on 30 December 2006 redistributed some

power back to the president, but both November and December 2006

versions were annulled in September 2007, and a new version was

approved by referendum on 21 October 2007; the BAKIEV-initiated

referendum was criticized by Western observers for voting

irregularities, particularly ballot stuffing

Laos

promulgated 14 August 1991

Latvia

15 February 1922; restored to force by the Constitutional Law

of the Republic of Latvia adopted by the Supreme Council on 21

August 1991; multiple amendments since

Lebanon

23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently

Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of

October 1989

Lesotho

2 April 1993

Liberia

6 January 1986

Libya

none; note - following the September 1969 military overthrow

of the Libyan government, the Revolutionary Command Council replaced

the existing constitution with the Constitutional Proclamation in

December 1969; in March 1977, Libya adopted the Declaration of the

Establishment of the People's Authority

Liechtenstein

5 October 1921

Lithuania

adopted 25 October 1992

Luxembourg

17 October 1868; occasional revisions

Macau

Basic Law, approved on 31 March 1993 by China's National

People's Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution"

Macedonia

adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991;

amended November 2001 by a series of new constitutional amendments

strengthening minority rights and in 2005 with amendments related to

the judiciary

Madagascar

19 August 1992 by national referendum

Malawi

18 May 1994

Malaysia

31 August 1957 (amended many times, latest in 2007)

Maldives

new constitution ratified 7 August 2008

Mali

adopted 12 January 1992

Malta

1964 constitution; amended many times

Marshall Islands

1 May 1979

Mauritania

12 July 1991

Mauritius

12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992

Mayotte

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Mexico

5 February 1917

Micronesia, Federated States of

10 May 1979

Moldova

new constitution adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August

1994; replaced old Soviet constitution of 1979

Monaco

17 December 1962

Mongolia

12 February 1992

Montenegro

19 October 2007 (approved by the Assembly)

Montserrat

effective 19 December 1989

Morocco

10 March 1972; revised 4 September 1992, amended (to create

bicameral legislature) September 1996

Mozambique

30 November 1990

Namibia

ratified 9 February 1990, effective 12 March 1990

Nauru

29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968 (Constitution Day)

Nepal

9 November 1990; note - a new interim constitution was

promulgated in January 2007; the November 2006 peace agreement calls

for the election of a Constituent Assembly to draft a new permanent

constitution

Netherlands

adopted 1815; amended many times, most recently in 2002

Netherlands Antilles

29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the

Netherlands, as amended

New Caledonia

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

New Zealand

consists of a series of legal documents, including

certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, as well as The

Constitution Act 1986, which is the principal formal charter;

adopted 1 January 1987, effective 1 January 1987

Nicaragua

9 January 1987; reforms in 1995, 2000, and 2005

Niger

new constitution adopted 18 July 1999

Nigeria

new constitution adopted 5 May 1999; effective 29 May 1999

Niue

19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act)

Norfolk Island

Norfolk Island Act of 1979, as amended in 2005

Northern Mariana Islands

Constitution of the Commonwealth of the

Northern Mariana Islands effective 1 January 1978; Covenant

Agreement fully effective 4 November 1986

Norway

17 May 1814; amended many times

Oman

none; note - on 6 November 1996, Sultan QABOOS issued a royal

decree promulgating a basic law considered by the government to be a

constitution which, among other things, clarifies the royal

succession, provides for a prime minister, bars ministers from

holding interests in companies doing business with the government,

establishes a bicameral legislature, and guarantees basic civil

liberties for Omani citizens

Pakistan

12 April 1973; suspended 5 July 1977, restored 30 December

1985; suspended 15 October 1999, restored in stages in 2002; amended

31 December 2003; suspended 3 November 2007; restored on 15 December

2007

Palau

1 January 1981

Panama

11 October 1972; major reforms adopted 1978, 1983, 1994, and

2004

Papua New Guinea

16 September 1975

Paraguay

promulgated 20 June 1992

Peru

29 December 1993

Philippines

2 February 1987, effective 11 February 1987

Pitcairn Islands

30 November 1838; reformed 1904 with additional

reforms in 1940; further refined by the Local Government Ordinance

of 1964

Poland

adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997; passed by

national referendum 25 May 1997; effective 17 October 1997

Portugal

adopted 2 April 1976; note - subsequent revisions of the

Constitution placed the military under strict civilian control,

trimmed the powers of the president, and laid the groundwork for a

stable, pluralistic liberal democracy; as well, they allowed for the

privatization of nationalized firms and the government-owned

communications media

Puerto Rico

ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July

1952; effective 25 July 1952

Qatar

ratified by public referendum on 29 April 2003, endorsed by

the Amir on 8 June 2004, effective on 9 June 2005

Romania

8 December 1991; revision effective 29 October 2003

Russia

adopted 12 December 1993

Rwanda

new constitution passed by referendum 26 May 2003

Saint Barthelemy

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Saint Helena

1 January 1989

Saint Kitts and Nevis

19 September 1983

Saint Lucia

22 February 1979

Saint Martin

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

27 October 1979

Samoa

1 January 1962

San Marino

8 October 1600; electoral law of 1926 serves some of the

functions of a constitution

Sao Tome and Principe

approved March 1990, effective 10 September

1990

Saudi Arabia

governed according to Islamic law; the Basic Law that

articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was

promulgated by royal decree in 1992

Senegal

adopted 7 January 2001

Serbia

adopted 8 November 2006; effective 10 November 2006

Seychelles

18 June 1993

Sierra Leone

1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times

Singapore

3 June 1959; amended 1965 (based on preindependence State

of Singapore Constitution)

Slovakia

ratified 1 September 1992, effective 1 January 1993;

changed in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president;

amended February 2001 to allow Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU

membership

Slovenia

adopted 23 December 1991

Solomon Islands

7 July 1978

Somalia

25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979

note: the formation of transitional governing institutions, known as

the Transitional Federal Government, is currently ongoing

South Africa

10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified

by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then

President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 4

February 1997

Spain

approved by legislature 31 October 1978; passed by referendum

6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978

Sri Lanka

adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978

Sudan

constitution implemented on 30 June 1998, partially suspended

12 December 1999 by President BASHIR; under the CPA, Interim

National Constitution ratified 5 July 2005; Constitution of Southern

Sudan signed December 2005

Suriname

ratified 30 September 1987; effective 30 October 1987

Swaziland

signed by the King in July 2005 went into effect on 8

February 2006

Sweden

1 January 1975

Switzerland

revision of Constitution of 1874 approved by the Federal

Parliament 18 December 1998, adopted by referendum 18 April 1999,

officially entered into force 1 January 2000

Syria

13 March 1973

Taiwan

25 December 1947; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000,

2005

note: constitution adopted on 25 December 1946; went into effect on

25 December 1947

Tajikistan

6 November 1994

Tanzania

25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984

Thailand

constitution signed by King PHUMIPHON (BHUMIBOL) on 24

August 2007

Timor-Leste

22 March 2002 (based on the Portuguese model)

Togo

multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the

Republic 1 July 1992, adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992

Tokelau

administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948; amended

in 1970

Tonga

4 November 1875; revised 1 January 1967

Trinidad and Tobago

1 August 1976

Tunisia

1 June 1959; amended 1988, 2002

Turkey

7 November 1982

Turkmenistan

adopted 18 May 1992

Turks and Caicos Islands

Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order

2006 (effective 9 August 2006)

Tuvalu

1 October 1978

Uganda

8 October 1995; in 2005 the constitution was amended removing

presidential term limits and legalizing a multiparty political system

Ukraine

adopted 28 June 1996

United Arab Emirates

2 December 1971; made permanent in 1996

United Kingdom

unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and

practice

United States

17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789

Uruguay

27 November 1966, effective 15 February 1967; suspended 27

June 1973, new constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980;

two constitutional reforms approved by plebiscite 26 November 1989

and 7 January 1997

Uzbekistan

adopted 8 December 1992

Vanuatu

30 July 1980

Venezuela

30 December 1999

Vietnam

15 April 1992

Virgin Islands

Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954

Wallis and Futuna

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

Yemen

16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001

Zambia

24 August 1991; amended in 1996 to establish presidential

term limits

Zimbabwe

21 December 1979

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2064 Economic aid - recipient

Afghanistan $2.775 billion (2005)

Albania ODA: $318.7 million note: top donors were Italy, EU, Germany (2005 est.)

Algeria

$370.6 million (2005 est.)

American Samoa

important financial support from the US, more than

$40 million in 1994

Andorra

$0

Angola

$441.8 million (2005)

Anguilla

$9 million (2004 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

$7.23 million (2005)

Argentina

$99.66 million (2005)

Armenia

ODA, $180 million (2007)

Aruba

$11.3 million (2004)

Azerbaijan

ODA, $223.4 million (2005 est.)

Bahamas, The

$4.78 million (2004)

Bahrain

$103.9 million (2004)

Bangladesh

$1.321 billion (2005)

Barbados

$2.07 million (2005)

Belarus

$53.76 million (2005)

Belize

$12.91 million (2005)

Benin

$374.7 million (2006)

Bermuda

$90,000 (2004)

Bhutan

$941.2 million; note - substantial aid from India (2006)

Bolivia

$582.9 million (2005 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

$546.1 million (2005 est.)

Botswana

$70.89 million (2005)

Brazil

$191.9 million (2005)

British Virgin Islands

$NA

Brunei

$770,000 (2004)

Bulgaria

$742 million (2005-06 est.)

Burkina Faso

$659.6 million (2005)

Burma

$144.7 million (2005 est.)

Burundi

$365 million (2005)

Cambodia

$698.2 million pledged in grants and concession loans for

2007 by international donors (2007)

Cameroon

$413.8 million (2005)

Cape Verde

$160.6 million (2005)

Cayman Islands

$390,000 (2004)

Central African Republic

ODA, $95.29 million; note - traditional

budget subsidies from France (2005 est.)

Chad

ODA, $379.8 million (2005)

Chile

$0 (2006)

China

$1.641 billion (FY07)

Christmas Island

$NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

$NA

Colombia

$511.1 million (2005)

Comoros

$25.23 million (2005 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

$1.828 billion (2005)

Congo, Republic of the

$1.449 billion (2005)

Cook Islands

$13.1 million; note - New Zealand continues to furnish

the greater part (1995)

Costa Rica

$29.51 million (2005)

Cote d'Ivoire

ODA, $60 million (2007 est.)

Croatia

ODA, $125.4 million (2005)

Cuba

$87.8 million (2005 est.)

Cyprus

$15 million (2006)

Czech Republic

$278.7 million in available EU structural adjustment

and cohesion funds (2004)

Djibouti

$78.6 million (2005)

Dominica

$15.17 million (2005 est.)

Dominican Republic

$76.99 million (2005)

Ecuador

$209.5 million (2005)

Egypt

ODA, $925.9 million (2005)

El Salvador

$267.6 million of which $55 million from US (2005)

Equatorial Guinea

$39 million (2005)

Eritrea

$355.2 million (2005)

Estonia

$135.5 million (2004)

Ethiopia

$1.6 billion (FY05/06)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

$0 (1997 est.)

Faroe Islands

$105 million; note - annual subsidy from Denmark (2005)

Fiji

$63.96 million (2005)

French Polynesia

$579.8 million (2004)

Gabon

$53.87 million (2005)

Gambia, The

$58.15 million (2005)

Gaza Strip

$1.4 billion; (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)

Georgia

ODA, $309.8 million (2005 est.)

Ghana

$1.316 billion in loans and grants (2007)

Gibraltar

$NA

Greece

$8 billion annually from EU (2000-06); Greece will receive

about $3.8 billion per year between 2007-13 under the EU's Community

Support Funds IV

Greenland

$512 million; note - subsidy from Denmark (2005)

Grenada

$44.87 million (2005)

Guam

Guam receives large transfer payments from the US Federal

Treasury into which Guamanians pay no income or excise taxes; under

the provisions of a special law of Congress, the Guam Treasury,

rather than the US Treasury, receives federal income taxes paid by

military and civilian Federal employees stationed in Guam (2001 est.)

Guatemala

$253.6 million (2005 est.)

Guernsey

$NA

Guinea

$182.1 million (2005)

Guinea-Bissau

$79.12 million (2005)

Guyana

$136.8 million (2005)

Haiti

$515 million (2005 est.)

Honduras

$680.8 million (2005)

Hong Kong

$6.95 million (2004)

Hungary

$302.6 million (2004)

India

$1.724 billion (2005)

Indonesia

ODA, $2.524 billion (2006 est.)

note: Indonesia ended 2006 with $67 billion in official foreign debt

(about 25% of GDP), with Japan ($25 billion), the World Bank ($8.5

billion) and the Asian Development Bank ($8.4 billion) as the

largest creditors; about $6 billion in grant assistance was pledged

to rebuild Aceh after the December 2004 tsunami; President YUDHOYONO

disbanded the Consultative Group on Indonesia (CGI) donor forum in

January 2007

Iran

$104 million (2005 est.)

Iraq

$21.65 billion (2005)

Isle of Man

$NA

Israel

$240 million from US (FY06)

Jamaica

$35.74 million (2005)

Jordan

ODA, $752 million (2005 est.)

Kazakhstan

$229.2 million (2005)

Kenya

$768.3 million (2005)

Kiribati

$27.84 million largely from UK and Japan (2005)

Korea, North

$372 million

note: approximately 65,000 metric tons in food aid through the World

Food Program appeals in 2007, plus additional aid from bilateral

donors and non-governmental organizations (2007 est.)

Korea, South

$68.07 million (2004)

Kosovo

$324 million (2007)

Kuwait

$2.6 million (2004)

Kyrgyzstan

$268.5 million from the US (2005)

Laos

$379 million (2006 est.)

Latvia

$162 million (2004)

Lebanon

of the $7.6 billion in grants and loans pledged to Lebanon

at the Paris III conference in January 2007, Beirut as of

mid-December 2007 had signed agreements for $3 billion, including $1

billion in project financing, $750 million in direct budget support,

$750 million in private sector credit, and $285 million in in-kind

aid; about $500 million of the $1.7 billion pledged for direct

budget support has been disbursed to Lebanon; donors in August 2006

also pledged nearly $1.8 billion in aid to help Lebanon recover from

the 2006 Israel-Hizballah war; during the conflict, Saudi Arabia and

Kuwait provided $1.5 billion in concessional loans to the Lebanese

central bank to maintain confidence in the Lebanese currency. (2005)

Lesotho

$68.82 million (2005)

Liberia

$236.2 million (2005)

Libya

ODA, $24.44 million (2005 est.)

Lithuania

$249.7 million (2004)

Macau

$13.7 million (2004)

Macedonia

$230.3 million (2005)

Madagascar

$929.2 million (2005)

Malawi

$575.3 million (2005)

Malaysia

$31.6 million (2005)

Maldives

$66.83 million (2005)

Mali

$691.5 million (2005)

Malta

$6.19 million (2004)

Marshall Islands

$56.56 million (2005)

Mauritania

$190.4 million (2005)

Mauritius

$31.93 million (2005)

Mayotte

$201.3 million; note - extensive French financial assistance

(2005)

Mexico

$189.4 million (2005)

Micronesia, Federated States of

$106.4 million (2005)

Moldova

$191.8 million (2005)

Monaco

$NA

Mongolia

$159.5 million (2006)

Montenegro

$NA

Montserrat

Country Policy Plan (2001) is a three-year program for

spending $122.8 million in British budgetary assistance (2002 est.)

Morocco

ODA, $651.8 million (2005)

Mozambique

$1.286 billion (2005)

Namibia

ODA, $123.4 million (2005 est.)

Nauru

$20 million mostly from Australia (2005)

Nepal

$427.9 million (2005)

Netherlands Antilles

$21.32 million (2004)

New Caledonia

$524.3 million annual subsidy from France (2004)

Nicaragua

$471 million (2006 est.)

Niger

$515.4 million (2005)

Nigeria

$6.437 billion (2005)

Niue

$2.6 million from New Zealand (2002)

Norfolk Island

$NA

Northern Mariana Islands

extensive funding from US

Oman

$30.68 million (2005)

Pakistan

$1.666 billion (2005)

Palau

$23.46 million (2005)

Panama

$19.54 million (2005)

Papua New Guinea

$266.1 million (2005)

Paraguay

$51.09 million (2005)

Peru

$397.8 million (2005)

Philippines

ODA, $451.4 million in commitments (2006)

Pitcairn Islands

$3.465 million (2004)

Poland

$1.524 billion in available EU structural adjustment and

cohesion funds (2004)

Puerto Rico

$NA

Qatar

$2.18 million (2004)

Romania

$914.3 million (2004)

Russia

$982.7 million in FY06 from US, including $847 million in

non-proliferation subsidies

Rwanda

$576 million (2005)

Saint Helena

$29.56 million obtained in a grant from the United

Kingdom (FY06/07)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

$3.52 million (2005)

Saint Lucia

$11.06 million (2005)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

approximately $60 million in annual grants

from France

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

$4.89 million (1995); note - EU

$34.5 million (2005)

Samoa

$43.95 million (2005)

San Marino

$NA

Sao Tome and Principe

$31.9 million in December 2000 under the

Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) program (2005)

Saudi Arabia

$26.29 million (2005)

Senegal

$477 million (2007 est.)

Serbia

$2 billion pledged in 2001 to Serbia and Montenegro

(disbursements to follow over several years; some aid pledged by EU

and US has been placed on hold because of lack of cooperation by

Serbia in handing over General Ratko MLADIC to the criminal court in

The Hague)

Seychelles

$18.81 million (2005)

Sierra Leone

$343.4 million (2005 est.)

Singapore

$0 (2007)

Slovakia

$235 million in available EU structural adjustment and

cohesion funds (2004)

Slovenia

ODA, $484 million (2004-06)

Solomon Islands

$198.2 million annually, mainly from Australia (2005

est.)

Somalia

$236.4 million (2005 est.)

South Africa

$700 million (2005)

Sri Lanka

$1.189 billion (2005)

Sudan

$1.829 billion (2005)

Suriname

$43.97 million (2005)

Svalbard

$8.2 million from Norway (1998)

Swaziland

$46.03 million (2005)

Syria

$213 million (2008 est.)

Tajikistan

$241.4 million from US (2005)

Tanzania

$1.505 billion (2005)

Thailand

$171.1 million (2005)

Timor-Leste

$184.7 million (2005 est.)

Togo

ODA, $86.71 million (2005 est.)

Tonga

$31.75 million (2005)

Trinidad and Tobago

$200,000 (2007 est.)

Tunisia

$376.5 million (2005)

Turkey

ODA, $464 million (2005)

Turkmenistan

$28.25 million from the US (2005)

Turks and Caicos Islands

$4.1 million (1997)

Tuvalu $10.49 million note: includes distributions from the Tuvalu Trust Fund (2006)

Uganda

$1.198 billion (2005)

Ukraine

$409.6 million (1995); IMF Extended Funds Facility $2.2

billion (2005)

United Arab Emirates

$5.36 million (2004)

Uruguay

$14.62 million (2005)

Uzbekistan

$172.3 million from the US (2005)

Vanuatu

$39.48 million (2005)

Venezuela

$48.66 million (2005)

Vietnam

$5.4 billion in credits and grants pledged by the 2007

Consultative Group meeting in Hanoi (2007)

Virgin Islands

$NA

Wallis and Futuna

assistance from France, $NA

West Bank

$1.4 billion; (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)

Western Sahara

$NA

World

ODA, $106.4 billion (2005)

Yemen

$2.3 billion (2003-07 disbursements)

Zambia

$504 million (2007)

Zimbabwe

$367.7 million (2005 est.)

This page was last updated on 13 November 2008

======================================================================

@2065 Currency (code)

Afghanistan

afghani (AFA)

Akrotiri

euro (EUR) adopted 1 January 2008; note - the Cypriot pound

(CYP) formerly used

Albania

lek (ALL)

note: the plural of lek is leke

Algeria

Algerian dinar (DZD)

American Samoa

US dollar (USD)

Andorra

euro (EUR)

Angola

kwanza (AOA)

Anguilla

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Antigua and Barbuda

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Argentina

Argentine peso (ARS)

Armenia

dram (AMD)

Aruba

Aruban guilder/florin (AWG)

Australia

Australian dollar (AUD)

Austria

euro (EUR)

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani manat (AZN)

Bahamas, The

Bahamian dollar (BSD)

Bahrain

Bahraini dinar (BHD)

Bangladesh

taka (BDT)

Barbados

Barbadian dollar (BBD)

Belarus

Belarusian ruble (BYB/BYR)

Belgium

euro (EUR)

Belize

Belizean dollar (BZD)

Benin

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note -

responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Bermuda

Bermudian dollar (BMD)

Bhutan

ngultrum (BTN); Indian rupee (INR)

Bolivia

boliviano (BOB)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

konvertibilna marka (convertible mark) (BAM)

Botswana

pula (BWP)

Brazil

real (BRL)

British Indian Ocean Territory

US Dollar (USD)

British Virgin Islands

US dollar (USD)

Brunei

Bruneian dollar (BND)

Bulgaria

lev (BGN)

Burkina Faso

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note -

responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Burma

kyat (MMK)

Burundi

Burundi franc (BIF)

Cambodia

riel (KHR)

Cameroon

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note -

responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States

Canada

Canadian dollar (CAD)

Cape Verde

Cape Verdean escudo (CVE)

Cayman Islands

Caymanian dollar (KYD)

Central African Republic

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc

(XAF); note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central

African States

Chad

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note - responsible

authority is the Bank of the Central African States

Chile

Chilean peso (CLP)

China

Renminbi (RMB); note - also referred to by the unit yuan (CNY)

Christmas Island

Australian dollar (AUD)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Australian dollar (AUD)

Colombia

Colombian peso (COP)

Comoros

Comoran franc (KMF)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Congolese franc (CDF)

Congo, Republic of the

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF);

note - responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African

States

Cook Islands

NZ dollar (NZD)

Costa Rica

Costa Rican colon (CRC)

Cote d'Ivoire

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note -

responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Croatia

kuna (HRK)

Cuba

Cuban peso (CUP) and Convertible peso (CUC)

Cyprus

Cypriot pound (CYP); euro (EUR) after 1 January 2008

Czech Republic

Czech koruna (CZK)

Denmark

Danish krone (DKK)

Dhekelia

euro (EUR) adopted 1 January 2008; note - the Cypriot pound

(CYP) formerly used

Djibouti

Djiboutian franc (DJF)

Dominica

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Dominican Republic

Dominican peso (DOP)

Ecuador

US dollar (USD)

Egypt

Egyptian pound (EGP)

El Salvador

US dollar (USD)

Equatorial Guinea

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note

- responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States

Eritrea

nakfa (ERN)

Estonia

Estonian kroon (EEK)

Ethiopia

birr (ETB)

European Union

euro, British pound, Bulgarian lev, Czech koruna,

Danish krone, Estonian kroon, Hungarian forint, Latvian lat,

Lithuanian litas, Polish zloty, Romanian leu, Slovak koruna, Swedish

krona

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Falkland pound (FKP)

Faroe Islands

Danish krone (DKK)

Fiji

Fijian dollar (FJD)

Finland

euro (EUR)

France

euro (EUR)

French Polynesia

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF)

Gabon

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XAF); note -

responsible authority is the Bank of the Central African States

Gambia, The

dalasi (GMD)

Gaza Strip

new Israeli shekel (ILS)

Georgia

lari (GEL)

Germany

euro (EUR)

Ghana

Ghana cedi (GHC)

Gibraltar

Gibraltar pound (GIP)

Greece

euro (EUR)

Greenland

Danish krone (DKK)

Grenada

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Guam

US dollar (USD)

Guatemala

quetzal (GTQ), US dollar (USD), others allowed

Guernsey

Guernsey pound

note: the British pound is also legal tender

Guinea

Guinean franc (GNF)

Guinea-Bissau

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note -

responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Guyana

Guyanese dollar (GYD)

Haiti

gourde (HTG)

Holy See (Vatican City)

euro (EUR)

Honduras

lempira (HNL)

Hong Kong

Hong Kong dollar (HKD)

Hungary

forint (HUF)

Iceland

Icelandic krona (ISK)

India

Indian rupee (INR)

Indonesia

Indonesian rupiah (IDR)

Iran

Iranian rial (IRR)

Iraq

New Iraqi dinar (NID) as of 22 January 2004

Ireland

euro (EUR)

Isle of Man

Isle of Man pound (IMP), also known as the Manx pound

note: the British pound is also legal tender, but change is given in

IMP

Israel

new Israeli shekel (ILS); note - NIS is the currency

abbreviation; ILS is the International Organization for

Standardization (ISO) code for the NIS

Italy

euro (EUR)

Jamaica

Jamaican dollar (JMD)

Japan

yen (JPY)

Jersey

Jersey pound

note: the British pound is also legal tender

Jordan

Jordanian dinar (JOD)

Kazakhstan

tenge (KZT)

Kenya

Kenyan shilling (KES)

Kiribati

Australian dollar (AUD)

Korea, North

North Korean won (KPW)

Korea, South

South Korean won (KRW)

Kosovo

euro (EUR); Serbian Dinar (RSD) is also in circulation

Kuwait

Kuwaiti dinar (KD)

Kyrgyzstan

som (KGS)

Laos

kip (LAK)

Latvia

lat (LVL)

Lebanon

Lebanese pound (LBP)

Lesotho

loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR)

Liberia

Liberian dollar (LRD)

Libya

Libyan dinar (LYD)

Liechtenstein

Swiss franc (CHF)

Lithuania

litas (LTL)

Luxembourg

euro (EUR)

Macau

pataca (MOP)

Macedonia

Macedonian denar (MKD)

Madagascar

ariary (MGA)

Malawi

Malawian kwacha (MWK)

Malaysia

ringgit (MYR)

Maldives

rufiyaa (MVR)

Mali

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible

authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Malta

euro (EUR) as of 1 January 2008; Maltese lira (MTL) before then

Marshall Islands

US dollar (USD)

Mauritania

ouguiya (MRO)

Mauritius

Mauritian rupee (MUR)

Mayotte

euro (EUR)

Mexico

Mexican peso (MXN)

Micronesia, Federated States of

US dollar (USD)

Moldova

Moldovan leu (MDL)

Monaco

euro (EUR)

Mongolia

togrog/tugrik (MNT)

Montenegro

euro (EUR)

Montserrat

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Morocco

Moroccan dirham (MAD)

Mozambique

metical (MZM)

Namibia

Namibian dollar (NAD); South African rand (ZAR)

Nauru

Australian dollar (AUD)

Nepal

Nepalese rupee (NPR)

Netherlands

euro (EUR)

Netherlands Antilles

Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG)

New Caledonia

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF)

New Zealand

New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Nicaragua

gold cordoba (NIO)

Niger

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note -

responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Nigeria

naira (NGN)

Niue

New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Norfolk Island

Australian dollar (AUD)

Northern Mariana Islands

US dollar (USD)

Norway

Norwegian krone (NOK)

Oman

Omani rial (OMR)

Pakistan

Pakistani rupee (PKR)

Palau

US dollar (USD)

Panama

balboa (PAB); US dollar (USD)

Papua New Guinea

kina (PGK)

Paraguay

guarani (PYG)

Peru

nuevo sol (PEN)

Philippines

Philippine peso (PHP)

Pitcairn Islands

New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Poland

zloty (PLN)

Portugal

euro (EUR)

Puerto Rico

US dollar (USD)

Qatar

Qatari rial (QAR)

Romania

"new" leu (RON) was introduced in 2005; "old" leu (ROL) was

phased out in 2006; note - because of currency revaluation, 10,000

ROL = 1 RON

Russia

Russian ruble (RUB)

Rwanda

Rwandan franc (RWF)

Saint Barthelemy

euro (EUR); note - US dollar (USD) widely used

Saint Helena

Saint Helenian pound (SHP)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Saint Lucia

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Saint Martin

euro (EUR); note - US dollar (USD) widely used

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

euro (EUR)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Samoa

tala (SAT)

San Marino

euro (EUR)

Sao Tome and Principe

dobra (STD)

Saudi Arabia

Saudi riyal (SAR)

Senegal

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note -

responsible authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Serbia

Serbian dinar (RSD)

Seychelles

Seychelles rupee (SCR)

Sierra Leone

leone (SLL)

Singapore

Singapore dollar (SGD)

Slovakia

Slovak koruna (SKK)

Slovenia

euro (EUR)

note: on 1 January 2007, the euro became Slovenia's currency; both

the tolar and the euro were in circulation from 1 January until 15

January 2007

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands dollar (SBD)

Somalia

Somali shilling (SOS)

South Africa

rand (ZAR)

Spain

euro (EUR)

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)

Sudan

Sudanese pounds (SDG)

Suriname

Surinam dollar (SRD)

Svalbard

Norwegian krone (NOK)

Swaziland

lilangeni (SZL)

Sweden

Swedish krona (SEK)

Switzerland

Swiss franc (CHF)

Syria

Syrian pound (SYP)

Taiwan

New Taiwan dollar (TWD)

Tajikistan

somoni (TJS)

Tanzania

Tanzanian shilling (TZS)

Thailand

baht (THB)

Timor-Leste

US dollar (USD)

Togo

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible

authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Tokelau

New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Tonga

pa'anga (TOP)

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD)

Tunisia

Tunisian dinar (TND)

Turkey

Turkish lira (TRY); old Turkish lira (TRL) before 1 January

2005

Turkmenistan

Turkmen manat (TMM)

Turks and Caicos Islands

US dollar (USD)

Tuvalu

Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan

dollar

Uganda

Ugandan shilling (UGX)

Ukraine

hryvnia (UAH)

United Arab Emirates

Emirati dirham (AED)

United Kingdom

British pound (GBP)

United States

US dollar (USD)

Uruguay

Uruguayan peso (UYU)

Uzbekistan

soum (UZS)

Vanuatu

vatu (VUV)

Venezuela

bolivar (VEB)

Vietnam

dong (VND)

Virgin Islands

US dollar (USD)

Wallis and Futuna

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (XPF)

West Bank

new Israeli shekel (ILS); Jordanian dinar (JOD)

Western Sahara

Moroccan dirham (MAD)

Yemen

Yemeni rial (YER)

Zambia

Zambian kwacha (ZMK)

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean dollar (ZWD)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2066 Death rate (deaths/1,000 population)

Afghanistan

19.56 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Albania

5.44 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Algeria

4.62 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

American Samoa

4.13 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Andorra

5.59 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Angola

24.44 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Anguilla

4.39 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

6.14 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Argentina

7.43 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Armenia

8.34 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Aruba

7.65 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Australia

6.68 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Austria

9.91 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Azerbaijan

8.32 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bahamas, The

9.22 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bahrain

4.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bangladesh

8 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Barbados

8.58 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Belarus

13.92 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Belgium

10.38 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Belize

5.77 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Benin

9.69 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bermuda

7.98 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bhutan

7.54 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bolivia

7.35 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

8.54 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Botswana

14.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Brazil

6.35 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

British Virgin Islands

4.37 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Brunei

3.28 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bulgaria

14.3 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Burkina Faso

13.59 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Burma

9.23 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Burundi

12.91 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cambodia

8.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cameroon

12.41 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Canada

7.61 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cape Verde

6.26 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cayman Islands

4.83 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Central African Republic

18.04 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Chad

16.39 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Chile

5.77 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

China

7.03 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Christmas Island

NA (2008 est.)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

NA (2008 est.)

Colombia

5.54 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Comoros

7.76 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the 11.88 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

12.28 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cook Islands

NA (2008 est.)

Costa Rica

4.31 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

11.17 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Croatia

11.66 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cuba

7.19 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cyprus

7.76 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Czech Republic

10.69 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Denmark

10.25 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Djibouti

19.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Dominica

8.32 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Dominican Republic

5.3 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Ecuador

4.21 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Egypt

5.09 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

El Salvador

5.53 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

9.72 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Eritrea

8.63 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Estonia

13.35 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Ethiopia

11.83 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

European Union

10.39 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

NA (2008 est.)

Faroe Islands

8.67 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Fiji

5.66 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Finland

10 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

France

8.48 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

French Polynesia

4.67 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Gabon

12.59 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Gambia, The

11.74 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Gaza Strip

3.53 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Georgia

9.51 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Germany

10.8 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Ghana

9.39 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Gibraltar

9.46 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Greece

10.42 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Greenland

8.23 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Grenada

6.31 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Guam

4.65 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Guatemala

5.19 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Guernsey

10.09 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Guinea

11.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

16.05 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Guyana

8.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Haiti

10.15 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Honduras

5.36 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Hong Kong

6.6 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Hungary

12.99 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Iceland

6.81 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

India

6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Indonesia

6.24 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Iran

5.69 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Iraq

5.14 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Ireland

7.77 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Isle of Man

11.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Israel

5.41 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Italy

10.61 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Jamaica

6.37 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Japan

9.26 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Jersey

9.36 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Jordan

2.72 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Kazakhstan

9.39 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Kenya

10.3 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Kiribati

7.97 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Korea, North

7.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Korea, South

5.73 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Kuwait

2.37 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

6.97 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Laos

11.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Latvia

13.63 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Lebanon

6.06 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Lesotho

22.33 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Liberia

21.45 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Libya

3.46 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Liechtenstein

7.42 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Lithuania

11.12 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Luxembourg

8.43 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Macau

3.43 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Macedonia

8.81 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Madagascar

8.32 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Malawi

17.89 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Malaysia

5.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Maldives

3.66 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mali

16.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Malta

8.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Marshall Islands

4.57 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mauritania

11.61 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mauritius

6.55 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mayotte

7.36 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mexico

4.78 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of 4.53 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Moldova

10.8 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Monaco

12.96 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mongolia

6.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Montenegro

8.51 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Montserrat

8.86 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Morocco

5.49 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mozambique

20.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Namibia

14.07 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Nauru

6.54 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Nepal

8.97 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Netherlands

8.71 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

6.43 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

New Caledonia

5.64 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

New Zealand

7 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Nicaragua

4.33 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Niger

20.26 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Nigeria

16.88 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Niue

NA (2008 est.)

Norfolk Island

NA (2008 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands

2.31 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Norway

9.33 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Oman

3.68 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Pakistan

7.85 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Palau

6.73 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Panama

4.71 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Papua New Guinea

6.96 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Paraguay

4.49 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Peru

6.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Philippines

5.15 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

NA (2008 est.)

Poland

9.99 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Portugal

10.62 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Puerto Rico

7.88 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Qatar

2.47 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Romania

11.84 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Russia

16.06 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Rwanda

14.46 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Saint Helena

6.58 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

8.19 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Saint Lucia

6.71 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

6.81 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5.96 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Samoa

5.84 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

San Marino

8.37 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

5.98 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Saudi Arabia

2.49 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Senegal

10.72 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Seychelles

6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sierra Leone

22.26 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Singapore

4.53 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Slovakia

9.5 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Slovenia

10.51 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Solomon Islands

3.81 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Somalia

15.89 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

South Africa

16.94 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Spain

9.9 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sri Lanka

6.07 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sudan

13.64 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Suriname

5.51 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Svalbard

NA (2008 est.)

Swaziland

30.7 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sweden

10.24 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Switzerland

8.54 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Syria

4.68 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Taiwan

6.65 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Tajikistan

6.94 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Tanzania

12.92 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Thailand

7.17 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Timor-Leste

6.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Togo

9.48 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Tokelau

NA (2008 est.)

Tonga

5.12 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

10.93 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Tunisia

5.17 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Turkey

6.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Turkmenistan

6.11 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

4.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Tuvalu

6.98 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Uganda

12.32 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Ukraine

15.93 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

United Arab Emirates

2.13 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

United Kingdom

10.05 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

United States

8.27 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Uruguay

9.12 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Uzbekistan

5.3 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Vanuatu

7.61 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Venezuela

5.1 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Vietnam

6.18 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Virgin Islands

6.55 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

NA (2008 est.)

West Bank

3.7 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Western Sahara

11.74 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

World

8.23 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Yemen

7.83 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Zambia

21.35 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Zimbabwe

17.29 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2068 Dependent areas

Australia

Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos

(Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald

Islands, Norfolk Island, Macquarie Island

France

Clipperton Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and

Antarctic Lands, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Saint Barthelemy, Saint

Martin, Wallis and Futuna

note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica; New Caledonia

has been considered a "sui generis" collectivity of France since

1999, a unique status falling between that of an independent country

and a French overseas department

Netherlands

Aruba, Netherlands Antilles

New Zealand

Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau

Norway

Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard

United Kingdom

Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory,

British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar,

Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and the

South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands

United States

American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island,

Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa

Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin

Islands, Wake Island

note: from 18 July 1947 until 1 October 1994, the US administered

the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; it entered into a

political relationship with all four political units: the Northern

Mariana Islands is a commonwealth in political union with the US

(effective 3 November 1986); the Republic of the Marshall Islands

signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 21

October 1986); the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact

of Free Association with the US (effective 3 November 1986); Palau

concluded a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 1

October 1994)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2070 Disputes - international

Afghanistan

Pakistan has built fences in some portions of its border

with Afghanistan which remains open in some areas to foreign

terrorists and other illegal activities

Albania

the Albanian Government calls for the protection of the

rights of ethnic Albanians in neighboring countries, and the

peaceful resolution of interethnic disputes; some ethnic Albanian

groups in neighboring countries advocate for a "greater Albania,"

but the idea has little appeal among Albanian nationals; the mass

emigration of unemployed Albanians remains a problem for developed

countries, chiefly Greece and Italy

Algeria

Algeria, and many other states, rejects Moroccan

administration of Western Sahara; the Polisario Front, exiled in

Algeria, represents the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic; Algeria's

border with Morocco remains an irritant to bilateral relations, each

nation accusing the other of harboring militants and arms smuggling;

Algeria remains concerned about armed bandits operating throughout

the Sahel who sometimes destabilize southern Algerian towns; dormant

disputes include Libyan claims of about 32,000 sq km still reflected

on its maps of southeastern Algeria and the FLN's assertions of a

claim to Chirac Pastures in southeastern Morocco

American Samoa

Tokelau periodically asserts claims to American

Samoa's Swains Island (Olohega), such as in its 2006 draft

independence constitution

Andorra

none

Angola

Cabindan separatists continue to return to the Angolan

exclave from exile in neighboring states and Europe since the 2006

ceasefire and peace agreement

Anguilla

none

Antarctica

the Antarctic Treaty freezes, and most states do not

recognize, the land and maritime territorial claims made by

Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the

United Kingdom (some overlapping) for three-fourths of the

continent; the US and Russia reserve the right to make claims; no

claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150

degrees west; the International Whaling Commission created a

sancturary around the entire continent to deter catches by countries

claiming to conduct scientific whaling; Australia has established a

similar preserve in the waters around its territorial claim

Antigua and Barbuda

none

Arctic Ocean

the littoral states are engaged in various stages of

demonstrating the limits of their continental shelves beyond 200

nautical miles from their declared baselines in accordance with

Article 76, paragraph 8, of the United Nations Convention on the Law

of the Sea; record summer melting of sea ice in the Arctic has

restimulated interest in maritime shipping lanes and sea floor

exploration

Argentina

Argentina continues to assert its claims to the

UK-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Georgia,

and the South Sandwich Islands in its constitution, forcibly

occupying the Falklands in 1982, but in 1995 agreed no longer to

seek settlement by force; territorial claim in Antarctica partially

overlaps UK and Chilean claims; unruly region at convergence of

Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering,

smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising

for extremist organizations; uncontested dispute between Brazil and

Uruguay over Braziliera/Brasiliera Island in the Quarai/Cuareim

River leaves the tripoint with Argentina in question; in 2006,

Argentina went to the ICJ to protest, on environmental grounds, the

construction of two pulp mills in Uruguay on the Uruguay River,

which forms the boundary; both parties presented their pleadings in

2007 with Argentina's reply in January and Uruguay's rejoinder in

July 2008; the joint boundary commission, established by Chile and

Argentina in 2001 has yet to map and demarcate the delimited

boundary in the inhospitable Andean Southern Ice Field (Campo de

Hielo Sur)

Armenia

Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in

Nagorno-Karabakh and since the early 1990s, has militarily occupied

16% of Azerbaijan - Organization for Security and Cooperation in

Europe (OSCE) continues to mediate dispute; over 800,000 mostly

ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia;

about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in

Azerbaijan into Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh; Azerbaijan seeks

transit route through Armenia to connect to Naxcivan exclave; border

with Turkey remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh dispute; ethnic

Armenian groups in Javakheti region of Georgia seek greater

autonomy; Armenians continue to emigrate, primarily to Russia,

seeking employment

Aruba

none

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

as the closest Australian territory to

Indonesia, these islands became the target of human traffickers for

the landing of illegal immigrants; in 2001, the Australian

government removed these islands from the Australian Migration Zone

making illegal arrivals ineligible for temporary visas and entry

into Australia

Atlantic Ocean

some maritime disputes (see littoral states)

Australia

Timor-Leste and Australia agreed in 2005 to defer the

disputed portion of the boundary for fifty years and to split

hydrocarbon revenues evenly outside the Joint Petroleum Development

Area covered by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty; dispute with Timor-Leste

hampers creation of a revised maritime boundary with Indonesia in

the Timor Sea; regional states continue to express concern over

Australia's 2004 declaration of a 1,000-nautical mile-wide maritime

identification zone; Australia asserts land and maritime claims to

Antarctica; in 2004 Australia submitted its claims to Commission on

the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to extend its continental

margins covering over 3.37 million square kilometers, expanding its

seabed roughly thirty percent more than its claimed exclusive

economic zone; since 2003, Australia has led the Regional Assistance

Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) to maintain civil and

political order and reinforce regional security

Austria

while threats of international legal action never

materialized in 2007, 915,220 Austrians, with the support of the

newly elected Freedom Party, signed a petition in January 2008,

demanding that Austria block the Czech Republic's accession to the

EU unless Prague closes its nuclear power plant in Temelin,

bordering Austria

Azerbaijan

Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in

Nagorno-Karabakh and since the early 1990s has militarily occupied

16% of Azerbaijan; over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were

driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic

Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia

and Nagorno-Karabakh; Azerbaijan seeks transit route through Armenia

to connect to Naxcivan exclave; Organization for Security and

Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues to mediate dispute;

Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia have ratified Caspian seabed

delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while Iran continues to

insist on an even one-fifth allocation and challenges Azerbaijan's

hydrocarbon exploration in disputed waters; bilateral talks continue

with Turkmenistan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in

the middle of the Caspian; Azerbaijan and Georgia continue to

discuss the alignment of their boundary at certain crossing areas

Bahamas, The

disagrees with the US on the alignment the northern

axis of a potential maritime boundary; continues to monitor and

interdict drug dealers and Haitian and Cuban refugees in Bahamian

waters

Bahrain

none

Bangladesh

discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small

section of river boundary, exchange territory for 51 small

Bangladeshi exclaves in India and 111 small Indian exclaves in

Bangladesh, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border

trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the

porous border; Bangladesh protests India's fencing and walling off

high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint

Bangladesh-India boundary commission resurveyed and reconstructed 92

missing pillars in 2007; dispute with India over New Moore/South

Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime

boundary delimitation; after 21 years, Bangladesh resumes talks with

Burma on delimiting a maritime boundary

Barbados

Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago abide by the April 2006

Permanent Court of Arbitration decision delimiting a maritime

boundary and limiting catches of flying fish in Trinidad and

Tobago's exclusive economic zone; joins other Caribbean states to

counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human

habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the

Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental

shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea

Belarus

Boundary demarcated with Latvia and Lithuania in 2006; 1997

boundary delimitation treaty with Ukraine remains unratified over

unresolved financial claims, preventing demarcation and diminishing

border security

Belgium

none

Belize

OAS-initiated Agreement on the Framework for Negotiations and

Confidence Building Measures saw cooperation in repatriation of

Guatemalan squatters and other areas, but Guatemalan land and

maritime claims in Belize and the Caribbean Sea remain unresolved;

the Line of Adjacency created under the 2002 Differendum serves in

lieu of the contiguous international boundary to control squatting

in the sparsely inhabited rain forests of Belize's border region;

Honduras claims Belizean-administered Sapodilla Cays in its

constitution but agreed to a joint ecological park under the

Differendum

Benin

in September 2007, Economic Community of West African States

(ECOWAS) intervened to attempt to resolve the dispute over two

villages along the Benin-Burkina Faso border that remain from 2005

ICJ decision; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with

Nigeria, remains undemarcated; in 2005, Nigeria ceded thirteen

villages to Benin, but border relations remain strained by rival

cross-border gang clashes; talks continue between Benin and Togo on

funding the Adjrala hydroelectric dam on the Mona River

Bermuda

none

Bhutan

Bhutan cooperates with India to expel Indian Nagaland

separatists; lacking any treaty describing the boundary, Bhutan and

China continue negotiations to establish a common boundary alignment

to resolve territorial disputes arising from substantial

cartographic discrepancies, the largest of which lie in Bhutan's

northwest and along the Chumbi salient

Bolivia

Chile and Peru rebuff Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore

the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, but Chile offers

instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile

for Bolivian natural gas and other commodities; an accord placed the

long-disputed Isla Suárez/Ilha de Guajará-Mirim, a fluvial island on

the Río Mamoré, under Bolivian administration in 1958, but

sovereignty remains in dispute

Bosnia and Herzegovina

sections along the Drina River remain in

dispute between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia; discussions

continue with Croatia on several small disputed sections of the

boundary related to maritime access that hinder final ratification

of the 1999 border agreement

Botswana

Botswana still struggles to seal its border from thousands

of Zimbabweans who flee economic collapse and political persecution;

Namibia has long supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections

to, plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the

Zambezi River at Kazungula crossing, thereby de facto recognizing

the short, but not clearly delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary

Bouvet Island

none

Brazil

unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay

borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal

narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations;

uncontested boundary dispute with Uruguay over Isla Brasilera at the

confluence of the Quarai/Cuareim and Invernada rivers, that form a

tripoint with Argentina; the Itaipú Dam reservoir covers over a once

contested section of Brazil-Paraguay boundary west of Guaira Falls

on the Rio Parana; an accord placed the long-disputed Isla

Suárez/Ilha de Guajará-Mirim, a fluvial island on the Río Mamoré,

under Bolivian administration in 1958, but sovereignty remains in

dispute

British Indian Ocean Territory

Mauritius claims the Chagos

Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in 2001, the former inhabitants

of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1967 and 1973 and now residing

chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to

repatriation; in May 2007, the UK Court of Appeals upheld the May

2006 High Court of London judgment reversing the UK government's

2004 Orders of Council that banned habitation on the islands; a

small group of Chagossians visited Diego Garcia in April 2006;

repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of

Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest viable island in

the chain

British Virgin Islands

none

Brunei

Brunei and Malaysia agreed in September 2008 to resolve their

offshore and deepwater seabed dispute, resume hydrocarbon

exploration, and renounce any territorial claims on land; Brunei

established an exclusive economic fishing zone encompassing Louisa

Reef in the southern Spratly Islands in 1984, but makes no public

territorial claim to the offshore reefs; the 2002 "Declaration on

the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has eased tensions in

the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally binding "code of

conduct" desired by several of the disputants

Bulgaria

none

Burkina Faso

in September 2007, Economic Community of West African

States (ECOWAS) intervened to attempt to resolve the dispute over

two villages along the Benin-Burkina Faso border that remain from

2005 ICJ decision; in recent years citizens and rogue security

forces rob and harass local populations on both sides of the

poorly-defined Burkina Faso-Niger border; despite the presence of

over 9,000 UN forces (UNOCI) in Cote d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic

conflict continues to spread into neighboring states who can no

longer send their migrant workers to work in Ivorian cocoa

plantations

Burma

over half of Burma's population consists of diverse ethnic

groups who have substantial numbers of kin in neighboring countries;

Thailand must deal with Karen and other ethnic refugees, asylum

seekers, and rebels, as well as illegal cross-border activities from

Burma; Thailand is studying the feasibility of jointly constructing

the Hatgyi Dam on the Salween River near the border with Burma;

citing environmental, cultural, and social concerns, China is

reconsidering construction of 13 dams on the Salween River but

energy-starved Burma with backing from Thailand remains intent on

building five hydro-electric dams downstream, despite identical

regional and international protests; India seeks cooperation from

Burma to keep Indian Nagaland separatists, such as the United

Liberation Front of Assam, from hiding in remote Burmese Uplands;

after 21 years, Bangladesh resumes talks with Burma on delimiting a

maritime boundary in January 2008

Burundi

Burundi and Rwanda dispute sections of border on the

Akanyaru/Kanyaru and the Kagera/Nyabarongo rivers, which have

changed course since the 1960s, when the boundary was delimited;

cross-border conflicts among Tutsi, Hutu, other ethnic groups,

associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government

forces persist in the Great Lakes region

Cambodia

Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of boundary with

missing boundary markers and claims of Thai encroachments into

Cambodian territory; maritime boundary with Vietnam is hampered by

unresolved dispute over sovereignty of offshore islands; Thailand

accuses Cambodia of obstructing inclusion of Thai areas near Preah

Vihear temple ruins, awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962, as

part of a planned UN World Heritage site

Cameroon

Joint Border Commission with Nigeria reviewed 2002 ICJ

ruling on the entire boundary and bilaterally resolved differences,

including June 2006 Greentree Agreement that immediately ceded

sovereignty of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon with a full

phase-out of Nigerian control and patriation of residents in 2008;

Cameroon and Nigeria agree on maritime delimitation in March 2008;

sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an

island at the mouth of the Ntem River; only Nigeria and Cameroon

have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the

delimitation treaty, which also includes the Chad-Niger and

Niger-Nigeria boundaries

Canada

managed maritime boundary disputes with the US at Dixon

Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Gulf of

Maine including the disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock;

Canada, the US, and other countries dispute the status of the

Northwest Passage; US works closely with Canada to intensify

security measures for monitoring and controlling legal and illegal

movement of people, transport, and commodities across the

international border; sovereignty dispute with Denmark over Hans

Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and

Greenland; commencing the collection of technical evidence for

submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf

in support of claims for continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles

from its declared baselines in the Arctic, as stipulated in Article

76, paragraph 8, of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the

Sea

Cape Verde

none

Cayman Islands

none

Central African Republic

periodic skirmishes over water and grazing

rights among related pastoral populations along the border with

southern Sudan persist

Chad

since 2003, Janjawid armed militia and the Sudanese military

have driven hundreds of thousands of Darfur residents into Chad;

Chad remains an important mediator in the Sudanese civil conflict,

reducing tensions with Sudan arising from cross-border banditry;

Chadian Aozou rebels reside in southern Libya; only Nigeria and

Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify

the delimitation treaty, which also includes the Chad-Niger and

Niger-Nigeria boundaries

Chile

Chile and Peru rebuff Bolivia's reinvigorated claim to restore

the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, but Chile has offered

instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile

to Bolivian gas and other commodities; Chile rejects Peru's

unilateral legislation to change its latitudinal maritime boundary

with Chile to an equidistance line with a southwestern axis favoring

Peru, in October 2007, Peru took its maritime complaint with Chile

to the ICJ; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic

Territory) partially overlaps Argentine and British claims; the

joint boundary commission, established by Chile and Argentina in

2001, has yet to map and demarcate the delimited boundary in the

inhospitable Andean Southern Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur)

China continuing talks and confidence-building measures work toward reducing tensions over Kashmir that nonetheless remains militarized with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; China and India continue their security and foreign policy dialogue started in 2005 related to the dispute over most of their rugged, militarized boundary, regional nuclear proliferation, and other matters; China claims most of India's Arunachal Pradesh to the base of the Himalayas; lacking any treaty describing the boundary, Bhutan and China continue negotiations to establish a common boundary alignment to resolve territorial disputes due to cartographic discrepancies; Chinese maps show an international boundary symbol off the coasts of the littoral states of the South China Seas, where China has interrupted Vietnamese hydrocarbon exploration; China asserts sovereignty over the Spratly Islands together with Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" eased tensions in the Spratly's but is not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties; Vietnam and China continue to expand construction of facilities in the Spratly's and in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord on marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands; China occupies some of the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; China and Taiwan continue to reject both Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared equidistance line in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation; certain islands in the Yalu and Tumen rivers are in dispute with North Korea; North Korea and China seek to stem illegal migration to China by North Koreans, fleeing privations and oppression, by building a fence along portions of the border and imprisoning North Koreans deported by China; China and Russia have demarcated the once disputed islands at the Amur and Ussuri confluence and in the Argun River in accordance with their 2004 Agreement; China and Tajikistan have begun demarcating the revised boundary agreed to in the delimitation of 2002; the decade-long demarcation of the China-Vietnam land boundary is expected to be completed by the end of 2008, while the maritime boundary delimitation and fisheries agreements in the Gulf of Tonkin, ratified in June 2004, have been implemented; citing environmental, cultural, and social concerns, China has reconsidered construction of 13 dams on the Salween River, but energy-starved Burma, with backing from Thailand, remains intent on building five hydro-electric dams downstream despite regional and international protests; Chinese and Hong Kong authorities met in March 2008 to resolve ownership and use of lands recovered in Shenzhen River channelization, including 96-hectare Lok Ma Chau Loop; Hong Kong developing plans to reduce 2,000 out of 2,800 hectares of its restricted Closed Area by 2010

Christmas Island

none

Clipperton Island

none

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

none

Colombia

in December 2007, ICJ allocates San Andres, Providencia,

and Santa Catalina islands to Colombia under 1928 Treaty but does

not rule on 82°W meridian as maritime boundary with Nicaragua;

managed dispute with Venezuela over maritime boundary and

Venezuelan-administered Los Monjes Islands near the Gulf of

Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics, guerrilla, and

paramilitary activities penetrate all neighboring borders and have

caused Colombian citizens to flee mostly into neighboring countries;

Colombia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Jamaica, and the US assert various

claims to Bajo Nuevo and Serranilla Bank

Comoros

claims French-administered Mayotte and challenges France's

and Madagascar's claims to Banc du Geyser, a drying reef in the

Mozambique Channel; in May 2008, African Union forces are called in

to assist the Comoros military recapture Anjouan Island from rebels

who seized it in 2001

Congo, Democratic Republic of the heads of the Great Lakes states and UN pledged in 2004 to abate tribal, rebel, and militia fighting in the region, including northeast Congo, where the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), organized in 1999, maintains over 16,500 uniformed peacekeepers; members of Uganda's Lords Resistance Army forces continue to seek refuge in Congo's Garamba National Park as peace talks with the Uganda government evolve; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area; Uganda and DROC dispute Rukwanzi island in Lake Albert and other areas on the Semliki River with hydrocarbon potential; boundary commission continues discussions over Congolese-administered triangle of land on the right bank of the Lunkinda river claimed by Zambia near the DROC village of Pweto

Congo, Republic of the

the location of the boundary in the broad

Congo River with the Democratic Republic of the Congo is indefinite

except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area

Cook Islands

none

Coral Sea Islands

none

Costa Rica

the ICJ has given Costa Rica until January 2008 to reply

and Nicaragua until July 2008 to rejoin before rendering its

decision on the navigation, security, and commercial rights of Costa

Rican vessels on the Río San Juan over which Nicaragua retains

sovereignty

Cote d'Ivoire

despite the presence of over 9,000 UN forces (UNOCI)

in Cote d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic conflict still leaves displaced

hundreds of thousands of Ivorians in and out of the country as well

as driven out migrants from neighboring states who worked in Ivorian

cocoa plantations; the March 2007 peace deal between Ivorian rebels

and the government brought significant numbers of rebels out of

hiding in neighboring states

Croatia

dispute remains with Bosnia and Herzegovina over several

small disputed sections of the boundary related to maritime access

that hinders ratification of the 1999 border agreement; the

Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime boundary agreement, which would

have ceded most of Pirin Bay and maritime access to Slovenia and

several villages to Croatia, remains un-ratified and in dispute;

Slovenia also protests Croatia's 2003 claim to an exclusive economic

zone in the Adriatic; as a European Union peripheral state, Slovenia

imposed a hard border Schengen regime with non-member Croatia in

December 2007

Cuba

US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual

agreement or US abandonment of the facility can terminate the lease

Cyprus

hostilities in 1974 divided the island into two de facto

autonomous entities, the internationally recognized Cypriot

Government and a Turkish-Cypriot community (north Cyprus); the

1,000-strong UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has served in

Cyprus since 1964 and maintains the buffer zone between north and

south; on 1 May 2004, Cyprus entered the European Union still

divided, with the EU's body of legislation and standards (acquis

communitaire) suspended in the north; Turkey protests Cypriot

Government creating hydrocarbon blocks and maritime boundary with

Lebanon in March 2007

Czech Republic

while threats of international legal action never

materialized in 2007, 915,220 Austrians, with the support of the

popular Freedom Party, signed a petition in January 2008, demanding

that Austria block the Czech Republic's accession to the EU unless

Prague closes its controversial Soviet-style nuclear plant in

Temelin, bordering Austria

Denmark

Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that

the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm; Faroese

continue to study proposals for full independence; sovereignty

dispute with Canada over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between

Ellesmere Island and Greenland

Djibouti

Djibouti maintains economic ties and border accords with

"Somaliland" leadership while maintaining some political ties to

various factions in Somalia; Kuwait is chief investor in the 2008

restoration and upgrade of the Ethiopian-Djibouti rail link

Dominica

Dominica is the only Caribbean state to challenge

Venezuela's sovereignty claim over Aves Island and joins the other

island nations in challenging whether the feature sustains human

habitation, a criterion under the UN Convention on the Law of the

Sea (UNCLOS), which permits Venezuela to extend its Exclusive

Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf claims over a large

portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea

Dominican Republic

Haitian migrants cross the porous border into the

Dominican Republic to find work; illegal migrants from the Dominican

Republic cross the Mona Passage each year to Puerto Rico to find

better work

Ecuador

organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia penetrate

across Ecuador's shared border, which thousands of Colombians also

cross to escape the violence in their home country

Egypt

while Sudan retains claim to the Hala'ib Triangle north of the

1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel, both states withdrew

their military presence in the 1990s and Egypt has invested in and

effectively administers the area; Egypt no longer shows its

administration of the Bir Tawil trapezoid in Sudan on its maps;

Gazan breaches in the security wall with Egypt in January 2008

highlight difficulties in monitoring the Sinai border

El Salvador

International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the

delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El

Salvador-Honduras boundary, in 1992, with final agreement by the

parties in 2006 after an Organization of American States (OAS)

survey and a further ICJ ruling in 2003; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised

a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of

Fonseca advocating Honduran access to the Pacific; El Salvador

continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not identified in the ICJ

decision, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca

Equatorial Guinea

in 2002, ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement

of Cameroon-Equatorial Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf

of Guinea, but a dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over

an island at the mouth of the Ntem River and imprecisely defined

maritime coordinates in the ICJ decision delay final delimitation;

UN urges Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve the sovereignty

dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane and lesser islands and to create a

maritime boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Corisco Bay

Eritrea

Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by 2002

Ethiopia-Eritrea Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision

but, neither party responded to the revised line detailed in the

November 2006 EEBC Demarcation Statement; UN Peacekeeping Mission to

Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), which has monitored the 25-km-wide

Temporary Security Zone in Eritrea since 2000, is extended for six

months in 2007 despite Eritrean restrictions on its operations and

reduced force of 17,000; Sudan accuses Eritrea of supporting eastern

Sudanese rebel groups

Estonia

Russia recalled its signature to the 1996 technical border

agreement with Estonia in 2005, rather than concede to Estonia's

appending prepared a unilateral declaration referencing Soviet

occupation and territorial losses; Russia demands better

accommodation of Russian-speaking population in Estonia; Estonian

citizen groups continue to press for realignment of the boundary

based on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the now

divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within

Estonia; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external

border, Estonia must implement the strict Schengen border rules with

Russia

Ethiopia

Eritrea and Ethiopia agreed to abide by the 2002

Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission's (EEBC) delimitation decision,

but neither party responded to the revised line detailed in the

November 2006 EEBC Demarcation Statement; UN Peacekeeping Mission to

Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), which has monitored the 25-km-wide

Temporary Security Zone in Eritrea since 2000, is extended for six

months in 2007 despite Eritrean restrictions on its operations and

reduced force of 17,000; the undemarcated former British

administrative line has little meaning as a political separation to

rival clans within Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo

region; Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed

Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland"

secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera and trade ties to

landlocked Ethiopia; civil unrest in eastern Sudan has hampered

efforts to demarcate the porous boundary with Ethiopia

European Union

as a political union, the EU has no border disputes

with neighboring countries, but Estonia has no land boundary

agreements with Russia, Slovenia disputes its land and maritime

boundaries with Croatia, and Spain has territorial and maritime

disputes with Morocco and with the UK over Gibraltar; the EU has set

up a Schengen area - consisting of 22 EU member states that have

signed the convention implementing the Schengen agreements or

"acquis" (1985 and 1990) on the free movement of persons and the

harmonization of border controls in Europe; these agreements became

incorporated into EU law with the implementation of the 1997 Treaty

of Amsterdam on 1 May 1999; in addition, non-EU states Iceland and

Norway (as part of the Nordic Union) have been included in the

Schengen area since 1996 (full members in 2001), and Switzerland

since 2008 bringing the total current membership to 25; the UK

(since 2000) and Ireland (since 2002) take part in only some aspects

of the Schengen area, especially with respect to police and criminal

matters; nine of the 12 new member states that joined the EU since

2004 joined Schengen on 21 December 2007; of the three remaining EU

states, Cyprus is expected to join by 2009, while Romania and

Bulgaria continue to enhance their border security systems

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Argentina, which claims the

islands in its constitution and briefly occupied them by force in

1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force; UK

continues to reject Argentine requests for sovereignty talks

Faroe Islands

because anticipated offshore hydrocarbon resources

have not been realized, earlier Faroese proposals for full

independence have been deferred; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland

dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf

extends beyond 200 nm

Fiji

none

Finland

various groups in Finland advocate restoration of Karelia

and other areas ceded to the Soviet Union, but the Finnish

Government asserts no territorial demands

France

Madagascar claims the French territories of Bassas da India,

Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, and Juan de Nova Island; Comoros

claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; territorial

dispute between Suriname and the French overseas department of

French Guiana; France asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica

(Adelie Land); France and Vanuatu claim Matthew and Hunter Islands,

east of New Caledonia

French Polynesia

none

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

French claim to "Adelie Land" in

Antarctica is not recognized by the US

Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova

Island (Iles Eparses): claimed by Madagascar

Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): claimed by Mauritius

Gabon

UN urges Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to resolve the

sovereignty dispute over Gabon-occupied Mbane Island and lesser

islands and to establish a maritime boundary in hydrocarbon-rich

Corisco Bay

Gambia, The

attempts to stem refugees, cross-border raids, arms

smuggling, and other illegal activities by separatists from southern

Senegal's Casamance region, as well as from conflicts in other west

African states

Gaza Strip

West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with

current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement

- permanent status to be determined through further negotiation;

Israel removed settlers and military personnel from the Gaza Strip

in August 2005

Georgia

Russia and Georgia agree on delimiting 80% of their common

border, leaving certain small, strategic segments and the maritime

boundary unresolved; OSCE observers monitor volatile areas such as

the Pankisi Gorge in the Akhmeti region and the Argun Gorge in

Abkhazia; UN Observer Mission in Georgia has maintained a

peacekeeping force in Georgia since 1993; Meshkheti Turks scattered

throughout the former Soviet Union seek to return to Georgia;

boundary with Armenia remains undemarcated; ethnic Armenian groups

in Javakheti region of Georgia seek greater autonomy from the

Georgian government; Azerbaijan and Georgia continue to discuss the

alignment of their boundary at certain crossing areas

Germany

none

Ghana

Ghana struggles to accommodate returning nationals who worked

in the cocoa plantations and escaped fighting in Cote d'Ivoire

Gibraltar

in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by

referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement; the

government of Gibraltar insists on equal participation in talks

between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant

Gibraltar even greater autonomy

Greece

Greece and Turkey continue discussions to resolve their

complex maritime, air, territorial, and boundary disputes in the

Aegean Sea; Cyprus question with Turkey; Greece rejects the use of

the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia; the mass migration of

unemployed Albanians still remains a problem for developed

countries, chiefly Greece and Italy

Greenland

managed dispute between Canada and Denmark over Hans

Island in the Kennedy Channel between Canada's Ellesmere Island and

Greenland

Grenada

none

Guam

none

Guatemala

annual ministerial meetings under the OAS-initiated

Agreement on the Framework for Negotiations and Confidence Building

Measures continue to address Guatemalan land and maritime claims in

Belize and the Caribbean Sea; the Line of Adjacency created under

the 2002 Differendum serves in lieu of the contiguous international

boundary to control squatting in the sparsely inhabited rain forests

of Belize's border region; Mexico must deal with thousands of

impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the

porous border looking for work in Mexico and the United States

Guernsey

none

Guinea

conflicts among rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in

neighboring states have spilled over into Guinea, resulting in

domestic instability; Sierra Leone considers Guinea's definition of

the flood plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the

Makona and Moa rivers excessive and protests Guinea's continued

occupation of these lands, including the hamlet of Yenga, occupied

since 1998

Guinea-Bissau

in 2006, political instability within Senegal's

Casamance region resulted in thousands of Senegalese refugees,

cross-border raids, and arms smuggling into Guinea-Bissau

Guyana

all of the area west of the Essequibo River is claimed by

Venezuela preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana

has expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims

before UNCLOS that Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with

Venezuela extends into their waters; Suriname claims a triangle of

land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a historic dispute

over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks arbitration

under provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)

to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of

the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters

Haiti

since 2004, about 8,000 peacekeepers from the UN Stabilization

Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) maintain civil order in Haiti; despite

efforts to control illegal migration, Haitians cross into the

Dominican Republic and sail to neighboring countries; Haiti claims

US-administered Navassa Island

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

none

Holy See (Vatican City)

none

Honduras

International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on the

delimitation of "bolsones" (disputed areas) along the El

Salvador-Honduras border in 1992 with final settlement by the

parties in 2006 after an Organization of American States (OAS)

survey and a further ICJ ruling in 2003; the 1992 ICJ ruling advised

a tripartite resolution to a maritime boundary in the Gulf of

Fonseca with consideration of Honduran access to the Pacific; El

Salvador continues to claim tiny Conejo Island, not mentioned in the

ICJ ruling, off Honduras in the Gulf of Fonseca; Honduras claims the

Belizean-administered Sapodilla Cays off the coast of Belize in its

constitution, but agreed to a joint ecological park around the cays

should Guatemala consent to a maritime corridor in the Caribbean

under the OAS-sponsored 2002 Belize-Guatemala Differendum; memorials

and countermemorials were filed by the parties in Nicaragua's 1999

and 2001 proceedings against Honduras and Colombia at the ICJ over

the maritime boundary and territorial claims in the western

Caribbean Sea - final public hearings are scheduled for 2007

Hong Kong

none

Hungary

bilateral government, legal, technical and economic working

group negotiations continue in 2006 with Slovakia over Hungary's

failure to complete its portion of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros

hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a member state that

forms part of the EU's external border, Hungary has implemented the

strict Schengen border rules

Iceland

Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that

the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm

India

since China and India launched a security and foreign policy

dialogue in 2005, consolidated discussions related to the dispute

over most of their rugged, militarized boundary, regional nuclear

proliferation, Indian claims that China transferred missiles to

Pakistan, and other matters continue; various talks and

confidence-building measures have cautiously begun to defuse

tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005

earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of

the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with

portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin),

India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern

Areas); India and Pakistan have maintained the 2004 cease fire in

Kashmir and initiated discussions on defusing the armed stand-off in

the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan protests India's fencing the

highly militarized Line of Control and construction of the Baglihar

Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the

larger dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its

tributaries; UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan

(UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949;

India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to

China in 1964; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a

maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of

the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann

of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show its

Junagadh claim in Indian Gujarat State; discussions with Bangladesh

remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, to

exchange territory for 51 Bangladeshi exclaves in India and 111

Indian exclaves in Bangladesh, to allocate divided villages, and to

stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of

terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's

attempts to fence off high-traffic sections of the border; dispute

with Bangladesh over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the

Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; India seeks

cooperation from Bhutan and Burma to keep Indian Nagaland and Assam

separatists from hiding in remote areas along the borders; Joint

Border Committee with Nepal continues to examine contested boundary

sections, including the 400 square kilometer dispute over the source

of the Kalapani River; India maintains a strict border regime to

keep out Maoist insurgents and control illegal cross-border

activities from Nepal

Indian Ocean

some maritime disputes (see littoral states)

Indonesia

Indonesia has a stated foreign policy objective of

establishing stable fixed land and maritime boundaries with all of

its neighbors; Timor-Leste-Indonesia Boundary Committee has resolved

all but a small portion of the land boundary, but discussions on

maritime boundaries are stalemated over sovereignty of the

uninhabited coral island of Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai in the north and

alignment with Australian claims in the south; many refugees from

Timor-Leste who left in 2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse

repatriation; a 1997 treaty between Indonesia and Australia settled

some parts of their maritime boundary but outstanding issues remain;

ICJ's award of Sipadan and Ligitan islands to Malaysia in 2002 left

the sovereignty of Unarang rock and the maritime boundary in the

Ambalat oil block in the Celebes Sea in dispute; the ICJ decision

has prompted Indonesia to assert claims to and to establish a

presence on its smaller outer islands; Indonesia and Singapore

continue to work on finalization of their 1973 maritime boundary

agreement by defining unresolved areas north of Indonesia's Batam

Island; Indonesian secessionists, squatters, and illegal migrants

create repatriation problems for Papua New Guinea; piracy remains a

problem in the Malacca Strait; maritime delimitation talks continue

with Palau; Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to Ashmore

Reef; Australia has closed parts of the Ashmore and Cartier Reserve

to Indonesian traditional fishing and placed restrictions on certain

catches

Iran

Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed tributaries

to the Helmand River in periods of drought; Iraq's lack of a

maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the

mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf; Iran and UAE dispute

Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which are occupied by Iran; Iran

stands alone among littoral states in insisting upon a division of

the Caspian Sea into five equal sectors

Iraq

coalition forces assist Iraqis in monitoring internal and

cross-border security; approximately two million Iraqis have fled

the conflict in Iraq, with the majority taking refuge in Syria and

Jordan, and lesser numbers to Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, and Turkey;

Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction

disputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf;

Turkey has expressed concern over the autonomous status of Kurds in

Iraq

Ireland

Ireland, Iceland, and the UK dispute Denmark's claim that

the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm

Isle of Man

none

Israel

West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current

status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement -

permanent status to be determined through further negotiation;

Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier

along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel

withdrew its settlers and military from the Gaza Strip and from four

settlements in the West Bank in August 2005; Golan Heights is

Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the Shab'a Farms area of Golan

Heights); since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce

Supervision Organization (UNTSO) headquartered in Jerusalem monitor

ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated

incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the

region

Italy

Italy's long coastline and developed economy entices tens of

thousands of illegal immigrants from southeastern Europe and

northern Africa

Jamaica

none

Jan Mayen

none

Japan

the sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu,

Kunashiri, and Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as

the "Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kuril

Islands," occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by

Russia and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to

signing a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities;

Japan and South Korea claim Liancourt Rocks (Take-shima/Tok-do)

occupied by South Korea since 1954; China and Taiwan dispute both

Japan's claims to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto

(Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic

zone in the East China Sea, the site of intensive hydrocarbon

prospecting

Jersey

none

Jordan

approximately two million Iraqis have fled the conflict in

Iraq, with the majority taking refuge in Syria and Jordan; 2004

Agreement settles border dispute with Syria pending demarcation

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan has yet to ratify the 2001 boundary

delimitation with Kazakhstan; field demarcation of the boundaries

with Turkmenistan commenced in 2005, and with Uzbekistan in 2004;

demarcation is scheduled to get underway with Russia in 2007;

demarcation with China was completed in 2002; creation of a seabed

boundary with Turkmenistan in the Caspian Sea remains under

discussion; equidistant seabed treaties have been ratified with

Azerbaijan and Russia in the Caspian Sea, but no resolution has been

made on dividing the water column among any of the littoral states

Kenya

Kenya served as an important mediator in brokering Sudan's

north-south separation in February 2005; Kenya provides shelter to

almost a quarter of a million refugees, including Ugandans who flee

across the border periodically to seek protection from Lord's

Resistance Army (LRA) rebels; Kenya works hard to prevent the clan

and militia fighting in Somalia from spreading across the border,

which has long been open to nomadic pastoralists; the boundary that

separates Kenya's and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi

Triangle," which Kenya has administered since colonial times

Kiribati

none

Korea, North

risking arrest, imprisonment, and deportation, tens of

thousands of North Koreans cross into China to escape famine,

economic privation, and political oppression; North Korea and China

dispute the sovereignty of certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers;

Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone

has separated North from South Korea since 1953; periodic incidents

in the Yellow Sea with South Korea which claims the Northern

Limiting Line as a maritime boundary; North Korea supports South

Korea in rejecting Japan's claim to Liancourt Rocks

(Tok-do/Take-shima)

Korea, South

Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide

Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953;

periodic incidents with North Korea in the Yellow Sea over the

Northern Limiting Line, which South Korea claims as a maritime

boundary; South Korea and Japan claim Liancourt Rocks

(Tok-do/Take-shima), occupied by South Korea since 1954

Kosovo

Serbia with several other states protest the US and other

states' recognition of Kosovo's declaring itself as a sovereign and

independent state in February 2008; ethnic Serbian municipalities

along Kosovo's northern border challenge final status of

Kosovo-Serbia boundary; several thousand NATO-led KFOR peacekeepers

under UNMIK authority continue to keep the peace within Kosovo

between the ethnic Albanian majority and the Serb minority in

Kosovo; Kosovo and Macedonia completed demarcation of their boundary

in September 2008

Kuwait

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue negotiating a joint maritime

boundary with Iran; no maritime boundary exists with Iraq in the

Persian Gulf

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan has yet to ratify the 2001 boundary

delimitation with Kazakhstan; disputes in Isfara Valley delay

completion of delimitation with Tajikistan; delimitation of 130 km

of border with Uzbekistan is hampered by serious disputes around

enclaves and other areas

Laos

Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to

check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of

demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over islands in the

Mekong River; concern among Mekong Commission members that China's

construction of dams on the Mekong River will affect water levels

Latvia

Russia refuses to sign the 1997 boundary treaty due to

Latvian insistence on a unilateral clarificatory declaration

referencing Soviet occupation of Latvia and territorial losses;

Russia demands better Latvian treatment of ethnic Russians in

Latvia; as of January 2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with

Belarus was complete and mapped with final ratification

documentation in preparation; the Latvian parliament has not

ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily

due to concerns over oil exploration rights; as a member state that

forms part of the EU's external border, Latvia has implemented the

strict Schengen border rules with Russia

Lebanon

lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the

boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with

several sections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shab'a

Farms area in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights; the roughly

2,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been in place

since 1978

Lesotho

none

Liberia

although civil unrest continues to abate with the assistance

of 18,000 UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) peacekeepers, as of January

2007, Liberian refugees still remain in Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire,

Sierra Leone, and Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing

turmoil in Cote d'Ivoire; despite the presence of over 9,000 UN

forces (UNOCI) in Cote d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic conflict

continues to spread into neighboring states who can no longer send

their migrant workers to Ivorian cocoa plantations; UN sanctions ban

Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber

Libya

Libya has claimed more than 32,000 sq km in southeastern

Algeria and about 25,000 sq km in the Tommo region of Niger in a

currently dormant dispute; various Chadian rebels from the Aozou

region reside in southern Libya

Liechtenstein

none

Lithuania

Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their

boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty

ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania

operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling

from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still

conforming, as a EU member state having an external border with a

non-EU member, to strict Schengen border rules; the Latvian

parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with

Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over potential hydrocarbons; as

of January 2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with Belarus was

complete and mapped with final ratification documents in preparation

Luxembourg

none

Macau

none

Macedonia

Kosovo and Macedonia completed demarcation of their

boundary in September 2008; Greece continues to reject the use of

the name Macedonia or Republic of Macedonia

Madagascar

claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands,

and Juan de Nova Island (all administered by France)

Malawi

disputes with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake

Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant

Malaysia

Malaysia has asserted sovereignty over the Spratly Islands

together with China, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly

Brunei; while the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the

South China Sea" has eased tensions over the Spratly Islands, it is

not the legally binding "code of conduct" sought by some parties;

Malaysia was not party to the March 2005 joint accord among the

national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam on

conducting marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands;

disputes continue over deliveries of fresh water to Singapore,

Singapore's land reclamation, bridge construction, and maritime

boundaries in the Johor and Singapore Straits; in November 2007, the

ICJ will hold public hearings in response to the Memorials and

Countermemorials filed by the parties in 2003 and 2005 over

sovereignty of Pedra Branca Island/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks

and South Ledge; ICJ awarded Ligitan and Sipadan islands, also

claimed by Indonesia and Philippines, to Malaysia but left maritime

boundary and sovereignty of Unarang rock in the hydrocarbon-rich

Celebes Sea in dispute; separatist violence in Thailand's

predominantly Muslim southern provinces prompts measures to close

and monitor border with Malaysia to stem terrorist activities;

Philippines retains a dormant claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in

northern Borneo; Brunei and Malaysia agreed in September 2008 to

resolve their offshore and deepwater seabed dispute, resume

hydrocarbon exploration and renounce any territorial claims on land;

piracy remains a problem in the Malacca Strait

Maldives

none

Mali

none

Malta

none

Marshall Islands

claims US territory of Wake Island

Mauritania

Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara remain dormant

Mauritius

Mauritius claims the Chagos Archipelago (UK-administered

British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants, who

reside chiefly in Mauritius; claims French-administered Tromelin

Island

Mayotte

claimed by Comoros

Mexico

abundant rainfall in recent years along much of the Mexico-US

border region has ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing

arrangements; the US has intensified security measures to monitor

and control legal and illegal personnel, transport, and commodities

across its border with Mexico; Mexico must deal with thousands of

impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the

porous border looking for work in Mexico and the United States

Micronesia, Federated States of

none

Moldova

Moldova and Ukraine operate joint customs posts to monitor

the transit of people and commodities through Moldova's break-away

Transnistria region, which remains under OSCE supervision

Monaco

none

Mongolia

none

Montenegro

none

Montserrat

none

Morocco

claims and administers Western Sahara whose sovereignty

remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in

effect since September 1991, but attempts to hold a referendum have

failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals;

Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta,

Melilla, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, the islands of Penon de

Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; discussions

have not progressed on a comprehensive maritime delimitation,

setting limits on resource exploration and refugee interdiction,

since Morocco's 2002 rejection of Spain's unilateral designation of

a median line from the Canary Islands; Morocco serves as one of the

primary launching areas of illegal migration into Spain from North

Africa

Mozambique

none

Namibia

concerns from international experts and local populations

over the Okavango Delta ecology in Botswana and human displacement

scuttled Namibian plans to construct a hydroelectric dam on Popa

Falls along the Angola-Namibia border; managed dispute with South

Africa over the location of the boundary in the Orange River;

Namibia has supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to,

plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi

River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly

delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river

Nauru

none

Navassa Island

claimed by Haiti, source of subsistence fishing

Nepal

joint border commission continues to work on contested

sections of boundary with India, including the 400 square kilometer

dispute over the source of the Kalapani River; India has instituted

a stricter border regime to restrict transit of Maoist insurgents

and illegal cross-border activities; approximately 106,000 Bhutanese

Lhotshampas (Hindus) have been confined in refugee camps in

southeastern Nepal since 1990

Netherlands

none

Netherlands Antilles

none

New Caledonia

Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia

claimed by France and Vanuatu

New Zealand

asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross

Dependency)

Nicaragua

memorials and countermemorials were filed by the parties

in Nicaragua's 1999 and 2001 proceedings against Honduras and

Colombia at the ICJ over the maritime boundary and territorial

claims in the western Caribbean Sea, final public hearings are

scheduled for 2007; the 1992 ICJ ruling for El Salvador and Honduras

advised a tripartite resolution to establish a maritime boundary in

the Gulf of Fonseca, which considers Honduran access to the Pacific;

legal dispute over navigational rights of San Juan River on border

with Costa Rica

Niger

Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute

in the Tommo region; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including

tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; only Nigeria and

Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify

the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and

Niger-Nigeria boundaries

Nigeria

Joint Border Commission with Cameroon reviewed 2002 ICJ

ruling on the entire boundary and bilaterally resolved differences,

including June 2006 Greentree Agreement that immediately cedes

sovereignty of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon with a phase-out of

Nigerian control within two years while resolving patriation issues;

the ICJ ruled on an equidistance settlement of Cameroon-Equatorial

Guinea-Nigeria maritime boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, but

imprecisely defined coordinates in the ICJ decision and a

sovereignty dispute between Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon over an

island at the mouth of the Ntem River all contribute to the delay in

implementation; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad

Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also

includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries

Niue

none

Norfolk Island

none

Northern Mariana Islands

none

Norway

Norway asserts a territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud

Land and its continental shelf); despite dialogue, Russia and Norway

continue to dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea and

Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within

the Svalbard Treaty zone

Oman

boundary agreement reportedly signed and ratified with UAE in

2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al

Madhah exclave, but details of the alignment have not been made

public

Pacific Ocean

some maritime disputes (see littoral states)

Pakistan

various talks and confidence-building measures cautiously

have begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the

October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains

the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial

dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China

(Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir

and Northern Areas); UN Military Observer Group in India and

Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers

since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic

Kashmir lands to China in 1964; India and Pakistan have maintained

their 2004 cease fire in Kashmir and initiated discussions on

defusing the armed stand-off in the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan

protests India's fencing the highly militarized Line of Control and

construction of the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and

Kashmir, which is part of the larger dispute on water sharing of the

Indus River and its tributaries; to defuse tensions and prepare for

discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek

technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary

at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps

continue to show the Junagadh claim in India's Gujarat State; by

2005, Pakistan, with UN assistance, repatriated 2.3 million Afghan

refugees leaving slightly more than a million, many of whom remain

at their own choosing; Pakistan has proposed and Afghanistan

protests construction of a fence and laying of mines along portions

of their porous border; Pakistan has sent troops into remote tribal

areas to monitor and control the border with Afghanistan and to stem

terrorist or other illegal activities

Palau

maritime delineation negotiations continue with Philippines,

Indonesia

Panama

organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia operate

within the remote border region with Panama

Papua New Guinea

relies on assistance from Australia to keep out

illegal cross-border activities from primarily Indonesia, including

goods smuggling, illegal narcotics trafficking, and squatters and

secessionists

Paracel Islands

occupied by China, also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam

Paraguay

unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay

borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal

narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations

Peru

Chile and Ecuador rejected Peru's November 2005 unilateral

legislation to shift the axis of their joint treaty-defined maritime

boundaries along the parallels of latitude to equidistance lines

which favor Peru; organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia

have penetrated Peru's shared border; Peru rejects Bolivia's claim

to restore maritime access through a sovereign corridor through

Chile along the Peruvian border

Philippines

Philippines claims sovereignty over certain of the

Spratly Islands, known locally as the Kalayaan (Freedom) Islands,

also claimed by China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam; the 2002

"Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," has

eased tensions in the Spratly Islands but falls short of a legally

binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; in

March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines,

and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic

activities in the Spratly Islands; Philippines retains a dormant

claim to Malaysia's Sabah State in northern Borneo based on the

Sultanate of Sulu's granting the Philippines Government power of

attorney to pursue a sovereignty claim on his behalf; maritime

delimitation negotiations continue with Palau

Pitcairn Islands

none

Poland

as a member state that forms part of the EU's external

border, Poland has implemented the strict Schengen border rules to

restrict illegal immigration and trade along its eastern borders

with Belarus and Ukraine

Portugal

Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the

territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the

1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz

Puerto Rico

increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the

Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico each year

looking for work

Qatar

none

Romania

the ICJ gave Ukraine until December 2006 to reply, and

Romania until June 2007 to issue a rejoinder, in their dispute

submitted in 2004 over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy/Serpilor

(Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary delimitation; Romania

also opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the

Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea

Russia

China and Russia have demarcated the once disputed islands at

the Amur and Ussuri confluence and in the Argun River in accordance

with the 2004 Agreement, ending their centuries-long border

disputes; the sovereignty dispute over the islands of Etorofu,

Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai group, known in Japan as the

"Northern Territories" and in Russia as the "Southern Kurils,"

occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia,

and claimed by Japan, remains the primary sticking point to signing

a peace treaty formally ending World War II hostilities; Russia and

Georgia agree on delimiting all but small, strategic segments of the

land boundary and the maritime boundary; OSCE observers monitor

volatile areas such as the Pankisi Gorge in the Akhmeti region and

the Kodori Gorge in Abkhazia; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia

signed equidistance boundaries in the Caspian seabed but the

littoral states have no consensus on dividing the water column;

Russia and Norway dispute their maritime limits in the Barents Sea

and Russia's fishing rights beyond Svalbard's territorial limits

within the Svalbard Treaty zone; various groups in Finland advocate

restoration of Karelia (Kareliya) and other areas ceded to the

Soviet Union following the Second World War but the Finnish

Government asserts no territorial demands; in May 2005, Russia

recalled its signatures to the 1996 border agreements with Estonia

(1996) and Latvia (1997), when the two Baltic states announced

issuance of unilateral declarations referencing Soviet occupation

and ensuing territorial losses; Russia demands better treatment of

ethnic Russians in Estonia and Latvia; Estonian citizen groups

continue to press for realignment of the boundary based on the 1920

Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the now divided ethnic Setu

people and parts of the Narva region within Estonia; Lithuania and

Russia committed to demarcating their boundary in 2006 in accordance

with the land and maritime treaty ratified by Russia in May 2003 and

by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania operates a simplified transit regime

for Russian nationals traveling from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave

into Russia, while still conforming, as an EU member state with an

EU external border, where strict Schengen border rules apply;

preparations for the demarcation delimitation of land boundary with

Ukraine have commenced; the dispute over the boundary between Russia

and Ukraine through the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov remains

unresolved despite a December 2003 framework agreement and on-going

expert-level discussions; Kazakhstan and Russia boundary

delimitation was ratified on November 2005 and field demarcation

should commence in 2007; Russian Duma has not yet ratified 1990

Bering Sea Maritime Boundary Agreement with the US

Rwanda

fighting among ethnic groups - loosely associated political

rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces in Great Lakes

region transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic

of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda - abated substantially from a

decade ago due largely to UN peacekeeping, international mediation,

and efforts by local governments to create civil societies;

nonetheless, 57,000 Rwandan refugees still reside in 21 African

states, including Zambia, Gabon, and 20,000 who fled to Burundi in

2005 and 2006 to escape drought and recriminations from traditional

courts investigating the 1994 massacres; the 2005 DROC and Rwanda

border verification mechanism to stem rebel actions on both sides of

the border remains in place

Saint Helena

none

Saint Kitts and Nevis

joins other Caribbean states to counter

Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a

criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its

EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean

Sea

Saint Lucia

joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's

claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under

UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf

over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

none

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea

Samoa

none

San Marino

none

Sao Tome and Principe

none

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has reinforced its concrete-filled

security barrier along sections of the now fully demarcated border

with Yemen to stem illegal cross-border activities; Kuwait and Saudi

Arabia continue discussions on a maritime boundary with Iran

Senegal

The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau attempt to stem separatist

violence, cross border raids, and arms smuggling into their

countries from Senegal's Casamance region, and in 2006, respectively

accepted 6,000 and 10,000 Casamance residents fleeing the conflict;

2,500 Guinea-Bissau residents fled into Senegal in 2006 to escape

armed confrontations along the border

Serbia

Serbia with several other states protest the U.S. and other

states' recognition of Kosovo's declaring itself as a sovereign and

independent state in February 2008; ethnic Serbian municipalities

along Kosovo's northern border challenge final status of

Kosovo-Serbia boundary; several thousand NATO-led KFOR peacekeepers

under UNMIK authority continue to keep the peace within Kosovo

between the ethnic Albanian majority and the Serb minority in

Kosovo; Serbia delimited about half of the boundary with Bosnia and

Herzegovina, but sections along the Drina River remain in dispute

Seychelles

together with Mauritius, Seychelles claims the Chagos

Archipelago (UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory)

Sierra Leone

as domestic fighting among disparate ethnic groups,

rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea,

Liberia, and Sierra Leone gradually abate, the number of refugees in

border areas has begun to slowly dwindle; UN Mission in Sierra Leone

(UNAMSIL) has maintained over 4,000 peacekeepers in Sierra Leone

since 1999; Sierra Leone considers excessive Guinea's definition of

the flood plain limits to define the left bank boundary of the

Makona and Moa rivers and protests Guinea's continued occupation of

these lands including the hamlet of Yenga occupied since 1998

Singapore

disputes persist with Malaysia over deliveries of fresh

water to Singapore, Singapore's extensive land reclamation works,

bridge construction, and maritime boundaries in the Johor and

Singapore Straits; in November 2007, the ICJ will hold public

hearings as a consequence of the Memorials and Countermemorials

filed by the parties in 2003 and 2005 over sovereignty of Pedra

Branca Island/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge;

Indonesia and Singapore continue to work on finalization of their

1973 maritime boundary agreement by defining unresolved areas north

of Indonesia's Batam Island; piracy remains a problem in the Malacca

Strait

Slovakia

bilateral government, legal, technical and economic working

group negotiations continued in 2006 between Slovakia and Hungary

over Hungary's completion of its portion of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros

hydroelectric dam project along the Danube; as a member state that

forms part of the EU's external border, Slovakia has implemented the

strict Schengen border rules

Slovenia

the Croatia-Slovenia land and maritime boundary agreement,

which would have ceded most of Piran Bay and maritime access to

Slovenia and several villages to Croatia, remains unratified and in

dispute; Slovenia also protests Croatia's 2003 claim to an exclusive

economic zone in the Adriatic; as a member state that forms part of

the EU's external border, Slovenia has implemented the strict

Schengen border rules to curb illegal migration and commerce through

southeastern Europe while encouraging close cross-border ties with

Croatia

Solomon Islands

since 2003, the Regional Assistance Mission to the

Solomon Islands (RAMSI), consisting of police, military, and

civilian advisors drawn from 15 countries, has assisted in

reestablishing and maintaining civil and political order while

reinforcing regional stability and security

Somalia

Ethiopian forces invaded southern Somalia and routed

Islamist Courts from Mogadishu in January 2007; "Somaliland"

secessionists provide port facilities in Berbera to landlocked

Ethiopia and have established commercial ties with other regional

states; "Puntland" and "Somaliland" "governments" seek international

support in their secessionist aspirations and overlapping border

claims; the undemarcated former British administrative line has

little meaning as a political separation to rival clans within

Ethiopia's Ogaden and southern Somalia's Oromo region; Kenya works

hard to prevent the clan and militia fighting in Somalia from

spreading south across the border, which has long been open to

nomadic pastoralists

South Africa

South Africa has placed military along the border to

apprehend the thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing economic dysfunction

and political persecution; as of January 2007, South Africa also

supports large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers from the

Democratic Republic of the Congo (33,000), Somalia (20,000), Burundi

(6,500), and other states in Africa (26,000); managed dispute with

Namibia over the location of the boundary in the Orange River; in

2006, Swazi king advocates resort to ICJ to claim parts of

Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Argentina, which claims

the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied them by force

in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force

Southern Ocean

Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctica

entry), but Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK

assert claims (some overlapping), including the continental shelf in

the Southern Ocean; several states have expressed an interest in

extending those continental shelf claims under the United Nations

Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to include undersea

ridges; the US and most other states do not recognize the land or

maritime claims of other states and have made no claims themselves

(the US and Russia have reserved the right to do so); no formal

claims exist in the waters in the sector between 90 degrees west and

150 degrees west

Spain

in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by

referendum to remain a British colony and against a "total shared

sovereignty" arrangement while demanding participation in talks

between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant

Gibraltar greater autonomy; Morocco protests Spain's control over

the coastal enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and the islands of Penon de

Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and

surrounding waters; Morocco serves as the primary launching site of

illegal migration into Spain from North Africa; Portugal does not

recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based

on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and

the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz

Spratly Islands

all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China,

Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the

Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone

that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands but has

not publicly claimed the reef; claimants in November 2002 signed the

"Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,"

which has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code

of conduct"; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the

Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine

seismic activities in the Spratly Islands

Sri Lanka

none

Sudan

the effects of Sudan's almost constant ethnic and rebel

militia fighting since the mid-20th century have penetrated all of

the neighboring states; as of 2006, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Central

African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda

provided shelter for over half a million Sudanese refugees, which

includes 240,000 Darfur residents driven from their homes by

Janjawid armed militia and the Sudanese military forces; Sudan, in

turn, hosted about 116,000 Eritreans, 20,000 Chadians, and smaller

numbers of Ethiopians, Ugandans, Central Africans, and Congolese as

refugees; in February 2006, Sudan and DROC signed an agreement to

repatriate 13,300 Sudanese and 6,800 Congolese; Sudan accuses

Eritrea of supporting Sudanese rebel groups; efforts to demarcate

the porous boundary with Ethiopia proceed slowly due to civil and

ethnic fighting in eastern Sudan; the boundary that separates Kenya

and Sudan's sovereignty is unclear in the "Ilemi Triangle," which

Kenya has administered since colonial times; while Sudan claims to

administer the Hala'ib Triangle north of the 1899 Treaty boundary

along the 22nd Parallel; both states withdrew their military

presence in the 1990s, and Egypt has invested in and effectively

administers the area; periodic violent skirmishes with Sudanese

residents over water and grazing rights persist among related

pastoral populations along the border with the Central African

Republic

Suriname

area claimed by French Guiana between Riviere Litani and

Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa); Suriname claims a

triangle of land between the New and Kutari/Koetari rivers in a

historic dispute over the headwaters of the Courantyne; Guyana seeks

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) arbitration

to resolve the long-standing dispute with Suriname over the axis of

the territorial sea boundary in potentially oil-rich waters

Svalbard

despite recent discussions, Russia and Norway dispute their

maritime limits in the Barents Sea and Russia's fishing rights

beyond Svalbard's territorial limits within the Svalbard Treaty zone

Swaziland

in 2006, Swazi king advocates resort to ICJ to claim parts

of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa

Sweden

none

Switzerland

none

Syria

Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strong

UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) patrolling a buffer zone

since 1964; lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the

boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with

several sections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shaba'a

farms in the Golan Heights; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation

settles border dispute with Jordan; approximately two million Iraqis

have fled the conflict in Iraq with the majority taking refuge in

Syria and Jordan

Taiwan

involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia,

Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands;

the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China

Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code

of conduct" desired by several of the disputants; Paracel Islands

are occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; in 2003,

China and Taiwan became more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims

to the uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and

Japan's unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East

China Sea where all parties engage in hydrocarbon prospecting

Tajikistan

in 2006, China and Tajikistan pledged to commence

demarcation of the revised boundary agreed to in the delimitation of

2002; talks continue with Uzbekistan to delimit border and remove

minefields; disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation with

Kyrgyzstan

Tanzania

Tanzania still hosts more than a half-million refugees,

more than any other African country, mainly from Burundi and the

Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite the international

community's efforts at repatriation; disputes with Malawi over the

boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River

remain dormant

Thailand

separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim

southern provinces prompt border closures and controls with Malaysia

to stem terrorist activities; Southeast Asian states have enhanced

border surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; talks continue

on completion of demarcation with Laos but disputes remain over

several islands in the Mekong River; despite continuing border

committee talks, Thailand must deal with Karen and other ethnic

rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities, and as of

2006, over 116,000 Karen, Hmong, and other refugees and asylum

seekers from Burma; Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of

historic boundary with missing boundary markers; Cambodia claims

Thai encroachments into Cambodian territory and obstructing access

to Preah Vihear temple ruins awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in

1962; Thailand is studying the feasibility of jointly constructing

the Hatgyi Dam on the Salween river near the border with Burma; in

2004, international environmentalist pressure prompted China to halt

construction of 13 dams on the Salween River that flows through

China, Burma, and Thailand

Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste-Indonesia Boundary Committee has resolved

all but a small portion of the land boundary, but discussions on

maritime boundaries are stalemated over sovereignty of the

uninhabited coral island of Pulau Batek/Fatu Sinai in the north and

alignment with Australian claims in the south; many refugees who

left Timor-Leste in 2003 still reside in Indonesia and refuse

repatriation; Australia and Timor-Leste agreed in 2005 to defer the

disputed portion of the boundary for 50 years and to split

hydrocarbon revenues evenly outside the Joint Petroleum Development

Area covered by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty

Togo

in 2001, Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - joint

commission continues to resurvey the boundary; in 2006 14,000

Togolese refugees remain in Benin and Ghana out of the 40,000 who

fled there in 2005

Tokelau

Tokelau included American Samoa's Swains Island (Olohega) in

its 2006 draft constitution

Tonga

none

Trinidad and Tobago

in April 2006, the Permanent Court of

Arbitration issued a decision that delimited a maritime boundary

with Trinidad and Tobago and compelled Barbados to enter a fishing

agreement that limited Barbadian fishermen's catches of flying fish

in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; in 2005, Barbados

and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international

arbitration under UNCLOS challenging whether the northern limit of

Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into

Barbadian waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to include

itself in the arbitration as the Trinidad and Tobago-Venezuela

maritime boundary may extend into its waters as well

Tunisia

none

Turkey

complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece

in the Aegean Sea; status of north Cyprus question remains; Syria

and Iraq protest Turkish hydrological projects to control upper

Euphrates waters; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of

Kurds in Iraq; border with Armenia remains closed over

Nagorno-Karabakh

Turkmenistan

cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan

creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; field

demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan commenced in 2005, but

Caspian seabed delimitation remains stalled with Azerbaijan, Iran,

and Kazakhstan due to Turkmenistan's indecision over how to allocate

the sea's waters and seabed

Turks and Caicos Islands have received Haitians fleeing economic and civil disorder

Tuvalu

none

Uganda

Uganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnic

groups, rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government forces

that extend across its borders; Uganda hosts 209,860 Sudanese,

27,560 Congolese, and 19,710 Rwandan refugees, while Ugandan

refugees as well as members of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) seek

shelter in southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo's

Garamba National Park; LRA forces have also attacked Kenyan villages

across the border

Ukraine

1997 boundary delimitation treaty with Belarus remains

un-ratified due to unresolved financial claims, stalling demarcation

and reducing border security; delimitation of land boundary with

Russia is complete with preparations for demarcation underway; the

dispute over the boundary between Russia and Ukraine through the

Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov remains unresolved despite a December

2003 framework agreement and ongoing expert-level discussions;

Moldova and Ukraine operate joint customs posts to monitor transit

of people and commodities through Moldova's break-away Transnistria

Region, which remains under OSCE supervision; the ICJ gave Ukraine

until December 2006 to reply, and Romania until June 2007 to rejoin,

in their dispute submitted in 2004 over Ukrainian-administered

Zmiyinyy/Serpilor (Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary;

Romania opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation canal from the

Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea

United Arab Emirates

boundary agreement was signed and ratified with

Oman in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula

and Al Madhah enclaves, but contents of the agreement and detailed

maps showing the alignment have not been published; Iran and UAE

dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which Iran occupies

United Kingdom

in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by

referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement between

the UK and Spain; the Government of Gibraltar insists on equal

participation in talks between the two countries; Spain disapproves

of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; Mauritius and

Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean

Territory), and its former inhabitants since their eviction in 1965;

most Chagossians reside in Mauritius, and in 2001 were granted UK

citizenship, where some have since resettled; in May 2006, the High

Court of London reversed the UK Government's 2004 orders of council

that banned habitation on the islands; UK rejects sovereignty talks

requested by Argentina, which still claims the Falkland Islands

(Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands;

territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory)

overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim;

Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe

Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm

United States

the U.S. has intensified domestic security measures

and is collaborating closely with its neighbors, Canada and Mexico,

to monitor and control legal and illegal personnel, transport, and

commodities across the international borders; abundant rainfall in

recent years along much of the Mexico-US border region has

ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing arrangements; 1990

Maritime Boundary Agreement in the Bering Sea still awaits Russian

Duma ratification; managed maritime boundary disputes with Canada at

Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and around the

disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; The Bahamas and US have

not been able to agree on a maritime boundary; US Naval Base at

Guantanamo Bay is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US

abandonment of the area can terminate the lease; Haiti claims

US-administered Navassa Island; US has made no territorial claim in

Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not

recognize the claims of any other states; Marshall Islands claims

Wake Island; Tokelau included American Samoa's Swains Island among

the islands listed in its 2006 draft constitution

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

none

Uruguay

in Jan 2007, ICJ provisionally ruled Uruguay may begin

construction of two paper mills on the Uruguay River, which forms

the border with Argentina, while the court examines further whether

Argentina has the legal right to stop such construction with

potential environmental implications to both countries; uncontested

dispute with Brazil over certain islands in the Quarai/Cuareim and

Invernada streams and the resulting tripoint with Argentina

Uzbekistan

prolonged drought and cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan

and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya

river states; field demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan

commenced in 2004; border delimitation of 130 km of border with

Kyrgyzstan is hampered by serious disputes around enclaves and other

areas

Vanuatu

Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia claimed by

Vanuatu and France

Venezuela

claims all of the area west of the Essequibo River in

Guyana, preventing any discussion of a maritime boundary; Guyana has

expressed its intention to join Barbados in asserting claims before

the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that

Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into

their waters; dispute with Colombia over maritime boundary and

Venezuelan-administered Los Monjes islands near the Gulf of

Venezuela; Colombian-organized illegal narcotics and paramilitary

activities penetrate Venezuela's shared border region; in 2006, an

estimated 139,000 Colombians sought protection in 150 communities

along the border in Venezuela; US, France, and the Netherlands

recognize Venezuela's granting full effect to Aves Island, thereby

claiming a Venezuelan EEZ/continental shelf extending over a large

portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea; Dominica, Saint Kitts and

Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines protest

Venezuela's full effect claim

Vietnam

southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to

check the spread of avian flu; Cambodia and Laos protest Vietnamese

squatters and armed encroachments along border; an estimated 300,000

Vietnamese refugees reside in China; establishment of a maritime

boundary with Cambodia is hampered by unresolved dispute over the

sovereignty of offshore islands; demarcation of the China-Vietnam

boundary proceeds slowly and although the maritime boundary

delimitation and fisheries agreements were ratified in June 2004,

implementation has been delayed; China occupies the Paracel Islands

also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; involved in complex dispute with

China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and possibly Brunei over the

Spratly Islands; the 2002 "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in

the South China Sea" has eased tensions but falls short of a legally

binding "code of conduct" desired by several of the disputants;

Vietnam continues to expand construction of facilities in the

Spratly Islands; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China,

the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine

seismic activities in the Spratly Islands

Virgin Islands

none

Wake Island

claimed by Marshall Islands

Wallis and Futuna

none

West Bank

West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current

status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement -

permanent status to be determined through further negotiation;

Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier

along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel

withdrew from four settlements in the northern West Bank in August

2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce

Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem,

monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated

incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the

region

Western Sahara

Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose

sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has

remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN

Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts

to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected

all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic

relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by

the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize

Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately

102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria

World

stretching over 250,000 km, the world's 322 international land

boundaries separate 194 independent states and 70 dependencies,

areas of special sovereignty, and other miscellaneous entities;

ethnicity, culture, race, religion, and language have divided states

into separate political entities as much as history, physical

terrain, political fiat, or conquest, resulting in sometimes

arbitrary and imposed boundaries; most maritime states have claimed

limits that include territorial seas and exclusive economic zones;

overlapping limits due to adjacent or opposite coasts create the

potential for 430 bilateral maritime boundaries of which 209 have

agreements that include contiguous and non-contiguous segments;

boundary, borderland/resource, and territorial disputes vary in

intensity from managed or dormant to violent or militarized;

undemarcated, indefinite, porous, and unmanaged boundaries tend to

encourage illegal cross-border activities, uncontrolled migration,

and confrontation; territorial disputes may evolve from historical

and/or cultural claims, or they may be brought on by resource

competition; ethnic and cultural clashes continue to be responsible

for much of the territorial fragmentation and internal displacement

of the estimated 6.6 million people and cross-border displacements

of 8.6 million refugees around the world as of early 2006; just over

one million refugees were repatriated in the same period; other

sources of contention include access to water and mineral

(especially hydrocarbon) resources, fisheries, and arable land;

armed conflict prevails not so much between the uniformed armed

forces of independent states as between stateless armed entities

that detract from the sustenance and welfare of local populations,

leaving the community of nations to cope with resultant refugees,

hunger, disease, impoverishment, and environmental degradation

Yemen

Saudi Arabia has reinforced its concrete-filled security

barrier along sections of the fully demarcated border with Yemen to

stem illegal cross-border activities

Zambia

in 2004, Zimbabwe dropped objections to plans between

Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi River,

thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly delimited,

Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river; 42,250 Congolese refugees in

Zambia are offered voluntary repatriation in November 2006, most of

whom are expected to return in the next two years; Angolan refugees

too have been repatriating but 26,450 still remain with 90,000

others from other neighboring states in 2006

Zimbabwe

Botswana built electric fences and South Africa has placed

military along the border to stem the flow of thousands of

Zimbabweans fleeing to find work and escape political persecution;

Namibia has supported, and in 2004 Zimbabwe dropped objections to,

plans between Botswana and Zambia to build a bridge over the Zambezi

River, thereby de facto recognizing a short, but not clearly

delimited, Botswana-Zambia boundary in the river

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2075 Ethnic groups (%)

Afghanistan

Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%,

Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4%

Albania

Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb,

Macedonian, Bulgarian) (1989 est.)

note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from

1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)

Algeria

Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%

note: almost all Algerians are Berber in origin, not Arab; the

minority who identify themselves as Berber live mostly in the

mountainous region of Kabylie east of Algiers; the Berbers are also

Muslim but identify with their Berber rather than Arab cultural

heritage; Berbers have long agitated, sometimes violently, for

autonomy; the government is unlikely to grant autonomy but has

offered to begin sponsoring teaching Berber language in schools

American Samoa

native Pacific islander 91.6%, Asian 2.8%, white

1.1%, mixed 4.2%, other 0.3% (2000 census)

Andorra

Spanish 43%, Andorran 33%, Portuguese 11%, French 7%, other

6% (1998)

Angola

Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, mestico (mixed

European and native African) 2%, European 1%, other 22%

Anguilla

black (predominant) 90.1%, mixed, mulatto 4.6%, white 3.7%,

other 1.5% (2001 census)

Antigua and Barbuda

black 91%, mixed 4.4%, white 1.7%, other 2.9%

(2001 census)

Argentina

white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo (mixed

white and Amerindian ancestry), Amerindian, or other non-white

groups 3%

Armenia

Armenian 97.9%, Yezidi (Kurd) 1.3%, Russian 0.5%, other 0.3%

(2001 census)

Aruba

mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%, other 20%

Australia

white 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%

Austria

Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croatians,

Slovenes, Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or

unspecified 2.4% (2001 census)

Azerbaijan

Azeri 90.6%, Dagestani 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%,

other 3.9% (1999 census)

note: almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh

region

Bahamas, The

black 85%, white 12%, Asian and Hispanic 3%

Bahrain

Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census)

Bangladesh

Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups,

non-Bengali Muslims) (1998)

Barbados

black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6%

Belarus

Belarusian 81.2%, Russian 11.4%, Polish 3.9%, Ukrainian

2.4%, other 1.1% (1999 census)

Belgium

Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%

Belize

mestizo 48.7%, Creole 24.9%, Maya 10.6%, Garifuna 6.1%, other

9.7% (2000 census)

Benin

Fon and related 39.2%, Adja and related 15.2%, Yoruba and

related 12.3%, Bariba and related 9.2%, Peulh and related 7%,

Ottamari and related 6.1%, Yoa-Lokpa and related 4%, Dendi and

related 2.5%, other 1.6% (includes Europeans), unspecified 2.9%

(2002 census)

Bermuda

black 54.8%, white 34.1%, mixed 6.4%, other races 4.3%,

unspecified 0.4% (2000 census)

Bhutan

Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35% (includes Lhotsampas - one of

several Nepalese ethnic groups), indigenous or migrant tribes 15%

Bolivia

Quechua 30%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry)

30%, Aymara 25%, white 15%

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosniak 48%, Serb 37.1%, Croat 14.3%, other

0.6% (2000)

note: Bosniak has replaced Muslim as an ethnic term in part to avoid

confusion with the religious term Muslim - an adherent of Islam

Botswana

Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other,

including Kgalagadi and white 7%

Brazil

white 53.7%, mulatto (mixed white and black) 38.5%, black

6.2%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 0.9%, unspecified

0.7% (2000 census)

British Virgin Islands

black 83.4%, white 7%, mixed 5.4%, Indian

3.4%, other 0.8% (1991 census)

Brunei

Malay 66.3%, Chinese 11.2%, indigenous 3.4%, other 19.1%

(2004 est.)

Bulgaria

Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including

Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001 census)

Burkina Faso

Mossi over 40%, other approximately 60% (includes

Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, and Fulani)

Burma

Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian

2%, Mon 2%, other 5%

Burundi

Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%,

Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000

Cambodia

Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4%

Cameroon

Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%,

Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other

African 13%, non-African less than 1%

Canada

British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European

15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed

background 26%

Cape Verde

Creole (mulatto) 71%, African 28%, European 1%

Cayman Islands

mixed 40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of

various ethnic groups 20%

Central African Republic

Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%,

Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2%

Chad

Sara 27.7%, Arab 12.3%, Mayo-Kebbi 11.5%, Kanem-Bornou 9%,

Ouaddai 8.7%, Hadjarai 6.7%, Tandjile 6.5%, Gorane 6.3%, Fitri-Batha

4.7%, other 6.4%, unknown 0.3% (1993 census)

Chile

white and white-Amerindian 95.4%, Mapuche 4%, other indigenous

groups 0.6% (2002 census)

China

Han Chinese 91.5%, Zhuang, Manchu, Hui, Miao, Uyghur, Tujia,

Yi, Mongol, Tibetan, Buyi, Dong, Yao, Korean, and other

nationalities 8.5% (2000 census)

Christmas Island

Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10%

note: no indigenous population (2001)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Europeans, Cocos Malays

Colombia

mestizo 58%, white 20%, mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed

black-Amerindian 3%, Amerindian 1%

Comoros

Antalote, Cafre, Makoa, Oimatsaha, Sakalava

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

over 200 African ethnic groups of

which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba,

Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about

45% of the population

Congo, Republic of the

Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%,

Europeans and other 3%

Cook Islands

Cook Island Maori (Polynesian) 87.7%, part Cook Island

Maori 5.8%, other 6.5% (2001 census)

Costa Rica

white (including mestizo) 94%, black 3%, Amerindian 1%,

Chinese 1%, other 1%

Cote d'Ivoire

Akan 42.1%, Voltaiques or Gur 17.6%, Northern Mandes

16.5%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (includes 130,000

Lebanese and 14,000 French) (1998)

Croatia

Croat 89.6%, Serb 4.5%, other 5.9% (including Bosniak,

Hungarian, Slovene, Czech, and Roma) (2001 census)

Cuba

white 65.1%, mulatto and mestizo 24.8%, black 10.1% (2002

census)

Cyprus

Greek 77%, Turkish 18%, other 5% (2001)

Czech Republic

Czech 90.4%, Moravian 3.7%, Slovak 1.9%, other 4%

(2001 census)

Denmark

Scandinavian, Inuit, Faroese, German, Turkish, Iranian,

Somali

Djibouti

Somali 60%, Afar 35%, other 5% (includes French, Arab,

Ethiopian, and Italian)

Dominica

black 86.8%, mixed 8.9%, Carib Amerindian 2.9%, white 0.8%,

other 0.7% (2001 census)

Dominican Republic

mixed 73%, white 16%, black 11%

Ecuador

mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 65%, Amerindian 25%,

Spanish and others 7%, black 3%

Egypt

Egyptian 99.6%, other 0.4% (2006 census)

El Salvador

mestizo 90%, white 9%, Amerindian 1%

Equatorial Guinea

Fang 85.7%, Bubi 6.5%, Mdowe 3.6%, Annobon 1.6%,

Bujeba 1.1%, other 1.4% (1994 census)

Eritrea

Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea

coast dwellers) 3%, other 3%

Estonia

Estonian 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian

1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000 census)

Ethiopia

Oromo 32.1%, Amara 30.1%, Tigraway 6.2%, Somalie 5.9%,

Guragie 4.3%, Sidama 3.5%, Welaita 2.4%, other 15.4% (1994 census)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

British

Faroe Islands

Scandinavian

Fiji

Fijian 57.3% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian

admixture), Indian 37.6%, Rotuman 1.2%, other 3.9% (European, other

Pacific Islanders, Chinese) (2007 census)

Finland

Finn 93.4%, Swede 5.6%, Russian 0.5%, Estonian 0.3%, Roma

(Gypsy) 0.1%, Sami 0.1% (2006)

France

Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African,

Indochinese, Basque minorities

overseas departments: black, white, mulatto, East Indian, Chinese,

Amerindian

French Polynesia

Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%,

metropolitan French 4%

Gabon

Bantu tribes, including four major tribal groupings (Fang,

Bapounou, Nzebi, Obamba); other Africans and Europeans, 154,000,

including 10,700 French and 11,000 persons of dual nationality

Gambia, The

African 99% (Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola

10%, Serahuli 9%, other 4%), non-African 1% (2003 census)

Gaza Strip

Palestinian Arab

Georgia

Georgian 83.8%, Azeri 6.5%, Armenian 5.7%, Russian 1.5%,

other 2.5% (2002 census)

Germany

German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, other 6.1% (made up largely of

Greek, Italian, Polish, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Spanish)

Ghana

Akan 45.3%, Mole-Dagbon 15.2%, Ewe 11.7%, Ga-Dangme 7.3%, Guan

4%, Gurma 3.6%, Grusi 2.6%, Mande-Busanga 1%, other tribes 1.4%,

other 7.8% (2000 census)

Gibraltar

Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, German,

North Africans

Greece

population: Greek 93%, other (foreign citizens) 7% (2001

census)

note: percents represent citizenship, since Greece does not collect

data on ethnicity

Greenland

Greenlander 88% (Inuit and Greenland-born whites), Danish

and others 12% (2000)

Grenada

black 82%, mixed black and European 13%, European and East

Indian 5%, and trace of Arawak/Carib Amerindian

Guam

Chamorro 37.1%, Filipino 26.3%, other Pacific islander 11.3%,

white 6.9%, other Asian 6.3%, other ethnic origin or race 2.3%,

mixed 9.8% (2000 census)

Guatemala

Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish - in local Spanish

called Ladino) and European 59.4%, K'iche 9.1%, Kaqchikel 8.4%, Mam

7.9%, Q'eqchi 6.3%, other Mayan 8.6%, indigenous non-Mayan 0.2%,

other 0.1% (2001 census)

Guernsey

UK and Norman-French descent with small percentages from

other European countries

Guinea

Peuhl 40%, Malinke 30%, Soussou 20%, smaller ethnic groups 10%

Guinea-Bissau

African 99% (includes Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca

14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%

Guyana

East Indian 43.5%, black (African) 30.2%, mixed 16.7%,

Amerindian 9.1%, other 0.5% (2002 census)

Haiti

black 95%, mulatto and white 5%

Holy See (Vatican City)

Italians, Swiss, other

Honduras

mestizo (mixed Amerindian and European) 90%, Amerindian 7%,

black 2%, white 1%

Hong Kong

Chinese 95%, Filipino 1.6%, Indonesian 1.3%, other 2.1%

(2006 census)

Hungary

Hungarian 92.3%, Roma 1.9%, other or unknown 5.8% (2001

census)

Iceland

homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts 94%,

population of foreign origin 6%

India

Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000)

Indonesia

Javanese 40.6%, Sundanese 15%, Madurese 3.3%, Minangkabau

2.7%, Betawi 2.4%, Bugis 2.4%, Banten 2%, Banjar 1.7%, other or

unspecified 29.9% (2000 census)

Iran

Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%,

Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%

Iraq

Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian, or other 5%

Ireland

Irish 87.4%, other white 7.5%, Asian 1.3%, black 1.1%, mixed

1.1%, unspecified 1.6% (2006 census)

Isle of Man

Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Britons

Israel

Jewish 76.4% (of which Israel-born 67.1%, Europe/America-born

22.6%, Africa-born 5.9%, Asia-born 4.2%), non-Jewish 23.6% (mostly

Arab) (2004)

Italy

Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and

Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and

Greek-Italians in the south)

Jamaica

black 91.2%, mixed 6.2%, other or unknown 2.6% (2001 census)

Japan

Japanese 98.5%, Koreans 0.5%, Chinese 0.4%, other 0.6%

note: up to 230,000 Brazilians of Japanese origin migrated to Japan

in the 1990s to work in industries; some have returned to Brazil

(2004)

Jersey

Jersey 51.1%, Britons 34.8%, Irish, French, and other white

6.6%, Portuguese/Madeiran 6.4%, other 1.1% (2001 census)

Jordan

Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%

Kazakhstan

Kazakh (Qazaq) 53.4%, Russian 30%, Ukrainian 3.7%, Uzbek

2.5%, German 2.4%, Tatar 1.7%, Uygur 1.4%, other 4.9% (1999 census)

Kenya

Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii

6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and

Arab) 1%

Kiribati

Micronesian 98.8%, other 1.2% (2000 census)

Korea, North

racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese

community and a few ethnic Japanese

Korea, South

homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)

Kosovo

Albanians 88%, Serbs 7%, other 5% (Bosniak, Gorani, Roma,

Turk, Ashkali, Egyptian)

Kuwait

Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%,

other 7%

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz 64.9%, Uzbek 13.8%, Russian 12.5%, Dungan 1.1%,

Ukrainian 1%, Uygur 1%, other 5.7% (1999 census)

Laos

Lao 55%, Khmou 11%, Hmong 8%, other (over 100 minor ethnic

groups) 26% (2005 census)

Latvia

Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian

2.7%, Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2% (2002)

Lebanon

Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%

note: many Christian Lebanese do not identify themselves as Arab but

rather as descendents of the ancient Canaanites and prefer to be

called Phoenicians

Lesotho

Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,

Liberia

indigenous African 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru,

Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella,

Mandingo, and Mende), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of

immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5%

(descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves)

Libya

Berber and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Greeks, Maltese,

Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians)

Liechtenstein

Liechtensteiner 65.6%, other 34.4% (2000 census)

Lithuania

Lithuanian 83.4%, Polish 6.7%, Russian 6.3%, other or

unspecified 3.6% (2001 census)

Luxembourg

Luxembourger 63.1%, Portuguese 13.3%, French 4.5%,

Italian 4.3%, German 2.3%, other EU 7.3%, other 5.2% (2000 census)

Macau

Chinese 94.3%, other 5.7% (includes Macanese (mixed Portuguese

and Asian ancestry)) (2006 census)

Macedonia

Macedonian 64.2%, Albanian 25.2%, Turkish 3.9%, Roma

(Gypsy) 2.7%, Serb 1.8%, other 2.2% (2002 census)

Madagascar

Malayo-Indonesian (Merina and related Betsileo), Cotiers

(mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry -

Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), French, Indian,

Creole, Comoran

Malawi

Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuka, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni,

Ngonde, Asian, European

Malaysia

Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%,

others 7.8% (2004 est.)

Maldives

South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs

Mali

Mande 50% (Bambara, Malinke, Soninke), Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%,

Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 10%, other 5%

Malta

Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians

with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)

Marshall Islands

Marshallese 92.1%, mixed Marshallese 5.9%, other 2%

(2006)

Mauritania

mixed Moor/black 40%, Moor 30%, black 30%

Mauritius

Indo-Mauritian 68%, Creole 27%, Sino-Mauritian 3%,

Franco-Mauritian 2%

Mayotte

NA

Mexico

mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly

Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%

Micronesia, Federated States of

Chuukese 48.8%, Pohnpeian 24.2%,

Kosraean 6.2%, Yapese 5.2%, Yap outer islands 4.5%, Asian 1.8%,

Polynesian 1.5%, other 6.4%, unknown 1.4% (2000 census)

Moldova

Moldovan/Romanian 78.2%, Ukrainian 8.4%, Russian 5.8%,

Gagauz 4.4%, Bulgarian 1.9%, other 1.3% (2004 census)

note: internal disputes with ethnic Slavs in the Transnistrian region

Monaco

French 47%, Monegasque 16%, Italian 16%, other 21%

Mongolia

Mongol (mostly Khalkha) 94.9%, Turkic (mostly Kazakh) 5%,

other (including Chinese and Russian) 0.1% (2000)

Montenegro

Montenegrin 43%, Serbian 32%, Bosniak 8%, Albanian 5%,

other (Muslims, Croats, Roma (Gypsy)) 12% (2003 census)

Montserrat

black, white

Morocco

Arab-Berber 99.1%, other 0.7%, Jewish 0.2%

Mozambique

African 99.66% (Makhuwa, Tsonga, Lomwe, Sena, and

others), Europeans 0.06%, Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.08%

Namibia

black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5%

note: about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9%

to the Kavangos tribe; other ethnic groups include Herero 7%, Damara

7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5%

Nauru

Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European

8%

Nepal

Chhettri 15.5%, Brahman-Hill 12.5%, Magar 7%, Tharu 6.6%,

Tamang 5.5%, Newar 5.4%, Muslim 4.2%, Kami 3.9%, Yadav 3.9%, other

32.7%, unspecified 2.8% (2001 census)

Netherlands

Dutch 80.7%, EU 5%, Indonesian 2.4%, Turkish 2.2%,

Surinamese 2%, Moroccan 2%, Netherlands Antilles & Aruba 0.8%, other

4.8% (2008 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

mixed black 85%, other 15% (includes Carib

Amerindian, white, East Asian)

New Caledonia

Melanesian 44.1%, European 34.1%, Wallisian & Futunian

9%, Tahitian 2.6%, Indonesian 2.5%, Vietnamese 1.4%, Ni-Vanuatu

1.1%, other 5.2% (1996 census)

New Zealand

European 69.8%, Maori 7.9%, Asian 5.7%, Pacific islander

4.4%, other 0.5%, mixed 7.8%, unspecified 3.8% (2001 census)

Nicaragua

mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 69%, white 17%, black

9%, Amerindian 5%

Niger

Haoussa 55.4%, Djerma Sonrai 21%, Tuareg 9.3%, Peuhl 8.5%,

Kanouri Manga 4.7%, other 1.2% (2001 census)

Nigeria

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, is composed of more

than 250 ethnic groups; the following are the most populous and

politically influential: Hausa and Fulani 29%, Yoruba 21%, Igbo

(Ibo) 18%, Ijaw 10%, Kanuri 4%, Ibibio 3.5%, Tiv 2.5%

Niue

Niuen 78.2%, Pacific islander 10.2%, European 4.5%, mixed 3.9%,

Asian 0.2%, unspecified 3% (2001 census)

Norfolk Island

descendants of the Bounty mutineers, Australian, New

Zealander, Polynesian

Northern Mariana Islands

Asian 56.3%, Pacific islander 36.3%,

Caucasian 1.8%, other 0.8%, mixed 4.8% (2000 census)

Norway

Norwegian 94.4% (includes Sami, about 60,000), other European

3.6%, other 2% (2007 estimate)

Oman

Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan,

Bangladeshi), African

Pakistan

Punjabi 44.68%, Pashtun (Pathan) 15.42%, Sindhi 14.1%,

Sariaki 8.38%, Muhagirs 7.57%, Balochi 3.57%, other 6.28%

Palau

Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures)

69.9%, Filipino 15.3%, Chinese 4.9%, other Asian 2.4%, white 1.9%,

Carolinian 1.4%, other Micronesian 1.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%

(2000 census)

Panama

mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 70%, Amerindian and

mixed (West Indian) 14%, white 10%, Amerindian 6%

Papua New Guinea

Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian

Paraguay

mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5%

Peru

Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white

15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%

Philippines

Tagalog 28.1%, Cebuano 13.1%, Ilocano 9%,

Bisaya/Binisaya 7.6%, Hiligaynon Ilonggo 7.5%, Bikol 6%, Waray 3.4%,

other 25.3% (2000 census)

Pitcairn Islands

descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their

Tahitian wives

Poland

Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%, Ukrainian 0.1%,

other and unspecified 2.7% (2002 census)

Portugal

homogeneous Mediterranean stock; citizens of black African

descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less

than 100,000; since 1990 East Europeans have entered Portugal

Puerto Rico

white (mostly Spanish origin) 80.5%, black 8%,

Amerindian 0.4%, Asian 0.2%, mixed 4.2%, other 6.7% (2000 census)

Qatar

Arab 40%, Indian 18%, Pakistani 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14%

Romania

Romanian 89.5%, Hungarian 6.6%, Roma 2.5%, Ukrainian 0.3%,

German 0.3%, Russian 0.2%, Turkish 0.2%, other 0.4% (2002 census)

Russia

Russian 79.8%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 2%, Bashkir 1.2%,

Chuvash 1.1%, other or unspecified 12.1% (2002 census)

Rwanda

Hutu (Bantu) 84%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 15%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%

Saint Barthelemy

white, Creole (mulatto), black, Guadeloupe Mestizo

(French-East Asia)

Saint Helena

African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25%

Saint Kitts and Nevis

predominantly black; some British, Portuguese,

and Lebanese

Saint Lucia

black 82.5%, mixed 11.9%, East Indian 2.4%, other or

unspecified 3.1% (2001 census)

Saint Martin

creole (mulatto), black, Guadeloupe Mestizo

(French-East Asia), white, East Indian

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

black 66%, mixed 19%, East Indian

6%, European 4%, Carib Amerindian 2%, other 3%

Samoa

Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian

blood) 7%, Europeans 0.4% (2001 census)

San Marino

Sammarinese, Italian

Sao Tome and Principe

mestico, angolares (descendants of Angolan

slaves), forros (descendants of freed slaves), servicais (contract

laborers from Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde), tongas (children

of servicais born on the islands), Europeans (primarily Portuguese)

Saudi Arabia

Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%

Senegal

Wolof 43.3%, Pular 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Jola 3.7%, Mandinka

3%, Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4%

Serbia

Serb 82.9%, Hungarian 3.9%, Romany (Gypsy) 1.4%, Yugoslavs

1.1%, Bosniaks 1.8%, Montenegrin 0.9%, other 8% (2002 census)

Seychelles

mixed French, African, Indian, Chinese, and Arab

Sierra Leone

20 African ethnic groups 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%,

other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves

who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century),

refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of

Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians

Singapore

Chinese 76.8%, Malay 13.9%, Indian 7.9%, other 1.4% (2000

census)

Slovakia

Slovak 85.8%, Hungarian 9.7%, Roma 1.7%,

Ruthenian/Ukrainian 1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)

Slovenia

Slovene 83.1%, Serb 2%, Croat 1.8%, Bosniak 1.1%, other or

unspecified 12% (2002 census)

Solomon Islands

Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%,

other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (1999 census)

Somalia

Somali 85%, Bantu and other non-Somali 15% (including Arabs

30,000)

South Africa

black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%,

Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001 census)

Spain

composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types

Sri Lanka

Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%,

Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001 census

provisional data)

Sudan

black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%

Suriname

Hindustani (also known locally as "East Indians"; their

ancestors emigrated from northern India in the latter part of the

19th century) 37%, Creole (mixed white and black) 31%, Javanese 15%,

"Maroons" (their African ancestors were brought to the country in

the 17th and 18th centuries as slaves and escaped to the interior)

10%, Amerindian 2%, Chinese 2%, white 1%, other 2%

Svalbard

Norwegian 55.4%, Russian and Ukrainian 44.3%, other 0.3%

(1998)

Swaziland

African 97%, European 3%

Sweden

indigenous population: Swedes with Finnish and Sami

minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns,

Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks

Switzerland

German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other

6%

Syria

Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%

Taiwan

Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%,

indigenous 2%

Tajikistan

Tajik 79.9%, Uzbek 15.3%, Russian 1.1%, Kyrgyz 1.1%,

other 2.6% (2000 census)

Tanzania

mainland - African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting

of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European,

and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, African, mixed Arab and African

Thailand

Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%

Timor-Leste

Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian), Papuan, small Chinese

minority

Togo

African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina,

and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%

Tokelau

Polynesian

Tonga

Polynesian, Europeans

Trinidad and Tobago

Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed

20.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 0.8% (2000 census)

Tunisia

Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%

Turkey

Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated)

Turkmenistan

Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003)

Turks and Caicos Islands

black 90%, mixed, European, or North

American 10%

Tuvalu

Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%

Uganda

Baganda 16.9%, Banyakole 9.5%, Basoga 8.4%, Bakiga 6.9%,

Iteso 6.4%, Langi 6.1%, Acholi 4.7%, Bagisu 4.6%, Lugbara 4.2%,

Bunyoro 2.7%, other 29.6% (2002 census)

Ukraine

Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 0.6%, Moldovan

0.5%, Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian

0.3%, Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001 census)

United Arab Emirates

Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South

Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians)

8% (1982)

note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)

United Kingdom

white (of which English 83.6%, Scottish 8.6%, Welsh

4.9%, Northern Irish 2.9%) 92.1%, black 2%, Indian 1.8%, Pakistani

1.3%, mixed 1.2%, other 1.6% (2001 census)

United States

white 79.96%, black 12.85%, Asian 4.43%, Amerindian

and Alaska native 0.97%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander

0.18%, two or more races 1.61% (July 2007 estimate)

note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US

Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American

descent (including persons of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican

origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group

(white, black, Asian, etc.); about 15.1% of the total US population

is Hispanic

Uruguay

white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian (practically

nonexistent)

Uzbekistan

Uzbek 80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak

2.5%, Tatar 1.5%, other 2.5% (1996 est.)

Vanuatu

Ni-Vanuatu 98.5%, other 1.5% (1999 Census)

Venezuela

Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Arab, German, African,

indigenous people

Vietnam

Kinh (Viet) 86.2%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.7%, Muong 1.5%, Khome

1.4%, Hoa 1.1%, Nun 1.1%, Hmong 1%, others 4.1% (1999 census)

Virgin Islands

black 76.2%, white 13.1%, Asian 1.1%, other 6.1%,

mixed 3.5% (2000 census)

Wallis and Futuna

Polynesian

West Bank

Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%

Western Sahara

Arab, Berber

Yemen

predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans

Zambia

African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2%

Zimbabwe

African 98% (Shona 82%, Ndebele 14%, other 2%), mixed and

Asian 1%, white less than 1%

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

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@2076 Exchange rates

Afghanistan

afghanis (AFA) per US dollar - NA (2007), 46 (2006),

47.7 (2005), 48 (2004), 49 (2003)

Akrotiri

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.4286 (2007), 0.46019 (2006),

0.4641 (2005), 0.4686 (2004), 0.5174 (2003)

Albania

leke (ALL) per US dollar - 92.668 (2007), 98.384 (2006),

102.649 (2005), 102.78 (2004), 121.863 (2003)

Algeria

Algerian dinars (DZD) per US dollar - 69.9 (2007), 72.647

(2006), 73.276 (2005), 72.061 (2004), 77.395 (2003)

American Samoa

the US dollar is used

Andorra

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),

0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Angola

kwanza (AOA) per US dollar - 76.6 (2007), 80.4 (2006), 88.6

(2005), 83.541 (2004), 74.606 (2003)

Anguilla

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007),

2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)

note: fixed rate since 1976

Antigua and Barbuda

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7

(2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)

note: fixed rate since 1976

Argentina

Argentine pesos (ARS) per US dollar - 3.1105 (2007),

3.0543 (2006), 2.9037 (2005), 2.9233 (2004), 2.9006 (2003)

Armenia

drams (AMD) per US dollar - 344.06 (2007), 414.69 (2006),

457.69 (2005), 533.45 (2004), 578.76 (2003)

Aruba

Aruban guilders/florins (AWG) per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.79

(2006), 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003)

Australia

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007),

1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)

Austria

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),

0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani manats (AZN) per US dollar - 0.8581 (2007),

0.8934 (2006), 4,727.1 (2005), 4,913.48 (2004), 4,910.73 (2003)

note: on 1 January 2006 Azerbaijan revalued its currency, with 5,000

old manats equal to 1 new manat

Bahamas, The

Bahamian dollars (BSD) per US dollar - 1 (2007), 1

(2006), 1 (2005), 1 (2004), 1 (2003)

Bahrain

Bahraini dinars (BHD) per US dollar - 0.376 (2007), 0.376

(2006), 0.376 (2005), 0.376 (2004), 0.376 (2003)

Bangladesh

taka (BDT) per US dollar - 69.893 (2007), 69.031 (2006),

64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004), 58.15 (2003)

Barbados

Barbadian dollars (BBD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2

(2006), 2 (2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)

Belarus

Belarusian rubles (BYB/BYR) per US dollar - 2,145 (2007),

2,144.6 (2006), 2,150 (2005), 2,160.26 (2004), 2,051.27 (2003)

Belgium

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),

0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Belize

Belizean dollars (BZD) per US dollar - 2 (2007), 2 (2006), 2

(2005), 2 (2004), 2 (2003)

Benin

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar -

493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2

(2003)

note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the

euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Bermuda

Bermudian dollars (BMD) per US dollar - 1.0000 (fixed rate

pegged to the US dollar)

Bhutan

ngultrum (BTN) per US dollar - 41.487 (2007), 45.279 (2006),

44.101 (2005), 45.317 (2004), 46.583 (2003)

note: the ngultrum is pegged to the Indian rupee

Bolivia

bolivianos (BOB) per US dollar - 7.8616 (2007), 8.0159

(2006), 8.0661 (2005), 7.9363 (2004), 7.6592 (2003)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

konvertibilna markas (BAM) per US dollar -

1.4419 (2007), 1.5576 (2006), 1.5727 (2005), 1.5752 (2004), 1.7329

(2003)

note: the convertible mark is pegged to the euro

Botswana

pulas (BWP) per US dollar - 6.2035 (2007), 5.8447 (2006),

5.1104 (2005), 4.6929 (2004), 4.9499 (2003)

Brazil

reals (BRL) per US dollar - 1.85 (2007 est.), 2.1761 (2006),

2.4344 (2005), 2.9251 (2004), 3.0771 (2003)

British Virgin Islands

the US dollar is used

Brunei

Bruneian dollars (BND) per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.5886

(2006), 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003)

Bulgaria

leva (BGN) per US dollar - 1.4366 (2007), 1.5576 (2006),

1.5741 (2005), 1.5751 (2004), 1.7327 (2003)

Burkina Faso

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US

dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004),

581.2 (2003)

note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the

euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Burma

kyats (MMK) per US dollar - 1,296 (2007), 1,280 (2006), 5.761

(2005), 5.7459 (2004), 6.0764 (2003)

note: unofficial exchange rates ranged in 2004 from 815 kyat/US

dollar to nearly 970 kyat/US dollar, and by yearend 2005, the

unofficial exchange rate was 1,075 kyat/US dollar; data shown for

2003-05 are official exchange rates

Burundi

Burundi francs (BIF) per US dollar - 1,065 (2007), 1,030

(2006), 1,138 (2005), 1,100.91 (2004), 1,082.62 (2003)

Cambodia

riels (KHR) per US dollar - 4,006 (2007), 4,103 (2006),

4,092.5 (2005), 4,016.25 (2004), 3,973.33 (2003)

Cameroon

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar

- 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2

(2003)

Canada

Canadian dollars (CAD) per US dollar - 1.0724 (2007), 1.1334

(2006), 1.2118 (2005), 1.301 (2004), 1.4011 (2003)

Cape Verde

Cape Verdean escudos (CVE) per US dollar - 81.235 (2007),

87.946 (2006), 88.67 (2005), 88.808 (2004), 97.703 (2003)

Cayman Islands

Caymanian dollars (KYD) per US dollar - NA (2007),

0.8496 (2006)

Central African Republic

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs

(XAF) per US dollar - 481.8 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005),

528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003)

Chad

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar -

480.1 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2

(2003)

Chile

Chilean pesos (CLP) per US dollar - 526.25 (2007), 530.29

(2006), 560.09 (2005), 609.37 (2004), 691.43 (2003)

China

Renminbi yuan (RMB) per US dollar - 7.61 (2007), 7.97 (2006),

8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004), 8.277 (2003)

Christmas Island

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2137

(2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar -

1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419

(2003)

Colombia

Colombian pesos (COP) per US dollar - 2,013.8 (2007),

2,358.6 (2006), 2,320.75 (2005), 2,628.61 (2004), 2,877.65 (2003)

Comoros

Comoran francs (KMF) per US dollar - 361.4 (2007), 391.8

(2006), 395.6 (2005), 396.21 (2004), 435.9 (2003)

note: the Comoran franc is pegged to the euro at a rate of 491.9677

Comoran francs per euro

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Congolese francs (CDF) per US

dollar - NA (2007), 464.69 (2006), 437.86 (2005), 401.04 (2004),

405.34 (2003)

Congo, Republic of the

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF)

per US dollar - 483.6 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29

(2004), 581.2 (2003)

Cook Islands

NZ dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408

(2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003)

Costa Rica

Costa Rican colones (CRC) per US dollar - 519.53 (2007),

511.3 (2006), 477.79 (2005), 437.91 (2004), 398.66 (2003)

Cote d'Ivoire

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US

dollar - 481.83 (2007), 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004),

581.2 (2003)

note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the

euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Croatia

kuna (HRK) per US dollar - 5.3735 (2007), 5.8625 (2006),

5.9473 (2005), 6.0358 (2004), 6.7035 (2003)

Cuba

Cuban pesos (CUP) per US dollar - 0.9259 (2007), 0.9231 (2006)

note: Cuba has two currencies in circulation: the Cuban peso (CUP)

and the convertible peso (CUC); in April 2005 the official exchange

rate changed from $1 per CUC to $1.08 per CUC (0.93 CUC per $1),

both for individuals and enterprises; individuals can buy 24 Cuban

pesos (CUP) for each CUC sold, or sell 25 Cuban pesos for each CUC

bought; enterprises, however, must exchange CUP and CUC at a 1:1

ratio.

Cyprus

Cypriot pounds (CYP) per US dollar -: 0.4286 (2007), 0.4586

(2006), 0.4641 (2005), 0.4686 (2004), 0.5174 (2003)

Czech Republic

koruny (CZK) per US dollar - 20.53 (2007), 22.596

(2006), 23.957 (2005), 25.7 (2004), 28.209 (2003)

Denmark

Danish kroner (DKK) per US dollar - 5.4797 (2007), 5.9468

(2006), 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003)

Dhekelia

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.4286 (2007), 0.46019 (2006),

0.4641 (2005), 0.4686 (2004), 0.5174 (2003)

Djibouti

Djiboutian francs (DJF) per US dollar - 177.71 (2007),

174.75 (2006), 177.72 (2005), 177.72 (2004), 177.72 (2003)

Dominica

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007),

2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)

Dominican Republic

Dominican pesos (DOP) per US dollar - 33.113

(2007), 33.406 (2006), 30.409 (2005), 42.12 (2004), 30.831 (2003)

Ecuador

the US dollar is used; the sucre was eliminated in 2000

Egypt

Egyptian pounds (EGP) per US dollar - 5.67 (2007), 5.725

(2006), 5.78 (2005), 6.1962 (2004), 5.8509 (2003)

El Salvador

the US dollar became El Salvador's currency in 2001

Equatorial Guinea

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per

US dollar - 481.83 (2007), 522.4 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29

(2004), 581.2 (2003)

Eritrea

nakfa (ERN) per US dollar - 15.5 (2007), 15.4 (2006), 14.5

(2005), 13.788 (2004), 13.878 (2003)

note: the official exchange rate is 15 nakfa to the dollar

Estonia

krooni (EEK) per US dollar - 11.535 (2007), 12.473 (2006),

12.584 (2005), 12.596 (2004), 13.856 (2003)

note: the krooni is pegged to the euro

Ethiopia

birr (ETB) per US dollar - 8.96 (2007), 8.69 (2006), 8.68

(2005), 8.6356 (2004), 8.5997 (2003)

note: since 24 October 2001, exchange rates are determined on a

daily basis via interbank transactions regulated by the Central Bank

European Union

euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),

0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Falkland pounds (FKP) per US

dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5434 (2006), 0.5504 (2005), 0.5462 (2004),

0.6125 (2003)

note: the Falkland pound is at par with the British pound

Faroe Islands

Danish kroner (DKK) per US dollar - 5.4797 (2007),

5.9468 (2006), 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003)

Fiji

Fijian dollars (FJD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.7313 (2006),

1.691 (2005), 1.7331 (2004), 1.8958 (2003)

Finland

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),

0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

France

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),

0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

French Polynesia

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US

dollar - 87.59 (2007), 94.97 (2006), 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004),

105.66 (2003)

note: pegged at the rate of 119.25 XPF to the euro

Gabon

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XAF) per US dollar -

481.83 (2007), 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2

(2003)

Gambia, The

dalasis (GMD) per US dollar - 27.79 (2007), 28.066

(2006), 28.575 (2005), 30.03 (2004), 27.306 (2003)

Gaza Strip

new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 4.14 (2007),

4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003)

Georgia

laris (GEL) per US dollar - 1.7 (2007), 1.78 (2006), 1.8127

(2005), 1.9167 (2004), 2.1457 (2003)

Germany

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),

0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Ghana

cedis (GHC) per US dollar - 0.95 (2007), 9,174.8 (2006),

9,072.5 (2005), 9,004.6 (2004), 8,677.4 (2003)

note: in 2007 Ghana revalued its currency with 10,000 old cedis

equal to 1 new cedis

Gibraltar

Gibraltar pounds (GIP) per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007),

0.5434 (2006), 0.5504 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003)

note: the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound

Greece

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),

0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Greenland

Danish kroner (DKK) per US dollar - 5.4797 (2007), 5.9468

(2006), 5.9969 (2005), 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003)

Grenada

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7

(2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)

Guam

the US dollar is used

Guatemala

quetzales (GTQ) per US dollar - 7.6833 (2007), 7.6026

(2006), 7.6339 (2005), 7.9465 (2004), 7.9409 (2003)

Guernsey

Guernsey pound 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005),

0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003)

note: the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound

Guinea

Guinean francs (GNF) per US dollar - 4,122.8 (2007), 5,350

(2006), 3,644.3 (2005), 2,225 (2004), 1,984.9 (2003)

Guinea-Bissau

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US

dollar - 493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004),

581.2 (2003)

note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the

euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Guyana

Guyanese dollars (GYD) per US dollar - 201.89 (2007), 200.28

(2006), 200.79 (2005), 198.31 (2004), 193.88 (2003)

Haiti

gourdes (HTG) per US dollar - 37.138 (2007), 40.232 (2006),

40.449 (2005), 38.352 (2004), 42.367 (2003)

Holy See (Vatican City)

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007),

0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Honduras

lempiras (HNL) per US dollar - 18.9 (2007), 18.895 (2006),

18.92 (2005), 18.206 (2004), 17.345 (2003)

Hong Kong

Hong Kong dollars (HKD) per US dollar - 7.802 (2007),

7.7678 (2006), 7.7773 (2005), 7.788 (2004), 7.7868 (2003)

Hungary

forints (HUF) per US dollar - 186.16 (2007), 210.39 (2006),

199.58 (2005), 202.75 (2004), 224.31 (2003)

Iceland

Icelandic kronur (ISK) per US dollar - 63.391 (2007), 70.195

(2006), 62.982 (2005), 70.192 (2004), 76.709 (2003)

India

Indian rupees (INR) per US dollar - 41.487 (2007), 45.3

(2006), 44.101 (2005), 45.317 (2004), 46.583 (2003)

Indonesia

Indonesian rupiah (IDR) per US dollar - 9,056 (2007 est.),

9,159.3 (2006), 9,704.7 (2005), 8,938.9 (2004), 8,577.1 (2003)

Iran

Iranian rials (IRR) per US dollar - 9,407.5 (2007), 9,227.1

(2006), 8,964 (2005), 8,614 (2004), 8,193.9 (2003)

note: Iran has been using a managed floating exchange rate regime

since unifying multiple exchange rates in March 2002

Iraq

New Iraqi dinars (NID) per US dollar - 1,255 (2007), 1,466

(2006), 1,475 (2005), 1,890 (second half, 2003)

Ireland

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),

0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Isle of Man

Manx pounds (IMP) per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418

(2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003)

note: the Manx pound is at par with the British pound

Israel

new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 4.14 (2007), 4.4565

(2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003)

Italy

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),

0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Jamaica

Jamaican dollars (JMD) per US dollar - 69.034 (2007), 65.768

(2006), 62.51 (2005), 61.197 (2004), 57.741 (2003)

Japan

yen (JPY) per US dollar - 117.99 (2007), 116.18 (2006), 110.22

(2005), 108.19 (2004), 115.93 (2003)

Jersey

Jersey pounds per US dollar 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006),

0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003)

note: the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound

Jordan

Jordanian dinars (JOD) per US dollar - 0.709 (2007), 0.709

(2006), 0.709 (2005), 0.709 (2004), 0.709 (2003)

Kazakhstan

tenge (KZT) per US dollar - 122.55 (2007), 126.09 (2006),

132.88 (2005), 136.04 (2004), 149.58 (2003)

Kenya

Kenyan shillings (KES) per US dollar - 68.309 (2007), 72.101

(2006), 75.554 (2005), 79.174 (2004), 75.936 (2003)

Kiribati

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007),

1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)

Korea, North

North Korean won (KPW) per US dollar - 140 (2007), 141

(2006), 170 (December 2004), market: North Korean won per US dollar

- 2,500-3,000 (December 2006)

Korea, South

South Korean won (KRW) per US dollar - 929.2 (2007),

954.8 (2006), 1,024.1 (2005), 1,145.3 (2004), 1,191.6 (2003)

Kosovo

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007)

Kuwait

Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US dollar - 0.2844 (2007), 0.29

(2006), 0.292 (2005), 0.2947 (2004), 0.298 (2003)

Kyrgyzstan

soms (KGS) per US dollar - 37.746 (2007), 40.149 (2006),

41.012 (2005), 42.65 (2004), 43.648 (2003)

Laos

kips (LAK) per US dollar - 9,658 (2007), 10,235 (2006), 10,820

(2005), 10,585.5 (2004), 10,569 (2003)

Latvia

lati (LVL) per US dollar - 0.5162 (2007), 0.5597 (2006),

0.5647 (2005), 0.5402 (2004), 0.5715 (2003)

Lebanon

Lebanese pounds (LBP) per US dollar - 1,507.5 (2007),

1,507.5 (2006), 1,507.5 (2005), 1,507.5 (2004), 1,507.5 (2003)

Lesotho

maloti (LSL) per US dollar - 7.25 (2007), 6.85 (2006),

6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003)

Liberia

Liberian dollars (LRD) per US dollar - NA (2007), 59.43

(2006), 53.098 (2005), 54.906 (2004), 59.379 (2003)

Libya

Libyan dinars (LYD) per US dollar - 1.2604 (2007), 1.3108

(2006), 1.3084 (2005), 1.305 (2004), 1.2929 (2003)

Liechtenstein

Swiss francs (CHF) per US dollar - 1.1973 (2007),

1.2539 (2006), 1.2452 (2005), 1.2435 (2004), 1.3467 (2003)

Lithuania

litai (LTL) per US dollar - 2.5362 (2007), 2.7498 (2006),

2.774 (2005), 2.7806 (2004), 3.0609 (2003)

Luxembourg

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),

0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Macau

patacas (MOP) per US dollar - 8.011 (2007), 8.0015 (2006),

8.011 (2005), 8.022 (2004), 8.021 (2003)

Macedonia

Macedonian denars (MKD) per US dollar - 44.732 (2007),

48.978 (2006), 48.92 (2005), 49.41 (2004), 54.322 (2003)

Madagascar

Malagasy ariary (MGA) per US dollar - 1,880 (2007),

2,161.4 (2006), 2,003 (2005), 1,868.9 (2004), 1,238.3 (2003)

Malawi

Malawian kwachas (MWK) per US dollar - 141.12 (2007), 135.96

(2006), 108.894 (2005), 108.898 (2004), 97.433 (2003)

Malaysia

ringgits (MYR) per US dollar - 3.46 (2007), 3.6683 (2006),

3.8 (2005), 3.8 (2004), 3.8 (2003)

Maldives

rufiyaa (MVR) per US dollar - NA (2007), 12.8 (2006), 12.8

(2005), 12.8 (2004), 12.8 (2003)

Mali

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar -

493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2

(2003)

note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the

euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Malta

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6795 (January 2008), Maltese

liri per US dollar - 0.3106 (2007), 0.37 (2006), 0.34578 (2005),

0.34466 (2004), 0.37723 (2003)

Marshall Islands

the US dollar is used

Mauritania

ouguiyas (MRO) per US dollar - NA (2007), 271.3 (2006),

267.04 (2005), 265.8 (2004), 263.03 (2003)

Mauritius

Mauritian rupees (MUR) per US dollar - 31.798 (2007),

31.656 (2006), 29.496 (2005), 27.499 (2004), 27.902 (2003)

Mayotte

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),

0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Mexico

Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar - 10.8 (2007), 10.899

(2006), 10.898 (2005), 11.286 (2004), 10.789 (2003)

Micronesia, Federated States of

the US dollar is used

Moldova

Moldovan lei (MDL) per US dollar - 12.177 (2007), 13.131

(2006), 12.6 (2005), 12.33 (2004), 13.945 (2003)

Monaco

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),

0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Mongolia

togrog/tugriks (MNT) per US dollar - 1,170 (2007), 1,179.6

(2006), 1,205 (2005), 1,185.3 (2004), 1,146.5 (2003)

Montenegro

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),

0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Montserrat

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007),

2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)

note: fixed rate since 1976

Morocco

Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per US dollar - 8.3563 (2007), 8.7722

(2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.574 (2003)

Mozambique

meticais (MZM) per US dollar - 26.264 (2007), 25.4

(2006), 23,061 (2005), 22,581 (2004), 23,782 (2003)

note: in 2006 Mozambique revalued its currency, with 1000 old

meticais equal to 1 new meticais

Namibia

Namibian dollars (NAD) per US dollar - 7.18 (2007), 6.7649

(2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003)

Nauru

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285

(2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)

Nepal

Nepalese rupees (NPR) per US dollar - NA (2007), 72.446

(2006), 72.16 (2005), 73.674 (2004), 76.141 (2003)

Netherlands

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964

(2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Netherlands Antilles

Netherlands Antillean guilders (ANG) per US

dollar - NA (2007), 1.79 (2006), 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79

(2003)

New Caledonia

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US

dollar - 87.59 (2007), 95.025 (2006), 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004),

105.66 (2003)

New Zealand

New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007),

1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003)

Nicaragua

gold cordobas (NIO) per US dollar - 18.457 (2007), 17.582

(2006), 16.733 (2005), 15.937 (2004), 15.105 (2003)

Niger

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar -

493.51 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2

(2003)

note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the

euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Nigeria

nairas (NGN) per US dollar - 127.46 (2007), 127.38 (2006),

132.59 (2005), 132.89 (2004), 129.22 (2003)

Niue

New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007), 1.5408

(2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003)

Norfolk Island

Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - 1.2137

(2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)

Northern Mariana Islands

the US dollar is used

Norway

Norwegian kroner (NOK) per US dollar - 5.8396 (2007), 6.4117

(2006), 6.4425 (2005), 6.7408 (2004), 7.0802 (2003)

Oman

Omani rials (OMR) per US dollar - 0.3845 (2007), 0.3845 (2006),

0.3845 (2005), 0.3845 (2004), 0.3845 (2003)

Pakistan

Pakistani rupees (PKR) per US dollar - 60.6295 (2007),

60.35 (2006), 59.515 (2005), 58.258 (2004), 57.752 (2003)

Palau

the US dollar is used

Panama

balboas (PAB) per US dollar - 1 (2007), 1 (2006), 1 (2005), 1

(2004), 1 (2003)

Papua New Guinea

kina (PGK) per US dollar - 3.03 (2007), 3.0643

(2006), 3.08 (2005), 3.2225 (2004), 3.5635 (2003)

Paraguay

guarani (PYG) per US dollar - 5,031 (2007), 5,672.8 (2006),

6,178 (2005), 5,974.6 (2004), 6,424.3 (2003)

Peru

nuevo sol (PEN) per US dollar - 3.1731 (2007), 3.2742 (2006),

3.2958 (2005), 3.4132 (2004), 3.4785 (2003)

Philippines

Philippine pesos (PHP) per US dollar - 46.148 (2007),

51.246 (2006), 55.086 (2005), 56.04 (2004), 54.203 (2003)

Pitcairn Islands

New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.3811

(2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003)

Poland

zlotych (PLN) per US dollar - 2.81 (2007), 3.1032 (2006),

3.2355 (2005), 3.6576 (2004), 3.8891 (2003)

note: zlotych is the plural form of zloty

Portugal

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),

0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Puerto Rico

the US dollar is used

Qatar

Qatari rials (QAR) per US dollar - 3.64 (2007), 3.64 (2006),

3.64 (2005), 3.64 (2004), 3.64 (2003)

Romania

lei (RON) per US dollar - 2.43 (2007), 2.809 (2006), 3

(2005), 3 (2004), 3 (2003)

Russia

Russian rubles (RUB) per US dollar - 25.659 (2007), 27.19

(2006), 28.284 (2005), 28.814 (2004), 30.692 (2003)

Rwanda

Rwandan francs (RWF) per US dollar - 585 (2007), 560 (2006),

610 (2005), 574.62 (2004), 537.66 (2003)

Saint Barthelemy

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964

(2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Saint Helena

Saint Helenian pounds (SHP) per US dollar - 0.4993

(2007), 0.5434 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003)

note: the Saint Helenian pound is on par with the British pound

Saint Kitts and Nevis

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar -

2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)

Saint Lucia

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US dollar - 2.7 (2007),

2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)

Saint Martin

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964

(2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007),

0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

East Caribbean dollars (XCD) per US

dollar - 2.7 (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)

Samoa

tala (SAT) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2.7594 (2006), 2.7103

(2005), 2.7807 (2004), 2.9732 (2003)

San Marino

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),

0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Sao Tome and Principe

dobras (STD) per US dollar - 13,700 (2007),

12,050 (2006), 9,900.4 (2005), 9,902.3 (2004), 9,347.6 (2003)

Saudi Arabia

Saudi riyals (SAR) per US dollar - 3.745 (2007), 3.745

(2006), 3.747 (2005), 3.75 (2004), 3.75 (2003)

Senegal

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar -

481.83 (2007), 522.89 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2

(2003)

note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the

euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Serbia

Serbian dinars (RSD) per US dollar - 54.5 (2007), 59.98 (2006)

Seychelles

Seychelles rupees (SCR) per US dollar - 6.5 (2007), 5.5

(2006), 5.5 (2005), 5.5 (2004), 5.4007 (2003)

Sierra Leone

leones (SLL) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2,961.7 (2006),

2,889.6 (2005), 2,701.3 (2004), 2,347.9 (2003)

Singapore

Singapore dollars (SGD) per US dollar - 1.507 (2007),

1.5889 (2006), 1.6644 (2005), 1.6902 (2004), 1.7422 (2003)

Slovakia

Slovak koruny (SKK) per US dollar - 24.919 (2007), 29.611

(2006), 31.018 (2005), 32.257 (2004), 36.773 (2003)

Slovenia

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), tolars per US

dollar - 190.85 (2006), 192.71 (2005), 192.38 (2004), 207.11 (2003)

note: Slovenia adopted the euro as its currency on 1 January 2007

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands dollars (SBD) per US dollar - NA

(2007), 7.3447 (2006), 7.5299 (2005), 7.4847 (2004), 7.5059 (2003)

Somalia

Somali shillings (SOS) per US dollar - NA (2007), 1,438.3

(2006) official rate; the unofficial black market rate was about

23,000 shillings per dollar as of February 2007

note: the Republic of Somaliland, a self-declared independent

country not recognized by any foreign government, issues its own

currency, the Somaliland shilling

South Africa

rand (ZAR) per US dollar - 7.05 (2007), 6.7649 (2006),

6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003)

Spain

euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006),

0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan rupees (LKR) per US dollar - 110.78 (2007),

103.99 (2006), 100.498 (2005), 101.194 (2004), 96.521 (2003)

Sudan

Sudanese pounds (SDG) per US dollar - 2.06 (2007), 2.172

(2006), 2.4361 (2005), 2.5791 (2004), 2.6098 (2003)

note: in October 2007 Sudan redenominated its currency by

transforming 100 units of Sudanese dinar into one unit of Sudanese

pound

Suriname

Surinamese dollars (SRD) per US dollar - 2.745 (2007),

2.745 (2006), 2.7317 (2005), 2.7336 (2004), 2.6013 (2003)

note: in January 2004, the government replaced the guilder with the

Surinamese dollar, tied to a US dollar-dominated currency basket

Svalbard

Norwegian kroner (NOK) per US dollar - 5.8396 (2007),

6.4117 (2006), 6.4425 (2005), 6.7408 (2004), 7.0802 (2003)

Swaziland

emalangeni per US dollar - 7.4 (2007), 6.85 (2006), 6.3593

(2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003)

Sweden

Swedish kronor (SEK) per US dollar - 6.7629 (2007), 7.3731

(2006), 7.4731 (2005), 7.3489 (2004), 8.0863 (2003)

Switzerland

Swiss francs (CHF) per US dollar - 1.1973 (2007), 1.2539

(2006), 1.2452 (2005), 1.2435 (2004), 1.3467 (2003)

Syria

Syrian pounds (SYP) per US dollar - 50.0085 (2007), 51.689

(2006), 50 (2005), 48.5 (2004), 52.8 (2003)

note: data for 2004-06 are the public sector rate; data for 2002-03

are the parallel market rate in 'Amman and Beirut; the official rate

for repaying loans was 11.25 Syrian pounds per US dollars during

2004-06,

Taiwan

New Taiwan dollars (TWD) per US dollar - 32.84 (2007), 32.534

(2006), 31.71 (2005), 34.418 (2004), 34.575 (2003)

Tajikistan

Tajikistani somoni (TJS) per US dollar - 3.4418 (2007),

3.3 (2006), 3.1166 (2005), 2.9705 (2004), 3.0614 (2003)

Tanzania

Tanzanian shillings (TZS) per US dollar - 1,255 (2007),

1,251.9 (2006), 1,128.93 (2005), 1,089.33 (2004), 1,038.42 (2003)

Thailand

baht per US dollar - 33.599 (2007), 37.882 (2006), 40.22

(2005), 40.222 (2004), 41.485 (2003)

Timor-Leste

the US dollar is used

Togo

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar -

482.71 (2007), 522.59 (2006), 527.47 (2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2

(2003)

note: since 1 January 1999, the XOF franc has been pegged to the

euro at a rate of 655.957 XOF francs per euro

Tokelau

New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.3811 (2007),

1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004), 1.7221 (2003)

Tonga

pa'anga (TOP) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2.0277 (2006), 1.96

(2005), 1.9716 (2004), 2.142 (2003)

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TTD) per US dollar

- 6.3275 (2007), 6.3107 (2006), 6.2842 (2005), 6.299 (2004), 6.2951

(2003)

Tunisia

Tunisian dinars (TND) per US dollar - 1.2776 (2007), 1.331

(2006), 1.2974 (2005), 1.2455 (2004), 1.2885 (2003)

Turkey

Turkish liras (TRY) per US dollar - 1.319 (2007), 1.4286

(2006), 1.3436 (2005), 1.4255 (2004), 1.5009 (2003)

note: on 1 January 2005 the old Turkish lira (TRL) was converted to

new Turkish lira (TRY) at a rate of 1,000,000 old to 1 new Turkish

lira

Turkmenistan

Turkmen manat (TMM) per US dollar - 6,250 (2007)

official rate

note: the commercial rate was 19,800 Turkemen manat per US$ (2007)

Turks and Caicos Islands

the US dollar is used

Tuvalu

Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar -

1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419

(2003)

Uganda

Ugandan shillings (UGX) per US dollar - 1,685.8 (2007),

1,834.9 (2006), 1,780.7 (2005), 1,810.3 (2004), 1,963.7 (2003)

Ukraine

hryvnia (UAH) per US dollar - 5.05 (2007), 5.05 (2006),

5.1247 (2005), 5.3192 (2004), 5.3327 (2003)

United Arab Emirates

Emirati dirhams (AED) per US dollar - 3.673

(2007), 3.673 (2006), 3.6725 (2005), 3.6725 (2004), 3.6725 (2003)

note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002

United Kingdom

British pounds (GBP) per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007),

0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003)

United States

British pounds per US dollar: 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418

(2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003)

Canadian dollars per US dollar: 1.0724 (2007), 1.1334 (2006), 1.2118

(2005), 1.3010 (2004), 1.4011 (2003)

Japanese yen per US dollar: 117.99 (2007), 116.18 (2006) 110.22

(2005), 108.19 (2004), 115.93 (2003)

euros per US dollar: 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005),

0.8054 (2004), 0.8860 (2003)

Chinese yuan per US dollar: 7.61 (2007), 7.97 (2006), 8.1943 (2005),

8.2768 (2004), 8.2770 (2003)

Uruguay

Uruguayan pesos (UYU) per US dollar - 23.947 (2007), 24.048

(2006), 24.479 (2005), 28.704 (2004), 28.209 (2003)

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistani soum (UZS) per US dollar - 1,263.8 (2007),

1,219.8 (2006), 1,020 (2005), 971.265 (2004), 771.029 (2003)

Vanuatu

vatu (VUV) per US dollar - NA (2007), 111.93 (2006), NA

(2005), 111.79 (2004), 122.19 (2003)

Venezuela

bolivars (VEB) per US dollar - 2,147 (2007), 2,147 (2006),

2,089.8 (2005), 1,891.3 (2004), 1,607 (2003)

note: On 1 January 2008 Venezuela revalued its currency with 1000

old bolivares equal to 1 new bolivar

Vietnam

dong (VND) per US dollar - 16,119 (2007), 15,983 (2006),

15,746 (2005), NA (2004), 15,510 (2003)

Virgin Islands

the US dollar is used

Wallis and Futuna

Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per

US dollar - NA (2007), 95.03 (2006), 95.89 (2005), 96.04 (2004),

105.66 (2003)

West Bank

new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 4.14 (2007),

4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003)

Western Sahara

Moroccan dirhams (MAD) per US dollar - 8.3563 (2007),

8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003)

Yemen

Yemeni rials (YER) per US dollar - 199.14 (2007), 197.18

(2006), 192.67 (2005), 184.78 (2004), 183.45 (2003)

Zambia

Zambian kwacha (ZMK) per US dollar - 3,990.2 (2007), 3,601.5

(2006), 4,463.5 (2005), 4,778.9 (2004), 4,733.3 (2003)

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean dollars (ZWD) per US dollar - 30,000 (2007),

162.07 (2006), 77.965 (2005), 5.729 (2004), 0.824 (2003)

note: these are official exchange rates; non-official rates vary

significantly

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2077 Executive branch

Afghanistan

chief of state: President of the Islamic Republic of

Afghanistan Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); Vice Presidents

Ahmad Zia MASOOD and Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004);

note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government; former King ZAHIR Shah held the honorific, "Father of

the Country," and presided symbolically over certain occasions but

lacked any governing authority; the honorific is not hereditary;

King ZAHIR Shah died on 23 July 2007

head of government: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Hamid KARZAI (since 7 December 2004); Vice Presidents Ahmad Zia

MASOOD and Abdul Karim KHALILI (since 7 December 2004)

cabinet: 25 ministers; note - under the new constitution, ministers

are appointed by the president and approved by the National Assembly

elections: the president and two vice presidents are elected by

direct vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); if no

candidate receives 50% or more of the vote in the first round of

voting, the two candidates with the most votes will participate in a

second round; a president can only be elected for two terms;

election last held 9 October 2004 (next to be held in 2009)

election results: Hamid KARZAI elected president; percent of vote -

Hamid KARZAI 55.4%, Yunus QANUNI 16.3%, Ustad Mohammad MOHAQQEQ

11.6%, Abdul Rashid DOSTAM 10.0%, Abdul Latif PEDRAM 1.4%, Masooda

JALAL 1.2%

Akrotiri

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)

head of government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Richard LACEY

(since 26 April 2006); note - reports to the British Ministry of

Defense

elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the administrator is

appointed by the monarch

Albania

chief of state: President of the Republic Bamir TOPI (since

24 July 2007)

head of government: Prime Minister Sali BERISHA (since 10 September

2005)

cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister,

nominated by the president, and approved by parliament

elections: president elected by the People's Assembly for a

five-year term (eligible for a second term); four election rounds

held between 8 and 20 July 2007 (next election to be held in 2012);

prime minister appointed by the president

election results: Bamir TOPI elected president; People's Assembly

vote, fourth round (three-fifths majority (84 votes) required):

Bamir TOPI 85 votes, Neritan CEKA 5 votes

Algeria

chief of state: President Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA (since 28

April 1999)

head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed OUYAHIA (since 23 June 2008)

cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a third term under 2008 amendment to constitution);

election last held 8 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2009);

prime minister appointed by the president

election results: Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA reelected president for

second term; percent of vote - Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA 85%, Ali BENFLIS

6.4%, Abdellah DJABALLAH 5%

American Samoa

chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US

(since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20

January 2001)

head of government: Governor Togiola TULAFONO (since 7 April 2003)

cabinet: Cabinet made up of 12 department directors

elections: under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated

territories, such as American Samoa, do not vote in elections for US

president and vice president; however, they may vote in Democratic

and Republican presidential primary elections; governor and

lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for

four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 4

and 18 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2012)

election results: Togiola TULAFONO reelected governor; percent of

vote - Togiola TULAFONO 56.5%, Afoa Moega LUTU 43.5%

Andorra

chief of state: French Coprince Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16

May 2007); represented by Philippe MASSONI (since 26 July 2002) and

Spanish Coprince Bishop Joan Enric VIVES i SICILIA (since 12 May

2003); represented by Nemesi MARQUES i OSTE (since 30 July 2003)

head of government: Executive Council President Albert PINTAT

SANTOLARIA (since 27 May 2005)

cabinet: Executive Council or Govern designated by the Executive

Council president

elections: Executive Council president elected by the General

Council and formally appointed by the coprinces for a four-year

term; election last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held in April-May

2009)

election results: Albert PINTAT SANTOLARIA elected executive council

president; percent of General Council vote - NA

Angola

chief of state: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS (since 21

September 1979); note - the president is both chief of state and

head of government

head of government: President Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS (since 21

September 1979); Antonio Paulo KASSOMA was named prime minister by

MPLA on 26 September 2008

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president elected by universal ballot for a five-year

term (eligible for a second consecutive or discontinuous term) under

the 1992 constitution; President DOS SANTOS originally elected (in

1979) without opposition under a one-party system and stood for

reelection in Angola's first multiparty elections 29-30 September

1992 (next to be held in 2009)

election results: Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS 49.6%, Jonas SAVIMBI

40.1%, making a run-off election necessary; the run-off was not held

because SAVIMBI's National Union for the Total Independence of

Angola (UNITA) repudiated the results of the first election; the

civil war resumed leaving DOS SANTOS in his current position as the

president

Anguilla

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);

represented by Governor Andrew N. GEORGE (since 10 July 2006)

head of government: Chief Minister Osbourne FLEMING (since 3 March

2000)

cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from among the

elected members of the House of Assembly

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the

monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority

party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed

chief minister by the governor

Antigua and Barbuda

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6

February 1952); represented by Governor General Louisse LAKE-TACK

(since 17 July 2007)

head of government: Prime Minister Winston Baldwin SPENCER (since 24

March 2004)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the governor general on

the advice of the prime minister

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general chosen by the

monarch on the advice of the prime minister; following legislative

elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the

majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the

governor general

Argentina

chief of state: President Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER

(since 10 December 2007); Vice President Julio COBOS (since 10

December 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and

head of government

head of government: President Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER (since

10 December 2007); Vice President Julio COBOS (since 10 December

2007)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket

by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term);

election last held 28 October 2007 (next election to be held in 2011)

election results: Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER elected president;

percent of vote - Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER 45%, Elisa CARRIO

23%, Roberto LAVAGNA 17%, Alberto Rodriguez SAA 8%

Armenia

chief of state: President Serzh SARGSIAN (since 9 April 2008)

head of government: Prime Minister Tigran SARGSIAN (since 9 April

2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 19 February 2008

(next to be held February 2013); prime minister appointed by the

president based on majority or plurality support in parliament; the

prime minister and Council of Ministers must resign if the National

Assembly refuses to accept their program

election results: Serzh SARGSIAN elected president; percent of vote

- Serzh SARGSIAN 52.9%, Levon TER-PETROSSIAN 21.5%, Artur

BAGHDASARIAN 16.7%

Aruba

chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30

April 1980); represented by Governor General Fredis REFUNJOL (since

11 May 2004)

head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30

October 2001)

cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed for

a six-year term by the monarch; prime minister and deputy prime

minister elected by the Staten for four-year terms; election last

held in 2005 (next to be held by 2009)

election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent

of legislative vote - NA

Australia

chief of state: Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II (since 6

February 1952); represented by Governor General Quentin BRYCE (since

5 September 2008)

head of government: Prime Minister Kevin RUDD (since 3 December

2007); Deputy Prime Minister Julia GILLARD (since 3 December 2007)

cabinet: prime minister nominates, from among members of Parliament,

candidates who are subsequently sworn in by the governor general to

serve as government ministers

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by

the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following

legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of

a majority coalition is sworn in as prime minister by the governor

general

Austria

chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) (since 8 July

2004)

head of government: Chancellor Werner FAYMANN (SPOe) (since 2

December 2008); Vice Chancellor Josef PROELL (OeVP) (since 2

December 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice

of the chancellor

elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year

term (eligible for a second term); presidential election last held

25 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2010); chancellor formally

chosen by the president but determined by the coalition parties

forming a parliamentary majority; vice chancellor chosen by the

president on the advice of the chancellor

election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote -

Heinz FISCHER 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER 47.6%

note: government coalition - SPOe and OeVP

Azerbaijan

chief of state: President Ilham ALIYEV (since 31 October

2003)

head of government: Prime Minister Artur RASIZADE (since 4 November

2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Yaqub EYYUBOV (since June 2006)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and

confirmed by the National Assembly

elections: president elected by popular vote to a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 15 October 2008

(next to be held in October 2013); prime minister and first deputy

prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by the

National Assembly

election results: Ilham ALIYEV reelected president; percent of vote

- Ilham ALIYEV 88.7%, Igbal AGHAZADE 2.9%, five other candidates

with smaller percentages

note: several political parties boycotted the election due to unfair

conditions; OSCE observers concluded that the election did not meet

international standards

Bahamas, The

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February

1952); represented by Governor General Arthur D. HANNA (since 1

February 2006)

head of government: Prime Minister Hubert A. INGRAHAM (since 4 May

2007)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime

minister's recommendation

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by

the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the

majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually

appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister

recommends the deputy prime minister

Bahrain

chief of state: King HAMAD bin Isa al-Khalifa (since 6 March

1999); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the

monarch, born 21 October 1969)

head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman al-Khalifa

(since 1971); Deputy Prime Ministers ALI bin Khalifa bin Salman

al-Khalifa, MUHAMMAD bin Mubarak al-Khalifa, Jawad al-ARAIDH

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch

elections: the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by

the monarch

Bangladesh

chief of state: President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6

September 2002)

note: the country has a caretaker government until a general

election is held; Iajuddin AHMED remains as President and Minister

of Defense, and all other Cabinet portfolios are held by Caretaker

Advisers (CAs); the Chief CA, Fakhruddin AHMED, is roughly

equivalent to a prime minister

elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year

term (eligible for a second term); election scheduled for 16

September 2002 was not held since Iajuddin AHMED was the only

presidential candidate; he was sworn in on 6 September 2002 (next

election NA); following legislative elections, the leader of the

party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister

by the president

election results: Iajuddin AHMED declared president-elect by the

Election Commission; he ran unopposed as president; percent of

National Parliament vote - NA

Barbados

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);

represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS

(since 1 June 1996)

head of government: Prime Minister David THOMPSON (since 16 January

2008)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of

the prime minister

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by

the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the

majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually

appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister

recommends the deputy prime minister

Belarus

chief of state: President Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (since 20

July 1994)

head of government: Prime Minister Sergey SIDORSKIY (since 19

December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir SEMASHKO (since

December 2003)

cabinet: Council of Ministers

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;

first election took place 23 June and 10 July 1994; according to the

1994 constitution, the next election should have been held in 1999,

however, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO extended his term to 2001 via a

November 1996 referendum; subsequent election held 9 September 2001;

an October 2004 referendum ended presidential term limits and

allowed the president to run in a third election, which was held on

19 March 2006; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed

by the president

election results: Aleksandr LUKASHENKO reelected president; percent

of vote - Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 82.6%, Aleksandr MILINKEVICH 6%,

Aleksandr KOZULIN 2.3%; note - election marred by electoral fraud

Belgium

chief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993); Heir

Apparent Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch

head of government: Prime Minister Yves LETERME (20 March 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers are formally appointed by the monarch

elections: the monarchy is hereditary and constitutional; following

legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the

leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister

by the monarch and then approved by parliament

Belize

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);

represented by Governor General Sir Colville YOUNG, Sr. (since 17

November 1993)

head of government: Prime Minister Dean BARROW (since 8 February

2008); Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar VEGA (since 12 February 2008)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of

the prime minister

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by

the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the

majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually

appointed prime minister by the governor general; prime minister

recommends the deputy prime minister

Benin

chief of state: President Thomas YAYI Boni (since 6 April

2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government

head of government: President Thomas YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); runoff election held 19 March 2006

(next to be held in March 2011)

election results: Thomas YAYI Boni elected president; percent of

vote - Thomas YAYI Boni 74.5%, Adrien HOUNGBEDJI 25.5%

Bermuda

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);

represented by Governor Sir Richard GOZNEY (since 12 December 2007)

head of government: Premier Ewart BROWN (since 30 October 2006);

Deputy Premier Paula COX

cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the

monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority

party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed

premier by the governor

Bhutan

chief of state: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel WANGCHUCK (since 14

December 2006); note - King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK abdicated the

throne on 14 December 2006 and his son immediately succeeded him

head of government: Prime Minister Jigme THINLEY (since 9 April 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsog) nominated by the

monarch, approved by the National Assembly; members serve fixed,

five-year terms; note - there is also a Royal Advisory Council

(Lodoi Tsokde), members nominated by the monarch

elections: the monarch is hereditary, but democratic reforms in July

1998 grant the National Assembly authority to remove the monarch

with two-thirds vote; election of a new National Assembly occurred

in March 2008; the leader of the majority party is nominated as the

prime minister

Bolivia

chief of state: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22

January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January

2006); note - the president is both chief of state and head of

government

head of government: President Juan Evo MORALES Ayma (since 22

January 2006); Vice President Alvaro GARCIA Linera (since 22 January

2006)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket

by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 18

December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)

election results: Juan Evo MORALES Ayma elected president; percent

of vote - Juan Evo MORALES Ayma 53.7%; Jorge Fernando QUIROGA

Ramirez 28.6%; Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana 7.8%; Michiaki NAGATANI

Morishit 6.5%; Felipe QUISPE Huanca 2.2%; Guildo ANGULA Cabrera 0.7%

Bosnia and Herzegovina

chief of state: Chairman of the Presidency

Nebojsa RADMANOVIC (chairman since 6 November 2008; presidency

member since 1 October 2006 - Serb); other members of the

three-member presidency rotating (every eight months): Haris

SILAJDZIC (presidency member since 1 October 2006 - Bosniak); and

Zeljko KOMSIC (presidency member since 1 October 2006 - Croat)

head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers Nikola

SPIRIC (since 11 January 2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the council chairman;

approved by the National House of Representatives

elections: the three members of the presidency (one Bosniak, one

Croat, one Serb) are elected by popular vote for a four-year term

(eligible for a second term, but then ineligible for four years);

the chairmanship rotates every eight months and resumes where it

left off following each national election; election last held 1

October 2006 (next to be held in 2010); the chairman of the Council

of Ministers is appointed by the presidency and confirmed by the

National House of Representatives

election results: percent of vote - Nebojsa RADMANOVIC with 53.3% of

the votes for the Serb seat; Zeljko KOMSIC received 39.6% of the

votes for the Croat seat; Haris SILAJDZIC received 62.8% of the

votes for the Bosniak seat

note: President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Borjana

KRISTO (since 21 February 2007); Vice Presidents Spomenka MICIC

(since NA 2007) and Mirsad KEBO (since NA 2007); President of the

Republika Srpska: Rajko KUSMANOVIC (since 28 December 2007)

Botswana

chief of state: President Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA (since 1

April 2008); Vice President Mompati MERAFHE (since 1 April 2008);

note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government

head of government: President Seretse Khama Ian KHAMA (since 1 April

2008); Vice President Mompati MERAFHE (since 1 April 2008)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

elections: president indirectly elected for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 20 October 2004

(next to be held in October 2009); vice president appointed by the

president

election results: Festus G. MOGAE elected president; percent of

National Assembly vote - 52%

Brazil

chief of state: President Luiz Inacio "LULA" DA SILVA (since

1 January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003);

note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government

head of government: President Luiz Inacio "LULA" DA SILVA (since 1

January 2003); Vice President Jose ALENCAR (since 1 January 2003)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket

by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 1

October 2006 with runoff 29 October 2006 (next to be held 3 October

2010 and, if necessary, 31 October 2010)

election results: Luiz Inacio "LULA" DA SILVA (PT) reelected

president - 60.83%, Geraldo ALCKMIN (PSDB) 39.17%

British Indian Ocean Territory

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II

(since 6 February 1952)

head of government: Commissioner Colin ROBERTS (since July 2008);

Administrator Joanne YEADON (since December 2007); note - both

reside in the UK and are represented by the officer commanding

British Forces on Diego Garcia

cabinet: NA

elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and

administrator appointed by the monarch

British Virgin Islands

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6

February 1952); represented by Governor David PEAREY (since 18 April

2006)

head of government: Premier Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 23 August 2007)

cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of

the House of Assembly

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the

monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority

party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed

premier by the governor

Brunei

chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL

Bolkiah (since 5 October 1967); note - the monarch is both the chief

of state and head of government

head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister Sir HASSANAL Bolkiah

(since 5 October 1967)

cabinet: Council of Cabinet Ministers appointed and presided over by

the monarch; deals with executive matters; note - there is also a

Religious Council (members appointed by the monarch) that advises on

religious matters, a Privy Council (members appointed by the

monarch) that deals with constitutional matters, and the Council of

Succession (members appointed by the monarch) that determines the

succession to the throne if the need arises

elections: none; the monarch is hereditary

Bulgaria

chief of state: President Georgi PARVANOV (since 22 January

2002); Vice President Angel MARIN (since 22 January 2002)

head of government: Prime Minister Sergei STANISHEV (since 16 August

2005); Deputy Prime Ministers Ivaylo KALFIN, Daniel VULCHEV, and

Emel ETEM (since 16 August 2005) and Meglena PLUGCHIEVA (since 25

April 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and

elected by the National Assembly

elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket

by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);

election last held 22 and 29 October 2006 (next to be held in 2011);

chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) nominated by

the president and elected by the National Assembly; deputy prime

ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the

National Assembly

election results: Georgi PARVANOV reelected president; percent of

vote - Georgi PARVANOV 77.3%, Volen SIDEROV 22.7%; Sergei STANISHEV

elected prime minister, result of legislative vote - 168 to 67

Burkina Faso

chief of state: President Blaise COMPAORE (since 15

October 1987)

head of government: Prime Minister Tertius ZONGO (since 4 June 2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the

recommendation of the prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 13 November 2005

(next to be held in 2010); in April 2000, the constitution was

amended reducing the presidential term from seven to five years,

enforceable as of 2005; prime minister appointed by the president

with the consent of the legislature

election results: Blaise COMPAORE reelected president; percent of

popular vote - Blaise COMPAORE 80.3%, Benewende Stanislas SANKARA

4.9%

Burma

chief of state: Chairman of the State Peace and Development

Council (SPDC) Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992)

head of government: Prime Minister, Lt. Gen THEIN SEIN (since 24

October 2007)

cabinet: Cabinet is overseen by SPDC; military junta assumed power

18 September 1988 under name State Law and Order Restoration Council

(SLORC)

elections: none

Burundi

chief of state: President Pierre NKURUNZIZA (since 26 August

2005); First Vice President Yves SAVINGUVU - Tutsi (since 9 November

2007); Second Vice President Gabriel NTISEZERANA - Hutu (since 9

February 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and

head of government

head of government: President Pierre NKURUNZIZA (since 26 August

2005); First Vice President Yves SAVINGUVU - Tutsi (since 9 November

2007); Second Vice President Gabriel NTISEZERANA - Hutu (since 9

February 2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by president

elections: the president is elected by popular vote to a five-year

term (eligible for a second term); note - the constitution adopted

in February 2005 permits the post-transition president to be elected

by a two-thirds majority of the parliament; vice presidents

nominated by the president, endorsed by parliament

election results: Pierre NKURUNZIZA was elected president by the

parliament by a vote of 151 to 9; note - the constitution adopted in

February 2005 permits the post-transition president to be elected by

a two-thirds majority of the legislature

Cambodia

chief of state: King Norodom SIHAMONI (since 29 October

2004)

head of government: Prime Minister HUN SEN (since 14 January 1985)

[co-prime minister from 1993 to 1997]; Permanent Deputy Prime

Minister MEN SAM AN (since 25 September 2008); Deputy Prime

Ministers SAR KHENG (since 3 February 1992); SOK AN, TEA BANH, HOR

NAMHONG, NHEK BUNCHHAY (since 16 July 2004); BIN CHHIN (since 5

September 2007); KEAT CHHON, YIM CHHAI LY (since 25 September 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers in theory appointed by the monarch; in

practice named by the prime minister

elections: the monarch is chosen by a Royal Throne Council;

following legislative elections, a member of the majority party or

majority coalition is named prime minister by the Chairman of the

National Assembly and appointed by the king

Cameroon

chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982)

head of government: Prime Minister Ephraim INONI (since 8 December

2004)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from proposals submitted

by the prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 11 October 2004

(next to be held by October 2011); prime minister appointed by the

president

election results: President Paul BIYA reelected; percent of vote -

Paul BIYA 70.9%, John FRU NDI 17.4%, Adamou Ndam NJOYA 4.5%, Garga

Haman ADJI 3.7%

Canada

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);

represented by Governor General Michaelle JEAN (since 27 September

2005)

head of government: Prime Minister Stephen HARPER (since 6 February

2006)

cabinet: Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister usually from

among the members of his own party sitting in Parliament

elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by

the monarch on the advice of the prime minister for a five-year

term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority

party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of

Commons is automatically designated prime minister by the governor

general

Cape Verde

chief of state: President Pedro Verona PIRES (since 22

March 2001)

head of government: Prime Minister Jose Maria Pereira NEVES (since 1

February 2001)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the

recommendation of the prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 12 February 2006

(next to be held in February 2011); prime minister nominated by the

National Assembly and appointed by the president

election results: Pedro PIRES reelected president; percent of vote -

Pedro PIRES (PAICV) 51.2%, Carlos VIEGA (MPD) 48.8%

Cayman Islands

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February

1952); represented by Governor Stuart JACK (since 23 November 2005)

head of government: Leader of Government Business Kurt TIBBETTS

(since 18 May 2005)

cabinet: Executive Council (three members appointed by the governor,

four members elected by the Legislative Assembly)

elections: the monarch is hereditary; the governor is appointed by

the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the

majority party or coalition is appointed by the governor Leader of

Government Business

Central African Republic

chief of state: President Francois BOZIZE

(since 15 March 2003 coup)

head of government: Prime Minister Faustin-Archange TOUADERA (since

22 January 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers

elections: under the new constitution, the president elected to a

five-year term (eligible for a second term); elections last held 13

March and 8 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010); prime minister

appointed by the political party with a parliamentary majority

election results: Francois BOZIZE elected president; percent of

second round balloting - Francois BOZIZE (KNK) 64.6%, Martin ZIGUELE

(MLPC) 35.4%

Chad

chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno (since 4

December 1990)

head of government: Prime Minister Youssof Saleh ABBAS (since 16

April 2008)

cabinet: Council of State, members appointed by the president on the

recommendation of the prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote to serve five-year

term; if no candidate receives at least 50% of the total vote, the

two candidates receiving the most votes must stand for a second

round of voting; last held 3 May 2006 (next to be held by May 2011);

prime minister appointed by the president

election results: Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno reelected president;

percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY 64.7%, Delwa Kassire

KOUMAKOYE 15.1%, Albert Pahimi PADACKE 7.8%, Mahamat ABDOULAYE 7.1%,

Brahim KOULAMALLAH 5.3%; note - a June 2005 national referendum

altered the constitution removing presidential term limits and

permitting Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY Itno to run for reelection

Chile

chief of state: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11

March 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and

head of government

head of government: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11

March 2006)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a single four-year

term; election last held 11 December 2005, with runoff election held

15 January 2006 (next to be held in December 2009)

election results: Michelle BACHELET Jeria elected president; percent

of vote - Michelle BACHELET Jeria 53.5%; Sebastian PINERA Echenique

46.5%

China

chief of state: President HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003);

Vice President XI Jinping (since 15 March 2008)

head of government: Premier WEN Jiabao (since 16 March 2003);

Executive Vice Premier LI Keqiang (17 March 2008), Vice Premier HUI

Liangyu (since 17 March 2003), Vice Premier ZHANG Deijiang (since 17

March 2008), and Vice Premier WANG Qishan (since 17 March 2008)

cabinet: State Council appointed by National People's Congress (NPC)

elections: president and vice president elected by National People's

Congress for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);

elections last held 15-17 March 2008 (next to be held in mid-March

2013); premier nominated by president, confirmed by National

People's Congress

election results: HU Jintao elected president by National People's

Congress with a total of 2,963 votes; XI Jinping elected vice

president with a total of 2,919 votes

Christmas Island

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6

February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general

head of government: Administrator Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006)

elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the

governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and

Australia

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6

February 1952); represented by the Australian governor general

head of government: Administrator (nonresident) Neil LUCAS (since 30

January 2006)

cabinet: NA

elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the

governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and

Australia

Colombia

chief of state: President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7

August 2002); Vice President Francisco SANTOS (since 7 August 2002);

note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government

head of government: President Alvaro URIBE Velez (since 7 August

2002); Vice President Francisco SANTOS (since 7 August 2002)

cabinet: Cabinet consists of a coalition of the three largest

parties that supported President URIBE's reelection - the PSUN, PC,

and CR - and independents

elections: president and vice president elected by popular vote for

a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 28

May 2006 (next to be held in May 2010)

election results: President Alvaro URIBE Velez reelected president;

percent of vote - Alvaro URIBE Velez 62%, Carlos GAVIRIA Diaz 22%,

Horacio SERPA Uribe 12%, other 4%

Comoros

chief of state: President Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI (since 26 May

2006)

head of government: President Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI (since 26 May

2006)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: as defined by the 2001 constitution, the presidency

rotates every four years among the elected presidents from the three

main islands in the Union; election last held 14 May 2006 (next to

be held by May 2010); prime minister appointed by the president;

note - the post of prime minister has been vacant since May 2002

election results: Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI elected president; percent of

vote - Ahmed Abdallah SAMBI 58.0%, Ibrahim HALIDI 28.3%, Mohamed

DJAANFAMI 13.7%

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

chief of state: President Joseph

KABILA (since 17 January 2001); note - following the assassination

of his father, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency which he

retained through the 2003-06 transition; he was subsequently elected

president in October 2006

head of government: Prime Minister Adolphe MUZITO (since 10 October

2008)

cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president

elections: under the new constitution the president is elected by

popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);

elections last held 30 July 2006 and 29 October 2006 (next to be

held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the president

election results: Joseph KABILA elected president; percent of vote

(second round) - Joseph KABILA 58%, Jean-Pierre BEMBA Gombo 42%

note: Joseph KABILA succeeded his father, Laurent Desire KABILA,

following the latter's assassination in January 2001; negotiations

with rebel leaders led to the establishment of a transitional

government in July 2003 with free elections held on 30 July 2006 and

29 October 2006 confirming Joseph KABILA as president

Congo, Republic of the

chief of state: President Denis

SASSOU-NGUESSO (since 25 October 1997, following the civil war in

which he toppled elected president Pascal LISSOUBA);

head of government: Prime Minister Isidore MVOUBA (since 7 January

2005)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 10 March 2002 (next

to be held in 2009)

election results: Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO reelected president; percent

of vote - Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO 89.4%, Joseph Kignoumbi Kia MBOUNGOU

2.7%

Cook Islands

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February

1952); represented by Frederick GOODWIN (since 9 February 2001); New

Zealand High Commissioner Brian DONNELLY (since 21 February 2008),

representative of New Zealand

head of government: Prime Minister Jim MARURAI (since 14 December

2004); Deputy Prime Minister Terepai MAOATE (since 9 August 2005)

cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister; collectively

responsible to Parliament

elections: the monarch is hereditary; the UK representative is

appointed by the monarch; the New Zealand high commissioner is

appointed by the New Zealand Government; following legislative

elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the

majority coalition usually becomes prime minister

Coral Sea Islands

administered from Canberra by the Australian

Attorney-General's Department

Costa Rica

chief of state: President Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (since 8

May 2006); First Vice President Laura CHINCHILLA (since 8 May 2006);

Second Vice President (vacant); note - the president is both the

chief of state and head of government

head of government: President Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (since 8 May

2006); First Vice President Laura CHINCHILLA (since 8 May 2006);

Second Vice President (vacant)

cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president

elections: president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket

by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 5

February 2006 (next to be held in February 2010)

election results: Oscar ARIAS Sanchez elected president; percent of

vote - Oscar ARIAS Sanchez (PLN) 40.9%; Otton SOLIS (PAC) 39.8%,

Otto GUEVARA Guth (PML) 8%, Ricardo TOLEDO (PUSC) 3%

Cote d'Ivoire

chief of state: President Laurent GBAGBO (since 26

October 2000)

head of government: Prime Minister Guillaume SORO (since 4 April

2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note -

under the current power-sharing agreement the prime minister and the

president share the authority to appoint ministers

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(no term limits); election last held 26 October 2000 (next to be

held 30 November 2008; elections were to be held in 2005 but have

been repeatedly postponed by the government; the UN Security Council

has extended the government's mandate); prime minister appointed by

the president

election results: Laurent GBAGBO elected president; percent of vote

- Laurent GBAGBO 59.4%, Robert GUEI 32.7%, Francis WODIE 5.7%, other

2.2%

Croatia

chief of state: President Stjepan (Stipe) MESIC (since 18

February 2000)

head of government: Prime Minister Ivo SANADER (since 9 December

2003); Deputy Prime Ministers Jadranka KOSOR (since 23 December

2003) and Damir POLANCEC (since 15 February 2005), Djurdja ADLESIC

(since 12 January 2008), Slobodan UZELAC (since 12 January 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and

approved by the parliamentary Assembly

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 16 January 2005

(next to be held in January 2010); the leader of the majority party

or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime

minister by the president and then approved by the Assembly

election results: Stjepan MESIC reelected president; percent of vote

- Stjepan MESIC 66%, Jadranka KOSOR 34% in the second round

Cuba

chief of state: President of the Council of State and President

of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (president since 24

February 2008); First Vice President of the Council of State and

First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Jose Ramon

MACHADO Ventura (since 24 February 2008); note - the president is

both the chief of state and head of government

head of government: President of the Council of State and President

of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (president since 24

February 2008); First Vice President of the Council of State and

First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Jose Ramon

MACHADO Ventura (since 24 February 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the

Council of State and appointed by the National Assembly or the

31-member Council of State, elected by the Assembly to act on its

behalf when it is not in session

elections: president and vice presidents elected by the National

Assembly for a term of five years; election last held 24 February

2008 (next to be held in 2013)

election results: Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz elected president; percent of

legislative vote - 100%; Gen. Jose Ramon MACHADO Ventura elected

vice president; percent of legislative vote - 100%

Cyprus

chief of state: President Dimitris CHRISTOFIAS (since 28

February 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and

head of government; post of vice president is currently vacant;

under the 1960 constitution, the post is reserved for a Turkish

Cypriot

head of government: President Dimitris CHRISTOFIAS (since 28

February 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed jointly by the president and

vice president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;

election last held 17 and 24 February 2008 (next to be held in

February 2013)

election results: Dimitris CHRISTOFIAS elected president; percent of

vote (first round) - Ioannis KASOULIDIS 33.5%, Dimitris CHRISTOFIAS

33.3%, Tassos PAPADOPOULOS 31.8%; (second round) Dimitris

CHRISTOFIAS 53.4%, Ioannis KASOULIDIS 46.6%

note: Mehmet Ali TALAT became "president" of the "TRNC", 24 April

2005, after "presidential" elections on 17 April 2005; results -

Mehmet Ali TALAT 55.6%, Dervis EROGLU 22.7%; Ferdi Sabit SOYER is

"TRNC prime minister" and heads the Council of Ministers (cabinet)

in coalition with "Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister"

Turgay AVCI

Czech Republic

chief of state: President Vaclav KLAUS (since 7 March

2003)

head of government: Prime Minister Mirek TOPOLANEK (since 9 January

2007); Deputy Prime Ministers Petr NECAS (since 9 January 2007),

Martin BURSIK (since 9 January 2007), and Alexandr VONDRA (since 9

January 2007)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of

the prime minister

elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); last successful election held 15

February 2008 (after earlier elections held 8 and 9 February 2008

were inconclusive; next election to be held in February 2013); prime

minister appointed by the president

election results: Vaclav KLAUS reelected president on 15 February

2008; Vaclav KLAUS 141 votes, Jan SVEJNAR 111 votes (third round;

combined votes of both chambers of parliament)

Denmark

chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972);

Heir Apparent Crown Prince FREDERIK, elder son of the monarch (born

26 May 1968)

head of government: Prime Minister Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN (since 27

November 2001)

cabinet: Council of State appointed by the monarch

elections: the monarch is hereditary; following legislative

elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the

majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch

Dhekelia

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)

head of government: Administrator Air Vice-Marshal Richard LACEY

(since 26 April 2006); note - reports to the British Ministry of

Defense

elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the administrator is

appointed by the monarch

Djibouti

chief of state: President Ismail Omar GUELLEH (since 8 May

1999)

head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed Dileita DILEITA (since 4

March 2001)

cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 8 April 2005 (next

to be held by April 2011); prime minister appointed by the president

election results: Ismail Omar GUELLEH reelected president; percent

of vote - Ismail Omar GUELLEH 100%

Dominica

chief of state: President Nicholas J. O. LIVERPOOL (since

October 2003)

head of government: Prime Minister Roosevelt SKERRIT (since 8

January 2004)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the

prime minister

elections: president elected by the House of Assembly for a

five-year term; election last held 1 October 2003 (next to be held

in October 2008); prime minister appointed by the president

election results: Nicholas LIVERPOOL elected president; percent of

legislative vote - NA%

Dominican Republic

chief of state: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna

(since 16 August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro

(since 16 August 2004); note - the president is both the chief of

state and head of government

head of government: President Leonel FERNANDEZ Reyna (since 16

August 2004); Vice President Rafael ALBURQUERQUE de Castro (since 16

August 2004)

cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the president

elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket

by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second

consecutive term); election last held 16 May 2008 (next to be held

in May 2012)

election results: Leonel FERNANDEZ reelected president; percent of

vote - Leonel FERNANDEZ 53.6%, Miguel VARGAS 41%, Amable ARISTY less

than 5%

Ecuador

chief of state: President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15

January 2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 15 January

2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government

head of government: President Rafael CORREA Delgado (since 15

January 2007); Vice President Lenin MORENO Garces (since 15 January

2007)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

elections: the president and vice president are elected on the same

ticket by popular vote for a four-year term (may not serve

consecutive terms); election last held 15 October 2006 with a runoff

election on 26 November 2006 (next to be held in October 2010)

election results: Rafael CORREA Delgado elected president; percent

of vote - Rafael CORREA Delgado 56.7%; Alvaro NOBOA 43.3%

Egypt

chief of state: President Mohamed Hosni MUBARAK (since 14

October 1981)

head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed Mohamed NAZIF (since 9 July

2004)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term (no

term limits); note - a national referendum in May 2005 approved a

constitutional amendment that changed the presidential election to a

multicandidate popular vote; previously the president was nominated

by the People's Assembly and the nomination was validated by a

national, popular referendum; last referendum held 26 September

1999; first election under terms of constitutional amendment held 7

September 2005; next election scheduled for 2011

election results: Hosni MUBARAK reelected president; percent of vote

- Hosni MUBARAK 88.6%, Ayman NOUR 7.6%, Noman GOMAA 2.9%

El Salvador

chief of state: President Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez

(since 1 June 2004); Vice President Ana Vilma Albanez DE ESCOBAR

(since 1 June 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state

and head of government

head of government: President Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez (since 1

June 2004); Vice President Ana Vilma Albanez DE ESCOBAR (since 1

June 2004)

cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president

elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket

by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 21

March 2004 (next to be held in March 2009)

election results: Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez elected president;

percent of vote - Elias Antonio SACA Gonzalez 57.7%, Schafik HANDAL

35.6%, Hector SILVA 3.9%, other 2.8%

Equatorial Guinea

chief of state: President Brig. Gen. (Ret.)

Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979 when he seized

power in a military coup)

head of government: Prime Minister Ignacio Milan TANG (since 8 July

2008);

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term

(no term limits); election last held 15 December 2002 (next to be

held in December 2009); prime minister and deputy prime ministers

appointed by the president

election results: Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected president;

percent of vote - Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO 97.1%, Celestino

Bonifacio BACALE 2.2%; elections marred by widespread fraud

Eritrea

chief of state: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June

1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly

head of government: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993)

cabinet: State Council is the collective executive authority;

members appointed by the president

elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a

five-year term (eligible for a second term); the most recent and

only election held 8 June 1993 (next election date uncertain as the

National Assembly did not hold a presidential election in December

2001 as anticipated)

election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of

National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%, other 5%

Estonia

chief of state: President Toomas Hendrik ILVES (since 9

October 2006)

head of government: Prime Minister Andrus ANSIP (since 12 April 2005)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister,

approved by Parliament

elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); if a candidate does not secure

two-thirds of the votes after three rounds of balloting in the

Parliament, then an electoral assembly (made up of Parliament plus

members of local governments) elects the president, choosing between

the two candidates with the largest percentage of votes; election

last held 23 September 2006 (next to be held in the fall of 2011);

prime minister nominated by the president and approved by Parliament

election results: Toomas Hendrik ILVES elected president on 23

September 2006 by a 345-member electoral assembly; ILVES received

174 votes to incumbent Arnold RUUTEL's 162; remaining 9 ballots left

blank or invalid

Ethiopia

chief of state: President GIRMA Woldegiorgis (since 8

October 2001)

head of government: Prime Minister MELES Zenawi (since August 1995)

cabinet: Council of Ministers as provided for in the December 1994

constitution; ministers are selected by the prime minister and

approved by the House of People's Representatives

elections: president elected by the House of People's

Representatives for a six-year term (eligible for a second term);

election last held 9 October 2007 (next to be held in October 2013);

prime minister designated by the party in power following

legislative elections

election results: GIRMA Woldegiorgis elected president; percent of

vote by the House of People's Representatives - 79%

European Union

chief of union: President of the European Commission

Jose Manuel DURAO BARROSO (since 22 November 2004)

cabinet: European Commission (composed of 27 members, one from each

member country; each commissioner responsible for one or more policy

areas)

elections: the president of the European Commission is designated by

member governments and is confirmed by the European Parliament;

working from member state recommendations, the Commission president

then assembles a "college" of Commission members; the European

Parliament confirms the entire Commission for a five-year term; the

last confirmation process was held 18 November 2004 (next to be held

in 2009)

election results: European Parliament approved the European

Commission by an approval vote of 449 to 149 with 82 abstentions

note: the European Council brings together heads of state and

government and the president of the European Commission and meets at

least four times a year; its aim is to provide the impetus for the

major political issues relating to European integration and to issue

general policy guidelines

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II

(since 6 February 1952)

head of government: Governor Alan HUCKLE (since 25 August 2006);

Chief Executive Dr. Tim THOROGOOD (since 3 January 2008)

cabinet: Executive Council; three members elected by the Legislative

Council, two ex officio members (chief executive and the financial

secretary), and the governor

elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the

monarch

Faroe Islands

chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since

14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Birgit KLEIS,

chief administrative officer (since 1 November 2001)

head of government: Prime Minister Kaj Leo JOHANNESSEN (since 24

September 2008)

cabinet: Landsstyri appointed by the prime minister

elections: the monarch is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by

the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the

majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually

elected prime minister by the Faroese Parliament; election last held

19 January 2008 (next to be held no later than January 2012)

election results: Kaj Leo JOHANNESSEN elected prime minister;

percent of parliamentary vote - NA

Fiji

chief of state: President Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda

(since 18 July 2000); note - ILOILOVATU was reaffirmed as president

by the Great Council of Chiefs in a statement issued on 22 December,

and reappointed by the coup leader Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA in

January 2007

head of government: Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE (since 10

September 2000); note - although QARASE is still the legal prime

minister, he has been confined to his home island; the president

appointed Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA interim prime minister under

the military regime

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the

members of Parliament and is responsible to Parliament; note - coup

leader Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA has appointed an interim cabinet

elections: president elected by the Great Council of Chiefs for a

five-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister

appointed by the president; election last held 8 March 2006

election results: Ratu Josefa ILOILOVATU Uluivuda elected president

by the Great Council of Chiefs; percent of vote - NA

Finland

chief of state: President Tarja HALONEN (since 1 March 2000)

head of government: Prime Minister Matti VANHANEN (since 24 June

2003); Deputy Prime Minister Jyrki KATAINEN (since 19 April 2007)

cabinet: Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the

president, responsible to parliament

elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 15 January 2006

(next to be held in January 2012); the president appoints the prime

minister and deputy prime minister from the majority party or the

majority coalition after parliamentary elections and the parliament

must approve the appointment; Prime Minister VANHANEN reelected 17

April 2007

election results: percent of vote - Tarja HALONEN (SDP) 46.3%, Sauli

NIINISTO (Kok) 24.1%, Matti Vanhanen (Kesk) 18.6%, Heidi HAUTALA

(VIHR) 3.5%; a runoff election between HALONEN and NIINISTO was held

29 January 2006 - HALONEN 51.8%, NIINISTO 48.2%; Matti VANHANEN

reelected prime minister; election results 121-71

note: government coalition - Kesk, KOK, VIHR, and SFP

France

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007)

head of government: Prime Minister Francois FILLON (since 17 May

2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president at the

suggestion of the prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(changed from seven-year term in October 2000); election last held

22 April and 6 May 2007 (next to be held spring 2012); prime

minister nominated by the National Assembly majority and appointed

by the president

election results: Nicolas SARKOZY wins the election; First Round:

percent of vote - Nicolas SARKOZY 31.18%, Segolene ROYAL 25.87%,

Francois BAYROU 18.57%, Jean-Marie LE PEN 10.44%, others 13.94%;

Second Round: SARKOZY 53.1% and ROYAL 46.9%

French Polynesia

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16

May 2007), represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Adolphe

COLRAT (since 7 July 2008)

head of government: President of French Polynesia Gaston TONG SANG

(since 15 April 2008); President of the Territorial Assembly Antony

GEROS (since 9 May 2004)

cabinet: Council of Ministers; president submits a list of members

of the Territorial Assembly for approval by them to serve as

ministers

elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year

term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the

advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the

territorial government and the president of the Territorial Assembly

are elected by the members of the assembly for five-year terms (no

term limits)

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

chief of state: President

Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007), represented by Senior

Administrator Rollon MOUCHEL-BLAISOT (16 October 2008)

Gabon

chief of state: President El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba (since 2

December 1967)

head of government: Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe NDONG (since 20

January 2006)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in

consultation with the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term

(no term limits); election last held 27 November 2005 (next to be

held in 2012); prime minister appointed by the president

election results: President El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba reelected;

percent of vote - El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba 79.2%, Pierre

MAMBOUNDOU 13.6%, Zacharie MYBOTO 6.6%

Gambia, The

chief of state: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since

18 October 1996); note - from 1994 to 1996 he was chairman of the

Junta; Vice President Isatou NJIE-SAIDY (since 20 March 1997); note

- the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18

October 1996); Vice President Isatou NJIE-SAIDY (since 20 March 1997)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(no term limits); election last held 22 September 2006 (next to be

held in 2011)

election results: Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH reelected president; percent

of vote - Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH 67.3%, Ousainou DARBOE 26.6%, Halifa

SALLAH 6.0%

Georgia

chief of state: President Mikheil SAAKASHVILI (since 25

January 2004); the president is both the chief of state and head of

government for the power ministries: state security (includes

interior) and defense

head of government: President Mikheil SAAKASHVILI (since 25 January

2004); Prime Minister Grigol MGALOBLISHVILI (since 1 November 2008);

the president is both the chief of state and head of government for

the power ministries: state security (includes interior) and

defense; the prime minister is head of the remaining ministries of

government

cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 5 January 2008

(next to be held January 2013)

election results: Mikheil SAAKASHVILI reelected president; percent

of vote - Mikheil SAAKASHVILI 53.5%, Levan GACHECHILADZE 25.7%,

Badri PATARKATSISHVILI 7.1%

Germany

chief of state: President Horst KOEHLER (since 1 July 2004)

head of government: Chancellor Angela MERKEL (since 22 November 2005)

cabinet: Cabinet or Bundesminister (Federal Ministers) appointed by

the president on the recommendation of the chancellor

elections: president elected for a five-year term (eligible for a

second term) by a Federal Convention, including all members of the

Federal Assembly and an equal number of delegates elected by the

state parliaments; election last held 23 May 2004 (next scheduled

for 23 May 2009); chancellor elected by an absolute majority of the

Federal Assembly for a four-year term; Bundestag vote for Chancellor

last held 22 November 2005 (next will follow the national elections

to be held by autumn 2009)

election results: Horst KOEHLER elected president; received 604

votes of the Federal Convention against 589 for Gesine SCHWAN;

Angela MERKEL elected chancellor; vote by Federal Assembly 397 to

202 with 12 abstentions

Ghana

chief of state: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January

2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001);

note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government

head of government: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January

2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001)

cabinet: Council of Ministers; president nominates members subject

to approval by Parliament

elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket

by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term);

election last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held 7 December 2008)

election results: John Agyekum KUFUOR reelected president in

election; percent of vote - John KUFUOR 52.4%, John ATTA-MILLS 44.6%

Gibraltar

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February

1952); represented by Governor Sir Robert FULTON (since 27 October

2006)

head of government: Chief Minister Peter CARUANA (since 17 May 1996)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed from among the 17 elected

members of the Parliament by the governor in consultation with the

chief minister

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the

monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority

party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed

chief minister by the governor

Greece

chief of state: President Karolos PAPOULIAS (since 12 March

2005)

head of government: Prime Minister Konstandinos (Kostas) KARAMANLIS

(since 7 March 2004)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of

the prime minister

elections: president elected by parliament for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 8 February 2005

(next to be held by February 2010); according to the Greek

Constitution, presidents may only serve two terms; president

appoints leader of the party securing plurality of vote in election

to become prime minister and form a government

election results: Karolos PAPOULIAS elected president; number of

parliamentary votes, 279 out of 300

Greenland

chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14

January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Soren MOLLER (since

April 2005)

head of government: Prime Minister Hans ENOKSEN (since 14 December

2002)

cabinet: Home Rule Government is elected by the parliament

(Landstinget) on the basis of the strength of parties

elections: the monarchy is hereditary; high commissioner appointed

by the monarch; prime minister is elected by parliament (usually the

leader of the majority party);

election results: Hans ENOKSEN reelected prime minister

note: government coalition - Siumut and Inuit Ataqatigiit

Grenada

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);

represented by Governor General Carlyle Arnold GLEAN (since 27

November 2008)

head of government: Prime Minister Tillman THOMAS (since 9 July 2008)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of

the prime minister

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by

the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the

majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually

appointed prime minister by the governor general

Guam

chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20

January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January

2001)

head of government: Governor Felix P. CAMACHO (since 6 January

2003); Lieutenant Governor Dr. Michael W. CRUZ (since 1 January 2007)

cabinet: heads of executive departments; appointed by the governor

with the consent of the Guam legislature

elections: under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated

territories, such as Guam, do not vote in elections for US president

and vice president; however, they may vote in Democratic and

Republican presidential primary elections; governor and lieutenant

governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year

term (can serve two consecutive terms, then must wait a full term

before running again); election last held 7 November 2006 (next to

be held in November 2010)

election results: Felix P. CAMACHO reelected governor; Dr. Michael

W. CRUZ elected lieutenant governor; percent of vote - NA

Guatemala

chief of state: President Alvaro COLOM Caballeros (since

14 January 2008); Vice President Rafael ESPADA (since 14 January

2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government

head of government: President Alvaro COLOM Caballeros (since 14

January 2008); Vice President Rafael ESPADA (since 14 January 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term

(may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 9 September

2007; runoff held 4 November 2007 (next to be held September 2011)

election results: Alvaro COLOM Caballeros elected president; percent

of vote - Alvaro COLOM Caballeros 52.8%, Otto PEREZ Molina 47.2%

Guernsey

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),

represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Fabian MALBON (since 28

October 2005)

head of government: Chief Minister Lyndon TROTT (since 1 May 2008)

cabinet: Policy Council elected by the States of Deliberation

elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed

by the monarch; chief minister is elected by States of Deliberation

election results: Lyndon TROTT elected chief minister, percent of

vote of the States of Deliberation NA

Guinea

chief of state: President Lansana CONTE (head of military

government since 5 April 1984, elected president 19 December 1993)

head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane SOUARE (since 23

May 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term

(no term limits); candidate must receive a majority of the votes

cast to be elected president; election last held 21 December 2003

(next to be held in December 2010); the prime minister is appointed

by the president

election results: Lansana CONTE reelected president; percent of vote

- Lansana CONTE 95.3%, Mamadou Bhoye BARRY 4.6%

Guinea-Bissau

chief of state: President Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA

(since 1 October 2005)

head of government: Prime Minister Carlos CORREIA (since 5 August

2008)

cabinet: NA

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(no term limits); election last held 24 July 2005 (next to be held

in 2010); prime minister appointed by the president after

consultation with party leaders in the legislature

election results: Joao Bernardo VIEIRA elected president; percent of

vote, second ballot - Joao Bernardo VIEIRA 52.4%, Malam Bacai SANHA

47.6%

Guyana

chief of state: President Bharrat JAGDEO (since 11 August

1999); note - assumed presidency after resignation of President

Janet JAGAN and was reelected in 2001, and again in 2006

head of government: Prime Minister Samuel HINDS (since October 1992,

except for a period as chief of state after the death of President

Cheddi JAGAN on 6 March 1997)

cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president,

responsible to the legislature

elections: president elected by popular vote as leader of a party

list in parliamentary elections, which must be held at least every

five years (no term limits); elections last held 28 August 2006

(next to be held by August 2011); prime minister appointed by the

president

election results: President Bharrat JAGDEO reelected; percent of

vote 54.6%

Haiti

chief of state: President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006)

head of government: Prime Minister Michele PIERRE-LOUIS (since 5

September 2008)

cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with

the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 7 February

2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the

president, ratified by the National Assembly

election results: Rene PREVAL elected president; percent of vote -

Rene PREVAL 51%

Holy See (Vatican City)

chief of state: Pope BENEDICT XVI (since 19

April 2005)

head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio BERTONE

(since 15 September 2006)

cabinet: Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City

appointed by the pope

elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals;

election last held 19 April 2005 (next to be held after the death of

the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope

election results: Joseph RATZINGER elected Pope BENEDICT XVI

Honduras

chief of state: President Jose Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (since

27 January 2006); Vice President Elvin Ernesto SANTOS Ordonez (since

27 January 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state

and head of government

head of government: President Jose Manuel ZELAYA Rosales (since 27

January 2006); Vice President Elvin Ernesto SANTOS Ordonez (since 27

January 2006)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;

election last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held in November

2009)

election results: Jose Manuel ZELAYA Rosales elected president -

49.8%, Porfirio "Pepe" LOBO Sosa 46.1%, other 4.1%

Hong Kong

chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15

March 2003)

head of government: Chief Executive Donald TSANG (since 24 June 2005)

cabinet: Executive Council consists of 15 official members and 16

non-official members

elections: chief executive elected for five-year term by 800-member

electoral committee; last held on 25 March 2007 (next to be held in

2012)

election results: Donald TSANG elected chief executive receiving

84.1% of the vote of the election committee; Alan LEONG received

15.9%

Hungary

chief of state: President Laszlo SOLYOM (since 5 August 2005)

head of government: Prime Minister Ferenc GYURCSANY (since 29

September 2004)

cabinet: Council of Ministers prime minister elected by the National

Assembly on the recommendation of the president; other ministers

proposed by the prime minister and appointed and relieved of their

duties by the president

elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a

five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 6-7

June 2005 (next to be held by June 2010); prime minister elected by

the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president;

election last held 29 September 2004

election results: Laszlo SOLYOM elected president by a simple

majority in the third round of voting, 185 to 182; Ferenc GYURCSANY

elected prime minister; result of legislative vote - 197 to 12

note: to be elected, the president must win two-thirds of

legislative vote in the first two rounds or a simple majority in the

third round

Iceland

chief of state: President Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON (since 1

August 1996)

head of government: Prime Minister Geir H. HAARDE (since 7 June 2006)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister

elections: president, largely a ceremonial post, is elected by

popular vote for a four-year term (no term limits); election last

held 26 June 2004 (next to be held in June 2008); following

legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the

leader of the majority coalition is usually the prime minister

election results: Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON 85.6%, Baldur AGUSTSSON

12.5%, Astthor MAGNUSSON 1.9%

India

chief of state: President Pratibha PATIL (since 25 July 2007);

Vice President Hamid ANSARI (since 11 August 2007)

head of government: Prime Minister Manmohan SINGH (since 22 May 2004)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of

the prime minister

elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of

elected members of both houses of Parliament and the legislatures of

the states for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held

21 July 2007 (next to be held in July 2012); vice president elected

by both houses of Parliament for a five-year term; election last

held 12 August 2002 (next to be held August 2007); prime minister

chosen by parliamentary members of the majority party following

legislative elections; election last held April - May 2004 (next to

be held May 2009)

election results: Pratibha PATIL elected president; percent of vote

- 65.8%; Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT - 34.2%

Indonesia

chief of state: President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since

20 October 2004); Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA (since 20

October 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and

head of government

head of government: President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20

October 2004); Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA (since 20 October

2004)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

elections: president and vice president were elected for five-year

terms (eligible for a second term) by direct vote of the citizenry;

last held 20 September 2004 (next to be held in 2009)

election results: Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO elected president

receiving 60.6% of vote; MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri received 39.4%

Iran

chief of state: Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini-KHAMENEI (since 4

June 1989)

head of government: President Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD (since 3 August

2005); First Vice President Parviz DAVUDI (since 11 September 2005)

cabinet: Council of Ministers selected by the president with

legislative approval; the Supreme Leader has some control over

appointments to the more sensitive ministries

note: also considered part of the Executive branch of government are

three oversight bodies: 1) Assembly of Experts (Majles-Khebregan), a

popularly elected body charged with determining the succession of

the Supreme Leader, reviewing his performance, and deposing him if

deemed necessary; 2) Expediency Council or the Council for the

Discernment of Expediency (Majma-e-Tashkise-Maslahat-e-Nezam) exerts

supervisory authority over the executive, judicial, and legislative

branches and resolves legislative issues on which the Majles and the

Council of Guardians disagree and since 1989 has been used to advise

national religious leaders on matters of national policy; in 2005

the Council's powers were expanded to act as a supervisory body for

the government; 3) Council of Guardians of the Constitution or

Council of Guardians or Guardians Council (Shora-ye Negaban-e

Qanun-e Assassi) determines whether proposed legislation is both

constitutional and faithful to Islamic law, vets candidates for

suitability, and supervises national elections

elections: Supreme Leader is appointed for life by the Assembly of

Experts; president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term

(eligible for a second term and third nonconsecutive term); last

held 17 June 2005 with a two-candidate runoff on 24 June 2005 (next

presidential election slated for 12 June 2009)

election results: Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD elected president; percent of

vote - Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD 62%, Ali Akbar Hashemi-RAFSANJANI 36%

Iraq

chief of state: President Jalal TALABANI (since 6 April 2005);

Vice Presidents Adil ABD AL-MAHDI and Tariq al-HASHIMI (since 22

April 2006); note - the president and vice presidents comprise the

Presidency Council)

head of government: Prime Minister Nuri al-MALIKI (since 20 May

2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Barham SALIH (since 20 May 2006)and

Rafi al-ISSAWI (since 19 July 2008)

cabinet: 34 ministers appointed by the Presidency Council, plus

Prime Minister Nuri al-MALIKI and Deputy Prime Ministers Barham

SALIH and Rafi al-ISSAWI

elections: held 15 December 2005 to elect a 275-member Council of

Representatives

Ireland

chief of state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November

1997)

head of government: Prime Minister Brian COWEN (since 7 May 2008)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with previous nomination

by the prime minister and approval of the House of Representatives

elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 31 October 1997

(next scheduled for October 2011); note - Mary MCALEESE appointed to

a second term when no other candidate qualified for the 2004

presidential election; prime minister (taoiseach) nominated by the

House of Representatives and appointed by the president

election results: Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of vote -

Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6%

note: government coalition - Fianna Fail, the Green Party, the

Progressive Democrats, and independent members of Parliament

Isle of Man

chief of state: Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6

February 1952); represented by Lieutenant Governor Sir Paul K.

HADDACKS (since 17 October 2005)

head of government: Chief Minister Tony BROWN (since 14 December

2006)

cabinet: Council of Ministers

elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed

by the monarch for a five-year term; the chief minister is elected

by the Tynwald; election last held 14 December 2006 (next to be held

in December 2008)

election results: House of Keys speaker Tony BROWN elected chief

minister by the Tynwald

Israel

chief of state: President Shimon PERES (since 15 July 2007)

head of government: Prime Minister Ehud OLMERT (since May 2006);

Deputy Prime Minister Tzipora "Tzipi" LIVNI; note - Prime Minister

OLMERT resigned on 17 September 2008, but will serve as acting prime

minister until a new government is formed

cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the

Knesset

elections: president is largely a ceremonial role and is elected by

the Knesset for a seven-year term (one-term limit); election last

held 13 June 2007 (next to be held in 2014 but can be called

earlier); following legislative elections, the president assigns a

Knesset member - traditionally the leader of the largest party - the

task of forming a governing coalition

note: government coalition - Kadima, Labor Party, GIL (Pensioners),

and SHAS

election results: Shimon PERES elected president; number of votes in

first round - Shimon PERES 58, Reuven RIVLIN 37, Colette AVITAL 21;

PERES elected president in second round with 86 votes (unopposed)

Italy

chief of state: President Giorgio NAPOLITANO (since 15 May

2006)

head of government: Prime Minister Silvio BERLUSCONI (referred to in

Italy as the president of the Council of Ministers) (since 8 May

2008) note - in Italy the prime minister is referred to as the

president of the Council of Ministers

cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and

approved by the president

elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of

both houses of parliament and 58 regional representatives for a

seven-year term (no term limits); election last held 10 May 2006

(next to be held in May 2013); prime minister appointed by the

president and confirmed by parliament

election results: Giorgio NAPOLITANO elected president on the fourth

round of voting; electoral college vote - 543

Jamaica

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);

represented by Governor General Kenneth O. HALL (since 15 February

2006)

head of government: Prime Minister Bruce GOLDING (since 11 September

2007)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of

the prime minister

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by

the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following

legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the

leader of the majority coalition in the House of Representatives is

appointed prime minister by the governor general; the deputy prime

minister is recommended by the prime minister

Japan

chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)

head of government: Prime Minister Taro ASO (since 24 September 2008)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister

elections: Diet designates prime minister; constitution requires

that prime minister commands parliamentary majority; following

legislative elections, leader of majority party or leader of

majority coalition in House of Representatives usually becomes prime

minister; monarch is hereditary

Jersey

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);

represented by Lieutenant Governor Andrew RIDGEWAY (since 14 June

2006)

head of government: Chief Minister Frank WALKER (since December

2005); Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since February 1995)

cabinet: Cabinet (since December 2005)

elections: ministers of the Cabinet including the chief minister are

elected by the Assembly of States; the monarch is hereditary;

lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch

Jordan

chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999);

Prince HUSSEIN (born 1994), eldest son of King ABDALLAH II, is

considered to be first in line to inherit the throne

head of government: Prime Minister Nader al-DAHABI (since 25

November 2007)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation

with the monarch

elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by

the monarch

Kazakhstan

chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV

(chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected

president 1 December 1991)

head of government: Prime Minister Karim MASIMOV (since 10 January

2007); Deputy Prime Ministers Umirzak SHUKEYEV (since 27 August

2007) and Yerbol ORYNBAYEV (since 29 October 2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term

(no term limits); election last held 4 December 2005 (next to be

held in 2012); prime minister and first deputy prime minister

appointed by the president

election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV reelected president;

percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 91.1%, Zharmakhan A.

TUYAKBAI 6.6%, Alikhan M. BAIMENOV 1.6%

note: President NAZARBAYEV arranged a referendum in 1995 that

extended his term of office and expanded his presidential powers:

only he can initiate constitutional amendments, appoint and dismiss

the government, dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his

discretion, and appoint administrative heads of regions and cities

Kenya

chief of state: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December

2002); Vice President Stephene Kalonzo MUSYOKA (since 10 January

2008);

head of government: Prime Minister Raila Amolo ODINGA (since 17

April 2008)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); in addition to receiving the largest

number of votes in absolute terms, the presidential candidate must

also win 25% or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's seven

provinces and one area to avoid a runoff; election last held 27

December 2007 (next to be held in December 2012); vice president

appointed by the president

election results: President Mwai KIBAKI reelected; percent of vote -

Mwai KIBAKI 46%, Raila ODINGA 44%, Kalonzo MUSYOKA 9%

Kiribati

chief of state: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003);

Vice President Teima ONORIO; note - the president is both the chief

of state and head of government

head of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice

President Teima ONORIO

cabinet: 12-member cabinet appointed by the president from among the

members of the House of Parliament

elections: the House of Parliament chooses the presidential

candidates from among its members and then those candidates compete

in a general election; president is elected by popular vote for a

four-year term (eligible for two more terms); election last held 17

October 2007 (next to be held in 2011); vice president appointed by

the president

election results: Anote TONG 63.7%, Nabuti MWEMWENIKARAWA 32.9%

Korea, North

chief of state: KIM Jong Il (since July 1994); note -

on 3 September 2003, rubberstamp Supreme People's Assembly (SPA)

reelected KIM Jong Il chairman of the National Defense Commission, a

position accorded nation's "highest administrative authority"; SPA

reelected KIM Yong Nam president of its Presidium also with

responsibility of representing state and receiving diplomatic

credentials

head of government: Premier KIM Yong Il (since 11 April 2007); Vice

Premiers KWAK Pom Gi (since 5 September 1998), JON Sung Hun (since 3

September 2003), RO Tu Chol (since 3 September 2003), THAE Jong Su

(since 16 October 2007)

cabinet: Naegak (cabinet) members, except for Minister of People's

Armed Forces, are appointed by SPA

elections: last held in September 2003 (next to be held in September

2008)

election results: KIM Jong Il and KIM Yong Nam were only nominees

for positions and ran unopposed

Korea, South

chief of state: President LEE Myung-bak (since 25

February 2008)

head of government: Prime Minister HAN Seung-soo (since 29 February

2008)

cabinet: State Council appointed by the president on the prime

minister's recommendation

elections: president elected by popular vote for a single five-year

term; election last held 19 December 2007 (next to be held on in

December 2012); prime minister appointed by president with consent

of National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by president

on prime minister's recommendation

election results: ROH Moo-hyun elected president on 19 December

2002; percent of vote - ROH Moo-hyun (MDP) 48.9%; LEE Hoi-chang

(GNP) 46.6%; others 4.5%; LEE Myung-bak elected president on 19

December 2007; percent of vote - LEE Myung-bak (GNP) 48.7%; CHUNG

Dong-young (UNDP) 26.1%); LEE Hoi-chang (independent) 15.1; others

10.1%

Kosovo

chief of state: President Fatmir SEJDIU (since 10 February

2006)

head of government: Prime Minister Hashim THACI (since 9 January

2008)

cabinet: ministers; elected by the Kosovo Assembly

elections: the president is elected for a five-year term by the

Kosovo Assembly; election last held 9 January 2008 (next to be held

by in 2013); the prime minister is elected by the Kosovo Assembly

election results: Fatmir SEJDIU reelected president; first round:

Fatmir SEDIU 62, Naim MALOKU 37; second round: Fatmir SEDIU 61, Naim

MALOKU 37; and Hashim THACI elected to be prime minister by the

Assembly

Kuwait

chief of state: Amir SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since

29 January 2006); Crown Prince NAWAF al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah

head of government: Prime Minister NASIR MUHAMMAD al-Ahmad al-Sabah

(since 3 April 2007); First Deputy Prime Minister JABIR Mubarak

al-Hamad al-Sabah (since 9 February 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers

MUHAMMAD al-Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah (since 9 February 2006) and

Faysal al-HAJJI (since 5 April 2007); note - the Amir accepted the

resignation of the prime minister and cabinet on 1 December 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister and

approved by the Amir

elections: none; the amir is hereditary; the amir appoints the prime

minister and deputy prime ministers

Kyrgyzstan

chief of state: President Kurmanbek BAKIEV (since 14

August 2005)

head of government: Prime Minister Igor CHUDINOV (since 24 December

2007)

cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers proposed by the prime minister,

appointed by the president; ministers in charge of defense and

security, appointed solely by the president

elections: Kurmanbek BAKIEV elected by popular vote for a five-year

term (eligible for a second term); election last held 10 July 2005

(next scheduled for 2010); prime minister nominated by the

parliamentary party holding more than 50% of the seats; if no such

party exists, the president selects the party that will nominate a

prime minister

election results: Kurmanbek BAKIEV elected president; percent of

vote - Kurmanbek BAKIEV 88.6%, Tursunbai BAKIR-UULU 3.9%, other

candidates 7.5%

Laos

chief of state: President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 8

June 2006); Vice President BOUN-GNANG Volachit (since 8 June 2006)

head of government: Prime Minister BOUASONE Bouphavanh (since 8 June

2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since May

2002), Maj. Gen. DOUANGCHAI Phichit (since 8 June 2006), SOMSAVAT

Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998), and THONGLOUN Sisoulit (since 27

March 2001)

cabinet: Ministers appointed by president, approved by National

Assembly

elections: president and vice president elected by National Assembly

for five-year terms; election last held 8 June 2006 (next to be held

in 2011); prime minister nominated by president and elected by

National Assembly for five-year term

election results: CHOUMMALI Saignason elected president; BOUN-GNANG

Volachit elected vice president; percent of National Assembly vote -

100%; BOUASONE Bouphavanh elected prime minister; percent of

National Assembly vote - 97%

Latvia

chief of state: President Valdis ZATLERS (since 8 July 2007)

head of government: Prime Minister Ivars GODMANIS (since 20 December

2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and

appointed by Parliament

elections: president elected by Parliament for a four-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 31 May 2007 (next

to be held in 2011); prime minister appointed by the president,

confirmed by Parliament

election results: Valdis ZATLERS elected president; parliamentary

vote - Valdis ZATLERS 58, Aivars ENDZINS 39

Lebanon

chief of state: President Michel SULAYMAN (as of 25 May 2008)

head of government: Prime Minister Fuad SINIORA (since 30 June

2005); Deputy Prime Minister Elias MURR (since April 2005)

cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with

the president and members of the National Assembly

elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year

term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 25 May

2008 (next to be held in 2014); the prime minister and deputy prime

minister appointed by the president in consultation with the

National Assembly

election results: Michel SULAYMAN elected president; National

Assembly vote - 118 for, 6 abstentions, 3 invalidated

Lesotho

chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996);

note - King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November

1990 to February 1995 while his father was in exile

head of government: Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 23 May

1998)

cabinet: Cabinet

elections: according to the constitution, the leader of the majority

party in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister; the

monarch is hereditary, but, under the terms of the constitution that

came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is a

"living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative

powers; under traditional law the college of chiefs has the power to

depose the monarch, determine who is next in the line of succession,

or who shall serve as regent in the event that the successor is not

of mature age

Liberia

chief of state: President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16

January 2006); note - the President is both the chief of state and

head of government

head of government: President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16

January 2006)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the

Senate

elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 8 November 2005

(next to be held in 2011)

election results: Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF elected president; percent

of vote, second round - Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF 59.6%, George WEAH

40.4%

Libya

chief of state: Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar

al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969); note - holds no official title,

but is de facto chief of state

head of government: Secretary of the General People's Committee

(Prime Minister) al-Baghdadi Ali al-MAHMUDI (since 5 March 2006)

cabinet: General People's Committee established by the General

People's Congress

elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of

people's committees; head of government elected by the General

People's Congress; election last held March 2006 (next to be held NA)

election results: NA

Liechtenstein

chief of state: Prince HANS ADAM II (since 13 November

1989, assumed executive powers 26 August 1984); Heir Apparent Prince

ALOIS, son of the monarch (born 11 June 1968); note - on 15 August

2004, HANS ADAM transferred the official duties of the ruling prince

to ALOIS, but HANS ADAM retains status of chief of state

head of government: Head of Government (Prime Minister) Otmar HASLER

(since 5 April 2001); Deputy Head of Government (Deputy Prime

Minister) Klaus TSCHUETSCHER (since 21 April 2005)

cabinet: Cabinet elected by the Parliament, confirmed by the monarch

elections: the monarch is hereditary; following legislative

elections, the leader of the majority party in the Landtag is

usually appointed the head of government by the monarch and the

leader of the largest minority party in the Landtag is usually

appointed the deputy head of government by the monarch if there is a

coalition government

Lithuania

chief of state: President Valdas ADAMKUS (since 12 July

2004)

head of government: Prime Minister Andrius KUBILIUS (since 27

November 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the

nomination of the prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 13 and 27 June 2004

(next to be held in June 2009); prime minister appointed by the

president on the approval of the Parliament

election results: Valdas ADAMKUS elected president; percent of vote

- Valdas ADAMKUS 52.2%, Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE 47.8%; Andrius KUBILIUS

approved by Parliament 89-27 with 16 abstentions

Luxembourg

chief of state: Grand Duke HENRI (since 7 October 2000);

Heir Apparent Prince GUILLAUME (son of the monarch)

head of government: Prime Minister Jean-Claude JUNCKER (since 20

January 1995); Deputy Prime Minister Jean ASSELBORN (since 31 July

2004)

cabinet: Council of Ministers recommended by the prime minister and

appointed by the monarch

elections: the monarch is hereditary; following popular elections to

the Chamber of Deputies, the leader of the majority party or the

leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister

by the monarch; the deputy prime minister is appointed by the

monarch; they are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies

note: government coalition - CSV and LSAP

Macau

chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March

2003)

head of government: Chief Executive Edmund HO Hau-wah (since 20

December 1999)

cabinet: Executive Council consists of one government secretary,

three legislators, four businessmen, one pro-Beijing unionist, and

one pro-Beijing educator

elections: chief executive chosen by a 300-member Election Committee

for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last

held 29 August 2004 (next to be held in 2009)

election results: Edmund HO Hau-wah reelected received 296 votes;

three members submitted blank ballots; one member was absent

Macedonia

chief of state: President Branko CRVENKOVSKI (since 12 May

2004)

head of government: Prime Minister Nikola GRUEVSKI (since 26 August

2006)

cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the majority vote of all

the deputies in the Assembly; note - current cabinet formed by the

government coalition parties VMRO/DPMNE, NSDP, PDSh/DPA, and several

small parties

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); two-round election last held 14 April

and 28 April 2004 (next to be held by April 2009); prime minister

elected by the Assembly following legislative elections

election results: Branko CRVENKOVSKI elected president on

second-round ballot; percent of vote - Branko CRVENKOVSKI 62.7%,

Sasko KEDEV 37.3%

Madagascar

chief of state: President Marc RAVALOMANANA (since 6 May

2002)

head of government: Prime Minister Charles RABEMANANJARA (25 January

2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 3 December 2006

(next to be held in December 2011); prime minister appointed by the

president

election results: percent of vote - Marc RAVALOMANANA 54.8%, Jean

LAHINIRIKO 11.7%, Roland RATSIRAKA 10.1%, Herizo RAZAFIMAHALEO 9.1%,

Norbert RATSIRAHONANA 4.2%, Ny Hasina ANDRIAMANJATO 4.2%, Elia

RAVELOMANANTSOA 2.6%, Pety RAKOTONIAINA 1.7%, other 1.6%

Malawi

chief of state: President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (since 24 May

2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government

head of government: President Bingu wa MUTHARIKA (since 24 May 2004)

cabinet: 46-member Cabinet named by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 20 May 2004 (next

to be held in May 2009)

election results: Bingu wa MUTHARIKA elected president; percent of

vote - Bingu wa MUTHARIKA 35.9%, John TEMBO 27.1%, Gwandaguluwe

CHAKUAMBA 25.7%, Brown MPINGANJIRA 8.7%, Justin MALEWEZI 2.5%

Malaysia

chief of state: Paramount Ruler Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin

(since 13 December 2006)

head of government: Prime Minister ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi (since

31 October 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed NAJIB bin Abdul

Razak (since 7 January 2004)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister from among the

members of Parliament with consent of the paramount ruler

elections: paramount ruler elected by and from the hereditary rulers

of nine of the states for five-year terms; election last held on 3

November 2006 (next to be held in 2011); prime minister designated

from among the members of the House of Representatives; following

legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins a plurality

of seats in the House of Representatives becomes prime minister

election results: Sultan MIZAN Zainal Abidin elected paramount ruler

note: position of paramount ruler is primarily ceremonial; in

practice, selection is based on principle of rotation among rulers

of states

Maldives

chief of state: President Mohamed NASHEED (since 11

November 2008); Vice President (vacant); note - the president is

both the chief of state and head of government

head of government: President Mohamed NASHEED (since 11 November

2008); Vice President (vacant)

cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: under the new constitution, the president is elected by

direct vote; president elected for a five-year term (eligible for a

second term); election last held 8 and 28 October 2008 (next to be

held in 2013)

election results: Mohamed NASHEED elected president; percent of vote

- NASHEED 54.25%, Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM 45.75%; note - NASHEED is

expected to assume office on 11 November 2008

Mali

chief of state: President Amadou Toumani TOURE (since 8 June

2002)

head of government: Prime Minister Modibo SIDIBE (since 28 September

2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held on 29 April 2007

(next to be held in April 2012); prime minister appointed by the

president

election results: Amadou Toumani TOURE reelected president; percent

of vote - Amadou Toumani TOURE 71.2%, Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA 19.2%,

other 9.6%

Malta

chief of state: President Edward FENECH ADAMI (since 4 April

2004)

head of government: Prime Minister Lawrence GONZI (since 23 March

2004)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the

prime minister

elections: president elected by the House of Representatives for a

five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on

29 March 2004 (next to be held by April 2009); following legislative

elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority

coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president for a

five-year term; the deputy prime minister is appointed by the

president on the advice of the prime minister

election results: Eddie FENECH ADAMI elected president; House of

Representatives vote - 33 out of 65 votes

Marshall Islands

chief of state: President Litokwa TOMEING (since 7

January 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and

head of government

head of government: President Litokwa TOMEING (since 7 January 2008)

cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of

the legislature

elections: president elected by Parliament from among its members

for a four-year term; election last held 7 January 2008 (next to be

held in 2012)

election results: Litokwa TOMEING elected president; TOMEING

received 18 votes to 15 for incumbent Kessai Hesa NOTE

Mauritania

chief of state: Gen. Mohamed Ould Abdel AZIZ who led a

coup that deposed the democratically elected President Sidi Ould

Cheikh ABDELLAHI on 6 August 2008

head of government: Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Mohamed LAGHDAF

(since 14 August 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second consecutive term); election last held 11

March 2007 with a runoff between the two leading candidates held on

25 March 2007 (next to be held 2012); prime minister appointed by

the president

election results: percent of vote - (second round) Sidi Ould Cheikh

ABDELLAHI 52.8%, Ahmed Ould DADDAH 47.2%

Mauritius

chief of state: President Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 7

October 2003); Vice President Abdool Raouf BUNDHUN (since 25

February 2002)

head of government: Prime Minister Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM (since 5

July 2005)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the

recommendation of the prime minister

elections: president and vice president elected by the National

Assembly for five-year terms (eligible for a second term); election

last held 19 September 2008 (next to be held in 2013); prime

minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president,

responsible to the National Assembly

election results: Sir Anerood JUGNAUTH reelected president by

unanimous vote; percent of vote by the National Assembly - NA%

Mayotte

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May

2007); represented by Prefect Denis ROBIN (since 28 July 2008)

head of government: President of the General Council Said Omar OILI

(since 8 April 2004)

cabinet: NA

elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year

term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the

French Ministry of the Interior; president of the General Council

elected by the members of the General Council for a six-year term;

next election to be held in 2010

Mexico

chief of state: President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa

(since 1 December 2006); note - the president is both the chief of

state and head of government

head of government: President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa

(since 1 December 2006)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment of

attorney general requires consent of the Senate

elections: president elected by popular vote for a single six-year

term; election last held on 2 July 2006 (next to be held 1 July 2012)

election results: Felipe CALDERON elected president; percent of vote

- Felipe CALDERON 35.89%, Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR 35.31%,

Roberto MADRAZO 22.26%, other 6.54%

Micronesia, Federated States of

chief of state: President Emanuel

MORI (since 11 May 2007); Vice President Alik L. ALIK (since 11 May

2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government

head of government: President Emanuel MORI (since 11 May 2007); Vice

President Alik L. ALIK (since 11 May 2007)

cabinet: Cabinet includes the vice president and the heads of the

eight executive departments

elections: president and vice president elected by Congress from

among the four senators at large for a four-year term (eligible for

a second term); election last held 11 May 2007 (next to be held May

2011); note - a proposed constitutional amendment to establish

popular elections for president and vice president failed

election results: Emanuel MORI elected president; percent of

Congress vote - NA; Alik L. ALIK elected vice president; percent of

Congress vote - NA

Moldova

chief of state: President Vladimir VORONIN (since 4 April

2001)

head of government: Prime Minister Zinaida GRECEANII (since 31 March

2008); First Deputy Prime Minister Igor DODON (since 31 March 2008)

cabinet: Cabinet selected by president, subject to approval of

Parliament

elections: president elected by Parliament for a four-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 4 April 2005 (next

to be held in 2009); note - prime minister designated by the

president upon consultation with Parliament; within 15 days from

designation, the prime minister-designate must request a vote of

confidence from the Parliament regarding his/her work program and

entire cabinet; prime minister designated 21 March 2008; cabinet

received a vote of confidence 31 March 2008

election results: Vladimir VORONIN reelected president;

parliamentary votes - Vladimir VORONIN 75, Gheorghe DUCA 1; Zinaida

GRECEANII designated prime minister; parliamentary votes of

confidence - 56 of 101

Monaco

chief of state: Prince ALBERT II (since 6 April 2005)

head of government: Minister of State Jean-Paul PROUST (since 1 June

2005)

cabinet: Council of Government is under the authority of the monarch

elections: the monarchy is hereditary; minister of state appointed

by the monarch from a list of three French national candidates

presented by the French Government

Mongolia

chief of state: President Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR (since 24 June

2005)

head of government: Prime Minister Sanjaa BAYAR (since 22 November

2007); First Deputy Prime Minister (Norov ALTANKHUYAG (since 27

September 2008); Vice Prime Minister Miegombyn ENKHBOLD (since 6

December 2007)

cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the prime minister in consultation

with the president and confirmed by the State Great Hural

(parliament)

elections: presidential candidates nominated by political parties

represented in State Great Hural and elected by popular vote for a

four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22

May 2005 (next to be held in May 2009); following legislative

elections, leader of majority party or majority coalition is usually

elected prime minister by State Great Hural

election results: Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR elected president; percent of

vote - Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR 53.44%, Mendsaikhanin ENKHSAIKHAN 20.05%,

Bazarsadyn JARGALSAIKHAN 13.92%, Badarchyn ERDENEBAT 12.59%;

Miegombyn ENKHBOLD elected prime minister by the State Great Hural

56 to 10

Montenegro

chief of state: President Filip VUJANOVIC (since 11 May

2003)

head of government: Prime Minister Milo DJUKANOVIC (since 29

February 2008)

cabinet: Ministries act as cabinet

elections: president elected by direct vote for five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 6 April 2008 (next

to be held in 2013); prime minister proposed by president, accepted

by Assembly

election results: Filip VUJANOVIC reelected president; Filip

VUJANOVIC 51.89%, Andrija MANDIC 19.55%, Nebojsa MEDOJEVIC 16.64%,

Srdan MILIC 11.92%

Montserrat

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February

1952); represented by Governor Peter A. WATERWORTH (since 27 July

2007)

head of government: Chief Minister Lowell LEWIS (since 2 June 2006)

cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the chief

minister, three other ministers, the attorney general, and the

finance secretary

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the

monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority

party usually becomes chief minister

Morocco

chief of state: King MOHAMED VI (since 30 July 1999)

head of government: Prime Minister Abbas EL FASSI (since 19

September 2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch

elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by

the monarch following legislative elections

Mozambique

chief of state: President Armando GUEBUZA (since 2

February 2005)

head of government: Prime Minister Luisa DIOGO (since 17 February

2004)

cabinet: Cabinet

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 1-2 December 2004

(next to be held in December 2009); prime minister appointed by the

president

election results: Armando GUEBUZA elected president; percent of vote

- Armando GUEBUZA 63.7%, Afonso DHLAKAMA 31.7%

Namibia

chief of state: President Hifikepunye POHAMBA (since 21

March 2005)

head of government: Prime Minister Nahas ANGULA (since 21 March 2005)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members

of the National Assembly

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 15 November 2004

(next to be held in November 2009)

election results: Hifikepunye POHAMBA elected president; percent of

vote - Hifikepunye POHAMBA 76.4%, Den ULENGA 7.3%, Katuutire KAURA

5.1%, Kuaima RIRUAKO 4.2%, Justus GAROEB 3.8%, other 3.2%

Nauru

chief of state: President Marcus STEPHEN (since 19 December

2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government

head of government: President Marcus STEPHEN (since 19 December

2007); note - President Ludwig SCOTTY defeated in a no confidence

vote in parliament on 19 December 2007

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members

of Parliament

elections: president elected by Parliament for a three-year term;

election last held 19 December 2007 (next to be held in 2010)

election results: NA

Nepal

chief of state: President Ram Baran YADAV (as of 23 July

2008); Vice President Paramananda JHA (as of 23 July 2008)

head of government: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal DAHAL (as of 18

August 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Bamdev GAUTAM

cabinet: selected by the prime minister

elections: president elected by Parliament; term NA; election last

held 21 July 2008

election results: Ram Baran YADAV elected president by the

Constituent Assembly in a second round of voting on 21 July 2008;

Ram Baran YADAV 308, Ram Jaja Prasad SINGH 282

Netherlands

chief of state: Queen BEATRIX (since 30 April 1980);

Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER (born 27 April 1967), son of the

monarch

head of government: Prime Minister Jan Peter BALKENENDE (since 22

July 2002); Deputy Prime Ministers Wouter BOS (since 22 February

2007) and Andre ROUVOET (since 22 February 2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch

elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following Second Chamber

elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority

coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; deputy

prime ministers appointed by the monarch

note: there is also a Council of State composed of the monarch, heir

apparent, and councilors that provides consultations to the cabinet

on legislative and administrative policy

Netherlands Antilles

chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the

Netherlands (since 30 April 1980); represented by Governor General

Frits GOEDGEDRAG (since 1 July 2002)

head of government: Prime Minister Emily de JONGH-ELHAGE (since 26

March 2006)

cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten (legislature)

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by

the monarch for a six-year term; following legislative elections,

the leader of the majority party is usually elected prime minister

by the Staten; election last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held

by 2010)

note: government coalition - PAR, PNP, DP-St. M, UPB, WIPM Saba,

DP-St. E

New Caledonia

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16

May 2007); represented by High Commissioner Yves DASSONVILLE (since

9 November 2007)

head of government: President of the Government Harold MARTIN (since

7 August 2007)

cabinet: Cabinet consisting of 11 members elected from and by the

Territorial Congress

elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year

term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the

advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the

government elected by the members of the Territorial Congress for a

five-year term (no term limits); note - last election held 7 August

2007 when Harold MARTIN was elected following the resignation of

Marie-Noelle THEMEREAU as president on 24 July 2007 (next to be held

in 2012)

New Zealand

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February

1952); represented by Governor General Anand SATYANAND (since 23

August 2006)

head of government: Prime Minister John KEY (since 19 November

2008); Deputy Prime Minister Bill ENGLISH (since 19 November 2008)

cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the

recommendation of the prime minister

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by

the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the

majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually

appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime

minister appointed by the governor general

Nicaragua

chief of state: President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10

January 2007); Vice President Jaime MORALES Carazo (since 10 January

2007); note - the president is both chief of state and head of

government

head of government: President Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10

January 2007); Vice President Jaime MORALES Carazo (since 10 January

2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket

by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term so

long as it is not consecutive); election last held 5 November 2006

(next to be held by November 2011)

election results: Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra elected president - 38.07%,

Eduardo MONTEALEGRE 29%, Jose RIZO 26.21%, Edmundo JARQUIN 6.44%

Niger

chief of state: President Mamadou TANDJA (since 22 December

1999)

head of government: Prime Minister Seyni OUMAROU (since 3 June

2007); appointed by the president and shares some executive

responsibilities with the president

cabinet: 26-member Cabinet appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); second round of election last held 4

December 2004 (next to be held December 2009)

election results: Mamadou TANDJA reelected president; percent of

vote - Mamadou TANDJA 65.5%, Mahamadou ISSOUFOU 34.5%

Nigeria

chief of state: President Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA (since 29 May

2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government

head of government: President Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA (since 29 May 2007)

cabinet: Federal Executive Council

elections: president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 21 April 2007 (next

to be held in April 2011)

election results: Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA elected president; percent of

vote - Umaru Musa YAR'ADUA 69.8%, Muhammadu BUHARI 18.7%, Atiku

ABUBAKAR 7.5%, Orji Uzor KALU 1.7%, other 2.3%

Niue

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);

represented by Governor General of New Zealand Anand SATYANAND

(since 23 August 2006); the UK and New Zealand are represented by

New Zealand High Commissioner John BRYAN (since May 2000)

head of government: Premier Toke TALAGI (since 18 June 2008)

cabinet: Cabinet consists of the premier and three ministers

elections: the monarch is hereditary; premier elected by the

Legislative Assembly for a three-year term; election last held 18

June 2008 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: Toke TALAGI defeats incumbent Young VIVIAN in

Legislative Assembly vote; Toke TALAGI - 14, Young VIVIAN - 5

Norfolk Island

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February

1952); represented by the Australian governor general

head of government: Acting Administrator Owen WALSH (since October

2007)

cabinet: Executive Council is made up of four of the nine members of

the Legislative Assembly; the council devises government policy and

acts as an advisor to the administrator

elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the

governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and

Australia

Northern Mariana Islands

chief of state: President George W. BUSH of

the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY

(since 20 January 2001)

head of government: Governor Benigno R. FITIAL (since 9 January

2006); Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. VILLAGOMEZ (since 9 January

2006)

cabinet: the cabinet consists of the heads of the 10 principal

departments under the executive branch who are appointed by the

governor with the advice and consent of the Senate; other members

include Special Assistants to the governor and office heads

appointed by and reporting directly to the governor

elections: under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated

territories, such as the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana

Islands, do not vote in elections for US president and vice

president; however, they may vote in the Democratic and Republican

presidential primary elections; governor and lieutenant governor

elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms

(eligible for a second term); election last held 5 November 2005

(next to be held in November 2009)

election results: Benigno R. FITIAL elected governor in a four-way

race; percent of vote - Benigno R. FITIAL 28.07%, Heinz HOFSCHNEIDER

27.34%, Juan BABAUTA 26.6%, Froilan TENORIO 17.99%

Norway

chief of state: King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir

Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS, son of the monarch (born 20

July 1973)

head of government: Prime Minister Jens STOLTENBERG (since 17

October 2005)

cabinet: State Council appointed by the monarch with the approval of

parliament

elections: the monarch is hereditary; following parliamentary

elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the

majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the

monarch with the approval of the parliament

Oman

chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said

al-Said (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July

1972); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of

government

head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said

al-Said (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July

1972)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch

elections: the monarch is hereditary

Pakistan

chief of state: President Asif Ali ZARDARI (since 6

September 2008)

head of government: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza GILANI (since 25

March 2008)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president upon the advice of the

prime minister

elections: the president is elected by secret ballot through an

Electoral College comprising the members of the Senate, National

Assembly, and the provincial assemblies for a five-year term;

election last held on 6 September 2008 (next to be held not later

than 2013); note - any person who is a Muslim and not less than 45

years of age and is qualified to be elected as a member of the

National Assembly can contest the presidential election; the prime

minister is selected by the National Assembly; election last held on

24 March 2008

election results: ZARDARI elected; ZARDARI 481 votes, SIDDIQUI 153

votes, HUSSAIN 44 votes; GILANI elected prime minister; GILANI 264

votes, Pervaiz ELAHI 42 votes; several abstentions

Palau

chief of state: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since

19 January 2001); Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005);

note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government

head of government: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since 19

January 2001); Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005)

cabinet: NA

elections: president and vice president elected on separate tickets

by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term);

election last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2012)

election results: Johnson TORIBIONG (51%) defeats Elias Camsek CHIN

(49%) for president; Kerai MARIUR elected vice president

Panama

chief of state: President Martin TORRIJOS Espino (since 1

September 2004); First Vice President Samuel LEWIS Navarro (since 1

September 2004); Second Vice President Ruben AROSEMENA Valdes (since

1 September 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state

and head of government

head of government: President Martin TORRIJOS Espino (since 1

September 2004); First Vice President Samuel LEWIS Navarro (since 1

September 2004); Second Vice President Ruben AROSEMENA Valdes (since

1 September 2004)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

elections: president and vice presidents elected on the same ticket

by popular vote for five-year terms (not eligible for immediate

reelection; president and vice presidents must sit out two

additional terms (10 years) before becoming eligible for

reelection); election last held 2 May 2004 (next to be held on 3 May

2009); note - beginning in 2009, Panama will have only one vice

president

election results: Martin TORRIJOS Espino elected president; percent

of vote - Martin TORRIJOS Espino 47.5%, Guillermo ENDARA Galimany

30.6%, Jose Miguel ALEMAN 17%, Ricardo MARTINELLI 4.9%

note: government coalition - PRD (Democratic Revolutionary Party),

PP (Popular Party)

Papua New Guinea

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6

February 1952); represented by governor general Sir Paulius MATANE

(since 29 June 2004)

head of government: Prime Minister Sir Michael SOMARE (since 2

August 2002); Deputy Prime Minister Puka TEMU (since 29 August 2007)

cabinet: National Executive Council appointed by governor general on

recommendation of prime minister

elections: monarch is hereditary; governor general nominated by

parliament and appointed by chief of state; following legislative

elections, leader of majority party or leader of majority coalition

usually is appointed prime minister by governor general

Paraguay

chief of state: President Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez

(since 15 August 2008); Vice President Federico FRANCO (since 15

August 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and

head of government

head of government: President Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez (since 15

August 2008); Vice President Federico FRANCO (since 15 August 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket

by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 20

April 2008 (next to be held April 2013)

election results: Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez elected president;

percent of vote - Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez 40.8%, Blanca OVELAR

30.6%, Lino OVIEDO 21.9%, Pedro FADUL 2.4%, other 4.3%

Peru

chief of state: President Alan GARCIA Perez (since 28 July

2006); First Vice President Luis GIAMPIETRI Rojas; Second Vice

President Lourdes MENDOZA del Solar (since 28 July 2006); note - the

president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government: President Alan GARCIA Perez (since 28 July

2006); First Vice President Luis GIAMPIETRI Rojas; Second Vice

President Lourdes MENDOZA del Solar (since 28 July 2006)

note: Prime Minister Yehude SIMON Munaro (since 14 October 2008)

does not exercise executive power; this power is in the hands of the

president

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a nonconsecutive reelection); presidential and

congressional elections held 9 April 2006 with runoff election held

4 June 2006; next to be held in April 2011

election results: Alan GARCIA elected president in runoff election;

percent of vote - Alan GARCIA 52.5%, Ollanta HUMALA Tasso 47.5%

Philippines

chief of state: President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO (since

20 January 2001); note - president is both chief of state and head

of government

head of government: President Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO (since 20

January 2001)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with consent of

Commission of Appointments

elections: president and vice president (Manuel "Noli" DE CASTRO)

elected on separate tickets by popular vote for a single six-year

term; election last held on 10 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2010)

election results: Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO elected president; percent

of vote - Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO 40%, Fernando POE 37%, three

others 23%

Pitcairn Islands

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6

February 1952); represented by UK High Commissioner to New Zealand

and Governor (nonresident) of the Pitcairn Islands George FERGUSSON

(since April 2006); Commissioner (nonresident) Leslie JAQUES (since

September 2003) serves as liaison between the governor and the

Island Council

head of government: Governor George FERGUSSON (since April 2006);

Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Mike WARREN (since 1

January 2008)

cabinet: NA

elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor and commissioner

appointed by the monarch; island mayor elected by popular vote for a

three-year term; election last held December 2004 (next to be held

in December 2007)

election results: Jay WARREN elected mayor and chairman of the

Island Council

Poland

chief of state: President Lech KACZYNSKI (since 23 December

2005)

head of government: Prime Minister Donald TUSK (since 16 November

2007); Deputy Prime Ministers Waldemar PAWLAK (since 16 November

2007) and Grzegorz SCHETYNA (since 16 November 2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the prime minister and

the Sejm; the prime minister proposes, the president appoints, and

the Sejm approves the Council of Ministers

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 9 and 23 October

2005 (next to be held in the fall 2010); prime minister and deputy

prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm

election results: Lech KACZYNSKI elected president; percent of

popular vote - Lech KACZYNSKI 54%, Donald Tusk 46%

Portugal

chief of state: President Anibal CAVACO SILVA (since 9

March 2006)

head of government: Prime Minister Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de

Sousa (since 12 March 2005)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the

recommendation of the prime minister

note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative

body to the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 22 January 2006

(next to be held in January 2011); following legislative elections,

the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition

is usually appointed prime minister by the president

election results: Anibal CAVACO SILVA elected president; percent of

vote - Anibal CAVACO SILVA 50.6%, Manuel ALEGRE 20.7%, Mario Alberto

Nobre Lopes SOARES 14.3%, Jeronimo DE SOUSA 8.5%, Franciso LOUCA 5.3%

Puerto Rico

chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US

(since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20

January 2001)

head of government: Governor Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA (since 2 January

2005)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor with the consent of the

legislature

elections: under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated

territories, such as Puerto Rico, do not vote in elections for US

president and vice president; however, they may vote in Democratic

and Republican presidential primary elections; governor elected by

popular vote for a four-year term (no term limits); election last

held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2012)

election results: Luis FORTUNO elected governor with 52.8% of the

vote, he will take office on 2 January 2009

Qatar

chief of state: Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al-Thani (since 27 June

1995 when, as heir apparent, he ousted his father, Amir KHALIFA bin

Hamad Al-Thani, in a bloodless coup); Heir Apparent TAMIM bin Hamad

bin Khalifa Al-Thani, fourth son of the monarch (selected Heir

Apparent by the monarch on 5 August 2003); note - Amir HAMAD also

holds the positions of Minister of Defense and Commander-in-Chief of

the Armed Forces

head of government: Prime Minister HAMAD bin Jasim bin Jabir

Al-Thani (since 3 April 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah bin

Hamad al-ATIYAH (since 3 April 2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch

elections: the monarch is hereditary

note: in April 2007, Qatar held nationwide elections for a 29-member

Central Municipal Council (CMC), which has limited consultative

powers aimed at improving the provision of municipal services; the

first election for the CMC was held in March 1999

Romania

chief of state: President Traian BASESCU (since 20 December

2004); note - President Traian BASESCU was suspended by vote of

parliament on 19 April 2007, but resumed his duties on 23 May 2007

after a popular referendum confirmed that his impeachment should not

stand

head of government: Prime Minister Calin Popescu-TARICEANU (since 29

December 2004)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 28 November 2004

with runoff between the top two candidates held 12 December 2004

(next to be held in November-December 2009); prime minister

appointed by the president with the consent of the Parliament

election results: percent of vote - Traian BASESCU 51.23%, Adrian

NASTASE 48.77%

Russia

chief of state: President Dmitriy Anatolyevich MEDVEDEV

(since 7 May 2008)

head of government: Premier Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN (since 8

May 2008); First Deputy Premiers Igor Ivanovich SHUVALOV and Viktor

Alekseyevich ZUBKOV (since 12 May 2008); Deputy Premiers Sergey

Borisovich IVANOV (since 12 May 2008), Dmitriy Nikolayevich KOZAK

(since 14 October 2008), Aleksey Leonidovich KUDRIN (since 24

September 2007), Igor Ivanovich SECHIN (since 12 May 2008), Sergey

Semenovich SOBYANIN (since 12 May 2008), Aleksandr Dmitriyevich

ZHUKOV (since 9 March 2004), and Dmitry Nikolayevich KOZAK (since 14

October 2008)

cabinet: Ministries of the Government or "Government" composed of

the premier and his deputies, ministers, and selected other

individuals; all are appointed by the president

note: there is also a Presidential Administration (PA) that provides

staff and policy support to the president, drafts presidential

decrees, and coordinates policy among government agencies; a

Security Council also reports directly to the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 2 March 2008 (next

to be held in March 2012); note - no vice president; if the

president dies in office, cannot exercise his powers because of ill

health, is impeached, or resigns, the premier serves as acting

president until a new presidential election is held, which must be

within three months; premier appointed by the president with the

approval of the Duma

election results: Dmitriy MEDVEDEV elected president; percent of

vote - Dmitry MEDVEDEV 70.2%, Gennady ZYUGANOV 17.7%, Vladimir

ZHIRINOVSKY 9.4%, Andrey BOGDONOV 1.3%

Rwanda

chief of state: President Paul KAGAME (since 22 April 2000)

head of government: Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March

2000)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: President elected by popular vote for a seven-year term

(eligible for a second term); elections last held 25 August 2003

(next to be held in 2010)

election results: Paul KAGAME elected president in first direct

popular vote; Paul KAGAME 95.05%, Faustin TWAGIRAMUNGU 3.62%,

Jean-Nepomuscene NAYINZIRA 1.33%

Saint Barthelemy

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16

May 2007), represented by Prefect Dominique LACROIX (since 21 March

2007)

head of government: President of the Territorial Council Bruno

MAGRAS (since 16 July 2007)

cabinet: Executive Council; note - there is also an advisory,

economic, social, and cultural council

elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year

term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the

French Ministry of Interior; president of the Territorial Council is

elected by the members of the Council for a five-year term

election results: Bruno MAGRAS unanimously elected president by the

Territorial Council on 16 July 2007

Saint Helena

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February

1952)

head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief Andrew GURR

(since 11 November 2007)

cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, three

ex-officio officers, and five elected members of the Legislative

Council

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the

monarch

Saint Kitts and Nevis

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6

February 1952); represented by Governor General Cuthbert Montraville

SEBASTIAN (since 1 January 1996)

head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Denzil DOUGLAS (since 6 July

1995); Deputy Prime Minister Sam CONDOR (since 6 July 1995)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general in consultation

with the prime minister

elections: the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is

appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the

leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is

usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy

prime minister appointed by the governor general

Saint Lucia

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February

1952); represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette LOUISY (since

September 1997)

head of government: Prime Minister Stephenson KING (since 9

September 2007); note - Sir John COMPTON died in office Friday, 7

September 2007

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of

the prime minister

elections: the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is

appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the

leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition

is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy

prime minister appointed by the governor general

Saint Martin

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May

2007), represented by Prefect Dominique LACROIX (since 21 March 2007)

head of government: President of the Territorial Council Frantz

GUMBS (since 7 August 2008)

cabinet: Executive Council; note - there is also an advisory

economic, social, and cultural council

election: French president elected by popular vote to a five-year

term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the

French Ministry of Interior; president of the Territorial Council is

elected by the members of the Council for a five-year term

election results: Frantz GUMBS elected president by the Territorial

Council on 7 August 2008

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY

(since 16 May 2007); represented by Prefect Jean-Pierre BERCOT

(since 28 July 2008)

head of government: President of the Territorial Council Stephane

ARTANO (since 21 February 2007)

cabinet: NA

elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year

term; election last held 6 May 2007 (next to be held in 2012);

prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the

French Ministry of Interior; president of the Territorial Council is

elected by the members of the council

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II

(since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Sir

Fredrick Nathaniel BALLANTYNE (since 2 September 2002)

head of government: Prime Minister Ralph E. GONSALVES (since 29

March 2001)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of

the prime minister

elections: the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is

appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the

leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by

the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the

governor general on the advice of the prime minister

Samoa

chief of state: TUIATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi (since 20 June 2007)

head of government: Prime Minister Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA

(since 1998); Deputy Prime Minister MISA Telefoni (since 2001)

cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 members appointed by the chief of

state on the prime minister's advice

elections: chief of state is elected by the Legislative Assembly to

serve a five-year term (no term limits); election last held 15 June

2007 (next to be held in 2012); following legislative elections, the

leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by

the chief of state with the approval of the Legislative Assembly

election results: TUIATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi unanimously elected by

the Legislative Assembly

San Marino

chief of state: Co-chiefs of State Captain Regent Ernesto

BENEDETTINI and Captain Regent Assunta MELONI (for the period 1

October-31 March 2009)

head of government: Secretary of State for Foreign and Political

Affairs Fiorenzo STOLFI (since 27 July 2006)

cabinet: Congress of State elected by the Great and General Council

for a five-year term

elections: co-chiefs of state (captains regent) elected by the Great

and General Council for a six-month term; election last held in

September 2007 (next to be held in March 2008); secretary of state

for foreign and political affairs elected by the Great and General

Council for a five-year term; election last held 27 July 2006 (next

to be held by 2011)

election results: Ernesto BENEDETTINI and Assunta MELONI elected

captains regent; percent of legislative vote - NA; Fiorenzo STOLFI

elected secretary of state for foreign and political affairs;

percent of legislative vote - NA

note: the popularly elected parliament (Grand and General Council)

selects two of its members to serve as the Captains Regent

(co-chiefs of state) for a six-month period; they preside over

meetings of the Grand and General Council and its cabinet (Congress

of State), which has 10 other members, all selected by the Grand and

General Council; assisting the captains regent are 10 secretaries of

state; the secretary of state for Foreign Affairs has assumed some

prime ministerial roles

Sao Tome and Principe

chief of state: President Fradique DE MENEZES

(since 3 September 2001)

head of government: Prime Minister Joachim Rafael BRANCO (since 22

June 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the

proposal of the prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 30 July 2006 (next

to be held July 2011); prime minister chosen by the National

Assembly and approved by the president

election results: Fradique DE MENEZES elected president; percent of

vote - Fradique DE MENEZES 60%, Patrice TROVOADA 38.5%

Saudi Arabia

chief of state: King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin

Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 1 August 2005); Heir Apparent Crown

Prince SULTAN bin Abd al- Aziz Al Saud (half brother of the monarch,

born 5 January 1928); note - the monarch is both the chief of state

and head of government

head of government: King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz

Al Saud (since 1 August 2005)

cabinet: Council of Ministers is appointed by the monarch every four

years and includes many royal family members

elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; note - a new Allegiance

Commission created by royal decree in October 2006 established a

committee of Saudi princes that will play a role in selecting future

Saudi kings, but the new system will not take effect until after

Crown Prince Sultan becomes king

Senegal

chief of state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since 1 April 2000)

head of government: Prime Minister Cheikh Hadjibou SOUMARE (since 19

June 2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in

consultation with the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term) under new constitution; election last

held on 25 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012); prime minister

appointed by the president

election results: Abdoulaye WADE reelected president in the first

round of voting; percent of vote - Abdoulaye WADE 55.9%, Idrissa

SECK 14.9%, Ousmane Tanor DIENG 13.6%, Moustapha NIASSE 5.9%, other

9.7%

Serbia

chief of state: President Boris TADIC (since 11 July 2004)

head of government: Prime Minister Mirko CVETKOVIC (since 7 July

2008)

cabinet: Federal Ministries act as cabinet

elections: president elected by direct vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 3 February 2008

(next to be held in 2013); prime minister elected by the Assembly

election results: Boris TADIC elected president in the second round

of voting; Boris TADIC received 51.2% of the vote and Tomislav

NIKOLIC 48.8%

Seychelles

chief of state: President James Alix MICHEL (since 14

April 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and

head of government

head of government: President James MICHEL (since 14 April 2004)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for two more terms); election last held 28-30 July 2006

(next to be held in 2011)

election results: President James MICHEL elected president; percent

of vote - James MICHEL 53.73%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN 45.71%, Philippe

BOULLE 0.56%; note - this was the first election in which President

James MICHEL participated; he was originally sworn in as president

after former president France Albert RENE stepped down in April 2004

Sierra Leone

chief of state: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17

September 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and

head of government

head of government: President Ernest Bai KOROMA (since 17 September

2007)

cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the

approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible

to the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 11 August 2007 and

8 September 2007 (next to be held in 2012)

election results: second round results; percent of vote - Ernest Bai

KOROMA 54.6%, Solomon BEREWA 45.4%

Singapore

chief of state: President S R NATHAN (since 1 September

1999)

note: uses S R NATHAN but his full name and the one used in formal

communications is Sellapan RAMANATHAN

head of government: Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 12 August

2004); Senior Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 12 August 2004);

Minister Mentor LEE Kuan Yew (since 12 August 2004); Deputy Prime

Ministers Shunmugam JAYAKUMAR (since 12 August 2004) and WONG Kan

Seng (since 1 September 2005)

cabinet: appointed by president, responsible to parliament

elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term;

appointed on 17 August 2005 (next election to be held by August

2011); following legislative elections, leader of majority party or

leader of majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by

president; deputy prime ministers appointed by president

election results: Sellapan Rama (S R) NATHAN appointed president in

August 2005 after Presidential Elections Committee disqualified

three other would-be candidates; scheduled election not held

Slovakia

chief of state: President Ivan GASPAROVIC (since 15 June

2004)

head of government: Prime Minister Robert FICO (since 4 July 2006);

Deputy Prime Ministers Dusan CAPLOVIC, Robert KALINAK, Stefan

HARABIN, Jan MIKOLAJ (since 4 July 2006)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of

the prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 3 April and 17

April 2004 (next to be held in April 2009); following National

Council elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of

a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the

president

election results: Ivan GASPAROVIC elected president in runoff;

percent of vote - Ivan GASPAROVIC 59.9%, Vladimir MECIAR 40.1%

Slovenia

chief of state: President Danilo TURK (since 22 December

2007)

head of government: Prime Minister Borut PAHOR (since 7 November

2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and

elected by the National Assembly

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 21 October and 11

November 2007 (next to be held in the fall of 2012); following

National Assembly elections, the leader of the majority party or the

leader of a majority coalition is usually nominated to become prime

minister by the president and elected by the National Assembly;

election last held on 9 November 2004 (next National Assembly

elections to be held in October 2008)

election results: Danilo TURK elected president; percent of vote -

Danilo TURK 68.2%, Alojze PETERLE 31.8%; Janez JANSA elected prime

minister by National Assembly vote - 57 to 27 in 2004

Solomon Islands

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February

1952); represented by Governor General Nathaniel WAENA (since 7 July

2004)

head of government: Prime Minister Derek SIKUA (since 20 December

2007); note - Prime Minister Manasseh SOGAVARE defeated in a no

confidence vote in parliament on 13 December 2007; SIKUA elected on

20 December 2007

cabinet: Cabinet consists of 20 members appointed by the governor

general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members

of Parliament

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by

the monarch on the advice of Parliament for up to five years

(eligible for a second term); following legislative elections, the

leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition

is usually elected prime minister by Parliament; deputy prime

minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the

prime minister from among the members of Parliament

Somalia

chief of state: Transitional Federal President Abdullahi

YUSUF Ahmed (since 14 October 2004); note - a transitional governing

entity with a five-year mandate, known as the Transitional Federal

Institutions (TFIs), was established in October 2004; the TFIs

relocated to Somalia in June 2004

head of government: Prime Minister Nur "Adde" HASSAN Hussein (since

24 November 2007)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved by the

Transitional Federal Assembly

election results: Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed, the former leader of the

semi-autonomous Puntland region of Somalia, was elected president by

the Transitional Federal Assembly

South Africa

chief of state: President Kgalema MOTLANTHE (since 25

September 2008); Executive Deputy President Baleka MBETE (since 25

September 2008); note - Thabo MBEKI resigned as president effective

25 September 2008; the president is both the chief of state and head

of government

head of government: President Kgalema MOTLANTHE (since 25 September

2008); Executive Deputy President Baleka MBETE (since 25 September

2008)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president

elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a

five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on

25 September 2008 (next to be held in April 2009); note - Kgalema

MOTLANTHE is serving out the term of Thabo MBEKI

election results: Kgalema MOTLANTHE elected president; National

Assembly vote - Kgalema MOTLANTHE 269, Joe SEREMANE 50, other 41;

note - Thabo MBEKI resigned as president effective 25 September

2008, Kgalema MOTLANTHE is serving the remainder of his term

Spain

chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975);

Heir Apparent Prince FELIPE, son of the monarch, born 30 January 1968

head of government: President of the Government (Prime Minister

equivalent) Jose Luis Rodriguez ZAPATERO (since 17 April 2004);

First Vice President (and Minister of the Presidency) Maria Teresa

FERNANDEZ DE LA VEGA (since 18 April 2004) and Second Vice President

(and Minister of Economy and Finance) Pedro SOLBES Mira (since 18

April 2004)

cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president

note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme

consultative organ of the government, but its recommendations are

non-binding

elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative

elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the

majority coalition is usually proposed president by the monarch and

elected by the National Assembly; election last held on 9 and 11

April 2008 (next to be held in March 2012); vice presidents

appointed by the monarch on the proposal of the president

election results: Jose Luis Rodriguez ZAPATERO reelected President

of the Government; percent of National Assembly vote - 46.94%

Sri Lanka

chief of state: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSA (since 19

November 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and

head of government; Ratnasiri WICKREMANAYAKE (since 21 November

2005) holds the largely ceremonial title of prime minister

head of government: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSA (since 19 November

2005)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the

prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held on 17 November 2005

(next to be held in 2011)

election results: Mahinda RAJAPAKSA elected president; percent of

vote - Mahinda RAJAPAKSA 50.3%, Ranil WICKREMESINGHE 48.4%, other

1.3%

Sudan

chief of state: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since

16 October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August

2005), Vice President Ali Osman TAHA (since 20 September 2005); note

- the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government: President Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16

October 1993); First Vice President Salva KIIR (since 4 August

2005), Vice President Ali Osman TAHA (since 20 September 2005)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; note - the

National Congress Party or NCP (formerly the National Islamic Front

or NIF) dominates al-BASHIR's cabinet

elections: election last held 13-23 December 2000; next to be held

no later than July 2009 under terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace

Agreement

election results: Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR reelected president;

percent of vote - Umar Hassan Ahmad al-BASHIR 86.5%, Ja'afar

Muhammed NUMAYRI 9.6%, three other candidates received a combined

vote of 3.9%; election widely viewed as rigged; all popular

opposition parties boycotted elections because of a lack of

guarantees for a free and fair election

note: al-BASHIR assumed power as chairman of Sudan's Revolutionary

Command Council for National Salvation (RCC) in June 1989 and served

concurrently as chief of state, chairman of the RCC, prime minister,

and minister of defense until mid-October 1993 when he was appointed

president by the RCC; he was elected president by popular vote for

the first time in March 1996

Suriname

chief of state: President Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN (since

12 August 2000); Vice President Ramdien SARDJOE (since 3 August

2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government

head of government: President Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN (since 12

August 2000); Vice President Ram SARDJOE (since 3 August 2005)

cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president and vice president elected by the National

Assembly or, if no presidential or vice presidential candidate

receives a two-thirds constitutional majority in the National

Assembly after two votes, by a simple majority in the larger United

People's Assembly (893 representatives from the national, local, and

regional councils), for five-year terms (no term limits); election

last held on 25 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010)

election results: Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN reelected president;

percent of vote - Runaldo Ronald VENETIAAN 62.9%, Rabin PARMESSAR

35.4%, other 1.7%; note - after two votes in the parliament failed

to secure a two-thirds majority for a candidate, the vote then went

to a special session of the United People's Assembly on 3 August 2005

Svalbard

chief of state: King HARALD V of Norway (since 17 January

1991)

head of government: Governor Per SEFLAND (since 1 October 2005);

Assistant Governor Rune Baard HANSEN (since 2003)

elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor and assistant

governor responsible to the Polar Department of the Ministry of

Justice

Swaziland

chief of state: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)

head of government: Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso DLAMINI (since

16 October 2008)

cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by

the monarch

elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by

the monarch from among the elected members of the House of Assembly

Sweden

chief of state: King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 19 September

1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree,

daughter of the monarch (born 14 July 1977)

head of government: Prime Minister Fredrik REINFELDT (since 5

October 2006)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister

elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative

elections, the prime minister is elected by the parliament; election

last held on 17 September 2006 (next to be held in September 2010)

election results: Fredrik REINFELDT elected prime minister with 175

out of 349 votes

Switzerland

chief of state: President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1

January 2008); Vice President Hans-Rudolf MERZ (since 1 January

2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government representing the Federal Council; the Federal Council is

the formal chief of state and head of government whose council

members, rotating in one-year terms as federal president, represent

the Council

head of government: President Pascal COUCHEPIN (since 1 January

2008); Vice President Hans-Rudolf MERZ (since 1 January 2008)

cabinet: Federal Council or Bundesrat (in German), Conseil Federal

(in French), Consiglio Federale (in Italian) elected by the Federal

Assembly usually from among its members for a four-year term

elections: president and vice president elected by the Federal

Assembly from among the members of the Federal Council for a

one-year term (they may not serve consecutive terms); election last

held on 12 December 2007 (next to be held in December 2008)

election results: Pascal COUCHEPIN elected president; percent of

Federal Assembly vote - 80.0%; Hans-Rudolf MERZ elected vice

president; percent of Federal Assembly vote - 86.5%

Syria

chief of state: President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000);

Vice President Farouk al-SHARA (since 11 February 2006) oversees

foreign policy; Vice President Najah al-ATTAR (since 23 March 2006)

oversees cultural policy

head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRI (since 10

September 2003); Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdallah

al-DARDARI (since 14 June 2005)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president approved by popular referendum for a second

seven-year term (no term limits); referendum last held on 27 May

2007 (next to be held in May 2014); the president appoints the vice

presidents, prime minister, and deputy prime ministers

election results: Bashar al-ASAD approved as president; percent of

vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.6%

Taiwan

chief of state: President MA Ying-jeou (since 20 May 2008);

Vice President Vincent SIEW (since 20 May 2008)

head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) LIO

Chao-shiuan (since 20 May 2008); Vice Premier (Vice President of

Executive Yuan) Paul CHIU (CHANG-hsiung) (since 20 May 2008)

cabinet: Executive Yuan - (ministers appointed by president on

recommendation of premier)

elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket

by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term);

election last held 22 March 2008 (next to be held in March 2012);

premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the

president on the recommendation of the premier

election results: MA Ying-jeou elected president on 22 March 2008;

percent of vote - MA Ying-jeou 58.45%, Frank HSIEH 41.55%; MA

Ying-jeou takes office on 20 May 2008

Tajikistan

chief of state: President Emomali RAHMON (since 6

November 1994; head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19

November 1992)

head of government: Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV (since 20 January

1999)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved

by the Supreme Assembly

elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 6 November 2006

(next to be held in November 2013); prime minister appointed by the

president

election results: Emomali RAHMON reelected president; percent of

vote - Emomali RAHMON 79.3%, Olimzon BOBOYEV 6.2%, other 14.5%

Tanzania

chief of state: President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December

2005); Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001);

note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government: President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December

2005); Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001)

note: Zanzibar elects a president who is head of government for

matters internal to Zanzibar; Amani Abeid KARUME was reelected to

that office on 30 October 2005

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members

of the National Assembly

elections: president and vice president elected on the same ballot

by popular vote for five-year terms (eligible for a second term);

election last held 14 December 2005 (next to be held in December

2010); prime minister appointed by the president

election results: Jakaya KIKWETE elected president; percent of vote

- Jakaya KIKWETE 80.3%, Ibrahim LIPUMBA 11.7%, Freeman MBOWE 5.9%

Thailand

chief of state: King PHUMIPHON Adunyadet or (BHUMIBOL

Adulyadej) (since 9 June 1946)

head of government: Prime Minister ABHISIT Wetchachiwa, also spelled

ABHISIT Vejjajiva (since 17 December 2008); Deputy Prime Minister

OLARN Cahipravat (since 24 September 2008); Deputy Prime Minister

SANAN Kachornprasat, also spelled SANAN Kachornparsart (since 7

February 2008); Deputy Prime Minister SOMPONG Amornwiwat (since 24

September 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers

note: there is also a Privy Council

elections: monarch is hereditary; according to 2007 constitution,

prime minister is designated from among members of House of

Representatives; following national elections for House of

Representatives, leader of party that could organize a majority

coalition usually was appointed prime minister by king; prime

minister is limited to two 4-year terms

Timor-Leste

chief of state: President Jose RAMOS-HORTA (since 20 May

2007); note - the president plays a largely symbolic role but is

able to veto legislation, dissolve parliament, and call national

elections

head of government: Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO (since 8

August 2007), note - he formerly used the name Jose Alexandre

GUSMAO; Deputy Prime Minister Jose Luis GUTERRES (since 8 August

2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held on 9 April 2007

with run-off on 8 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2012); following

elections, president appoints leader of majority party or majority

coalition as prime minister

election results: Jose RAMOS-HORTA elected president; percent of

vote - Jose RAMOS-HORTA 69.2%, Francisco GUTTERES 30.8%

Togo

chief of state: President Faure GNASSINGBE (since 4 May 2005);

note - Gnassingbe EYADEMA died on 5 February 2005 and was succeeded

by his son, Faure GNASSINGBE, with the support of the military

following international condemnation for the unconstitutional move

he then stepped aside pending elections, and Abass BONFOH served as

interim president; Faure GNASSINGBE later won popular elections in

April 2005

head of government: Prime Minister Gilbert HOUNGBO (since 7

September 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and the

prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(no term limits); election last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held

by 2010); prime minister appointed by the president

election results: Faure GNASSINGBE elected president; percent of

vote - Faure GNASSINGBE 60.2%, Emmanuel Akitani BOB 38.3%, Nicolas

LAWSON 1%, Harry OLYMPIO 0.5%

Tokelau

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);

represented by Governor General of New Zealand Anand SATYANAND

(since 23 August 2006); New Zealand is represented by Administrator

David PAYTON (since 17 October 2006)

head of government: Pio TUIA (since 23 February 2008); note -

position rotates annually among the three Faipule (village leaders)

cabinet: the Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau,

consisting of three Faipule (village leaders) and three Pulenuku

(village mayors), functions as a cabinet

elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade in New Zealand; the head of

government is chosen from the Council of Faipule and serves a

one-year term

Tonga

chief of state: King George TUPOU V (since 11 September 2006)

head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Feleti SEVELE (since 11

February 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Viliami TANGI (since 16

May 2006)

cabinet: Cabinet consists of 14 members, 10 appointed by the monarch

for life; four appointed from among the elected members of the

Legislative Assembly, including two each from the nobles' and

peoples' representatives serving three-year terms

note: there is also a Privy Council that consists of the monarch,

the cabinet, and two governors

elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy

prime minister appointed by the monarch

Trinidad and Tobago

chief of state: President George Maxwell

RICHARDS (since 17 March 2003)

head of government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING (since 24

December 2001)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament

elections: president elected by an electoral college, which consists

of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, for a

five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on

11 February 2008 (next to be held by February 2013); the president

usually appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party

in the House of Representatives

election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS reelected president;

percent of electoral college vote - NA

Tunisia

chief of state: President Zine el Abidine BEN ALI (since 7

November 1987)

head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed GHANNOUCHI (since 17

November 1999)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(no term limits); election last held on 24 October 2004 (next to be

held in October 2009); prime minister appointed by the president

election results: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI reelected for a

fourth term; percent of vote - Zine El Abidine BEN ALI 94.5%,

Mohamed BOUCHIHA 3.8%, Mohamed Ali HALOUANI 1%

Turkey

chief of state: President Abdullah GUL (since 28 August 2007)

head of government: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (since 14

March 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Cemil CICEK (since 29 August

2007); Deputy Prime Minister Hayati YAZICI (since 29 August 2007);

Deputy Prime Minister Nazim EKREN (since 29 August 2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the

nomination of the prime minister

elections: president elected by the National Assembly for one

seven-year terms; prime minister appointed by the president from

among members of parliament

election results: Abdullah GUL received 339 votes in the third round

of voting on 28 August 2007, after failing to garner the two thirds

vote required by law in the first two rounds

note: president-elect must have a two-thirds majority of the

National Assembly on the first two ballots and a simple majority on

the third ballot

Turkmenistan

chief of state: President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW

(since 14 February 2007); note - the president is both the chief of

state and head of government

head of government: President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (since 14

February 2007)

cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;

election last held on 11 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012)

election results: Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW elected president;

percent of vote - Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW 89.2%, Amanyaz ATAJYKOW

3.2%, other candidates 7.6%

Turks and Caicos Islands

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6

February 1952); represented by Governor Gordon WETHERELL (since 5

August 2008)

head of government: Premier Michael Eugene MISICK (chief minister

since 15 August 2003, sworn in as premier on 9 August 2006); note -

the office of premier was created in the 2006 constitution

cabinet: Cabinet consists of the governor, the premier, six

ministers appointed by the governor from among the members of the

House of Assembly, and the attorney general

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the

monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority

party is appointed premier by the governor

Tuvalu

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);

represented by Governor General Filoimea TELITO (since 15 April 2005)

head of government: Prime Minister Apisai IELEMIA (since 14 August

2006)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the

recommendation of the prime minister

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by

the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime

minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from the members

of Parliament; election last held 14 August 2006 (next to be held

following parliamentary elections in 2010)

election results: Apisai IELEMIA elected Prime Minister in a

Parliamentary election on 14 August 2006

Uganda

chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI

(since seizing power 26 January 1986); note - the president is both

chief of state and head of government

head of government: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since

seizing power 26 January 1986); Prime Minister Apolo NSIBAMBI (since

5 April 1999); note - the prime minister assists the president in

the supervision of the cabinet

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected

legislators

elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term;

election last held 23 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president;

percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 59.3%, Kizza

BESIGYE 37.4%, other 3.3%

Ukraine

chief of state: President Viktor A. YUSHCHENKO (since 23

January 2005)

head of government: Prime Minister Yuliya TYMOSHENKO (since 18

December 2007); First Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr TURCHYNOV

(since 18 December 2007); Deputy Prime Ministers Hryhoriy NEMYRYA

and Ivan VASYUNYK (since 18 December 2007)

cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers selected by the prime minister; the

only exceptions are the foreign and defense ministers, who are

chosen by the president

note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC

originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council; the

NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on

domestic and international matters and advising the president; a

Presidential Secretariat helps draft presidential edicts and

provides policy support to the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); note - a special repeat runoff

presidential election between Viktor YUSHCHENKO and Viktor

YANUKOVYCH took place on 26 December 2004 after the earlier 21

November 2004 contest - won by YANUKOVYCH - was invalidated by the

Ukrainian Supreme Court because of widespread and significant

violations; under constitutional reforms that went into effect 1

January 2006, the majority in parliament takes the lead in naming

the prime minister

election results: Viktor YUSHCHENKO elected president; percent of

vote - Viktor YUSHCHENKO 52%, Viktor YANUKOVYCH 44.2%

United Arab Emirates

chief of state: President KHALIFA bin Zayid

Al-Nuhayyan (since 3 November 2004), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi)

(since 4 November 2004); Vice President and Prime Minister MUHAMMAD

BIN RASHID Al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006)

head of government: Prime Minister and Vice President MUHAMMAD bin

Rashid Al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers

SULTAN bin Zayid Al-Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) and HAMDAN bin

Zayid Al-Nuhayyan (since 20 October 2003)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) composed of the

seven emirate rulers; the FSC is the highest constitutional

authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions

federal legislation; meets four times a year; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi)

and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power

elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC for

five-year terms (no term limits); election last held 3 November 2004

upon the death of the UAE's Founding Father and first President

ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (next to be held in 2009); prime

minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president

election results: KHALIFA bin Zayid Al-Nuhayyan elected president by

a unanimous vote of the FSC; MUHAMMAD bin Rashid Al-Maktum

unanimously affirmed vice president after the 2006 death of his

brother Sheikh Maktum bin Rashid Al-Maktum

United Kingdom

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February

1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14

November 1948)

head of government: Prime Minister James Gordon BROWN (since 27 June

2007)

cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister

elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative

elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the

majority coalition is usually the prime minister

United States

chief of state: President George W. BUSH (since 20

January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January

2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government

head of government: President George W. BUSH (since 20 January

2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with Senate approval

elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket

by a college of representatives who are elected directly from each

state; president and vice president serve four-year terms (eligible

for a second term); election last held 4 November 2008 (next to be

held on 6 November 2012)

election results: Barack H. OBAMA elected president; percent of

popular vote - Barack H. OBAMA 52.4%, John MCCAIN 46.3%, other 1.3%;

note - OBAMA is expected to assume office on 20 January 2009

Uruguay

chief of state: President Tabare VAZQUEZ Rosas (since 1

March 2005); Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVOA (since 1 March 2005);

note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government

head of government: President Tabare VAZQUEZ Rosas (since 1 March

2005); Vice President Rodolfo NIN NOVOA (since 1 March 2005)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president with

parliamentary approval

elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket

by popular vote for five-year terms (may not serve consecutive

terms); election last held 31 October 2004 (next to be held in

October 2009)

election results: Tabare VAZQUEZ elected president; percent of vote

- Tabare VAZQUEZ 50.5%, Jorge LARRANAGA 35.1%, Guillermo STIRLING

10.3%; other 4.1%

Uzbekistan

chief of state: President Islom KARIMOV (since 24 March

1990, when he was elected president by the then Supreme Soviet)

head of government: Prime Minister Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV (since 11

December 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Rustam AZIMOV (since 2

January 2008)

cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president with

approval of the Supreme Assembly

elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term

(eligible for a second term; previously was a five-year term,

extended by constitutional amendment in 2002); election last held 23

December 2007 (next to be held in 2014); prime minister, ministers,

and deputy ministers appointed by the president

election results: Islom KARIMOV reelected president; percent of vote

- Islom KARIMOV 88.1%, Aslidden RUSTAMOV 3.2%, Dilorom

TASHMUKHAMEDOVA 2.9%, Akmal SAIDOV 2.6%

Vanuatu

chief of state: President Kalkot Matas KELEKELE (since 16

August 2004)

head of government: Prime Minister Edward NATAPEI (since 22

September 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Ham LINI (since 22 September

2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister,

responsible to Parliament

elections: president elected for a five-year term by an electoral

college consisting of Parliament and the presidents of the regional

councils; election for president last held 16 August 2004 (next to

be held in 2009); following legislative elections, the leader of the

majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime

minister by Parliament from among its members; election for prime

minister last held 22 September 2008 (next to be held following

general elections in 2012)

election results: Kalkot Matas KELEKELE elected president, with 49

votes out of 56, after several ballots on 16 August 2004

Venezuela

chief of state: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3

February 1999); Executive Vice President Ramon Alonzo CARRIZALEZ

Rengifo (since 4 January 2008); note - the president is both the

chief of state and head of government

head of government: President Hugo CHAVEZ Frias (since 3 February

1999); Executive Vice President Ramon Alonzo CARRIZALEZ Rengifo

(since 4 January 2008)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 3 December 2006

(next to be held in December 2012)

note: in 1999, a National Constituent Assembly drafted a new

constitution that increased the presidential term to six years; an

election was subsequently held on 30 July 2000 under the terms of

this constitution

election results: Hugo CHAVEZ Frias reelected president; percent of

vote - Hugo CHAVEZ Frias 62.9%, Manuel ROSALES 36.9%

Vietnam

chief of state: President Nguyen Minh TRIET (since 27 June

2006); Vice President Nguyen Thi DOAN (since 25 July 2007)

head of government: Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 27 June

2006); Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh HUNG (since 28

June 2006), Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung HAI (since 2 August

2007), Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien NHAN (since 2 August

2007), Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia KHIEM (since 28 June 2006),

and Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh TRONG (since 28 June 2006)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by president based on proposal of prime

minister and confirmed by National Assembly

elections: president elected by the National Assembly from among its

members for five-year term; last held 27 June 2006 (next to be held

in 2011); prime minister appointed by the president from among the

members of the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed

by the prime minister; appointment of prime minister and deputy

prime ministers confirmed by National Assembly

election results: Nguyen Minh TRIET elected president; percent of

National Assembly vote - 94%; Nguyen Tan DUNG elected prime

minister; percent of National Assembly vote - 92%

Virgin Islands

chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US

(since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20

January 2001)

head of government: Governor John DeJONGH (since 1 January 2007)

cabinet: NA

elections: under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated

territories, such as the Virgin Islands, do not vote in elections

for US president and vice president; however, they may vote in the

Democratic and Republican presidential primary elections; governor

and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote

for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held

7 and 21 November 2006 (next to be held November 2010)

election results: John DeJONGH elected governor; percent of vote -

John DeJONGH 57.3%, Kenneth MAPP 42.7%

Wallis and Futuna

chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since

16 May 2007); represented by High Administrator Philippe PAOLANTONI

(since 28 July 2008)

head of government: President of the Territorial Assembly Patalione

KANIMOA (since January 2001)

cabinet: Council of the Territory consists of three kings and three

members appointed by the high administrator on the advice of the

Territorial Assembly

note: there are three traditional kings with limited powers

elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year

term; high administrator appointed by the French president on the

advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the

Territorial Government and the Territorial Assembly are elected by

the members of the assembly

Western Sahara

none

Yemen

chief of state: President Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May

1990, the former president of North Yemen, assumed office upon the

merger of North and South Yemen); Vice President Maj. Gen. Abd

al-Rab Mansur al-HADI (since 3 October 1994)

head of government: Prime Minister Ali Muhammad MUJAWWAR (since 31

March 2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the

advice of the prime minister

elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;

election last held 20 September 2006 (next to be held in September

2013); vice president appointed by the president; prime minister and

deputy prime ministers appointed by the president

election results: Ali Abdallah SALIH elected president; percent of

vote - Ali Abdallah SALIH 77.2%, Faysal BIN SHAMLAN 21.8%

Zambia

chief of state: President Rupiah BANDA (since 19 August

2008); Vice President George KUNDA (since 14 November 2008); note -

President BANDA was acting president since the illness and eventual

death of President Levy MWANAWASA on 18 August 2008, he was then

elected president on 30 October 2008 to serve out the remainder of

MWANAWASA's term; the president is both the chief of state and head

of government

head of government: President Rupiah BANDA (since 19 August 2008);

Vice President George KUNDA (since 14 November 2008)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members

of the National Assembly

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term

(eligible for a second term); election last held 30 October 2008

(next to be held in 2011); vice president appointed by the

president; note - due to the untimely death of former President Levy

MWANAWASA, early elections were held to identify a replacement to

serve out the remainder of his term

election results: Rupiah BANDA elected president; percent of vote -

Rupiah BANDA 40.1%, Michael SATA 38.1%, Hakainde HICHILEMA 19.7%,

Godfrey MIYANDA 0.8%, other 1.3%

Zimbabwe

chief of state: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE

(since 31 December 1987); Vice President Joseph MSIKA (since

December 1999) and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December

2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of

government

head of government: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since

31 December 1987); Vice President Joseph MSIKA (since December 1999)

and Vice President Joyce MUJURU (since 6 December 2004)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; responsible to the

House of Assembly

elections: presidential candidates nominated with a nomination paper

signed by at least 10 registered voters (at least one from each

province) and elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term

limits); elections last held 28 March 2008 followed by a run-off on

27 June 2008 (next to be held in 2013); co-vice presidents appointed

by the president

election results: Robert Gabriel MUGABE reelected president; percent

of vote - Robert Gabriel MUGABE 85.5%, Morgan TSVANGIRAI 9.3%, other

5.2%; note - first round voting results - Morgan TSVANGIRAI 47.9%,

Robert Gabriel MUGABE 43.2%, Simba MAKONI 8.3%, other 0.6%;

first-round round polls were deemed to be flawed suppressing

TSVANGIRAI's results; the 27 June 2008 run-off between MUGABE and

TSVANGIRAI were severely flawed and internationally condemned

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2078 Exports

Afghanistan

$274 million; note - not including illicit exports or

reexports (2006)

Albania

$1.076 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Algeria

$60.51 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

American Samoa

$445.6 million (FY04 est.)

Andorra

$148.7 million f.o.b. (2005)

Angola

$45.03 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Anguilla

$13 million (2006)

Antigua and Barbuda

$84.3 million (2007 est.)

Argentina

$55.78 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Armenia

$1.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Aruba

$124 million f.o.b.; note - includes oil reexports (2006)

Australia

$142.1 billion (2007 est.)

Austria

$162.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

$21.27 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

$674 million (2006)

Bahrain

$13.79 billion (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

$12.45 billion (2007 est.)

Barbados

$385 million (2006)

Belarus

$24.47 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Belgium

$322.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Belize

$429 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Benin

$586 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Bermuda

$763 million (2006)

Bhutan

$350 million f.o.b. (2006)

Bolivia

$4.49 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

$4.243 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Botswana

$5.025 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Brazil

$160.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

$25.3 million (2002)

Brunei

$6.767 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Bulgaria

$18.44 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

$617 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Burma

$6.122 billion f.o.b.

note: official export figures are grossly underestimated due to the

value of timber, gems, narcotics, rice, and other products smuggled

to Thailand, China, and Bangladesh (2007 est.)

Burundi

$44 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Cambodia

$4.089 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Cameroon

$3.827 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Canada

$431.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

$76.5 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

$2.52 million (2004)

Central African Republic

$146.7 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Chad

$4.201 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Chile

$67.64 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

China

$1.22 trillion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Christmas Island

$NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

$NA

Colombia

$30.58 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Comoros

$32 million f.o.b. (2006)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

$1.587 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Congo, Republic of the

$5.8 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Cook Islands

$5.222 million (2005)

Costa Rica

$9.268 billion (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

$8.476 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Croatia

$12.62 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Cuba

$3.734 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Cyprus

$1.495 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

$122.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Denmark

$101.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Djibouti

$340 million f.o.b. (2006)

Dominica

$94 million f.o.b. (2006)

Dominican Republic

$7.237 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Ecuador

$14.37 billion (2007 est.)

Egypt

$24.45 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

El Salvador

$4.035 billion (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

$9.904 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Eritrea

$12 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Estonia

$11.08 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

$1.288 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

European Union

$1.33 trillion; note - external exports, excluding

intra-EU trade (2005)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

$125 million (2004 est.)

Faroe Islands

$634 million f.o.b. (2006)

Fiji

$1.202 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Finland

$89.91 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

France

$546 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

$211 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Gabon

$6.956 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

$88 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Gaza Strip

$301 million f.o.b.; (includes West Bank) (2005)

Georgia

$2.104 billion (2007 est.)

Germany

$1.354 trillion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Ghana

$4.162 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Gibraltar

$271 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Greece

$23.91 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Greenland

$480 million f.o.b. (2006)

Grenada

$38 million (2006)

Guam

$45 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Guatemala

$6.94 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Guernsey

$NA

Guinea

$1.128 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

$133 million f.o.b. (2006)

Guyana

$683 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Haiti

$522 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Honduras

$5.594 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

$345.9 billion f.o.b., including reexports (2007 est.)

Hungary

$87.77 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Iceland

$4.793 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

India

$151.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Indonesia

$118 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Iran

$88.26 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Iraq

$38.14 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Ireland

$115.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Isle of Man

$NA

Israel

$50.37 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Italy

$502.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Jamaica

$2.331 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Japan

$678.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Jersey

$NA

Jordan

$5.7 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

$48.35 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Kenya

$4.127 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Kiribati

$17 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Korea, North

$1.466 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Korea, South

$379 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Kosovo

$148.4 million (2007)

Kuwait

$63.72 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

$1.337 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Laos

$970 million (2007 est.)

Latvia

$8.143 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Lebanon

$4.077 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Lesotho

$853 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Liberia

$1.197 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Libya

$42.97 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Liechtenstein

$2.47 billion (1996)

Lithuania

$17.18 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

$18.42 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Macau

$2.557 billion f.o.b.; note - includes reexports (2006)

Macedonia

$3.35 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Madagascar

$986 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Malawi

$604 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Malaysia

$176.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Maldives

$167 million f.o.b. (2006)

Mali

$294 million f.o.b. (2006)

Malta

$3.238 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Marshall Islands

$9.1 million f.o.b. (2000)

Mauritania

$1.395 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Mauritius

$2.231 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Mayotte

$6.5 million f.o.b. (2005)

Mexico

$271.9 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

$14 million (f.o.b.) (2004 est.)

Moldova

$1.361 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Monaco

$716.3 million

note: full customs integration with France, which collects and

rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market

system through customs union with France (2005)

Mongolia

$1.889 billion f.o.b. (2007)

Montenegro

$171.3 million (2003)

Montserrat

$700,000 (2001)

Morocco

$12.75 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Mozambique

$2.412 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Namibia

$2.919 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Nauru

$64,000 f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Nepal

$830 million f.o.b.; note - does not include unrecorded border

trade with India (2006)

Netherlands

$456.8 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

$3.71 billion f.o.b. (2006)

New Caledonia

$1.341 billion f.o.b. (2006)

New Zealand

$27.35 billion (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

$2.313 billion f.o.b.; note - includes free trade zones

(2007 est.)

Niger

$428 million f.o.b. (2006)

Nigeria

$61.79 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Niue

$201,400 (2004)

Norfolk Island

$1.5 million f.o.b. (FY91/92)

Northern Mariana Islands

$NA

Norway

$140.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Oman

$23.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Pakistan

$18.12 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Palau

$5.882 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Panama

$9.312 billion f.o.b.; note - includes the Colon Free Zone

(2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

$4.686 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Paraguay

$5.463 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Peru

$27.96 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Philippines

$49.32 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

$NA

Poland

$144.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Portugal

$51.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

$46.9 billion f.o.b. (2001)

Qatar

$42.02 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Romania

$40.32 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Russia

$355.5 billion (2007 est.)

Rwanda

$184 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Saint Helena

$19 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

$84 million (2006)

Saint Lucia

$288 million (2006)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

$5.5 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

$193 million (2006)

Samoa

$131 million f.o.b. (2006)

San Marino

$1.291 billion (2004)

Sao Tome and Principe

$9 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

$226.7 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Senegal

$1.65 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Serbia

$8.824 billion (2007 est.)

Seychelles

$395 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

$216 million f.o.b. (2006)

Singapore

$302.7 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Slovakia

$57.53 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Slovenia

$27.06 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

$237 million f.o.b. (2006)

Somalia

$300 million f.o.b. (2006)

South Africa

$76.19 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Spain

$256.7 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

$8.135 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Sudan

$8.879 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Suriname

$1.391 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Svalbard

$197.6 million (2004)

Swaziland

$1.926 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Sweden

$170.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Switzerland

$200.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Syria

$11.14 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Taiwan

$246.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

$1.606 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Tanzania

$2.227 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Thailand

$151.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

$10 million; note - excludes oil (2005 est.)

Togo

$702 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Tokelau

$0 (2002)

Tonga

$22 million f.o.b. (2006)

Trinidad and Tobago

$13.39 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Tunisia

$15.15 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Turkey

$115.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

$7.567 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

$169.2 million (2000)

Tuvalu

$1 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Uganda

$1.686 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Ukraine

$49.84 billion (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

$178.9 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

$442.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

United States

$1.148 trillion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Uruguay

$5.063 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

$8.05 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

$40 million f.o.b. (2006)

Venezuela

$69.17 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Vietnam

$48.56 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

$4.234 billion (2001)

Wallis and Futuna

$47,450 f.o.b. (2004)

West Bank

$301 million f.o.b.; (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)

Western Sahara

$NA

World

$13.89 trillion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Yemen

$7.311 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Zambia

$4.594 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

$1.52 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2079 Debt - external

Afghanistan

$8 billion in bilateral debt, mostly to Russia;

Afghanistan has $500 million in debt to Multilateral Development

Banks (2004)

Albania

$1.55 billion (2004)

Algeria

$3.957 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

American Samoa

$NA

Andorra

$NA

Angola

$8.357 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Anguilla

$8.8 million (1998)

Antigua and Barbuda

$359.8 million (June 2006)

Argentina

$135.8 billion (31 December 2007)

Armenia

$1.372 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Aruba

$478.6 million (2005 est.)

Australia

$826.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Austria

$752.5 billion (30 June 2007)

Azerbaijan

$2.439 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

$342.6 million (2004 est.)

Bahrain

$7.858 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Bangladesh

$21.23 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Barbados

$668 million (2003)

Belarus

$7.347 billion (31 December 2007)

Belgium

$1.313 trillion (30 June 2007)

Belize

$1.2 billion (June 2005 est.)

Benin

$1.2 billion (2007)

Bermuda

$160 million (FY99/00)

Bhutan

$713.3 million (2006)

Bolivia

$4.495 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

$6.734 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Botswana

$408 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Brazil

$229.4 billion (31 December 2007)

British Virgin Islands

$36.1 million (1997)

Brunei

$0 (2005)

Bulgaria

$34.88 billion (30 June 2007)

Burkina Faso

$1.33 billion (2007)

Burma

$7.022 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Burundi

$1.2 billion (2003)

Cambodia

$3.89 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Cameroon

$2.554 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Canada

$758.6 billion (30 June 2007)

Cape Verde

$325 million (2002)

Cayman Islands

$70 million (1996)

Central African Republic

$1.153 billion (2007 est.)

Chad

$1.6 billion (2005 est.)

Chile

$57.6 billion (31 December 2007)

China

$363 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Colombia

$41.39 billion (30 June 2007)

Comoros

$232 million (2000 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

$10 billion (2006 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

$5 billion (2000 est.)

Cook Islands

$141 million (1996 est.)

Costa Rica

$7.416 billion (30 June 2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

$13.79 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Croatia

$46.3 billion (30 June 2007)

Cuba

$16.79 billion (convertible currency); another $15-20 billion

owed to Russia (31 December 2007 est.)

Cyprus

$26.97 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Czech Republic

$74.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Denmark

$492.6 billion (30 June 2007)

Djibouti

$428 million (2006)

Dominica

$213 million (2004)

Dominican Republic

$10.21 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Ecuador

$17.12 billion (31 December 2007)

Egypt

$29.2 billion (30 June 2007)

El Salvador

$9.574 billion (December 2007)

Equatorial Guinea

$338 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Eritrea

$311 million (2000 est.)

Estonia

$24.82 billion (30 June 2007)

Ethiopia

$2.621 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

$NA

Faroe Islands

$64 million (1999)

Fiji

$127 million (2004 est.)

Finland

$271.2 billion (30 June 2007)

France

$4.396 trillion (30 June 2007)

French Polynesia

$NA

Gabon

$4.895 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Gambia, The

$628.8 million (2003 est.)

Gaza Strip

$NA

Georgia

$4.5 billion (2007)

Germany

$4.489 trillion (30 June 2007)

Ghana

$4.891 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Gibraltar

$NA

Greece

$86.72 billion (31 December 2007)

Greenland

$25 million (1999)

Grenada

$347 million (2004)

Guam

$NA

Guatemala

$5.908 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Guernsey

$NA

Guinea

$3.351 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

$941.5 million (2000 est.)

Guyana

$1.2 billion (2002)

Haiti

$1.475 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Honduras

$3.411 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Hong Kong

$588 billion (2007 est.)

Hungary

$125.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Iceland

$3.073 billion (2002)

India

$149.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Indonesia

$140 billion (31 December 2007)

Iran

$20.68 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Iraq

$100.9 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Ireland

$1.841 trillion (30 June 2007)

Isle of Man

$NA

Israel

$89.95 billion (31 December 2007)

Italy

$996.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Jamaica

$9.657 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Japan

$1.492 trillion (30 June 2007)

Jersey

$NA

Jordan

$8.133 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

$96.36 billion (31 December 2007)

Kenya

$6.713 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Kiribati

$10 million (1999 est.)

Korea, North

$12.5 billion (2001 est.)

Korea, South

$220.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Kosovo

according to the national bank of Serbia, Kosovo's external

debt was around $1.2 billion; Kosovo was willing to accept around

$900 million (2007)

Kuwait

$33.62 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

$2.966 billion (30 June 2007)

Laos

$3.179 billion (2006)

Latvia

$33.53 billion (31 December 2007)

Lebanon

$31.6 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Lesotho

$689 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Liberia

$3.2 billion (2005 est.)

Libya

$4.837 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Liechtenstein

$0 (2001)

Lithuania

$27.19 billion (31 December 2007)

Luxembourg

$NA

Macau

$0 (2006)

Macedonia

$3.967 billion (31 December 2007)

Madagascar

$4.6 billion (2002)

Malawi

$894 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Malaysia

$53.09 billion (31 December 2007)

Maldives

$482 million (2006 est.)

Mali

$2.8 billion (2002)

Malta

$188.8 million (2005)

Marshall Islands

$86.5 million (FY99/00 est.)

Mauritania

NA

Mauritius

$2.149 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Mayotte

$NA

Mexico

$179.8 billion (31 December 2007)

Micronesia, Federated States of

$60.8 million (FY05 est.)

Moldova

$3.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Monaco

$18 billion (2000 est.)

Mongolia

$1.438 billion (2007)

Montenegro

$650 million (2006)

Montserrat

$8.9 million (1997)

Morocco

$19.91 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Mozambique

$4.189 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Namibia

$1.003 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Nauru

$33.3 million (2002)

Nepal

$3.07 billion (March 2006)

Netherlands

$2.277 trillion (30 June 2007)

Netherlands Antilles

$2.68 billion (2004)

New Caledonia

$79 million (1998 est.)

New Zealand

$51.44 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Nicaragua

$3.341 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Niger

$2.1 billion (2003 est.)

Nigeria

$8.007 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Niue

$418,000 (2002 est.)

Norfolk Island

$NA

Northern Mariana Islands

$NA

Norway

$469.1 billion; note - Norway is a net external creditor (30

June 2007)

Oman

$5.297 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Pakistan

$38.8 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Palau

$0 (FY99/00)

Panama

$10.45 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

$1.646 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Paraguay

$3.492 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Peru

$32.83 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Philippines

$61.78 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Poland

$169.8 billion (31 December 2007)

Portugal

$461.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Puerto Rico

$NA

Qatar

$33.09 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Romania

$74.54 billion (31 December 2007)

Russia

$356.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Rwanda

$1.4 billion (2004 est.)

Saint Helena

$NA

Saint Kitts and Nevis

$314 million (2004)

Saint Lucia

$257 million (2004)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

$NA

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

$223 million (2004)

Samoa

$177 million (2004)

San Marino

$NA

Sao Tome and Principe

$318 million (2002)

Saudi Arabia

$58.6 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Senegal

$2.19 billion (31 December 2007)

Serbia

$26.24 billion (includes debt for Montenegro and Kosovo)

(2007 est.)

Seychelles

$1.059 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

$1.61 billion (2003 est.)

Singapore

$25.59 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Slovakia

$36.63 billion (31 December 2007)

Slovenia

$40.42 billion (30 June 2007)

Solomon Islands

$166 million (2004)

Somalia

$3 billion (2001 est.)

South Africa

$39.78 billion (31 December 2007)

Spain

$1.084 trillion (30 June 2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

$12.2 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Sudan

$29.42 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Suriname

$504.3 million (2005 est.)

Swaziland

$524 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Sweden

$598.2 billion (30 June 2006)

Switzerland

$1.34 trillion (30 June 2007)

Syria

$6.633 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Taiwan

$97.85 billion (31 December 2007)

Tajikistan

$1.56 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Tanzania

$4.382 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Thailand

$59.52 billion (31 December 2007)

Togo

$2 billion (2005)

Tonga

$80.7 million (2004)

Trinidad and Tobago

$2.869 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Tunisia

$19.27 billion (December 2007)

Turkey

$247.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Turkmenistan

$1.4 billion to $5 billion (2004 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

$NA

Tuvalu

$NA

Uganda

$1.498 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Ukraine

$69.04 billion (31 December 2007)

United Arab Emirates

$61.68 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

United Kingdom

$10.45 trillion (30 June 2007)

United States

$12.25 trillion (30 June 2007)

Uruguay

$11.42 billion (31 December 2007)

Uzbekistan

$3.927 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Vanuatu

$81.2 million (2004)

Venezuela

$43.33 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Vietnam

$21.83 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

$NA

Wallis and Futuna

$3.67 million (2004)

West Bank

$NA

Western Sahara

$NA

World

$51.78 trillion

note: this figure is the sum total of all countries' external debt,

both public and private (2004 est.)

Yemen

$6.044 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Zambia

$2.596 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

$5.155 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2080 Fiscal year

Afghanistan

21 March - 20 March

Albania

calendar year

Algeria

calendar year

American Samoa

1 October - 30 September

Andorra

calendar year

Angola

calendar year

Anguilla

1 April - 31 March

Antigua and Barbuda

1 April - 31 March

Argentina

calendar year

Armenia

calendar year

Aruba

calendar year

Australia

1 July - 30 June

Austria

calendar year

Azerbaijan

calendar year

Bahamas, The

1 July - 30 June

Bahrain

calendar year

Bangladesh

1 July - 30 June

Barbados

1 April - 31 March

Belarus

calendar year

Belgium

calendar year

Belize

1 April - 31 March

Benin

calendar year

Bermuda

1 April - 31 March

Bhutan

1 July - 30 June

Bolivia

calendar year

Bosnia and Herzegovina

calendar year

Botswana

1 April - 31 March

Brazil

calendar year

British Virgin Islands

1 April - 31 March

Brunei

1 April - 31 March

Bulgaria

calendar year

Burkina Faso

calendar year

Burma

1 April - 31 March

Burundi

calendar year

Cambodia

calendar year

Cameroon

1 July - 30 June

Canada

1 April - 31 March

Cape Verde

calendar year

Cayman Islands

1 April - 31 March

Central African Republic

calendar year

Chad

calendar year

Chile

calendar year

China

calendar year

Christmas Island

1 July - 30 June

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

1 July - 30 June

Colombia

calendar year

Comoros

calendar year

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

calendar year

Congo, Republic of the

calendar year

Cook Islands

1 April - 31 March

Costa Rica

calendar year

Cote d'Ivoire

calendar year

Croatia

calendar year

Cuba

calendar year

Cyprus

calendar year

Czech Republic

calendar year

Denmark

calendar year

Djibouti

calendar year

Dominica

1 July - 30 June

Dominican Republic

calendar year

Ecuador

calendar year

Egypt

1 July - 30 June

El Salvador

calendar year

Equatorial Guinea

calendar year

Eritrea

calendar year

Estonia

calendar year

Ethiopia

8 July - 7 July

European Union

NA

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

1 April - 31 March

Faroe Islands

calendar year

Fiji

calendar year

Finland

calendar year

France

calendar year

French Polynesia

calendar year

Gabon

calendar year

Gambia, The

calendar year

Gaza Strip

calendar year

Georgia

calendar year

Germany

calendar year

Ghana

calendar year

Gibraltar

1 July - 30 June

Greece

calendar year

Greenland

calendar year

Grenada

calendar year

Guam

1 October - 30 September

Guatemala

calendar year

Guernsey

calendar year

Guinea

calendar year

Guinea-Bissau

calendar year

Guyana

calendar year

Haiti

1 October - 30 September

Holy See (Vatican City)

calendar year

Honduras

calendar year

Hong Kong

1 April - 31 March

Hungary

calendar year

Iceland

calendar year

India

1 April - 31 March

Indonesia

calendar year

Iran

21 March - 20 March

Iraq

calendar year

Ireland

calendar year

Isle of Man

1 April - 31 March

Israel

calendar year

Italy

calendar year

Jamaica

1 April - 31 March

Japan

1 April - 31 March

Jersey

1 April - 31 March

Jordan

calendar year

Kazakhstan

calendar year

Kenya

1 July - 30 June

Kiribati

NA

Korea, North

calendar year

Korea, South

calendar year

Kuwait

1 April - 31 March

Kyrgyzstan

calendar year

Laos

1 October - 30 September

Latvia

calendar year

Lebanon

calendar year

Lesotho

1 April - 31 March

Liberia

calendar year

Libya

calendar year

Liechtenstein

calendar year

Lithuania

calendar year

Luxembourg

calendar year

Macau

calendar year

Macedonia

calendar year

Madagascar

calendar year

Malawi

1 July - 30 June

Malaysia

calendar year

Maldives

calendar year

Mali

calendar year

Malta

calendar year

Marshall Islands

1 October - 30 September

Mauritania

calendar year

Mauritius

1 July - 30 June

Mayotte

calendar year

Mexico

calendar year

Micronesia, Federated States of

1 October - 30 September

Moldova

calendar year

Monaco

calendar year

Mongolia

calendar year

Montenegro

calendar year

Montserrat

1 April - 31 March

Morocco

calendar year

Mozambique

calendar year

Namibia

1 April - 31 March

Nauru

1 July - 30 June

Nepal

16 July - 15 July

Netherlands

calendar year

Netherlands Antilles

calendar year

New Caledonia

calendar year

New Zealand 1 April - 31 March note: this is the fiscal year for tax purposes

Nicaragua

calendar year

Niger

calendar year

Nigeria

calendar year

Niue

1 April - 31 March

Norfolk Island

1 July - 30 June

Northern Mariana Islands

1 October - 30 September

Norway

calendar year

Oman

calendar year

Pakistan

1 July - 30 June

Palau

1 October - 30 September

Panama

calendar year

Papua New Guinea

calendar year

Paraguay

calendar year

Peru

calendar year

Philippines

calendar year

Pitcairn Islands

1 April - 31 March

Poland

calendar year

Portugal

calendar year

Puerto Rico

1 July - 30 June

Qatar

1 April - 31 March

Romania

calendar year

Russia

calendar year

Rwanda

calendar year

Saint Helena

1 April - 31 March

Saint Kitts and Nevis

calendar year

Saint Lucia

1 April - 31 March

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

calendar year

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

calendar year

Samoa

June 1 - May 31

San Marino

calendar year

Sao Tome and Principe

calendar year

Saudi Arabia

calendar year

Senegal

calendar year

Seychelles

calendar year

Sierra Leone

calendar year

Singapore

1 April - 31 March

Slovakia

calendar year

Slovenia

calendar year

Solomon Islands

calendar year

Somalia

NA

South Africa

1 April - 31 March

Spain

calendar year

Sri Lanka

calendar year

Sudan

calendar year

Suriname

calendar year

Swaziland

1 April - 31 March

Sweden

calendar year

Switzerland

calendar year

Syria

calendar year

Taiwan

calendar year

Tajikistan

calendar year

Tanzania

1 July - 30 June

Thailand

1 October - 30 September

Timor-Leste

calendar year

Togo

calendar year

Tokelau

1 April - 31 March

Tonga

1 July - 30 June

Trinidad and Tobago

1 October - 30 September

Tunisia

calendar year

Turkey

calendar year

Turkmenistan

calendar year

Turks and Caicos Islands

calendar year

Tuvalu

calendar year

Uganda

1 July - 30 June

Ukraine

calendar year

United Arab Emirates

calendar year

United Kingdom

6 April - 5 April

United States

1 October - 30 September

Uruguay

calendar year

Uzbekistan

calendar year

Vanuatu

calendar year

Venezuela

calendar year

Vietnam

calendar year

Virgin Islands

1 October - 30 September

Wallis and Futuna

calendar year

West Bank

calendar year

Western Sahara

calendar year

Yemen

calendar year

Zambia

calendar year

Zimbabwe

calendar year

This page was last updated on 18 November 2008

======================================================================

@2081 Flag description

Afghanistan

three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), red,

and green, with the national emblem in white centered on the red

band and slightly overlapping the other two bands; the center of the

emblem features a mosque with pulpit and flags on either side, below

the mosque are numerals for the solar year 1298 (1919 in the

Gregorian calendar, the year of Afghan independence from the UK);

this central image is circled by a border consisting of sheaves of

wheat on the left and right, in the upper-center is an Arabic

inscription of the Shahada (Muslim creed) below which are rays of

the rising sun over the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning "God is

great"), and at bottom center is a scroll bearing the name

Afghanistan

Akrotiri

the flag of the UK is used

Albania

red with a black two-headed eagle in the center

Algeria

two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white; a

red, five-pointed star within a red crescent centered over the

two-color boundary

note: the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of

Islam (the state religion)

American Samoa

blue, with a white triangle edged in red that is

based on the fly side and extends to the hoist side; a brown and

white American bald eagle flying toward the hoist side is carrying

two traditional Samoan symbols of authority, a war club known as a

"Fa'alaufa'i" (upper; left talon), and a coconut fiber fly whisk

known as a "Fue" (lower; right talon); the combination of symbols

broadly mimics that seen on the US Great Seal and reflects the

relationship between the United States and American Samoa

Andorra

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and

red with the national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; the

coat of arms features a quartered shield

note: similar to the flags of Chad and Romania, which do not have a

national coat of arms in the center, and the flag of Moldova, which

does bear a national emblem

Angola

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and black with a

centered yellow emblem consisting of a five-pointed star within half

a cogwheel crossed by a machete (in the style of a hammer and sickle)

Anguilla

blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side

quadrant and the Anguillan coat of arms centered in the outer half

of the flag; the coat of arms depicts three orange dolphins in an

interlocking circular design on a white background with blue wavy

water below

Antigua and Barbuda

red, with an inverted isosceles triangle based

on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal

bands of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising

sun in the black band

Argentina

three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top), white,

and light blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun

with a human face known as the Sun of May

Armenia

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, and orange

Aruba

blue, with two narrow, horizontal, yellow stripes across the

lower portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the

upper hoist-side corner

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

the flag of Australia is used

Australia

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side

quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side

quadrant known as the Commonwealth or Federation Star, representing

the federation of the colonies of Australia in 1901; the star

depicts one point for each of the six original states and one

representing all of Australia's internal and external territories;

on the fly half is a representation of the Southern Cross

constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four

larger, seven-pointed stars

Austria

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red

Azerbaijan

three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and

green; a crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered in

red band

Bahamas, The

three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold,

and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist

side

Bahrain

red, the traditional color for flags of Persian Gulf states,

with a white serrated band (five white points) on the hoist side;

the five points represent the five pillars of Islam

Bangladesh

green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the

hoist side of center; the red disk represents the rising sun and the

sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the

lush vegetation of Bangladesh

Barbados

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and

blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the

trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the

colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)

Belarus

red horizontal band (top) and green horizontal band one-half

the width of the red band; a white vertical stripe on the hoist side

bears Belarusian national ornamentation in red

Belgium

three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow,

and red

note: the design was based on the flag of France

Belize

blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom

edges; centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the

coat of arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a

mahogany tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in

the Shade) on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green

garland

Benin

two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom)

with a vertical green band on the hoist side

Bermuda

red, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side

quadrant and the Bermudian coat of arms (white and green shield with

a red lion holding a scrolled shield showing the sinking of the ship

Sea Venture off Bermuda in 1609) centered on the outer half of the

flag

Bhutan

divided diagonally from the lower hoist-side corner; the

upper triangle is yellow and the lower triangle is orange; centered

along the dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing

away from the hoist side

Bolivia

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green

with the coat of arms centered on the yellow band

note: similar to the flag of Ghana, which has a large black

five-pointed star centered in the yellow band

Bosnia and Herzegovina

a wide medium blue vertical band on the fly

side with a yellow isosceles triangle abutting the band and the top

of the flag; the remainder of the flag is medium blue with seven

full five-pointed white stars and two half stars top and bottom

along the hypotenuse of the triangle

Botswana

light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in

the center

Bouvet Island

the flag of Norway is used

Brazil

green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a

blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars (one for each

state and the Federal District) arranged in the same pattern as the

night sky over Brazil; the globe has a white equatorial band with

the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)

British Indian Ocean Territory white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag

British Virgin Islands

blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper

hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in

the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked

on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll

bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful)

Brunei

yellow with two diagonal bands of white (top, almost double

width) and black starting from the upper hoist side; the national

emblem in red is superimposed at the center; the emblem includes a

swallow-tailed flag on top of a winged column within an upturned

crescent above a scroll and flanked by two upraised hands

Bulgaria

three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red

note: the national emblem, formerly on the hoist side of the white

stripe, has been removed

Burkina Faso

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with

a yellow five-pointed star in the center

note: uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Burma

red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner

bearing 14, white, five-pointed stars encircling a cogwheel

containing a stalk of rice; the 14 stars represent the seven

administrative divisions and seven states

Burundi

divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels (top and

bottom) and green panels (hoist side and fly side) with a white disk

superimposed at the center bearing three red six-pointed stars

outlined in green arranged in a triangular design (one star above,

two stars below)

Cambodia

three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (double width),

and blue with a white three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat

outlined in black in the center of the red band

note: only national flag to incorporate an actual building in its

design

Cameroon

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and

yellow with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band

note: uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Canada

two vertical bands of red (hoist and fly side, half width),

with white square between them; an 11-pointed red maple leaf is

centered in the white square; the official colors of Canada are red

and white

Cape Verde

five unequal horizontal bands; the top-most band of blue

- equal to one half the width of the flag - is followed by three

bands of white, red, and white, each equal to 1/12 of the width, and

a bottom stripe of blue equal to one quarter of the flag width; a

circle of 10, yellow, five-pointed stars, each representing one of

the islands, is centered on the red stripe and positioned 3/8 of the

length of the flag from the hoist side

Cayman Islands

blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side

quadrant and the Caymanian coat of arms centered on the outer half

of the flag; the coat of arms includes a pineapple and turtle above

a shield with three stars (representing the three islands) and a

scroll at the bottom bearing the motto HE HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE

SEAS

Central African Republic

four equal horizontal bands of blue (top),

white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; a

yellow five-pointed star to the hoist side of the blue band

Chad

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red

note: similar to the flag of Romania; also similar to the flags of

Andorra and Moldova, both of which have a national coat of arms

centered in the yellow band; design was based on the flag of France

Chile

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; a blue

square the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of

the white band; the square bears a white five-pointed star in the

center representing a guide to progress and honor; blue symbolizes

the sky, white is for the snow-covered Andes, and red represents the

blood spilled to achieve independence

note: design was influenced by the US flag

China

red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller

yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the

middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner

Christmas Island

territorial flag; divided diagonally from upper

hoist to lower fly; the upper triangle is green with a yellow image

of the Golden Bosun Bird superimposed, while the lower triangle is

blue with the Southern Cross constellation, representing Australia,

superimposed; a centered yellow disk displays a green map of the

island

note: the flag of Australia is used for official purposes

Clipperton Island

the flag of France is used

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

the flag of Australia is used

Colombia

three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double-width), blue,

and red

note: similar to the flag of Ecuador, which is longer and bears the

Ecuadorian coat of arms superimposed in the center

Comoros

four equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), white, red, and

blue with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist; centered

within the triangle is a white crescent with the convex side facing

the hoist and four white, five-pointed stars placed vertically in a

line between the points of the crescent; the horizontal bands and

the four stars represent the four main islands of the archipelago -

Mwali, Njazidja, Nzwani, and Mahore (Mayotte - territorial

collectivity of France, but claimed by Comoros)

note: the crescent, stars, and color green are traditional symbols

of Islam

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

sky blue field divided diagonally

from the lower hoist corner to upper fly corner by a red stripe

bordered by two narrow yellow stripes; a yellow, five-pointed star

appears in the upper hoist corner

Congo, Republic of the

divided diagonally from the lower hoist side

by a yellow band; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the

lower triangle is red

note: uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Cook Islands

blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side

quadrant and a large circle of 15 white five-pointed stars (one for

every island) centered in the outer half of the flag

Coral Sea Islands

the flag of Australia is used

Costa Rica

five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double

width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white elliptical

disk on the hoist side of the red band; above the coat of arms a

light blue ribbon contains the words, AMERICA CENTRAL, and just

below it near the top of the coat of arms is a white ribbon with the

words, REPUBLICA COSTA RICA

Cote d'Ivoire

three equal vertical bands of orange (hoist side),

white, and green

note: similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and has the

colors reversed - green (hoist side), white, and orange; also

similar to the flag of Italy, which is green (hoist side), white,

and red; design was based on the flag of France

Croatia

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue

superimposed by the Croatian coat of arms (red and white checkered)

Cuba

five equal horizontal bands of blue (top, center, and bottom)

alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the

hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center

Cyprus

white with a copper-colored silhouette of the island (the

name Cyprus is derived from the Greek word for copper) above two

green crossed olive branches in the center of the flag; the branches

symbolize the hope for peace and reconciliation between the Greek

and Turkish communities

note: the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" flag has a white

field with narrow horizontal red stripes positioned a small distance

from the top and bottom edges between which is centered a red

crescent and a red five-pointed star

Czech Republic

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red

with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side

note: identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia

Denmark

red with a white cross that extends to the edges of the

flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side;

the banner is referred to as the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

note: the shifted design element was subsequently adopted by the

other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden

Dhekelia

the flag of the UK is used

Djibouti

two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light

green with a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side

bearing a red five-pointed star in the center

Dominica

green, with a centered cross of three equal bands - the

vertical part is yellow (hoist side), black, and white and the

horizontal part is yellow (top), black, and white; superimposed in

the center of the cross is a red disk bearing a sisserou parrot

encircled by 10 green, five-pointed stars edged in yellow; the 10

stars represent the 10 administrative divisions (parishes)

Dominican Republic

a centered white cross that extends to the edges

divides the flag into four rectangles - the top ones are blue (hoist

side) and red, and the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a

small coat of arms featuring a shield supported by an olive branch

(left) and a palm branch (right) is at the center of the cross;

above the shield a blue ribbon displays the motto, DIOS, PATRIA,

LIBERTAD (God, Fatherland, Liberty), and below the shield, REPUBLICA

DOMINICANA appears on a red ribbon

Ecuador

three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue,

and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the

flag; similar to the flag of Colombia, which is shorter and does not

bear a coat of arms

Egypt

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black;

the national emblem (a gold Eagle of Saladin facing the hoist side

with a shield superimposed on its chest above a scroll bearing the

name of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; design is

based on the Arab Liberation flag and similar to the flag of Syria,

which has two green stars in the white band, Iraq, which has an

Arabic inscription centered in the white band, and Yemen, which has

a plain white band

El Salvador

three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and

blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the

coat of arms features a round emblem encircled by the words

REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL; similar to the flag

of Nicaragua, which has a different coat of arms centered in the

white band - it features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA

DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; also similar

to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X

pattern centered in the white band

Equatorial Guinea

three equal horizontal bands of green (top),

white, and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist

side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of

arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and

five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton

tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ,

JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice)

Eritrea

red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing

the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the

lower one is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is

centered on the hoist side of the red triangle

Estonia

pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three

equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white

Ethiopia

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and

red with a yellow pentagram and single yellow rays emanating from

the angles between the points on a light blue disk centered on the

three bands; Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa,

and the three main colors of her flag were so often adopted by other

African countries upon independence that they became known as the

pan-African colors

European Union

blue field with 12 five-pointed gold stars arranged

in a circle in the center, representing the union of the peoples of

Europe; the number of stars is fixed

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Falkland Island coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms contains a white ram (sheep raising was once the major economic activity) above the sailing ship Desire (whose crew discovered the islands) with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto DESIRE THE RIGHT

Faroe Islands

white with a red cross outlined in blue extending to

the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted

toward the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Fiji

light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side

quadrant and the Fijian shield centered on the outer half of the

flag; the shield depicts a yellow lion above a white field quartered

by the cross of Saint George featuring stalks of sugarcane, a palm

tree, bananas, and a white dove

Finland

white with a blue cross extending to the edges of the flag;

the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the

style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

France

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and

red; known as the "Le drapeau tricolore" (French Tricolor), the

origin of the flag dates to 1790 and the French Revolution; the

design and/or colors are similar to a number of other flags,

including those of Belgium, Chad, Ireland, Cote d'Ivoire,

Luxembourg, and Netherlands; the official flag for all French

dependent areas

French Polynesia

two narrow red horizontal bands encase a wide white

band; centered on the white band is a disk with a blue and white

wave pattern on the lower half and a gold and white ray pattern on

the upper half; a stylized red, blue, and white ship rides on the

wave pattern; the French flag is used for official occasions

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

the flag of France is used

Gabon

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue

Gambia, The

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue with

white edges, and green

Georgia

white rectangle, in its central portion a red cross

connecting all four sides of the flag; in each of the four corners

is a small red bolnur-katskhuri cross; the five-cross flag appears

to date back to the 14th century

Germany

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold

Ghana

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green

with a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band;

uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag

of Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band

Gibraltar

two horizontal bands of white (top, double width) and red

with a three-towered red castle in the center of the white band;

hanging from the castle gate is a gold key centered in the red band

Greece

nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white;

there is a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a

white cross; the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established

religion of the country

Greenland

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a

large disk slightly to the hoist side of center - the top half of

the disk is red, the bottom half is white

Grenada

a rectangle divided diagonally into yellow triangles (top

and bottom) and green triangles (hoist side and outer side), with a

red border around the flag; there are seven yellow, five-pointed

stars with three centered in the top red border, three centered in

the bottom red border, and one on a red disk superimposed at the

center of the flag; there is also a symbolic nutmeg pod on the

hoist-side triangle (Grenada is the world's second-largest producer

of nutmeg, after Indonesia); the seven stars represent the seven

administrative divisions

Guam

territorial flag is dark blue with a narrow red border on all

four sides; centered is a red-bordered, pointed, vertical ellipse

containing a beach scene, outrigger canoe with sail, and a palm tree

with the word GUAM superimposed in bold red letters; US flag is the

national flag

Guatemala

three equal vertical bands of light blue (hoist side),

white, and light blue with the coat of arms centered in the white

band; the coat of arms includes a green and red quetzal (the

national bird) and a scroll bearing the inscription LIBERTAD 15 DE

SEPTIEMBRE DE 1821 (the original date of independence from Spain)

all superimposed on a pair of crossed rifles and a pair of crossed

swords and framed by a wreath

Guernsey

white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of

England) extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed

cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross

Guinea

three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and

green; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Guinea-Bissau

two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green

with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black

five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular

pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Guyana

green, with a red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist

side) superimposed on a long, yellow arrowhead; there is a narrow,

black border between the red and yellow, and a narrow, white border

between the yellow and the green

Haiti

two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a

centered white rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a

palm tree flanked by flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing

the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE (Union Makes Strength)

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

the flag of Australia is used

Holy See (Vatican City)

two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side)

and white with the arms of the Holy See, consisting of the crossed

keys of Saint Peter surmounted by the three-tiered papal tiara,

centered in the white band

Honduras

three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue

with five blue, five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern centered

in the white band; the stars represent the members of the former

Federal Republic of Central America - Costa Rica, El Salvador,

Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua; similar to the flag of El

Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words

REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white

band; also similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which features a

triangle encircled by the word REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and

AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom, centered in the white band

Hong Kong

red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in

the center

Hungary

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green

Iceland

blue with a red cross outlined in white extending to the

edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the

hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

India

three equal horizontal bands of saffron (subdued orange)

(top), white, and green with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel)

centered in the white band; similar to the flag of Niger, which has

a small orange disk centered in the white band

Indonesia

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar

to the flag of Monaco, which is shorter; also similar to the flag of

Poland, which is white (top) and red

Iran

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red;

the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word Allah in

the shape of a tulip, a symbol of martyrdom) in red is centered in

the white band; ALLAH AKBAR (God is Great) in white Arabic script is

repeated 11 times along the bottom edge of the green band and 11

times along the top edge of the red band

Iraq

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black;

the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning "God is great") in green

Arabic script is centered in the white band; similar to the flag of

Syria, which has two stars but no script, Yemen, which has a plain

white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold Eagle of Saladin

centered in the white band; design is based upon the Arab Liberation

colors; Council of Representatives approved this flag as a

compromise temporary replacement for Ba'athist Saddam-era flag

Ireland

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and

orange; similar to the flag of Cote d'Ivoire, which is shorter and

has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green;

also similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter and has colors

of green (hoist side), white, and red

Isle of Man

red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in

the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the

knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of

the flag, a two-sided emblem is used

Israel

white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as

the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal

horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag

Italy

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and

red; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and is green

(hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the

Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed - orange (hoist side),

white, and green; inspired by the French flag brought to Italy by

Napoleon in 1797

Jamaica

diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles -

green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)

Jan Mayen

the flag of Norway is used

Japan

white with a large red disk (representing the sun without

rays) in the center

Jersey

white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of

the flag; in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red

shield with the three lions of England in yellow

Jordan

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), representing the

Abbassid Caliphate, white, representing the Ummayyad Caliphate, and

green, representing the Fatimid Caliphate; a red isosceles triangle

on the hoist side, representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, and

bearing a small white seven-pointed star symbolizing the seven

verses of the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven

points on the star represent faith in One God, humanity, national

spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and aspirations; design is

based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I

Kazakhstan

sky blue background representing the endless sky and a

gold sun with 32 rays above a soaring golden steppe eagle in the

center; on the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in gold

Kenya

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green;

the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering

crossed spears is superimposed at the center

Kiribati

the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying

over a yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three

horizontal wavy white stripes to represent the ocean

Korea, North

three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple

width), and blue; the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side

of the red band is a white disk with a red five-pointed star

Korea, South

white with a red (top) and blue yin-yang symbol in the

center; there is a different black trigram from the ancient I Ching

(Book of Changes) in each corner of the white field

Kosovo

centered on a dark blue field is the geographical shape of

Kosovo in a gold color surmounted by six white, five-pointed stars -

each representing one of the major ethnic groups of Kosovo - arrayed

in a slight arc

Kuwait

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red

with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side; design, which dates

to 1961, based on the Arab revolt flag of World War I

Kyrgyzstan

red field with a yellow sun in the center having 40 rays

representing the 40 Kyrgyz tribes; on the obverse side the rays run

counterclockwise, on the reverse, clockwise; in the center of the

sun is a red ring crossed by two sets of three lines, a stylized

representation of the roof of the traditional Kyrgyz yurt

Laos

three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and

red with a large white disk centered in the blue band

Latvia

three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width),

and maroon

Lebanon

three horizontal bands consisting of red (top), white

(middle, double width), and red (bottom) with a green cedar tree

centered in the white band

Lesotho

three horizontal stripes of blue (top), white, and green in

the proportions of 3:4:3; the colors represent rain, peace, and

prosperity respectively; centered in the white stripe is a black

Basotho hat representing the indigenous people; the flag was

unfurled in October 2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence

Liberia

11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom)

alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue

square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the

US flag

Libya

plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the

state religion)

Liechtenstein

two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with

a gold crown on the hoist side of the blue band

Lithuania

three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), green, and

red

Luxembourg

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and

light blue; similar to the flag of the Netherlands, which uses a

darker blue and is shorter; design was based on the flag of France

Macau

light green with a lotus flower above a stylized bridge and

water in white, beneath an arc of five gold, five-pointed stars: one

large in center of arc and four smaller

Macedonia

a yellow sun with eight broadening rays extending to the

edges of the red field

Madagascar

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a

vertical white band of the same width on hoist side

Malawi

three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green

with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band

Malaysia

14 equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with

white (bottom); there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side

corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow 14-pointed star; the

crescent and the star are traditional symbols of Islam; the design

was based on the flag of the US

Maldives

red with a large green rectangle in the center bearing a

vertical white crescent; the closed side of the crescent is on the

hoist side of the flag

Mali

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and

red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Malta

two equal vertical bands of white (hoist side) and red; in the

upper hoist-side corner is a representation of the George Cross,

edged in red

Marshall Islands

blue with two stripes radiating from the lower

hoist-side corner - orange (top) and white; there is a white star

with four large rays and 20 small rays on the hoist side above the

two stripes

Mauritania

green with a yellow five-pointed star above a yellow,

horizontal crescent; the closed side of the crescent is down; the

crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam

Mauritius

four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow,

and green

Mayotte

unofficial, local flag with the coat of arms of Mayotte

centered on a white field, above which the name of the island

appears in red capital letters; the main elements of the coat of

arms, flanked on either side by a seahorse, appear above a scroll

with the motto RA HACHIRI (We are Vigilant); the only official flag

is the national flag of France

Mexico

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and

red; the coat of arms (an eagle with a snake in its beak perched on

a cactus) is centered in the white band

Micronesia, Federated States of

light blue with four white

five-pointed stars centered; the stars are arranged in a diamond

pattern

Moldova

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and

red; emblem in center of flag is of a Roman eagle of gold outlined

in black with a red beak and talons carrying a yellow cross in its

beak and a green olive branch in its right talons and a yellow

scepter in its left talons; on its breast is a shield divided

horizontally red over blue with a stylized ox head, star, rose, and

crescent all in black-outlined yellow; same color scheme as Romania

Monaco

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to

the flag of Indonesia which is longer and the flag of Poland which

is white (top) and red

Mongolia

three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), blue, and

red; centered on the hoist-side red band in yellow is the national

emblem ("soyombo" - a columnar arrangement of abstract and geometric

representation for fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and the yin-yang

symbol)

Montenegro

a red field bordered by a narrow golden-yellow stripe

with the Montenegrin coat of arms centered

Montserrat

blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side

quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer

half of the flag; the coat of arms features a woman standing beside

a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross

Morocco

red with a green pentacle (five-pointed, linear star) known

as Sulayman's (Solomon's) seal in the center of the flag; red and

green are traditional colors in Arab flags, although the use of red

is more commonly associated with the Arab states of the Persian

gulf; design dates to 1912

Mozambique

three equal horizontal bands of green (top), black, and

yellow with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; the

black band is edged in white; centered in the triangle is a yellow

five-pointed star bearing a crossed rifle and hoe in black

superimposed on an open white book

Namibia

a wide red stripe edged by narrow white stripes divides the

flag diagonally from lower hoist corner to upper fly corner; the

upper hoist-side triangle is blue and charged with a yellow,

12-rayed sunburst; the lower fly-side triangle is green

Nauru

blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the

center and a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the

hoist side; the star indicates the country's location in relation to

the Equator (the yellow stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12

original tribes of Nauru

Navassa Island

the flag of the US is used

Nepal

red with a blue border around the unique shape of two

overlapping right triangles; the smaller, upper triangle bears a

white stylized moon and the larger, lower triangle bears a white

12-pointed sun

Netherlands

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and

blue; similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue

and is longer; one of the oldest flags in constant use, originating

with WILLIAM I, Prince of Orange, in the latter half of the 16th

century

Netherlands Antilles

white, with a horizontal blue stripe in the

center superimposed on a vertical red band, also centered; five

white, five-pointed stars are arranged in an oval pattern in the

center of the blue band; the five stars represent the five main

islands of Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten

New Caledonia

the flag of France is used

New Zealand

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side

quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in

the outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross

constellation

Nicaragua

three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and

blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the

coat of arms features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE

NICARAGUA on the top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; similar to

the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by

the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in

the white band; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five

blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band

Niger

three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green

with a small orange disk (representing the sun) centered in the

white band; similar to the flag of India, which has a blue spoked

wheel centered in the white band

Nigeria

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and

green

Niue

yellow with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side

quadrant; the flag of the UK bears five yellow five-pointed stars -

a large star on a blue disk in the center and a smaller star on each

arm of the bold red cross

Norfolk Island

three vertical bands of green (hoist side), white,

and green with a large green Norfolk Island pine tree centered in

the slightly wider white band

Northern Mariana Islands

blue, with a white, five-pointed star

superimposed on the gray silhouette of a latte stone (a traditional

foundation stone used in building) in the center, surrounded by a

wreath

Norway

red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the

edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the

hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Oman

three horizontal bands of white, red, and green of equal width

with a broad, vertical, red band on the hoist side; the national

emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath superimposed on two crossed

swords in scabbards) in white is centered near the top of the

vertical band

Pakistan

green with a vertical white band (symbolizing the role of

religious minorities) on the hoist side; a large white crescent and

star are centered in the green field; the crescent, star, and color

green are traditional symbols of Islam

Palau

light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon)

shifted slightly to the hoist side

Panama

divided into four, equal rectangles; the top quadrants are

white (hoist side) with a blue five-pointed star in the center and

plain red; the bottom quadrants are plain blue (hoist side) and

white with a red five-pointed star in the center

Papua New Guinea

divided diagonally from upper hoist-side corner;

the upper triangle is red with a soaring yellow bird of paradise

centered; the lower triangle is black with five, white, five-pointed

stars of the Southern Cross constellation centered

Paraguay

three equal, horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue

with an emblem centered in the white band; unusual flag in that the

emblem is different on each side; the obverse (hoist side at the

left) bears the national coat of arms (a yellow five-pointed star

within a green wreath capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY,

all within two circles); the reverse (hoist side at the right) bears

the seal of the treasury (a yellow lion below a red Cap of Liberty

and the words Paz y Justicia (Peace and Justice) capped by the words

REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles)

Peru

three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), white, and red

with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms

features a shield bearing a vicuna, cinchona tree (the source of

quinine), and a yellow cornucopia spilling out gold coins, all

framed by a green wreath

Philippines

two equal horizontal bands of blue (top; representing

peace and justice) and red (representing courage); a white

equilateral triangle based on the hoist side represents equality;

the center of the triangle displays a yellow sun with eight primary

rays, each representing one of the first eight provinces that sought

independence from Spain; each corner of the triangle contains a

small, yellow, five-pointed star representing the three major

geographical divisions of the country: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao;

the design of the flag dates to 1897; in wartime the flag is flown

upside down with the red band at the top

Pitcairn Islands

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper

hoist-side quadrant and the Pitcairn Islander coat of arms centered

on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms is yellow, green,

and light blue with a shield featuring a yellow anchor

Poland

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; similar to

the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white

Portugal

two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and

red (three-fifths) with the Portuguese coat of arms centered on the

dividing line

Puerto Rico

five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom)

alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist

side bears a large, white, five-pointed star in the center; design

initially influenced by the US flag, but similar to the Cuban flag,

with the colors of the bands and triangle reversed

Qatar

maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on

the hoist side

Romania

three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and

red; the national coat of arms that used to be centered in the

yellow band has been removed; now similar to the flag of Chad, also

resembles the flags of Andorra and Moldova

Russia

three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red

Rwanda

three horizontal bands of sky blue (top, double width),

yellow, and green, with a golden sun with 24 rays near the fly end

of the blue band

Saint Barthelemy

the flag of France is used

Saint Helena

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side

quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of

the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted

sailing ship

Saint Kitts and Nevis

divided diagonally from the lower hoist side

by a broad black band bearing two white, five-pointed stars; the

black band is edged in yellow; the upper triangle is green, the

lower triangle is red

Saint Lucia

blue, with a gold isosceles triangle below a black

arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border

Saint Martin

the flag of France is used

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

a yellow sailing ship facing the hoist

side rides on a dark blue background with yellow wavy lines under

the ship; on the hoist side, a vertical band is divided into three

parts: the top part (called ikkurina) is red with a green diagonal

cross extending to the corners overlaid by a white cross dividing

the rectangle into four sections; the middle part has a white

background with an ermine pattern; the third part has a red

background with two stylized yellow lions outlined in black, one

above the other; these three heraldic arms represent settlement by

colonists from the Basque Country (top), Brittany, and Normandy; the

flag of France is used for official occasions

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

three vertical bands of blue (hoist

side), gold (double width), and green; the gold band bears three

green diamonds arranged in a V pattern

Samoa

red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant

bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern

Cross constellation

San Marino

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and light blue

with the national coat of arms superimposed in the center; the coat

of arms has a shield (featuring three towers on three peaks) flanked

by a wreath, below a crown and above a scroll bearing the word

LIBERTAS (Liberty)

Sao Tome and Principe

three horizontal bands of green (top), yellow

(double width), and green with two black five-pointed stars placed

side by side in the center of the yellow band and a red isosceles

triangle based on the hoist side; uses the popular pan-African

colors of Ethiopia

Saudi Arabia

green, a traditional color in Islamic flags, with the

Shahada or Muslim creed in large white Arabic script (translated as

"There is no god but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God") above a

white horizontal saber (the tip points to the hoist side); design

dates to the early twentieth century and is closely associated with

the Al Saud family which established the kingdom in 1932

Senegal

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow,

and red with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow

band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Serbia

three equal horizontal stripes of red (top), blue, and white;

charged with the coat of arms of Serbia shifted slightly to the

hoist side

Seychelles

five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, red,

white, and green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist side

Sierra Leone

three equal horizontal bands of light green (top),

white, and light blue

Singapore

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; near

the hoist side of the red band, there is a vertical, white crescent

(closed portion is toward the hoist side) partially enclosing five

white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle

Slovakia

three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red

superimposed with the coat of arms of Slovakia (consisting of a red

shield bordered in white and bearing a white Cross of Lorraine

surmounting three blue hills); the coat of arms is centered

vertically and offset slightly to the hoist side

Slovenia

three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red,

with the Slovenian seal (a shield with the image of Triglav,

Slovenia's highest peak, in white against a blue background at the

center; beneath it are two wavy blue lines depicting seas and

rivers, and above it are three six-pointed stars arranged in an

inverted triangle, which are taken from the coat of arms of the

Counts of Celje, the great Slovene dynastic house of the late 14th

and early 15th centuries); the seal is in the upper hoist side of

the flag centered on the white and blue bands

Solomon Islands

divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the

lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue

with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the

lower triangle is green

Somalia

light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the

center; blue field influenced by the flag of the UN

South Africa

two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue

separated by a central green band that splits into a horizontal Y,

the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side; the Y

embraces a black isosceles triangle from which the arms are

separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are

separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

blue, with the flag of

the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the South Georgia and

the South Sandwich Islands coat of arms centered on the outer half

of the flag; the coat of arms features a shield with a golden lion

centered; the shield is supported by a fur seal on the left and a

penguin on the right; a reindeer appears above the shield, and below

it on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the

Lion Protect its Own Land)

Spain

three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width),

and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the

yellow band; the coat of arms is quartered to display the emblems of

the traditional kingdoms of Spain (clockwise from upper left,

Castile, Leon, Navarre, and Aragon) while Granada is represented by

the stylized pomegranate at the bottom of the shield; the arms are

framed by two columns representing the Pillars of Hercules, which

are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the

eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar; the red scroll across the

two columns bears the imperial motto of "Plus Ultra" (further

beyond) referring to Spanish lands beyond Europe

Sri Lanka

yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has

two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other

panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a

sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow

field appears as a border around the entire flag and extends between

the two panels

Sudan

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black

with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side

Suriname

five horizontal bands of green (top, double width), white,

red (quadruple width), white, and green (double width); there is a

large, yellow, five-pointed star centered in the red band

Svalbard

the flag of Norway is used

Swaziland

three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width),

and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band

is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff

decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally

Sweden

blue with a golden yellow cross extending to the edges of the

flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in

the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

Switzerland

red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the

center that does not extend to the edges of the flag

Syria

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black,

colors associated with the Arab Liberation flag; two small, green,

five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band;

former flag of the United Arab Republic where the two stars

represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; similar to

the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has an

Arabic inscription centered in the white band, and that of Egypt,

which has a gold Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; the

current design dates to 1980

Taiwan

red field with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side

corner bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays

Tajikistan

three horizontal stripes of red (top), a wider stripe of

white, and green; a gold crown surmounted by seven gold,

five-pointed stars is located in the center of the white stripe

Tanzania

divided diagonally by a yellow-edged black band from the

lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green

and the lower triangle is blue

Thailand

five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue (double

width), white, and red

Timor-Leste

red, with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist

side) superimposed on a slightly longer yellow arrowhead that

extends to the center of the flag; a white star is in the center of

the black triangle

Togo

five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom)

alternating with yellow; a white five-pointed star on a red square

is in the upper hoist-side corner; uses the popular pan-African

colors of Ethiopia

Tokelau

the flag of New Zealand is used

Tonga

red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle in the upper

hoist-side corner

Trinidad and Tobago

red with a white-edged black diagonal band from

the upper hoist side to the lower fly side

Tunisia

red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent

nearly encircling a red five-pointed star; the crescent and star are

traditional symbols of Islam

Turkey

red with a vertical white crescent (the closed portion is

toward the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just

outside the crescent opening

Turkmenistan

green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist

side, containing five tribal guls (designs used in producing

carpets) stacked above two crossed olive branches; a white crescent

moon representing Islam with five white stars representing the

regions or welayats of Turkmenistan appear in the upper corner of

the field just to the fly side of the red stripe

Turks and Caicos Islands

blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper

hoist-side quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer

half of the flag; the shield is yellow and contains a conch shell,

lobster, and cactus

Tuvalu

light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side

quadrant; the outer half of the flag represents a map of the country

with nine yellow five-pointed stars symbolizing the nine islands

Uganda

six equal horizontal bands of black (top), yellow, red,

black, yellow, and red; a white disk is superimposed at the center

and depicts a red-crested crane (the national symbol) facing the

hoist side

Ukraine

two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow

represent grain fields under a blue sky

United Arab Emirates

three equal horizontal bands of green (top),

white, and black with a wider vertical red band on the hoist side

United Kingdom

blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron

saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red

cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which is

superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron

saint of Scotland); properly known as the Union Flag, but commonly

called the Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue

Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including

other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or

provinces, and British overseas territories

United States

13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom)

alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper

hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars

arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and

bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent

the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies;

known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a

number of other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and

Puerto Rico

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

the flag of the US is

used

Uruguay

nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom)

alternating with blue; a white square in the upper hoist-side corner

with a yellow sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May with

16 rays that alternate between triangular and wavy

Uzbekistan

three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and

green separated by red fimbriations with a white crescent moon and

12 white stars in the upper hoist-side quadrant

Vanuatu

two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a

black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all separated by

a black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a horizontal Y (the two

points of the Y face the hoist side and enclose the triangle);

centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed

namele leaves, all in yellow

Venezuela

three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and

red with the coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band and

an arc of eight white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band

Vietnam

red field with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center

Virgin Islands

white field with a modified US coat of arms in the

center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms

shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three

arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and

white stripes below a blue panel

Wake Island

the flag of the US is used

Wallis and Futuna

unofficial, local flag has a red field with four

white isosceles triangles in the middle, representing the three

native kings of the islands and the French administrator; the apexes

of the triangles are oriented inward and at right angles to each

other; the flag of France, outlined in white on two sides, is in the

upper hoist quadrant; the flag of France is the only official flag

Yemen

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black;

similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars in the white

band, and of Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the

white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt, which has a heraldic

eagle centered in the white band

Zambia

green field with a panel of three vertical bands of red

(hoist side), black, and orange below a soaring orange eagle, on the

outer edge of the flag

Zimbabwe

seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black,

red, yellow, and green with a white isosceles triangle edged in

black with its base on the hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird

representing the long history of the country is superimposed on a

red five-pointed star in the center of the triangle, which

symbolizes peace; green symbolizes agriculture, yellow - mineral

wealth, red - blood shed to achieve independence, and black stands

for the native people

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2085 Roadways (km)

Afghanistan

total: 42,150 km

paved: 12,350 km

unpaved: 29,800 km (2006)

Albania

total: 18,000 km

paved: 7,020 km

unpaved: 10,980 km (2002)

Algeria

total: 108,302 km

paved: 76,028 km (includes 645 km of expressways)

unpaved: 32,274 km (2004)

American Samoa

total: 221 km (2007)

Andorra

total: 270 km

Angola

total: 51,429 km

paved: 5,349 km

unpaved: 46,080 km (2001)

Anguilla

total: 175 km

paved: 82 km

unpaved: 93 km (2004)

Antigua and Barbuda

total: 1,165 km

paved: 384 km

unpaved: 781 km (2002)

Argentina

total: 231,374 km

paved: 69,412 km (includes 734 km of expressways)

unpaved: 161,962 km (2004)

Armenia total: 7,700 km paved: 7,700 km (includes 1,561 km of expressways) (2006)

Australia total: 812,972 km paved: 341,448 km unpaved: 471,524 km (2004)

Austria total: 107,262 km paved: 107,262 km (includes 1,677 km of expressways) (2006)

Azerbaijan

total: 59,141 km

paved: 29,210 km

unpaved: 29,931 km (2004)

Bahamas, The

total: 2,717 km

paved: 1,560 km

unpaved: 1,133 km (2002)

Bahrain

total: 3,498 km

paved: 2,768 km

unpaved: 730 km (2003)

Bangladesh

total: 239,226 km

paved: 22,726 km

unpaved: 216,500 km (2003)

Barbados

total: 1,600 km

paved: 1,600 km (2004)

Belarus

total: 94,797 km

paved: 84,028 km

unpaved: 10,769 km (2005)

Belgium

total: 152,256 km

paved: 119,079 km (includes 1,763 km of expressways)

unpaved: 33,177 km (2006)

Belize

total: 3,007 km

paved: 575 km

unpaved: 2,432 km (2006)

Benin

total: 16,000 km

paved: 1,400 km

unpaved: 14,600 km (2006)

Bermuda

total: 447 km

paved: 447 km

note: public roads - 225 km; private roads - 222 km (2007)

Bhutan

total: 8,050 km

paved: 4,991 km

unpaved: 3,059 km (2003)

Bolivia

total: 62,479 km

paved: 3,749 km

unpaved: 58,730 km (2004)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

total: 21,846 km

paved: 11,425 km (4,714 km of interurban roads)

unpaved: 10,421 km (2006)

Botswana

total: 25,798 km

paved: 8,410 km

unpaved: 17,388 km (2005)

Brazil

total: 1,751,868 km

paved: 96,353 km

unpaved: 1,655,515 km (2004)

British Indian Ocean Territory

note: short section of paved road

between port and airfield on Diego Garcia

British Virgin Islands

total: 200 km

paved: 200 km (2007)

Brunei

total: 3,650 km

paved: 2,819 km

unpaved: 831 km (2005)

Bulgaria

total: 40,231 km

paved: 39,587 km (includes 331 km of expressways)

unpaved: 644 km (2005)

Burkina Faso

total: 92,495 km

paved: 3,857 km

unpaved: 88,638 km (2004)

Burma

total: 27,000 km

paved: 3,200 km

unpaved: 23,800 km (2006)

Burundi

total: 12,322 km

paved: 1,286 km

unpaved: 11,036 km (2004)

Cambodia

total: 38,257 km

paved: 2,406 km

unpaved: 35,851 km (2004)

Cameroon

total: 50,000 km

paved: 5,000 km

unpaved: 45,000 km (2004)

Canada

total: 1,042,300 km

paved: 415,600 km (includes 17,000 km of expressways)

unpaved: 626,700 km (2006)

Cape Verde

total: 1,350 km

paved: 932 km

unpaved: 418 km (2000)

Cayman Islands total: 785 km paved: 785 km (2007)

Central African Republic

total: 24,307 km (2000)

Chad

total: 33,400 km

paved: 267 km

unpaved: 33,133 km (2002)

Chile

total: 80,505 km

paved: 16,745 km (includes 2,414 km of expressways)

unpaved: 63,760 km (2004)

China

total: 1,930,544 km

paved: 1,575,571 km (includes 41,005 km of expressways)

unpaved: 354,973 km (2005)

Christmas Island

total: 140 km

paved: 30 km

unpaved: 110 km (2007)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

total: 22 km

paved: 10 km

unpaved: 12 km (2006)

Colombia

total: 164,257 km (2005)

Comoros

total: 880 km

paved: 673 km

unpaved: 207 km (2002)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

total: 153,497 km

paved: 2,794 km

unpaved: 150,703 km (2004)

Congo, Republic of the

total: 17,289 km

paved: 864 km

unpaved: 16,425 km (2004)

Cook Islands

total: 320 km

paved: 33 km

unpaved: 287 km (2003)

Costa Rica

total: 35,330 km

paved: 8,621 km

unpaved: 26,709 km (2004)

Cote d'Ivoire

total: 80,000 km

paved: 6,500 km

unpaved: 73,500 km

note: includes intercity and urban roads; another 20,000 km of dirt

roads are in poor condition and 150,000 km of dirt roads are

impassable (2006)

Croatia

total: 28,788 km (includes 877 km of expressways) (2006)

Cuba

total: 60,858 km

paved: 29,820 km (includes 638 km of expressway)

unpaved: 31,038 km (2000)

Cyprus

total: 14,630 km (area under government control: 12,280 km;

area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 2,350 km)

paved: area under government control: 7,979 km (includes 257 km of

expressways); area administered by Turkish Cypriots: 1,370 km

unpaved: area under government control: 4,301 km; area administered

by Turkish Cypriots: 980 km (2006)

Czech Republic

total: 128,512 km

paved: 128,512 km (includes 657 km of expressways) (2007)

Denmark

total: 72,362 km

paved: 72,362 km (includes 1,032 km of expressways) (2006)

Djibouti

total: 3,065 km

paved: 1,226 km

unpaved: 1,839 km (2000)

Dominica

total: 780 km

paved: 393 km

unpaved: 387 km (2000)

Dominican Republic

total: 19,705 km

paved: 9,872 km

unpaved: 9,833 km (2002)

Ecuador

total: 43,670 km

paved: 6,472 km

unpaved: 37,198 km (2006)

Egypt

total: 92,370 km

paved: 74,820 km

unpaved: 17,550 km (2004)

El Salvador

total: 10,886 km

paved: 2,827 km (includes 327 km of expressways)

unpaved: 8,059 km (2000)

Equatorial Guinea

total: 2,880 km (2000)

Eritrea

total: 4,010 km

paved: 874 km

unpaved: 3,136 km (2000)

Estonia

total: 57,016 km

paved: 12,926 km (includes 99 km of expressways)

unpaved: 44,090 km (2005)

Ethiopia

total: 36,469 km

paved: 6,980 km

unpaved: 29,489 km (2004)

European Union

total: 5,454,446 km (2008)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) total: 440 km paved: 50 km unpaved: 390 km (2008)

Faroe Islands

total: 463 km (2006)

Fiji

total: 3,440 km

paved: 1,692 km

unpaved: 1,748 km (2000)

Finland

total: 78,821 km

paved: 50,854 km (includes 700 km of expressways)

unpaved: 27,967 km (2008)

France

total: 951,500 km

paved: 951,500 km (metropolitan France; includes 10,950 km of

expressways)

note: there are another 5,100 km of roadways in overseas departments

(2006)

French Polynesia

total: 2,590 km

paved: 1,735 km

unpaved: 855 km (1999)

Gabon

total: 9,170 km

paved: 937 km

unpaved: 8,233 km (2004)

Gambia, The

total: 3,742 km

paved: 723 km

unpaved: 3,019 km (2004)

Gaza Strip

note: see entry for West Bank

Georgia

total: 20,329 km

paved: 7,854 km (includes 13 km of expressways)

unpaved: 12,475 km (2006)

Germany

total: 644,480 km

paved: 644,480 km (includes 12,400 km of expressways)

note: includes local roads (2006)

Ghana

total: 62,221 km

paved: 9,955 km

unpaved: 52,266 km (2006)

Gibraltar

total: 29 km

paved: 29 km (2007)

Greece

total: 117,533 km

paved: 107,895 km (includes 880 km of expressways)

unpaved: 9,638 km (2005)

Greenland

note: although there are short roads in towns, there are

no roads between towns; inter-urban transport takes place either by

sea or air (2005)

Grenada

total: 1,127 km

paved: 687 km

unpaved: 440 km (2000)

Guam

total: 1,045 km (2007)

Guatemala

total: 14,095 km

paved: 4,863 km (includes 75 km of expressways)

unpaved: 9,232 km (2000)

Guinea

total: 44,348 km

paved: 4,342 km

unpaved: 40,006 km (2003)

Guinea-Bissau

total: 3,455 km

paved: 965 km

unpaved: 2,490 km (2002)

Guyana

total: 7,970 km

paved: 590 km

unpaved: 7,380 km (2000)

Haiti

total: 4,160 km

paved: 1,011 km

unpaved: 3,149 km (2000)

Honduras

total: 13,600 km

paved: 2,775 km

unpaved: 10,825 km (2000)

Hong Kong

total: 2,009 km

paved: 2,009 km (2007)

Hungary

total: 159,568 km

paved: 70,050 km (30,874 km of interurban roads including 626 km of

expressways)

unpaved: 89,518 km (2005)

Iceland

total: 13,058 km

paved/oiled gravel: 4,397 km (does not include urban roads)

unpaved: 8,661 km (2007)

India

total: 3,316,452 km (includes 200 km of expressways) (2006)

Indonesia

total: 391,009 km

paved: 216,714 km

unpaved: 174,295 km (2005)

Iran

total: 172,927 km

paved: 125,908 km (includes 1,429 km of expressways)

unpaved: 47,019 km (2006)

Iraq

total: 44,900 km

paved: 37,851 km

unpaved: 7,049 km (2002)

Ireland total: 96,602 km paved: 96,602 km (includes 200 km of expressways) (2003)

Isle of Man total: 500 km (2008)

Israel

total: 17,870 km

paved: 17,870 km (includes 146 km of expressways) (2007)

Italy

total: 487,700 km

paved: 487,700 km (includes 6,700 km of expressways) (2005)

Jamaica

total: 21,552 km

paved: 15,937 km (includes 33 km of expressways)

unpaved: 5,615 km (2005)

Japan

total: 1,196,999 km

paved: 949,101 km (includes 7,383 km of expressways)

unpaved: 247,898 km (2006)

Jersey

total: 358 km (2002)

Jordan total: 7,694 km paved: 7,694 km (2006)

Kazakhstan total: 91,563 km paved: 83,717 km unpaved: 7,846 km (2006)

Kenya

total: 63,265 km (interurban roads)

paved: 8,933 km

unpaved: 54,332 km

note: there also are 100,000 km of rural roads and 14,500 km of

urban roads for a national total of 177,765 km (2004)

Kiribati

total: 670 km (2000)

Korea, North

total: 25,554 km

paved: 724 km

unpaved: 24,830 km (2006)

Korea, South

total: 102,062 km

paved: 90,417 km (includes 3,103 km of expressways)

unpaved: 11,645 km (2006)

Kosovo

total: 1,924 km

paved: 1,666 km

unpaved: 258 km (2006)

Kuwait

total: 5,749 km

paved: 4,887 km

unpaved: 862 km (2004)

Kyrgyzstan

total: 18,500 km

paved: 16,909 km (includes 140 km of expressways)

unpaved: 1,591 km (2003)

Laos

total: 29,811 km

paved: 4,010 km

unpaved: 25,801 km (2006)

Latvia total: 69,675 km paved: 69,675 km (2006)

Lebanon total: 6,970 km (includes 170 km of expressways) (2005)

Lesotho

total: 7,091 km

paved: 1,404 km

unpaved: 5,687 km (2003)

Liberia

total: 10,600 km

paved: 657 km

unpaved: 9,943 km (2000)

Libya

total: 100,024 km

paved: 57,214 km

unpaved: 42,810 km (2003)

Liechtenstein

total: 380 km

paved: 380 km (2007)

Lithuania

total: 79,984 km

paved: 70,997 km (includes 309 km of expressways)

unpaved: 8,987 km (2006)

Luxembourg

total: 5,227 km

paved: 5,227 km (includes 147 km of expressways) (2004)

Macau

total: 384 km

paved: 384 km (2006)

Macedonia

total: 13,182 km (includes 208 km of expressways) (2002)

Madagascar

total: 65,663 km

paved: 7,617 km

unpaved: 58,046 km (2003)

Malawi

total: 15,451 km

paved: 6,956 km

unpaved: 8,495 km (2003)

Malaysia

total: 98,721 km

paved: 80,280 km (includes 1,821 km of expressways)

unpaved: 18,441 km (2004)

Maldives

total: 88 km

paved roads: 88 km - 60 km in Male; 14 km on Addu Atolis; 14 km on

Laamu

note: village roads are mainly compacted coral (2006)

Mali

total: 18,709 km

paved: 3,368 km

unpaved: 15,341 km (2004)

Malta

total: 2,227 km

paved: 2,014 km

unpaved: 213 km (2005)

Marshall Islands

total: 2,028 km (includes 75 km of expressways)

(2007)

Mauritania total: 11,066 km paved: 2,966 km unpaved: 8,100 km (2006)

Mauritius total: 2,028 km paved: 2,028 km (includes 75 km of expressways) (2007)

Mexico

total: 356,945 km

paved: 178,473 km (includes 6,279 km of expressways)

unpaved: 178,472 km (2006)

Micronesia, Federated States of

total: 240 km

paved: 42 km

unpaved: 198 km (2000)

Moldova

total: 12,666 km

paved: 12,117 km

unpaved: 549 km (2007)

Monaco total: 50 km paved: 50 km (2007)

Mongolia

total: 49,250 km

paved: 1,724 km

unpaved: 47,526 km (2002)

Montenegro

total: 7,368 km

paved: 4,742 km

unpaved: 2,626 km (2006)

Montserrat

note: volcanic eruptions that began in 1995 destroyed

most of the 227 km road system; a new road infrastructure has been

built in the north end of the island (2008)

Morocco

total: 57,625 km

paved: 35,664 km (includes 639 km of expressways)

unpaved: 21,961 km (2006)

Mozambique

total: 30,400 km

paved: 5,685 km

unpaved: 24,715 km (2000)

Namibia

total: 42,237 km

paved: 5,406 km

unpaved: 36,831 km (2002)

Nauru

total: 24 km

paved: 24 km (2002)

Nepal

total: 17,280 km

paved: 9,829 km

unpaved: 7,451 km (2004)

Netherlands

total: 134,981 km (includes 2,604 km of expressways)

(2006)

Netherlands Antilles

total: 845

New Caledonia

total: 5,622 km (2006)

New Zealand

total: 93,576 km

paved: 61,564 km (includes 172 km of expressways)

unpaved: 32,012 km (2006)

Nicaragua

total: 19,036 km

paved: 2,299 km

unpaved: 16,737 km (2005)

Niger

total: 18,550 km

paved: 3,803 km

unpaved: 14,747 km (2006)

Nigeria

total: 193,200 km

paved: 28,980 km

unpaved: 164,220 km (2004)

Niue

total: 120 km

paved: 120 km (2008)

Norfolk Island total: 80 km paved: 53 km unpaved: 27 km (2008)

Northern Mariana Islands

total: 536 km (2007)

Norway

total: 92,946 km

paved: 72,033 km (includes 664 km of expressways)

unpaved: 20,913 km (2007)

Oman

total: 42,300 km

paved: 16,500 km (includes 550 km of expressways)

unpaved: 25,800 km (2005)

Pakistan

total: 259,758 km

paved: 162,879 km (includes 711 km of expressways)

unpaved: 96,879 km (2005)

Palau

note: estimated to have 60 km of roads as of 1996

Panama

total: 11,978 km

paved: 4,300 km

unpaved: 7,343 km (2002)

Papua New Guinea

total: 19,600 km

paved: 686 km

unpaved: 18,914 km (2000)

Paraguay

total: 29,500 km

paved: 14,986 km

unpaved: 14,514 km (2000)

Peru

total: 78,829 km

paved: 11,351 km (includes 276 km of expressways)

unpaved: 67,478 km (2004)

Philippines

total: 200,037 km

paved: 19,804 km

unpaved: 180,233 km (2003)

Poland

total: 423,997 km

paved: 295,356 km (includes 662 km of expressways)

unpaved: 128,641 km (2006)

Portugal

total: 82,900 km

paved: 71,294 km (includes 2,300 km of expressways)

unpaved: 11,606 km (2005)

Puerto Rico

total: 26,186 km

paved: 24,877 km (includes 427 km of expressways)

unpaved: 1,309 km (2007)

Qatar

total: 7,790 km (2006)

Romania

total: 198,817 km

paved: 60,043 km (includes 228 km of expressways)

unpaved: 138,774 km (2004)

Russia

total: 933,000 km

paved: 754,984 km (includes 30,000 km of expressways)

unpaved: 178,016 km

note: includes public, local, and departmental roads (2006)

Rwanda

total: 14,008 km

paved: 2,662 km

unpaved: 11,346 km (2004)

Saint Helena

total: 198 km (Saint Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km,

Tristan da Cunha 20 km)

paved: 168 km (Saint Helena 118 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da

Cunha 10 km)

unpaved: 30 km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension 0 km, Tristan da Cunha

10 km) (2002)

Saint Kitts and Nevis total: 320 km paved: 163 km unpaved: 220 km (2002)

Saint Lucia total: 1,210 km (2002)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

total: 117 km

paved: 80 km

unpaved: 37 km (2000)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

total: 829 km

paved: 580 km

unpaved: 249 km (2003)

Samoa

total: 2,337 km

paved: 332 km

unpaved: 2,005 km (2001)

San Marino total: 292 km paved: 292 km (2006)

Sao Tome and Principe

total: 320 km

paved: 218 km

unpaved: 102 km (2000)

Saudi Arabia

total: 221,372 km

paved: 47,529 km (includes 3,891 km of expressways)

unpaved: 173,843 km (2006)

Senegal

total: 13,576 km

paved: 3,972 km (includes 7 km of expressways)

unpaved: 9,604 km (2003)

Serbia

total: 36,875 km

paved: 31,392 km

unpaved: 5,483 km

note: roadways in Kosovo listed separately (2006)

Seychelles

total: 458 km

paved: 440 km

unpaved: 18 km (2003)

Sierra Leone

total: 11,300 km

paved: 904 km

unpaved: 10,396 km (2002)

Singapore

total: 3,262 km

paved: 3,262 km (includes 150 km of expressways) (2006)

Slovakia

total: 43,761 km

paved: 38,085 km (includes 316 km of expressways)

unpaved: 5,676 km (2006)

Slovenia total: 38,562 km paved: 38,562 km (includes 579 km of expressways) (2006)

Solomon Islands total: 1,360 km paved: 33 km unpaved: 1,327 km note: includes 800 km of private plantation roads (2002)

Somalia

total: 22,100 km

paved: 2,608 km

unpaved: 19,492 km (2000)

South Africa

total: 362,099 km

paved: 73,506 km (includes 239 km of expressways)

unpaved: 288,593 km (2002)

Spain

total: 681,224 km

paved: 681,224 km (includes 13,872 km of expressways) (2006)

Sri Lanka

total: 97,286 km

paved: 78,802 km

unpaved: 18,484 km (2003)

Sudan

total: 11,900 km

paved: 4,320 km

unpaved: 7,580 km (2000)

Suriname

total: 4,304 km

paved: 1,130 km

unpaved: 3,174 km (2003)

Swaziland

total: 3,594 km

paved: 1,078 km

unpaved: 2,516 km (2002)

Sweden

total: 425,300 km

paved: 139,300 km (includes 1,740 km of expressways)

unpaved: 286,000 km (2008)

Switzerland

total: 71,298 km

paved: 71,298 km (includes 1,758 of expressways) (2006)

Syria

total: 97,401 km

paved: 19,490 km (includes 1,103 km of expressways)

unpaved: 77,911 km (2006)

Taiwan

total: 40,262 km

paved: 38,171 km (includes 976 km of expressways)

unpaved: 2,091 km (2007)

Tajikistan

total: 27,767 km (2000)

Tanzania total: 78,891 km paved: 6,808 km unpaved: 72,083 km (2003)

Thailand total: 180,053 km (includes 450 km of expressways) (2006)

Timor-Leste

total: 6,040 km

paved: 2,600 km

unpaved: 3,440 km (2005)

Togo

total: 7,520 km

paved: 2,376 km

unpaved: 5,144 km (2000)

Tonga

total: 680 km

paved: 184 km

unpaved: 496 km (2000)

Trinidad and Tobago

total: 8,320 km

paved: 4,252 km

unpaved: 4,068 km (2000)

Tunisia

total: 19,232 km

paved: 12,655 km (includes 262 km of expressways)

unpaved: 6,577 km (2004)

Turkey

total: 426,951 km (includes 1,987 km of expressways) (2006)

Turkmenistan

total: 58,592 km

paved: 47,577 km

unpaved: 11,015 km (2002)

Turks and Caicos Islands

total: 121 km

paved: 24 km

unpaved: 97 km (2003)

Tuvalu

total: 8 km

paved: 8 km (2002)

Uganda

total: 70,746 km

paved: 16,272 km

unpaved: 54,474 km (2003)

Ukraine

total: 169,422 km

paved: 165,611 km (includes 15 km of expressways)

unpaved: 3,811 km (2007)

United Arab Emirates

total: 4,080 km

paved: 4,080 km (includes 253 km of expressways) (2008)

United Kingdom

total: 398,366 km

paved: 398,366 km (includes 3,520 km of expressways) (2006)

United States

total: 6,465,799 km

paved: 4,209,835 km (includes 75,040 km of expressways)

unpaved: 2,255,964 km (2007)

Uruguay

total: 77,732 km

paved: 7,743 km

unpaved: 69,989 km (2004)

Uzbekistan

total: 86,496 km

paved: 75,511 km

unpaved: 10,985 km (2000)

Vanuatu

total: 1,070 km

paved: 256 km

unpaved: 814 km (1999)

Venezuela

total: 96,155 km

paved: 32,308 km

unpaved: 63,847 km (2002)

Vietnam

total: 222,179 km

paved: 42,167 km

unpaved: 180,012 km (2004)

Virgin Islands

total: 1,257 km (2007)

West Bank total: 5,147 km paved: 5,147 km note: includes Gaza Strip (2006)

World

total: 68,937,575 km (2008)

Yemen

total: 71,300 km

paved: 6,200 km

unpaved: 65,100 km (2005)

Zambia

total: 91,440 km

paved: 20,117 km

unpaved: 71,323 km (2001)

Zimbabwe

total: 97,267 km

paved: 18,481 km

unpaved: 78,786 km (2002)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2086 Illicit drugs

Afghanistan

world's largest producer of opium; poppy cultivation

increased 17% to a near-record 202,000 hectares in 2007; good

growing conditions pushed potential opium production to a record

8,000 metric tons, up 42% from last year; if the entire opium crop

were processed, 947 metric tons of heroin potentially could be

produced; drug trade is a source of instability and the Taliban and

other antigovernment groups participate in and profit from the drug

trade; widespread corruption impedes counterdrug efforts; most of

the heroin consumed in Europe and Eurasia is derived from Afghan

opium; vulnerable to drug money laundering through informal

financial networks; regional source of hashish

Albania

increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest Asian

opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to

a lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for Western

Europe; limited opium and growing cannabis production; ethnic

Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and expanding in

Europe; vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional

trafficking in narcotics, arms, contraband, and illegal aliens

Angola

used as a transshipment point for cocaine destined for

Western Europe and other African states, particularly South Africa

Anguilla

transshipment point for South American narcotics destined

for the US and Europe

Antigua and Barbuda

considered a minor transshipment point for

narcotics bound for the US and Europe; more significant as an

offshore financial center

Argentina

a transshipment country for cocaine headed for Europe;

some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area;

law enforcement corruption; a source for precursor chemicals;

increasing domestic consumption of drugs in urban centers,

especially cocaine base and synthetic drugs

Armenia

illicit cultivation of small amount of cannabis for domestic

consumption; minor transit point for illicit drugs - mostly opium

and hashish - moving from Southwest Asia to Russia and to a lesser

extent the rest of Europe

Aruba

transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some

accompanying money-laundering activity; relatively high percentage

of population consumes cocaine

Australia

Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of licit

opiate products; government maintains strict controls over areas of

opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate; major

consumer of cocaine and amphetamines

Austria

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South

American cocaine destined for Western Europe; increasing consumption

of European-produced synthetic drugs

Azerbaijan

limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy,

mostly for CIS consumption; small government eradication program;

transit point for Southwest Asian opiates bound for Russia and to a

lesser extent the rest of Europe

Bahamas, The

transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for

US and Europe; offshore financial center

Bangladesh

transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring

countries

Barbados

one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics

bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center

Belarus

limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for

the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to and

via Russia, and to the Baltics and Western Europe; a small and

lightly regulated financial center; new anti-money-laundering

legislation does not meet international standards; few

investigations or prosecutions of money-laundering activities

Belgium

growing producer of synthetic drugs and cannabis; transit

point for US-bound ecstasy; source of precursor chemicals for South

American cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine,

heroin, hashish, and marijuana entering Western Europe; despite a

strengthening of legislation, the country remains vulnerable to

money laundering related to narcotics, automobiles, alcohol, and

tobacco; significant domestic consumption of ecstasy

Belize

transshipment point for cocaine; small-scale illicit producer

of cannabis, primarily for local consumption; money-laundering

activity related to narcotics trafficking and offshore sector

Benin

transshipment point used by Nigerian traffickers for narcotics

destined for Western Europe; vulnerable to money laundering due to

poorly enforced financial regulations

Bolivia

world's third-largest cultivator of coca (after Colombia and

Peru) with an estimated 29,500 hectares under cultivation in 2007, a

slight increase over 2006; third largest producer of cocaine,

estimated at 120 metric tons of potential pure cocaine in 2007;

transit country for Peruvian and Colombian cocaine destined for

Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Europe; cultivation

generally increasing since 2000, despite eradication and alternative

crop programs; weak border controls; some money-laundering activity

related to narcotics trade, especially along the borders with Brazil

and Paraguay; major cocaine consumption (2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

increasingly a transit point for heroin being

trafficked to Western Europe; minor transit point for marijuana;

remains highly vulnerable to money-laundering activity given a

primarily cash-based and unregulated economy, weak law enforcement,

and instances of corruption

Brazil

second-largest consumer of cocaine in the world; illicit

producer of cannabis; trace amounts of coca cultivation in the

Amazon region, used for domestic consumption; government has a

large-scale eradication program to control cannabis; important

transshipment country for Bolivian, Colombian, and Peruvian cocaine

headed for Europe; also used by traffickers as a way station for

narcotics air transshipments between Peru and Colombia; upsurge in

drug-related violence and weapons smuggling; important market for

Colombian, Bolivian, and Peruvian cocaine; illicit narcotics

proceeds earned in Brazil are often laundered through the financial

system; significant illicit financial activity in the Tri-Border Area

British Virgin Islands

transshipment point for South American

narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial

center makes it vulnerable to money laundering

Brunei

drug trafficking and illegally importing controlled

substances are serious offenses in Brunei and carry a mandatory

death penalty

Bulgaria

major European transshipment point for Southwest Asian

heroin and, to a lesser degree, South American cocaine for the

European market; limited producer of precursor chemicals; some money

laundering of drug-related proceeds through financial institutions

Burma

remains world's second-largest producer of illicit opium with

an estimated production in 2008 of 340 metric tons, an increase of

26%, and cultivation in 2008 was 22,500 hectares, a 4% increase from

2007; production in the United Wa State Army's areas of greatest

control remains low; Shan state is the source of 94% of poppy

cultivation; lack of government will to take on major

narcotrafficking groups and lack of serious commitment against money

laundering continues to hinder the overall antidrug effort; major

source of methamphetamine and heroin for regional consumption;

currently under Financial Action Task Force countermeasures due to

continued failure to address its inadequate money-laundering

controls (2008)

Cambodia

narcotics-related corruption reportedly involving some in

the government, military, and police; limited methamphetamine

production; vulnerable to money laundering due to its cash-based

economy and porous borders

Canada

illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market and

export to US; use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant

large quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors; increasing

ecstasy production, some of which is destined for the US; vulnerable

to narcotics money laundering because of its mature financial

services sector

Cape Verde

used as a transshipment point for Latin American cocaine

destined for Western Europe; the lack of a well-developed financial

system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center

Cayman Islands

offshore financial center; vulnerable to drug

transshipment to the US and Europe

Chile

transshipment country for cocaine destined for Europe and the

region; economic prosperity and increasing trade have made Chile

more attractive to traffickers seeking to launder drug profits,

especially through the Iquique Free Trade Zone, but a recent

anti-money-laundering law improves controls; imported precursors

passed on to Bolivia; domestic cocaine consumption is rising, making

Chile a significant consumer of cocaine

China

major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden

Triangle region of Southeast Asia; growing domestic drug abuse

problem; source country for chemical precursors, despite new

regulations on its large chemical industry

Colombia

illicit producer of coca, opium poppy, and cannabis;

world's leading coca cultivator with 167,000 hectares in coca

cultivation in 2007, a 6% increase over 2006, producing a potential

of 535 metric tons of pure cocaine; the world's largest producer of

coca derivatives; supplies cocaine to most of the US market and the

great majority of other international drug markets; in 2007, aerial

eradication dispensed herbicide to treat over 153,000 hectares with

another 67,000 hectares manually eradicated, but aggressive

replanting on the part of coca growers means Colombia remains a key

producer; a significant portion of non-US narcotics proceeds are

either laundered or invested in Colombia through the black market

peso exchange; important supplier of heroin to the US market; opium

poppy cultivation is estimated to have fallen 25% between 2006 and

2007 with a corresponding estimated 27% decline in the yield of pure

heroin to 1.9 metric tons; (2007)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the one of Africa's biggest producers of cannabis, but mostly for domestic consumption; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center

Costa Rica

transshipment country for cocaine and heroin from South

America; illicit production of cannabis in remote areas; domestic

cocaine consumption, particularly crack cocaine, is rising;

significant consumption of amphetamines

Cote d'Ivoire

illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for local

consumption; utility as a narcotic transshipment point to Europe

reduced by ongoing political instability; while rampant corruption

and inadequate supervision leave the banking system vulnerable to

money laundering, the lack of a developed financial system limits

the country's utility as a major money-laundering center

Croatia

transit point along the Balkan route for Southwest Asian

heroin to Western Europe; has been used as a transit point for

maritime shipments of South American cocaine bound for Western Europe

Cuba

territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone

for US- and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for

certain drug-related crimes in 1999

Cyprus

minor transit point for heroin and hashish via air routes and

container traffic to Europe, especially from Lebanon and Turkey;

some cocaine transits as well; despite a strengthening of

anti-money-laundering legislation, remains vulnerable to money

laundering; reporting of suspicious transactions in offshore sector

remains weak

Czech Republic

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and

minor transit point for Latin American cocaine to Western Europe;

producer of synthetic drugs for local and regional markets;

susceptible to money laundering related to drug trafficking,

organized crime; significant consumer of ecstasy

Dominica

transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and

Europe; minor cannabis producer; anti-money-laundering enforcement

is weak, making the country particularly vulnerable to money

laundering

Dominican Republic

transshipment point for South American drugs

destined for the US and Europe; has become a transshipment point for

ecstasy from the Netherlands and Belgium destined for US and Canada;

substantial money laundering activity; Colombian narcotics

traffickers favor the Dominican Republic for illicit financial

transactions; significant amphetamine consumption

Ecuador

significant transit country for cocaine originating in

Colombia and Peru, with over half of the US-bound cocaine passing

through Ecuadorian Pacific waters; importer of precursor chemicals

used in production of illicit narcotics; attractive location for

cash-placement by drug traffickers laundering money because of

dollarization and weak anti-money-laundering regime; increased

activity on the northern frontier by trafficking groups and

Colombian insurgents

Egypt

transit point for cannabis, heroin, and opium moving to

Europe, Israel, and North Africa; transit stop for Nigerian drug

couriers; concern as money laundering site due to lax enforcement of

financial regulations

El Salvador

transshipment point for cocaine; small amounts of

marijuana produced for local consumption; significant use of cocaine

Estonia

growing producer of synthetic drugs; increasingly important

transshipment zone for cannabis, cocaine, opiates, and synthetic

drugs since joining the European Union and the Schengen Accord;

potential money laundering related to organized crime and drug

trafficking is a concern, as is possible use of the gambling sector

to launder funds; major use of opiates and ecstasy

Ethiopia

transit hub for heroin originating in Southwest and

Southeast Asia and destined for Europe, as well as cocaine destined

for markets in southern Africa; cultivates qat (khat) for local use

and regional export, principally to Djibouti and Somalia (legal in

all three countries); the lack of a well-developed financial system

limits the country's utility as a money laundering center

France

metropolitan France: transshipment point for South American

cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and European synthetics

French Guiana: small amount of marijuana grown for local

consumption; minor transshipment point to Europe

Martinique: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for

the US and Europe

Georgia

limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for

domestic consumption; used as transshipment point for opiates via

Central Asia to Western Europe and Russia

Germany

source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine

processors; transshipment point for and consumer of Southwest Asian

heroin, Latin American cocaine, and European-produced synthetic

drugs; major financial center

Ghana

illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade;

major transit hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and, to a

lesser extent, South American cocaine destined for Europe and the

US; widespread crime and money laundering problem, but the lack of a

well developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility

as a money laundering center; significant domestic cocaine and

cannabis use

Greece

a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling cannabis and

heroin from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the West and

precursor chemicals to the East; some South American cocaine

transits or is consumed in Greece; money laundering related to drug

trafficking and organized crime

Grenada

small-scale cannabis cultivation; lesser transshipment point

for marijuana and cocaine to US

Guatemala

major transit country for cocaine and heroin; in 2005,

cultivated 100 hectares of opium poppy after reemerging as a

potential source of opium in 2004; potential production of less than

1 metric ton of pure heroin; marijuana cultivation for mostly

domestic consumption; proximity to Mexico makes Guatemala a major

staging area for drugs (particularly for cocaine); money laundering

is a serious problem; corruption is a major problem

Guinea-Bissau

increasingly important transit country for South

American cocaine enroute to Europe; enabling environment for

trafficker operations thanks to pervasive corruption;

archipelago-like geography around the capital facilitates drug

smuggling

Guyana

transshipment point for narcotics from South America -

primarily Venezuela - to Europe and the US; producer of cannabis;

rising money laundering related to drug trafficking and human

smuggling

Haiti

Caribbean transshipment point for cocaine en route to the US

and Europe; substantial bulk cash smuggling activity; Colombian

narcotics traffickers favor Haiti for illicit financial

transactions; pervasive corruption; significant consumer of cannabis

Honduras

transshipment point for drugs and narcotics; illicit

producer of cannabis, cultivated on small plots and used principally

for local consumption; corruption is a major problem; some

money-laundering activity

Hong Kong

despite strenuous law enforcement efforts, faces difficult

challenges in controlling transit of heroin and methamphetamine to

regional and world markets; modern banking system provides conduit

for money laundering; rising indigenous use of synthetic drugs,

especially among young people

Hungary

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and cannabis

and for South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; limited

producer of precursor chemicals, particularly for amphetamine and

methamphetamine; efforts to counter money laundering, related to

organized crime and drug trafficking, are improving, but remain

vulnerable; significant consumer of ecstasy

India

world's largest producer of licit opium for the pharmaceutical

trade, but an undetermined quantity of opium is diverted to illicit

international drug markets; transit point for illicit narcotics

produced in neighboring countries and throughout Southwest Asia;

illicit producer of methaqualone; vulnerable to narcotics money

laundering through the hawala system; licit ketamine and precursor

production

Indonesia

illicit producer of cannabis largely for domestic use;

producer of methamphetamine and ecstasy

Iran

despite substantial interdiction efforts and considerable

control measures along the border with Afghanistan, Iran remains one

of the primary transshipment routes for Southwest Asian heroin to

Europe; suffers one of the highest opiate addiction rates in the

world, and has an increasing problem with synthetic drugs; lacks

anti-money laundering laws; has reached out to neighboring countries

to share counter-drug intelligence

Ireland

transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from North

Africa to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic

drugs; increasing consumption of South American cocaine; minor

transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined for Western

Europe; despite recent legislation, narcotics-related money

laundering - using bureaux de change, trusts, and shell companies

involving the offshore financial community - remains a concern

Israel

increasingly concerned about ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin

abuse; drugs arrive in country from Lebanon and, increasingly, from

Jordan; money-laundering center

Italy

important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine

and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market; money

laundering by organized crime and from smuggling

Jamaica

transshipment point for cocaine from South America to North

America and Europe; illicit cultivation and consumption of cannabis;

government has an active manual cannabis eradication program;

corruption is a major concern; substantial money-laundering

activity; Colombian narcotics traffickers favor Jamaica for illicit

financial transactions

Kazakhstan

significant illicit cultivation of cannabis for CIS

markets, as well as limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra

(for the drug ephedrine); limited government eradication of illicit

crops; transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia

and the rest of Europe; significant consumer of opiates

Kenya

widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit

country for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North

America; Indian methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa;

significant potential for money-laundering activity given the

country's status as a regional financial center; massive corruption,

and relatively high levels of narcotics-associated activities

Korea, North

for years, from the 1970s into the 2000s, citizens of

the Democratic People's Republic of (North) Korea (DPRK), many of

them diplomatic employees of the government, were apprehended abroad

while trafficking in narcotics, including two in Turkey in December

2004; police investigations in Taiwan and Japan in recent years have

linked North Korea to large illicit shipments of heroin and

methamphetamine, including an attempt by the North Korean merchant

ship Pong Su to deliver 150 kg of heroin to Australia in April 2003

Kyrgyzstan

limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy

for CIS markets; limited government eradication of illicit crops;

transit point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the

rest of Europe; major consumer of opiates

Laos

estimated opium poppy cultivation in 2008 was 1,900 hectares,

about a 73% increase from 2007; estimated potential opium production

in 2008 more than tripled to 17 metric tons; unsubstantiated reports

of domestic methamphetamine production; growing domestic

methamphetamine problem (2007)

Latvia

transshipment and destination point for cocaine, synthetic

drugs, opiates, and cannabis from Southwest Asia, Western Europe,

Latin America, and neighboring Balkan countries; despite improved

legislation, vulnerable to money laundering due to nascent

enforcement capabilities and comparatively weak regulation of

offshore companies and the gaming industry; CIS organized crime

(including counterfeiting, corruption, extortion, stolen cars, and

prostitution) accounts for most laundered proceeds

Lebanon

cannabis cultivation dramatically reduced to 2,500 hectares

in 2002 despite continued significant cannabis consumption; opium

poppy cultivation minimal; small amounts of Latin American cocaine

and Southwest Asian heroin transit country on way to European

markets and for Middle Eastern consumption; money laundering of drug

proceeds fuels concern that extremists are benefiting from drug

trafficking

Liberia

transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin

and South American cocaine for the European and US markets;

corruption, criminal activity, arms-dealing, and diamond trade

provide significant potential for money laundering, but the lack of

well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a

major money-laundering center

Liechtenstein

has strengthened money laundering controls, but money

laundering remains a concern due to Liechtenstein's sophisticated

offshore financial services sector

Lithuania

transshipment and destination point for cannabis, cocaine,

ecstasy, and opiates from Southwest Asia, Latin America, Western

Europe, and neighboring Baltic countries; growing production of

high-quality amphetamines, but limited production of cannabis,

methamphetamines; susceptible to money laundering despite changes to

banking legislation

Macau

transshipment point for drugs going into mainland China;

consumer of opiates and amphetamines

Macedonia

major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and

hashish; minor transit point for South American cocaine destined for

Europe; although not a financial center and most criminal activity

is thought to be domestic, money laundering is a problem due to a

mostly cash-based economy and weak enforcement

Madagascar

illicit producer of cannabis (cultivated and wild

varieties) used mostly for domestic consumption; transshipment point

for heroin

Malaysia

drug trafficking prosecuted vigorously and carries severe

penalties; heroin still primary drug of abuse, but synthetic drug

demand remains strong; continued ecstasy and methamphetamine

producer for domestic users and, to a lesser extent, the regional

drug market

Malta

minor transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to

Western Europe

Mauritius

consumer and transshipment point for heroin from South

Asia; small amounts of cannabis produced and consumed locally;

significant offshore financial industry creates potential for money

laundering, but corruption levels are relatively low and the

government appears generally to be committed to regulating its

banking industry

Mexico

major drug-producing nation; cultivation of opium poppy in

2007 rose to 6,900 hectares yielding a potential production of 18

metric tons of pure heroin, or 50 metric tons of "black tar" heroin,

the dominant form of Mexican heroin in the western United States;

marijuana cultivation increased to 8,900 hectares in 2007 and

yielded a potential production of 15,800 metric tons; government

conducts the largest independent illicit-crop eradication program in

the world; continues as the primary transshipment country for

US-bound cocaine from South America, with an estimated 90% of annual

cocaine movements toward the US stopping in Mexico; major drug

syndicates control the majority of drug trafficking throughout the

country; producer and distributor of ecstasy; significant

money-laundering center; major supplier of heroin and largest

foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine to the US market

(2007)

Micronesia, Federated States of

major consumer of cannabis

Moldova

limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for

CIS consumption; transshipment point for illicit drugs from

Southwest Asia via Central Asia to Russia, Western Europe, and

possibly the US; widespread crime and underground economic activity

Montserrat

transshipment point for South American narcotics destined

for the US and Europe

Morocco

one of the world's largest producers of illicit hashish;

shipments of hashish mostly directed to Western Europe; transit

point for cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe;

significant consumer of cannabis

Mozambique

southern African transit point for South Asian hashish

and heroin, and South American cocaine probably destined for the

European and South African markets; producer of cannabis (for local

consumption) and methaqualone (for export to South Africa);

corruption and poor regulatory capability makes the banking system

vulnerable to money laundering, but the lack of a well-developed

financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a

money-laundering center

Nepal

illicit producer of cannabis and hashish for the domestic and

international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast

Asia to the West

Netherlands

major European producer of synthetic drugs, including

ecstasy, and cannabis cultivator; important gateway for cocaine,

heroin, and hashish entering Europe; major source of US-bound

ecstasy; large financial sector vulnerable to money laundering;

significant consumer of ecstasy

Netherlands Antilles transshipment point for South American drugs bound for the US and Europe; money-laundering center

New Zealand

significant consumer of amphetamines

Nicaragua

transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US and

transshipment point for arms-for-drugs dealing

Nigeria

a transit point for heroin and cocaine intended for

European, East Asian, and North American markets; consumer of

amphetamines; safe haven for Nigerian narcotraffickers operating

worldwide; major money-laundering center; massive corruption and

criminal activity; Nigeria has improved some anti-money-laundering

controls, resulting in its removal from the Financial Action Task

Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and Territories List in

June 2006; Nigeria's anti-money-laundering regime continues to be

monitored by FATF

Pakistan

significant transit area for Afghan drugs, including

heroin, opium, morphine, and hashish, bound for Iran, Western

markets, the Gulf States, Africa, and Asia; financial crimes related

to drug trafficking, terrorism, corruption, and smuggling remain

problems; opium poppy cultivation estimated to be 2,300 hectares in

2007 with 600 of those hectares eradicated; federal and provincial

authorities continue to conduct anti-poppy campaigns that utilizes

forced eradication, fines, and arrests

Panama

major cocaine transshipment point and primary

money-laundering center for narcotics revenue; money-laundering

activity is especially heavy in the Colon Free Zone; offshore

financial center; negligible signs of coca cultivation; monitoring

of financial transactions is improving; official corruption remains

a major problem

Papua New Guinea

major consumer of cannabis

Paraguay

major illicit producer of cannabis, most or all of which is

consumed in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile; transshipment country for

Andean cocaine headed for Brazil, other Southern Cone markets, and

Europe; weak border controls, extensive corruption and

money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area; weak

anti-money-laundering laws and enforcement

Peru

until 1996 the world's largest coca leaf producer, Peru is now

the world's second largest producer of coca leaf, though it lags far

behind Colombia; cultivation of coca in Peru declined to 36,000

hectares in 2007; second largest producer of cocaine, estimated at

210 metric tons of potential pure cocaine in 2007; finished cocaine

is shipped out from Pacific ports to the international drug market;

increasing amounts of base and finished cocaine, however, are being

moved to Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia for use in the

Southern Cone or transshipment to Europe and Africa; increasing

domestic drug consumption

Philippines

domestic methamphetamine production has been a growing

problem in recent years despite government crackdowns; major

consumer of amphetamines; longstanding marijuana producer mainly in

rural areas where Manila's control is limited

Poland

despite diligent counternarcotics measures and international

information sharing on cross-border crimes, a major illicit producer

of synthetic drugs for the international market; minor transshipment

point for Southwest Asian heroin and Latin American cocaine to

Western Europe

Portugal

seizing record amounts of Latin American cocaine destined

for Europe; a European gateway for Southwest Asian heroin;

transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe;

consumer of Southwest Asian heroin

Romania

major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin

transiting the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American

cocaine bound for Western Europe; although not a significant

financial center, role as a narcotics conduit leaves it vulnerable

to laundering, which occurs via the banking system, currency

exchange houses, and casinos

Russia

limited cultivation of illicit cannabis and opium poppy and

producer of methamphetamine, mostly for domestic consumption;

government has active illicit crop eradication program; used as

transshipment point for Asian opiates, cannabis, and Latin American

cocaine bound for growing domestic markets, to a lesser extent

Western and Central Europe, and occasionally to the US; major source

of heroin precursor chemicals; corruption and organized crime are

key concerns; major consumer of opiates

Saint Kitts and Nevis

transshipment point for South American drugs

destined for the US and Europe; some money-laundering activity

Saint Lucia

transit point for South American drugs destined for the

US and Europe

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

transshipment point for South

American drugs destined for the US and Europe; small-scale cannabis

cultivation

Saudi Arabia

death penalty for traffickers; improving

anti-money-laundering legislation and enforcement

Senegal

transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin

and South American cocaine moving to Europe and North America;

illicit cultivator of cannabis

Serbia

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin moving to

Western Europe on the Balkan route; economy vulnerable to money

laundering

Singapore

drug abuse limited because of aggressive law enforcement

efforts; as a transportation and financial services hub, Singapore

is vulnerable, despite strict laws and enforcement, as a venue for

money laundering

Slovakia

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin bound for

Western Europe; producer of synthetic drugs for regional market;

consumer of ecstasy

Slovenia

minor transit point for cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin

bound for Western Europe, and for precursor chemicals

South Africa

transshipment center for heroin, hashish, and cocaine,

as well as a major cultivator of marijuana in its own right; cocaine

and heroin consumption on the rise; world's largest market for

illicit methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through

various east African countries, but increasingly producing its own

synthetic drugs for domestic consumption; attractive venue for money

launderers given the increasing level of organized criminal and

narcotics activity in the region and the size of the South African

economy

Spain

despite rigorous law enforcement efforts, North African, Latin

American, Galician, and other European traffickers take advantage of

Spain's long coastline to land large shipments of cocaine and

hashish for distribution to the European market; consumer for Latin

American cocaine and North African hashish; destination and minor

transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering

site for Colombian narcotics trafficking organizations and organized

crime

Suriname

growing transshipment point for South American drugs

destined for Europe via the Netherlands and Brazil; transshipment

point for arms-for-drugs dealing

Switzerland

a major international financial center vulnerable to the

layering and integration stages of money laundering; despite

significant legislation and reporting requirements, secrecy rules

persist and nonresidents are permitted to conduct business through

offshore entities and various intermediaries; transit country for

and consumer of South American cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin, and

Western European synthetics; domestic cannabis cultivation and

limited ecstasy production

Syria

a transit point for opiates, hashish, and cocaine bound for

regional and Western markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls

and bank privatization may leave it vulnerable to money laundering

Taiwan

regional transit point for heroin, methamphetamine, and

precursor chemicals; transshipment point for drugs to Japan; major

problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin;

rising problems with use of ketamine and club drugs

Tajikistan

major transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for

Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited

illicit cultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption;

Tajikistan seizes roughly 80% of all drugs captured in Central Asia

and stands third worldwide in seizures of opiates (heroin and raw

opium); significant consumer of opiates

Tanzania

growing role in transshipment of Southwest and Southeast

Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for South African,

European, and US markets and of South Asian methaqualone bound for

southern Africa; money laundering remains a problem

Thailand

a minor producer of opium, heroin, and marijuana; transit

point for illicit heroin en route to the international drug market

from Burma and Laos; eradication efforts have reduced the area of

cannabis cultivation and shifted some production to neighboring

countries; opium poppy cultivation has been reduced by eradication

efforts; also a drug money-laundering center; minor role in

methamphetamine production for regional consumption; major consumer

of methamphetamine since the 1990s despite a series of government

crackdowns

Timor-Leste

NA

Togo

transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine traffickers; money

laundering not a significant problem

Trinidad and Tobago

transshipment point for South American drugs

destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis

Turkey

key transit route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western

Europe and, to a lesser extent, the US - via air, land, and sea

routes; major Turkish and other international trafficking

organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert

imported morphine base into heroin exist in remote regions of Turkey

and near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over areas

of legal opium poppy cultivation and over output of poppy straw

concentrate; lax enforcement of money-laundering controls

Turkmenistan

transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian

and Western European markets; transit point for heroin precursor

chemicals bound for Afghanistan

Turks and Caicos Islands

transshipment point for South American

narcotics destined for the US and Europe

Ukraine

limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for

CIS consumption; some synthetic drug production for export to the

West; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment

point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Africa, Latin

America, and Turkey to Europe and Russia; Ukraine has improved

anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the

Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and

Territories List in February 2004; Ukraine's anti-money-laundering

regime continues to be monitored by FATF

United Arab Emirates

the UAE is a drug transshipment point for

traffickers given its proximity to Southwest Asian drug-producing

countries; the UAE's position as a major financial center makes it

vulnerable to money laundering; anti-money-laundering controls

improving, but informal banking remains unregulated

United Kingdom

producer of limited amounts of synthetic drugs and

synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of Southwest Asian

heroin, Latin American cocaine, and synthetic drugs;

money-laundering center

United States

world's largest consumer of cocaine (shipped from

Colombia through Mexico and the Caribbean), Colombian heroin, and

Mexican heroin and marijuana; major consumer of ecstasy and Mexican

methamphetamine; minor consumer of high-quality Southeast Asian

heroin; illicit producer of cannabis, marijuana, depressants,

stimulants, hallucinogens, and methamphetamine; money-laundering

center

Uruguay

small-scale transit country for drugs mainly bound for

Europe, often through sea-borne containers; law enforcement

corruption; money laundering because of strict banking secrecy laws;

weak border control along Brazilian frontier; increasing consumption

of cocaine base and synthetic drugs

Uzbekistan

transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian

and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit

cultivation of cannabis and small amounts of opium poppy for

domestic consumption; poppy cultivation almost wiped out by

government crop eradication program; transit point for heroin

precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan

Venezuela

small-scale illicit producer of opium and coca for the

processing of opiates and coca derivatives; however, large

quantities of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana transit the country

from Colombia bound for US and Europe; significant narcotics-related

money-laundering activity, especially along the border with Colombia

and on Margarita Island; active eradication program primarily

targeting opium; increasing signs of drug-related activities by

Colombian insurgents on border

Vietnam

minor producer of opium poppy; probable minor transit point

for Southeast Asian heroin; government continues to face domestic

opium/heroin/methamphetamine addiction problems despite longstanding

crackdowns

World

cocaine: worldwide coca leaf cultivation in 2007 amounted to

232,500 hectares; Colombia produced slightly more than two-thirds of

the worldwide crop, followed by Peru and Bolivia; potential pure

cocaine production decreased 7% to 865 metric tons in 2007; Colombia

conducts aggressive coca eradication campaign, but both Peruvian and

Bolivian Governments are hesitant to eradicate coca in key growing

areas; 551 metric tons of export-quality cocaine (85% pure) is

documented to have been seized or destroyed in 2005; US consumption

of export quality cocaine is estimated to have been in excess of 380

metric tons

opiates: worldwide illicit opium poppy cultivation continued to

increase in 2007, with a potential opium production of 8,400 metric

tons, reaching the highest levels recorded since estimates began in

mid-1980s; Afghanistan is world's primary opium producer, accounting

for 95% of the global supply; Southeast Asia - responsible for 9% of

global opium - saw marginal increases in production; Latin America

produced 1% of global opium, but most was refined into heroin

destined for the US market; if all potential opium was processed

into pure heroin, the potential global production would be 1,000

metric tons of heroin in 2007

Zambia

transshipment point for moderate amounts of methaqualone,

small amounts of heroin, and cocaine bound for southern Africa and

possibly Europe; a poorly developed financial infrastructure coupled

with a government commitment to combating money laundering make it

an unattractive venue for money launderers; major consumer of

cannabis

Zimbabwe

transit point for cannabis and South Asian heroin, mandrax,

and methamphetamines en route to South Africa

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2087 Imports

Afghanistan

$3.823 billion (2006)

Albania

$3.999 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Algeria

$26.25 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

American Samoa

$308.8 million (FY04 est.)

Andorra

$1.879 billion (2005)

Angola

$12.29 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Anguilla

$143 million (2006)

Antigua and Barbuda

$522.8 million (2007 est.)

Argentina

$42.53 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Armenia

$2.807 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Aruba

$1.054 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Australia

$160 billion (2007 est.)

Austria

$160.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

$6.045 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

$2.401 billion (2006)

Bahrain

$10.93 billion (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

$16.67 billion (2007 est.)

Barbados

$1.586 billion (2006)

Belarus

$28.32 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Belgium

$323.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Belize

$642 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Benin

$1.085 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Bermuda

$1.162 billion (2006)

Bhutan

$320 million c.i.f. (2006)

Bolivia

$3.249 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

$9.947 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Botswana

$3.403 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Brazil

$120.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

$187 million (2002 est.)

Brunei

$2 billion c.i.f. (2006)

Bulgaria

$28.67 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

$1.296 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Burma

$2.942 billion f.o.b.

note: import figures are grossly underestimated due to the value of

consumer goods, diesel fuel, and other products smuggled in from

Thailand, China, Malaysia, and India (2007 est.)

Burundi

$272 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Cambodia

$5.424 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Cameroon

$3.714 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Canada

$386.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

$743.6 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

$866.9 million (2004)

Central African Republic

$237.3 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Chad

$1.158 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Chile

$43.99 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

China

$904.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Christmas Island

$NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

$NA

Colombia

$31.17 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Comoros

$143 million f.o.b. (2006)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

$2.263 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Congo, Republic of the

$2.634 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Cook Islands

$81.04 million (2005)

Costa Rica

$12.26 billion (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

$5.932 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Croatia

$25.99 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Cuba

$10.08 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Cyprus

$7.84 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

$116.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Denmark

$102 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Djibouti

$1.555 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Dominica

$296 million f.o.b. (2006)

Dominican Republic

$13.82 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Ecuador

$12.76 billion (2007 est.)

Egypt

$44.95 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

El Salvador

$8.108 billion (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

$3.083 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Eritrea

$573 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Estonia

$14.75 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

$5.165 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

European Union

$1.466 trillion; note - external imports, excluding

intra-EU trade (2005)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

$90 million (2004 est.)

Faroe Islands

$751 million c.i.f. (2006)

Fiji

$3.12 billion c.i.f. (2006)

Finland

$78.05 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

France

$600.9 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

$1.706 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Gabon

$2.107 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

$271 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Gaza Strip

$2.44 billion c.i.f.; (includes West Bank) (2005)

Georgia

$4.977 billion (2007 est.)

Germany

$1.075 trillion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Ghana

$8.053 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Gibraltar

$2.967 billion c.i.f. (2004 est.)

Greece

$80.79 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Greenland

$712 million c.i.f. (2006)

Grenada

$343 million (2006)

Guam

$701 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Guatemala

$12.62 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Guernsey

$NA

Guinea

$1.202 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

$200 million f.o.b. (2006)

Guyana

$1.006 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Haiti

$1.734 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Honduras

$8.556 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

$365.6 billion (2007 est.)

Hungary

$86.88 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Iceland

$6.181 billion (2007 est.)

India

$230.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Indonesia

$84.93 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Iran

$53.88 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Iraq

$25.67 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Ireland

$84.76 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Isle of Man

$NA

Israel

$55.79 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Italy

$498.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Jamaica

$5.784 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Japan

$573.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Jersey

$NA

Jordan

$12.02 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

$33.21 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Kenya

$8.54 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Kiribati

$62 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)

Korea, North

$2.879 billion c.i.f. (2006)

Korea, South

$349.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Kosovo

$NA

Kuwait

$20.64 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

$2.636 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Laos

$1.378 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Latvia

$14.82 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Lebanon

$11.93 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Lesotho

$1.536 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Liberia

$7.143 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Libya

$14.43 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Liechtenstein

$917.3 million (1996)

Lithuania

$22.8 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

$23.13 billion c.i.f. (2007 est.)

Macau

$4.559 billion c.i.f. (2006)

Macedonia

$4.977 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Madagascar

$1.918 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Malawi

$866 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Malaysia

$139.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Maldives

$930 million f.o.b. (2006)

Mali

$2.358 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Malta

$4.541 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Marshall Islands

$54.7 million f.o.b. (2000)

Mauritania

$1.475 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Mauritius

$3.656 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Mayotte

$341 million f.o.b.; note - excludes petroleum imports (2005)

Mexico

$281.9 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

$132.7 million f.o.b. (2004)

Moldova

$3.677 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Monaco

$916.1 million

note: full customs integration with France, which collects and

rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in EU market

system through customs union with France (2005)

Mongolia

$2.117 billion c.i.f. (2007)

Montenegro

$601.7 million (2003)

Montserrat

$17 million (2001)

Morocco

$28.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Mozambique

$2.811 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Namibia

$3.091 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Nauru

$20 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)

Nepal

$2.398 billion f.o.b. (2006)

Netherlands

$406.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

$15.74 billion f.o.b. (2006)

New Caledonia

$1.998 billion f.o.b. (2006)

New Zealand

$29.06 billion (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

$4.078 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Niger

$800 million f.o.b. (2006)

Nigeria

$38.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Niue

$9.038 million (2004)

Norfolk Island

$17.9 million c.i.f. (FY91/92)

Northern Mariana Islands

$214.4 million (2001)

Norway

$77.24 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Oman

$11 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Pakistan

$28.76 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Palau

$107.3 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Panama

$12.62 billion f.o.b.

note: includes the Colon Free Zone (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

$2.629 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Paraguay

$6.094 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Peru

$19.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Philippines

$57.56 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

$NA

Poland

$160.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Portugal

$75.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

$29.1 billion c.i.f. (2001)

Qatar

$19.86 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Romania

$64.54 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Russia

$223.4 billion (2007 est.)

Rwanda

$637 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Saint Helena

$45 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

$383 million (2006)

Saint Lucia

$791 million (2006)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

$68.2 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

$578 million (2006)

Samoa

$324 million f.o.b. (2006)

San Marino

$2.035 billion (2004)

Sao Tome and Principe

$66 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

$82.64 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Senegal

$3.731 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Serbia

$18.35 billion (2007 est.)

Seychelles

$823 million f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

$560 million f.o.b. (2006)

Singapore

$252 billion (2007 est.)

Slovakia

$58.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Slovenia

$29.39 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

$256 million f.o.b. (2006)

Somalia

$798 million f.o.b. (2006)

South Africa

$81.89 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Spain

$380.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

$10.36 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Sudan

$7.722 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Suriname

$1.297 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Svalbard

$NA

Swaziland

$1.914 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Sweden

$151.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Switzerland

$187.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Syria

$10.5 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Taiwan

$215.1 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

$2.762 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Tanzania

$4.861 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Thailand

$125.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

$202 million (2004 est.)

Togo

$1.201 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Tokelau

$969,200 c.i.f. (2002)

Tonga

$139 million f.o.b. (2006)

Trinidad and Tobago

$7.67 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Tunisia

$18.02 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Turkey

$162 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

$4.516 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

$175.6 million (2000)

Tuvalu

$12.91 million c.i.f. (2005)

Uganda

$2.983 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Ukraine

$60.41 billion (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

$116.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

$621.4 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

United States

$1.968 trillion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Uruguay

$5.554 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

$4.48 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

$156 million c.i.f. (2006)

Venezuela

$45.46 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Vietnam

$58.92 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

$4.609 billion (2001)

Wallis and Futuna

$61.17 million f.o.b. (2004)

West Bank

$2.44 billion c.i.f.; (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)

Western Sahara

$NA

World

$13.74 trillion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Yemen

$6.735 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Zambia

$3.611 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

$2.183 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2088 Independence

Afghanistan

19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign

affairs)

Albania

28 November 1912 (from the Ottoman Empire)

Algeria

5 July 1962 (from France)

American Samoa

none (territory of the US)

Andorra

1278 (formed under the joint suzerainty of the French Count

of Foix and the Spanish Bishop of Urgel)

Angola

11 November 1975 (from Portugal)

Anguilla

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Antigua and Barbuda

1 November 1981 (from UK)

Argentina

9 July 1816 (from Spain)

Armenia

21 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Aruba

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Australia

1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)

Austria

976 (Margravate of Austria established); 17 September 1156

(Duchy of Austria founded); 11 August 1804 (Austrian Empire

proclaimed); 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed)

Azerbaijan

30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Bahamas, The

10 July 1973 (from UK)

Bahrain

15 August 1971 (from UK)

Bangladesh

16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March

1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December

1971 is known as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation

of the state of Bangladesh

Barbados

30 November 1966 (from UK)

Belarus

25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Belgium

4 October 1830 (a provisional government declared

independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King LEOPOLD I

ascended to the throne)

Belize

21 September 1981 (from UK)

Benin

1 August 1960 (from France)

Bermuda

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Bhutan

1907 (became a unified kingdom under its first hereditary

king)

Bolivia

6 August 1825 (from Spain)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

1 March 1992 (from Yugoslavia; referendum for

independence completed 1 March 1992; independence declared 3 March

1992)

Botswana

30 September 1966 (from UK)

Brazil

7 September 1822 (from Portugal)

British Virgin Islands

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Brunei

1 January 1984 (from UK)

Bulgaria

3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the

Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the

Ottoman Empire)

Burkina Faso

5 August 1960 (from France)

Burma

4 January 1948 (from UK)

Burundi

1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian

administration)

Cambodia

9 November 1953 (from France)

Cameroon

1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)

Canada

1 July 1867 (union of British North American colonies); 11

December 1931 (recognized by UK)

Cape Verde

5 July 1975 (from Portugal)

Cayman Islands

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Central African Republic

13 August 1960 (from France)

Chad

11 August 1960 (from France)

Chile

18 September 1810 (from Spain)

China

221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty); 1 January

1912 (Manchu Dynasty replaced by a Republic); 1 October 1949

(People's Republic established)

Christmas Island

none (territory of Australia)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

none (territory of Australia)

Colombia

20 July 1810 (from Spain)

Comoros

6 July 1975 (from France)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

30 June 1960 (from Belgium)

Congo, Republic of the

15 August 1960 (from France)

Cook Islands

none (became self-governing in free association with

New Zealand on 4 August 1965 and has the right at any time to move

to full independence by unilateral action)

Costa Rica

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

Cote d'Ivoire

7 August 1960 (from France)

Croatia

25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

Cuba

20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the

US from 1898 to 1902); not acknowledged by the Cuban Government as a

day of independence

Cyprus

16 August 1960 (from UK); note - Turkish Cypriots proclaimed

self-rule on 13 February 1975 and independence in 1983, but these

proclamations are only recognized by Turkey

Czech Republic

1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech

Republic and Slovakia)

Denmark

first organized as a unified state in 10th century; in 1849

became a constitutional monarchy

Djibouti

27 June 1977 (from France)

Dominica

3 November 1978 (from UK)

Dominican Republic

27 February 1844 (from Haiti)

Ecuador

24 May 1822 (from Spain)

Egypt

28 February 1922 (from UK)

El Salvador

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

Equatorial Guinea

12 October 1968 (from Spain)

Eritrea

24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia)

Estonia

20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Ethiopia

oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest

in the world - at least 2,000 years

European Union

7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed

establishing the EU); 1 November 1993 (Maastricht Treaty entered

into force)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

none (overseas territory of the

UK; also claimed by Argentina)

Faroe Islands

none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing

overseas administrative division of Denmark)

Fiji

10 October 1970 (from UK)

Finland

6 December 1917 (from Russia)

France

486 (Frankish tribes unified); 843 (Western Francia

established from the division of the Carolingian Empire)

French Polynesia

none (overseas lands of France)

Gabon

17 August 1960 (from France)

Gambia, The

18 February 1965 (from UK)

Georgia

9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Germany

18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided into

four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later, France) in 1945

following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West

Germany) proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and

French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany)

proclaimed 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone;

unification of West Germany and East Germany took place 3 October

1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights 15 March 1991

Ghana

6 March 1957 (from UK)

Gibraltar

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Greece

1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)

Greenland

none (extensive self-rule as part of the Kingdom of

Denmark; foreign affairs is the responsibility of Denmark, but

Greenland actively participates in international agreements relating

to Greenland)

Grenada

7 February 1974 (from UK)

Guam

none (territory of the US)

Guatemala

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

Guernsey

none (British crown dependency)

Guinea

2 October 1958 (from France)

Guinea-Bissau

24 September 1973 (declared); 10 September 1974 (from

Portugal)

Guyana

26 May 1966 (from UK)

Haiti

1 January 1804 (from France)

Holy See (Vatican City)

11 February 1929 (from Italy); note - the

three treaties signed with Italy on 11 February 1929 acknowledged,

among other things, the full sovereignty of the Vatican and

established its territorial extent; however, the origin of the Papal

States, which over the years have varied considerably in extent, may

be traced back to the 8th century

Honduras

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

Hong Kong

none (special administrative region of China)

Hungary

25 December 1000 (crowning of King STEPHEN I, traditional

founding date)

Iceland

1 December 1918 (became a sovereign state under the Danish

Crown); 17 June 1944 (from Denmark)

India

15 August 1947 (from UK)

Indonesia

17 August 1945 (declared)

note: recognized by the Netherlands on 27 December 1949; in August

2005, the Netherlands announced it recognized de facto Indonesian

independence on 17 August 1945

Iran

1 April 1979 (Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed)

Iraq

3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British

administration); note - on 28 June 2004 the Coalition Provisional

Authority transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi-controlled Government

Ireland

6 December 1921 (from UK by treaty)

Isle of Man

none (British crown dependency)

Israel

14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British

administration)

Italy

17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed; Italy was not

finally unified until 1870)

Jamaica

6 August 1962 (from UK)

Japan

660 B.C. (traditional founding by Emperor JIMMU)

Jersey

none (British crown dependency)

Jordan

25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British

administration)

Kazakhstan

16 December 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Kenya

12 December 1963 (from UK)

Kiribati

12 July 1979 (from UK)

Korea, North

15 August 1945 (from Japan)

Korea, South

15 August 1945 (from Japan)

Kosovo

17 February 2008 (from Serbia)

Kuwait

19 June 1961 (from UK)

Kyrgyzstan

31 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Laos

19 July 1949 (from France)

Latvia

18 November 1918 (from Soviet Russia)

Lebanon

22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under

French administration)

Lesotho

4 October 1966 (from UK)

Liberia

26 July 1847

Libya

24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship)

Liechtenstein

23 January 1719 (Principality of Liechtenstein

established); 12 July 1806 (independence from the Holy Roman Empire)

Lithuania

11 March 1990 (declared); 6 September 1991 (recognized by

Soviet Union)

Luxembourg

1839 (from the Netherlands)

Macau

none (special administrative region of China)

Macedonia

8 September 1991 (referendum by registered voters endorsed

independence from Yugoslavia)

Madagascar

26 June 1960 (from France)

Malawi

6 July 1964 (from UK)

Malaysia

31 August 1957 (from UK)

Maldives

26 July 1965 (from UK)

Mali

22 September 1960 (from France)

Malta

21 September 1964 (from UK)

Marshall Islands 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)

Mauritania

28 November 1960 (from France)

Mauritius

12 March 1968 (from UK)

Mayotte

none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)

Mexico

16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized

by Spain)

Micronesia, Federated States of

3 November 1986 (from the

US-administered UN trusteeship)

Moldova

27 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Monaco

1419 (beginning of rule by the House of Grimaldi)

Mongolia

11 July 1921 (from China)

Montenegro

3 June 2006 (from Serbia and Montenegro)

Montserrat

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Morocco

2 March 1956 (from France)

Mozambique

25 June 1975 (from Portugal)

Namibia

21 March 1990 (from South African mandate)

Nauru

31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered

UN trusteeship)

Nepal

1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan SHAH)

Netherlands

23 January 1579 (the northern provinces of the Low

Countries conclude the Union of Utrecht breaking with Spain; on 26

July 1581 they formally declared their independence with an Act of

Abjuration; however, it was not until 30 January 1648 and the Peace

of Westphalia that Spain recognized this independence)

Netherlands Antilles

none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

New Caledonia

none (overseas territory of France); note - a

referendum on independence was held in 1998 but did not pass; a new

referendum is scheduled for 2014

New Zealand

26 September 1907 (from UK)

Nicaragua

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

Niger

3 August 1960 (from France)

Nigeria

1 October 1960 (from UK)

Niue

on 19 October 1974, Niue became a self-governing parliamentary

government in free association with New Zealand

Norfolk Island

none (territory of Australia)

Northern Mariana Islands

none (commonwealth in political union with

the US)

Norway

7 June 1905 (Norway declared the union with Sweden

dissolved); 26 October 1905 (Sweden agreed to the repeal of the

union)

Oman

1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)

Pakistan

14 August 1947 (from British India)

Palau

1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)

Panama

3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain

28 November 1821)

Papua New Guinea

16 September 1975 (from the Australian-administered

UN trusteeship)

Paraguay

14 May 1811 (from Spain)

Peru

28 July 1821 (from Spain)

Philippines

12 June 1898 (independence proclaimed from Spain); 4

July 1946 (from the US)

Pitcairn Islands

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Poland

11 November 1918 (republic proclaimed)

Portugal

1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910

(republic proclaimed)

Puerto Rico

none (territory of the US with commonwealth status)

Qatar

3 September 1971 (from UK)

Romania

9 May 1877 (independence proclaimed from the Ottoman Empire;

independence recognized 13 July 1878 by the Treaty of Berlin); 26

March 1881 (kingdom proclaimed); 30 December 1947 (republic

proclaimed)

Russia

24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Rwanda

1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)

Saint Barthelemy

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Saint Helena

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

19 September 1983 (from UK)

Saint Lucia

22 February 1979 (from UK)

Saint Martin

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon none (territorial collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

27 October 1979 (from UK)

Samoa

1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship)

San Marino

3 September AD 301

Sao Tome and Principe

12 July 1975 (from Portugal)

Saudi Arabia

23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom)

Senegal

4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence

achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960

Serbia

5 June 2006 (from Serbia and Montenegro)

Seychelles

29 June 1976 (from UK)

Sierra Leone

27 April 1961 (from UK)

Singapore

9 August 1965 (from Malaysian Federation)

Slovakia

1 January 1993 (Czechoslovakia split into the Czech

Republic and Slovakia)

Slovenia

25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

Solomon Islands

7 July 1978 (from UK)

Somalia

1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland, which

became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960, and Italian

Somaliland, which became independent from the Italian-administered

UN trusteeship on 1 July 1960, to form the Somali Republic)

South Africa

31 May 1910 (Union of South Africa formed from four

British colonies: Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange Free

State); 31 May 1961 (republic declared) 27 April 1994 (majority rule)

Spain

the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of

independent kingdoms prior to the Muslim occupation that began in

the early 8th century A.D. and lasted nearly seven centuries; the

small Christian redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost

immediately, culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this

event completed the unification of several kingdoms and is

traditionally considered the forging of present-day Spain

Sri Lanka

4 February 1948 (from UK)

Sudan

1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)

Suriname

25 November 1975 (from the Netherlands)

Svalbard

none (territory of Norway)

Swaziland

6 September 1968 (from UK)

Sweden

6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king)

Switzerland

1 August 1291 (founding of the Swiss Confederation)

Syria

17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French

administration)

Tajikistan

9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Tanzania

26 April 1964; Tanganyika became independent 9 December

1961 (from UK-administered UN trusteeship); Zanzibar became

independent 19 December 1963 (from UK); Tanganyika united with

Zanzibar 26 April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and

Zanzibar; renamed United Republic of Tanzania 29 October 1964

Thailand

1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized)

Timor-Leste

28 November 1975 (independence proclaimed from

Portugal); note - 20 May 2002 is the official date of international

recognition of Timor-Leste's independence from Indonesia

Togo

27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)

Tokelau

none (territory of New Zealand)

Tonga

4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate)

Trinidad and Tobago

31 August 1962 (from UK)

Tunisia

20 March 1956 (from France)

Turkey

29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire)

Turkmenistan

27 October 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Turks and Caicos Islands

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Tuvalu

1 October 1978 (from UK)

Uganda

9 October 1962 (from UK)

Ukraine

24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

United Arab Emirates

2 December 1971 (from UK)

United Kingdom

England has existed as a unified entity since the

10th century; the union between England and Wales, begun in 1284

with the Statute of Rhuddlan, was not formalized until 1536 with an

Act of Union; in another Act of Union in 1707, England and Scotland

agreed to permanently join as Great Britain; the legislative union

of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the

adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of

Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United

Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in

1927

United States

4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)

Uruguay

25 August 1825 (from Brazil)

Uzbekistan

1 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Vanuatu

30 July 1980 (from France and UK)

Venezuela

5 July 1811 (from Spain)

Vietnam

2 September 1945 (from France)

Virgin Islands

none (territory of the US)

Wallis and Futuna

none (overseas territory of France)

Yemen

22 May 1990 (Republic of Yemen was established with the merger

of the Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and the

Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen

(Aden) or South Yemen]); note - previously North Yemen became

independent in November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and became a

republic with the overthrow of the theocratic Imamate in 1962; South

Yemen became independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)

Zambia

24 October 1964 (from UK)

Zimbabwe

18 April 1980 (from UK)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2089 Industrial production growth rate (%)

Afghanistan

NA%

Albania

4% (2007 est.)

Algeria

5% (2007 est.)

American Samoa

NA%

Andorra

NA%

Angola

23.9% (2007 est.)

Anguilla

3.1% (1997 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

NA%

Argentina

7.5% (2007 est.)

Armenia

3.2% (2007 est.)

Aruba

NA%

Australia

4.1% (2007 est.)

Austria

5.7% (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

25% (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

NA%

Bahrain

5.2% (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

8.4% (2007 est.)

Barbados

-3.2% (2000 est.)

Belarus

5% (2007 est.)

Belgium

2.8% (2007 est.)

Belize

0.5% (2007 est.)

Benin

4.5% (2007 est.)

Bermuda

NA%

Bhutan

9.3% (1996 est.)

Bolivia

1.1% (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

6.7% (2007 est.)

Botswana

4.2% (2007 est.)

Brazil

4.9% (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

NA%

Brunei

1.8% (2005 est.)

Bulgaria

14% (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

5.2% (2007 est.)

Burma

9% (2007 est.)

Burundi

6.4% (2007 est.)

Cambodia

15% (2007 est.)

Cameroon

3.5% (2007 est.)

Canada

0.3% (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

7.5% (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

NA%

Central African Republic

3% (2002)

Chad

2% (2007 est.)

Chile

11.1% (2007 est.)

China

13.4% (2007 est.)

Colombia

9.8% (2007 est.)

Comoros

-2% (1999 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

NA%

Congo, Republic of the

-12% (2007 est.)

Cook Islands

1% (2002)

Costa Rica

7.3% (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

-1.8% (2007 est.)

Croatia

5.3% (2007 est.)

Cuba

2.5% (2007 est.)

Cyprus

3.8% (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

9.8% (2007 est.)

Denmark

0.5% (2007 est.)

Djibouti

3% (1996 est.)

Dominica

-10% (1997 est.)

Dominican Republic

2.4% (2007 est.)

Ecuador

1.4% (2007 est.)

Egypt

7.5% (2007 est.)

El Salvador

3.4% (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

10.1% (2007 est.)

Eritrea

2% (2007 est.)

Estonia

7.7% (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

11% (2007 est.)

European Union

3.2% (2006 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

NA%

Faroe Islands

8% (1999 est.)

Fiji

NA%

Finland

8.1% (2007 est.)

France

1.8% (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

NA%

Gabon

5.2% (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

-2.3% (2007 est.)

Gaza Strip

2.4% (includes West Bank) (2005)

Georgia

13.4% (2007 est.)

Germany

5.2% (2007 est.)

Ghana

7.8% (2007 est.)

Gibraltar

NA%

Greece

2.2% (2007 est.)

Greenland

NA%

Grenada

0.7% (1997 est.)

Guam

NA%

Guatemala

4.8% (2007 est.)

Guernsey

NA%

Guinea

7.6% (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

4.7% (2003 est.)

Guyana

-26.4% (2007 est.)

Haiti

2.5% (2007 est.)

Honduras

4.4% (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

-0.8% (2007 est.)

Hungary

3.5% (2007 est.)

Iceland

9% (2007 est.)

India

8.5% (2007 est.)

Indonesia

4.7% (2007 est.)

Iran

4.8% excluding oil (2007 est.)

Iraq

7.9% (2007 est.)

Ireland

5% (2007 est.)

Isle of Man

3.2% (FY96/97)

Israel

4.1% (2007 est.)

Italy

0.6% (2007 est.)

Jamaica

1.2% (2007 est.)

Japan

1.3% (2007 est.)

Jersey

NA%

Jordan

7.7% (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

7.2% (2007 est.)

Kenya

6.8% (2007 est.)

Kiribati

0.7% (1991 est.)

Korea, North

NA%

Korea, South

5.5% (2007 est.)

Kuwait

1.7% (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

9.3% (2007 est.)

Laos

12% (2007 est.)

Latvia

5.4% (2007 est.)

Lebanon

NA%

Lesotho

12% (2007 est.)

Liberia

NA%

Libya

5.6% (2007 est.)

Liechtenstein

NA%

Lithuania

7.4% (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

1.7% (2007 est.)

Macau

3.8% (3rd quarter, 2007)

Macedonia

1.7% (2007 est.)

Madagascar

6% (2007 est.)

Malawi

4.4% (2007 est.)

Malaysia

3.3% (2007 est.)

Maldives

-0.9% (2004 est.)

Mali

NA%

Malta

NA%

Marshall Islands

NA%

Mauritania

2% (2000 est.)

Mauritius

4.7% (2007 est.)

Mayotte

NA%

Mexico

1.4% (2007 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

NA%

Moldova

1% (2007 est.)

Monaco

NA%

Mongolia

3% (2006 est.)

Montserrat

NA%

Morocco

5% (2007 est.)

Mozambique

10% (2007 est.)

Namibia

9% (2007 est.)

Nauru

NA%

Nepal

2.2% (FY05/06)

Netherlands

3.1% (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

NA%

New Caledonia

-0.6% (1996)

New Zealand

1.5% (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

5% (2007 est.)

Niger

5.1% (2003 est.)

Nigeria

3.2% (2007 est.)

Niue

NA%

Northern Mariana Islands

NA%

Norway

0.1% (2007 est.)

Oman

3.2% (2007 est.)

Pakistan

8% (2007 est.)

Palau

NA%

Panama

10.5% (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

6.4% (2007 est.)

Paraguay

-1% (2007 est.)

Peru

9.8% (2007 est.)

Philippines

7.1% (2007 est.)

Poland

8.9% (2007 est.)

Portugal

2.3% (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

NA%

Qatar

8% (2007 est.)

Romania

10.6% (2007 est.)

Russia

7.4% (2007 est.)

Rwanda

13.1% (2007 est.)

Saint Helena

NA%

Saint Kitts and Nevis

NA%

Saint Lucia

-8.9% (1997 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

NA%

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

-0.9% (1997 est.)

Samoa

2.8% (2000)

San Marino

5.6% (2005 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

7% (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

2.9% (2007 est.)

Senegal

5.2% (2007 est.)

Serbia

1.8% (2007 est.)

Seychelles

7% (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

NA%

Singapore

7.4% (2007 est.)

Slovakia

17.2% (2007 est.)

Slovenia

9.5% (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

NA%

Somalia

NA%

South Africa

4.4% (2007 est.)

Spain

3.1% (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

7.6% (2007 est.)

Sudan

22% (2007 est.)

Suriname

6.5% (1994 est.)

Swaziland

1.1% (2007 est.)

Sweden

3% (2007 est.)

Switzerland

6.5% (2006 est.)

Syria

2.5% (2007 est.)

Taiwan

9.2% (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

5% (2007 est.)

Tanzania

9.5% (2007 est.)

Thailand

5.4% (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

8.5% (2004 est.)

Togo

1% (2007 est.)

Tonga

1% (2003 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

6.5% (2007 est.)

Tunisia

7.2% (2007 est.)

Turkey

5.4% (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

10.3% (2007 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

NA%

Tuvalu

NA%

Uganda

5.8% (2007 est.)

Ukraine

6% (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

4.3% (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

0.5% (2007 est.)

United States

-1.7% (2007 est.)

Uruguay

7.9% (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

12.1% (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

1% (1997 est.)

Venezuela

3.9% (2007 est.)

Vietnam

10.6% (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

NA%

Wallis and Futuna

NA%

West Bank

2.4% (includes Gaza Strip) (2005)

Western Sahara

NA%

World

5% (2007 est.)

Yemen

3.2% (2007 est.)

Zambia

6.3% (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

-5% (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2090 Industries

Afghanistan

small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture,

shoes, fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal,

copper

Albania

food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement,

chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower

Algeria

petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining,

electrical, petrochemical, food processing

American Samoa

tuna canneries (largely supplied by foreign fishing

vessels), handicrafts

Andorra

tourism (particularly skiing), cattle raising, timber,

banking, tobacco, furniture

Angola

petroleum; diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, feldspar, bauxite,

uranium, and gold; cement; basic metal products; fish processing;

food processing, brewing, tobacco products, sugar; textiles; ship

repair

Anguilla

tourism, boat building, offshore financial services

Antigua and Barbuda

tourism, construction, light manufacturing

(clothing, alcohol, household appliances)

Argentina

food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables,

textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel

Armenia

diamond-processing, metal-cutting machine tools,

forging-pressing machines, electric motors, tires, knitted wear,

hosiery, shoes, silk fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments,

microelectronics, jewelry manufacturing, software development, food

processing, brandy

Aruba

tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining

Australia

mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food

processing, chemicals, steel

Austria

construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, metals,

chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard,

communications equipment, tourism

Azerbaijan

petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield

equipment; steel, iron ore; cement; chemicals and petrochemicals;

textiles

Bahamas, The

tourism, banking, cement, oil transshipment, salt, rum,

aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral-welded steel pipe

Bahrain

petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, iron

pelletization, fertilizers, Islamic and offshore banking, insurance,

ship repairing, tourism

Bangladesh

cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper

newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar

Barbados

tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for

export

Belarus

metal-cutting machine tools, tractors, trucks, earthmovers,

motorcycles, televisions, synthetic fibers, fertilizer, textiles,

radios, refrigerators

Belgium

engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly,

transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and

beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum

Belize

garment production, food processing, tourism, construction,

oil

Benin

textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement

Bermuda

international business, tourism, light manufacturing

Bhutan

cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages,

calcium carbide, tourism

Bolivia

mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverages, tobacco,

handicrafts, clothing

Bosnia and Herzegovina

steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese,

bauxite, vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden

furniture, tank and aircraft assembly, domestic appliances, oil

refining

Botswana

diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash; livestock

processing; textiles

Brazil

textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin,

steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and

equipment

British Virgin Islands

tourism, light industry, construction, rum,

concrete block, offshore financial center

Brunei

petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas,

construction

Bulgaria

electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco;

machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke,

refined petroleum, nuclear fuel

Burkina Faso

cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap,

cigarettes, textiles, gold

Burma

agricultural processing; wood and wood products; copper, tin,

tungsten, iron; cement, construction materials; pharmaceuticals;

fertilizer; natural gas; garments, jade and gems

Burundi

light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly

of imported components; public works construction; food processing

Cambodia

tourism, garments, rice milling, fishing, wood and wood

products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles

Cameroon

petroleum production and refining, aluminum production,

food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber, ship repair

Canada

transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and

unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, fish

products, petroleum and natural gas

Cape Verde

food and beverages, fish processing, shoes and garments,

salt mining, ship repair

Cayman Islands

tourism, banking, insurance and finance,

construction, construction materials, furniture

Central African Republic

gold and diamond mining, logging, brewing,

textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles

Chad

oil, cotton textiles, meatpacking, brewing, natron (sodium

carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials

Chile

copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and

steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles

China

mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other

metals, coal; machine building; armaments; textiles and apparel;

petroleum; cement; chemicals; fertilizers; consumer products,

including footwear, toys, and electronics; food processing;

transportation equipment, including automobiles, rail cars and

locomotives, ships, and aircraft; telecommunications equipment,

commercial space launch vehicles, satellites

Christmas Island

tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

copra products and tourism

Colombia

textiles, food processing, oil, clothing and footwear,

beverages, chemicals, cement; gold, coal, emeralds

Comoros

fishing, tourism, perfume distillation

Congo, Democratic Republic of the mining (diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, coltan zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement, commercial ship repair

Congo, Republic of the

petroleum extraction, cement, lumber,

brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap, flour, cigarettes

Cook Islands

fruit processing, tourism, fishing, clothing,

handicrafts

Costa Rica

microprocessors, food processing, medical equipment,

textiles and clothing, construction materials, fertilizer, plastic

products

Cote d'Ivoire

foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining,

truck and bus assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials,

electricity, ship construction and repair

Croatia

chemicals and plastics, machine tools, fabricated metal,

electronics, pig iron and rolled steel products, aluminum, paper,

wood products, construction materials, textiles, shipbuilding,

petroleum and petroleum refining, food and beverages, tourism

Cuba

sugar, petroleum, tobacco, construction, nickel, steel, cement,

agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals

Cyprus

tourism, food and beverage processing, cement and gypsum

production, ship repair and refurbishment, textiles, light

chemicals, metal products, wood, paper, stone, and clay products

Czech Republic

metallurgy, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles,

glass, armaments

Denmark

iron, steel, nonferrous metals, chemicals, food processing,

machinery and transportation equipment, textiles and clothing,

electronics, construction, furniture and other wood products,

shipbuilding and refurbishment, windmills, pharmaceuticals, medical

equipment

Dhekelia

none

Djibouti

construction, agricultural processing

Dominica

soap, coconut oil, tourism, copra, furniture, cement

blocks, shoes

Dominican Republic

tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold

mining, textiles, cement, tobacco

Ecuador

petroleum, food processing, textiles, wood products,

chemicals

Egypt

textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals,

pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals, light

manufactures

El Salvador

food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals,

fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals

Equatorial Guinea

petroleum, fishing, sawmilling, natural gas

Eritrea

food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles, light

manufacturing, salt, cement

Estonia

engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textiles;

information technology, telecommunications

Ethiopia

food processing, beverages, textiles, leather, chemicals,

metals processing, cement

European Union

among the world's largest and most technologically

advanced, the European Union industrial base includes: ferrous and

non-ferrous metal production and processing, metal products,

petroleum, coal, cement, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, rail

transportation equipment, passenger and commercial vehicles,

construction equipment, industrial equipment, shipbuilding,

electrical power equipment, machine tools and automated

manufacturing systems, electronics and telecommunications equipment,

fishing, food and beverage processing, furniture, paper, textiles,

tourism

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

fish and wool processing; tourism

Faroe Islands

fishing, fish processing, small ship repair and

refurbishment, handicrafts

Fiji

tourism, sugar, clothing, copra, gold, silver, lumber, small

cottage industries

Finland

metals and metal products, electronics, machinery and

scientific instruments, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, foodstuffs,

chemicals, textiles, clothing

France

machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft,

electronics; textiles, food processing; tourism

French Polynesia

tourism, pearls, agricultural processing,

handicrafts, phosphates

Gabon

petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, gold; chemicals,

ship repair, food and beverages, textiles, lumbering and plywood,

cement

Gambia, The

processing peanuts, fish, and hides; tourism, beverages,

agricultural machinery assembly, woodworking, metalworking, clothing

Gaza Strip

generally small family businesses that produce textiles,

soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the

Israelis had established some small-scale modern industries in an

industrial center, but operations ceased prior to Israel's

evacuation of Gaza Strip settlements

Georgia

steel, aircraft, machine tools, electrical appliances,

mining (manganese and copper), chemicals, wood products, wine

Germany

among the world's largest and most technologically advanced

producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery,

vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages,

shipbuilding, textiles

Ghana

mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting,

food processing, cement, small commercial ship building

Gibraltar

tourism, banking and finance, ship repairing, tobacco

Greece

tourism, food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals,

metal products; mining, petroleum

Greenland

fish processing (mainly shrimp and Greenland halibut);

gold, niobium, tantalite, uranium, iron and diamond mining;

handicrafts, hides and skins, small shipyards

Grenada

food and beverages, textiles, light assembly operations,

tourism, construction

Guam

US military, tourism, construction, transshipment services,

concrete products, printing and publishing, food processing, textiles

Guatemala

sugar, textiles and clothing, furniture, chemicals,

petroleum, metals, rubber, tourism

Guernsey

tourism, banking

Guinea

bauxite, gold, diamonds, iron; alumina refining; light

manufacturing, and agricultural processing

Guinea-Bissau

agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks

Guyana

bauxite, sugar, rice milling, timber, textiles, gold mining

Haiti

sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement, light

assembly based on imported parts

Holy See (Vatican City) printing; production of coins, medals, postage stamps; a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities

Honduras

sugar, coffee, textiles, clothing, wood products

Hong Kong

textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping,

electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks

Hungary

mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed foods,

textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor vehicles

Iceland

fish processing; aluminum smelting, ferrosilicon production;

geothermal power, tourism

India

textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation

equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software

Indonesia

petroleum and natural gas, textiles, apparel, footwear,

mining, cement, chemical fertilizers, plywood, rubber, food, tourism

Iran

petroleum, petrochemicals, fertilizers, caustic soda, textiles,

cement and other construction materials, food processing

(particularly sugar refining and vegetable oil production), ferrous

and non-ferrous metal fabrication, armaments

Iraq

petroleum, chemicals, textiles, leather, construction

materials, food processing, fertilizer, metal fabrication/processing

Ireland

steel, lead, zinc, silver, aluminum, barite, and gypsum

mining processing; food products, brewing, textiles, clothing;

chemicals, pharmaceuticals; machinery, rail transportation

equipment; glass and crystal; software, tourism

Isle of Man

financial services, light manufacturing, tourism

Israel

high-technology projects (including aviation, communications,

computer-aided design and manufactures, medical electronics, fiber

optics), wood and paper products, potash and phosphates, food,

beverages, and tobacco, caustic soda, cement, construction, metals

products, chemical products, plastics, diamond cutting, textiles,

footwear

Italy

tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food

processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics

Jamaica

tourism, bauxite/alumina, agro processing, light

manufactures, rum, cement, metal, paper, chemical products,

telecommunications

Japan

among world's largest and technologically advanced producers

of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and

nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed foods

Jersey

tourism, banking and finance, dairy, electronics

Jordan

clothing, phosphate mining, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals,

petroleum refining, cement, potash, inorganic chemicals, light

manufacturing, tourism

Kazakhstan

oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc,

copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron

and steel; tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric

motors, construction materials

Kenya

small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries,

textiles, clothing, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products,

horticulture, oil refining; aluminum, steel, lead; cement,

commercial ship repair, tourism

Kiribati

fishing, handicrafts

Korea, North

military products; machine building, electric power,

chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, graphite,

copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food

processing; tourism

Korea, South

electronics, telecommunications, automobile production,

chemicals, shipbuilding, steel

Kosovo

mineral mining, construction materials, base metals, leather,

machinery, appliances

Kuwait

petroleum, petrochemicals, cement, shipbuilding and repair,

water desalination, food processing, construction materials

Kyrgyzstan

small machinery, textiles, food processing, cement,

shoes, sawn logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold,

rare earth metals

Laos

copper, tin, gold, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power,

agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement

Latvia

buses, vans, street and railroad cars; synthetic fibers,

agricultural machinery, fertilizers, washing machines, radios,

electronics, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, textiles; note -

dependent on imports for energy and raw materials

Lebanon

banking, tourism, food processing, wine, jewelry, cement,

textiles, mineral and chemical products, wood and furniture

products, oil refining, metal fabricating

Lesotho

food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts,

construction, tourism

Liberia

rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds

Libya

petroleum, iron and steel, food processing, textiles,

handicrafts, cement

Liechtenstein

electronics, metal manufacturing, dental products,

ceramics, pharmaceuticals, food products, precision instruments,

tourism, optical instruments

Lithuania

metal-cutting machine tools, electric motors, television

sets, refrigerators and freezers, petroleum refining, shipbuilding

(small ships), furniture making, textiles, food processing,

fertilizers, agricultural machinery, optical equipment, electronic

components, computers, amber jewelry

Luxembourg

banking and financial services, iron and steel,

information technology, telecommunications, cargo transportation,

food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires,

glass, aluminum, tourism

Macau

tourism, gambling, clothing, textiles, electronics, footwear,

toys

Macedonia

food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, iron,

steel, cement, energy, pharmaceuticals

Madagascar

meat processing, seafood, soap, breweries, tanneries,

sugar, textiles, glassware, cement, automobile assembly plant,

paper, petroleum, tourism

Malawi

tobacco, tea, sugar, sawmill products, cement, consumer goods

Malaysia

Peninsular Malaysia - rubber and oil palm processing and

manufacturing, light manufacturing, electronics, tin mining and

smelting, logging, timber processing; Sabah - logging, petroleum

production; Sarawak - agriculture processing, petroleum production

and refining, logging

Maldives

tourism, fish processing, shipping, boat building, coconut

processing, garments, woven mats, rope, handicrafts, coral and sand

mining

Mali

food processing; construction; phosphate and gold mining

Malta

tourism, electronics, ship building and repair, construction,

food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, footwear, clothing, tobacco

Marshall Islands

copra, tuna processing, tourism, craft items (from

seashells, wood, and pearls)

Mauritania

fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum

Mauritius

food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles,

clothing, mining, chemicals, metal products, transport equipment,

nonelectrical machinery, tourism

Mayotte

newly created lobster and shrimp industry, construction

Mexico

food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel,

petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer

durables, tourism

Micronesia, Federated States of

tourism, construction; fish

processing, specialized aquaculture; craft items (from shell, wood,

and pearls)

Moldova

sugar, vegetable oil, food processing, agricultural

machinery; foundry equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing

machines; hosiery, shoes, textiles

Monaco

tourism, construction, small-scale industrial and consumer

products

Mongolia

construction and construction materials; mining (coal,

copper, molybdenum, fluorspar, tin, tungsten, and gold); oil; food

and beverages; processing of animal products, cashmere and natural

fiber manufacturing

Montenegro

steelmaking, aluminum, agricultural processing, consumer

goods, tourism

Montserrat

tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances

Morocco

phosphate rock mining and processing, food processing,

leather goods, textiles, construction, tourism

Mozambique

food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints),

aluminum, petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass, asbestos,

tobacco

Namibia

meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining

(diamonds, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper)

Nauru

phosphate mining, offshore banking, coconut products

Nepal

tourism, carpets, textiles; small rice, jute, sugar, and

oilseed mills; cigarettes, cement and brick production

Netherlands

agroindustries, metal and engineering products,

electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum,

construction, microelectronics, fishing

Netherlands Antilles

tourism (Curacao, Sint Maarten, and Bonaire),

petroleum refining (Curacao), petroleum transshipment facilities

(Curacao and Bonaire), light manufacturing (Curacao)

New Caledonia

nickel mining and smelting

New Zealand

food processing, wood and paper products, textiles,

machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism,

mining

Nicaragua

food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products,

textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages,

footwear, wood

Niger

uranium mining, cement, brick, soap, textiles, food

processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses

Nigeria

crude oil, coal, tin, columbite; palm oil, peanuts, cotton,

rubber, wood; hides and skins, textiles, cement and other

construction materials, food products, footwear, chemicals,

fertilizer, printing, ceramics, steel, small commercial ship

construction and repair

Niue

tourism, handicrafts, food processing

Norfolk Island

tourism, light industry, ready mixed concrete

Northern Mariana Islands

tourism, construction, garments, handicrafts

Norway

petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and

paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles, fishing

Oman

crude oil production and refining, natural and liquefied

natural gas (LNG) production; construction, cement, copper, steel,

chemicals, optic fiber

Pakistan

textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals,

construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp

Palau

tourism, craft items (from shell, wood, pearls), construction,

garment making

Panama

construction, brewing, cement and other construction

materials, sugar milling

Papua New Guinea

copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood

production, wood chip production; mining of gold, silver, and

copper; crude oil production, petroleum refining; construction,

tourism

Paraguay

sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products, steel,

metallurgic, electric power

Peru

mining and refining of minerals; steel, metal fabrication;

petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas; fishing and fish

processing, textiles, clothing, food processing

Philippines

electronics assembly, garments, footwear,

pharmaceuticals, chemicals, wood products, food processing,

petroleum refining, fishing

Pitcairn Islands

postage stamps, handicrafts, beekeeping, honey

Poland

machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals,

shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles

Portugal

textiles, clothing, footwear, wood and cork, paper,

chemicals, auto-parts manufacturing, base metals, diary products,

wine and other foods, porcelain and ceramics, glassware, technology,

telecommunications; ship construction and refurbishment; tourism

Puerto Rico

pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products,

tourism

Qatar

crude oil production and refining, ammonia, fertilizers,

petrochemicals, steel reinforcing bars, cement, commercial ship

repair

Romania

electric machinery and equipment, textiles and footwear,

light machinery and auto assembly, mining, timber, construction

materials, metallurgy, chemicals, food processing, petroleum refining

Russia

complete range of mining and extractive industries producing

coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building

from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles;

defense industries including radar, missile production, and advanced

electronic components, shipbuilding; road and rail transportation

equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery,

tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and

transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer

durables, textiles, foodstuffs, handicrafts

Rwanda

cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap,

furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes

Saint Helena

construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy

woodwork), fishing, philatelic sales

Saint Kitts and Nevis

tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing,

footwear, beverages

Saint Lucia

clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages,

corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism; lime processing, coconut

processing

Saint Martin

tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy

industry

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

fish processing and supply base for

fishing fleets; tourism

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

food processing, cement, furniture,

clothing, starch

Samoa

food processing, building materials, auto parts

San Marino

tourism, banking, textiles, electronics, ceramics,

cement, wine

Sao Tome and Principe

light construction, textiles, soap, beer, fish

processing, timber

Saudi Arabia

crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic

petrochemicals, ammonia, industrial gases, sodium hydroxide (caustic

soda), cement, fertilizer, plastics, metals, commercial ship repair,

commercial aircraft repair, construction

Senegal

agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining,

fertilizer production, petroleum refining; iron ore, zircon, and

gold mining, construction materials, ship construction and repair

Serbia

sugar, agricultural machinery, electrical and communication

equipment, paper and pulp, lead, transportation equipment

Seychelles

fishing, tourism, processing of coconuts and vanilla,

coir (coconut fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture;

beverages

Sierra Leone

diamond mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages,

textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small

commercial ship repair

Singapore

electronics, chemicals, financial services, oil drilling

equipment, petroleum refining, rubber processing and rubber

products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, offshore

platform construction, life sciences, entrepot trade

Slovakia

metal and metal products; food and beverages; electricity,

gas, coke, oil, nuclear fuel; chemicals and manmade fibers;

machinery; paper and printing; earthenware and ceramics; transport

vehicles; textiles; electrical and optical apparatus; rubber products

Slovenia

ferrous metallurgy and aluminum products, lead and zinc

smelting; electronics (including military electronics), trucks,

automobiles, electric power equipment, wood products, textiles,

chemicals, machine tools

Solomon Islands

fish (tuna), mining, timber

Somalia

a few light industries, including sugar refining, textiles,

wireless communication

South Africa

mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold,

chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles,

iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship

repair

Spain

textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages,

metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles,

machine tools, tourism, clay and refractory products, footwear,

pharmaceuticals, medical equipment

Sri Lanka

processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other

agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking;

clothing, textiles; cement, petroleum refining

Sudan

oil, cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar,

soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining, pharmaceuticals,

armaments, automobile/light truck assembly

Suriname

bauxite and gold mining, alumina production; oil,

lumbering, food processing, fishing

Swaziland

coal, wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textiles

and apparel

Sweden

iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and

telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed

foods, motor vehicles

Switzerland

machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision

instruments, tourism, banking, and insurance

Syria

petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco,

phosphate rock mining, cement, oil seeds crushing, car assembly

Taiwan

electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals,

textiles, iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing,

vehicles, consumer products, pharmaceuticals

Tajikistan

aluminum, zinc, lead; chemicals and fertilizers, cement,

vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and

freezers

Tanzania

agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal

twine); diamond, gold, and iron mining, salt, soda ash; cement, oil

refining, shoes, apparel, wood products, fertilizer

Thailand

tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing,

beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing such as jewelry and

electric appliances, computers and parts, integrated circuits,

furniture, plastics, automobiles and automotive parts; world's

second-largest tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer

Timor-Leste

printing, soap manufacturing, handicrafts, woven cloth

Togo

phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement, handicrafts,

textiles, beverages

Tokelau

small-scale enterprises for copra production, woodworking,

plaited craft goods; stamps, coins; fishing

Tonga

tourism, construction, fishing

Trinidad and Tobago

petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing,

cement, beverage, cotton textiles

Tunisia

petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore),

tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages

Turkey

textiles, food processing, autos, electronics, mining (coal,

chromite, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber,

paper

Turkmenistan

natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food

processing

Turks and Caicos Islands

tourism, offshore financial services

Tuvalu

fishing, tourism, copra

Uganda

sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles; cement, steel

production

Ukraine

coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals,

machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food processing

(especially sugar)

United Arab Emirates

petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing,

aluminum, cement, fertilizers, commercial ship repair, construction

materials, some boat building, handicrafts, textiles

United Kingdom

machine tools, electric power equipment, automation

equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor

vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment,

metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food

processing, textiles, clothing, other consumer goods

United States

leading industrial power in the world, highly

diversified and technologically advanced; petroleum, steel, motor

vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics,

food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining

Uruguay

food processing, electrical machinery, transportation

equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals, beverages

Uzbekistan

textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy,

gold, petroleum, natural gas, chemicals

Vanuatu

food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning

Venezuela

petroleum, construction materials, food processing,

textiles; iron ore mining, steel, aluminum; motor vehicle assembly

Vietnam

food processing, garments, shoes, machine-building; mining,

coal, steel; cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, paper

Virgin Islands

tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum

distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics

Wallis and Futuna

copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber

West Bank

generally small family businesses that produce cement,

textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs;

the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in

the settlements and industrial centers

Western Sahara

phosphate mining, handicrafts

World

dominated by the onrush of technology, especially in

computers, robotics, telecommunications, and medicines and medical

equipment; most of these advances take place in OECD nations; only a

small portion of non-OECD countries have succeeded in rapidly

adjusting to these technological forces; the accelerated development

of new industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating

already grim environmental problems

Yemen

crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale

production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing;

handicrafts; small aluminum products factory; cement; commercial

ship repair

Zambia

copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs,

beverages, chemicals, textiles, fertilizer, horticulture

Zimbabwe

mining (coal, gold, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, clay,

numerous metallic and nonmetallic ores), steel; wood products,

cement, chemicals, fertilizer, clothing and footwear, foodstuffs,

beverages

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2091 Infant mortality rate (deaths/1,000 live births)

Afghanistan

total: 154.67 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 158.88 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 150.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Albania

total: 19.31 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 19.74 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 18.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Algeria

total: 28.75 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 31.95 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 25.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

American Samoa

total: 10.46 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 13.69 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 7.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Andorra

total: 3.68 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 3.76 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Angola

total: 182.31 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 194.38 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 169.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Anguilla

total: 3.54 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 4.01 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

total: 17.49 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 20.21 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 14.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Argentina

total: 11.78 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 13.12 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 10.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Armenia

total: 20.94 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 25.82 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 15.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Aruba

total: 14.26 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 18.92 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 9.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Australia

total: 4.82 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 5.15 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Austria

total: 4.48 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 5.48 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Azerbaijan

total: 56.43 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 62.09 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 49.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Bahamas, The

total: 23.67 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 28.89 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 18.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Bahrain

total: 15.64 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 18.27 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 12.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Bangladesh

total: 57.45 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 58.44 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 56.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Barbados

total: 11.05 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 12.4 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 9.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Belarus

total: 6.53 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 7.56 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5.44 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Belgium

total: 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 5.06 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Belize

total: 23.65 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 26.35 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 20.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Benin

total: 66.2 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 69.68 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 62.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Bermuda

total: 7.87 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 9.31 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Bhutan

total: 51.92 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 53.1 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 50.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Bolivia

total: 49.09 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 52.54 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 45.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

total: 9.34 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 10.71 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 7.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Botswana

total: 44.01 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 44.94 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 43.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Brazil

total: 23.33 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 26.95 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 19.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

British Virgin Islands

total: 15.2 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 17.23 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 13.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Brunei

total: 12.69 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 15.19 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 10.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Bulgaria

total: 18.51 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 22 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 14.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Burkina Faso

total: 86.02 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 93.68 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 78.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Burma

total: 49.12 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 55.53 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 42.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Burundi

total: 60.77 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 67.6 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 53.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Cambodia

total: 56.59 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 63.76 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 49.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Cameroon

total: 64.57 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 69.39 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 59.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Canada

total: 5.08 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 5.4 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Cape Verde

total: 42.55 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 48.66 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 36.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Cayman Islands

total: 7.1 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 8.16 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 6.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Central African Republic

total: 82.13 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 88.84 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 75.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Chad

total: 100.36 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 106.48 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 94 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Chile

total: 7.9 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 8.7 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 7.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

China

total: 21.16 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 19.43 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 23.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Christmas Island

total: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

total: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Colombia

total: 19.51 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 23.18 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 15.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Comoros

total: 68.58 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 76.65 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 60.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

total: 83.11 deaths/1,000 live

births

male: 91.14 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 74.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

total: 81.29 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 86.9 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 75.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Cook Islands

total: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Costa Rica

total: 9.01 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 9.92 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 8.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

total: 69.76 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 77.06 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 62.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Croatia

total: 6.49 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 6.51 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 6.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Cuba

total: 5.93 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 6.64 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Cyprus

total: 6.75 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 8.34 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Czech Republic

total: 3.83 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 4.17 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Denmark

total: 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 4.44 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Djibouti

total: 99.13 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 106.65 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 91.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Dominica

total: 14.12 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 19 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 9.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Dominican Republic

total: 26.93 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 29.01 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 24.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Ecuador

total: 21.35 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 25.61 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 16.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Egypt

total: 28.36 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 30.06 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 26.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

El Salvador

total: 22.19 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 25.06 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 19.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

total: 83.75 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 84.85 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 82.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Eritrea

total: 44.34 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 50.09 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 38.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Estonia

total: 7.45 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 8.62 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 6.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Ethiopia

total: 82.64 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 94.08 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 70.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

European Union

total: 6.38 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 7.23 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

total: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Faroe Islands

total: 6.46 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 6.69 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 6.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Fiji

total: 11.88 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 13.07 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 10.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Finland

total: 3.5 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 3.81 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

France

total: 3.36 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 3.69 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

French Polynesia

total: 7.7 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 8.84 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 6.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Gabon

total: 52.65 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 61.27 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 43.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Gambia, The

total: 68.72 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 75.07 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 62.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Gaza Strip

total: 19 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 20.22 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 17.72 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Georgia

total: 16.78 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 18.81 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 14.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Germany

total: 4.03 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 4.46 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Ghana

total: 52.31 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 56.64 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 47.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Gibraltar

total: 4.91 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 5.46 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Greece

total: 5.25 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 5.77 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Greenland

total: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 12.84 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 9.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Grenada

total: 13.58 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 13.25 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 13.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Guam

total: 6.55 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 7.22 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Guatemala

total: 28.79 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 31.21 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 26.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Guernsey

total: 4.53 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 5.05 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Guinea

total: 67.41 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 71.02 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 63.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

total: 101.64 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 111.74 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 91.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Guyana

total: 30.43 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 33.87 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 26.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Haiti

total: 62.33 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 66.88 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 57.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Honduras

total: 24.61 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 27.63 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 21.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Hong Kong

total: 2.93 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 3.11 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 2.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Hungary

total: 8.03 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 8.74 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 7.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Iceland

total: 3.25 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 3.39 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

India

total: 32.31 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 36.94 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 27.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Indonesia

total: 31.04 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 36.14 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 25.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Iran

total: 36.93 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 37.12 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 36.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Iraq

total: 45.43 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 51.06 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 39.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Ireland

total: 5.14 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 5.63 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Isle of Man

total: 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 6.55 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Israel

total: 4.28 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 4.43 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Italy

total: 5.61 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 6.19 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Jamaica

total: 15.57 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 16.19 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 14.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Japan

total: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 3 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 2.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Jersey

total: 5.01 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 5.36 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Jordan

total: 15.57 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 18.62 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 12.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Kazakhstan

total: 26.56 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 31.03 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 21.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Kenya

total: 56.01 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 58.95 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 53.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Kiribati

total: 44.69 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 49.61 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 39.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Korea, North

total: 21.86 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 23.46 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 20.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Korea, South

total: 4.29 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 4.52 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Kuwait

total: 9.22 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 10.2 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 8.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

total: 32.3 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 37.33 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 27 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Laos

total: 79.61 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 88.9 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 69.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Latvia

total: 8.96 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 10.85 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Lebanon

total: 22.59 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 25.08 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 19.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Lesotho

total: 78.59 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 83.01 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 74.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Liberia

total: 143.89 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 159.5 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 127.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Libya

total: 21.94 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 24.14 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 19.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Liechtenstein

total: 4.52 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 6.03 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Lithuania

total: 6.57 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 7.86 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Luxembourg

total: 4.62 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 4.62 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Macau

total: 3.23 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 3.39 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Macedonia

total: 9.27 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 9.45 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 9.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Madagascar

total: 55.59 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 60.59 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 50.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Malawi

total: 90.55 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 94.69 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 86.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Malaysia

total: 16.39 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 18.92 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 13.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Maldives

total: 30.63 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 33.15 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 27.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Mali

total: 103.83 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 113.41 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 93.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Malta

total: 3.79 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 4.25 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Marshall Islands

total: 26.36 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 29.58 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 22.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Mauritania

total: 66.65 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 69.69 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 63.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Mauritius

total: 12.56 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 14.94 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 10.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Mayotte

total: 57.88 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 63.59 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 52 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Mexico

total: 19.01 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 20.91 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 17.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

total: 27.03 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 29.8 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 24.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Moldova

total: 13.5 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 14.95 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 11.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Monaco

total: 5.18 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 6 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Mongolia

total: 41.24 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 44.41 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 37.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Montserrat

total: 16.46 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 12.19 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 20.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Morocco

total: 38.22 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 41.74 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 34.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Mozambique

total: 107.84 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 110.67 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 104.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Namibia

total: 45.64 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 49.24 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 41.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Nauru

total: 9.43 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 11.84 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Nepal

total: 62 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 60.18 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 63.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Netherlands

total: 4.81 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 5.34 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

total: 9.36 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 10.04 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 8.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

New Caledonia

total: 7.19 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 7.85 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 6.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

New Zealand

total: 4.99 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Nicaragua

total: 25.91 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 29.06 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 22.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Niger

total: 115.42 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 119.3 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 111.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Nigeria

total: 95.74 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 101.83 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 89.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Niue

total: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Norfolk Island

total: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands

total: 6.72 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 6.68 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 6.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Norway

total: 3.61 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 3.96 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Oman

total: 17.45 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 19.95 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 14.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Pakistan

total: 66.94 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 67.04 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 66.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Palau

total: 13.69 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 15.37 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 11.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Panama

total: 13.4 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 14.35 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 12.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Papua New Guinea

total: 46.67 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 50.68 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 42.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Paraguay

total: 25.55 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 29.74 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 21.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Peru

total: 29.53 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 32.02 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 26.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Philippines

total: 21.2 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 23.86 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 18.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

total: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Poland

total: 6.93 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 7.66 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 6.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Portugal

total: 4.85 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 5.31 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Puerto Rico

total: 8.65 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 9.15 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 8.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Qatar

total: 13.09 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 13.99 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 12.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Romania

total: 23.73 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 26.81 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 20.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Russia

total: 10.81 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 12.34 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 9.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Rwanda

total: 83.42 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 88.53 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 78.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Saint Helena

total: 18.31 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 21.47 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 14.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

total: 14.34 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 16.09 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 12.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Saint Lucia

total: 13.8 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 12.75 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 14.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

total: 7.04 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 8.06 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

total: 13.62 deaths/1,000 live

births

male: 14.83 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 12.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Samoa

total: 25.04 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 29.56 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 20.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

San Marino

total: 5.44 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 5.86 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

total: 38.36 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 40.11 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 36.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Saudi Arabia

total: 11.94 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 13.58 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 10.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Senegal

total: 58.93 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 62.79 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 54.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Seychelles

total: 14.36 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 18.18 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 10.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Sierra Leone

total: 156.48 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 173.59 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 138.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Singapore

total: 2.3 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 2.51 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 2.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Slovakia

total: 6.98 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 8.15 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Slovenia

total: 4.3 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 4.87 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Solomon Islands

total: 19.67 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 22.36 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 16.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Somalia

total: 110.97 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 120.17 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 101.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

South Africa

total: 45.11 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 49.47 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 40.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Spain

total: 4.26 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 4.65 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Sri Lanka

total: 19.01 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 20.76 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 17.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Sudan

total: 86.98 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 87.09 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 86.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Suriname

total: 19.45 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 22.96 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 15.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Svalbard

total: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Swaziland

total: 69.59 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 72.87 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 66.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Sweden

total: 2.75 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 2.91 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 2.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Switzerland

total: 4.23 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 4.71 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 3.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Syria

total: 26.78 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 27.04 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 26.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Taiwan

total: 5.45 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 5.75 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Tajikistan

total: 42.31 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 47.3 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 37.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Tanzania

total: 70.46 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 77.51 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 63.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Thailand

total: 18.23 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 19.5 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 16.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Timor-Leste

total: 41.98 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 48.16 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 35.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Togo

total: 57.66 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 65.01 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 50.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Tokelau

total: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Tonga

total: 11.88 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 13.07 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 10.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

total: 23.59 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 25.34 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 21.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Tunisia

total: 23.43 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 25.7 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 20.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Turkey

total: 36.98 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 40.44 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 33.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Turkmenistan

total: 51.81 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 56.01 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 47.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

total: 14.35 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 16.56 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 12.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Tuvalu

total: 18.97 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 21.56 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 16.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Uganda

total: 65.99 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 69.65 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 62.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Ukraine

total: 9.23 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 11.48 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 6.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

United Arab Emirates

total: 13.11 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 15.32 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 10.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

United Kingdom

total: 4.93 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 5.49 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

United States

total: 6.3 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 6.95 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Uruguay

total: 11.66 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 13.1 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 10.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Uzbekistan

total: 24.23 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 28.61 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 19.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Vanuatu

total: 50.77 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 53.32 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 48.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Venezuela

total: 22.02 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 25.61 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 18.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Vietnam

total: 23.61 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 24.01 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 23.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Virgin Islands

total: 7.72 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 8.43 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 6.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

total: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

West Bank

total: 16.51 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 18.5 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 14.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Western Sahara

total: 71.13 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 71.22 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 71.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

World

total: 42.09 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 44.91 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 39.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Yemen

total: 56.27 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 60.78 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 51.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Zambia

total: 100.96 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 105.73 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 96.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Zimbabwe

total: 33.86 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 36.5 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 31.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2092 Inflation rate (consumer prices) (%)

Afghanistan

13% (2007 est.)

Albania

2.9% (2007 est.)

Algeria

3.5% (2007 est.)

American Samoa

NA%

Andorra

3.2% (2005)

Angola

12.2% (2007 est.)

Anguilla

5.3% (2006 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

1.5% (2007 est.)

Argentina

8.8% official rate; actual rate may be double the official

rate (2007 est.)

Armenia

4.4% (2007 est.)

Aruba

3.4% (2005)

Australia

2.3% (2007 est.)

Austria

2.2% (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

16.7% (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

2.4% (2007 est.)

Bahrain

3.3% (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

9.1% (2007 est.)

Barbados

5.5% (2007 est.)

Belarus

8.4% (2007 est.)

Belgium

1.8% (2007 est.)

Belize

2.3% (2007 est.)

Benin

1.3% (2007 est.)

Bermuda

2.8% (November 2005)

Bhutan

4.9% (2007 est.)

Bolivia

8.7% (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

1.6% (2007 est.)

Botswana

7.1% (2007 est.)

Brazil

3.6% (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

2% (2005)

Brunei

0.4% (2007 est.)

Bulgaria

9.8% (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

-0.2% (2007 est.)

Burma

35% (2007 est.)

Burundi

8.3% (2007 est.)

Cambodia

5.9% (2007 est.)

Cameroon

1.1% (2007 est.)

Canada

2.1% (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

4.4% (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

4.4% (2004)

Central African Republic

0.9% (2007 est.)

Chad

4% (2007 est.)

Chile

4.4% (2007 est.)

China

4.8% (2007 est.)

Colombia

5.5% (2007 est.)

Comoros

3% (2007 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

16.7% (2007 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

2.7% (2007 est.)

Cook Islands

2.1% (2005 est.)

Costa Rica

9.4% (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

1.9% (2007 est.)

Croatia

4.5% (2007 est.)

Cuba

3.1% (2007 est.)

Cyprus

2.4% (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

2.9% (2007 est.)

Denmark

1.7% (2007 est.)

Djibouti

5% (2007 est.)

Dominica

2.7% (2007 est.)

Dominican Republic

6.1% (2007 est.)

Ecuador

2.3% (2007 est.)

Egypt

9.5% (2007 est.)

El Salvador

4.6% (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

6% (2007 est.)

Eritrea

17% (2007 est.)

Estonia

6.6% (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

17.2% (2007 est.)

European Union

1.8% (2006 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

3.6% (1998)

Faroe Islands

1.8% (2005)

Fiji

4.8% (2007)

Finland

2.5% (2007 est.)

France

1.5% (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

1.1% (2006 est.)

Gabon

5% (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

5.1% (2007 est.)

Gaza Strip

3.6% (includes West Bank) (2006)

Georgia

9.3% (2007 est.)

Germany

2.3% (2007 est.)

Ghana

10.7% (2007 est.)

Gibraltar

2.9% (2005)

Greece

2.9% (2007 est.)

Greenland

1% (2005 est.)

Grenada

3.7% (2007 est.)

Guam

2.5% (2005 est.)

Guatemala

6.8% (2007 est.)

Guernsey

3.4% (June 2006)

Guinea

23.4% (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

3.8% (2007 est.)

Guyana

12.3% (2007 est.)

Haiti

8.5% (2007 est.)

Honduras

6.9% (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

2% (2007 est.)

Hungary

8% (2007 est.)

Iceland

5.1% (2007 est.)

India

6.4% (2007 est.)

Indonesia

6.3% (2007 est.)

Iran

17.1% (2007 est.)

Iraq

4.7% (2007 est.)

Ireland

4.9% (2007 est.)

Isle of Man

3.1% (December 2006 est.)

Israel

0.5% (2007 est.)

Italy

1.8% (2007 est.)

Jamaica

9.5% (2007 est.)

Japan

0.1% (2007 est.)

Jersey

3.7% (December 2006)

Jordan

5.4% (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

10.8% (2007 est.)

Kenya

9.7% (2007 est.)

Kiribati

0.2% (2007 est.)

Korea, North

NA%

Korea, South

2.5% (2007 est.)

Kosovo

2% (2007 est.)

Kuwait

5.5% (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

10.2% (2007 est.)

Laos

4.5% (2007 est.)

Latvia

10.1% (2007 est.)

Lebanon

4.2% (2007 est.)

Lesotho

8% (2007 est.)

Liberia

11.2% (2007 est.)

Libya

6.3% (2007 est.)

Liechtenstein

1% (2001)

Lithuania

5.7% (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

2.3% (2007 est.)

Macau

7.2% (2006)

Macedonia

2.3% (2007 est.)

Madagascar

10.3% (2007 est.)

Malawi

7.9% (2007 est.)

Malaysia 2% note: approximately 30% of goods are price-controlled (2007 est.)

Maldives

5% (2007 est.)

Mali

2.5% (2007 est.)

Malta

1.3% (2007 est.)

Marshall Islands

3% (2005 est.)

Mauritania

7.3% (2007 est.)

Mauritius

8.8% (2007 est.)

Mayotte

1.7% (2005)

Mexico

4% (2007 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

2.2% (2005)

Moldova

12.3% (2007 est.)

Monaco

1.9% (2000)

Mongolia

9% (2007)

Montenegro

3.4% (2007)

Montserrat

2.6% (2002 est.)

Morocco

2% (2007 est.)

Mozambique

8.2% (2007 est.)

Namibia

6.7% (2007 est.)

Nauru

-3.6% (1993)

Nepal

6.4% (2007 est.)

Netherlands

1.6% (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

2.1% (2003 est.)

New Caledonia

1.4% (2000 est.)

New Zealand

2.4% (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

11.1% (2007 est.)

Niger

0.1% (2007 est.)

Nigeria

5.4% (2007 est.)

Niue

4% (2005)

Northern Mariana Islands

-0.8% (2000)

Norway

0.8% (2007 est.)

Oman

5.9% (2007 est.)

Pakistan

7.6% (2007 est.)

Palau

2.7% (2005 est.)

Panama

4.2% (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

0.9% (2007 est.)

Paraguay

8.1% (2007 est.)

Peru

1.8% (2007 est.)

Philippines

2.8% (2007 est.)

Poland

2.5% (2007 est.)

Portugal

2.4% (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

6.5% (2003 est.)

Qatar

13.7% (2007 est.)

Romania

4.8% (2007 est.)

Russia

9% annual average

note: 12% at year-end (2007 est.)

Rwanda

9.1% (2007 est.)

Saint Helena

3.2% (1997 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

4.5% (2007 est.)

Saint Lucia

1.9% (2007 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

8.1% (2005)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

6.1% (2007 est.)

Samoa

6% (2007 est.)

San Marino

-1.5% (2006)

Sao Tome and Principe

18% (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

4.1% (2007 est.)

Senegal

5.9% (2007 est.)

Serbia

6.8% (2007)

Seychelles

5.3% (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

11.7% (2007 est.)

Singapore

2.1% (2007 est.)

Slovakia

2.8% (2007 est.)

Slovenia

3.6% (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

6.3% (2007 est.)

Somalia

NA%; note - businesses print their own money, so inflation

rates cannot be easily determined

South Africa

6.5% (2007 est.)

Spain

2.8% (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

15.8% (2007 est.)

Sudan

8% (2007 est.)

Suriname

6.4% (2007 est.)

Swaziland

8.1% (2007 est.)

Sweden

2.2% (2007 est.)

Switzerland

0.7% (2007 est.)

Syria

12.2% (2007 est.)

Taiwan

1.8% (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

13.1% (2007 est.)

Tanzania

7% (2007 est.)

Thailand

2.2% (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

7.8% (2007 est.)

Togo

1% (2007 est.)

Tokelau

NA%

Tonga

5.9% (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

7.9% (2007 est.)

Tunisia

3.1% (2007 est.)

Turkey

8.7% (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

11.3% (2007 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

4% (1995)

Tuvalu

3.8% (2006 est.)

Uganda

6.1% (2007 est.)

Ukraine

12.8% (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

14% (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

2.3% (2007 est.)

United States

2.9% (2007 est.)

Uruguay

8.1% (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

12% officially, but 38% based on analysis of consumer

prices (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

3.9% (2007 est.)

Venezuela

18.7% (2007 est.)

Vietnam

8.3% (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

2.2% (2003)

Wallis and Futuna

2.8% (2005)

West Bank

3.6% (includes Gaza Strip) (2006)

Western Sahara

NA%

World

developed countries 1% to 4% typically; developing countries

5% to 20% typically; national inflation rates vary widely in

individual cases, from declining prices in Japan to hyperinflation

in one Third World country (Zimbabwe); inflation rates have declined

for most countries for the last several years, held in check by

increasing international competition from several low wage countries

(2005 est.)

Yemen

10% (2007 est.)

Zambia

10.6% (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

12,563% official data; private sector estimates are much

higher (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2093 Waterways (km)

Afghanistan

1,200 km (chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to

500 DWT) (2007)

Albania

43 km (2007)

Angola

1,300 km (2007)

Argentina

11,000 km (2006)

Australia

2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and

Murray-Darling river systems) (2006)

Austria

358 km (2007)

Bangladesh

8,370 km

note: includes up to 3,060 km main cargo routes; network reduced to

5,200 km in dry season (2006)

Belarus

2,500 km (use limited by location on perimeter of country

and by shallowness) (2003)

Belgium

2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2006)

Belize

825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2007)

Benin

150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005)

Bolivia

10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sava River (northern border) open to shipping

but use limited (2006)

Brazil

50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population)

(2007)

Brunei

209 km (navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m) (2007)

Bulgaria

470 km (2007)

Burma

12,800 km (2007)

Burundi

mainly on Lake Tanganyika (2005)

Cambodia

2,400 km (mainly on Mekong River) (2005)

Cameroon

navigation mainly on Benue River; limited during rainy

season (2005)

Canada

636 km

note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint

Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with United States (2007)

Central African Republic

2,800 km (primarily on the Oubangui and

Sangha rivers) (2006)

Chad

Chari and Legone rivers are navigable only in wet season (2006)

China

124,000 km navigable (2006)

Colombia

18,000 km (2006)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

15,000 km (2005)

Congo, Republic of the

1,125 km (commercially navigable on Congo and

Oubanqui rivers) (2006)

Costa Rica

730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

980 km (navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal

lagoons) (2006)

Croatia

785 km (2007)

Cuba

240 km (2007)

Czech Republic

664 km (principally on Elbe, Vltava, Oder, and other

navigable rivers, lakes, and canals) (2006)

Denmark

400 km (2007)

Ecuador

1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2006)

Egypt

3,500 km

note: includes Nile River, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway,

and numerous smaller canals in delta; Suez Canal (193.5 km including

approaches) navigable by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 17.68 m

(2006)

El Salvador

Rio Lempa partially navigable for small craft (2007)

Estonia

320 km (2006)

European Union

52,332 km (2006)

Fiji

203 km

note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges

(2006)

Finland

7,842 km

note: includes Saimaa Canal system of 3,577 km; southern part leased

from Russia (2006)

France

metropolitan France: 8,500 km (1,686 km accessible to craft

of 3,000 metric tons)

French Guiana: 3,760 km (460 km navigable by small oceangoing

vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft)

(2006)

Gabon

1,600 km (310 km on Ogooue River) (2007)

Gambia, The

390 km (on River Gambia; small ocean-going vessels can

reach 190 km) (2006)

Germany

7,467 km

note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North

Sea and Black Sea (2006)

Ghana

1,293 km

note: 168 km for launches and lighters on Volta, Ankobra, and Tano

rivers; 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways on Lake Volta

(2007)

Greece

6 km

note: Corinth Canal (6 km) crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; shortens

sea voyage by 325 km (2007)

Guatemala

990 km

note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable

during high-water season (2007)

Guinea

1,300 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) (2005)

Guinea-Bissau

rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets

and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2007)

Guyana

Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by

oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2006)

Honduras

465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007)

Hungary

1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2007)

India

14,500 km

note: 5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals suitable for

mechanized vessels (2006)

Indonesia

21,579 km (2007)

Iran

850 km (on Karun River; additional service on Lake Urmia) (2006)

Iraq

5,279 km

note: Euphrates River (2,815 km), Tigris River (1,899 km), and Third

River (565 km) are principal waterways (2006)

Ireland

956 km (pleasure craft only) (2007)

Italy

2,400 km

note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared

to road and rail (2006)

Japan

1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2007)

Kazakhstan

4,000 km (on the Ertis ((Irtysh)) River (80%) and Syr

Darya ((Syrdariya)) River) (2006)

Kenya

part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya

(2006)

Kiribati

5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2007)

Korea, North

2,250 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007)

Korea, South

1,608 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007)

Kyrgyzstan

600 km (2007)

Laos

4,600 km

note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,900 additional km are

intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2007)

Latvia

300 km (2006)

Liechtenstein

28 km (2006)

Lithuania

441 km (2006)

Luxembourg

37 km (on Moselle River) (2007)

Madagascar

600 km (2006)

Malawi

700 km (on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire River) (2007)

Malaysia

7,200 km

note: Peninsular Malaysia 3,200 km; Sabah 1,500 km; Sarawak 2,500 km

(2005)

Mali

1,800 km (2007)

Mexico

2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals) (2007)

Moldova

424 km (on Dniester and Prut rivers) (2007)

Mongolia

580 km

note: only waterway in operation is Lake Hovsgol (135 km); Selenge

River (270 km) and Orhon River (175 km) are navigable but carry

little traffic; lakes and rivers freeze in winter, are open from May

to September (2004)

Mozambique

460 km (Zambezi River navigable to Tete and along Cahora

Bassa Lake) (2007)

Netherlands

6,211 km (navigable for ships of 50 tons) (2006)

Nicaragua

2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (2007)

Niger

300 km (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya

between September and March) (2005)

Nigeria

8,600 km (Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and

creeks) (2007)

Norway

1,577 km (2007)

Panama

800 km (includes 82 km Panama Canal) (2007)

Papua New Guinea

11,000 km (2006)

Paraguay

3,100 km (2007)

Peru

8,808 km

note: 8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km

of Lago Titicaca (2007)

Philippines

3,219 km (limited to vessels with draft less than 1.5 m)

(2007)

Poland

3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2006)

Portugal

210 km (on Douro River from Porto) (2006)

Romania

1,731 km

note: includes 1,075 km on Danube River, 524 km on secondary

branches, and 132 km on canals (2006)

Russia

102,000 km (including 33,000 km with guaranteed depth)

note: 72,000 km system in European Russia links Baltic Sea, White

Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Azov, and Black Sea (2006)

Rwanda

Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft

(2006)

Senegal

1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance

rivers) (2005)

Serbia

587 km (primarily on Danube and Sava rivers) (2005)

Sierra Leone

800 km (600 km year round) (2005)

Slovakia

172 km (on Danube River) (2005)

Spain

1,000 km (2003)

Sri Lanka

160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2006)

Sudan

4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile

rivers) (2006)

Suriname

1,200 km (most navigable by ships with drafts up to 7 m)

(2005)

Sweden

2,052 km (2005)

Switzerland

65 km (Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and

Schaffhausen-Bodensee) (2003)

Syria

900 km (not economically significant) (2005)

Tajikistan

200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2006)

Tanzania

Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa principal

avenues of commerce with neighboring countries; rivers not navigable

(2005)

Thailand 4,000 km note: 3,701 km navigable by boats with drafts up to 0.9 m (2005)

Togo

50 km (seasonally on Mono River depending on rainfall) (2005)

Turkey

1,200 km (2005)

Turkmenistan

1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland

waterways) (2006)

Uganda

on Lake Victoria, 200 km on Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, and

parts of Albert Nile (2005)

Ukraine

2,253 km (most on Dnieper River) (2006)

United Kingdom

3,200 km (620 km used for commerce) (2003)

United States

41,009 km (19,312 km used for commerce)

note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint

Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with Canada (2007)

Uruguay

1,600 km (2005)

Uzbekistan

1,100 km (2006)

Venezuela

7,100 km

note: Orinoco River (400 km) and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by

oceangoing vessels (2005)

Vietnam

17,702 km (5,000 km navigable by vessels up to 1.8 m draft)

(2005)

World

671,886 km (2004)

Zambia

2,250 km (includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi and

Luapula rivers) (2005)

Zimbabwe

on Lake Kariba (2005)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2094 Judicial branch

Afghanistan

the constitution establishes a nine-member Stera Mahkama

or Supreme Court (its nine justices are appointed for 10-year terms

by the president with approval of the Wolesi Jirga) and subordinate

High Courts and Appeals Courts; there is also a minister of justice;

a separate Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission established by

the Bonn Agreement is charged with investigating human rights abuses

and war crimes

Albania

Constitutional Court, Supreme Court (chairman is elected by

the People's Assembly for a four-year term), and multiple appeals

and district courts

Algeria

Supreme Court

American Samoa

High Court (chief justice and associate justices are

appointed by the US Secretary of the Interior)

Andorra

Tribunal of Judges or Tribunal de Batlles; Tribunal of the

Courts or Tribunal de Corts; Supreme Court of Justice of Andorra or

Tribunal Superior de Justicia d'Andorra; Supreme Council of Justice

or Consell Superior de la Justicia; Fiscal Ministry or Ministeri

Fiscal; Constitutional Tribunal or Tribunal Constitucional

Angola

Supreme Court and separate provincial courts (judges are

appointed by the president)

Anguilla

High Court (judge provided by Eastern Caribbean Supreme

Court)

Antigua and Barbuda

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint

Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands

and presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction); member

Caribbean Court of Justice

Argentina

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (the nine Supreme Court

judges are appointed by the president with approval of the Senate)

note: the Supreme Court currently has two unfilled vacancies, and

the Argentine Congress is considering a bill to reduce the number of

Supreme Court judges to five

Armenia

Constitutional Court; Court of Cassation (Appeals Court)

Aruba

Common Court of Justice of Aruba (judges are appointed by the

monarch)

Australia

High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are

appointed by the governor general)

Austria

Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof;

Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court

or Verfassungsgerichtshof

Azerbaijan

Supreme Court

Bahamas, The

Privy Council in London; Courts of Appeal; Supreme

(lower) Court; Magistrates' Courts

Bahrain

High Civil Appeals Court

Bangladesh

Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are

appointed by the president)

Barbados

Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the

Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services); Caribbean

Court of Justice is the highest court of appeal

Belarus

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president);

Constitutional Court (half of the judges appointed by the president

and half appointed by the Chamber of Representatives)

Belgium

Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) or

Cour de Cassation (in French) (judges are appointed for life by the

government; candidacies have to be submitted by the High Justice

Council)

Belize

Supreme Court of Judicature (the chief justice is appointed

by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister); Court

of Appeal

Benin

Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle; Supreme Court

or Cour Supreme; High Court of Justice

Bermuda

Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts

Bhutan

Supreme Court of Appeal (the monarch); High Court (judges

appointed by the monarch); note - the draft constitution establishes

a Supreme Court, which will serve as chief court of appeal

Bolivia

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges appointed for 10-year

terms by National Congress); District Courts (one in each

department); provincial and local courts (to try minor cases);

Constitutional Tribunal (five primary or titulares and five

alternate or suplente magistrates appointed by Congress; to rule on

constitutional issues); National Electoral Court (six members

elected by Congress, Supreme Court, the President, and the political

party with the highest vote in the last election for 4-year terms)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

BH Constitutional Court (consists of nine

members: four members are selected by the Bosniak/Croat Federation's

House of Representatives, two members by the Republika Srpska's

National Assembly, and three non-Bosnian members by the president of

the European Court of Human Rights); BH State Court (consists of

nine judges and three divisions - Administrative, Appellate and

Criminal - having jurisdiction over cases related to state-level law

and appellate jurisdiction over cases initiated in the entities); a

War Crimes Chamber opened in March 2005

note: the entities each have a Supreme Court; each entity also has a

number of lower courts; there are 10 cantonal courts in the

Federation, plus a number of municipal courts; the Republika Srpska

has five municipal courts

Botswana

High Court; Court of Appeal; Magistrates' Courts (one in

each district)

Brazil

Supreme Federal Tribunal or STF (11 ministers are appointed

for life by the president and confirmed by the Senate); Higher

Tribunal of Justice; Regional Federal Tribunals (judges are

appointed for life); note - though appointed "for life," judges,

like all federal employees, have a mandatory retirement age of 70

British Virgin Islands

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting

of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of

the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the

High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary

Jurisdiction

Brunei

Supreme Court - chief justice and judges are sworn in by

monarch for three-year terms; Judicial Committee of Privy Council in

London is final court of appeal for civil cases; Sharia courts deal

with Islamic laws (2006)

Bulgaria

Supreme Administrative Court; Supreme Court of Cassation;

Constitutional Court (12 justices appointed or elected for nine-year

terms); Supreme Judicial Council (consists of the chairmen of the

two Supreme Courts, the Chief Prosecutor, and 22 other members;

responsible for appointing the justices, prosecutors, and

investigating magistrates in the justice system; members of the

Supreme Judicial Council elected for five-year terms, 11 elected by

the National Assembly and 11 by bodies of the judiciary)

Burkina Faso

Supreme Court; Appeals Court

Burma

remnants of the British-era legal system are in place, but

there is no guarantee of a fair public trial; the judiciary is not

independent of the executive

Burundi

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court; High

Court of Justice (composed of the Supreme Court and the

Constitutional Court)

Cambodia

Supreme Council of the Magistracy (provided for in the

constitution and formed in December 1997); Supreme Court (and lower

courts) exercises judicial authority

Cameroon

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); High

Court of Justice (consists of nine judges and six substitute judges,

elected by the National Assembly)

Canada

Supreme Court of Canada (judges are appointed by the prime

minister through the governor general); Federal Court of Canada;

Federal Court of Appeal; Provincial Courts (these are named

variously Court of Appeal, Court of Queens Bench, Superior Court,

Supreme Court, and Court of Justice)

Cape Verde

Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Supremo Tribunal de Justia

Cayman Islands

Summary Court; Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of

Appeal

Central African Republic

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme;

Constitutional Court (3 judges appointed by the president, 3 by the

president of the National Assembly, and 3 by fellow judges); Court

of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Inferior Courts

Chad

Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts; Magistrate

Courts

Chile

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the

president and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates

provided by the court itself; the president of the Supreme Court is

elected every three years by the 20-member court); Constitutional

Tribunal

China

Supreme People's Court (judges appointed by the National

People's Congress); Local People's Courts (comprise higher,

intermediate, and basic courts); Special People's Courts (primarily

military, maritime, railway transportation, and forestry courts)

Christmas Island

Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court

Colombia

four roughly coequal, supreme judicial organs; Supreme

Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (highest court of

criminal law; judges are selected by their peers from the nominees

of the Superior Judicial Council for eight-year terms); Council of

State (highest court of administrative law; judges are selected from

the nominees of the Superior Judicial Council for eight-year terms);

Constitutional Court (guards integrity and supremacy of the

constitution; rules on constitutionality of laws, amendments to the

constitution, and international treaties); Superior Judicial Council

(administers and disciplines the civilian judiciary; resolves

jurisdictional conflicts arising between other courts; members are

elected by three sister courts and Congress for eight-year terms)

Comoros

Supreme Court or Cour Supremes (two members appointed by the

president, two members elected by the Federal Assembly, one elected

by the Council of each island, and others are former presidents of

the republic)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Constitutional Court; Appeals

Court or Cour de Cassation; Council of State; High Military Court;

plus civil and military courts and tribunals

Congo, Republic of the

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Cook Islands

High Court

Costa Rica

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (22 justices are elected

for renewable eight-year terms by the Legislative Assembly)

Cote d'Ivoire

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consists of four

chambers: Judicial Chamber for criminal cases, Audit Chamber for

financial cases, Constitutional Chamber for judicial review cases,

and Administrative Chamber for civil cases; there is no legal limit

to the number of members

Croatia

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; judges for both courts

appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the

Republic, which is elected by the Assembly

Cuba

People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular (president,

vice president, and other judges are elected by the National

Assembly)

Cyprus

Supreme Court (judges are appointed jointly by the president

and vice president)

note: there is also a Supreme Court in the area administered by

Turkish Cypriots

Czech Republic

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; chairman and

deputy chairmen are appointed by the president for a 10-year term

Denmark

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch for life)

Djibouti

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Dominica

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the Court of

Appeal and the High Court (located in Saint Lucia; one of the six

judges must reside in Dominica and preside over the Court of Summary

Jurisdiction)

Dominican Republic

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are

appointed by the National Judicial Council comprised of the

president, the leaders of both chambers of congress, the president

of the Supreme Court, and an additional non-governing party

congressional representative)

Ecuador

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (according to the

Constitution, new justices are elected by the full Supreme Court; in

December 2004, however, Congress successfully replaced the entire

court via a simple-majority resolution)

Egypt

Supreme Constitutional Court

El Salvador

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (15 judges are selected

by the Legislative Assembly; the 15 judges are assigned to four

Supreme Court chambers - constitutional, civil, penal, and

administrative conflict)

Equatorial Guinea

Supreme Tribunal

Eritrea

High Court - regional, subregional, and village courts; also

have military and special courts

Estonia

National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life)

Ethiopia

Federal Supreme Court (the president and vice president of

the Federal Supreme Court are recommended by the prime minister and

appointed by the House of People's Representatives; for other

federal judges, the prime minister submits to the House of People's

Representatives for appointment candidates selected by the Federal

Judicial Administrative Council)

European Union

Court of Justice of the European Communities (ensures

that the treaties are interpreted and applied uniformly throughout

the EU; resolve constitutional issues among the EU institutions) -

27 justices (one from each member state) appointed for a six-year

term; note - for the sake of efficiency, the court can sit with 13

justices known as the "Grand Chamber"; Court of First Instance - 27

justices appointed for a six-year term

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Supreme Court (chief justice is a nonresident); Magistrates Court (senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions); Court of Summary Jurisdiction

Faroe Islands

none

Fiji

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); Court of

Appeal; High Court; Magistrates' Courts

Finland

Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus (judges appointed by the

president)

France

Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation (judges are

appointed by the president from nominations of the High Council of

the Judiciary); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel

(three members appointed by the president, three appointed by the

president of the National Assembly, and three appointed by the

president of the Senate); Council of State or Conseil d'Etat

French Polynesia

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Court of the First

Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative

Law or Tribunal Administratif

Gabon

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme consisting of three chambers -

Judicial, Administrative, and Accounts; Constitutional Court; Courts

of Appeal; Court of State Security; County Courts

Gambia, The

Supreme Court

Georgia

Supreme Court (judges elected by the Supreme Council on the

president's or chairman of the Supreme Court's recommendation);

Constitutional Court; first and second instance courts

Germany

Federal Constitutional Court or Bundesverfassungsgericht

(half the judges are elected by the Bundestag and half by the

Bundesrat)

Ghana

Supreme Court

Gibraltar

Supreme Court; Court of Appeal

Greece

Supreme Judicial Court; Special Supreme Tribunal; all judges

appointed for life by the president after consultation with a

judicial council

Greenland

High Court or Landsret (appeals can be made to the Ostre

Landsret or Eastern Division of the High Court or Supreme Court in

Copenhagen)

Grenada

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of a court of

Appeal and a High Court of Justice (a High Court judge is assigned

to and resides in Grenada)

Guam

Federal District Court (judge is appointed by the president);

Territorial Superior Court (judges appointed for eight-year terms by

the governor)

Guatemala

Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitucionalidad is

Guatemala's highest court (five judges are elected for concurrent

five-year terms); Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de

Justicia (13 members serve concurrent five-year terms and elect a

president of the Court each year from among their number; the

president of the Supreme Court of Justice also supervises trial

judges around the country, who are named to five-year terms)

Guernsey

Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the

bailiff)

Guinea

Court of First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance;

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Guinea-Bissau

Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal da Justica (consists

of nine justices appointed by the president and serve at his

pleasure; final court of appeals in criminal and civil cases);

Regional Courts (one in each of nine regions; first court of appeals

for Sectoral Court decisions; hear all felony cases and civil cases

valued at more than $1,000); 24 Sectoral Courts (judges are not

necessarily trained lawyers; they hear civil cases valued at less

than $1,000 and misdemeanor criminal cases)

Guyana

Supreme Court of Judicature, consisting of the High Court and

the Judicial Court of Appeal, with right of final appeal to the

Caribbean Court of Justice

Haiti

Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation

Holy See (Vatican City)

there are three tribunals responsible for

civil and criminal matters within Vatican City; three other

tribunals rule on issues pertaining to the Holy See

note: judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio of Pope

PIUS XII on 1 May 1946

Honduras

Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (15

judges are elected for seven-year terms by the National Congress)

Hong Kong

Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special

Administrative Region

Hungary

Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National

Assembly for nine-year terms)

Iceland

Supreme Court or Haestirettur (justices are appointed for

life by the Minister of Justice); eight district courts (justices

are appointed for life by the Minister of Justice)

India

Supreme Court (one chief justice and 25 associate justices are

appointed by the president and remain in office until they reach the

age of 65 or are removed for "proved misbehavior")

Indonesia

Supreme Court or Mahkamah Agung (justices appointed by the

president from a list of candidates selected by the legislature); a

separate Constitutional Court or Mahkamah Konstitusi was invested by

the president on 16 August 2003; in March 2004 the Supreme Court

assumed administrative and financial responsibility for the lower

court system from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights; Labor

Court under supervision of Supreme Court began functioning in

January 2006

Iran

The Supreme Court (Qeveh Qazaieh) and the four-member High

Council of the Judiciary have a single head and overlapping

responsibilities; together they supervise the enforcement of all

laws and establish judicial and legal policies; lower courts include

a special clerical court, a revolutionary court, and a special

administrative court

Iraq

the Iraq Constitution calls for the federal judicial power to

be comprised of the Higher Juridical Council, Federal Supreme Court,

Federal Court of Cassation, Public Prosecution Department, Judiciary

Oversight Commission and other federal courts that are regulated in

accordance with the law

Ireland

Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the

advice of the prime minister and cabinet)

Isle of Man

High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the

Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant

governor)

Israel

Supreme Court (justices appointed by Judicial Selection

Committee - made up of all three branches of the government;

mandatory retirement age is 70)

Italy

Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale (composed of 15

judges: one-third appointed by the president, one-third elected by

parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative

Supreme Courts)

Jamaica

Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on

the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal

Japan

Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the monarch after

designation by the cabinet; all other justices are appointed by the

cabinet)

Jersey

Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the

bailiff)

Jordan

Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final appeal)

Kazakhstan

Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7

members)

Kenya

Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president);

High Court

Kiribati

Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges

at all levels are appointed by the president

Korea, North

Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme

People's Assembly)

Korea, South

Supreme Court (justices appointed by the president with

consent of National Assembly); Constitutional Court (justices

appointed by the president based partly on nominations by National

Assembly and Chief Justice of the court)

Kosovo

Supreme Court judges are appointed by the Special

Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG); district courts

judges are appointed by the SRSG; municipal courts judges are

appointed by the SRSG

note: after the termination of UNMIK's mandate, the Kosovo Judicial

Council (KJC) will propose to the president candidates for

appointment or reappointment as judges and prosecutors; the KJC is

also responsible for decisions on the promotion and transfer of

judges and disciplinary proceedings against judges; at least 15% of

Supreme Court and district court judges shall be from nonmajority

communities

Kuwait

High Court of Appeal

Kyrgyzstan

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court (judges of both the

Supreme and Constitutional Courts are appointed for 10-year terms by

the Jorgorku Kengesh on the recommendation of the president; their

mandatory retirement age is 70 years); Higher Court of Arbitration;

Local Courts (judges appointed by the president on the

recommendation of the National Council on Legal Affairs for a

probationary period of five years, then 10 years)

Laos

People's Supreme Court (the president of the People's Supreme

Court is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of

the National Assembly Standing Committee; the vice president of the

People's Supreme Court and the judges are appointed by the National

Assembly Standing Committee)

Latvia

Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by

Parliament); Constitutional Court (judges' appointments are

confirmed by Parliament)

Lebanon

four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and

commercial cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional

Council (called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of

laws); Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and

prime minister as needed)

Lesotho

High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on

the advice of the Prime Minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate

Courts; customary or traditional court

Liberia

Supreme Court

Libya

Supreme Court

Liechtenstein

Supreme Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Court of Appeal

or Obergericht

Lithuania

Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal;

judges for all courts appointed by the president

Luxembourg

judicial courts and tribunals (3 Justices of the Peace, 2

district courts, and 1 Supreme Court of Appeals); administrative

courts and tribunals (State Prosecutor's Office, administrative

courts and tribunals, and the Constitutional Court); judges for all

courts are appointed for life by the monarch

Macau

Court of Final Appeal in Macau Special Administrative Region

Macedonia

Supreme Court - the Assembly appoints the judges;

Constitutional Court - the Assembly appoints the judges; Republican

Judicial Council - the Assembly appoints the judges

Madagascar

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; High Constitutional Court

or Haute Cour Constitutionnelle

Malawi

Supreme Court of Appeal; High Court (chief justice appointed

by the president, puisne judges appointed on the advice of the

Judicial Service Commission); magistrate's courts

Malaysia

Civil Courts include Federal Court, Court of Appeal, High

Court of Malaya on peninsula Malaysia, and High Court of Sabah and

Sarawak in states of Borneo (judges appointed by the paramount ruler

on the advice of the prime minister); Sharia Courts include Sharia

Appeal Court, Sharia High Court, and Sharia Subordinate Courts at

state-level and deal with religious and family matters such as

custody, divorce, and inheritance, only for Muslims; decisions of

Sharia courts cannot be appealed to civil courts

Maldives

Supreme Court; Supreme Court judges are appointed by the

President with approval of voting members of the People's Council;

High Court; Trial Courts; all lower court judges are appointed by

the Judicial Service Commission

Mali

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Malta

Constitutional Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both courts

are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister

Marshall Islands

Supreme Court; High Court; Traditional Rights Court

Mauritania

Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Court of Appeals; lower

courts

Mauritius

Supreme Court

Mayotte

Supreme Court or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel

Mexico

Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia de la

Nacion (justices or ministros are appointed by the president with

consent of the Senate)

Micronesia, Federated States of

Supreme Court

Moldova

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court (the sole authority for

constitutional judicature)

Monaco

Supreme Court or Tribunal Supreme (judges appointed by the

monarch on the basis of nominations by the National Council)

Mongolia

Supreme Court (serves as appeals court for people's and

provincial courts but rarely overturns verdicts of lower courts;

judges are nominated by the General Council of Courts and approved

by the president)

Montenegro

Constitutional Court (five judges with nine-year terms);

Supreme Court (judges have life tenure)

Montserrat

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia,

one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and

presides over the High Court)

Morocco

Supreme Court (judges are appointed on the recommendation of

the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, presided over by the monarch)

Mozambique

Supreme Court (the court of final appeal; some of its

professional judges are appointed by the president and some are

elected by the Assembly); other courts include an Administrative

Court, customs courts, maritime courts, courts marshal, labor courts

note: although the constitution provides for a separate

Constitutional Court, one has never been established; in its absence

the Supreme Court reviews constitutional cases

Namibia

Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the

recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission)

Nauru

Supreme Court

Nepal

Supreme Court or Sarbochha Adalat (chief justice is appointed

by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the

other judges are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of

the Judicial Council)

Netherlands

Supreme Court or Hoge Raad (justices are nominated for

life by the monarch)

Netherlands Antilles

Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed

by the monarch)

New Caledonia

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; County Courts; Joint

Commerce Tribunal Court; Children's Court

New Zealand

Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; High Court; note -

judges appointed by the Governor-General

Nicaragua

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema de Justicia (16 judges

elected for five-year terms by the National Assembly)

Niger

State Court or Cour d'Etat; Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel

Nigeria

Supreme Court (judges appointed by the President); Federal

Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the federal government on

the advice of the Advisory Judicial Committee)

Niue

Supreme Court of New Zealand; High Court of Niue

Norfolk Island

Supreme Court; Court of Petty Sessions

Northern Mariana Islands

Commonwealth Supreme Court; Superior Court;

Federal District Court

Norway

Supreme Court or Hoyesterett (justices appointed by the

monarch)

Oman

Supreme Court

note: the nascent civil court system, administered by region, has

judges who practice secular and Sharia law

Pakistan

Supreme Court (justices appointed by the president);

Federal Islamic or Sharia Court

Palau

Supreme Court; Court of Common Pleas; Land Court

Panama

Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (nine

judges appointed for 10-year terms); five superior courts; three

courts of appeal

Papua New Guinea

Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by

the governor general on the proposal of the National Executive

Council after consultation with the minister responsible for

justice; other judges are appointed by the Judicial and Legal

Services Commission)

Paraguay

Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (nine

judges appointed on the proposal of the Council of Magistrates or

Consejo de la Magistratura)

Peru

Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges

are appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary)

Philippines

Supreme Court (15 justices are appointed by the

president on the recommendation of the Judicial and Bar Council and

serve until 70 years of age); Court of Appeals; Sandigan-bayan

(special court for hearing corruption cases of government officials)

Pitcairn Islands

Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal;

Judicial Officers are appointed by the Governor

Poland

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president on the

recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an

indefinite period); Constitutional Tribunal (judges are chosen by

the Sejm for nine-year terms)

Portugal

Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (judges

appointed for life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura)

Puerto Rico

Supreme Court; Appellate Court; Court of First Instance

composed of two sections: a Superior Court and a Municipal Court

(justices for all these courts appointed by the governor with the

consent of the Senate)

Qatar

Courts of First Instance, Appeal, and Cassation; an

Administrative Court and a Constitutional Court were established in

2007; note - all judges are appointed by Amiri Decree based on the

recommendation of the Supreme Judiciary Council for renewable

three-year terms

Romania

Supreme Court of Justice (comprised of 11 judges appointed

for three-year terms by the president in consultation with the

Superior Council of Magistrates, which is comprised of the minister

of justice, the prosecutor general, two civil society

representatives appointed by the Senate, and 14 judges and

prosecutors elected by their peers); a separate body, the

Constitutional Court, validates elections and makes decisions

regarding the constitutionality of laws, treaties, ordinances, and

internal rules of the Parliament; it is comprised of nine members

serving nine-year terms, with three members each appointed by the

president, the Senate, and the Chamber of Deputies

Russia

Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Supreme Arbitration

Court; judges for all courts are appointed for life by the

Federation Council on the recommendation of the president

Rwanda

Supreme Court; High Courts of the Republic; Provincial

Courts; District Courts; mediation committees

Saint Helena

Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on

Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Kitts

and Nevis)

Saint Lucia

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (jurisdiction extends to

Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica,

Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint

Vincent and the Grenadines)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal

Superieur d'Appel

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court

(based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

Samoa

Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; District Court; Land and

Titles Court

San Marino

Council of Twelve or Consiglio dei XII

Sao Tome and Principe

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the

National Assembly)

Saudi Arabia

Supreme Council of Justice

Senegal

Constitutional Court; Council of State; Court of Final

Appeals or Cour de Cassation; Court of Appeals

Serbia

Constitutional Court, Supreme Court (to become court of

cassation under new constitution), appellate courts, district

courts, municipal courts

Seychelles

Court of Appeal; Supreme Court; judges for both courts

are appointed by the president

Sierra Leone

Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court

Singapore

Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president

with the advice of the prime minister, other judges are appointed by

the president with the advice of the chief justice); Court of Appeals

Slovakia

Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Council);

Constitutional Court (judges appointed by president from group of

nominees approved by the National Council); Special Court (judges

elected by a council of judges and appointed by president)

Slovenia

Supreme Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly

on the recommendation of the Judicial Council); Constitutional Court

(judges elected for nine-year terms by the National Assembly and

nominated by the president)

Solomon Islands

Court of Appeal

Somalia

following the breakdown of the central government, most

regions have reverted to local forms of conflict resolution, either

secular, traditional Somali customary law, or Sharia (Islamic) law

with a provision for appeal of all sentences

South Africa

Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High

Courts; Magistrate Courts

Spain

Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo

Sri Lanka

Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts

are appointed by the president

Sudan

Constitutional Court of nine justices; National Supreme Court;

National Courts of Appeal; other national courts; National Judicial

Service Commission will undertake overall management of the National

Judiciary

Suriname

Cantonal Courts and a Court of Justice as an appellate

court (justices are nominated for life)

Swaziland

High Court; Supreme Court; judges for both courts are

appointed by the monarch

Sweden

Supreme Court or Hogsta Domstolen (judges are appointed by

the prime minister and the cabinet)

Switzerland

Federal Supreme Court (judges elected for six-year terms

by the Federal Assembly)

Syria

Supreme Judicial Council (appoints and dismisses judges;

headed by the president); national level - Supreme Constitutional

Court (adjudicates electoral disputes and rules on constitutionality

of laws and decrees; justices appointed for four-year terms by the

President); Court of Cassation; Appeals Courts (Appeals Courts

represent an intermediate level between the Court of Cassation and

local level courts); local level - Magistrate Courts; Courts of

First Instance; Juvenile Courts; Customs Courts; specialized courts

- Economic Security Courts (hear cases related to economic crimes);

Supreme State Security Court (hear cases related to national

security); Personal Status Courts (religious; hear cases related to

marriage and divorce)

Taiwan

Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with

consent of the Legislative Yuan)

Tajikistan

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Tanzania

Permanent Commission of Enquiry (official ombudsman); Court

of Appeal (consists of a chief justice and four judges); High Court

(consists of a Jaji Kiongozi and 29 judges appointed by the

president; holds regular sessions in all regions); District Courts;

Primary Courts (limited jurisdiction and appeals can be made to the

higher courts)

Thailand

Supreme Court or Sandika (judges appointed by the monarch)

Timor-Leste

Supreme Court of Justice - constitution calls for one

judge to be appointed by National Parliament and rest appointed by

Superior Council for Judiciary; note - until Supreme Court is

established, Court of Appeals is highest court

Togo

Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme

Tokelau

Supreme Court in New Zealand exercises civil and criminal

jurisdiction in Tokelau

Tonga

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch); Court of

Appeal (Chief Justice and high court justices from overseas chosen

and approved by Privy Council)

Trinidad and Tobago

Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the

High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is

appointed by the president after consultation with the prime

minister and the leader of the opposition; other justices are

appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal

Service Commission); High Court of Justice; Caribbean Court of

Appeals member; Court of Appeals; the highest court of appeal is the

Privy Council in London

Tunisia

Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation

Turkey

Constitutional Court; High Court of Appeals (Yargitay);

Council of State (Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay); Military

High Court of Appeals; Military High Administrative Court

Turkmenistan

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Turks and Caicos Islands

Supreme Court; Court of Appeal

Tuvalu

High Court (a chief justice visits twice a year to preside

over its sessions; its rulings can be appealed to the Court of

Appeal in Fiji); eight Island Courts (with limited jurisdiction)

Uganda

Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president and

approved by the legislature); High Court (judges are appointed by

the president)

Ukraine

Supreme Court; Constitutional Court

United Arab Emirates

Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by

the president)

United Kingdom

House of Lords (highest court of appeal; several

Lords of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life);

Supreme Courts of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (comprising

the Courts of Appeal, the High Courts of Justice, and the Crown

Courts); Scotland's Court of Session and Court of the Justiciary

United States

Supreme Court (nine justices; nominated by the

president and confirmed with the advice and consent of the Senate;

appointed to serve for life); United States Courts of Appeal; United

States District Courts; State and County Courts

Uruguay

Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and

elected for 10-year terms by the General Assembly)

Uzbekistan

Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and

confirmed by the Supreme Assembly)

Vanuatu

Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president

after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the

opposition, three other justices are appointed by the president on

the advice of the Judicial Service Commission)

Venezuela

Supreme Tribunal of Justice or Tribuna Suprema de Justicia

(magistrates are elected by the National Assembly for a single

12-year term)

Vietnam

Supreme People's Court (chief justice is elected for a

five-year term by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the

president)

Virgin Islands

US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third

Circuit jurisdiction); Superior Court of the Virgin Islands (judges

appointed by the governor for 10-year terms)

Wallis and Futuna

justice generally administered under French law by

the high administrator, but the three traditional kings administer

customary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu; a court of

appeal is located in Noumea, New Caledonia

Yemen

Supreme Court

Zambia

Supreme Court (the final court of appeal; justices are

appointed by the president); High Court (has unlimited jurisdiction

to hear civil and criminal cases)

Zimbabwe

Supreme Court; High Court

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2095 Labor force

Afghanistan

15 million (2004 est.)

Albania

1.09 million (not including 352,000 emigrant workers)

(September 2006 est.)

Algeria

9.38 million (2007 est.)

American Samoa

17,630 (2005)

Andorra

42,420 (2005)

Angola

7.148 million (2007 est.)

Anguilla

6,049 (2001)

Antigua and Barbuda

30,000 (1991)

Argentina 16.03 million note: urban areas only (2007 est.)

Armenia

1.2 million (2007 est.)

Aruba

41,500 (2004 est.)

Australia

10.95 million (2007 est.)

Austria

3.566 million (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

5.243 million (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

181,900 (2006)

Bahrain

437,000

note: 44% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national

(2007 est.)

Bangladesh

69.4 million

note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman,

Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $4.8 billion

in 2005-06. (2007 est.)

Barbados

128,500 (2001 est.)

Belarus

4.3 million (31 December 2005)

Belgium

4.94 million (2007 est.)

Belize

113,000

note: shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel

(2006 est.)

Benin

5.38 million (2007 est.)

Bermuda

38,360 (2004)

Bhutan

NA

note: major shortage of skilled labor

Bolivia

4.377 million (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

1.026 million (2001)

Botswana

288,400 formal sector employees (2004)

Brazil

99.23 million (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

12,770 (2004)

Brunei

180,400 (2006 est.)

Bulgaria

2.593 million (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

5 million

note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to

neighboring countries for seasonal employment (2003)

Burma

29.26 million (2007 est.)

Burundi

2.99 million (2002)

Cambodia

7 million (2003 est.)

Cameroon

6.674 million (2007 est.)

Canada

17.95 million (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

120,600 (1990)

Cayman Islands

23,450 (2004)

Central African Republic

1.857 million (2006)

Chad

3.747 million (2006)

Chile

7.167 million (2007 est.)

China

800.7 million (2007 est.)

Christmas Island

NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

NA

Colombia

20.5 million (2007 est.)

Comoros

144,500 (1996 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

15 million (2006 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

NA

Cook Islands

6,820 (2001)

Costa Rica

1.92 million

note: this official estimate excludes Nicaraguans living in Costa

Rica (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

6.907 million (68% agricultural) (2007 est.)

Croatia

1.749 million (2007 est.)

Cuba

4.956 million

note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (2007 est.)

Cyprus

393,000 (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

5.36 million (2007 est.)

Denmark

2.86 million (2007 est.)

Djibouti

282,000 (2000)

Dominica

25,000 (2000 est.)

Dominican Republic

4.027 million (2007 est.)

Ecuador

4.51 million (urban) (2007 est.)

Egypt

22.1 million (2007 est.)

El Salvador

2.913 million (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

NA

Eritrea

NA

Estonia

687,000 (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

27.27 million (1999)

European Union

222.7 million (2006 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

1,724 (est.) (1996)

Faroe Islands

24,250 (October 2000)

Fiji

117,500 (2006 est.)

Finland

2.675 million (2007 est.)

France

27.91 million (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

65,930 (December 2005)

Gabon

582,000 (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

400,000 (1996)

Gaza Strip

267,000 (2006)

Georgia

2.02 million (2007 est.)

Germany

43.54 million (2007 est.)

Ghana

11.29 million (2007 est.)

Gibraltar

12,690 (including non-Gibraltar laborers) (2001)

Greece

4.92 million (2007 est.)

Greenland

32,120 (2004)

Grenada

42,300 (1996)

Guam

62,050 (2002 est.)

Guatemala

3.958 million (2007 est.)

Guernsey

31,470 (March 2006)

Guinea

3.7 million (2006 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

480,000 (1999)

Guyana

418,000 (2001 est.)

Haiti

3.6 million

note: shortage of skilled labor, unskilled labor abundant (1995)

Holy See (Vatican City)

NA

Honduras

2.779 million (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

3.64 million (2007 est.)

Hungary

4.19 million (2007 est.)

Iceland

181,000 (2007 est.)

India

516.4 million (2007 est.)

Indonesia

109.9 million (2007 est.)

Iran

28.7 million

note: shortage of skilled labor (2006 est.)

Iraq

7.4 million (2004 est.)

Ireland

2.217 million (2007 est.)

Isle of Man

39,690 (2001)

Israel

2.894 million (2007 est.)

Italy

24.74 million (2007 est.)

Jamaica

1.255 million (2007 est.)

Japan

66.69 million (2007 est.)

Jersey

53,560 (June 2006)

Jordan

1.563 million (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

8.229 million (2007 est.)

Kenya

11.85 million (2005 est.)

Kiribati

7,870 economically active, not including subsistence

farmers (2001 est.)

Korea, North

20 million

note: estimates vary widely (2004 est.)

Korea, South

24.22 million (2007 est.)

Kosovo

832,000 (June 2007 est.)

Kuwait 2.093 million note: non-Kuwaitis represent about 80% of the labor force (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

2.7 million (2000)

Laos

2.1 million (2006 est.)

Latvia

1.167 million (2007 est.)

Lebanon

1.5 million

note: in addition, there are as many as 1 million foreign workers

(2005 est.)

Lesotho

838,000 (2000 est.)

Libya

1.83 million (2007 est.)

Liechtenstein

29,500 of whom 13,900 commute from Austria,

Switzerland, and Germany to work each day (31 December 2001)

Lithuania

1.603 million (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

205,000 of whom 121,600 are foreign cross-border workers

commuting primarily from France, Belgium, and Germany (2007 est.)

Macau

275,000 (2006)

Macedonia

890,000 (2007 est.)

Madagascar

7.3 million (2000)

Malawi

4.5 million (2001 est.)

Malaysia

10.94 million (2007 est.)

Maldives

101,300 (2004)

Mali

5.4 million (2007 est.)

Malta

166,000 (2007 est.)

Marshall Islands

14,680 (2000)

Mauritania

786,000 (2001)

Mauritius

574,000 (2007 est.)

Mayotte

44,560 (2002)

Mexico

44.71 million (2007 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

37,410 (2000)

Moldova

1.333 million (2007 est.)

Monaco 44,000 note: includes workers from all foreign countries (2005 est.)

Mongolia

1.042 million (2006)

Montenegro

259,100 (2004)

Montserrat 4,521 note: lowered by flight of people from volcanic activity (2000 est.)

Morocco

11.39 million (2007 est.)

Mozambique

9.6 million (2007 est.)

Namibia

660,000 (2007 est.)

Nepal 11.11 million note: severe lack of skilled labor (2006 est.)

Netherlands

7.604 million (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

83,600 (2005)

New Caledonia

78,990 (2004)

New Zealand

2.236 million (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

2.262 million (2007 est.)

Niger

70,000 salaried workers, 60% of whom are employed in the

public sector (1995)

Nigeria

50.13 million (2007 est.)

Niue

663 (2001)

Norfolk Island

NA

Northern Mariana Islands 44,470 total indigenous labor force; 2,699 unemployed; 28,717 foreign workers (2000)

Norway

2.507 million (2007 est.)

Oman

920,000 (2002 est.)

Pakistan

48.23 million

note: extensive export of labor, mostly to the Middle East, and use

of child labor (2007 est.)

Palau

9,777 (2005)

Panama

1.362 million

note: shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled

labor (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

3.557 million (2007 est.)

Paraguay

2.787 million (2007 est.)

Peru

9.839 million (2007 est.)

Philippines

36.22 million (2007 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

15 able-bodied men (2004)

Poland

16.86 million (2007 est.)

Portugal

5.618 million (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

1.3 million (2000)

Qatar

881,000 (2007 est.)

Romania

9.3 million (2007 est.)

Russia

75.1 million (2007 est.)

Rwanda

4.6 million (2000)

Saint Helena 2,486 note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

18,170 (June 1995)

Saint Lucia

43,800 (2001 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

3,450 (2005)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

41,680 (1991 est.)

Samoa

90,000 (2000 est.)

San Marino

20,470 (2004)

Sao Tome and Principe

35,050 (1991)

Saudi Arabia

6.563 million

note: about one-third of the population in the 15-64 age group is

non-national (2007 est.)

Senegal

4.85 million (2007 est.)

Serbia

2.961 million (2002 est.)

Seychelles

39,560 (2006)

Sierra Leone

1.369 million (1981 est.)

Singapore

2.751 million (2007 est.)

Slovakia

2.654 million (2007 est.)

Slovenia

925,000 (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

249,200 (1999)

Somalia

3.7 million (few skilled laborers) (1975)

South Africa

20.49 million economically active (2007 est.)

Spain

22.19 million (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

7.489 million (2007 est.)

Sudan

7.415 million (1996 est.)

Suriname

156,700 (2004)

Svalbard

NA

Swaziland

300,000 (2006)

Sweden

4.839 million (2007 est.)

Switzerland

3.954 million (2007 est.)

Syria

5.462 million (2007 est.)

Taiwan

10.71 million (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

2.1 million (2007)

Tanzania

20.04 million (2007 est.)

Thailand

36.9 million (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

NA

Togo

1.302 million (1998)

Tokelau

440 (2001)

Tonga

33,910 (2003)

Trinidad and Tobago

622,000 (2007 est.)

Tunisia

3.593 million (2007 est.)

Turkey 23.53 million note: about 1.2 million Turks work abroad (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

2.089 million (2004 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

4,848 (1990 est.)

Tuvalu

3,615 (2004 est.)

Uganda

14.02 million (2007 est.)

Ukraine

21.58 million (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

3.065 million (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

30.89 million (2007 est.)

United States

153.1 million (includes unemployed) (2007 est.)

Uruguay

1.631 million (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

14.6 million (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

76,410 (1999)

Venezuela

12.37 million (2007 est.)

Vietnam

46.42 million (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

43,980 (2004 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

3,104 (2003)

West Bank

605,000 (2006)

Western Sahara

12,000 (2005 est.)

World

3.131 billion (2007 est.)

Yemen

6.305 million (2007 est.)

Zambia

4.989 million (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

4.032 million (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2096 Land boundaries (km)

Afghanistan

total: 5,529 km

border countries: China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km,

Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km

Akrotiri

total: 47.4 km

border countries: Cyprus 47.4 km

Albania

total: 717 km

border countries: Greece 282 km, Macedonia 151 km, Montenegro 172

km, Kosovo 112 km

Algeria

total: 6,343 km

border countries: Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km, Mauritania 463 km,

Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western Sahara 42 km

American Samoa

0 km

Andorra

total: 120.3 km

border countries: France 56.6 km, Spain 63.7 km

Angola

total: 5,198 km

border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,511 km (of

which 225 km is the boundary of discontiguous Cabinda Province),

Republic of the Congo 201 km, Namibia 1,376 km, Zambia 1,110 km

Anguilla

0 km

Antarctica 0 km note: see entry on Disputes - international

Antigua and Barbuda

0 km

Argentina

total: 9,861 km

border countries: Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,261 km, Chile 5,308 km,

Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 580 km

Armenia

total: 1,254 km

border countries: Azerbaijan-proper 566 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan

exclave 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km

Aruba

0 km

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

0 km

Australia

0 km

Austria

total: 2,562 km

border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366

km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330

km, Switzerland 164 km

Azerbaijan

total: 2,013 km

border countries: Armenia (with Azerbaijan-proper) 566 km, Armenia

(with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 221 km, Georgia 322 km, Iran

(with Azerbaijan-proper) 432 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan

exclave) 179 km, Russia 284 km, Turkey 9 km

Bahamas, The

0 km

Bahrain

0 km

Bangladesh total: 4,246 km border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km

Barbados

0 km

Belarus

total: 3,306 km

border countries: Latvia 171 km, Lithuania 680 km, Poland 605 km,

Russia 959 km, Ukraine 891 km

Belgium

total: 1,385 km

border countries: France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km,

Netherlands 450 km

Belize

total: 516 km

border countries: Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km

Benin

total: 1,989 km

border countries: Burkina Faso 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km,

Togo 644 km

Bermuda

0 km

Bhutan

total: 1,075 km

border countries: China 470 km, India 605 km

Bolivia

total: 6,940 km

border countries: Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,423 km, Chile 860 km,

Paraguay 750 km, Peru 1,075 km

Bosnia and Herzegovina

total: 1,538 km

border countries: Croatia 932 km, Montenegro 249 km, Serbia 357 km

Botswana

total: 4,013 km

border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe

813 km

Bouvet Island

0 km

Brazil

total: 16,885 km

border countries: Argentina 1,261 km, Bolivia 3,423 km, Colombia

1,644 km, French Guiana 730 km, Guyana 1,606 km, Paraguay 1,365 km,

Peru 2,995 km, Suriname 593 km, Uruguay 1,068 km, Venezuela 2,200 km

British Indian Ocean Territory

0 km

British Virgin Islands

0 km

Brunei

total: 381 km

border countries: Malaysia 381 km

Bulgaria

total: 1,808 km

border countries: Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km,

Serbia 318 km, Turkey 240 km

Burkina Faso

total: 3,193 km

border countries: Benin 306 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Ghana 549 km,

Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km

Burma

total: 5,876 km

border countries: Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km,

Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km

Burundi

total: 974 km

border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 233 km, Rwanda

290 km, Tanzania 451 km

Cambodia

total: 2,572 km

border countries: Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km

Cameroon

total: 4,591 km

border countries: Central African Republic 797 km, Chad 1,094 km,

Republic of the Congo 523 km, Equatorial Guinea 189 km, Gabon 298

km, Nigeria 1,690 km

Canada total: 8,893 km border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)

Cape Verde

0 km

Cayman Islands

0 km

Central African Republic

total: 5,203 km

border countries: Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km, Democratic

Republic of the Congo 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 467 km, Sudan

1,165 km

Chad

total: 5,968 km

border countries: Cameroon 1,094 km, Central African Republic 1,197

km, Libya 1,055 km, Niger 1,175 km, Nigeria 87 km, Sudan 1,360 km

Chile

total: 6,339 km

border countries: Argentina 5,308 km, Bolivia 860 km, Peru 171 km

China

total: 22,117 km

border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km,

India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km,

Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km, Nepal 1,236 km,

Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40

km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km

regional borders: Hong Kong 30 km, Macau 0.34 km

Christmas Island

0 km

Clipperton Island

0 km

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

0 km

Colombia

total: 6,309 km

border countries: Brazil 1,644 km, Ecuador 590 km, Panama 225 km,

Peru 1,800 km, Venezuela 2,050 km

Comoros

0 km

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

total: 10,730 km

border countries: Angola 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary

of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 233 km, Central

African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda

217 km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 459 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km

Congo, Republic of the

total: 5,504 km

border countries: Angola 201 km, Cameroon 523 km, Central African

Republic 467 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Gabon

1,903 km

Cook Islands

0 km

Coral Sea Islands

0 km

Costa Rica

total: 639 km

border countries: Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km

Cote d'Ivoire

total: 3,110 km

border countries: Burkina Faso 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km,

Liberia 716 km, Mali 532 km

Croatia

total: 1,982 km

border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 932 km, Hungary 329 km,

Serbia 241 km, Montenegro 25 km, Slovenia 455 km

Cuba

total: 29 km

border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km

note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and remains part of

Cuba

Cyprus

total: 150.4 km (approximately)

border sovereign base areas: Akrotiri 47.4 km, Dhekelia 103 km

(approximately)

Czech Republic

total: 1,989 km

border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 815 km, Poland 615 km,

Slovakia 197 km

Denmark

total: 68 km

border countries: Germany 68 km

Dhekelia

total: 103 km (approximately)

border countries: Cyprus 103 km (approximately)

Djibouti

total: 516 km

border countries: Eritrea 109 km, Ethiopia 349 km, Somalia 58 km

Dominica

0 km

Dominican Republic

total: 360 km

border countries: Haiti 360 km

Ecuador

total: 2,010 km

border countries: Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km

Egypt

total: 2,665 km

border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 266 km, Libya 1,115 km,

Sudan 1,273 km

El Salvador

total: 545 km

border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km

Equatorial Guinea

total: 539 km

border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km

Eritrea

total: 1,626 km

border countries: Djibouti 109 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km

Estonia

total: 633 km

border countries: Latvia 343 km, Russia 290 km

Ethiopia

total: 5,328 km

border countries: Djibouti 349 km, Eritrea 912 km, Kenya 861 km,

Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 1,606 km

European Union

total: 12,440.8 km

border countries: Albania 282 km, Andorra 120.3 km, Belarus 1,050

km, Croatia 999 km, Holy See 3.2 km, Liechtenstein 34.9 km,

Macedonia 394 km, Moldova 450 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Norway 2,348 km,

Russia 2,257 km, San Marino 39 km, Serbia 945 km, Switzerland 1,811

km, Turkey 446 km, Ukraine 1,257 km

note: data for European Continent only

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

0 km

Faroe Islands

0 km

Fiji

0 km

Finland

total: 2,654 km

border countries: Norway 727 km, Sweden 614 km, Russia 1,313 km

France

metropolitan France - total: 2,889 km

border countries: Andorra 56.6 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km,

Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km,

Switzerland 573 km

French Guiana - total: 1,183 km

border countries: Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km

French Polynesia

0 km

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

0 km

Gabon

total: 2,551 km

border countries: Cameroon 298 km, Republic of the Congo 1,903 km,

Equatorial Guinea 350 km

Gambia, The

total: 740 km

border countries: Senegal 740 km

Gaza Strip

total: 62 km

border countries: Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km

Georgia

total: 1,461 km

border countries: Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km,

Turkey 252 km

Germany

total: 3,621 km

border countries: Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646

km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577

km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km

Ghana

total: 2,094 km

border countries: Burkina Faso 549 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo

877 km

Gibraltar

total: 1.2 km

border countries: Spain 1.2 km

Greece

total: 1,228 km

border countries: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km,

Macedonia 246 km

Greenland

0 km

Grenada

0 km

Guam

0 km

Guatemala

total: 1,687 km

border countries: Belize 266 km, El Salvador 203 km, Honduras 256

km, Mexico 962 km

Guernsey

0 km

Guinea

total: 3,399 km

border countries: Cote d'Ivoire 610 km, Guinea-Bissau 386 km,

Liberia 563 km, Mali 858 km, Senegal 330 km, Sierra Leone 652 km

Guinea-Bissau

total: 724 km

border countries: Guinea 386 km, Senegal 338 km

Guyana

total: 2,949 km

border countries: Brazil 1,606 km, Suriname 600 km, Venezuela 743 km

Haiti

total: 360 km

border countries: Dominican Republic 360 km

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

0 km

Holy See (Vatican City)

total: 3.2 km

border countries: Italy 3.2 km

Honduras

total: 1,520 km

border countries: Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua

922 km

Hong Kong

total: 30 km

regional border: China 30 km

Hungary

total: 2,185 km

border countries: Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km,

Serbia 166 km, Slovakia 676 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km

Iceland

0 km

India

total: 14,103 km

border countries: Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463

km, China 3,380 km, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km

Indonesia

total: 2,830 km

border countries: Timor-Leste 228 km, Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New

Guinea 820 km

Iran

total: 5,440 km

border countries: Afghanistan 936 km, Armenia 35 km,

Azerbaijan-proper 432 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 179 km, Iraq

1,458 km, Pakistan 909 km, Turkey 499 km, Turkmenistan 992 km

Iraq

total: 3,650 km

border countries: Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 240 km, Saudi

Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 352 km

Ireland total: 360 km border countries: UK 360 km

Isle of Man

0 km

Israel

total: 1,017 km

border countries: Egypt 266 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km,

Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km

Italy

total: 1,899.2 km

border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican

City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 199 km, Switzerland 740 km

Jamaica

0 km

Jan Mayen

0 km

Japan

0 km

Jersey

0 km

Jordan

total: 1,635 km

border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 744 km,

Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km

Kazakhstan

total: 12,185 km

border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,224 km, Russia 6,846

km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km

Kenya

total: 3,477 km

border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km,

Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km

Kiribati

0 km

Korea, North

total: 1,673 km

border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km

Korea, South

total: 238 km

border countries: North Korea 238 km

Kosovo

total: 702 km

border countries: Albania 112 km, Macedonia 159 km, Montenegro 79

km, Serbia 352 km

Kuwait

total: 462 km

border countries: Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km

Kyrgyzstan

total: 3,051 km

border countries: China 858 km, Kazakhstan 1,224 km, Tajikistan 870

km, Uzbekistan 1,099 km

Laos

total: 5,083 km

border countries: Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km,

Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km

Latvia

total: 1,382 km

border countries: Belarus 171 km, Estonia 343 km, Lithuania 576 km,

Russia 292 km

Lebanon

total: 454 km

border countries: Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km

Lesotho

total: 909 km

border countries: South Africa 909 km

Liberia

total: 1,585 km

border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone

306 km

Libya

total: 4,348 km

border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,115 km,

Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km

Liechtenstein

total: 76 km

border countries: Austria 34.9 km, Switzerland 41.1 km

Lithuania

total: 1,574 km

border countries: Belarus 680 km, Latvia 576 km, Poland 91 km,

Russia (Kaliningrad) 227 km

Luxembourg

total: 359 km

border countries: Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, Germany 138 km

Macau

total: 0.34 km

regional border: China 0.34 km

Macedonia

total: 766 km

border countries: Albania 151 km, Bulgaria 148 km, Greece 246 km,

Kosovo 159 km, Serbia 62 km

Madagascar

0 km

Malawi

total: 2,881 km

border countries: Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km

Malaysia

total: 2,669 km

border countries: Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782 km, Thailand 506 km

Maldives

0 km

Mali

total: 7,243 km

border countries: Algeria 1,376 km, Burkina Faso 1,000 km, Guinea

858 km, Cote d'Ivoire 532 km, Mauritania 2,237 km, Niger 821 km,

Senegal 419 km

Malta

0 km

Marshall Islands

0 km

Mauritania

total: 5,074 km

border countries: Algeria 463 km, Mali 2,237 km, Senegal 813 km,

Western Sahara 1,561 km

Mauritius

0 km

Mayotte

0 km

Mexico total: 4,353 km border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km

Micronesia, Federated States of 0 km

Moldova

total: 1,390 km

border countries: Romania 450 km, Ukraine 940 km

Monaco

total: 4.4 km

border countries: France 4.4 km

Mongolia

total: 8,220 km

border countries: China 4,677 km, Russia 3,543 km

Montenegro

total: 625 km

border countries: Albania 172 km, Bosnia and Herzegovina 225 km,

Croatia 25 km, Kosovo 79 km, Serbia 124 km

Montserrat

0 km

Morocco

total: 2,017.9 km

border countries: Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km, Spain

(Ceuta) 6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km

Mozambique

total: 4,571 km

border countries: Malawi 1,569 km, South Africa 491 km, Swaziland

105 km, Tanzania 756 km, Zambia 419 km, Zimbabwe 1,231 km

Namibia

total: 3,936 km

border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa

967 km, Zambia 233 km

Nauru

0 km

Navassa Island

0 km

Nepal

total: 2,926 km

border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km

Netherlands

total: 1,027 km

border countries: Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km

Netherlands Antilles

total: 15 km

border countries: Saint Martin 15 km

New Caledonia

0 km

New Zealand

0 km

Nicaragua

total: 1,231 km

border countries: Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km

Niger

total: 5,697 km

border countries: Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km, Burkina Faso 628 km,

Chad 1,175 km, Libya 354 km, Mali 821 km, Nigeria 1,497 km

Nigeria

total: 4,047 km

border countries: Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger

1,497 km

Niue

0 km

Norfolk Island

0 km

Northern Mariana Islands

0 km

Norway

total: 2,542 km

border countries: Finland 727 km, Sweden 1,619 km, Russia 196 km

Oman

total: 1,374 km

border countries: Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km

Pakistan

total: 6,774 km

border countries: Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912

km, Iran 909 km

Palau

0 km

Panama

total: 555 km

border countries: Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km

Papua New Guinea

total: 820 km

border countries: Indonesia 820 km

Paracel Islands

0 km

Paraguay

total: 3,995 km

border countries: Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km, Brazil 1,365 km

Peru

total: 7,461 km

border countries: Bolivia 1,075 km, Brazil 2,995 km, Chile 171 km,

Colombia 1,800 km, Ecuador 1,420 km

Philippines

0 km

Pitcairn Islands

0 km

Poland

total: 3,047 km

border countries: Belarus 605 km, Czech Republic 615 km, Germany 456

km, Lithuania 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 432 km, Slovakia

420 km, Ukraine 428 km

Portugal total: 1,214 km border countries: Spain 1,214 km

Puerto Rico 0 km

Qatar total: 60 km border countries: Saudi Arabia 60 km

Romania

total: 2,508 km

border countries: Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km,

Serbia 476 km, Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (east) 169 km

Russia

total: 20,241.5 km

border countries: Azerbaijan 284 km, Belarus 959 km, China

(southeast) 3,605 km, China (south) 40 km, Estonia 290 km, Finland

1,313 km, Georgia 723 km, Kazakhstan 6,846 km, North Korea 17.5 km,

Latvia 292 km, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 227 km, Mongolia 3,441

km, Norway 196 km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 432 km, Ukraine 1,576

km

Rwanda

total: 893 km

border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo

217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km

Saint Barthelemy

0 km

Saint Helena

0 km

Saint Kitts and Nevis

0 km

Saint Lucia

0 km

Saint Martin total: 15 km border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 15 km

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

0 km

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

0 km

Samoa

0 km

San Marino total: 39 km border countries: Italy 39 km

Sao Tome and Principe

0 km

Saudi Arabia

total: 4,431 km

border countries: Iraq 814 km, Jordan 744 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman

676 km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km

Senegal

total: 2,640 km

border countries: The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau

338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km

Serbia

total: 2,026 km

border countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina 302 km, Bulgaria 318 km,

Croatia 241 km, Hungary 151 km, Kosovo 352 km, Macedonia 62 km,

Montenegro 124 km, Romania 476 km

Seychelles

0 km

Sierra Leone total: 958 km border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km

Singapore

0 km

Slovakia

total: 1,474 km

border countries: Austria 91 km, Czech Republic 197 km, Hungary 676

km, Poland 420 km, Ukraine 90 km

Slovenia

total: 1,086 km

border countries: Austria 330 km, Croatia 455 km, Hungary 102 km,

Italy 199 km

Solomon Islands

0 km

Somalia

total: 2,340 km

border countries: Djibouti 58 km, Ethiopia 1,600 km, Kenya 682 km

South Africa

total: 4,862 km

border countries: Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491

km, Namibia 967 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

0 km

Spain

total: 1,917.8 km

border countries: Andorra 63.7 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km,

Portugal 1,214 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km

Spratly Islands

0 km

Sri Lanka

0 km

Sudan

total: 7,687 km

border countries: Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km,

Democratic Republic of the Congo 628 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Eritrea 605

km, Ethiopia 1,606 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 km

Suriname total: 1,703 km border countries: Brazil 593 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km

Svalbard 0 km

Swaziland

total: 535 km

border countries: Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km

Sweden

total: 2,233 km

border countries: Finland 614 km, Norway 1,619 km

Switzerland

total: 1,852 km

border countries: Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km,

Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km

Syria

total: 2,253 km

border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon

375 km, Turkey 822 km

Taiwan

0 km

Tajikistan

total: 3,651 km

border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870

km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km

Tanzania

total: 3,861 km

border countries: Burundi 451 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo

459 km, Kenya 769 km, Malawi 475 km, Mozambique 756 km, Rwanda 217

km, Uganda 396 km, Zambia 338 km

Thailand

total: 4,863 km

border countries: Burma 1,800 km, Cambodia 803 km, Laos 1,754 km,

Malaysia 506 km

Timor-Leste

total: 228 km

border countries: Indonesia 228 km

Togo

total: 1,647 km

border countries: Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km

Tokelau

0 km

Tonga

0 km

Trinidad and Tobago

0 km

Tunisia

total: 1,424 km

border countries: Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km

Turkey

total: 2,648 km

border countries: Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km,

Georgia 252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 352 km, Syria 822 km

Turkmenistan

total: 3,736 km

border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379

km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km

Turks and Caicos Islands

0 km

Tuvalu

0 km

Uganda

total: 2,698 km

border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933

km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km

Ukraine

total: 4,566 km

border countries: Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 940 km,

Poland 428 km, Romania (south) 176 km, Romania (southwest) 362 km,

Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 90 km

United Arab Emirates

total: 867 km

border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km

United Kingdom

total: 360 km

border countries: Ireland 360 km

United States

total: 12,034 km

border countries: Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska),

Mexico 3,141 km

note: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased by the US and

is part of Cuba; the base boundary is 28 km

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

none

Uruguay

total: 1,648 km

border countries: Argentina 580 km, Brazil 1,068 km

Uzbekistan

total: 6,221 km

border countries: Afghanistan 137 km, Kazakhstan 2,203 km,

Kyrgyzstan 1,099 km, Tajikistan 1,161 km, Turkmenistan 1,621 km

Vanuatu

0 km

Venezuela

total: 4,993 km

border countries: Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km

Vietnam

total: 4,639 km

border countries: Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km

Virgin Islands

0 km

Wake Island

0 km

Wallis and Futuna

0 km

West Bank

total: 404 km

border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km

Western Sahara

total: 2,046 km

border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km

World

the land boundaries in the world total 251,060 km (not

counting shared boundaries twice); two nations, China and Russia,

each border 14 other countries

note: 45 nations and other areas are landlocked, these include:

Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan,

Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic,

Chad, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary,

Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein,

Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal,

Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Swaziland,

Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, West

Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe; two of these, Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan,

are doubly landlocked

Yemen

total: 1,746 km

border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km

Zambia

total: 5,664 km

border countries: Angola 1,110 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo

1,930 km, Malawi 837 km, Mozambique 419 km, Namibia 233 km, Tanzania

338 km, Zimbabwe 797 km

Zimbabwe

total: 3,066 km

border countries: Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa

225 km, Zambia 797 km

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2097 Land use (%)

Afghanistan

arable land: 12.13%

permanent crops: 0.21%

other: 87.66% (2005)

Albania

arable land: 20.1%

permanent crops: 4.21%

other: 75.69% (2005)

Algeria

arable land: 3.17%

permanent crops: 0.28%

other: 96.55% (2005)

American Samoa

arable land: 10%

permanent crops: 15%

other: 75% (2005)

Andorra

arable land: 2.13%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 97.87% (2005)

Angola

arable land: 2.65%

permanent crops: 0.23%

other: 97.12% (2005)

Anguilla

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (mostly rock with sparse scrub oak, few trees, some

commercial salt ponds) (2005)

Antarctica

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (ice 98%, barren rock 2%) (2005)

Antigua and Barbuda

arable land: 18.18%

permanent crops: 4.55%

other: 77.27% (2005)

Argentina

arable land: 10.03%

permanent crops: 0.36%

other: 89.61% (2005)

Armenia

arable land: 16.78%

permanent crops: 2.01%

other: 81.21% (2005)

Aruba

arable land: 10.53%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 89.47% (2005)

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (all grass and sand) (2005)

Australia

arable land: 6.15% (includes about 27 million hectares of

cultivated grassland)

permanent crops: 0.04%

other: 93.81% (2005)

Austria

arable land: 16.59%

permanent crops: 0.85%

other: 82.56% (2005)

Azerbaijan

arable land: 20.62%

permanent crops: 2.61%

other: 76.77% (2005)

Bahamas, The

arable land: 0.58%

permanent crops: 0.29%

other: 99.13% (2005)

Bahrain

arable land: 2.82%

permanent crops: 5.63%

other: 91.55% (2005)

Bangladesh

arable land: 55.39%

permanent crops: 3.08%

other: 41.53% (2005)

Barbados

arable land: 37.21%

permanent crops: 2.33%

other: 60.46% (2005)

Belarus

arable land: 26.77%

permanent crops: 0.6%

other: 72.63% (2005)

Belgium

arable land: 27.42%

permanent crops: 0.69%

other: 71.89%

note: includes Luxembourg (2005)

Belize

arable land: 3.05%

permanent crops: 1.39%

other: 95.56% (2005)

Benin

arable land: 23.53%

permanent crops: 2.37%

other: 74.1% (2005)

Bermuda

arable land: 20%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 80% (55% developed, 45% rural/open space) (2005)

Bhutan

arable land: 2.3%

permanent crops: 0.43%

other: 97.27% (2005)

Bolivia

arable land: 2.78%

permanent crops: 0.19%

other: 97.03% (2005)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

arable land: 19.61%

permanent crops: 1.89%

other: 78.5% (2005)

Botswana

arable land: 0.65%

permanent crops: 0.01%

other: 99.34% (2005)

Bouvet Island

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (93% ice) (2005)

Brazil

arable land: 6.93%

permanent crops: 0.89%

other: 92.18% (2005)

British Indian Ocean Territory

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2005)

British Virgin Islands

arable land: 20%

permanent crops: 6.67%

other: 73.33% (2005)

Brunei

arable land: 2.08%

permanent crops: 0.87%

other: 97.05% (2005)

Bulgaria

arable land: 29.94%

permanent crops: 1.9%

other: 68.16% (2005)

Burkina Faso

arable land: 17.66%

permanent crops: 0.22%

other: 82.12% (2005)

Burma

arable land: 14.92%

permanent crops: 1.31%

other: 83.77% (2005)

Burundi

arable land: 35.57%

permanent crops: 13.12%

other: 51.31% (2005)

Cambodia

arable land: 20.44%

permanent crops: 0.59%

other: 78.97% (2005)

Cameroon

arable land: 12.54%

permanent crops: 2.52%

other: 84.94% (2005)

Canada

arable land: 4.57%

permanent crops: 0.65%

other: 94.78% (2005)

Cape Verde

arable land: 11.41%

permanent crops: 0.74%

other: 87.85% (2005)

Cayman Islands

arable land: 3.85%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 96.15% (2005)

Central African Republic

arable land: 3.1%

permanent crops: 0.15%

other: 96.75% (2005)

Chad

arable land: 2.8%

permanent crops: 0.02%

other: 97.18% (2005)

Chile

arable land: 2.62%

permanent crops: 0.43%

other: 96.95% (2005)

China

arable land: 14.86%

permanent crops: 1.27%

other: 83.87% (2005)

Christmas Island arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park) (2005)

Clipperton Island

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (all coral) (2005)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2005)

Colombia

arable land: 2.01%

permanent crops: 1.37%

other: 96.62% (2005)

Comoros

arable land: 35.87%

permanent crops: 23.32%

other: 40.81% (2005)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

arable land: 2.86%

permanent crops: 0.47%

other: 96.67% (2005)

Congo, Republic of the

arable land: 1.45%

permanent crops: 0.15%

other: 98.4% (2005)

Cook Islands

arable land: 16.67%

permanent crops: 8.33%

other: 75% (2005)

Coral Sea Islands

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (mostly grass or scrub cover) (2005)

Costa Rica

arable land: 4.4%

permanent crops: 5.87%

other: 89.73% (2005)

Cote d'Ivoire

arable land: 10.23%

permanent crops: 11.16%

other: 78.61% (2005)

Croatia

arable land: 25.82%

permanent crops: 2.19%

other: 71.99% (2005)

Cuba

arable land: 27.63%

permanent crops: 6.54%

other: 65.83% (2005)

Cyprus

arable land: 10.81%

permanent crops: 4.32%

other: 84.87% (2005)

Czech Republic

arable land: 38.82%

permanent crops: 3%

other: 58.18% (2005)

Denmark

arable land: 52.59%

permanent crops: 0.19%

other: 47.22% (2005)

Djibouti

arable land: 0.04%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 99.96% (2005)

Dominica

arable land: 6.67%

permanent crops: 21.33%

other: 72% (2005)

Dominican Republic

arable land: 22.49%

permanent crops: 10.26%

other: 67.25% (2005)

Ecuador

arable land: 5.71%

permanent crops: 4.81%

other: 89.48% (2005)

Egypt

arable land: 2.92%

permanent crops: 0.5%

other: 96.58% (2005)

El Salvador

arable land: 31.37%

permanent crops: 11.88%

other: 56.75% (2005)

Equatorial Guinea

arable land: 4.63%

permanent crops: 3.57%

other: 91.8% (2005)

Eritrea

arable land: 4.78%

permanent crops: 0.03%

other: 95.19% (2005)

Estonia

arable land: 12.05%

permanent crops: 0.35%

other: 87.6% (2005)

Ethiopia

arable land: 10.01%

permanent crops: 0.65%

other: 89.34% (2005)

European Union

arable land: NA

permanent crops: NA

other: NA

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (99% permanent pastures, 1% other) (2005)

Faroe Islands

arable land: 2.14%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 97.86% (2005)

Fiji

arable land: 10.95%

permanent crops: 4.65%

other: 84.4% (2005)

Finland

arable land: 6.54%

permanent crops: 0.02%

other: 93.44% (2005)

France

arable land: 33.46%

permanent crops: 2.03%

other: 64.51%

note: French Guiana - arable land 0.13%, permanent crops 0.04%,

other 99.83% (90% forest, 10% other); Guadeloupe - arable land

11.70%, permanent crops 2.92%, other 85.38%; Martinique - arable

land 9.09%, permanent crops 10.0%, other 80.91%; Reunion - arable

land 13.94%, permanent crops 1.59%, other 84.47% (2005)

French Polynesia

arable land: 0.75%

permanent crops: 5.5%

other: 93.75% (2005)

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et

Ile Saint-Paul) - 100% trees, grasses, ferns, and moss; Ile

Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul) - 100% grass, ferns,

and moss; Iles Crozet - 100% tossock grass, heath, and fern; Iles

Kerguelen - 100% tossock grass and Kerguelen cabbage; Bassas da

India (Iles Eparses) - 100% rock, coral reef, and sand; Europa

Island (Iles Eparses) - 100% mangrove swamp and dry woodlands;

Glorioso Islands (Iles Eparses) - 100% lush vegetation and coconut

palms; Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses) - 90% forest, 10% other;

Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses) - 100% grasses and scattered brush

(2005)

Gabon

arable land: 1.21%

permanent crops: 0.64%

other: 98.15% (2005)

Gambia, The

arable land: 27.88%

permanent crops: 0.44%

other: 71.68% (2005)

Gaza Strip

arable land: 29%

permanent crops: 21%

other: 50% (2002)

Georgia

arable land: 11.51%

permanent crops: 3.79%

other: 84.7% (2005)

Germany

arable land: 33.13%

permanent crops: 0.6%

other: 66.27% (2005)

Ghana

arable land: 17.54%

permanent crops: 9.22%

other: 73.24% (2005)

Gibraltar

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2005)

Greece

arable land: 20.45%

permanent crops: 8.59%

other: 70.96% (2005)

Greenland

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2005)

Grenada

arable land: 5.88%

permanent crops: 29.41%

other: 64.71% (2005)

Guam

arable land: 3.64%

permanent crops: 18.18%

other: 78.18% (2005)

Guatemala

arable land: 13.22%

permanent crops: 5.6%

other: 81.18% (2005)

Guernsey

arable land: NA

permanent crops: NA

other: NA

Guinea

arable land: 4.47%

permanent crops: 2.64%

other: 92.89% (2005)

Guinea-Bissau

arable land: 8.31%

permanent crops: 6.92%

other: 84.77% (2005)

Guyana

arable land: 2.23%

permanent crops: 0.14%

other: 97.63% (2005)

Haiti

arable land: 28.11%

permanent crops: 11.53%

other: 60.36% (2005)

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2005)

Holy See (Vatican City)

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (urban area) (2005)

Honduras

arable land: 9.53%

permanent crops: 3.21%

other: 87.26% (2005)

Hong Kong

arable land: 5.05%

permanent crops: 1.01%

other: 93.94% (2001)

Hungary

arable land: 49.58%

permanent crops: 2.06%

other: 48.36% (2005)

Iceland

arable land: 0.07%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 99.93% (2005)

India

arable land: 48.83%

permanent crops: 2.8%

other: 48.37% (2005)

Indonesia

arable land: 11.03%

permanent crops: 7.04%

other: 81.93% (2005)

Iran

arable land: 9.78%

permanent crops: 1.29%

other: 88.93% (2005)

Iraq

arable land: 13.12%

permanent crops: 0.61%

other: 86.27% (2005)

Ireland

arable land: 16.82%

permanent crops: 0.03%

other: 83.15% (2005)

Isle of Man

arable land: 9%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 91% (permanent pastures, forests, mountain, and heathland)

(2002)

Israel

arable land: 15.45%

permanent crops: 3.88%

other: 80.67% (2005)

Italy

arable land: 26.41%

permanent crops: 9.09%

other: 64.5% (2005)

Jamaica

arable land: 15.83%

permanent crops: 10.01%

other: 74.16% (2005)

Jan Mayen

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2005)

Japan

arable land: 11.64%

permanent crops: 0.9%

other: 87.46% (2005)

Jersey

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2005)

Jordan

arable land: 3.32%

permanent crops: 1.18%

other: 95.5% (2005)

Kazakhstan

arable land: 8.28%

permanent crops: 0.05%

other: 91.67% (2005)

Kenya

arable land: 8.01%

permanent crops: 0.97%

other: 91.02% (2005)

Kiribati

arable land: 2.74%

permanent crops: 47.95%

other: 49.31% (2005)

Korea, North

arable land: 22.4%

permanent crops: 1.66%

other: 75.94% (2005)

Korea, South

arable land: 16.58%

permanent crops: 2.01%

other: 81.41% (2005)

Kuwait

arable land: 0.84%

permanent crops: 0.17%

other: 98.99% (2005)

Kyrgyzstan

arable land: 6.55%

permanent crops: 0.28%

other: 93.17%

note: Kyrgyzstan has the world's largest natural-growth walnut

forest (2005)

Laos

arable land: 4.01%

permanent crops: 0.34%

other: 95.65% (2005)

Latvia

arable land: 28.19%

permanent crops: 0.45%

other: 71.36% (2005)

Lebanon

arable land: 16.35%

permanent crops: 13.75%

other: 69.9% (2005)

Lesotho

arable land: 10.87%

permanent crops: 0.13%

other: 89% (2005)

Liberia

arable land: 3.43%

permanent crops: 1.98%

other: 94.59% (2005)

Libya

arable land: 1.03%

permanent crops: 0.19%

other: 98.78% (2005)

Liechtenstein

arable land: 25%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 75% (2005)

Lithuania

arable land: 44.81%

permanent crops: 0.9%

other: 54.29% (2005)

Luxembourg

arable land: 27.42%

permanent crops: 0.69%

other: 71.89% (includes Belgium) (2005)

Macau

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2005)

Macedonia

arable land: 22.01%

permanent crops: 1.79%

other: 76.2% (2005)

Madagascar

arable land: 5.03%

permanent crops: 1.02%

other: 93.95% (2005)

Malawi

arable land: 20.68%

permanent crops: 1.18%

other: 78.14% (2005)

Malaysia

arable land: 5.46%

permanent crops: 17.54%

other: 77% (2005)

Maldives

arable land: 13.33%

permanent crops: 30%

other: 56.67% (2005)

Mali

arable land: 3.76%

permanent crops: 0.03%

other: 96.21% (2005)

Malta

arable land: 31.25%

permanent crops: 3.13%

other: 65.62% (2005)

Marshall Islands

arable land: 11.11%

permanent crops: 44.44%

other: 44.45% (2005)

Mauritania

arable land: 0.2%

permanent crops: 0.01%

other: 99.79% (2005)

Mauritius

arable land: 49.02%

permanent crops: 2.94%

other: 48.04% (2005)

Mayotte

arable land: NA%

permanent crops: NA%

other: NA%

Mexico

arable land: 12.66%

permanent crops: 1.28%

other: 86.06% (2005)

Micronesia, Federated States of

arable land: 5.71%

permanent crops: 45.71%

other: 48.58% (2005)

Moldova

arable land: 54.52%

permanent crops: 8.81%

other: 36.67% (2005)

Monaco

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (urban area) (2005)

Mongolia

arable land: 0.76%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 99.24% (2005)

Montenegro

arable land: 13.7%

permanent crops: 1%

other: 85.3%

Montserrat

arable land: 20%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 80% (2005)

Morocco

arable land: 19%

permanent crops: 2%

other: 79% (2005)

Mozambique

arable land: 5.43%

permanent crops: 0.29%

other: 94.28% (2005)

Namibia

arable land: 0.99%

permanent crops: 0.01%

other: 99% (2005)

Nauru

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2005)

Navassa Island

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2005)

Nepal

arable land: 16.07%

permanent crops: 0.85%

other: 83.08% (2005)

Netherlands

arable land: 21.96%

permanent crops: 0.77%

other: 77.27% (2005)

Netherlands Antilles

arable land: 10%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 90% (2005)

New Caledonia

arable land: 0.32%

permanent crops: 0.22%

other: 99.46% (2005)

New Zealand

arable land: 5.54%

permanent crops: 6.92%

other: 87.54% (2005)

Nicaragua

arable land: 14.81%

permanent crops: 1.82%

other: 83.37% (2005)

Niger

arable land: 11.43%

permanent crops: 0.01%

other: 88.56% (2005)

Nigeria

arable land: 33.02%

permanent crops: 3.14%

other: 63.84% (2005)

Niue

arable land: 11.54%

permanent crops: 15.38%

other: 73.08% (2005)

Norfolk Island

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2005)

Northern Mariana Islands

arable land: 13.04%

permanent crops: 4.35%

other: 82.61% (2005)

Norway

arable land: 2.7%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 97.3% (2005)

Oman

arable land: 0.12%

permanent crops: 0.14%

other: 99.74% (2005)

Pakistan

arable land: 24.44%

permanent crops: 0.84%

other: 74.72% (2005)

Palau

arable land: 8.7%

permanent crops: 4.35%

other: 86.95% (2005)

Panama

arable land: 7.26%

permanent crops: 1.95%

other: 90.79% (2005)

Papua New Guinea

arable land: 0.49%

permanent crops: 1.4%

other: 98.11% (2005)

Paracel Islands

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2005)

Paraguay

arable land: 7.47%

permanent crops: 0.24%

other: 92.29% (2005)

Peru

arable land: 2.88%

permanent crops: 0.47%

other: 96.65% (2005)

Philippines

arable land: 19%

permanent crops: 16.67%

other: 64.33% (2005)

Pitcairn Islands

arable land: NA

permanent crops: NA

other: NA

Poland

arable land: 40.25%

permanent crops: 1%

other: 58.75% (2005)

Portugal

arable land: 17.29%

permanent crops: 7.84%

other: 74.87% (2005)

Puerto Rico

arable land: 3.69%

permanent crops: 5.59%

other: 90.72% (2005)

Qatar

arable land: 1.64%

permanent crops: 0.27%

other: 98.09% (2005)

Romania

arable land: 39.49%

permanent crops: 1.92%

other: 58.59% (2005)

Russia

arable land: 7.17%

permanent crops: 0.11%

other: 92.72% (2005)

Rwanda

arable land: 45.56%

permanent crops: 10.25%

other: 44.19% (2005)

Saint Helena

arable land: 12.9%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 87.1% (2005)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

arable land: 19.44%

permanent crops: 2.78%

other: 77.78% (2005)

Saint Lucia

arable land: 6.45%

permanent crops: 22.58%

other: 70.97% (2005)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

arable land: 12.5%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 87.5% (2005)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

arable land: 17.95%

permanent crops: 17.95%

other: 64.1% (2005)

Samoa

arable land: 21.13%

permanent crops: 24.3%

other: 54.57% (2005)

San Marino

arable land: 16.67%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 83.33% (2005)

Sao Tome and Principe

arable land: 8.33%

permanent crops: 48.96%

other: 42.71% (2005)

Saudi Arabia

arable land: 1.67%

permanent crops: 0.09%

other: 98.24% (2005)

Senegal

arable land: 12.51%

permanent crops: 0.24%

other: 87.25% (2005)

Serbia

arable land: NA

permanent crops: NA

other: NA

Seychelles

arable land: 2.17%

permanent crops: 13.04%

other: 84.79% (2005)

Sierra Leone

arable land: 7.95%

permanent crops: 1.05%

other: 91% (2005)

Singapore

arable land: 1.47%

permanent crops: 1.47%

other: 97.06% (2005)

Slovakia

arable land: 29.23%

permanent crops: 2.67%

other: 68.1% (2005)

Slovenia

arable land: 8.53%

permanent crops: 1.43%

other: 90.04% (2005)

Solomon Islands

arable land: 0.62%

permanent crops: 2.04%

other: 97.34% (2005)

Somalia

arable land: 1.64%

permanent crops: 0.04%

other: 98.32% (2005)

South Africa

arable land: 12.1%

permanent crops: 0.79%

other: 87.11% (2005)

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some

sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (2005)

Spain

arable land: 27.18%

permanent crops: 9.85%

other: 62.97% (2005)

Spratly Islands

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2005)

Sri Lanka

arable land: 13.96%

permanent crops: 15.24%

other: 70.8% (2005)

Sudan

arable land: 6.78%

permanent crops: 0.17%

other: 93.05% (2005)

Suriname

arable land: 0.36%

permanent crops: 0.06%

other: 99.58% (2005)

Svalbard

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (no trees; the only bushes are crowberry and cloudberry)

(2005)

Swaziland

arable land: 10.25%

permanent crops: 0.81%

other: 88.94% (2005)

Sweden

arable land: 5.93%

permanent crops: 0.01%

other: 94.06% (2005)

Switzerland

arable land: 9.91%

permanent crops: 0.58%

other: 89.51% (2005)

Syria

arable land: 24.8%

permanent crops: 4.47%

other: 70.73% (2005)

Taiwan

arable land: 24%

permanent crops: 1%

other: 75% (2001)

Tajikistan

arable land: 6.52%

permanent crops: 0.89%

other: 92.59% (2005)

Tanzania

arable land: 4.23%

permanent crops: 1.16%

other: 94.61% (2005)

Thailand

arable land: 27.54%

permanent crops: 6.93%

other: 65.53% (2005)

Timor-Leste

arable land: 8.2%

permanent crops: 4.57%

other: 87.23% (2005)

Togo

arable land: 44.2%

permanent crops: 2.11%

other: 53.69% (2005)

Tokelau

arable land: 0% (soil is thin and infertile)

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2005)

Tonga

arable land: 20%

permanent crops: 14.67%

other: 65.33% (2005)

Trinidad and Tobago

arable land: 14.62%

permanent crops: 9.16%

other: 76.22% (2005)

Tunisia

arable land: 17.05%

permanent crops: 13.08%

other: 69.87% (2005)

Turkey

arable land: 29.81%

permanent crops: 3.39%

other: 66.8% (2005)

Turkmenistan

arable land: 4.51%

permanent crops: 0.14%

other: 95.35% (2005)

Turks and Caicos Islands

arable land: 2.33%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 97.67% (2005)

Tuvalu

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 66.67%

other: 33.33% (2005)

Uganda

arable land: 21.57%

permanent crops: 8.92%

other: 69.51% (2005)

Ukraine

arable land: 53.8%

permanent crops: 1.5%

other: 44.7% (2005)

United Arab Emirates

arable land: 0.77%

permanent crops: 2.27%

other: 96.96% (2005)

United Kingdom

arable land: 23.23%

permanent crops: 0.2%

other: 76.57% (2005)

United States

arable land: 18.01%

permanent crops: 0.21%

other: 81.78% (2005)

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2008)

Uruguay

arable land: 7.77%

permanent crops: 0.24%

other: 91.99% (2005)

Uzbekistan

arable land: 10.51%

permanent crops: 0.76%

other: 88.73% (2005)

Vanuatu

arable land: 1.64%

permanent crops: 6.97%

other: 91.39% (2005)

Venezuela

arable land: 2.85%

permanent crops: 0.88%

other: 96.27% (2005)

Vietnam

arable land: 20.14%

permanent crops: 6.93%

other: 72.93% (2005)

Virgin Islands

arable land: 5.71%

permanent crops: 2.86%

other: 91.43% (2005)

Wake Island

arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 100% (2005)

Wallis and Futuna

arable land: 7.14%

permanent crops: 35.71%

other: 57.15% (2005)

West Bank

arable land: 16.9%

permanent crops: 18.97%

other: 64.13% (2001)

Western Sahara

arable land: 0.02%

permanent crops: 0%

other: 99.98% (2005)

World

arable land: 10.57%

permanent crops: 1.04%

other: 88.38% (2005)

Yemen

arable land: 2.91%

permanent crops: 0.25%

other: 96.84% (2005)

Zambia

arable land: 6.99%

permanent crops: 0.04%

other: 92.97% (2005)

Zimbabwe

arable land: 8.24%

permanent crops: 0.33%

other: 91.43% (2005)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2098 Languages (%)

Afghanistan

Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashto (official)

35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor

languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism

Akrotiri

English, Greek

Albania

Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek,

Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects

Algeria

Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects

American Samoa

Samoan 90.6% (closely related to Hawaiian and other

Polynesian languages), English 2.9%, Tongan 2.4%, other Pacific

islander 2.1%, other 2%

note: most people are bilingual (2000 census)

Andorra

Catalan (official), French, Castilian, Portuguese

Angola

Portuguese (official), Bantu and other African languages

Anguilla

English (official)

Antigua and Barbuda

English (official), local dialects

Argentina

Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French

Armenia

Armenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4% (2001

census)

Aruba

Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 66.3%,

Spanish 12.6%, English (widely spoken) 7.7%, Dutch (official) 5.8%,

other 2.2%, unspecified or unknown 5.3% (2000 census)

Australia

English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%,

unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)

Austria

German (official nationwide) 88.6%, Turkish 2.3%, Serbian

2.2%, Croatian (official in Burgenland) 1.6%, other (includes

Slovene, official in Carinthia, and Hungarian, official in

Burgenland) 5.3% (2001 census)

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani (Azeri) 90.3%, Lezgi 2.2%, Russian 1.8%,

Armenian 1.5%, other 3.3%, unspecified 1% (1999 census)

Bahamas, The

English (official), Creole (among Haitian immigrants)

Bahrain

Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu

Bangladesh

Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English

Barbados

English

Belarus

Belarusian, Russian, other

Belgium

Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German

(official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French)

Belize

Spanish 46%, Creole 32.9%, Mayan dialects 8.9%, English 3.9%

(official), Garifuna 3.4% (Carib), German 3.3%, other 1.4%, unknown

0.2% (2000 census)

Benin

French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in

south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)

Bermuda

English (official), Portuguese

Bhutan

Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects,

Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects

Bolivia

Spanish 60.7% (official), Quechua 21.2% (official), Aymara

14.6% (official), foreign languages 2.4%, other 1.2% (2001 census)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian

Botswana

Setswana 78.2%, Kalanga 7.9%, Sekgalagadi 2.8%, English

2.1% (official), other 8.6%, unspecified 0.4% (2001 census)

Brazil

Portuguese (official and most widely spoken language); note -

less common languages include Spanish (border areas and schools),

German, Italian, Japanese, English, and a large number of minor

Amerindian languages

British Virgin Islands

English (official)

Brunei

Malay (official), English, Chinese

Bulgaria

Bulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other and

unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)

Burkina Faso

French (official), native African languages belonging

to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population

Burma

Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages

Burundi

Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along Lake

Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)

Cambodia

Khmer (official) 95%, French, English

Cameroon

24 major African language groups, English (official),

French (official)

Canada

English (official) 59.3%, French (official) 23.2%, other 17.5%

Cape Verde

Portuguese, Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West

African words)

Cayman Islands

English 95%, Spanish 3.2%, other 1.8% (1999 census)

Central African Republic

French (official), Sangho (lingua franca

and national language), tribal languages

Chad

French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more

than 120 different languages and dialects

Chile

Spanish (official), Mapudungun, German, English

China

Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing

dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou),

Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority

languages (see Ethnic groups entry)

Christmas Island

English (official), Chinese, Malay

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Malay (Cocos dialect), English

Colombia

Spanish

Comoros

Arabic (official), French (official), Shikomoro (a blend of

Swahili and Arabic)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

French (official), Lingala (a

lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or

Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba

Congo, Republic of the

French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba

(lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects

(of which Kikongo is the most widespread)

Cook Islands

English (official), Maori

Costa Rica

Spanish (official), English

Cote d'Ivoire

French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula the

most widely spoken

Croatia

Croatian 96.1%, Serbian 1%, other and undesignated 2.9%

(including Italian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, and German) (2001

census)

Cuba

Spanish

Cyprus

Greek, Turkish, English

Czech Republic

Czech 94.9%, Slovak 2%, other 2.3%, unidentified 0.8%

(2001 census)

Denmark

Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Inuit dialect), German

(small minority)

note: English is the predominant second language

Dhekelia

English, Greek

Djibouti

French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar

Dominica

English (official), French patois

Dominican Republic

Spanish

Ecuador

Spanish (official), Amerindian languages (especially Quechua)

Egypt

Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by

educated classes

El Salvador

Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)

Equatorial Guinea

Spanish 67.6% (official), other 32.4% (includes

French (official), Fang, Bubi) (1994 census)

Eritrea

Afar, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic

languages

Estonia

Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%,

unknown 0.7% (2000 census)

Ethiopia

Amarigna 32.7%, Oromigna 31.6%, Tigrigna 6.1%, Somaligna

6%, Guaragigna 3.5%, Sidamigna 3.5%, Hadiyigna 1.7%, other 14.8%,

English (major foreign language taught in schools) (1994 census)

European Union

Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian,

Finnish, French, Gaelic, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian,

Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene,

Spanish, Swedish

note: only official languages are listed; German, the major language

of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, is the most widely spoken

mother tongue - over 19% of the EU population; English is the most

widely spoken language - about 49% of the EU population is

conversant with it (2007)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

English

Faroe Islands

Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish

Fiji

English (official), Fijian (official), Hindustani

Finland

Finnish 91.5% (official), Swedish 5.5% (official), other 3%

(small Sami- and Russian-speaking minorities) (2006)

France

French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and

languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque,

Flemish)

overseas departments: French, Creole patois

French Polynesia

French 61.1% (official), Polynesian 31.4%

(official), Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%, unspecified 6% (2002

census)

Gabon

French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira,

Bandjabi

Gambia, The

English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other

indigenous vernaculars

Gaza Strip

Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by many Palestinians), English

(widely understood)

Georgia

Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%,

other 7%

note: Abkhaz is the official language in Abkhazia

Germany

German

Ghana

Asante 14.8%, Ewe 12.7%, Fante 9.9%, Boron (Brong) 4.6%,

Dagomba 4.3%, Dangme 4.3%, Dagarte (Dagaba) 3.7%, Akyem 3.4%, Ga

3.4%, Akuapem 2.9%, other 36.1% (includes English (official)) (2000

census)

Gibraltar

English (used in schools and for official purposes),

Spanish, Italian, Portuguese

Greece

Greek 99% (official), other 1% (includes English and French)

Greenland

Greenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English

Grenada

English (official), French patois

Guam

English 38.3%, Chamorro 22.2%, Philippine languages 22.2%,

other Pacific island languages 6.8%, Asian languages 7%, other

languages 3.5% (2000 census)

Guatemala

Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages 40% (23 officially

recognized Amerindian languages, including Quiche, Cakchiquel,

Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna, and Xinca)

Guernsey

English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country

districts

Guinea

French (official); note - each ethnic group has its own

language

Guinea-Bissau

Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages

Guyana

English, Amerindian dialects, Creole, Caribbean Hindustani (a

dialect of Hindi), Urdu

Haiti

French (official), Creole (official)

Holy See (Vatican City)

Italian, Latin, French, various other

languages

Honduras

Spanish, Amerindian dialects

Hong Kong

Chinese (Cantonese) 89.2% (official), other Chinese

dialects 6.4%, English 3.2% (official), other 1.2% (2001 census)

Hungary

Hungarian 93.6%, other or unspecified 6.4% (2001 census)

Iceland

Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken

India

Hindi 41%, Bengali 8.1%, Telugu 7.2%, Marathi 7%, Tamil 5.9%,

Urdu 5%, Gujarati 4.5%, Kannada 3.7%, Malayalam 3.2%, Oriya 3.2%,

Punjabi 2.8%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.2%, other 5.9%

note: English enjoys associate status but is the most important

language for national, political, and commercial communication;

Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 41% of the

people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu,

Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi,

Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular

variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is

not an official language (2001 census)

Indonesia

Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay),

English, Dutch, local dialects (the most widely spoken of which is

Javanese)

Iran

Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic and Turkic dialects

26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%

Iraq

Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Turkoman (a

Turkish dialect), Assyrian (Neo-Aramaic), Armenian

Ireland

English (official) is the language generally used, Irish

(Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official) spoken mainly in areas located along

the western seaboard

Isle of Man

English, Manx Gaelic

Israel

Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority,

English most commonly used foreign language

Italy

Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige

region are predominantly German speaking), French (small

French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene

(Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)

Jamaica

English, English patois

Japan

Japanese

Jersey

English 94.5% (official), Portuguese 4.6%, other 0.9% (2001

census)

Jordan

Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and

middle classes

Kazakhstan

Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 64.4%, Russian (official,

used in everyday business, designated the "language of interethnic

communication") 95% (2001 est.)

Kenya

English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous

languages

Kiribati

I-Kiribati, English (official)

Korea, North

Korean

Korea, South

Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high

school

Kosovo

Albanian (official), Serbian (official), Bosnian, Turkish,

Roma

Kuwait

Arabic (official), English widely spoken

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz 64.7% (official), Uzbek 13.6%, Russian 12.5%

(official), Dungun 1%, other 8.2% (1999 census)

Laos

Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages

Latvia

Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other

4.3% (2000 census)

Lebanon

Arabic (official), French, English, Armenian

Lesotho

Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa

Liberia

English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of

which a few can be written and are used in correspondence

Libya

Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the

major cities

Liechtenstein

German (official), Alemannic dialect

Lithuania

Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other

and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census)

Luxembourg

Luxembourgish (national language), German (administrative

language), French (administrative language)

Macau

Cantonese 85.7%, Hokkien 4%, Mandarin 3.2%, other Chinese

dialects 2.7%, English 1.5%, Tagalog 1.3%, other 1.6% (2001 census)

Macedonia

Macedonian 66.5%, Albanian 25.1%, Turkish 3.5%, Roma 1.9%,

Serbian 1.2%, other 1.8% (2002 census)

Madagascar

English (official), French (official), Malagasy (official)

Malawi

Chichewa 57.2% (official), Chinyanja 12.8%, Chiyao 10.1%,

Chitumbuka 9.5%, Chisena 2.7%, Chilomwe 2.4%, Chitonga 1.7%, other

3.6% (1998 census)

Malaysia

Bahasa Malaysia (official), English, Chinese (Cantonese,

Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu,

Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai

note: in East Malaysia there are several indigenous languages; most

widely spoken are Iban and Kadazan

Maldives

Maldivian Dhivehi (dialect of Sinhala, script derived from

Arabic), English spoken by most government officials

Mali

French (official), Bambara 80%, numerous African languages

Malta

Maltese (official) 90.2%, English (official) 6%, multilingual

3%, other 0.8% (2005 census)

Marshall Islands

Marshallese (official) 98.2%, other languages 1.8%

(1999 census)

note: English (official), widely spoken as a second language

Mauritania

Arabic (official and national), Pulaar, Soninke, Wolof

(all national languages), French, Hassaniya

Mauritius

Creole 80.5%, Bhojpuri 12.1%, French 3.4%, English

(official; spoken by less than 1% of the population), other 3.7%,

unspecified 0.3% (2000 census)

Mayotte

Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language)

spoken by 35% of the population

Mexico

Spanish only 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.7%,

indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified 0.8%; note - indigenous languages

include various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional languages (2005)

Micronesia, Federated States of

English (official and common

language), Chuukese, Kosrean, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Ulithian, Woleaian,

Nukuoro, Kapingamarangi

Moldova

Moldovan (official, virtually the same as the Romanian

language), Russian, Gagauz (a Turkish dialect)

Monaco

French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque

Mongolia

Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian (1999)

Montenegro

Serbian 63.6%, Montenegrin (official) 22%, Bosnian 5.5%,

Albanian 5.3%, unspecified 3.7% (2003 census)

Montserrat

English

Morocco

Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the

language of business, government, and diplomacy

Mozambique

Emakhuwa 26.1%, Xichangana 11.3%, Portuguese 8.8%

(official; spoken by 27% of population as a second language), Elomwe

7.6%, Cisena 6.8%, Echuwabo 5.8%, other Mozambican languages 32%,

other foreign languages 0.3%, unspecified 1.3% (1997 census)

Namibia

English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of

the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%,

indigenous languages 1% (includes Oshivambo, Herero, Nama)

Nauru

Nauruan (official; a distinct Pacific Island language),

English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and

commercial purposes

Nepal

Nepali 47.8%, Maithali 12.1%, Bhojpuri 7.4%, Tharu

(Dagaura/Rana) 5.8%, Tamang 5.1%, Newar 3.6%, Magar 3.3%, Awadhi

2.4%, other 10%, unspecified 2.5% (2001 census)

note: many in government and business also speak English (2001 est.)

Netherlands

Dutch (official), Frisian (official)

Netherlands Antilles

Papiamento 65.4% (a

Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect), English 15.9% (widely

spoken), Dutch 7.3% (official), Spanish 6.1%, Creole 1.6%, other

1.9%, unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)

New Caledonia

French (official), 33 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

New Zealand

English (official), Maori (official), Sign Language

(official)

Nicaragua

Spanish 97.5% (official), Miskito 1.7%, other 0.8% (1995

census)

note: English and indigenous languages on Atlantic coast

Niger

French (official), Hausa, Djerma

Nigeria

English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo (Ibo), Fulani

Niue

Niuean, a Polynesian language closely related to Tongan and

Samoan; English

Norfolk Island

English (official), Norfolk - a mixture of 18th

century English and ancient Tahitian

Northern Mariana Islands

Philippine languages 24.4%, Chinese 23.4%,

Chamorro 22.4%, English 10.8%, other Pacific island languages 9.5%,

other 9.6% (2000 census)

Norway

Bokmal Norwegian (official), Nynorsk Norwegian (official),

small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities; note - Sami is official

in six municipalities

Oman

Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects

Pakistan

Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%,

Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%,

English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most

government ministries), Burushaski and other 8%

Palau

Palauan 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral

(Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are

official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official),

Filipino 13.5%, English 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%,

Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000 census)

Panama

Spanish (official), English 14%; note - many Panamanians

bilingual

Papua New Guinea

Melanesian Pidgin serves as the lingua franca,

English spoken by 1%-2%, Motu spoken in Papua region

note: 820 indigenous languages spoken (over one-tenth of the world's

total)

Paraguay

Spanish (official), Guarani (official)

Peru

Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large

number of minor Amazonian languages

Philippines

Filipino (official; based on Tagalog) and English

(official); eight major dialects - Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano,

Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan

Pitcairn Islands

English (official), Pitkern (mixture of an 18th

century English dialect and a Tahitian dialect)

Poland

Polish 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census)

Portugal

Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally

used)

Puerto Rico

Spanish, English

Qatar

Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language

Romania

Romanian 91% (official), Hungarian 6.7%, Romany (Gypsy)

1.1%, other 1.2%

Russia

Russian, many minority languages

Rwanda

Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French

(official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in

commercial centers

Saint Barthelemy

French (primary), English

Saint Helena

English

Saint Kitts and Nevis

English

Saint Lucia

English (official), French patois

Saint Martin

French (official language), English, Dutch, French

Patois, Spanish, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

French (official)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

English, French patois

Samoa

Samoan (Polynesian), English

San Marino

Italian

Sao Tome and Principe

Portuguese (official)

Saudi Arabia

Arabic

Senegal

French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka

Serbia

Serbian 88.3% (official), Hungarian 3.8%, Bosniak 1.8%,

Romany (Gypsy) 1.1%, other 4.1%, unknown 0.9% (2002 census)

note: Romanian, Hungarian, Slovak, Ukrainian, and Croatian all

official in Vojvodina

Seychelles

Creole 91.8%, English 4.9% (official), other 3.1%,

unspecified 0.2% (2002 census)

Sierra Leone

English (official, regular use limited to literate

minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne

(principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole,

spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled

in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10%

of the population but understood by 95%)

Singapore

Mandarin 35%, English 23%, Malay 14.1%, Hokkien 11.4%,

Cantonese 5.7%, Teochew 4.9%, Tamil 3.2%, other Chinese dialects

1.8%, other 0.9% (2000 census)

Slovakia

Slovak (official) 83.9%, Hungarian 10.7%, Roma 1.8%,

Ukrainian 1%, other or unspecified 2.6% (2001 census)

Slovenia

Slovenian 91.1%, Serbo-Croatian 4.5%, other or unspecified

4.4% (2002 census)

Solomon Islands

Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua

franca; English (official; but spoken by only 1%-2% of the

population); 120 indigenous languages

Somalia

Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English

South Africa

IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi

9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%,

other 7.2% (2001 census)

Spain

Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%,

Basque 2%, are official regionally

Sri Lanka

Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil

(national language) 18%, other 8%

note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken

competently by about 10% of the population

Sudan

Arabic (official), English (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie,

diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages

note: program of "Arabization" in process

Suriname

Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo

(Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of

Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca

among others), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese

Svalbard

Norwegian, Russian

Swaziland

English (official, government business conducted in

English), siSwati (official)

Sweden

Swedish, small Sami- and Finnish-speaking minorities

Switzerland

German (official) 63.7%, French (official) 20.4%,

Italian (official) 6.5%, Serbo-Croatian 1.5%, Albanian 1.3%,

Portuguese 1.2%, Spanish 1.1%, English 1%, Romansch (official) 0.5%,

other 2.8% (2000 census)

note: German, French, Italian, and Romansch are all national and

official languages

Syria

Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian

widely understood; French, English somewhat understood

Taiwan

Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects

Tajikistan

Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and

business

Tanzania

Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili

in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce,

administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in

Zanzibar), many local languages

note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people

living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili

is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety

of sources including Arabic and English; it has become the lingua

franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most

people is one of the local languages

Thailand

Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and

regional dialects

Timor-Leste

Tetum (official), Portuguese (official), Indonesian,

English

note: there are about 16 indigenous languages; Tetum, Galole,

Mambae, and Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people

Togo

French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina

(the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes

spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the

north)

Tokelau

Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English

Tonga

Tongan, English

Trinidad and Tobago

English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a

dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese

Tunisia

Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce),

French (commerce)

Turkey

Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian

note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the European

part of Turkey

Turkmenistan

Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%

Turks and Caicos Islands

English (official)

Tuvalu

Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)

Uganda

English (official national language, taught in grade schools,

used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio

broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo

languages, preferred for native language publications in the capital

and may be taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages,

Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, Arabic

Ukraine

Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%, other 9% (includes

small Romanian-, Polish-, and Hungarian-speaking minorities)

United Arab Emirates

Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu

United Kingdom

English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of

Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)

United States

English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European

3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census)

note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii

Uruguay

Spanish, Portunol, or Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on

the Brazilian frontier)

Uzbekistan

Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%

Vanuatu

local languages (more than 100) 72.6%, pidgin (known as

Bislama or Bichelama) 23.1%, English 1.9%, French 1.4%, other 0.3%,

unspecified 0.7% (1999 Census)

Venezuela

Spanish (official), numerous indigenous dialects

Vietnam

Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a

second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area

languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Virgin Islands

English 74.7%, Spanish or Spanish Creole 16.8%,

French or French Creole 6.6%, other 1.9% (2000 census)

Wallis and Futuna

Wallisian 58.9% (indigenous Polynesian language),

Futunian 30.1%, French 10.8%, other 0.2% (2003 census)

West Bank

Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many

Palestinians), English (widely understood)

Western Sahara

Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic

World

Mandarin Chinese 13.22%, Spanish 4.88%, English 4.68%, Arabic

3.12%, Hindi 2.74%, Portuguese 2.69%, Bengali 2.59%, Russian 2.2%,

Japanese 1.85%, Standard German 1.44%, French 1.2% (2005 est.)

note: percents are for "first language" speakers only

Yemen

Arabic

Zambia

English (official), major vernaculars - Bemba, Kaonda, Lozi,

Lunda, Luvale, Nyanja, Tonga, and about 70 other indigenous languages

Zimbabwe

English (official), Shona, Sindebele (the language of the

Ndebele, sometimes called Ndebele), numerous but minor tribal

dialects

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2100 Legal system

Afghanistan

based on mixed civil and Sharia law; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Akrotiri

the Sovereign Base Area Administration has its own court

system to deal with civil and criminal matters; laws applicable to

the Cypriot population are, as far as possible, the same as the laws

of the Republic of Cyprus

Albania

has a civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction; has accepted jurisdiction of the International

Criminal Court for its citizens

Algeria

socialist, based on French and Islamic law; judicial review

of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of

various public officials, including several Supreme Court justices;

has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

American Samoa

NA

Andorra

based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial review

of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Angola

based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law;

modified to accommodate political pluralism and increased use of

free markets; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Anguilla

based on English common law

Antarctica

Antarctica is administered through meetings of the

consultative member nations; decisions from these meetings are

carried out by these member nations (with respect to their own

nationals and operations) in accordance with their own national

laws; US law, including certain criminal offenses by or against US

nationals, such as murder, may apply extraterritorially; some US

laws directly apply to Antarctica; for example, the Antarctic

Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. section 2401 et seq., provides civil and

criminal penalties for the following activities, unless authorized

by regulation of statute: the taking of native mammals or birds; the

introduction of nonindigenous plants and animals; entry into

specially protected areas; the discharge or disposal of pollutants;

and the importation into the US of certain items from Antarctica;

violation of the Antarctic Conservation Act carries penalties of up

to $10,000 in fines and one year in prison; the National Science

Foundation and Department of Justice share enforcement

responsibilities; Public Law 95-541, the US Antarctic Conservation

Act of 1978, as amended in 1996, requires expeditions from the US to

Antarctica to notify, in advance, the Office of Oceans, Room 5805,

Department of State, Washington, DC 20520, which reports such plans

to other nations as required by the Antarctic Treaty; for more

information, contact Permit Office, Office of Polar Programs,

National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia 22230; telephone:

(703) 292-8030, or visit their website at www.nsf.gov; more

generally, access to the Antarctic Treaty area, that is to all areas

between 60 and 90 degrees south latitude, is subject to a number of

relevant legal instruments and authorization procedures adopted by

the states party to the Antarctic Treaty

Antigua and Barbuda

based on English common law

Argentina

mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not

accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Armenia

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Aruba

based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law

influence

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

the laws of the Commonwealth of

Australia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where

applicable, apply

Australia

based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction, with reservations

Austria

civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of

legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate

administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory

ICJ jurisdiction

Azerbaijan

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory

ICJ jurisdiction

Bahamas, The

based on English common law

Bahrain

based on Islamic law and English common law; has not

accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Bangladesh

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory

ICJ jurisdiction

Barbados

English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts;

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Belarus

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Belgium

based on civil law system influenced by English

constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Belize

English law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Benin

based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Bermuda

English law

Bhutan

based on Indian law and English common law; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Bolivia

based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Bosnia and Herzegovina

based on civil law system; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Botswana

based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial

review limited to matters of interpretation; accepts compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction, with reservations

Bouvet Island

the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply

Brazil

based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

British Indian Ocean Territory

the laws of the UK, where applicable,

apply

British Virgin Islands

English law

Brunei

based on English common law; for Muslims, Islamic Sharia law

supersedes civil law in a number of areas; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Bulgaria

civil and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Burkina Faso

based on French civil law system and customary law; has

not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Burma

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Burundi

based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law;

has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Cambodia

primarily a civil law mixture of French-influenced codes

from the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC)

period, royal decrees, and acts of the legislature, with influences

of customary law and remnants of communist legal theory; increasing

influence of common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with

reservations

Cameroon

based on French civil law system, with common law

influence; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Canada

based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil

law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction, with reservations

Cape Verde

based on the legal system of Portugal; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Cayman Islands

British common law and local statutes

Central African Republic

based on French law; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Chad

based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; has

not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Chile

based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent

codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of

legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory

ICJ jurisdiction; note - in June 2005, Chile completed overhaul of

its criminal justice system to a new, US-style adversarial system

China

based on civil law system; derived from Soviet and continental

civil code legal principles; legislature retains power to interpret

statutes; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislation;

has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Christmas Island

under the authority of the governor general of

Australia and Australian law

Clipperton Island

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

based upon the laws of Australia and local

laws

Colombia

based on Spanish law; a new criminal code modeled after US

procedures was enacted into law in 2004 and reached full

implemention in January 2008; judicial review of executive and

legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Comoros

French and Islamic law in a new consolidated code; has not

accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Congo, Democratic Republic of the a new constitution was adopted by referendum 18 December 2005; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Congo, Republic of the based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Cook Islands

based on New Zealand law and English common law

Coral Sea Islands

the laws of Australia, where applicable, apply

Costa Rica

based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of

legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Cote d'Ivoire

based on French civil law system and customary law;

judicial review in the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court;

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Croatia

based on Austro-Hungarian law system with Communist law

influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Cuba

based on Spanish civil law and influenced by American legal

concepts, with large elements of Communist legal theory; has not

accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Cyprus

based on English common law, with civil law modifications;

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Czech Republic

civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has

not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to

bring it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation in

Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal

theory

Denmark

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts;

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Dhekelia

the Sovereign Base Area Administration has its own court

system to deal with civil and criminal matters; laws applicable to

the Cypriot population are, as far as possible, the same as the laws

of the Republic of Cyprus

Djibouti

based on French civil law system, traditional practices,

and Islamic law; accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Dominica

based on English common law; accepts ICJ jurisdiction

Dominican Republic

based on French civil codes; Criminal Procedures

Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory

system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Ecuador

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Egypt

based on Islamic and civil law (particularly Napoleonic

codes); judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State

(oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsory

ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

El Salvador

based on civil and Roman law with traces of common law;

judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not

accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Equatorial Guinea

partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal

custom; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Eritrea

primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957, with

revisions; new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been

promulgated; government also issues unilateral proclamations setting

laws and policies; also relies on customary and

post-independence-enacted laws and, for civil cases involving

Muslims, Islamic law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Estonia

based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction with reservations

Ethiopia

based on civil law; currently transitional mix of national

and regional courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

European Union

comparable to the legal systems of member states;

first supranational law system

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

English common law

Faroe Islands

the laws of Denmark, where applicable, apply

Fiji

based on British system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Finland

civil law system based on Swedish law; the president may

request the Supreme Court to review laws; accepts compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction with reservations

France

civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of

administrative but not legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory

ICJ jurisdiction

French Polynesia

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

the laws of France, where

applicable, apply

Gabon

based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial

review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme

Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Gambia, The

based on a composite of English common law, Islamic law,

and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with

reservations

Georgia

based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Germany

civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review

of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not

accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Ghana

based on English common law and customary law; has not

accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Gibraltar

the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply

Greece

based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil,

criminal, and administrative courts; accepts compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction with reservations

Greenland

the laws of Denmark, where applicable, apply

Grenada

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Guam

modeled on US; US federal laws apply

Guatemala

civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; has

not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Guernsey

the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; justice is

administered by the Royal Court

Guinea

based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree;

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Guinea-Bissau

based on French civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Guyana

based on English common law with certain admixtures of

Roman-Dutch law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Haiti

based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

the laws of Australia, where

applicable, apply

Holy See (Vatican City)

based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to

it

Honduras

rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law with increasing

influence of English common law; recent judicial reforms include

abandoning Napoleonic legal codes in favor of the oral adversarial

system; accepts ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Hong Kong

based on English common law

Hungary

based on the German-Austrian legal system; accepts

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Iceland

civil law system based on Danish law; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

India

based on English common law; judicial review of legislative

acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations;

separate personal law codes apply to Muslims, Christians, and Hindus

Indonesia

based on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified by

indigenous concepts and by new criminal procedures and election

codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Iran

based on Sharia law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Iraq

based on European civil and Islamic law under the framework

outlined in the Iraqi Constitution; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Ireland

based on English common law, substantially modified by

indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme

Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Isle of Man

the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and Manx

statutes

Israel

mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations,

and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal

systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that

it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Italy

based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials;

judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court;

has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Jamaica

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Jan Mayen

the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply

Japan

modeled after German civil law system with English-American

influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court;

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Jersey

the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and local

statutes; justice is administered by the Royal Court

Jordan

based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of

legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not

accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Kazakhstan

based on Islamic law and Roman law; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Kenya

based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law,

tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; constitutional

amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in

1991

Kiribati

NA

Korea, North

based on Prussian civil law system with Japanese

influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of

legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Korea, South

combines elements of continental European civil law

systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought; has not

accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Kosovo

evolving legal system based on terms of UN Special Envoy

Martti AHTISAARI's Plan for Kosovo's supervised independence

Kuwait

civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal

matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Kyrgyzstan

based on French and Russian laws; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Laos

based on traditional customs, French legal norms and

procedures, and socialist practice; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Latvia

based on civil law system with traces of Socialist legal

traditions and practices; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Lebanon

mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and

civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Lesotho

based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial

review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal;

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Liberia

dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common

law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten

tribal practices for indigenous sector; accepts compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction with reservations

Libya

based on Italian and French civil law systems and Islamic law;

separate religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial

review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Liechtenstein

local civil and penal codes based on civil law system;

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Lithuania

based on civil law system; legislative acts can be

appealed to the constitutional court; has not accepted compulsory

ICJ jurisdiction

Luxembourg

based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Macau

based on Portuguese civil law system

Macedonia

based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative

acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Madagascar

based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy

law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Malawi

based on English common law and customary law; judicial

review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; accepts

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Malaysia

based on English common law; judicial review of legislative

acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the

federation; Islamic law is applied to Muslims in matters of family

law and religion; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Maldives

based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law

primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Mali

based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial

review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Malta

based on English common law and Roman civil law; accepts

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Marshall Islands

based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the

legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Mauritania

a combination of Islamic law and French civil law; has

not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Mauritius

based on French civil law system with elements of English

common law in certain areas; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

with reservations

Mayotte

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Mexico

mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system;

judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction with reservations

Micronesia, Federated States of

based on adapted Trust Territory

laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary

laws; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Moldova

based on civil law system; Constitutional Court reviews

legality of legislative acts and governmental decisions of

resolution; accepts many UN and Organization for Security and

Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) documents; has not accepted compulsory

ICJ jurisdiction

Monaco

based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Mongolia

blend of Soviet, German, and US systems that combine

"continental" or "civil" code and case-precedent; constitution

ambiguous on judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Montenegro

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory

ICJ jurisdiction

Montserrat

English common law and statutory law

Morocco

based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law

systems; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional

Chamber of Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Mozambique

based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law;

has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Namibia

based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution; has not

accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Nauru

acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law; accepts

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Navassa Island

the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Nepal

based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not

accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Netherlands

based on civil law system incorporating French penal

theory; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the

States General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Netherlands Antilles

based on Dutch civil law system with some

English common law influence

New Caledonia

based on French civil law; the 1988 Matignon Accords

grant substantial autonomy to the islands

New Zealand

based on English law, with special land legislation and

land courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with

reservations

Nicaragua

civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative

acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Niger

based on French civil law system and customary law; has not

accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Nigeria

based on English common law, Islamic law (in 12 northern

states), and traditional law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

with reservations

Niue

English common law; note - Niue is self-governing, with the

power to make its own laws

Norfolk Island

based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and

acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either

Australian or Norfolk Island law

Northern Mariana Islands

based on US system, except for customs,

wages, immigration laws, and taxation

Norway

mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law

traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature

when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Oman

based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal to

the monarch; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Pakistan

based on English common law with provisions to accommodate

Pakistan's status as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction with reservations

Palau

based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature,

municipal, common, and customary laws; has not accepted compulsory

ICJ jurisdiction

Panama

based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative

acts in the Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction with reservations

Papua New Guinea

based on English common law; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Paraguay

based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes;

judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice;

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Peru

based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

with reservations

Philippines

based on Spanish and Anglo-American law; accepts

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Pitcairn Islands

local island by-laws

Poland

based on a mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and

holdover Communist legal theory; changes being gradually introduced

as part of broader democratization process; limited judicial review

of legislative acts, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are

final; court decisions can be appealed to the European Court of

Justice in Strasbourg; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with

reservations

Portugal

based on civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal

reviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction with reservations

Puerto Rico

based on Spanish civil code and within the US Federal

system of justice

Qatar

based on Islamic and civil law codes; discretionary system of

law controlled by the Amir, although civil codes are being

implemented; Islamic law dominates family and personal matters; has

not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Romania

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Russia

based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative

acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Rwanda

based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary

law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has

not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Saint Barthelemy

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Saint Helena

English common law and statutes, supplemented by local

statutes

Saint Kitts and Nevis

based on English common law; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Saint Lucia

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory

ICJ jurisdiction

Saint Martin

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

based on English common law; has

not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Samoa

based on English common law and local customs; judicial review

of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the

citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

San Marino

based on civil law system with Italian law influences;

has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Sao Tome and Principe

based on Portuguese legal system and customary

law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Saudi Arabia

based on Sharia law, several secular codes have been

introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has

not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Senegal

based on French civil law system; judicial review of

legislative acts in Constitutional Court; the Council of State

audits the government's accounting office; accepts compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction with reservations

Serbia

based on civil law system

Seychelles

based on English common law, French civil law, and

customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Sierra Leone

based on English law and customary laws indigenous to

local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Singapore

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory

ICJ jurisdiction

Slovakia

civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; accepts

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; legal code modified

to comply with the obligations of Organization on Security and

Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal

theory

Slovenia

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Solomon Islands

English common law, which is widely disregarded; has

not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Somalia

no national system; a mixture of English common law, Italian

law, Islamic Sharia, and Somali customary law; accepts compulsory

ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

South Africa

based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; has

not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

the laws of the UK,

where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland

Islands presides over the Magistrates Court

Spain

civil law system, with regional applications; accepts

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Sri Lanka

a highly complex mixture of English common law,

Roman-Dutch, Kandyan, and Jaffna Tamil law; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Sudan

based on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20 January

1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic

law in the northern states; Islamic law applies to all residents of

the northern states regardless of their religion; however, the CPA

establishes some protections for non-Muslims in Khartoum; some

separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with

reservations; the southern legal system is still developing under

the CPA following the civil war; Islamic law will not apply to the

southern states

Suriname

based on Dutch legal system incorporating French penal

theory; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Svalbard

the laws of Norway, where applicable, apply

Swaziland

based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts

and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; accepts

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Sweden

civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Switzerland

civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial

review of legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees

of general obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

with reservations

Syria

based on a combination of French and Ottoman civil law;

Islamic law is used in the family court system; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Taiwan

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Tajikistan

based on civil law system; no judicial review of

legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Tanzania

based on English common law; judicial review of legislative

acts limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Thailand

based on civil law system, with influences of common law;

has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Timor-Leste

UN-drafted legal system based on Indonesian law remains

in place but is to be replaced by civil and penal codes based on

Portuguese law; these have passed but have not been promulgated; has

not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Togo

French-based court system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,

with reservations

Tokelau

New Zealand and local statutes

Tonga

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Trinidad and Tobago

based on English common law; judicial review of

legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory

ICJ jurisdiction

Tunisia

based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some

judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint

session; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Turkey

civil law system derived from various European continental

legal systems; note - member of the European Court of Human Rights

(ECHR), although Turkey claims limited derogations on the ratified

European Convention on Human Rights; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Turkmenistan

based on civil law system and Islamic law; has not

accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Turks and Caicos Islands

based on laws of England and Wales, with a

few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas

Tuvalu

NA

Uganda

in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one

based on English common law and customary law; accepts compulsory

ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Ukraine

based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative

acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

United Arab Emirates

based on a dual system of Sharia and civil

courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

United Kingdom

based on common law tradition with early Roman and

modern continental influences; has nonbinding judicial review of

Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998; accepts

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

United States

federal court system based on English common law; each

state has its own unique legal system, of which all but one

(Louisiana, which is still influenced by the Napoleonic Code) is

based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts;

has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

the laws of the US,

where applicable, apply

Uruguay

based on Spanish civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Uzbekistan

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory

ICJ jurisdiction

Vanuatu

unified system being created from former dual French and

British systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Venezuela

open, adversarial court system; has not accepted

compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Vietnam

based on communist legal theory and French civil law system;

has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Virgin Islands

based on US laws

Wake Island

the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Wallis and Futuna

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

World

all members of the UN are parties to the statute that

established the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court

Yemen

based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and

local tribal customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ

jurisdiction

Zambia

based on English common law and customary law; judicial

review of legislative acts in an ad hoc constitutional council; has

not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Zimbabwe

mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law; has not

accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

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@2101 Legislative branch

Afghanistan

the bicameral National Assembly consists of the Wolesi

Jirga or House of People (no more than 249 seats), directly elected

for five-year terms, and the Meshrano Jirga or House of Elders (102

seats, one-third elected from provincial councils for four-year

terms, one-third elected from local district councils for three-year

terms, and one-third nominated by the president for five-year terms)

note: on rare occasions the government may convene a Loya Jirga

(Grand Council) on issues of independence, national sovereignty, and

territorial integrity; it can amend the provisions of the

constitution and prosecute the president; it is made up of members

of the National Assembly and chairpersons of the provincial and

district councils

elections: last held 18 September 2005 (next to be held for the

Wolesi Jirga by September 2009; next to be held for the provincial

councils to the Meshrano Jirga by September 2008)

election results: the single non-transferable vote (SNTV) system

used in the election did not make use of political party slates;

most candidates ran as independents

Albania

unicameral Assembly or Kuvendi (140 seats; 100 members are

elected by direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote to serve

four-year terms)

elections: last held 3 July 2005 (next to be held in 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PD

56, PS 42, PR 11, PSD 7, LSI 5, other 19

Algeria

bicameral Parliament consists of the National People's

Assembly or Al-Majlis Al-Shabi Al-Watani (389 seats; members elected

by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Council of Nations

(Senate) (144 seats; one-third of the members appointed by the

president, two-thirds elected by indirect vote; to serve six-year

terms; the constitution requires half the council to be renewed

every three years)

elections: National People's Assembly - last held 17 May 2007 (next

to be held in 2012); Council of Nations (Senate) - last held 28

December 2006 (next to be held in 2009)

election results: National People's Assembly - percent of vote by

party - NA; seats by party - FLN 136, RND 61, MSP 52, PT 26, RCD 19,

FNA 13, other 49, independents 33; Council of Nations - percent of

vote by party - NA; seats by party - FLN 29, RND 12, MSP 3, RCD 1,

independents 3, presidential appointees (unknown affiliation) 24;

note - Council seating reflects the number of replaced council

members rather than the whole Council

American Samoa

bicameral Fono or Legislative Assembly consists of

the House of Representatives (21 seats; 20 members are elected by

popular vote and 1 is an appointed, nonvoting delegate from Swains

Island; members serve two-year terms) and the Senate (18 seats;

members are elected from local chiefs to serve four-year terms)

elections: House of Representatives - last held 4 November 2008

(next to be held in November 2010); Senate - last held 4 November

2008 (next to be held in November 2012)

election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by

party - NA; seats by party - NA; Senate - percent of vote by party -

NA; seats by party - independents 18

note: American Samoa elects one nonvoting representative to the US

House of Representatives; election last held on 4 November 2008

(next to be held in November 2010); results - Eni F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA

reelected as delegate

Andorra

unicameral General Council of the Valleys or Consell General

de las Valls (28 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote,

14 from a single national constituency and 14 to represent each of

the seven parishes; to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held on 24 April 2005 (next to be held in

March-April 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - PLA 41.2%, PS 38.1%,

CDA-S21 11%, other 9.7%; seats by party - PLA 14, PS 12, CDA-S21 2

Angola

unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (220

seats; members elected by proportional vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 5-6 September 2008 (next to be held in

September 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - MPLA 81.6%, UNITA

10.4%, PRS 3.2%, ND 1.2%, FNLA 1.1%, other 2.5%; seats by party -

MPLA 191, UNITA 16, PRS 8, ND 2, FNLA 3

Anguilla

unicameral House of Assembly (11 seats; 7 members elected

by direct popular vote, 2 ex officio members, and 2 appointed;

members serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 21 February 2005 (next to be held in 2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - AUF 38.9%, AUM 19.4%,

ANSA 19.2%, APP 9.5%, independents 13%; seats by party - AUF 4, ANSA

2, AUM 1

Antigua and Barbuda

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (17

seats; members appointed by the governor general) and the House of

Representatives (17 seats; members are elected by proportional

representation to serve five-year terms)

elections: House of Representatives - last held 23 March 2004 (next

to be held in 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

ALP 4, UPP 13

Argentina

bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists

of the Senate (72 seats; members are elected by direct vote;

presently one-third of the members elected every two years to serve

six-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; members are

elected by direct vote; one-half of the members elected every two

years to serve four-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 28 October 2007 (next to be held in

2009); Chamber of Deputies - last held last held 28 October 2007

(next to be held in 2009)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA;

seats by bloc or party - FV 12, UCR 4, CC 4, other 4; Chamber of

Deputies - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA; seats by bloc or

party - FV 5, UCR 10, PJ 10, PRO 6, CC 16, FJ 2, other 31; note -

Senate and Chamber of Deputies seating reflect the number of

replaced senators and deputies, rather than the whole Senate and

Chamber of Deputies

Armenia

unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov

(131 seats; members elected by popular vote, 90 members elected by

party list and 41 by direct vote; to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 12 May 2007 (next to be held in the spring of

2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - HHK 33.9%, Prosperous

Armenia 15.1%, ARF (Dashnak) 13.2%, Rule of Law 7.1%, Heritage Party

6%, other 24.7%; seats by party - HHK 64, Prosperous Armenia 18, ARF

(Dashnak) 16, Rule of Law 9, Heritage Party 7, independent 17

Aruba

unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by

direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 23 September 2005 (next to be held in 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - MEP 43%, AVP 32%, MPA

7%, RED 7%, PDR 6%, OLA 4%, PPA 2%; seats by party - MEP 11, AVP 8,

MPA 1, RED 1

Australia

bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76

seats; 12 members from each of the six states and 2 from each of the

two mainland territories; one-half of state members are elected

every three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms while all

territory members are elected every three years) and the House of

Representatives (150 seats; members elected by popular preferential

vote to serve terms of up to three-years; no state can have fewer

than 5 representatives)

elections: Senate - last held 24 November 2007 (next to be held no

later than 2010); House of Representatives - last held 24 November

2007 (next to be called no later than 2010)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 37, Australian Labor

Party 32, Australian Greens 5, Family First Party 1, other 1; House

of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

Australian Labor Party 83, Liberal Party 55, National Party 10,

independents 2

Austria

bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of

Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 seats; members chosen by state

parliaments with each state receiving 3 to 12 members according to

its population; members serve a five- or six-year term) and the

National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by

direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: National Council - last held 28 September 2008 (next to

be held by September 2013)

election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - SPOe

29.3%, OeVP 26%, FPOe 17.5%, BZOe 10.7%, Greens 10.4%, other 6.1%;

seats by party - SPOe 57, OeVP 51, FPOe 34, BZOe 21, Greens 20

Azerbaijan

unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis (125 seats;

members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 6 November 2005 (next to be held in November

2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

Yeni 58, Azadliq coalition 8, CSP 2, Motherland 2, other parties

with single seats 9, independents 42, undetermined 4

Bahamas, The

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (16 seats;

members appointed by the governor general upon the advice of the

prime minister and the opposition leader to serve five-year terms)

and the House of Assembly (41 seats; members elected by direct

popular vote to serve five-year terms); the government may dissolve

the Parliament and call elections at any time

elections: last held 2 May 2007 (next to be held by May 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - FNM 49.86%, PLP 47.02%;

seats by party - FNM 23, PLP 18

Bahrain

bicameral legislature consists of the Consultative Council

(40 members appointed by the King) and the Council of

Representatives or Chamber of Deputies (40 seats; members directly

elected to serve four-year terms)

elections: Council of Representatives - last held November-December

2006 (next election to be held in 2010)

election results: Council of Representatives - percent of vote by

party - NA; seats by party - al Wifaq (Shia) 17, al Asala (Sunni

Salafi) 5, al Minbar (Sunni Muslim Brotherhood) 7, independents 11;

note - seats by party as of February 2007 - al Wifaq 17, al Asala 8,

al Minbar 7, al Mustaqbal (Moderate Sunni pro-government) 4,

unassociated independents (all Sunni) 3, independent affiliated with

al Wifaq (Sunni oppositionist) 1

Bangladesh

unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300

seats elected by popular vote from single territorial

constituencies; members serve five-year terms; note - parliament not

in session during the extended caretaker regime

elections: last held 1 October 2001 (the scheduled January 2007

election has been postponed until 29 December 2008)

election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance

partners 41%, AL 40%, other 19%; seats by party - BNP 193, AL 58, JI

17, JP (Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 2, JP (Manzur) 4, other 12; note -

the election of October 2001 brought to power a majority BNP

government aligned with three other smaller parties - JI, IOJ, and

Jatiya Party (Manzur)

Barbados

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21 seats;

members appointed by the governor general - 12 on the advice of the

Prime Minister, 2 on the advice of the opposition leader, and 7 at

his discretion) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members are

elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: House of Assembly - last held 15 January 2008 (next to be

called in 2013)

election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - DLP

52.5%, BLP 47.3%; seats by party - DLP 20, BLP 10

Belarus

bicameral National Assembly or Natsionalnoye Sobranie

consists of the Council of the Republic or Soviet Respubliki (64

seats; 56 members elected by regional councils and eight members

appointed by the president, to serve four-year terms) and the

Chamber of Representatives or Palata Predstaviteley (110 seats;

members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: Palata Predstaviteley - last held 28 September 2008 (next

to be held fall of 2012); international observers widely denounced

the elections as flawed and undemocratic based on massive government

falsification; pro-LUKASHENKO candidates won all 110 seats

election results: Soviet Respubliki - percent of vote by party - NA;

seats by party - NA; Palata Predstaviteley - percent of vote by

party - NA; seats by party - NA

Belgium

bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in

Dutch, Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly elected by

popular vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members serve four-year

terms) and a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van

Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch, Chambre des Representants in

French (150 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on

the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 10 June 2007

(next to be held no later than June 2011)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - CDV/N-VA

19.4%, Open VLD 12.4%, MR 12.3%, VB 11.9%, PS 10.2%, SP.A-Spirit

10%, CDH 5.9%, Ecolo 5.8%, Groen! 3.6%, Dedecker List 3.4%, FN 2.3%,

other 2.8%; seats by party - CDV/N-VA 9, Open VLD 5, MR 6, VB 5, PS

4, SP.A-Spririt 4, CDH 2, Ecolo 2, Groen! 1, Dedecker List 1, FN 1

(note - there are also 31 indirectly elected senators); Chamber of

Deputies - percent of vote by party - CDV/N-VA 18.5%, MR 12.5%, VB

12%, Open VLD 11.8%, PS 10.9%, SP.A-Spirit 10.3%, CDH 6.1%, Ecolo

5.1%, Dedecker List 4%, Groen! 4%, FN 2%, other 2.8%; seats by party

- CDV/N-VA 30, MR 23, VB 17, Open VLD 18, PS 20, SP.A-Spirit 14, CDH

10, Ecolo 8, Dedecker List 5, Groen! 4, FN 1

note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered

devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of

government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a

complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six

governments each with its own legislative assembly

Belize

bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (12 seats;

members appointed by the governor general - 6 on the advice of the

prime minister, 3 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and

1 each on the advice of the Belize Council of Churches and

Evangelical Association of Churches, the Belize Chamber of Commerce

and Industry and the Belize Better Business Bureau, and the National

Trade Union Congress and the Civil Society Steering Committee; to

serve five-year terms) and the House of Representatives (31 seats;

members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: House of Representatives - last held 6 February 2008

(next to be held in 2013)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

UDP 25, PUP 6

Benin

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats;

members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 31 March 2007 (next to be held by March 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

FCBE 35, ADD 20, PRD 10, other and independents 18

Bermuda

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats;

members appointed by the governor, the premier, and the opposition)

and the House of Assembly (36 seats; members are elected by popular

vote to serve up to five-year terms)

elections: last general election held 18 December 2007 (next to be

held not later than 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - PLP 52.5%, UBP 47.3%;

seats by party - PLP 22, UBP 14

Bhutan

new bicameral Parliament consists of the non-partisan

National Council (25 seats; 20 members elected by each of the 20

electoral districts (dzongkhags) for four-year terms and 5 members

nominated by the King); and the National Assembly (47 seats; members

elected by direct, popular vote for five-year terms)

elections: National Council elections last held on 31 December 2007

and 29 January 2008 (next to be held by December 2012); National

Assembly elections last held on 24 March 2008 (next to be held by

March 2013)

election results: National Council - NA; National Assembly - percent

of vote by party - DPT 67%, PDP 33%; seats by party - DPT 45, PDP 2

Bolivia

bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of

Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (27 seats; members are

elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve

five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (130

seats; 70 members are directly elected from their districts and 60

are elected by proportional representation from party lists to serve

five-year terms)

elections: Chamber of Senators and Chamber of Deputies - last held

18 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)

election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party -

NA; seats by party - PODEMOS 13, MAS 12, UN 1, MNR 1; Chamber of

Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MAS 73,

PODEMOS 43, UN 8, MNR 6

Bosnia and Herzegovina

bicameral Parliamentary Assembly or Skupstina

consists of the national House of Representatives or Predstavnicki

Dom (42 seats, 28 seats allocated for the Federation of Bosnia and

Herzegovina and 14 seats for the Republika Srpska; members elected

by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation, to

serve four-year terms); and the House of Peoples or Dom Naroda (15

seats, 5 Bosniak, 5 Croat, 5 Serb; members elected by the

Bosniak/Croat Federation's House of Representatives and the

Republika Srpska's National Assembly to serve four-year terms); note

- Bosnia's election law specifies four-year terms for the state and

first-order administrative division entity legislatures

elections: national House of Representatives - elections last held 1

October 2006 (next to be held in 2010); House of Peoples - last

constituted in January 2003 (next to be constituted in 2007)

election results: national House of Representatives - percent of

vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition - SDA 9, SBH

8, SNSD 7, SDP 5, SDS 3, HDZ-BH 3, HDZ1990 2, other 5; House of

Peoples - percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by

party/coalition - NA

note: the Bosniak/Croat Federation has a bicameral legislature that

consists of a House of Representatives (98 seats; members elected by

popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections last held 1

October 2006 (next to be held in October 2010); percent of vote by

party - NA; seats by party/coalition - SDA 28, SBH 24, SDP 17,

HDZ-BH 8, HDZ100 7, other 14; and a House of Peoples (58 seats - 17

Bosniak, 17 Croat, 17 Serb, 7 other); last constituted December

2002; the Republika Srpska has a National Assembly (83 seats;

members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); elections

last held 1 October 2006 (next to be held in the fall of 2010);

percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party/coalition - SNSD 41,

SDS 17, PDP 8, DNS 4, SBH 4, SPRS 3, SDA 3, other 3; as a result of

the 2002 constitutional reform process, a 28-member Republika Srpska

Council of Peoples (COP) was established in the Republika Srpska

National Assembly including eight Croats, eight Bosniaks, eight

Serbs, and four members of the smaller communities

Botswana

bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Chiefs (a

largely advisory 15-member body with 8 permanent members consisting

of the chiefs of the principal tribes, and 7 non-permanent members

serving 5-year terms, consisting of 4 elected subchiefs and 3

members selected by the other 12 members) and the National Assembly

(63 seats, 57 members are directly elected by popular vote, 4 are

appointed by the majority party, and 2, the President and

Attorney-General, serve as ex-officio members; members serve

five-year terms)

elections: National Assembly elections last held 30 October 2004

(next to be held in October 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - BDP 51.7%, BNF 26.1%,

BCP 16.6%, other 5%; seats by party - BDP 44, BNF 12, BCP 1

Brazil

bicameral National Congress or Congresso Nacional consists of

the Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats; 3 members from each

state and federal district elected according to the principle of

majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third and two-thirds elected

every four years, alternately) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara

dos Deputados (513 seats; members are elected by proportional

representation to serve four-year terms)

elections: Federal Senate - last held 1 October 2006 for one-third

of the Senate (next to be held in October 2010 for two-thirds of the

Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 1 October 2006 (next to be

held in October 2010)

election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;

seats by party - PFL 6, PSDB 5, PMDB 4, PTB 3, PT 2, PDT 1, PSB 1,

PL 1, PPS 1, PRTB 1, PP 1, PCdoB 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of

vote by party - NA; seats by party - PMDB 89, PT 83, PFL 65, PSDB

65, PP 42, PSB 27, PDT 24, PL 23, PTB 22, PPS 21, PCdoB 13, PV 13,

PSC 9, other 17; note - as of 1 January 2008: Federal Senate - seats

by party - PMDB 20, DEM (formerly PFL) 14, PSDB 13, PT 12, PTB 6,

PDT 5, PR 4, PRB 2, PSB 2, PCdoB 1, PP 1, PSOL 1; Chamber of

Deputies - seats by party - PMDB 90, PT 83, PSDB 64, DEM (formerly

PFL) 62, PP 41, PR 34, PSB 28, PDT 23, PTB 21, PPS 17, PV 13, PCdoB

13, PSC 7, PAN 4, PSOL 3, PMN 3, PTC 3, PHS 2, PTdoB 1, PRB 1

British Virgin Islands

unicameral House of Assembly (13 elected

seats and 1 non-voting ex officio member in the attorney general;

members are elected by direct popular vote, 1 member from each of

nine electoral districts, 4 at-large members; members serve

four-year terms)

elections: last held 20 August 2007 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - VIP 45.2%, NDP 39.6%,

independent 15.2%; seats by party - VIP 10, NDP 2, independent 1

Brunei

Legislative Council met on 25 September 2004 for first time

in 20 years with 21 members appointed by the Sultan; passed

constitutional amendments calling for a 45-seat council with 15

elected members; Sultan dissolved council on 1 September 2005 and

appointed a new council with 29 members as of 2 September 2005;

council met in March 2006 and in March 2007

elections: last held in March 1962 (date of next election NA)

Bulgaria

unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240

seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 25 June 2005 (next to be held in June 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - CfB 31.1%, NMS2 19.9%,

MRF 12.7%, ATAKA 8.2%, UDF 7.7%, DSB 6.5%, BPU 5.2%, other 8.7%;

seats by party - CfB 83, NMS2 53, MRF 33, UDF 20, ATAKA 17, DSB 17,

BPU 13, independents 4; note - seats by party as of January 2008 -

CfB 82, NMS2 36, MRF 34, Bulgarian New Democracy 16, DSB 16, UDF 16,

BPU 13, ATAKA 11, independents 16

Burkina Faso

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale

(111 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year

terms)

elections: National Assembly election last held 6 May 2007 (next to

be held in May 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

CDP 73, ADF-RDA 14, UPR 5, UNIR-MS 4, CFD-B 3, UPS 2, PDP-PS 2, RDB

2, PDS 2, PAREN 1, PAI 1, RPC 1, UDPS 1

Burma

unicameral People's Assembly or Pyithu Hluttaw (485 seats;

members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never allowed by

junta to convene (junta has announced plans to hold elections in

2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

NLD 392 (opposition), SNLD 23 (opposition), NUP 10 (pro-government),

other 60

Burundi

bicameral Parliament or Parlement, consists of a National

Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (minimum 100 seats, 60% Hutu and 40%

Tutsi with at least 30% being women; additional seats appointed by a

National Independent Electoral Commission to ensure ethnic

representation; members are elected by popular vote to serve

five-year terms) and a Senate (54 seats; 34 members elected by

indirect vote to serve five-year terms, with remaining seats

assigned to ethnic groups and former chiefs of state)

elections: National Assembly - last held 4 July 2005 (next to be

held in 2010); Senate - last held 29 July 2005 (next to be held in

2010)

election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party -

CNDD-FDD 58.6%, FRODEBU 21.7%, UPRONA 7.2%, CNDD 4.1%,

MRC-Rurenzangemero 2.1%, others 6.2%; seats by party - CNDD-FDD 59,

FRODEBU 25, UPRONA 10, CNDD 4, MRC-Rurenzangemero 2; Senate -

percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CNDD-FDD 30,

FRODEBU 3, CNDD 1

Cambodia

bicameral, consists of the National Assembly (123 seats;

members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the

Senate (61 seats; 2 members appointed by the monarch, 2 elected by

the National Assembly, and 57 elected by parliamentarians and

commune councils; members serve five-year terms)

elections: National Assembly - last held 27 July 2008 (next to be

held in July 2013); Senate - last held 22 January 2006 (next to be

held in January 2011)

election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CPP

58%, SRP 22%, others 20%; seats by party - CPP 90, SRP 26, others 7;

Senate - percent of vote by party - CPP 69%, FUNCINPEC 21%, SRP 10%;

seats by party - CPP 45, FUNCINPEC 10, SRP 2

Cameroon

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (180

seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year

terms); note - the president can either lengthen or shorten the term

of the legislature

elections: last held 22 July 2007 (next to be held in 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

RDCP 140, SDF 14, UDC 4, UNDP 4, MP 1, vacant 17; note - vacant

seats will be determined in a yet to be scheduled by-election after

the Supreme Court nullified results in five districts

note: the constitution calls for an upper chamber for the

legislature, to be called a Senate, but it has yet to be established

Canada

bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or

Senat (105 seats; members appointed by the governor general with the

advice of the prime minister and serve until reaching 75 years of

age) and the House of Commons or Chambre des Communes (308 seats;

members elected by direct, popular vote to serve a maximum of

five-year terms starting in 2009 elections)

elections: House of Commons - last held 14 October 2008 (next to be

held 19 October 2009)

election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party -

Conservative Party 37.6%, Liberal Party 26.2%, New Democratic Party

18.2%, Bloc Quebecois 10%, Greens 6.8%, other 1%; seats by party -

Conservative Party 143, Liberal Party 76, New Democratic Party 37,

Bloc Quebecois 50, other 1

Cape Verde

unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional (72

seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held in January

2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - PAICV 52.3%, MPD 44%,

UCID 2.7%; seats by party - PAICV 41, MPD 29, UCID 2

Cayman Islands

unicameral Legislative Assembly (18 seats; 3

appointed members from the Executive Council and 15 elected by

popular vote; to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 11 May 2005 (next to be held in 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

PPM 9, UDP 5, independent 1

Central African Republic

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee

Nationale (105 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve

five-year terms)

elections: last held 13 March 2005 and 8 May 2005 (next to be held

in 2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

KNK 42, MLPC 11, RDC 8, PSD 4, FPP 2, ADP 2, LONDO 1, independents

34, other 1

Chad

unicameral National Assembly (155 seats; members elected by

popular vote to serve four-year terms); note - the 1996 constitution

called for a Senate that has never been formed

elections: National Assembly - last held 21 April 2002 (next to be

held by 2009); note - legislative elections, originally scheduled

for 2006, were first delayed by National Assembly action and

subsequently by an accord, signed in August 2007, between government

and opposition parties

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

MPS 110, RDP 12, FAR 9, RNDP 5, UNDR 5, URD 3, other 11

Chile

bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of

the Senate or Senado (38 seats; members elected by popular vote to

serve eight-year terms; one-half elected every four years) and the

Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (120 seats; members are

elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 11 December 2005 (next to be held in

December 2009); Chamber of Deputies - last held 11 December 2005

(next to be held in December 2009)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - CPD 20 (PDC 6, PS 8, PPD 3, PRSD 3), APC 17 (UDI 9, RN 8),

independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA;

seats by party - CPD 65 (PDC 21, PPD 22, PS 15, PRSD 7), APC 54 (UDI

34, RN 20), independent 1; note - as of 8 January 2008: Senate -

seats by party - CPD 18, (PDC 5, PS 8, PPD 2, PRSD 3), APC 16 (UDI

9, RN 7), independent 4; Chamber of Deputies - seats by party - CPD

57 (PDC 16, PPD 19, PS 15, PRSD 7), APC 53 (UDI 33, RN 20),

independent 10.

China

unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin

Daibiao Dahui (2,987 seats; members elected by municipal, regional,

and provincial people's congresses, and People's Liberation Army to

serve five-year terms)

elections: last held December 2007-February 2008; date of next

election - NA

election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - 2,987

Christmas Island

unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats;

members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: held every two years with half the members standing for

election; last held 20 October 2007 (next to be held in 2009)

election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

unicameral Cocos (Keeling) Islands Shire

Council (7 seats)

elections: held every two years with half the members standing for

election; last held in May 2007 (next to be held in May 2009)

Colombia

bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Senate or

Senado (102 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve

four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Camara de

Representantes (166 seats; members are elected by popular vote to

serve four-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in

March 2010); House of Representatives - last held 12 March 2006

(next to be held in March 2010)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - PSUN 20, PC 18, PL 18, CR 15, PDI 10, other parties 21;

House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - PL 35, PSUN 33, PC 29, CR 20, PDA 8, other parties 41

Comoros

unicameral Assembly of the Union (33 seats; 15 deputies are

selected by the individual islands' local assemblies and 18 by

universal suffrage; to serve for five years);

elections: last held 18 and 25 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

CdIA 12, CRC 6; note - 15 additional seats are filled by deputies

from local island assemblies

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

bicameral legislature consists of

a National Assembly (500 seats; 61 members elected by majority vote

in single-member constituencies, 439 members elected by open list

proportional-representation in multi-member constituencies; to serve

five-year terms) and a Senate (108 seats; members elected by

provincial assemblies to serve five-year terms)

elections: National Assembly - last held 30 July 2006 (next to be

held in 2011); Senate - last held 19 January 2007 (next to be held

by 2012)

election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;

seats by party - PPRD 111, MLC 64, PALU 34, MSR 27, FR 26, RCD 15,

independents 63, others 160 (includes 63 political parties that won

10 or fewer seats); Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - PPRD 22, MLC 14, FR 7, RCD 7, PDC 6, CDC 3, MSR 3, PALU 2,

independents 26, others 18 (political parties that won a single seat)

Congo, Republic of the

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate

(66 seats; members are elected by indirect vote to serve five-year

terms) and the National Assembly (137 seats; members are elected by

popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 11 July 2002 (next to be held in July

2008); National Assembly - last held 24 June and 5 August 2007 (next

to be held in 2012)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - FDU 56, other 10; National Assembly - percent of vote by

party - NA; seats by party - PCT 46, MCDDI 11, UPADS 11, MAR 5, MSD

5, independents 37, other 22

Cook Islands

bicameral Parliament consisting of a Legislative

Assembly (or lower house) (24 seats; members elected by popular vote

to serve four-year terms) and a House of Ariki (or upper house) made

up of traditional leaders

note: the House of Ariki advises on traditional matters and

maintains considerable influence but has no legislative powers

elections: last held 26 September 2006 (next to be held by 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - Demo 51.9%, CIP 45.5%,

independent 2.7%; seats by party - Demo 15, CIP 8, independent 1

Costa Rica

unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa

(57 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve

four-year terms)

elections: last held 5 February 2006 (next to be held in February

2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

PLN 25, PAC 17, PML 6, PUSC 5, PASE 1, PFA 1, PRN 1, PUN 1

Cote d'Ivoire

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale

(225 seats; members are elected in single- and multi-district

elections by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: elections last held 10 December 2000 with by-elections on

14 January 2001 (next to be held in November 2008 after the

government postponed the elections in 2005 and 2006)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

FPI 96, PDCI-RDA 94, RDR 5, PIT 4, other 2, independents 22, vacant 2

note: a Senate that was scheduled to be created in the October 2006

elections never took place

Croatia

unicameral Assembly or Sabor (153 seats; members elected

from party lists by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 25 November 2007 (next to be held in November

2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; number of seats by

party - HDZ 66, SDP 56, HNS 7, HSS 6, HDSSB 3, IDS 3, SDSS 3, other 9

Cuba

unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea

Nacional del Poder Popular (number of seats in the National Assembly

is based on population; 614 seats; members elected directly from

slates approved by special candidacy commissions to serve five-year

terms)

elections: last held 20 January 2008 (next to be held in January

2013)

election results: Cuba's Communist Party is the only legal party,

and officially sanctioned candidates run unopposed

Cyprus

unicameral - area under government control: House of

Representatives or Vouli Antiprosopon (80 seats, 56 assigned to the

Greek Cypriots, 24 to Turkish Cypriots; note - only those assigned

to Greek Cypriots are filled; members are elected by popular vote to

serve five-year terms); area administered by Turkish Cypriots:

Assembly of the Republic or Cumhuriyet Meclisi (50 seats; members

are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: area under government control: last held 21 May 2006

(next to be held 2011); area administered by Turkish Cypriots: last

held 14 December 2003 (next to be held in 2008)

election results: area under government control: House of

Representatives - percent of vote by party - AKEL 31.1%, DISY 30.3%,

DIKO 17.9%, EDEK 8.9%, EURO.KO 5.8%, Greens 2.0%; seats by party -

AKEL (Communist) 18, DISY 18, DIKO 11, EDEK 5, EURO.KO 3, Greens 1;

area administered by Turkish Cypriots: Assembly of the Republic -

percent of vote by party - CTP 35.8%, UBP 32.3%, Peace and

Democratic Movement 13.4%, DP 12.3%; seats by party - CTP 19, UBP

18, Peace and Democratic Movement 6, DP 7; note - "TRNC" seats by

party as of September 2006 - CTP 25, OP 3, UBP 13, DP 6, BDH 1,

independents 2

Czech Republic

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the

Senate or Senat (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to

serve six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the

Chamber of Deputies or Poslanecka Snemovna (200 seats; members are

elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held in two rounds 17-18 and 24-25 October

2008 (next to be held in October 2010); Chamber of Deputies - last

held 2-3 June 2006 (next to be held by June 2010)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - ODS 35, CSSD 29, KDU-CSL 7, others 8, independents 2;

Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - ODS 35.4%, CSSD

32.3%, KSCM 12.8%, KDU-CSL 7.2%, Greens 6.3%, other 6%; seats by

party - ODS 81, CSSD 74, KSCM 26, KDU-CSL 13, Greens 6; note - seats

by party as of December 2007 - ODS 81, CSSD 72, KSCM 26, KDU-CSL 13,

Greens 6, unaffiliated 2 (former CSSD members)

Denmark

unicameral People's Assembly or Folketinget (179 seats,

including 2 from Greenland and 2 from the Faroe Islands; members are

elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation

to serve four-year terms unless the Folketinget is dissolved earlier)

elections: last held 13 November 2007 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - Liberal Party 26.2%,

Social Democrats 25.5%, Danish People's Party 13.9%, Socialist

People's Party 13.0%, Conservative People's Party 10.4%, Social

Liberal Party 5.1%, New Alliance 2.8%, Red-Green Alliance 2.2%,

other 0.9%; seats by party - Liberal Party 46, Social Democrats 45,

Danish People's Party 25, Socialist People's Party 23, Conservative

People's Party 18, Social Liberal Party 9, New Alliance 5, Red-Green

Alliance 4; note - does not include the two seats from Greenland and

the two seats from the Faroe Islands

Djibouti

unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (65

seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)

elections: last held 8 February 2008 (next to be held 2013)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats - UMP

(coalition of parties associated with President Ismail Omar GUELLAH)

65

Dominica

unicameral House of Assembly (30 seats; 9 members

appointed, 21 elected by popular vote; to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 5 May 2005 (next to be held by 5 August 2010);

note - tradition dictates that the election will be held within five

years of the last election, but technically it is five years from

the first seating of parliament (12 May 2005) plus a 90-day grace

period

election results: percent of vote by party - DLP 52.1%, UWP 43.6%,

DFP 3.2%, other 1.1%; seats by party - DLP 12, UWP 8, independent 1

Dominican Republic

bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional

consists of the Senate or Senado (32 seats; members are elected by

popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of

Representatives or Camara de Diputados (178 seats; members are

elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 16 May 2006 (next to be held in May

2010); House of Representatives - last held 16 May 2006 (next to be

held in May 2010)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - PLD 22, PRD 6, PRSC 4; House of Representatives - percent of

vote by party - NA; seats by party - PLD 96, PRD 60, PRSC 22

Ecuador

unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (100

seats; members are elected through a party-list proportional

representation system to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 15 October 2006 (next to be held in October

2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

PRIAN 28; PSP 24; PSC 13; ID 7; PRE 6; MUPP-NP 6; RED 5; UDC 5;

other 6; note - defections by members of National Congress are

commonplace, resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats

held by the various parties; as of 29 November 2007, Congress is on

indefinite recess while a Constituent Assembly is convened

Egypt

bicameral system consists of the People's Assembly or Majlis

al-Sha'b (454 seats; 444 elected by popular vote, 10 appointed by

the president; members serve five-year terms) and the Advisory

Council or Majlis al-Shura that traditionally functions only in a

consultative role but 2007 constitutional amendments could grant the

Council new powers (264 seats; 176 elected by popular vote, 88

appointed by the president; members serve six-year terms; mid-term

elections for half of the elected members)

elections: People's Assembly - three-phase voting - last held 7 and

20 November, 1 December 2005;(next to be held November-December

2010); Advisory Council - last held June 2007 (next to be held

May-June 2010)

election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;

seats by party - NDP 311, NWP 6, Tagammu 2, Tomorrow Party 1,

independents 112 (12 seats to be determined by rerun elections, 10

seats appointed by President); Advisory Council - percent of vote by

party - NA; seats by party - NDP 84, Tagammu 1, independents 3

El Salvador

unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa

(84 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve

three-year terms)

elections: last held 12 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

ARENA 34, FMLN 32, PCN 10, PDC 6, CD 2

Equatorial Guinea

unicameral House of People's Representatives or

Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (100 seats; members directly

elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held 4 May 2008)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

PDGE 98, CPDS 2

note: Parliament has little power since the constitution vests all

executive authority in the president

Eritrea

unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; members elected by

direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new

constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old

Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member

Constituent Assembly, which had been established in 1997 to discuss

and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans

living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to

serve as the country's legislative body until countrywide elections

to a National Assembly were held; although only 75 of 150 members of

the Transitional National Assembly were elected, the constitution

stipulates that once past the transition stage, all members of the

National Assembly will be elected by secret ballot of all eligible

voters; National Assembly elections scheduled for December 2001 were

postponed indefinitely

Estonia

unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members are

elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 4 March 2007 (next to be held in March 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - Estonian Reform Party

27.8%, Center Party of Estonia 26.1%, Union of Pro Patria and Res

Publica 17.9%, Social Democratic Party 10.6%, Estonian Greens 7.1%,

Estonian People's Union 7.1%, other 5%; seats by party - Estonian

Reform Party 31, Center Party 29, Union of Pro Patria and Res

Publica 19, Social Democratic Party 10, Estonian Greens 6, Estonian

People's Union 6

Ethiopia

bicameral Parliament consists of the House of Federation

(or upper chamber responsible for interpreting the constitution and

federal-regional issues) (108 seats; members are chosen by state

assemblies to serve five-year terms) and the House of People's

Representatives (or lower chamber responsible for passing

legislation) (547 seats; members are directly elected by popular

vote from single-member districts to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 15 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010)

election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - EPRDF 327,

CUD 109, UEDF 52, SPDP 23, OFDM 11, BGPDUF 8, ANDP 8, independent 1,

others 6, undeclared 2

note: some seats still remain vacant as detained opposition MPs did

not take their seats

European Union

two legislative bodies consisting of the Council of

the European Union (27 member-state ministers having 345 votes; the

number of votes is roughly proportional to member-states'

population; note - the Council is the main decision-making body of

the EU) and the European Parliament (785 seats, as of 1 January

2007; seats allocated among member states by proportion to

population; members elected by direct universal suffrage for a

five-year term)

elections: last held 10-13 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009)

election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - EPP-ED 268,

PES 202, ALDE 88, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41, IND/DEM 36, UEN 27,

independents 28; note - seats by party as of 1 December 2007 -

EPP-ED 275, PES 217, ALDE 104, UEN 44, Greens/EFA 42, EUL/NGL 41,

IND/DEM 24, independents 34, 4 unaccounted for

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

unicameral Legislative Council (10

seats; 2 members are ex officio and 8 are elected by popular vote;

to serve four-year terms); presided over by the governor

elections: last held 17 November 2005 (next to be held in November

2009)

election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 8

Faroe Islands

unicameral Faroese Parliament or Logting (33 seats;

members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis from the

seven constituencies to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 19 January 2008 (next to be held no later than

January 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - Union Party 21%, Social

Democratic Party 19.4%, Republican Party 23.3%, People's Party

20.1%, Center Party 8.4%, Self-Government Party 7.2%, other 0.6%;

seats by party - Republican Party 8, Union Party 7, Social

Democratic Party 6, People's Party 7, Center Party 3, Independence

Party 2

note: election of two seats to the Danish Parliament was last held

on 13 November 2007 (next to be held no later than November 2011);

results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican

Party 1, Union Party 1

Fiji

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (32 seats; 14

appointed by the president on the advice of the Great Council of

Chiefs, 9 appointed by the president on the advice of the Prime

Minister, 8 on the advice of the Opposition Leader, and 1 appointed

on the advice of the council of Rotuma) and the House of

Representatives (71 seats; 23 reserved for ethnic Fijians, 19

reserved for ethnic Indians, 3 reserved for other ethnic groups, 1

reserved for the council of Rotuma constituency encompassing the

whole of Fiji, and 25 open seats; members serve five-year terms)

elections: House of Representatives - last held 6-13 May 2006 (next

to be held in 2011)

election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by

party - SDL 44.6%, FLP 39.2%, UPP 0.8%, independents 4.9%, other

10.5%; seats by party - SDL 36, FLP 31, UPP 2, independents 2

Finland

unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats; members are

elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve four-year

terms)

elections: last held 18 March 2007 (next to be held March 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - Kesk 23.1%, Kok 22.3%,

SDP 21.4%, VAS 8.8%, VIHR 8.5%, KD 4.9%, SFP 4.5%, True Finns 4.1%,

other 3.4%; seats by party - Kesk 51, Kok 50, SDP 45, VAS 17, VIHR

15, SFP 9, KD 7, True Finns 5, other 1

France

bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or

Senat (331 seats, 305 for metropolitan France, 9 for overseas

departments, 5 for dependencies, and 12 for French nationals abroad;

members are indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve

six-year terms; one third elected every three years); note - between

2006 and 2011, 15 new seats will be added to the Senate for a total

of 348 seats - 326 for metropolitan France and overseas departments,

2 for New Caledonia, 2 for Mayotte, 1 for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon,

1 for Saint-Barthelemy, 1 for Saint-Martin, 3 for overseas

territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad; starting in 2008,

members will be indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve

six-year terms, with one-half elected every three years; and the

National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats, 555 for

metropolitan France, 15 for overseas departments, 7 for

dependencies; members are elected by popular vote under a

single-member majority system to serve five-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 26 September 2004 (next to be held in

September 2008); National Assembly - last held 10 and 17 June 2007

(next to be held in June 2012)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - UMP 156, PS 97, UDF (now MoDem) 33, PCF 23, RDSE 15, other

7; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - UMP 46.37%, PS

42.25%, miscellaneous left wing parties 2.47%, PCF 2.28%, NC 2.12%,

PRG 1.65%, miscellaneous right wing parties 1.17%, the Greens 0.45,

other 1.24%; seats by party - UMP 313, PS 186, NC 22, miscellaneous

left wing parties 15, PCF 15, miscellaneous right wing parties 9,

PRG 7, the Greens 4, other 6

French Polynesia

unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee

Territoriale (57 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve

five-year terms)

elections: last held 27 January 2008 (first round) and 10 February

2008 (second round) (next to be held NA 2013)

election results: percent of vote by party - Our Home alliance

45.2%, Union for Democracy alliance 37.2%, Popular Rally (Tahoeraa

Huiraatira) 17.2% other 0.5%; seats by party - Our Home alliance 27,

Union for Democracy alliance 20, Popular Rally 10

note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998

(next to be held in September 2007); results - percent of vote by

party - NA; seats by party - NA; two seats were elected to the

French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held in

2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

UMP/RPR 1, UMP 1

Gabon

bicameral legislature consists of the Senate (91 seats;

members elected by members of municipal councils and departmental

assemblies to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly or

Assemblee Nationale (120 seats; members are elected by direct,

popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 26 January and 9 February 2003 (next

to be held by January 2009); National Assembly - last held 17 and 24

December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - PDG 53, RNB 20, PGP 4, ADERE 3, RDP 1, CLR 1, independents

9; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party

- PDG 82, RPG 8, UPG 8, UGDD 4, ADERE 3, CLR 2, PGP-Ndaot 2, PSD 2,

independents 4, others 5

Gambia, The

unicameral National Assembly (53 seats; 48 members

elected by popular vote, 5 appointed by the president; to serve

five-year terms)

elections: last held 25 January 2007 (next to be held in 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

APRC 47, UDP 4, NADD 1, independent 1

Georgia

unicameral Parliament or Parlamenti (also known as Supreme

Council or Umaghlesi Sabcho) (235 seats; 150 members elected by

proportional representation, 75 from single-seat constituencies, and

10 represent displaced persons from Abkhazia; to serve five-year

terms)

elections: last held 21 May 2008 (next to be held in spring 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - National

Movement-Democratic Front 59.2%, National Council-New Rights 17.7%,

other parties 23.1%; seats by party - National Movement-Democratic

Front 120, National Council-New Rights 16

Germany

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Federal

Assembly or Bundestag (614 seats; elected by popular vote under a

system combining direct and proportional representation; a party

must win 5% of the national vote or three direct mandates to gain

proportional representation and caucus recognition; to serve

four-year terms) and the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 votes;

state governments are directly represented by votes; each has three

to six votes depending on population and are required to vote as a

block)

elections: Bundestag - last held on 18 September 2005 (next to be

held no later than autumn 2009); note - there are no elections for

the Bundesrat; composition is determined by the composition of the

state-level governments; the composition of the Bundesrat has the

potential to change any time one of the 16 states holds an election

election results: Bundestag - percent of vote by party - CDU/CSU

35.2%, SPD 34.3%, FDP 9.8%, Left 8.7%, Greens 8.1%, other 3.9%;

seats by party - CDU/CSU 225, SPD 222, FDP 61, Left 53, Greens 51,

independents 2

Ghana

unicameral Parliament (230 seats; members are elected by

direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held 7 December

2008)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

NPP 128, NDC 94, PNC 4, CPP 3, independent 1

Gibraltar

unicameral Parliament (18 seats: 17 members elected by

popular vote, 1 for the Speaker appointed by Parliament; to serve

four-year terms)

elections: last held 11 October 2007 (next to be held not later than

October 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - GSD 49.3%, GSLP 31.8%,

Gibraltar Liberal Party 13.6%; seats by party - GSD 10, GSLP 4,

Gibraltar Liberal Party 3

Greece

unicameral Parliament or Vouli ton Ellinon (300 seats;

members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: elections last held 16 September 2007 (next to be held by

2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - ND 41.8%, PASOK 38.1%,

KKE 8.2%, Synaspismos 5%, LAOS 3.8%, other 3.1%; seats by party - ND

152, PASOK 102, KKE 22, Synaspismos 14, LAOS 10

Greenland

unicameral Parliament or Landstinget (31 seats; members

are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional

representation to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held on 15 November 2005 (next to be held by

December 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - Siumut 30.7%,

Demokratiit 22.8%, IA 22.6%, Atassut Party 19.1%; Katusseqatigiit

4.1%, other 0.7%; seats by party - Siumut 10, Demokratiit 7, IA 7,

Atassut 6, Katusseqatigiit 1

note: two representatives were elected to the Danish Parliament or

Folketing on 13 November 2007 (next to be held in November 2011);

percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Siumut 1, Inuit

Ataqatigiit 1

Grenada

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (13 seats, 10

appointed by the government and 3 by the leader of the opposition)

and the House of Representatives (15 seats; members are elected by

popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held on 8 July 2008 (next to be held in 2013)

election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by

party - NA; seats by party - NDC 11, NNP 4

Guam

unicameral Legislature (15 seats; members are elected by

popular vote to serve two-year terms)

elections: last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held in November

2008)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

Republican Party 8, Democratic Party 7

note: Guam elects one nonvoting delegate to the US House of

Representatives; election last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held

in November 2008); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - Democratic Party 1

Guatemala

unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la

Republica (158 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve

four-year terms)

elections: last held 9 September 2007 (next to be held in September

2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - UNE 30.4%, GANA 23.4%,

PP 18.9%, FRG 9.5%, PU 5.1%, other 12.7%; seats by party - UNE 48,

GANA 37, PP 30, FRG 15, PU 8, CASA 5, EG 4, PAN 4, UCN 4, URNG 2, UD

1

Guernsey

unicameral States of Deliberation (45 seats; members are

elected by popular vote for four years); note - Alderney and Sark

have parliaments

elections: last held 23 April 2008 (next to be held in 2012)

election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents

Guinea

unicameral People's National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale

Populaire (114 seats; members are elected by a mixed system of

direct popular vote and proportional party lists)

elections: last held 30 June 2002 (next to be held in 2008)

election results: percent of vote by party - PUP 61.6%, UPR 26.6%,

other 11.8%; seats by party - PUP 85, UPR 20, other 9

note: legislative elections were due in 2007 but have been postponed

Guinea-Bissau

unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia

Nacional Popular (100 seats; members are elected by popular vote to

serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held 16 November 2008)

election results: percent of vote by party - PAIGC 31.5%, PRS 24.8%,

PUSD 16.1%, UE 4.1%, APU 1.3%, 13 other parties 22.2%; seats by

party - PAIGC 45, PRS 35, PUSD 17, UE 2, APU 1

Guyana

unicameral National Assembly (65 seats; members elected by

popular vote, also not more than 4 non-elected non-voting ministers

and 2 non-elected non-voting parliamentary secretaries appointed by

the president; to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 28 August 2006 (next to be held by August 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - PPP/C 54.6%, PNC/R 34%,

AFC 8.1%, other 3.3%; seats by party - PPP/C 36, PNC/R 22, AFC 5,

other 2

Haiti

bicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale consists of

the Senate (30 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve

six-year terms; one-third elected every two years) and the Chamber

of Deputies (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve

four-year terms); note - in reestablishing the Senate, the candidate

in each department receiving the most votes in the last election

serves six years, the candidate with the second most votes serves

four years, and the candidate with the third most votes serves two

years

elections: Senate - last held 21 April 2006 with run-off elections

on 3 December 2006 (next regular election, for one third of seats,

to be held in 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 21 April 2006

with run-off elections on 3 December 2006 and 29 April 2007 (next

regular election to be held in 2010)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - L'ESPWA 11, FUSION 5, OPL 4, FL 3, LAAA 2, UNCRH 2, PONT 2,

ALYANS 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats

by party - L'ESPWA 23, FUSION 17, FRN 12, OPL 10, ALYANS 10, LAAA 5,

MPH 3, MOCHRENA 3, other 10; results for six other seats contested

on 3 December 2006 remain unknown

Holy See (Vatican City)

unicameral Pontifical Commission for the

State of Vatican City

Honduras

unicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional (128

seats; members are elected proportionally to the number of votes

their party's presidential candidate receives to serve four-year

terms)

elections: last held 27 November 2005 (next to be held in November

2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PL

62, PN 55, PUD 5, PDC 4, PINU 2

Hong Kong

unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60 seats; 30

seats indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 30 elected by

popular vote; members serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 7 September 2008 (next to be held in September

2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by parties -

pro-Beijing 37; pro-democracy 23

Hungary

unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules (386 seats;

members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional

and direct representation to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 9 and 23 April 2006 (next to be held in April

2010)

election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote

required for parliamentary representation in the first round) - MSzP

43.2%, Fidesz-KDNP 42%, SzDSz 6.5%, MDF 5%, other 3.3%; seats by

party - MSzP 190, Fidesz-KDNP 164, SzDSz 20, MDF 11, independent 1;

seats by party as of September 2008 - MSzP 189, Fidesz-KDNP 162,

SzDSz 20, MDF 11, independent 3, vacant 1

Iceland

unicameral Parliament or Althing (63 seats; members are

elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 12 May 2007 (next to be held by May 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - Independence Party

36.6%, Social Democratic Alliance 26.8%, Progressive Party 11.7%,

Left-Green Movement 14.3%, Liberal Party 7.3%, other 3.3%; seats by

party - Independence Party 25, Social Democratic Alliance 18,

Progressive Party 7, Left-Green Alliance 9, Liberal Party 4

India

bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of the Council of

States or Rajya Sabha (a body consisting of not more than 250

members up to 12 of whom are appointed by the president, the

remainder are chosen by the elected members of the state and

territorial assemblies; members serve six-year terms) and the

People's Assembly or Lok Sabha (545 seats; 543 elected by popular

vote, 2 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)

elections: People's Assembly - last held 20 April through 10 May

2004 (next must be held by May 2009)

election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;

seats by party - INC 147, BJP 129, CPI (M) 43, SP 38, RJD 23, DMK

16, BSP 15, SS 12, BJD 11, CPI 10, NCP 10, JD (U) 8, SAD 8, PMK 6,

JMM 5, LJSP 4, MDMK 4, TDP 4, TRS 4, independent 6, other 29, vacant

13; note - seats by party as of December 2006

Indonesia

House of Representatives or Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR)

(550 seats; members elected to serve five-year terms); House of

Regional Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Daerah or DPD),

constitutionally mandated role includes providing legislative input

to DPR on issues affecting regions; People's Consultative Assembly

(Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat or MPR) has role in inaugurating and

impeaching president and in amending constitution; consists of

popularly elected members in DPR and DPD; MPR does not formulate

national policy

elections: last held 5 April 2004 (next to be held 8 or 9 April 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - Golkar 21.6%, PDI-P

18.5%, PKB 10.6%, PPP 8.2%, PD 7.5%, PKS 7.3%, PAN 6.4%, others

19.9%; seats by party - Golkar 128, PDI-P 109, PPP 58, PD 55, PAN

53, PKB 52, PKS 45, others 50

note: because of election rules, the number of seats won does not

always follow the percentage of votes received by parties

Iran

unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly or

Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami or Majles (290 seats; members elected by

popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 14 March 2008 with a runoff held 25 April 2008

(next to be held in 2012)

election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party -

conservatives/Islamists 170, reformers 46, independents 71,

religious minorities 3

Iraq

Council of Representatives (consisting of 275 members elected

by a closed-list, proportional representation system)

elections: last held 15 December 2005 to elect a 275-member Council

of Representatives (next to be held January 2009); the Council of

Representatives elected the Presidency Council and approved the

prime minister and two deputy prime ministers

election results: Council of Representatives - percent of vote by

party - Unified Iraqi Alliance 41%, Kurdistan Alliance 22%, Tawafuq

Coalition 15%, Iraqi National List 8%, Iraqi Front for National

Dialogue 4%, other 10%; number of seats by party (as of November

2007) - Unified Iraqi Alliance (including the Sadrist bloc with 30

and Fadilah with 15) 130, Kurdistan Alliance 53, Tawafuq Front 44,

Iraqi National List 25, Fadilah 15, Iraqi Front for National

Dialogue 11, other 12

Ireland

bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the Senate or

Seanad Eireann (60 seats; 49 members elected by the universities and

from candidates put forward by five vocational panels, 11 are

nominated by the prime minister; to serve five-year terms) and the

House of Representatives or Dail Eireann (166 seats; members are

elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation

to serve five-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held in July 2007 (next to be held by July

2012); House of Representatives - last held 24 May 2007 (next to be

held by May 2012)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - Fianna Fail 28, Fine Gael 14, Labor Party 6, Progressive

Democrats 2, Green Party 2, Sein Fein 1, independents 7; House of

Representatives - percent of vote by party - Fianna Fail 41.6%, Fine

Gael 27.3%, Labor Party 10.1%, Sinn Fein 6.9%, Green Party 4.7%,

Progressive Democrats 2.7%, other 6.7%; seats by party - Fianna Fail

78, Fine Gael 51, Labor Party 20, Sinn Fein 4, Green Party 6,

Progressive Democrats 2, other 5

Isle of Man

bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council

(11 seats; members composed of the President of Tynwald, the Lord

Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and 8 others

named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members

are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: House of Keys - last held 23 November 2006 (next to be

held in November 2011)

election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - NA;

seats by party - Liberal Vannin Party 2, Man Labor Party 1,

independents 21

Israel

unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members elected by popular

vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 28 March 2006 (next scheduled to be held in

February 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - Kadima 22%, Labor

15.1%, SHAS 9.5%, Likud 9%, Yisrael Beiteinu 9%, NU/NRP 7.1%, GIL

5.9%, Torah and Shabbat Judaism 4.7%, Meretz-YAHAD 3.8%, United Arab

List 3%, Balad 2.3%, HADASH 2.7%, other 5.9%; seats by party -

Kadima 29, Labor 19, Likud 12, SHAS 12, Yisrael Beiteinu 11, NU/NRP

9, GIL 7, Torah and Shabbat Judaism 6, Meretz-YAHAD 5, United Arab

List 4, Balad 3, HADASH 3

Italy

bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or

Senato della Repubblica (315 seats; members elected by proportional

vote with the winning coalition in each region receiving 55% of

seats from that region; to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of

Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; members elected by

popular vote with the winning national coalition receiving 54% of

chamber seats; to serve five-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 13-14 April 2008 (next to be held

April 2010); Chamber of Deputies - last held 13-14 April 2008 (next

to be held in April 2010)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - S. BERLUSCONI coalition 174 (PdL 147, LN 25, MpA 2), W.

VELTRONI coalition 132 (PD 118, IdV 3), UdC 3, other 6; Chamber of

Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - S.

BERLUSCONI coalition 344 (PdL 276, LN 60, MpA 8), W. VELTRONI

coalition 246 (PD 217, IdV 29), UdC 36, other 4

Jamaica

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member

body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the

prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party is

allocated 13 seats, and the opposition is allocated 8 seats) and the

House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular

vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 3 September 2007 (next to be held no later than

October 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - JLP 50.1%, PNP 49.8%;

seats by party - JLP 33, PNP 27

Japan

bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors

or Sangi-in (242 seats - members elected for six-year terms; half

reelected every three years; 146 members in multi-seat

constituencies and 96 by proportional representation) and the House

of Representatives or Shugi-in (480 seats - members elected for

four-year terms; 300 in single-seat constituencies; 180 members by

proportional representation in 11 regional blocs)

elections: House of Councillors - last held 29 July 2007 (next to be

held in July 2010); House of Representatives - last held 11

September 2005 (next election by September 2009)

election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party -

NA; seats by party - DPJ 109, LDP 83, Komeito 20, JCP 7, SDP 5,

others 18

House of Representatives - percent of vote by party (in single-seat

constituencies) - LDP 47.8%, DPJ 36.4%, others 15.8%; seats by party

- LDP 296, DPJ 113, Komeito 31, JCP 9, SDP 7, others 24 (2007)

Jersey

unicameral Assembly of the States of Jersey (58 seats; 55 are

voting members, of which 12 are senators elected for six-year terms,

12 are constables or heads of parishes elected for three-year terms,

29 are deputies elected for three-year terms, the bailiff and the

deputy bailiff, and 3 non-voting members includes the Dean of

Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General appointed by

the monarch)

elections: last held 19 October 2005 for senators and 23 November

2005 for deputies (next to be held on 15 October 2008)

election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 55

Jordan

bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of

the Senate, also called the House of Notables or Majlis al-Ayan (55

seats; members appointed by the monarch from designated categories

of public figures to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of

Deputies, also called the House of Representatives or Majlis

al-Nuwaab (110 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis

of proportional representation to serve four-year terms; note - six

seats are reserved for women and are allocated by a special

electoral panel if no women are elected)

elections: Chamber of Deputies - last held 20 November 2007 (next to

be held in 2011)

election results: Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party -

IAF 5.5 %, independents and other 94.5%; seats by party - IAF 6,

independents and other 104; note - seven women will serve in the

next Assembly - six of whom filled women's quota seats and one was

directly elected

Kazakhstan

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (47 seats; 7

members are appointed by the president; other members are elected by

local assemblies; to serve six-year terms) and the Mazhilis (107

seats; 9 out of the 107 Mazhilis members are elected from the

Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, which represents the country's

ethnic minorities; members are popularly elected to serve five-year

terms)

elections: Senate - (indirect) last held December 2005; next to be

held in 2011; Mazhilis - last held 18 August 2007 (next to be held

in 2012)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - NA; Mazhilis - percent of vote by party - Nur-Otan 88.1%,

NSDP 4.6%, Ak Zhol 3.3%, Auyl 1.6%, Communist People's Party 1.3%,

Patriots Party .8% Ruhaniyat .4%; seats by party - Nur-Otan 98; note

- parties must achieve a threshold of 7% of the electorate to

qualify for seats in the Mazhilis

Kenya

unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (224 seats; 210 members

elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 12 so-called

"nominated" members who are appointed by the president but selected

by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote totals, 2

ex-officio members)

elections: last held 27 December 2007 (next to be held in December

2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

ODM 99, PNU 43, ODM-K 16, KANU 14 other 38; ex-officio 2; seats

appointed by the president - TBD

Kiribati

unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (46

seats; 44 members elected by popular vote, 1 ex officio member - the

attorney general, 1 nominated by the Rabi Council of Leaders

(representing Banaba Island); to serve four-year terms)

elections: legislative elections were held in two rounds - the first

round on 22 August 2007 and the second round on 30 August 2007 (next

to be held in 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

NA, other 2 (includes attorney general)

Korea, North

unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin

Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year

terms)

elections: last held 3 August 2003 (next to be held in August 2008)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

NA; ruling party approves a list of candidates who are elected

without opposition; some seats are held by minor parties

Korea, South

unicameral National Assembly or Kukhoe (299 seats; 243

members elected in single-seat constituencies, 56 elected by

proportional representation; to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 9 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

GNP 153, UDP 81, LFP 18, Pro-Park Alliance 14, DLP 5, CKP 3,

independents 25

Kosovo

unicameral Kosovo Assembly of the Provisional Government (120

seats; 100 seats directly elected, 10 seats for Serbs, 10 seats for

other minorities; to serve three-year terms)

elections: last held 17 November 2007 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - PDK 34.3%, LDK 22.6%,

AKR 12.3%, LDD 10.0%, AAK 9.6%, other 11.2%; seats by party - PDK

37, LDK 25, AKR 13, LDD 11, AAK 10, other 4

Kuwait

unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Umma (50 seats;

members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; all

cabinet ministers are also ex officio voting members of the National

Assembly)

elections: last held 17 May 2008 (next election to be held in 2012)

election results: percent of vote by bloc - NA; seats by bloc -

Sunni 21, Islamic Salafi Alliance 10, Liberals 7, Shiites 5, Popular

Action Bloc 4, Islamic Constitutional Movement 3

Kyrgyzstan

unicameral Supreme Council or Jorgorku Kengesh (90 seats;

members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 16 December 2007 (next to be held in 2012)

election results: Supreme Council - percent of vote by party - NA;

seats by party - Ak Jol 71, Social Democratic Party 11, KCP 8

Laos

unicameral National Assembly (115 seats; members elected by

popular vote from a list of candidates selected by the Lao People's

Revolutionary Party to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 30 April 2006 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

LPRP 113, independents 2

Latvia

unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members are

elected by proportional representation from party lists by popular

vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 7 October 2006 (next to be held in October 2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - TP 19.5%, ZZS 16.7%, JL

16.4%, SC 14.4%; LPP/LC 8.6%; TB/LNNK 7%; PCTVL 6%; seats by party -

TP 23, ZZS 18, JL 18, SC 17, LPP/LC 10, TB/LNNK 8, PCTVL 6; note -

seats by party as of February 2008 - TP 21, ZZS 17, SC 17, JL 14,

LPP/LC 10, TB/LNNK 5, PCTVL 6, independents 10

Lebanon

unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or

Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular

vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve

four-year terms)

elections: last held in four rounds on 29 May, 5, 12, 19 June 2005

(next to be held in spring 2009)

election results: percent of vote by group - NA; seats by group -

Future Movement Bloc 36; Democratic Gathering 15; Development and

Resistance Bloc 15; Free Patriotic Movement 15; Loyalty to the

Resistance 14; Qornet Shehwan 6; Lebanese Forces 5; Popular Bloc 4;

Tripoli Independent Bloc 3; Kataeb Reform Movement 2; Syrian

National Socialist Party 2; Tashnaq 2; Syrian Ba'th Party 1;

Democratic Left 1; Democratic Renewal Movement 1; Kataeb Party 1;

Nasserite Popular Movement 1; independent 4

Lesotho

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members - 22

principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party)

and the Assembly (120 seats, 80 by popular vote and 40 by

proportional vote; members elected by popular vote for five-year

terms)

elections: last held 17 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

LCD 61, NIP 21, ABC 17, LWP 10, ACP 4, BNP 3, other 4

Liberia

bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (30

seats; note - number of seats changed in 11 October 2005 elections;

members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the

House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote

to serve six-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held in

2011); House of Representatives - last held 11 October 2005 (next to

be held in 2011)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - COTOL 7, NPP 4, CDC 3, LP 3, UP 3, APD 3, other 7; House of

Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

CDC 15, LP 9, COTOL 8, UP 8, APD 5, NPP 4, other 15

note: junior senators - those who received the second most votes in

each county in the 11 October 2005 election - will only serve a

six-year first term because the Liberian constitution mandates

staggered Senate elections to ensure continuity of government; all

senators will be eligible for nine-year terms thereafter

Libya

unicameral General People's Congress (approximately 2,700

seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of people's

committees)

Liechtenstein

unicameral Parliament or Landtag (25 seats; members

are elected by popular vote under proportional representation to

serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 11 and 13 March 2005 (next to be held by 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - FBP 48.7%, VU 38.2%, FL

13%; seats by party - FBP 12, VU 10, FL 3

Lithuania

unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats; 71 members are

elected by popular vote, 70 are elected by proportional

representation; serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 12 and 26 October 2008 (next to be held October

2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - TS 19.7%, TPP 15.1%, TT

12.7%, LSDP 11.7%, KDP+J 9%, LRLS 5.7%, LCS 5.3%, LLRA 4.8%, LVLS

3.7%, NS 3.6%, other 8.7%; seats by faction - TS 44, LSDP 26, TPP

16, TT 15, LRLS 11, KDP+J 10, LCS 8, LLRA 3, LVLS 3, NS 1,

independent 4

Luxembourg

unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Chambre des Deputes (60

seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 13 June 2004 (next to be held by June 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - CSV 36.1%, LSAP 23.4%,

DP 16.1%, Green Party 11.6%, ADR 10%, other 2.8%; seats by party -

CSV 24, LSAP 14, DP 10, Green Party 7, ADR 5

note: there is also a Council of State that serves as an advisory

body to the Chamber of Deputies; the Council of State has 21 members

appointed by the Grand Duke on the advice of the prime minister

Macau

unicameral Legislative Assembly (29 seats; 12 members elected

by popular vote, 10 by indirect vote, and 7 appointed by the chief

executive; to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 25 September 2005 (next in September 2009)

election results: percent of vote - New Democratic Macau Association

18.8%, Macau United Citizens' Association 16.6%, Union for

Development 13.3%, Union for Promoting Progress 9.6%, Macau

Development Alliance 9.3%, others 32.4%; seats by political group -

New Democratic Macau Association 2, Macau United Citizens'

Association 2, Union for Development 2, Union for Promoting Progress

2, Macau Development Alliance 1, others 3; 10 seats filled by

professional and business groups; seven members appointed by chief

executive

Macedonia

unicameral Assembly or Sobranie (120 seats; members

elected by popular vote from party lists based on the percentage of

the overall vote the parties gain in each of six electoral

districts; serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 1 June 2008 (next to be held by July 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - For a Better Macedonia

48.80%, Sun-Coalition for Europe 23.65%, Democratic Union for

Integration 12.77%, Democratic Party of Albanians 8.48%, Party for

European Future 1.47%, other 4.83%; seats by party - For a Better

Macedonia 63, Sun-Coalition for Europe 27, Democratic Union for

Integration 18, Democratic Party of Albanians 11, Party for European

Future 1

Madagascar

bicameral legislature consists of a National Assembly or

Assemblee Nationale (127 seats - reduced from 160 seats by an April

2007 national referendum; members are elected by popular vote to

serve four-year terms) and a Senate or Senat (100 seats; two-thirds

of the seats filled by regional assemblies; the remaining one-third

of seats appointed by the president; to serve four-year terms)

elections: National Assembly - last held 23 September 2007 (next to

be held in 2011)

election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;

seats by party - TIM 106, LEADER/Fanilo 1, independents 20

Malawi

unicameral National Assembly (193 seats; members elected by

popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 20 May 2004 (next to be held in May 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

MCP 56, UDF 49, independents 39, RP 15, others 25, vacancies 8

Malaysia

bicameral Parliament or Parlimen consists of Senate or

Dewan Negara (70 seats; 44 appointed by paramount ruler, 26 elected

by 13 state legislatures; to serve three-year terms with limit of

two terms) and House of Representatives or Dewan Rakyat (222 seats;

members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: House of Representatives - last held on 8 March 2008

(next to be held by March 2013)

election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - BN

coalition 50.3%, opposition parties 46.8%, others 2.9%; seats - BN

coalition 140, opposition parties 82

Maldives

unicameral People's Council or Majlis (50 seats; 42 members

elected by popular vote, 8 appointed by the president; to serve

five-year terms)

elections: last held 22 January 2005 (next to be held in 2010)

election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 50

Mali

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (147 seats;

members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held on 1 and 22 July 2007 (next to be held in July

2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

ADP coalition 113 (including ADEMA 51, URD 34, MPR 8, CNID 7, UDD 3,

and other 10), FDR coalition 15 (including RPM 11, PARENA 4), SADI

4, independent 15

Malta

unicameral House of Representatives (usually 65 seats; members

are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional

representation to serve five-year terms; note - additional seats are

given to the party with the largest popular vote to ensure a

legislative majority)

elections: last held on 8 March 2008 (next to be held by March 2013)

election results: percent of vote by party - PN 49.3%, MLP 48.8%,

other 1.9%; seats by party - PN 35, MLP 34

Marshall Islands

unicameral legislature or Nitijela (33 seats;

members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 19 November 2007 (next to be held by November

2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

independents 4

note: the Council of Chiefs or Ironij is a 12-member body comprised

of tribal chiefs that advises on matters affecting customary law and

practice

Mauritania

bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Majlis

al-Shuyukh (56 seats; 53 members elected by municipal leaders and 3

members elected by Mauritanians abroad to serve six-year terms; a

portion of seats up for election every two years) and the National

Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (95 seats; members elected by popular

vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 21 January and 4 February 2007 (next

to be held 2009); National Assembly - last held 19 November and 3

December 2006 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - Mithaq (coalition of independents and parties associated

with the former regime) 37, CFCD (coalition of political parties)

15, representatives of the diaspora 3, undecided 1; National

Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Mithaq 51

(independents 37, PRDR 7, UDP 3, RDU 3, Alternative (El-Badil) 1),

CFCD 41 (RFD 16, UFP 9, APP 6, Centrist Reformists 4, HATEM-PMUC 3,

RD 2, PUDS 1), RNDLE 1, UCD 1, FP 1

Mauritius

unicameral National Assembly (70 seats; 62 members elected

by popular vote, 8 appointed by the election commission to give

representation to various ethnic minorities; to serve five-year

terms)

elections: last held on 3 July 2005 (next to be held in 2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AS

38, MSM/MMM 22, OPR 2; appointed seats - AS 4, MSM/MMM 2, OPR 2

Mayotte

unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats;

members are elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)

elections: last held 21 and 28 March 2004 (next to be held in 2007)

election results: percent of vote by party - MDM 23.3%, UMP 22.8%,

PS 10.2%, MRC 8.9%, FRAP 6.5%, MPM 1.2%, other 27.1%; seats by party

- MDM 6, UMP 9, MRC 2, MPM 1, diverse left 1

note: Mayotte elects one member of the French Senate; elections last

held 24 September 2001 (next to be held in September 2007); results

- percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Mayotte also

elects one member to the French National Assembly; elections last

held 16 June 2002 (next to be held in 2007); results - percent of

vote by party - UMP-RPR 55.1%, UDF 44.9%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1

Mexico

bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists

of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 members are

elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 seats are

allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote) and the Federal

Chamber of Deputies or Camara Federal de Diputados (500 seats; 300

members are elected by popular vote; remaining 200 members are

allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote; to serve

three-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2006 for all of the seats (next

to be held 1 July 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2 July 2006

(next to be held 5 July 2009)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - PAN 52, PRI 33, PRD 26, PVEM 6, CD 5, PT 5, independent 1;

Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party

- PAN 207, PRD 127, PRI 106, PVEM 17, CD 17, PT 11, other 15

Micronesia, Federated States of unicameral Congress (14 seats; 4 - one elected from each state to serve four-year terms and 10 - elected from single-member districts delineated by population to serve two-year terms; members elected by popular vote) elections: last held 6 March 2007 (next to be held in March 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 14

Moldova

unicameral Parliament or Parlamentul (101 seats; parties and

electoral blocs elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 6 March 2005 (next to be held in 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - PCRM 46.1%, Democratic

Moldova Bloc (AMN, PD, PSL) 28.4%, PPCD 9.1%, other parties 16.4%;

seats by party - PCRM 56, Democratic Moldova Bloc (AMN, PD, PSL) 34,

PPCD 11

Monaco

unicameral National Council or Conseil National (24 seats; 16

members elected by list majority system, 8 by proportional

representation; to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 3 February 2008 (next to be held February 2013)

election results: percent of vote by party - UPM 52.2%, REM 40.5%,

Monaco Together 7.3%; seats by party - UPM 21, REM 3

Mongolia

unicameral State Great Hural 76 seats; members elected by

popular vote to serve four-year terms

elections: last held 29 June 2008 (next to be held in June 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

MPRP 47, DP 26, others 3; note - results are disputed

Montenegro

unicameral Assembly (81 seats; members elected by direct

vote for four-year terms; changed from 74 seats in 2006)

elections: last held 10 September 2006 (next to be held 2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - Coalition for European

Montenegro 47.7%, Serbian List 14.4%, Coalition SNP-NS-DSS 13.8%,

PZP 12.9%, Liberals and Bosniaks 3.7%, other (including Albanian

minority parties) 7.5%; seats by party - Coalition for European

Montenegro 41, Serbian List 12, Coalition SNP/NS/DSS 11, PZP 11,

Liberals and Bosniaks 3, Albanian minority parties 3

Montserrat

unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats, 9 popularly

elected; members serve five-year terms)

note: expanded in 2001 from 7 to 9 elected members with attorney

general and financial secretary sitting as ex-officio members

elections: last held 31 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - MCAP 36.1%, NPLM 29.4%,

MDP 24.4%, independents 10.1%; seats by party - MCAP 4, NPLM 3, MDP

1, independents 1

note: in 2001, the Elections Commission instituted a single

constituency/voter-at-large system whereby all eligible voters cast

ballots for all nine seats of the Legislative Council

Morocco

bicameral Parliament consists of a Chamber of Counselors (or

upper house) (270 seats; members elected indirectly by local

councils, professional organizations, and labor syndicates for

nine-year terms; one-third of the members are elected every three

years) and Chamber of Representatives (or lower house) (325 seats;

295 members elected by multi-seat constituencies and 30 from

national lists of women; members elected by popular vote for

five-year terms)

elections: Chamber of Counselors - last held 8 September 2006 (next

to be held in 2009); Chamber of Representatives - last held 7

September 2007 (next to be held in 2012)

election results: Chamber of Counselors - percent of vote by party -

NA; seats by party - PI 17, MP 14, RNI 13, USFP 11, UC 6, PND 4, PPS

4, Al Ahd 4, other 17; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote

by party - NA; seats by party - PI 52, PJD 46, MP 41, RNI 39, USFP

38, UC 27, PPS 17, FFD 9, MDS 9, Al Ahd 8, other 39

Mozambique

unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da

Republica (250 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote

to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 1-2 December 2004 (next to be held in December

2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - FRELIMO 62%, RENAMO

29.7%, other 8.3%; seats by party - FRELIMO 160, RENAMO 90

Namibia

bicameral legislature consists of the National Council (26

seats; two members are chosen from each regional council to serve

six-year terms) and the National Assembly (72 seats; members are

elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: National Council - elections for regional councils to

determine members of the National Council held 29-30 November 2004

(next to be held in November 2010); National Assembly - last held

15-16 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2009)

election results: National Council - percent of vote by party -

SWAPO 89.7%, UDF 4.7%, NUDO 2.8%, DTA 1.9%, other 0.9%; seats by

party - SWAPO 24, UDF 1, DTA 1; National Assembly - percent of vote

by party - SWAPO 76.1%, COD 7.3%, DTA 5.1%, NUDO 4.2%, UDF 3.6%, RP

1.9%, MAG 0.8%, other 1.0%; seats by party - SWAPO 55, COD 5, DTA 4,

NUDO 3, UDF 3, RP 1, MAG 1

note: the National Council is primarily an advisory body

Nauru

unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular

vote to serve three-year terms)

elections: last held 26 April 2008 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 18;

note - President Marcus STEPHEN called a snap election to break a

parliamentary stalemate blocking legislative action

Nepal

unicameral Constituent Assembly (601 seats; 240 seats decided

by direct popular vote; 335 seats by proportional representation; 26

appointed by the Cabinet (Council of Ministers))

note: KOIRALA called the first sitting of the Constituent Assembly

on 28 May 2008

elections: last held 10 April 2008 (next to be held NA)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

CPN-M 220, NC 110, CPN-UML 103, Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum 52, Terai

Madhesi Democratic Party/Nepal Sadbhawana Party 29, other smaller

parties 61; note - 26 seats to be filled by the new Cabinet

Netherlands

bicameral States General or Staten Generaal consists of

the First Chamber or Eerste Kamer (75 seats; members indirectly

elected by the country's 12 provincial councils to serve four-year

terms) and the Second Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 seats; members

directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: First Chamber - last held 29 May 2007 (next to be held in

May 2011); Second Chamber - last held 22 November 2006 (next to be

held by early 2011)

election results: First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%;

seats by party - CDA 21, PvdA 14, VVD 14, Socialist Party 11,

Christian Union 4, Green Left Party 4, D66 2, other 5; Second

Chamber - percent of vote by party - CDA 26.5%, PvdA 21.2%,

Socialist Party 16.6%, VVD 14.6%, Party for Freedom 5.9%, Green

Party 4.6%, Christian Union 4.0%, other 6.6%; seats by party - CDA

41, PvdA 33, Socialist Party 25, VVD 22, Party for Freedom 9, Green

Party 7, Christian Union 6, other 7

Netherlands Antilles

unicameral States or Staten (22 seats, Curacao

14, Bonaire 3, St. Maarten 3, St. Eustatius 1, Saba 1; members are

elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 27 January 2006 (next to be held in 2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

PAR 5, MAN 3, FOL 2, Forsa Korsou 2, National Alliance 2, PNP 2, UPB

2, DP-St. E 1, DP-St. M 1, PDB 1, WIPM 1

note: the government is a coalition of several parties

New Caledonia

unicameral Territorial Congress or Congres du

territoire (54 seats; members belong to the three Provincial

Assemblies or Assemblees Provinciales elected by popular vote to

serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 9 May 2004 (next to be held in 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

RPCR-UMP 16, AE 16, UNI-FLNKS 8, UC 7, FN 4, others 3

note: New Caledonia currently holds one seat in the French Senate;

by 2010, New Caledonia will gain a second seat in the French Senate;

elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held not later

than September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats

by party - UMP 1; New Caledonia also elects two seats to the French

National Assembly; elections last held 10 and 17 June 2007 (next to

be held on June 2012); results - percent of vote by party - NA;

seats by party - UMP 2

New Zealand

unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called

Parliament (usually 120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in

single-member constituencies including 7 Maori constituencies, and

51 proportional seats chosen from party lists; to serve three-year

terms)

elections: last held 8 November 2008 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - NP 45.5%, NZLP 33.8%,

Green Party 6.4%, ACT New Zealand 3.7%, Maori 2.2%, Progressive

0.9%, UF 0.9%, other 6.6%; seats by party - NP 59, NZLP 43, Green

Party 8, ACT New Zealand 5, Maori 5, Progressive 1, UF 1

note: results of 2008 election saw the total number of seats

increase to 122

Nicaragua

unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (92

seats; 90 members are elected by proportional representation and

party lists to serve five-year terms; 1 seat for the previous

president, 1 seat for the runner-up in previous presidential

election)

elections: last held 5 November 2006 (next to be held by November

2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

FSLN 38, PLC 25, ALN 23 (22 plus one for presidential candidate

Eduardo MONTEALEGRE, runner-up in the 2006 presidential election),

MRS 5, APRE 1 (outgoing President Enrique BOLANOS)

Niger

unicameral National Assembly (113 seats; members elected by

popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 4 December 2004 (next to be held in December

2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

MNSD 47, PNDS 25, CDS 22, RSD 7, RDP 6, ANDP 5, PSDN 1

Nigeria

bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (109

seats, 3 from each state plus 1 from Abuja; members elected by

popular vote to serve four-year terms) and House of Representatives

(360 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 21 April 2007 (next to be held in

April 2011); House of Representatives - last held 21 April 2007

(next to be held in April 2011)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PDP 53.7%,

ANPP 27.9%, AD 9.7%, other 8.7%; seats by party - PDP 76, ANPP 27,

AD 6; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDP

54.5%, ANPP 27.4%, AD 8.8%, UNPP 2.8%, NPD 1.9%, APGA 1.6%, PRP

0.8%; seats by party - PDP 76, ANPP 27, AD 6, UNPP 2, APGA 2, NPD 1,

PRP 1, vacant 1

Niue

unicameral Legislative Assembly (20 seats; members elected by

popular vote to serve three-year terms; six elected from a common

roll and 14 are village representatives)

elections: last held 7 June 2008 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - 20

independents

Norfolk Island

unicameral Legislative Assembly (9 seats; members

elected by electors who have nine equal votes each but only four

votes can be given to any one candidate; to serve three-year terms)

elections: last held 21 March 2007 (next to be held by 28 March 2010)

election results: seats - independents 9 (note - no political

parties)

Northern Mariana Islands

bicameral Legislature consists of the

Senate (9 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve

four-year staggered terms) and the House of Representatives (20

seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 3 November 2007 (next to be held in

November 2009); House of Representatives - last held 3 November 2007

(next to be held in November 2009)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - Covenant Party 3, Republican Party 3, Democratic Party 1,

independents 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party

- NA; seats by party - Republican Party 12, Covenant Party 4,

Democratic Party 1, independents 3

note: the Northern Mariana Islands does not have a nonvoting

delegate in the US Congress; instead, it has an elected official or

"resident representative" in Washington, DC; seats by party -

Republican Party 1 (Pedro A. TENORIO)

Norway

modified unicameral Parliament or Storting (169 seats;

members are elected by popular vote by proportional representation

to serve four-year terms); note - in 2009 the number of seats will

change to 165

elections: last held 12 September 2005 (next to be held in September

2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - Labor Party 32.7%,

Progress Party 22.1%, Conservative Party 14.1%, Socialist Left Party

8.8%, Christian People's Party 6.8%, Center Party 6.5%, Liberal

Party 5.9%, other 3.1%; seats by party - Labor Party 61, Progress

Party 38, Conservative Party 23, Socialist Left Party 15, Christian

People's Party 11, Center Party 11, Liberal Party 10

note: for certain purposes, the parliament divides itself into two

chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership in the Lagting and

three-fourths of its membership in the Odelsting

Oman

bicameral Majlis Oman consists of Majlis al-Dawla or upper

chamber (70 seats; members appointed by the monarch; has advisory

powers only) and Majlis al-Shura or lower chamber (84 seats; members

elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; body has some

limited power to propose legislation, but otherwise has only

advisory powers)

elections: last held 27 October 2007 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: new candidates won 46 seats and 38 members of the

outgoing Majlis kept their positions; none of the 20 female

candidates were elected

Pakistan

bicameral parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the

Senate (100 seats; members indirectly elected by provincial

assemblies and the territories' representatives in the National

Assembly to serve six-year terms; one half are elected every three

years) and the National Assembly (342 seats; 272 members elected by

popular vote; 60 seats reserved for women; 10 seats reserved for

non-Muslims; to serve five-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held in March 2006 (next to be held in

March 2009); National Assembly - last held 18 February 2008 (next to

be held in 2013)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - PML 38, MMA 18, PPPP 10, MQM 6, PML-N 4, PKMAP 3, ANP 2,

PPP-S 2, BNP-A 1, BNP-M 1, JWP 1, NA 1, PML-F 1, independents 12;

National Assembly - percent of votes by party - NA; seats by party -

PPPP 121, PML-N 91, PML 54, MQM 25, ANP 13, MMA 6, PML-F 5, BNP-A 1,

NPP 1, PPP-S 1, independents 18; note - as a result of the 27 June

2008 by-election, PML-N gained 3 seats and PPPP gained 2 seats)

Palau

bicameral National Congress or Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK)

consists of the Senate (9 seats; members elected by popular vote on

a population basis to serve four-year terms) and the House of

Delegates (16 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve

four-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held in

November 2008); House of Delegates - last held 2 November 2004 (next

to be held in November 2008)

election results: Senate - percent of vote - NA; seats -

independents 9; House of Delegates - percent of vote - NA; seats -

independents 16

Panama

unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (78 seats;

members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note

- in 2009, the number of seats will change to 71

elections: last held 2 May 2004 (next to be held 3 May 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

PRD 41, PA 17, PS 9, MOLIRENA 4, CD 3, PLN 3, PP 1

note: legislators from outlying rural districts are chosen on a

plurality basis while districts located in more populous towns and

cities elect multiple legislators by means of a proportion-based

formula

Papua New Guinea

unicameral National Parliament (109 seats, 89

filled from open electorates and 20 from provinces and national

capital district; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year

terms); constitution allows up to 126 seats

elections: last held from 30 June to 10 July 2007; next to be held

in June 2012

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

National Alliance 27, PNGP 8, PAP 6, URP 6, PANGU 5, PDM 5,

independents 19, others 33; note - election to 1 seat was nullified

note: 15 other parties won 4 or fewer seats; association with

political parties is fluid

Paraguay

bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Chamber of

Senators or Camara de Senadores (45 seats; members are elected by

popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies

or Camara de Diputados (80 seats; members are elected by popular

vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 20 April 2008 (next to be

held in April 2013); Chamber of Deputies - last held 20 April 2008

(next to be held in April 2013)

election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party -

NA; seats by party - ANR 15, PLRA 14, UNACE 9, PPQ 4, other 3;

Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party

- ANR 30, PLRA 27, UNACE 15, PPQ 3, APC 2, other 3

Peru

unicameral Congress of the Republic of Peru or Congreso de la

Republica del Peru (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote

to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 9 April 2006 (next to be held in April 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - UPP 21.2%, PAP 20.6%,

UN 15.3%, AF 13.1%, FC 7.1%, PP 4.1%, RN 4.0%, other 14.6%; seats by

party - UPP 45, PAP 36, UN 17, AF 13, FC 5, PP 2, RN 2

Philippines

bicameral Congress or Kongreso consists of the Senate or

Senado (24 seats - one-half elected every three years; members

elected at large by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the

House of Representatives or Kapulungan Ng Mga Kinatawan (as a result

of May 2007 election it has 239 seats including 218 members

representing districts and 21 sectoral party-list members

representing special minorities elected on the basis of 1 seat for

every 2% of the total vote but limited to 3 seats; members elected

by popular vote to serve three-year terms; note - the Constitution

prohibits the House of Representatives from having more than 250

members)

elections: Senate - last held on 14 May 2007 (next to be held in May

2010); House of Representatives - elections last held on 14 May 2007

(next to be held in May 2010)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - Lakas-Kampi 4, LP 4, NPC 3, Nacionalista 2, independents 4,

others 6; note - there are 23 rather than 24 sitting senators

because one senator was elected mayor of Manila; House of

Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

Lakas 86, Kampi 46, NPC 29, LP 21, Party-list 21, others 36

Pitcairn Islands

unicameral Island Council (10 seats; 5 members

elected by popular vote, 1 nominated by the 5 elected members, 2

appointed by the governor including 1 seat for the Island Secretary,

the Island Mayor, and a commissioner liaising between the governor

and council; elected members serve one-year terms)

elections: last held 24 December 2006 (next to be held in December

2007)

election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents

Poland

bicameral legislature consists of an upper house, the Senate

or Senat (100 seats; members are elected by a majority vote on a

provincial basis to serve four-year terms), and a lower house, the

Sejm (460 seats; members are elected under a complex system of

proportional representation to serve four-year terms); the

designation of National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe is only

used on those rare occasions when the two houses meet jointly

elections: Senate - last held 21 October 2007 (next to be held by

October 2011); Sejm elections last held 21 October 2007 (next to be

held by October 2011)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - PO 60, PiS 39, independents 1; Sejm - percent of vote by

party - PO 41.5%, PiS 32.1%, LiD 13.2%, PSL 8.9%, other 4.3%; seats

by party - PO 209, PiS 166, LiD 53, PSL 31, German minorities 1;

note - seats by party as of February 2008 - PO 209, PiS 159, LiD 53,

PSL 31, German minorities 1, nonaffiliated 7

note: one seat is assigned to ethnic minority parties in the Sejm

only

Portugal

unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da

Republica (230 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve

four-year terms)

elections: last held 20 February 2005 (next to be held in Fall 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - PS 45.1%, PSD 28.7%,

CDU 7.6%, CDS/PP 7.3%, BE 6.4%, other 4.9%; seats by party - PS 121,

PSD 75, CDU 14, CDS/PP 12, BE 8

Puerto Rico

bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate

(at least 27 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to

serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (51 seats;

members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held

November 2012); House of Representatives - last held 4 November 2008

(next to be held in November 2012)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - PNP 22, PPD 5; House of Representatives - percent of vote by

party - NA; seats by party - NA

note: Puerto Rico elects, by popular vote, a resident commissioner

to serve a four-year term as a nonvoting representative in the US

House of Representatives; aside from not voting on the House floor,

he enjoys all the rights of a member of Congress; elections last

held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2012); results -

percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PNP 1

Qatar

unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (35 seats;

members appointed)

note: no legislative elections have been held since 1970 when there

were partial elections to the body; Council members have had their

terms extended every year since the new constitution came into force

on 9 June 2005; the constitution provides for a new 45-member

Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura; the public would elect

two-thirds of the Majlis al-Shura; the Amir would appoint the

remaining members; preparations are underway to conduct elections to

the Majlis al-Shura

Romania

bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or

Senat (137 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a

proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms) and the

Chamber of Deputies or Camera Deputatilor (334 seats; members are

elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to

serve four-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 30 November 2008 (next expected to be

held in November 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held 30 November

2008 (next expected to be held November 2012)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by alliance/party -

PSD-PC 34.2%, PDL 33.6%, PNL 18.7%, UDMR 6.4%, other 7.1%; seats by

alliance/party - PSD-PC 49, PDL 51, PNL 28, UDMR 9; Chamber of

Deputies - percent of vote by alliance/party - PSD-PC 33.1%, PDL

32.4%, PNL 18.6%, UDMR 6.2%, ethnic minorities 3.6%, other 6.1%;

seats by alliance/party - PSD-PC 114, PDL 115, PNL 65, UDMR 22,

ethnic minorities 18

Russia

bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoye Sobraniye consists

of an upper house, the Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (168

seats; as of July 2000, members appointed by the top executive and

legislative officials in each of the 84 federal administrative units

- oblasts, krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the

federal cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg; to serve four-year

terms) and a lower house, the State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma

(450 seats; as of 2007, all members elected by proportional

representation from party lists winning at least 7% of the vote;

members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: State Duma - last held 2 December 2007 (next to be held

in December 2011)

election results: State Duma - United Russia 64.3%, CPRF 11.5%, LDPR

8.1%, Just Russia 7.7%, other 8.4%; total seats by party - United

Russia 315, CPRF 57, LDPR 40, Just Russia 38

Rwanda

bicameral Parliament consists of Senate (26 seats; 12 members

elected by local councils, 8 appointed by the president, 4 by the

Political Organizations Forum, 2 represent institutions of higher

learning; to serve eight-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies (80

seats; 53 members elected by popular vote, 24 women elected by local

bodies, 3 selected by youth and disability organizations; to serve

five-year terms)

elections: Senate - members appointed as part of the transitional

government (next to be held in 2011); Chamber of Deputies - last

held 15 September 2008 (next to be held September 2013)

election results: percent of vote by party - RPF 78.8%, PSD 13.1%,

PL 7.5%; seats by party - RPF 42, PSD 7, PL 4, additional 27 members

indirectly elected

Saint Barthelemy

unicameral Territorial Council (19 seats; members

are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 1 and 8 July 2007 (next to be held July 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - SBA 72.2%,

Action-Equilibre-Transparence 9.9%, Ensemble pour Saint-Barthelemy

7.9%, Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy 9.9%; seats by party - SBA 16,

Action-Equilibre-Transparence 1, Ensemble pour Saint-Barthelemy 1,

Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy 1

Saint Helena

unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats, including the

speaker, three ex officio and 12 elected members; members are

elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 31 August 2005 (next to be held in 2009)

election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 12

Saint Kitts and Nevis

unicameral National Assembly (14 seats, 3

appointed and 11 popularly elected from single-member

constituencies; members serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 25 October 2004 (next to be held by 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

SKNLP 7, CCM 2, NRP 1, PAM 1

Saint Lucia

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats;

six members appointed on the advice of the prime minister, three on

the advice of the leader of the opposition, and two after

consultation with religious, economic, and social groups) and the

House of Assembly (17 seats; members are elected by popular vote to

serve five-year terms)

elections: House of Assembly - last held 11 December 2006 (next to

be held in December 2011)

election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - UWP

50%, SLP 46.9%, other 3.1%; seats by party - UWP 11, SLP 6

Saint Martin

unicameral Territorial Council (23 seats; members are

elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 1 and 8 July 2007 (next to be held July 2012)

election results: percent of seats by party - UPP 49%, RRR 42.2%,

Reussir Saint-Martin 8.9%; seats by party - UPP 16, RRR 6, Reussir

Saint-Martin 1

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

unicameral Territorial Council or Conseil

Territorial (19 seats, 15 from Saint Pierre and four from Miquelon;

members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)

elections: elections last held 19 and 26 in March 2006 (next to be

held in March 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - AD

16, Cap sur l'Avenir 2, SPM 2000/AM 1

note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect one seat to the French Senate;

elections last held 26 September 2004 (next to be held in September

2013); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP

1; Saint Pierre and Miquelon also elects one seat to the French

National Assembly; elections last held, first round - 10 June 2007,

second round - 17 June 2007 (next to be held in 2012); results -

percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Left Radical Party 1

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats, 15 elected representatives and six appointed senators; representatives are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 7 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - ULP 55.3%, NDP 44.7%; seats by party - ULP 12, NDP 3

Samoa

unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats, 47 elected

by voters affiliated with traditional village-based electoral

districts, 2 elected by independent, mostly non-Samoan or

part-Samoan, voters who cannot, (or choose not to) establish a

village affiliation; only chiefs (matai) may stand for election to

the Fono from the 47 village-based electorates; members serve

five-year terms)

elections: election last held 31 March 2006 (next election to be

held not later than March 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

HRPP 35, SDUP 10, independents 4

San Marino

unicameral Grand and General Council or Consiglio Grande

e Generale (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve

five-year terms)

elections: last held 9 November 2008 (next to be held by June 2013)

election results: percent of vote by party - Pact for San Marino

coalition 54.2%: PDCS 31.9%, AP 11.5%, Freedom List 6.3%, San Marino

Union of Moderates 4.2%; Reforms and Freedom coalition 45.8%; Party

of Socialists and Democrats 32%, United Left 8.6%, Democrats of the

Center 4.9%; seats by party - Pact for San Marino coalition 35; PDCS

22, AP 7, the Freedom List 4, San Marino Union of Moderates 2;

Reforms and Freedm coalition 25: Party of Socialists and Democrats

18, United Left 5, Democrats of the Center 2

Sao Tome and Principe

unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia

Nacional (55 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve

four-year terms)

elections: last held on 26 March 2006 (next to be held in March 2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - MDFM-PCD 37.2%, MLSTP

28.9%, ADI 20.0%, NR 4.7%, others 9.2%; seats by party - MDFM-PCD

23, MLSTP 19, ADI 12, NR 1

Saudi Arabia

Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (150 members

and a chairman appointed by the monarch for four-year terms); note -

though the Council of Ministers announced in October 2003 its intent

to introduce elections for half of the members of local and

provincial assemblies and a third of the members of the national

Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura, incrementally over a period

of four to five years, to date no such elections have been held or

announced

Senegal

bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly or

Assemblee Nationale (150 seats; 90 members elected by direct popular

vote with the remaining members elected by proportional

representation from party lists to serve five-year terms) and the

Senate reinstituted in 2007 (100 seats; 35 indirectly elected with

the remaining 65 members to be appointed by the president)

elections: National Assembly - last held on 3 June 2007 (next to be

held 2012); note - the National Assembly in December 2005 voted to

postpone legislative elections originally scheduled for 2006;

legislative elections were first rescheduled to coincide with the 25

February 2007 presidential elections and later rescheduled for 3

June 2007; the June election was boycotted by 12 opposition parties,

including the former ruling Socialist Party, that resulted in a

record-low, 35-percent voter turnout; Senate - last held 19 August

2007 (next to be held - NA)

election results: National Assembly results - percent of vote by

party - NA; seats by party - SOPI Coalition 131, other 19; Senate

results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDS 34,

AJ/PADS 1, 65 appointed by the president

Serbia

unicameral National Assembly (250 seats; deputies elected by

direct vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held on 11 May 2008 (next to be held in May 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - For a European Serbia

coalition 38.4%, SRS 29.5%, DSS-NS 11.6%, coalition led by the SPS

7.6%, LPD 5.2%, other 7.7%; seats by party - For a European Serbia

102, SRS 78, DSS-NS 30, coalition led by the SPS 20, LDP 13, other

7; note - the seat allocation for the SNS is uncertain because of an

ongoing dispute with the SRS

Seychelles

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (34

seats; 25 members elected by popular vote, 9 allocated on a

proportional basis to parties winning at least 10% of the vote; to

serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 10-12 May 2007 (next to be held in 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - SPPF 56.2%, SNP 43.8%;

seats by party - SPPF 23, SNP 11

Sierra Leone

unicameral Parliament (124 seats; 112 members elected

by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate

elections; to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held on 11 August 2007 (next to be held in 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

APC 59, SLPP 43, PMDC 10

Singapore

unicameral Parliament (84 seats; members elected by

popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - in addition, there

are up to nine nominated members; up to three losing opposition

candidates who came closest to winning seats may be appointed as

"nonconstituency" members

elections: last held on 6 May 2006 (next to be held by 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 66.6%, WP 16.3%,

SDA 13%, SDP 4.1%; seats by party - PAP 82, WP 1, SDA 1

Slovakia

unicameral National Council of the Slovak Republic or

Narodna Rada Slovenskej Republiky (150 seats; members are elected on

the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 17 June 2006 (next to be held in 2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - Smer 29.1%, SDKU 18.4%,

SMK 11.7%, SNS 11.7%, LS-HZDS 8.8%, KDH 8.3%, other 12%; seats by

party - Smer 50, SDKU 31, SMK 20, SNS 19, LS-HZDS 16, KDH 14

Slovenia

bicameral Parliament consists of a National Assembly or

Drzavni Zbor (90 seats; 40 members are directly elected and 50 are

elected on a proportional basis; note - the number of directly

elected and proportionally elected seats varies with each election;

the constitution mandates 1 seat each for Slovenia's Hungarian and

Italian minorities; members are elected by popular vote to serve

four-year terms) and the National Council or Drzavni Svet (40 seats;

members indirectly elected by an electoral college to serve

five-year terms; note - this is primarily an advisory body with

limited legislative powers; it may propose laws, ask to review any

National Assembly decision, and call national referenda)

elections: National Assembly - last held 21 September 2008 (next to

be held 8 October 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - SD 30.5%, SDS 29.3%,

ZARES 9.4%, DeSUS 7.5%, SNS 5.5%, SLS+SMS 5.2%, LDS 5.2%, other

7.4%; seats by party - SD 29, SDS 28, ZARES 9, DeSUS 7, SNS 5,

SLS+SMS 5, LDS 5, Hungarian minority 1, Italian minority 1

Solomon Islands

unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members

elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve

four-year terms)

elections: last held on 5 April 2006 (next to be held in 2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - National Party 6.9%,

PAP 6.3%, SIPRA 6.3%, Liberal 5%, Democratic 4.9%, SOCRED 4.3%,

LAFARI 2.8%, independents 60.3%; seats by party - National Party 4,

SIPRA 4, Democratic 3, PAP 3, LAFARI 2, Liberal 2, SOCRED 2,

independents 30

Somalia

unicameral National Assembly

note: unicameral Transitional Federal Assembly (TFA) (275 seats; 244

members appointed by the four major clans (61 for each clan), 31

seats allocated to smaller clans and subclans)

South Africa

bicameral Parliament consisting of the National

Assembly (400 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a

system of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) and

the National Council of Provinces (90 seats, 10 members elected by

each of the nine provincial legislatures for five-year terms; has

special powers to protect regional interests, including the

safeguarding of cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnic

minorities); note - following the implementation of the new

constitution on 4 February 1997, the former Senate was disbanded and

replaced by the National Council of Provinces with essentially no

change in membership and party affiliations, although the new

institution's responsibilities have been changed somewhat by the new

constitution

elections: National Assembly and National Council of Provinces -

last held on 14 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009)

election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC

69.7%, DA 12.4%, IFP 7%, UDM 2.3%, NNP 1.7%, ACDP 1.6%, other 5.3%;

seats by party - ANC 279, DA 50, IFP 28, UDM 9, NNP 7, ACDP 6, other

21; National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA;

seats by party - NA

Spain

bicameral; General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes

Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (264 seats as of 2008;

208 members directly elected by popular vote and the other 56 - as

of 2008 - appointed by the regional legislatures; to serve four-year

terms) and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados

(350 seats; each of the 50 electoral provinces fills a minimum of

two seats and the North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla fill

one seat each with members serving a four-year term; the other 248

members are determined by proportional representation based on

popular vote on block lists who serve four-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held on 9 March 2008 (next to be held in

March 2012); Congress of Deputies - last held on 9 March 2008 (next

to be held in March 2012)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - PP 101, PSOE 88, Entesa Catalona de Progress 12, CiU 4, PNV

2, CC 1, members appointed by regional legislatures 56; Congress of

Deputies - percent of vote by party - PSOE 43.6%, PP 40.1%, CiU

3.1%, PNV 1.2%, ERC 1.2%, other 10.8%; seats by party - PSOE 169, PP

154, CiU 10, PNV 6, ERC 3, other 8

Sri Lanka

unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by

popular vote on the basis of an open-list, proportional

representation system by electoral district to serve six-year terms)

elections: last held on 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010)

election results: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance -

SLFP and JVP (no longer in formal UPFA alliance) 45.6%, UNP 37.8%,

TNA 6.8%, JHU 6%, SLMC 2%, UPF 0.5%, EPDP 0.3%, other 1%; seats by

party - UNP 68, SLFP 57, JVP 39, TNA 22, CWC 8, JHU 7, SLMC 6, SLMC

dissidents 4, Communist Party 2, JHU dissidents 2, LSSP 2, MEP 2,

NUA 2, UPF 2, EPDP 1, UNP dissident 1

Sudan

bicameral National Legislature consists of a Council of States

(50 seats; members indirectly elected by state legislatures to serve

six-year terms) and a National Assembly (450 seats; members

presently appointed, but in the future 75% of members to be directly

elected and 25% elected in special or indirect elections; to serve

six-year terms)

elections: last held 13-22 December 2000 (next to be held 2009)

election results: NCP 355, others 5; note - replaced by appointments

under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement

Suriname

unicameral National Assembly or Nationale Assemblee (51

seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held on 25 May 2005 (next to be held in 2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - NF 39.7%, NDP 22.2%,

VVV 13.8%, A-Com 7.2%, A-1 5.9%, other 11.2%; seats by party - NF

23, NDP 15, VVV 5, A-Com 5, A-1 3

Swaziland

bicameral Parliament or Libandla consists of the Senate

(30 seats; 10 members appointed by the House of Assembly and 20

appointed by the monarch; to serve five-year terms) and the House of

Assembly (65 seats; 10 members appointed by the monarch and 55

elected by popular vote; to serve five-year terms)

elections: House of Assembly - last held 19 September 2008 (next to

be held in 2013)

election results: House of Assembly - balloting is done on a

nonparty basis; candidates for election are nominated by the local

council of each constituency and for each constituency the three

candidates with the most votes in the first round of voting are

narrowed to a single winner by a second round

Sweden

unicameral Parliament or Riksdag (349 seats; members are

elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to

serve four-year terms)

elections: last held on 17 September 2006 (next to be held in

September 2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - Social Democrats 37.2%,

Moderates 27.8%, Center Party 8.3%, Liberal People's Party 8.0%,

Christian Democrats 6.9%, Left Party 6.3%, Greens 5.4%; seats by

party - Social Democrats 130, Moderates 97, Center Party 29, Liberal

People's Party 28, Christian Democrats 24, Left Party 22, Greens 19

Switzerland

bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung (in

German), Assemblee Federale (in French), Assemblea Federale (in

Italian) consists of the Council of States or Standerat (in German),

Conseil des Etats (in French), Consiglio degli Stati (in Italian)

(46 seats; membership consists of 2 representatives from each canton

and 1 from each half canton; to serve four-year terms) and the

National Council or Nationalrat (in German), Conseil National (in

French), Consiglio Nazionale (in Italian) (200 seats; members are

elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation

to serve four-year terms)

elections: Council of States - last held in most cantons on 19

October 2003 (each canton determines when the next election will be

held); National Council - last held on 21 October 2007 (next to be

held in October 2011)

election results: Council of States - percent of vote by party - NA;

seats by party - CVP 15, FDP 14, SVP 8, SPS 6, other 3; National

Council - percent of vote by party - SVP 29%, SPS 19.5%, FDP 15.6%,

CVP 14.6%, Greens 9.6%, other 11.7%; seats by party - SVP 62, SPS

43, FDP 31, CVP 31, Green Party 20, other small parties 13; note -

seating for the Council of States as of December 2007 is CVP 16, FDP

12, SVP 7, SPS 9, other 2

Syria

unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats;

members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held on 22-23 April 2007 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

NPF 172, independents 78

Taiwan

unicameral Legislative Yuan (113 seats - 73 district members

elected by popular vote, 34 at-large members elected on basis of

proportion of islandwide votes received by participating political

parties, 6 elected by popular vote among aboriginal populations; to

serve four-year terms); parties must receive 5% of vote to qualify

for at-large seats

elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 12 January 2008 (next to be

held in January 2012)

election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - KMT

53.5%, DPP 38.2%, NPSU 2.4%, PFP 0.3%, others 1.6%, independents 4%;

seats by party - KMT 81, DPP 27, NPSU 3, PFP 1, independent 1

Tajikistan

bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the

National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (34 seats; 25

members selected by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president; 1

seat reserved for the former president; to serve five-year terms)

and the Assembly of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi

Namoyandagon (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve

five-year terms)

elections: National Assembly - last held 25 March 2005 (next to be

held in February 2010); Assembly of Representatives 27 February and

13 March 2005 (next to be held in February 2010)

election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;

seats by party - PDPT 29, CPT 2, independents 3; Assembly of

Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 74.9%, CPT 13.6%,

Islamic Revival Party 8.9%, other 2.5%; seats by party - PDPT 51,

CPT 5, Islamic Revival Party 2, independents 5

Tanzania

unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (274 seats; 232

members elected by popular vote, 37 allocated to women nominated by

the president, 5 to members of the Zanzibar House of

Representatives; to serve five-year terms); note - in addition to

enacting laws that apply to the entire United Republic of Tanzania,

the Assembly enacts laws that apply only to the mainland; Zanzibar

has its own House of Representatives to make laws especially for

Zanzibar (the Zanzibar House of Representatives has 50 seats elected

by universal suffrage to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 14 December 2005 (next to be held in December

2010)

election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;

seats by party - CCM 206, CUF 19, CHADEMA 5, other 2, women

appointed by the president 37, Zanzibar representatives 5 Zanzibar

House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - CCM 30, CUF 19; 1 seat was nullified with a rerun to take

place soon

Thailand

bicameral National Assembly or Rathasapha consisted of the

Senate or Wuthisapha (150 seats; 76 members elected by popular vote

representing 76 provinces, 74 appointed by judges and independent

government bodies; all serve six-year terms) and the House of

Representatives or Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon (480 seats; 400 members

elected from 157 multi-seat constituencies and 80 elected on

proportional party-list basis of 10 per eight zones or groupings of

provinces; all serve four-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held on 2 March 2008 (next to be held in

March 2014); House of Representatives - last election held on 23

December 2007 (next to be held in December 2011)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - NA; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party -

NA; seats by party - PPP 233, DP 164, TNP 34, Motherland 24, Middle

Way 11, Unity 9, Royalist People's 5

note: 74 senators were appointed on 19 February 2008 by a

seven-member committee headed by the chief of the Constitutional

Court; 76 senators were elected on 2 March 2008; elections to the

Senate are non-partisan; registered political party members are

disqualified from being senators

Timor-Leste

unicameral National Parliament (number of seats can vary

from 52 to 65; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year

terms)

elections: last held on 30 June 2007 (next elections due by June

2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - FRETILIN 29%, CNRT

24.1%, ASDT-PSD 15.8%, PD 11.3%, PUN 4.5%, KOTA-PPT (Democratic

Alliance) 3.2%, UNTERDIM 3.2%, others 8.9%; seats by party -

FRETILIN 21, CNRT 18, ASDT-PSD 11, PD 8, PUN 3, KOTA-PPT 2, UNDERTIM

2

Togo

unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members are elected by

popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held on 14 October 2007 (next to be held in 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - RPT 39.4%, UFC 37.0%,

CAR 8.2%, independents 2.5%, other 12.9%; seats by party - RPT 50,

UFC 27, CAR 4

Tokelau

unicameral General Fono (20 seats; based upon proportional

representation from the three islands elected by popular vote to

serve three-year terms; Atafu has seven seats, Fakaofo has seven

seats, Nukunonu has six seats); note - the Tokelau Amendment Act of

1996 confers limited legislative power on the General Fono

elections: last held 17-19 January 2008 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: independents 20

Tonga

unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (32 seats - 14

reserved for cabinet ministers sitting ex officio, nine for nobles

selected by the country's 33 nobles, and nine elected by popular

vote; members serve three-year terms)

elections: last held on 23-24 April 2008 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: Peoples Representatives: percent of vote -

independents 54%, THRDM 28%, PDP 14%; seats - THRDM 4, independents

3, PDP 2

Trinidad and Tobago

bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31

seats; 16 members appointed by the ruling party, nine by the

President, six by the opposition party to serve a maximum term of

five years) and the House of Representatives (41 seats; members are

elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: House of Representatives - last held on 5 November 2007

(next to be held in 2012)

election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM

46%, UNC 29.7%; seats by party - PNM 26, UNC 15

note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members

serving four-year terms; last election held in January 2005; seats

by party - PNM 11, DAC 1

Tunisia

bicameral system consists of the Chamber of Deputies or

Majlis al-Nuwaab (189 seats; members elected by popular vote to

serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Advisors (126 seats; 85

members elected by municipal counselors, deputies, mayors, and

professional associations and trade unions; 41 members are

presidential appointees; members serve six-year terms)

elections: Chamber of Deputies - last held on 24 October 2004 (next

to be held in October 2009); Chamber of Advisors - last held on 3

July 2005 (next to be held in July 2011)

election results: Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party -

NA; seats by party - RCD 152, MDS 14, PUP 11, UDU 7, Al-Tajdid 3,

PSL 2; Chamber of Advisors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - RCD 71 (14 trade union seats vacant (due to boycott))

Turkey

unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk

Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are elected by popular vote to

serve five-year terms)

elections: last held on 22 July 2007 (next to be held on November

2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - AKP 46.7%, CHP 20.8%,

MHP 14.3%, independents 5.2%, and other 13.0%; seats by party - AKP

341, CHP 112, MHP 71, independents 26; note - seats by party as of

17 December 2007 - AKP 340, CHP 87, MHP 70, DTP 20, DSP 13,

independents 6, other 12, vacant 2 (DTP entered parliament as

independents; DSP entered parliament on CHP's party list); only

parties surpassing the 10% threshold are entitled to parliamentary

seats

Turkmenistan

two parliamentary bodies, a People's Council or Halk

Maslahaty (supreme legislative body of about 2,500 delegates, some

elected by popular vote and some appointed; meets at least yearly)

and a National Assembly or Mejlis (50 seats; members are elected by

popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003 (next to be

held in December 2008); National Assembly - last held 19 December

2004 (next to be held in December 2008)

election results: People's Council - percent of vote by party - DPT

100%; seats by party - DPT 2,507; National Assembly - percent of

vote by party - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note - all

elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of

Turkmenistan and are preapproved by the president

note: in late 2003, a law was adopted reducing the powers of the

National Assembly and making the People's Council the supreme

legislative organ; the People's Council can now legally dissolve the

National Assembly, and the president is now able to participate in

the National Assembly as its supreme leader; the National Assembly

can no longer adopt or amend the constitution or announce

referendums or its elections; since the president is both the

chairman of the People's Council and the supreme leader of the

National Assembly, the 2003 law has the effect of making him the

sole authority of both the executive and legislative branches of

government

Turks and Caicos Islands

unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats of

which 15 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 9 February 2007 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 60%, PDM 40%; seats

by party - PNP 13, PDM 2

Tuvalu

unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House of

Assembly (15 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve

four-year terms)

elections: last held 3 August 2006 (next to be held in 2010)

election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 15

Uganda

unicameral National Assembly (332 seats; 215 members elected

by popular vote, 104 nominated by legally established special

interest groups [women 79, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5],

13 ex officio members; to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 23 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

NRM 191, FDC 37, UPC 9, DP 8, CP 1, JEEMA 1, independents 36, other

49

Ukraine

unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats;

members allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain

3% or more of the national electoral vote; to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 30 September 2007 (next to be held in 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party/bloc - Party of Regions

34.4%, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 30.7%, Our Ukraine-People's Self

Defense 14.2%, CPU 5.4%, Lytvyn bloc 4%, other parties 11.3%; seats

by party/bloc - Party of Regions 175, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 156,

Our Ukraine-People's Self Defense 72, CPU 27, Lytvyn bloc 20

United Arab Emirates

unicameral Federal National Council (FNC) or

Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; 20 members appointed by the

rulers of the constituent states, 20 members elected to serve

two-year terms)

elections: elections for one half of the FNC (the other half remains

appointed) held in the UAE on 18-20 December 2006; the new electoral

college - a body of 6,689 Emiratis (including 1,189 women) appointed

by the rulers of the seven emirates - were the only eligible voters

and candidates; 456 candidates including 65 women ran for 20

contested FNC seats; one female from the Emirate of Abu Dhabi won a

seat

note: reviews legislation but cannot change or veto

United Kingdom

bicameral Parliament consists of House of Lords (618

seats; consisting of approximately 500 life peers, 92 hereditary

peers, and 26 clergy) and House of Commons (646 seats since 2005

elections; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year

terms unless the House is dissolved earlier)

elections: House of Lords - no elections (note - in 1999, as

provided by the House of Lords Act, elections were held in the House

of Lords to determine the 92 hereditary peers who would remain

there; elections are held only as vacancies in the hereditary

peerage arise); House of Commons - last held 5 May 2005 (next to be

held by May 2010)

election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party -

Labor 35.2%, Conservative 32.3%, Liberal Democrats 22%, other 10.5%;

seats by party - Labor 355, Conservative 198, Liberal Democrat 62,

other 31; seats by party in the House of Commons as of 4 June 2008 -

Labor 351, Conservative 192, Liberal Democrat 63, Scottish National

Party/Plaid Cymru 9, Democratic Unionist 9, Sinn Fein 5, other 17

note: in 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland Assembly

(because of unresolved disputes among existing parties, the transfer

of power from London to Northern Ireland came only at the end of

1999 and has been suspended four times, the latest occurring in

October 2002 and lasting until 8 May 2007); in 1999, the UK held the

first elections for a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly, the

most recent of which were held in May 2007

United States

bicameral Congress consists of the Senate (100 seats,

2 members are elected from each state by popular vote to serve

six-year terms; one-third are elected every two years) and the House

of Representatives (435 seats; members are directly elected by

popular vote to serve two-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held

November 2008); House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2006

(next to be held November 2008)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - Democratic Party 49, Republican Party 49, independent 2;

House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - Democratic Party 233, Republican Party 202

Uruguay

bicameral General Assembly or Asamblea General consists of

Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (30 seats; members are

elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; vice president has

one vote in the Senate) and Chamber of Representatives or Camara de

Representantes (99 seats; members are elected by popular vote to

serve five-year terms)

elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 31 October 2004 (next to

be held October 2009); Chamber of Representatives - last held 31

October 2004 (next to be held October 2009)

election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party -

NA; seats by party - EP-FA 16, Blanco 11, Colorado Party 3; Chamber

of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

EP-FA 52, Blanco 36, Colorado Party 10, Independent Party 1

Uzbekistan

bicameral Supreme Assembly or Oliy Majlis consists of an

upper house or Senate (100 seats; 84 members are elected by regional

governing councils and 16 appointed by the president; to serve

five-year terms) and a lower house or Legislative Chamber (120

seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 26 December 2004 and 9 January 2005 (next to be

held December 2009)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by

party - NA; Legislative Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA;

seats by party - LDPU 41, NDP 32, Fidokorlar 17, MTP 11, Adolat 9,

unaffiliated 10

note: all parties in the Supreme Assembly support President KARIMOV

Vanuatu

unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by popular

vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 2 September 2008 (next to be held 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - VP

11, NUP 8, UMP 7, VRP 7, PPP 4, GC 2, MPP 1, NA 1, NAG 1, PAP 1,

Shepherds Alliance 1, VFFP 1, VLP 1, VNP 1, VPRFP 1, and independent

4; note - political party associations are fluid

note: the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of culture

and language

Venezuela

unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional (167

seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms;

three seats reserved for the indigenous peoples of Venezuela)

elections: last held 4 December 2005 (next to be held in 2010)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

pro-government 167 (MVR 114, PODEMOS 15, PPT 11, indigenous 2, other

25), opposition 0; total seats by party as of 1 January 2008 -

pro-government 152 (PSUV 114, PPT 11, indigenous 2, other 25),

PODEMOS 15

Vietnam

unicameral National Assembly or Quoc Hoi (500 seats; members

elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 20 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2012)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

CPV 450, non-party CPV-approved 42, self-nominated 1; note - 493

candidates were elected; CPV and non-party CPV-approved delegates

were members of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front

Virgin Islands

unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by

popular vote to serve two-year terms)

elections: last held 7 November 2006 (next to be held November 2008)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

Democratic Party 8, ICM 4, independent 3

note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the

US House of Representatives; election last held 7 November 2006

(next to be held November 2008)

Wallis and Futuna

unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee

Territoriale (20 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve

five-year terms)

elections: last held 11 March 2002 (next to be held 22 April 2007)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

RPR and affiliates 13, Socialists and affiliates 7

note: Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the French Senate and

one deputy to the French National Assembly; French Senate -

elections last held 26 September 2004 (next to be held by September

2010); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - RPR (now

UMP) 1; French National Assembly - elections last held 17 June 2007

(next to be held by 2012); results - percent of vote by party - NA;

seats - PS 1

Yemen

a bicameral legislature consisting of a Shura Council (111

seats; members appointed by the president) and a House of

Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve

six-year terms)

elections: last held on 27 April 2003 (next to be held in April 2009)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

GPC 228, Islah 47, YSP 7, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab

Socialist Ba'th Party 2, independents 14

Zambia

unicameral National Assembly (158 seats; 150 members are

elected by popular vote, 8 members are appointed by the president,

to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 28 September 2006 (next to be held in 2011)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -

MMD 72, PF 44, UDA 27, ULP 2, NDF 1, independents 2; seats not

determined 2

Zimbabwe

bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate (93 seats - 60

elected by popular vote for a five-year term, 10 provincial

governors nominated by the president, 16 traditional chiefs elected

by the Council of Chiefs, 2 held by the president and deputy

president of the Council of Chiefs, and 5 appointed by the

president) and a House of Assembly (210 seats - all elected by

popular vote for five-year terms)

elections: last held 28 March 2008 (next to be held in 2013)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - MDC 51.6%,

ZANU-PF 45.8%, other 2.6%; seats by party - MDC 30, ZANU-PF 30;

House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - MDC 51.3%, ZANU-PF

45.8%, other 2.9%; seats by party - MDC 109, ZANU-PF 97, other 4

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2102 Life expectancy at birth (years)

Afghanistan

total population: 44.21 years

male: 44.04 years

female: 44.39 years (2008 est.)

Albania

total population: 77.78 years

male: 75.12 years

female: 80.71 years (2008 est.)

Algeria

total population: 73.77 years

male: 72.13 years

female: 75.49 years (2008 est.)

American Samoa

total population: 73.47 years

male: 70.55 years

female: 76.56 years (2008 est.)

Andorra

total population: 82.67 years

male: 80.35 years

female: 85.14 years (2008 est.)

Angola

total population: 37.92 years

male: 36.99 years

female: 38.9 years (2008 est.)

Anguilla

total population: 80.53 years

male: 78.01 years

female: 83.12 years (2008 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

total population: 74.25 years

male: 72.33 years

female: 76.26 years (2008 est.)

Argentina

total population: 76.36 years

male: 73.11 years

female: 79.77 years (2008 est.)

Armenia

total population: 72.4 years

male: 68.79 years

female: 76.55 years (2008 est.)

Aruba

total population: 75.06 years

male: 72.03 years

female: 78.14 years (2008 est.)

Australia

total population: 81.53 years

male: 79.16 years

female: 84.02 years (2008 est.)

Austria

total population: 79.36 years

male: 76.46 years

female: 82.41 years (2008 est.)

Azerbaijan

total population: 66.31 years

male: 62.2 years

female: 71 years (2008 est.)

Bahamas, The

total population: 65.72 years

male: 62.5 years

female: 69 years (2008 est.)

Bahrain

total population: 74.92 years

male: 72.41 years

female: 77.5 years (2008 est.)

Bangladesh

total population: 63.21 years

male: 63.14 years

female: 63.28 years (2008 est.)

Barbados

total population: 73.21 years

male: 71.2 years

female: 75.24 years (2008 est.)

Belarus

total population: 70.34 years

male: 64.63 years

female: 76.4 years (2008 est.)

Belgium

total population: 79.07 years

male: 75.9 years

female: 82.38 years (2008 est.)

Belize

total population: 68.19 years

male: 66.39 years

female: 70.08 years (2008 est.)

Benin

total population: 58.56 years

male: 57.42 years

female: 59.76 years (2008 est.)

Bermuda

total population: 78.3 years

male: 76.15 years

female: 80.48 years (2008 est.)

Bhutan

total population: 65.53 years

male: 64.75 years

female: 66.35 years (2008 est.)

Bolivia

total population: 66.53 years

male: 63.86 years

female: 69.33 years (2008 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

total population: 78.33 years

male: 74.74 years

female: 82.19 years (2008 est.)

Botswana

total population: 50.16 years

male: 51.28 years

female: 49.02 years (2008 est.)

Brazil

total population: 71.71 years

male: 68.15 years

female: 75.45 years (2008 est.)

British Virgin Islands

total population: 77.07 years

male: 75.88 years

female: 78.32 years (2008 est.)

Brunei

total population: 75.52 years

male: 73.32 years

female: 77.83 years (2008 est.)

Bulgaria

total population: 72.83 years

male: 69.22 years

female: 76.66 years (2008 est.)

Burkina Faso

total population: 52.55 years

male: 50.67 years

female: 54.49 years (2008 est.)

Burma

total population: 62.94 years

male: 60.73 years

female: 65.28 years (2008 est.)

Burundi

total population: 51.71 years

male: 50.86 years

female: 52.6 years (2008 est.)

Cambodia

total population: 61.69 years

male: 59.65 years

female: 63.83 years (2008 est.)

Cameroon

total population: 53.3 years

male: 52.54 years

female: 54.08 years (2008 est.)

Canada

total population: 81.16 years

male: 78.65 years

female: 83.81 years (2008 est.)

Cape Verde

total population: 71.33 years

male: 67.99 years

female: 74.76 years (2008 est.)

Cayman Islands

total population: 80.32 years

male: 77.68 years

female: 83 years (2008 est.)

Central African Republic

total population: 44.22 years

male: 44.14 years

female: 44.29 years (2008 est.)

Chad

total population: 47.43 years

male: 46.4 years

female: 48.5 years (2008 est.)

Chile

total population: 77.15 years

male: 73.88 years

female: 80.59 years (2008 est.)

China

total population: 73.18 years

male: 71.37 years

female: 75.18 years (2008 est.)

Christmas Island

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Colombia

total population: 72.54 years

male: 68.71 years

female: 76.5 years (2008 est.)

Comoros

total population: 63.1 years

male: 60.72 years

female: 65.55 years (2008 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

total population: 53.98 years

male: 52.22 years

female: 55.8 years (2008 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

total population: 53.74 years

male: 52.52 years

female: 55 years (2008 est.)

Cook Islands

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Costa Rica

total population: 77.4 years

male: 74.79 years

female: 80.14 years (2008 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

total population: 54.64 years

male: 53.95 years

female: 55.35 years (2008 est.)

Croatia

total population: 75.13 years

male: 71.49 years

female: 78.97 years (2008 est.)

Cuba

total population: 77.27 years

male: 75.02 years

female: 79.64 years (2008 est.)

Cyprus

total population: 78.15 years

male: 75.75 years

female: 80.67 years (2008 est.)

Czech Republic

total population: 76.62 years

male: 73.34 years

female: 80.08 years (2008 est.)

Denmark

total population: 78.13 years

male: 75.8 years

female: 80.59 years (2008 est.)

Djibouti

total population: 43.31 years

male: 41.89 years

female: 44.77 years (2008 est.)

Dominica

total population: 75.33 years

male: 72.39 years

female: 78.41 years (2008 est.)

Dominican Republic

total population: 73.39 years

male: 71.61 years

female: 75.24 years (2008 est.)

Ecuador

total population: 76.81 years

male: 73.94 years

female: 79.84 years (2008 est.)

Egypt

total population: 71.85 years

male: 69.3 years

female: 74.52 years (2008 est.)

El Salvador

total population: 72.06 years

male: 68.45 years

female: 75.84 years (2008 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

total population: 61.23 years

male: 60.36 years

female: 62.13 years (2008 est.)

Eritrea

total population: 61.38 years

male: 59.35 years

female: 63.46 years (2008 est.)

Estonia

total population: 72.56 years

male: 67.16 years

female: 78.3 years (2008 est.)

Ethiopia

total population: 54.99 years

male: 52.54 years

female: 57.51 years (2008 est.)

European Union

total population: 77.32 years

male: 74 years

female: 80.84 years (2008 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Faroe Islands

total population: 79.29 years

male: 76.86 years

female: 81.89 years (2008 est.)

Fiji

total population: 70.44 years

male: 67.9 years

female: 73.1 years (2008 est.)

Finland

total population: 78.82 years

male: 75.31 years

female: 82.46 years (2008 est.)

France

total population: 80.87 years

male: 77.68 years

female: 84.23 years (2008 est.)

French Polynesia

total population: 76.51 years

male: 74.07 years

female: 79.08 years (2008 est.)

Gabon

total population: 53.52 years

male: 52.5 years

female: 54.57 years (2008 est.)

Gambia, The

total population: 54.95 years

male: 53.06 years

female: 56.9 years (2008 est.)

Gaza Strip

total population: 73.16 years

male: 71.6 years

female: 74.83 years (2008 est.)

Georgia

total population: 76.51 years

male: 73.21 years

female: 80.26 years (2008 est.)

Germany

total population: 79.1 years

male: 76.11 years

female: 82.26 years (2008 est.)

Ghana

total population: 59.49 years

male: 58.65 years

female: 60.35 years (2008 est.)

Gibraltar

total population: 80.06 years

male: 77.17 years

female: 83.09 years (2008 est.)

Greece

total population: 79.52 years

male: 76.98 years

female: 82.21 years (2008 est.)

Greenland

total population: 69.46 years

male: 66.81 years

female: 72.25 years (2008 est.)

Grenada

total population: 65.6 years

male: 63.74 years

female: 67.47 years (2008 est.)

Guam

total population: 78.93 years

male: 75.86 years

female: 82.19 years (2008 est.)

Guatemala

total population: 69.99 years

male: 68.22 years

female: 71.86 years (2008 est.)

Guernsey

total population: 80.65 years

male: 77.64 years

female: 83.76 years (2008 est.)

Guinea

total population: 56.58 years

male: 55.12 years

female: 58.08 years (2008 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

total population: 47.52 years

male: 45.71 years

female: 49.39 years (2008 est.)

Guyana

total population: 66.43 years

male: 63.81 years

female: 69.18 years (2008 est.)

Haiti

total population: 57.56 years

male: 55.83 years

female: 59.35 years (2008 est.)

Honduras

total population: 69.37 years

male: 67.81 years

female: 71.01 years (2008 est.)

Hong Kong

total population: 81.77 years

male: 79.07 years

female: 84.69 years (2008 est.)

Hungary

total population: 73.18 years

male: 69 years

female: 77.62 years (2008 est.)

Iceland

total population: 80.55 years

male: 78.43 years

female: 82.76 years (2008 est.)

India

total population: 69.25 years

male: 66.87 years

female: 71.9 years (2008 est.)

Indonesia

total population: 70.46 years

male: 67.98 years

female: 73.07 years (2008 est.)

Iran

total population: 70.86 years

male: 69.39 years

female: 72.4 years (2008 est.)

Iraq

total population: 69.62 years

male: 68.32 years

female: 70.99 years (2008 est.)

Ireland

total population: 78.07 years

male: 75.44 years

female: 80.88 years (2008 est.)

Isle of Man

total population: 78.8 years

male: 75.46 years

female: 82.32 years (2008 est.)

Israel

total population: 80.61 years

male: 78.54 years

female: 82.79 years (2008 est.)

Italy

total population: 80.07 years

male: 77.13 years

female: 83.2 years (2008 est.)

Jamaica

total population: 73.59 years

male: 71.88 years

female: 75.38 years (2008 est.)

Japan

total population: 82.07 years

male: 78.73 years

female: 85.59 years (2008 est.)

Jersey

total population: 79.65 years

male: 77.15 years

female: 82.35 years (2008 est.)

Jordan

total population: 78.71 years

male: 76.19 years

female: 81.39 years (2008 est.)

Kazakhstan

total population: 67.55 years

male: 62.24 years

female: 73.16 years (2008 est.)

Kenya

total population: 56.64 years

male: 56.42 years

female: 56.87 years (2008 est.)

Kiribati

total population: 62.85 years

male: 59.79 years

female: 66.06 years (2008 est.)

Korea, North

total population: 72.2 years

male: 69.45 years

female: 75.08 years (2008 est.)

Korea, South

total population: 78.64 years

male: 75.34 years

female: 82.17 years (2008 est.)

Kuwait

total population: 77.53 years

male: 76.38 years

female: 78.73 years (2008 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

total population: 69.12 years

male: 65.12 years

female: 73.33 years (2008 est.)

Laos

total population: 56.29 years

male: 54.19 years

female: 58.47 years (2008 est.)

Latvia

total population: 71.88 years

male: 66.68 years

female: 77.35 years (2008 est.)

Lebanon

total population: 73.41 years

male: 70.91 years

female: 76.04 years (2008 est.)

Lesotho

total population: 40.17 years

male: 40.97 years

female: 39.34 years (2008 est.)

Liberia

total population: 41.13 years

male: 39.85 years

female: 42.46 years (2008 est.)

Libya

total population: 77.07 years

male: 74.81 years

female: 79.44 years (2008 est.)

Liechtenstein

total population: 79.95 years

male: 76.38 years

female: 83.52 years (2008 est.)

Lithuania

total population: 74.67 years

male: 69.72 years

female: 79.89 years (2008 est.)

Luxembourg

total population: 79.18 years

male: 75.91 years

female: 82.67 years (2008 est.)

Macau

total population: 84.33 years

male: 81.36 years

female: 87.45 years (2008 est.)

Macedonia

total population: 74.45 years

male: 71.95 years

female: 77.13 years (2008 est.)

Madagascar

total population: 62.52 years

male: 60.58 years

female: 64.51 years (2008 est.)

Malawi

total population: 43.45 years

male: 43.74 years

female: 43.15 years (2008 est.)

Malaysia

total population: 73.03 years

male: 70.32 years

female: 75.94 years (2008 est.)

Maldives

total population: 73.72 years

male: 71.55 years

female: 76.01 years (2008 est.)

Mali

total population: 49.94 years

male: 48 years

female: 51.94 years (2008 est.)

Malta

total population: 79.3 years

male: 77.08 years

female: 81.64 years (2008 est.)

Marshall Islands

total population: 70.9 years

male: 68.88 years

female: 73.03 years (2008 est.)

Mauritania

total population: 53.91 years

male: 51.61 years

female: 56.28 years (2008 est.)

Mauritius

total population: 73.75 years

male: 70.28 years

female: 77.4 years (2008 est.)

Mayotte

total population: 62.54 years

male: 60.3 years

female: 64.85 years (2008 est.)

Mexico

total population: 75.84 years

male: 73.05 years

female: 78.78 years (2008 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

total population: 70.65 years

male: 68.79 years

female: 72.61 years (2008 est.)

Moldova

total population: 70.5 years

male: 66.81 years

female: 74.41 years (2008 est.)

Monaco

total population: 79.96 years

male: 76.14 years

female: 83.97 years (2008 est.)

Mongolia

total population: 67.32 years

male: 64.92 years

female: 69.84 years (2008 est.)

Montserrat

total population: 72.6 years

male: 74.66 years

female: 70.44 years (2008 est.)

Morocco

total population: 71.52 years

male: 69.16 years

female: 74 years (2008 est.)

Mozambique

total population: 41.04 years

male: 41.62 years

female: 40.44 years (2008 est.)

Namibia

total population: 49.89 years

male: 50.39 years

female: 49.38 years (2008 est.)

Nauru

total population: 63.81 years

male: 60.2 years

female: 67.6 years (2008 est.)

Nepal

total population: 60.94 years

male: 61.12 years

female: 60.75 years (2008 est.)

Netherlands

total population: 79.25 years

male: 76.66 years

female: 81.98 years (2008 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

total population: 76.45 years

male: 74.15 years

female: 78.87 years (2008 est.)

New Caledonia

total population: 74.75 years

male: 71.76 years

female: 77.88 years (2008 est.)

New Zealand

total population: 80.24 years

male: 78.33 years

female: 82.25 years (2008 est.)

Nicaragua

total population: 71.21 years

male: 69.08 years

female: 73.44 years (2008 est.)

Niger

total population: 44.28 years

male: 44.3 years

female: 44.26 years (2008 est.)

Nigeria

total population: 46.53 years

male: 45.78 years

female: 47.32 years (2008 est.)

Niue

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Norfolk Island

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands

total population: 76.5 years

male: 73.89 years

female: 79.26 years (2008 est.)

Norway

total population: 79.81 years

male: 77.16 years

female: 82.6 years (2008 est.)

Oman

total population: 73.91 years

male: 71.64 years

female: 76.29 years (2008 est.)

Pakistan

total population: 64.13 years

male: 63.07 years

female: 65.25 years (2008 est.)

Palau

total population: 71 years

male: 67.82 years

female: 74.36 years (2008 est.)

Panama

total population: 76.88 years

male: 74.08 years

female: 79.81 years (2008 est.)

Papua New Guinea

total population: 66 years

male: 63.76 years

female: 68.35 years (2008 est.)

Paraguay

total population: 75.56 years

male: 72.99 years

female: 78.26 years (2008 est.)

Peru

total population: 70.44 years

male: 68.61 years

female: 72.37 years (2008 est.)

Philippines

total population: 70.8 years

male: 67.89 years

female: 73.85 years (2008 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Poland

total population: 75.41 years

male: 71.42 years

female: 79.65 years (2008 est.)

Portugal

total population: 78.04 years

male: 74.78 years

female: 81.53 years (2008 est.)

Puerto Rico

total population: 78.58 years

male: 74.64 years

female: 82.73 years (2008 est.)

Qatar

total population: 75.19 years

male: 73.5 years

female: 76.98 years (2008 est.)

Romania

total population: 72.18 years

male: 68.69 years

female: 75.89 years (2008 est.)

Russia

total population: 65.94 years

male: 59.19 years

female: 73.1 years (2008 est.)

Rwanda

total population: 49.76 years

male: 48.56 years

female: 51 years (2008 est.)

Saint Helena

total population: 78.27 years

male: 75.36 years

female: 81.33 years (2008 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

total population: 72.94 years

male: 70.08 years

female: 75.98 years (2008 est.)

Saint Lucia

total population: 76.25 years

male: 73.59 years

female: 79.05 years (2008 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

total population: 78.91 years

male: 76.55 years

female: 81.4 years (2008 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

total population: 74.34 years

male: 72.42 years

female: 76.31 years (2008 est.)

Samoa

total population: 71.58 years

male: 68.76 years

female: 74.55 years (2008 est.)

San Marino

total population: 81.88 years

male: 78.43 years

female: 85.64 years (2008 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

total population: 68 years

male: 66.35 years

female: 69.69 years (2008 est.)

Saudi Arabia

total population: 76.09 years

male: 74.04 years

female: 78.25 years (2008 est.)

Senegal

total population: 57.08 years

male: 55.7 years

female: 58.5 years (2008 est.)

Serbia

total population: 75.29 years

male: 72.7 years

female: 78.09 years (2008 est.)

Seychelles

total population: 72.6 years

male: 67.27 years

female: 78.1 years (2008 est.)

Sierra Leone

total population: 40.93 years

male: 38.64 years

female: 43.28 years (2008 est.)

Singapore

total population: 81.89 years

male: 79.29 years

female: 84.68 years (2008 est.)

Slovakia

total population: 75.17 years

male: 71.23 years

female: 79.32 years (2008 est.)

Slovenia

total population: 76.73 years

male: 73.04 years

female: 80.66 years (2008 est.)

Solomon Islands

total population: 73.44 years

male: 70.9 years

female: 76.1 years (2008 est.)

Somalia

total population: 49.25 years

male: 47.43 years

female: 51.12 years (2008 est.)

South Africa

total population: 48.89 years

male: 49.63 years

female: 48.15 years (2008 est.)

Spain

total population: 79.92 years

male: 76.6 years

female: 83.45 years (2008 est.)

Sri Lanka

total population: 74.97 years

male: 72.95 years

female: 77.08 years (2008 est.)

Sudan

total population: 50.28 years

male: 49.38 years

female: 51.23 years (2008 est.)

Suriname

total population: 73.48 years

male: 70.76 years

female: 76.39 years (2008 est.)

Svalbard

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Swaziland

total population: 31.99 years

male: 31.69 years

female: 32.3 years (2008 est.)

Sweden

total population: 80.74 years

male: 78.49 years

female: 83.13 years (2008 est.)

Switzerland

total population: 80.74 years

male: 77.91 years

female: 83.71 years (2008 est.)

Syria

total population: 70.9 years

male: 69.53 years

female: 72.35 years (2008 est.)

Taiwan

total population: 77.76 years

male: 74.89 years

female: 80.89 years (2008 est.)

Tajikistan

total population: 64.97 years

male: 61.95 years

female: 68.15 years (2008 est.)

Tanzania

total population: 51.45 years

male: 50.06 years

female: 52.88 years (2008 est.)

Thailand

total population: 72.83 years

male: 70.51 years

female: 75.27 years (2008 est.)

Timor-Leste

total population: 66.94 years

male: 64.6 years

female: 69.39 years (2008 est.)

Togo

total population: 58.28 years

male: 56.2 years

female: 60.43 years (2008 est.)

Tokelau

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

Tonga

total population: 70.44 years

male: 67.9 years

female: 73.1 years (2008 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

total population: 67 years

male: 66.07 years

female: 67.98 years (2008 est.)

Tunisia

total population: 75.56 years

male: 73.79 years

female: 77.46 years (2008 est.)

Turkey

total population: 73.14 years

male: 70.67 years

female: 75.73 years (2008 est.)

Turkmenistan

total population: 68.6 years

male: 65.53 years

female: 71.82 years (2008 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

total population: 75.19 years

male: 72.91 years

female: 77.59 years (2008 est.)

Tuvalu

total population: 68.97 years

male: 66.7 years

female: 71.36 years (2008 est.)

Uganda

total population: 52.34 years

male: 51.31 years

female: 53.4 years (2008 est.)

Ukraine

total population: 68.06 years

male: 62.24 years

female: 74.24 years (2008 est.)

United Arab Emirates

total population: 75.89 years

male: 73.35 years

female: 78.56 years (2008 est.)

United Kingdom

total population: 78.85 years

male: 76.37 years

female: 81.46 years (2008 est.)

United States

total population: 78.14 years

male: 75.29 years

female: 81.13 years (2008 est.)

Uruguay

total population: 76.14 years

male: 72.89 years

female: 79.51 years (2008 est.)

Uzbekistan

total population: 71.69 years

male: 68.69 years

female: 74.87 years (2008 est.)

Vanuatu

total population: 63.61 years

male: 62.04 years

female: 65.27 years (2008 est.)

Venezuela

total population: 73.45 years

male: 70.4 years

female: 76.65 years (2008 est.)

Vietnam

total population: 71.33 years

male: 68.52 years

female: 74.33 years (2008 est.)

Virgin Islands

total population: 78.92 years

male: 75.9 years

female: 82.11 years (2008 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA (2008 est.)

West Bank

total population: 74.29 years

male: 72.32 years

female: 76.38 years (2008 est.)

Western Sahara

total population: 53.92 years NA

male: 51.64 years NA

female: 56.31 years NA (2008 est.)

World

total population: 66.26 years

male: 64.3 years

female: 68.35 years (2008 est.)

Yemen

total population: 62.9 years

male: 60.96 years

female: 64.94 years (2008 est.)

Zambia

total population: 38.59 years

male: 38.49 years

female: 38.7 years (2008 est.)

Zimbabwe

total population: 44.28 years

male: 45.08 years

female: 43.46 years (2008 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2103 Literacy (%)

Afghanistan

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 28.1%

male: 43.1%

female: 12.6% (2000 est.)

Albania

definition: age 9 and over can read and write

total population: 98.7%

male: 99.2%

female: 98.3% (2001 census)

Algeria

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 69.9%

male: 79.6%

female: 60.1% (2002 est.)

American Samoa

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97%

male: 98%

female: 97% (1980 est.)

Andorra

definition: NA

total population: 100%

male: 100%

female: 100%

Angola

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 67.4%

male: 82.9%

female: 54.2% (2001 est.)

Anguilla

definition: age 12 and over can read and write

total population: 95%

male: 95%

female: 95% (1984 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

definition: age 15 and over has completed five

or more years of schooling

total population: 85.8%

male: NA%

female: NA% (2003 est.)

Argentina

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97.2%

male: 97.2%

female: 97.2% (2001 census)

Armenia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.4%

male: 99.7%

female: 99.2% (2001 census)

Aruba

definition: NA

total population: 97.3%

male: 97.5%

female: 97.1% (2000 census)

Australia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

Austria

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98%

male: NA

female: NA

Azerbaijan

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98.8%

male: 99.5%

female: 98.2% (1999 census)

Bahamas, The

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 95.6%

male: 94.7%

female: 96.5% (2003 est.)

Bahrain

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 86.5%

male: 88.6%

female: 83.6% (2001 census)

Bangladesh

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 43.1%

male: 53.9%

female: 31.8% (2003 est.)

Barbados

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 99.7%

male: 99.7%

female: 99.7% (2002 est.)

Belarus

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.6%

male: 99.8%

female: 99.4% (1999 census)

Belgium

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

Belize

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 76.9%

male: 76.7%

female: 77.1% (2000 census)

Benin

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 34.7%

male: 47.9%

female: 23.3% (2002 census)

Bermuda

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98%

male: 98%

female: 99% (2005 est.)

Bhutan

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 47%

male: 60%

female: 34% (2003 est.)

Bolivia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 86.7%

male: 93.1%

female: 80.7% (2001 census)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 96.7%

male: 99%

female: 94.4% (2000 est.)

Botswana

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 81.2%

male: 80.4%

female: 81.8% (2003 est.)

Brazil

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 88.6%

male: 88.4%

female: 88.8% (2004 est.)

British Virgin Islands

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)

male: NA%

female: NA%

Brunei

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 92.7%

male: 95.2%

female: 90.2% (2001 census)

Bulgaria

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98.2%

male: 98.7%

female: 97.7% (2001 census)

Burkina Faso

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 21.8%

male: 29.4%

female: 15.2% (2003 est.)

Burma

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 89.9%

male: 93.9%

female: 86.4% (2006 est.)

Burundi

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 59.3%

male: 67.3%

female: 52.2% (2000 est.)

Cambodia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 73.6%

male: 84.7%

female: 64.1% (2004 est.)

Cameroon

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 67.9%

male: 77%

female: 59.8% (2001 est.)

Canada

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

Cape Verde

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 76.6%

male: 85.8%

female: 69.2% (2003 est.)

Cayman Islands

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 98%

male: 98%

female: 98% (1970 est.)

Central African Republic

definition: age 15 and over can read and

write

total population: 48.6%

male: 64.8%

female: 33.5% (2000 est.)

Chad

definition: age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic

total population: 25.7%

male: 40.8%

female: 12.8% (2000 est.)

Chile

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 95.7%

male: 95.8%

female: 95.6% (2002 census)

China

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 90.9%

male: 95.1%

female: 86.5% (2000 census)

Christmas Island

NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

NA

Colombia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 92.8%

male: 92.9%

female: 92.7% (2004 est.)

Comoros

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 56.5%

male: 63.6%

female: 49.3% (2003 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

definition: age 15 and over can

read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba

total population: 67.2%

male: 80.9%

female: 54.1% (2001 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 83.8%

male: 89.6%

female: 78.4% (2003 est.)

Cook Islands

definition: NA

total population: 95%

male: NA%

female: NA%

Costa Rica

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 94.9%

male: 94.7%

female: 95.1% (2000 census)

Cote d'Ivoire

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 48.7%

male: 60.8%

female: 38.6% (2000 est.)

Croatia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98.1%

male: 99.3%

female: 97.1% (2001 census)

Cuba

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.8%

male: 99.8%

female: 99.8% (2002 census)

Cyprus

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97.6%

male: 98.9%

female: 96.3% (2001 census)

Czech Republic

definition: NA

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

Denmark

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

Djibouti

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 67.9%

male: 78%

female: 58.4% (2003 est.)

Dominica

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 94%

male: 94%

female: 94% (2003 est.)

Dominican Republic

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 87%

male: 86.8%

female: 87.2% (2002 census)

Ecuador

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 91%

male: 92.3%

female: 89.7% (2001 census)

Egypt

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 71.4%

male: 83%

female: 59.4% (2005 est.)

El Salvador

definition: age 10 and over can read and write

total population: 80.2%

male: 82.8%

female: 77.7% (2003 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 87%

male: 93.4%

female: 80.5% (2000 est.)

Eritrea

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 58.6%

male: 69.9%

female: 47.6% (2003 est.)

Estonia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.8%

male: 99.8%

female: 99.8% (2000 census)

Ethiopia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 42.7%

male: 50.3%

female: 35.1% (2003 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

NA

Faroe Islands

NA; note - probably 99%, the same as Denmark proper

Fiji

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 93.7%

male: 95.5%

female: 91.9% (2003 est.)

Finland

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 100%

male: 100%

female: 100% (2000 est.)

France

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

French Polynesia

definition: age 14 and over can read and write

total population: 98%

male: 98%

female: 98% (1977 est.)

Gabon

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 63.2%

male: 73.7%

female: 53.3% (1995 est.)

Gambia, The

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 40.1%

male: 47.8%

female: 32.8% (2003 est.)

Gaza Strip

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 92.4%

male: 96.7%

female: 88% (2004 est.)

Georgia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 100%

male: 100%

female: 100% (2004 est.)

Germany

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

Ghana

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 57.9%

male: 66.4%

female: 49.8% (2000 census)

Gibraltar

definition: NA

total population: above 80%

male: NA

female: NA

Greece

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 96%

male: 97.8%

female: 94.2% (2001 census)

Greenland

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 100%

male: 100%

female: 100% (2001 est.)

Grenada

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 96%

male: NA

female: NA (2003 est.)

Guam

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (1990 est.)

Guatemala

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 69.1%

male: 75.4%

female: 63.3% (2002 census)

Guernsey

NA

Guinea

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 29.5%

male: 42.6%

female: 18.1% (2003 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 42.4%

male: 58.1%

female: 27.4% (2003 est.)

Guyana

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 98.8%

male: 99.1%

female: 98.5% (2003 est.)

Haiti

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 52.9%

male: 54.8%

female: 51.2% (2003 est.)

Holy See (Vatican City)

definition: NA

total population: 100%

male: 100%

female: 100%

Honduras

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 80%

male: 79.8%

female: 80.2% (2001 census)

Hong Kong

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 93.5%

male: 96.9%

female: 89.6% (2002)

Hungary

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.4%

male: 99.5%

female: 99.3% (2003 est.)

Iceland

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

India

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 61%

male: 73.4%

female: 47.8% (2001 census)

Indonesia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 90.4%

male: 94%

female: 86.8% (2004 est.)

Iran

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 77%

male: 83.5%

female: 70.4% (2002 est.)

Iraq

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 74.1%

male: 84.1%

female: 64.2% (2000 est.)

Ireland

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

Isle of Man

NA

Israel

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97.1%

male: 98.5%

female: 95.9% (2004 est.)

Italy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98.4%

male: 98.8%

female: 98% (2001 census)

Jamaica

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 87.9%

male: 84.1%

female: 91.6% (2003 est.)

Japan

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2002)

Jersey

NA

Jordan

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 89.9%

male: 95.1%

female: 84.7% (2003 est.)

Kazakhstan

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.5%

male: 99.8%

female: 99.3% (1999 est.)

Kenya

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 85.1%

male: 90.6%

female: 79.7% (2003 est.)

Kiribati

NA

Korea, North

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99%

Korea, South

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97.9%

male: 99.2%

female: 96.6% (2002)

Kuwait

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 93.3%

male: 94.4%

female: 91% (2005 census)

Kyrgyzstan

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98.7%

male: 99.3%

female: 98.1% (1999 census)

Laos

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 68.7%

male: 77%

female: 60.9% (2001 est.)

Latvia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.7%

male: 99.8%

female: 99.7% (2000 census)

Lebanon

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 87.4%

male: 93.1%

female: 82.2% (2003 est.)

Lesotho

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 84.8%

male: 74.5%

female: 94.5% (2003 est.)

Liberia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 57.5%

male: 73.3%

female: 41.6% (2003 est.)

Libya

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 82.6%

male: 92.4%

female: 72% (2003 est.)

Liechtenstein

definition: age 10 and over can read and write

total population: 100%

male: 100%

female: 100%

Lithuania

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.6%

male: 99.6%

female: 99.6% (2001 census)

Luxembourg

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 100%

male: 100%

female: 100% (2000 est.)

Macau

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 91.3%

male: 95.3%

female: 87.8% (2001 census)

Macedonia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 96.1%

male: 98.2%

female: 94.1% (2002 census)

Madagascar

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 68.9%

male: 75.5%

female: 62.5% (2003 est.)

Malawi

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 62.7%

male: 76.1%

female: 49.8% (2003 est.)

Malaysia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 88.7%

male: 92%

female: 85.4% (2000 census)

Maldives

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 96.3%

male: 96.2%

female: 96.4% (2000 census)

Mali

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 46.4%

male: 53.5%

female: 39.6% (2003 est.)

Malta

definition: age 10 and over can read and write

total population: 92.8%

male: 92%

female: 93.6% (2003 est.)

Marshall Islands

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 93.7%

male: 93.6%

female: 93.7% (1999)

Mauritania

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 51.2%

male: 59.5%

female: 43.4% (2000 census)

Mauritius

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 84.4%

male: 88.4%

female: 80.5% (2000 census)

Mayotte

NA

Mexico

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 91%

male: 92.4%

female: 89.6% (2004 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

definition: age 15 and over can read

and write

total population: 89%

male: 91%

female: 88% (1980 est.)

Moldova

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.1%

male: 99.7%

female: 98.6% (2005 est.)

Monaco

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

Mongolia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97.8%

male: 98%

female: 97.5% (2000 census)

Montserrat

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 97%

male: 97%

female: 97% (1970 est.)

Morocco

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 52.3%

male: 65.7%

female: 39.6% (2004 census)

Mozambique

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 47.8%

male: 63.5%

female: 32.7% (2003 est.)

Namibia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 85%

male: 86.8%

female: 83.5% (2001 census)

Nauru

NA

Nepal

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 48.6%

male: 62.7%

female: 34.9% (2001 census)

Netherlands

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 96.7%

male: 96.7%

female: 96.8% (2003 est.)

New Caledonia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 96.2%

male: 96.8%

female: 95.5% (1996 census)

New Zealand

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

Nicaragua

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 67.5%

male: 67.2%

female: 67.8% (2003 est.)

Niger

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 28.7%

male: 42.9%

female: 15.1% (2005 est.)

Nigeria

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 68%

male: 75.7%

female: 60.6% (2003 est.)

Niue

definition: NA

total population: 95%

male: NA

female: NA

Norfolk Island

NA

Northern Mariana Islands

definition: age 15 and over can read and

write

total population: 97%

male: 97%

female: 96% (1980 est.)

Norway

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 100%

male: 100%

female: 100%

Oman

definition: NA

total population: 81.4%

male: 86.8%

female: 73.5% (2003 census)

Pakistan

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 49.9%

male: 63%

female: 36% (2005 est.)

Palau

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 92%

male: 93%

female: 90% (1980 est.)

Panama

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 91.9%

male: 92.5%

female: 91.2% (2000 census)

Papua New Guinea

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 57.3%

male: 63.4%

female: 50.9% (2000 census)

Paraguay

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 94%

male: 94.9%

female: 93% (2003 est.)

Peru

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 87.7%

male: 93.5%

female: 82.1% (2004 est.)

Philippines

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 92.6%

male: 92.5%

female: 92.7% (2000 census)

Pitcairn Islands

NA

Poland

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.8%

male: 99.8%

female: 99.7% (2003 est.)

Portugal

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 93.3%

male: 95.5%

female: 91.3% (2003 est.)

Puerto Rico

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 94.1%

male: 93.9%

female: 94.4% (2002 est.)

Qatar

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 89%

male: 89.1%

female: 88.6% (2004 census)

Romania

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97.3%

male: 98.4%

female: 96.3% (2002 census)

Russia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.4%

male: 99.7%

female: 99.2% (2002 census)

Rwanda

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 70.4%

male: 76.3%

female: 64.7% (2003 est.)

Saint Helena

definition: age 20 and over can read and write

total population: 97%

male: 97%

female: 98% (1987 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended

school

total population: 97.8%

male: NA%

female: NA% (2003 est.)

Saint Lucia

definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 90.1%

male: 89.5%

female: 90.6% (2001 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

definition: age 15 and over can read and

write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (1982 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

definition: age 15 and over has

ever attended school

total population: 96%

male: 96%

female: 96% (1970 est.)

Samoa

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.7%

male: 99.6%

female: 99.7% (2003 est.)

San Marino

definition: age 10 and over can read and write

total population: 96%

male: 97%

female: 95%

Sao Tome and Principe

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 84.9%

male: 92.2%

female: 77.9% (2001 census)

Saudi Arabia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 78.8%

male: 84.7%

female: 70.8% (2003 est.)

Senegal

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 39.3%

male: 51.1%

female: 29.2% (2002 est.)

Serbia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 96.4%

male: 98.9%

female: 94.1% (2003 census)

note: includes Montenegro

Seychelles

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 91.8%

male: 91.4%

female: 92.3% (2002 census)

Sierra Leone

definition: age 15 and over can read and write English,

Mende, Temne, or Arabic

total population: 35.1%

male: 46.9%

female: 24.4% (2004 est.)

Singapore

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 92.5%

male: 96.6%

female: 88.6% (2000 census)

Slovakia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.6%

male: 99.7%

female: 99.6% (2001 est.)

Slovenia

definition: NA

total population: 99.7%

male: 99.7%

female: 99.6%

Solomon Islands

NA

Somalia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 37.8%

male: 49.7%

female: 25.8% (2001 est.)

South Africa

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 86.4%

male: 87%

female: 85.7% (2003 est.)

Spain

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97.9%

male: 98.7%

female: 97.2% (2003 est.)

Sri Lanka

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 90.7%

male: 92.3%

female: 89.1% (2001 census)

Sudan

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 61.1%

male: 71.8%

female: 50.5% (2003 est.)

Suriname

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 89.6%

male: 92%

female: 87.2% (2004 census)

Svalbard

NA

Swaziland

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 81.6%

male: 82.6%

female: 80.8% (2003 est.)

Sweden

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

Switzerland

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

Syria

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 79.6%

male: 86%

female: 73.6% (2004 census)

Taiwan

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 96.1%

male: NA

female: NA (2003)

Tajikistan

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.5%

male: 99.7%

female: 99.2% (2000 census)

Tanzania

definition: age 15 and over can read and write Kiswahili

(Swahili), English, or Arabic

total population: 69.4%

male: 77.5%

female: 62.2% (2002 census)

Thailand

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 92.6%

male: 94.9%

female: 90.5% (2000 census)

Timor-Leste

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 58.6%

male: NA

female: NA (2002)

Togo

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 60.9%

male: 75.4%

female: 46.9% (2003 est.)

Tokelau

NA

Tonga

definition: can read and write Tongan and/or English

total population: 98.9%

male: 98.8%

female: 99% (1999 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98.6%

male: 99.1%

female: 98% (2003 est.)

Tunisia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 74.3%

male: 83.4%

female: 65.3% (2004 census)

Turkey

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 87.4%

male: 95.3%

female: 79.6% (2004 est.)

Turkmenistan

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98.8%

male: 99.3%

female: 98.3% (1999 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

definition: age 15 and over has ever

attended school

total population: 98%

male: 99%

female: 98% (1970 est.)

Tuvalu

NA

Uganda

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 66.8%

male: 76.8%

female: 57.7% (2002 census)

Ukraine

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.4%

male: 99.7%

female: 99.2% (2001 census)

United Arab Emirates

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 77.9%

male: 76.1%

female: 81.7% (2003 est.)

United Kingdom

definition: age 15 and over has completed five or

more years of schooling

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

United States

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

Uruguay

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98%

male: 97.6%

female: 98.4% (2003 est.)

Uzbekistan

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.3%

male: 99.6%

female: 99% (2003 est.)

Vanuatu

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 74%

male: NA

female: NA (1999 census)

Venezuela

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 93%

male: 93.3%

female: 92.7% (2001 census)

Vietnam

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 90.3%

male: 93.9%

female: 86.9% (2002 est.)

Virgin Islands

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 90-95% est.

male: NA%

female: NA% (2005 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 50%

male: 50%

female: 50% (1969 est.)

West Bank

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 92.4%

male: 96.7%

female: 88% (2004 est.)

Western Sahara

NA

World

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 82%

male: 87%

female: 77%

note: over two-thirds of the world's 785 million illiterate adults

are found in only eight countries (India, China, Bangladesh,

Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Egypt); of all the

illiterate adults in the world, two-thirds are women; extremely low

literacy rates are concentrated in three regions, South and West

Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Arab states, where around

one-third of the men and half of all women are illiterate (2005 est.)

Yemen

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 50.2%

male: 70.5%

female: 30% (2003 est.)

Zambia

definition: age 15 and over can read and write English

total population: 80.6%

male: 86.8%

female: 74.8% (2003 est.)

Zimbabwe

definition: age 15 and over can read and write English

total population: 90.7%

male: 94.2%

female: 87.2% (2003 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2105 Manpower available for military service

Afghanistan

males age 16-49: 7,431,147

females age 16-49: 7,004,819 (2008 est.)

Albania

males age 16-49: 944,592

females age 16-49: 908,527 (2008 est.)

Algeria

males age 16-49: 9,736,757

females age 16-49: 9,590,978 (2008 est.)

Andorra

males age 16-49: 18,685 (2008 est.)

Angola

males age 16-49: 2,856,492

females age 16-49: 2,755,864 (2008 est.)

Anguilla

males age 16-49: 3,538 (2008 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

males age 16-49: 19,560

females age 16-49: 18,977 (2008 est.)

Argentina

males age 16-49: 10,029,488

females age 16-49: 9,889,002 (2008 est.)

Armenia

males age 16-49: 809,576

females age 16-49: 870,864 (2008 est.)

Aruba

males age 16-49: 24,585

females age 16-49: 25,742 (2008 est.)

Australia

males age 16-49: 4,999,988

females age 16-49: 4,870,043 (2008 est.)

Austria

males age 16-49: 1,986,411

females age 16-49: 1,944,834 (2008 est.)

Azerbaijan

males age 16-49: 2,278,888

females age 16-49: 2,291,770 (2008 est.)

Bahamas, The

males age 16-49: 80,200 (2008 est.)

Bahrain

males age 16-49: 210,938

females age 16-49: 170,471 (2008 est.)

Bangladesh

males age 16-49: 41,199,340 (2008 est.)

Barbados

males age 16-49: 75,265

females age 16-49: 75,389 (2008 est.)

Belarus

males age 16-49: 2,491,643

females age 16-49: 2,528,779 (2008 est.)

Belgium

males age 16-49: 2,407,128

females age 16-49: 2,340,039 (2008 est.)

Belize

males age 16-49: 74,605

females age 16-49: 72,926 (2008 est.)

Benin

males age 16-49: 1,908,457

females age 16-49: 1,882,421 (2008 est.)

Bermuda

males age 16-49: 15,623 (2008 est.)

Bhutan

males age 16-49: 190,104

females age 16-49: 167,289 (2008 est.)

Bolivia

males age 16-49: 2,295,746

females age 16-49: 2,366,828 (2008 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

males age 16-49: 1,212,007

females age 16-49: 1,170,645 (2008 est.)

Botswana

males age 16-49: 487,853

females age 16-49: 464,278 (2008 est.)

Brazil

males age 16-49: 52,449,957

females age 16-49: 52,375,921 (2008 est.)

British Virgin Islands

males age 16-49: 7,101 (2008 est.)

Brunei

males age 16-49: 108,356

females age 16-49: 110,153 (2008 est.)

Bulgaria

males age 16-49: 1,701,979

females age 16-49: 1,691,092 (2008 est.)

Burkina Faso

males age 16-49: 3,364,288 (2008 est.)

Burma

males age 16-49: 13,402,788

females age 16-49: 13,437,042 (2008 est.)

Burundi

males age 16-49: 1,878,544

females age 16-49: 1,851,676 (2008 est.)

Cambodia

males age 16-49: 3,759,034

females age 16-49: 3,784,333 (2008 est.)

Cameroon

males age 16-49: 4,321,175

females age 16-49: 4,228,625 (2008 est.)

Canada

males age 16-49: 8,072,010

females age 16-49: 7,813,462 (2008 est.)

Cape Verde

males age 16-49: 103,650

females age 16-49: 103,553 (2008 est.)

Cayman Islands

males age 16-49: 11,790 (2008 est.)

Central African Republic

males age 16-49: 1,032,828

females age 16-49: 999,330 (2008 est.)

Chad

males age 16-49: 1,906,545

females age 16-49: 2,258,758 (2008 est.)

Chile

males age 16-49: 4,242,912

females age 16-49: 4,182,509 (2008 est.)

China

males age 16-49: 375,009,345

females age 16-49: 354,314,328 (2008 est.)

Colombia

males age 16-49: 11,478,109

females age 16-49: 11,809,279 (2008 est.)

Comoros

males age 16-49: 167,850

females age 16-49: 167,362 (2008 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

males age 16-49: 14,101,263 (2008

est.)

Congo, Republic of the

males age 16-49: 842,771

females age 16-49: 833,624 (2008 est.)

Costa Rica

males age 16-49: 1,134,205

females age 16-49: 1,095,763 (2008 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

males age 16-49: 4,369,735

females age 16-49: 4,287,042 (2008 est.)

Croatia

males age 16-49: 1,035,712

females age 16-49: 1,037,896 (2008 est.)

Cuba

males age 16-49: 3,094,388

females age 16-49: 3,024,876 (2008 est.)

Cyprus

Greek Cypriot National Guard (GCNG):

males age 16-49: 199,767

females age 16-49: 190,665 (2008 est.)

Czech Republic

males age 16-49: 2,522,383

females age 16-49: 2,425,095 (2008 est.)

Denmark

males age 16-49: 1,235,067

females age 16-49: 1,215,418 (2008 est.)

Djibouti

males age 16-49: 111,274

females age 16-49: 105,168 (2008 est.)

Dominica

males age 16-49: 18,584 (2008 est.)

Dominican Republic

males age 16-49: 2,440,203

females age 16-49: 2,326,694 (2008 est.)

Ecuador

males age 16-49: 3,536,602

females age 16-49: 3,559,188 (2008 est.)

Egypt

males age 16-49: 21,247,777

females age 16-49: 20,406,408 (2008 est.)

El Salvador

males age 16-49: 1,634,816

females age 16-49: 1,775,474 (2008 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

males age 16-49: 136,725

females age 16-49: 138,018 (2008 est.)

Eritrea

males age 16-49: 1,108,836

females age 16-49: 1,096,120 (2008 est.)

Estonia

males age 16-49: 306,273

females age 16-49: 317,852 (2008 est.)

Ethiopia

males age 16-49: 17,666,967

females age 16-49: 17,530,211 (2008 est.)

Faroe Islands

males age 16-49: 11,725 (2008 est.)

Fiji

males age 16-49: 242,567

females age 16-49: 238,556 (2008 est.)

Finland

males age 16-49: 1,169,910

females age 16-49: 1,121,187 (2008 est.)

France

males age 16-49: 14,646,427

females age 16-49: 14,379,630 (2008 est.)

French Polynesia

males age 16-49: 79,540 (2008 est.)

Gabon

males age 16-49: 331,181

females age 16-49: 332,498 (2008 est.)

Gambia, The

males age 16-49: 379,668

females age 16-49: 384,438 (2008 est.)

Gaza Strip

males age 16-49: 337,670 (2008 est.)

Georgia

males age 16-49: 1,113,251

females age 16-49: 1,168,021 (2008 est.)

Germany

males age 16-49: 19,594,118

females age 16-49: 18,543,955 (2008 est.)

Ghana

males age 16-49: 5,802,096

females age 16-49: 5,729,939 (2008 est.)

Gibraltar

males age 16-49: 6,308 (2008 est.)

Greece

males age 16-49: 2,535,174

females age 16-49: 2,517,273 (2008 est.)

Greenland

males age 16-49: 15,221 (2008 est.)

Grenada

males age 16-49: 27,309 (2008 est.)

Guatemala

males age 16-49: 2,861,696

females age 16-49: 3,062,967 (2008 est.)

Guinea

males age 16-49: 2,230,049

females age 16-49: 2,193,236 (2008 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

males age 16-49: 344,087

females age 16-49: 347,886 (2008 est.)

Guyana

males age 16-49: 220,797 (2008 est.)

Haiti

males age 16-49: 2,047,083

females age 16-49: 2,047,953 (2008 est.)

Honduras

males age 16-49: 1,868,940

females age 16-49: 1,825,770 (2008 est.)

Hong Kong

males age 16-49: 1,772,820

females age 16-49: 1,941,448 (2008 est.)

Hungary

males age 16-49: 2,391,400

females age 16-49: 2,337,240 (2008 est.)

Iceland

males age 16-49: 74,896 (2008 est.)

India

males age 16-49: 301,094,084

females age 16-49: 283,047,141 (2008 est.)

Indonesia

males age 16-49: 63,800,825

females age 16-49: 61,729,717 (2008 est.)

Iran

males age 16-49: 20,212,275

females age 16-49: 19,638,751 (2008 est.)

Iraq

males age 16-49: 7,086,200

females age 16-49: 6,808,954 (2008 est.)

Ireland

males age 16-49: 1,024,635

females age 16-49: 1,024,276 (2008 est.)

Israel

males age 16-49: 1,717,362

females age 16-49: 1,636,574 (2008 est.)

Italy

males age 16-49: 13,884,079

females age 16-49: 13,158,378 (2008 est.)

Jamaica

males age 16-49: 688,480

females age 16-49: 709,548 (2008 est.)

Japan

males age 16-49: 27,819,804

females age 16-49: 26,863,794 (2008 est.)

Jordan

males age 16-49: 1,812,551

females age 16-49: 1,559,155 (2008 est.)

Kazakhstan

males age 16-49: 4,176,731

females age 16-49: 4,219,636 (2008 est.)

Kenya

males age 16-49: 9,044,685

females age 16-49: 8,805,736 (2008 est.)

Kiribati

males age 16-49: 26,377 (2008 est.)

Korea, North

males age 16-49: 6,225,747

females age 16-49: 6,188,270 (2008 est.)

Korea, South

males age 16-49: 13,691,809

females age 16-49: 13,029,859 (2008 est.)

Kuwait

males age 16-49: 1,032,408

females age 16-49: 568,657 (2008 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

males age 16-49: 1,398,878

females age 16-49: 1,419,374 (2008 est.)

Laos

males age 16-49: 1,549,774

females age 16-49: 1,570,702 (2008 est.)

Latvia

males age 16-49: 568,683

females age 16-49: 565,826 (2008 est.)

Lebanon

males age 16-49: 1,106,879

females age 16-49: 1,122,595 (2008 est.)

Lesotho

males age 16-49: 525,203

females age 16-49: 522,485 (2008 est.)

Liberia

males age 16-49: 729,813

females age 16-49: 741,223 (2008 est.)

Libya

males age 16-49: 1,682,183

females age 16-49: 1,611,001 (2008 est.)

Liechtenstein

males age 16-49: 8,102 (2008 est.)

Lithuania

males age 16-49: 915,187

females age 16-49: 906,097 (2008 est.)

Luxembourg

males age 16-49: 116,305

females age 16-49: 114,566 (2008 est.)

Macau

males age 16-49: 121,825 (2008 est.)

Macedonia

males age 16-49: 532,856

females age 16-49: 513,684 (2008 est.)

Madagascar

males age 16-49: 4,443,341

females age 16-49: 4,441,124 (2008 est.)

Malawi

males age 16-49: 3,050,444 (2008 est.)

Malaysia

males age 16-49: 6,440,338

females age 16-49: 6,280,826 (2008 est.)

Maldives

males age 16-49: 89,505

females age 16-49: 85,745 (2008 est.)

Mali

males age 16-49: 2,603,700

females age 16-49: 2,441,776 (2008 est.)

Malta

males age 16-49: 96,309

females age 16-49: 92,242 (2008 est.)

Marshall Islands

males age 16-49: 15,708 (2008 est.)

Mauritania males age 16-49: 740,675 females age 16-49: 744,709 (2008 est.)

Mauritius

males age 16-49: 341,018 (2008 est.)

Mexico

males age 16-49: 27,774,688

females age 16-49: 29,376,791 (2008 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

males age 16-49: 26,686 (2008 est.)

Moldova

males age 16-49: 1,161,924

females age 16-49: 1,187,771 (2008 est.)

Monaco

males age 16-49: 6,687 (2008 est.)

Mongolia

males age 16-49: 865,425

females age 16-49: 860,669 (2008 est.)

Montserrat

males age 16-49: 2,528 (2008 est.)

Morocco

males age 16-49: 9,152,580

females age 16-49: 9,080,830 (2008 est.)

Mozambique

males age 16-49: 4,545,975 (2008 est.)

Namibia

males age 16-49: 527,948 (2008 est.)

Nauru

males age 16-49: 3,470 (2008 est.)

Nepal

males age 16-49: 7,322,965

females age 16-49: 6,859,064 (2008 est.)

Netherlands

males age 16-49: 3,950,825

females age 16-49: 3,850,800 (2008 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

males age 16-49: 55,365

females age 16-49: 57,060 (2008 est.)

New Caledonia

males age 16-49: 57,738 (2008 est.)

New Zealand

males age 16-49: 1,009,298

females age 16-49: 997,134 (2008 est.)

Nicaragua

males age 16-49: 1,513,312

females age 16-49: 1,507,999 (2008 est.)

Niger

males age 16-49: 2,871,868

females age 16-49: 2,696,966 (2008 est.)

Nigeria

males age 16-49: 31,929,204

females age 16-49: 30,638,979 (2008 est.)

Norway

males age 16-49: 1,078,181

females age 16-49: 1,046,550 (2008 est.)

Oman

males age 16-49: 802,455

females age 16-49: 626,841 (2008 est.)

Pakistan

males age 16-49: 42,633,765

females age 16-49: 40,114,017 (2008 est.)

Palau

males age 16-49: 5,973 (2008 est.)

Panama

males age 16-49: 851,044 (2008 est.)

Papua New Guinea

males age 16-49: 1,481,417

females age 16-49: 1,385,040 (2008 est.)

Paraguay

males age 16-49: 1,589,873

females age 16-49: 1,585,573 (2008 est.)

Peru

males age 16-49: 7,653,898

females age 16-49: 7,531,329 (2008 est.)

Philippines

males age 16-49: 23,547,252

females age 16-49: 23,177,487 (2008 est.)

Poland

males age 16-49: 9,741,508

females age 16-49: 9,514,843 (2008 est.)

Portugal

males age 16-49: 2,573,913

females age 16-49: 2,498,262 (2008 est.)

Qatar

males age 16-49: 320,383

females age 16-49: 167,475 (2008 est.)

Romania

males age 16-49: 5,682,299

females age 16-49: 5,557,098 (2008 est.)

Russia

males age 16-49: 36,219,908

females age 16-49: 37,019,853 (2008 est.)

Rwanda

males age 16-49: 2,430,469

females age 16-49: 2,392,933 (2008 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

males age 16-49: 10,095

females age 16-49: 10,081 (2008 est.)

Saint Lucia

males age 16-49: 48,358 (2008 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

males age 16-49: 34,373 (2008 est.)

Samoa

males age 16-49: 53,417 (2008 est.)

San Marino

males age 16-49: 6,613 (2008 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

males age 16-49: 42,340

females age 16-49: 43,781 (2008 est.)

Saudi Arabia

males age 16-49: 8,547,441

females age 16-49: 6,381,098 (2008 est.)

Senegal

males age 16-49: 2,943,619

females age 16-49: 2,955,179 (2008 est.)

Seychelles

males age 16-49: 23,598

females age 16-49: 24,424 (2008 est.)

Sierra Leone

males age 16-49: 1,315,561 (2008 est.)

Singapore

males age 16-49: 1,277,862 (2008 est.)

Slovakia

males age 16-49: 1,420,966

females age 16-49: 1,386,259 (2008 est.)

Slovenia

males age 16-49: 494,496

females age 16-49: 481,180 (2008 est.)

Solomon Islands

males age 16-49: 141,051 (2008 est.)

Somalia

males age 16-49: 2,181,050

females age 16-49: 2,125,558 (2008 est.)

South Africa

males age 16-49: 11,622,507

females age 16-49: 11,501,537 (2008 est.)

Spain

males age 16-49: 10,033,069

females age 16-49: 9,764,937 (2008 est.)

Sri Lanka

males age 16-49: 5,458,720

females age 16-49: 5,594,006 (2008 est.)

Sudan

males age 16-49: 9,639,923

females age 16-49: 9,321,106 (2008 est.)

Suriname

males age 16-49: 130,534

females age 16-49: 130,243 (2008 est.)

Swaziland

males age 16-49: 266,311 (2008 est.)

Sweden

males age 16-49: 2,052,890

females age 16-49: 1,980,550 (2008 est.)

Switzerland

males age 16-49: 1,852,580

females age 16-49: 1,807,667 (2008 est.)

Syria

males age 16-49: 5,251,875

females age 16-49: 4,966,367 (2008 est.)

Taiwan

males age 16-49: 6,283,134

females age 16-49: 6,098,599 (2008 est.)

Tajikistan

males age 16-49: 1,897,356

females age 16-49: 1,911,594 (2008 est.)

Tanzania

males age 16-49: 9,108,177 (2008 est.)

Thailand

males age 16-49: 17,553,410

females age 16-49: 17,751,268 (2008 est.)

Timor-Leste

males age 16-49: 284,903

females age 16-49: 272,212 (2008 est.)

Togo

males age 16-49: 1,365,505

females age 16-49: 1,374,993 (2008 est.)

Tonga

males age 16-49: 32,053

females age 16-49: 30,981 (2008 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

males age 16-49: 301,561

females age 16-49: 264,225 (2008 est.)

Tunisia

males age 16-49: 2,992,249

females age 16-49: 2,912,819 (2008 est.)

Turkey

males age 16-49: 20,213,205

females age 16-49: 19,432,688 (2008 est.)

Turkmenistan

males age 16-49: 1,316,698

females age 16-49: 1,331,005 (2008 est.)

Uganda

males age 16-49: 6,532,894

females age 16-49: 6,352,416 (2008 est.)

Ukraine

males age 16-49: 11,457,562

females age 16-49: 11,767,357 (2008 est.)

United Arab Emirates males age 16-49: 2,405,884 (includes non-nationals) females age 16-49: 884,853 (2008 est.)

United Kingdom

males age 16-49: 14,729,500

females age 16-49: 14,125,600 (2008 est.)

United States

males age 16-49: 72,715,332

females age 16-49: 71,638,785 (2008 est.)

Uruguay

males age 16-49: 837,252

females age 16-49: 824,096 (2008 est.)

Uzbekistan

males age 16-49: 7,480,484

females age 16-49: 7,542,017 (2008 est.)

Vanuatu

males age 16-49: 58,900 (2008 est.)

Venezuela

males age 16-49: 6,647,124

females age 16-49: 6,801,133 (2008 est.)

Vietnam

males age 16-49: 24,586,328

females age 16-49: 24,335,132 (2008 est.)

Yemen

males age 16-49: 5,080,038

females age 16-49: 4,852,555 (2008 est.)

Zambia

males age 16-49: 2,678,668

females age 16-49: 2,567,433 (2008 est.)

Zimbabwe

males age 16-49: 3,264,258

females age 16-49: 3,048,049 (2008 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2106 Maritime claims

Afghanistan

none (landlocked)

Albania

territorial sea: 12 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Algeria

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm

American Samoa

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Andorra

none (landlocked)

Angola

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Anguilla

territorial sea: 3 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Antarctica

Australia, Chile, and Argentina claim Exclusive Economic

Zone (EEZ) rights or similar over 200 nm extensions seaward from

their continental claims, but like the claims themselves, these

zones are not accepted by other countries; 21 of 28 Antarctic

consultative nations have made no claims to Antarctic territory

(although Russia and the US have reserved the right to do so) and do

not recognize the claims of the other nations; also see the Disputes

- international entry

Antigua and Barbuda

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Argentina

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Armenia

none (landlocked)

Aruba

territorial sea: 12 nm

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 12 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Australia

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Austria

none (landlocked)

Azerbaijan

none (landlocked)

Bahamas, The

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Bahrain

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined

Bangladesh

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 18 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: up to the outer limits of the continental margin

Barbados territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Belarus

none (landlocked)

Belgium

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: geographic coordinates define outer limit

continental shelf: median line with neighbors

Belize

territorial sea: 12 nm in the north, 3 nm in the south; note

- from the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's

territorial sea is 3 nm; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act,

1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for

negotiating a definitive agreement on territorial differences with

Guatemala

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Benin

territorial sea: 200 nm

Bermuda

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Bhutan

none (landlocked)

Bolivia

none (landlocked)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

no data available

Botswana

none (landlocked)

Bouvet Island

territorial sea: 4 nm

Brazil

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin

British Indian Ocean Territory

territorial sea: 3 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

British Virgin Islands

territorial sea: 3 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Brunei

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or to median line

Bulgaria

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Burkina Faso

none (landlocked)

Burma

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Burundi

none (landlocked)

Cambodia

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm

Cameroon

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

Canada

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Cape Verde

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Cayman Islands territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Central African Republic

none (landlocked)

Chad

none (landlocked)

Chile

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200/350 nm

China

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Christmas Island territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Clipperton Island

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Colombia

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Comoros

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors

Congo, Republic of the

territorial sea: 200 nm

Cook Islands territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Coral Sea Islands territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Costa Rica

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm

Cote d'Ivoire

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm

Croatia

territorial sea: 12 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Cuba

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Cyprus

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Czech Republic

none (landlocked)

Denmark

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Djibouti

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Dominica

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Dominican Republic

measured from claimed archipelagic straight

baselines

territorial sea: 6 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Ecuador

territorial sea: 200 nm

continental shelf: 100 nm from 2,500-m isobath

Egypt

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

El Salvador territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Equatorial Guinea territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Eritrea

territorial sea: 12 nm

Estonia

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with

neighboring states

Ethiopia

none (landlocked)

European Union

NA

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

territorial sea: 12 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Faroe Islands

territorial sea: 3 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line

Fiji

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation;

rectilinear shelf claim added

Finland

territorial sea: 12 nm (in the Gulf of Finland - 3 nm)

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm; extends to continental shelf boundary

with Sweden

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

France

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (does not apply to the Mediterranean)

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

French Polynesia

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm from Iles Kerguelen and Iles Eparses

(does not include the rest of French Southern and Antarctic Lands);

Juan de Nova Island and Tromelin Island claim a continental shelf of

200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Gabon

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Gambia, The

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 18 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: extent not specified

Gaza Strip

Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the

Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be

determined through further negotiation

Georgia

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Germany

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Ghana

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm

Gibraltar

territorial sea: 3 nm

Greece

territorial sea: 12 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Greenland

territorial sea: 3 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line

continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line

Grenada

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Guam

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Guatemala

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Guernsey

territorial sea: 3 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm

Guinea

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Guinea-Bissau

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Guyana

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental

margin

Haiti

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: to depth of exploitation

Heard Island and McDonald Islands territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Holy See (Vatican City)

none (landlocked)

Honduras

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: natural extension of territory or to 200 nm

Hong Kong

territorial sea: 3 nm

Hungary

none (landlocked)

Iceland

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

India

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Indonesia

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Iran

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: bilateral agreements or median lines in the

Persian Gulf

continental shelf: natural prolongation

Iraq

territorial sea: 12 nm

continental shelf: not specified

Ireland

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Isle of Man

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm

Israel

territorial sea: 12 nm

continental shelf: to depth of exploitation

Italy

territorial sea: 12 nm

continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Jamaica

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin

Jan Mayen

territorial sea: 4 nm

contiguous zone: 10 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Japan

territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the

international straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and

Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Jersey

territorial sea: 3 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm

Jordan

territorial sea: 3 nm

Kazakhstan

none (landlocked)

Kenya

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Kiribati

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Korea, North

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

note: military boundary line 50 nm in the Sea of Japan and the

exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea where all foreign

vessels and aircraft without permission are banned

Korea, South

territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the

Korea Strait

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: not specified

Kosovo

none (landlocked)

Kuwait

territorial sea: 12 nm

Kyrgyzstan

none (landlocked)

Laos

none (landlocked)

Latvia

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Lebanon

territorial sea: 12 nm

Lesotho

none (landlocked)

Liberia

territorial sea: 200 nm

Libya

territorial sea: 12 nm

note: Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north

exclusive fishing zone: 62 nm

Liechtenstein

none (landlocked)

Lithuania

territorial sea: 12 nm

Luxembourg

none (landlocked)

Macau

not specified

Macedonia

none (landlocked)

Madagascar

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or 100 nm from the 2,500-m isobath

Malawi

none (landlocked)

Malaysia

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation;

specified boundary in the South China Sea

Maldives

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Mali

none (landlocked)

Malta

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive fishing zone: 25 nm

Marshall Islands

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Mauritania

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Mauritius

measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Mayotte

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Mexico

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Micronesia, Federated States of territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Moldova

none (landlocked)

Monaco

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 12 nm

Mongolia

none (landlocked)

Montenegro

territorial sea: 12 nm

continental shelf: defined by treaty

Montserrat

territorial sea: 3 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Morocco

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Mozambique

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Namibia

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Nauru

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Navassa Island territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Nepal none (landlocked)

Netherlands territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Netherlands Antilles

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm

New Caledonia

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

New Zealand

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Nicaragua

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

continental shelf: natural prolongation

Niger

none (landlocked)

Nigeria

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Niue

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Norfolk Island

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Northern Mariana Islands

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Norway

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 10 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm

Oman

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Pakistan

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Palau

territorial sea: 3 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Panama

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or edge of continental margin

Papua New Guinea

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

territorial sea: 12 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Paracel Islands

NA

Paraguay

none (landlocked)

Peru

territorial sea: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm

Philippines

territorial sea: irregular polygon extending up to 100

nm from coastline as defined by 1898 treaty; since late 1970s has

also claimed polygonal-shaped area in South China Sea up to 285 nm

in breadth

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: to depth of exploitation

Pitcairn Islands

territorial sea: 3 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Poland

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: defined by international treaties

Portugal

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Puerto Rico

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Qatar

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: as determined by bilateral agreements or

the median line

Romania

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Russia

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Rwanda

none (landlocked)

Saint Helena territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Saint Kitts and Nevis

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Saint Lucia

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Saint Pierre and Miquelon territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm

Samoa

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

San Marino

none (landlocked)

Sao Tome and Principe

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Saudi Arabia

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 18 nm

continental shelf: not specified

Senegal

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Serbia

none (landlocked)

Seychelles

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Sierra Leone

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm

Singapore

territorial sea: 3 nm

exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as

defined in treaties and practice

Slovakia

none (landlocked)

Slovenia

territorial sea: 12 nm

Solomon Islands measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm

Somalia territorial sea: 200 nm

South Africa territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Spain

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean)

Spratly Islands

NA

Sri Lanka

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Sudan

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 18 nm

continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Suriname

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Svalbard

territorial sea: 4 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm unilaterally claimed by Norway but

not recognized by Russia

Swaziland

none (landlocked)

Sweden

territorial sea: 12 nm (adjustments made to return a portion

of straits to high seas)

exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or midlines

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Switzerland

none (landlocked)

Syria

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

Taiwan

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Tajikistan

none (landlocked)

Tanzania

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Thailand

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Timor-Leste

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Togo

territorial sea: 30 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Tokelau

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Tonga

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Trinidad and Tobago measured from claimed archipelagic baselines territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin

Tunisia

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 12 nm

Turkey

territorial sea: 6 nm in the Aegean Sea; 12 nm in Black Sea

and in Mediterranean Sea

exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea only: to the maritime boundary

agreed upon with the former USSR

Turkmenistan

none (landlocked)

Turks and Caicos Islands

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

Tuvalu

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Uganda

none (landlocked)

Ukraine

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200-m or to the depth of exploitation

United Arab Emirates

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

United Kingdom

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in

accordance with agreed upon boundaries

United States

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: not specified

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Uruguay

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or edge of continental margin

Uzbekistan

none (doubly landlocked)

Vanuatu

measured from claimed archipelagic baselines

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Venezuela

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 15 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Vietnam

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Virgin Islands

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Wake Island

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Wallis and Futuna

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

West Bank

none (landlocked)

Western Sahara

contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue

World

a variety of situations exist, but in general, most countries

make the following claims measured from the mean low-tide baseline

as described in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea:

territorial sea - 12 nm, contiguous zone - 24 nm, and exclusive

economic zone - 200 nm; additional zones provide for exploitation of

continental shelf resources and an exclusive fishing zone; boundary

situations with neighboring states prevent many countries from

extending their fishing or economic zones to a full 200 nm

Yemen

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Zambia

none (landlocked)

Zimbabwe

none (landlocked)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2107 International organization participation

Afghanistan

ADB, CP, ECO, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA,

IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO

(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner),

SAARC, SACEP, SCO (guest), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Albania

BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE,

PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Algeria

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BIS, FAO, G-15, G-24,

G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC,

OPCW, OPEC, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,

UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

American Samoa

Interpol (subbureau), IOC, SPC, UPU

Andorra

CE, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU,

OIF, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, Union Latina, UNWTO, WCO, WHO,

WIPO, WTO (observer)

Angola

ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS

(observer), OPEC, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina,

UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Anguilla

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU,

WFTU

Antigua and Barbuda

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO

(subscriber), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Argentina

AfDB (nonregional members), Australia Group, BCIE, BIS,

CAN (associate), FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur,

MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN,

UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina

(observer), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO,

ZC

Armenia

ACCT (observer), ADB, BSEC, CE, CIS, CSTO, EAEC (observer),

EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO,

ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIF (associate member),

OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Aruba

Caricom (observer), ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITUC, UNESCO

(associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WFTU, WMO

Australia

ADB, ANZUS, APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia

Group, BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC,

IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD,

OPCW, Paris Club, PCA, PIF, SAARC (observer), Sparteca, SPC, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Austria

ACCT (observer), ADB (nonregional members), AfDB

(nonregional members), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE,

CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-9, IADB, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,

IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO,

NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW,

OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer),

UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UNTSO,

UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Azerbaijan

ADB, BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, GUAM,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (observer),

OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Bahamas, The

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt

(signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL,

OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Bahrain

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA,

NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Bangladesh

ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,

IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG,

UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Barbados

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO,

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Belarus

BSEC (observer), CEI, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, FAO,

GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE,

PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Belgium

ACCT, ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members),

Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA,

EU, FAO, G-9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS

(observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen

Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary),

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB

(nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Belize

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,

IOM, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Benin

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional),

WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Bermuda

Caricom (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ITUC, UPU,

WCO, WFTU

Bhutan

ADB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF,

Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, NAM,

OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Bolivia

CAN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO

(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA,

MINURCAT, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN,

UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS,

UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Bosnia and Herzegovina

BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM

(observer), OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI,

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

WTO (observer)

Botswana

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,

ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS,

UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Brazil

AfDB (nonregional members), BIS, CAN (associate), CPLP, FAO,

G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO,

MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN,

UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNITAR,

UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

British Virgin Islands

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol

(subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WFTU

Brunei

ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, C, EAS, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,

IDB, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent),

ITSO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Bulgaria

ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC,

EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,

ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF,

OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS,

UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO, ZC

Burkina Faso

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,

IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UN Security Council

(temporary), UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIS, UNOCI,

UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

WTO

Burma

ADB, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,

IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OPCW (signatory), SAARC

(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Burundi

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, EAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD,

ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC,

IOM, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN,

UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Cambodia

ACCT, ADB, APT, ARF, ASEAN, EAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,

IOM, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

WTO

Cameroon

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, C, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent),

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Canada

ACCT, ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members),

APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia

Group, BIS, C, CDB, CE (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ESA (cooperating

state), FAO, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINUSTAH,

MONUC, NAFTA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OIF, OPCW,

OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SECI (observer), UN, UNAMID,

UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO,

UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Cape Verde

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO

Cayman Islands

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC,

UNESCO (associate), UPU, WFTU

Central African Republic

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ,

G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,

Interpol, IOC, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC (observer), OIF,

OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO

Chad

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol,

IOC, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Chile

APEC, BIS, CAN (associate), FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,

IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES,

LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW,

PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina,

UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

China

ADB, AfDB (nonregional members), APEC, APT, Arctic Council

(observer), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, CDB, EAS, FAO, G-24

(observer), G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,

IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU,

ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM

(observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC

(observer), SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNTSO,

UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Christmas Island

none

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

none

Colombia

BCIE, CAN, Caricom (observer), CDB, FAO, G-3, G-24, G-77,

IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA,

RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO,

UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Comoros

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AMF, AU, COMESA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC,

Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL,

COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Congo, Republic of the

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ,

G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO

Cook Islands

ACP, ADB, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IMSO,

IOC, ITUC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Costa Rica

BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC,

IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM

(observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council

(temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU,

WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Cote d'Ivoire

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24,

G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,

IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union

Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO

Croatia

ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE,

CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), NSG,

OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN, UN

Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO,

UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Cuba

ACP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,

IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES,

LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962),

OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNITAR,

UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Cyprus

Australia Group, C, CE, EBRD, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICCt, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC,

IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS

(observer), OIF (associate member), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Czech Republic

ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC

(observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state),

EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IEA,

IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),

OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU

(associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Denmark

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members),

Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD,

EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC,

IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB,

NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen

Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP,

UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO, ZC

Djibouti

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD,

ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW,

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Dominica

ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO

(subscriber), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW,

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Dominican Republic

ACP, BCIE, Caricom (observer), FAO, G-77, IADB,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO

(suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO

(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM,

OAS, OPANAL, OPCW (signatory), PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,

Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Ecuador

CAN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA,

MINURCAT, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN,

UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS,

UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Egypt

ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, BSEC (observer), CAEU,

COMESA, EBRD, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINURCAT,

MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OSCE

(partner), PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL,

UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

El Salvador

BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (observer),

OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union

Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Equatorial Guinea

ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, CPLP (associate),

FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,

IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW,

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO

(observer)

Eritrea

ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt

(signatory), IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, LAS (observer), MIGA,

NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO

Estonia

Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU,

FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,

IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen

Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNITAR, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU

(associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Ethiopia

ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM

(observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN,

UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

European Union

European Union: ARF (dialogue member), ASEAN

(dialogue member), IDA, OAS (observer), PIF (partner), SAARC

(observer), UN (observer)

European Community: Australian Group, CBSS, CERN, FAO, EBRD, G-10,

LAIA, NSG (observer), OECD, UNRWA, WCO, WTO, ZC (observer)

European Central Bank: BIS

European Investment Bank: EBRD, WADB (nonregional member)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

UPU

Faroe Islands

Arctic Council, FAO, IMO (associate), NC, NIB, UPU

Fiji

ACP, ADB, C (suspended), CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Finland

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members),

Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD,

EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest),

NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club,

PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,

UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

France

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic

Council (observer), Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, BSEC (observer),

CBSS (observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FZ,

G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO,

MINUSTAH, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW,

OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), Schengen Convention, SECI

(observer), SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNOMIG,

UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

French Polynesia

FZ, ITUC, PIF (associate member), SPC, UPU, WMO

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

UPU

Gabon

ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

MIGA, MINURCAT, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Gambia, The

ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN,

UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Georgia

ACCT (observer), ADB, BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU,

GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,

IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU,

ITUC, MIGA, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI

(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO

Germany

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members),

Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer),

CBSS, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-5, G-7,

G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),

OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI

(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS,

UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Ghana

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT,

MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF (associate member), OPCW,

UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMIL,

UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Gibraltar

Interpol (subbureau), UPU

Greece

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU,

ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS

(observer), OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI,

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU,

WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Greenland

Arctic Council, NC, NIB, UPU

Grenada

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WTO

Guam

IOC, SPC, UPU

Guatemala

BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer),

MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Guernsey

UPU

Guinea

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, OIF,

OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU,

WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Guinea-Bissau

ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD,

ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,

IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW,

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WADB

(regional), WAEMU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Guyana

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM

(observer), ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC,

OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Haiti

ACP, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW,

PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Holy See (Vatican City)

CE (observer), IAEA, Interpol, IOM

(observer), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW,

OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, Union Latina (observer), UNWTO

(observer), UPU, WFTU, WIPO, WTO (observer)

Honduras

BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO

(subscriber), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO,

NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union

Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Hong Kong

ADB, APEC, BIS, ICC, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), IOC, ISO

(correspondent), ITUC, UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WMO,

WTO

Hungary

Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA

(cooperating state), EU, FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA,

NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen

Convention, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL,

UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

WTO, ZC

Iceland

Arctic Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD,

EFTA, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,

IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

MIGA, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA,

Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate),

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

India

ADB, AfDB (nonregional members), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue

partner), BIMSTEC, BIS, C, CERN (observer), CP, EAS, FAO, G-15,

G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

LAS (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF

(partner), SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO,

UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Indonesia

ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-77,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,

IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,

ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PIF (partner), UN, UN

Security Council (temporary), UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL,

UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Iran

CP, ECO, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW,

OPEC, PCA, SAARC (observer), SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

WTO (observer)

Iraq

ABEDA, AFESD (suspended), AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC,

PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO (observer)

Ireland

ADB (nonregional members), Australia Group, BIS, CE, EAPC,

EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NEA, NSG, OAS

(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU

(observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Isle of Man

UPU

Israel

BIS, BSEC (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,

IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

OAS (observer), OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), PCA, SECI

(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU,

WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Italy

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic

Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS

(observer), CDB, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO,

G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest),

NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA,

Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council

(temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina,

UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO, ZC

Jamaica

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL,

OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Japan

ADB, AfDB (nonregional members), APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN

(dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CE (observer), CERN

(observer), CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,

IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA,

MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), Paris

Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SECI (observer), UN,

UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCL,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Jordan

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINUSTAH,

MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO,

UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Kazakhstan

ADB, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), NSG,

OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Kenya

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO,

MONUC, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,

UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Kiribati

ACP, ADB, C, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Korea, North

ARF, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IOC,

IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Korea, South

ADB, AfDB (nonregional members), APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN

(dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IADB,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

LAIA, MIGA, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner),

PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,

UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Kosovo

ITUC, WFTU

Kuwait

ABEDA, AfDB (nonregional members), AFESD, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU,

FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA,

IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU,

ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA,

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Kyrgyzstan

ADB, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,

IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA,

MINURCAT, NAM (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO

Laos

ADB, APT, ARF, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO

(subscriber), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Latvia

Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA,

Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU

(associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Lebanon

ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer),

OIC, OIF, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Lesotho

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO (subscriber),

ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,

UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Liberia

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC,

IOM, IPU, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,

UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Libya

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM,

OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary),

UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Liechtenstein

CE, EBRD, EFTA, IAEA, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol,

IOC, IPU, ITSO, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WCL, WIPO, WTO

Lithuania

Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU,

FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,

IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG,

OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate

partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Luxembourg

ADB (nonregional members), Australia Group, Benelux, CE,

EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),

OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNRWA, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO, ZC

Macau

IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), ISO (correspondent), UNESCO

(associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCO, WFTU, WMO, WTO

Macedonia

BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM

(observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP,

SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCL,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Madagascar

ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF,

OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Malawi

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO

(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN,

UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Malaysia

ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, FAO, G-15,

G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Maldives

ADB, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,

IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC,

SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Mali

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN,

UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WADB

(regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Malta

Australia Group, C, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NSG, OPCW,

OSCE, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,

UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Marshall Islands

ACP, ADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA,

IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca,

SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO

Mauritania

ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OIF,

OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO

Mauritius

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, CPLP (associate), FAO, G-77,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,

IMO, IMSO, InOC, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, SAARC (observer), SADC, UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Mayotte

InOC, UPU, WFTU

Mexico

APEC, BCIE, BIS, CAN (observer), Caricom (observer), CDB, CE

(observer), CSN (observer), EBRD, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-24, IADB, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,

IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES,

LAIA, MIGA, NAFTA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW,

PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU,

WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Micronesia, Federated States of

ACP, ADB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,

ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF,

Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO, WMO

Moldova

BSEC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAEC (observer), EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU,

GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,

ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU,

MIGA, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union

Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO

Monaco

CE, FAO, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFRCS, IHO,

IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITSO, ITU, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Schengen

Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Mongolia

ADB, ARF, CP, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, OSCE

(partner), SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS,

UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Montenegro

CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO

(correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN,

UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

WTO (observer)

Montserrat

Caricom, CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, UPU, WFTU

Morocco

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, EBRD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE

(partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU,

WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Mozambique

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CPLP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF (observer), OPCW, SADC, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Namibia

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),

IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC,

UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI,

UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Nauru

ACP, ADB, C, FAO, ICAO, ICCt, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF,

Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Nepal

ADB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO

(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINUSTAH, MONUC,

NAM, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL,

UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Netherlands

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members),

Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CBSS

(observer), CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G-10,

IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,

IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,

ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW,

OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL,

WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Netherlands Antilles

Caricom (observer), ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC,

UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WMO

New Caledonia

ITUC, PIF (associate member), SPC, UPU, WFTU, WMO

New Zealand

ADB, ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on

11 August 1986), APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia

Group, BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), NSG,

OECD, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,

UNIDO, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Nicaragua

BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU,

ITUC, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG,

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Niger

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional),

WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Nigeria

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,

IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA,

UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI,

UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Niue

ACP, FAO, IFAD, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Norfolk Island

UPU

Northern Mariana Islands

SPC, UPU

Norway

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic

Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA,

ESA, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS

(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention,

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMIS, UNRWA,

UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO,

ZC

Oman

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt

(signatory), IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Pakistan

ADB, ARF, C (reinstated 2004), CP, ECO, FAO, G-24, G-77,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,

IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, PCA,

SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,

UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Palau

ACP, ADB, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF,

IOC, IPU, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO

Panama

BCIE, CAN (observer), CSN (observer), FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA

(observer), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security

Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO,

UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Papua New Guinea

ACP, ADB, APEC, ARF, ASEAN (observer), C, CP, FAO,

G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU,

MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,

UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Paraguay

CAN (associate), FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,

ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA,

MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA,

RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS,

UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Peru

APEC, CAN, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur

(associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG,

UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS,

UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Philippines

ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, CP, EAS, FAO, G-24,

G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,

IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PIF (partner),

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT,

UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Pitcairn Islands

SPC, UPU

Poland

Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC

(observer), CBSS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating

state), EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC,

IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG,

OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen

Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR,

UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Portugal

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members),

Australia Group, BIS, CE, CERN, CPLP, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU,

FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,

IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURCAT, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA,

NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention,

SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union

Latina, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO,

ZC

Puerto Rico

Caricom (observer), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ITUC,

UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WFTU

Qatar

ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,

ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS

(observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL,

UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Romania

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA

(cooperating state), EU (new member), FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer),

MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW,

OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina,

UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate

partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Russia

APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS,

BSEC, CBSS, CE, CERN (observer), CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, G-8,

GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFC,

IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU,

ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM

(guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OPCW, OSCE, Paris

Club, PCA, PFP, SCO, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,

UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer), ZC

Rwanda

ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-77, IBRD,

ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, NAM, OIF,

OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL,

WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Saint Barthelemy

UPU, WFTU

Saint Helena

UPU, WFTU

Saint Kitts and Nevis

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,

ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,

UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO

Saint Lucia

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,

IOC, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Saint Martin

UPU, WFTU

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

UPU, WFTU

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77,

IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,

IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL,

OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTO

Samoa

ACP, ADB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IPU, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, OPCW, PIF,

Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

(observer)

San Marino

CE, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, OSCE, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO

Sao Tome and Principe

ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ITU, ITUC, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Saudi Arabia

ABEDA, AfDB (nonregional members), AFESD, AMF, BIS,

FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,

IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS,

MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Senegal

ACP, AfDB, AU, CPLP (associate), ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15,

G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent),

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA,

UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNOCI,

UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

WTO

Serbia

BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD (suspended), IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC,

NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA,

PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO,

UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Seychelles

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC,

Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW,

SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO (observer)

Sierra Leone

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNIDO, UNMIT, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Singapore

ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, C, CP, EAS, G-77, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNMIT, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Slovakia

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE,

CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS

(observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen

Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO,

UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Slovenia

Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, EU,

FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,

ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest),

NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen

Convention, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNTSO, UNWTO,

UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Solomon Islands

ACP, ADB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU,

MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO,

WTO

Somalia

ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,

ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, LAS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,

UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

South Africa

ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, C, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC,

NAM, NSG, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UN Security Council

(temporary), UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNWTO,

UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Spain

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic

Council (observer), Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC,

EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer),

MIGA, MINURCAT, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),

OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI

(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina,

UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Sri Lanka

ADB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO,

MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Sudan

ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, CAEU, COMESA, FAO, G-77,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,

IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,

LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,

UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Suriname

ACP, Caricom, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDB,

IFAD, IFRCS, IHO (suspended), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO

(subscriber), ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OIC, OPANAL, OPCW,

PCA, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Svalbard

none

Swaziland

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,

IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent),

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD,

UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Sweden

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members), Arctic

Council, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA,

EU, FAO, G-9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,

IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,

IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MONUC, NAM (guest), NC,

NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA,

PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL,

UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (observer),

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Switzerland

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members),

Australia Group, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-10,

IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer),

OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,

UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Syria

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,

IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC,

OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO

Taiwan

ADB, APEC, BCIE, ICC, IOC, ITUC, WCL, WFTU, WTO

Tajikistan

ADB, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, OIC,

OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Tanzania

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-6, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW,

SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS,

UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Thailand

ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, BIS, CP, EAS, FAO,

G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,

IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO,

ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC (observer), OIF

(observer), OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNAMID,

UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Timor-Leste

ACP, ADB, ARF, CPLP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, MIGA, NAM,

OPCW, PIF (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina,

UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO

Togo

ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL,

UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO, WTO

Tokelau

PIF (observer), SPC, UNESCO (associate), UPU

Tonga

ACP, ADB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,

IFRCS, IHO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, PIF,

Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Trinidad and Tobago

ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB,

IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL,

OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO

Tunisia

ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BSEC (observer), FAO,

G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,

LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC (suspended), OAS (observer), OIC, OIF,

OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOCI,

UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Turkey

ADB (nonregional members), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE,

CERN (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,

IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI,

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG,

UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO,

ZC

Turkmenistan

ADB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM,

IDA, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),

ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO

(guest), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,

WIPO, WMO

Turks and Caicos Islands

Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol

(subbureau), UPU

Tuvalu

ACP, ADB, C, FAO, IFRCS (observer), IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF,

Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Uganda

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,

MINURCAT, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,

UNIDO, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Ukraine

Australia Group, BSEC, CBSS (observer), CE, CEI, CIS, EAEC

(observer), EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA,

MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW,

OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL,

UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

United Arab Emirates

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,

ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA,

NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

United Kingdom

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional

members), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, C, CBSS

(observer), CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G-5, G-7,

G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,

IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW,

OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SECI (observer), UN, UN

Security Council, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO,

UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO, ZC

United States

ADB (nonregional members), AfDB (nonregional members),

ANZUS, APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner),

Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE

(observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-8,

G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IEA,

IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO,

ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAFTA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD,

OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SECI

(observer), SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,

UNITAR, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,

WMO, WTO, ZC

Uruguay

CAN (associate), FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,

ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO,

MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN,

UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIS, UNMOGIP, UNOCI,

UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Uzbekistan

ADB, CIS, CSTO, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, IAEA,

IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,

Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO,

UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,

WTO (observer)

Vanuatu

ACCT, ACP, ADB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC,

IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer),

OIF, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO,

WMO, WTO (observer)

Venezuela

Caricom (observer), CDB, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB,

IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,

IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES,

LAIA, LAS (observer), Mercosur (associate), MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL,

OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union

Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Vietnam

ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,

ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol,

IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UN Security

Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,

WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Virgin Islands

IOC, UPU, WFTU

Wallis and Futuna

PIF (observer), SPC, UPU, WFTU

Western Sahara

WFTU

Yemen

AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt

(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS,

MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, UN,

UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG,

UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Zambia

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,

ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO

(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MONUC, NAM, OPCW,

PCA, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS,

UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Zimbabwe

ACP, AfDB, AU, COMESA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,

ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,

Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA,

SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU,

WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2108 Merchant marine

Albania

total: 24

by type: cargo 22, roll on/roll off 2

foreign-owned: 1 (Turkey 1)

registered in other countries: 2 (Panama 2) (2008)

Algeria

total: 33

by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 8, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas

9, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 2

foreign-owned: 18 (Jordan 7, UK 11) (2008)

Angola

total: 6

by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2, roll

on/roll off 1

foreign-owned: 1 (Spain 1)

registered in other countries: 6 (Bahamas 6) (2008)

Antigua and Barbuda

total: 1,146

by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 50, cargo 651, carrier 4,

chemical tanker 5, container 392, liquefied gas 12, petroleum tanker

1, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 20

foreign-owned: 1,113 (Australia 1, Colombia 2, Cyprus 18, Denmark

19, Estonia 23, France 1, Germany 941, Greece 3, Iceland 12, Italy

1, Latvia 13, Lithuania 5, Netherlands 20, NZ 2, Norway 8, Poland 2,

Russia 4, Slovenia 6, Sweden 1, Switzerland 8, Turkey 6, UK 9, US 8)

(2008)

Argentina

total: 46

by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 9, chemical tanker 2, container 1,

passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 24, refrigerated

cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1

foreign-owned: 14 (Brazil 1, Chile 7, Spain 2, UK 4)

registered in other countries: 19 (Liberia 3, Panama 8, Paraguay 5,

Uruguay 3) (2008)

Australia

total: 50

by type: bulk carrier 12, cargo 5, chemical tanker 1, container 1,

liquefied gas 4, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker 8,

roll on/roll off 5

foreign-owned: 24 (Canada 9, France 1, Germany 2, Japan 1,

Netherlands 2, Norway 1, Singapore 1, UK 5, US 2)

registered in other countries: 28 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Belize 1,

Bermuda 1, Dominica 2, Fiji 1, Marshall Islands 1, NZ 1, Panama 4,

Singapore 12, Tonga 1, US 1, Vanuatu 2) (2008)

Austria

total: 4

by type: cargo 2, container 2

foreign-owned: 2 (Netherlands 2)

registered in other countries: 4 (Cyprus 1, Malta 1, Saint Vincent

and the Grenadines 2) (2008)

Azerbaijan

total: 89

by type: cargo 26, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker

46, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 3

registered in other countries: 3 (Malta 2, Panama 1) (2008)

Bahamas, The

total: 1,223

by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 210, cargo 226, carrier 2,

chemical tanker 88, combination ore/oil 12, container 65, liquefied

gas 77, passenger 109, passenger/cargo 35, petroleum tanker 209,

refrigerated cargo 119, roll on/roll off 16, specialized tanker 3,

vehicle carrier 51

foreign-owned: 1,150 (Angola 6, Belgium 15, Bermuda 12, Brazil 2,

Canada 84, China 10, Croatia 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 25, Denmark 67,

Finland 9, France 30, Germany 44, Greece 209, Hong Kong 30, Iceland

1, Indonesia 2, Ireland 2, Isle of Man 1, Italy 4, Japan 87, Jordan

2, Kenya 1, Malaysia 13, Monaco 15, Montenegro 2, Netherlands 9,

Nigeria 2, Norway 189, Poland 17, Russia 4, Saudi Arabia 16,

Singapore 17, Slovenia 1, South Africa 1, Spain 14, Sweden 4,

Switzerland 1, Thailand 5, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Turkey 8, UAE 23,

UK 56, US 106, Venezuela 1)

registered in other countries: 12 (Bolivia 1, Panama 9, Peru 1,

Portugal 1) (2008)

Bahrain

total: 9

by type: bulk carrier 4, container 4, petroleum tanker 1

foreign-owned: 6 (Kuwait 5, UAE 1) (2008)

Bangladesh

total: 40

by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 27, container 5, passenger/cargo 1,

petroleum tanker 4

foreign-owned: 1 (China 1)

registered in other countries: 10 (Comoros 2, Honduras 1, Malta 2,

Panama 2, Singapore 2, Togo 1) (2008)

Barbados

total: 85

by type: bulk carrier 15, cargo 50, chemical tanker 7, passenger 1,

passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 6, roll

on/roll off 2

foreign-owned: 80 (Canada 9, Greece 12, India 1, Iran 2, Lebanon 1,

Norway 38, Sweden 7, Syria 1, UK 9)

registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

1) (2008)

Belgium

total: 79

by type: bulk carrier 20, cargo 9, chemical tanker 1, container 6,

liquefied gas 20, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 11, roll on/roll off

10

foreign-owned: 6 (Denmark 4, France 2)

registered in other countries: 111 (Bahamas 15, Cyprus 2, France 6,

Gibraltar 2, Greece 16, Hong Kong 3, Liberia 4, Luxembourg 7, Malta

15, Mozambique 2, Netherlands 2, Netherlands Antilles 1, Panama 2,

Portugal 1, Portugal 7, Russia 4, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint

Vincent and the Grenadines 8, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 8, Vanuatu

4) (2008)

Belize

total: 216

by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 32, cargo 152, chemical

tanker 2, container 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated

cargo 12, roll on/roll off 5, specialized tanker 1

foreign-owned: 178 (Australia 1, China 71, Croatia 2, Cyprus 1,

Estonia 6, Greece 1, Iceland 2, Italy 3, Japan 8, South Korea 1,

Latvia 12, Norway 3, Peru 1, Russia 31, Singapore 2, Spain 1, Turkey

15, Ukraine 7, UAE 5, UK 5) (2008)

Bermuda

total: 137

by type: bulk carrier 23, chemical tanker 3, container 22, liquefied

gas 33, passenger 24, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 18,

refrigerated cargo 9

foreign-owned: 115 (Australia 1, China 10, France 1, Germany 22,

Greece 9, Hong Kong 4, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Japan 2, Nigeria 11,

Norway 5, Sweden 20, UK 3, US 23)

registered in other countries: 50 (Bahamas 12, Marshall Islands 4,

Philippines 34) (2008)

Bolivia

total: 23

by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 11, carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1,

petroleum tanker 7, refrigerated cargo 1, specialized tanker 1

foreign-owned: 7 (Bahamas 1, China 1, Iran 1, Singapore 1, Syria 2,

Taiwan 1) (2008)

Brazil

total: 136

by type: bulk carrier 19, cargo 22, carrier 1, chemical tanker 7,

container 11, liquefied gas 12, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker

45, roll on/roll off 7

foreign-owned: 25 (Chile 1, Denmark 2, Germany 6, Greece 1, Mexico

1, Norway 5, Spain 9)

registered in other countries: 8 (Argentina 1, Bahamas 2, Ghana 1,

Liberia 3, Marshall Islands 1) (2008)

British Virgin Islands

registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1)

(2008)

Brunei

total: 8

by type: liquefied gas 8

foreign-owned: 1 (UK 1) (2008)

Bulgaria

total: 74

by type: bulk carrier 37, cargo 14, chemical tanker 5, container 6,

liquefied gas 2, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll

off 4, specialized tanker 1

foreign-owned: 65 (Germany 63, Ireland 1, Russia 1)

registered in other countries: 31 (Comoros 2, Malta 5, Panama 3,

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 15, Slovakia 6) (2008)

Burma

total: 24

by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 17, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3,

specialized tanker 1

foreign-owned: 3 (Cyprus 1, Germany 1, Japan 1)

registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)

Cambodia

total: 626

by type: bulk carrier 41, cargo 530, carrier 3, chemical tanker 10,

container 8, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 11, refrigerated

cargo 15, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 1

foreign-owned: 467 (Canada 2, China 193, Cyprus 7, Egypt 13, Gabon

1, Greece 3, Hong Kong 8, Indonesia 2, Japan 1, South Korea 22,

Latvia 1, Lebanon 8, Netherlands 1, Romania 1, Russia 83, Singapore

4, Syria 48, Taiwan 1, Turkey 26, Ukraine 34, UAE 2, US 6) (2008)

Canada

total: 175

by type: bulk carrier 60, cargo 13, carrier 1, chemical tanker 10,

combination ore/oil 1, container 2, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 64,

petroleum tanker 12, roll on/roll off 6

foreign-owned: 17 (Germany 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 3, US 10)

registered in other countries: 206 (Australia 9, Bahamas 84,

Barbados 9, Cambodia 2, Cyprus 2, Denmark 1, Honduras 1, Hong Kong

44, Liberia 7, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 6, Norway 7, Norway 3,

Panama 18, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Spain 1, Spain 3,

Taiwan 2, Vanuatu 5) (2008)

Cape Verde

total: 8

by type: cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 5

foreign-owned: 2 (Spain 1, UK 1) (2008)

Cayman Islands

total: 109

by type: bulk carrier 30, cargo 2, chemical tanker 42, petroleum

tanker 15, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle

carrier 7

foreign-owned: 107 (Denmark 3, Germany 15, Greece 16, Italy 4, Japan

13, Norway 1, Singapore 10, UK 3, US 42) (2008)

Chile

total: 44

by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 7, chemical tanker 8, container 1,

liquefied gas 2, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 7,

roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 3

registered in other countries: 40 (Argentina 7, Brazil 1, Cyprus 1,

Isle of Man 6, Marshall Islands 4, Norway 2, Panama 12, Singapore 6,

Venezuela 1) (2008)

China

total: 1,826

by type: barge carrier 4, bulk carrier 451, cargo 689, carrier 2,

chemical tanker 69, combination ore/oil 1, container 162, liquefied

gas 44, passenger 8, passenger/cargo 83, petroleum tanker 244,

refrigerated cargo 33, roll on/roll off 10, specialized tanker 9,

vehicle carrier 17

foreign-owned: 20 (Ecuador 1, Greece 2, Hong Kong 12, Indonesia 1,

Japan 2, South Korea 1, Norway 1)

registered in other countries: 1,441 (Bahamas 10, Bangladesh 1,

Belize 71, Bermuda 10, Bolivia 1, Cambodia 193, Cyprus 10, France 5,

Georgia 10, Germany 2, Honduras 3, Hong Kong 324, India 1, Indonesia

2, Kiribati 15, South Korea 1, Liberia 11, Malta 12, Marshall

Islands 7, Mongolia 1, Norway 36, Panama 532, Philippines 4, Saint

Vincent and the Grenadines 94, Sierra Leone 15, Singapore 14,

Thailand 1, Tuvalu 16, unknown 39) (2008)

Colombia

total: 17

by type: cargo 13, petroleum tanker 3, specialized tanker 1

registered in other countries: 6 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Panama 4)

(2008)

Comoros

total: 136

by type: bulk carrier 15, cargo 87, carrier 2, chemical tanker 5,

container 2, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 9,

refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 8, specialized tanker 1

foreign-owned: 68 (Bangladesh 2, Bulgaria 2, Cyprus 1, Greece 6,

India 2, Kenya 1, Kuwait 1, Lebanon 4, Norway 1, Pakistan 4,

Philippines 1, Russia 12, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 1, Syria 4,

Turkey 8, Ukraine 8, UAE 7, US 2) (2008)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

total: 1

by type: petroleum tanker 1

foreign-owned: 1 (Congo, Republic of the 1) (2008)

Congo, Republic of the

registered in other countries: 1 (Congo,

Democratic Republic of the 1) (2008)

Cook Islands

total: 26

by type: cargo 14, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 1,

refrigerated cargo 8, roll on/roll off 2

foreign-owned: 17 (Latvia 1, Lithuania 1, NZ 1, Nigeria 1, Norway 5,

Sweden 8) (2008)

Costa Rica

total: 1

by type: passenger/cargo 1 (2008)

Croatia

total: 80

by type: bulk carrier 25, cargo 11, chemical tanker 3,

passenger/cargo 30, petroleum tanker 8, refrigerated cargo 1, roll

on/roll off 2

registered in other countries: 30 (Bahamas 1, Belize 2, Liberia 2,

Malta 9, Marshall Islands 6, Panama 3, Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines 7) (2008)

Cuba

total: 11

by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 3, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 3,

refrigerated cargo 2

foreign-owned: 1 (Spain 1)

registered in other countries: 13 (Bahamas 1, Cyprus 1, Netherlands

Antilles 1, Panama 10) (2008)

Cyprus

total: 858

by type: bulk carrier 295, cargo 182, chemical tanker 63, container

193, liquefied gas 10, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 24, petroleum

tanker 58, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 12, specialized

tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5

foreign-owned: 690 (Austria 1, Belgium 2, Canada 2, Chile 1, China

10, Cuba 1, Denmark 4, Estonia 5, Germany 189, Greece 259, Hong Kong

2, India 2, Iran 10, Ireland 3, Israel 4, Italy 7, Japan 21, South

Korea 1, Latvia 1, Lebanon 1, Netherlands 22, Norway 18, Philippines

1, Poland 18, Portugal 1, Russia 50, Singapore 3, Slovenia 4, Spain

6, Sweden 2, Syria 2, Ukraine 4, UAE 9, UK 19, US 5)

registered in other countries: 256 (Antigua and Barbuda 18, Bahamas

25, Belize 1, Burma 1, Cambodia 7, Comoros 1, Georgia 1, Germany 2,

Gibraltar 1, Greece 7, Liberia 63, Malta 31, Marshall Islands 37,

Netherlands 8, Netherlands Antilles 21, Panama 19, Poland 1, Russia

2, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1,

Samoa 1, Singapore 1, Tonga 1, Turkey 2, UK 2, unknown 1) (2008)

Czech Republic

registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and

the Grenadines 1) (2008)

Denmark

total: 327

by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 63, carrier 2, chemical tanker 78,

container 84, liquefied gas 2, passenger/cargo 42, petroleum tanker

29, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 8, specialized tanker 4

foreign-owned: 26 (Canada 1, Germany 1, Germany 9, Greece 4, Iceland

2, Norway 3, Sweden 6)

registered in other countries: 534 (Antigua and Barbuda 19, Bahamas

67, Belgium 4, Brazil 2, Cayman Islands 3, Cyprus 4, Egypt 1,

Estonia 1, France 2, Germany 1, Gibraltar 7, Hong Kong 24, Isle of

Man 29, Italy 3, Jamaica 2, Liberia 12, Lithuania 5, Luxembourg 1,

Malta 30, Marshall Islands 10, Mexico 2, Netherlands 29, Netherlands

Antilles 2, Norway 25, Panama 40, Portugal 3, Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines 16, Singapore 87, South Africa 1, Spain 1, Spain 1,

Sweden 4, Togo 1, UAE 1, UK 62, US 31, Venezuela 1) (2008)

Dominica

total: 53

by type: bulk carrier 14, cargo 27, chemical tanker 3, petroleum

tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 1

foreign-owned: 47 (Australia 2, Estonia 7, Greece 10, India 2,

Latvia 1, Norway 1, Russia 3, Saudi Arabia 2, Singapore 7, Syria 2,

Turkey 5, Ukraine 4, UAE 1) (2008)

Dominican Republic

total: 1

by type: cargo 1

registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)

Ecuador

total: 37

by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger 8,

petroleum tanker 24, refrigerated cargo 1, specialized tanker 1

foreign-owned: 1 (US 1)

registered in other countries: 5 (China 1, Panama 4) (2008)

Egypt

total: 67

by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 28, container 2, passenger/cargo 4,

petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll off 9

foreign-owned: 10 (Denmark 1, Greece 8, Lebanon 1)

registered in other countries: 58 (Cambodia 13, Georgia 12, Honduras

3, North Korea 1, Malta 1, Moldova 1, Panama 17, Saint Kitts and

Nevis 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, Saudi Arabia 1, Sierra

Leone 3, Togo 1) (2008)

Equatorial Guinea

total: 1

by type: cargo 1 (2008)

Eritrea

total: 5

by type: cargo 2, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll

off 1 (2008)

Estonia

total: 29

by type: cargo 5, passenger/cargo 21, petroleum tanker 2, chemical

tanker 1

foreign-owned: 4 (Denmark 1, Germany 1, Norway 2)

registered in other countries: 85 (Antigua and Barbuda 23, Belize 6,

Cyprus 5, Dominica 7, Finland 2, Latvia 2, Liberia 1, Malta 11,

Norway 1, Panama 5, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines 16, Sweden 2, Vanuatu 1) (2008)

Ethiopia total: 9 by type: cargo 8, roll on/roll off 1 (2008)

Faroe Islands

total: 12

by type: cargo 9, passenger/cargo 3

foreign-owned: 5 (Iceland 1, Norway 4) (2008)

Fiji

total: 9

by type: passenger 3, passenger/cargo 4, roll on/roll off 2

foreign-owned: 1 (Australia 1) (2008)

Finland

total: 98

by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 28, carrier 1, chemical tanker 6,

container 3, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 18, petroleum tanker 5,

roll on/roll off 27, vehicle carrier 2

foreign-owned: 8 (Estonia 2, Germany 1, Norway 3, Sweden 2)

registered in other countries: 47 (Bahamas 9, Germany 4, Gibraltar

3, Netherlands 14, Norway 1, Panama 2, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1,

Sweden 12, UK 1) (2008)

France

total: 138

by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 1, chemical tanker 32, container 25,

liquefied gas 12, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 33, petroleum tanker

23, roll on/roll off 7

foreign-owned: 38 (Belgium 6, China 5, Denmark 2, Germany 1, Italy

2, Japan 1, NZ 1, Norway 5, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 2, Sweden 9,

Switzerland 1, Switzerland 2)

registered in other countries: 127 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Australia

1, Bahamas 30, Belgium 2, Bermuda 1, Hong Kong 1, Indonesia 1, Isle

of Man 1, Italy 2, Liberia 5, Luxembourg 17, Malta 5, Morocco 14,

Netherlands 1, Norway 3, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

6, Singapore 1, Taiwan 1, UK 23, Wallis and Futuna 6) (2008)

French Polynesia

total: 15

by type: cargo 6, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 5, refrigerated cargo

1, roll on/roll off 1

registered in other countries: 2 (Wallis and Futuna 2) (2008)

Gabon

registered in other countries: 2 (Cambodia 1, Panama 1) (2008)

Gambia, The

total: 5

by type: passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 1 (2008)

Georgia

total: 191

by type: bulk carrier 18, cargo 148, carrier 2, chemical tanker 1,

container 4, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 4,

refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 4, vehicle carrier 2

foreign-owned: 153 (China 10, Cyprus 1, Egypt 12, Germany 2, Greece

5, Hong Kong 2, Israel 2, Lebanon 4, Monaco 4, Nigeria 1, Romania

16, Russia 12, Syria 49, Turkey 14, Ukraine 18, UAE 1) (2008)

Germany

total: 393

by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 43, chemical tanker 13, container

284, liquefied gas 5, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 27, petroleum

tanker 11, roll on/roll off 3

foreign-owned: 11 (China 2, Cyprus 2, Denmark 1, Finland 4,

Netherlands 1, Sweden 1)

registered in other countries: 2,998 (Antigua and Barbuda 941,

Australia 2, Bahamas 44, Bermuda 22, Brazil 6, Bulgaria 63, Burma 1,

Canada 3, Cayman Islands 15, Cyprus 189, Denmark 9, Denmark 1,

Estonia 1, Finland 1, France 1, Georgia 2, Gibraltar 129, Hong Kong

6, India 2, Indonesia 1, Isle of Man 56, Jamaica 4, Liberia 849,

Luxembourg 5, Malaysia 1, Malta 91, Marshall Islands 235, Mongolia

4, Morocco 2, Netherlands 75, Netherlands Antilles 43, Norway 1, NZ

1, Panama 44, Portugal 2, Portugal 18, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and

the Grenadines 3, Singapore 24, Slovakia 3, Spain 1, Spain 4, Sri

Lanka 5, Sweden 5, Turkey 1, UK 76, US 5) (2008)

Ghana

total: 4

by type: petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3

foreign-owned: 1 (Brazil 1) (2008)

Gibraltar

total: 240

by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 125, chemical tanker 51, container

43, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 10, roll on/roll off 5

foreign-owned: 225 (Belgium 2, Cyprus 1, Denmark 7, Finland 3,

Germany 129, Greece 6, Iceland 1, Morocco 4, Netherlands 21, Norway

33, Sweden 13, UAE 3, UK 2)

registered in other countries: 7 (Liberia 5, Panama 1, Saint Vincent

and the Grenadines 1) (2008)

Greece

total: 869

by type: bulk carrier 260, cargo 66, carrier 1, chemical tanker 66,

combination ore/oil 2, container 45, liquefied gas 10, passenger 13,

passenger/cargo 115, petroleum tanker 274, roll on/roll off 15,

specialized tanker 2

foreign-owned: 64 (Belgium 16, Cyprus 7, Turkey 1, UK 32, US 8)

registered in other countries: 2,357 (Antigua and Barbuda 3, Bahamas

209, Barbados 12, Belize 1, Bermuda 9, Brazil 1, Cambodia 3, Cayman

Islands 16, China 2, Comoros 6, Cyprus 259, Denmark 4, Dominica 10,

Egypt 8, Georgia 5, Gibraltar 6, Honduras 4, Hong Kong 22, Isle of

Man 50, Italy 6, Jamaica 6, North Korea 1, Lebanon 2, Liberia 358,

Maldives 1, Malta 452, Marshall Islands 269, Norway 3, Panama 510,

Philippines 4, Portugal 4, Russia 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint

Vincent and the Grenadines 71, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Saudi Arabia

3, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 15, Slovakia 2, Turkey 1, UAE 3,

Uruguay 1, Vanuatu 1, Venezuela 3, unknown 5) (2008)

Greenland

total: 2

by type: cargo 1, passenger 1 (2008)

Guyana

total: 8

by type: cargo 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1

registered in other countries: 3 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

2, unknown 1) (2008)

Honduras

total: 123

by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 57, chemical tanker 6, container 1,

liquefied gas 1, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker

25, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1

foreign-owned: 42 (Bangladesh 1, Canada 1, China 3, Egypt 3, Greece

4, Hong Kong 1, Israel 1, Japan 4, South Korea 6, Lebanon 1, Mexico

1, Singapore 12, Taiwan 2, Tanzania 1, Vietnam 1) (2008)

Hong Kong

total: 1,114

by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 525, cargo 142, carrier 3,

chemical tanker 68, combination ore/oil 2, container 205, liquefied

gas 22, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 114, roll

on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 9, vehicle carrier 7

foreign-owned: 703 (Belgium 3, Canada 44, China 324, Denmark 24,

France 1, Germany 6, Greece 22, Indonesia 7, Iran 15, Japan 111,

South Korea 3, Norway 40, Philippines 1, Portugal 1, Russia 2,

Singapore 18, Syria 1, Taiwan 11, UAE 1, UK 39, US 29)

registered in other countries: 357 (Bahamas 30, Bermuda 4, Cambodia

8, China 12, Cyprus 2, Georgia 2, Honduras 1, India 1, Jamaica 1,

Kiribati 4, Liberia 44, Malaysia 14, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 4,

Mexico 1, Netherlands Antilles 2, Norway 20, Panama 130, Philippines

1, Portugal 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Seychelles 1,

Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 47, Tuvalu 7, UK 2, Vietnam 1, unknown 8)

(2008)

Iceland

total: 2

by type: passenger/cargo 2

registered in other countries: 37 (Antigua and Barbuda 12, Bahamas

1, Belize 2, Denmark 2, Faroe Islands 1, Gibraltar 1, Malta 5,

Marshall Islands 3, Norway 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 7)

(2008)

India

total: 501

by type: bulk carrier 102, cargo 241, carrier 1, chemical tanker 19,

container 13, liquefied gas 18, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 11,

petroleum tanker 92, roll on/roll off 1

foreign-owned: 12 (China 1, Germany 2, Hong Kong 1, UAE 6, UK 2)

registered in other countries: 61 (Barbados 1, Comoros 2, Cyprus 2,

Dominica 2, Liberia 2, Malta 2, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 27, Saint

Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 7, Singapore 13,

unknown 1) (2008)

Indonesia

total: 971

by type: bulk carrier 54, cargo 514, chemical tanker 35, container

80, liquefied gas 7, passenger 44, passenger/cargo 68, petroleum

tanker 143, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 10, specialized

tanker 10, vehicle carrier 4

foreign-owned: 43 (China 2, France 1, Germany 1, Japan 6, Norway 1,

Philippines 1, Singapore 27, Taiwan 2, UAE 2)

registered in other countries: 114 (Bahamas 2, Cambodia 2, China 1,

Hong Kong 7, Liberia 2, Mongolia 1, Panama 31, Singapore 66, unknown

2) (2008)

Iran

total: 74

by type: bulk carrier 18, cargo 34, chemical tanker 4, container 6,

liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated

cargo 2, roll on/roll off 3

foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1)

registered in other countries: 115 (Barbados 2, Bolivia 1, Cyprus

10, Hong Kong 15, Malta 79, Panama 7, Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines 1) (2008)

Iraq

total: 14

by type: cargo 10, petroleum tanker 4 (2008)

Ireland

total: 29

by type: cargo 25, chemical tanker 2, container 1, roll on/roll off 1

foreign-owned: 2 (US 2)

registered in other countries: 21 (Bahamas 2, Bermuda 1, Bulgaria 1,

Cyprus 3, Isle of Man 1, Marshall Islands 1, Netherlands 10,

Slovakia 1, UK 1) (2008)

Isle of Man

total: 273

by type: bulk carrier 31, cargo 50, chemical tanker 48, container

12, liquefied gas 41, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 73,

refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 8, vehicle carrier 5

foreign-owned: 181 (Chile 6, Denmark 29, France 1, Germany 56,

Greece 50, Ireland 1, Japan 6, Monaco 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 20,

Singapore 1, Sweden 1, Turkey 2, US 4)

registered in other countries: 7 (Bahamas 1, Liberia 5, Marshall

Islands 1) (2008)

Israel

total: 11

by type: cargo 2, container 9

registered in other countries: 60 (Bermuda 3, Cyprus 4, Georgia 2,

Honduras 1, Liberia 23, Malta 18, Panama 3, Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines 2, Slovakia 4) (2008)

Italy

total: 609

by type: bulk carrier 60, cargo 47, carrier 2, chemical tanker 159,

combination ore/oil 1, container 25, liquefied gas 27, passenger 22,

passenger/cargo 154, petroleum tanker 35, refrigerated cargo 4, roll

on/roll off 33, specialized tanker 13, vehicle carrier 27

foreign-owned: 64 (Denmark 3, France 2, Greece 6, Japan 1, Lebanon

1, Nigeria 1, Norway 2, Portugal 1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 8, Taiwan

13, Turkey 1, UK 7, US 17)

registered in other countries: 208 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas

4, Belize 3, Cayman Islands 4, Cyprus 7, France 2, Liberia 41, Malta

50, Marshall Islands 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 4, Panama 28, Portugal

12, Russia 4, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines 17, Singapore 5, Slovakia 2, Spain 2, Sweden 9, Turkey 3,

UK 5) (2008)

Jamaica

total: 20

by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 6, carrier 1, container 4, roll

on/roll off 3

foreign-owned: 17 (Denmark 2, Germany 4, Greece 6, Hong Kong 1,

Latvia 1, Russia 3) (2008)

Japan

total: 683

by type: bulk carrier 136, cargo 30, carrier 3, chemical tanker 27,

container 11, liquefied gas 59, passenger 12, passenger/cargo 135,

petroleum tanker 156, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 51,

vehicle carrier 61

registered in other countries: 3,074 (Australia 1, Bahamas 87,

Belize 8, Bermuda 2, Burma 1, Cambodia 1, Cayman Islands 13, China

2, Cyprus 21, France 1, Honduras 4, Hong Kong 111, Indonesia 6, Isle

of Man 6, Italy 1, South Korea 20, Liberia 116, Malaysia 4, Malta 8,

Marshall Islands 17, Nigeria 1, Norway 29, Panama 2335, Philippines

81, Portugal 15, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines 3, Singapore 131, Thailand 4, UK 4, US 7, Vanuatu 29,

Vietnam 1, unknown 1) (2008)

Jordan

total: 21

by type: cargo 8, container 1, passenger/cargo 7, petroleum tanker

2, roll on/roll off 3

foreign-owned: 13 (UAE 13)

registered in other countries: 24 (Algeria 7, Bahamas 2, Panama 13,

Syria 2) (2008)

Kazakhstan

total: 5

by type: petroleum tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 1 (2008)

Kenya

total: 1

by type: petroleum tanker 1

registered in other countries: 6 (Bahamas 1, Comoros 1, Saint

Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Tuvalu 1, unknown 1) (2008)

Kiribati

total: 43

by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 18, chemical tanker 3, petroleum

tanker 6, refrigerated cargo 14

foreign-owned: 31 (China 15, Hong Kong 4, South Korea 2, Singapore

4, Taiwan 5, Turkey 1) (2008)

Korea, North

total: 167

by type: bulk carrier 11, cargo 121, carrier 1, chemical tanker 4,

container 3, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 19, refrigerated

cargo 4, roll on/roll off 1

foreign-owned: 19 (Egypt 1, Greece 1, Lebanon 1, Lithuania 1,

Romania 4, Syria 1, UAE 8, Yemen 2)

registered in other countries: 2 (Mongolia 1, Panama 1) (2008)

Korea, South

total: 812

by type: bulk carrier 212, cargo 226, carrier 2, chemical tanker

133, container 80, liquefied gas 33, passenger 5, passenger/cargo

26, petroleum tanker 61, refrigerated cargo 16, roll on/roll off 9,

specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 5

foreign-owned: 31 (China 1, Japan 20, Norway 2, UK 1, US 7)

registered in other countries: 363 (Belize 1, Cambodia 22, China 1,

Cyprus 1, Honduras 6, Hong Kong 3, Kiribati 2, Liberia 3, Malta 2,

Marshall Islands 10, Mongolia 1, Netherlands 1, Panama 303, Russia

1, Singapore 3, Tuvalu 1, unknown 2) (2008)

Kuwait

total: 38

by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 1, carrier 3, container 6, liquefied

gas 4, petroleum tanker 22

registered in other countries: 34 (Bahrain 5, Comoros 1, Libya 1,

Panama 2, Qatar 7, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saudi Arabia 7, UAE 10)

(2008)

Laos

total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT

by type: cargo 1 (2008)

Latvia

total: 22

by type: cargo 8, chemical tanker 3, liquefied gas 2,

passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2

foreign-owned: 2 (Estonia 2)

registered in other countries: 118 (Antigua and Barbuda 13, Belize

12, Cambodia 1, Cook Islands 1, Cyprus 1, Dominica 1, Jamaica 1,

Liberia 21, Malta 19, Marshall Islands 16, Panama 8, Russia 2, Saint

Kitts and Nevis 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 17) (2008)

Lebanon

total: 33

by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 13, carrier 11, passenger/cargo 1,

refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 2, vehicle carrier 2

foreign-owned: 4 (Greece 2, Syria 2)

registered in other countries: 55 (Barbados 1, Cambodia 8, Comoros

4, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Georgia 4, Honduras 1, Italy 1, North Korea 1,

Liberia 2, Malta 11, Mongolia 2, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines 6, Sierra Leone 1, Syria 3, Togo 1, unknown 2) (2008)

Liberia

total: 2,204

by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 390, cargo 107, chemical

tanker 241, combination ore/oil 7, container 750, liquefied gas 84,

passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 460, refrigerated

cargo 103, roll on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 12, vehicle

carrier 36

foreign-owned: 2,109 (Argentina 3, Belgium 4, Brazil 3, Canada 7,

China 11, Croatia 2, Cyprus 63, Denmark 12, Estonia 1, France 5,

Germany 849, Gibraltar 5, Greece 358, Hong Kong 44, India 2,

Indonesia 2, Isle of Man 5, Israel 23, Italy 41, Japan 116, South

Korea 3, Latvia 21, Lebanon 2, Mexico 2, Monaco 8, Netherlands 6,

Nigeria 2, Norway 40, Poland 13, Qatar 4, Romania 2, Russia 94,

Saudi Arabia 27, Singapore 32, Slovenia 3, Sweden 10, Switzerland

13, Taiwan 91, Turkey 7, Ukraine 25, UAE 23, UK 20, US 98, Uruguay

3, Vietnam 4) (2008)

Libya

total: 17

by type: cargo 9, liquefied gas 3, petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll

off 1

foreign-owned: 4 (Kuwait 1, Norway 1, Syria 2)

registered in other countries: 3 (Malta 3) (2008)

Lithuania

total: 45

by type: cargo 23, container 2, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker

1, refrigerated cargo 13

foreign-owned: 6 (Denmark 5, Ukraine 1)

registered in other countries: 28 (Antigua and Barbuda 5, Cook

Islands 1, North Korea 1, Malta 1, Norway 1, Panama 7, Saint Vincent

and the Grenadines 9, unknown 3) (2008)

Luxembourg

total: 45

by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 3, chemical tanker 15, container 4,

liquefied gas 1, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3,

roll on/roll off 9

foreign-owned: 44 (Belgium 7, Denmark 1, France 17, Germany 5,

Netherlands 2, UK 8, US 4)

registered in other countries: 1 (Ukraine 1) (2008)

Madagascar

total: 8

by type: cargo 4, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2 (2008)

Malaysia

total: 306

by type: bulk carrier 12, cargo 97, carrier 1, chemical tanker 34,

container 46, liquefied gas 33, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker

71, roll on/roll off 3, vehicle carrier 4

foreign-owned: 40 (Germany 1, Hong Kong 14, Japan 4, Russia 2,

Singapore 16, Sweden 3)

registered in other countries: 68 (Bahamas 13, Marshall Islands 3,

Norway 1, Panama 12, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1,

Singapore 27, Thailand 3, Tuvalu 1, US 2, unknown 4) (2008)

Maldives

total: 29

by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 23, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated

cargo 2

foreign-owned: 1 (Greece 1)

registered in other countries: 2 (Panama 1, Tuvalu 1) (2008)

Malta

total: 1,438

by type: bulk carrier 459, cargo 411, carrier 2, chemical tanker

171, container 80, liquefied gas 25, passenger 29, passenger/cargo

15, petroleum tanker 159, refrigerated cargo 32, roll on/roll off

37, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 17

foreign-owned: 1,343 (Austria 1, Azerbaijan 2, Bangladesh 2, Belgium

15, Bulgaria 5, Canada 1, China 12, Croatia 9, Cyprus 31, Denmark

30, Egypt 1, Estonia 11, France 5, Germany 91, Greece 452, Hong Kong

1, Iceland 5, India 2, Iran 79, Israel 18, Italy 50, Japan 8, South

Korea 2, Latvia 19, Lebanon 11, Libya 3, Lithuania 1, Norway 93,

Pakistan 2, Poland 24, Portugal 3, Romania 8, Russia 58, Slovenia 4,

Spain 3, Sweden 2, Switzerland 20, Syria 6, Turkey 176, Ukraine 30,

UAE 5, UK 19, US 23)

registered in other countries: 3 (Panama 3) (2008)

Marshall Islands

total: 1,049

by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 284, cargo 71, carrier 1,

chemical tanker 191, combination ore/oil 4, container 188, liquefied

gas 47, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 221,

refrigerated cargo 13, roll on/roll off 14, specialized tanker 2,

vehicle carrier 6

foreign-owned: 990 (Australia 1, Bermuda 4, Brazil 1, Canada 6,

Chile 4, China 7, Croatia 6, Cyprus 37, Denmark 10, Germany 235,

Greece 269, Hong Kong 4, Iceland 3, India 1, Ireland 1, Isle of Man

1, Italy 3, Japan 17, South Korea 10, Latvia 16, Malaysia 3, Mexico

4, Monaco 13, Netherlands 8, Norway 66, Pakistan 1, Panama 1,

Romania 1, Russia 9, Saudi Arabia 5, Singapore 18, Slovenia 4, Spain

1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 12, Taiwan 1, Turkey 50, UAE 15, UK 9, UK

9, US 123) (2008)

Mauritius

total: 3

by type: passenger/cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 1 (2008)

Mexico

total: 55

by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 7, chemical tanker 5, liquefied gas

4, passenger/cargo 11, petroleum tanker 23, roll on/roll off 3

foreign-owned: 4 (Denmark 2, Hong Kong 1, UAE 1)

registered in other countries: 20 (Brazil 1, Honduras 1, Liberia 2,

Marshall Islands 4, Panama 2, Portugal 1, Spain 3, Venezuela 5,

unknown 1) (2008)

Micronesia, Federated States of

total: 3

by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 2 (2008)

Moldova

total: 39

by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 32, chemical tanker 2, combination

ore/oil 2, petroleum tanker 1

foreign-owned: 17 (Egypt 1, Romania 3, Russia 3, Syria 1, Turkey 3,

Ukraine 5, Yemen 1) (2008)

Monaco

registered in other countries: 70 (Bahamas 15, Georgia 4,

Isle of Man 3, Liberia 8, Marshall Islands 13, Norway 5, Panama 16,

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Vanuatu 1) (2008)

Mongolia

total: 77

by type: bulk carrier 20, cargo 44, chemical tanker 2, liquefied gas

1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 6,

vehicle carrier 1

foreign-owned: 53 (China 1, Germany 4, Indonesia 1, North Korea 1,

South Korea 1, Lebanon 2, Russia 9, Singapore 9, Thailand 1, Ukraine

1, Vietnam 23) (2008)

Montenegro

total: 6

by type: cargo 5, passenger/cargo 1

registered in other countries: 3 (Bahamas 2, Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines 1) (2008)

Morocco

total: 35

by type: cargo 3, chemical tanker 6, container 8, passenger/cargo

13, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 4

foreign-owned: 16 (France 14, Germany 2)

registered in other countries: 4 (Gibraltar 4) (2008)

Mozambique

total: 2

by type: cargo 2

foreign-owned: 2 (Belgium 2) (2008)

Namibia

total: 1

by type: cargo 1

registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

1) (2008)

Netherlands

total: 622

by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 381, carrier 19, chemical tanker 44,

container 76, liquefied gas 15, passenger 16, passenger/cargo 15,

petroleum tanker 11, refrigerated cargo 10, roll on/roll off 23,

specialized tanker 3

foreign-owned: 203 (Belgium 2, Cyprus 8, Denmark 29, Finland 14,

France 1, Germany 75, Ireland 10, Italy 1, South Korea 1, Norway 12,

Sweden 28, Turkey 1, UAE 5, UK 2, US 14)

registered in other countries: 178 (Antigua and Barbuda 20,

Australia 2, Austria 2, Bahamas 9, Cambodia 1, Canada 1, Cyprus 22,

Germany 1, Gibraltar 21, Isle of Man 1, Liberia 6, Luxembourg 2,

Marshall Islands 8, Netherlands Antilles 38, Panama 14, Paraguay 1,

Philippines 23, Portugal 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, US

1, unknown 1) (2008)

Netherlands Antilles

total: 147

by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 2, cargo 72, carrier 19,

chemical tanker 2, container 8, liquefied gas 1, passenger 2,

petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 27, roll on/roll off 6,

specialized tanker 3

foreign-owned: 123 (Belgium 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 21, Denmark 2, Germany

43, Hong Kong 2, Netherlands 38, Norway 3, Sweden 1, Turkey 10, US

1) (2008)

New Caledonia

total: 2

by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2008)

New Zealand

total: 13

by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo

4, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 2

foreign-owned: 3 (Australia 1, Germany 1, South Africa 1)

registered in other countries: 5 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Cook

Islands 1, France 1, UK 1) (2008)

Nigeria

total: 68

by type: cargo 4, chemical tanker 12, combination ore/oil 1,

liquefied gas 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 46, specialized

tanker 2

foreign-owned: 3 (Japan 1, South Africa 1, Spain 1)

registered in other countries: 34 (Bahamas 2, Bermuda 11, Cook

Islands 1, Georgia 1, Italy 1, Liberia 2, Panama 10, Poland 1,

Seychelles 1, Sierra Leone 1, unknown 3) (2008)

Norway

total: 688

by type: bulk carrier 46, cargo 141, carrier 3, chemical tanker 137,

combination ore/oil 12, container 4, liquefied gas 65,

passenger/cargo 117, petroleum tanker 85, refrigerated cargo 14,

roll on/roll off 13, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 50

foreign-owned: 199 (Canada 3, Canada 7, Chile 2, China 36, Denmark

25, Estonia 1, Finland 1, France 3, Germany 1, Greece 3, Hong Kong

20, Iceland 3, Italy 4, Japan 29, Lithuania 1, Malaysia 1, Monaco 5,

Poland 3, Saudi Arabia 3, Singapore 1, Sweden 34, UK 5, US 8)

registered in other countries: 923 (Antigua and Barbuda 8, Australia

1, Bahamas 189, Barbados 38, Belize 3, Bermuda 5, Brazil 5, Canada

3, Cayman Islands 1, China 1, Comoros 1, Cook Islands 5, Cyprus 18,

Denmark 1, Denmark 2, Dominica 1, Estonia 2, Faroe Islands 4,

Finland 3, France 5, Gibraltar 33, Hong Kong 40, Indonesia 1, Isle

of Man 20, Italy 2, South Korea 2, Liberia 40, Libya 1, Malta 93,

Marshall Islands 66, Netherlands 12, Netherlands Antilles 3, Panama

89, Philippines 10, Russia 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13,

Singapore 143, Spain 5, Sweden 7, Tuvalu 1, UK 31, US 9, unknown 4)

(2008)

Oman

total: 3

by type: chemical tanker 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1

registered in other countries: 2 (Panama 2) (2008)

Pakistan

total: 15

by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 10, petroleum tanker 4

registered in other countries: 19 (Comoros 4, Malta 2, Marshall

Islands 1, Panama 9, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3) (2008)

Panama

total: 6,323

by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 2,143, cargo 1,208, carrier

13, chemical tanker 565, combination ore/oil 6, container 790,

liquefied gas 189, passenger 44, passenger/cargo 71, petroleum

tanker 557, refrigerated cargo 265, roll on/roll off 128,

specialized tanker 29, vehicle carrier 313

foreign-owned: 5,394 (Albania 2, Argentina 8, Australia 4,

Azerbaijan 1, Bahamas 9, Bangladesh 2, Belgium 2, British Virgin

Islands 1, Bulgaria 3, Burma 1, Canada 18, Chile 12, China 532,

Colombia 4, Croatia 3, Cuba 10, Cyprus 19, Denmark 40, Dominican

Republic 1, Ecuador 4, Egypt 17, Estonia 5, Finland 2, France 5,

Gabon 1, Germany 44, Gibraltar 1, Greece 510, Hong Kong 130, India

27, Indonesia 31, Iran 7, Israel 3, Italy 28, Japan 2,335, Jordan

13, North Korea 1, South Korea 303, Kuwait 2, Latvia 8, Lebanon 5,

Lithuania 7, Malaysia 12, Maldives 1, Malta 3, Mexico 2, Monaco 16,

Netherlands 14, Nigeria 10, Norway 89, Oman 2, Pakistan 9, Peru 16,

Philippines 7, Poland 11, Portugal 9, Qatar 1, Romania 7, Russia 18,

Saudi Arabia 16, Singapore 100, Spain 50, Sri Lanka 1, Sweden 6,

Switzerland 25, Syria 32, Taiwan 320, Thailand 10, Tunisia 1, Turkey

94, Turks and Caicos Islands 1, Ukraine 10, UAE 109, UK 59, US 126,

Venezuela 10, Vietnam 30, Yemen 6)

registered in other countries: 3 (Marshall Islands 1, Sierra Leone

1, Venezuela 1) (2008)

Papua New Guinea

total: 21

by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 17, petroleum tanker 2

foreign-owned: 6 (UAE 6) (2008)

Paraguay

total: 23

by type: cargo 18, carrier 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll

on/roll off 1

foreign-owned: 6 (Argentina 5, Netherlands 1) (2008)

Peru

total: 8

by type: cargo 3, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 4

foreign-owned: 1 (Bahamas 1)

registered in other countries: 17 (Belize 1, Panama 16) (2008)

Philippines

total: 391

by type: bulk carrier 75, cargo 125, carrier 16, chemical tanker 17,

container 6, liquefied gas 5, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 68,

petroleum tanker 36, refrigerated cargo 15, roll on/roll off 11,

vehicle carrier 11

foreign-owned: 161 (Bermuda 34, China 4, Greece 4, Hong Kong 1,

Japan 81, Malaysia 1, Netherlands 23, Norway 10, Singapore 1, Taiwan

1, UAE 1)

registered in other countries: 11 (Comoros 1, Cyprus 1, Hong Kong 1,

Indonesia 1, Panama 7) (2008)

Poland

total: 15

by type: cargo 8, chemical tanker 4, passenger/cargo 1, roll on/roll

off 1, vehicle carrier 1

foreign-owned: 2 (Cyprus 1, Nigeria 1)

registered in other countries: 98 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Bahamas

17, Cyprus 18, Liberia 13, Malta 24, Norway 3, Panama 11, Saint

Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Slovakia 2, Vanuatu 7) (2008)

Portugal

total: 117

by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 36, carrier 1, chemical tanker 15,

container 6, liquefied gas 9, passenger 10, passenger/cargo 9,

petroleum tanker 4, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1,

vehicle carrier 15

foreign-owned: 84 (Bahamas 1, Belgium 7, Belgium 1, Denmark 3,

Germany 20, Greece 4, Hong Kong 2, Italy 12, Japan 15, Mexico 1,

Netherlands 1, Spain 11, Sweden 3, Switzerland 2, US 1)

registered in other countries: 15 (Cyprus 1, Hong Kong 1, Italy 1,

Malta 3, Panama 9) (2008)

Puerto Rico

total: 3

by type: roll on/roll off 3

foreign-owned: 3 (US 3)

registered in other countries: 1 (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

1) (2008)

Qatar

total: 22

by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 2, chemical tanker 2, container 8,

liquefied gas 4, petroleum tanker 4

foreign-owned: 7 (Kuwait 7)

registered in other countries: 5 (Liberia 4, Panama 1) (2008)

Romania

total: 17

by type: cargo 11, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker

2, roll on/roll off 1

registered in other countries: 49 (Cambodia 1, Georgia 16, North

Korea 4, Liberia 2, Malta 8, Marshall Islands 1, Moldova 3, Panama

7, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1,

Sierra Leone 3, Syria 2) (2008)

Russia

total: 1,074

by type: bulk carrier 25, cargo 663, carrier 2, chemical tanker 27,

combination ore/oil 34, container 11, passenger 14, passenger/cargo

7, petroleum tanker 217, refrigerated cargo 59, roll on/roll off 10,

specialized tanker 5

foreign-owned: 112 (Belgium 4, Cyprus 2, Germany 1, Greece 1, Italy

4, South Korea 1, Latvia 2, Norway 2, Switzerland 3, Turkey 80,

Ukraine 11, US 1)

registered in other countries: 486 (Antigua and Barbuda 4, Bahamas

4, Belize 31, Bulgaria 1, Cambodia 83, Comoros 12, Cyprus 50,

Dominica 3, Georgia 12, Hong Kong 2, Jamaica 3, Liberia 94, Malaysia

2, Malta 58, Marshall Islands 9, Moldova 3, Mongolia 9, Panama 18,

Saint Kitts and Nevis 19, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 21,

Sierra Leone 11, Slovakia 1, Tuvalu 2, Ukraine 1, Vanuatu 2, unknown

31) (2008)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

total: 159

by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 109, chemical tanker 7, container 1,

liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker

19, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1

foreign-owned: 121 (Belgium 1, Cyprus 1, Egypt 2, Estonia 3, Finland

1, Greece 3, India 1, Italy 1, Japan 3, Kuwait 1, Latvia 5, Malaysia

1, Pakistan 3, Romania 1, Russia 19, Singapore 1, Spain 1, Syria 7,

Turkey 35, Ukraine 9, UAE 18, UK 3, Yemen 1) (2008)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

total: 525

by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 83, cargo 315, carrier 20,

chemical tanker 2, liquefied gas 6, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 17,

petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 20, roll on/roll off 18,

specialized tanker 2, container 21

foreign-owned: 476 (Austria 2, Barbados 1, Belgium 8, Bulgaria 15,

Canada 1, China 94, Croatia 7, Cyprus 1, Czech Republic 1, Denmark

16, Egypt 3, Estonia 16, France 6, Germany 3, Gibraltar 1, Greece

71, Guyana 2, Hong Kong 6, Iceland 7, India 7, Iran 1, Israel 2,

Italy 17, Japan 3, Kenya 2, Latvia 17, Lebanon 6, Lithuania 9,

Monaco 5, Montenegro 1, Namibia 1, Netherlands 3, Norway 13, Poland

1, Puerto Rico 1, Romania 1, Russia 21, Singapore 4, Slovenia 5,

South Africa 1, Sweden 2, Switzerland 6, Syria 13, Turkey 20,

Ukraine 11, UAE 9, UK 13, UK 1, US 18, Venezuela 1) (2008)

Samoa

total: 1

by type: cargo 1

foreign-owned: 1 (Cyprus 1) (2008)

Sao Tome and Principe

total: 6

by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 5

foreign-owned: 1 (Greece 1) (2008)

Saudi Arabia

total: 62

by type: cargo 5, chemical tanker 13, container 5, passenger/cargo

8, petroleum tanker 20, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 8

foreign-owned: 12 (Egypt 1, Greece 3, Kuwait 7, UAE 1)

registered in other countries: 71 (Bahamas 16, Comoros 1, Dominica

2, France 1, Liberia 27, Marshall Islands 5, Norway 3, Panama 16)

(2008)

Seychelles

total: 8

by type: cargo 1, carrier 1, chemical tanker 6

foreign-owned: 3 (Hong Kong 1, Nigeria 1, South Africa 1) (2008)

Sierra Leone

total: 182

by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 143, carrier 2, chemical tanker 3,

container 6, liquefied gas 2, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 6,

petroleum tanker 10, roll on/roll off 3, specialized tanker 2

foreign-owned: 95 (Belgium 1, China 15, Egypt 3, Greece 1, Hong Kong

1, Lebanon 1, Nigeria 1, Panama 1, Romania 3, Russia 11, Syria 18,

Taiwan 1, Turkey 15, Ukraine 10, UAE 8, UK 2, US 1, Yemen 2) (2008)

Singapore

total: 1,292

by type: bulk carrier 167, cargo 87, carrier 5, chemical tanker 209,

container 273, liquefied gas 96, petroleum tanker 386, refrigerated

cargo 5, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 7, vehicle carrier 53

foreign-owned: 774 (Australia 12, Bangladesh 2, Belgium 8, Chile 6,

China 14, Cyprus 1, Denmark 87, France 1, Germany 24, Greece 15,

Hong Kong 47, India 13, Indonesia 66, Italy 5, Japan 131, South

Korea 3, Malaysia 27, Norway 143, Slovenia 1, Sweden 20, Switzerland

2, Taiwan 72, Thailand 23, UAE 12, UK 17, US 22)

registered in other countries: 331 (Australia 1, Bahamas 17, Belize

2, Bolivia 1, Cambodia 4, Cayman Islands 10, Comoros 1, Cyprus 3,

Dominica 7, France 2, Honduras 12, Hong Kong 18, Indonesia 27, Isle

of Man 1, Kiribati 4, Liberia 32, Malaysia 16, Marshall Islands 18,

Mongolia 9, Norway 1, Panama 100, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and

Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 4, Thailand 2, Tuvalu 23,

US 12, unknown 2) (2008)

Slovakia

total: 51

by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 42, refrigerated cargo 4

foreign-owned: 47 (Bulgaria 6, Germany 3, Greece 2, Ireland 1,

Israel 4, Italy 2, Poland 2, Russia 1, Slovenia 1, Syria 2, Turkey

10, Ukraine 12, UK 1) (2008)

Slovenia

registered in other countries: 29 (Antigua and Barbuda 6,

Bahamas 1, Cyprus 4, Liberia 3, Malta 4, Marshall Islands 4, Saint

Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Singapore 1, Slovakia 1) (2008)

Somalia

total: 1

by type: cargo 1

foreign-owned: 1 (UAE 1) (2008)

South Africa

total: 3

by type: container 1, petroleum tanker 2

foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1)

registered in other countries: 8 (Bahamas 1, Nigeria 1, NZ 1, Saint

Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Seychelles 1, UK 3) (2008)

Spain

total: 158

by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 14, chemical tanker 11, container 22,

liquefied gas 11, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 47, petroleum tanker

16, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 15, specialized tanker 2,

vehicle carrier 5

foreign-owned: 26 (Canada 3, Canada 1, Denmark 2, Germany 5, Italy

2, Mexico 3, Norway 5, UK 3, UK 2)

registered in other countries: 110 (Angola 1, Argentina 2, Bahamas

14, Belize 1, Brazil 9, Cape Verde 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 6, Malta 3,

Marshall Islands 1, Nigeria 1, Panama 50, Portugal 11, Saint Kitts

and Nevis 1, UK 1, Uruguay 6, Venezuela 1) (2008)

Sri Lanka

total: 26

by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 18, chemical tanker 1, container 1,

petroleum tanker 2

foreign-owned: 5 (Germany 5)

registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)

Sudan

total: 3

by type: cargo 2, carrier 1 (2008)

Suriname

total: 1

by type: cargo 1 (2008)

Sweden

total: 195

by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 23, carrier 1, chemical tanker 45,

passenger 4, passenger/cargo 36, petroleum tanker 15, roll on/roll

off 37, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 25

foreign-owned: 41 (Denmark 4, Estonia 2, Finland 12, Germany 5,

Italy 9, Norway 7, UK 2)

registered in other countries: 207 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas

4, Barbados 7, Bermuda 20, Cook Islands 8, Cyprus 2, Denmark 6,

Finland 2, France 9, Germany 1, Gibraltar 13, Isle of Man 1, Italy

1, Liberia 10, Malaysia 3, Malta 2, Marshall Islands 1, Netherlands

28, Netherlands Antilles 1, Norway 31, Norway 3, Panama 6, Portugal

3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2, Singapore 20, UK 17, US 5)

(2008)

Switzerland

total: 35

by type: bulk carrier 13, cargo 9, chemical tanker 6, container 6,

specialized tanker 1

registered in other countries: 106 (Antigua and Barbuda 8, Bahamas

1, France 3, Italy 8, Liberia 13, Malta 20, Marshall Islands 12,

Panama 25, Portugal 2, Russia 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6,

Singapore 2, Tonga 1, UK 1, Vanuatu 1) (2008)

Syria

total: 77

by type: bulk carrier 5, cargo 65, carrier 4, container 1, petroleum

tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1

foreign-owned: 7 (Jordan 2, Lebanon 3, Romania 2)

registered in other countries: 196 (Barbados 1, Bolivia 2, Cambodia

48, Comoros 4, Cyprus 2, Dominica 2, Georgia 49, Hong Kong 1, North

Korea 1, Lebanon 2, Libya 2, Malta 6, Moldova 1, Panama 32, Saint

Kitts and Nevis 7, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13, Sierra Leone

18, Slovakia 2, Togo 2, unknown 1) (2008)

Taiwan

total: 102

by type: bulk carrier 32, cargo 19, chemical tanker 1, container 24,

passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 14, refrigerated cargo 7, roll

on/roll off 2

foreign-owned: 3 (Canada 2, France 1)

registered in other countries: 536 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 1, Honduras

2, Hong Kong 11, Indonesia 2, Italy 13, Kiribati 5, Liberia 91,

Marshall Islands 1, Panama 320, Philippines 1, Sierra Leone 1,

Singapore 72, Thailand 1, UK 11, unknown 3) (2008)

Tanzania

total: 9

by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 4

registered in other countries: 1 (Honduras 1) (2008)

Thailand

total: 398

by type: bulk carrier 53, cargo 135, chemical tanker 15, container

22, liquefied gas 28, passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 100,

refrigerated cargo 32, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 1

foreign-owned: 16 (China 1, Japan 4, Malaysia 3, Singapore 2, Taiwan

1, UK 5)

registered in other countries: 40 (Bahamas 5, Mongolia 1, Panama 10,

Singapore 23, Tuvalu 1) (2008)

Timor-Leste

total: 1

by type: passenger/cargo 1 (2008)

Togo

total: 10

by type: cargo 9, refrigerated cargo 1

foreign-owned: 6 (Bangladesh 1, Denmark 1, Egypt 1, Lebanon 1, Syria

2) (2008)

Tonga

total: 13

by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 8, carrier 1, liquefied gas 1,

passenger/cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1

foreign-owned: 4 (Australia 1, Cyprus 1, Switzerland 1, UK 1) (2008)

Trinidad and Tobago

total: 9

by type: passenger 2, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 2

foreign-owned: 1 (US 1)

registered in other countries: 2 (Bahamas 1, unknown 1) (2008)

Tunisia

total: 7

by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo

4

registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)

Turkey

total: 612

by type: bulk carrier 101, cargo 281, chemical tanker 70,

combination ore/oil 1, container 35, liquefied gas 7, passenger 4,

passenger/cargo 51, petroleum tanker 31, refrigerated cargo 1, roll

on/roll off 28, specialized tanker 2

foreign-owned: 8 (Cyprus 2, Germany 1, Greece 1, Italy 3, UAE 1)

registered in other countries: 595 (Albania 1, Antigua and Barbuda

6, Bahamas 8, Belize 15, Cambodia 26, Comoros 8, Dominica 5, Georgia

14, Greece 1, Isle of Man 2, Italy 1, Kiribati 1, Liberia 7, Malta

176, Marshall Islands 50, Moldova 3, Netherlands 1, Netherlands

Antilles 10, Panama 94, Russia 80, Saint Kitts and Nevis 35, Saint

Vincent and the Grenadines 20, Sierra Leone 15, Slovakia 10, Tuvalu

2, UK 2, unknown 2) (2008)

Turkmenistan

total: 7

by type: cargo 4, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1 (2008)

Turks and Caicos Islands

registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1)

(2008)

Tuvalu

total: 80

by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 30, chemical tanker 14, container 2,

passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 22, refrigerated

cargo 1, specialized tanker 1

foreign-owned: 63 (China 16, Hong Kong 7, Kenya 1, South Korea 1,

Malaysia 1, Maldives 1, Norway 1, Russia 2, Singapore 23, Thailand

1, Turkey 2, Ukraine 1, US 1, Vietnam 5) (2008)

Ukraine

total: 189

by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 141, chemical tanker 1, container 3,

passenger 6, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated

cargo 11, roll on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 2

foreign-owned: 2 (Luxembourg 1, Russia 1)

registered in other countries: 204 (Belize 7, Cambodia 34, Comoros

8, Cyprus 4, Dominica 4, Georgia 18, Liberia 25, Lithuania 1, Malta

30, Moldova 5, Mongolia 1, Panama 10, Russia 11, Saint Kitts and

Nevis 9, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 11, Sierra Leone 10,

Slovakia 12, Tuvalu 1, unknown 3) (2008)

United Arab Emirates

total: 58

by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 9, chemical tanker 4, container 8,

liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 24, roll

on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1

foreign-owned: 14 (Denmark 1, Greece 3, Kuwait 10)

registered in other countries: 313 (Bahamas 23, Bahrain 1, Belize 5,

Cambodia 2, Comoros 7, Cyprus 9, Dominica 1, Georgia 1, Gibraltar 3,

Hong Kong 1, India 6, Indonesia 2, Iran 1, Jordan 13, North Korea 8,

Liberia 23, Malta 5, Marshall Islands 15, Mexico 1, Netherlands 5,

Panama 109, Papua New Guinea 6, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis

18, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 9, Saudi Arabia 1, Sierra Leone

8, Singapore 12, Somalia 1, Turkey 1, UK 9, unknown 6) (2008)

United Kingdom

total: 518

by type: bulk carrier 33, cargo 67, carrier 5, chemical tanker 61,

container 180, liquefied gas 18, passenger 10, passenger/cargo 67,

petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 12, roll on/roll off 24,

vehicle carrier 18

foreign-owned: 264 (Cyprus 2, Denmark 62, Finland 1, France 23,

Germany 76, Hong Kong 2, Ireland 1, Italy 5, Japan 4, NZ 1, Norway

31, South Africa 3, Spain 1, Sweden 17, Switzerland 1, Taiwan 11,

Turkey 2, UAE 9, US 12)

registered in other countries: 391 (Algeria 11, Antigua and Barbuda

9, Argentina 4, Australia 5, Bahamas 56, Barbados 9, Belize 5,

Bermuda 3, Brunei 1, Cape Verde 1, Cayman Islands 3, Cyprus 19,

Gibraltar 2, Greece 32, Hong Kong 39, India 2, Italy 7, South Korea

1, Liberia 20, Luxembourg 8, Malta 19, Marshall Islands 18,

Netherlands 2, Norway 5, Panama 59, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint

Vincent and the Grenadines 14, Sierra Leone 2, Singapore 17,

Slovakia 1, Spain 5, Sweden 2, Thailand 5, Tonga 1, US 1) (2008)

United States

total: 422

by type: barge carrier 6, bulk carrier 61, cargo 69, carrier 2,

chemical tanker 22, container 81, passenger 19, passenger/cargo 59,

petroleum tanker 53, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 25,

vehicle carrier 22

foreign-owned: 74 (Australia 1, Denmark 31, Germany 5, Japan 7,

Malaysia 2, Netherlands 1, Norway 9, Singapore 12, Sweden 5, UK 1)

registered in other countries: 732 (Antigua and Barbuda 8, Australia

2, Bahamas 106, Bermuda 23, Cambodia 6, Canada 10, Cayman Islands

42, Comoros 2, Cyprus 5, Ecuador 1, Greece 8, Hong Kong 29, Ireland

2, Isle of Man 4, Italy 17, South Korea 7, Liberia 98, Luxembourg 4,

Malta 23, Marshall Islands 123, Netherlands 14, Netherlands Antilles

1, Norway 1, Norway 7, Panama 126, Portugal 1, Puerto Rico 3, Russia

1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 18, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore

22, Trinidad and Tobago 1, Tuvalu 1, UK 12, Vanuatu 1, unknown 2)

(2008)

Uruguay

total: 17

by type: cargo 3, chemical tanker 2, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum

tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1

foreign-owned: 10 (Argentina 3, Greece 1, Spain 6)

registered in other countries: 3 (Liberia 3) (2008)

Vanuatu

total: 54

by type: bulk carrier 32, cargo 8, container 1, liquefied gas 2,

passenger 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 4, vehicle

carrier 5

foreign-owned: 54 (Australia 2, Belgium 4, Canada 5, Estonia 1,

Greece 1, Japan 29, Monaco 1, Poland 7, Russia 2, Switzerland 1, US

1) (2008)

Venezuela

total: 62

by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 16, chemical tanker 3, liquefied gas

5, passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 17, refrigerated cargo 2

foreign-owned: 12 (Chile 1, Denmark 1, Greece 3, Mexico 5, Panama 1,

Spain 1)

registered in other countries: 12 (Bahamas 1, Panama 10, Saint

Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2008)

Vietnam

total: 387

by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 36, cargo 280, chemical

tanker 12, container 14, liquefied gas 6, passenger 1,

passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 32, refrigerated cargo 2, roll

on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1

foreign-owned: 2 (Hong Kong 1, Japan 1)

registered in other countries: 64 (Honduras 1, Liberia 4, Mongolia

23, Panama 30, Tuvalu 5, unknown 1) (2008)

Wallis and Futuna

total: 8

by type: chemical tanker 2, passenger 6

foreign-owned: 8 (France 6, French Polynesia 2) (2008)

Yemen

total: 4

by type: cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll

on/roll off 1

registered in other countries: 13 (North Korea 2, Moldova 1, Panama

6, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Sierra Leone 2, unknown 1) (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2109 National holiday

Afghanistan

Independence Day, 19 August (1919)

Albania

Independence Day, 28 November (1912)

Algeria

Revolution Day, 1 November (1954)

American Samoa

Flag Day, 17 April (1900)

Andorra

Our Lady of Meritxell Day, 8 September (1278)

Angola

Independence Day, 11 November (1975)

Anguilla

Anguilla Day, 30 May (1967)

Antigua and Barbuda

Independence Day (National Day), 1 November

(1981)

Argentina

Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)

Armenia

Independence Day, 21 September (1991)

Aruba

Flag Day, 18 March (1976)

Australia

Australia Day, 26 January (1788); ANZAC Day (commemorated

as the anniversary of the landing of troops of the Australian and

New Zealand Army Corps during World War I at Gallipoli, Turkey), 25

April (1915)

Austria

National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the

passage of the law on permanent neutrality

Azerbaijan

Founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, 28 May

(1918)

Bahamas, The

Independence Day, 10 July (1973)

Bahrain

National Day, 16 December (1971); note - 15 August 1971 was

the date of independence from the UK, 16 December 1971 was the date

of independence from British protection

Bangladesh

Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March 1971

is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is

Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of

Bangladesh

Barbados

Independence Day, 30 November (1966)

Belarus

Independence Day, 3 July (1944); note - 3 July 1944 was the

date Minsk was liberated from German troops, 25 August 1991 was the

date of independence from the Soviet Union

Belgium

21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King LEOPOLD I

Belize

Independence Day, 21 September (1981)

Benin

National Day, 1 August (1960)

Bermuda

Bermuda Day, 24 May

Bhutan

National Day (Ugyen WANGCHUCK became first hereditary king),

17 December (1907)

Bolivia

Independence Day, 6 August (1825)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

National Day, 25 November (1943)

Botswana

Independence Day (Botswana Day), 30 September (1966)

Brazil

Independence Day, 7 September (1822)

British Virgin Islands

Territory Day, 1 July (1956)

Brunei

National Day, 23 February (1984); note - 1 January 1984 was

the date of independence from the UK, 23 February 1984 was the date

of independence from British protection

Bulgaria

Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)

Burkina Faso

Republic Day, 11 December (1958)

Burma

Independence Day, 4 January (1948); Union Day, 12 February

(1947)

Burundi

Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

Cambodia

Independence Day, 9 November (1953)

Cameroon

Republic Day (National Day), 20 May (1972)

Canada

Canada Day, 1 July (1867)

Cape Verde

Independence Day, 5 July (1975)

Cayman Islands

Constitution Day, first Monday in July

Central African Republic

Republic Day, 1 December (1958)

Chad

Independence Day, 11 August (1960)

Chile

Independence Day, 18 September (1810)

China

Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China,

1 October (1949)

Christmas Island

Australia Day, 26 January (1788)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Australia Day, 26 January (1788)

Colombia

Independence Day, 20 July (1810)

Comoros

Independence Day, 6 July (1975)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Independence Day, 30 June (1960)

Congo, Republic of the

Independence Day, 15 August (1960)

Cook Islands

Constitution Day, first Monday in August (1965)

Costa Rica

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Cote d'Ivoire

Independence Day, 7 August (1960)

Croatia

Independence Day, 8 October (1991); note - 25 June 1991 was

the day the Croatian Parliament voted for independence; following a

three-month moratorium to allow the European Community to solve the

Yugoslav crisis peacefully, Parliament adopted a decision on 8

October 1991 to sever constitutional relations with Yugoslavia

Cuba

Triumph of the Revolution, 1 January (1959)

Cyprus

Independence Day, 1 October (1960); note - Turkish Cypriots

celebrate 15 November (1983) as Independence Day

Czech Republic

Czech Founding Day, 28 October (1918)

Denmark

none designated; Constitution Day, 5 June (1849) is

generally viewed as the National Day

Djibouti

Independence Day, 27 June (1977)

Dominica

Independence Day, 3 November (1978)

Dominican Republic

Independence Day, 27 February (1844)

Ecuador

Independence Day (independence of Quito), 10 August (1809)

Egypt

Revolution Day, 23 July (1952)

El Salvador

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Equatorial Guinea

Independence Day, 12 October (1968)

Eritrea

Independence Day, 24 May (1993)

Estonia

Independence Day, 24 February (1918); note - 24 February

1918 was the date Estonia declared its independence from Soviet

Russia; 20 August 1991 was the date it declared its independence

from the Soviet Union

Ethiopia

National Day (defeat of MENGISTU regime), 28 May (1991)

European Union

Europe Day 9 May (1950); note - a Union-wide holiday,

the day that Robert SCHUMAN proposed the creation of the European

Coal and Steel Community to achieve an organized Europe

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)

Faroe Islands

Olaifest (Olavasoka), 29 July

Fiji

Independence Day, second Monday of October (1970)

Finland

Independence Day, 6 December (1917)

France

Fete de la Federation, 14 July (1790); note - although often

incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration actually

commemorates the holiday held on the first anniversary of the

storming of the Bastille (on 14 July 1789) and the establishment of

a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are Fete

Nationale (National Holiday) and quatorze juillet (14th of July)

French Polynesia

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Gabon

Independence Day, 17 August (1960)

Gambia, The

Independence Day, 18 February (1965)

Georgia

Independence Day, 26 May (1918); note - 26 May 1918 was the

date of independence from Soviet Russia, 9 April 1991 was the date

of independence from the Soviet Union

Germany

Unity Day, 3 October (1990)

Ghana

Independence Day, 6 March (1957)

Gibraltar

National Day, 10 September (1967); note - day of the

national referendum to decide whether to remain with the UK or go

with Spain

Greece

Independence Day, 25 March (1821)

Greenland

June 21 (longest day)

Grenada

Independence Day, 7 February (1974)

Guam

Discovery Day, first Monday in March (1521)

Guatemala

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Guernsey

Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)

Guinea

Independence Day, 2 October (1958)

Guinea-Bissau

Independence Day, 24 September (1973)

Guyana

Republic Day, 23 February (1970)

Haiti

Independence Day, 1 January (1804)

Holy See (Vatican City)

Coronation Day of Pope BENEDICT XVI, 24

April (2005)

Honduras

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Hong Kong

National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's

Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 1 July 1997 is

celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment

Day

Hungary

Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August

Iceland

Independence Day, 17 June (1944)

India

Republic Day, 26 January (1950)

Indonesia

Independence Day, 17 August (1945)

Iran

Republic Day, 1 April (1979)

Iraq

Revolution Day, 17 July (1968); note - this holiday was

celebrated under the SADDAM Husayn regime; the Government of Iraq

has yet to declare a new national holiday

Ireland

Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March

Isle of Man

Tynwald Day, 5 July

Israel

Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel declared

independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and

the holiday may occur in April or May

Italy

Republic Day, 2 June (1946)

Jamaica

Independence Day, 6 August (1962)

Japan

Birthday of Emperor AKIHITO, 23 December (1933)

Jersey

Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)

Jordan

Independence Day, 25 May (1946)

Kazakhstan

Independence Day, 16 December (1991)

Kenya

Independence Day, 12 December (1963)

Kiribati

Independence Day, 12 July (1979)

Korea, North

Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

(DPRK), 9 September (1948)

Korea, South

Liberation Day, 15 August (1945)

Kosovo

Independence Day, 17 February (2008)

Kuwait

National Day, 25 February (1950)

Kyrgyzstan

Independence Day, 31 August (1991)

Laos

Republic Day, 2 December (1975)

Latvia

Independence Day, 18 November (1918); note - 18 November 1918

was the date Latvia declared itself independent from Soviet Russia;

4 May 1990 is when it declared the renewal of independence; 21

August 1991 was the date of de facto independence from the Soviet

Union

Lebanon

Independence Day, 22 November (1943)

Lesotho

Independence Day, 4 October (1966)

Liberia

Independence Day, 26 July (1847)

Libya

Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)

Liechtenstein

Assumption Day, 15 August

Lithuania

Independence Day, 16 February (1918); note - 16 February

1918 was the date Lithuania declared its independence from Soviet

Russia and established its statehood; 11 March 1990 was the date it

declared its independence from the Soviet Union

Luxembourg

National Day (Birthday of Grand Duchess Charlotte) 23

June; note - the actual date of birth was 23 January 1896, but the

festivities were shifted by five months to allow observance during a

more favorable time of year

Macau

National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's

Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 20 December 1999 is

celebrated as Macau Special Administrative Region Establishment Day

Macedonia

Ilinden Uprising Day, 2 August (1903); note - also known

as Saint Elijah's Day

Madagascar

Independence Day, 26 June (1960)

Malawi

Independence Day (Republic Day), 6 July (1964)

Malaysia

Independence Day/Malaysia Day, 31 August (1957)

Maldives

Independence Day, 26 July (1965)

Mali

Independence Day, 22 September (1960)

Malta

Independence Day, 21 September (1964)

Marshall Islands

Constitution Day, 1 May (1979)

Mauritania

Independence Day, 28 November (1960)

Mauritius

Independence Day, 12 March (1968)

Mayotte

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Mexico

Independence Day, 16 September (1810)

Micronesia, Federated States of

Constitution Day, 10 May (1979)

Moldova

Independence Day, 27 August (1991)

Monaco

National Day (Saint Rainier's Day), 19 November (1857)

Mongolia

Independence Day/Revolution Day, 11 July (1921)

Montenegro

National Day, 13 July (1878)

Montserrat

Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June

(1926)

Morocco

Throne Day (accession of King MOHAMED VI to the throne), 30

July (1999)

Mozambique

Independence Day, 25 June (1975)

Namibia

Independence Day, 21 March (1990)

Nauru

Independence Day, 31 January (1968)

Nepal

NA; note - in 2006, Parliament abolished the birthday of King

GYANENDRA (7 July) and Constitution Day (9 November) as national

holidays

Netherlands

Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA and

accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX), 30 April

(1909 and 1980)

Netherlands Antilles

Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA

and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX), 30

April (1909 and 1980)

New Caledonia

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

New Zealand

Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British

sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840); ANZAC Day

(commemorated as the anniversary of the landing of troops of the

Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I at

Gallipoli, Turkey), 25 April (1915)

Nicaragua

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Niger

Republic Day, 18 December (1958)

Nigeria

Independence Day (National Day), 1 October (1960)

Niue

Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British

sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)

Norfolk Island

Bounty Day (commemorates the arrival of Pitcairn

Islanders), 8 June (1856)

Northern Mariana Islands

Commonwealth Day, 8 January (1978)

Norway

Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)

Oman

Birthday of Sultan QABOOS, 18 November (1940)

Pakistan

Republic Day, 23 March (1956)

Palau

Constitution Day, 9 July (1979)

Panama

Independence Day, 3 November (1903)

Papua New Guinea

Independence Day, 16 September (1975)

Paraguay

Independence Day, 14 May 1811 (observed 15 May)

Peru

Independence Day, 28 July (1821)

Philippines

Independence Day, 12 June (1898); note - 12 June 1898

was date of declaration of independence from Spain; 4 July 1946 was

date of independence from US

Pitcairn Islands

Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in

June (1926)

Poland

Constitution Day, 3 May (1791)

Portugal

Portugal Day (Day of Portugal), 10 June (1580); note - also

called Camoes Day, the day that revered national poet Luis de Camoes

(1524-80) died

Puerto Rico

US Independence Day, 4 July (1776); Puerto Rico

Constitution Day, 25 July (1952)

Qatar

Independence Day, 3 September (1971); also observed is

National Day, 18 December

Romania

Unification Day (of Romania and Transylvania), 1 December

(1918)

Russia

Russia Day, 12 June (1990)

Rwanda

Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

Saint Barthelemy

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); note - local holiday

is St. Barthelemy Day, 24 August

Saint Helena

Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June

(1926)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Independence Day, 19 September (1983)

Saint Lucia

Independence Day, 22 February (1979)

Saint Martin

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); note - local holiday is

Schoalcher Day (Slavery Abolition Day) 12 July (1848)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Independence Day, 27 October (1979)

Samoa

Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962); note - 1 January

1962 is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered

UN trusteeship; it is observed in June

San Marino

Founding of the Republic, 3 September (AD 301)

Sao Tome and Principe

Independence Day, 12 July (1975)

Saudi Arabia

Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)

Senegal

Independence Day, 4 April (1960)

Serbia

National Day, 15 February

Seychelles

Constitution Day (National Day), 18 June (1993)

Sierra Leone

Independence Day, 27 April (1961)

Singapore

National Day, 9 August (1965)

Slovakia

Constitution Day, 1 September (1992)

Slovenia

Independence Day/Statehood Day, 25 June (1991)

Solomon Islands

Independence Day, 7 July (1978)

Somalia

Foundation of the Somali Republic, 1 July (1960); note - 26

June (1960) in Somaliland

South Africa

Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)

Spain

National Day, 12 October (1492); year when Columbus first set

foot in the Americas

Sri Lanka

Independence Day, 4 February (1948)

Sudan

Independence Day, 1 January (1956)

Suriname

Independence Day, 25 November (1975)

Swaziland

Independence Day, 6 September (1968)

Sweden

Swedish Flag Day, 6 June (1916); National Day, 6 June (1983)

Switzerland

Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August (1291)

Syria

Independence Day, 17 April (1946)

Taiwan

Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10

October (1911)

Tajikistan

Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991)

Tanzania

Union Day (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), 26 April (1964)

Thailand

Birthday of King PHUMIPHON (BHUMIBOL), 5 December (1927)

Timor-Leste

Independence Day, 28 November (1975)

Togo

Independence Day, 27 April (1960)

Tokelau

Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British

sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)

Tonga

Emancipation Day, 4 June (1970)

Trinidad and Tobago

Independence Day, 31 August (1962)

Tunisia

Independence Day, 20 March (1956); also the anniversary of

BEN ALI's assumption of the presidency, 7 November (1987)

Turkey

Republic Day, 29 October (1923)

Turkmenistan

Independence Day, 27 October (1991)

Turks and Caicos Islands

Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)

Tuvalu

Independence Day, 1 October (1978)

Uganda

Independence Day, 9 October (1962)

Ukraine

Independence Day, 24 August (1991); note - 22 January 1918,

the day Ukraine first declared its independence (from Soviet Russia)

and the day the short-lived Western and Central Ukrainian republics

united (1919), is now celebrated as Unity Day

United Arab Emirates

Independence Day, 2 December (1971)

United Kingdom

the UK does not celebrate one particular national

holiday

United States

Independence Day, 4 July (1776)

Uruguay

Independence Day, 25 August (1825)

Uzbekistan

Independence Day, 1 September (1991)

Vanuatu

Independence Day, 30 July (1980)

Venezuela

Independence Day, 5 July (1811)

Vietnam

Independence Day, 2 September (1945)

Virgin Islands

Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 31 March (1917)

Wallis and Futuna

Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Yemen

Unification Day, 22 May (1990)

Zambia

Independence Day, 24 October (1964)

Zimbabwe

Independence Day, 18 April (1980)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2110 Nationality

Afghanistan

noun: Afghan(s)

adjective: Afghan

Albania

noun: Albanian(s)

adjective: Albanian

Algeria

noun: Algerian(s)

adjective: Algerian

American Samoa

noun: American Samoan(s) (US nationals)

adjective: American Samoan

Andorra

noun: Andorran(s)

adjective: Andorran

Angola

noun: Angolan(s)

adjective: Angolan

Anguilla

noun: Anguillan(s)

adjective: Anguillan

Antigua and Barbuda

noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)

adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan

Argentina

noun: Argentine(s)

adjective: Argentine

Armenia

noun: Armenian(s)

adjective: Armenian

Aruba

noun: Aruban(s)

adjective: Aruban; Dutch

Australia

noun: Australian(s)

adjective: Australian

Austria

noun: Austrian(s)

adjective: Austrian

Azerbaijan

noun: Azerbaijani(s)

adjective: Azerbaijani

Bahamas, The

noun: Bahamian(s)

adjective: Bahamian

Bahrain

noun: Bahraini(s)

adjective: Bahraini

Bangladesh

noun: Bangladeshi(s)

adjective: Bangladeshi

Barbados

noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)

adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial)

Belarus

noun: Belarusian(s)

adjective: Belarusian

Belgium

noun: Belgian(s)

adjective: Belgian

Belize

noun: Belizean(s)

adjective: Belizean

Benin

noun: Beninese (singular and plural)

adjective: Beninese

Bermuda

noun: Bermudian(s)

adjective: Bermudian

Bhutan

noun: Bhutanese (singular and plural)

adjective: Bhutanese

Bolivia

noun: Bolivian(s)

adjective: Bolivian

Bosnia and Herzegovina

noun: Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s)

adjective: Bosnian, Herzegovinian

Botswana

noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)

adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)

Brazil

noun: Brazilian(s)

adjective: Brazilian

British Virgin Islands

noun: British Virgin Islander(s)

adjective: British Virgin Islander

Brunei

noun: Bruneian(s)

adjective: Bruneian

Bulgaria

noun: Bulgarian(s)

adjective: Bulgarian

Burkina Faso

noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural)

adjective: Burkinabe

Burma

noun: Burmese (singular and plural)

adjective: Burmese

Burundi

noun: Burundian(s)

adjective: Burundian

Cambodia

noun: Cambodian(s)

adjective: Cambodian

Cameroon

noun: Cameroonian(s)

adjective: Cameroonian

Canada

noun: Canadian(s)

adjective: Canadian

Cape Verde

noun: Cape Verdean(s)

adjective: Cape Verdean

Cayman Islands

noun: Caymanian(s)

adjective: Caymanian

Central African Republic

noun: Central African(s)

adjective: Central African

Chad

noun: Chadian(s)

adjective: Chadian

Chile

noun: Chilean(s)

adjective: Chilean

China

noun: Chinese (singular and plural)

adjective: Chinese

Christmas Island

noun: Christmas Islander(s)

adjective: Christmas Island

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

noun: Cocos Islander(s)

adjective: Cocos Islander

Colombia

noun: Colombian(s)

adjective: Colombian

Comoros

noun: Comoran(s)

adjective: Comoran

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

noun: Congolese (singular and

plural)

adjective: Congolese or Congo

Congo, Republic of the

noun: Congolese (singular and plural)

adjective: Congolese or Congo

Cook Islands

noun: Cook Islander(s)

adjective: Cook Islander

Costa Rica

noun: Costa Rican(s)

adjective: Costa Rican

Cote d'Ivoire

noun: Ivoirian(s)

adjective: Ivoirian

Croatia

noun: Croat(s), Croatian(s)

adjective: Croatian

Cuba

noun: Cuban(s)

adjective: Cuban

Cyprus

noun: Cypriot(s)

adjective: Cypriot

Czech Republic

noun: Czech(s)

adjective: Czech

Denmark

noun: Dane(s)

adjective: Danish

Djibouti

noun: Djiboutian(s)

adjective: Djiboutian

Dominica

noun: Dominican(s)

adjective: Dominican

Dominican Republic

noun: Dominican(s)

adjective: Dominican

Ecuador

noun: Ecuadorian(s)

adjective: Ecuadorian

Egypt

noun: Egyptian(s)

adjective: Egyptian

El Salvador

noun: Salvadoran(s)

adjective: Salvadoran

Equatorial Guinea

noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s)

adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean

Eritrea

noun: Eritrean(s)

adjective: Eritrean

Estonia

noun: Estonian(s)

adjective: Estonian

Ethiopia

noun: Ethiopian(s)

adjective: Ethiopian

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

noun: Falkland Islander(s)

adjective: Falkland Island

Faroe Islands

noun: Faroese (singular and plural)

adjective: Faroese

Fiji

noun: Fijian(s)

adjective: Fijian

Finland

noun: Finn(s)

adjective: Finnish

France

noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)

adjective: French

French Polynesia

noun: French Polynesian(s)

adjective: French Polynesian

Gabon

noun: Gabonese (singular and plural)

adjective: Gabonese

Gambia, The

noun: Gambian(s)

adjective: Gambian

Gaza Strip

noun: NA

adjective: NA

Georgia

noun: Georgian(s)

adjective: Georgian

Germany

noun: German(s)

adjective: German

Ghana

noun: Ghanaian(s)

adjective: Ghanaian

Gibraltar

noun: Gibraltarian(s)

adjective: Gibraltar

Greece

noun: Greek(s)

adjective: Greek

Greenland

noun: Greenlander(s)

adjective: Greenlandic

Grenada

noun: Grenadian(s)

adjective: Grenadian

Guam

noun: Guamanian(s) (US citizens)

adjective: Guamanian

Guatemala

noun: Guatemalan(s)

adjective: Guatemalan

Guernsey

noun: Channel Islander(s)

adjective: Channel Islander

Guinea

noun: Guinean(s)

adjective: Guinean

Guinea-Bissau

noun: Guinean(s)

adjective: Guinean

Guyana

noun: Guyanese (singular and plural)

adjective: Guyanese

Haiti

noun: Haitian(s)

adjective: Haitian

Holy See (Vatican City)

noun: none

adjective: none

Honduras

noun: Honduran(s)

adjective: Honduran

Hong Kong

noun: Chinese/Hong Konger

adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong

Hungary

noun: Hungarian(s)

adjective: Hungarian

Iceland

noun: Icelander(s)

adjective: Icelandic

India

noun: Indian(s)

adjective: Indian

Indonesia

noun: Indonesian(s)

adjective: Indonesian

Iran

noun: Iranian(s)

adjective: Iranian

Iraq

noun: Iraqi(s)

adjective: Iraqi

Ireland

noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(women), Irish (collective

plural)

adjective: Irish

Isle of Man

noun: Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women)

adjective: Manx

Israel

noun: Israeli(s)

adjective: Israeli

Italy

noun: Italian(s)

adjective: Italian

Jamaica

noun: Jamaican(s)

adjective: Jamaican

Japan

noun: Japanese (singular and plural)

adjective: Japanese

Jersey

noun: Channel Islander(s)

adjective: Channel Islander

Jordan

noun: Jordanian(s)

adjective: Jordanian

Kazakhstan

noun: Kazakhstani(s)

adjective: Kazakhstani

Kenya

noun: Kenyan(s)

adjective: Kenyan

Kiribati

noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural)

adjective: I-Kiribati

Korea, North

noun: Korean(s)

adjective: Korean

Korea, South

noun: Korean(s)

adjective: Korean

Kosovo

noun: Kosovar (Albanian), Kosovac (Serbian)

adjective: Kosovar (Albanian), Kosovski (Serbian)

note: Kosovan, a neutral term, is sometimes also used as a noun or

adjective

Kuwait

noun: Kuwaiti(s)

adjective: Kuwaiti

Kyrgyzstan

noun: Kyrgyzstani(s)

adjective: Kyrgyzstani

Laos

noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)

adjective: Lao or Laotian

Latvia

noun: Latvian(s)

adjective: Latvian

Lebanon

noun: Lebanese (singular and plural)

adjective: Lebanese

Lesotho

noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)

adjective: Basotho

Liberia

noun: Liberian(s)

adjective: Liberian

Libya

noun: Libyan(s)

adjective: Libyan

Liechtenstein

noun: Liechtensteiner(s)

adjective: Liechtenstein

Lithuania

noun: Lithuanian(s)

adjective: Lithuanian

Luxembourg

noun: Luxembourger(s)

adjective: Luxembourg

Macau

noun: Chinese

adjective: Chinese

Macedonia

noun: Macedonian(s)

adjective: Macedonian

Madagascar

noun: Malagasy (singular and plural)

adjective: Malagasy

Malawi

noun: Malawian(s)

adjective: Malawian

Malaysia

noun: Malaysian(s)

adjective: Malaysian

Maldives

noun: Maldivian(s)

adjective: Maldivian

Mali

noun: Malian(s)

adjective: Malian

Malta

noun: Maltese (singular and plural)

adjective: Maltese

Marshall Islands

noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)

adjective: Marshallese

Mauritania

noun: Mauritanian(s)

adjective: Mauritanian

Mauritius

noun: Mauritian(s)

adjective: Mauritian

Mayotte

noun: Mahorais (singular and plural)

adjective: Mahoran

Mexico

noun: Mexican(s)

adjective: Mexican

Micronesia, Federated States of

noun: Micronesian(s)

adjective: Micronesian; Chuukese, Kosraen(s), Pohnpeian(s), Yapese

Moldova

noun: Moldovan(s)

adjective: Moldovan

Monaco

noun: Monegasque(s) or Monacan(s)

adjective: Monegasque or Monacan

Mongolia

noun: Mongolian(s)

adjective: Mongolian

Montenegro

noun: Montenegrin(s)

adjective: Montenegrin

Montserrat

noun: Montserratian(s)

adjective: Montserratian

Morocco

noun: Moroccan(s)

adjective: Moroccan

Mozambique

noun: Mozambican(s)

adjective: Mozambican

Namibia

noun: Namibian(s)

adjective: Namibian

Nauru

noun: Nauruan(s)

adjective: Nauruan

Nepal

noun: Nepalese (singular and plural)

adjective: Nepalese

Netherlands

noun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)

adjective: Dutch

Netherlands Antilles

noun: Dutch Antillean(s)

adjective: Dutch Antillean

New Caledonia

noun: New Caledonian(s)

adjective: New Caledonian

New Zealand

noun: New Zealander(s)

adjective: New Zealand

Nicaragua

noun: Nicaraguan(s)

adjective: Nicaraguan

Niger

noun: Nigerien(s)

adjective: Nigerien

Nigeria

noun: Nigerian(s)

adjective: Nigerian

Niue

noun: Niuean(s)

adjective: Niuean

Norfolk Island

noun: Norfolk Islander(s)

adjective: Norfolk Islander(s)

Northern Mariana Islands

noun: NA (US citizens)

adjective: NA

Norway

noun: Norwegian(s)

adjective: Norwegian

Oman

noun: Omani(s)

adjective: Omani

Pakistan

noun: Pakistani(s)

adjective: Pakistani

Palau

noun: Palauan(s)

adjective: Palauan

Panama

noun: Panamanian(s)

adjective: Panamanian

Papua New Guinea

noun: Papua New Guinean(s)

adjective: Papua New Guinean

Paraguay

noun: Paraguayan(s)

adjective: Paraguayan

Peru

noun: Peruvian(s)

adjective: Peruvian

Philippines

noun: Filipino(s)

adjective: Philippine

Pitcairn Islands

noun: Pitcairn Islander(s)

adjective: Pitcairn Islander

Poland

noun: Pole(s)

adjective: Polish

Portugal

noun: Portuguese (singular and plural)

adjective: Portuguese

Puerto Rico

noun: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens)

adjective: Puerto Rican

Qatar

noun: Qatari(s)

adjective: Qatari

Romania

noun: Romanian(s)

adjective: Romanian

Russia

noun: Russian(s)

adjective: Russian

Rwanda

noun: Rwandan(s)

adjective: Rwandan

Saint Helena noun: Saint Helenian(s) adjective: Saint Helenian note: referred to locally as "Saints"

Saint Kitts and Nevis

noun: Kittitian(s), Nevisian(s)

adjective: Kittitian, Nevisian

Saint Lucia

noun: Saint Lucian(s)

adjective: Saint Lucian

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)

adjective: French

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

noun: Saint Vincentian(s) or

Vincentian(s)

adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian

Samoa

noun: Samoan(s)

adjective: Samoan

San Marino

noun: Sammarinese (singular and plural)

adjective: Sammarinese

Sao Tome and Principe

noun: Sao Tomean(s)

adjective: Sao Tomean

Saudi Arabia

noun: Saudi(s)

adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian

Senegal

noun: Senegalese (singular and plural)

adjective: Senegalese

Serbia

noun: Serb(s)

adjective: Serbian

Seychelles

noun: Seychellois (singular and plural)

adjective: Seychellois

Sierra Leone

noun: Sierra Leonean(s)

adjective: Sierra Leonean

Singapore

noun: Singaporean(s)

adjective: Singapore

Slovakia

noun: Slovak(s)

adjective: Slovak

Slovenia

noun: Slovene(s)

adjective: Slovenian

Solomon Islands

noun: Solomon Islander(s)

adjective: Solomon Islander

Somalia

noun: Somali(s)

adjective: Somali

South Africa

noun: South African(s)

adjective: South African

Spain

noun: Spaniard(s)

adjective: Spanish

Sri Lanka

noun: Sri Lankan(s)

adjective: Sri Lankan

Sudan

noun: Sudanese (singular and plural)

adjective: Sudanese

Suriname

noun: Surinamer(s)

adjective: Surinamese

Swaziland

noun: Swazi(s)

adjective: Swazi

Sweden

noun: Swede(s)

adjective: Swedish

Switzerland

noun: Swiss (singular and plural)

adjective: Swiss

Syria

noun: Syrian(s)

adjective: Syrian

Taiwan

noun: Taiwan (singular and plural)

note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan

adjective: Taiwan

Tajikistan

noun: Tajikistani(s)

adjective: Tajikistani

Tanzania

noun: Tanzanian(s)

adjective: Tanzanian

Thailand

noun: Thai (singular and plural)

adjective: Thai

Timor-Leste

noun: Timorese

adjective: Timorese

Togo

noun: Togolese (singular and plural)

adjective: Togolese

Tokelau

noun: Tokelauan(s)

adjective: Tokelauan

Tonga

noun: Tongan(s)

adjective: Tongan

Trinidad and Tobago

noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s)

adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian

Tunisia

noun: Tunisian(s)

adjective: Tunisian

Turkey

noun: Turk(s)

adjective: Turkish

Turkmenistan

noun: Turkmen(s)

adjective: Turkmenistani

Turks and Caicos Islands

noun: none

adjective: none

Tuvalu

noun: Tuvaluan(s)

adjective: Tuvaluan

Uganda

noun: Ugandan(s)

adjective: Ugandan

Ukraine

noun: Ukrainian(s)

adjective: Ukrainian

United Arab Emirates

noun: Emirati(s)

adjective: Emirati

United Kingdom

noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural)

adjective: British

United States

noun: American(s)

adjective: American

Uruguay

noun: Uruguayan(s)

adjective: Uruguayan

Uzbekistan

noun: Uzbekistani

adjective: Uzbekistani

Vanuatu

noun: Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural)

adjective: Ni-Vanuatu

Venezuela

noun: Venezuelan(s)

adjective: Venezuelan

Vietnam

noun: Vietnamese (singular and plural)

adjective: Vietnamese

Virgin Islands

noun: Virgin Islander(s) (US citizens)

adjective: Virgin Islander

Wallis and Futuna noun: Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders adjective: Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander

West Bank

noun: NA

adjective: NA

Western Sahara

noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)

adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian

Yemen

noun: Yemeni(s)

adjective: Yemeni

Zambia

noun: Zambian(s)

adjective: Zambian

Zimbabwe

noun: Zimbabwean(s)

adjective: Zimbabwean

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2111 Natural resources

Afghanistan

natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc,

barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and

semiprecious stones

Albania

petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper,

iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower

Algeria

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead,

zinc

American Samoa

pumice, pumicite

Andorra

hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead

Angola

petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar,

gold, bauxite, uranium

Anguilla

salt, fish, lobster

Antarctica

iron ore, chromium, copper, gold, nickel, platinum and

other minerals, and coal and hydrocarbons have been found in small

uncommercial quantities; none presently exploited; krill, finfish,

and crab have been taken by commercial fisheries

Antigua and Barbuda

NEGL; pleasant climate fosters tourism

Arctic Ocean

sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits,

polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals

(seals and whales)

Argentina

fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper,

iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium

Armenia

small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, bauxite

Aruba

NEGL; white sandy beaches

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

fish

Atlantic Ocean

oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and

whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic

nodules, precious stones

Australia

bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver,

uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds,

natural gas, petroleum

note: Australia is the world's largest net exporter of coal

accounting for 29% of global coal exports

Austria

oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc,

antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower

Azerbaijan

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals,

bauxite

Bahamas, The

salt, aragonite, timber, arable land

Bahrain

oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish, pearls

Bangladesh

natural gas, arable land, timber, coal

Barbados

petroleum, fish, natural gas

Belarus

forests, peat deposits, small quantities of oil and natural

gas, granite, dolomitic limestone, marl, chalk, sand, gravel, clay

Belgium

construction materials, silica sand, carbonates

Belize

arable land potential, timber, fish, hydropower

Benin

small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber

Bermuda

limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism

Bhutan

timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbonate

Bolivia

tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony,

silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower

Bosnia and Herzegovina

coal, iron ore, bauxite, copper, lead, zinc,

chromite, cobalt, manganese, nickel, clay, gypsum, salt, sand,

forests, hydropower

Botswana

diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal,

iron ore, silver

Bouvet Island

none

Brazil

bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates,

platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber

British Indian Ocean Territory

coconuts, fish, sugarcane

British Virgin Islands

NEGL

Brunei

petroleum, natural gas, timber

Bulgaria

bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land

Burkina Faso

manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold,

phosphates, pumice, salt

Burma

petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten,

lead, coal, marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas,

hydropower

Burundi

nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper,

platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum,

gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone

Cambodia

oil and gas, timber, gemstones, iron ore, manganese,

phosphates, hydropower potential

Cameroon

petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower

Canada

iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum,

potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum,

natural gas, hydropower

Cape Verde

salt, basalt rock, limestone, kaolin, fish, clay, gypsum

Cayman Islands

fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism

Central African Republic

diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil,

hydropower

Chad

petroleum, uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad), gold,

limestone, sand and gravel, salt

Chile

copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals,

molybdenum, hydropower

China

coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin,

tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite,

aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)

Christmas Island

phosphate, beaches

Clipperton Island

fish

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

fish

Colombia

petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, nickel, gold,

copper, emeralds, hydropower

Comoros

NEGL

Congo, Democratic Republic of the cobalt, copper, niobium, tantalum, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, uranium, coal, hydropower, timber

Congo, Republic of the petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower

Cook Islands

NEGL

Coral Sea Islands

NEGL

Costa Rica

hydropower

Cote d'Ivoire

petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore,

cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay,

cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower

Croatia

oil, some coal, bauxite, low-grade iron ore, calcium,

gypsum, natural asphalt, silica, mica, clays, salt, hydropower

Cuba

cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber,

silica, petroleum, arable land

Cyprus

copper, pyrites, asbestos, gypsum, timber, salt, marble, clay

earth pigment

Czech Republic

hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite, timber

Denmark

petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone, chalk, stone,

gravel and sand

Djibouti

geothermal areas, gold, clay, granite, limestone, marble,

salt, diatomite, gypsum, pumice, petroleum

Dominica

timber, hydropower, arable land

Dominican Republic

nickel, bauxite, gold, silver

Ecuador

petroleum, fish, timber, hydropower

Egypt

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese,

limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc

El Salvador

hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land

Equatorial Guinea

petroleum, natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite,

diamonds, tantalum, sand and gravel, clay

Eritrea

gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural

gas, fish

Estonia

oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand,

dolomite, arable land, sea mud

Ethiopia

small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash, natural

gas, hydropower

European Union

iron ore, natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, lead,

zinc, bauxite, uranium, potash, salt, hydropower, arable land,

timber, fish

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss

Faroe Islands

fish, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas

Fiji

timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential, hydropower

Finland

timber, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite, nickel,

gold, silver, limestone

France

metropolitan France: coal, iron ore, bauxite, zinc, uranium,

antimony, arsenic, potash, feldspar, fluorspar, gypsum, timber, fish

French Guiana: gold deposits, petroleum, kaolin, niobium, tantalum,

clay

French Polynesia

timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

fish, crayfish

note: Glorioso Islands and Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses) have

guano, phosphates, and coconuts

Gabon

petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium,

gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower

Gambia, The

fish, titanium (rutile and ilmenite), tin, zircon,

silica sand, clay, petroleum

Gaza Strip

arable land, natural gas

Georgia

forests, hydropower, manganese deposits, iron ore, copper,

minor coal and oil deposits; coastal climate and soils allow for

important tea and citrus growth

Germany

coal, lignite, natural gas, iron ore, copper, nickel,

uranium, potash, salt, construction materials, timber, arable land

Ghana

gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish,

rubber, hydropower, petroleum, silver, salt, limestone

Gibraltar

none

Greece

lignite, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, lead, zinc, nickel,

magnesite, marble, salt, hydropower potential

Greenland

coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, molybdenum, diamonds, gold,

platinum, niobium, tantalite, uranium, fish, seals, whales,

hydropower, possible oil and gas

Grenada

timber, tropical fruit, deepwater harbors

Guam

aquatic wildlife (supporting tourism), fishing (largely

undeveloped)

Guatemala

petroleum, nickel, rare woods, fish, chicle, hydropower

Guernsey

cropland

Guinea

bauxite, iron ore, diamonds, gold, uranium, hydropower, fish,

salt

Guinea-Bissau

fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite,

limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum

Guyana

bauxite, gold, diamonds, hardwood timber, shrimp, fish

Haiti

bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble, hydropower

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

fish

Holy See (Vatican City)

none

Honduras

timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore,

antimony, coal, fish, hydropower

Hong Kong

outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar

Hungary

bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land

Iceland

fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite

India

coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore,

manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas,

diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land

Indian Ocean

oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel

aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules

Indonesia

petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite,

copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver

Iran

petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore, lead,

manganese, zinc, sulfur

Iraq

petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur

Ireland

natural gas, peat, copper, lead, zinc, silver, barite,

gypsum, limestone, dolomite

Isle of Man

none

Israel

timber, potash, copper ore, natural gas, phosphate rock,

magnesium bromide, clays, sand

Italy

coal, mercury, zinc, potash, marble, barite, asbestos, pumice,

fluorspar, feldspar, pyrite (sulfur), natural gas and crude oil

reserves, fish, arable land

Jamaica

bauxite, gypsum, limestone

Jan Mayen

none

Japan

negligible mineral resources, fish

note: with virtually no energy natural resources, Japan is the

world's largest importer of coal and liquefied natural gas as well

as the second largest importer of oil

Jersey

arable land

Jordan

phosphates, potash, shale oil

Kazakhstan

major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore,

manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead,

zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium

Kenya

limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc,

diatomite, gypsum, wildlife, hydropower

Kiribati

phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)

Korea, North

coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron

ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower

Korea, South

coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower

potential

Kosovo

nickel, lead, zinc, magnesium, lignite, kaolin, chrome,

bauxite

Kuwait

petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas

Kyrgyzstan

abundant hydropower; significant deposits of gold and

rare earth metals; locally exploitable coal, oil, and natural gas;

other deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead, and zinc

Laos

timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones

Latvia

peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable

land

Lebanon

limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a

water-deficit region, arable land

Lesotho

water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay,

building stone

Liberia

iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower

Libya

petroleum, natural gas, gypsum

Liechtenstein

hydroelectric potential, arable land

Lithuania

peat, arable land, amber

Luxembourg

iron ore (no longer exploited), arable land

Macau

NEGL

Macedonia

low-grade iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, chromite,

manganese, nickel, tungsten, gold, silver, asbestos, gypsum, timber,

arable land

Madagascar

graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar

sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish, hydropower

Malawi

limestone, arable land, hydropower, unexploited deposits of

uranium, coal, and bauxite

Malaysia

tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas,

bauxite

Maldives

fish

Mali

gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, gypsum,

granite, hydropower

note: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are

known but not exploited

Malta

limestone, salt, arable land

Marshall Islands

coconut products, marine products, deep seabed

minerals

Mauritania

iron ore, gypsum, copper, phosphate, diamonds, gold, oil,

fish

Mauritius

arable land, fish

Mayotte

NEGL

Mexico

petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas,

timber

Micronesia, Federated States of

forests, marine products,

deep-seabed minerals, phosphate

Moldova

lignite, phosphorites, gypsum, arable land, limestone

Monaco

none

Mongolia

oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin,

nickel, zinc, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron

Montenegro

bauxite, hydroelectricity

Montserrat

NEGL

Morocco

phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt

Mozambique

coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum,

graphite

Namibia

diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, silver, lead, tin, lithium,

cadmium, tungsten, zinc, salt, hydropower, fish

note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore

Nauru

phosphates, fish

Navassa Island

guano

Nepal

quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small

deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore

Netherlands

natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt, sand and

gravel, arable land

Netherlands Antilles

phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)

New Caledonia

nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold,

lead, copper

New Zealand

natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower,

gold, limestone

Nicaragua

gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish

Niger

uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum,

gypsum, salt, petroleum

Nigeria

natural gas, petroleum, tin, iron ore, coal, limestone,

niobium, lead, zinc, arable land

Niue

fish, arable land

Norfolk Island

fish

Northern Mariana Islands

arable land, fish

Norway

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc,

titanium, pyrites, nickel, fish, timber, hydropower

Oman

petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium,

gypsum, natural gas

Pacific Ocean

oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and

gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish

Pakistan

land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum,

poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone

Palau

forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products,

deep-seabed minerals

Panama

copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower

Papua New Guinea

gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil,

fisheries

Paracel Islands

none

Paraguay

hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone

Peru

copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal,

phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas

Philippines

timber, petroleum, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt,

copper

Pitcairn Islands

miro trees (used for handicrafts), fish

note: manganese, iron, copper, gold, silver, and zinc have been

discovered offshore

Poland

coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber,

arable land

Portugal

fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin,

tungsten, silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable

land, hydropower

Puerto Rico

some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and

offshore oil

Qatar

petroleum, natural gas, fish

Romania

petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal,

iron ore, salt, arable land, hydropower

Russia

wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil,

natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, timber

note: formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder

exploitation of natural resources

Rwanda

gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore),

methane, hydropower, arable land

Saint Barthelemy

has few natural resouces, its beaches being the

most important

Saint Helena

fish, lobster

Saint Kitts and Nevis

arable land

Saint Lucia

forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral

springs, geothermal potential

Saint Martin

salt

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

fish, deepwater ports

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

hydropower, cropland

Samoa

hardwood forests, fish, hydropower

San Marino

building stone

Sao Tome and Principe

fish, hydropower

Saudi Arabia

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper

Senegal

fish, phosphates, iron ore

Serbia

oil, gas, coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, chromite,

gold, silver, magnesium, pyrite, limestone, marble, salt, arable land

Seychelles

fish, copra, cinnamon trees

Sierra Leone

diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold,

chromite

Singapore

fish, deepwater ports

Slovakia

brown coal and lignite; small amounts of iron ore, copper

and manganese ore; salt; arable land

Slovenia

lignite coal, lead, zinc, building stone, hydropower,

forests

Solomon Islands

fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead,

zinc, nickel

Somalia

uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin,

gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt, natural gas, likely oil reserves

South Africa

gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese,

nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper,

vanadium, salt, natural gas

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

fish

Southern Ocean

probable large and possible giant oil and gas fields

on the continental margin; manganese nodules, possible placer

deposits, sand and gravel, fresh water as icebergs; squid, whales,

and seals - none exploited; krill, fish

Spain

coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium,

tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite,

kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land

Spratly Islands

fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas

potential

Sri Lanka

limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates,

clay, hydropower

Sudan

petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore,

zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower

Suriname

timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold,

and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, iron ore

Svalbard

coal, iron ore, copper, zinc, phosphate, wildlife, fish

Swaziland

asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests,

small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc

Sweden

iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, gold, silver, tungsten,

uranium, arsenic, feldspar, timber, hydropower

Switzerland

hydropower potential, timber, salt

Syria

petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt,

iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum, hydropower

Taiwan

small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and

asbestos

Tajikistan

hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal,

lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold

Tanzania

hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds,

gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel

Thailand

tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead,

fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land

Timor-Leste

gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble

Togo

phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land

Tokelau

NEGL

Tonga

fish, fertile soil

Trinidad and Tobago

petroleum, natural gas, asphalt

Tunisia

petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt

Turkey

coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold,

barite, borate, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone,

magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites (sulfur), clay, arable

land, hydropower

Turkmenistan

petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt

Turks and Caicos Islands

spiny lobster, conch

Tuvalu

fish

Uganda

copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land

Ukraine

iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur,

graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber,

arable land

United Arab Emirates

petroleum, natural gas

United Kingdom

coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc,

gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica

sand, slate, arable land

United States

coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium,

bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten,

zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber

note: the US has the world's largest coal reserves with 491 billion

short tons accounting for 27% of the world's total

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges terrestrial and aquatic wildlife

Uruguay

arable land, hydropower, minor minerals, fisheries

Uzbekistan

natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver,

copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum

Vanuatu

manganese, hardwood forests, fish

Venezuela

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other

minerals, hydropower, diamonds

Vietnam

phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil

and gas deposits, forests, hydropower

Virgin Islands

sun, sand, sea, surf

Wake Island

none

Wallis and Futuna

NEGL

West Bank

arable land

Western Sahara

phosphates, iron ore

World

the rapid depletion of nonrenewable mineral resources, the

depletion of forest areas and wetlands, the extinction of animal and

plant species, and the deterioration in air and water quality

(especially in Eastern Europe, the former USSR, and China) pose

serious long-term problems that governments and peoples are only

beginning to address

Yemen

petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal,

gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west

Zambia

copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver,

uranium, hydropower

Zimbabwe

coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron

ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2112 Net migration rate (migrant(s)/1,000 population)

Afghanistan

21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Albania

-4.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Algeria

-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

American Samoa

-7.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Andorra

13.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Angola

1.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Anguilla

14.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

2.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Argentina

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Armenia

-4.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Aruba

9.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Australia

6.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Austria

1.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Azerbaijan

-1.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bahamas, The

-2.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bahrain

0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bangladesh

-0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Barbados

-0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Belarus

0.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Belgium

1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Belize

NA (2008 est.)

Benin

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bermuda

2.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bhutan

NA (2008 est.)

Bolivia

-1.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

6.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Botswana

5.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population

note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa

and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2008 est.)

Brazil

-0.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

British Virgin Islands

8.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Brunei

2.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Bulgaria

-3.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Burkina Faso

NA (2008 est.)

Burma

NA (2008 est.)

Burundi

5.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cambodia

NA (2008 est.)

Cameroon

NA (2008 est.)

Canada

5.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cape Verde

-11.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cayman Islands

16.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population

note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US (2008

est.)

Central African Republic

NA (2008 est.)

Chad

-3.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Chile

NA (2008 est.)

China

-0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Christmas Island

NA (2008 est.)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

NA (2008 est.)

Colombia

-0.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Comoros

NA (2008 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

-2.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Costa Rica

0.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

NA (2008 est.)

Croatia

1.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cuba

-1.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Cyprus

0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Czech Republic

0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Denmark

2.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Djibouti

NA (2008 est.)

Dominica

-5.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Dominican Republic

-2.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Ecuador

-7.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Egypt

-0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

El Salvador

-3.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

NA (2008 est.)

Eritrea

NA (2008 est.)

Estonia

-3.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Ethiopia

NA

note: repatriation of Ethiopian refugees residing in Sudan is

expected to continue for several years; some Sudanese, Somali, and

Eritrean refugees, who fled to Ethiopia from the fighting or famine

in their own countries, continue to return to their homes (2008 est.)

European Union

1.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

NA (2008 est.)

Faroe Islands

-0.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Fiji

-2.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Finland

0.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

France

1.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

French Polynesia

2.77 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Gabon

-3.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Gambia, The

0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Gaza Strip

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Georgia

-4.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Germany

2.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Ghana

-0.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Gibraltar

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Greece

2.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Greenland

-5.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Grenada

-11.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Guam

NA (2008 est.)

Guatemala

-2.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Guernsey

3.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Guinea

-1.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Guyana

-7.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Haiti

-0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Honduras

-1.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Hong Kong

4.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Hungary

0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Iceland

1.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

India

-0.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Indonesia

-1.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Iran

-3.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Iraq

NA (2008 est.)

Ireland

4.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Isle of Man

5.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Israel

2.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Italy

2.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Jamaica

-5.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Japan

NA (2008 est.)

Jersey

2.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Jordan

5.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Kazakhstan

-3.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Kenya

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Kiribati

NA (2008 est.)

Korea, North

NA (2008 est.)

Korea, South

NA (2008 est.)

Kuwait

16.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

-2.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Laos

NA (2008 est.)

Latvia

-2.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Lebanon

NA (2008 est.)

Lesotho

-0.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Liberia

15.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Libya

NA (2008 est.)

Liechtenstein

4.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Lithuania

-0.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Luxembourg

8.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Macau

26.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Macedonia

-0.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Madagascar

NA (2008 est.)

Malawi

NA (2008 est.)

Malaysia

NA

note: does not reflect net flow of an unknown number of illegal

immigrants from other countries in the region (2008 est.)

Maldives

NA (2008 est.)

Mali

-5.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Malta

2.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Marshall Islands

-5.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mauritania

NA (2008 est.)

Mauritius

-0.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mayotte

2.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mexico

-3.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of -21.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Moldova

-1.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Monaco

7.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mongolia

NA (2008 est.)

Montserrat

NA (2008 est.)

Morocco

-0.77 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Mozambique

NA (2008 est.)

Namibia

0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Nauru

NA (2008 est.)

Nepal

NA (2008 est.)

Netherlands

2.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

-0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

New Caledonia

NA

note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New

Caledonia (2008 est.)

New Zealand

2.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Nicaragua

-1.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Niger

-0.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Nigeria

-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Niue

NA (2008 est.)

Norfolk Island

NA (2008 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands

7.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Norway

1.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Oman

0.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Pakistan

-0.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Palau

0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Panama

-0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Papua New Guinea

NA (2008 est.)

Paraguay

-0.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Peru

-0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Philippines

-1.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

NA (2008 est.)

Poland

-0.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Portugal

3.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Puerto Rico

-1.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Qatar

-2.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Romania

-0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Russia

0.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Rwanda

2.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Saint Helena

NA (2008 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

-2.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Saint Lucia

-4.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

-4.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008

est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

-7.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population

(2008 est.)

Samoa

-9.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

San Marino

10.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

-1.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Saudi Arabia

-6.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Senegal

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Seychelles

-5.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sierra Leone

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population

note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly

returning (2008 est.)

Singapore

6.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Slovakia

0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Slovenia

0.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Solomon Islands

NA (2008 est.)

Somalia

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

South Africa

4.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population

note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa

and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2008 est.)

Spain

0.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sri Lanka

-1.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sudan

0.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Suriname

-0.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Svalbard

NA (2008 est.)

Swaziland

NA (2008 est.)

Sweden

1.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Switzerland

2.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Syria

NA (2008 est.)

Taiwan

0.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Tajikistan

-1.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Tanzania

-1.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Thailand

NA (2008 est.)

Timor-Leste

NA (2008 est.)

Togo

NA (2008 est.)

Tokelau

NA (2008 est.)

Tonga

NA (2008 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

-11.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Tunisia

-0.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Turkey

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Turkmenistan

-3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

9.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Tuvalu

NA (2008 est.)

Uganda

0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Ukraine

-0.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

United Arab Emirates

24.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

United Kingdom

2.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

United States

2.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Uruguay

-0.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Uzbekistan

-3.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Vanuatu

NA (2008 est.)

Venezuela

-0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Vietnam

-0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Virgin Islands

-5.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

NA

note: there has been steady emigration from Wallis and Futuna to New

Caledonia (2008 est.)

West Bank

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Yemen

NA (2008 est.)

Zambia

-2.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Zimbabwe

NA

note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa

and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2008 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2113 Geography - note

Afghanistan

landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast

to southwest divide the northern provinces from the rest of the

country; the highest peaks are in the northern Vakhan (Wakhan

Corridor)

Akrotiri

British extraterritorial rights also extended to several

small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus; of the Sovereign Base

Area land, 60% is privately owned and farmed, 20% is owned by the

Ministry of Defense, and 20% is SBA Crown land

Albania

strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic

Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)

Algeria

second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)

American Samoa

Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater

harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough

seas and protected by peripheral mountains from high winds;

strategic location in the South Pacific Ocean

Andorra

landlocked; straddles a number of important crossroads in

the Pyrenees

Angola

the province of Cabinda is an exclave, separated from the

rest of the country by the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Anguilla

the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser

Antilles

Antarctica

the coldest, windiest, highest (on average), and driest

continent; during summer, more solar radiation reaches the surface

at the South Pole than is received at the Equator in an equivalent

period; mostly uninhabitable

Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua has a deeply indented shoreline with

many natural harbors and beaches; Barbuda has a large western harbor

Arctic Ocean

major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern

access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); strategic

location between North America and Russia; shortest marine link

between the extremes of eastern and western Russia; floating

research stations operated by the US and Russia; maximum snow cover

in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean;

snow cover lasts about 10 months

Argentina

second-largest country in South America (after Brazil);

strategic location relative to sea lanes between the South Atlantic

and the South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel,

Drake Passage); diverse geophysical landscapes range from tropical

climates in the north to tundra in the far south; Cerro Aconcagua is

the Western Hemisphere's tallest mountain, while Laguna del Carbon

is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere

Armenia

landlocked in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains; Sevana Lich

(Lake Sevan) is the largest lake in this mountain range

Aruba

a flat, riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches;

its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the

Atlantic Ocean; the temperature is almost constant at about 27

degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit)

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve

established in August 1983; Cartier Island Marine Reserve

established in 2000

Atlantic Ocean

major chokepoints include the Dardanelles, Strait of

Gibraltar, access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits

include the Strait of Dover, Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The

Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage; the Equator divides the

Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean

Australia

world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country;

population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts;

the invigorating sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor" affects

the city of Perth on the west coast, and is one of the most

consistent winds in the world

Austria

landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central

Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major

river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands

because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere

Azerbaijan

both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan

exclave are landlocked

Bahamas, The

strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive

island chain of which 30 are inhabited

Bahrain

close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic

location in Persian Gulf, through which much of the Western world's

petroleum must transit to reach open ocean

Bangladesh

most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers

flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main

channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually

empty into the Bay of Bengal

Barbados

easternmost Caribbean island

Belarus

landlocked; glacial scouring accounts for the flatness of

Belarusian terrain and for its 11,000 lakes

Belgium

crossroads of Western Europe; most West European capitals

within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and

NATO

Belize

only country in Central America without a coastline on the

North Pacific Ocean

Benin

sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural

harbors, river mouths, or islands

Bermuda

consists of about 138 coral islands and islets with ample

rainfall, but no rivers or freshwater lakes; some land was leased by

US Government from 1941 to 1995

Bhutan

landlocked; strategic location between China and India;

controls several key Himalayan mountain passes

Bolivia

landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest

navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru

Bosnia and Herzegovina

within Bosnia and Herzegovina's recognized

borders, the country is divided into a joint Bosniak/Croat

Federation (about 51% of the territory) and the Bosnian Serb-led

Republika Srpska or RS (about 49% of the territory); the region

called Herzegovina is contiguous to Croatia and Montenegro, and

traditionally has been settled by an ethnic Croat majority in the

west and an ethnic Serb majority in the east

Botswana

landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the

country

Bouvet Island

covered by glacial ice; declared a nature reserve

Norway

Brazil

largest country in South America; shares common boundaries

with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador

British Indian Ocean Territory archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility

British Virgin Islands

strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and

Puerto Rico

Brunei

close to vital sea lanes through South China Sea linking

Indian and Pacific Oceans; two parts physically separated by

Malaysia; almost an enclave within Malaysia

Bulgaria

strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land

routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia

Burkina Faso

landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of

the Black, Red, and White Voltas

Burma

strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes

Burundi

landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed; the

Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most remote

headstream of the White Nile

Cambodia

a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River

and Tonle Sap

Cameroon

sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa; throughout

the country there are areas of thermal springs and indications of

current or prior volcanic activity; Mount Cameroon, the highest

mountain in Sub-Saharan west Africa, is an active volcano

Canada

second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic

location between Russia and US via north polar route; approximately

90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km of the US border

Cape Verde

strategic location 500 km from west coast of Africa near

major north-south sea routes; important communications station;

important sea and air refueling site

Cayman Islands

important location between Cuba and Central America

Central African Republic

landlocked; almost the precise center of

Africa

Chad

landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the

Sahel

Chile

strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and

Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage);

Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions

China

world's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US);

Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak

Christmas Island

located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean

Clipperton Island

reef 12 km in circumference

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

islands are thickly covered with coconut

palms and other vegetation; site of a World War I naval battle in

November 1914 between the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney and

the German raider SMS Emden; after being heavily damaged in the

engagement, the Emden was beached by her captain on North Keeling

Island

Colombia

only South American country with coastlines on both the

North Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea

Comoros

important location at northern end of Mozambique Channel

Congo, Democratic Republic of the straddles equator; has narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands

Congo, Republic of the

about 70% of the population lives in

Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad between them

Cook Islands

the northern Cook Islands are seven low-lying, sparsely

populated, coral atolls; the southern Cook Islands, where most of

the population lives, consist of eight elevated, fertile, volcanic

isles, including the largest, Rarotonga, at 67 sq km

Coral Sea Islands

important nesting area for birds and turtles

Costa Rica

four volcanoes, two of them active, rise near the capital

of San Jose in the center of the country; one of the volcanoes,

Irazu, erupted destructively in 1963-65

Cote d'Ivoire

most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal

region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is

sparsely populated

Croatia

controls most land routes from Western Europe to Aegean Sea

and Turkish Straits; most Adriatic Sea islands lie off the coast of

Croatia - some 1,200 islands, islets, ridges, and rocks

Cuba

largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the

Greater Antilles

Cyprus

the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after

Sicily and Sardinia)

Czech Republic

landlocked; strategically located astride some of

oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is

a traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and

the Danube in central Europe

Denmark

controls Danish Straits (Skagerrak and Kattegat) linking

Baltic and North Seas; about one-quarter of the population lives in

greater Copenhagen

Dhekelia

British extraterritorial rights also extended to several

small off-post sites scattered across Cyprus; of the Sovereign Base

Area land 60% is privately owned and farmed, 20% is owned by the

Ministry of Defense, and 20% is SBA Crown land

Djibouti

strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and

close to Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia;

mostly wasteland; Lac Assal (Lake Assal) is the lowest point in

Africa

Dominica

known as "The Nature Island of the Caribbean" due to its

spectacular, lush, and varied flora and fauna, which are protected

by an extensive natural park system; the most mountainous of the

Lesser Antilles, its volcanic peaks are cones of lava craters and

include Boiling Lake, the second-largest, thermally active lake in

the world

Dominican Republic

shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti

Ecuador

Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world

Egypt

controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa and

remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, a sea link

between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; size, and juxtaposition

to Israel, establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics;

dependence on upstream neighbors; dominance of Nile basin issues;

prone to influxes of refugees

El Salvador

smallest Central American country and only one without a

coastline on Caribbean Sea

Equatorial Guinea

insular and continental regions widely separated

Eritrea

strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest

shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia

along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May

1993

Estonia

the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded;

offshore lie more than 1,500 islands

Ethiopia

landlocked - entire coastline along the Red Sea was lost

with the de jure independence of Eritrea on 24 May 1993; the Blue

Nile, the chief headstream of the Nile by water volume, rises in

T'ana Hayk (Lake Tana) in northwest Ethiopia; three major crops are

believed to have originated in Ethiopia: coffee, grain sorghum, and

castor bean

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

deeply indented coast provides

good natural harbors; short growing season

Faroe Islands

archipelago of 17 inhabited islands and one

uninhabited island, and a few uninhabited islets; strategically

located along important sea lanes in northeastern Atlantic;

precipitous terrain limits habitation to small coastal lowlands

Fiji

includes 332 islands; approximately 110 are inhabited

Finland

long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national

capital on European continent; population concentrated on small

southwestern coastal plain

France

largest West European nation

French Polynesia

includes five archipelagoes (four volcanic, one

coral); Makatea in French Polynesia is one of the three great

phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba

(Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Nauru

French Southern and Antarctic Lands islands component is widely scattered across remote locations in the southern Indian Ocean Bassas da India (Iles Eparses): the atoll is a circular reef that sits atop a long-extinct, submerged volcano Europa Island and Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses): wildlife sanctuary for seabirds and sea turtles Glorioso Island (Iles Eparses): the islands and rocks are surrounded by an extensive reef system Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): climatologically important location for forecasting cyclones in the western Indian Ocean; wildlife sanctuary (seabirds, tortoises)

Gabon

a small population and oil and mineral reserves have helped

Gabon become one of Africa's wealthier countries; in general, these

circumstances have allowed the country to maintain and conserve its

pristine rain forest and rich biodiversity

Gambia, The

almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on the

continent of Africa

Gaza Strip

strategic strip of land along Mideast-North African trade

routes has experienced an incredibly turbulent history; the town of

Gaza itself has been besieged countless times in its history

Georgia

strategically located east of the Black Sea; Georgia

controls much of the Caucasus Mountains and the routes through them

Germany

strategic location on North European Plain and along the

entrance to the Baltic Sea

Ghana

Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake

Gibraltar

strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the

North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

Greece

strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern

approach to Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an

archipelago of about 2,000 islands

Greenland

dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America and

Europe; sparse population confined to small settlements along coast;

close to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital, Nuuk;

world's second largest ice cap

Grenada

the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is

divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada

Guam

largest and southernmost island in the Mariana Islands

archipelago; strategic location in western North Pacific Ocean

Guatemala

no natural harbors on west coast

Guernsey

large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port

Guinea

the Niger and its important tributary the Milo have their

sources in the Guinean highlands

Guinea-Bissau

this small country is swampy along its western coast

and low-lying inland

Guyana

the third-smallest country in South America after Suriname

and Uruguay; substantial portions of its western and eastern

territories are claimed by Venezuela and Suriname respectively

Haiti

shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic (western

one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)

Heard Island and McDonald Islands Mawson Peak on Heard Island is the highest Australian mountain (at 2,745 meters, it is taller than Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia proper), and one of only two active volcanoes located in Australian territory, the other being McDonald Island; in 1992, McDonald Island broke its dormancy and began erupting; it has erupted several times since, the most recent being in 2005

Holy See (Vatican City)

landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world's

smallest state; beyond the territorial boundary of Vatican City, the

Lateran Treaty of 1929 grants the Holy See extraterritorial

authority over 23 sites in Rome and five outside of Rome, including

the Pontifical Palace at Castel Gandolfo (the Pope's summer

residence)

Honduras

has only a short Pacific coast but a long Caribbean

shoreline, including the virtually uninhabited eastern Mosquito Coast

Hong Kong

more than 200 islands

Hungary

landlocked; strategic location astride main land routes

between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as between

Ukraine and Mediterranean basin; the north-south flowing Duna

(Danube) and Tisza Rivers divide the country into three large regions

Iceland

strategic location between Greenland and Europe; westernmost

European country; Reykjavik is the northernmost national capital in

the world; more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental

Europe

India

dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian

Ocean trade routes; Kanchenjunga, third tallest mountain in the

world, lies on the border with Nepal

Indian Ocean

major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of

Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and

the Lombok Strait

Indonesia

archipelago of 17,508 islands (6,000 inhabited); straddles

equator; strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from

Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean

Iran

strategic location on the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz,

which are vital maritime pathways for crude oil transport

Iraq

strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of

the Persian Gulf

Ireland

strategic location on major air and sea routes between North

America and northern Europe; over 40% of the population resides

within 100 km of Dublin

Isle of Man

one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest

and is a bird sanctuary

Israel

there are about 340 Israeli civilian sites - including 100

small outpost communities in the West Bank - as well as 42 sites in

the Golan Heights, 0 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem

(July 2008 est.); Lake Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) is an important

freshwater source

Italy

strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as

southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe

Jamaica

strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica

Channel, the main sea lanes for the Panama Canal

Jan Mayen

barren volcanic island with some moss and grass

Japan

strategic location in northeast Asia

Jersey

largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of

population concentrated in Saint Helier

Jordan

strategic location at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba and as

the Arab country that shares the longest border with Israel and the

occupied West Bank

Kazakhstan

landlocked; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of

territory enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome; in January 2004,

Kazakhstan and Russia extended the lease to 2050

Kenya

the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful

agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on

Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography

supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic

value

Kiribati

21 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island)

in Kiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the

Pacific Ocean - the others are Makatea in French Polynesia, and Nauru

Korea, North

strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and

Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated

Korea, South

strategic location on Korea Strait

Kuwait

strategic location at head of Persian Gulf

Kyrgyzstan

landlocked; entirely mountainous, dominated by the Tien

Shan range; many tall peaks, glaciers, and high-altitude lakes

Laos

landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly

forested; the Mekong River forms a large part of the western

boundary with Thailand

Latvia

most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains,

with some hills in the east

Lebanon

Nahr el Litani is the only major river in Near East not

crossing an international boundary; rugged terrain historically

helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based

on religion, clan, and ethnicity

Lesotho

landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa;

mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 m above sea level

Liberia

facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by

lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland

grassy plateau supports limited agriculture

Libya

more than 90% of the country is desert or semidesert

Liechtenstein

along with Uzbekistan, one of only two doubly

landlocked countries in the world; variety of microclimatic

variations based on elevation

Lithuania

fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that

are ancient glacial deposits

Luxembourg

landlocked; the only Grand Duchy in the world

Macau

essentially urban; an area of land reclaimed from the sea

measuring 5.2 sq km and known as Cotai now connects the islands of

Coloane and Taipa; the island area is connected to the mainland

peninsula by three bridges

Macedonia

landlocked; major transportation corridor from Western and

Central Europe to Aegean Sea and Southern Europe to Western Europe

Madagascar

world's fourth-largest island; strategic location along

Mozambique Channel

Malawi

landlocked; Lake Nyasa, some 580 km long, is the country's

most prominent physical feature

Malaysia

strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern

South China Sea

Maldives

1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 atolls (200 inhabited

islands, plus 80 islands with tourist resorts); archipelago with

strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean

Mali

landlocked; divided into three natural zones: the southern,

cultivated Sudanese; the central, semiarid Sahelian; and the

northern, arid Saharan

Malta

the country comprises an archipelago, with only the three

largest islands (Malta, Ghawdex or Gozo, and Kemmuna or Comino)

being inhabited; numerous bays provide good harbors; Malta and

Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the

continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil

exploration

Marshall Islands

the Marshall Islands Bikini and Enewetak are former

US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein atoll, famous as a World War II

battleground, surrounds the world's largest lagoon and is used as a

US missile test range; the island city of Ebeye is the second

largest settlement in the Marshall Islands, after the capital of

Majuro, and one of the most densely populated locations in the

Pacific

Mauritania

most of the population concentrated in the cities of

Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and along the Senegal River in the

southern part of the country

Mauritius

the main island, from which the country derives its name,

is of volcanic origin and is almost entirely surrounded by coral

reefs; home of the dodo, a large flightless bird related to pigeons,

driven to extinction by the end of the 17th century through a

combination of hunting and the introduction of predatory species

Mayotte

part of Comoro Archipelago (18 islands)

Mexico

strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize),

one of the world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated

in Mexico

Micronesia, Federated States of

four major island groups totaling

607 islands

Moldova

landlocked; well endowed with various sedimentary rocks and

minerals including sand, gravel, gypsum, and limestone

Monaco

second-smallest independent state in the world (after Holy

See); almost entirely urban

Mongolia

landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia

Montenegro

strategic location along the Adriatic coast

Montserrat

the island is entirely volcanic in origin and comprised

of three major volcanic centers of differing ages

Morocco

strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar

Mozambique

the Zambezi flows through the north-central and most

fertile part of the country

Namibia

first country in the world to incorporate the protection of

the environment into its constitution; some 14% of the land is

protected, including virtually the entire Namib Desert coastal strip

Nauru

Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the

Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and

Makatea in French Polynesia; only 53 km south of Equator

Navassa Island

strategic location 160 km south of the US Naval Base

at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; mostly exposed rock with numerous solution

holes but with enough grassland to support goat herds; dense stands

of fig trees, scattered cactus

Nepal

landlocked; strategic location between China and India;

contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest

and Kanchenjunga - the world's tallest and third tallest - on the

borders with China and India respectively

Netherlands

located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine,

Maas or Meuse, and Schelde)

Netherlands Antilles

the five islands of the Netherlands Antilles

are divided geographically into the Leeward Islands (northern) group

(Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) and the Windward Islands

(southern) group (Bonaire and Curacao); the island of Saint Martin

is the smallest landmass in the world shared by two independent

states, the French territory of Saint Martin and the Dutch territory

of Sint Maarten

New Caledonia

consists of the main island of New Caledonia (one of

the largest in the Pacific Ocean), the archipelago of Iles Loyaute,

and numerous small, sparsely populated islands and atolls

New Zealand

about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington

is the southernmost national capital in the world

Nicaragua

largest country in Central America; contains the largest

freshwater body in Central America, Lago de Nicaragua

Niger

landlocked; one of the hottest countries in the world;

northern four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna,

suitable for livestock and limited agriculture

Nigeria

the Niger enters the country in the northwest and flows

southward through tropical rain forests and swamps to its delta in

the Gulf of Guinea

Niue

one of world's largest coral islands

Norfolk Island

most of the 32 km coastline consists of almost

inaccessible cliffs, but the land slopes down to the sea in one

small southern area on Sydney Bay, where the capital of Kingston is

situated

Northern Mariana Islands

strategic location in the North Pacific

Ocean

Norway

about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its much

indented coastline; strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air

routes in North Atlantic; one of most rugged and longest coastlines

in the world

Oman

strategic location on Musandam Peninsula adjacent to Strait of

Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil

Pacific Ocean

the major chokepoints are the Bering Strait, Panama

Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator divides

the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific

Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in

the southwestern Pacific Ocean

Pakistan

controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion

routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent

Palau

westernmost archipelago in the Caroline chain, consists of six

island groups totaling more than 300 islands; includes World War II

battleground of Beliliou (Peleliu) and world-famous rock islands

Panama

strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land

bridge connecting North and South America; controls Panama Canal

that links North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific

Ocean

Papua New Guinea

shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; one of

world's largest swamps along southwest coast

Paracel Islands

composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs

divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent

Group

Paraguay

landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil;

population concentrated in southern part of country

Peru

shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable

lake, with Bolivia; a remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316 m peak,

is the ultimate source of the Amazon River

Philippines

the Philippine archipelago is made up of 7,107 islands;

favorably located in relation to many of Southeast Asia's main water

bodies: the South China Sea, Philippine Sea, Sulu Sea, Celebes Sea,

and Luzon Strait

Pitcairn Islands

Britain's most isolated dependency; only the larger

island of Pitcairn is inhabited but it has no port or natural

harbor; supplies must be transported by rowed longboat from larger

ships stationed offshore

Poland

historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and

the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain

Portugal

Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along

western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar

Puerto Rico

important location along the Mona Passage - a key

shipping lane to the Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest

and best natural harbors in the Caribbean; many small rivers and

high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast

relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north

Qatar

strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major

petroleum deposits

Romania

controls most easily traversable land route between the

Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine

Russia

largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorably

located in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite its

size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either

too cold or too dry) for agriculture; Mount El'brus is Europe's

tallest peak

Rwanda

landlocked; most of the country is savanna grassland with the

population predominantly rural

Saint Helena

Saint Helena harbors at least 40 species of plants

unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground

for sea turtles and sooty terns; Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da

Cunha is the highest island mountain in the South Atlantic and a

prominent landmark on the sea lanes around southern Africa

Saint Kitts and Nevis

with coastlines in the shape of a baseball bat

and ball, the two volcanic islands are separated by a 3-km-wide

channel called The Narrows; on the southern tip of long, baseball

bat-shaped Saint Kitts lies the Great Salt Pond; Nevis Peak sits in

the center of its almost circular namesake island and its ball shape

complements that of its sister island

Saint Lucia

the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), striking

cone-shaped peaks south of Soufriere, are one of the scenic natural

highlights of the Caribbean

Saint Martin

the island of Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in

the world shared by two independent states, the French territory of

Saint Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

vegetation scanty

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is comprised of 32 islands and cays

Samoa

occupies an almost central position within Polynesia

San Marino

landlocked; smallest independent state in Europe after

the Holy See and Monaco; dominated by the Apennines

Sao Tome and Principe

the smallest country in Africa; the two main

islands form part of a chain of extinct volcanoes and both are

mountainous

Saudi Arabia

extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea

provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through

Persian Gulf and Suez Canal

Senegal

westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is

almost an enclave within Senegal

Serbia

controls one of the major land routes from Western Europe to

Turkey and the Near East

Seychelles

41 granitic and about 75 coralline islands

Sierra Leone

rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches)

a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western

Africa

Singapore

focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes

Slovakia

landlocked; most of the country is rugged and mountainous;

the Tatra Mountains in the north are interspersed with many scenic

lakes and valleys

Slovenia

despite its small size, this eastern Alpine country

controls some of Europe's major transit routes

Solomon Islands

strategic location on sea routes between the South

Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea; on 2 April 2007

an undersea earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale occurred

345 km WNW of the capital Honiara, the resulting tsunami devastated

coastal areas of Western and Choiseul provinces with dozens of

deaths and thousands dislocated; the provincial capital of Gizo was

especially hard hit

Somalia

strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern

approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal

South Africa

South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost

completely surrounds Swaziland

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

the north coast of

South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage;

reindeer, introduced early in the 20th century, live on South Georgia

Southern Ocean

the major chokepoint is the Drake Passage between

South America and Antarctica; the Polar Front (Antarctic

Convergence) is the best natural definition of the northern extent

of the Southern Ocean; it is a distinct region at the middle of the

Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the cold polar surface

waters to the south from the warmer waters to the north; the Front

and the Current extend entirely around Antarctica, reaching south of

60 degrees south near New Zealand and near 48 degrees south in the

far South Atlantic coinciding with the path of the maximum westerly

winds

Spain

strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar

Spratly Islands

strategically located near several primary shipping

lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small

islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs

Sri Lanka

strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes

Sudan

largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its

tributaries

Suriname

smallest independent country on South American continent;

mostly tropical rain forest; great diversity of flora and fauna

that, for the most part, is increasingly threatened by new

development; relatively small population, mostly along the coast

Svalbard

northernmost part of the Kingdom of Norway; consists of

nine main islands; glaciers and snowfields cover 60% of the total

area; Spitsbergen Island is the site of the Svalbard Global Seed

Vault, a seed repository established by the Global Crop Diversity

Trust and the Norwegian Government

Swaziland

landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa

Sweden

strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and

North Seas

Switzerland

landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe;

along with southeastern France, northern Italy, and southwestern

Austria, has the highest elevations in the Alps

Syria

there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites

in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 2005 est.)

Taiwan

strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the

Luzon Strait

Tajikistan

landlocked; mountainous region dominated by the

Trans-Alay Range in the north and the Pamirs in the southeast;

highest point, Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was

the tallest mountain in the former USSR

Tanzania

Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa; bordered by three

of the largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's

second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the

world's second deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa in the southwest

Thailand

controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore

Timor-Leste

Timor comes from the Malay word for "East"; the island

of Timor is part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and

easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands

Togo

the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct

geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna

Tokelau

consists of three atolls (Atafu, Fakaofo, Nukunonu), each

with a lagoon surrounded by a number of reef-bound islets of varying

length and rising to over 3 m above sea level

Tonga

archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited)

Trinidad and Tobago

Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is

the world's largest natural reservoir of asphalt

Tunisia

strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and

Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the

continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil

exploration

Turkey

strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus,

Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas; Mount

Ararat, the legendary landing place of Noah's ark, is in the far

eastern portion of the country

Turkmenistan

landlocked; the western and central low-lying desolate

portions of the country make up the great Garagum (Kara-Kum) desert,

which occupies over 80% of the country; eastern part is plateau

Turks and Caicos Islands

about 40 islands (eight inhabited)

Tuvalu

one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six

of the nine coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau,

Funafuti, and Nukulaelae - have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya

and Niutao have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon

Uganda

landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and

rivers

Ukraine

strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and

Asia; second-largest country in Europe

United Arab Emirates

strategic location along southern approaches to

Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil

United Kingdom

lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km

from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because

of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from

tidal waters

United States

world's third-largest country by size (after Russia

and Canada) and by population (after China and India); Mt. McKinley

is highest point in North America and Death Valley the lowest point

on the continent

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Baker, Howland, and

Jarvis Islands: scattered vegetation consisting of grasses,

prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting,

roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine

wildlife; closed to the public

Johnston Atoll: Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands,

which have been expanded by coral dredging; North Island (Akau) and

East Island (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging;

the egg-shaped reef is 34 km in circumference; closed to the public

Kingman Reef: barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; closed

to the public

Midway Islands: a coral atoll managed as a national wildlife refuge

and open to the public for wildlife-related recreation in the form

of wildlife observation and photography

Palmyra Atoll: the high rainfall and resulting lush vegetation make

the environment of this atoll unique among the US Pacific Island

territories; supports a large undisturbed stand of Pisonia beach

forest

Uruguay

second-smallest South American country (after Suriname);

most of the low-lying landscape (three-quarters of the country) is

grassland, ideal for cattle and sheep raising

Uzbekistan

along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly

landlocked countries in the world

Vanuatu

a Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller

islands; several of the islands have active volcanoes

Venezuela

on major sea and air routes linking North and South

America; Angel Falls in the Guiana Highlands is the world's highest

waterfall

Vietnam

extending 1,650 km north to south, the country is only 50 km

across at its narrowest point

Virgin Islands

important location along the Anegada Passage - a key

shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best

natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean

Wake Island

strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; emergency

landing location for transpacific flights

Wallis and Futuna

both island groups have fringing reefs

West Bank

landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's

coastal aquifers; there are about 340 Israeli civilian

sites—including 100 small outpost communities in the West Bank and

29 sites in East Jerusalem (July 2008 est.)

Western Sahara

the waters off the coast are particularly rich

fishing areas

World

the world is now thought to be about 4.55 billion years old,

just about one-third of the 13.7-billion-year age estimated for the

universe

Yemen

strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the

Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping

lanes

Zambia

landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary

with Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

landlocked; the Zambezi forms a natural riverine boundary

with Zambia; in full flood (February-April) the massive Victoria

Falls on the river forms the world's largest curtain of falling water

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

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@2115 Political pressure groups and leaders

Afghanistan

other: religious groups; tribal leaders

Albania

Citizens Advocacy Office [Kreshnik SPAHIU]; Confederation of

Trade Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kastriot MUCO]; Front for Albanian

National Unification or FBKSH [Gafur ADILI]; Mjaft Movement; Omonia

[Jani JANI]; Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania or BSPSH

[Gezim KALAJA]

Algeria

The Algerian Human Rights League or LADDH [Hocine ZEHOUANE];

SOS Disparus [Nacera DUTOUR]; Somoud [Ali MERABET]

American Samoa

Population Pressure LAS (addresses the growing

population pressures)

Andorra

NA

Angola

Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda or FLEC

[N'zita Henriques TIAGO, Antonio Bento BEMBE]

Anguilla

NA

Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua Trades and Labor Union or ATLU [William

ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh MARSHALL]

Argentina

Argentine Association of Pharmaceutical Labs (CILFA);

Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association); Argentine

Rural Confederation or CRA (small to medium landowners'

association); Argentine Rural Society (large landowners'

association); Central of Argentine Workers or CTA (a radical union

for employed and unemployed workers); General Confederation of Labor

or CGT (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); Roman

Catholic Church

other: business organizations; Peronist-dominated labor movement;

Piquetero groups (popular protest organizations that can be either

pro or anti-government); students

Armenia

Aylentrank (Impeachment) [Nikol PASHINYAN]; Yerkrapah Union

[Manvel GRIGORIAN]

Aruba

other: environmental groups

Australia

other: business groups; environmental groups; social

groups; trade unions

Austria

Austrian Trade Union Federation or OeGB (nominally

independent but primarily Social Democratic); Federal Economic

Chamber; OeVP-oriented Association of Austrian Industrialists or IV;

Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization,

Catholic Action

other: three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or

OeVP representing business, labor, farmers, and other nongovernment

organizations in the areas of environment and human rights

Azerbaijan

Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (self-proclaimed);

Karabakh Liberation Organization; Sadval, Lezgin movement; Talysh

independence movement; Union of Pro-Azerbaijani Forces or UPAF

Bahamas, The

Friends of the Environment

other: trade unions

Bahrain

Shia activists; Sunni Islamist legislators

other: several small leftist and other groups are active

Bangladesh

Advocacy to End Gender-based Violence through the MoWCA

(Ministry of Women's and Children's Affairs)

other: environmentalists; Islamist groups; religious leaders;

teachers; union leaders

Barbados

Barbados Secondary Teachers' Union or BSTU [Patrick FROST];

Barbados Union of Teachers or BUT [Herbert GITTENS]; Congress of

Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados or CTUSAB, (includes

the BWU, NUPW, BUT, and BSTU) [Leroy TROTMAN]; Barbados Workers

Union or BWU [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David

COMISSIONG]; National Union of Public Workers [Joseph GODDARD]

Belarus

Assembly of Pro-Democratic NGOs [Sergey MATSKEVICH];

Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions [Aleksandr YAROSHUK];

Belarusian Helsinki Committee [Tatiana PROTKO]; Belarusian

Organization of Working Women [Irina ZHIKHAR]; Charter 97 [Andrey

SANNIKOV]; For Freedom (unregistered) [Aleksandr MILINKEVICH]; Lenin

Communist Union of Youth (youth wing of the Belarusian Party of

Communists or PKB); National Strike Committee of Entrepreneurs

[Aleksandr VASILYEV, Valery LEVONEVSKY]; Partnership NGO [Nikolay

ASTREYKA]; Perspektiva kiosk watchdog NGO [Anatol SHUMCHENKO];

Vyasna [Ales BYALATSKY]; Women's Independent Democratic Movement

[Ludmila PETINA]; Youth Front (Malady Front) [Dmitriy DASHKEVICH,

Sergey BAKHUN]; Zubr youth group [Vladimir KOBETS]

Belgium

Christian, Socialist, and Liberal Trade Unions; Federation

of Belgian Industries

other: numerous other associations representing bankers,

manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical

professions; various organizations represent the cultural interests

of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as Pax Christi

and groups representing immigrants

Belize

Society for the Promotion of Education and Research or SPEAR

[Gustavo PERERA]; Association of Concerned Belizeans or ACB [David

VASQUEZ]; National Trade Union Congress of Belize or NTUC/B [Rene

GOMEZ]

Benin

other: economic groups; environmentalists; political groups;

teachers' unions and other educational groups

Bermuda

Bermuda Employer's Union [Eddie SAINTS]; Bermuda Industrial

Union or BIU [Derrick BURGESS]; Bermuda Public Services Union or

BPSU [Ed BALL]; Bermuda Union of Teachers [Michael CHARLES]

Bhutan

United Front for Democracy (exiled)

other: Buddhist clergy; ethnic Nepalese organizations leading

militant antigovernment campaign; Indian merchant community

Bolivia

Sole Confederation of Campesino Workers of Bolivia or CSUTCB

other: Cocalero groups; indigenous organizations; labor unions

Bosnia and Herzegovina

other: displaced persons associations;

student councils; war veterans

Botswana

First People of the Kalahari (Bushman organization); Pitso

Ya Ba Tswana; Society for the Promotion of Ikalanga Language

(Kalanga elites)

other: diamond mining companies

Brazil

Landless Workers' Movement or MST

other: labor unions and federations; large farmers' associations;

religious groups including evangelical Christian churches and the

Catholic Church

British Virgin Islands

The Family Support Network; The Women's Desk

other: environmentalists

Brunei

NA

Bulgaria

Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or

CITUB; Podkrepa Labor Confederation

other: numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with

various agendas

Burkina Faso

Burkinabe General Confederation of Labor or CGTB [Tole

SAGNON]; Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights or MBDHP [Chrysigone

ZOUGMORE]; Group of 14 February [Benewende STANISLAS]; National

Confederation of Burkinabe Workers or CNTB [Laurent OUEDRAOGO];

National Organization of Free Unions or ONSL [Paul KABORE]

other: watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in

both organizations and communities

Burma

Ethnic Nationalities Council or ENC (based in Thailand);

Federation of Trade Unions-Burma or FTUB (exile trade union and

labor advocates); National Coalition Government of the Union of

Burma or NCGUB (self-proclaimed government in exile) ["Prime

Minister" Dr. SEIN WIN] consists of individuals, some legitimately

elected to the People's Assembly in 1990 (the group fled to a border

area and joined insurgents in December 1990 to form parallel

government in exile); Kachin Independence Organization or KIO; Karen

National Union or KNU; Karenni National People's Party or KNPP;

National Council-Union of Burma or NCUB (exile coalition of

opposition groups); United Wa State Army or UWSA; Union Solidarity

and Development Association or USDA (pro-regime, a social and

political mass-member organization) [HTAY OO, general secretary]; 88

Generation Students (pro-democracy movement) [MIN KO NAING]

other: several Shan factions

Burundi

Observatoire de lutte contre la corruption et les

malversations economiques or OLUCOME [Gabriel RUFYIRI]

(anti-corruption pressure group)

other: Hutu and Tutsi militias (loosely organized)

Cambodia

Cambodian Freedom Fighters or CFF; Partnership for

Transparency Fund or PTF (anti-corruption organization); Students

Movement for Democracy; The Committee for Free and Fair Elections or

Comfrel

other: human rights organizations; vendors

Cameroon

Human Rights Defense Group [Albert MUKONG, president];

Southern Cameroon National Council [Ayamba Ette OTUN]

Canada

other: agricultural sector; automobile industry; business

groups; chemical industry; commercial banks; communications sector;

energy industry; environmentalists; public administration groups;

steel industry; trade unions

Cape Verde

other: environmentalists; political pressure groups

Cayman Islands

National Trust

other: environmentalists

Central African Republic

Monam (combating gender-base violence)

Chad

rebel groups

Chile

Roman Catholic Church; United Labor Central or CUT includes

trade unionists from the country's five largest labor confederations

other: revitalized university student federations at all major

universities

China

the China Democracy Party; the Falungong spiritual movement

note: no substantial political opposition groups exist, although the

government has identified the organizations listed above as

subversive groups

Christmas Island

none

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

The Cocos Islands Youth Support Centre

Colombia

National Liberation Army or ELN; Revolutionary Armed Forces

of Colombia or FARC

note: two largest insurgent groups active in Colombia

Comoros

other: environmentalists

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

MONUC - UN organization working

with the government; FARDC (Forces Armees de la Republique du Congo)

- Army of the Democratic Republic of the Congo which commits

atrocities on citizens; FDLA (Forces Democratiques de Liberation du

Rwanda) - Rwandan militia group

Congo, Republic of the

Congolese Trade Union Congress or CSC;

General Union of Congolese Pupils and Students or UGEEC;

Revolutionary Union of Congolese Women or URFC; Union of Congolese

Socialist Youth or UJSC

Cook Islands

Reform Conference (lobby for political system changes)

other: various groups lobbying for political change

Costa Rica

Authentic Confederation of Democratic Workers or CATD

(Communist Party affiliate); Chamber of Coffee Growers; Confederated

Union of Workers or CUT (Communist Party affiliate); Costa Rican

Confederation of Democratic Workers or CCTD (Liberation Party

affiliate); Costa Rican Exporter's Chamber or CADEXCO; Costa Rican

Solidarity Movement; Costa Rican Union of Private Sector Enterprises

or UCCAEP [Rafael CARRILLO]; Federation of Public Service Workers or

FTSP; National Association for Economic Development or ANFE;

National Association of Educators or ANDE; National Association of

Public and Private Employees or ANEP [Albino VARGAS]; Rerum Novarum

or CTRN (PLN affiliate) [Gilbert BROWN]

Cote d'Ivoire

Federation of University and High School Students of

Cote d'Ivoire or FESCI [Serges KOFFI]; Rally of Houphouetists for

Democracy and Peace or RHDP [Alphonse DJEDJE MADY]; Young Patriots

[Charles BLE GOUDE]

Croatia

other: human rights groups

Cuba

Human Rights Watch; National Association of Small Farmers

Cyprus

Confederation of Cypriot Workers or SEK (pro-West);

Confederation of Revolutionary Labor Unions or Dev-Is; Federation of

Turkish Cypriot Labor Unions or Turk-Sen; Pan-Cyprian Labor

Federation or PEO (Communist controlled)

Czech Republic

Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions or CMKOS

[Milan STECH]

Denmark

Danish Free Press Society (freedom of speech); Danish

National Socialist Movement or DNSB [Jonni HANSEN] (neo-Nazi

organization)

other: human rights groups

Djibouti

Union for Presidential Majority UMP (coalition includes

RPP, FRUD, PPSD and PND); Union for Democratic Changeover or UAD

(opposition coalition includes ARD, MRDD, and UDJ)

Dominica

Dominica Liberation Movement or DLM (a small leftist party)

Dominican Republic

Citizen Participation Group (Participacion

Ciudadania); Collective of Popular Organizations or COP; Foundation

for Institution-Building and Justice (FINJUS)

Ecuador

Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or

CONAIE [Marlon SANTI, president]; Coordinator of Social Movements or

CMS [F. Napoleon SANTOS]; Federation of Indigenous Evangelists of

Ecuador or FEINE [Marco MURILLO, president]; National Federation of

Indigenous Afro-Ecuatorianos and Peasants or FENOCIN [Pedro DE LA

CRUZ, president]

Egypt

Muslim Brotherhood (technically illegal)

note: despite a constitutional ban against religious-based parties

and political activity, the technically illegal Muslim Brotherhood

constitutes Hosni MUBARAK's potentially most significant political

opposition

El Salvador

labor organizations - Electrical Industry Union of El

Salvador or SIES; Federation of the Construction Industry, Similar

Transport and other activities, or FESINCONTRANS; National

Confederation of Salvadoran Workers or CNTS; National Union of

Salvadoran Workers or UNTS; Port Industry Union of El Salvador or

SIPES; Salvadoran Union of Ex-Petrolleros and Peasant Workers or

USEPOC; Salvadoran Workers Central or CTS; Workers Union of

Electrical Corporation or STCEL; business organizations - National

Association of Small Enterprise or ANEP; Salvadoran Assembly

Industry Association or ASIC; Salvadoran Industrial Association or

ASI

Equatorial Guinea

ASODEGUE (Madrid-based pressure group for

democratic reform); Global Witness (anti-corruption)

Eritrea

Eritrean Democratic Party (EDP) [HAGOS, Mesfin]; Eritrean

Islamic Jihad or EIJ (includes Eritrean Islamic Jihad Movement or

EIJM also known as the Abu Sihel Movement); Eritrean Islamic

Salvation or EIS (also known as the Arafa Movement); Eritrean

Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean National

Alliance or ENA (a coalition including EIJ, EIS, ELF, and a number

of ELF factions) [HERUY Tedla Biru]; Eritrean Public Forum or EPF

[ARADOM Iyob]

Estonia

Nochnoy Dozor/Night Watch anti-fascist movement (leader

Alexander KOROBOV)

Ethiopia

Ethiopian People's Patriotic Front or EPPF; Ogaden National

Liberation Front or ONLF; Oromo Liberation Front or OLF [DAOUD Ibsa]

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Falkland Islands Association

(supports freedom of the people from external causes)

Faroe Islands

Sea Shepard [Paul WATSON] (preservation of small

whales)

other: conservationists

Fiji

Group Against Racial Discrimination or GARD [Dr. Anirudk SINGH]

(for restoration of a democratic government); Viti Landowners

Association

France

Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail or CFDT,

left-leaning labor union with approximately 803,000 members;

Confederation Generale des Cadres or CGC, independent white-collar

union with 196,000 members; Confederation Generale du Travail or

CGT, historically communist labor union with approximately 700,000

members; Confederation Generale du Travail - Force Ouvriere or FO,

independent labor union with an estimated 300,000 members; Mouvement

des Entreprises de France or MEDEF, employers' union with 750,000

companies as members (claimed)

French Guiana: conservationists; gold mining pressure groups;

hunting pressure groups

Guadeloupe: Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or

KLPG; General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G; General

Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG; Movement for an Independent

Guadeloupe or MPGI; The Socialist Renewal Movement

Martinique: Caribbean Revolutionary Alliance or ARC; Central Union

for Martinique Workers or CSTM; Frantz Fanon Circle; League of

Workers and Peasants; Proletarian Action Group or GAP

Reunion: NA

French Polynesia

NA

Gabon

NA

Gambia, The

National Environment Agency or NEA; West African Peace

Building Network-Gambian Chapter or WANEB-GAMBIA; Youth Employment

Network Gambia or YENGambia

other: special needs group advocates; teachers and principals

Georgia

other: Georgian independent deputies from Abkhaz government

in exile; separatists in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South

Ossetia

Germany

other: business associations and employers' organizations;

religious, trade unions, immigrant, expellee, and veterans groups

Ghana

Christian Aid (water rights); Committee for Joint Action or

CJA (education reform); National Coalition Against the Privatization

of Water or CAP (water rights); Oxfam (water rights); Public Citizen

(water rights); Students Coalition Against EPA [Kwabena Ososukene

OKAI] (education reform); Third World Network (education reform)

Gibraltar

Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives

Organization; Women's Association

Greece

Civil Servants Confederation or ADEDY [Spyros PAPASPYROS];

Federation of Greek Industries or SEV [Dimitris DASKALOPOULOS];

General Confederation of Greek Workers or GSEE [Ioannis PANAGOPOULOS]

Greenland

other: conservationists; environmentalists

Grenada

Committee for Human Rights in Grenada or CHRG; New Jewel

Movement Support Group; The British Grenada Friendship Society; The

New Jewel 19 Committee

Guam

Guam Federation of Teachers' Union; Guam Waterworks Authority

Workers

other: activists; indigenous groups

Guatemala

Agrarian Owners Group or UNAGRO; Alliance Against Impunity

or AAI; Committee for Campesino Unity or CUC; Coordinating Committee

of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial, and Financial Associations

or CACIF; Mutual Support Group or GAM

Guernsey

Stop Traffic Endangering Pedestrian Safety or STEPS; No

More Masts [Colin FALLAIZE]

Guinea

National Confederation of Guinean Workers-Labor Union of

Guinean Workers or CNTG-USTG Alliance (includes National

Confederation of Guinean Workers or CNTG [Rabiatou Sarah DIALLO] and

Labor Union of Guinean Workers or USTG [Dr. Ibrahima FOFANA]);

National Council of Civil Society Organizations of Guinea or CNOSCG

[Ben Sekou SYLLA]; Syndicate of Guinean Teachers and Researchers or

SLECG [Dr. Louis M'Bemba SOUMAH]

Guinea-Bissau

NA

Guyana

Amerindian People's Association; Guyana Bar Association;

Guyana Citizens Initiative; Guyana Human Rights Association; Guyana

Public Service Union or GPSU; Private Sector Commission; Trades

Union Congress

Haiti

Autonomous Organizations of Haitian Workers or CATH [Fignole

ST-CYR]; Confederation of Haitian Workers or CTH; Federation of

Workers Trade Unions or FOS; General Organization of Independent

Haitian Workers [Patrick NUMAS]; Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, or

KOREGA; National Popular Assembly or APN; Papaye Peasants Movement

or MPP [Chavannes JEAN-BAPTISTE]; Popular Organizations Gathering

Power or PROP; Protestant Federation of Haiti; Roman Catholic Church

Holy See (Vatican City)

none (exclusive of influence exercised by

church officers)

Honduras

Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in Honduras or

CODEH; Confederation of Honduran Workers or CTH; Coordinating

Committee of Popular Organizations or CCOP; General Workers

Confederation or CGT; Honduran Council of Private Enterprise or

COHEP; National Association of Honduran Campesinos or ANACH;

National Union of Campesinos or UNC; Popular Bloc or BP; United

Confederation of Honduran Workers or CUTH

Hong Kong

Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China); Chinese

Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong; Confederation of Trade

Unions or CTU (pro-democracy) [LAU Chin-shek, president; LEE

Cheuk-yan, general secretary]; Federation of Hong Kong Industries;

Federation of Trade Unions or FTU (pro-China) [CHENG Yiu-tong,

executive councilor]; Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic

Democratic Movement in China [Szeto WAH, chairman]; Hong Kong and

Kowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan); Hong Kong General Chamber

of Commerce; Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union [CHEUNG

Man-kwong, president]; Neighborhood and Workers' Service Center or

NWSC (pro-democracy); The Alliance [Bernard CHARNWUT, executive

committee member]

Hungary

Air Work Group (works to reduce air pollution in towns and

cities); Company For Freedom Rights (Tarsasag a Szabadsagjogokert)

or TASZ (personal data protection); Danube Circle (protests the

building of the Gabchikovo-Nagymaros dam); Green Future (protests

the impact of lead contamination of local factory on health of the

people); environmentalists: Hungarian Ornithological and Nature

Conservation Society (Magyar Madartani Egyesulet)or MME; Green

Alternative (Zold Alternativa)

Iceland

Icelandic Psychiatric Human Rights Group

India

All Parties Hurriyat Conference in the Kashmir Valley

(separatist group); Bajrang Dal (religious organization); National

Socialist Council of Nagaland in the northeast (separatist group);

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (religious organization); Vishwa Hindu

Parishad (religious organization

other: numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations;

various separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regional

autonomy

Indonesia

Indonesian Women's Coalition (Koalisi Perempuan - human

rights group); Islamic Defenders Front or FPI; National Alliance for

Freedom of Religion and Faith; Oil Palm Watch (environmental)

Iran

groups that generally support the Islamic Republic: Ansar-e

Hizballah-Islamic Coalition Party (Motalefeh); Followers of the Line

of the Imam and the Leader; Islamic Engineers Society; Tehran

Militant Clergy Association (Ruhaniyat); active pro-reform student

group: Office of Strengthening Unity (OSU); opposition groups:

Baluchistan People's Party (BPP); Freedom Movement of Iran; Marz-e

Por Gohar; National Front; and various ethnic and Monarchist

organizations; armed political groups that have been repressed by

the government: Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (KDPI);

Jundallah; Komala; Mujahidin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO);

People's Fedayeen; People's Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK)

Iraq

Sunni militias; Shia militias, some associated with political

parties

Ireland

Families Acting for Innocent Relatives or FAIR [Brian

McCONNELL] (seek compensation for victims of violence); Families

Against Intimidation and Terror or FAIT (oppose terrorism);

Gaeltacht Civil Rights Campaign (Coiste Cearta Sibhialta na Gaeilge)

or CCSG (encourages the use of the Irish language and campaigns for

greater civil rights in Irish speaking areas); Irish Republican Army

or IRA (terrorist group); Keep Ireland Open (environmental group);

Midland Railway Action Group or MRAG [Willie ALLEN] (transportation

promoters); Rail Users Ireland (formerly the Platform 11 -

transportation promoters); 32 Country Sovereignty Movement or 32CSM

(supports a fully sovereign Ireland); Ulster Defence Association or

UDA (terrorist group)

Isle of Man

Alliance for Progressive Government or APG (a government

watchdog); Mec Vannin (political party advocating a sovereign state

and environment policies); note - has only had one member elected to

the Tynwald

Israel

B'Tselem [Jessica MONTELL, Executive Director] monitors human

rights abuses; Peace Now [Yariv OPPENHEIMER, Secretary General]

supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip;

YESHA Council of Settlements [Danny DAYAN, Chairman] promotes

settler interests and opposes territorial compromise

Italy

manufacturers and merchants associations - Confcommercio;

Confindustria; organized farm groups - Confcoltivatori;

Confagricoltura; Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union

confederations - Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL

[Guglielmo EPIFANI] which is left wing; Confederazione Italiana dei

Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL [Raffaele BONANNO], which is Roman

Catholic centrist; Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL [Luigi

ANGELETTI] which is lay centrist)

Jamaica

New Beginnings Movement or NBM; Rastafarians (black

religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists)

Japan

other: business groups; trade unions

Jersey

Institute of Directors, Jersey branch (provides business

support); Jersey Hospitality Association [Robert JONES] (trade

association); Jersey Rights Association [David ROTHERHAM] (human

rights); La Societe Jersiaise (education and conservation group);

Progress Jersey [Darius J. PEARCE, Daren O'TOOLE, Gino RISOLI]

(human rights); Royal Jersey Agriculture and Horticultural Society

or RJA&HS (development and management of the Jersey breed of

cattle); Save Jersey's Heritage (protects heritage through building

preservation)

Jordan

Anti-Normalization Committee [Ali Abu SUKKAR, president vice

chairman]; Jordan Bar Association [Hussein Mujalli, chairman];

Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim

Brotherhood [Salem AL-FALAHAT, controller general]

Kazakhstan

Adil-Soz [Tamara KALEYEVA]; Almaty Helsinki Group [Ninel

FOKINA]; Confederation of Free Trade Unions [Sergei BELKIN]; For a

Just Kazakhstan [Bolat ABILOV]; For Fair Elections [Yevgeniy

ZHOVTIS, Sabit ZHUSUPOV, Sergey DUVANOV, Ibrash NUSUPBAYEV];

Kazakhstan International Bureau on Human Rights [Yevgeniy ZHOVTIS,

executive director]; Pan-National Social Democratic Party of

Kazakhstan [Zharmakhan TUYAKBAI]; Pensioners Movement or Pokoleniye

[Irina SAVOSTINA, chairwoman]; Republican Network of International

Monitors [Dos KUSHIM]; Transparency International [Sergei ZLOTNIKOV]

Kenya

Council of Islamic Preachers of Kenya or CIPK [Sheikh Idris

MOHAMMED]; Kenya Human Rights Commission [L. Muthoni WANYEKI];

Muslim Human Rights Forum [Ali-Amin KIMATHI]; National Convention

Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of political

parties and nongovernment organizations [Ndung'u WAINANA];

Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [Canon

Peter Karanja MWANGI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches;

Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur

al-BUSAIDY]

other: labor unions

Kiribati

NA

Korea, North

none

Korea, South

Federation of Korean Industries; Federation of Korean

Trade Unions; Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Korean National

Council of Churches; Korean Traders Association; Korean Veterans'

Association; National Council of Labor Unions; National Democratic

Alliance of Korea; National Federation of Farmers' Associations;

National Federation of Student Associations

Kosovo

Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedom (human

rights); Humanitarian Law Centre (human rights); Movement for

Self-Determination; Serb National Council (SNV)

Kuwait

other: Islamists; merchants; political groups; secular

liberals and pro-governmental deputies; Shia activists; tribal groups

Kyrgyzstan

Adilet Legal Clinic [Cholpon JAKUPOVA]; Coalition for

Democracy and Civil Society [Dinara OSHURAKHUNOVA]; Interbilim

[Asiya SASYKBAYEVA]

Laos

NA

Latvia

Headquarters for the Protection of Russian Schools (SHTAB)

[Aleksandr KAZAKOV]

Lebanon

Hizballah military wing

other: Palestinian militias; Maronite Christians; Sunnis and their

militias; Shi'as and their militias

Lesotho

Media Institute of Southern Africa, Lesotho chapter [Thabang

MATJAMA] (pushes for media freedom)

Liberia

other: demobilized former military officers

Libya

other: Arab nationalist movements; anti-QADHAFI Libyan exile

Movement; Islamic elements

Liechtenstein

NA

Lithuania

Europe House (promotes the EU); European Movement

(promotes the EU); Lithuanian Future Forum (promotes the EU)

Luxembourg

ABBL (bankers' association); ALEBA (financial sector

trade union); Centrale Paysanne (federation of agricultural

producers); CEP (professional sector chamber); CGFP (trade union

representing civil service); Chambre de Commerce (Chamber of

Commerce); Chambre des Metiers (Chamber of Artisans); FEDIL

(federation of industrialists); Greenpeace (environment protection);

LCGP (center-right trade union); Mouvement Ecologique (protection of

ecology); OGBL (center-left trade union)

Macau

Macau Society of Tourism and Entertainment or STDM [Stanley

HO]; Roman Catholic Church; Union for Democracy Development [Antonio

NG Kuok-cheong]

Macedonia

Federation of Free Trade Unions [Svetlana PETROVIC];

Federation of Trade Unions [Vanco MURATOVSKI]; Trade Union of

Education, Science and Culture [Dojcin CVETANOSKI]; World Macedonian

Congress [Todor PETROV]

Madagascar

Committee for the Defense of Truth and Justice or KMMR;

Committee for National Reconciliation or CRN [Albert Zafy]; National

Council of Christian Churches or FFKM

Malawi

Agri-Ecology Media (agriculture and environmental group);

Malawi Law Society (human rights); Malawi Movement for the

Restoration of Democracy or MMRD (acts to restore and maintain

democracy); National Democratic Alliance or NDA (acts to restore

democracy; Public Affairs Committee or PAC (promotes democracy,

development, peace and unity)

Malaysia

Bersih (electoral reform); Sharia High Court

other: religious groups; women's groups; youth groups

Maldives

other: various unregistered political parties

Mali

other: the army; Islamic authorities; rebels in the northern

region; state-run cotton company CMDT; tuaregs

Malta

Alleanza Liberal-Demokratika Maltra ro ALDM (against illegal

immigration); Alleanza Nazzionali Repubblikana or ANR (encourages

tourism); Alternattiva Demokratika (campaign to reform rent law, and

other campaigns); Azzjoni Nazzjonali or AN (freedom to participate

in democratic government); Ghazdatal-Konsumaturi (consumer rights);

Nazi Watch Malta (exposing Nazis)

other: environmentalists

Marshall Islands

NA

Mauritania

General Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CGTM

[Abdallahi Ould MOHAMED, secretary general]; Independent

Confederation of Mauritanian Workers or CLTM [Samory Ould BEYE];

Mauritanian Workers Union or UTM [Mohamed Ely Ould BRAHIM, secretary

general]

other: Arab nationalists; Ba'thists; Islamists

Mauritius

other: various labor unions

Mayotte

NA

Mexico

Broad Progressive Front or FAP; Businessmen's Coordinating

Council or CCE; Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic

or COPARMEX; Confederation of Industrial Chambers or CONCAMIN;

Confederation of Mexican Workers or CTM; Confederation of National

Chambers of Commerce or CONCANACO; Coordinator for Foreign Trade

Business Organizations or COECE; Federation of Unions Providing

Goods and Services or FESEBES; National Chamber of Transformation

Industries or CANACINTRA; National Peasant Confederation or CNC;

National Small Business Chamber or CANACOPE; National Syndicate of

Education Workers or SNTE; National Union of Workers or UNT; Popular

Assembly of the People of Oaxaca or APPO; Roman Catholic Church

Micronesia, Federated States of

NA

Moldova

NA

Monaco

NA

Mongolia

other: human rights groups; women's groups

Montenegro

Sandzak People's Movement [Cemal SULFEJIC]

Montserrat

NA

Morocco

Democratic Confederation of Labor or CDT [Noubir AMAOUI];

General Union of Moroccan Workers or UGTM [Abderrazzak AFILAL];

Moroccan Employers Association or CGEM [Hassan CHAMI]; National

Labor Union of Morocco or UNMT [Abdelslam MAATI]; Union of Moroccan

Workers or UMT [Mahjoub BENSEDDIK]

Mozambique

Etica [Abdul CARIMO Issa, chairman]; Human Rights and

Development (Direitos Humanos e Desenvolvimento) or DHD [Artemisia

FRANCO, secretary general]; Institute for Peace and Democracy

(Instituto para Paz e Democracia) or IPADE [Raul DOMINGOS,

president]; Movement for Peace and Citizenship (Movimento para Paz e

Cidadania); Mozambican League of Human Rights (Liga Mocambicana dos

Direitos Humanos) or LDH [Alice MABOTE, president]

Namibia

Earthlife Namibia [Berthchen KOHRS] (environmentalist

group); National Society for Human Rights or NSHR; The World

Information Services of Energy or WISE (group against nuclear power)

Nauru

Woman Information and News Agency (women's issues)

Nepal

other: several small armed Madhesi groups along the southern

border with India; a variety of groups advocating regional autonomy

for individual ethnic groups

Netherlands

Christian Trade Union Federation or CNV [Rene PAAS];

Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers or VNO-NCW

[Bernard WIENTJES]; Federation for Small and Medium-sized businesses

or MKB [Loek HERMANS]; Netherlands Trade Union Federation or FNV

[Agnes JONGERIUS]; Social Economic Council or SER [Alexander RINNOOY

Kan]; Trade Union Federation of Middle and High Personnel or MHP [Ad

VERHOEVEN]

Netherlands Antilles

Employers Association (VBC); Unions (AVBO)

New Caledonia

NA

New Zealand

Women's Electoral Lobby or WEL

other: apartheid groups; civil rights groups; farmers groups; Maori;

nuclear weapons groups; women's rights groups

Nicaragua

National Workers Front or FNT (a Sandinista umbrella group

of eight labor unions including: Farm Workers Association or ATC,

Health Workers Federation or FETASALUD, Heroes and Martyrs

Confederation of Professional Associations or CONAPRO, National

Association of Educators of Nicaragua or ANDEN, National Union of

Employees or UNE, National Union of Farmers and Ranchers or UNAG,

Sandinista Workers Central or CST, and Union of Journalists of

Nicaragua or UPN); Permanent Congress of Workers or CPT (an umbrella

group of four non-Sandinista labor unions including: Autonomous

Nicaraguan Workers Central or CTN-A, Confederation of Labor

Unification or CUS, Independent General Confederation of Labor or

CGT-I, and Labor Action and Unity Central or CAUS); Nicaraguan

Workers' Central or CTN (an independent labor union); Superior

Council of Private Enterprise or COSEP (a confederation of business

groups)

Niger

The Nigerien Movement for Justice or MNJ, a predominantly

Tuareg rebel group

Nigeria

Academic Staff Union for Universities or ASUU; Campaign for

Democracy or CD; Civil Liberties Organization or CLO; Committee for

the Defense of Human Rights or CDHR; Constitutional Right Project or

CRP; Human Right Africa; National Association of Democratic Lawyers

or NADL; National Association of Nigerian Students or NANS; Nigerian

Bar Association or NBA; Nigerian Labor Congress or NLC; Nigerian

Medical Association or NMA; the Press; Universal Defenders of

Democracy or UDD

Niue

NA

Norfolk Island

none

Northern Mariana Islands

NA

Norway

Norwegian Aid Committee or NORWAC; Norwegian Association of

the Disabled; Pure Salmon Campaign; The Consumer Council (consumer

advocacy group)

other: environmental groups; media; reform movements

Oman

none

Pakistan

other: military (most important political force); ulema

(clergy); landowners; industrialists; small merchants

Palau

NA

Panama

Chamber of Commerce; National Civic Crusade; National Council

of Organized Workers or CONATO; National Council of Private

Enterprise or CONEP; National Union of Construction and Similar

Workers (SUNTRACS); Panamanian Association of Business Executives or

APEDE; Panamanian Industrialists Society or SIP; Workers

Confederation of the Republic of Panama or CTRP

Papua New Guinea

Ahora [Andrew MAMOKO] (represents local tribes);

Centre for Environment Law and Community Rights or Celcor [Damien

ASE]; Community Coalition Against Corruption

Paraguay

Ahorristas Estafados or AE; National Coordinating Board of

Campesino Organizations or MCNOC [Luis AGUAYO]; National Federation

of Campesinos or FNC [Odilon ESPINOLA]; National Workers Central or

CNT [Secretary General Juan TORRALES]; Paraguayan Workers

Confederation or CPT; Roman Catholic Church; Unitary Workers Central

or CUT [Jorge Guzman ALVARENGA Malgarejo]

Peru

Shining Path [Abimael GUZMAN Reynoso (imprisoned), Gabriel

MACARIO (top leader at-large)] (leftist guerrilla group); Tupac

Amaru Revolutionary Movement or MRTA [Victor POLAY (imprisoned),

Hugo AVALLENEDA Valdez (top leader at-large)] (leftist guerrilla

group)

Philippines

AKBAYAN [Etta ROSALES, Mario AGUJA, and Risa

HONTIVEROS-BARAQUIEL]; ALAGAD [Rodante MARROLITA]; ALIF [Acmad

TOMAWIS]; An Waray [Horencio NOEL]; Anak Mindanao [Mujiv HATAMIN];

ANAKPAWIS [Crispin BELTRAN and Rafael MARIANO]; Association of

Philippine Electric Cooperatives (APEC) [Sunny Rose MADAMBA, Ernesto

PABLO, and Edgar VALDEZ]; AVE [Eulogio MAGSAYSAY]; Bayan Muna [Satur

OCAMPO, Joel VIRADOR, and Teodoro CASINO, Jr.]; BUHAY [Rene VELARDE

and Hans Christian SENERES]; BUTIL [Benjamin CRUZ]; CIBAC [Emmanuel

Joel VILLANUEVA]; COOP-NATCO [Guillermo CUA]; GABRIELA [Liza MAZA];

Partido Ng Manggagawa [Renato MAGTUBO]; Veterans Federation of the

Philippines [Ernesto GIDAYA]

Pitcairn Islands

none

Poland

All Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ (trade union) [Jan

GUZ]; Roman Catholic Church [Cardinal Stanislaw DZIWISZ, Archbishop

Jozef MICHALIK]; Solidarity Trade Union [Janusz SNIADEK]

Portugal

the media

Puerto Rico

Boricua Popular Army or EPB (a revolutionary group also

known as Los Macheteros); note - the following radical groups are

considered dormant by Federal law enforcement: Armed Forces for

National Liberation or FALN, Armed Forces of Popular Resistance,

Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution

Qatar

none

Romania

other: various human rights and professional associations

Russia

Levada Center (conducts polls); Memorial (human rights group;

Movement Against Illegal Migration; Pamjat (preservation of

historical monuments and recording of history); Russian Orthodox

Church; Russian-Chechen Friendship Society

other: ecology groups; human rights groups; nationalist pragmatists

(no foreign influence over Central Eurasia); neo-Eurasianists

(against Western influence for the area); religious groups;

westernizers (lean towards the West)

Rwanda

IBUKA (association of genocide survivors)

Saint Barthelemy

The Marine Reserve (protection of fish); Rotary Club

Saint Helena

other: private sector; unions

Saint Kitts and Nevis

NA

Saint Lucia

NA

Saint Martin

NA

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

NA

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

NA

Samoa

NA

San Marino

NA

Sao Tome and Principe

Association of Sao Tome and Principe NGOs or

FONG

other: the media

Saudi Arabia

Ansar Al Marah (supports women's rights)

other: gas companies; religious groups

Senegal

other: labor; students; Sufi brotherhoods, including the

Mourides and Tidjanes; teachers

Serbia

NA

Seychelles

Roman Catholic Church

other: trade unions

Sierra Leone

other: student unions; trade unions

Singapore

UNFEM [Saleeman ISMAIL]

other: investment companies; news organizations

Slovakia

Association of Towns and Villages or ZMOS; Confederation of

Trade Unions or KOZ; Entrepreneurs Association of Slovakia or ZPS;

Federation of Employers' Associations of the Slovak Republic;

National Union of Employers or RUZ; Slovak Chamber of Commerce and

Industry or SOPK; The Business Alliance of Slovakia or PAS

Slovenia

Democratic Party of Slovenian Pensioners or DeSUS

(protecting the rights of the older generation); Slovenian Roma

Association [Jozek Horvat MUC]

other: Catholic Church

Solomon Islands

Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM); Malaita Eagle Force

(MEF); note - these rival armed ethnic factions crippled the Solomon

Islands in a wave of violence from 1999 to 2003

Somalia

other: numerous clan and sub-clan factions exist both in

support and in opposition to the transitional government

South Africa

Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU

[Zwelinzima VAVI, general secretary]; South African Communist Party

or SACP [Blade NZIMANDE, general secretary]; South African National

Civics Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president]

note: note - COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC

Spain

Association for Victims of Terrorism or AVT (grassroots

organization devoted primarily to opposing ETA terrorist attacks and

supporting its victims); Basta Ya (Spanish for "Enough is Enough";

grassroots organization devoted primarily to opposing ETA terrorist

attacks and supporting its victims); Nunca Mais (Galician for "Never

Again"; formed in response to the oil Tanker Prestige oil spill);

Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller

independent Workers Syndical Union or USO; Trade Union Confederation

of Workers' Commissions or CC.OO.

other: business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; free

labor unions (authorized in April 1977); university students

Sri Lanka

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE [Velupillai

PRABHAKARAN](insurgent group fighting for a separate state); Tamil

Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) or Karuna Faction [Vinayagamurthi

MURALITHARAN] (paramilitary breakaway from LTTE and fighting LTTE)

other: Buddhist clergy; labor unions; radical chauvinist Sinhalese

groups such as the National Movement Against Terrorism; Sinhalese

Buddhist lay groups

Sudan

Umma Party [Sadiq al-MAHDI]; Popular Congress Party or PCP

[Hassan al-TURABI]

Suriname

Association of Indigenous Village Chiefs [Ricardo PANE];

Association of Saramaccan Authorities or Maroon [Head Captain WASE];

Women's Parliament Forum or PVF [Iris GILLIAD]

Svalbard

NA

Swaziland

Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions; Swaziland and

Solidarity Network or SSN

Sweden

Children's Rights in Society; Central Association of

Salarited Emplyees or TCO; Swedish Federation of Trade Unions or LO

other: media

Switzerland

NA

Syria

Damascus Declaration National Council [Riyad SEIF, secretary

general] (a broad alliance of opposition groups and individuals

including: Committee for Revival of Civil Society [Michel KILO,

Riyad SEIF], Communist Action Party [Fateh JAMOUS], Kurdish

Democratic Alliance, Kurdish Democratic Front, Liberal Nationalists'

Movement, National Democratic Front, National Democratic Rally, and

Syrian Human Rights Society or HRAS [Fawed FAWUZ]); National

Salvation Front (alliance between former Vice President Abd al-Halim

KHADDAM, the SMB, and other small opposition groups); Syrian Muslim

Brotherhood or SMB [Sadr al-Din al-BAYANUNI] (operates in exile in

London; endorsed the Damascus Declaration, but is not an official

member)

Taiwan

Organization for Taiwan Nation Building; World United

Formosans for Independence

other: environmental groups; independence movement; various business

groups

note: debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within the

mainstream of domestic politics on Taiwan; political liberalization

and the increased representation of opposition parties in Taiwan's

legislature have opened public debate on the island's national

identity; a broad popular consensus has developed that the island

currently enjoys sovereign independence and - whatever the ultimate

outcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwan's

people must have the deciding voice; public opinion polls

consistently show a substantial majority of Taiwan people supports

maintaining Taiwan's status quo for the foreseeable future;

advocates of Taiwan independence oppose the stand that the island

will eventually unify with mainland China; goals of the Taiwan

independence movement include establishing a sovereign nation on

Taiwan and entering the UN

Tajikistan

Agrarian Party [Hikmatullo NASREDDINOV] (unregistered

political party); Democratic Party or DPT [Masud SOBIROV]

(splintered from Iskanderov's DPT); Progressive Party [Sulton

QUVVATOV]; Socialist Party or SPT [Abdualim GHAFFOROV] (splintered

from Narziyev's SPT); Unity Party [Hikmatullo SAIDOV]

other: splinter parties recognized by the government but not by the

base of the party; unregistered political parties

Tanzania

Economic and Social Research Foundation or ESRF; Free

Zanzibar; Tanzania Media Women's Association or TAMWA

Thailand

People's Alliance for Democracy; Campaign for Democracy

[Pibob THONGCHAI]

Timor-Leste

NA

Togo

NA

Tokelau

none

Tonga

Human Rights and Democracy Movement Tonga or HRDMT [Rev.

Simote VEA, chairman]; Public Servant's Association [Finau TUTONE]

Trinidad and Tobago

Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin BAKR]

Tunisia

18 October Group [collective leadership]; Tunisian League

for Human Rights or LTDH [Mokhtar TRIFI]

Turkey

Confederation of Public Sector Unions or KESK [Ismail Hakki

TOMBUL]; Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions or DISK

[Suleyman CELEBI]; Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's

Association or MUSIAD [Omer BOLAT]; Moral Rights Workers Union or

Hak-Is [Salim USLU]; Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions or

TISK [Tugurl KUDATGOBILIK]; Turkish Confederation of Labor or

Turk-Is [Salih KILIC]; Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and

Craftsmen or TESK [Dervis GUNDAY]; Turkish Industrialists' and

Businessmen's Association or TUSIAD [Omer SABANCI]; Turkish Union of

Chambers of Commerce and Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat

HISARCIKLIOGLU]

Turkmenistan

NA

Turks and Caicos Islands

NA

Tuvalu

none

Uganda

Lord's Resistence Group or LRA [Joseph KONY]; Young

Parliamentary Association [Henry BANYENZAKI]; Parliamentary Advocacy

Forum or PAFO; National Association of Women Organizations in Uganda

or NAWOU [Florence NEKYON]; The Ugandan Coalition for Political

Accountability to Wormen or COPAW

Ukraine

Committee of Voters of Ukraine [Ihor POPOV]; Peoples'

Self-Defense [Yuriy LUTSENKO]

United Arab Emirates

NA

United Kingdom

Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation of

British Industry; National Farmers' Union; Trades Union Congress

United States

environmentalists; business groups; labor unions;

churches; ethnic groups; political action committees or PAC; health

groups; education groups; cuvuc griyos; youth groups; transportation

groups; agricultural groups; veterans groups; women's groups; reform

lobbies

Uruguay

Architect's Society of Uruguay (professional organization);

Chamber of Uruguayan Industries (manufacturer's association);

Chemist and Pharmaceutical Association (professional organization);

PIT/CNT (powerful federation of Uruguayan Unions - umbrella labor

organization); Rural Association of Uruguay (rancher's association);

Uruguayan Construction League; Uruguayan Network of Political Women

other: Catholic Church; students

Uzbekistan

Agrarian and Entrepreneurs' Party [Marat ZAHIDOV]; Birlik

(Unity) Movement [Abdurakhim POLAT, chairman]; Committee for the

Protection of Human Rights [Marat ZAHIDOV]; Erk (Freedom) Democratic

Party [Muhammad SOLIH, chairman] (was banned 9 December 1992);

Ezgulik Human Rights Society [Vasila INOYATOVA]; Free Farmers' Party

or Ozod Dehqonlar [Nigora KHIDOYATOVA]; Human Rights Society of

Uzbekistan [Talib YAKUBOV, chairman]; Independent Human Rights

Organization of Uzbekistan [Mikhail ARDZINOV, chairman]; Mazlum;

Sunshine Coalition [Sanjar UMAROV, chairman]

Vanuatu

NA

Venezuela

FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; VECINOS

groups; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers or CTV (labor

organization dominated by the Democratic Action)

Vietnam

8406 Bloc; Democratic Party of Vietnam or DPV; People's

Democratic Party Vietnam or PDP-VN; Alliance for Democracy

note: these groups advocate democracy but are not recognized by the

government

Virgin Islands

NA

Wallis and Futuna

NA

Western Sahara

none

Yemen

Muslim Brotherhood; Women National Committee

other: conservative tribal groups

Zambia

NA

Zimbabwe

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition [Xolani ZITHA]; National

Constitutional Assembly or NCA [Lovemore MADHUKU]; Women of Zimbabwe

Arise or WOZA [Jenny WILLIAMS]; Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions or

ZCTU [Wellington CHIBEBE]

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2116 Economy - overview

Afghanistan

Afghanistan's economy is recovering from decades of

conflict. The economy has improved significantly since the fall of

the Taliban regime in 2001 largely because of the infusion of

international assistance, the recovery of the agricultural sector,

and service sector growth. Real GDP growth exceeded 7% in 2007.

Despite the progress of the past few years, Afghanistan is extremely

poor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid, agriculture,

and trade with neighboring countries. Much of the population

continues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water,

electricity, medical care, and jobs. Criminality, insecurity, and

the Afghan Government's inability to extend rule of law to all parts

of the country pose challenges to future economic growth. It will

probably take the remainder of the decade and continuing donor aid

and attention to significantly raise Afghanistan's living standards

from its current level, among the lowest in the world. International

pledges made by more than 60 countries and international financial

institutions at the Berlin Donors Conference for Afghan

reconstruction in March 2004 reached $8.9 billion for 2004-09. While

the international community remains committed to Afghanistan's

development, pledging over $24 billion at three donors' conferences

since 2002, Kabul will need to overcome a number of challenges.

Expanding poppy cultivation and a growing opium trade generate

roughly $4 billion in illicit economic activity and looms as one of

Kabul's most serious policy concerns. Other long-term challenges

include: budget sustainability, job creation, corruption, government

capacity, and rebuilding war torn infrastructure.

Akrotiri

Economic activity is limited to providing services to the

military and their families located in Akrotiri. All food and

manufactured goods must be imported.

Albania

Lagging behind its Balkan neighbors, Albania is making the

difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. The

government has taken measures to curb violent crime, and recently

adopted a fiscal reform package aimed at reducing the large gray

economy and attracting foreign investment. The economy is bolstered

by annual remittances from abroad of $600-$800 million, mostly from

Albanians residing in Greece and Italy; this helps offset the

towering trade deficit. Agriculture, which accounts for more than

one-fifth of GDP, is held back because of lack of modern equipment,

unclear property rights, and the prevalence of small, inefficient

plots of land. Energy shortages and antiquated and inadequate

infrastructure contribute to Albania's poor business environment,

which make it difficult to attract and sustain foreign investment.

The completion of a new thermal power plant near Vlore and improved

transmission line between Albania and Montenegro will help relieve

the energy shortages. Also, the government is moving slowly to

improve the poor national road and rail network, a long-standing

barrier to sustained economic growth. On the positive side,

macroeconomic growth was strong in 2003-07 and inflation is low and

stable.

Algeria

The hydrocarbons sector is the backbone of the economy,

accounting for roughly 60% of budget revenues, 30% of GDP, and over

95% of export earnings. Algeria has the eighth-largest reserves of

natural gas in the world and is the fourth-largest gas exporter; it

ranks 14th in oil reserves. Sustained high oil prices in recent

years have helped improve Algeria's financial and macroeconomic

indicators. Algeria is running substantial trade surpluses and

building up record foreign exchange reserves. Algeria has decreased

its external debt to less than 10% of GDP after repaying its Paris

Club and London Club debt in 2006. Real GDP has risen due to higher

oil output and increased government spending. The government's

continued efforts to diversify the economy by attracting foreign and

domestic investment outside the energy sector, however, has had

little success in reducing high unemployment and improving living

standards. Structural reform within the economy, such as development

of the banking sector and the construction of infrastructure, moves

ahead slowly hampered by corruption and bureaucratic resistance.

American Samoa

American Samoa has a traditional Polynesian economy

in which more than 90% of the land is communally owned. Economic

activity is strongly linked to the US with which American Samoa

conducts most of its commerce. Tuna fishing and tuna processing

plants are the backbone of the private sector, with canned tuna the

primary export. Transfers from the US Government add substantially

to American Samoa's economic well being. Attempts by the government

to develop a larger and broader economy are restrained by Samoa's

remote location, its limited transportation, and its devastating

hurricanes. Tourism is a promising developing sector.

note: as a territory of the US, American Samoa does not treat the US

as an external trade partner

Andorra

Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do economy,

accounts for more than 80% of GDP. An estimated 11.6 million

tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra's duty-free status and

by its summer and winter resorts. Andorra's comparative advantage

has recently eroded as the economies of neighboring France and Spain

have been opened up, providing broader availability of goods and

lower tariffs. The banking sector, with its partial "tax haven"

status, also contributes substantially to the economy. Agricultural

production is limited - only 2% of the land is arable - and most

food has to be imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep

raising. Manufacturing output consists mainly of cigarettes, cigars,

and furniture. Andorra is a member of the EU Customs Union and is

treated as an EU member for trade in manufactured goods (no tariffs)

and as a non-EU member for agricultural products.

Angola

Angola's high growth rate is driven by its oil sector, with

record oil prices and rising petroleum production. Oil production

and its supporting activities contribute about 85% of GDP. Increased

oil production supported growth averaging more than 15% per year

from 2004 to 2007. A postwar reconstruction boom and resettlement of

displaced persons has led to high rates of growth in construction

and agriculture as well. Much of the country's infrastructure is

still damaged or undeveloped from the 27-year-long civil war.

Remnants of the conflict such as widespread land mines still mar the

countryside even though an apparently durable peace was established

after the death of rebel leader Jonas SAVIMBI in February 2002.

Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for most of the

people, but half of the country's food must still be imported. In

2005, the government started using a $2 billion line of credit,

since increased to $7 billion, from China to rebuild Angola's public

infrastructure, and several large-scale projects were completed in

2006. Angola also has large credit lines from Brazil, Portugal,

Germany, Spain, and the EU. The central bank in 2003 implemented an

exchange rate stabilization program using foreign exchange reserves

to buy kwanzas out of circulation. This policy became more

sustainable in 2005 because of strong oil export earnings; it has

significantly reduced inflation. Although consumer inflation

declined from 325% in 2000 to under 13% in 2007, the stabilization

policy has put pressure on international net liquidity. Angola

became a member of OPEC in late 2006 and in late 2007 was assigned a

production quota of 1.9 million barrels a day, somewhat less than

the 2-2.5 million bbl Angola's government had wanted. To fully take

advantage of its rich national resources - gold, diamonds, extensive

forests, Atlantic fisheries, and large oil deposits - Angola will

need to implement government reforms, increase transparency, and

reduce corruption. The government has rejected a formal IMF

monitored program, although it continues Article IV consultations

and ad hoc cooperation. Corruption, especially in the extractive

sectors, and the negative effects of large inflows of foreign

exchange, are major challenges facing Angola.

Anguilla

Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends

heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and

remittances from emigrants. Increased activity in the tourism

industry has spurred the growth of the construction sector,

contributing to economic growth. Anguillan officials have put

substantial effort into developing the offshore financial sector,

which is small, but growing. In the medium term, prospects for the

economy will depend largely on the tourism sector and, therefore, on

revived income growth in the industrialized nations as well as on

favorable weather conditions.

Antarctica

Fishing off the coast and tourism, both based abroad,

account for Antarctica's limited economic activity. Antarctic

fisheries in 2005-06 (1 July-30 June) reported landing 128,081

metric tons (estimated fishing from the area covered by the

Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources

(CCAMLR), which extends slightly beyond the Antarctic Treaty area).

Unregulated fishing, particularly of Patagonian toothfish

(Dissostichus eleginoides), is a serious problem. The CCAMLR

determines the recommended catch limits for marine species. A total

of 36,460 tourists visited the Antarctic Treaty area in the 2006-07

Antarctic summer, up from the 30,877 visitors the previous year

(estimates provided to the Antarctic Treaty by the International

Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO); this does not

include passengers on overflights). Nearly all of them were

passengers on commercial (nongovernmental) ships and several yachts

that make trips during the summer. Most tourist trips last

approximately two weeks.

Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua has a relatively high GDP per capita in

comparison to most other Caribbean nations. It has experienced solid

growth since 2003, driven by a construction boom in hotels and

housing that which should wind down in 2008. Tourism continues to

dominate the economy, accounting for more than half of GDP. The

dual-island nation's agricultural production is focused on the

domestic market and constrained by a limited water supply and a

labor shortage stemming from the lure of higher wages in tourism and

construction. Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for

export with major products being bedding, handicrafts, and

electronic components. Prospects for economic growth in the medium

term will continue to depend on income growth in the industrialized

world, especially in the US, which accounts for slightly more than

one-third of tourist arrivals. Since taking office in 2004, the

SPENCER government has adopted an ambitious fiscal reform program,

but will continue to be saddled by its debt burden with a

debt-to-GDP ratio exceeding 100%.

Arctic Ocean

Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of

natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals.

Argentina

Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly

literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a

diversified industrial base. Although one of the world's wealthiest

countries 100 years ago, Argentina suffered during most of the 20th

century from recurring economic crises, persistent fiscal and

current account deficits, high inflation, mounting external debt,

and capital flight. A severe depression, growing public and external

indebtedness, and a bank run culminated in 2001 in the most serious

economic, social, and political crisis in the country's turbulent

history. Interim President Adolfo RODRIGUEZ SAA declared a default -

the largest in history - on the government's foreign debt in

December of that year, and abruptly resigned only a few days after

taking office. His successor, Eduardo DUHALDE, announced an end to

the peso's decade-long 1-to-1 peg to the US dollar in early 2002.

The economy bottomed out that year, with real GDP 18% smaller than

in 1998 and almost 60% of Argentines under the poverty line. Real

GDP rebounded to grow by an average 9% annually over the subsequent

five years, taking advantage of previously idled industrial capacity

and labor, an audacious debt restructuring and reduced debt burden,

excellent international financial conditions, and expansionary

monetary and fiscal policies. Inflation, however, reached

double-digit levels in 2006 and the government of President Nestor

KIRCHNER responded with "voluntary" price agreements with

businesses, as well as export taxes and restraints. Multi-year price

freezes on electricity and natural gas rates for residential users

stoked consumption and kept private investment away, leading to

restrictions on industrial use and blackouts in 2007.

Armenia

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia has

made progress in implementing many economic reforms including

privatization, price reforms, and prudent fiscal policies. The

conflict with Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian-dominated region

of Nagorno-Karabakh contributed to a severe economic decline in the

early 1990s. By 1994, however, the Armenian Government launched an

ambitious IMF-sponsored economic liberalization program that

resulted in positive growth rates. Economic growth has averaged over

13% in recent years. Armenia has managed to reduce poverty, slash

inflation, stabilize its currency, and privatize most small- and

medium-sized enterprises. Under the old Soviet central planning

system, Armenia developed a modern industrial sector, supplying

machine tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister

republics, in exchange for raw materials and energy. Armenia has

since switched to small-scale agriculture and away from the large

agroindustrial complexes of the Soviet era. Nuclear power plants

built at Metsamor in the 1970s were closed following the 1988 Spitak

Earthquake, though they sustained no damage. One of the two reactors

was re-opened in 1995, but the Armenian government is under

international pressure to close it due to concerns that the Soviet

era design lacks important safeguards. Metsamor provides 40 percent

of the country's electricity - hydropower accounts for about

one-fourth. Economic ties with Russia remain close, especially in

the energy sector. The electricity distribution system was

privatized in 2002 and bought by Russia's RAO-UES in 2005.

Construction of a pipeline to deliver natural gas from Iran to

Armenia is halfway completed and is scheduled to be commissioned by

January 2009. Armenia has some mineral deposits (copper, gold,

bauxite). Pig iron, unwrought copper, and other nonferrous metals

are Armenia's highest valued exports. Armenia's severe trade

imbalance has been offset somewhat by international aid, remittances

from Armenians working abroad, and foreign direct investment.

Armenia joined the WTO in January 2003. The government made some

improvements in tax and customs administration in recent years, but

anti-corruption measures will be more difficult to implement.

Despite strong economic growth, Armenia's unemployment rate remains

high. Armenia will need to pursue additional economic reforms in

order to improve its economic competitiveness and to build on recent

improvements in poverty and unemployment, especially given its

economic isolation from two of its nearest neighbors, Turkey and

Azerbaijan.

Aruba

Tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy,

with offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important.

The rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has

resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities. Over 1.5

million tourists per year visit Aruba, with 75% of those from the

US. Construction continues to boom, with hotel capacity five times

the 1985 level. In addition, the country's oil refinery reopened in

1993, providing a major source of employment, foreign exchange

earnings, and growth. Tourist arrivals have rebounded strongly

following a dip after the 11 September 2001 attacks. The island

experiences only a brief low season, and hotel occupancy in 2004

averaged 80%, compared to 68% throughout the rest of the Caribbean.

The government has made cutting the budget and trade deficits a high

priority.

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

no economic activity

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean provides some of the world's most

heavily trafficked sea routes, between and within the Eastern and

Western Hemispheres. Other economic activity includes the

exploitation of natural resources, e.g., fishing, dredging of

aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and production of crude oil and

natural gas (Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and North Sea).

Australia

Australia has an enviable, strong economy with a per

capita GDP on par with the four dominant West European economies.

Robust business and consumer confidence and high export prices for

raw materials and agricultural products are fueling the economy,

particularly in mining states. Australia's emphasis on reforms, low

inflation, a housing market boom, and growing ties with China have

been key factors behind the economy's 16 solid years of expansion.

Drought, robust import demand, and a strong currency have pushed the

trade deficit up in recent years, while infrastructure bottlenecks

and a tight labor market are constraining growth in export volumes

and stoking inflation. Australia's budget has been in surplus since

2002 due to strong revenue growth.

Austria

Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high

standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies,

especially Germany's. The Austrian economy also benefits greatly

from strong commercial relations, especially in the banking and

insurance sectors, with central, eastern, and southeastern Europe.

The economy features a large service sector, a sound industrial

sector, and a small, but highly developed agricultural sector.

Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors

attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and

proximity to the new EU economies. The outgoing government has

successfully pursued a comprehensive economic reform program, aimed

at streamlining government and creating a more competitive business

environment, further strengthening Austria's attractiveness as an

investment location. It has implemented effective pension reforms;

however, lower taxes in 2005-06 led to a small budget deficit in

2006 and 2007. Boosted by strong exports, growth nevertheless

reached 3.3% in both 2006 and 2007, although the economy may slow in

2008 because of the strong euro, high oil prices, and problems in

international financial markets. To meet increased competition -

especially from new EU members and Central European countries -

Austria will need to continue restructuring, emphasizing

knowledge-based sectors of the economy, and encouraging greater

labor flexibility and greater labor participation by its aging

population.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan's high economic growth in 2006 and 2007 is

attributable to large and growing oil exports. Azerbaijan's oil

production declined through 1997, but has registered an increase

every year since. Negotiation of production-sharing arrangements

(PSAs) with foreign firms, which have committed $60 billion to

long-term oilfield development, should generate the funds needed to

spur future industrial development. Oil production under the first

of these PSAs, with the Azerbaijan International Operating Company,

began in November 1997. A consortium of Western oil companies began

pumping 1 million barrels a day from a large offshore field in early

2006, through a $4 billion pipeline it built from Baku to Turkey's

Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. By 2010 revenues from this project

will double the country's current GDP. Azerbaijan shares all the

formidable problems of the former Soviet republics in making the

transition from a command to a market economy, but its considerable

energy resources brighten its long-term prospects. Baku has only

recently begun making progress on economic reform, and old economic

ties and structures are slowly being replaced. Several other

obstacles impede Azerbaijan's economic progress: the need for

stepped up foreign investment in the non-energy sector, the

continuing conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region,

pervasive corruption, and elevated inflation. Trade with Russia and

the other former Soviet republics is declining in importance, while

trade is building with Turkey and the nations of Europe. Long-term

prospects will depend on world oil prices, the location of new oil

and gas pipelines in the region, and Azerbaijan's ability to manage

its energy wealth.

Bahamas, The

The Bahamas is one of the wealthiest Caribbean

countries with an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore

banking. Tourism together with tourism-driven construction and

manufacturing accounts for approximately 60% of GDP and directly or

indirectly employs half of the archipelago's labor force. Steady

growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels,

resorts, and residences had led to solid GDP growth in recent years,

but tourist arrivals have been on the decline since 2006. Financial

services constitute the second-most important sector of the Bahamian

economy and, when combined with business services, account for about

36% of GDP. However, since December 2000, when the government

enacted new regulations on the financial sector, many international

businesses have left The Bahamas. Manufacturing and agriculture

combined contribute approximately a tenth of GDP and show little

growth, despite government incentives aimed at those sectors.

Overall growth prospects in the short run rest heavily on the

fortunes of the tourism sector. Tourism, in turn, depends on growth

in the US, the source of more than 80% of the visitors.

Bahrain

With its highly developed communication and transport

facilities, Bahrain is home to numerous multinational firms with

business in the Gulf. Petroleum production and refining account for

over 60% of Bahrain's export receipts, over 70% of government

revenues, and 11% of GDP (exclusive of allied industries),

underpinning Bahrain's strong economic growth in recent years.

Aluminum is Bahrain's second major export after oil. Other major

segments of Bahrain's economy are the financial and construction

sectors. Bahrain is focused on Islamic banking and is competing on

an international scale with Malaysia as a worldwide banking center.

Bahrain is actively pursuing the diversification and privatization

of its economy to reduce the country's dependence on oil. As part of

this effort, in August 2006 Bahrain and the US implemented a Free

Trade Agreement (FTA), the first FTA between the US and a Gulf

state. Continued strong growth hinges on Bahrain's ability to

acquire new natural gas supplies as feedstock to support its

expanding petrochemical and aluminum industries. Unemployment,

especially among the young, and the depletion of oil and underground

water resources are long-term economic problems.

Bangladesh

The economy has grown 5-6% over the past few years

despite inefficient state-owned enterprises, delays in exploiting

natural gas resources, insufficient power supplies, and slow

implementation of economic reforms. Bangladesh remains a poor,

overpopulated, and inefficiently-governed nation. Although more than

half of GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly

two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector,

with rice as the single-most-important product. Garment exports and

remittances from Bangladeshis working overseas, mainly in the Middle

East and East Asia, fuel economic growth.

Barbados

Historically, the Barbadian economy was dependent on

sugarcane cultivation and related activities. However, production in

recent years has diversified into light industry and tourism, with

about three-quarters of GDP and 80% of exports being attributed to

services. Growth has rebounded since 2003, bolstered by increases in

construction projects and tourism revenues - reflecting its success

in the higher-end segment. The country enjoys one of the highest per

capita incomes in the region and an investment grade rating which

benefits from its political stability and stable institutions.

Offshore finance and information services are important foreign

exchange earners and thrive from having the same time zone as

eastern US financial centers and a relatively highly educated

workforce. The government continues its efforts to reduce

unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to

privatize remaining state-owned enterprises.

Belarus

Belarus has seen little structural reform since 1995, when

President LUKASHENKO launched the country on the path of "market

socialism." In keeping with this policy, LUKASHENKO reimposed

administrative controls over prices and currency exchange rates and

expanded the state's right to intervene in the management of private

enterprises. Since 2005, the government has re-nationalized a number

of private companies. In addition, businesses have been subject to

pressure by central and local governments, e.g., arbitrary changes

in regulations, numerous rigorous inspections, retroactive

application of new business regulations, and arrests of "disruptive"

businessmen and factory owners. A wide range of redistributive

policies has helped those at the bottom of the ladder; the Gini

coefficient is among the lowest in the world. Because of these

restrictive economic policies, Belarus has had trouble attracting

foreign investment. Nevertheless, GDP growth has been strong in

recent years, reaching nearly 7% in 2007, despite the roadblocks of

a tough, centrally directed economy with a high, but decreasing,

rate of inflation. Belarus receives heavily discounted oil and

natural gas from Russia and much of Belarus' growth can be

attributed to the re-export of Russian oil at market prices. Trade

with Russia - by far its largest single trade partner - decreased in

2007, largely as a result of a change in the way the Value Added Tax

(VAT) on trade was collected. Russia has introduced an export duty

on oil shipped to Belarus, which will increase gradually through

2009, and a requirement that Belarusian duties on re-exported

Russian oil be shared with Russia - 80% will go to Russia in 2008,

and 85% in 2009. Russia also increased Belarusian natural gas prices

from $47 per thousand cubic meters (tcm) to $100 per tcm in 2007,

and plans to increase prices gradually to world levels by 2011.

Russia's recent policy of bringing energy prices for Belarus to

world market levels may result in a slowdown in economic growth in

Belarus over the next few years. Some policy measures, including

tightening of fiscal and monetary policies, improving energy

efficiency, and diversifying exports, have been introduced, but

external borrowing has been the main mechanism used to manage the

growing pressures on the economy.

Belgium

This modern, private-enterprise economy has capitalized on

its central geographic location, highly developed transport network,

and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is

concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north. With

few natural resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of

raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its

economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. Roughly

three-quarters of its trade is with other EU countries. Public debt

is more than 85% of GDP. On the positive side, the government has

succeeded in balancing its budget, and income distribution is

relatively equal. Belgium began circulating the euro currency in

January 2002. Economic growth in 2001-03 dropped sharply because of

the global economic slowdown, with moderate recovery in 2004-07.

Economic growth and foreign direct investment are expected to slow

down in 2008, due to credit tightening, falling consumer and

business confidence, and above average inflation. However, with the

successful negotiation of the 2008 budget and devolution of power

within the government, political tensions seem to be easing and

could lead to an improvement in the economic outlook for 2008.

Belize

In this small, essentially private-enterprise economy,

tourism is the number one foreign exchange earner followed by

exports of marine products, citrus, cane sugar, bananas, and

garments. The government's expansionary monetary and fiscal

policies, initiated in September 1998, led to sturdy GDP growth

averaging nearly 4% in 1999-2007. Oil discoveries in 2006 bolstered

the economic growth in 2006 and 2007. Major concerns continue to be

the sizable trade deficit and unsustainable foreign debt. In

February 2007, the government restructured nearly all of its public

external commercial debt, which will reduce interest payments and

relieve liquidity concerns. A key short-term objective remains the

reduction of poverty with the help of international donors.

Benin

The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on

subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade.

Growth in real output has averaged around 5% in the past seven

years, but rapid population growth has offset much of this increase.

Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to

raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign

investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the

development of new food processing systems and agricultural

products, and encourage new information and communication

technology. Specific projects to improve the business climate by

reforms to the land tenure system, the commercial justice system,

and the financial sector were included in Benin's $307 million

Millennium Challenge Account grant signed in February 2006. The 2001

privatization policy continues in telecommunications, water,

electricity, and agriculture though the government annulled the

privatization of Benin's state cotton company in November 2007 after

the discovery of irregularities in the bidding process. The Paris

Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation,

with Benin benefiting from a G8 debt reduction announced in July

2005, while pressing for more rapid structural reforms. An

insufficient electrical supply continues to adversely affect Benin's

economic growth though the government recently has taken steps to

increase domestic power production.

Bermuda

Bermuda enjoys the third highest per capita income in the

world, more than 50% higher than that of the US. Its economy is

primarily based on providing financial services for international

business and luxury facilities for tourists. A number of reinsurance

companies relocated to the island following the 11 September 2001

attacks and again after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005,

contributing to the expansion of an already robust international

business sector. Bermuda's tourism industry - which derives over 80%

of its visitors from the US - continues to struggle but remains the

island's number two industry. Most capital equipment and food must

be imported. Bermuda's industrial sector is small, although

construction continues to be important; the average cost of a house

in June 2003 had risen to $976,000. Agriculture is limited with only

20% of the land being arable.

Bhutan

The economy, one of the world's smallest and least developed,

is based on agriculture and forestry, which provide the main

livelihood for more than 60% of the population. Agriculture consists

largely of subsistence farming and animal husbandry. Rugged

mountains dominate the terrain and make the building of roads and

other infrastructure difficult and expensive. The economy is closely

aligned with India's through strong trade and monetary links and

dependence on India's financial assistance. The industrial sector is

technologically backward, with most production of the cottage

industry type. Most development projects, such as road construction,

rely on Indian migrant labor. Model education, social, and

environment programs are underway with support from multilateral

development organizations. Each economic program takes into account

the government's desire to protect the country's environment and

cultural traditions. For example, the government, in its cautious

expansion of the tourist sector, encourages visits by upscale,

environmentally conscientious tourists. Detailed controls and

uncertain policies in areas such as industrial licensing, trade,

labor, and finance continue to hamper foreign investment. Hydropower

exports to India had a major impact on growth in 2007.

Bolivia

Bolivia is one of the poorest and least developed countries

in Latin America. Following a disastrous economic crisis during the

early 1980s, reforms spurred private investment, stimulated economic

growth, and cut poverty rates in the 1990s. The period 2003-05 was

characterized by political instability, racial tensions, and violent

protests against plans - subsequently abandoned - to export

Bolivia's newly discovered natural gas reserves to large northern

hemisphere markets. In 2005, the government passed a controversial

hydrocarbons law that imposed significantly higher royalties and

required foreign firms then operating under risk-sharing contracts

to surrender all production to the state energy company, which was

made the sole exporter of natural gas. The law also required that

the state energy company regain control over the five companies that

were privatized during the 1990s - a process that is still underway.

In 2006, higher earnings for mining and hydrocarbons exports pushed

the current account surplus to about 12% of GDP and the government's

higher tax take produced a fiscal surplus after years of large

deficits. Debt relief from the G8 - announced in 2005 - also has

significantly reduced Bolivia's public sector debt burden. Private

investment as a share of GDP, however, remains among the lowest in

Latin America, and inflation reached double-digit levels in 2007.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked next to

Macedonia as the poorest republic in the old Yugoslav federation.

Although agriculture is almost all in private hands, farms are small

and inefficient, and the republic traditionally is a net importer of

food. The private sector is growing and foreign investment is slowly

increasing, but government spending, at nearly 40% of adjusted GDP,

remains unreasonably high. The interethnic warfare in Bosnia caused

production to plummet by 80% from 1992 to 1995 and unemployment to

soar. With an uneasy peace in place, output recovered in 1996-99 at

high percentage rates from a low base; but output growth slowed in

2000-02. Part of the lag in output was made up in 2003-07 when GDP

growth exceeded 5% per year. National-level statistics are limited

and do not capture the large share of black market activity. The

konvertibilna marka (convertible mark or BAM)- the national currency

introduced in 1998 - is pegged to the euro, and confidence in the

currency and the banking sector has increased. Implementing

privatization, however, has been slow, particularly in the

Federation, although more successful in the Republika Srpska.

Banking reform accelerated in 2001 as all the Communist-era payments

bureaus were shut down; foreign banks, primarily from Western

Europe, now control most of the banking sector. A sizeable current

account deficit and high unemployment rate remain the two most

serious macroeconomic problems. On 1 January 2006 a new value-added

tax (VAT) went into effect. The VAT has been successful in capturing

much of the gray market economy and has developed into a significant

and predictable source of revenues for all layers of government.

Bosnia and Herzegovina became a full member of the Central European

Free Trade Agreement in September 2007. The country receives

substantial reconstruction assistance and humanitarian aid from the

international community but will have to prepare for an era of

declining assistance.

Botswana

Botswana has maintained one of the world's highest economic

growth rates since independence in 1966, though growth slowed to

4.7% annually in 2006-07. Through fiscal discipline and sound

management, Botswana has transformed itself from one of the poorest

countries in the world to a middle-income country with a per capita

GDP of nearly $15,000 in 2007. Two major investment services rank

Botswana as the best credit risk in Africa. Diamond mining has

fueled much of the expansion and currently accounts for more than

one-third of GDP and for 70-80% of export earnings. Tourism,

financial services, subsistence farming, and cattle raising are

other key sectors. On the downside, the government must deal with

high rates of unemployment and poverty. Unemployment officially was

23.8% in 2004, but unofficial estimates place it closer to 40%.

HIV/AIDS infection rates are the second highest in the world and

threaten Botswana's impressive economic gains. An expected leveling

off in diamond mining production overshadows long-term prospects.

Bouvet Island

no economic activity; declared a nature reserve

Brazil

Characterized by large and well-developed agricultural,

mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil's economy

outweighs that of all other South American countries and is

expanding its presence in world markets. Having weathered 2001-03

financial turmoil, capital inflows are regaining strength and the

currency has resumed appreciating. The appreciation has slowed

export volume growth, but since 2004, Brazil's growth has yielded

increases in employment and real wages. The resilience in the

economy stems from commodity-driven current account surpluses, and

sound macroeconomic policies that have bolstered international

reserves to historically high levels, reduced public debt, and

allowed a significant decline in real interest rates. A floating

exchange rate, an inflation-targeting regime, and a tight fiscal

policy are the three pillars of the economic program. From 2003 to

2007, Brazil ran record trade surpluses and recorded its first

current account surpluses since 1992. Productivity gains coupled

with high commodity prices contributed to the surge in exports.

Brazil improved its debt profile in 2006 by shifting its debt burden

toward real denominated and domestically held instruments. "LULA" DA

SILVA restated his commitment to fiscal responsibility by

maintaining the country's primary surplus during the 2006 election.

Following his second inauguration, "LULA" DA SILVA announced a

package of further economic reforms to reduce taxes and increase

investment in infrastructure. The government's goal of achieving

strong growth while reducing the debt burden is likely to create

inflationary pressures.

British Indian Ocean Territory All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where a joint UK-US military facility is located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installation are performed by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the native Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. The territory earns foreign exchange by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps.

British Virgin Islands

The economy, one of the most stable and

prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism,

generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated

820,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 2005.

In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore

registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and

incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly

400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The

adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which

provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory

gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, made the British

Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business.

Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor

soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements.

Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the

British Virgin Islands has used the US dollar as its currency since

1959.

Brunei

Brunei has a small well-to-do economy that encompasses a

mixture of foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government

regulation, welfare measures, and village tradition. Crude oil and

natural gas production account for just over half of GDP and more

than 90% of exports. Per capita GDP is among the highest in Asia,

and substantial income from overseas investment supplements income

from domestic production. The government provides for all medical

services and free education through the university level and

subsidizes rice and housing. Brunei's leaders are concerned that

steadily increased integration in the world economy will undermine

internal social cohesion. Plans for the future include upgrading the

labor force, reducing unemployment, strengthening the banking and

tourist sectors, and, in general, further widening the economic base

beyond oil and gas.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria, a former communist country that entered the EU on

1 January 2007, has experienced strong growth since a major economic

downturn in 1996. Successive governments have demonstrated

commitment to economic reforms and responsible fiscal planning, but

have failed so far to rein in rising inflation and large current

account deficits. Bulgaria has averaged more than 6% growth since

2004, attracting significant amounts of foreign direct investment,

but corruption in the public administration, a weak judiciary, and

the presence of organized crime remain significant challenges.

Burkina Faso

One of the poorest countries in the world, landlocked

Burkina Faso has few natural resources and a weak industrial base.

About 90% of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture,

which is vulnerable to periodic drought. Cotton is the main cash

crop and the government has joined with three other cotton producing

countries in the region - Mali, Niger, and Chad - to lobby in the

World Trade Organization for fewer subsidies to producers in other

competing countries. Since 1998, Burkina Faso has embarked upon a

gradual but successful privatization of state-owned enterprises.

Having revised its investment code in 2004, Burkina Faso hopes to

attract foreign investors. Thanks to this new code and other

legislation favoring the mining sector, the country has seen an

upswing in gold exploration and production. While the bitter

internal crisis in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire is beginning to be

resolved, it is still having a negative effect on Burkina Faso's

trade and employment. In 2007 higher costs for energy and imported

foodstuffs, as well as low cotton prices, dampened a GDP growth rate

that had averaged 6% in the last 10 years. Burkina Faso received a

Millennium Challenge Account threshold grant to improve girls'

education at the primary school level, and appears likely to receive

a grant in the areas of infrastructure, agriculture, and land reform.

Burma Burma, a resource-rich country, suffers from pervasive government controls, inefficient economic policies, and rural poverty. The junta took steps in the early 1990s to liberalize the economy after decades of failure under the "Burmese Way to Socialism," but those efforts stalled, and some of the liberalization measures were rescinded. Despite Burma's increasing oil and gas revenue, socio-economic conditions have deteriorated due to the regime's mismanagement of the economy. Lacking monetary or fiscal stability, the economy suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances - including rising inflation, fiscal deficits, multiple official exchange rates that overvalue the Burmese kyat, a distorted interest rate regime, unreliable statistics, and an inability to reconcile national accounts to determine a realistic GDP figure. Most overseas development assistance ceased after the junta began to suppress the democracy movement in 1988 and subsequently refused to honor the results of the 1990 legislative elections. In response to the government of Burma's attack in May 2003 on AUNG SAN SUU KYI and her convoy, the US imposed new economic sanctions in August 2003 including a ban on imports of Burmese products and a ban on provision of financial services by US persons. Further, a poor investment climate hampers attracting outside investment slowing the inflow of foreign exchange. The most productive sectors will continue to be in extractive industries, especially oil and gas, mining, and timber with the latter especially causing environmental degradation. Other areas, such as manufacturing and services, are struggling with inadequate infrastructure, unpredictable import/export policies, deteriorating health and education systems, and endemic corruption. A major banking crisis in 2003 shuttered the country's 20 private banks and disrupted the economy. As of 2007, the largest private banks operated under tight restrictions limiting the private sector's access to formal credit. Moreover, the September 2007 crackdown on prodemocracy demonstrators, including thousands of monks, further strained the economy as the tourism industry, which directly employs about 500,000 people, suffered dramatic declines in foreign visitor levels. In November 2007, the European Union announced new sanctions banning investment and trade in Burmese gems, timber and precious stones, while the United States expanded its sanctions list to include more Burmese government and military officials and their family members, as well as prominent regime business cronies, their family members, and associated companies. Official statistics are inaccurate. Published statistics on foreign trade are greatly understated because of the size of the black market and unofficial border trade - often estimated to be as large as the official economy. Though the Burmese government has good economic relations with its neighbors, better investment and business climates and an improved political situation are needed to promote serious foreign investment, exports, and tourism.

Burundi

Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with an

underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy is predominantly

agricultural with more than 90% of the population dependent on

subsistence agriculture. Economic growth depends on coffee and tea

exports, which account for 90% of foreign exchange earnings. The

ability to pay for imports, therefore, rests primarily on weather

conditions and international coffee and tea prices. The Tutsi

minority, 14% of the population, dominates the government and the

coffee trade at the expense of the Hutu majority, 85% of the

population. An ethnic-based war that lasted for over a decade

resulted in more than 200,000 deaths, forced more than 48,000

refugees into Tanzania, and displaced 140,000 others internally.

Only one in two children go to school, and approximately one in 15

adults has HIV/AIDS. Food, medicine, and electricity remain in short

supply. Burundi's GDP grew around 5% annually in 2006-07. Political

stability and the end of the civil war have improved aid flows and

economic activity has increased, but underlying weaknesses - a high

poverty rate, poor education rates, a weak legal system, and low

administrative capacity - risk undermining planned economic reforms.

Burundi will continue to remain heavily dependent on aid from

bilateral and multilateral donors; the delay of funds after a

corruption scandal cut off bilateral aid in 2007 reduced

government's revenues and its ability to pay salaries.

Cambodia

From 2001 to 2004, the economy grew at an average rate of

6.4%, driven largely by an expansion in the garment sector and

tourism. The US and Cambodia signed a Bilateral Textile Agreement,

which gave Cambodia a guaranteed quota of US textile imports and

established a bonus for improving working conditions and enforcing

Cambodian labor laws and international labor standards in the

industry. With the January 2005 expiration of a WTO Agreement on

Textiles and Clothing, Cambodia-based textile producers were forced

to compete directly with lower-priced producing countries such as

China and India. Better-than-expected garment sector performance led

to more than 9% growth in 2007. Its vibrant garment industry employs

more than 350,000 people and contributes more than 70% of Cambodia's

exports. The Cambodian government has committed itself to a policy

supporting high labor standards in an attempt to maintain buyer

interest. In 2005, exploitable oil and natural gas deposits were

found beneath Cambodia's territorial waters, representing a new

revenue stream for the government if commercial extraction begins.

Mining also is attracting significant investor interest,

particularly in the northeastern parts of the country, and the

government has said opportunities exist for mining bauxite, gold,

iron and gems. In 2006, a US-Cambodia bilateral Trade and Investment

Framework Agreement (TIFA) was signed and the first round of

discussions took place in early 2007. The tourism industry continues

to grow rapidly, with foreign arrivals reaching 2 million in 2007.

In 2007 the government signed a joint venture agreement with two

companies to form a new national airline. The long-term development

of the economy remains a daunting challenge. The Cambodian

government is working with bilateral and multilateral donors,

including the World Bank and IMF, to address the country's many

pressing needs. The major economic challenge for Cambodia over the

next decade will be fashioning an economic environment in which the

private sector can create enough jobs to handle Cambodia's

demographic imbalance. More than 50% of the population is less than

21 years old. The population lacks education and productive skills,

particularly in the poverty-ridden countryside, which suffers from

an almost total lack of basic infrastructure.

Cameroon

Because of its modest oil resources and favorable

agricultural conditions, Cameroon has one of the best-endowed

primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Still, it faces

many of the serious problems facing other underdeveloped countries,

such as a top-heavy civil service and a generally unfavorable

climate for business enterprise. Since 1990, the government has

embarked on various IMF and World Bank programs designed to spur

business investment, increase efficiency in agriculture, improve

trade, and recapitalize the nation's banks. In June 2000, the

government completed an IMF-sponsored, three-year structural

adjustment program; however, the IMF is pressing for more reforms,

including increased budget transparency, privatization, and poverty

reduction programs. In January 2001, the Paris Club agreed to reduce

Cameroon's debt of $1.3 billion by $900 million; debt relief now

totals $1.26 billion. International oil and cocoa prices have a

significant impact on the economy.

Canada

As an affluent, high-tech industrial society in the

trillion-dollar class, Canada resembles the US in its

market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and affluent

living standards. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the

manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the

nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial

and urban. The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the

1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which includes

Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic

integration with the US. Given its great natural resources, skilled

labor force, and modern capital plant, Canada enjoys solid economic

prospects. Top-notch fiscal management has produced consecutive

balanced budgets since 1997, although public debate continues over

the equitable distribution of federal funds to the Canadian

provinces. Exports account for roughly a third of GDP. Canada enjoys

a substantial trade surplus with its principal trading partner, the

US, which absorbs 80% of Canadian exports each year. Canada is the

US's largest foreign supplier of energy, including oil, gas,

uranium, and electric power. During 2007, Canada enjoyed good

economic growth, moderate inflation, and the lowest unemployment

rate in more than three decades.

Cape Verde

This island economy suffers from a poor natural resource

base, including serious water shortages exacerbated by cycles of

long-term drought. The economy is service-oriented, with commerce,

transport, tourism, and public services accounting for about

three-fourths of GDP. Although nearly 70% of the population lives in

rural areas, the share of food production in GDP is low. About 82%

of food must be imported. The fishing potential, mostly lobster and

tuna, is not fully exploited. Cape Verde annually runs a high trade

deficit, financed by foreign aid and remittances from emigrants;

remittances supplement GDP by more than 20%. Economic reforms are

aimed at developing the private sector and attracting foreign

investment to diversify the economy. Future prospects depend heavily

on the maintenance of aid flows, the encouragement of tourism,

remittances, and the momentum of the government's development

program. Cape Verde became a member of the WTO in July 2008.

Cayman Islands

With no direct taxation, the islands are a thriving

offshore financial center. More than 68,000 companies were

registered in the Cayman Islands as of 2003, including almost 500

banks, 800 insurers, and 5,000 mutual funds. A stock exchange was

opened in 1997. Tourism is also a mainstay, accounting for about 70%

of GDP and 75% of foreign currency earnings. The tourist industry is

aimed at the luxury market and caters mainly to visitors from North

America. Total tourist arrivals exceeded 2.1 million in 2003, with

about half from the US. About 90% of the islands' food and consumer

goods must be imported. The Caymanians enjoy one of the highest

outputs per capita and one of the highest standards of living in the

world.

Central African Republic

Subsistence agriculture, together with

forestry, remains the backbone of the economy of the Central African

Republic (CAR), with more than 70% of the population living in

outlying areas. The agricultural sector generates more than half of

GDP. Timber has accounted for about 16% of export earnings and the

diamond industry, for 40%. Important constraints to economic

development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor

transportation system, a largely unskilled work force, and a legacy

of misdirected macroeconomic policies. Factional fighting between

the government and its opponents remains a drag on economic

revitalization. Distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal.

Grants from France and the international community can only

partially meet humanitarian needs.

Chad

Chad's primarily agricultural economy will continue to be

boosted by major foreign direct investment projects in the oil

sector that began in 2000. At least 80% of Chad's population relies

on subsistence farming and livestock raising for its livelihood.

Chad's economy has long been handicapped by its landlocked position,

high energy costs, and a history of instability. Chad relies on

foreign assistance and foreign capital for most public and private

sector investment projects. A consortium led by two US companies has

been investing $3.7 billion to develop oil reserves - estimated at 1

billion barrels - in southern Chad. Chinese companies are also

expanding exploration efforts and plan to build a refinery. The

nation's total oil reserves have been estimated to be 1.5 billion

barrels. Oil production came on stream in late 2003. Chad began to

export oil in 2004. Cotton, cattle, and gum arabic provide the bulk

of Chad's non-oil export earnings.

Chile

Chile has a market-oriented economy characterized by a high

level of foreign trade. During the early 1990s, Chile's reputation

as a role model for economic reform was strengthened when the

democratic government of Patricio AYLWIN - which took over from the

military in 1990 - deepened the economic reform initiated by the

military government. Growth in real GDP averaged 8% during 1991-97,

but fell to half that level in 1998 because of tight monetary

policies implemented to keep the current account deficit in check

and because of lower export earnings - the latter a product of the

global financial crisis. A severe drought exacerbated the recession

in 1999, reducing crop yields and causing hydroelectric shortfalls

and electricity rationing, and Chile experienced negative economic

growth for the first time in more than 15 years. Despite the effects

of the recession, Chile maintained its reputation for strong

financial institutions and sound policy that have given it the

strongest sovereign bond rating in South America. Between 2000 and

2007 growth ranged between 2%-6%. Throughout these years Chile

maintained a low rate of inflation with GDP growth coming from high

copper prices, solid export earnings (particularly forestry,

fishing, and mining), and growing domestic consumption. President

BACHELET in 2006 established an Economic and Social Stabilization

Fund to hold excess copper revenues so that social spending can be

maintained during periods of copper shortfalls. This fund probably

surpassed $20 billion at the end of 2007. Chile continues to attract

foreign direct investment, but most foreign investment goes into

gas, water, electricity and mining. Unemployment has exhibited a

downward trend over the past two years, dropping to 7.8% and 7.0% at

the end of 2006 and 2007, respectively. Chile deepened its

longstanding commitment to trade liberalization with the signing of

a free trade agreement with the US, which took effect on 1 January

2004. Chile claims to have more bilateral or regional trade

agreements than any other country. It has 57 such agreements (not

all of them full free trade agreements), including with the European

Union, Mercosur, China, India, South Korea, and Mexico.

China China's economy during the last quarter century has changed from a centrally planned system that was largely closed to international trade to a more market-oriented economy that has a rapidly growing private sector and is a major player in the global economy. Reforms started in the late 1970s with the phasing out of collectivized agriculture, and expanded to include the gradual liberalization of prices, fiscal decentralization, increased autonomy for state enterprises, the foundation of a diversified banking system, the development of stock markets, the rapid growth of the non-state sector, and the opening to foreign trade and investment. China has generally implemented reforms in a gradualist or piecemeal fashion, including the sale of minority shares in four of China's largest state banks to foreign investors and refinements in foreign exchange and bond markets in 2005. After keeping its currency tightly linked to the US dollar for years, China in July 2005 revalued its currency by 2.1% against the US dollar and moved to an exchange rate system that references a basket of currencies. Cumulative appreciation of the renminbi against the US dollar since the end of the dollar peg reached 15% in January 2008. The restructuring of the economy and resulting efficiency gains have contributed to a more than tenfold increase in GDP since 1978. Measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis, China in 2007 stood as the second-largest economy in the world after the US, although in per capita terms the country is still lower middle-income. Annual inflows of foreign direct investment in 2007 rose to $75 billion. By the end of 2007, more than 5,000 domestic Chinese enterprises had established direct investments in 172 countries and regions around the world. The Chinese government faces several economic development challenges: (a) to sustain adequate job growth for tens of millions of workers laid off from state-owned enterprises, migrants, and new entrants to the work force; (b) to reduce corruption and other economic crimes; and (c) to contain environmental damage and social strife related to the economy's rapid transformation. Economic development has been more rapid in coastal provinces than in the interior, and approximately 200 million rural laborers have relocated to urban areas to find work. One demographic consequence of the "one child" policy is that China is now one of the most rapidly aging countries in the world. Deterioration in the environment - notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table, especially in the north - is another long-term problem. China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and economic development. In 2007 China intensified government efforts to improve environmental conditions, tying the evaluation of local officials to environmental targets, publishing a national climate change policy, and establishing a high level leading group on climate change, headed by Premier WEN Jiabao. The Chinese government seeks to add energy production capacity from sources other than coal and oil as its double-digit economic growth increases demand. Chinese energy officials in 2007 agreed to purchase five third generation nuclear reactors from Western companies. More power generating capacity came on line in 2006 as large scale investments - including the Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze River - were completed.

Christmas Island

Phosphate mining had been the only significant

economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government

closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of

the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993, but closed in

1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the

creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island,

expected to begin operations in the near future.

Clipperton Island

Although 115 species of fish have been identified

in the territorial waters of Clipperton Island, the only economic

activity is tuna fishing.

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Grown throughout the islands, coconuts are

the sole cash crop. Small local gardens and fishing contribute to

the food supply, but additional food and most other necessities must

be imported from Australia. There is a small tourist industry.

Colombia

Colombia's economy has experienced positive growth over the

past five years despite a serious armed conflict. In fact, 2007 is

regarded by policy makers and the private sector as one of the best

economic years in recent history, after 2005. The economy continues

to improve in part because of austere government budgets, focused

efforts to reduce public debt levels, an export-oriented growth

strategy, improved domestic security, and high commodity prices.

Ongoing economic problems facing President URIBE include reforming

the pension system, reducing high unemployment, and funding new

exploration to offset declining oil production. The government's

economic reforms and democratic security strategy, coupled with

increased investment, have engendered a growing sense of confidence

in the economy. However, the business sector continues to be

concerned about failure of the US Congress to approve the signed FTA.

Comoros

One of the world's poorest countries, Comoros is made up of

three islands that have inadequate transportation links, a young and

rapidly increasing population, and few natural resources. The low

educational level of the labor force contributes to a subsistence

level of economic activity, high unemployment, and a heavy

dependence on foreign grants and technical assistance. Agriculture,

including fishing, hunting, and forestry, contributes 40% to GDP,

employs 80% of the labor force, and provides most of the exports.

The country is not self-sufficient in food production; rice, the

main staple, accounts for the bulk of imports. The government -

which is hampered by internal political disputes - is struggling to

upgrade education and technical training, privatize commercial and

industrial enterprises, improve health services, diversify exports,

promote tourism, and reduce the high population growth rate. The

political problems caused the economy to contract in 2007.

Remittances from 150,000 Comorans abroad help supplement GDP.

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

The economy of the Democratic

Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth

- is slowly recovering from two decades of decline. Conflict, which

began in August 1998, dramatically reduced national output and

government revenue, increased external debt, and resulted in the

deaths of more than 3.5 million people from violence, famine, and

disease. Foreign businesses curtailed operations due to uncertainty

about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the

difficult operating environment. Conditions began to improve in late

2002 with the withdrawal of a large portion of the invading foreign

troops. The transitional government reopened relations with

international financial institutions and international donors, and

President KABILA has begun implementing reforms, although progress

is slow and the International Monetary Fund curtailed their program

for the DRC at the end of March 2006 because of fiscal overruns.

Much economic activity still occurs in the informal sector, and is

not reflected in GDP data. Renewed activity in the mining sector,

the source of most export income, boosted Kinshasa's fiscal position

and GDP growth. Government reforms and improved security may lead to

increased government revenues, outside budget assistance, and

foreign direct investment, although an uncertain legal framework,

corruption, and a lack of transparency in government policy are

continuing long-term problems.

Congo, Republic of the

The economy is a mixture of subsistence

agriculture, an industrial sector based largely on oil, and support

services, and a government characterized by budget problems and

overstaffing. Oil has supplanted forestry as the mainstay of the

economy, providing a major share of government revenues and exports.

In the early 1980s, rapidly rising oil revenues enabled the

government to finance large-scale development projects with GDP

growth averaging 5% annually, one of the highest rates in Africa.

The government has mortgaged a substantial portion of its oil

earnings through oil-backed loans that have contributed to a growing

debt burden and chronic revenue shortfalls. Economic reform efforts

have been undertaken with the support of international

organizations, notably the World Bank and the IMF. However, the

reform program came to a halt in June 1997 when civil war erupted.

Denis SASSOU-NGUESSO, who returned to power when the war ended in

October 1997, publicly expressed interest in moving forward on

economic reforms and privatization and in renewing cooperation with

international financial institutions. Economic progress was badly

hurt by slumping oil prices and the resumption of armed conflict in

December 1998, which worsened the republic's budget deficit. The

current administration presides over an uneasy internal peace and

faces difficult economic challenges of stimulating recovery and

reducing poverty. Recovery of oil prices has boosted the economy's

GDP and near-term prospects. In March 2006, the World Bank and the

International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved Heavily Indebted Poor

Countries (HIPC) treatment for Congo.

Cook Islands

Like many other South Pacific island nations, the Cook

Islands' economic development is hindered by the isolation of the

country from foreign markets, the limited size of domestic markets,

lack of natural resources, periodic devastation from natural

disasters, and inadequate infrastructure. Agriculture, employing

about one-third of the working population, provides the economic

base with major exports made up of copra and citrus fruit. Black

pearls are the Cook Islands' leading export. Manufacturing

activities are limited to fruit processing, clothing, and

handicrafts. Trade deficits are offset by remittances from emigrants

and by foreign aid, overwhelmingly from New Zealand. In the 1980s

and 1990s, the country lived beyond its means, maintaining a bloated

public service and accumulating a large foreign debt. Subsequent

reforms, including the sale of state assets, the strengthening of

economic management, the encouragement of tourism, and a debt

restructuring agreement, have rekindled investment and growth.

Coral Sea Islands

no economic activity

Costa Rica

Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on tourism,

agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has remained around

20% for nearly 20 years, and the strong social safety net that had

been put into place by the government has eroded due to increased

financial constraints on government expenditures. Immigration from

Nicaragua has increasingly become a concern for the government. The

estimated 300,000-500,000 Nicaraguans estimated to be in Costa Rica

legally and illegally are an important source of (mostly unskilled)

labor, but also place heavy demands on the social welfare system.

Foreign investors remain attracted by the country's political

stability and high education levels, as well as the fiscal

incentives offered in the free-trade zones. Exports have become more

diversified in the past 10 years due to the growth of the high-tech

manufacturing sector, which is dominated by the microprocessor

industry. Tourism continues to bring in foreign exchange, as Costa

Rica's impressive biodiversity makes it a key destination for

ecotourism. The government continues to grapple with its large

internal and external deficits and sizable internal debt. Reducing

inflation remains a difficult problem because of rising import

prices, labor market rigidities, and fiscal deficits. Tax and public

expenditure reforms will be necessary to close the budget gap. In

October 2007, a national referendum voted in favor of the US-Central

American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

Cote d'Ivoire

Cote d'Ivoire is the world's largest producer and

exporter of cocoa beans and a significant producer and exporter of

coffee and palm oil. Consequently, the economy is highly sensitive

to fluctuations in international prices for these products, and, to

a lesser extent, in climatic conditions. Despite government attempts

to diversify the economy, it is still heavily dependent on

agriculture and related activities, engaging roughly 68% of the

population. Since 2006, oil and gas production have become more

important engines of economic activity than cocoa. According to IMF

statistics, earnings from oil and refined products were $1.3 billion

in 2006, while cocoa-related revenues were $1 billion during the

same period. Cote d'Ivoire's offshore oil and gas production has

resulted in substantial crude oil exports and provides sufficient

natural gas to fuel electricity exports to Ghana, Togo, Benin, Mali

and Burkina Faso. Oil exploration by a number of consortiums of

private companies continues offshore, and President GBAGBO has

expressed hope that daily crude output could reach 200,000 barrels

per day (b/d) by the end of the decade. Since the end of the civil

war in 2003, political turmoil has continued to damage the economy,

resulting in the loss of foreign investment and slow economic

growth. GDP grew by 1.8% in 2006 and 1.7% in 2007. Per capita income

has declined by 15% since 1999.

Croatia

Once one of the wealthiest of the Yugoslav republics,

Croatia's economy suffered badly during the 1991-95 war as output

collapsed and the country missed the early waves of investment in

Central and Eastern Europe that followed the fall of the Berlin

Wall. Since 2000, however, Croatia's economic fortunes have begun to

improve slowly, with moderate but steady GDP growth between 4% and

6% led by a rebound in tourism and credit-driven consumer spending.

Inflation over the same period has remained tame and the currency,

the kuna, stable. Nevertheless, difficult problems still remain,

including a stubbornly high unemployment rate, a growing trade

deficit and uneven regional development. The state retains a large

role in the economy, as privatization efforts often meet stiff

public and political resistance. While macroeconomic stabilization

has largely been achieved, structural reforms lag because of deep

resistance on the part of the public and lack of strong support from

politicians. The EU accession process should accelerate fiscal and

structural reform.

Cuba

The government continues to balance the need for economic

loosening against a desire for firm political control. It has rolled

back limited reforms undertaken in the 1990s to increase enterprise

efficiency and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods,

and services. The average Cuban's standard of living remains at a

lower level than before the downturn of the 1990s, which was caused

by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. Since late

2000, Venezuela has been providing oil on preferential terms, and it

currently supplies about 100,000 barrels per day of petroleum

products. Cuba has been paying for the oil, in part, with the

services of Cuban personnel in Venezuela, including some 20,000

medical professionals. In 2007, high metals prices continued to

boost Cuban earnings from nickel and cobalt production. Havana

continued to invest in the country's energy sector to mitigate

electrical blackouts that had plagued the country since 2004.

Cyprus

The area of the Republic of Cyprus under government control

has a market economy dominated by the service sector, which accounts

for 78% of GDP. Tourism, financial services, and real estate are the

most important sectors. Erratic growth rates over the past decade

reflect the economy's reliance on tourism, which often fluctuates

with political instability in the region and economic conditions in

Western Europe. Nevertheless, the economy in the area under

government control grew by an average of 3.6% per year during the

period of 2000-06, well above the EU average. Cyprus joined the

European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM2) in May 2005 and adopted the

euro as its national currency on 1 January 2008. An aggressive

austerity program in the preceding years, aimed at paving the way

for the euro, helped turn a soaring fiscal deficit (6.3% in 2003)

into a surplus of 1.5% in 2007. As in the area administered by

Turkish Cypriots, water shortages are a perennial problem; a few

desalination plants are now on line. After 10 years of drought, the

country received substantial rainfall from 2001-04 alleviating

immediate concerns. Rainfall in 2005 and 2006, however, was well

below average, making water rationing a necessity in 2007.

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is one of the most stable and

prosperous of the post-Communist states of Central and Eastern

Europe. Growth in 2000-07 was supported by exports to the EU,

primarily to Germany, and a strong recovery of foreign and domestic

investment. Domestic demand is playing an ever more important role

in underpinning growth as the availability of credit cards and

mortgages increases. The current account deficit has declined to

around 3.3% of GDP as demand for automotive and other products from

the Czech Republic remains strong in the European Union. Rising

inflation from higher food and energy prices are a risk to balanced

economic growth. Significant increases in social spending in the

run-up to June 2006 elections prevented, the government from meeting

its goal of reducing its budget deficit to 3% of GDP in 2007.

Negotiations on pension and additional healthcare reforms are

continuing without clear prospects for agreement and implementation.

Intensified restructuring among large enterprises, improvements in

the financial sector, and effective use of available EU funds should

strengthen output growth. The pro-business Civic Democratic

Party-led government approved reforms in 2007 designed to cut

spending on some social welfare benefits and reform the tax system

with the aim of eventually reducing the budget deficit to 2.3% of

GDP by 2010. Parliamentary approval for any additional reforms could

prove difficult, however, because of the parliament's even split.

The government withdrew a 2010 target date for euro adoption and

instead aims to meet the eurozone criteria around 2012.

Denmark

The Danish economy has in recent years undergone strong

expansion fueled primarily by private consumption growth, but also

supported by exports and investments. This thoroughly modern market

economy features high-tech agriculture, up-to-date small-scale and

corporate industry, extensive government welfare measures,

comfortable living standards, a stable currency, and high dependence

on foreign trade. Unemployment is low and capacity constraints are

limiting growth potential. Denmark is a net exporter of food and

energy and enjoys a comfortable balance of payments surplus.

Government objectives include streamlining the bureaucracy and

further privatization of state assets. The government has been

successful in meeting, and even exceeding, the economic convergence

criteria for participating in the third phase (a common European

currency) of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), but so

far Denmark has decided not to join 15 other EU members in the euro.

Nonetheless, the Danish krone remains pegged to the euro. Economic

growth gained momentum in 2004 and the upturn continued through

2007. The controversy over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad

printed in a Danish newspaper in September 2005 led to boycotts of

some Danish exports to the Muslim world, especially exports of dairy

products, but the boycotts did not have a significant impact on the

overall Danish economy. Because of high GDP per capita, welfare

benefits, a low Gini index, and political stability, the Danish

living standards are among the highest in the world. A major

long-term issue will be the sharp decline in the ratio of workers to

retirees.

Dhekelia

Economic activity is limited to providing services to the

military and their families located in Dhekelia. All food and

manufactured goods must be imported.

Djibouti

The economy is based on service activities connected with

the country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone in

the Horn of Africa. Two-thirds of Djibouti's inhabitants live in the

capital city; the remainder are mostly nomadic herders. Scanty

rainfall limits crop production to fruits and vegetables, and most

food must be imported. Djibouti provides services as both a transit

port for the region and an international transshipment and refueling

center. Imports and exports from landlocked neighbor Ethiopia

represent 85% of port activity at Djibouti's container terminal.

Djibouti has few natural resources and little industry. The nation

is, therefore, heavily dependent on foreign assistance to help

support its balance of payments and to finance development projects.

An unemployment rate of nearly 60% continues to be a major problem.

While inflation is not a concern, due to the fixed tie of the

Djiboutian franc to the US dollar, the artificially high value of

the Djiboutian franc adversely affects Djibouti's balance of

payments. Per capita consumption dropped an estimated 35% between

1999 and 2006 because of recession, civil war, and a high population

growth rate (including immigrants and refugees). Faced with a

multitude of economic difficulties, the government has fallen in

arrears on long-term external debt and has been struggling to meet

the stipulations of foreign aid donors.

Dominica

The Dominican economy depends on agriculture, primarily

bananas, and remains highly vulnerable to climatic conditions and

international economic developments. Tourism has increased as the

government seeks to promote Dominica as an "ecotourism" destination.

In 2003, the government began a comprehensive restructuring of the

economy - including elimination of price controls, privatization of

the state banana company, and tax increases - to address Dominica's

economic and financial crisis of 2001-02 and to meet IMF targets.

This restructuring paved the way for the current economic recovery -

real growth for 2006 reached a two-decade high - and will help to

reduce the debt burden, which remains at about 100% of GDP. In order

to diversify the island's production base, the government is

attempting to develop an offshore financial sector and is

researching Dominica's capability to export geothermal energy.

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic has enjoyed strong GDP

growth since 2005, with double digit growth in 2006. In 2007,

exports were bolstered by the nearly 50% increase in nickel prices;

however, prices are expected to fall in 2008, contributing to a

slowdown in GDP growth for the year. Although the country has long

been viewed primarily as an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco,

in recent years the service sector has overtaken agriculture as the

economy's largest employer due to growth in tourism and free trade

zones. The economy is highly dependent upon the US, the source of

nearly three-fourths of exports, and remittances represent about a

tenth of GDP, equivalent to almost half of exports and

three-quarters of tourism receipts. With the help of strict fiscal

targets agreed to in the 2004 renegotiation of an IMF standby loan,

President FERNANDEZ has stabilized the country's financial

situation, lowering inflation to less than 6%. A fiscal expansion is

expected for 2008 prior to the elections in May and for Tropical

Storm Noel reconstruction. Although the economy is growing at a

respectable rate, high unemployment and underemployment remains an

important challenge. The country suffers from marked income

inequality; the poorest half of the population receives less than

one-fifth of GNP, while the richest 10% enjoys nearly 40% of

national income. The Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade

Agreement (CAFTA-DR) came into force in March 2007, which should

boost investment and exports and reduce losses to the Asian garment

industry.

Ecuador

Ecuador is substantially dependent on its petroleum

resources, which have accounted for more than half of the country's

export earnings and one-fourth of public sector revenues in recent

years. In 1999/2000, Ecuador suffered a severe economic crisis, with

GDP contracted by more than 6%, with a significant increase in

poverty. The banking system also collapsed, and Ecuador defaulted on

its external debt later that year. In March 2000, Congress approved

a series of structural reforms that also provided for the adoption

of the US dollar as legal tender. Dollarization stabilized the

economy, and positive growth returned in the years that followed,

helped by high oil prices, remittances, and increased

non-traditional exports. From 2002-06 the economy grew 5.5%, the

highest five-year average in 25 years. The poverty rate declined but

remained high at 38% in 2006. In 2006 the government of Alfredo

PALACIO (2005-07) seized the assets of Occidental Petroleum for

alleged contract violations and imposed a windfall revenue tax on

foreign oil companies, leading to the suspension of free trade

negotiations with the US. These measures, combined with chronic

underinvestment in the state oil company, Petroecuador, led to a

drop in petroleum production in 2007. PALACIO's successor, Rafael

CORREA, raised the specter of debt default - but Ecuador has paid

its debt on time. He also decreed a higher windfall revenue tax on

private oil companies, then sought to renegotiate their contracts to

overcome the debilitating effect of the tax. This generated economic

uncertainty; private investment has dropped and economic growth has

slowed significantly.

Egypt

Occupying the northeast corner of the African continent, Egypt

is bisected by the highly fertile Nile valley, where most economic

activity takes place. In the last 30 years, the government has

reformed the highly centralized economy it inherited from President

Gamel Abdel NASSER. In 2005, Prime Minister Ahmed NAZIF's government

reduced personal and corporate tax rates, reduced energy subsidies,

and privatized several enterprises. The stock market boomed, and GDP

grew about 5% per year in 2005-06, and topped 7% in 2007. Despite

these achievements, the government has failed to raise living

standards for the average Egyptian, and has had to continue

providing subsidies for basic necessities. The subsidies have

contributed to a sizeable budget deficit - roughly 7.5% of GDP in

2007 - and represent a significant drain on the economy. Foreign

direct investment has increased significantly in the past two years,

but the NAZIF government will need to continue its aggressive

pursuit of reforms in order to sustain the spike in investment and

growth and begin to improve economic conditions for the broader

population. Egypt's export sectors - particularly natural gas - have

bright prospects.

El Salvador

The smallest country in Central America, El Salvador has

the third largest economy, but growth has been modest in recent

years. Robust growth in non-traditional exports have offset declines

in the maquila exports, while remittances and external aid offset

the trade deficit from high oil prices and strong import demand for

consumer and intermediate goods. El Salvador leads the region in

remittances per capita with inflows equivalent to nearly all export

income. Implementation in 2006 of the Central America-Dominican

Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which El Salvador was the

first to ratify, has strengthened an already positive export trend.

With the adoption of the US dollar as its currency in 2001, El

Salvador lost control over monetary policy and must concentrate on

maintaining a disciplined fiscal policy. The current government has

pursued economic diversification, with some success in promoting

textile production, international port services, and tourism through

tax incentives. It is committed to opening the economy to trade and

investment, and has embarked on a wave of privatizations extending

to telecom, electricity distribution, banking, and pension funds. In

late 2006, the government and the Millennium Challenge Corporation

signed a five-year, $461 million compact to stimulate economic

growth and reduce poverty in the country's northern region through

investments in education, public services, enterprise development,

and transportation infrastructure.

Equatorial Guinea

The discovery and exploitation of large oil

reserves have contributed to dramatic economic growth in recent

years. Forestry, farming, and fishing are also major components of

GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. Although pre-independence

Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency

earnings, the neglect of the rural economy under successive regimes

has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth (the government

has stated its intention to reinvest some oil revenue into

agriculture). A number of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank

and the IMF have been cut off since 1993, because of corruption and

mismanagement. No longer eligible for concessional financing because

of large oil revenues, the government has been trying to agree on a

"shadow" fiscal management program with the World Bank and IMF.

Government officials and their family members own most businesses.

Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese,

uranium, and alluvial gold. Growth remained strong in 2007, led by

oil.

Eritrea

Since independence from Ethiopia in 1993, Eritrea has faced

the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country,

accentuated by the recent implementation of restrictive economic

policies. Eritrea has a command economy under the control of the

sole political party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice

(PFDJ). Like the economies of many African nations, the economy is

largely based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population

involved in farming and herding. The Ethiopian-Eritrea war in

1998-2000 severely hurt Eritrea's economy. GDP growth fell to zero

in 1999 and to -12.1% in 2000. The May 2000 Ethiopian offensive into

northern Eritrea caused some $600 million in property damage and

loss, including losses of $225 million in livestock and 55,000

homes. The attack prevented planting of crops in Eritrea's most

productive region, causing food production to drop by 62%. Even

during the war, Eritrea developed its transportation infrastructure,

asphalting new roads, improving its ports, and repairing war-damaged

roads and bridges. Since the war ended, the government has

maintained a firm grip on the economy, expanding the use of the

military and party-owned businesses to complete Eritrea's

development agenda. The government strictly controls the use of

foreign currency, limiting access and availability. Few private

enterprises remain in Eritrea. Eritrea's economy is heavily

dependent on taxes paid by members of the diaspora. Erratic rainfall

and the delayed demobilization of agriculturalists from the military

continue to interfere with agricultural production, and Eritrea's

recent harvests have not been able to meet the food needs of the

country. The government continues to place its hope for additional

revenue on the development of several international mining projects.

Despite difficulties for international companies in working with the

Eritrean government, a Canadian mining company signed a contract

with the GSE in 2007 and plans to begin mineral extraction in 2010.

Eritrea also anticipates opening a free trade zone at the port of

Massawa in 2008. Eritrea's economic future depends upon its ability

to master social problems such as illiteracy, unemployment, and low

skills, and more importantly, on the government's willingness to

support a true market economy.

Estonia

Estonia, a 2004 European Union entrant, has a modern

market-based economy and one of the highest per capita income levels

in Central Europe. The economy benefits from strong electronics and

telecommunications sectors and strong trade ties with Finland,

Sweden, and Germany. The current government has pursued relatively

sound fiscal policies, resulting in balanced budgets and low public

debt. In 2007, however, a large current account deficit and rising

inflation put pressure on Estonia's currency, which is pegged to the

euro, highlighting the need for growth in export-generating

industries.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on

agriculture, accounting for almost half of GDP, 60% of exports, and

80% of total employment. The agricultural sector suffers from

frequent drought and poor cultivation practices. Coffee is critical

to the Ethiopian economy with exports of some $350 million in 2006,

but historically low prices have seen many farmers switching to qat

to supplement income. The war with Eritrea in 1998-2000 and

recurrent drought have buffeted the economy, in particular coffee

production. In November 2001, Ethiopia qualified for debt relief

from the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, and in

December 2005 the IMF voted to forgive Ethiopia's debt to the body.

Under Ethiopia's constitution, the state owns all land and provides

long-term leases to the tenants; the system continues to hamper

growth in the industrial sector as entrepreneurs are unable to use

land as collateral for loans. Drought struck again late in 2002,

leading to a 3.3% decline in GDP in 2003. Normal weather patterns

helped agricultural and GDP growth recover during 2004-07.

European Union

Internally, the EU is attempting to lower trade

barriers, adopt a common currency, and move toward convergence of

living standards. Internationally, the EU aims to bolster Europe's

trade position and its political and economic power. Because of the

great differences in per capita income among member states (from

$7,000 to $69,000) and historic national animosities, the EU faces

difficulties in devising and enforcing common policies. For example,

since 2003 Germany and France have flouted the member states' treaty

obligation to prevent their national budgets from running more than

a 3% deficit. In 2004 and 2007, the EU admitted 10 and two

countries, respectively, that are, in general, less advanced

technologically and economically than the other 15. Eleven

established EU member states introduced the euro as their common

currency on 1 January 1999 (Greece did so two years later), but the

UK, Sweden, and Denmark chose not to participate. Of the 12 most

recent member states, only Slovenia (1 January 2007) and Cyprus and

Malta (1 January 2008) have adopted the euro; the remaining nine are

legally required to adopt the currency upon meeting EU's fiscal and

monetary convergence criteria.

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) The economy was formerly based on agriculture, mainly sheep farming, but today fishing contributes the bulk of economic activity. In 1987, the government began selling fishing licenses to foreign trawlers operating within the Falkland Islands' exclusive fishing zone. These license fees total more than $40 million per year, which help support the island's health, education, and welfare system. Squid accounts for 75% of the fish taken. Dairy farming supports domestic consumption; crops furnish winter fodder. Exports feature shipments of high-grade wool to the UK and the sale of postage stamps and coins. The islands are now self-financing except for defense. The British Geological Survey announced a 200-mile oil exploration zone around the islands in 1993, and early seismic surveys suggest substantial reserves capable of producing 500,000 barrels per day; to date, no exploitable site has been identified. An agreement between Argentina and the UK in 1995 seeks to defuse licensing and sovereignty conflicts that would dampen foreign interest in exploiting potential oil reserves. Tourism, especially eco-tourism, is increasing rapidly, with about 30,000 visitors in 2001. Another large source of income is interest paid on money the government has in the bank. The British military presence also provides a sizeable economic boost.

Faroe Islands

The Faroese economy is dependent on fishing, which

makes the economy vulnerable to price swings. Since 2003 the Faroese

economy has picked up as a result of higher prices for fish and for

housing. Unemployment is minimal and government finances are

relatively sound. Oil finds close to the Islands give hope for

economically recoverable deposits, which could eventually lay the

basis for a more diversified economy and lessen dependence on Danish

economic assistance. Aided by a substantial annual subsidy (about

15% of GDP) from Denmark, the Faroese have a standard of living not

far below the Danes and other Scandinavians.

Fiji

Fiji, endowed with forest, mineral, and fish resources, is one

of the most developed of the Pacific island economies, though still

with a large subsistence sector. Sugar exports, remittances from

Fijians working abroad, and a growing tourist industry - with

400,000 to 500,000 tourists annually - are the major sources of

foreign exchange. Fiji's sugar has special access to European Union

markets, but will be harmed by the EU's decision to cut sugar

subsidies. Sugar processing makes up one-third of industrial

activity but is not efficient. Fiji's tourism industry was damaged

by the December 2006 coup and is facing an uncertain recovery time.

The coup has created a difficult business climate. Tourist arrivals

for 2007 are estimated to be down almost 6%, with substantial job

losses in the service sector. In July 2007 the Reserve Bank of Fiji

announced the economy was expected to contract by 3.1% in 2007.

Fiji's current account deficit reached 23% of GDP in 2006. The EU

has suspended all aid until the interim government takes steps

toward new elections. Long-term problems include low investment,

uncertain land ownership rights, and the government's inability to

manage its budget. Overseas remittances from Fijians working in

Kuwait and Iraq have decreased significantly.

Finland

Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free-market

economy with per capita output roughly that of the UK, France,

Germany, and Italy. Its key economic sector is manufacturing -

principally the wood, metals, engineering, telecommunications, and

electronics industries. Trade is important; exports equal nearly

two-fifths of GDP. Finland excels in high-tech exports, e.g., mobile

phones. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on

imports of raw materials, energy, and some components for

manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development

is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products.

Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary

occupation for the rural population. High unemployment remains a

persistent problem. In 2007 Russia announced plans to impose high

tariffs on raw timber exported to Finland. The Finnish pulp and

paper industry will be threatened if these duties are put into place

in 2008 and 2009, and the matter is now being handled by the

European Union.

France

France is in the midst of transition from a well-to-do modern

economy that has featured extensive government ownership and

intervention to one that relies more on market mechanisms. The

government has partially or fully privatized many large companies,

banks, and insurers, and has ceded stakes in such leading firms as

Air France, France Telecom, Renault, and Thales. It maintains a

strong presence in some sectors, particularly power, public

transport, and defense industries. The telecommunications sector is

gradually being opened to competition. France's leaders remain

committed to a capitalism in which they maintain social equity by

means of laws, tax policies, and social spending that reduce income

disparity and the impact of free markets on public health and

welfare. Widespread opposition to labor reform has in recent years

hampered the government's ability to revitalize the economy. In

2007, the government launched divisive labor reform efforts that

will continue into 2008. France's tax burden remains one of the

highest in Europe (nearly 50% of GDP in 2005). France brought the

budget deficit within the eurozone's 3%-of-GDP limit for the first

time in 2007 and has reduced unemployment to roughly 8%. With at

least 75 million foreign tourists per year, France is the most

visited country in the world and maintains the third largest income

in the world from tourism.

French Polynesia

Since 1962, when France stationed military

personnel in the region, French Polynesia has changed from a

subsistence agricultural economy to one in which a high proportion

of the work force is either employed by the military or supports the

tourist industry. With the halt of French nuclear testing in 1996,

the military contribution to the economy fell sharply. Tourism

accounts for about one-fourth of GDP and is a primary source of hard

currency earnings. Other sources of income are pearl farming and

deep-sea commercial fishing. The small manufacturing sector

primarily processes agricultural products. The territory benefits

substantially from development agreements with France aimed

principally at creating new businesses and strengthening social

services.

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Economic activity is limited to

servicing meteorological and geophysical research stations, military

bases, and French and other fishing fleets. The fish catches landed

on Iles Kerguelen by foreign ships are exported to France and

Reunion.

Gabon

Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that of most of

sub-Saharan African nations. but because of high income inequality,

a large proportion of the population remains poor. Gabon depended on

timber and manganese until oil was discovered offshore in the early

1970s. The oil sector now accounts for 50% of GDP. Gabon continues

to face fluctuating prices for its oil, timber, and manganese

exports. Despite the abundance of natural wealth, poor fiscal

management hobbles the economy. The devaluation of the CFA franc -

its currency - by 50% in January 1994 sparked a one-time

inflationary surge, to 35%; the rate dropped to 6% in 1996. The IMF

provided a one-year standby arrangement in 1994-95, a three-year

Enhanced Financing Facility (EFF) at near commercial rates beginning

in late 1995, and stand-by credit of $119 million in October 2000.

Those agreements mandated progress in privatization and fiscal

discipline. France provided additional financial support in January

1997 after Gabon met IMF targets for mid-1996. In 1997, an IMF

mission to Gabon criticized the government for overspending on

off-budget items, overborrowing from the central bank, and slipping

on its schedule for privatization and administrative reform. The

rebound of oil prices since 1999 have helped growth, but drops in

production have hampered Gabon from fully realizing potential gains,

and will continue to temper the gains for most of this decade. In

December 2000, Gabon signed a new agreement with the Paris Club to

reschedule its official debt. A follow-up bilateral repayment

agreement with the US was signed in December 2001. Gabon signed a

14-month Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF in May 2004, and received

Paris Club debt rescheduling later that year. Short-term progress

depends on an upbeat world economy and fiscal and other adjustments

in line with IMF policies.

Gambia, The

The Gambia has no confirmed mineral or natural resource

deposits and has a limited agricultural base. About 75% of the

population depends on crops and livestock for its livelihood.

Small-scale manufacturing activity features the processing of

peanuts, fish, and hides. Reexport trade normally constitutes a

major segment of economic activity, but a 1999 government-imposed

preshipment inspection plan, and instability of the Gambian dalasi

(currency) have drawn some of the reexport trade away from The

Gambia. The Gambia's natural beauty and proximity to Europe has made

it one of the larger markets for tourism in West Africa. The

government's 1998 seizure of the private peanut firm Alimenta

eliminated the largest purchaser of Gambian groundnuts. Despite an

announced program to begin privatizing key parastatals, no plans

have been made public that would indicate that the government

intends to follow through on its promises. Unemployment and

underemployment rates remain extremely high; short-run economic

progress depends on sustained bilateral and multilateral aid, on

responsible government economic management, on continued technical

assistance from the IMF and bilateral donors, and on expected growth

in the construction sector.

Gaza Strip

High population density, limited land access, and strict

internal and external security controls have kept economic

conditions in the Gaza Strip - the smaller of the two areas under

the Palestinian Authority (PA)- even more degraded than in the West

Bank. The beginning of the second intifada in September 2000 sparked

an economic downturn, largely the result of Israeli closure

policies; these policies, which were imposed to address security

concerns in Israel, disrupted labor and trade access to and from the

Gaza Strip. In 2001, and even more severely in 2003, Israeli

military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of

capital, the disruption of administrative structures, and widespread

business closures. The Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in

September 2005 offered some medium-term opportunities for economic

growth, but continued Israeli-imposed crossings closures, which

became more restrictive after Hamas violently took over the

territory in June 2007, have resulted in widespread private sector

layoffs and shortages of most goods.

Georgia

Georgia's economy has sustained robust GDP growth of close

to 10% in 2006 and 12% in 2007, based on strong inflows of foreign

investment and robust government spending. However, a widening trade

deficit and higher inflation are emerging risks to the economy.

Areas of recent improvement include increasing foreign direct

investment as well as growth in the construction, banking services

and mining sectors. Georgia's main economic activities include the

cultivation of agricultural products such as grapes, citrus fruits,

and hazelnuts; mining of manganese and copper; and output of a small

industrial sector producing alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages,

metals, machinery, aircraft and chemicals. The country imports

nearly all its needed supplies of natural gas and oil products. It

has sizeable hydropower capacity, a growing component of its energy

supplies. Despite the severe damage the economy suffered due to

civil strife in the 1990s, Georgia, with the help of the IMF and

World Bank, has made substantial economic gains since 2000,

achieving positive GDP growth and curtailing inflation. Georgia's

GDP growth neared 10% in 2006 and 2007 despite restrictions on

commerce with Russia. Areas of recent improvement include increased

foreign direct investment as well as growth in the construction,

banking services, and mining sectors. In addition, the reinvigorated

privatization process has met with success. However, a widening

trade deficit and higher inflation are emerging risks to the

economy. Georgia has suffered from a chronic failure to collect tax

revenues; however, the new government is making progress and has

reformed the tax code, improved tax administration, increased tax

enforcement, and cracked down on corruption. Government revenues

have increased nearly four fold since 2003. Due to improvements in

customs and financial (tax) enforcement, smuggling is a declining

problem. Georgia has overcome the chronic energy shortages of the

past by renovating hydropower plants and by bringing newly available

natural gas supplies from Azerbaijan. It also has an increased

ability to pay for more expensive gas imports from Russia. The

country is pinning its hopes for long-term growth on a determined

effort to reduce regulation, taxes and corruption in order to

attract foreign investment. The construction on the

Baku-T'bilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Baku-T'bilisi-Erzerum gas

pipeline, and the Kars-Akhalkalaki Railroad are part of a strategy

to capitalize on Georgia's strategic location between Europe and

Asia and develop its role as a transit point for gas, oil and other

goods.

Germany

Germany's affluent and technologically powerful economy -

the fifth largest in the world in PPP terms - showed considerable

improvement in 2007 with 2.6% growth. After a long period of

stagnation with an average growth rate of 0.7% between 2001-05 and

chronically high unemployment, stronger growth led to a considerable

fall in unemployment to about 8% near the end of 2007. Among the

most important reasons for Germany's high unemployment during the

past decade were macroeconomic stagnation, the declining level of

investment in plant and equipment, company restructuring, flat

domestic consumption, structural rigidities in the labor market,

lack of competition in the service sector, and high interest rates.

The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy

continues to be a costly long-term process, with annual transfers

from west to east amounting to roughly $80 billion. The former

government of Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER launched a comprehensive

set of reforms of labor market and welfare-related institutions. The

current government of Chancellor Angela MERKEL has initiated other

reform measures, such as a gradual increase in the mandatory

retirement age from 65 to 67 and measures to increase female

participation in the labor market. Germany's aging population,

combined with high chronic unemployment, has pushed social security

outlays to a level exceeding contributions, but higher government

revenues from the cyclical upturn in 2006-07 and a 3% rise in the

value-added tax pushed Germany's budget deficit well below the EU's

3% debt limit. Corporate restructuring and growing capital markets

are setting the foundations that could help Germany meet the

long-term challenges of European economic integration and

globalization, although some economists continue to argue the need

for change in inflexible labor and services markets. Growth may fall

below 2% in 2008 as the strong euro, high oil prices, tighter credit

markets, and slowing growth abroad take their toll.

Ghana

Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has roughly twice

the per capita output of the poorest countries in West Africa. Even

so, Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial and

technical assistance. Gold and cocoa production, and individual

remittances, are major sources of foreign exchange. The domestic

economy continues to revolve around agriculture, which accounts for

about 35% of GDP and employs about 55% of the work force, mainly

small landholders. Ghana opted for debt relief under the Heavily

Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) program in 2002, and is also benefiting

from the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative that took effect in

2006. Thematic priorities under its current Growth and Poverty

Reduction Strategy, which also provides the framework for

development partner assistance, are: macroeconomic stability;

private sector competitiveness; human resource development; and good

governance and civic responsibility. Sound macro-economic management

along with high prices for gold and cocoa helped sustain GDP growth

in 2007. Ghana signed a Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)

Compact in 2006, which aims to assist in transforming Ghana's

agricultural sector.

Gibraltar

Self-sufficient Gibraltar benefits from an extensive

shipping trade, offshore banking, and its position as an

international conference center. The British military presence has

been sharply reduced and now contributes about 7% to the local

economy, compared with 60% in 1984. The financial sector, tourism

(almost 5 million visitors in 1998), shipping services fees, and

duties on consumer goods also generate revenue. The financial

sector, the shipping sector, and tourism each contribute 25%-30% of

GDP. Telecommunications accounts for another 10%. In recent years,

Gibraltar has seen major structural change from a public to a

private sector economy, but changes in government spending still

have a major impact on the level of employment.

Greece

Greece has a capitalist economy with the public sector

accounting for about 40% of GDP and with per capita GDP at least 75%

of the leading euro-zone economies. Tourism provides 15% of GDP.

Immigrants make up nearly one-fifth of the work force, mainly in

agricultural and unskilled jobs. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU

aid, equal to about 3.3% of annual GDP. The Greek economy grew by

nearly 4.0% per year between 2003 and 2007, due partly to

infrastructural spending related to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games,

and in part to an increased availability of credit, which has

sustained record levels of consumer spending. Greece violated the

EU's Growth and Stability Pact budget deficit criteria of no more

than 3% of GDP from 2001 to 2006, but finally met that criteria in

2007. Public debt, inflation, and unemployment are above the

euro-zone average, but are falling. The Greek Government continues

to grapple with cutting government spending, reducing the size of

the public sector, and reforming the labor and pension systems, in

the face of often vocal opposition from the country's powerful labor

unions and the general public. The economy remains an important

domestic political issue in Greece and, while the ruling New

Democracy government has had some success in improving economic

growth and reducing the budget deficit, Athens faces long-term

challenges in its effort to continue its economic reforms,

especially social security reform and privatization.

Greenland

The economy remains critically dependent on exports of

fish and a substantial subsidy from the Danish Government, which

supplies about half of government revenues. The public sector,

including publicly owned enterprises and the municipalities, plays

the dominant role in the economy. Several interesting hydrocarbon

and mineral exploration activities are ongoing. Press reports in

early 2007 indicated that two international aluminum companies were

considering building smelters in Greenland to take advantage of

local hydropower potential. Tourism is the only sector offering any

near-term potential, and even this is limited due to a short season

and high costs. Air Greenland began summer-season direct flights to

the US east coast in May 2007, potentially opening a major new

tourism market.

Grenada

Grenada relies on tourism as its main source of foreign

exchange, especially since the construction of an international

airport in 1985. Strong performances in construction and

manufacturing, together with the development of an offshore

financial industry, have also contributed to growth in national

output. Grenada has rebounded from the devastating effects of

Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Emily (2005), but is now saddled with the

debt burden from the rebuilding process. The agricultural sector,

particularly nutmeg and cocoa cultivation, has gradually recovered,

and the tourism sector has seen substantial increases in foreign

direct investment as the regional share of the tourism market

increases.

Guam

The economy depends largely on US military spending and

tourism. Total US grants, wage payments, and procurement outlays

amounted to $1.3 billion in 2004. Over the past 30 years, the

tourist industry has grown to become the largest income source

following national defense. The Guam economy continues to experience

expansion in both its tourism and military sectors.

Guatemala

Guatemala is the most populous of the Central American

countries with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of Argentina,

Brazil, and Chile. The agricultural sector accounts for about

one-tenth of GDP, two-fifths of exports, and half of the labor

force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the main products, with sugar

exports benefiting from increased global demand for ethanol. The

1996 signing of peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war,

removed a major obstacle to foreign investment, and Guatemala since

then has pursued important reforms and macroeconomic stabilization.

On 1 July 2006, the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA)

entered into force between the US and Guatemala and has since

spurred increased investment in the export sector. The distribution

of income remains highly unequal with about 56% of the population

below the poverty line. Other ongoing challenges include increasing

government revenues, negotiating further assistance from

international donors, upgrading both government and private

financial operations, curtailing drug trafficking and rampant crime,

and narrowing the trade deficit. Given Guatemala's large expatriate

community in the United States, it is the top remittance recipient

in Central America, with inflows serving as a primary source of

foreign income equivalent to nearly two-thirds of exports.

Guernsey

Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance -

account for about 23% of employment and about 55% of total income in

this tiny, prosperous Channel Island economy. Tourism,

manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers,

have been declining. Financial services, construction, retail, and

the public sector have been growing. Light tax and death duties make

Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of

the EU nations is changing the environment under which Guernsey

operates.

Guinea

Guinea possesses major mineral, hydropower, and agricultural

resources, yet remains an underdeveloped nation. The country has

almost half of the world's bauxite reserves and is the

second-largest bauxite producer. The mining sector accounts for over

70% of exports. Long-run improvements in government fiscal

arrangements, literacy, and the legal framework are needed if the

country is to move out of poverty. Investor confidence has been

sapped by rampant corruption, a lack of electricity and other

infrastructure, a lack of skilled workers, and the political

uncertainty due to the failing health of President Lansana CONTE.

Guinea is trying to reengage with the IMF and World Bank, which cut

off most assistance in 2003, and is working closely with technical

advisors from the U.S. Treasury Department, the World Bank and IMF,

seeking to return to a fully funded program. Growth rose slightly in

2006-07, primarily due to increases in global demand and commodity

prices on world markets, but the standard of living fell. The Guinea

franc depreciated sharply as the prices for basic necessities like

food and fuel rose beyond the reach of most Guineans.

Dissatisfaction with economic conditions prompted nationwide strikes

in February and June 2006.

Guinea-Bissau

One of the five poorest countries in the world,

Guinea-Bissau depends mainly on farming and fishing. Cashew crops

have increased remarkably in recent years, and the country now ranks

sixth in cashew production. Guinea-Bissau exports fish and seafood

along with small amounts of peanuts, palm kernels, and timber. Rice

is the major crop and staple food. However, intermittent fighting

between Senegalese-backed government troops and a military junta

destroyed much of the country's infrastructure and caused widespread

damage to the economy in 1998; the civil war led to a 28% drop in

GDP that year, with partial recovery in 1999-2002. Before the war,

trade reform and price liberalization were the most successful part

of the country's structural adjustment program under IMF

sponsorship. The tightening of monetary policy and the development

of the private sector had also begun to reinvigorate the economy.

Because of high costs, the development of petroleum, phosphate, and

other mineral resources is not a near-term prospect. Offshore oil

prospecting is underway in several sectors but has not yet led to

commercially viable crude deposits. The inequality of income

distribution is one of the most extreme in the world. The government

and international donors continue to work out plans to forward

economic development from a lamentably low base. In December 2003,

the World Bank, IMF, and UNDP were forced to step in to provide

emergency budgetary support in the amount of $107 million for 2004,

representing over 80% of the total national budget. Government drift

and indecision, however, resulted in continued low growth in

2002-06. Higher raw material prices boosted growth to 3.7% in 2007.

Guyana

The Guyanese economy exhibited moderate economic growth in

2001-07, based on expansion in the agricultural and mining sectors,

a more favorable atmosphere for business initiatives, a more

realistic exchange rate, fairly low inflation, and the continued

support of international organizations. Economic recovery since the

2005 flood-related contraction has been buoyed by increases in

remittances and foreign direct investment. Chronic problems include

a shortage of skilled labor and a deficient infrastructure. The

government is juggling a sizable external debt against the urgent

need for expanded public investment. In March 2007, the

Inter-American Development Bank, Guyana's principal donor, canceled

Guyana's nearly $470 million debt, equivalent to nearly 48% of GDP.

The bauxite mining sector should benefit in the near term from

restructuring and partial privatization, and the state-owned sugar

industry will conduct efficiency increasing modernizations. Export

earnings from agriculture and mining have fallen sharply, while the

import bill has risen, driven by higher energy prices. Guyana's

entrance into the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) in

January 2006 will broaden the country's export market, primarily in

the raw materials sector.

Haiti

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with

80% of the population living under the poverty line and 54% in

abject poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the

agricultural sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, and

remain vulnerable to damage from frequent natural disasters,

exacerbated by the country's widespread deforestation. A

macroeconomic program developed in 2005 with the help of the

International Monetary Fund helped the economy grow 3.5% in 2007,

the highest growth rate since 1999. US economic engagement under the

Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement

(HOPE) Act, passed in December 2006, has boosted the garment and

automotive parts exports and investment by providing tariff-free

access to the US. Haiti suffers from high inflation, a lack of

investment because of insecurity and limited infrastructure, and a

severe trade deficit. In 2005, Haiti paid its arrears to the World

Bank, paving the way for reengagement with the Bank. The government

relies on formal international economic assistance for fiscal

sustainability. Remittances are the primary source of foreign

exchange, equaling nearly a quarter of GDP and more than twice the

earnings from exports.

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

The islands have no indigenous

economic activity, but the Australian Government allows limited

fishing in the surrounding waters.

Holy See (Vatican City)

This unique, noncommercial economy is

supported financially by an annual contribution (known as Peter's

Pence) from Roman Catholic dioceses throughout the world; by the

sale of postage stamps, coins, medals, and tourist mementos; by fees

for admission to museums; and by the sale of publications.

Investments and real estate income also account for a sizable

portion of revenue. The incomes and living standards of lay workers

are comparable to those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.

Honduras

Honduras, the second poorest country in Central America and

one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, with an

extraordinarily unequal distribution of income and massive

unemployment, is banking on expanded trade under the US-Central

America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and on debt relief under the

Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Despite

improvements in tax collections, the government's fiscal deficit is

growing due to increases in current expenditures and financial

losses from the state energy and telephone companies. Honduras is

the fastest growing remittance destination in the region with

inflows representing over a quarter of GDP, equivalent to nearly

three-quarters of exports. The economy relies heavily on a narrow

range of exports, notably bananas and coffee, making it vulnerable

to natural disasters and shifts in commodity prices, however,

investments in the maquila and non-traditional export sectors are

slowly diversifying the economy. Growth remains dependent on the

economy of the US, its largest trading partner, and on reduction of

the high crime rate, as a means of attracting and maintaining

investment.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong has a free market economy highly dependent on

international trade. In 2006, the total value of goods and services

trade, including the sizable share of reexports, was equivalent to

400% of GDP. The territory has become increasingly integrated with

mainland China over the past few years through trade, tourism, and

financial links. The mainland has long been Hong Kong's largest

trading partner, accounting for 46% of Hong Kong's total trade by

value in 2006. As a result of China's easing of travel restrictions,

the number of mainland tourists to the territory has surged from 4.5

million in 2001 to 13.6 million in 2006, when they outnumbered

visitors from all other countries combined. Hong Kong has also

established itself as the premier stock market for Chinese firms

seeking to list abroad. Bolstered by several successful initial

public offerings in early 2007, by September 2007 mainland companies

accounted for one-third of the firms listed on the Hong Kong Stock

Exchange, and more than half of the Exchange's market

capitalization. During the past decade, as Hong Kong's manufacturing

industry moved to the mainland, its service industry has grown

rapidly and now accounts for 91% of the territory's GDP. Hong Kong's

natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be

imported. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% from 1989 to 2007, despite

the economy suffering two recessions during the Asian financial

crisis in 1997-98 and the global downturn in 2001-02. Hong Kong

continues to link its currency closely to the US dollar, maintaining

an arrangement established in 1983.

Hungary

Hungary has made the transition from a centrally planned to

a market economy, with a per capita income nearly two-thirds that of

the EU-25 average. The private sector accounts for more than 80% of

GDP. Foreign ownership of and investment in Hungarian firms are

widespread, with cumulative foreign direct investment totaling more

than $60 billion since 1989. Hungary issues investment-grade

sovereign debt. International observers, however, have expressed

concerns over Hungary's fiscal and current account deficits. In

2007, Hungary eliminated a trade deficit that had persisted for

several years. Inflation declined from 14% in 1998 to a low of 3.7%

in 2006, but jumped to 7.8% in 2007. Unemployment has persisted

above 6%. Hungary's labor force participation rate of 57% is one of

the lowest in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and

Development (OECD). Germany is by far Hungary's largest economic

partner. Policy challenges include cutting the public sector deficit

to 4% of GDP by 2008, from about 6% in 2007. The government's

austerity program of tax hikes and subsidy cuts has reduced

Hungary's large budget deficit, but the reforms have dampened

domestic consumption, slowing GDP growth to about 2% in 2007. The

government will need to pass additional reforms to ensure the

long-term stability of public finances. The government plans to

eventually lower its public sector deficit to below 3% of GDP to

adopt the euro.

Iceland

Iceland's Scandinavian-type economy is basically

capitalistic, yet with an extensive welfare system (including

generous housing subsidies), low unemployment, and remarkably even

distribution of income. In the absence of other natural resources

(except for abundant geothermal power), the economy depends heavily

on the fishing industry, which provides 70% of export earnings and

employs 6% of the work force. The economy remains sensitive to

declining fish stocks as well as to fluctuations in world prices for

its main exports: fish and fish products, aluminum, and

ferrosilicon. Substantial foreign investment in the aluminum and

hydropower sectors has boosted economic growth which, nevertheless,

has been volatile and characterized by recurrent imbalances.

Government policies include reducing the current account deficit,

limiting foreign borrowing, containing inflation, revising

agricultural and fishing policies, and diversifying the economy. The

government remains opposed to EU membership, primarily because of

Icelanders' concern about losing control over their fishing

resources. Iceland's economy has been diversifying into

manufacturing and service industries in the last decade, and new

developments in software production, biotechnology, and financial

services are taking place. The tourism sector is also expanding,

with the recent trends in ecotourism and whale watching. The 2006

closure of the US military base at Keflavik had very little impact

on the national economy; Iceland's low unemployment rate aided

former base employees in finding alternate employment.

India

India's diverse economy encompasses traditional village

farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern

industries, and a multitude of services. Services are the major

source of economic growth, accounting for more than half of India's

output with less than one third of its labor force. About

three-fifths of the work force is in agriculture, leading the United

Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to articulate an economic

reform program that includes developing basic infrastructure to

improve the lives of the rural poor and boost economic performance.

The government has reduced controls on foreign trade and investment.

Higher limits on foreign direct investment were permitted in a few

key sectors, such as telecommunications. However, tariff spikes in

sensitive categories, including agriculture, and incremental

progress on economic reforms still hinder foreign access to India's

vast and growing market. Privatization of government-owned

industries remains stalled and continues to generate political

debate; populist pressure from within the UPA government and from

its Left Front allies continues to restrain needed initiatives. The

economy has posted an average growth rate of more than 7% in the

decade since 1997, reducing poverty by about 10 percentage points.

India achieved 8.5% GDP growth in 2006, and again in 2007,

significantly expanding production of manufactures. India is

capitalizing on its large numbers of well-educated people skilled in

the English language to become a major exporter of software services

and software workers. Economic expansion has helped New Delhi

continue to make progress in reducing its federal fiscal deficit.

However, strong growth combined with easy consumer credit and a real

estate boom fueled inflation concerns in 2006 and 2007, leading to a

series of central bank interest rate hikes that have slowed credit

growth and eased inflation concerns. The huge and growing population

is the fundamental social, economic, and environmental problem.

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean provides major sea routes connecting

the Middle East, Africa, and East Asia with Europe and the Americas.

It carries a particularly heavy traffic of petroleum and petroleum

products from the oilfields of the Persian Gulf and Indonesia. Its

fish are of great and growing importance to the bordering countries

for domestic consumption and export. Fishing fleets from Russia,

Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan also exploit the Indian Ocean, mainly

for shrimp and tuna. Large reserves of hydrocarbons are being tapped

in the offshore areas of Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, and western

Australia. An estimated 40% of the world's offshore oil production

comes from the Indian Ocean. Beach sands rich in heavy minerals and

offshore placer deposits are actively exploited by bordering

countries, particularly India, South Africa, Indonesia, Sri Lanka,

and Thailand.

Indonesia

Indonesia, a vast polyglot nation, has been undergoing

significant economic reforms under President YUDHOYONO. Indonesia's

debt-to-GDP ratio has been declining steadily, its foreign exchange

reserves are at an all-time high of over $50 billion, and its stock

market has been one of the three best performers in the world in

2006 and 2007, as global investors sought out higher returns in

emerging markets. The government has introduced significant reforms

in the financial sector, including tax and customs reforms, the

introduction of Treasury bills, and improved capital market

supervision. Indonesia's new investment law, passed in March 2007,

seeks to address some of the concerns of foreign and domestic

investors. Indonesia still struggles with poverty and unemployment,

inadequate infrastructure, corruption, a complex regulatory

environment, and unequal resource distribution among regions.

Indonesia has been slow to privatize over 100 state-owned

enterprises, several of which have monopolies in key sectors. The

non-bank financial sector, including pension funds and insurance,

remains weak. Capital markets are underdeveloped. The high global

price of oil in 2007 increased the cost of domestic fuel and

electricity subsidies, and are contributing to concerns about higher

food prices. Located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" Indonesia remains

vulnerable to volcanic and tectonic disasters. Significant progress

has been made in rebuilding Aceh after the devastating December 2004

tsunami, and the province now shows more economic activity than

before the disaster. Unfortunately, Indonesia suffered new disasters

in 2006 and early 2007 including: a major earthquake near

Yogyakarta, an industrial accident in Sidoarjo, East Java that

created a "mud volcano," a tsunami in South Java, and major flooding

in Jakarta, all of which caused additional damages in the billions

of dollars. Donors are assisting Indonesia with its disaster

mitigation and early warning efforts.

Iran

Iran's economy is marked by an inefficient state sector,

reliance on the oil sector (which provides 85% of government

revenues), and statist policies that create major distortions

throughout. Most economic activity is controlled by the state.

Private sector activity is typically small-scale workshops, farming,

and services. President Mahmud AHMADI-NEJAD failed to make any

notable progress in fulfilling the goals of the nation's latest

five-year plan. A combination of price controls and subsidies,

particularly on food and energy, continue to weigh down the economy,

and administrative controls, widespread corruption, and other

rigidities undermine the potential for private-sector-led growth. As

a result of these inefficiencies, significant informal market

activity flourishes and shortages are common. High oil prices in

recent years have enabled Iran to amass nearly $70 billion in

foreign exchange reserves. Yet this increased revenue has not eased

economic hardships, which include double-digit unemployment and

inflation - inflation climbed to 26% as of June 2008. The economy

has seen only moderate growth. Iran's educated population, economic

inefficiency and insufficient investment - both foreign and domestic

- have prompted an increasing number of Iranians to seek employment

overseas, resulting in significant "brain drain."

Iraq

Iraq's economy is dominated by the oil sector, which has

traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings.

Although looting, insurgent attacks, and sabotage have undermined

economy rebuilding efforts, economic activity is beginning to pick

up in areas recently secured by the US military surge. Oil exports

are around levels seen before Operation Iraqi Freedom, and total

government revenues have benefited from high oil prices. Despite

political uncertainty, Iraq is making some progress in building the

institutions needed to implement economic policy and has negotiated

a debt reduction agreement with the Paris Club and a new Stand-By

Arrangement with the IMF. Iraq has received pledges for $13.5

billion in foreign aid for 2004-07 from outside of the US, more than

$33 billion in total pledges. The International Compact with Iraq

was established in May 2007 to integrate Iraq into the regional and

global economy, and the Iraqi government is seeking to pass laws to

strengthen its economy. This legislation includes a hydrocarbon law

to establish a modern legal framework to allow Iraq to develop its

resources and a revenue sharing law to equitably divide oil revenues

within the nation, although both are still bogged down in

discussions. The Central Bank has been successful in controlling

inflation through appreciation of the dinar against the US dollar.

Reducing corruption and implementing structural reforms, such as

bank restructuring and developing the private sector, will be key to

Iraq's economic success.

Ireland

Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with

growth averaging 6% in 1995-2007. Agriculture, once the most

important sector, is now dwarfed by industry and services. Although

the exports sector, dominated by foreign multinationals, remains a

key component of Ireland's economy, construction has most recently

fueled economic growth along with strong consumer spending and

business investment. Property prices have risen more rapidly in

Ireland in the decade up to 2006 than in any other developed world

economy. Per capita GDP is 40% above that of the four big European

economies and the second highest in the EU behind Luxembourg, and in

2007 surpassed that of the United States. The Irish Government has

implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb

price and wage inflation, invest in infrastructure, increase labor

force skills, and promote foreign investment. A slowdown in the

property market, more intense global competition, and increased

costs, however, have compelled government economists to lower

Ireland's growth forecast slightly for 2008. Ireland joined in

circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU

nations.

Isle of Man

Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key

sectors of the economy. The government offers incentives to

high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on

the island; this has paid off in expanding employment opportunities

in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing,

once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of

GDP. The Isle of Man also attracts online gambling sites and the

film industry. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys

free access to EU markets.

Israel

Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with

substantial, though diminishing, government participation. It

depends on imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military

equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel has intensively

developed its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20

years. Israel imports substantial quantities of grain but is largely

self-sufficient in other agricultural products. Cut diamonds,

high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and

vegetables) are the leading exports. Israel usually posts sizable

trade deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments from

abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government's

external debt is owed to the US, its major source of economic and

military aid. Israel's GDP, after contracting slightly in 2001 and

2002 due to the Palestinian conflict and troubles in the

high-technology sector, has grown by about 5% per year since 2003.

The economy grew an estimated 5.4% in 2007, the fastest pace since

2000. The government's prudent fiscal policy and structural reforms

over the past few years have helped to induce strong foreign

investment, tax revenues, and private consumption, setting the

economy on a solid growth path.

Italy

Italy has a diversified industrial economy with roughly the

same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This

capitalistic economy remains divided into a developed industrial

north, dominated by private companies, and a less-developed,

welfare-dependent, agricultural south, with 20% unemployment. Most

raw materials needed by industry and more than 75% of energy

requirements are imported. Over the past decade, Italy has pursued a

tight fiscal policy in order to meet the requirements of the

Economic and Monetary Unions and has benefited from lower interest

and inflation rates. The current government has enacted numerous

short-term reforms aimed at improving competitiveness and long-term

growth. Italy has moved slowly, however, on implementing needed

structural reforms, such as lightening the high tax burden and

overhauling Italy's rigid labor market and over-generous pension

system, because of the current economic slowdown and opposition from

labor unions. But the leadership faces a severe economic constraint:

Italy's official debt remains above 100% of GDP, and the government

has found it difficult to bring the budget deficit down to a level

that would allow a rapid decrease in that debt. The economy

continues to grow by less than the euro-zone average and growth is

expected to decelerate from 1.9% in 2006 and 2007 to under 1.5% in

2008 as the euro-zone and world economies slow.

Jamaica

The Jamaican economy is heavily dependent on services, which

now account for more than 60% of GDP. The country continues to

derive most of its foreign exchange from tourism, remittances, and

bauxite/alumina. Remittances account for nearly 20% of GDP and are

equivalent to tourism revenues. Jamaica's economy, already saddled

with a record of sluggish growth, will suffer an economic setback

from damages caused by Hurricane Dean in August 2007. The economy

faces serious long-term problems: high but declining interest rates,

increased foreign competition, exchange rate instability, a sizable

merchandise trade deficit, large-scale unemployment and

underemployment, and a debt-to-GDP ratio of 135%. Jamaica's onerous

debt burden - the fourth highest per capita - is the result of

government bailouts to ailing sectors of the economy, most notably

the financial sector in the mid-to-late 1990s. Inflation also has

declined, standing at about 7% at the end of 2007. High unemployment

exacerbates the serious crime problem, including gang violence that

is fueled by the drug trade. The GOLDING administration faces the

difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline in order

to maintain debt payments while simultaneously attacking a serious

and growing crime problem that is hampering economic growth.

Jan Mayen

Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable natural

resources. Economic activity is limited to providing services for

employees of Norway's radio and meteorological stations on the

island.

Japan

Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery

of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1%

of GDP) helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank

of second most technologically powerful economy in the world after

the US and the third-largest economy in the world after the US and

China, measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis. One

notable characteristic of the economy has been how manufacturers,

suppliers, and distributors have worked together in closely-knit

groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the

guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the

urban labor force. Both features have now eroded. Japan's industrial

sector is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The

tiny agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with

crop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self sufficient

in rice, Japan must import about 55% of its food on a caloric basis.

Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and

accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For three decades,

overall real economic growth had been spectacular - a 10% average in

the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s.

Growth slowed markedly in the 1990s, averaging just 1.7%, largely

because of the after effects of overinvestment and an asset price

bubble during the late 1980s that required a protracted period of

time for firms to reduce excess debt, capital, and labor. From 2000

to 2001, government efforts to revive economic growth proved short

lived and were hampered by the slowing of the US, European, and

Asian economies. In 2002-07, growth improved and the lingering fears

of deflation in prices and economic activity lessened, leading the

central bank to raise interest rates to 0.25% in July 2006, up from

the near 0% rate of the six years prior, and to 0.50% in February

2007. In addition, the 10-year privatization of Japan Post, which

has functioned not only as the national postal delivery system but

also, through its banking and insurance facilities as Japan's

largest financial institution, was completed in October 2007,

marking a major milestone in the process of structural reform.

Nevertheless, Japan's huge government debt, which totals 182% of

GDP, and the aging of the population are two major long-run

problems. Some fear that a rise in taxes could endanger the current

economic recovery. Debate also continues on the role of and effects

of reform in restructuring the economy, particularly with respect to

increasing income disparities.

Jersey

Jersey's economy is based on international financial

services, agriculture, and tourism. In 2005 the finance sector

accounted for about 50% of the island's output. Potatoes,

cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export

crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is

known worldwide and represents an important export income earner.

Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. Tourism accounts

for one-quarter of GDP. In recent years, the government has

encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that

an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional

manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements

are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light

taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. Living

standards come close to those of the UK.

Jordan

Jordan is a small Arab country with insufficient supplies of

water, oil, and other natural resources. Poverty, unemployment, and

inflation are fundamental problems, but King ABDALLAH II, since

assuming the throne in 1999, has undertaken some broad economic

reforms in a long-term effort to improve living standards. Since

Jordan's graduation from its most recent IMF program in 2002, Amman

has continued to follow IMF guidelines, practicing careful monetary

policy, making substantial headway with privatization, and opening

the trade regime. Jordan's exports have significantly increased

under the free trade accord with the US and Jordanian Qualifying

Industrial Zones (QIZ), which allow Jordan to export goods duty free

to the US. In 2006, Jordan reduced its debt-to-GDP ratio

significantly. These measures have helped improve productivity and

have made Jordan more attractive for foreign investment. Before the

US-led war in Iraq, Jordan imported most of its oil from Iraq. Since

2003, however, Jordan has been more dependent on oil from other Gulf

nations. The government ended subsidies for petroleum and other

consumer goods in 2008 in an effort to control the budget. The main

challenges facing Jordan are reducing dependence on foreign grants,

reducing the budget deficit, attracting investments, and creating

jobs.

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan, the largest of the former Soviet republics in

territory, excluding Russia, possesses enormous fossil fuel reserves

and plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. It also has a

large agricultural sector featuring livestock and grain.

Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and

processing of these natural resources. The breakup of the USSR in

December 1991 and the collapse in demand for Kazakhstan's

traditional heavy industry products resulted in a short-term

contraction of the economy, with the steepest annual decline

occurring in 1994. In 1995-97, the pace of the government program of

economic reform and privatization quickened, resulting in a

substantial shifting of assets into the private sector. Kazakhstan

enjoyed double-digit growth in 2000-01 - 8% or more per year in

2002-07 - thanks largely to its booming energy sector, but also to

economic reform, good harvests, and foreign investment. Inflation,

however, jumped to more than 10% in 2007. In the energy sector, the

opening of the Caspian Consortium pipeline in 2001, from western

Kazakhstan's Tengiz oilfield to the Black Sea, substantially raised

export capacity. In 2006 Kazakhstan completed the Atasu-Alashankou

portion of an oil pipeline to China that is planned in future

construction to extend from the country's Caspian coast eastward to

the Chinese border. The country has embarked upon an industrial

policy designed to diversify the economy away from overdependence on

the oil sector by developing its manufacturing potential. The policy

aims to reduce the influence of foreign investment and foreign

personnel. The government has engaged in several disputes with

foreign oil companies over the terms of production agreements;

tensions continue. Upward pressure on the local currency continued

in 2007 due to massive oil-related foreign-exchange inflows. Aided

by strong growth and foreign exchange earnings, Kazakhstan aspires

to become a regional financial center and has created a banking

system comparable to those in Central Europe.

Kenya

The regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, Kenya

has been hampered by corruption and by reliance upon several primary

goods whose prices have remained low. In 1997, the IMF suspended

Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program due to the

government's failure to maintain reforms and curb corruption. A

severe drought from 1999 to 2000 compounded Kenya's problems,

causing water and energy rationing and reducing agricultural output.

As a result, GDP contracted by 0.2% in 2000. The IMF, which had

resumed loans in 2000 to help Kenya through the drought, again

halted lending in 2001 when the government failed to institute

several anticorruption measures. Despite the return of strong rains

in 2001, weak commodity prices, endemic corruption, and low

investment limited Kenya's economic growth to 1.2%. Growth lagged at

1.1% in 2002 because of erratic rains, low investor confidence,

meager donor support, and political infighting up to the elections.

In the key December 2002 elections, Daniel Arap MOI's 24-year-old

reign ended, and a new opposition government took on the formidable

economic problems facing the nation. After some early progress in

rooting out corruption and encouraging donor support, the KIBAKI

government was rocked by high-level graft scandals in 2005 and 2006.

In 2006 the World Bank and IMF delayed loans pending action by the

government on corruption. The international financial institutions

and donors have since resumed lending, despite little action on the

government's part to deal with corruption. The scandals have not

weighed down growth, with estimated real GDP growth at more than 6

percent in 2007.

Kiribati

A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has

few natural resources. Commercially viable phosphate deposits were

exhausted at the time of independence from the UK in 1979. Copra and

fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economy

has fluctuated widely in recent years. Economic development is

constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure,

and remoteness from international markets. Tourism provides more

than one-fifth of GDP. Private sector initiatives and a financial

sector are in the early stages of development. Foreign financial aid

from UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and China equals more than

10% of GDP. Remittances from seamen on merchant ships abroad account

for more than $5 million each year. Kiribati receives around $15

million annually for the government budget from an Australian trust

fund.

Korea, North

North Korea, one of the world's most centrally directed

and least open economies, faces chronic economic problems.

Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of

years of underinvestment and shortages of spare parts. Industrial

and power output have declined in parallel from pre-1990 levels. Due

in part to severe summer flooding followed by dry weather conditions

in the fall of 2006, the nation suffered its 13th year of food

shortages because of on-going systemic problems including a lack of

arable land, collective farming practices, and persistent shortages

of tractors and fuel. During the summer of 2007, severe flooding

again occurred. Large-scale international food aid deliveries have

allowed the people of North Korea to escape widespread starvation

since famine threatened in 1995, but the population continues to

suffer from prolonged malnutrition and poor living conditions.

Large-scale military spending draws off resources needed for

investment and civilian consumption. Since 2002, the government has

formalized an arrangement whereby private "farmers' markets" were

allowed to begin selling a wider range of goods. It also permitted

some private farming on an experimental basis in an effort to boost

agricultural output. In October 2005, the government tried to

reverse some of these policies by forbidding private sales of grains

and reinstituting a centralized food rationing system. By December

2005, the government terminated most international humanitarian

assistance operations in North Korea (calling instead for

developmental assistance only) and restricted the activities of

remaining international and non-governmental aid organizations such

as the World Food Program. External food aid now comes primarily

from China and South Korea in the form of grants and long-term

concessional loans. During the October 2007 summit, South Korea also

agreed to develop some of North Korea's infrastructure and natural

resources and light industry. Firm political control remains the

Communist government's overriding concern, which will likely inhibit

the loosening of economic regulations.

Korea, South

Since the 1960s, South Korea has achieved an incredible

record of growth and integration into the high-tech modern world

economy. Four decades ago, GDP per capita was comparable with levels

in the poorer countries of Africa and Asia. In 2004, South Korea

joined the trillion dollar club of world economies. Today its GDP

per capita is roughly the same as that of Greece and Spain. This

success was achieved by a system of close government/business ties

including directed credit, import restrictions, sponsorship of

specific industries, and a strong labor effort. The government

promoted the import of raw materials and technology at the expense

of consumer goods and encouraged savings and investment over

consumption. The Asian financial crisis of 1997-98 exposed

longstanding weaknesses in South Korea's development model including

high debt/equity ratios, massive foreign borrowing, and an

undisciplined financial sector. GDP plunged by 6.9% in 1998, then

recovered by 9.5% in 1999 and 8.5% in 2000. Growth fell back to 3.3%

in 2001 because of the slowing global economy, falling exports, and

the perception that much-needed corporate and financial reforms had

stalled. Led by consumer spending and exports, growth in 2002 was an

impressive 7%, despite anemic global growth. Between 2003 and 2007,

growth moderated to about 4-5% annually. A downturn in consumer

spending was offset by rapid export growth. Moderate inflation, low

unemployment, and an export surplus in 2007 characterize this solid

economy, but inflation and unemployment are increasing in the face

of rising oil prices.

Kosovo

Over the past few years Kosovo's economy has shown

significant progress in transitioning to a market-based system, but

it is still highly dependent on the international community and the

diaspora for financial and technical assistance. Remittances from

the diaspora - located mainly in Germany and Switzerland - account

for about 30% of GDP. Kosovo's citizens are the poorest in Europe

with an average annual per capita income of only $1800 - about

one-third the level of neighboring Albania. Unemployment - at more

than 40% of the population - is a severe problem that encourages

outward migration. Most of Kosovo's population lives in rural towns

outside of the capital, Pristina. Inefficient, near-subsistence

farming is common - the result of small plots, limited

mechanization, and lack of technical expertise. Economic growth is

largely driven by the private sector - mostly small-scale retail

businesses. With international assistance, Kosovo has been able to

privatize 50% of its state-owned enterprises (SOEs) by number, and

over 90% of SOEs by value. Minerals and metals - including lignite,

lead, zinc, nickel, chrome, aluminum, magnesium, and a wide variety

of construction materials - once formed the backbone of industry,

but output has declined because investment has been insufficient to

replace ageing Eastern Bloc equipment. Technical and financial

problems in the power sector also impedes industrial development.

The US has worked with the World Bank to prepare a commercial tender

for the development of new power generating and mining capacity. The

official currency of Kosovo is the euro, but the Serbian dinar is

also used in the Serb enclaves. Kosovo's tie to the euro has helped

keep inflation low. Kosovo has maintained a budget surplus as a

result of efficient tax collection and inefficient budget execution.

While maintaining ultimate oversight, UNMIK continues to work with

the EU and with Kosovo's government to accelerate economic growth,

lower unemployment, and attract foreign investment. In order to help

integrate Kosovo into regional economic structures, UNMIK signed (on

behalf of Kosovo) its accession to the Central Europe Free Trade

Area (CEFTA) in 2006. In February 2008, UNMIK also represented

Kosovo at the newly established Regional Cooperation Council (RCC).

Kuwait

Kuwait is a small, rich, relatively open economy with

self-reported crude oil reserves of about 104 billion barrels - 10%

of world reserves. Petroleum accounts for nearly half of GDP, 95% of

export revenues, and 80% of government income. High oil prices in

recent years have helped build Kuwait's budget and trade surpluses

and foreign reserves. As a result of this positive fiscal situation,

the need for economic reforms is less urgent and the government has

not earnestly pushed through new initiatives. Despite its vast oil

reserves, Kuwait experienced power outages during the summer months

in 2006 and 2007 because demand exceeded power generating capacity.

Power outages are likely to worsen, given its high population growth

rates, unless the government can increase generating capacity. In

May 2007 Kuwait changed its currency peg from the US dollar to a

basket of currencies in order to curb inflation and to reduce its

vulnerability to external shocks.

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan is a poor, mountainous country with a

predominantly agricultural economy. Cotton, tobacco, wool, and meat

are the main agricultural products, although only tobacco and cotton

are exported in any quantity. Industrial exports include gold,

mercury, uranium, natural gas, and electricity. Following

independence, Kyrgyzstan was progressive in carrying out market

reforms such as an improved regulatory system and land reform.

Kyrgyzstan was the first Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

country to be accepted into the World Trade Organization. Much of

the government's stock in enterprises has been sold. Drops in

production had been severe after the breakup of the Soviet Union in

December 1991, but by mid-1995, production began to recover and

exports began to increase. The economy is heavily weighted toward

gold export and a drop in output at the main Kumtor gold mine

sparked a 0.5% decline in GDP in 2002 and a 0.6% decline in 2005.

GDP grew more than 6% in 2007, partly due to higher gold prices

internationally. The government made steady strides in controlling

its substantial fiscal deficit, nearly closing the gap between

revenues and expenditures in 2006, before boosting expenditures more

than 20% in 2007. The government and international financial

institutions have been engaged in a comprehensive medium-term

poverty reduction and economic growth strategy. In 2005, Bishkek

agreed to pursue much-needed tax reform and, in 2006, became

eligible for the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) initiative.

Progress fighting corruption, further restructuring of domestic

industry, and success in attracting foreign investment are keys to

future growth.

Laos

The government of Laos, one of the few remaining one-party

Communist states, began decentralizing control and encouraging

private enterprise in 1986. The results, starting from an extremely

low base, were striking - growth averaged 6% per year in 1988-2007

except during the short-lived drop caused by the Asian financial

crisis beginning in 1997. Despite this high growth rate, Laos

remains a country with a underdeveloped infrastructure, particularly

in rural areas. It has no railroads, a rudimentary road system, and

limited external and internal telecommunications, though the

government is sponsoring major improvements in the road system with

support from Japan and China. Electricity is available in urban

areas and in most rural districts. Subsistence agriculture,

dominated by rice, accounts for about 40% of GDP and provides 80% of

total employment. The economy will continue to benefit from aid from

international donors and from foreign investment in hydropower and

mining. Construction will be another strong economic driver,

especially as hydroelectric dam and road projects gain steam.

Several policy changes since 2004 may help spur growth. In late

2004, Laos gained Normal Trade Relations status with the US,

allowing Laos-based producers to benefit from lower tariffs on

exports. Laos is taking steps to join the World Trade Organization

in the next few years; the resulting trade policy reforms will

improve the business environment. On the fiscal side, a value-added

tax (VAT) regime, slated to begin in 2008, should help streamline

the government's inefficient tax system.

Latvia

Latvia's economy experienced GDP growth of more than 10% per

year during 2006-07. The majority of companies, banks, and real

estate have been privatized, although the state still holds sizable

stakes in a few large enterprises. Latvia officially joined the

World Trade Organization in February 1999. EU membership, a top

foreign policy goal, came in May 2004. The current account deficit -

more than 22% of GDP in 2007 - and inflation - at nearly 10% per

year - remain major concerns.

Lebanon

The 1975-90 civil war seriously damaged Lebanon's economic

infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended

Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. In

the years since, Lebanon has rebuilt much of its war-torn physical

and financial infrastructure by borrowing heavily - mostly from

domestic banks. In an attempt to reduce the ballooning national

debt, the Rafiq HARIRI government in the 1990s began an austerity

program, reining in government expenditures, increasing revenue

collection, and privatizing state enterprises, but economic and

financial reform initiatives stalled and public debt continued to

grow despite receipt of more than $2 billion in bilateral assistance

at the 2002 Paris II Donors Conference. The Israeli-Hizballah

conflict in July-August 2006 caused an estimated $3.6 billion in

infrastructure damage, and prompted international donors to pledge

nearly $1 billion in recovery and reconstruction assistance. Donors

met again in January 2007 at the Paris III Donor Conference and

pledged more than $7.5 billion to Lebanon for development projects

and budget support, conditioned on progress on Beirut's fiscal

reform and privatization program. An 18-month political stalemate

and sporadic sectarian and political violence hampered economic

activity, particularly tourism, retail sales, and investment, until

a new government was formed in July 2008.

Lesotho

Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho relies on

remittances from miners employed in South Africa and customs duties

from the Southern Africa Customs Union for the majority of

government revenue. However, the government has recently

strengthened its tax system to reduce dependency on customs duties.

Completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 permitted

the sale of water to South Africa and generated royalties for

Lesotho. Lesotho produces about 90% of its own electrical power

needs. As the number of mineworkers has declined steadily over the

past several years, a small manufacturing base has developed based

on farm products that support the milling, canning, leather, and

jute industries, as well as a rapidly expanding apparel-assembly

sector. The latter has grown significantly mainly due to Lesotho

qualifying for the trade benefits contained in the Africa Growth and

Opportunity Act. The economy is still primarily based on subsistence

agriculture, especially livestock, although drought has decreased

agricultural activity. The extreme inequality in the distribution of

income remains a major drawback. Lesotho has signed an Interim

Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility with the IMF. In July 2007,

Lesotho signed a Millennium Challenge Account Compact with the US

worth $362.5 million.

Liberia

Civil war and government mismanagement destroyed much of

Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around the

capital, Monrovia. Many businesses fled the country, taking capital

and expertise with them, but with the conclusion of fighting and the

installation of a democratically-elected government in 2006, some

have returned. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources,

forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a

producer and exporter of basic products - primarily raw timber and

rubber. Local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in

scope. President JOHNSON SIRLEAF, a Harvard-trained banker and

administrator, has taken steps to reduce corruption, build support

from international donors, and encourage private investment.

Embargos on timber and diamond exports have been lifted, opening new

sources of revenue for the government. The reconstruction of

infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy

will largely depend on generous financial and technical assistance

from donor countries and foreign investment in key sectors, such as

infrastructure and power generation.

Libya

The Libyan economy depends primarily upon revenues from the

oil sector, which contribute about 95% of export earnings, about

one-quarter of GDP, and 60% of public sector wages. Substantial

revenues from the energy sector coupled with a small population give

Libya one of the highest per capita GDPs in Africa, but little of

this income flows down to the lower orders of society. Libyan

officials in the past five years have made progress on economic

reforms as part of a broader campaign to reintegrate the country

into the international fold. This effort picked up steam after UN

sanctions were lifted in September 2003 and as Libya announced in

December 2003 that it would abandon programs to build weapons of

mass destruction. Almost all US unilateral sanctions against Libya

were removed in April 2004, helping Libya attract more foreign

direct investment, mostly in the energy sector. Libyan oil and gas

licensing rounds continue to draw high international interest; the

National Oil Company set a goal of nearly doubling oil production to

3 million bbl/day by 2015. Libya faces a long road ahead in

liberalizing the socialist-oriented economy, but initial steps -

including applying for WTO membership, reducing some subsidies, and

announcing plans for privatization - are laying the groundwork for a

transition to a more market-based economy. The non-oil manufacturing

and construction sectors, which account for more than 20% of GDP,

have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to

include the production of petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum.

Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit agricultural

output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food. Libya's primary

agricultural water source remains the Great Manmade River Project,

but significant resources are being invested in desalinization

research to meet growing water demands.

Liechtenstein

Despite its small size and limited natural resources,

Liechtenstein has developed into a prosperous, highly

industrialized, free-enterprise economy with a vital financial

service sector and living standards on a par with its large European

neighbors. The Liechtenstein economy is widely diversified with a

large number of small businesses. Low business taxes - the maximum

tax rate is 20% - and easy incorporation rules have induced many

holding or so-called letter box companies to establish nominal

offices in Liechtenstein, providing 30% of state revenues. The

country participates in a customs union with Switzerland and uses

the Swiss franc as its national currency. It imports more than 90%

of its energy requirements. Liechtenstein has been a member of the

European Economic Area (an organization serving as a bridge between

the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the EU) since May

1995. The government is working to harmonize its economic policies

with those of an integrated Europe.

Lithuania

Lithuania, the Baltic state that has conducted the most

trade with Russia, has grown rapidly since rebounding from the 1998

Russian financial crisis. Unemployment fell to 3.2% in 2007 while

wages continued to grow at double digit rates, contributing to

rising inflation. Exports and imports also grew strongly, and the

current account deficit rose to nearly 15% of GDP in 2007. Trade has

been increasingly oriented toward the West. Lithuania has gained

membership in the World Trade Organization and joined the EU in May

2004. Privatization of the large, state-owned utilities is nearly

complete. Foreign government and business support have helped in the

transition from the old command economy to a market economy.

Luxembourg

This stable, high-income economy - benefiting from its

proximity to France, Belgium, and Germany - features solid growth,

low inflation, and low unemployment. The industrial sector,

initially dominated by steel, has become increasingly diversified to

include chemicals, rubber, and other products. Growth in the

financial sector, which now accounts for about 28% of GDP, has more

than compensated for the decline in steel. Most banks are foreign

owned and have extensive foreign dealings. Agriculture is based on

small family-owned farms. The economy depends on foreign and

cross-border workers for about 60% of its labor force. Although

Luxembourg, like all EU members, suffered from the global economic

slump in the early part of this decade, the country continues to

enjoy an extraordinarily high standard of living - GDP per capita

ranks second in the world, after Qatar. After two years of strong

economic growth in 2006-07, turmoil in the world financial markets

will slow Luxembourg's economy in 2008, but growth will remain above

the European average.

Macau

Macau's economy has enjoyed strong growth in recent years on

the back of its expanding tourism and gaming sectors. Since opening

up its locally-controlled casino industry to foreign competition in

2001, the territory has attracted tens of billions of dollars in

foreign investment that have helped transform it into the world's

largest gaming center. In 2006, Macau's gaming revenue surpassed

that of the Las Vegas strip, and gaming-related taxes accounted for

75% of total government revenue. The expanding casino sector, and

China's decision beginning in 2002 to relax travel restrictions,

have reenergized Macau's tourism industry, which saw total visitors

grow to 27 million in 2007, up 62% in three years. Macau's strong

economic growth has put pressure its labor market prompting

businesses to look abroad to meet their staffing needs. The

resulting influx of non-resident workers, who totaled one-fifth of

the workforce in 2006, has fueled tensions among some segments of

the population. Macau's traditional manufacturing industry has been

in a slow decline. In 2006, exports of textiles and garments

generated only $1.8 billion compared to $6.9 billion in gross gaming

receipts. Macau's textile industry will continue to move to the

mainland because of the termination in 2005 of the Multi-Fiber

Agreement, which provided a near guarantee of export markets,

leaving the territory more dependent on gambling and trade-related

services to generate growth. However, the Closer Economic

Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Macau and mainland China that

came into effect on 1 January 2004 offers many Macau-made products

tariff-free access to the mainland. Macau's currency, the Pataca, is

closely tied to the Hong Kong dollar, which is also freely accepted

in the territory.

Macedonia

At independence in September 1991, Macedonia was the least

developed of the Yugoslav republics, producing a mere 5% of the

total federal output of goods and services. The collapse of

Yugoslavia ended transfer payments from the central government and

eliminated advantages from inclusion in a de facto free trade area.

An absence of infrastructure, UN sanctions on the downsized

Yugoslavia, and a Greek economic embargo over a dispute about the

country's constitutional name and flag hindered economic growth

until 1996. GDP subsequently rose each year through 2000. In 2001,

during a civil conflict, the economy shrank 4.5% because of

decreased trade, intermittent border closures, increased deficit

spending on security needs, and investor uncertainty. Growth barely

recovered in 2002 to 0.9%, then averaged 4% per year during 2003-07,

expanding to 5.1% in 2007. Macedonia has maintained macroeconomic

stability with low inflation, but it has so far lagged the region in

attracting foreign investment and creating jobs, despite making

extensive fiscal and business sector reforms. Official unemployment

remains high at nearly 35%, but may be overstated based on the

existence of an extensive gray market, estimated to be more than 20

percent of GDP, that is not captured by official statistics.

Madagascar

Having discarded past socialist economic policies,

Madagascar has since the mid 1990s followed a World Bank- and

IMF-led policy of privatization and liberalization. This strategy

placed the country on a slow and steady growth path from an

extremely low level. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is

a mainstay of the economy, accounting for more than one-fourth of

GDP and employing 80% of the population. Exports of apparel have

boomed in recent years primarily due to duty-free access to the US.

Deforestation and erosion, aggravated by the use of firewood as the

primary source of fuel, are serious concerns. President RAVALOMANANA

has worked aggressively to revive the economy following the 2002

political crisis, which triggered a 12% drop in GDP that year.

Poverty reduction and combating corruption will be the centerpieces

of economic policy for the next few years.

Malawi

Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world's most densely

populated and least developed countries. The economy is

predominately agricultural with about 85% of the population living

in rural areas. Agriculture accounts for more than one-third of GDP

and 90% of export revenues. The performance of the tobacco sector is

key to short-term growth as tobacco accounts for more than half of

exports. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic

assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor

nations. In December 2007, the US granted Malawi eligibility status

to receive financial support within the Millennium Challenge

Corporation (MCC) initiative. Malawi will now begin a consultative

process to develop a five-year program before funding can begin. In

2006, Malawi was approved for relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor

Countries (HIPC) program. The government faces many challenges

including developing a market economy, improving educational

facilities, facing up to environmental problems, dealing with the

rapidly growing problem of HIV/AIDS, and satisfying foreign donors

that fiscal discipline is being tightened. In 2005, President

MUTHARIKA championed an anticorruption campaign. Since 2005

President MUTHARIKA'S government has exhibited improved financial

discipline under the guidance of Finance Minister Goodall GONDWE and

signed a three year Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility worth $56

million with the IMF. Improved relations with the IMF lead other

international donors to resume aid as well.

Malaysia

Malaysia, a middle-income country, has transformed itself

since the 1970s from a producer of raw materials into an emerging

multi-sector economy. Since coming to office in 2003, Prime Minister

ABDULLAH has tried to move the economy farther up the value-added

production chain by attracting investments in high technology

industries, medical technology, and pharmaceuticals. The Government

of Malaysia is continuing efforts to boost domestic demand to wean

the economy off of its dependence on exports. Nevertheless, exports

- particularly of electronics - remain a significant driver of the

economy. As an oil and gas exporter, Malaysia has profited from

higher world energy prices, although the rising cost of domestic

gasoline and diesel fuel forced Kuala Lumpur to reduce government

subsidies. Malaysia "unpegged" the ringgit from the US dollar in

2005 and the currency appreciated 6% per year against the dollar in

2006-07. Although this has helped to hold down the price of imports,

inflationary pressures began to build in 2007. Healthy foreign

exchange reserves and a small external debt greatly reduce the risk

that Malaysia will experience a financial crisis over the near term

similar to the one in 1997. The government presented its five-year

national development agenda in April 2006 through the Ninth Malaysia

Plan, a comprehensive blueprint for the allocation of the national

budget from 2006-10. With national elections expected within the

year, ABDULLAH has unveiled a series of ambitious development

schemes for several regions that have had trouble attracting

business investment. Real GDP growth has averaged about 6% per year

under ABDULLAH, but regions outside of Kuala Lumpur and the

manufacturing hub Penang have not fared as well.

Maldives

Tourism, Maldives' largest industry, accounts for 28% of

GDP and more than 60% of the Maldives' foreign exchange receipts.

Over 90% of government tax revenue comes from import duties and

tourism-related taxes. Fishing is the second leading sector.

Agriculture and manufacturing continue to play a lesser role in the

economy, constrained by the limited availability of cultivable land

and the shortage of domestic labor. Most staple foods must be

imported. Industry, which consists mainly of garment production,

boat building, and handicrafts, accounts for about 7% of GDP. The

Maldivian Government began an economic reform program in 1989

initially by lifting import quotas and opening some exports to the

private sector. Subsequently, it has liberalized regulations to

allow more foreign investment. Real GDP growth averaged over 7.5%

per year for more than a decade. In late December 2004, a major

tsunami left more than 100 dead, 12,000 displaced, and property

damage exceeding $300 million. As a result of the tsunami, the GDP

contracted by about 3.6% in 2005. A rebound in tourism, post-tsunami

reconstruction, and development of new resorts helped the economy

recover quickly. The trade deficit has expanded sharply as a result

of high oil prices and imports of construction material.

Diversifying beyond tourism and fishing and increasing employment

are the major challenges facing the government. Over the longer term

Maldivian authorities worry about the impact of erosion and possible

global warming on their low-lying country; 80% of the area is 1

meter or less above sea level.

Mali

Mali is among the poorest countries in the world, with 65% of

its land area desert or semidesert and with a highly unequal

distribution of income. Economic activity is largely confined to the

riverine area irrigated by the Niger. About 10% of the population is

nomadic and some 80% of the labor force is engaged in farming and

fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm

commodities. Mali is heavily dependent on foreign aid and vulnerable

to fluctuations in world prices for cotton, its main export, along

with gold. The government has continued its successful

implementation of an IMF-recommended structural adjustment program

that is helping the economy grow, diversify, and attract foreign

investment. Mali's adherence to economic reform and the 50%

devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994 have pushed up economic

growth to a 5% average in 1996-2007. Worker remittances and external

trade routes for the landlocked country have been jeopardized by

continued unrest in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire.

Malta

Major resources are limestone, a favorable geographic

location, and a productive labor force. Malta produces only about

20% of its food needs, has limited fresh water supplies, and has few

domestic energy sources. The economy is dependent on foreign trade,

manufacturing (especially electronics and pharmaceuticals), and

tourism. Economic recovery of the European economy has lifted

exports, tourism, and overall growth. Malta adopted the euro on 1

January 2008.

Marshall Islands

US Government assistance is the mainstay of this

tiny island economy. The Marshall Islands received more than $1

billion in aid from the US from 1986-2002. Agricultural production,

primarily subsistence, is concentrated on small farms; the most

important commercial crops are coconuts and breadfruit. Small-scale

industry is limited to handicrafts, tuna processing, and copra. The

tourist industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing

less than 10% of the labor force, remains the best hope for future

added income. The islands have few natural resources, and imports

far exceed exports. Under the terms of the Amended Compact of Free

Association, the US will provide millions of dollars per year to the

Marshall Islands (RMI) through 2023, at which time a Trust Fund made

up of US and RMI contributions will begin perpetual annual payouts.

Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, the decline

in tourism, and less income from the renewal of fishing vessel

licenses have held GDP growth to an average of 1% over the past

decade.

Mauritania

Half the population still depends on agriculture and

livestock for a livelihood, even though many of the nomads and

subsistence farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent

droughts in the 1970s and 1980s. Mauritania has extensive deposits

of iron ore, which account for nearly 40% of total exports. The

nation's coastal waters are among the richest fishing areas in the

world, but overexploitation by foreigners threatens this key source

of revenue. The country's first deepwater port opened near

Nouakchott in 1986. In the past, drought and economic mismanagement

resulted in a buildup of foreign debt, which now stands at more than

three times the level of annual exports. In February 2000,

Mauritania qualified for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor

Countries (HIPC) initiative and in December 2001 received strong

support from donor and lending countries at a triennial Consultative

Group review. A new investment code approved in December 2001

improved the opportunities for direct foreign investment. Ongoing

negotiations with the IMF involve problems of economic reforms and

fiscal discipline. In 2001, exploratory oil wells in tracts 80 km

offshore indicated potential extraction at current world oil prices.

Oil prospects, while initially promising, have failed to

materialize. Meantime the government emphasizes reduction of

poverty, improvement of health and education, and promoting

privatization of the economy.

Mauritius

Since independence in 1968, Mauritius has developed from a

low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income

diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist

sectors. For most of the period, annual growth has been in the order

of 5% to 6%. This remarkable achievement has been reflected in more

equitable income distribution, increased life expectancy, lowered

infant mortality, and a much-improved infrastructure. The economy

rests on sugar, tourism, textiles and apparel, and financial

services, and is expanding into fish processing, information and

communications technology, and hospitality and property development.

Sugarcane is grown on about 90% of the cultivated land area and

accounts for 15% of export earnings. The government's development

strategy centers on creating vertical and horizontal clusters of

development in these sectors. Mauritius has attracted more than

32,000 offshore entities, many aimed at commerce in India, South

Africa, and China. Investment in the banking sector alone has

reached over $1 billion. Mauritius, with its strong textile sector,

has been well poised to take advantage of the Africa Growth and

Opportunity Act (AGOA).

Mayotte

Economic activity is based primarily on the agricultural

sector, including fishing and livestock raising. Mayotte is not

self-sufficient and must import a large portion of its food

requirements, mainly from France. The economy and future development

of the island are heavily dependent on French financial assistance,

an important supplement to GDP. Mayotte's remote location is an

obstacle to the development of tourism.

Mexico

Mexico has a free market economy in the trillion dollar

class. It contains a mixture of modern and outmoded industry and

agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector. Recent

administrations have expanded competition in seaports, railroads,

telecommunications, electricity generation, natural gas

distribution, and airports. Per capita income is one-fourth that of

the US; income distribution remains highly unequal. Trade with the

US and Canada has tripled since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994.

Mexico has 12 free trade agreements with over 40 countries

including, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, the European Free Trade

Area, and Japan, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade

agreements. In 2007, during his first year in office, the Felipe

CALDERON administration was able to garner support from the

opposition to successfully pass a pension and a fiscal reform. The

administration continues to face many economic challenges including

the need to upgrade infrastructure, modernize labor laws, and allow

private investment in the energy sector. CALDERON has stated that

his top economic priorities remain reducing poverty and creating

jobs.

Micronesia, Federated States of

Economic activity consists primarily

of subsistence farming and fishing. The islands have few mineral

deposits worth exploiting, except for high-grade phosphate. The

potential for a tourist industry exists, but the remote location, a

lack of adequate facilities, and limited air connections hinder

development. Under the original terms of the Compact of Free

Association, the US provided $1.3 billion in grant aid during the

period 1986-2001; the level of aid has been subsequently reduced.

The Amended Compact of Free Association with the US guarantees the

Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) millions of dollars in annual

aid through 2023, and establishes a Trust Fund into which the US and

the FSM make annual contributions in order to provide annual payouts

to the FSM in perpetuity after 2023. The country's medium-term

economic outlook appears fragile due not only to the reduction in US

assistance but also to the current slow growth of the private sector.

Moldova

Moldova remains one of the poorest countries in Europe

despite recent progress from its small economic base. It enjoys a

favorable climate and good farmland but has no major mineral

deposits. As a result, the economy depends heavily on agriculture,

featuring fruits, vegetables, wine, and tobacco. Moldova must import

almost all of its energy supplies. Moldova's dependence on Russian

energy was underscored at the end of 2005, when a Russian-owned

electrical station in Moldova's separatist Transnistria region cut

off power to Moldova and Russia's Gazprom cut off natural gas in

disputes over pricing. Russia's decision to ban Moldovan wine and

agricultural products, coupled with its decision to double the price

Moldova paid for Russian natural gas, slowed GDP growth in 2006.

However, in 2007 growth returned to the 6% level Moldova had

achieved in 2000-05, boosted by Russia's partial removal of the

bans, solid fixed capital investment, and strong domestic demand

driven by remittances from abroad. Economic reforms have been slow

because of corruption and strong political forces backing government

controls. Nevertheless, the government's primary goal of EU

integration has resulted in some market-oriented progress. The

granting of EU trade preferences and increased exports to Russia

will encourage higher growth rates in 2008, but the agreements are

unlikely to serve as a panacea, given the extent to which export

success depends on higher quality standards and other factors. The

economy remains vulnerable to higher fuel prices, poor agricultural

weather, and the skepticism of foreign investors. Also, the presence

of an illegal separatist regime in Moldova's Transnistria region

continues to be a drag on the Moldovan economy.

Monaco

Monaco, bordering France on the Mediterranean coast, is a

popular resort, attracting tourists to its casino and pleasant

climate. The principality also is a major banking center and has

successfully sought to diversify into services and small,

high-value-added, nonpolluting industries. The state has no income

tax and low business taxes and thrives as a tax haven both for

individuals who have established residence and for foreign companies

that have set up businesses and offices. The state retains

monopolies in a number of sectors, including tobacco, the telephone

network, and the postal service. Living standards are high, roughly

comparable to those in prosperous French metropolitan areas.

Mongolia

Economic activity in Mongolia has traditionally been based

on herding and agriculture. Mongolia has extensive mineral deposits.

Copper, coal, gold, molybdenum, fluorspar, uranium, tin, and

tungsten account for a large part of industrial production and

foreign direct investment. Soviet assistance, at its height

one-third of GDP, disappeared almost overnight in 1990 and 1991 at

the time of the dismantlement of the USSR. The following decade saw

Mongolia endure both deep recession because of political inaction

and natural disasters, as well as economic growth because of

reform-embracing, free-market economics and extensive privatization

of the formerly state-run economy. Severe winters and summer

droughts in 2000-02 resulted in massive livestock die-off and zero

or negative GDP growth. This was compounded by falling prices for

Mongolia's primary sector exports and widespread opposition to

privatization. Growth was 10.6% in 2004, 5.5% in 2005, 7.5% in 2006,

and 9.9% in 2007 largely because of high copper prices and new gold

production. Mongolia is experiencing its highest inflation rate in

over a decade as consumer prices in 2007 rose 15%, largely because

of increased fuel and food costs. Mongolia's economy continues to be

heavily influenced by its neighbors. For example, Mongolia purchases

95% of its petroleum products and a substantial amount of electric

power from Russia, leaving it vulnerable to price increases. Trade

with China represents more than half of Mongolia's total external

trade - China receives about 70% of Mongolia's exports. Remittances

from Mongolians working abroad both legally and illegally are

sizable, and money laundering is a growing concern. Mongolia settled

its $11 billion debt with Russia at the end of 2003 on favorable

terms. Mongolia, which joined the World Trade Organization in 1997,

seeks to expand its participation and integration into Asian

regional economic and trade regimes.

Montenegro

Montenegro severed its economy from federal control and

from Serbia during the MILOSEVIC era and maintained its own central

bank, used the euro instead of the Yugoslav dinar as official

currency, collected customs tariffs, and managed its own budget. The

dissolution of the loose political union between Serbia and

Montenegro in 2006 led to separate membership in several

international financial institutions, such as the European Bank for

Reconstruction and Development. On 18 January 2007, Montenegro

joined the World Bank and IMF. Montenegro is pursuing its own

membership in the World Trade Organization as well as negotiating a

Stabilization and Association agreement with the European Union in

anticipation of eventual membership. Severe unemployment remains a

key political and economic problem for this entire region.

Montenegro has privatized its large aluminum complex - the dominant

industry - as well as most of its financial sector, and has begun to

attract foreign direct investment in the tourism sector.

Montserrat

Severe volcanic activity, which began in July 1995, has

put a damper on this small, open economy. A catastrophic eruption in

June 1997 closed the airports and seaports, causing further economic

and social dislocation. Two-thirds of the 12,000 inhabitants fled

the island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack of housing

limited the number. The agriculture sector continued to be affected

by the lack of suitable land for farming and the destruction of

crops. Prospects for the economy depend largely on developments in

relation to the volcanic activity and on public sector construction

activity. The UK has launched a three-year $122.8 million aid

program to help reconstruct the economy. Half of the island is

expected to remain uninhabitable for another decade.

Morocco

Moroccan economic policies brought macroeconomic stability

to the country in the early 1990s but have not spurred growth

sufficient to reduce unemployment - nearing 20% in urban areas -

despite the Moroccan Government's ongoing efforts to diversify the

economy. Morocco's GDP growth rate slowed to 2.1% in 2007 as a

result of a draught that severely reduced agricultural output and

necessitated wheat imports at rising world prices. Continued

dependence on foreign energy and Morocco's inability to develop

small and medium size enterprises also contributed to the slowdown.

Moroccan authorities understand that reducing poverty and providing

jobs are key to domestic security and development. In 2005, Morocco

launched the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), a $2

billion social development plan to address poverty and unemployment

and to improve the living conditions of the country's urban slums.

Moroccan authorities are implementing reform efforts to open the

economy to international investors. Despite structural adjustment

programs supported by the IMF, the World Bank, and the Paris Club,

the dirham is only fully convertible for current account

transactions. In 2000, Morocco entered an Association Agreement with

the EU and, in 2006, entered a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the

US. Long-term challenges include improving education and job

prospects for Morocco's youth, and closing the income gap between

the rich and the poor, which the government hopes to achieve by

increasing tourist arrivals and boosting competitiveness in textiles.

Mozambique

At independence in 1975, Mozambique was one of the

world's poorest countries. Socialist mismanagement and a brutal

civil war from 1977-92 exacerbated the situation. In 1987, the

government embarked on a series of macroeconomic reforms designed to

stabilize the economy. These steps, combined with donor assistance

and with political stability since the multi-party elections in

1994, have led to dramatic improvements in the country's growth

rate. Inflation was reduced to single digits during the late 1990s,

and although it returned to double digits in 2000-06, in 2007

inflation had slowed to 8%, while GDP growth reached 7.5%. Fiscal

reforms, including the introduction of a value-added tax and reform

of the customs service, have improved the government's revenue

collection abilities. In spite of these gains, Mozambique remains

dependent upon foreign assistance for much of its annual budget, and

the majority of the population remains below the poverty line.

Subsistence agriculture continues to employ the vast majority of the

country's work force. A substantial trade imbalance persists

although the opening of the Mozal aluminum smelter, the country's

largest foreign investment project to date, has increased export

earnings. At the end of 2007, and after years of negotiations, the

government took over Portugal's majority share of the Cahora Bassa

Hydroelectricity (HCB) company, a dam that was not transferred to

Mozambique at independence because of the ensuing civil war and

unpaid debts. More power is needed for additional investment

projects in titanium extraction and processing and garment

manufacturing that could further close the import/export gap.

Mozambique's once substantial foreign debt has been reduced through

forgiveness and rescheduling under the IMF's Heavily Indebted Poor

Countries (HIPC) and Enhanced HIPC initiatives, and is now at a

manageable level. In July 2007 the Millennium Challenge Corporation

(MCC) signed a Compact with Mozambique; the Mozambican government

moved rapidly to ratify the Compact and propose a plan for funding.

Namibia

The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and

processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 8% of GDP,

but provides more than 50% of foreign exchange earnings. Rich

alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for

gem-quality diamonds. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of

nonfuel minerals in Africa, the world's fifth-largest producer of

uranium, and the producer of large quantities of lead, zinc, tin,

silver, and tungsten. The mining sector employs only about 3% of the

population while about half of the population depends on subsistence

agriculture for its livelihood. Namibia normally imports about 50%

of its cereal requirements; in drought years food shortages are a

major problem in rural areas. A high per capita GDP, relative to the

region, hides one of the world's most unequal income distributions.

The Namibian economy is closely linked to South Africa with the

Namibian dollar pegged one-to-one to the South African rand.

Increased payments from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU)

put Namibia's budget into surplus in 2007 for the first time since

independence, but SACU payments will decline after 2008 as part of a

new revenue sharing formula. Increased fish production and mining of

zinc, copper, uranium, and silver spurred growth in 2003-07, but

growth in recent years was undercut by poor fish catches and high

costs for metal inputs.

Nauru

Revenues of this tiny island have traditionally come from

exports of phosphates, now significantly depleted. An Australian

company in 2005 entered into an agreement intended to exploit

remaining supplies. Few other resources exist with most necessities

being imported, mainly from Australia, its former occupier and later

major source of support. The rehabilitation of mined land and the

replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term

problems. In anticipation of the exhaustion of Nauru's phosphate

deposits, substantial amounts of phosphate income were invested in

trust funds to help cushion the transition and provide for Nauru's

economic future. As a result of heavy spending from the trust funds,

the government faces virtual bankruptcy. To cut costs the government

has frozen wages and reduced overstaffed public service departments.

In 2005, the deterioration in housing, hospitals, and other capital

plant continued, and the cost to Australia of keeping the government

and economy afloat continued to climb. Few comprehensive statistics

on the Nauru economy exist, with estimates of Nauru's GDP varying

widely.

Navassa Island

Subsistence fishing and commercial trawling occur

within refuge waters.

Nepal

Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in

the world with almost one-third of its population living below the

poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing

a livelihood for three-fourths of the population and accounting for

38% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of

agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain.

Security concerns relating to the Maoist conflict have led to a

decrease in tourism, a key source of foreign exchange. Nepal has

considerable scope for exploiting its potential in hydropower and

tourism, areas of recent foreign investment interest. Prospects for

foreign trade or investment in other sectors will remain poor,

however, because of the small size of the economy, its technological

backwardness, its remoteness, its landlocked geographic location,

its civil strife, and its susceptibility to natural disaster.

Netherlands

The Netherlands has a prosperous and open economy, which

depends heavily on foreign trade. The economy is noted for stable

industrial relations, moderate unemployment and inflation, a sizable

current account surplus, and an important role as a European

transportation hub. Industrial activity is predominantly in food

processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery.

A highly mechanized agricultural sector employs no more than 3% of

the labor force but provides large surpluses for the food-processing

industry and for exports. The Netherlands, along with 11 of its EU

partners, began circulating the euro currency on 1 January 2002. The

country continues to be one of the leading European nations for

attracting foreign direct investment and is one of the five largest

investors in the US. The economy experienced a slowdown in 2005 but

in 2006 recovered to the fastest pace in six years on the back of

increased exports and strong investment. The pace of job growth

reached 10-year highs in 2007.

Netherlands Antilles

Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore

finance are the mainstays of this small economy, which is closely

tied to the outside world. Although GDP has declined or grown

slightly in each of the past eight years, the islands enjoy a high

per capita income and a well-developed infrastructure compared with

other countries in the region. Most of the oil Netherlands Antilles

imports for its refineries come from Venezuela. Almost all consumer

and capital goods are imported, the US, Italy, and Mexico being the

major suppliers. Poor soils and inadequate water supplies hamper the

development of agriculture. Budgetary problems hamper reform of the

health and pension systems of an aging population. The Netherlands

provides financial aid to support the economy.

New Caledonia

New Caledonia has about 25% of the world's known

nickel resources. Only a small amount of the land is suitable for

cultivation, and food accounts for about 20% of imports. In addition

to nickel, substantial financial support from France - equal to more

than 15% of GDP - and tourism are keys to the health of the economy.

Substantial new investment in the nickel industry, combined with the

recovery of global nickel prices, brightens the economic outlook for

the next several years.

New Zealand

Over the past 20 years the government has transformed

New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary

British market access to a more industrialized, free market economy

that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real

incomes - but left behind many at the bottom of the ladder - and

broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the

industrial sector. Per capita income has risen for eight consecutive

years and reached $27,300 in 2007 in purchasing power parity terms.

Consumer and government spending have driven growth in recent years,

and exports picked up in 2006 after struggling for several years.

Exports were equal to about 22% of GDP in 2007, down from 33% of GDP

in 2001. Thus far the economy has been resilient, and the Labor

Government promises that expenditures on health, education, and

pensions will increase proportionately to output. Inflationary

pressures have built in recent years and the central bank raised its

key rate 13 times since January 2004 to finish 2007 at 8.25%. A

large balance of payments deficit poses another challenge in

managing the economy.

Nicaragua

Nicaragua has widespread underemployment, one of the

highest degrees of income inequality in the world, and the third

lowest per capita income in the Western Hemisphere. While the

country has progressed toward macroeconomic stability in the past

few years, annual GDP growth has been far too low to meet the

country's needs, forcing the country to rely on international

economic assistance to meet fiscal and debt financing obligations.

In early 2004, Nicaragua secured some $4.5 billion in foreign debt

reduction under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)

initiative, and in October 2007, the IMF approved a new poverty

reduction and growth facility (PRGF) program that should create

fiscal space for social spending and investment. The continuity of a

relationship with the IMF reinforces donor confidence, despite

private sector concerns surrounding ORTEGA, which has dampened

investment. The US-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) has

been in effect since April 2006 and has expanded export

opportunities for many agricultural and manufactured goods. Energy

shortages fueled by high oil prices, however, are a serious

bottleneck to growth.

Niger

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking

near last on the United Nations Development Fund index of human

development. It is a landlocked, Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy

centers on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's

largest uranium deposits. Drought cycles, desertification, and a

2.9% population growth rate, have undercut the economy. Niger shares

a common currency, the CFA franc, and a common central bank, the

Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), with seven other

members of the West African Monetary Union. In December 2000, Niger

qualified for enhanced debt relief under the International Monetary

Fund program for Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and concluded

an agreement with the Fund on a Poverty Reduction and Growth

Facility (PRGF). Debt relief provided under the enhanced HIPC

initiative significantly reduces Niger's annual debt service

obligations, freeing funds for expenditures on basic health care,

primary education, HIV/AIDS prevention, rural infrastructure, and

other programs geared at poverty reduction. In December 2005, Niger

received 100% multilateral debt relief from the IMF, which

translates into the forgiveness of approximately US $86 million in

debts to the IMF, excluding the remaining assistance under HIPC.

Nearly half of the government's budget is derived from foreign donor

resources. Future growth may be sustained by exploitation of oil,

gold, coal, and other mineral resources. Uranium prices have

increased sharply in the last few years. A drought and locust

infestation in 2005 led to food shortages for as many as 2.5 million

Nigeriens.

Nigeria

Oil-rich Nigeria, long hobbled by political instability,

corruption, inadequate infrastructure, and poor macroeconomic

management, is undertaking some reforms under a new reform-minded

administration. Nigeria's former military rulers failed to diversify

the economy away from its overdependence on the capital-intensive

oil sector, which provides 20% of GDP, 95% of foreign exchange

earnings, and about 80% of budgetary revenues. The largely

subsistence agricultural sector has failed to keep up with rapid

population growth - Nigeria is Africa's most populous country - and

the country, once a large net exporter of food, now must import

food. Following the signing of an IMF stand-by agreement in August

2000, Nigeria received a debt-restructuring deal from the Paris Club

and a $1 billion credit from the IMF, both contingent on economic

reforms. Nigeria pulled out of its IMF program in April 2002, after

failing to meet spending and exchange rate targets, making it

ineligible for additional debt forgiveness from the Paris Club. In

the last year the government has begun showing the political will to

implement the market-oriented reforms urged by the IMF, such as to

modernize the banking system, to curb inflation by blocking

excessive wage demands, and to resolve regional disputes over the

distribution of earnings from the oil industry. In 2003, the

government began deregulating fuel prices, announced the

privatization of the country's four oil refineries, and instituted

the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy, a

domestically designed and run program modeled on the IMF's Poverty

Reduction and Growth Facility for fiscal and monetary management. In

November 2005, Abuja won Paris Club approval for a debt-relief deal

that eliminated $18 billion of debt in exchange for $12 billion in

payments - a total package worth $30 billion of Nigeria's total $37

billion external debt. The deal requires Nigeria to be subject to

stringent IMF reviews. GDP rose strongly in 2007, based largely on

increased oil exports and high global crude prices. Newly-elected

President YAR'ADUA has pledged to continue the economic reforms of

his predecessor and the proposed budget for 2008 reflects the

administrations emphasis on infrastructure improvements.

Infrastructure is the main impediment to growth. The government is

working toward developing stronger public-private partnerships for

electricity and roads.

Niue

The economy suffers from the typical Pacific island problems of

geographic isolation, few resources, and a small population.

Government expenditures regularly exceed revenues, and the shortfall

is made up by critically needed grants from New Zealand that are

used to pay wages to public employees. Niue has cut government

expenditures by reducing the public service by almost half. The

agricultural sector consists mainly of subsistence gardening,

although some cash crops are grown for export. Industry consists

primarily of small factories to process passion fruit, lime oil,

honey, and coconut cream. The sale of postage stamps to foreign

collectors is an important source of revenue. The island in recent

years has suffered a serious loss of population because of

emigration to New Zealand. Efforts to increase GDP include the

promotion of tourism and a financial services industry, although the

International Banking Repeal Act of 2002 resulted in the termination

of all offshore banking licenses. Economic aid from New Zealand in

2002 was US$2.6 million. Niue suffered a devastating typhoon in

January 2004, which decimated nascent economic programs. While in

the process of rebuilding, Niue has been dependent on foreign aid.

Norfolk Island

Tourism, the primary economic activity, has steadily

increased over the years and has brought a level of prosperity

unusual among inhabitants of the Pacific islands. The agricultural

sector has become self-sufficient in the production of beef,

poultry, and eggs.

Northern Mariana Islands

The economy benefits substantially from

financial assistance from the US. The rate of funding has declined

as locally generated government revenues have grown. The key tourist

industry employs about 50% of the work force and accounts for

roughly one-fourth of GDP. Japanese tourists predominate. Annual

tourist entries have exceeded one-half million in recent years, but

financial difficulties in Japan have caused a temporary slowdown.

The agricultural sector is made up of cattle ranches and small farms

producing coconuts, breadfruit, tomatoes, and melons. Garment

production is by far the most important industry with the employment

of 17,500 mostly Chinese workers and sizable shipments to the US

under duty and quota exemptions.

Norway

The Norwegian economy is a prosperous bastion of welfare

capitalism, featuring a combination of free market activity and

government intervention. The government controls key areas, such as

the vital petroleum sector, through large-scale state enterprises.

The country is richly endowed with natural resources - petroleum,

hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals - and is highly dependent on

its oil production and international oil prices, with oil and gas

accounting for one-third of exports. Only Saudi Arabia and Russia

export more oil than Norway. Norway opted to stay out of the EU

during a referendum in November 1994; nonetheless, as a member of

the European Economic Area, it contributes sizably to the EU budget.

The government has moved ahead with privatization. Although

Norwegian oil production peaked in 2000, natural gas production is

still rising. Norwegians realize that once their gas production

peaks they will eventually face declining oil and gas revenues;

accordingly, Norway has been saving its oil-and-gas-boosted budget

surpluses in a Government Petroleum Fund, which is invested abroad

and now is valued at more than $250 billion. After lackluster growth

of less than 1% in 2002-03, GDP growth picked up to 3-5% in 2004-07,

partly due to higher oil prices. Norway's economy remains buoyant.

Domestic economic activity is, and will continue to be, the main

driver of growth, supported by high consumer confidence and strong

investment spending in the offshore oil and gas sector. Norway's

record high budget surplus and upswing in the labor market in 2007

highlight the strength of its economic position going into 2008.

Oman

Oman is a middle-income economy that is heavily dependent on

dwindling oil resources, but sustained high oil prices in recent

years have helped build Oman's budget and trade surpluses and

foreign reserves. Oman joined the World Trade Organization in

November 2000 and continues to liberalize its markets. It ratified a

free trade agreement with the US in September 2006, and, through the

Gulf Cooperation Council, seeks similar agreements with the EU,

China and Japan. As a result of its dwindling oil resources, Oman is

actively pursuing a development plan that focuses on

diversification, industrialization, and privatization, with the

objective of reducing the oil sector's contribution to GDP to 9

percent by 2020. Muscat is attempting to "Omanize" the labor force

by replacing foreign expatriate workers with local workers. Oman

actively seeks private foreign investors, especially in the

industrial, information technology, tourism, and higher education

fields. Industrial development plans focus on gas resources, metal

manufacturing, petrochemicals, and international transshipment ports.

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world

economy and particularly to those nations its waters directly touch.

It provides low-cost sea transportation between East and West,

extensive fishing grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals,

and sand and gravel for the construction industry. In 1996, over 60%

of the world's fish catch came from the Pacific Ocean. Exploitation

of offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role

in the energy supplies of the US, Australia, NZ, China, and Peru.

The high cost of recovering offshore oil and gas, combined with the

wide swings in world prices for oil since 1985, has led to

fluctuations in new drillings.

Pakistan

Pakistan, an impoverished and underdeveloped country, has

suffered from decades of internal political disputes, low levels of

foreign investment, and a costly, ongoing confrontation with

neighboring India. However, since 2001, IMF-approved reforms - most

notably, privatization of the banking sector - bolstered by generous

foreign assistance and renewed access to global markets, have

generated macroeconomic recovery. Pakistan has experienced GDP

growth in the 6-8% range in 2004-07, spurred by gains in the

industrial and service sectors. Poverty levels have decreased by 10%

since 2001, and Islamabad has steadily raised development spending

in recent years, including a 52% real increase in the budget

allocation for development in FY07. In 2007 the fiscal deficit - a

result of chronically low tax collection and increased spending -

exceeded Islamabad's target of 4% of GDP. Inflation remains the top

concern among the public, jumping from 7.7% in 2007 to more than 11%

during the first few months of 2008, primarily because of rising

world commodity prices. The Pakistani rupee has depreciated since

the proclamation of emergency rule in November 2007.

Palau

The economy consists primarily of tourism, subsistence

agriculture, and fishing. The government is the major employer of

the work force relying heavily on financial assistance from the US.

The Compact of Free Association with the US, entered into after the

end of the UN trusteeship on 1 October 1994, provided Palau with up

to $700 million in US aid for the following 15 years in return for

furnishing military facilities. Business and tourist arrivals

numbered 63,000 in 2003. The population enjoys a per capita income

roughly 50% higher than that of the Philippines and much of

Micronesia. Long-run prospects for the key tourist sector have been

greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific, the

rising prosperity of leading East Asian countries, and the

willingness of foreigners to finance infrastructure development.

Panama

Panama's dollarized economy rests primarily on a

well-developed services sector that accounts for two-thirds of GDP.

Services include operating the Panama Canal, banking, the Colon Free

Zone, insurance, container ports, flagship registry, and tourism.

Economic growth will be bolstered by the Panama Canal expansion

project that began in 2007 and should be completed by 2014 at a cost

of $5.3 billion (about 30% of current GDP). The expansion project

will more than double the Canal's capacity, enabling it to

accommodate ships that are now too large to transverse the

transoceanic crossway and should help to reduce the high

unemployment rate. The government has implemented tax reforms, as

well as social security reforms, and backs regional trade agreements

and development of tourism. Not a CAFTA signatory, Panama in

December 2006 independently negotiated a free trade agreement with

the US, which, when implemented, will help promote the country's

economic growth.

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural

resources, but exploitation has been hampered by rugged terrain and

the high cost of developing infrastructure. Agriculture provides a

subsistence livelihood for 85% of the population. Mineral deposits,

including copper, gold, and oil, account for nearly two-thirds of

export earnings. The government of Prime Minister SOMARE has

expended much of its energy remaining in power. He was the first

prime minister ever to serve a full five-year term. The government

also brought stability to the national budget, largely through

expenditure control; however, it relaxed spending constraints in

2006 and 2007 as elections approached. Numerous challenges still

face the government including regaining investor confidence,

restoring integrity to state institutions, promoting economic

efficiency by privatizing moribund state institutions, and balancing

relations with Australia, its former colonial ruler. Other

socio-cultural challenges could upend the economy including a

worsening HIV/AIDS epidemic and chronic law and order and land

tenure issues. Australia will supply more than $300 million in aid

in FY07/08, which accounts for nearly 20% of the national budget.

Paracel Islands

China announced plans in 1997 to open the islands

for tourism.

Paraguay

Landlocked Paraguay has a market economy marked by a large

informal sector. This sector features both reexport of imported

consumer goods to neighboring countries, as well as the activities

of thousands of microenterprises and urban street vendors. Because

of the importance of the informal sector, accurate economic measures

are difficult to obtain. A large percentage of the population,

especially in rural areas, derives its living from agricultural

activity, often on a subsistence basis. On a per capita basis, real

income has stagnated at 1980 levels. Most observers attribute

Paraguay's poor economic performance to political uncertainty,

corruption, limited progress on structural reform, and deficient

infrastructure. The economy rebounded between 2003 and 2007, posting

modest growth each year, as growing world demand for commodities

combined with high prices and favorable weather to support

Paraguay's commodity-based export expansion.

Peru

Peru's economy reflects its varied geography - an arid coastal

region, the Andes further inland, and tropical lands bordering

Colombia and Brazil. Abundant mineral resources are found in the

mountainous areas, and Peru's coastal waters provide excellent

fishing grounds. However, overdependence on minerals and metals

subjects the economy to fluctuations in world prices, and a lack of

infrastructure deters trade and investment. After several years of

inconsistent economic performance, the Peruvian economy grew by more

than 4% per year during the period 2002-06, with a stable exchange

rate and low inflation. Growth jumped to 7.5% in 2007, driven by

higher world prices for minerals and metals. Risk premiums on

Peruvian bonds on secondary markets reached historically low levels

in late 2004, reflecting investor optimism regarding the

government's prudent fiscal policies and openness to trade and

investment. Despite the strong macroeconomic performance,

underemployment and poverty have stayed persistently high. Growth

prospects depend on exports of minerals, textiles, and agricultural

products, and by expectations for the Camisea natural gas

megaproject and for other promising energy projects. Upon taking

office, President GARCIA announced Sierra Exportadora, a program

aimed at promoting economic growth in Peru's southern and central

highlands.

Philippines

The Philippine economy grew at its fastest pace in three

decades with real GDP growth exceeding 7% in 2007. Higher government

spending contributed to the growth, but a resilient service sector

and large remittances from the millions of Filipinos who work abroad

have played an increasingly important role. Economic growth has

averaged 5% since President MACAPAGAL-ARROYO took office in 2001.

Nevertheless, the Philippines will need still higher, sustained

growth to make progress in alleviating poverty, given its high

population growth and unequal distribution of income.

MACAPAGAL-ARROYO averted a fiscal crisis by pushing for new revenue

measures and, until recently, tightening expenditures. Declining

fiscal deficits, tapering debt and debt service ratios, as well as

recent efforts to increase spending on infrastructure and social

services have heightened optimism over Philippine economic

prospects. Although the general macroeconomic outlook has improved

significantly, the Philippines continues to face important

challenges and must maintain the reform momentum in order to catch

up with regional competitors, improve employment opportunities, and

alleviate poverty. Longer-term fiscal stability will require more

sustainable revenue sources, rather than non-recurring revenues from

privatization.

Pitcairn Islands

The inhabitants of this tiny isolated economy exist

on fishing, subsistence farming, handicrafts, and postage stamps.

The fertile soil of the valleys produces a wide variety of fruits

and vegetables, including citrus, sugarcane, watermelons, bananas,

yams, and beans. Bartering is an important part of the economy. The

major sources of revenue are the sale of postage stamps to

collectors and the sale of handicrafts to passing ships. In October

2004, more than one-quarter of Pitcairn's small labor force was

arrested, putting the economy in a bind, since their services were

required as lighter crew to load or unload passing ships.

Poland

Poland has pursued a policy of economic liberalization since

1990 and today stands out as a success story among transition

economies. In 2007, GDP grew an estimated 6.5%, based on rising

private consumption, a jump in corporate investment, and EU funds

inflows. GDP per capita is still much below the EU average, but is

similar to that of the three Baltic states. Since 2004, EU

membership and access to EU structural funds have provided a major

boost to the economy. Unemployment is falling rapidly, though at

roughly 12.8% in 2007, it remains well above the EU average.

Tightening labor markets, and rising global energy and food prices,

pose a risk to consumer price stability. In December 2007 inflation

reached 4.1% on a year-over-year basis, or higher than the upper

limit of the National Bank of Poland's target range. Poland's

economic performance could improve further if the country addresses

some of the remaining deficiencies in its business environment. An

inefficient commercial court system, a rigid labor code,

bureaucratic red tape, and persistent low-level corruption keep the

private sector from performing up to its full potential. Rising

demands to fund health care, education, and the state pension system

present a challenge to the Polish government's effort to hold the

consolidated public sector budget deficit under 3.0% of GDP, a

target which was achieved in 2007. The PO/PSL coalition government

which came to power in November 2007 plans to further reduce the

budget deficit with the aim of eventually adopting the euro. The new

government has also announced its intention to enact

business-friendly reforms, reduce public sector spending growth,

lower taxes, and accelerate privatization. However, the government

does not have the necessary three-fifths majority needed to override

a presidential veto, and thus may have to water down initiatives in

order to garner enough support to pass its pro-business policies.

Portugal

Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly

service-based economy since joining the European Community in 1986.

Over the past two decades, successive governments have privatized

many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the

economy, including the financial and telecommunications sectors. The

country qualified for the European Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and

began circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU

member economies. Economic growth had been above the EU average for

much of the 1990s, but fell back in 2001-07. GDP per capita stands

at roughly two-thirds of the EU-27 average. A poor educational

system, in particular, has been an obstacle to greater productivity

and growth. Portugal has been increasingly overshadowed by

lower-cost producers in Central Europe and Asia as a target for

foreign direct investment. The budget deficit surged to an all-time

high of 6% of GDP in 2005, but the government reduced the deficit to

2.6% in 2007 - a year ahead of Portugal's targeted schedule.

Nonetheless, the government faces tough choices in its attempts to

boost Portugal's economic competitiveness while keeping the budget

deficit within the eurozone's 3%-of-GDP ceiling.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the

Caribbean region. A diverse industrial sector has far surpassed

agriculture as the primary locus of economic activity and income.

Encouraged by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US

firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s. US

minimum wage laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy

production and other livestock products as the main source of income

in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an

important source of income, with estimated arrivals of nearly 5

million tourists in 2004. Growth fell off in 2001-03, largely due to

the slowdown in the US economy, recovered in 2004-05, but declined

again in 2006-07.

Qatar

Qatar is in the midst of an economic boom supported by its

expanding production of natural gas and oil. Economic policy is

focused on development of Qatar's nonassociated natural gas reserves

and increasing private and foreign investment in non-energy sectors.

Oil and gas account for more than 60% of GDP, roughly 85% of export

earnings, and 70% of government revenues. Oil and gas have made

Qatar the highest per-capita income country and one of the world's

fastest growing. Sustained high oil prices and increased natural gas

exports in recent years have helped build Qatar's budget and trade

surpluses and foreign reserves. Proved oil reserves of more than 15

billion barrels should ensure continued output at current levels for

22 years. Qatar's proved reserves of natural gas are roughly 25

trillion cubic meters, about 15% of the world total and third

largest in the world. Qatar has permitted substantial foreign

investment in the development of its gas fields during the last

decade and became the world's top liquefied natural gas (LNG)

exporter in 2007.

Romania

Romania, which joined the European Union on 1 January 2007,

began the transition from Communism in 1989 with a largely obsolete

industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the country's

needs. The country emerged in 2000 from a punishing three-year

recession thanks to strong demand in EU export markets. Domestic

consumption and investment have fueled strong GDP growth in recent

years, but have led to large current account imbalances. Romania's

macroeconomic gains have only recently started to spur creation of a

middle class and address Romania's widespread poverty. Corruption

and red tape continue to handicap its business environment.

Inflation rose in 2007 for the first time in eight years, driven in

part by the depreciation of the currency, rising energy costs, a

nation-wide drought affecting food prices, and a relaxation of

fiscal discipline. Romania hopes to adopt the euro by 2014.

Russia Russia ended 2007 with its ninth straight year of growth, averaging 7% annually since the financial crisis of 1998. Although high oil prices and a relatively cheap ruble initially drove this growth, since 2003 consumer demand and, more recently, investment have played a significant role. Over the last six years, fixed capital investments have averaged real gains greater than 10% per year and personal incomes have achieved real gains more than 12% per year. During this time, poverty has declined steadily and the middle class has continued to expand. Russia has also improved its international financial position since the 1998 financial crisis. The federal budget has run surpluses since 2001 and ended 2007 with a surplus of about 3% of GDP. Over the past several years, Russia has used its stabilization fund based on oil taxes to prepay all Soviet-era sovereign debt to Paris Club creditors and the IMF. Foreign debt is approximately one-third of GDP. The state component of foreign debt has declined, but commercial debt to foreigners has risen strongly. Oil export earnings have allowed Russia to increase its foreign reserves from $12 billion in 1999 to some $470 billion at yearend 2007, the third largest reserves in the world. During President PUTIN's first administration, a number of important reforms were implemented in the areas of tax, banking, labor, and land codes. These achievements have raised business and investor confidence in Russia's economic prospects, with foreign direct investment rising from $14.6 billion in 2005 to approximately $45 billion in 2007. In 2007, Russia's GDP grew 8.1%, led by non-tradable services and goods for the domestic market, as opposed to oil or mineral extraction and exports. Rising inflation returned in the second half of 2007, driven largely by unsterilized capital inflows and by rising food costs, and approached 12% by year-end. In 2006, Russia signed a bilateral market access agreement with the US as a prelude to possible WTO entry, and its companies are involved in global merger and acquisition activity in the oil and gas, metals, and telecom sectors. Despite Russia's recent success, serious problems persist. Oil, natural gas, metals, and timber account for more than 80% of exports and 30% of government revenues, leaving the country vulnerable to swings in world commodity prices. Russia's manufacturing base is dilapidated and must be replaced or modernized if the country is to achieve broad-based economic growth. The banking system, while increasing consumer lending and growing at a high rate, is still small relative to the banking sectors of Russia's emerging market peers. Political uncertainties associated with this year's power transition, corruption, and lack of trust in institutions continue to dampen domestic and foreign investor sentiment. PUTIN has granted more influence to forces within his government that desire to reassert state control over the economy. Russia has made little progress in building the rule of law, the bedrock of a modern market economy. The government has promised additional legislative amendments to make its intellectual property protection WTO-consistent, but enforcement remains problematic.

Rwanda

Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the

population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the

most densely populated country in Africa and is landlocked with few

natural resources and minimal industry. Primary foreign exchange

earners are coffee and tea. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's

fragile economic base, severely impoverished the population,

particularly women, and eroded the country's ability to attract

private and external investment. However, Rwanda has made

substantial progress in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy

to pre-1994 levels, although poverty levels are higher now. GDP has

rebounded and inflation has been curbed. Despite Rwanda's fertile

ecosystem, food production often does not keep pace with population

growth, requiring food imports. Rwanda continues to receive

substantial aid money and obtained IMF-World Bank Heavily Indebted

Poor Country (HIPC) initiative debt relief in 2005-06. Rwanda also

received Millennium Challenge Account Threshold status in 2006. The

government has embraced an expansionary fiscal policy to reduce

poverty by improving education, infrastructure, and foreign and

domestic investment and pursuing market-oriented reforms, although

energy shortages, instability in neighboring states, and lack of

adequate transportation linkages to other countries continue to

handicap growth.

Saint Barthelemy

The economy of Saint Barthelemy is based upon

high-end tourism and duty-free luxury commerce, serving visitors

primarily from North America. The luxury hotels and villas host

70,000 visitors each year with another 130,000 arriving by boat. The

relative isolation and high cost of living inhibits mass tourism.

The construction and public sectors also enjoy significant

investment in support of tourism. With limited fresh water

resources, all food must be imported, as must all energy resources

and most manufactured goods. Employment is strong and attracts labor

from Brazil and Portugal.

Saint Helena

The economy depends largely on financial assistance

from the UK, which will amount to about $27 million in FY06/07 or

almost 70% of annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns

income from fishing, raising livestock, and sales of handicrafts.

Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seek

employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK.

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Sugar was the traditional mainstay of the

Saint Kitts economy until the 1970s. Following the 2005 harvest, the

government closed the sugar industry after decades of losses of 3-4%

of GDP annually. To compensate for employment losses, the government

has embarked on a program to diversify the agricultural sector and

to stimulate other sectors of the economy. Activities such as

tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking have

assumed larger roles in the economy and have contributed to the

recent robust growth. Tourism revenues are now the chief source of

the islands' foreign exchange; about 341,800 tourists visited Nevis

in 2005. The current government is constrained by a high debt

burden, public debt reached 190% of GDP by the end of 2005, largely

attributable to public enterprise losses.

Saint Lucia

The island nation has been able to attract foreign

business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and

tourism industries, with a surge in foreign direct investment in

2006, attributed to the construction of several tourism projects.

Tourism is the main source of foreign exchange, with almost 900,000

arrivals in 2007. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in

the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to

revitalize the banana industry. Saint Lucia is vulnerable to a

variety of external shocks including declines in European Union

banana preferences, volatile tourism receipts, natural disasters,

and dependence on foreign oil. High debt servicing obligations

constrain the KING administration's ability to respond to adverse

external shocks. Economic fundamentals remain solid, even though

unemployment needs to be reduced.

Saint Martin

The economy of Saint Martin centers around tourism with

85% of the labor force engaged in this sector. Over one million

visitors come to the island each year with most arriving through the

Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten. No

significant agriculture and limited local fishing means that almost

all food must be imported. Energy resources and manufactured goods

are also imported, primarily from Mexico and the United States.

Saint Martin is reported to have the highest per capita income in

the Caribbean.

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

The inhabitants have traditionally earned

their livelihood by fishing and by servicing fishing fleets

operating off the coast of Newfoundland. The economy has been

declining, however, because of disputes with Canada over fishing

quotas and a steady decline in the number of ships stopping at Saint

Pierre. In 1992, an arbitration panel awarded the islands an

exclusive economic zone of 12,348 sq km to settle a longstanding

territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25% of

what France had sought. France heavily subsidizes the islands to the

great betterment of living standards. The government hopes an

expansion of tourism will boost economic prospects. Fish farming,

crab fishing, and agriculture are being developed to diversify the

local economy. Recent test drilling for oil may pave the way for

development of the energy sector.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Economic growth slowed slightly in 2007 after reaching a 10 year high of nearly 7% in 2006, but is expected to remain robust, hinging upon seasonal variations in the agricultural and tourism sectors and a recent increase in construction activity. This lower-middle-income country is vulnerable to natural disasters - tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in 1994, 1995, and 2002. In 2007, the islands had more than 200,000 tourist arrivals, mostly to the Grenadines. Saint Vincent is home to a small offshore banking sector and has moved to adopt international regulatory standards. The government's ability to invest in social programs and respond to external shocks is constrained by its high debt burden - 25 percent of current revenues are directed towards debt servicing.

Samoa

The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on

development aid, family remittances from overseas, agriculture, and

fishing. The country is vulnerable to devastating storms.

Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force and furnishes 90%

of exports, featuring coconut cream, coconut oil, and copra. The

fish catch declined during the El Nino of 2002-03 but returned to

normal by mid-2005. The manufacturing sector mainly processes

agricultural products. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs

3,000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly

plant in Australia. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for

25% of GDP; 116,000 tourists visited the islands in 2006. The Samoan

Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector,

encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline, while

at the same time protecting the environment. Observers point to the

flexibility of the labor market as a basic strength for future

economic advances. Foreign reserves are in a relatively healthy

state, the external debt is stable, and inflation is low.

San Marino

The tourist sector contributes over 50% of GDP. In 2006

more than 2.1 million tourists visited San Marino. The key

industries are banking, clothing and apparel, electronics, and

ceramics. Main agricultural products are wine and cheeses. The per

capita level of output and standard of living are comparable to

those of the most prosperous regions of Italy, which supplies much

of its food.

Sao Tome and Principe

This small, poor island economy has become

increasingly dependent on cocoa since independence in 1975. Cocoa

production has substantially declined in recent years because of

drought and mismanagement. Sao Tome has to import all fuels, most

manufactured goods, consumer goods, and a substantial amount of

food. Over the years, it has had difficulty servicing its external

debt and has relied heavily on concessional aid and debt

rescheduling. Sao Tome benefited from $200 million in debt relief in

December 2000 under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)

program, which helped bring down the country's $300 million debt

burden. In August 2005, Sao Tome signed on to a new 3-year IMF

Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program worth $4.3

million. Considerable potential exists for development of a tourist

industry, and the government has taken steps to expand facilities in

recent years. The government also has attempted to reduce price

controls and subsidies. Sao Tome is optimistic about the development

of petroleum resources in its territorial waters in the oil-rich

Gulf of Guinea, which are being jointly developed in a 60-40 split

with Nigeria. The first production licenses were sold in 2004,

though a dispute over licensing with Nigeria delayed Sao Tome's

receipt of more than $20 million in signing bonuses for almost a

year. Real GDP growth exceeded 6% in 2007, as a result of increases

in public expenditures and oil-related capital investment.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has an oil-based economy with strong

government controls over major economic activities. It possesses

more than 20% of the world's proven petroleum reserves, ranks as the

largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. The

petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues, 45% of

GDP, and 90% of export earnings. About 40% of GDP comes from the

private sector. Roughly 5.5 million foreign workers play an

important role in the Saudi economy, particularly in the oil and

service sectors. High oil prices have boosted growth, government

revenues, and Saudi ownership of foreign assets, while enabling

Riyadh to pay down domestic debt. The government is encouraging

private sector growth - especially in power generation,

telecommunications, natural gas exploration, and petrochemicals - to

lessen the kingdom's dependence on oil exports and to increase

employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi population, nearly

40% of which are youths under 15 years old. Unemployment is high,

and the large youth population generally lacks the education and

technical skills the private sector needs. Riyadh has substantially

boosted spending on job training and education, infrastructure

development, and government salaries. As part of its effort to

attract foreign investment and diversify the economy, Saudi Arabia

acceded to the WTO in December 2005 after many years of

negotiations. The government has announced plans to establish six

"economic cities" in different regions of the country to promote

development and diversification.

Senegal

In January 1994, Senegal undertook a bold and ambitious

economic reform program with the support of the international donor

community. This reform began with a 50% devaluation of Senegal's

currency, the CFA franc, which was linked at a fixed rate to the

French franc. Government price controls and subsidies have been

steadily dismantled. After seeing its economy contract by 2.1% in

1993, Senegal made an important turnaround, thanks to the reform

program, with real growth in GDP averaging over 5% annually during

1995-2007. Annual inflation had been pushed down to the low single

digits. As a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union

(WAEMU), Senegal is working toward greater regional integration with

a unified external tariff and a more stable monetary policy. High

unemployment, however, continues to prompt illegal migrants to flee

Senegal in search of better job opportunities in Europe. Senegal was

also beset by an energy crisis that caused widespread blackouts in

2006 and 2007. The phosphate industry has struggled for two years to

secure capital, and reduced output has directly impacted GDP. In

2007, Senegal signed agreements for major new mining concessions for

iron, zircon, and gold with foreign companies. Firms from Dubai have

agreed to manage and modernize Dakar's maritime port, and create a

new special economic zone. Senegal still relies heavily upon outside

donor assistance. Under the IMF's Highly Indebted Poor Countries

(HIPC) debt relief program, Senegal has benefited from eradication

of two-thirds of its bilateral, multilateral, and private-sector

debt. In 2007, Senegal and the IMF agreed to a new, non-disbursing,

Policy Support Initiative program.

Serbia

MILOSEVIC-era mismanagement of the economy, an extended

period of economic sanctions, and the damage to Yugoslavia's

infrastructure and industry during the NATO airstrikes in 1999 left

the economy only half the size it was in 1990. After the ousting of

former Federal Yugoslav President MILOSEVIC in September 2000, the

Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) coalition government

implemented stabilization measures and embarked on a market reform

program. After renewing its membership in the IMF in December 2000,

a down-sized Yugoslavia continued to reintegrate into the

international community by rejoining the World Bank (IBRD) and the

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). A World

Bank-European Commission sponsored Donors' Conference held in June

2001 raised $1.3 billion for economic restructuring. In November

2001, the Paris Club agreed to reschedule the country's $4.5 billion

public debt and wrote off 66% of the debt. In July 2004, the London

Club of private creditors forgave $1.7 billion of debt just over

half the total owed. Belgrade has made only minimal progress in

restructuring and privatizing its holdings in major sectors of the

economy, including energy and telecommunications. It has made

halting progress towards EU membership and is currently pursuing a

Stabilization and Association Agreement with Brussels. Serbia is

also pursuing membership in the World Trade Organization.

Unemployment remains an ongoing political and economic problem.

Seychelles

Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this

Indian Ocean archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the

pre-independence, near-subsistence level, moving the island into the

upper-middle income group of countries. Growth has been led by the

tourist sector, which employs about 30% of the labor force and

provides more than 70% of hard currency earnings, and by tuna

fishing. In recent years, the government has encouraged foreign

investment to upgrade hotels and other services. At the same time,

the government has moved to reduce the dependence on tourism by

promoting the development of farming, fishing, and small-scale

manufacturing. Sharp drops illustrated the vulnerability of the

tourist sector in 1991-92 due largely to the Gulf War and once again

following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US.

Economic growth slowed in 1998-2002 and fell in 2003-04, due to

sluggish tourist and tuna sectors, but resumed in 2005-07. Real GDP

grew by 5.8% in 2007, driven by tourism and a boom in

tourism-related construction. The Seychelles rupee was allowed to

depreciate in 2006 after being overvalued for years and fell by 10%

in the first 9 months of 2007.

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is an extremely poor nation with

tremendous inequality in income distribution. While it possesses

substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, its

physical and social infrastructure is not well developed, and

serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development.

Nearly half of the working-age population engages in subsistence

agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw

materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market.

Alluvial diamond mining remains the major source of hard currency

earnings accounting for nearly half of Sierra Leone's exports. The

fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace

and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is

essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and supplement

government revenues. The IMF has completed a Poverty Reduction and

Growth Facility program that helped stabilize economic growth and

reduce inflation. A recent increase in political stability has led

to a revival of economic activity such as the rehabilitation of

bauxite and rutile mining.

Singapore

Singapore has a highly developed and successful

free-market economy. It enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free

environment, stable prices, and a per capita GDP equal to that of

the four largest West European countries. The economy depends

heavily on exports, particularly in consumer electronics and

information technology products. It was hard hit from 2001-03 by the

global recession, by the slump in the technology sector, and by an

outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, which

curbed tourism and consumer spending. Fiscal stimulus, low interest

rates, a surge in exports, and internal flexibility led to vigorous

growth in 2004-07 with real GDP growth averaging 7% annually. The

government hopes to establish a new growth path that will be less

vulnerable to the global demand cycle for information technology

products - it has attracted major investments in pharmaceuticals and

medical technology production - and will continue efforts to

establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub.

Slovakia

Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from

a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The DZURINDA

government made excellent progress during 2001-04 in macroeconomic

stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly

complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands,

and the government has helped facilitate a foreign investment boom

with business friendly policies such as labor market liberalization

and a 19% flat tax. Foreign investment in the automotive sector has

been strong. Slovakia's economic growth exceeded expectations in

2001-07 despite the general European slowdown. Unemployment, at an

unacceptable 18% in 2003-04, dropped to 8.6% in 2007 but remains the

economy's Achilles heel. Slovakia joined the EU on 1 May 2004 and

will be the second of the new EU member states to adopt the euro in

2009 if it continues to meet euro adoption criteria in 2008. Despite

its 2006 pre-election promises to loosen fiscal policy and reverse

the previous DZURINDA government's pro-market reforms, FICO's

cabinet has thus far been careful to keep a lid on spending in order

to meet euro adoption criteria. The FICO government is pursuing a

state-interventionist economic policy, however, and has pushed to

regulate energy and food prices.

Slovenia

Slovenia, which on 1 January 2007 became the first 2004

European Union entrant to adopt the euro, is a model of economic

success and stability for the region. With the highest per capita

GDP in Central Europe, Slovenia has excellent infrastructure, a

well-educated work force, and a strategic location between the

Balkans and Western Europe. Privatization has lagged since 2002, and

the economy has one of highest levels of state control in the EU.

Structural reforms to improve the business environment have allowed

for somewhat greater foreign participation in Slovenia's economy and

have helped to lower unemployment. In March 2004, Slovenia became

the first transition country to graduate from borrower status to

donor partner at the World Bank. In December 2007, Slovenia was

invited to begin the accession process for joining the OECD. Despite

its economic success, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Slovenia

has lagged behind the region average, and taxes remain relatively

high. Furthermore, the labor market is often seen as inflexible, and

legacy industries are losing sales to more competitive firms in

China, India, and elsewhere.

Solomon Islands

The bulk of the population depends on agriculture,

fishing, and forestry for at least part of its livelihood. Most

manufactured goods and petroleum products must be imported. The

islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources such as lead,

zinc, nickel, and gold. Prior to the arrival of the Regional

Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), severe ethnic

violence, the closing of key businesses, and an empty government

treasury culminated in economic collapse. RAMSI's efforts to restore

law and order and economic stability have led to modest growth as

the economy rebuilds.

Somalia

Despite the lack of effective national governance, Somalia

has maintained a healthy informal economy, largely based on

livestock, remittance/money transfer companies, and

telecommunications. Agriculture is the most important sector, with

livestock normally accounting for about 40% of GDP and about 65% of

export earnings. Nomads and semi-pastoralists, who are dependent

upon livestock for their livelihood, make up a large portion of the

population. Livestock, hides, fish, charcoal, and bananas are

Somalia's principal exports, while sugar, sorghum, corn, qat, and

machined goods are the principal imports. Somalia's small industrial

sector, based on the processing of agricultural products, has

largely been looted and sold as scrap metal. Somalia's service

sector also has grown. Telecommunication firms provide wireless

services in most major cities and offer the lowest international

call rates on the continent. In the absence of a formal banking

sector, money exchange services have sprouted throughout the

country, handling between $500 million and $1 billion in remittances

annually. Mogadishu's main market offers a variety of goods from

food to the newest electronic gadgets. Hotels continue to operate

and are supported with private-security militias. Somalia's arrears

to the IMF continued to grow in 2006-07. Statistics on Somalia's

GDP, growth, per capita income, and inflation should be viewed

skeptically. In late December 2004, a major tsunami caused an

estimated 150 deaths and resulted in destruction of property in

coastal areas.

South Africa

South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with

an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial,

legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock

exchange that is 17th largest in the world; and modern

infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to

major urban centers throughout the region. Growth has been robust

since 2004, as South Africa has reaped the benefits of macroeconomic

stability and a global commodities boom. However, unemployment

remains high and outdated infrastructure has constrained growth. At

the end of 2007, South Africa began to experience an electricity

crisis because state power supplier Eskom suffered supply problems

with aged plants, necessitating "load-shedding" cuts to residents

and businesses in the major cities. Daunting economic problems

remain from the apartheid era - especially poverty, lack of economic

empowerment among the disadvantaged groups, and a shortage of public

transportation. South African economic policy is fiscally

conservative but pragmatic, focusing on controlling inflation,

maintaining a budget surplus, and using state-owned enterprises to

deliver basic services to low-income areas as a means to increase

job growth and household income.

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Some fishing takes

place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from

harvesting finfish and krill. The islands receive income from

postage stamps produced in the UK, sale of fishing licenses, and

harbor and landing fees from tourist vessels. Tourism from

specialized cruise ships is increasing rapidly.

Southern Ocean

Fisheries in 2005-06 landed 128,081 metric tons, of

which 83% (106,591 tons) was krill (Euphausia superba) and 9.7%

(12,364 tons) Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides),

compared to 147,506 tons in 2004-05 of which 86% (127,035 tons) was

krill and 8% (11,821 tons) Patagonian toothfish (estimated fishing

from the area covered by the Convention of the Conservation of

Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which extends slightly

beyond the Southern Ocean area). International agreements were

adopted in late 1999 to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated

fishing, which in the 2000-01 season landed, by one estimate, 8,376

metric tons of Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish. In the 2006-07

Antarctic summer, 35,552 tourists visited the Southern Ocean,

compared to 29,799 in 2005-2006 (estimates provided to the Antarctic

Treaty by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators

(IAATO), and does not include passengers on overflights and those

flying directly in and out of Antarctica).

Spain

The Spanish economy boomed from 1986 to 1990 averaging 5%

annual growth. After a European-wide recession in the early 1990s,

the Spanish economy resumed moderate growth starting in 1994.

Spain's mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a per capita

basis is equal to that of the leading West European economies. The

center-right government of former President Jose Maria AZNAR

successfully worked to gain admission to the first group of

countries launching the European single currency (the euro) on 1

January 1999. The AZNAR administration continued to advocate

liberalization, privatization, and deregulation of the economy and

introduced some tax reforms to that end. Unemployment fell steadily

under the AZNAR administration but remains high at 7.6%. Growth

averaging more than 3% annually during 2003-07 was satisfactory

given the background of a faltering European economy. The Socialist

president, Jose Luis Rodriguez ZAPATERO, has made mixed progress in

carrying out key structural reforms, which need to be accelerated

and deepened to sustain Spain's economic growth. Despite the

economy's relative solid footing significant downside risks remain

including Spain's continued loss of competitiveness, the potential

for a housing market collapse, the country's changing demographic

profile, and a decline in EU structural funds.

Spratly Islands

Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing.

The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins

suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is

largely unexplored. There are no reliable estimates of potential

reserves. Commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.

Sri Lanka

In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and

its import substitution trade policy for more market-oriented

policies, export-oriented trade, and encouragement of foreign

investment. Recent changes in government, however, have brought some

policy reversals. Currently, the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party has

a more statist economic approach, which seeks to reduce poverty by

steering investment to disadvantaged areas, developing small and

medium enterprises, promoting agriculture, and expanding the already

enormous civil service. The government has halted privatizations.

Although suffering a brutal civil war that began in 1983, Sri Lanka

saw GDP growth average 4.5% in the last 10 years with the exception

of a recession in 2001. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took

about 31,000 lives, left more than 6,300 missing and 443,000

displaced, and destroyed an estimated $1.5 billion worth of

property. Government spending and reconstruction drove growth to

more than 7% in 2006 but reduced agriculture output probably slowed

growth to about 6 percent in 2007. Government spending and loose

monetary policy drove inflation to nearly 16% in 2007. Sri Lanka's

most dynamic sectors now are food processing, textiles and apparel,

food and beverages, port construction, telecommunications, and

insurance and banking. In 2006, plantation crops made up only about

15% of exports (compared with more than 90% in 1970), while textiles

and garments accounted for more than 60%. About 800,000 Sri Lankans

work abroad, 90% of them in the Middle East. They send home more

than $1 billion a year. The struggle by the Tamil Tigers of the

north and east for an independent homeland continues to cast a

shadow over the economy.

Sudan

Sudan's economy is booming on the back of increases in oil

production, high oil prices, and large inflows of foreign direct

investment. GDP growth registered more than 10% per year in 2006 and

2007. From 1997 to date, Sudan has been working with the IMF to

implement macroeconomic reforms, including a managed float of the

exchange rate. Sudan began exporting crude oil in the last quarter

of 1999. Agricultural production remains important, because it

employs 80% of the work force and contributes a third of GDP. The

Darfur conflict, the aftermath of two decades of civil war in the

south, the lack of basic infrastructure in large areas, and a

reliance by much of the population on subsistence agriculture ensure

much of the population will remain at or below the poverty line for

years despite rapid rises in average per capita income. In January

2007, the government introduced a new currency, the Sudanese Pound,

at an initial exchange rate of $1.00 equals 2 Sudanese Pounds.

Suriname

The economy is dominated by the mining industry, with

exports of alumina, gold, and oil accounting for about 85% of

exports and 25% of government revenues, making the economy highly

vulnerable to mineral price volatility. The short-term economic

outlook depends on the government's ability to control inflation and

on the development of projects in the bauxite and gold mining

sectors. Suriname has received aid for these projects from

Netherlands, Belgium, and the European Development Fund. Suriname's

economic prospects for the medium term will depend on continued

commitment to responsible monetary and fiscal policies and to the

introduction of structural reforms to liberalize markets and promote

competition. In 2000, the government of Ronald VENETIAAN, returned

to office and inherited an economy with inflation of over 100% and a

growing fiscal deficit. He quickly implemented an austerity program,

raised taxes, attempted to control spending, and tamed inflation.

These economic policies are likely to remain in effect during

VENETIAAN's third term. Prospects for local onshore oil production

are good as a drilling program is underway. Offshore oil drilling

was given a boost in 2004 when the State Oil Company (Staatsolie)

signed exploration agreements with Repsol, Maersk, and Occidental.

Bidding on these new offshore blocks was completed in July 2006.

Svalbard

Coal mining is the major economic activity on Svalbard. The

treaty of 9 February 1920 gave the 41 signatories equal rights to

exploit mineral deposits, subject to Norwegian regulation. Although

US, UK, Dutch, and Swedish coal companies have mined in the past,

the only companies still mining are Norwegian and Russian. The

settlements on Svalbard are essentially company towns. The Norwegian

state-owned coal company employs nearly 60% of the Norwegian

population on the island, runs many of the local services, and

provides most of the local infrastructure. There is also some

hunting of seal, reindeer, and fox.

Swaziland

In this small, landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture

occupies approximately 70% of the population. The manufacturing

sector has diversified since the mid-1980s. Sugar and wood pulp

remain important foreign exchange earners. In 2007, the sugar

industry increased efficiency and diversification efforts, in

response to a 17% decline in EU sugar prices. Mining has declined in

importance in recent years with only coal and quarry stone mines

remaining active. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short

border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South

Africa from which it receives more than nine-tenths of its imports

and to which it sends 60% of its exports. Swaziland's currency is

pegged to the South African rand, subsuming Swaziland's monetary

policy to South Africa. Customs duties from the Southern African

Customs Union, which may equal as much as 70% of government revenue

this year, and worker remittances from South Africa substantially

supplement domestically earned income. Swaziland is not poor enough

to merit an IMF program; however, the country is struggling to

reduce the size of the civil service and control costs at public

enterprises. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for

foreign investment. With an estimated 40% unemployment rate,

Swaziland's need to increase the number and size of small and medium

enterprises and attract foreign direct investment is acute.

Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and sometimes floods persist

as problems for the future. More than one-fourth of the population

needed emergency food aid in 2006-07 because of drought, and nearly

two-fifths of the adult population has been infected by HIV/AIDS.

Sweden

Aided by peace and neutrality for the whole of the 20th

century, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a

mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits.

It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external

communications, and a skilled labor force. Timber, hydropower, and

iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented

toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of

industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50%

of output and exports. Agriculture accounts for only 1% of GDP and

2% of employment. Sweden is in the midst of a sustained economic

upswing, boosted by increased domestic demand and strong exports.

This and robust finances have offered the center-right government

considerable scope to implement its reform program aimed at

increasing employment, reducing welfare dependence, and streamlining

the state's role in the economy. The government plans to sell $31

billion in state assets during the next three years to further

stimulate growth and raise revenue to pay down the federal debt. In

September 2003, Swedish voters turned down entry into the euro

system concerned about the impact on the economy and sovereignty.

Switzerland

Switzerland is a peaceful, prosperous, and stable modern

market economy with low unemployment, a highly skilled labor force,

and a per capita GDP larger than that of the big Western European

economies. The Swiss in recent years have brought their economic

practices largely into conformity with the EU's to enhance their

international competitiveness. Switzerland remains a safehaven for

investors, because it has maintained a degree of bank secrecy and

has kept up the franc's long-term external value. Reflecting the

anemic economic conditions of Europe, GDP growth stagnated during

the 2001-03 period, improved during 2004-05, and jumped to 2.9% in

2006, and 2.6% in 2007. Unemployment has remained at less than half

the EU average.

Syria

The Syrian economy grew by an estimated 3.3% in real terms in

2007 led by the petroleum and agricultural sectors, which together

account for about one-half of GDP. Higher crude oil prices countered

declining oil production and led to higher budgetary and export

receipts. Damascus has implemented modest economic reforms in the

past few years, including cutting lending interest rates, opening

private banks, consolidating all of the multiple exchange rates,

raising prices on some subsidized items, most notably gasoline and

cement, and establishing the Damascus Stock Exchange - which is set

to begin operations in 2009. In October 2007, for example, Damascus

raised the price of subsidized gasoline by 20%, and may institute a

rationing system in 2008. In addition, President ASAD signed

legislative decrees to encourage corporate ownership reform, and to

allow the Central Bank to issue Treasury bills and bonds for

government debt. Nevertheless, the economy remains highly controlled

by the government. Long-run economic constraints include declining

oil production, high unemployment and inflation, rising budget

deficits, and increasing pressure on water supplies caused by heavy

use in agriculture, rapid population growth, industrial expansion,

and water pollution.

Taiwan

Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually

decreasing guidance of investment and foreign trade by the

authorities. In keeping with this trend, some large, state-owned

banks and industrial firms are being privatized. Exports have

provided the primary impetus for industrialization. The island runs

a large trade surplus, and its foreign reserves are among the

world's largest. Despite restrictions on cross-strait links, China

has overtaken the US to become Taiwan's largest export market and

its second-largest source of imports after Japan. China is also the

island's number one destination for foreign direct investment.

Strong trade performance in 2007 pushed Taiwan's GDP growth rate

above 5%, and unemployment is below 4%.

Tajikistan

Tajikistan has one of the lowest per capita GDPs among

the 15 former Soviet republics. Only 7% of the land area is arable.

Cotton is the most important crop, but this sector is burdened with

debt and an obsolete infrastructure. Mineral resources include

silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten. Industry consists only of a

large aluminum plant, hydropower facilities, and small obsolete

factories mostly in light industry and food processing. The civil

war (1992-97) severely damaged the already weak economic

infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in industrial and

agricultural production. While Tajikistan has experienced steady

economic growth since 1997, nearly two-thirds of the population

continues to live in abject poverty. Economic growth reached 10.6%

in 2004, but dropped to 8% in 2005, 7% in 2006, and 7.8% in 2007.

Tajikistan's economic situation remains fragile due to uneven

implementation of structural reforms, corruption, weak governance,

widespread unemployment, seasonal power shortages, and the external

debt burden. Continued privatization of medium and large state-owned

enterprises could increase productivity. A debt restructuring

agreement was reached with Russia in December 2002 including a $250

million write-off of Tajikistan's $300 million debt. Tajikistan

ranks third in the world in terms of water resources per head, but

suffers winter power shortages due to poor management of water

levels in rivers and reservoirs. Completion of the Sangtuda I

hydropower dam - built with Russian investment - and the Sangtuda II

and Rogun dams will add substantially to electricity output. If

finished according to Tajik plans, Rogun will be the world's tallest

dam. Tajikistan has also received substantial infrastructure

development loans from the Chinese government to improve roads and

an electricity transmission network. To help increase north-south

trade, the US funded a $36 million bridge which opened in August

2007 and links Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

Tanzania

Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The

economy depends heavily on agriculture, which accounts for more than

40% of GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 80% of the work

force. Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated

crops to only 4% of the land area. Industry traditionally featured

the processing of agricultural products and light consumer goods.

The World Bank, the IMF, and bilateral donors have provided funds to

rehabilitate Tanzania's out-of-date economic infrastructure and to

alleviate poverty. Long-term growth through 2005 featured a pickup

in industrial production and a substantial increase in output of

minerals led by gold. Recent banking reforms have helped increase

private-sector growth and investment. Continued donor assistance and

solid macroeconomic policies supported real GDP growth of nearly 7%

in 2007.

Thailand

With a well-developed infrastructure, a free-enterprise

economy, and generally pro-investment policies, Thailand appears to

have fully recovered from the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis. The

country was one of East Asia's best performers from 2002-04. Boosted

by strong export growth, the Thai economy grew 4.5% in 2007. Bangkok

has pursued preferential trade agreements with a variety of partners

in an effort to boost exports and to maintain high growth. By 2007,

the tourism sector had largely recovered from the major 2004

tsunami. Following the military coup in September 2006, investment

and consumer confidence stagnated due to the uncertain political

climate that lasted through the December 2007 elections. Foreign

investor sentiment was further tempered by a 30% reserve requirement

on capital inflows instituted in December 2006, and discussion of

amending Thailand's rules governing foreign-owned businesses.

Economic growth in 2007 was due almost entirely to robust export

performance - despite the pressure of an appreciating currency.

Exports have performed at record levels, rising nearly 17% in 2006

and 12% in 2007. Export-oriented manufacturing - in particular

automobile production - and farm output are driving these gains.

Timor-Leste

In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure

of Timor-Leste was laid waste by Indonesian troops and

anti-independence militias. Three hundred thousand people fled

westward. Over the next three years a massive international program,

manned by 5,000 peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1,300 police

officers, led to substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural

areas. By the end of 2005, refugees had returned or had settled in

Indonesia. The country continues to face great challenges in

rebuilding its infrastructure, strengthening the civil

administration, and generating jobs for young people entering the

work force. The development of oil and gas resources in offshore

waters has begun to supplement government revenues ahead of schedule

and above expectations - the result of high petroleum prices. The

technology-intensive industry, however, has done little to create

jobs for the unemployed because there are no production facilities

in Timor. Gas is piped to Australia. In June 2005 the National

Parliament unanimously approved the creation of a Petroleum Fund to

serve as a repository for all petroleum revenues and preserve the

value of Timor-Leste's petroleum wealth for future generations. The

Fund held assets of US$1.8 billion as of September 2007. The

mid-2006 outbreak of violence and civil unrest disrupted both

private and public sector economic activity and created 100,000

internally displaced persons - about 10 percent of the population.

While real non-oil GDP growth in 2006 was negative, the economy

probably rebounded in 2007. The underlying economic policy challenge

the country faces remains how best to use oil-and-gas wealth to lift

the non-oil economy onto a higher growth path and reduce poverty. In

late 2007, the new government announced plans aimed at increasing

spending, reducing poverty, and improving the country's

infrastructure, but it continues to face capacity constraints. In

the short term, the government must also address continuing problems

related to the crisis of 2006, especially the displaced Timorese.

Togo

This small, sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on both

commercial and subsistence agriculture, which provides employment

for 65% of the labor force. Some basic foodstuffs must still be

imported. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton generate about 40% of export

earnings with cotton being the most important cash crop. Togo is the

world's fourth-largest producer of phosphate. The government's

decade-long effort, supported by the World Bank and the IMF, to

implement economic reform measures, encourage foreign investment,

and bring revenues in line with expenditures has moved slowly.

Progress depends on follow through on privatization, increased

openness in government financial operations, progress toward

legislative elections, and continued support from foreign donors.

Togo is working with donors to write a Poverty Reduction and Growth

Facility (PRGF) that could eventually lead to a debt reduction plan.

Economic growth remains marginal due to declining cotton production,

underinvestment in phosphate mining, and strained relations with

donors.

Tokelau

Tokelau's small size (three villages), isolation, and lack

of resources greatly restrain economic development and confine

agriculture to the subsistence level. The people rely heavily on aid

from New Zealand - about $4 million annually - to maintain public

services with annual aid being substantially greater than GDP. The

principal sources of revenue come from sales of copra, postage

stamps, souvenir coins, and handicrafts. Money is also remitted to

families from relatives in New Zealand.

Tonga

Tonga has a small, open, South Pacific island economy. It has

a narrow export base in agricultural goods. Squash, vanilla beans,

and yams are the main crops, and agricultural exports, including

fish, make up two-thirds of total exports. The country must import a

high proportion of its food, mainly from New Zealand. The country

remains dependent on external aid and remittances from Tongan

communities overseas to offset its trade deficit. Tourism is the

second-largest source of hard currency earnings following

remittances. The government is emphasizing the development of the

private sector, especially the encouragement of investment, and is

committing increased funds for health and education. Tonga has a

reasonably sound basic infrastructure and well-developed social

services. High unemployment among the young, a continuing upturn in

inflation, pressures for democratic reform, and rising civil service

expenditures are major issues facing the government.

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago has earned a reputation as

an excellent investment site for international businesses and has

one of the highest growth rates and per capita incomes in Latin

America. Recent growth has been fueled by investments in liquefied

natural gas (LNG), petrochemicals, and steel. Additional

petrochemical, aluminum, and plastics projects are in various stages

of planning. Trinidad and Tobago is the leading Caribbean producer

of oil and gas, and its economy is heavily dependent upon these

resources but it also supplies manufactured goods, notably food and

beverages, as well as cement to the Caribbean region. Oil and gas

account for about 40% of GDP and 80% of exports, but only 5% of

employment. The country is also a regional financial center, and

tourism is a growing sector, although it is not proportionately as

important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits

from a growing trade surplus. Economic growth reached 12.6% in 2006

and 5.5% in 2007 as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and LNG remained

high, and as foreign direct investment continued to grow to support

expanded capacity in the energy sector.

Tunisia

Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural,

mining, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of

economic affairs while still heavy has gradually lessened over the

past decade with increasing privatization, simplification of the tax

structure, and a prudent approach to debt. Progressive social

policies also have helped raise living conditions in Tunisia

relative to the region. Real growth, which averaged almost 5% over

the past decade, reached 6.3% in 2007 because of development in

non-textile manufacturing, a recovery in agricultural production,

and strong growth in the services sector. However, Tunisia will need

to reach even higher growth levels to create sufficient employment

opportunities for an already large number of unemployed as well as

the growing population of university graduates. Broader

privatization, further liberalization of the investment code to

increase foreign investment, improvements in government efficiency,

and reduction of the trade deficit are among the challenges ahead.

Turkey

Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of modern industry

and commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that still

accounts for more than 35% of employment. It has a strong and

rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a major

role in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication. The

largest industrial sector is textiles and clothing, which accounts

for one-third of industrial employment; it faces stiff competition

in international markets with the end of the global quota system.

However, other sectors, notably the automotive and electronics

industries, are rising in importance within Turkey's export mix.

Real GNP growth has exceeded 6% in many years, but this strong

expansion has been interrupted by sharp declines in output in 1994,

1999, and 2001. The economy is turning around with the

implementation of economic reforms, and 2004 GDP growth reached 9%,

followed by roughly 5% annual growth from 2005-07. Inflation fell to

7.7% in 2005 - a 30-year low - but climbed back to 8.5% in 2007.

Despite the strong economic gains from 2002-07, which were largely

due to renewed investor interest in emerging markets, IMF backing,

and tighter fiscal policy, the economy is still burdened by a high

current account deficit and high external debt. Further economic and

judicial reforms and prospective EU membership are expected to boost

foreign direct investment. The stock value of FDI currently stands

at about $85 billion. Privatization sales are currently approaching

$21 billion. Oil began to flow through the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan

pipeline in May 2006, marking a major milestone that will bring up

to 1 million barrels per day from the Caspian to market. In 2007,

Turkish financial markets weathered significant domestic political

turmoil, including turbulence sparked by controversy over the

selection of former Foreign Minister Abdullah GUL as Turkey's 11th

president. Economic fundamentals are sound, marked by strong

economic growth and foreign direct investment. Turkey's high current

account deficit leaves the economy vulnerable to destabilizing

shifts in investor confidence, however.

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is a largely desert country with intensive

agriculture in irrigated oases and large gas and oil resources.

One-half of its irrigated land is planted in cotton; formerly it was

the world's 10th-largest producer. Poor harvests in recent years

have led to an almost 50% decline in cotton exports. With an

authoritarian ex-Communist regime in power and a tribally based

social structure, Turkmenistan has taken a cautious approach to

economic reform, hoping to use gas and cotton sales to sustain its

inefficient economy. Privatization goals remain limited. From

1998-2005, Turkmenistan suffered from the continued lack of adequate

export routes for natural gas and from obligations on extensive

short-term external debt. At the same time, however, total exports

rose by an average of roughly 15% per year from 2003-07, largely

because of higher international oil and gas prices. Overall

prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread

internal poverty, a poor educational system, government misuse of

oil and gas revenues, and Ashgabat's reluctance to adopt

market-oriented reforms. In the past, Turkmenistan's economic

statistics were state secrets. The new government has established a

State Agency for Statistics, but GDP numbers and other figures are

subject to wide margins of error. In particular, the rate of GDP

growth is uncertain. Since his election, President BERDIMUHAMEDOW

has sought to improve the health and education systems, ordered

unification of the country's dual currency exchange rate, begun

decreasing state subsidies for gasoline, signed an agreement to

build a gas line to China, and created a special tourism zone on the

Caspian Sea. All of these moves hint that the new post-NYYAZOW

government will work to create a friendlier foreign investment

environment.

Turks and Caicos Islands

The Turks and Caicos economy is based on

tourism, offshore financial services, and fishing. Most capital

goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the

leading source of tourists, accounting for more than three-quarters

of the 175,000 visitors that arrived in 2004. Major sources of

government revenue also include fees from offshore financial

activities and customs receipts.

Tuvalu

Tuvalu consists of a densely populated, scattered group of

nine coral atolls with poor soil. The country has no known mineral

resources and few exports. Subsistence farming and fishing are the

primary economic activities. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average,

visit Tuvalu annually. Job opportunities are scarce and public

sector workers make up the majority of those employed. About 15% of

the adult male population work as seamen on merchant ships abroad

and remittances are a vital source of income, contributing around $4

million in 2006. Substantial income is received annually from the

Tuvalu Trust Fund (TTF), an international trust fund established in

1987 by Australia, NZ, and the UK and supported also by Japan and

South Korea. Thanks to wise investments and conservative

withdrawals, this fund grew from an initial $17 million to an

estimated value of $77 million in 2006. The TFF contributed nearly

$9 million towards the government budget in 2006 and is an important

cushion for meeting shortfalls in the government's budget. The US

Government is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu because of

payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries. In an effort to ensure

financial stability and sustainability, the government is pursuing

public sector reforms, including privatization of some government

functions and personnel cuts. Tuvalu also derives royalties from the

lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name, with revenue of more than

$2 million in 2006. A minor source of government revenue comes from

the sale of stamps and coins. With merchandise exports only a

fraction of merchandise imports, continued reliance must be placed

on fishing and telecommunications license fees, remittances from

overseas workers, official transfers, and income from overseas

investments. Growing income disparities and the vulnerability of the

country to climatic change are among leading concerns for the nation.

Uganda

Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile

soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper,

cobalt, gold, and other minerals. Agriculture is the most important

sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee

accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986, the government

- with the support of foreign countries and international agencies -

has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking

currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing

prices of petroleum products, and improving civil service wages. The

policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation and

boosting production and export earnings. During 1990-2001, the

economy turned in a solid performance based on continued investment

in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved incentives for

production and exports, reduced inflation, gradually improved

domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan

entrepreneurs. Growth continues to be solid, despite variability in

the price of coffee, Uganda's principal export, and a consistent

upturn in Uganda's export markets. In 2000, Uganda qualified for

enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt relief worth

$1.3 billion and Paris Club debt relief worth $145 million. These

amounts combined with the original HIPC debt relief added up to

about $2 billion.

Ukraine

After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far and away the

most important economic component of the former Soviet Union,

producing about four times the output of the next-ranking republic.

Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet

agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities

of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise,

its diversified heavy industry supplied the unique equipment (for

example, large diameter pipes) and raw materials to industrial and

mining sites (vertical drilling apparatus) in other regions of the

former USSR. Shortly after independence was ratified in December

1991, the Ukrainian Government liberalized most prices and erected a

legal framework for privatization, but widespread resistance to

reform within the government and the legislature soon stalled reform

efforts and led to some backtracking. Output by 1999 had fallen to

less than 40% of the 1991 level. Ukraine's dependence on Russia for

energy supplies and the lack of significant structural reform have

made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external shocks. Ukraine

depends on imports to meet about three-fourths of its annual oil and

natural gas requirements. A dispute with Russia over pricing in late

2005 and early 2006 led to a temporary gas cut-off; Ukraine

concluded a deal with Russia in January 2006 that almost doubled the

price Ukraine pays for Russian gas. Outside institutions -

particularly the IMF - have encouraged Ukraine to quicken the pace

and scope of reforms. Ukrainian Government officials eliminated most

tax and customs privileges in a March 2005 budget law, bringing more

economic activity out of Ukraine's large shadow economy, but more

improvements are needed, including fighting corruption, developing

capital markets, and improving the legislative framework. Ukraine's

economy remains buoyant despite political turmoil between the Prime

Minister and President. Real GDP growth reached about 7% in 2006-07,

fueled by high global prices for steel - Ukraine's top export - and

by strong domestic consumption, spurred by rising pensions and

wages. Although the economy is likely to expand in 2008, long-term

growth could be threatened by the government's plans to reinstate

tax, trade, and customs privileges and to maintain restrictive grain

export quotas.

United Arab Emirates

The UAE has an open economy with a high per

capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Despite largely

successful efforts at economic diversification, nearly 40% of GDP is

still directly based on oil and gas output. Since the discovery of

oil in the UAE more than 30 years ago, the UAE has undergone a

profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert

principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. The

government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure

expansion and is opening up utilities to greater private sector

involvement. In April 2004, the UAE signed a Trade and Investment

Framework Agreement with Washington and in November 2004 agreed to

undertake negotiations toward a Free Trade Agreement with the US.

The country's Free Trade Zones - offering 100% foreign ownership and

zero taxes - are helping to attract foreign investors. Higher oil

revenue, strong liquidity, housing shortages, and cheap credit in

2005-07 led to a surge in asset prices (shares and real estate) and

consumer inflation. Rising prices are increasing the operating costs

for businesses in the UAE and adversely impacting government

employees and others on fixed incomes. Dependence on oil and a large

expatriate workforce are significant long-term challenges. The UAE's

strategic plan for the next few years focuses on diversification and

creating more opportunities for nationals through improved education

and increased private sector employment.

United Kingdom

The UK, a leading trading power and financial center,

is one of the quintet of trillion dollar economies of Western

Europe. Over the past two decades, the government has greatly

reduced public ownership and contained the growth of social welfare

programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient

by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with less

than 2% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and

oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one

of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services,

particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by

far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to

decline in importance. Since emerging from recession in 1992,

Britain's economy has enjoyed the longest period of expansion on

record; growth has remained in the 2-3% range since 2004, outpacing

most of Europe. The economy's strength has complicated the Labor

government's efforts to make a case for Britain to join the European

Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Critics point out that the

economy is doing well outside of EMU, and public opinion polls show

a majority of Britons are opposed to the euro. The BROWN government

has been speeding up the improvement of education, health services,

and affordable housing at a cost in higher taxes and a widening

public deficit.

United States

The US has the largest and most technologically

powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $46,000. In

this market-oriented economy, private individuals and business firms

make most of the decisions, and the federal and state governments

buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private

marketplace. US business firms enjoy greater flexibility than their

counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand

capital plant, to lay off surplus workers, and to develop new

products. At the same time, they face higher barriers to enter their

rivals' home markets than foreign firms face entering US markets. US

firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances,

especially in computers and in medical, aerospace, and military

equipment; their advantage has narrowed since the end of World War

II. The onrush of technology largely explains the gradual

development of a "two-tier labor market" in which those at the

bottom lack the education and the professional/technical skills of

those at the top and, more and more, fail to get comparable pay

raises, health insurance coverage, and other benefits. Since 1975,

practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top

20% of households. The response to the terrorist attacks of 11

September 2001 showed the remarkable resilience of the economy. The

war in March-April 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq, and the

subsequent occupation of Iraq, required major shifts in national

resources to the military. The rise in GDP in 2004-07 was

undergirded by substantial gains in labor productivity. Hurricane

Katrina caused extensive damage in the Gulf Coast region in August

2005, but had a small impact on overall GDP growth for the year.

Soaring oil prices in 2005-2007 threatened inflation and

unemployment, yet the economy continued to grow through year-end

2007. Imported oil accounts for about two-thirds of US consumption.

Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic

infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging

population, sizable trade and budget deficits, and stagnation of

family income in the lower economic groups. The merchandise trade

deficit reached a record $847 billion in 2007. Together, these

problems caused a marked reduction in the value and status of the

dollar worldwide in 2007.

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

no economic activity

Uruguay

Uruguay's economy is characterized by an export-oriented

agricultural sector, a well-educated work force, and high levels of

social spending. After averaging growth of 5% annually during

1996-98, in 1999-2002 the economy suffered a major downturn,

stemming largely from the spillover effects of the economic problems

of its large neighbors, Argentina and Brazil. For instance, in

2001-02 Argentina made massive withdrawals of dollars deposited in

Uruguayan banks, which led to a plunge in the Uruguayan peso and a

massive rise in unemployment. Total GDP in these four years dropped

by nearly 20%, with 2002 the worst year due to the banking crisis.

The unemployment rate rose to nearly 20% in 2002, inflation surged,

and the burden of external debt doubled. Cooperation with the IMF

helped stem the damage. Uruguay in 2007 improved its debt profile by

paying off $1.1 billion in IMF debt, and continues to follow the

orthodox economic plan set by the Fund in 2005. The construction of

a pulp mill in Fray Bentos, which represents the largest foreign

direct investment in Uruguay's history at $1.2 billion, came online

in November 2007 and is expected to add 1.6% to GDP and boost

already rising exports. The economy has grown strongly since 2004 as

a result of high commodity prices for Uruguayan exports, a strong

peso, growth in the region, and low international interest rates.

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is a dry, landlocked country of which 11%

consists of intensely cultivated, irrigated river valleys. More than

60% of its population lives in densely populated rural communities.

Uzbekistan is now the world's second-largest cotton exporter and

fifth largest producer; it relies heavily on cotton production as

the major source of export earnings. Other major export earners

include gold, natural gas, and oil. Following independence in

September 1991, the government sought to prop up its Soviet-style

command economy with subsidies and tight controls on production and

prices. While aware of the need to improve the investment climate,

the government still sponsors measures that often increase, not

decrease, its control over business decisions. A sharp increase in

the inequality of income distribution has hurt the lower ranks of

society since independence. In 2003, the government accepted Article

VIII obligations under the IMF, providing for full currency

convertibility. However, strict currency controls and tightening of

borders have lessened the effects of convertibility and have also

led to some shortages that have further stifled economic activity.

The Central Bank often delays or restricts convertibility,

especially for consumer goods. Potential investment by Russia and

China in Uzbekistan's gas and oil industry may boost growth

prospects. In November 2005, Russian President Vladimir PUTIN and

Uzbekistan President KARIMOV signed an "alliance," which included

provisions for economic and business cooperation. Russian businesses

have shown increased interest in Uzbekistan, especially in mining,

telecom, and oil and gas. In 2006, Uzbekistan took steps to rejoin

the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Eurasian

Economic Community (EurASEC), both organizations dominated by

Russia. Uzbek authorities have accused US and other foreign

companies operating in Uzbekistan of violating Uzbek tax laws and

have frozen their assets.

Vanuatu

This South Pacific island economy is based primarily on

small-scale agriculture, which provides a living for 65% of the

population. Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism, with

more than 60,000 visitors in 2005, are other mainstays of the

economy. Mineral deposits are negligible; the country has no known

petroleum deposits. A small light industry sector caters to the

local market. Tax revenues come mainly from import duties. Economic

development is hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity

exports, vulnerability to natural disasters, and long distances from

main markets and between constituent islands. In response to foreign

concerns, the government has promised to tighten regulation of its

offshore financial center. In mid-2002 the government stepped up

efforts to boost tourism through improved air connections, resort

development, and cruise ship facilities. Agriculture, especially

livestock farming, is a second target for growth. Australia and New

Zealand are the main suppliers of tourists and foreign aid.

Venezuela

Venezuela remains highly dependent on oil revenues, which

account for roughly 90% of export earnings, more than 50% of the

federal budget revenues, and around 30% of GDP. A nationwide strike

between December 2002 and February 2003 had far-reaching economic

consequences - real GDP declined by around 9% in 2002 and 8% in 2003

- but economic output since then has recovered strongly. Fueled by

high oil prices, record government spending helped to boost GDP in

2006 by about 9% and in 2007 by about 8%. This spending, combined

with recent minimum wage hikes and improved access to domestic

credit, has created a consumption boom but has come at the cost of

higher inflation-roughly 20 percent in 2007. Imports also have

jumped significantly. Embolden by his December 2006 reelection,

President Hugo CHAVEZ in 2007 nationalized firms in the petroleum,

communications, and electricity sectors, which reduced foreign

influence in the economy. Although voters in December 2007 rejected

CHAVEZ's proposed constitutional changes, CHAVEZ still has

significant control of the economy and has indicated he intends to

continue to consolidate and centralize authority over the economy by

implementing "21st Century Socialism."

Vietnam

Vietnam is a densely-populated developing country that in

the last 30 years has had to recover from the ravages of war, the

loss of financial support from the old Soviet Bloc, and the

rigidities of a centrally-planned economy. Economic stagnation

marked the period after reunification from 1975 to 1985. In 1986,

the Sixth Party Congress approved a broad economic reform package

that introduced market reforms and set the groundwork for Vietnam's

improved investment climate. Substantial progress was achieved from

1986 to 1997 in moving forward from an extremely low level of

development and significantly reducing poverty. The 1997 Asian

financial crisis highlighted the problems in the Vietnamese economy

and temporarily allowed opponents of reform to slow progress toward

a market-oriented economy. GDP growth averaged 6.8% per year from

1997 to 2004 even against the background of the Asian financial

crisis and a global recession. Since 2001, Vietnamese authorities

have reaffirmed their commitment to economic liberalization and

international integration. They have moved to implement the

structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce

more competitive, export-driven industries. The economy grew 8.5% in

2007. Vietnam's membership in the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and

entry into force of the US-Vietnam Bilateral Trade Agreement in

December 2001 have led to even more rapid changes in Vietnam's trade

and economic regime. Vietnam's exports to the US increased 900% from

2001 to 2007. Vietnam joined the WTO in January 2007, following over

a decade long negotiation process. WTO membership has provided

Vietnam an anchor to the global market and reinforced the domestic

economic reform process. Among other benefits, accession allows

Vietnam to take advantage of the phase-out of the Agreement on

Textiles and Clothing, which eliminated quotas on textiles and

clothing for WTO partners on 1 January 2005. Agriculture's share of

economic output has continued to shrink, from about 25% in 2000 to

less than 20% in 2007. Deep poverty, defined as a percent of the

population living under $1 per day, has declined significantly and

is now smaller than that of China, India, and the Philippines.

Vietnam is working to create jobs to meet the challenge of a labor

force that is growing by more than one-and-a-half million people

every year. In an effort to stem high inflation which took off in

2007, early in 2008 Vietnamese authorities began to raise benchmark

interest rates and reserve requirements. Hanoi is targeting an

economic growth rate of 7.5-8% during the next four years.

Virgin Islands

Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting

for 80% of GDP and employment. The islands hosted 2.6 million

visitors in 2005. The manufacturing sector consists of petroleum

refining, textiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and watch

assembly. One of the world's largest petroleum refineries is at

Saint Croix. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being

imported. International business and financial services are small

but growing components of the economy. The islands are vulnerable to

substantial damage from storms. The government is working to improve

fiscal discipline, to support construction projects in the private

sector, to expand tourist facilities, to reduce crime, and to

protect the environment.

Wake Island

Economic activity is limited to providing services to

military personnel and contractors located on the island. All food

and manufactured goods must be imported.

Wallis and Futuna

The economy is limited to traditional subsistence

agriculture, with about 80% of labor force earnings from agriculture

(coconuts and vegetables), livestock (mostly pigs), and fishing.

About 4% of the population is employed in government. Revenues come

from French Government subsidies, licensing of fishing rights to

Japan and South Korea, import taxes, and remittances from expatriate

workers in New Caledonia.

West Bank

The West Bank - the larger of the two areas comprising the

Palestinian Authority (PA) - has experienced a general decline in

economic conditions since the second intifada began in September

2000. The downturn has been largely a result of Israeli closure

policies - the imposition of closures and access restrictions in

response to security concerns in Israel - which disrupted labor and

trading relationships. In 2001, and even more severely in 2002,

Israeli military measures in PA areas resulted in the destruction of

capital, the disruption of administrative structures, and widespread

business closures. International aid of at least $1.14 billion to

the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2004 prevented the complete collapse

of the economy and allowed some reforms in the government's

financial operations. In 2005, high unemployment and limited trade

opportunities - due to continued closures both within the West Bank

and externally - stymied growth. Israel's and the international

community's financial embargo of the PA when HAMAS ran the PA during

March 2006 - June 2007 has interrupted the provision of PA social

services and the payment of PA salaries. Since June the Fayyad

government in the West Bank has restarted salary payments and the

provision of services but would be unable to operate absent high

levels of international assistance.

Western Sahara

Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing,

and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the

population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable

agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban

population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are

substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government

controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara.

Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006

allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco,

including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara.

Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for

oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the

Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar

exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come

into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over

Western Sahara.

World

Global output rose by 5.2% in 2007, led by China (11.4%),

India (9.2%), and Russia (8.1%). The 14 other successor nations of

the USSR and the other old Warsaw Pact nations again experienced

widely divergent growth rates; the three Baltic nations continued as

strong performers, in the 8%-10% range of growth. From 2006 to 2007

growth rates slowed in all the major industrial countries except for

the United Kingdom (3.1%). Analysts attribute the slowdown to

uncertainties in the financial markets and lowered consumer

confidence. Worldwide, nations varied widely in their growth

results. Externally, the nation-state, as a bedrock

economic-political institution, is steadily losing control over

international flows of people, goods, funds, and technology.

Internally, the central government often finds its control over

resources slipping as separatist regional movements - typically

based on ethnicity - gain momentum, e.g., in many of the successor

states of the former Soviet Union, in the former Yugoslavia, in

India, in Iraq, in Indonesia, and in Canada. Externally, the central

government is losing decisionmaking powers to international bodies,

notably the EU. In Western Europe, governments face the difficult

political problem of channeling resources away from welfare programs

in order to increase investment and strengthen incentives to seek

employment. The addition of 80 million people each year to an

already overcrowded globe is exacerbating the problems of pollution,

desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine. Because of

their own internal problems and priorities, the industrialized

countries devote insufficient resources to deal effectively with the

poorer areas of the world, which, at least from an economic point of

view, are becoming further marginalized. The introduction of the

euro as the common currency of much of Western Europe in January

1999, while paving the way for an integrated economic powerhouse,

poses economic risks because of varying levels of income and

cultural and political differences among the participating nations.

The terrorist attacks on the US on 11 September 2001 accentuated a

growing risk to global prosperity, illustrated, for example, by the

reallocation of resources away from investment to anti-terrorist

programs. The opening of war in March 2003 between a US-led

coalition and Iraq added new uncertainties to global economic

prospects. After the initial coalition victory, the complex

political difficulties and the high economic cost of establishing

domestic order in Iraq became major global problems that continued

through 2007.

Yemen

Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world,

reported average annual growth in the range of 3-4% from 2000

through 2007. Its economic fortunes depend mostly on declining oil

resources, but the country is trying to diversify its earnings. In

2006 Yemen began an economic reform program designed to bolster

non-oil sectors of the economy and foreign investment. As a result

of the program, international donors pledged about $5 billion for

development projects. In addition, Yemen has made some progress on

reforms over the last year that will likely encourage foreign

investment. Oil revenues probably increased in 2007 as a result of

higher prices.

Zambia

Zambia's economy has experienced modest growth in recent

years, with real GDP growth in 2005-07 between 5-6% per year.

Privatization of government-owned copper mines in the 1990s relieved

the government from covering mammoth losses generated by the

industry and greatly improved the chances for copper mining to

return to profitability and spur economic growth. Copper output has

increased steadily since 2004, due to higher copper prices and

foreign investment. In 2005, Zambia qualified for debt relief under

the Highly Indebted Poor Country Initiative, consisting of

approximately USD 6 billion in debt relief. Zambia experienced a

bumper harvest in 2007, which helped to boost GDP and agricultural

exports and contain inflation. Although poverty continues to be

significant problem in Zambia, its economy has strengthened,

featuring single-digit inflation, a relatively stable currency,

decreasing interest rates, and increasing levels of trade.

Zimbabwe

The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of

difficult economic problems as it struggles with an unsustainable

fiscal deficit, an overvalued official exchange rate,

hyperinflation, and bare store shelves. Its 1998-2002 involvement in

the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo drained hundreds of

millions of dollars from the economy. The government's land reform

program, characterized by chaos and violence, has badly damaged the

commercial farming sector, the traditional source of exports and

foreign exchange and the provider of 400,000 jobs, turning Zimbabwe

into a net importer of food products. The EU and the US provide food

aid on humanitarian grounds. Badly needed support from the IMF has

been suspended because of the government's arrears on past loans and

the government's unwillingness to enact reforms that would stabilize

the economy. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe routinely prints money to

fund the budget deficit, causing the official annual inflation rate

to rise from 32% in 1998, to 133% in 2004, 585% in 2005, passed

1000% in 2006, and 26000% in November 2007. Private sector estimates

of inflation in 2007 are well above 100,000%. Meanwhile, the

official exchange rate fell from approximately 1 (revalued)

Zimbabwean dollar per US dollar in 2003 to 30,000 per US dollar in

2007.

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2117 Pipelines (km)

Afghanistan

gas 466 km (2007)

Albania

gas 339 km; oil 207 km (2007)

Algeria

condensate 1,532 km; gas 13,861 km; liquid petroleum gas

2,408 km; oil 6,878 km (2007)

Angola

gas 234 km; liquid petroleum gas 85 km; oil 896 km;

oil/gas/water 5 km (2007)

Argentina

gas 28,657 km; liquid petroleum gas 41 km; oil 5,607 km;

refined products 3,052 km; unknown (oil/water) 13 km (2007)

Armenia

gas 2,036 km (2007)

Australia

condensate/gas 469 km; gas 26,719 km; liquid petroleum gas

240 km; oil 3,720 km; oil/gas/water 110 km (2007)

Austria

gas 2,722 km; oil 663 km; refined products 157 km (2007)

Azerbaijan

gas 3,857 km; oil 2,436 km (2007)

Bahrain

gas 20 km; oil 52 km (2007)

Bangladesh

gas 2,644 km (2007)

Belarus

gas 5,250 km; oil 1,528 km; refined products 1,730 km (2007)

Belgium

gas 1,562 km; oil 158 km; refined products 535 km (2007)

Bolivia

gas 4,860 km; liquid petroleum gas 47 km; oil 2,475 km;

refined products 1,589 km; unknown (oil/water) 247 km (2007)

Brazil

condensate/gas 244 km; gas 12,070 km; liquid petroleum gas

351 km; oil 5,214 km; refined products 4,410 km (2007)

Brunei

gas 672 km; oil 463 km (2007)

Bulgaria

gas 2,500 km; oil 339 km; refined products 156 km (2007)

Burma

gas 2,790 km; oil 558 km (2007)

Cameroon

gas 27 km; liquid petroleum gas 5 km; oil 1,110 km (2007)

Canada

crude and refined oil 23,564 km; liquid petroleum gas 74,980

km (2006)

Chad

oil 250 km (2007)

Chile

gas 2,550 km; gas/liquid petroleum gas 42 km; liquid petroleum

gas 539 km; oil 1,002 km; refined products 757 km; unknown

(oil/water) 97 km (2007)

China

gas 26,344 km; oil 17,240 km; refined products 6,106 km (2007)

Colombia

gas 4,329 km; oil 6,140 km; refined products 3,145 km (2007)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

gas 62 km; oil 71 km (2007)

Congo, Republic of the gas 89 km; liquid petroleum gas 4 km; oil 758 km (2007)

Costa Rica

refined products 242 km (2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

condensate 102 km; gas 245 km; oil 112 km (2007)

Croatia

gas 1,556 km; oil 583 km (2007)

Cuba

gas 49 km; oil 230 km (2007)

Czech Republic

gas 7,010 km; oil 547 km; refined products 94 km

(2007)

Denmark

condensate 11 km; gas 4,073 km; oil 617 km; oil/gas/water 2

km (2007)

Ecuador

extra heavy crude oil 578 km; gas 71 km; oil 1,389 km;

refined products 1,185 km (2007)

Egypt

condensate 483 km; condensate/gas 74 km; gas 6,466 km; liquid

petroleum gas 957 km; oil 5,518 km; oil/gas/water 37 km; refined

products 895 km (2007)

Equatorial Guinea condensate 42 km; condensate/gas 5 km; gas 80 km; oil 54 km (2007)

Estonia

gas 859 km (2007)

Finland

gas 694 km (2007)

France

gas 14,665 km; oil 3,032 km; refined products 4,947 km (2007)

Gabon

gas 384 km; oil 1,427 km (2007)

Georgia

gas 1,591 km; oil 1,253 km (2007)

Germany

condensate 37 km; gas 25,094 km; oil 3,546 km; refined

products 3,828 km (2007)

Ghana

oil 13 km; refined products 316 km (2007)

Greece

gas 1,166 km; oil 94 km (2007)

Guatemala

oil 480 km (2007)

Hungary

gas 4,397 km; oil 990 km; refined products 335 km (2007)

India

condensate/gas 9 km; gas 7,488 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,861

km; oil 7,883 km; refined products 6,422 km (2007)

Indonesia

condensate 963 km; condensate/gas 81 km; gas 9,003 km; oil

7,471 km; oil/gas/water 77 km; refined products 1,365 km (2007)

Iran

condensate 7 km; condensate/gas 397 km; gas 19,161 km; liquid

petroleum gas 570 km; oil 8,438 km; refined products 7,936 km (2007)

Iraq

gas 2,250 km; liquid petroleum gas 918 km; oil 5,509 km;

refined products 1,637 km (2007)

Ireland

gas 1,855 km (2007)

Israel

gas 160 km; oil 442 km; refined products 261 km (2007)

Italy

gas 18,863 km; oil 1,258 km (2007)

Japan

gas 3,939 km; oil 170 km; oil/gas/water 104 km (2007)

Jordan

gas 426 km; oil 49 km (2007)

Kazakhstan

condensate 658 km; gas 11,082 km; oil 10,376 km; refined

products 1,095 km (2007)

Kenya

refined products 900 km (2007)

Korea, North

oil 154 km (2007)

Korea, South

gas 1,482 km; refined products 827 km (2007)

Kuwait

gas 269 km; oil 540 km; refined products 57 km (2007)

Kyrgyzstan

gas 254 km; oil 16 km (2007)

Laos

refined products 540 km (2007)

Latvia

gas 948 km; oil 82 km; refined products 415 km (2007)

Lebanon

gas 43 km (2007)

Libya

condensate 882 km; gas 3,425 km; oil 6,956 km (2007)

Liechtenstein

gas 20 km (2007)

Lithuania

gas 1,695 km; oil 228 km; refined products 121 km (2007)

Luxembourg

gas 155 km (2007)

Macedonia

gas 268 km; oil 120 km (2007)

Malaysia

condensate 282 km; gas 5,273 km; oil 1,750 km;

oil/gas/water 19 km; refined products 114 km (2007)

Mexico

gas 22,705 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,875 km; oil 8,688 km;

oil/gas/water 228 km; refined products 6,520 km (2006)

Moldova

gas 1,980 km (2007)

Morocco

gas 720 km; oil 439 km (2007)

Mozambique

gas 964 km; refined products 278 km (2007)

Netherlands

condensate 81 km; gas 7,394 km; oil 578 km; refined

products 716 km (2007)

New Zealand

condensate 331 km; gas 1,896 km; liquid petroleum gas

172 km; oil 288 km; refined products 260 km (2007)

Nicaragua

oil 54 km (2007)

Nigeria

condensate 124 km; gas 3,071 km; liquid petroleum gas 156

km; oil 4,347 km; refined products 3,949 km (2007)

Norway

condensate 508 km; gas 6,529 km; oil 2,444 km; oil/gas/water

457 km (2007)

Oman

gas 4,126 km; oil 3,558 km (2007)

Pakistan

gas 10,398 km; oil 2,076 km (2007)

Papua New Guinea

oil 264 km (2007)

Peru

gas 1,181 km; gas/liquid petroleum gas 61 km; liquid natural

gas 106 km; liquid petroleum gas 517 km; oil 1,749 km; refined

products 13 km (2007)

Philippines

gas 565 km; oil 135 km; refined products 105 km (2007)

Poland

gas 13,552 km; oil 1,384 km; refined products 777 km (2007)

Portugal

gas 1,098 km; oil 11 km; refined products 188 km (2007)

Qatar

condensate 322 km; condensate/gas 209 km; gas 1,970 km; liquid

petroleum gas 87 km; oil 741 km (2007)

Romania

gas 3,674 km; oil 2,424 km (2007)

Russia

condensate 122 km; gas 158,699 km; oil 72,347 km; refined

products 13,658 km (2007)

Saudi Arabia

condensate 212 km; gas 1,880 km; liquid petroleum gas

1,183 km; oil 4,521 km; refined products 1,148 km (2007)

Senegal

gas 43 km (2007)

Serbia

gas 1,921 km; oil 393 km (2007)

Singapore

gas 139 km; refined products 8 km (2007)

Slovakia

gas 6,769 km; oil 416 km (2007)

Slovenia

gas 840 km; oil 11 km (2007)

South Africa

condensate 100 km; gas 1,177 km; oil 992 km; refined

products 1,379 km (2007)

Spain

gas 7,858 km; oil 622 km; refined products 3,445 km (2007)

Sudan

gas 156 km; oil 4,070 km; refined products 1,613 km (2007)

Suriname

oil 50 km (2007)

Sweden

gas 798 km (2007)

Switzerland

gas 1,781 km; oil 94 km; refined products 7 km (2007)

Syria

gas 2,794 km; oil 2,000 km (2007)

Taiwan

condensate 25 km; gas 661 km (2007)

Tajikistan

gas 549 km; oil 38 km (2007)

Tanzania

gas 287 km; oil 891 km (2007)

Thailand

gas 4,381 km; refined products 320 km (2007)

Trinidad and Tobago condensate 245 km; gas 1,320 km; oil 563 km (2007)

Tunisia

gas 2,665 km; oil 1,235 km; refined products 353 km (2007)

Turkey

gas 7,511 km; oil 3,636 km (2007)

Turkmenistan

gas 6,441 km; oil 1,361 km (2007)

Ukraine

gas 33,721 km; oil 4,514 km; refined products 4,211 km (2007)

United Arab Emirates

condensate 520 km; gas 2,908 km; liquid

petroleum gas 300 km; oil 2,950 km; oil/gas/water 5 km; refined

products 156 km (2007)

United Kingdom

condensate 567 km; condensate/gas 22 km; gas 18,980

km; liquid petroleum gas 59 km; oil 4,930 km; oil/gas/water 165 km;

refined products 4,444 km (2007)

United States

petroleum products 244,620 km; natural gas 548,665 km

(2006)

Uruguay

gas 257 km; oil 160 km (2007)

Uzbekistan

gas 9,725 km; oil 868 km (2007)

Venezuela

extra heavy crude oil 992 km; gas 5,400 km; oil 7,607 km;

refined products 1,650 km; unknown (oil/water) 141 km (2007)

Vietnam

condensate/gas 432 km; gas 510 km; oil 49 km; refined

products 206 km (2007)

Yemen

gas 71 km; liquid petroleum gas 22 km; oil 1,309 km (2007)

Zambia

oil 771 km (2007)

Zimbabwe

refined products 270 km (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2118 Political parties and leaders

Afghanistan

Afghanistan Peoples' Treaty Party [Sayyed Amir TAHSEEN];

Afghanistan's Islamic Mission Organization [Abdul Rasoul SAYYAF];

Afghanistan's Islamic Nation Party [Toran Noor Aqa Ahmad ZAI];

Afghanistan's National Islamic Party [Rohullah LOUDIN];

Afghanistan's Welfare Party [Meer Asef ZAEEFI]; Afghan Social

Democratic Party [Anwarul Haq AHADI]; Afghan Society for the Call to

the Koran and Sunna [Mawlawee Samiullah NAJEEBEE]; Comprehensive

Movement of Democracy and Development of Afghanistan Party [Sher

Mohammad BAZGAR]; Democratic Party of Afghanistan [Tawos ARAB];

Democratic Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Kabir RANJBAR]; Elites People

of Afghanistan Party [Abdul Hamid JAWAD]; Freedom and Democracy

Movement of Afghanistan [Abdul Raqib Jawid KOHISTANEE]; Freedom

Party of Afghanistan [Ilaj Abdul MALEK]; Freedom Party of

Afghanistan [Dr. Ghulam Farooq NEJRABEE]; Hizullah-e-Afghanistan

[Qari Ahmad ALI]; Human Rights Protection and Development Party of

Afghanistan [Baryalai NASRATI]; Islamic Justice Party of Afghanistan

[Mohammad Kabir MARZBAN]; Islamic Movement of Afghanistan [Mohammad

Ali JAWID]; Islamic Movement of Afghanistan Party [Mohammad Mukhtar

MUFLEH]; Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Khalid FAROOQI];

Islamic Party of the Afghan Land [Mohammad Hassan FEROZKHEL];

Islamic People's Movement of Afghanistan [Ilhaj Said Hussain

ANWARY]; Islamic Society of Afghanistan [Ustad RABBANI]; Islamic

Unity of the Nation of Afghanistan Party [Qurban Ali URFANI];

Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Karim KHALILI]; Islamic

Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan [Ustad Mohammad MOHAQQEQ];

Labor and Progress of Afghanistan Party [Zulfiqar OMID]; Muslim

People of Afghanistan Party [Besmellah JOYAN]; Muslim Unity Movement

Party of Afghanistan [Wazir Mohammad WAHDAT]; National and Islamic

Sovereignty Movement Party of Afghanistan [Ahmad Shah AHMADZAI];

National Congress Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Latif PEDRAM];

National Country Party [Ghulam MOHAMMAD]; National Development Party

of Afghanistan [Dr. Aref BAKTASH]; National Freedom Seekers Party

[Abdul Hadi DABEER]; National Independence Party of Afghanistan [Taj

Mohammad WARDAK]; National Islamic Fighters Party of Afghanistan

[Amanat NINGARHAREE]; National Islamic Front of Afghanistan [Pir

Sayed Ahmad GAILANEE]; National Islamic Moderation Party of

Afghanistan [Qara Bik Eized YAAR]; National Islamic Movement of

Afghanistan [Sayed NOORULLAH]; National Islamic Unity Party of

Afghanistan [Mohammad AKBAREE]; National Movement of Afghanistan

[Ahmad Wali MASOOUD]; National Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Rashid

ARYAN]; National Patch of Afghanistan Party [Sayed Kamal SADAT];

National Peace Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Shah Mohammood Popal

ZAI]; National Peace & Islamic Party of the Tribes of Afghanistan

[Abdul Qaher SHARIATEE]; National Peace & Unity Party of Afghanistan

[Abdul Qader IMAMI]; National Prosperity and Islamic Party of

Afghanistan [Mohammad Osman SALEKZADA]; National Prosperity Party

[Mohammad Hassan JAHFAREE]; National Solidarity Movement of

Afghanistan [Pir Sayed Eshaq GAILANEE]; National Solidarity Party of

Afghanistan [Sayed Mansoor NADREEI]; National Sovereignty Party

[Sayed Mustafa KAZEMI]; National Stability Party [Mohammad Same

KHAROTI]; National Stance Party [Habibullah JANEBDAR]; National

Tribal Unity Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Shah KHOGYANI];

National United Front [Burhanuddin RABBANI] (a coalition); National

Unity Movement [Sultan Mohammad GHAZI]; National Unity Movement of

Afghanistan [Mohammad Nadir AATASH]; National Unity Party of

Afghanistan [Abdul Rashid JALILI]; New Afghanistan Party [Mohammad

Yunis QANUNI]; Peace and National Welfare Activists Society [Shamsul

Haq Noor SHAMS]; Peace Movement [Shahnawaz TANAI]; People's

Aspirations Party of Afghanistan [Ilhaj Saraj-u-din ZAFAREE];

People's Freedom Seekers Party of Afghanistan [Feda Mohammad EHSAS];

People's Liberal Freedom Seekers Party of Afghanistan [Ajmal

SUHAIL]; People's Message Party of Afghanistan [Noor Aqa WAINEE];

People's Movement of the National Unity of Afghanistan [Abdul Hakim

NOORZAI]; People's Party of Afghanistan [Ahmad Shah ASAR]; People's

Prosperity Party of Afghanistan [Ustad Mohammad ZAREEF]; People's

Sovereignty Movement of Afghanistan [Hayatullah SUBHANEE]; People's

Uprising Party of Afghanistan [Sayed Zahir Qayed Omul BELADI];

People's Welfare Party of Afghanistan [Mia Gul WASIQ]; People's

Welfare Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Zubair PAIROZ]; Progressive

Democratic Party of Afghanistan [Wali ARYA]; Republican Party

[Sebghatullah SANJAR]; Solidarity Party of Afghanistan [Abdul Khaleq

NEMAT]; The Afghanistan's Mujahid Nation's Islamic Unity Movement

[Saeedullah SAEED]; The People of Afghanistan's Democratic Movement

[Sharif NAZARI]; Tribes Solidarity Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad

Zarif NASERI]; Understanding and Democracy Party of Afghanistan

[Ahamad SHAHEEN]; United Afghanistan Party [Mohammad Wasil RAHIMEE];

United Islamic Party of Afghanistan [Wahidullah SABAWOON]; Young

Afghanistan's Islamic Organization [Sayed Jawad HUSSINEE]; Youth

Solidarity Party of Afghanistan [Mohammad Jamil KARZAI]; note -

includes only political parties approved by the Ministry of Justice

Albania

Agrarian Environmentalist Party or PAA [Lufter XHUVELI];

Christian Democratic Party or PDK [Nard NDOKA]; Communist Party of

Albania or PKSH [Hysni MILLOSHI]; Democratic Alliance Party or AD

[Neritan CEKA]; Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Legality

Movement Party or PLL [Ekrem SPAHIA]; Liberal Union Party or BLD

[Arjan STAROVA]; Movement for National Development or LZhK [Dashamir

SHEHI]; National Front Party (Balli Kombetar) or PBK [Artur ROSHI];

New Democratic Party or PDR [Genc POLLO]; Party of National Unity or

PUK [Idajet BEQIRI]; Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Social

Democracy Party of Albania or PDSSh [Paskal MILO]; Social Democratic

Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI]; Socialist Movement for Integration

or LSI [Ilir META]; Socialist Party or PS [Edi RAMA]; Union for

Human Rights Party or PBDNj [Vangjel DULE]

Algeria

Ahd 54 [Ali Fauzi REBAINE]; Algerian National Front or FNA

[Moussa TOUATI]; Islamic Salvation Front or FIS (outlawed April

1992) [Ali BELHADJ, Dr. Abassi MADANI, Rabeh KEBIR]; National

Democratic Rally (Rassemblement National Democratique) or RND [Ahmed

OUYAHIA]; National Entente Movement or MEN [Ali BOUKHAZNA]; National

Liberation Front or FLN [Abdelaziz BELKHADEM, secretary general];

National Reform Movement or Islah (formerly MRN) [Mohamed BOULAHIA];

National Renewal Party or PRA [Mohamed BENSMAIL]; Rally for Culture

and Democracy or RCD [Said SADI]; Renaissance Movement or EnNahda

Movement [Fatah RABEI]; Socialist Forces Front or FFS [Hocine Ait

AHMED]; Social Liberal Party or PSL [Ahmed KHELIL]; Society of Peace

Movement or MSP [Boudjerra SOLTANI]; Workers Party or PT [Louisa

HANOUNE]

note: a law banning political parties based on religion was enacted

in March 1997

American Samoa

Democratic Party [Oreta M. TOGAFAU]; Republican Party

[Tautai A. F. FAALEVAO]

Andorra

Andorran Democratic Center Party (formerly Democratic Party

or PD) and Century 21 or CDA and S21 [Enric TARRADO]; Liberal Party

of Andorra or PLA [Albert PINTAT SANTOLARIA] (formerly Liberal Union

or UL); Social Democratic Party or PS [Jaume BARTUMEU CASSANY]

(formerly part of National Democratic Group or AND)

Angola

Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Analia de Victoria PEREIRA];

National Front for the Liberation of Angola or FNLA [disputed

between Ngola KABANGU and Lucas NGONDA]; National Union for the

Total Independence of Angola or UNITA (largest opposition party)

[Isaias SAMAKUVA]; Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola or

MPLA (ruling party in power since 1975) [Jose Eduardo DOS SANTOS];

Social Renewal Party or PRS [Eduardo KUANGANA]

note: about a dozen minor parties participated in the 1992 elections

but only won a few seats; they and more than 100 other smaller

parties have little influence in the National Assembly

Anguilla

Anguilla United Front or AUF [Osbourne FLEMING, Victor

BANKS] (a coalition of the Anguilla Democratic Party or ADP and the

Anguilla National Alliance or ANA); Anguilla United Movement or AUM

[Hubert HUGHES]; Anguilla Progressive Party or APP [Roy ROGERS];

Anguilla Strategic Alternative or ANSA [Edison BAIRD]

Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua Labor Party or ALP [Lester Bryant BIRD];

Barbudans for a Better Barbuda [Ordrick SAMUEL]; Barbuda People's

Movement or BPM [Thomas H. FRANK]; Barbuda People's Movement for

Change [Arthur NIBBS]; United Progressive Party or UPP [Baldwin

SPENCER] (a coalition of three parties - Antigua Caribbean

Liberation Movement or ACLM, Progressive Labor Movement or PLM,

United National Democratic Party or UNDP)

Argentina

Coalicion Civica (a broad coalition loosely affiliated

with Elisa CARRIO); Front for Victory or FV (a broad coalition,

including elements of the UCR and numerous provincial parties)

[Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER]; Interbloque Federal or IF (a broad

coalition of approximately 12 parties including PRO); Justicialist

Front or FJ; Justicialist Party or PJ (Peronist umbrella political

organization); Radical Civic Union or UCR [Gerardo MORALES];

Republican Proposal or PRO (including Federal Recreate Movement or

RECREAR [Ricardo LOPEZ MURPHY] and Commitment for Change or CPC

[Mauricio MACRI]); Socialist Party or PS [Ruben GIUSTINIANI]; Union

For All [Patricia BULLRICH]; several provincial parties

Armenia

Armenian National Movement or ANM [Ararat ZURABYAN];

Armenian People's Party [Tigran KARAPETYAN]; Armenian Ramkavar

Azadagan Party Alliance or HRAK (includes former Dashink Party,

National Revival Party, and Ramkavar Liberal Party); Armenian

Revolutionary Federation ("Dashnak" Party) or ARF [Hrant MARKARYAN];

Heritage Party [Raffi HOVHANNISYAN]; National Democratic Party

[Shavarsh KOCHARIAN]; National Democratic Union or NDU [Vazgen

MANUKIAN]; National Unity Party [Artashes GEGHAMYAN]; People's Party

of Armenia [Stepan DEMIRCHYAN]; Prosperous Armenia [Gagik

TSAROUKYAN]; Republic Party [Aram SARKISYAN]; Republican Party of

Armenia or HHK [Serzh SARGSIAN]; Rule of Law Party (Orinats Yerkir)

[Artur BAGHDASARIAN]; Union of Constitutional Rights [Hrant

KHACHATURYAN]; United Labor Party [Gurgen ARSENYAN]

Aruba

Aliansa/Aruban Social Movement or MSA [Robert WEVER]; Aruban

Liberal Organization or OLA [Glenbert CROES]; Aruban Patriotic

Movement or MPA [Monica ARENDS-KOCK]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA

[Benny NISBET]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Mike EMAN]; People's

Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson O. ODUBER]; Real Democracy

or PDR [Andin BIKKER]; RED [Rudy LAMPE]; Workers Political Platform

or PTT [Gregorio WOLFF]

Australia

Australian Democrats [Lyn ALLISON]; Australian Greens [Bob

BROWN]; Australian Labor Party [Kevin RUDD]; Country Liberal Party

[Jodeen CARNEY]; Family First Party [Steve FIELDING]; Liberal Party

[Malcolm TURNBULL]; The Nationals [Warren TRUSS]

Austria

Alliance for the Future of Austria or BZOe [Stefan PETZNER];

Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wilhelm MOLTERER]; Freedom Party of

Austria or FPOe [Heinz Christian STRACHE]; Social Democratic Party

of Austria or SPOe [Werner FAYMANN]; The Greens [Alexander VAN DER

BELLEN]

Azerbaijan

Azadliq (Freedom) coalition (Popular Front Party, Liberal

Party, Citizens' Development Party); Azerbaijan Democratic Party or

ADP [Sardar JALALOGLU]; Azerbaijan Democratic Reforms Party (ADRP)

Youth Movement [Ramin HAJILI]; Azerbaijan Popular Front or APF, now

split in two [Ali KARIMLI, leader of "Reform" APF party; Mirmahmud

MIRALI-OGLU, leader of "Classic" APF party]; Azerbaijan Public Forum

[Eldar NAMAZOV]; Citizens' Development Party [Ali ALIYEV]; Civil

Solidarity Party or CSP [Sabir RUSTAMKHANLY]; Dalga Youth Movement

[Vafa JAFAROVA]; Green Party [Mais GULALIYEV and Tarana MAMMADOVA];

Hope (Umid) Party [Iqbal AGAZADE]; Ireli Youth Movement [Jeyhun

OSMANLI, Roya TALIBOVA, Farhad MAMMADOV, Elnara GARIBOVA, Elnur

MAMMADOV, Ziya ALIYEV]; Justice Party [Ilyas ISMAILOV]; Liberal

Party of Azerbaijan [Lala Shovkat HACIYEVA]; Magam Youth Movement

[Emin HUSEYNOV]; Motherland Party [Fazail AGAMALI]; Musavat

(Equality) [Isa GAMBAR, chairman]; Musavat Party Youth Movement

[Elnur MAMMADLI]; National Democratic Party or Grey Wolves

(Nationalist, Pan-Turkic) [Iskender HAMIDOV]; Open Society Party

[Rasul GULIYEV, in exile in the US]; Party for National Independence

of Azerbaijan or PNIA [Ayaz RUSTAMOV]; Popular Front Party Youth

Movement [Seymur KHAZIYEV]; Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan or

SDP [Araz ALIZADE and Ayaz MUTALIBOV (in exile)]; Turkish

Nationalist Party [Vugar BAYTURAN]; United Azerbaijan Party [Karrar

ABILOV]; United Azerbaijan National Unity Party [Hajibaba AZIMOV];

United Party [Tahir KARIMLI]; Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party [President

Ilham ALIYEV]; Yeni Azerbaijan Party Youth Movement [Ramil HASANOV];

Yox (No) Youth Movement [Ali ISMAYILOV]

note: opposition parties regularly factionalize and form new parties;

Bahamas, The

Free National Movement or FNM [Hubert INGRAHAM];

Progressive Liberal Party or PLP [Perry CHRISTIE]

Bahrain

political parties prohibited but political societies were

legalized per a July 2005 law

Bangladesh

Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist

Party or BCP [Manjurul A. KHAN]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP

[Khaleda ZIA]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI];

Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Matiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya

Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party

(Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]; Liberal Democratic Party or

LDP [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY and Oli AHMED]

Barbados

Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Mia MOTTLEY]; Democratic Labor

Party or DLP [David THOMPSON]; People's Empowerment Party or PEP

[David COMISSIONG]

Belarus

pro-government parties: Agrarian Party or AP [Mikhail

SHIMANSKY]; Belarusian Communist Party or KPB; Belarusian Patriotic

Movement (Belarusian Patriotic Party) or BPR [Nikolay ULAKHOVICH,

chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus [Sergey GAYDUKEVICH];

Party of Labor and Justice [Viktor SOKOLOV]; Social-Sports Party

[Vladimir ALEXANDROVICH]

opposition parties: Belarusian Christian Democracy Party

(unregistered) [Pavel SEVERINETS]; Belarusian Party of Communists or

PKB [Sergey KALYAKIN]; Belarusian Party of Labor (unregistered)

[Aleksandr BUKHVOSTOV, Leonid LEMESHONAK]; Belarusian Popular Front

or BPF [Vintsyuk VYACHORKA]; Belarusian Social-Democratic Gramada

[Stanislav SHUSHKEVICH]; Belarusian Social Democratic Party Hramada

(People's Assembly) or BSDPH [Aleksandr KOZULIN; Anatoliy LEVKOVICH,

acting]; Green Party [Oleg GROMYKO]; Party of Freedom and Progress

(unregistered) [Vladimir NOVOSYAD]; United Civic Party or UCP

[Anatoliy LEBEDKO]; Women's Party "Nadezhda" [Valentina MATUSEVICH,

chairperson]

other opposition includes: Christian Conservative BPF [Zyanon

PAZNIAK]; Ecological Party of Greens [Mikhail KARTASH]; Party of

Popular Accord [Sergey YERMAKK]; Republican Party [Vladimir BELAZOR]

Belgium

Flemish parties: Christian Democratic and Flemish or CDV

[Marianne THYSSEN]; Dedecker List [Jean-Marie DEDECKER]; Flemish

Liberals and Democrats or Open VLD [Bart SOMERS]; Groen! [Mieke

VOGELS] (formerly AGALEV, Flemish Greens); New Flemish Alliance or

N-VA [Bart DE WEVER]; Social Progressive Alternative or SP.A

[Caroline GENNEZ]; VlaamsProgressieven (Flemish Progressives) or VP

[Bettina GEYSEN] - formerly Spirit; Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest)

or VB [Bruno VALKENIERS]

Francophone parties: Ecolo (Francophone Greens) [Jean-Michel JAVAUX,

Isabelle DURANT, Claude BROUIR]; Humanist and Democratic Center or

CDH [Joelle MILQUET]; National Front or FN [Daniel HUYGENS]; Reform

Movement or MR [Didier REYNDERS]; Socialist Party or PS [Elio DI

RUPO]; other minor parties

Belize

National Alliance for Belizean Rights or NABR; National

Reform Party or NRP [Cornelius DUECK]; People's National Party or

PNP [Wil MAHEIA]; People's United Party or PUP [Said MUSA]; United

Democratic Party or UDP [Dean BARROW]; Vision Inspired by the People

or VIP [Paul MORGAN]; We the People Reform Movement or WTP [Hipolito

BAUTISTA]

Benin

Alliance for Dynamic Democracy or ADD; Alliance of Progress

Forces or AFP; African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP

[Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Benin Renaissance or RB [Rosine SOGLO];

Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Force Cowrie

for an Emerging Benin or FCBE; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or

IPD [Theophile NATA]; Key Force or FC [Lazare SÈHOUÉTO]; Movement

for the People's Alternative or MAP [Olivier CAPO-CHICHI]; Rally for

Democracy and Progress or RDP [Dominique HOUNGNINOU]; Social

Democrat Party or PSD [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Union for the Relief or UPR

[Issa SALIFOU]; Union for Democracy and National Solidarity or UDS

[Sacca LAFIA]

note: approximately 20 additional minor parties

Bermuda

Progressive Labor Party or PLP [Ewart BROWN]; United Bermuda

Party or UBP [Kim SWAN]

Bhutan

Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party (Druk Phuensum Tshogpa) or

DPT [Jigme THINLEY]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Sangay NGEDUP]

Bolivia

Free Bolivia Movement or MBL [Franz BARRIOS]; Movement

Toward Socialism or MAS [Juan Evo MORALES Ayma]; Movement Without

Fear or MSM [Juan DEL GRANADO]; National Revolutionary Movement or

MNR [Mirta QUEVEDO]; National Unity [Samuel DORIA MEDINA Arana];

Poder Democratico Nacional or PODEMOS [Jorge Fernando QUIROGA

Ramirez]; Social Alliance [Rene JOAQUINO]

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Alliance of Independent Social Democrats or

SNSD [Milorad DODIK]; Bosnian Party or BOSS [Mirnes AJANOVIC]; Civic

Democratic Party or GDS [Ibrahim SPAHIC]; Croat Christian Democratic

Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina or HKDU [Marin TOPIC]; Croat Party

of Rights or HSP [Zvonko JURISIC]; Croat Peasants Party or HSS

[Marko TADIC]; Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina

or HDZ-BH [Dragan COVIC]; Croatian Democratic Union 1990 or HDZ1990

[Bozo LJUBIC]; Croatian Democratic Union 100 or HDZ100; Croatian

Peoples Union [Milenko BRKIC]; Democratic National Union or DNZ

[Rifet DOLIC]; Democratic Peoples Alliance or DNS [Marko PAVIC];

Liberal Democratic Party or LDS [Rasim KADIC]; New Croat Initiative

or NHI [Kresimir ZUBAK]; Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina or SBH

[Haris SILAJDZIC]; Party for Democratic Action or SDA [Sulejman

TIHIC]; Party of Democratic Progress or PDP [Mladen IVANIC]; Serb

Democratic Party or SDS [Mladen BOSIC]; Serb Radical Party of the

Republika Srpska or SRS-RS [Milanko MIHAJLICA]; Serb Radical

Party-Dr. Vojislav Seselj or SRS-VS [Radislav KANJERIC]; Social

Democratic Party of BIH or SDP [Zlatko LAGUMDZIJA]; Social

Democratic Union or SDU [Sejfudin TOKIC]; Socialist Party of

Republika Srpska or SPRS [Petar DJOKIC]

Botswana

Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Ephraim Lepetu

SETSHWAELO]; Botswana Congress Party or BCP [Otlaadisa KOOSALETSE];

Botswana Democratic Party or BDP [Festus G. MOGAE]; Botswana

National Front or BNF [Otswoletse MOUPO]; Botswana Peoples Party or

BPP; MELS Movement of Botswana or MELS; New Democratic Front or NDF

note: a number of minor parties joined forces in 1999 to form the

BAM but did not capture any parliamentary seats - includes the

United Action Party [Ephraim Lepetu SETSHWAELO]; the Independence

Freedom Party or IFP [Motsamai MPHO]; the Botswana Progressive Union

[D. K. KWELE]

Brazil

Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or PMDB [Federal Deputy

Michel TEMER]; Brazilian Labor Party or PTB [Roberto JEFFERSON];

Brazilian Renewal Labor Party or PRTB [Jose Levy FIDELIX da Cruz];

Brazilian Republican Party or PRB [Vitor Paulo Araujo DOS SANTOS];

Brazilian Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Senator Sergio GUERRA];

Brazilian Socialist Party or PSB [Governor Eduardo Henrique Accioly

CAMPOS]; Christian Labor Party or PTC [Daniel TOURINHO]; Communist

Party of Brazil or PCdoB [Jose Renato RABELO]; Democratic Labor

Party or PDT [Carlos Roberto LUPI]; the Democrats or DEM (formerly

Liberal Front Party or PFL) [Federal Deputy Rodrigo MAIA]; Freedom

and Socialism Party or PSOL [Heloisa HELENA]; Green Party or PV

[Jose Luiz de Franca PENNA]; Humanist Party of Solidarity or PHS

[Paulo Roberto MATOS]; Labor Party of Brazil or PTdoB [Luis Henrique

de Oliveira RESENDE]; Liberal Front Party or PFL (now known as the

Democrats or DEM); National Mobilization Party or PMN [Oscar Noronha

FILHO]; Party of the Republic or PR [Sergio TAMER]; Popular

Socialist Party or PPS [Federal Deputy Fernando CORUJA]; Progressive

Party or PP [Francisco DORNELLES]; Social Christian Party or PSC

[Vitor Jorge Abdala NOSSEIS]; Workers' Party or PT [Ricardo Jose

Ribeiro BERZOINI]

British Virgin Islands

Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn

SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United

Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T.

O'NEAL]

Brunei

National Development Party or NDP [YASSIN Affendi]

note: Brunei National Solidarity Party or PPKB [Abdul LATIF bin

Chuchu] and People's Awareness Party or PAKAR [Awang Haji MAIDIN bin

Haji Ahmad] were deregistered; parties are small and have limited

activity

Bulgaria

ATAKA (Attack Coalition) (coalition of parties headed by

the Attack National Union); Attack National Union [Volen SIDEROV];

Bulgarian Agrarian National Union-People's Union or BANU [Anastasia

MOZER]; Bulgarian New Democracy [Borislav RALCHEV]; Bulgarian

People's Union or BPU (coalition of UFD, IMRO, and BANU); Bulgarian

Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV]; Citizens for the European

Development of Bulgaria or GERB [Tsvetan TSVETANOV]; Coalition for

Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of parties dominated by BSP) [Sergei

STANISHEV]; Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Ivan KOSTOV];

Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or IMRO [Krasimir

KARAKACHANOV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed

DOGAN]; National Movement for Stability and Progress or NMSS [Simeon

SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA] (formerly National Movement Simeon II or NMS2);

New Time [Emil KOSHLUKOV]; Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Petar

STOYANOV]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan SOFIYANSKI];

United Democratic Forces or UtDF (a coalition of center-right

parties dominated by UDF)

Burkina Faso

African Democratic Rally-Alliance for Democracy and

Federation or ADF-RDA [Gilbert OUEDRAOGO]; Citizen's Popular Rally

or RPC [Antoine QUARE]; Coalition of Democratic Forces of Burkina or

CFD-B [Amadou Diemdioda DICKO]; Congress for Democracy and Progress

or CDP [Roch Marc-Christian KABORE]; Movement for Tolerance and

Progress or MTP [Nayabtigungou Congo KABORE]; Party for African

Independence or PAI [Philippe OUEDRAOGO]; Party for Democracy and

Progress/Socialist Party or PDP/PS [Ali LANKOANDE]; Party for

Democracy and Socialism or PDS [Felix SOUBEIGA]; Party for National

Rebirth or PAREN [Oumar DJIGUIMDE]; Rally for the Development of

Burkina or RDB [Antoine KARGOUGOU]; Rally of Ecologists of Burkina

Faso or RDEB [Ram OUEDRAGO]; Republican Party for Integration and

Solidarity or PARIS [Cyril GOUNGOUNGA]; Union for Democracy and

Social Progress or UDPS [Fidele HIEN]; Union for Rebirth - Sankarist

Movement or UNIR-MS [Benewende STANISLAS]; Union for the Republic or

UPR [Toussaint Abel COULIBALY]; Union of Sankarist Parties or UPS

[Ernest Nongma OUEDRAOGO]

Burma

National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE, AUNG SAN SUU

KYI]; National Unity Party or NUP (pro-regime) [TUN YE]; Shan

Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [HKUN HTUN OO]; and other

smaller parties

Burundi

governing parties: Burundi Democratic Front or FRODEBU

[Leonce NGENDAKUMANA]; National Council for the Defense of Democracy

- Front for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD-FDD [Jeremie

NGENDAKUMANA]; Unity for National Progress or UPRONA [Aloys RUBUKA]

note: a multiparty system was introduced after 1998, included are:

National Council for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD [Leonard

NYANGOMA]; National Resistance Movement for the Rehabilitation of

the Citizen or MRC-Rurenzangemero [Epitace BANYAGANAKANDI]; Party

for National Redress or PARENA [Jean-Baptiste BAGAZA]

Cambodia

Cambodian People's Party or CPP [CHEA SIM]; National United

Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative

Cambodia or FUNCINPEC [KEV PUT REAKSMEI]; Norodom Ranariddh Party or

NRP [Norodom RANARIDDH]; Sam Rangsi Party or SRP [SAM RANGSI]

Cameroon

Cameroonian Democratic Union or UDC [Adamou Ndam NJOYA];

Cameroon People's Democratic Movement or RDPC [Paul BIYA]; Movement

for the Defense of the Republic or MDR [Dakole DAISSALA]; Movement

for the Liberation and Development of Cameroon or MLDC [Marcel

YONDO]; National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Maigari

BELLO BOUBA]; Progressive Movement or MP; Social Democratic Front or

SDF [John FRU NDI]; Union of Peoples of Cameroon or UPC [Augustin

Frederic KODOCK]

Canada

Bloc Quebecois [Gilles DUCEPPE]; Conservative Party of Canada

[Stephen HARPER] (a merger of the Canadian Alliance and the

Progressive Conservative Party); Green Party [Elizabeth MAY];

Liberal Party [Stephane DION]; New Democratic Party [Jack LAYTON]

Cape Verde

African Party for Independence of Cape Verde or PAICV

[Jose Maria Pereira NEVES, chairman]; Democratic Alliance for Change

or ADM [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO] (a coalition of PCD, PTS, and UCID);

Democratic Christian Party or PDC [Manuel RODRIGUES]; Democratic

Renovation Party or PRD [Victor FIDALGO]; Democratic and Independent

Cape Verdean Union or UCID [Antonio MONTEIRO]; Movement for

Democracy or MPD [Agostinho LOPES]; Party for Democratic Convergence

or PCD [Dr. Eurico MONTEIRO]; Party of Work and Solidarity or PTS

[Isaias RODRIGUES]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Joao ALEM]

Cayman Islands

United Democratic Party or UDP [McKeeva BUSH];

People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Kurt TIBBETTS]; note - no

national teams (loose groupings of political organizations) were

formed for the 2000 elections

Central African Republic

Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP

[Jacques MBOLIEDAS]; Central African Democratic Rally or RDC [Andre

KOLINGBA]; Civic Forum or FC [Gen. Timothee MALENDOMA]; Democratic

Forum for Modernity or FODEM [Charles MASSI]; Liberal Democratic

Party or PLD [Nestor KOMBO-NAGUEMON]; Londo Association or LONDO;

Movement for Democracy and Development or MDD [David DACKO];

Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People or MLPC

[Ange-Felix PATASSE] (the party of deposed president); National

Convergence or KNK; Patriotic Front for Progress or FPP [Abel

GOUMBA]; People's Union for the Republic or UPR [Pierre Sammy

MAKFOY]; National Unity Party or PUN [Jean-Paul NGOUPANDE]; Social

Democratic Party or PSD [Enoch LAKOUE]

Chad

Federation Action for the Republic or FAR [Ngarledjy YORONGAR];

National Rally for Development and Progress or RNDP [Delwa Kassire

KOUMAKOYE]; National Union for Democracy and Renewal or UNDR [Saleh

KEBZABO]; Party for Liberty and Development or PLD [Ibni Oumar

Mahamat SALEH]; Patriotic Salvation Movement or MPS [Mahamat Saleh

AHMAT, chairman]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Lol

Mahamat CHOUA]; Union for Renewal and Democracy or URD [Gen. Wadal

Abdelkader KAMOUGUE]

Chile

Alliance for Chile (Alianza) or APC (including National

Renewal or RN [Carlos LARRAIN Pena] and Independent Democratic Union

or UDI [Hernan LARRAIN Fernandez]); Coalition of Parties for

Democracy (Concertacion) or CPD (including Christian Democratic

Party or PDC [Soledad ALVEAR], Socialist Party or PS [Camilo

ESCALONA Medina], Party for Democracy or PPD [Sergio BITAR Chacra],

Radical Social Democratic Party or PRSD [Jose Antonio GOMEZ

Urrutia]); Communist Party or PC [Guillermo TEILLIER]; Humanist

Party [Marilen CABRERA Olmos]

China

Chinese Communist Party or CCP [HU Jintao]; eight registered

small parties controlled by CCP

Christmas Island

none

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

none

Colombia

Colombian Conservative Party or PC [Efrain Jose CEPEDA

Sarabia]; Alternative Democratic Pole or PDA [Carlos GAVIRIA Diaz];

Liberal Party or PL [Cesar GAVIRIA Trujillo]; Radical Change or CR

[German VARGAS Lleras]; Social National Unity Party or U Party

[Carlos GARCIA Orjuela]

note: Colombia has 15 formally recognized political parties, and

numerous unofficial parties that did not meet the vote threshold in

the March 2006 legislative elections required for recognition

Comoros

Convention for the Renewal of the Comoros or CRC [AZALI

Assowmani]; Camp of the Autonomous Islands or CdIA (a coalition of

parties organized by the islands' presidents in opposition to the

Union President); Front National pour la Justice or FNJ [Ahmed

RACHID] (Islamic party in opposition); Mouvement pour la Democratie

et le Progress or MDP-NGDC [Abbas DJOUSSOUF]; Parti Comorien pour la

Democratie et le Progress or PCDP [Ali MROUDJAE]; Rassemblement

National pour le Development or RND [Omar TAMOU, Abdoulhamid

AFFRAITANE]

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Christian Democrat Party or PDC

[Jose ENDUNDO]; Congolese Rally for Democracy or RCD [Azarias

RUBERWA]; Convention of Christian Democrats or CDC; Forces of

Renewal or FR [Mbusa NYAMWISI]; Movement for the Liberation of the

Congo or MLC [Jean-Pierre BEMBA]; People's Party for Reconstruction

and Democracy or PPRD [Joseph KABILA]; Social Movement for Renewal

or MSR [Pierre LUMBI]; Unified Lumumbist Party or PALU [Antoine

GIZENGA]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Etienne

TSHISEKEDI]; Union of Mobutuist Democrats or UDEMO [MOBUTU Nzanga]

Congo, Republic of the

Action Movement for Renewal or MAR; Congolese

Movement for Democracy and Integral Development or MCDDI [Michel

MAMPOUYA]; Congolese Labour Party or PCT; Movement for Solidarity

and Development or MSD; Pan-African Union for Social Development or

UPADS [Martin MBERI]; Rally for Democracy and Social Progress or

RDPS [Jean-Pierre Thystere TCHICAYA, president]; Rally for Democracy

and the Republic or RDR [Raymond Damasge NGOLLO]; Union for

Democracy and Republic or UDR; United Democratic Forces or FDU

[Sebastian EBAO]; many less important parties

Cook Islands

Cook Islands Party or CIP [Henry PUNA]; Democratic

Party or Demo [Dr. Terepai MAOATE]

Costa Rica

Authentic Member from Heredia [Jose SALAS]; Citizen

Action Party or PAC [Epsy CAMPBELL Barr]; Costa Rican Renovation

Party or PRC [Gerardo Justo OROZCO Alvarez]; Democratic Force Party

or PFD [Marco NUNEZ Gonzalez]; General Union Party or PUGEN [Carlos

Alberto FERNANDEZ Vega]; Homeland First or PP [Juan Jose VARGAS

Fallas]; Independent Worker Party or PIO [Jose Alberto CUBERO

Carmona]; Libertarian Movement Party or PML [Otto GUEVARA Guth];

National Christian Alliance Party or ANC [Juan Carlos CHAVEZ Mora];

National Integration Party or PIN [Walter MUNOZ Cespedes]; National

Liberation Party or PLN [Francisco Antonio PACHECO Fernandez];

National Patriotic Party or PPN [Daniel Enrique REYNOLDS Vargas];

National Restoration Party or PRN [Fabio Enrique DELGADO Hernandez];

National Union Party or PUN [Arturo ACOSTA Mora]; Nationalist

Democratic Alliance or ADN [Jose Miguel VILLALOBOS Umana]; Patriotic

Union or UP [Jose Miguel CORRALES Bolanos]; Social Christian Unity

Party or PUSC [Luis FISHMAN Zonzinski]; Union for Change Party or

UPC [Antonio ALVAREZ Desanti]; United Leftist Coalition or IU

[Humberto VARGAS Carbonel]

Cote d'Ivoire

Citizen's Democratic Union or UDCY [Theodore MEL EG];

Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire or PDCI [Henri Konan BEDIE];

Ivorian Popular Front or FPI [Pascale Affi N'GUESSAN]; Ivorian

Worker's Party or PIT [Francis WODIE]; Opposition Movement of the

Future or MFA [Innocent Augustin ANAKY]; Rally of the Republicans or

RDR [Alassane OUATTARA]; Union for Democracy and Peace in Cote

d'Ivoire or UDPCI [Toikeuse MABRI]; over 144 smaller registered

parties

Croatia

Croatian Democratic Congress of Slavonia and Baranja or

HDSSB [Vladimir SISLJAGIC]; Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ [Ivo

SANADER]; Croatian Party of the Right or HSP [Anto DJAPIC]; Croatian

Peasant Party or HSS [Josip FRISCIC]; Croatian Pensioner Party or

HSU [Vladimir JORDAN]; Croatian People's Party or HNS [Vesna PUSIC];

Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS [Djurdja ADLESIC]; Independent

Democratic Serb Party or SDSS [Vojislav STANIMIROVIC]; Istrian

Democratic Assembly or IDS [Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Social Democratic Party

of Croatia or SDP [Zoran MILANOVIC]

Cuba

Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary]

Cyprus

area under government control: Democratic Party or DIKO

[Marios KAROYIAN]; Democratic Rally or DISY [Nikos ANASTASIADHIS];

European Democracy or EURO.DI [Prodromos PRODROMOU] (evolved from

For Europe which merged with New Horizons); European Party or

EURO.KO [Demetris SYLLOURIS]; Fighting Democratic Movement or ADIK

[Dinos MIKHAILIDIS]; Green Party of Cyprus [George PERDIKIS];

Movement for Social Democrats or EDEK [Yannakis OMIROU]; Political

Movement of Hunters [Michalis PAFITANIS]; Progressive Party of the

Working People or AKEL (Communist Party) [Dimitris CHRISTOFIAS];

United Democrats or EDI [Michalis PAPAPETROU]

area administered by Turkish Cypriots: Communal Liberation Party or

TKP [Huseyin ANGOLEMLI]; Cyprus Socialist Party or KSP [Kazim

ONGEN]; Democratic Party or DP [Serder DENKTASH]; Freedom and Reform

Party or OP [Turgay AVCI]; National Unity Party or UBP [Tahsin

ERTUGRULOGLU]; Nationalist Justice Party or MAP [Ata TEPE]; New

Party or YP [Huseyin TURAN]; Our Party or BP [Okyay SADIKOGLU];

Patriotic Unity Movement or YBH [Oguz OZEN]; Peace and Democratic

Movement or BDH [Mustafa AKINCI]; Renewal Progress Party or YAP

[Ertugrul HASIPOGLU]; Republican Turkish Party or CTP [Ferdi Sabit

SOYER]; United Cyprus Party or BKP [Isset IZCAN]

Czech Republic

Association of Independent Candidates-European

Democrats or SNK-ED [Helmut DOHNALEK]; Christian Democratic

Union-Czechoslovak People's Party or KDU-CSL [Jiri CUNEK]; Civic

Democratic Party or ODS [Mirek TOPOLANEK]; Communist Party of

Bohemia and Moravia or KSCM [Vojtech FILIP]; Czech Social Democratic

Party or CSSD [Jiri PAROUBEK]; Union of Freedom-Democratic Union or

US-DEU [Jan CERNY]; Green Party [Martin BURSIK]; Independent

Democrats (NEZDEM) [Vladimir ZELEZNY]; Party of Open Society (SOS)

[Pavel NOVACEK]; Path of Change [Jiri LOBKOWITZ]

Denmark

Christian Democrats [Bjarne Hartung KIRKEGAARD] (was

Christian People's Party); Conservative Party [Bendt BENDTSEN]

(sometimes known as Conservative People's Party); Danish People's

Party [Pia KJAERSGAARD]; Liberal Party [Anders Fogh RASMUSSEN]; New

Alliance [Naser KHADER]; Red-Green Unity List (Alliance) [collective

leadership] (bloc includes Left Socialist Party, Communist Party of

Denmark, Socialist Workers' Party); Social Democratic Party [Helle

THORNING-SCHMIDT]; Social Liberal Party [Margrethe VESTAGER];

Socialist People's Party [Villy SOEVNDAL]

Djibouti

Democratic National Party or PND [ADEN Robleh Awaleh];

Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Abdillahi HAMARITEH]; Djibouti

Development Party or PDD [Mohamed Daoud CHEHEM]; Front pour la

Restauration de l'Unite Democratique or FRUD [Ali Mohamed DAOUD];

People's Progress Assembly or RPP [Ismail Omar GUELLEH] (governing

party); Peoples Social Democratic Party or PPSD [Moumin Bahdon

FARAH]; Republican Alliance for Democracy or ARD; Union for a

Presidential Majority or UMP (a coalition of parties including RPP,

FRUD, PND, and PPSD); Union for Democracy and Justice or UDJ

Dominica

Dominica Freedom Party or DFP [Charles SAVARIN]; Dominica

Labor Party or DLP [Roosevelt SKERRIT]; Dominica United Workers

Party or UWP [Earl WILLIAMS]

Dominican Republic

Dominican Liberation Party or PLD [Leonel

FERNANDEZ Reyna]; Dominican Revolutionary Party or PRD [Ramon

ALBURQUERQUE]; National Progressive Front [Vincent CASTILLO,

Pelegrin CASTILLO]; Social Christian Reformist Party or PRSC

[Enrique ANTUN]

Ecuador

Alianza PAIS Movement [Rafael Vicente CORREA Delgado];

Christian Democratic Union or UDC [Diego ORDONEZ Guerrero];

Democratic Left or ID [Andres PAEZ Benalcazar]; Ethical and

Democratic Network or RED [Leon ROLDOS]; Institutional Renewal and

National Action Party or PRIAN [Alvaro NOBOA]; Pachakutik

Plurinational Unity Movement - New Country or MUPP-NP [Jorge

GUAMAN]; Patriotic Society Party or PSP [Lucio GUTIERREZ Borbua];

Popular Democratic Movement or MPD [Ciro GUZMAN Aldaz]; Roldosist

Party or PRE [Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz, director]; Social Christian

Party or PSC [Pascual DEL CIOPPO]; Socialist Party - Broad Front or

PS-FA [Gustavo AYALA Cruz]

Egypt

National Democratic Party or NDP (governing party) [Mohamed

Hosni MUBARAK]; National Progressive Unionist Grouping or Tagammu

[Rifaat EL-SAID]; New Wafd Party or NWP [Mahmoud ABAZA]; Tomorrow

Party [Moussa Mustafa MOUSSA]

note: formation of political parties must be approved by the

government; only parties with representation in elected bodies are

listed

El Salvador

Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Rodolfo PARKER];

Democratic Convergence or CD [Ruben ZAMORA] (formerly United

Democratic Center or CDU); Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front

or FMLN [Medardo GONZALEZ]; National Conciliation Party or PCN [Ciro

CRUZ ZEPEDA]; National Republican Alliance or ARENA [Elias Antonio

SACA Gonzalez]; Popular Social Christian Party or PPSC [Rene

AGUILUZ]; Revolutionary Democratic Front or FDR [Julio Cesar

HERNANDEZ Carcamo]

Equatorial Guinea

Convergence Party for Social Democracy or CPDS

[Placido MICO Abogo]; Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE

(ruling party) [Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO]; Party for Progress

of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo MOTO]; Popular Action of

Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Avelino MOCACHE]; Popular Union or UP

Eritrea

People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ [ISAIAS

Afworki] (the only party recognized by the government); note - a

National Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in

January 2001, but the full National Assembly has yet to debate or

vote on it

Estonia

Center Party of Estonia (Keskerakond) [Edgar SAVISAAR];

Estonian Greens (Rohelised) [Marek STRANDBERG]; Estonian People's

Union (Rahvaliit) [Villu REILJAN]; Estonian Reform Party

(Reformierakond) [Andrus ANSIP]; Estonian United Russian People's

Party or EUVRP [Yevgeniy TOMBERG]; Social Democratic Party (formerly

People's Party Moodukad or Moderates) [Ivari PADAR]; Union of Pro

Patria and Res Publica (Isamaa je Res Publica Liit) [Mart LAAR]

Ethiopia

Afar National Democratic Party or ANDP; Benishangul Gumuz

People's Democratic Unity Front or BGPDUF [Mulualem BESSE];

Coalition for Unity and Democratic Party or CUDP [AYELE Chamisso]

(awarded to AYELE by the National Electoral Board on 11 January

2008, but AYELE has virtually no support among former CUD MPs, other

CUD MPs must now be affiliated with their original CUD-precursor

parties); Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front or EPRDF

[MELES Zenawi] (an alliance of Amhara National Democratic Movement

or ANDM, Oromo People's Democratic Organization or OPDO, the South

Ethiopian People's Democratic Front or SEPDF, and Tigrayan Peoples'

Liberation Front or TPLF); Gurage Nationalities' Democratic Movement

or GNDM; Oromo Federalist Democratic Movement or OFDM [BULCHA

Demeksa]; Omoro People's Congress or OPC [IMERERA Gudina]; Somali

People's Democratic Party or SPDP; United Ethiopian Democratic

Forces or UEDF [BEYENE Petros]

European Union

Confederal Group of the European United Left-Nordic

Green Left or EUL/NGL [Francis WURTZ]; European People's

Party-European Democrats or EPP-ED [Joseph DAUL]; Group of the

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe or ALDE [Graham R.

WATSON]; Group of Greens/European Free Alliance or Greens/EFA

[Monica FRASSONI and Daniel Marc COHN-BENDIT]; Identity, Tradition,

Sovereignty Group or ITS [Bruno GOLLNISCH]; Independence/Democracy

Group or IND/DEM [Jens-Peter BONDE and Nigel FARAGE]; Socialist

Group in the European Parliament or PES [Martin SCHULZ]; Union for

Europe of the Nations Group or UEN [Brian CROWLEY and Cristiana

MUSCARDINI]

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

none; all independents

Faroe Islands

Center Party [Jenis A. RANA]; Independence Party [Kari

P. HOJGAARD]; People's Party [Jorgen NICLASEN]; Republican Party

[Hogni HOYDAL]; Social Democratic Party [Joannes EIDESGAARD]; Union

Party [Kaj Leo JOHANNESEN]

Fiji

Dodonu Ni Taukei Party or DNT [Fereti S. DEWA]; Fiji Democratic

Party or FDP [Filipe BOLE] (a merger of the Christian Democrat

Alliance or VLV [Poesci Waqalevu BUNE], Fijian Association Party or

FAP, Fijian Political Party or SVT (primarily Fijian) [Sitiveni

RABUKA], and New Labor Unity Party or NLUP [Ofa SWANN]); Fiji Labor

Party or FLP [Mahendra CHAUDHRY]; General Voters Party or GVP

(became part of United General Party); Girmit Heritage Party or GHP;

Justice and Freedom Party or AIM; Lio 'On Famor Rotuma Party or LFR;

National Federation Party or NFP (primarily Indian) [Pramond RAE];

Nationalist Vanua Takolavo Party or NVTLP [Saula TELAWA]; Party of

National Unity or PANU [Ponipate LESAVUA]; Party of the Truth or

POTT; United Fiji Party/Sogosogo Duavata ni Lewenivanua or SDL

[Laisenia QARASE]; United Peoples Party or UPP [Millis Mick BEDDOES]

Finland

Center Party or Kesk [Matti VANHANEN]; Christian Democrats

or KD [Paivi RASANEN]; Green Party or VIHR [Tarja CRONBERG]; Left

Alliance or VAS [Martti KORHONEN] (composed of People's Democratic

League and Democratic Alternative); National Coalition

(conservative) Party or Kok [Jyrki KATAINEN]; Social Democratic

Party or SDP [Eero HEINALUOMA]; Swedish People's Party or SFP

[Stefan WALLIN]; True Finns [Timo SOINI]

France

Democratic Movement or MoDem [Francois BAYROU] (previously

Union for French Democracy or UDF); Democratic and Social European

Rally or RDSE [Pierre LAFFITTE] (mainly Radical Republican and

Socialist Parties, and PRG); French Communist Party or PCF

[Marie-George BUFFET]; Greens [Cecile DUFLOT]; Left Radical Party or

PRG [Jean-Michel BAYLET] (previously Radical Socialist Party or PRS

and the Left Radical Movement or MRG); Movement for France or MPF

[Philippe DE VILLIERS]; National Front or FN [Jean-Marie LE PEN];

New Center or NC [Herve MORIN]; Rally for France or RPF [Charles

PASQUA]; Republican and Citizen Movement or MRC [Jean Pierre

CHEVENEMENT and Georges SARRE]; Socialist Party or PS [Francois

HOLLANDE]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [Patrick DEVEDJIAN,

Jean-Claude GAUDIN, Jean-Pierre RAFFARIN, Pierre MEHAIGNERIE];

Radical Party [Jean-Louis BORLOO]

French Polynesia

Alliance for a New Democracy or ADN [Nicole BOUTEAU

and Philip SCHYLE](includes the parties The New Star and This

Country is Yours); Independent Front for the Liberation of Polynesia

(Tavini Huiraatira) [Oscar TEMARU]; New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api)

[Emile VERNAUDON]; Our Home alliance; People's Rally for the

Republic of Polynesia or RPR (Tahoeraa Huiraatira) [Gaston FLOSSE];

Union for Democracy alliance or UPD [Oscar TEMARU]

Gabon

Circle of Liberal Reformers or CLR [General Jean Boniface

ASSELE]; Congress for Democracy and Justice or CDJ [Jules Aristide

Bourdes OGOULIGUENDE]; Democratic and Republican Alliance or ADERE

[Divungui-di-Ndinge DIDJOB]; Gabonese Democratic Party or PDG

(former sole party) [Simplice Nguedet MANZELA]; Gabonese Party for

Progress or PGP [Benoit Mouity NZAMBA]; Gabonese Union for Democracy

and Development or UGDD [Zacherie MYBOTO]; National Rally of

Woodcutters or RNB; National Rally of Woodcutters-Rally for Gabon or

RNB-RPG (Bucherons) [Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE]; Party of Development

and Social Solidarity or PDS [Seraphin Ndoat REMBOGO]; People's

Unity Party or PUP [Louis Gaston MAYILA]; Social Democratic Party or

PSD [Pierre Claver MAGANGA-MOUSSAVOU]; Union for Democracy and

Social Integration or UDIS; Union of Gabonese Patriots or UPG

[Pierre MAMBOUNDOU]

Gambia, The

Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction or

APRC (the ruling party) [Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH]; Gambia People's

Democratic Party or GPDP [Henry GOMEZ]; National Alliance for

Democracy and Development or NADD [Halifa SALLAH]; National

Convention Party or NCP [Sheriff DIBBA]; National Reconciliation

Party or NRP [Hamat N. K. BAH]; People's Democratic Organization for

Independence and Socialism or PDOIS [Sidia JATTA]; United Democratic

Party or UDP [Ousainou DARBOE]

Georgia

Burjanadze-Democrats [Nino BURJANADZE]; Georgian People's

Front [Nodar NATADZE]; Georgian United Communist Party or UCPG

[Panteleimon GIORGADZE]; Georgia's Way Party [Salome ZOURABICHVILI];

Greens [Giorgi GACHECHILADZE]; Industry Will Save Georgia

(Industrialists) or IWSG [Georgi TOPADZE]; Labor Party [Shalva

NATELASHVILI]; National Council-New Rights (a bloc uniting a

nine-party alliance with New Rights); National Democratic Party or

NDP [Bachuki KARDAVA]; National Movement-Democratic Front [Mikheil

SAAKASHVILI] (bloc composed of National Movement and

Burjanadze-Democrats); National Movement [Mikheil SAAKASHVILI]; New

Rights [David GAMKRELIDZE]; Republican Party [David USUPASHVILI];

Socialist Party or SPG [Irakli MINDELI]; Traditionalists [Akaki

ASATIANI]; Union of National Forces-Conservatives [Koba DAVITASHVILI

and Zviad DZIDZIGURI]

Germany

Alliance '90/Greens [Claudia ROTH and Cem OEZDEMIR];

Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Angela MERKEL]; Christian Social

Union or CSU [Horst SEEHOFER]; Free Democratic Party or FDP [Guido

WESTERWELLE]; Left Party or Die Linke [Lothar BISKY and Oskar

LAFONTAINE]; Social Democratic Party or SPD [Franz MUENTEFERING]

Ghana

Convention People's Party or CPP [Ladi NYLANDER]; Democratic

Freedom Party or DFP [Alhaji Abudu Rahman ISSAKAH]; Every Ghanaian

Living Everywhere or EGLE; Great Consolidated Popular Party or GCPP

[Dan LARTEY]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Dr. Kwabena

ADJEI]; New Patriotic Party or NPP [Peter MAC-MANU]; People's

National Convention or PNC [Alhaji Amed RAMADAN]; Reform Party

[Kyeretwie OPUKU]; United Renaissance Party or URP [Charles WAYO]

Gibraltar

Gibraltar Liberal Party [Joseph GARCIA]; Gibraltar Social

Democrats or GSD [Peter CARUANA]; Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party or

GSLP [Joseph John BOSSANO]

Greece

Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) [Alekos

ALAVANOS]; Communist Party of Greece or KKE [Aleka PAPARIGA]; New

Democracy or ND (conservative) [Konstandinos KARAMANLIS];

Panhellenic Socialist Movement or PASOK [Yiorgos PAPANDREOU];

Popular Orthodox Rally or LAOS [Yeoryios KARATZAFERIS]

Greenland

Atassut Party (Solidarity) [Finn KARLSEN] (a conservative

party favoring continuing close relations with Denmark); Demokratiit

[Per BERTHELSEN]; Inuit Ataqatigiit or IA (Eskimo Brotherhood)

[Josef MOTZFELDT] (a leftist party favoring complete independence

from Denmark rather than home rule); Kattusseqatigiit (Candidate

List) (an independent right-of-center party with no official

platform); Siumut (Forward Party) [Hans ENOKSEN] (a social

democratic party advocating more distinct Greenlandic identity and

greater autonomy from Denmark)

Grenada

Grenada United Labor Party or GULP [Gloria Payne BANFIELD];

National Democratic Congress or NDC [Tillman THOMAS]; New National

Party or NNP [Keith MITCHELL]

Guam

Democratic Party [leader Michael PHILLIPS]; Republican Party

[Philip J. FLORES] (controls the legislature)

Guatemala

Center of Social Action or CASA [Eduardo SUGER]; Democracy

Front or FRENTE [Alfonso CABRERA]; Democratic Union or UD [Manuel

CONDE Orellana]; Encounter for Guatemala or EG [Nineth MONTENGRO];

Grand National Alliance or GANA [Alfredo VILLA]; Guatemalan National

Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Hector NUILA]; Guatemalan Republican

Front or FRG [Efrain RIOS Montt]; National Advancement Party or PAN

[Ruben Dario MORALES]; National Unity for Hope or UNE [Alvaro COLOM

Caballeros]; Patriot Party or PP [Ret. Gen. Otto PEREZ Molina];

Unionista Party or PU [Fritz GARCIA]; Unity of National Change or

UCN [Sidney SHAW]

Guernsey

none; all independents

Guinea

National Union for Progress or UPN [Mamadou Bhoye BARRY];

Party for Unity and Progress or PUP (the governing party) [Lansana

CONTE]; People's Party of Guinea or PPG [Charles Pascal TOLNO];

Rally for the Guinean People or RPG [Alpha CONDE]; Union of

Democratic Forces of Guinea or UFDG [Cellou Dalein DIALLO]; Union of

Republican Forces or UFR [Sidya TOURE]; Union for Progress of Guinea

or UPG [Jean-Marie DORE, secretary-general]; Union for Progress and

Renewal or UPR [Ousmane BAH]

Guinea-Bissau

African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau

and Cape Verde or PAIGC [Carlos GOMES Junior]; Party for Social

Renewal or PRS [Kumba YALA]; Democratic Social Front or FDS;

Electoral Union or UE; Guinea-Bissau Civic Forum/Social Democracy or

FCGSD [Antonieta Rosa GOMES]; Guinea-Bissau Democratic Party or PDG;

Guinea-Bissau Socialist Democratic Party or PDSG [Serifo BALDE];

Labor and Solidarity Party or PST [Iancuba INDJAI]; Party for

Democratic Convergence or PCD [Victor MANDINGA]; Party for Renewal

and Progress or PRP; Progress Party or PP [Ibrahima SOW]; Union for

Change or UM [Amine SAAD]; Union of Guinean Patriots or UPG

[Francisca VAZ]; United Platform or UP (coalition formed by PCD,

FDS, FLING, and RGB-MB); United Popular Alliance or APU; United

Social Democratic Party or PUSD

Guyana

Alliance for Change or AFC [Raphael TROTMAN and Khemraj

RAMJATTAN]; Guyana Action Party or GAP [Paul HARDY]; Justice for All

Party [C.N. SHARMA]; People's National Congress/Reform or PNC/R

[Robert Herman Orlando CORBIN]; People's Progressive Party/Civic or

PPP/C [Bharrat JAGDEO]; Rise, Organize, and Rebuild or ROAR [Ravi

DEV]; The United Force or TUF [Manzoor NADIR]; The Unity Party [Joey

JAGAN]; Vision Guyana [Peter RAMSAROOP]; Working People's Alliance

or WPA [Rupert ROOPNARAINE]

Haiti

Artibonite in Action or LAAA [Youri LATORTUE]; Assembly of

Progressive National Democrats or RDNP [Leslie MANIGAT]; Convention

for Democratic Unity or KID [Evans PAUL]; Cooperative Action to

Build Haiti or KONBA [Evans LESCOUFALIR]; Democratic Alliance or

ALYANS [Evans PAUL] (coalition composed of KID and PPRH); Effort and

Solidarity to Create an Alternative for the People or ESKAMP [Joseph

JASME]; For Us All or PONT [Jean-Marie CHERESTAL]; Front for Hope or

L'ESPWA [Rene PREVAL] (alliance of ESKAMP, PLB, and grass-roots

organizations Grand-Anse Resistance Committee, the Central Plateau

Peasants' Group, and Kombit Sudest); Haitian Christian Democratic

Party or PDCH [Osner FEVRY and Marie-Denise CLAUDE]; Haitian

Democratic and Reform Movement or MODEREH [Dany TOUSSAINT and Pierre

Soncon PRINCE]; Heads Together or Tet-Ansanm [Dr. Gerard BLOT];

Independent Movement for National Reconciliation or MIRN [Luc

FLEURINORD]; Justice for Peace and National Development or JPDN

[Rigaud DUPLAN]; Fanmi Lavalas or FL [Rudy HERIVEAUX]; Liberal Party

of Haiti or PLH [Gehy MICHEL]; Merging of Haitian Social Democratic

Parties or FUSION or FPSDH [Serge GILLES] (coalition of Ayiti

Capable, Haitian National Revolutionary Party, and National Congress

of Democratic Movements); Mobilization for Haiti's Development or

MPH [Samir MOURRA]; Mobilization for National Development or MDN

[Hubert de RONCERAY]; Movement for National Reconstruction or MRN

[Jean Henold BUTEAU]; Movement for the Installation of Democracy in

Haiti or MIDH [Marc BAZIN]; National Christian Union for the

Reconstruction of Haiti or UNCRH [Marie Claude GERMAIN]; National

Front for the Reconstruction of Haiti or FRN [Guy PHILIPPE]; New

Christian Movement for a New Haiti or MOCHRENA [Luc MESADIEU]; Open

the Gate Party or PLB [Anes LUBIN]; Popular Party for the Renewal of

Haiti or PPRH [Claude ROMAIN]; Struggling People's Organization or

OPL [Edgard LEBLANC]; Union of Nationalist and Progressive Haitians

or UNITE [Edouard FRANCISQUE]

Holy See (Vatican City)

none

Honduras

Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Felicito AVILA];

Democratic Unification Party or PUD [Cesar HAM]; Liberal Party or PL

[Patricia RODAS]; National Innovation and Unity Party or PINU [Jorge

AQUILAR Paredes]; National Party of Honduras or PN [Porfirio LOBO]

Hong Kong

Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood or ADPL

[Frederick FUNG Kin-kee]; Citizens Party [Alex CHAN Kai-chung];

Civic Party [KUAN Hsin-chi]; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment

and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [TAM Yiu Cheng]; Democratic Party

[Albert HO]; Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing]; League of Social

Democrats [Raymond WONG]; Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun]

note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Democratic

Party, Frontier Party, League of Social Democrats; pro-Beijing -

DAB, Liberal Party, The Alliance (a group of five generally

pro-government and pro-business Legco members from functional

constituencies); there is no political party ordinance, so there are

no registered political parties; politically active groups register

as societies or companies

Hungary

Alliance of Free Democrats or SzDSz [Gabor FODOR]; Christian

Democratic People's Party or KDNP [Zsolt SEMJEN]; Hungarian Civic

Alliance or Fidesz [Viktor ORBAN, chairman]; Hungarian Democratic

Forum or MDF [Ibolya DAVID]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSzP

[Ferenc GYURCSANY]

Iceland

Independence Party or IP [Geir H. HAARDE]; Left-Green

Movement or LGM [Steingrimur SIGFUSSON]; Liberal Party or LP [Gudjon

KRISTJANSSON]; Progressive Party or PP [Gudni AGUSTSSON]; Social

Democratic Alliance or SDA [Ingibjorg Solrun GISLADOTTIR] (includes

People's Alliance or PA, Social Democratic Party or SDP, Women's

List)

India

Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [MAYAWATI]; Bharatiya Janata Party

or BJP [Rajnath SINGH]; Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Naveen PATNAIK];

Communist Party of India or CPI [Ardhendu Bhushan BARDHAN];

Communist Party of India-Marxist or CPI-M [Prakash KARAT]; Dravida

Munnetra Kazagham or DMK [M. KARUNANIDHI]; Indian National Congress

or INC [Sonia GANDHI]; Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) [Sharad YADAV];

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha or JMM [Shibu SOREN]; Left Front (an alliance

of Indian leftist parties); Lok Jan Shakti Party or LJSP [Ram Vilas

PASWAN]; Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or MDMK [V.

Gopalswamy VAIKO]; Nationalist Congress Party or NCP [Sharad PAWAR];

Pattali Makkal Katchi or PMK [S. RAMADOSS]; Rashtriya Janata Dal or

RJD [Laloo Prasad YADAV]; Samajwadi Party or SP [Mulayam Singh

YADAV]; Shiromani Akali Dal or SAD [Parkash Singh BADAL]; Shiv Sena

or SS [Bal THACKERAY]; Telangana Rashtriya Samithi or TRS [K.

Chandrashekhar RAO]; Telugu Desam Party or TDP [Chandrababu NAIDU];

United Progressive Alliance or UPA [Sonia GANDHI] (India's ruling

party coalition of 12 political parties); note - India has dozens of

national and regional political parties; only parties or coalitions

with four or more seats in the People's Assembly are listed

Indonesia

Crescent Moon and Star Party or PBB [MS KABAN]; Democratic

Party or PD [Hadi UTOMO]; Functional Groups Party or Golkar [Yusuf

KALLA]; Indonesia Democratic Party-Struggle or PDI-P [MEGAWATI

Sukarnoputri]; National Awakening Party or PKB; National Mandate

Party or PAN [Sutrisno BACHIR]; Prosperous Justice Party or PKS

[Tifatul SEMBIRING]; United Development Party or PPP [Suryadharma

ALI]

Iran

formal political parties are a relatively new phenomenon in

Iran and most conservatives still prefer to work through political

pressure groups rather than parties, and often political parties or

coalitions are formed prior to elections and disbanded soon

thereafter; a loose pro-reform coalition called the 2nd Khordad

Front, which includes political parties as well as less formal

groups and organizations, achieved considerable success at elections

to the sixth Majles in early 2000; groups in the coalition include:

Islamic Iran Participation Front (IIPF), Executives of Construction

Party (Kargozaran), Solidarity Party, Islamic Labor Party, Mardom

Salari, Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO), and

Militant Clerics Society (Ruhaniyun); the coalition participated in

the seventh Majles elections in early 2004; following his defeat in

the 2005 presidential elections, former MCS Secretary General and

sixth Majles Speaker Mehdi KARUBI formed the National Trust Party; a

new conservative group, Islamic Iran Developers Coalition

(Abadgaran), took a leading position in the new Majles after winning

a majority of the seats in February 2004; following the 2004 Majles

elections, traditional and hardline conservatives have attempted to

close ranks under the United Front of Principlists; the IIPF has

repeatedly complained that the overwhelming majority of its

candidates have been unfairly disqualified from the 2008 elections

Iraq

Assyrian Democratic Movement [Yunadim KANNA]; Badr Organization

[Hadi al-AMIRI]; Constitutional Monarchy Movement or CMM [Sharif Ali

Bin al-HUSAYN]; Da'wa al-Islamiya Party [Ibrahim al-JA'FARI];

General Conference of Iraqi People [Adnan al-DULAYMI]; Independent

Iraqi Alliance or IIA [Falah al-NAQIB]; Iraqi Communist Party [Hamid

MAJEED]; Iraqi Front for National Dialogue [Salih al-MUTLAQ]; Iraqi

Hizballah [Karim Mahmud al-MUHAMMADAWI]; Iraqi Independent Democrats

or IID [Adnan PACHACHI, Mahdi al-HAFIZ]; Iraqi Islamic Party or IIP

[Tariq al-HASHIMI]; Iraqi National Accord or INA [Ayad ALLAWI];

Iraqi National Congress or INC [Ahmad CHALABI]; Iraqi National

Council for Dialogue or INCD [Khalaf Ulayan al-Khalifawi

al-DULAYMI]; Iraqi National Unity Movement or INUM [Ahmad

al-KUBAYSI]; Islamic Action Organization or IAO [Ayatollah Muhammad

al-MUDARRISI]; Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq or ISCI [Abd al-Aziz

al-HAKIM]; Jama'at al Fadilah or JAF [Muhammad Ali al-YAQUBI];

Kurdistan Democratic Party or KDP [Masud BARZANI]; Kurdistan Islamic

Union [Salah ad-Din Muhammad BAHA al-DIN]; National Reconciliation

and Liberation Party [Mishan al-JABBURI]; Patriotic Union of

Kurdistan or PUK [Jalal TALABANI]; Sadrist Trend [Muqtada al-SADR]

(not an organized political party, but it fields independent

candidates affiliated with Muqtada al-SADR); Sahawa al-Iraq [Ahmed

al-RISHAWI]

note: the Kurdistan Alliance, Iraqi National List, Tawafuq Front,

Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, and Unified Iraqi Alliance were

only electoral slates consisting of the representatives from the

various Iraqi political parties

Ireland

Fianna Fail [Brian COWEN]; Fine Gael [Enda KENNY]; Green

Party [John GORMLEY]; Labor Party [Eamon GILMORE]; Progressive

Democrats [Mary HARNEY, acting leader]; Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS];

Socialist Party [Joe HIGGINS]; The Workers' Party [Sean GARLAND]

Isle of Man

Alliance for Progressive Government; Liberal Vannin

Party [Peter KARRAN]; Man Labor Party; Man Nationalist Party (Mec

Vannin) [Bernard MOFFATT]

note: most members sit as independents

Israel

Balad [Azmi BISHARA]; Democratic Front for Peace and Equality

(HADASH) [Muhammad BARAKEH]; GIL (Pensioners) [Rafael "Rafi" EITAN];

Kadima [Tzipora "Tzipi" LIVNI]; Labor Party [Ehud BARAK]; Likud

[Binyamin NETANYAHU]; Meretz-Yachad [Haim ORON]; National Democratic

Assembly (Balad) [Jamal ZAHALKA]; National Union (NU)/National

Religious Party (NRP) [Binyamin ELON]; SHAS [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Torah

and Shabbat Judaism or UTJ [Yaakov LITZMAN]; United Arab List

[Ibrahim SARSUR]; Yisrael Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]

Italy

Silvio BERLUSCONI coalition: People of Freedom or PdL [Silvio

BERLUSCONI]; Lega Nord or LN [Umberto BOSSI]; Movement for Autonomy

or MpA [Raffaele LOMBARDO]

Walter VELTRONI coalition: Democratic Party or PD [Walter VELTRONI];

Italy of Values or IdV [Antonio DI PIETRO]

other non-allied parties: Union of the Centre or UdC [Savino

PEZZOTTA]

Jamaica

Jamaica Labor Party or JLP [Bruce GOLDING]; People's

National Party or PNP [Portia SIMPSON-MILLER]; National Democratic

Movement or NDM [Michael WILLIAMS]

Japan

Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Ichiro OZAWA]; Japan

Communist Party or JCP [Kazuo SHII]; Komeito [Akihiro OTA]; Liberal

Democratic Party or LDP [Taro ASO]; Social Democratic Party or SDP

[Mizuho FUKUSHIMA]

Jersey

two declared parties: Centre Party; Jersey Democratic Alliance

note: all senators and deputies elected in 2005 were independents

Jordan

al-Ahd Party; Arab Islamic Democratic Movement [Yusuf ABU

BAKR]; Arab Land Party [Dr. Ayishah Salih HIJAZAYN]; Arab Socialist

Ba'th Party [Taysir al-HIMSI]; Ba'th Arab Progressive Party [Fu'ad

DABBUR]; Freedom Party; Future Party; Islamic Action Front or IAF

[Zaki Sa'ed BANI IRSHEID]; Islamic Center Party [Marwan al-FAURI];

Jordanian Arab Ansar Party; Jordanian Arab New Dawn Party; Jordanian

Arab Party; Jordanian Citizens' Rights Movement; Jordanian Communist

Party [Munir HAMARINAH]; Jordanian Communist Workers Party;

Jordanian Democratic Left Party [Musa MA'AYTEH]; Jordanian

Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'id Dhiyab Ali MUSTAFA]; Jordanian

Generations Party [Muhammad KHALAYLEH]; Jordanian Green Party

[Muhammad BATAYNEH]; Jordanian Labor Party [Dr. Mazin Sulayman

Jiryis HANNA]; Jordanian Peace Party; Jordanian People's Committees

Movement; Jordanian People's Democratic Party (Hashd) [Ahmad YUSUF];

Jordanian Rafah Party; Jordanian Renaissance Party; Mission Party;

Nation Party [Ahmad al-HANANDEH]; National Action Party (Haqq)

[Tariq al-KAYYALI]; National Constitutional Party [Abdul Hadi

MAJALI]; National Popular Democratic Movement [Mahmud al-NUWAYHI];

Progressive Party [Fawwaz al-ZUBI]

Kazakhstan

Adilet (Justice) [Maksut NARIKBAYEV, Zeynulla

ALSHIMBAYEV, Bakhytbek AKHMETZHAN, Yerkin ONGARBAYEV, Tolegan

SYDYKOV] (formerly Democratic Party of Kazakhstan); Agrarian and

Industrial Union of Workers Block or AIST (Agrarian Party and Civic

Party); Ak Zhol Party (Bright Path) [Alikhan BAIMENOV]; Auyl

(Village) [Gani KALIYEV]; Communist Party of Kazakhstan or KPK

[Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN]; Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan

[Vladislav KOSAREV]; National Social Democratic Party

(NSDP)[Zharmakhan TUYAKBAY]; Nur-Otan [Bakhytzhan ZHUMAGULOV] (the

Agrarian, Asar, and Civic parties merged with Otan); Patriots' Party

[Gani KASYMOV]; Rukhaniyat (Spirituality) [Altynshash ZHAGANOVA]

Kenya

Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Kenya or FORD-Kenya

[Musikari KOMBO]; Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or

FORD-People [Simeon NYACHAE]; Kenya African National Union or KANU

[Uhuru KENYATTA]; National Rainbow Coalition-Kenya or NARC-Kenya

[Raphael TUJU]; Orange Democratic Movement or ODM [Raila ODINGA];

Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya or ODM-K [Kalonzo MUSYOKA]; Party

of National Unity or PNU [Mwai KIBAKI]; Shirikisho Party of Kenya or

SPK [Chirau Ali MWAKWERE]

Kiribati

Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON];

Maneaban Te Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin Kiribati Pati

or MKP; National Progressive Party or NPP [Dr. Harry TONG]

note: there is no tradition of formally organized political parties

in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups

because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party

structures

Korea, North

major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Jong

Il]; minor parties - Chondoist Chongu Party [RYU Mi Yong] (under KWP

control), Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong Dae] (under KWP control)

Korea, South

Creative Korea Party or CKP [MOON Kook-hyun];

Democratic Labor Party or DLP [CHUN Young-se]; Grand National Party

or GNP [PARK Hee-tae]; Liberty Forward Party or LFP [LEE Hoi-chang];

Democratic Party or DP [CHUNG Sye-kyun] (formerly the United

Democratic Party or UDP)

Kosovo

Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo or PShDK [Mark

KRASNIQI]; Alliance for the Future of Kosovo or AAK [Ramush

HARADINAJ]; Alliance of Independent Social Democrats of Kososvo and

Metohija or SDSKIM [Slavisa PETKOVIC]; Autonomous Liberal Party of

SLS [Slobodan PETROVIC]; Bosniak Vakat Coalition [Dzezair MURATI];

Citizens' Initiative of Gora or GIG [Murselj HALILI]; Council of

Independent Social Democrats of Kosovo or SNSDKIM [Ljubisa ZIVIC];

Democratic League of Dardania or LDD [Nexhat DACI]; Democratic

League of Kosovo or LDK [Fatmir SEJDIU]; Democratic Party of Ashkali

of Kosovo or PDAK [Sabit RAHMANI]; Democratic Party of Kosovo or PDK

[Hashim THACI]; Kosovo Democratic Turkish Party of KDTP [Mahir

YAGCILAR]; New Democratic Initiative of Kosovo or IRDK [Xhevdet

NEZIRAJ]; New Democratic Party or ND [Branislav GRBIC]; New Kosovo

Alliance or AKR [Behxhet PACOLLI]; Popular Movement of Kosovo or LPK

[Emrush XHEMAJLI]; Reform Party Ora; Serb National Party or SNS

[Mihailo SCEPANOVIC]; Serbian Kosovo and Metohija Party or SKMS

[Dragisa MIRIC]; United Roma Party of Kosovo or PREBK [Haxhi Zylfi

MERXHA]; Democratic Action Party or SDA [Numan BALIC]; Serbian List

for Kosovo and Metohija [Oliver IVANOVIC]; Serbian National Council

of Northern Kosovo and Metohija or SNV [Milan IVANOVIC]; Democratic

Party of Bosniaks [Dzezair MURAIT]; Democratic Party Vatan [Sadik

IDRIZI]; Gorani Citizens Initiative [Mursel HALJILJI]; Serbian

People Party [Mihailo SCEPANOVIC]; Serbian Democratic Party of

Kosovo and Metohija [Slavisa PETKOVIC]; Serb Liberal Party [Slobodan

PETROVIC]; Independent League of Social-Democrats of Kosovo and

Metohija [Ljubisa ZIVIC]

Kuwait

none; formation of political parties is in practice illegal

but is not forbidden by law

Kyrgyzstan

Ak Jol [Avtandil ARABAYEV, Elmira IBRAIMOVA, Vladimir

NIFADYEV, co-chairs]; Ar-Namys (Dignity) Party [Emil ALIYEV]; Asaba

(Banner National Revival Party) [Azimbek BEKNAZAROV]; Ata-Meken

(Fatherland) [Omurbek TEKEBAYEV]; Democratic Movement of Kyrgyzstan

or DDK [Viktor TCHETRNOMORETS]; Erkindik (Freedom) Party [Topchubek

TURGUNALIYEV]; Moya Strana (My Country Party of Action) [Medet

SADYRKULOV]; Party of Communists of Kyrgyzstan or KCP [Ishak

MASALIYEV]; Party of Justice and Progress [Muratbek IMANALIEV];

Party of Peasants [Esengul ISAKOV]; Republican Party of Labor and

Unity [Tabaldy OROZALIYEV]; Sanjira (Tree of Life) [Ednan

KARABAYEV]; Social Democratic Party [Almaz ATAMBAYEV]; Union of

Democratic Forces [Kubatbek BAIBOLOV]

Laos

Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALI Saignason];

other parties proscribed

Latvia

First Party of Latvia/Latvia's Way or LPP/LC [Ainars SLESERS,

Ivars GODMANIS]; For Human Rights in a United Latvia or PCTVL

[Jakovs PLINERS]; For the Fatherland and Freedom/Latvian National

Independence Movement or TB/LNNK [Roberts ZILE, Maris GRINBLATS];

Harmony Center or SC [Janis URBANOVICS, Nils USAKOVS]; Latvian

Social Democratic Workers Party (Social Democrats) or LSDSP [Juris

BOJARS]; Latvian Socialist Party or LSP [Alfreds RUBIKS]; New

Democrats or JD [Maris GULBIS]; New Era Party or JL [Einars REPSE,

Krisjanis KARINS]; People's Party or TP [Aigars KALVITIS]; The Union

of Latvian Greens and Farmers Party or ZZS [Augusts BRIGMANIS]

Lebanon

14 March Coalition: Democratic Gathering Bloc [Walid

JUNBLATT, leader of Progressive Socialist Party]; Democratic Left

[Ilyas ATALLAH]; Democratic Renewal Movement [Nassib LAHUD]; Future

Movement Bloc [Sa'ad HARIRI]; Kataeb Party [Amine GEMAYEL]; Lebanese

Forces [Samir JA'JA]; Tripoli Independent Bloc

8 March Coalition: Development and Resistance Bloc [Nabih BERRI,

leader of Amal Movement]; Free Patriotic Movement [Michel AWN];

Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc [Mohammad RA'AD] (includes Hizballah

Party [Hassan NASRALLAH]); Nasserite Popular Movement [Ussama SAAD];

Popular Bloc [Elias SKAFF]; Syrian Ba'th Party [Sayez SHUKR]; Syrian

Social Nationalist Party [Ali QANSO]

Independent: Metn Bloc [Michel MURR]; Tashnaq

Lesotho

Alliance of Congress Parties or ACP; All Basotho Convention

or ABC [Thomas THABANE]; Basotholand African Congress or BAC

[Khauhelo RALITAPOLE]; Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Ntsukunyane

MPHANYA]; Basotho National Party or BNP [Maj. Gen. Justin Metsing

LEKHANYA]; Kopanang Basotho Party or KPB [Pheelo MOSALA]; Lesotho

Congress for Democracy or LCD (the governing party) [Pakalitha

MOSISILI]; Lesotho Education Party or LEP [Thabo PITSO]; Lesotho

Workers Party or LWP [Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou Freedom Party or

MFP [Vincent MALEBO]; National Independent Party or NIP [Anthony

MANYELI]; New Lesotho Freedom Party or NLFP [Manapo MAJARA]; Popular

Front for Democracy or PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE]; Sefate Democratic

Union or SDU [Bofihla NKUEBE]; Social Democratic Party of SDP

[Masitise SELESO]

Liberia

Alliance for Peace and Democracy or APD [Togba-na TIPOTEH];

Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia or COTOL [H. Varney

SHERMAN]; Congress for Democratic Change or CDC [George WEAH];

Liberty Party or LP [Charles BRUMSKINE]; National Patriotic Party or

NPP [Roland MASSAQUOI]; Unity Party or UP [Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF]

Libya

none

Liechtenstein

Patriotic Union or VU [Adolf HEEB] (was Fatherland

Union); Progressive Citizens' Party or FBP [Marcus VOGT]; The Free

List or FL [Claudia HEEB-FLECK and Egon MATT]

Lithuania

Civil Democracy Party or PDP [Viktor MUNTIANAS]; Coalition

of Labor Party and Youth or KDP+J [Viktor USPASKICH]; Electoral

Action of Lithuanian Poles or LLRA [Valdemar TOMASZEVSKI]; Homeland

Union - Lithuanian Christian Democrats or TS [Andrius KUBILIUS];

Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union or LVLS [Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE];

Liberal and Center Union or LCS [Arturas ZUOKAS]; Liberal Movement

or LRLS [Eligijus MASIULIS]; National Revival or TPP [Arunas

VALINSKAS]; New Union (Social Liberal) or NS [Arturas PAULAUSKAS];

Order and Justice Party or TT [Rolandas PAKSAS]; Social Democratic

Party or LSDP [Gediminas KIRKILAS]; Young Lithuania and New

Nationalists [Stanislovas BUSKEVICIUS]

Luxembourg

Alternative Democratic Reform Party or ADR [Robert

MENLEN]; Christian Social People's Party or CSV [Francois BILTGEN]

(also known as Christian Social Party or PCS); Democratic Party or

DP [Claude MEISCH]; Green Party [Francois BAUSCH]; Luxembourg

Socialist Workers' Party or LSAP [Alex BODRY]; dei Lenk/la Gauche

(the Left); other minor parties

Macau

Civil Service Union [Jose Maria Pereira COUTINHO]; Development

Union [KWAN Tsui-hang]; Macau Development Alliance [Angela LEONG

On-kei]; Macau United Citizens' Association [CHAN Meng-kam]; New

Democratic Macau Association [Antonio NG Kuok-cheong]; United Forces

note: there is no political party ordinance, so there are no

registered political parties; politically active groups register as

societies or companies

Macedonia

Democratic Alliance [Pavle TRAJANOV]; Democratic League of

Bosniaks [Rafet MUMINOVIC]; Democratic Party of Albanians or

PDSh/DPA [Menduh THACI]; Democratic Party of Serbs [Ivan

STOILJKOVIC]; Democratic Party of Turks [Kenan HASIPI]; Democratic

Renewal of Macedonia [Liljana POPOVSKA]; Democratic Union of

Albanians or BDSh [BardYL MAHMUTI]; Democratic Union of Vlachs for

Macedonia [Mitko KOSTOV]; Democratic Union for Integration or

BDI/DUI [Ali AHMETI]; For a Better Macedonia coalition [Nikola

GRUEVSKI] (includes VMRO-DPMNE, SP, Democratic Union, Democratic

Renewal of Macedonia, Democratic Party of Turks, Democratic Party of

Serbs, SR, and smaller parties); Internal Macedonian Revolutionary

Organization-Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity or

VMRO-DPMNE [Nikola GRUEVSKI]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary

Organization-People's Party or VMRO-Narodna [Gjorgji TRENDAFILOV];

League for Democracy [Gjorgi MARJANOVIC]; Liberal Democratic Party

or LDP [Jovan MANSIEVSKI]; Liberal Party [Stojan ANDOV]; National

Alternative [Harun ALIU]; National Democratic Union or BDK [Hysni

SHAQIR]; New Social Democratic Party or NSDP [Tito PETKOVSKI]; Party

for Democratic Prosperity or PPD/PDP [Abduljhadi VEJSELI]; Party for

European Future or PEI [Fijat CANOSKI]; Party of Free Democrats or

PSD [Ljubco JORDANOVSKI]; Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia or

SDSM [Zoran ZAEV (until May 2009)]; Socialist Party of Macedonia or

SP [Ljubisav IVANOV-ZINGO]; Sun-Coalition for Europe [Radmila

SKERINSKA] (includes SDSM, NSDP, LDP, Liberal Party and smaller

parties); Union of Romas or SR [Shaban SALIU]; United Party for

Emancipation or OPE [Nezdet MUSTAFA]

Madagascar

Association for the Rebirth of Madagascar or AREMA

[Pierrot RAJAONARIVELO]; Democratic Party for Union in Madagascar or

PSDUM [Jean LAHINIRIKO]; Economic Liberalism and Democratic Action

for National Recovery or LEADER/Fanilo [Herizo RAZAFIMAHALEO];

Fihaonana Party or FP [Guy-Willy RAZANAMASY]; I Love Madagascar or

TIM [Marc RAVALOMANANA]; Renewal of the Social Democratic Party or

RPSD [Evariste MARSON]

Malawi

Alliance for Democracy or AFORD; Congress for National Unity

or CONU; Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [Bingu wa MUTHARIKA];

Malawi Congress Party or MCP [John TEMBO]; Malawi Democratic Party

or MDP [Kampelo KALUA]; Malawi Forum for Unity and Development or

MAFUNDE [George MNESA]; Mgwirizano Coalition or MC [Gwandaguluwe

CHAKUAMBA] (coalition of MAFUNDE, MDP, MGODE, NUP, PETRA, PPM, RP);

Movement for Genuine Democratic Change or MGODE [Sam Kandodo BANDA];

National Democratic Alliance or NDA [Brown MPINGANJIRA]; National

Unity Party or NUP [Harry CHIUME]; People's Progressive Movement or

PPM [Aleke BANDA]; People's Transformation Movement or PETRA [Kamuzu

CHIBAMBO]; Republican Party or RP [Gwandaguluwe CHAKUAMBA]; United

Democratic Front or UDF [Bakili MULUZI]

Malaysia

National Front (Barisan Nasional) or BN (ruling coalition)

consists of the following parties: Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia Party or

PGRM [KOH Tsu Koon - acting]; Liberal Democratic Party (Parti

Liberal Demokratik - Sabah) or LDP [LIEW Vui Keong]; Malaysian

Chinese Association (Persatuan China Malaysia) or MCA [ONG Ka Ting];

Malaysian Indian Congress (Kongres India Malaysia) or MIC [S. Samy

VELLU]; Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah or PBRS [Joseph KURUP]; Parti

Bersatu Sabah or PBS [Joseph PAIRIN Kitingan]; Parti Pesaka

Bumiputera Bersatu or PBB [Abdul TAIB Mahmud]; Parti Rakyat Sarawak

or PRS [James MASING]; Sabah Progressive Party (Parti Progresif

Sabah) or SAPP [YONG Teck Lee]; Sarawak United People's Party (Parti

Bersatu Rakyat Sarawak) or SUPP [George CHAN Hong Nam]; United

Malays National Organization or UMNO [ABDULLAH bin Ahmad Badawi];

United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organization (Pertubuhan

Pasko Momogun Kadazan Dusun Bersatu) or UPKO [Bernard DOMPOK];

People's Progressive Party (Parti Progresif Penduduk Malaysia) or

PPP [M.Kayveas]; Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party or SPDP

[William MAWAN])

People's Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat) or PR (opposition coalition)

consists of the following parties:: Democratic Action Party (Parti

Tindakan Demokratik) or DAP [KARPAL Singh]; Islamic Party of

Malaysia (Parti Islam se Malaysia) or PAS [Abdul HADI Awang];

People's Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) or PKR [WAN AZIZAH

Wan Ismael]; Sarawak National Party or SNAP [Edwin DUNDANG]

Maldives

Adhaalath (Justice) Party or AP [Abdul Majeed Abdul BARI];

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (Maldivian People's Party) or DRP [Maumoon

Abdul GAYOOM]; Islamic Democratic Party or IDP [Omar NASEER];

Maldivian Democratic Party or MDP [Mohamed NASHEED]; note -

political parties were allowed to register in June 2005

Mali

Alliance for Democratic Change (political group comprised

mainly of Tuareg from Mali's northern region); African Solidarity

for Democracy and Independence or SADI [Oumar MARIKO, secretary

general]; Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP (a coalition of

political parties including ADEMA and URD formed in December 2006 to

support the presidential candidacy of Amadou TOURE); Alliance for

Democracy or ADEMA [Diounconda TRAORE]; Convergence 2007 [Soumeylou

Boubeye MAIGA]; Front for Democracy and the Republic or FDR (a

coalition of political parties including RPM and PARENA formed to

oppose the presidential candidacy of Amadou TOURE); National

Congress for Democratic Initiative or CNID [Mountaga TALL]; Party

for Democracy and Progress or PDP [Me Idrissa TRAORE]; Party for

National Renewal or PARENA [Tiebile DRAME]; Patriotic Movement for

Renewal or MPR [Choguel MAIGA]; Rally for Democracy and Labor or

RDT; Rally for Mali or RPM [Ibrahim Boubacar KEITA]; Sudanese

Union/African Democratic Rally or US/RDA [Mamadou Bamou TOURE];

Union for Democracy and Development or UDD [Moussa Balla COULIBALY];

Union for Republic and Democracy or URD [Soumaila CISSE]

Malta

Alternativa Demokratika/Alliance for Social Justice or AD

[Harry VASSALLO]; Malta Labor Party or MLP [acting leader Charles

MANGION]; Nationalist Party or PN [Lawrence GONZI]

Marshall Islands

traditionally there have been no formally organized

political parties; what has existed more closely resembles factions

or interest groups because they do not have party headquarters,

formal platforms, or party structures; the following two "groupings"

have competed in legislative balloting in recent years - Aelon Kein

Ad Party [Michael KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa

TOMEING]

Mauritania

Alternative or El-Badil; Centrist Reformists (independent

moderate Islamists); Coalition for Forces for Democratic Change or

CFCD (coalition of political parties including APP, Centrist

Reformists (independent moderate Islamists), HATEM-PMUC, PUDS, RD,

RFD, UFP); Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS;

Democratic Renewal or RD; Mauritanian Party for Unity and Change or

HATEM-PMUC; Mithaq (coalition of independents and parties associated

with the former regime including Alternative or El-Badil, PRDR, UDP,

RDU); National Rally for Freedom, Democracy and Equality or RNDLE;

Popular Front or FP [Ch'bih Ould CHEIKH MALAININE]; Popular

Progressive Alliance or APP [Messoud Ould BOULKHEIR]; Rally of

Democratic Forces or RFD [Ahmed Ould DADDAH]; Rally for Democracy

and Unity or RDU [Ahmed Ould SIDI BABA]; Republican Party for

Democracy and Renewal or PRDR [Boullah Ould MOGUEYA] (formerly

ruling Democratic and Social Republican Party or PRDS); Socialist

and Democratic Unity Party or PUDS; Union for Democracy and Progress

or UDP [Naha Mint MOUKNASS]; Union of Democratic Centre or UCD;

Union of the Forces for Progress or UFP

Mauritius

Alliance Sociale or AS [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM] (governing

coalition - includes MLD, MMSM, MR, MSD, PMXD); Mauritian Labor

Party or MLP [Navinchandra RAMGOOLAM]; Mauritian Militant Movement

or MMM [Paul BERENGER]; Mauritian Socialist Militant Movement or

MMSM [Madan DOLLOO]; Militant Socialist Movement or MSM [Nando

BODHA]; Mouvement Republicain or MR [Jayarama VALAYDEN]; Parti

Mauricien Xavier Duval or PMXD [Xavier Luc DUVAL]; Rodrigues

Movement or MR [Joseph (Nicholas) Von MALLY]; Rodrigues Peoples

Organization or OPR [Serge CLAIR]

Mayotte

Democratic Front or FD [Youssouf MOUSSA]; Mahoran Popular

Movement or MPM [Ahmed MADI]; Federation of Mahorans or UMP-RPR

[Mansour KAMARDINE]; Force of the Rally and the Alliance for

Democracy or FRAP; Movement for Department Status Mayotte or MDM

[Mouhoutar SALIM]; Renewed Communist Party of Mayotte or MRC [Omar

SIMBA]; Socialist Party or PS [Ibrahim ABUBACAR] (local branch of

French Parti Socialiste); Union for French Democracy or UDF [Henri

JEAN-BAPTISTE]

Mexico

Convergence for Democracy or CD [Luis MALDONADO Venegas];

Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Beatriz PAREDES]; Labor

Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]; Mexican Green Ecological

Party or PVEM [Jorge Emilio GONZALEZ Martinez]; National Action

Party (Partido Accion Nacional) or PAN [German MARTINEZ Cazares];

New Alliance Party (Partido Nueva Alianza) or PNA [Jorge Antonio

KAHWAGI Macari]; Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la

Revolucion Democratica) or PRD [Leonel COTA Montano]; Social

Democratic and Peasant Alternative Party (Partido Alternativa

Socialdemocrata y Campesina) or Alternativa [Alberto BEGNE Guerra]

Micronesia, Federated States of

no formal parties

Moldova

Christian Democratic People's Party or PPCD [Iurie ROSCA];

Communist Party of the Republic of Moldova or PCRM [Vladimir

VORONIN]; Democratic Party or PD [Dumitru DIACOV]; Liberal

Democratic Party or PLDM [Vladmir FILAT]; National Liberal Party or

PNL [Vitalia PAVLICENKO]; Our Moldova Alliance or AMN [Serafim

URECHEAN]; Party for Social Democracy or PDSM [Dumitru BRAGHIS];

Social Liberal Party or PSL [Oleg SEREBRIAN]

Monaco

Union for Monaco or UPM (including National Union for the

Future of Monaco or UNAM); Rally and Issues for Monaco or REM;

Monaco Together

Mongolia

Democratic Party or DP [Norovyn ALTANHUYAG]; Mongolian

People's Revolutionary Party or MPRP [Sanji BAYAR]

Montenegro

Albanian Alternative or AA [Vesel SINISHTAJ]; Coalition

for European Montenegro or DPS-SDP (bloc) [Milo DJUKANOVIC]

(includes Democratic Party of Socialists or DPS [Milo DJUKANOVIC]

and Social Democratic Party of SDP [Ranko KRIVOKAPIC]); Coalition

SNP-NS-DSS (bloc) (includes Socialist People's Party or SNP [Srdjan

MILIC], People's Party of Montenegro or NS [Predrag POPOVIC], and

Democratic Serbian Party of Montenegro or DSS [Ranko KADIC]);

Democratic League-Party of Democratic Prosperity or SPP [Mehmet

BARHDI]; Democratic Union of Albanians or DUA [Ferhat DINOSA];

Liberals and the Bosniak Party (bloc) [Miodrag ZIVKOVIC] (includes

Liberal Party of Montenegro or LP [Miodrag ZIVKOVIC] and Bosniak

Party or BS [Rafet HUSOVIC]); Movement for Changes or PZP [Nebojsa

MEDOJEVIC]; Serbian List (bloc) [Andrija MANDIC] (includes Party of

Serb Radicals or SSR [Dusko SEKULIC], People's Socialist Party or

NSS [Emilo LABUDOVIC], and Serbian People's Party of Montenegro or

SNS [Andrija MANDIC])

Montserrat

Montserrat Democratic Party or MDP [Lowell LEWIS];

Movement for Change and Prosperity or MCAP [Roselyn CASSELL-SEALY];

New People's Liberation Movement or NPLM [John A. OSBORNE]

Morocco

Action Party or PA [Muhammad EL IDRISSI]; Alliance of

Liberties or ADL [Ali BELHAJ]; Annahj Addimocrati or Annahj

[Abdellah EL HARIF]; Avant Garde Social Democratic Party or PADS

[Ahmed BENJELLOUN]; Citizen Forces or FC [Abderrahman LAHJOUJI];

Citizen's Initiatives for Development [Mohamed BENHAMOU];

Constitutional Union or UC [Mohamed ABIED]; Democratic and

Independence Party or PDI [Abdelwahed MAACH]; Democratic and Social

Movement or MDS [Mahmoud ARCHANE]; Democratic Forces Front or FFD;

Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Aissa OUARDIGHI]; Democratic

Society Party or PSD [Zhor CHEKKAFI]; Democratic Union or UD

[Bouazza IKKEN]; Environment and Development Party or PED [Ahmed EL

ALAMI]; Front of Democratic Forces or FFD [Thami EL KHYARI];

Independence Party (Istiqlal) or PI [Abbas EL FASSI]; Justice and

Development Party or PJD [Abdelilah BENKIRANE]; Labor Party

[Abdelkrim BENATIK]; Moroccan Liberal Party or PML [Mohamed ZIANE];

National Democratic Party or PND [Abdallah KADIRI]; National

Ittihadi Congress Party or CNI [Abdelmajid BOUZOUBAA]; National

Rally of Independents or RNI [Mustapha EL MANSOURI]; National Union

of Popular Forces or UNFP [Abdellah IBRAHIM]; Parti Al Ahd or Al Ahd

[Najib EL OUAZZANI]; Party of Progress and Socialism or PPS [Ismail

ALAOUI]; Party of Renewal and Equity or PRE [Chakir ACHABAR]; Party

of the Unified Socialist Left or GSU [Mohamed Ben Said AIT IDDER];

Popular Movement or MP [Mohamed LAENSER]; Reform and Development

Party or PRD [Abderrahmane EL KOUHEN]; Social Center Party or PSC

[Lahcen MADIH]; Socialist Union of Popular Forces or USFP

Mozambique

Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frente de

Liberatacao de Mocambique) or FRELIMO [Armando Emilio GUEBUZA];

Mozambique National Resistance-Electoral Union (Resistencia Nacional

Mocambicana-Uniao Eleitoral) or RENAMO-UE [Afonso DHLAKAMA]

Namibia

Congress of Democrats or COD [Ben ULENGA]; Democratic

Turnhalle Alliance of Namibia or DTA [Katuutire KAURA]; Monitor

Action Group or MAG [Jurie VILJOEN]; National Democratic Movement

for Change or NamDMC; National Unity Democratic Organization or NUDO

[Kuaima RIRUAKO]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Hidipo

HAMUTENYA]; Republican Party or RP [Henk MUDGE]; South West Africa

National Union or SWANU [Rihupisa KANDANDO]; South West Africa

People's Organization or SWAPO [Hifikepunye POHAMBA]; United

Democratic Front or UDF [Justus GAROEB]

Nauru

Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal);

Nauru First (Naoero Amo) Party; note - loose multiparty system

Nepal

Chure Bhawar Rastriya Ekata Party [Keshav Prasad MAINALI];

Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) [Pushpa Kamal DAHAL, also known as

PRACHANDA, chairman; Dr. Baburam BHATTARAI]; Communist Party of

Nepal (ML) [C.P. MAINALI]; Communist Party of Nepal (Unified) [Raj

Singh SHRIS]; Communist Party of Nepal (United) [Ganesh SHAH];

Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist or CPN/UML [Amrit

Kumar BOHARA]; Dalit Janajati Party [Vishwendraman PASHWAN];

Janamorcha Nepal [Amik SHERCHAN]; Madhesi Jana Adhikar Forum

[Upendra YADAV]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Pashupati

Shumsher RANA] (also called Rastriya Prajatantra Party or RPP);

Nepal Loktantrik Samajbadi Dal [Upendra GACHCHHADAR]; Nepal Pariwar

Dal [Vinod DANGI]; Nepal Rastriya Party [Khushilal YADAV]; Nepal

Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi) [Shyam Sundar GUPTA]; Nepal Workers

and Peasants Party or NWPP [Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE]; Nepali Congress

Party or NCP [Girija Prasad KOIRALA]; Nepali Janata Dal [Bharat

Prasad MAHATO]; Rastriya Janamorcha [Chitra BAHADUR K.C.]; Rastriya

Janamukti Party [Malwar Singh THAPA]; Rastriya Janashakti Party or

RJP [Surya Bahadur THAPA] (split from RPP in March 2005); Rastriya

Prajatantra Party Nepal [Kamal THAPA]; Sadbhavana Party (Mahato)

[Rajendra MAHATO]; Samajbadi Prajatantrik Janata Party Nepal [Prem

Bahadur SINGH]; Sanghiya Loktantrik Rastriya Manch [Kamal

CHHARAHANG]; Terai Madhesi Democratic Party [Mahantha THAKUR]

Netherlands

Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Jan Peter

BALKENENDE]; Christian Union Party [Andre ROUVOET]; Democrats 66 or

D66 [Alexander PECHTOLD]; Green Left Party [Femke HALSEMA]; Labor

Party or PvdA [Wouter BOS]; Party for Freedom or PVV [Geert

WILDERS]; Party for the Animals or PvdD [Marianne THIEME]; People's

Party for Freedom and Democracy (Liberal) or VVD [Mark RUTTE];

Reformed Political Party of SGP [Bas VAN DER VLIES]; Socialist Party

[Jan MARIJNISSEN]; plus a few minor parties

Netherlands Antilles

Bonaire: Democratic Party of Bonaire or PDB

[Jopi ABRAHAM]; Patriotic Union of Bonaire or UPB [Ramonsito BOOI]

Curacao: Ban Vota [Norbert GEORGE]; C-93 [Stanley BROWN]; Democratic

Party of Curacao or DP [Errol HERNANDEZ]; E Mayoria [Aurelio PEDRO];

Forsa Korsou [Nelson NAVARRO]; Liste Ni'un Paso Atras [Nelson

PIERRE]; Movemiento Patriotiko Korsou [Reginald LAK]; New Antilles

Movement or MAN [Charles COOPER]; Partido Akshon Pa Prosperidat I

Seguridat [Sonja BERKEMEYER]; Partido Laboral Krusada Popular or

PLKP [Errol COVA]; Party for the Restructured Antilles or PAR [Emily

de JONGH-ELHAGE]; People's National Party or PNP [Ersilia DE

LANNOOY]; Pidjin [Jasmin PINEDO]; Pueblo Soberano [Herman WIELS];

Workers' Liberation Front or FOL [Anthony GODETT]

Saba: Saba Labor Party [Akilah LEVENSTONE]; Windward Islands

People's Movement or WIPM [Ray HASSELL]

Sint Eustatius: Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius or DP-St. E

[Julian WOODLEY]; Progressive Labor Party [Clyde VAN PUTTEN]; St.

Eustatius Alliance [Ingrid HOUTMAN-WHITFIELD]

Sint Maarten: Democratic Party of Sint Maarten or DP-St. M [Sarah

WESCOTT-WILLIAMS]; Freedom Slate of National Democratic Party

[Theophilus PRIEST]; National Alliance or NA [William MARLIN];

People's Progressive Alliance or PPA [Gracita ARRINDELL]; St.

Maarten People's Party [Johan LEONARD]; United People's Labor Party

[Bienvenido RICHARDSON]

note: political parties are indigenous to each island

New Caledonia

Alliance pour la Caledonie or APLC [Didier LE ROUX];

Caledonian Union or UC; Federation des Comites de Coordination des

Independantistes or FCCI [Francois BURCK]; Front National or FN [Guy

GEORGE]; Front Uni de Liberation Kanak or FULK [Ernest UNE]; Kanak

Socialist Front for National Liberation or FLNKS (includes PALIKA,

UNI, UC, and UPM); Parti de Liberation Kanak or PALIKA [Paul

NEAOUTYINE and Elie POIGOUNE]; Rally for Caledonia in the Republic

(anti independence) or RPCR-UMP [Jacques LAFLEUR]; The Future

Together or AE [Harold MARTIN]; Union Nationale pour l'Independance

or UNI [Paul NEAOUTYINE]; note - may no longer exist, but Paul

NEAOUTYINE has since become a president of Parti de Liberation Kanak

or PALIKA; Union Progressiste Melanesienne or UPM [Victor TUTUGORO]

New Zealand

ACT New Zealand [Rodney HIDE]; Green Party [Jeanette

FITZSIMONS]; Maori Party [Whatarangi WINIATA]; National Party or NP

[John KEY]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New

Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Phil GOFF]; Progressive Party [James

(Jim) ANDERTON]; United Future or UF [Peter DUNNE]

Nicaragua

Conservative Party or PC [Azalia AVILES Salmeron]; Liberal

Constitutionalist Party or PLC [Jorge CASTILLO Quant]; Nicaraguan

Liberal Alliance or ALN [Eduardo MONTEALEGRE]; Sandinista National

Liberation Front or FSLN [Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra]; Sandinista

Renovation Movement or MRS [Enrique SAENZ Navarrete]

Niger

Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama

[Mahamane OUSMANE]; National Movement for a Developing

Society-Nassara or MNSD-Nassara [Hama AMADOU]; Niger Social

Democratic Party or PSDN; Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Social

Progress-Zaman Lahiya or ANDP-Zaman Lahiya [Moumouni DJERMAKOYE];

Nigerien Party for Autonomy or PNA-Alouma'a [Sanousi JACKOU];

Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism or PNDS-Tarrayya [Issifou

MAHAMADOU]; Nigerien Progressive Party or PPN-RDA [Abdoulaye DIORI];

Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP-jama'a [Hamid ALGABID];

Social and Democratic Rally or RSD-Gaskiyya [Cheiffou AMADOU]

Nigeria

Accord Party [Ikra Aliyu BILBIS]; Action Congress or AC

[Hassan ZUMI]; Alliance for Democracy or AD [Mojisoluwa AKINFENWA];

All Nigeria Peoples' Party or ANPP [Edwin UME-EZEOKE]; All

Progressives Grand Alliance or APGA [Victor C. UMEH]; Democratic

People's Party or DPP [Jeremiah USENI]; Fresh Democratic Party

[Chris OKOTIE]; Labor Party [Dan NWANYANWU]; Movement for the

Restoration and Defense of Democracy or MRDD [Mohammed Gambo

JIMETA]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Aliyu Habu FARI]; Peoples

Democratic Party or PDP [vacant]; Peoples Progressive Alliance

[Clement EBRI]; Peoples Redemption Party or PRP [Abdulkadir Balarabe

MUSA]; Peoples Salvation Party or PSP [Lawal MAITURARE]; United

Nigeria Peoples Party or UNPP [Mallam Selah JAMBO]

Niue

Alliance of Independents or AI; Niue People's Action Party or

NPP [Young VIVIAN]

Norfolk Island

none

Northern Mariana Islands

Covenant Party [Benigno R. FITIAL];

Democratic Party [Dr. Carlos S. CAMACHO]; Republican Party [Juan S.

REYES]

Norway

Center Party [Aslaug Marie HAGA]; Christian People's Party

[Dagfinn HOYBRATEN]; Conservative Party [Erna SOLBERG]; Labor Party

[Jens STOLTENBERG]; Liberal Party [Lars SPONHEIM]; Progress Party

[Siv JENSEN]; Socialist Left Party [Kristin HALVORSEN]

Oman

none

Pakistan

Awami National Party or ANP [Asfandyar Wali KHAN];

Balochistan National Party-Hayee Group or BNP-H [Dr. Hayee BALOCH];

Balochistan National Party-Awami or BNP-A [Moheem Khan BALOCH];

Balochistan National Party-Mengal or BNP-M [Sardar Ataullah MENGAL];

Jamhoori Watan Party or JWP; Jamiat Ahle Hadith or JAH [Sajid MIR];

Jamaat-i Islami or JI [Qazi Hussain AHMED]; Jamiat Ulema-i Islam

Fazlur Rehman or JUI-F [Fazlur REHMAN]; Jamiat Ulema-i Islam Sami-ul

HAQ or JUI-S [Sami ul-HAQ]; Jamiat Ulema-i Pakistan or JUP [Shah

Faridul HAQ]; Muttahida Majlis-e Amal or MMA [Qazi Hussain AHMED];

Muttahida Qaumi Movement or MQM [Altaf HUSSAIN]; National Alliance

or NA [Ghulam Mustapha JATOI] (merged with PML); National Peoples

Party or NPP; Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami Party or PKMAP [Mahmood Khan

ACHAKZAI]; Pakistan Awami Tehrik or PAT [Tahir ul QADRI]; Pakistan

Muslim League-Functional or PML-F [Pir PAGARO]; Pakistan Muslim

League-Nawaz Sharif or PML-N [Nawaz SHARIF]; Pakistan Muslim League

or PML [Chaudhry Shujaat HUSSAIN]; Pakistan Peoples Party-SHERPAO or

PPP-S [Aftab Ahmed Khan SHERPAO]; Pakistan Peoples Party

Parliamentarians or PPPP [Bilawal Bhutto ZARDARI, chairman; Asif Ali

ZARDARI, co-chairman]; Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaaf or PTI [Imran KHAN];

Tehrik-i Islami [Allama Sajid NAQVI]

note: political alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently

Palau

none

Panama

Democratic Change or CD [Ricardo MARTINELLI]; Democratic

Revolutionary Party or PRD [Hugo GUIRAUD]; Nationalist Republican

Liberal Movement or MOLIRENA [Gisela CHUNG]; Panamenista Party or PA

[Juan Carlos VARELA] (formerly the Arnulfista Party); Patriotic

Union Party or PU (combination of the Liberal National Party or PLN

and the Solidarity Party or PS)[Jose Raul MULINO and Anibal

GALINDO]; Popular Party or PP [Rene ORILLAC] (formerly Christian

Democratic Party or PDC)

Papua New Guinea

National Alliance Party or NA [Michael SOMARE];

Papua and Niugini Union Party or PANGU PATI [Andrew KUMBAKOR]; Papua

New Guinea Party or PNGP [Sir Mekere MORAUTA]; People's Democratic

Movement or PDM [Michael OGIO]; People's Action Party or PAP

[Gabriel KAPRIS]; United Resources Party or URP [William DUMA] (2007)

Paraguay

Alianza Patriotica por el Cambio (Patriotic Alliance for

Change) or APC [Fernando LUGO]; Asociacion Nacional Republicana -

Colorado Party or ANR [Jose Alberto ALDERETE]; Movimiento Union

Nacional de Ciudadanos Eticos or UNACE [Enrique GONZALEZ Quintana];

Patria Querida (Beloved Fatherland Party) or PPQ [Pedro Nicolas

Maraa FADUL Niella]; Partido del Movimiento al Socialismo or P-MAS;

Partido Encuentro Nacional or PEN [Emilio CAMACHO Paredes]; Partido

Liberal Radical Autentico or PLRA [Blas LLANO]; Partido Pais

Solidario or PPS [Carlos Alberto FILIZZOLA Pallares]

Peru

Alliance For Progress (Alianza Para El Progreso) [Cesar ACUNA

Peralta]; Alliance For The Future (Alianza Por El Futuro) or AF (a

coalition of pro-FUJIMORI parties including Cambio 90, Nueva

Mayoria, and Si Cumple); Central Front (Frente Del Centro) or FC (a

coalition of Accion Popular, Somos Peru, and Coordinadora Nacional

de Independientes) [Victor Andres GARCIA Belaunde]; National

Renovation Party (Partido Renovacion Nacional) [Rafael REY];

National Restoration Party (Restauracion Nacional) or RN [Humberto

LAY Sun]; National Unity (Unidad Nacional) or UN (a coalition of

Partido Popular Cristiano and Partido Solidaridad Nacional) [Lourdes

FLORES Nano]; Peru Possible (Peru Posible) or PP [Alejandro TOLEDO

Manrique]; Peruvian Aprista Party (Partido Aprista Peruano) or PAP

[Alan GARCIA] (also referred to by its original name Alianza Popular

Revolucionaria Americana or APRA); Peruvian Nationalist Party

(Partido Nacionalista Peruano) or PNP [Ollanta HUMALA Tasso]; Union

for Peru (Union por el Peru) or UPP [Aldo ESTRADA Choque]

Philippines

Genuine Opposition or GO (coalition of oppositon parties

formed to contest the 2007 elections); Kabalikat Ng Malayang

Pilipino or Kampi [Ronaldo PUNO]; Laban Ng Demokratikong Pilipino

(Struggle of Filipino Democrats) or LDP [Edgardo ANGARA]; Lakas Ng

Edsa (National Union of Christian Democrats) or Lakas [Jose DE

VENECIA]; Liberal Party or LP [Manuel ROXAS]; Nacionalista [Manuel

VILLAR]; National People's Coalition or NPC [Frisco SAN JUAN];

PDP-Laban [Aquilino PIMENTEL]; People's Reform Party [Miriam

Defensor SANTIAGO]; PROMDI [Emilio OSMENA]; Pwersa Ng Masang

Pilipino (Party of the Philippine Masses) or PMP [Joseph ESTRADA];

Reporma [Renato DE VILLA]

Pitcairn Islands

none

Poland

Civic Platform or PO [Donald TUSK]; Democratic Left Alliance

or SLD [Grzegorz NAPIERALSKI]; Democratic Party or PD [Janusz

ONYSZKIEWICZ]; German Minority of Lower Silesia or MNSO [Henryk

KROLL]; Law and Justice or PiS [Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI]; League of

Polish Families or LPR [Sylwester CHRUSZCZ]; Left and Democrats or

LiD [Wojciech OLEJNICZAK] (a coalition formed by the SLD, PD, SDPL,

and UP); Polish People's Party or PSL [Waldemar PAWLAK]; Samoobrona

or SO [Andrzej LEPPER]; Social Democratic Party of Poland or SDPL

[Bartosz DOMINIK, acting]; Union of Labor or UP [Andrzej SPYCHALSKI]

Portugal

Democratic and Social Center/Popular Party or CDS/PP [Paulo

PORTAS]; Green Ecologist Party (The Greens) or PEV [leadership

commission elected by members]; Portuguese Communist Party or PCP

[Jeronimo DE SOUSA]; Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Jose SOCRATES

Carvalho Pinto de Sousa]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Manuela

FERREIRA Leite]; The Left Bloc or BE [Franciso Anacleto LOUCA];

Unitarian Democratic Coalition or CDU [Jeronimo DE SOUSA] (includes

PCP and PEV)

Puerto Rico

National Democratic Party [Roberto PRATS]; National

Republican Party of Puerto Rico [Dr. Tiody FERRE]; New Progressive

Party or PNP [Pedro ROSSELLO] (pro-US statehood); Popular Democratic

Party or PPD [Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA] (pro-commonwealth); Puerto Rican

Independence Party or PIP [Ruben BERRIOS Martinez] (pro-independence)

Qatar

none

Romania

Conservative Party or PC [Daniela POPA] (formerly Humanist

Party or PUR); Democratic Liberal Party or PDL [Emil BOC];

Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO];

National Liberal Party or PNL [Calin Popescu-TARICEANU]; Romania

Mare Party (Greater Romania Party) or PRM [Corneliu Vadim TUDOR];

Social Democratic Party or PSD [Mircea Dan GEOANA] (formerly Party

of Social Democracy in Romania or PDSR)

Russia

Communist Party of the Russian Federation or CPRF [Gennadiy

Andreyevich ZYUGANOV]; Just Russia [Sergey MIRONOV]; Liberal

Democratic Party of Russia or LDPR [Vladimir Volfovich

ZHIRINOVSKIY]; Patriots of Russia [Gennadiy SEMIGIN]; People's Union

[Sergey BABURIN]; Right Cause [Leonid Yakovlevich GOZMAN, Boris

Yuriyevich TITOV, and Georgiy Georgiyevich BOVT] (registration

pending; formed from merger of Union of Right Forces, Democratic

Party of Russia, and Civic Force); United Russia [Vladimir

Vladimirovich PUTIN]; Yabloko Party [Sergey Sergeyevich MITROKHIN]

Rwanda

Centrist Democratic Party or PDC [Alfred MUKEZAMFURA];

Democratic Popular Union of Rwanda or UDPR [Adrien RANGIRA];

Democratic Republican Movement or MDR [Celestin KABANDA] (officially

banned); Islamic Democratic Party or PDI [Andre BUMAYA]; Liberal

Party or PL [Protais MITALI]; Party for Democratic Renewal

(officially banned); Rwandan Patriotic Front or RPF [Paul KAGAME];

Social Democratic Party or PSD [Vincent BIRUTA]

Saint Barthelemy

Action-Equilibre-Transparence [Maxime DESOUCHES];

Ensemble pour Saint-Barthelemy [Benoit CHAUVIN]; Saint-Barth

d'Abord! or SBA [Bruno MAGRAS]; Tous Unis pour Saint-Barthelemy

[Karine MIOT-RICHARD]

Saint Helena

none

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Vance

AMORY]; Nevis Reformation Party or NRP [Joseph PARRY]; People's

Action Movement or PAM [Lindsay GRANT]; Saint Kitts and Nevis Labor

Party or SKNLP [Dr. Denzil DOUGLAS]

Saint Lucia

National Alliance or NA [George ODLUM]; Saint Lucia

Freedom Party or SFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or

SLP [Kenneth ANTHONY]; Sou Tout Apwe Fete Fini or STAFF [Christopher

HUNTE]; United Workers Party or UWP [Stephenson KING]

Saint Martin

Union Pour le Progres or UPP [Louis-Constant FLEMING];

Rassemblement Responsabilite Reussite or RRR [Alain RICHARDSON];

Reussir Saint-Martin [Jean-Luc HAMLET]

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Archipelago Tomorrow or AD affiliated with

UDF/RPR list; Cap sur l'Avenir affiliated with PRG; Left Radical

Party or PRG; Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR (now UMP);

Saint Pierre and Miquelon 2000/Avenir Miquelon or SPM 2000/AM;

Socialist Party or PS; Union pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

New Democratic Party or NDP [Arnhim

EUSTACE]; Unity Labor Party or ULP [Ralph GONSALVES] (formed by the

coalition of Saint Vincent Labor Party or SVLP and the Movement for

National Unity or MNU)

Samoa

Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi

TUILA'EPA]; Samoa Christian Party or TCP [Tuala Tiresa MALIETOA];

Samoa Democratic United Party or SDUP [LE MAMEA Ropati]; Samoa Party

or SP [Su'a Rimoni Ah CHONG]; Samoa Progressive Political Party or

SPPP [Toeolesulusulu SIUEVA]

San Marino

Communist Refoundation or RC [Ivan FOSHI]; Democrats of

the Center; Freedom List; Ideas in Movement or IM [Alessandro

ROSSI]; National Alliance or AN [Glauco SANSOVINI]; New Socialist

Party [Augusto CASALI]; Party of Socialists and Democrats [Claudio

FELICI]; San Marino Christian Democratic Party or PDCS [Pier Marino

MENICUCCI]; San Marino Popular Alliance of Democrats or AP [Roberto

GIORGETTI]; San Marino Socialist Party or PSS [Alberto CECCHETTI];

Socialists for Reform or SR [Renzo GIARDI]; Union of Moderates;

United Left

Sao Tome and Principe

Force for Change Democratic Movement or MDFM

[Tome Soares da VERA CRUZ]; Independent Democratic Action or ADI

[[Patrice TROVOADA]; Movement for the Liberation of Sao Tome and

Principe-Social Democratic Party or MLSTP-PSD [Rafael BRANCO]; New

Way Movement or NR; Party for Democratic Convergence or PCD [Delfim

NEVES]; Ue-Kedadji coalition; other small parties

Saudi Arabia

none

Senegal

African Party of Independence [Majhemout DIOP];

And-Jef/African Party for Democracy and Socialism or AJ/PADS

[Landing SAVANE]; Alliance of Forces of Progress or AFP [Moustapha

NIASSE]; Democratic League-Labor Party Movement or LD-MPT [Dr.

Abdoulaye BATHILY]; Front for Socialism and Democracy/Benno Jubel or

FSD/BJ [Cheikh Abdoulaye Bamba DIEYE]; Gainde Centrist Bloc or BGC

[Jean-Paul DIAS]; Independence and Labor Party or PIT [Amath

DANSOKHO]; Jef-Jel [Talla SYLLA]; National Democratic Rally or RND

[Madior DIOUF]; People's Labor Party or PTP [Elhadji DIOUF]; Reform

Party or PR [Abdourahim AGNE]; Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS

[Abdoulaye WADE]; Socialist Party or PS [Ousmane Tanor DIENG]; SOPI

Coalition [Abdoulaye WADE] (a coalition led by the PDS); Union for

Democratic Renewal or URD [Djibo Leyti KA]

Serbia

Coalition of Albanians of the Presevo Valley or KAPD [Riza

HALIMI]; Coalition for Sandzak or KZS [Sulejman UGLJANIN];

Democratic Party of Albanians or PDSh [Ragmi MUSTAFA]; Democratic

Party of Serbia or DSS [Vojislav KOSTUNICA]; Democratic Party or DS

[Boris TADIC]; Democratic Union of the Valley or BDL [Skender

DESTANI]; For a European Serbia [Boris TADIC]; Force of Serbia

Movement or PSS [Bogoljub KARIC]; G17 Plus [Mladjan DINKIC]; League

of Vojvodina Hungarians or SVM [Istvan PASTOR]; Liberal Democratic

Party or LDP [Cedomir JOVANOVIC]; Movement for Democratic Progress

or LPD [Jonuz MUSLIU]; New Serbia or NS [Velimir ILIC]; Party of

Democratic Action or PVD [Riza HALIMI]; Roma Party or RP [Srdjan

SAJN]; Serbian Progressive Party or SNS [Tomislav NIKOLIC]; Serbian

Radical Party or SRS [Vojislav SESELJ (currently on trial at The

Hague), but Tomislav NIKOLIC is acting leader]; Socialist Party of

Serbia or SPS [Ivica DACIC]; Union of Roma of Serbia or URS [Rajko

DJURIC]

Seychelles

Democratic Party or DP [James MANCHAM, Paul CHOW];

Seychelles National Party or SNP [Wavel RAMKALAWAN] (formerly the

United Opposition or UO); Seychelles People's Progressive Front or

SPPF [France Albert RENE, James MICHEL] (the governing party)

Sierra Leone

All People's Congress or APC [Ernest Bai KOROMA]; Peace

and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON]; People's Movement

for Democratic Change or PMDC [Charles MARGAI]; Sierra Leone

People's Party or SLPP [Solomon BEREWA]; numerous others

Singapore

People's Action Party or PAP [LEE Hsien Loong]; Singapore

Democratic Alliance or SDA [CHIAM See Tong]; Singapore Democratic

Party or SDP [CHEE Soon Juan]; Workers' Party or WP [Sylvia LIM Swee

Lian]

note: SDA includes Singapore Justice Party or SJP, Singapore

National Malay Organization or PKMS, Singapore People's Party or SPP

Slovakia

Parties in the Parliament: Christian Democratic Movement or

KDH [Pavol HRUSOVSKY]; Direction-Social Democracy or Smer-SD [Robert

FICO]; Party of the Hungarian Coalition or SMK [Pal CSAKY]; People's

Party - Movement for a Democratic Slovakia or LS-HZDS [Vladimir

MECIAR]; Slovak Democratic and Christian Union or SDKU-DS [Mikulas

DZURINDA]; Slovak National Party or SNS [Jan SLOTA]; Parties outside

the Parliament: Agrarian Party of the Provinces or ASV [Jozef

VASKEBA]; Civic Conservative Party or OKS [Peter TATAR]; Free Forum

[Zuzana MARTINAKOVA]; Hope or NADEJ [Alexandra NOVOTNA]; Left-wing

Bloc or LB [Jozef KALMAN]; Mission 21 - New Christian Democracy or

MISIA 21 [Ivan SIMKO]; Movement for Democracy or HZD [Jozef GRAPA];

New Citizens Alliance or ANO [Pavol RUSKO]; Party of the Democratic

Left or SDL [Ladislav KOZMON]; Prosperita Slovenska or PS [Frantisek

A. ZVRSKOVEC]; Slovak Communist Party or KSS [Vladimir DADO]; Slovak

National Coalition or SLNKO [Vitazoslav MORIC]; Slovak People's

Party or SLS [Jozef SASIK]; Union of the Workers of Slovakia or ZRS

[Jan LUPTAK]

Slovenia

Liberal Democracy of Slovenia or LDS [Katarina KRESAL]; New

Slovenia or NSi [Andrej BAJUK]; Slovenian Democratic Party or SDS

[Janez JANSA]; Democratic Party of Pensioners of Slovenia or DeSUS

[Karl ERJAVEC]; Slovene National Party or SNS [Zmago JELINCIC];

Slovene People's Party or SLS [Bojan SROT]; Slovene Youth Party or

SMS [Darko KRANJC]; Social Democrats or SD [Borut PAHOR] (formerly

ZLSD); ZARES [Gregor Golobic]

Solomon Islands

Association of Independent Members or AIM [Thomas

CHAN]; Christian Alliance Solomon Islands or CASI [Edward RONIA];

LAFARI Party [John GARO]; National Party [Francis HILLY]; People's

Alliance Party or PAP [Sir Allan KEMAKEZA]; Social Credit Party or

SOCRED [Manasseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon First Party [David

QUAN]; Solomon Islands Democratic Party [Gabriel SURI]; Solomon

Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU]; Solomon Islands

Liberal Party [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands Party for

Rural Advancement or SIPRA [Job D. TAUSINGA]; United Party [Sir

Peter KENILOREA]

note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid

coalitions

Somalia

none

South Africa

African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth

MESHOE]; African National Congress or ANC [Jacob ZUMA]; Democratic

Alliance or DA [Helen ZILLE]; Freedom Front Plus or FF+ [Pieter

MULDER]; Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI]; New

National Party or NNP; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Motsoko

PHEKO]; United Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA]

Spain

Aragonese Party or CHA [Bizen FUSTER]; Basque Nationalist

Party or PNV [Inigo URKULLU]; Basque Solidarity or EA [Begona

ERRAZTI]; Canarian Coalition or CC [Jose Torres STINGA] (a coalition

of five parties); Convergence and Union or CiU [Artur MAS i Gavarro]

(a coalition of the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia or CDC

[Artur MAS i Gavarro] and the Democratic Union of Catalonia or UDC

[Josep Antoni DURAN i LLEIDA]); Entesa Catalonia de Progress (a

Senate coalition grouping four Catalan parties - PSC, ERC, ICV,

EUA); Galician Nationalist Bloc or BNG [Anxo Manuel QUINTANA

Gonzalez]; Initiative for Catalonia Greens or ICV [Joan SAURA i

Laporta]; Navarra yes or Na Bai [Uxue BARKOS Berruezo] (a coalition

of four Navarran parties); Popular Party or PP [Mariano RAJOY Brey];

Republican Left of Catalonia or ERC [Josep-Lluis CAROD-ROVIRA];

Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE [Jose Luis Rodriguez

ZAPATERO]; United Left or IU [Gaspar LLAMAZARES Trigo] (a coalition

of parties including the PCE and other small parties)

Sri Lanka

All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [G.PONNAMBALAM]; Ceylon

Workers Congress or CWC [Arumugam THONDAMAN]; Communist Party or CP

[D. GUNASEKERA]; Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP [Douglas

DEVANANDA]; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front or EPRLF

[Suresh PREMACHANDRAN]; Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or JVP [Somawansa

AMARASINGHE]; Lanka Sama Samaja Party or LSSP [Tissa VITHARANA];

Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (People's United Front) or MEP [D.

GUNAWARDENE]; National Heritage Party or JHU [Ellawala METHANANDA];

National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial ASHRAFF]; People's Liberation

Organization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [D. SIDHARTHAN]; Sri Lanka

Freedom Party or SLFP [Mahinda RAJAPAKSA]; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress

or SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM]; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO

[Selvam ADAIKALANATHAN]; Tamil National Alliance or TNA [R.

SAMPANTHAN]; Tamil United Liberation Front or TULF [V.

ANANDASANGAREE]; United National Party or UNP [Ranil

WICKREMASINGHE]; Up-country People's Front or UPF [P. CHANDRASEKARAN]

Sudan

National Congress Party or NCP [Umar Hassan al-BASHIR]; Sudan

People's Liberation Movement or SPLM [Salva Mayardit KIIR]; and

elements of the National Democratic Alliance or NDA including

factions of the Democratic Union Party [Muhammad Uthman al-MIRGHANI]

and Umma Party [SADIQ Siddiq al-Mahdi]; note - all political parties

listed above in the Government of National Unity

Suriname

Alternative-1 or A-1 (a coalition of Amazone Party of

Suriname or APS [Kenneth VAN GENDEREN], Democrats of the 21st

Century or D-21 [Soewarto MOESTADJA], Nieuw Suriname or NS [Radjen

Nanan PANDAY], Political Wing of the FAL or PVF [Jiwan SITAL],

Trefpunt 2000 or T-2000 [Arti JESSURUN]); General Interior

Development Party or ABOP [Ronnie BRUNSWIJK]; National Democratic

Party or NDP [Desire BOUTERSE]; New Front for Democracy and

Development or NF (a coalition that includes A-Combination or A-Com,

Democratic Alternative 1991 or DA-91, an independent,

business-oriented party [Winston JESSURUN], National Party Suriname

or NPS [Ronald VENETIAAN], United Reform Party or VHP [Ramdien

SARDJOE], Pertjaja Luhur or PL [Salam Paul SOMOHARDJO], Surinamese

Labor Party or SPA [Siegfried GILDS]); Party for Democracy and

Development in Unity or DOE [Marten SCHALKWIJK]; People's Alliance

for Progress or VVV (a coalition of Democratic National Platform

2000 or DNP-2000 [Jules WIJDENBOSCH], Grassroots Party for Renewal

and Democracy or BVD [Tjan GOBARDHAN], Party for National Unity and

Solidarity of the Highest Order or KTPI [Willy SOEMITA], Party for

Progression, Justice, and Perseverance or PPRS [Renee KAIMAN],

Pendawalima or PL [Raymond SAPOEN]); Progressive Laborers and

Farmers Union or PALU [Jim HOK]; Progressive Political Party or PPP

[Surinder MUNGRA]; Seeka [Paul ABENA]; Union of Progressive

Surinamers or UPS [Sheoradj PANDAY]

Swaziland

the status of political parties, previously banned, is

unclear under the new (2006) Constitution and currently being

debated - the following are considered political associations;

African United Democratic Party or AUDP [Stanley MAUNDZISA,

president]; Imbokodvo National Movement or INM; Ngwane National

Liberatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI, president]; People's

United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU, president]

Sweden

Center Party [Maud OLOFSSON]; Christian Democratic Party

[Goran HAGGLUND]; Environment Party the Greens [no formal leader but

party spokespersons are Maria WETTERSTRAND and Peter ERIKSSON]; Left

Party or V (formerly Communist) [Lars OHLY]; Liberal People's Party

[Jan BJORKLUND]; Moderate Party (conservative) [Fredrik REINFELDT];

Social Democratic Party [Mona SAHLIN]

Switzerland

Green Party (Gruene Partei der Schweiz or Gruene, Parti

Ecologiste Suisse or Les Verts, Partito Ecologista Svizzero or I

Verdi, Partida Ecologica Svizra or La Verda) [Ruth GENNER];

Christian Democratic People's Party (Christlichdemokratische

Volkspartei der Schweiz or CVP, Parti Democrate-Chretien Suisse or

PDC, Partito Democratico-Cristiano Popolare Svizzero or PDC, Partida

Cristiandemocratica dalla Svizra or PCD) [Christophe DARBELLAY];

Radical Free Democratic Party (Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der

Schweiz or FDP, Parti Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD, Partitio

Liberal-Radicale Svizzero or PLR) [Fulvio PELLI]; Social Democratic

Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz or SPS, Parti

Socialist Suisse or PSS, Partito Socialista Svizzero or PSS, Partida

Socialdemocratica de la Svizra or PSS) [Hans-Juerg FEHR]; Swiss

People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei or SVP, Union

Democratique du Centre or UDC, Unione Democratica de Centro or UDC,

Uniun Democratica dal Center or UDC) [Ueli MAURER]; and other minor

parties

Syria

legal parties: National Progressive Front or NPF [President

Bashar al-ASAD, Dr. Suleiman QADDAH] (includes Arab Socialist

Renaissance (Ba'th) Party [President Bashar al-ASAD]; Socialist

Unionist Democratic Party [Fadlallah Nasr Al-DIN]; Syrian Arab

Socialist Union or ASU [Safwan QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party (two

branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Syrian Social

Nationalist Party [Ali QANSU]; Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez

ISMAIL])

opposition parties not legally recognized:: Arab Democratic

Socialist Union Party [Hasan Abdul AZIM]; Arab Socialist Movement;

Democratic Ba'th Party [Ibrahim MAHKOS]; People's Democratic Party

[Riad al TURK]; Revolutionary Workers' Party [Abdul Hafeez al HAFEZ]

Kurdish parties (considered illegal): Kurdish Democratic Front

[Abdul Hamid DARWISH] (includes four parties); Kurdish Coordination

[Abdul Hakim BASHAR] (includes Azadi Party [Kheirudin MURAD], Future

Party [Masha'l TAMMO], Yekity Party [Hasam SALE])

other parties: Nahda Party [Abdul Aziz al MISLET]; Syrian Democratic

Party [Mustafa QALAAJI]

Taiwan

Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [TSAI Ing-wen];

Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [WU Po-hsiung]; Non-Partisan

Solidarity Union or NPSU [CHANG Po-ya]; People First Party or PFP

[James SOONG]

Tajikistan

Agrarian Party of Tajikistan or APT [Amir KARAKULOV];

Democratic Party or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV (imprisoned October

2005); Rahmatullo VALIYEV, deputy]; Islamic Revival Party [Muhiddin

KABIRI]; Party of Economic Reform or PER [Olimzon BOBOYEV]; People's

Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMON]; Social

Democratic Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOYIROV]; Socialist Party or

SPT [Mirhuseyn NARZIYEV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi

SHABDOLOV]

Tanzania

Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Party of Democracy and

Development) or CHADEMA [Bob MAKANI]; Chama Cha Mapinduzi or CCM

(Revolutionary Party) [Jakaya Mrisho KIKWETE]; Civic United Front or

CUF [Ibrahim LIPUMBA]; Democratic Party [Christopher MTIKLA]

(unregistered); Tanzania Labor Party or TLP [Augustine Lyatonga

MREME]; United Democratic Party or UDP [John CHEYO]

Thailand

Democrat Party or DP (Prachathipat Party) [ABHISIT

Wetchachiwa, also spelled ABHISIT Vejjajiva]; Matchima Thippatai

(Middle Way Party) [ANONGWAN Therpsuthin] - disbanded; Motherland

Party (Peua Pandin Party); People's Power Party (Palang Prachachon

Party) or PPP [SOMCHAI Wongsawat, acting] - disbanded; Royalist

People's Party (Pracharaj) [SANOH Thienthong]; Ruam Jai Thai Party

(Thai Unity Party) [CHETTA Thanacharo, also spelled CHETTHA

Thanajaro]; Thai Nation Party or TNP (Chat Thai Party) [BARNHARN

SILPA-ARCHA] - disbanded

Timor-Leste

Democratic Party or PD [Fernando de ARAUJO]; National

Congress for Timorese Reconstruction or CNRT [Xanana GUSMAO];

National Democratic Union of Timorese Resistance or UNDERTIM

[Cornelio DA Conceicao GAMA]; National Unity Party or PUN [Fernanda

BORGES]; People's Party of Timor or PPT [Jacob XAVIER];

Revolutionary Front of Independent Timor-Leste or FRETILIN [Mari

ALKATIRI]; Social Democratic Association of Timor or ASDT [Francisco

Xavier do AMARAL]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Mario

CARRASCALAO]; Sons of the Mountain Warriors or KOTA [Manuel TILMAN]

(also known as Association of Timorese Heroes)

Togo

Action Committee for Renewal or CAR [Yawovi AGBOYIBO];

Democratic Convention of African Peoples or CDPA; Democratic Party

for Renewal or PDR; Juvento [Monsilia DJATO]; Movement of the

Believers of Peace and Equality or MOCEP; Pan-African Patriotic

Convergence or CPP; Rally for the Support for Development and

Democracy or RSDD [Harry OLYMPIO]; Rally of the Togolese People or

RPT [Faure GNASSINGBE]; Socialist Pact for Renewal or PSR; Union for

Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Gagou KOKOU]; Union of Forces

for a Change or UFC [Gilchrist OLYMPIO]

Tokelau

none

Tonga

Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement or THRDM [Uliti

UATA]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Tesina FUKO]

Trinidad and Tobago

Congress of the People [Winston DOOKERAN];

Democratic Action Congress or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES] (only active in

Tobago); Democratic National Alliance or DNA [Gerald YETMING]

(coalition of NAR, DDPT, MND); Movement for National Development or

MND [Garvin NICHOLAS]; National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR

[Dr. Carson CHARLES]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick

MANNING]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY]

Tunisia

Al-Tajdid Movement [Ahmed IBRAHIM]; Constitutional

Democratic Rally Party (Rassemblement Constitutionnel Democratique)

or RCD (official ruling party) [President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI];

Democratic Forum for Labor and Liberties or FDTL [Mustapha Ben

JAFAAR]; Green Party for Progress or PVP [Mongi KHAMASSI]; Liberal

Social Party or PSL [Mondher THABET]; Movement of Socialist

Democrats or MDS [Ismail BOULAHYA]; Popular Unity Party or PUP

[Mohamed BOUCHIHA]; Progressive Democratic Party [Maya JERIBI];

Unionist Democratic Union or UDU [Ahmed INOUBLI]; note - the

Islamist party, Al Nahda (Renaissance), is outlawed

Turkey

Anavatan Partisi (Motherland Party) or Anavatan [Erkan

MUMCU]; Democratic Left Party or DSP [Mehmet Zeki SEZER]; Democratic

Society Party or DTP [Nurettin DEMIRTAS]; Felicity Party or SP

[Recai KUTAN] (sometimes translated as Contentment Party); Justice

and Development Party or AKP [Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN]; Nationalist

Action Party or MHP [Devlet BAHCELI] (sometimes translated as

Nationalist Movement Party); People's Rise Party (Halkin Yukselisi

Partisi) or HYP [Yasar Nuri OZTURK]; Republican People's Party or

CHP [Deniz BAYKAL]; Social Democratic People's Party or SHP [Murat

KARAYALCIN]; True Path Party or DYP [Mehmet AGAR] (sometimes

translated as Correct Way Party); Young Party or GP [Cem Cengiz UZAN]

note: the parties listed above are some of the more significant of

the 49 parties that Turkey had on 1 December 2004

Turkmenistan

Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Gurbanguly

BERDIMUHAMEDOW]

note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small

opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries; the

two most prominent opposition groups-in-exile have been National

Democratic Movement of Turkmenistan (NDMT) and the United Democratic

Party of Turkmenistan (UDPT); NDMT was led by former Foreign

Minister Boris SHIKHMURADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the

wake of the 25 November 2002 attack on President NYYAZOW's motorcade

Turks and Caicos Islands

People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Floyd

SEYMOUR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK]

Tuvalu

there are no political parties but members of Parliament

usually align themselves in informal groupings

Uganda

Conservative Party or CP [Ken LUKYAMUZI]; Democratic Party or

DP [Kizito SSEBAANA]; Forum for Democratic Change or FDC [Kizza

BESIGYE]; Justice Forum or JEEMA [Muhammad Kibirige MAYANJA];

National Resistance Movement or NRM [Yoweri MUSEVENI]; Peoples

Progressive Party or PPP [Bidandi SSALI]; Ugandan People's Congress

or UPC [Miria OBOTE]

note: a national referendum in July 2005 opened the way for Uganda's

transition to a multi-party political system

Ukraine

Christian Democratic Union [Volodymyr STRETOVYCH]; Communist

Party of Ukraine or CPU [Petro SYMONENKO]; European Party of Ukraine

[Mykola KATERYNCHUK]; Fatherland Party (Batkivshchyna) [Yuliya

TYMOSHENKO]; Forward Ukraine! [Viktor MUSIYAKA]; Labor Party of

Ukraine [Mykola SYROTA]; People's Union Our Ukraine [Vyacheslav

KYRYLENKO]; Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs [Anatoliy

KINAKH]; Party of the Defenders of the Fatherland [Yuriy Karmazin];

People's Movement of Ukraine (Rukh) [Borys TARASYUK]; People's Party

[Volodymyr LYTVYN]; PORA! (It's Time!) party [Vladyslav KASKIV];

Progressive Socialist Party [Natalya VITRENKO]; Reforms and Order

Party [Viktor PYNZENYK]; Party of Regions [Viktor YANUKOVYCH];

Republican Party [Yuriy BOYKO]; Sobor [Anatoliy MATVIYENKO]; Social

Democratic Party [Yevhen KORNICHUK]; Social Democratic Party

(United) or SDPU(o) [Yuriy ZAHORODNIY]; Socialist Party of Ukraine

or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ]; Ukrainian People's Party [Yuriy KOSTENKO];

Viche [Inna BOHOSLOVSKA]

United Arab Emirates

none

United Kingdom

Conservative [David CAMERON]; Democratic Unionist

Party (Northern Ireland) [Peter ROBINSON]; Labor Party [Gordon

BROWN]; Liberal Democrats [Nick CLEGG]; Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru)

[Ieuan Wyn JONES]; Scottish National Party or SNP [Alex SALMOND];

Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Social Democratic and

Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [Mark DURKAN]; Ulster

Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Sir Reg EMPEY]

United States

Democratic Party [Howard DEAN]; Green Party;

Libertarian Party [William (Bill) REDPATH]; Republican Party [Robert

M. (Mike) DUNCAN]

Uruguay

Broad Front (Frente Amplio) - formerly known as the

Progressive Encounter/Broad Front Coalition or EP-FA [Jorge

BROVETTO] (a broad governing coalition that includes Movement of the

Popular Participation or MPP [Jose MUJICA], New Space Party (Nuevo

Espacio) [Rafael MICHELINI], Progressive Alliance (Alianza

Progresista) [Rodolfo NIN NOVOA], Socialist Party [Eduardo

FERNANDEZ], the Communist Party [Marina ARISMENDI], Uruguayan

Assembly (Asamblea Uruguay) [Danilo ASTORI], and Vertiente

Artiguista [Mariano ARANA]); Colorado Party (Foro Batllista) [Julio

Maria SANGUINETTI]; National Party or Blanco [Luis Alberto LACALLE

and Jorge LARRANAGA]

Uzbekistan

Adolat (Justice) Social Democratic Party [Dilorom

TASHMUHAMMEDOVA]; Democratic National Rebirth Party (Milly

Tiklanish) or MTP [Hurshid DOSMUHAMMEDOV]; Fidokorlar National

Democratic Party (Self-Sacrificers) [Ahtam TURSUNOV]; Liberal

Democratic Party of Uzbekistan or LDPU [Adham SHADMANOV; People's

Democratic Party or NDP (formerly Communist Party) [Asliddin

RUSTAMOV]

Vanuatu

Greens Confederation or GC [Moana CARCASSES]; Jon Frum

Movement or JF [Song KEASPAI]; Melanesian Progressive Party or MPP

[Barak SOPE]; Nagriamel movement or NAG [Havo MOLI]; Namangi Aute or

NA [Paul TELUKLUK]; National United Party or NUP [Ham LINI];

People's Action Party or PAP [Peter VUTA]; People's Progressive

Party or PPP [Sato KILMAN]; Shepherds Alliance Party [leader NA];

Union of Moderate Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanuatu Family First

Party or VFFP [Eta RORI]; Vanuatu Labor Party or VLP [Joshua

KALSAKAU]; Vanuatu National Party or VNP [Issac HAMARILIU];

Vanua'aku Pati (Our Land Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]; Vanuatu

Republican Party or VRP [Maxime Carlot KORMAN]; Vanuatu Republican

Farmers Party or VPRFP [Jean RAVOU]

Venezuela

A New Time or UNT [Manuel ROSALES]; Christian Democrats or

COPEI [Cesar PEREZ Vivas]; Communist Party of Venezuela or PCV

[Jeronimo CARRERA]; Democratic Action or AD [Henry RAMOS Allup];

Fatherland for All or PPT [Jose ALBORNOZ]; Justice First [Julio

BORGES]; Movement Toward Socialism or MAS [Hector MUJICA]; United

Socialist Party of Venezuela or PSUV [Hugo CHAVEZ]; Venezuela

Project or PV [Henrique SALAS Romer]; We Can or PODEMOS [Ismael

GARCIA]

Vietnam

Communist Party of Vietnam or CPV [Nong Duc MANH]; other

parties proscribed

Virgin Islands

Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent

Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary

SPRAUVE]

Wallis and Futuna

Lua Kae Tahi (Giscardians); Mouvement des Radicaux

de Gauche or MRG; Rally for the Republic or RPR (UMP) [Clovis

LOGOLOGOFOLAU]; Socialist Party or PS; Taumu'a Lelei [Soane Muni

UHILA]; Union Populaire Locale or UPL [Falakiko GATA]; Union Pour la

Democratie Francaise or UDF

Yemen

General People's Congress or GPC [Abdul-Kader BAJAMMAL];

Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah [Mohammed Abdullah AL-YADOUMI

(acting)]; Nasserite Unionist Party [Abdal Malik al-MAKHLAFI];

National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party [Dr. Qasim SALAM]; Yemeni

Socialist Party or YSP [Ali Salih MUQBIL]; note - there are at least

seven more active political parties

Zambia

All Peoples Congress Party [Winright NGONDO]; Forum for

Democracy and Development or FDD [Edith NAWAKWI]; Heritage Party or

HP [Godfrey MIYANDA]; Liberal Progressive Front or LPF [Roger

CHONGWE]; Movement for Multiparty Democracy or MMD [Levy MWANAWASA];

National Democratic Focus or NDF; Patriotic Front or PF [Michael

SATA]; Party of Unity for Democracy and Development or PUDD [Dan

PULE]; Reform Party [Nevers MUMBA]; United Democratic Alliance or

UDA; United Liberal Party or ULP [Sakwiba SIKOTA]; United National

Independence Party or UNIP [Tilyenji KAUNDA]; United Party for

National Development or UPND [Hakainde HICHILEMA]; Zambia Democratic

Congress or ZADECO [Langton SICHONE]; Zambian Republican Party or

ZRP [Benjamin MWILA]

Zimbabwe

African National Party or ANP [Egypt DZINEMUNHENZVA];

Movement for Democratic Change or MDC [Morgan TSVANGIRAI,

anti-Senate faction; Arthur MUTAMBARA, pro-Senate faction]; Peace

Action is Freedom for All or PAFA; United Parties [Abel MUZOREWA];

United People's Party or UPP [Daniel SHUMBA]; Zimbabwe African

National Union-Ndonga or ZANU-Ndonga [Wilson KUMBULA]; Zimbabwe

African National Union-Patriotic Front or ZANU-PF [Robert Gabriel

MUGABE]; Zimbabwe African Peoples Union or ZAPU [Agrippa MADLELA];

Zimbabwe Youth in Alliance or ZIYA

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2119 Population

Afghanistan

32,738,376 (July 2008 est.)

Akrotiri

approximately 15,700 live on the Sovereign Base Areas of

Akrotiri and Dhekelia including 7,700 Cypriots, 3,600 Service and

UK-based contract personnel, and 4,400 dependents

Albania

3,619,778 (July 2008 est.)

Algeria

33,769,668 (July 2008 est.)

American Samoa

64,827 (July 2008 est.)

Andorra

82,627 (July 2008 est.)

Angola

12,531,357 (July 2008 est.)

Anguilla

14,108 (July 2008 est.)

Antarctica

no indigenous inhabitants, but there are both permanent

and summer-only staffed research stations

note: 28 nations, all signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, operate

through their National Antarctic Program a number of seasonal-only

(summer) and year-round research stations on the continent and its

nearby islands south of 60 degrees south latitude (the region

covered by the Antarctic Treaty); these stations' population of

persons doing and supporting science or engaged in the management

and protection of the Antarctic region varies from approximately

4,000 in summer to 1,000 in winter; in addition, approximately 1,000

personnel, including ship's crew and scientists doing onboard

research, are present in the waters of the treaty region; peak

summer (December-February) population - 4,219 total; Argentina 667,

Australia 200, Brazil 40, Bulgaria 15, Chile 237, China 70, Czech

Republic 20, Ecuador 26, Finland 20, France 100, France and Italy

jointly 45, Germany 90, India 65, Italy 90, Japan 125, South Korea

70, NZ 85, Norway 44, Peru 28, Poland 40, Romania 3, Russia 429,

South Africa 80, Spain 28, Sweden 20, Ukraine 24, UK 205, US 1,293,

Uruguay 60 (2007-2008); winter (June-August) station population -

1,088 total; Argentina 176, Australia 62, Brazil 12, Chile 96, China

29, France 26, France and Italy jointly 13, Germany 9, India 25,

Italy 2, Japan 40, South Korea 18, NZ 10, Norway 7, Poland 12,

Russia 148, South Africa 10, Ukraine 12, UK 37, US 337, Uruguay 9

(2008); research stations operated within the Antarctic Treaty area

(south of 60 degrees south latitude) by National Antarctic Programs:

year-round stations - 38 total; Argentina 6, Australia 3, Brazil 1,

Chile 4, China 2, France 1, France and Italy jointly 1, Germany 1,

India 1, Japan 1, South Korea 1, NZ 1, Norway 1, Poland 1, Russia 5,

South Africa 1, Ukraine 1, UK 2, US 3, Uruguay 1 (2008); a range of

seasonal-only (summer) stations, camps, and refuges - Argentina,

Australia, Bulgaria, Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Ecuador,

Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, New

Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden,

Ukraine, UK, US, and Uruguay (2007-2008); in addition, during the

austral summer some nations have numerous occupied locations such as

tent camps, summer-long temporary facilities, and mobile traverses

in support of research (March 2008 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

84,522 (July 2008 est.)

Argentina

40.482 million (July 2008 est.)

Armenia

2,968,586 (July 2008 est.)

Aruba

101,541

note: estimate based on a revision of the base population,

fertility, and mortality numbers, as well as a revision of 1985-1999

migration estimates from outmigration to inmigration, which is

assumed to continue into the future; the new results are consistent

with the 2000 census (July 2008 est.)

Ashmore and Cartier Islands no indigenous inhabitants note: Indonesian fishermen are allowed access to the lagoon and fresh water at Ashmore Reef's West Island; access to East and Middle Islands is by permit only

Australia

21,007,310 (July 2008 est.)

Austria

8,205,533 (July 2008 est.)

Azerbaijan

8,177,717 (July 2008 est.)

Bahamas, The

307,451

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Bahrain 718,306 note: includes 235,108 non-nationals (July 2008 est.)

Bangladesh

153,546,896 (July 2008 est.)

Barbados

281,968 (July 2008 est.)

Belarus

9,685,768 (July 2008 est.)

Belgium

10,403,951 (July 2008 est.)

Belize

301,270 (July 2008 est.)

Benin

8,532,547

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Bermuda

66,536 (July 2008 est.)

Bhutan

682,321

note: the Factbook population estimate is consistent with the first

modern census of Bhutan, conducted in 2005; previous Factbook

population estimates for this country, which were on the order of

three times the total population reported here, were based on

Bhutanese government publications that did not include the census

(July 2008 est.)

Bolivia

9,247,816 (July 2008 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

4,590,310 (July 2008 est.)

Botswana

1,842,323

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Bouvet Island

uninhabited

Brazil

196,342,592

note: Brazil conducted a census in August 2000, which reported a

population of 169,799,170; that figure was about 3.3% lower than

projections by the US Census Bureau, and is close to the implied

underenumeration of 4.6% for the 1991 census; estimates for this

country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality

due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant

mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and

changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would

otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

British Indian Ocean Territory

no indigenous inhabitants

note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in

the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois,

were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and

1970s; in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a

British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in

November 2004, approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and

civilian contractors were living on the island of Diego Garcia

British Virgin Islands

24,041 (July 2008 est.)

Brunei

381,371 (July 2008 est.)

Bulgaria

7,262,675 (July 2008 est.)

Burkina Faso

15,264,735

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Burma

47,758,180

note: estimates for this country take into account the effects of

excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life

expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Burundi

8,691,005

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Cambodia

14,241,640

note: estimates for this country take into account the effects of

excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life

expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Cameroon

18,467,692

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Canada

33,212,696 (July 2008 est.)

Cape Verde

426,998 (July 2008 est.)

Cayman Islands

47,862

note: most of the population lives on Grand Cayman (July 2008 est.)

Central African Republic

4,444,330

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Chad

10,111,337 (July 2008 est.)

Chile

16,454,143 (July 2008 est.)

China

1,330,044,544 (July 2008 est.)

Christmas Island

1,402 (July 2007 est.)

Clipperton Island

uninhabited

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

596 (July 2007 est.)

Colombia

45,013,672 (July 2008 est.)

Comoros

731,775 (July 2008 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

66,514,504

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

3,903,318

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Cook Islands

12,271 (July 2008 est.)

Coral Sea Islands

no indigenous inhabitants

note: there is a staff of three to four at the meteorological

station on Willis Island (July 2007 est.)

Costa Rica

4,195,914 (July 2008 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

20,179,602

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Croatia

4,491,543 (July 2008 est.)

Cuba

11,423,952 (July 2008 est.)

Cyprus

792,604 (July 2008 est.)

Czech Republic

10,220,911 (July 2008 est.)

Denmark

5,484,723 (July 2008 est.)

Dhekelia

approximately 15,700 live on the Sovereign Base Areas of

Akrotiri and Dhekelia including 7,700 Cypriots, 3,600 Service and UK

Based Contract personnel, and 4,400 dependents

Djibouti

506,221 (July 2008 est.)

Dominica

72,514 (July 2008 est.)

Dominican Republic

9,507,133 (July 2008 est.)

Ecuador

13,927,650 (July 2008 est.)

Egypt

81,713,520 (July 2008 est.)

El Salvador

7,066,403 (July 2008 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

616,459 (July 2008 est.)

Eritrea

5,502,026 (July 2008 est.)

Estonia

1,307,605 (July 2008 est.)

Ethiopia

82,544,840

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

European Union

491,018,683 (July 2008 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

3,140 (July 2008 est.)

Faroe Islands

48,668 (July 2008 est.)

Fiji

931,741 (July 2008 est.)

Finland

5,244,749 (July 2008 est.)

France

total: 64,057,792

note: 62,150,775 in metropolitan France (July 2008 est.)

French Polynesia

283,019 (July 2008 est.)

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

no indigenous inhabitants

Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): has no permanent

residents but has a meteorological station

Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): is uninhabited but

is frequently visited by fishermen and has a scientific research

cabin for short stays

Iles Crozet: are uninhabited except for 18 to 30 people staffing the

Alfred Faure research station on Ile del la Possession

Iles Kerguelen: 50 to 100 scientists are located at the main base at

Port-aux-Francais on Ile Kerguelen

Bassas da India (Iles Eparses): uninhabitable

Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses):

a small French military garrison and a few meteorologists on each

possession; visited by scientists

Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): uninhabited, except for visits by

scientists

Gabon

1,485,832

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Gambia, The

1,735,464 (July 2008 est.)

Gaza Strip

1,500,202 (July 2008 est.)

Georgia

4,630,841 (July 2008 est.)

Germany

82,369,552 (July 2008 est.)

Ghana

23,382,848

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Gibraltar

28,002 (July 2008 est.)

Greece

10,722,816 (July 2008 est.)

Greenland

57,564 (July 2008 est.)

Grenada

90,343 (July 2008 est.)

Guam

175,877 (July 2008 est.)

Guatemala

13,002,206 (July 2008 est.)

Guernsey

65,726 (July 2008 est.)

Guinea

9,806,509 (July 2008 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

1,503,182 (July 2008 est.)

Guyana

770,794

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Haiti

8,924,553

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

uninhabited

Holy See (Vatican City)

824 (July 2008 est.)

Honduras

7,639,327

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Hong Kong

7,018,636 (July 2008 est.)

Hungary

9,930,915 (July 2008 est.)

Iceland

304,367 (July 2008 est.)

India

1,147,995,904 (July 2008 est.)

Indonesia

237,512,352 (July 2008 est.)

Iran

65,875,224 (July 2008 est.)

Iraq

28,221,180 (July 2008 est.)

Ireland

4,156,119 (July 2008 est.)

Isle of Man

76,220 (July 2008 est.)

Israel

7,112,359

note: includes about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank,

about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, and fewer than

177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2008 est.)

Italy

58,145,320 (July 2008 est.)

Jamaica

2,804,332 (July 2008 est.)

Jan Mayen

no indigenous inhabitants

note: personnel operate the Long Range Navigation (Loran-C) base and

the weather and coastal services radio station

Japan

127,288,416 (July 2008 est.)

Jersey

91,533 (July 2008 est.)

Jordan

6,198,677 (July 2008 est.)

Kazakhstan

15,340,533 (July 2008 est.)

Kenya

37,953,840

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Kiribati

110,356 (July 2008 est.)

Korea, North

23,479,088 (July 2008 est.)

Korea, South

48,379,392 (July 2008 est.)

Kosovo

2,126,708 (2007 est.)

Kuwait 2,596,799 note: includes 1,291,354 non-nationals (July 2008 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

5,356,869 (July 2008 est.)

Laos

6,677,534 (July 2008 est.)

Latvia

2,245,423 (July 2008 est.)

Lebanon

3,971,941 (July 2008 est.)

Lesotho

2,128,180

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Liberia

3,334,587 (July 2008 est.)

Libya 6,173,579 note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2008 est.)

Liechtenstein

34,498 (July 2008 est.)

Lithuania

3,565,205 (July 2008 est.)

Luxembourg

486,006 (July 2008 est.)

Macau

545,674 (July 2008 est.)

Macedonia

2,061,315 (July 2008 est.)

Madagascar

20,042,552 (July 2008 est.)

Malawi

13,931,831

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Malaysia

25,274,132 (July 2008 est.)

Maldives

385,925 (July 2008 est.)

Mali

12,324,029 (July 2008 est.)

Malta

403,532 (July 2008 est.)

Marshall Islands

63,174 (July 2008 est.)

Mauritania

3,364,940 (July 2008 est.)

Mauritius

1,274,189 (July 2008 est.)

Mayotte

216,306 (July 2008 est.)

Mexico

109,955,400 (July 2008 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

107,665 (July 2008 est.)

Moldova

4,324,450 (July 2008 est.)

Monaco

32,796 (July 2008 est.)

Mongolia

2,996,081 (July 2008 est.)

Montenegro

678,177 (July 2008 est.)

Montserrat

5,079

note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the

resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; some have returned

(July 2008 est.)

Morocco

34,343,220 (July 2008 est.)

Mozambique

21,284,700

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected; the 1997

Mozambican census reported a population of 16,099,246 (July 2008

est.)

Namibia

2,088,669

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Nauru

13,770 (July 2008 est.)

Navassa Island uninhabited note: transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island

Nepal

29,519,114 (July 2008 est.)

Netherlands

16,645,313 (July 2008 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

225,369 (July 2008 est.)

New Caledonia

224,824 (July 2008 est.)

New Zealand

4,173,460 (July 2008 est.)

Nicaragua

5,785,846 (July 2008 est.)

Niger

13,272,679 (July 2008 est.)

Nigeria

146,255,312

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Niue

1,444 (July 2008 est.)

Norfolk Island

2,128 (July 2008 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands

86,616 (July 2008 est.)

Norway

4,644,457 (July 2008 est.)

Oman 3,311,640 note: includes 577,293 non-nationals (July 2008 est.)

Pakistan

172,800,048 (July 2008 est.)

Palau

21,093 (July 2008 est.)

Panama

3,309,679 (July 2008 est.)

Papua New Guinea

5,931,769 (July 2008 est.)

Paracel Islands no indigenous inhabitants note: there are scattered Chinese garrisons

Paraguay

6,831,306 (July 2008 est.)

Peru

29,180,900 (July 2008 est.)

Philippines

96,061,680 (July 2008 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

48 (July 2008 est.)

Poland

38,500,696 (July 2008 est.)

Portugal

10,676,910 (July 2008 est.)

Puerto Rico

3,958,128 (July 2008 est.)

Qatar

824,789 (July 2008 est.)

Romania

22,246,862 (July 2008 est.)

Russia

140,702,096 (July 2008 est.)

Rwanda

10,186,063

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Saint Barthelemy

7,492 (July 2008 est.)

Saint Helena

7,601

note: only Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha islands are

inhabited (July 2008 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

39,817 (July 2008 est.)

Saint Lucia

159,585 (July 2008 est.)

Saint Martin

29,376 (July 2008 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

7,044 (July 2008 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

118,432 (July 2008 est.)

Samoa

217,083

note: prior estimates used official net migration data by sex, but a

highly unusual pattern for 1993 lead to a significant imbalance in

the sex ratios (more men and fewer women) and a seeming reduction in

the female population; the revised total was calculated using a 1993

number that was an average of the 1992 and 1994 migration figures

(July 2008 est.)

San Marino

29,973 (July 2008 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

206,178 (July 2008 est.)

Saudi Arabia 28,146,656 note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2008 est.)

Senegal 12,853,259 (July 2008 est.)

Serbia 10,159,046 note: all population data includes Kosovo (July 2008 est.)

Seychelles

82,247 (July 2008 est.)

Sierra Leone

6,294,774 (July 2008 est.)

Singapore

4,608,167 (July 2008 est.)

Slovakia

5,455,407 (July 2008 est.)

Slovenia

2,007,711 (July 2008 est.)

Solomon Islands

581,318 (July 2008 est.)

Somalia

9,558,666

note: this estimate was derived from an official census taken in

1975 by the Somali Government; population counting in Somalia is

complicated by the large number of nomads and by refugee movements

in response to famine and clan warfare (July 2008 est.)

South Africa

48,782,756

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

no indigenous

inhabitants

note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March

2001 replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the British

Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on Bird

Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited

Spain

40,491,052 (July 2008 est.)

Spratly Islands

no indigenous inhabitants

note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several

claimant states

Sri Lanka

21,128,772

note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and

armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand

Tamil civilians have fled the island and more than 200,000 Tamils

have sought refuge in the West (July 2008 est.)

Sudan

40,218,456 (July 2008 est.)

Suriname

475,996 (July 2008 est.)

Svalbard

2,165 (July 2008 est.)

Swaziland

1,128,814

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Sweden

9,045,389 (July 2008 est.)

Switzerland

7,581,520 (July 2008 est.)

Syria

19,747,586

note: in addition, about 40,000 people live in the Israeli-occupied

Golan Heights - 20,000 Arabs (18,000 Druze and 2,000 Alawites) and

about 20,000 Israeli settlers (July 2008 est.)

Taiwan

22,920,946 (July 2008 est.)

Tajikistan

7,211,884 (July 2008 est.)

Tanzania

40,213,160

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Thailand

65,493,296

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Timor-Leste

1,108,777

note: other estimates range as low as 800,000 (July 2008 est.)

Togo

5,858,673

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Tokelau

1,433 (July 2008 est.)

Tonga

119,009 (July 2008 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

1,047,366 (July 2008 est.)

Tunisia

10,383,577 (July 2008 est.)

Turkey

71,892,808 (July 2008 est.)

Turkmenistan

5,179,571 (July 2008 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

22,352 (July 2008 est.)

Tuvalu

12,177 (July 2008 est.)

Uganda

31,367,972

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Ukraine

45,994,288 (July 2008 est.)

United Arab Emirates

4,621,399

note: estimate is based on the results of the 2005 census that

included a significantly higher estimate of net inmigration of

non-citizens than previous estimates (July 2008 est.)

United Kingdom

60,943,912 (July 2008 est.)

United States

303,824,640 (July 2008 est.)

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

no indigenous

inhabitants

note: public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and

Wildlife Service only and generally restricted to scientists and

educators; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service

Johnston Atoll: in previous years, an average of 1,100 US military

and civilian contractor personnel were present; as of May 2005 all

US government personnel had left the island

Midway Islands: approximately 40 people make up the staff of US Fish

and Wildlife Service and their services contractor living at the

atoll

Palmyra Atoll: four to 20 Nature Conservancy, US Fish and Wildlife

staff, and researchers

Uruguay

3,477,778 (July 2008 est.)

Uzbekistan

27,345,026 (July 2008 est.)

Vanuatu

215,446 (July 2008 est.)

Venezuela

26,414,816 (July 2008 est.)

Vietnam

86,116,560 (July 2008 est.)

Virgin Islands

109,840 (July 2008 est.)

Wake Island

no indigenous inhabitants

note: since super typhoon IOKE, a small military contingent along

with 75 contractor personnel have returned to the island to conduct

clean-up and restore basic operations on the island (July 2008 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

15,237 (July 2008 est.)

West Bank

2,407,681

note: in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the

West Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2008 est.)

Western Sahara

393,831

note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility,

mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data

from neighboring countries (July 2008 est.)

World

6,706,993,152 (July 2008 est.)

Yemen

23,013,376 (July 2008 est.)

Zambia

11,669,534

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

Zimbabwe

11,350,111

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the

effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower

life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower

population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of

population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July

2008 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2120 Ports and terminals

Afghanistan

Kheyrabad, Shir Khan

Albania

Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore

Algeria

Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Djendjene, Jijel,

Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda

American Samoa

Pago Pago

Angola

Cabinda, Lobito, Luanda, Namibe

Anguilla

Blowing Point, Road Bay

Antarctica

there are no developed ports and harbors in Antarctica;

most coastal stations have offshore anchorages, and supplies are

transferred from ship to shore by small boats, barges, and

helicopters; a few stations have a basic wharf facility; US coastal

stations include McMurdo (77 51 S, 166 40 E), and Palmer (64 43 S,

64 03 W); government use only except by permit (see Permit Office

under "Legal System"); all ships at port are subject to inspection

in accordance with Article 7, Antarctic Treaty; offshore anchorage

is sparse and intermittent; relevant legal instruments and

authorization procedures adopted by the states parties to the

Antarctic Treaty regulating access to the Antarctic Treaty area, to

all areas between 60 and 90 degrees of latitude south, have to be

complied with (see "Legal System"); The Hydrographic Committee on

Antarctica (HCA), a special hydrographic commission of International

Hydrographic Organization (IHO), is responsible for hydrographic

surveying and nautical charting matters in Antarctic Treaty area; it

coordinates and facilitates provision of accurate and appropriate

charts and other aids to navigation in support of safety of

navigation in region; membership of HCA is open to any IHO Member

State whose government has acceded to the Antarctic Treaty and which

contributes resources and/or data to IHO Chart coverage of the area;

members of HCA are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China,

Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, NZ, Norway, Russia,

South Africa, Spain, UK, and US (2007)

Antigua and Barbuda

Saint John's

Arctic Ocean

Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay (US)

Argentina

Arroyo Seco, Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, La Plata, Punta

Colorada, Rosario, San Lorenzo-San Martin

Aruba

Barcadera, Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

none; offshore anchorage only

Atlantic Ocean

Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp

(Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca

(Morocco), Colon (Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal),

Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas

(Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal),

London (UK), Marseille (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal

(Canada), Naples (Italy), New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran

(Algeria), Oslo (Norway), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Rio de

Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Saint Petersburg

(Russia), Stockholm (Sweden)

Australia

Brisbane, Dampier, Fremantle, Gladstone, Hay Point,

Melbourne, Newcastle, Port Hedland, Port Kembla, Port Walcott, Sydney

Austria

Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna

Azerbaijan

Baku (Baki)

Bahamas, The

Freeport, Nassau, South Riding Point

Bahrain

Mina' Salman, Sitrah

Bangladesh

Chittagong, Mongla Port

Barbados

Bridgetown

Belarus

Mazyr

Belgium

Antwerp, Gent, Liege, Zeebrugge

Belize

Belize City, Big Creek

Benin

Cotonou

Bermuda

Hamilton, Saint George

Bolivia

Puerto Aguirre (inland port on the Paraguay/Parana waterway

at the Bolivia/Brazil border); Bolivia has free port privileges in

maritime ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanski Brod, Bosanski

Samac, and Brcko (all inland waterway ports on the Sava), Orasje

Bouvet Island

none; offshore anchorage only

Brazil

Guaiba, Ilha Grande, Paranagua, Rio Grande, Santos, Sao

Sebastiao, Tubarao

British Indian Ocean Territory

Diego Garcia

British Virgin Islands

Road Town

Brunei

Lumut, Muara, Seria

Bulgaria

Burgas, Varna

Burma

Moulmein, Rangoon, Sittwe

Burundi

Bujumbura

Cambodia

Phnom Penh, Kampong Saom (Sihanoukville)

Cameroon

Douala, Limboh Terminal

Canada

Fraser River Port, Halifax, Hamilton, Montreal, Port-Cartier,

Quebec City, Saint John (New Brunswick), Sept-Isles, Vancouver

Cape Verde

Porto Grande

Cayman Islands

Cayman Brac, George Town

Central African Republic

Bangui, Nola, Salo, Nzinga

Chile

Coronel, Huasco, Lirquen, Puerto Ventanas, San Antonio, San

Vicente, Valparaiso

China

Dalian, Guangzhou, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai,

Shenzhen, Tianjin

Christmas Island

Flying Fish Cove

Clipperton Island

none; offshore anchorage only

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Port Refuge

Colombia

Barranquilla, Buenaventura, Cartagena, Santa Marta, Turbo

Comoros

Mayotte, Mutsamudu

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma,

Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka

Congo, Republic of the

Brazzaville, Djeno, Impfondo, Ouesso, Oyo,

Pointe-Noire

Cook Islands

Avatiu

Coral Sea Islands

none; offshore anchorage only

Costa Rica

Caldera, Puerto Limon

Cote d'Ivoire

Abidjan, Espoir, San-Pedro

Croatia

Omisalj, Ploce, Rijeka, Sibenik, Vukovar (on Danube)

Cuba

Cienfuegos, Havana, Matanzas

Cyprus

area under government control: Larnaca, Limassol, Vasilikos;

area administered by Turkish Cypriots: Famagusta, Kyrenia

Czech Republic

Decin, Prague, Usti nad Labem

Denmark

Aalborg, Aarhus, Copenhagen, Ensted, Esbjerg, Fredericia,

Kalundborg

Djibouti

Djibouti

Dominica

Portsmouth, Roseau

Dominican Republic

Boca Chica, Caucedo, Puerto Plata, Rio Haina,

Santo Domingo

Ecuador

Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, Manta, Puerto Bolivar

Egypt

Ayn Sukhnah, Alexandria, Damietta, El Dekheila, Sidi Kurayr,

Suez

El Salvador

Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco

Equatorial Guinea

Bata, Malabo

Eritrea

Assab, Massawa

Estonia

Kuivastu, Kunda, Muuga, Tallinn, Virtsu

Ethiopia

Ethiopia is landlocked and uses ports of Djibouti in

Djibouti and Berbera in Somalia

European Union

Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Braila

(Romania), Bremen (Germany), Burgas (Bulgaria), Constanta (Romania),

Copenhagen (Denmark), Galati (Romania), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg

(Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain),

Le Havre (France), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille

(France), Naples (Italy), Peiraiefs or Piraeus (Greece), Riga

(Latvia), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Stockholm (Sweden), Talinn

(Estonia), Tulcea (Romania), Varna (Bulgaria)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Stanley

Faroe Islands

Torshavn, Vagur

Fiji

Lautoka, Suva

Finland

Hamina, Helsinki, Kokkola, Kotka, Naantali, Pori, Raahe,

Rauma, Turku

France

Bordeaux, Calais, Dunkerque, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes,

Paris, Rouen, Strasbourg

French Polynesia

Papeete

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

none; offshore anchorage only

Gabon

Gamba, Libreville, Lucinda, Port-Gentil

Gambia, The

Banjul

Gaza Strip

Gaza

Georgia

Bat'umi, P'ot'i

Germany

Bremen, Bremerhaven, Duisburg, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Lubeck,

Rostock, Wilhemshaven

Ghana

Tema

Gibraltar

Gibraltar

Greece

Agioitheodoroi, Aspropyrgos, Pachi, Piraeus, Thessaloniki

Greenland

Sisimiut

Grenada

Saint George's

Guam

Apra Harbor

Guatemala

Puerto Quetzal, Santo Tomas de Castilla

Guernsey

Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson

Guinea

Conakry, Kamsar

Guinea-Bissau

Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim

Guyana

Georgetown

Haiti

Cap-Haitien

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

none; offshore anchorage only

Honduras

La Ceiba, Puerto Cortes, San Lorenzo, Tela

Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hungary

Budapest, Dunaujvaros, Gyor-Gonyu, Csepel, Baja, Mohacs

(2003)

Iceland

Grundartangi, Hafnarfjordur, Reykjavik

India

Chennai, Haldia, Jawaharal Nehru, Kandla, Kolkata (Calcutta),

Mormugao, Mumbai (Bombay), New Mangalore, Vishakhapatnam

Indian Ocean

Chennai (Madras; India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Durban

(South Africa), Jakarta (Indonesia), Kolkata (Calcutta; India)

Melbourne (Australia), Mumbai (Bombay; India), Richards Bay (South

Africa)

Indonesia

Banjarmasin, Belawan, Ciwandan, Kotabaru, Krueg Geukueh,

Palembang, Panjang, Sungai Pakning, Tanjung Perak, Tanjung Priok

Iran

Assaluyeh, Bandar Abbas, Bandar-e-Eman Khomeyni

Iraq

Al Basrah, Khawr az Zubayr, Umm Qasr

Ireland

Cork, Dublin, Shannon Foynes

Isle of Man

Douglas, Ramsey

Israel

Ashdod, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa

Italy

Augusta, Genoa, Livorno, Ravenna, Sarroch, Taranto, Trieste,

Venice

Jamaica

Kingston, Port Esquivel, Port Kaiser, Port Rhoades, Rocky

Point

Jan Mayen

none; offshore anchorage only

Japan

Chiba, Kawasaki, Kobe, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo,

Tomakomai, Yohohama

Jersey

Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier

Jordan

Al 'Aqabah

Kazakhstan

Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen

(Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)

Kenya

Mombasa

Kiribati

Betio

Korea, North

Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong,

Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang,

Wonsan

Korea, South

Inch'on, P'ohang, Pusan, Ulsan

Kuwait

Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Az Zawr (Mina' Sa'ud), Mina'

'Abd Allah, Mina' al Ahmadi

Kyrgyzstan

Balykchy (Ysyk-Kol or Rybach'ye)

Latvia

Riga, Ventspils

Lebanon

Beirut, Tripoli

Liberia

Buchanan, Monrovia

Libya

As Sidrah, Az Zuwaytinah, Marsa al Burayqah, Ra's Lanuf,

Tripoli, Zawiyah

Lithuania

Klaipeda

Luxembourg

Mertert

Macau

Macau

Madagascar

Antsiranana, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara

Malawi

Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, Nkhotakota, Chilumba

Malaysia

Bintulu, Johor Bahru, Kuantan, Labuan, George Town

(Penang), Port Kelang, Tanjung Pelepas

Maldives

Male

Mali

Koulikoro

Malta

Marsaxlokk (Malta Freeport), Valletta

Marshall Islands

Majuro

Mauritania

Nouadhibou, Nouakchott

Mauritius

Port Louis

Mayotte

Dzaoudzi

Mexico

Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Manzanillo, Morro Redondo, Salina

Cruz, Tampico, Veracruz

Micronesia, Federated States of

Tomil Harbor

Monaco

Monaco

Montenegro

Bar

Montserrat

Little Bay, Plymouth

Morocco

Agadir, Casablanca, Mohammedia, Safi

Mozambique

Beira, Maputo, Nacala

Namibia

Luderitz, Walvis Bay

Nauru

Nauru

Navassa Island

none; offshore anchorage only

Netherlands

Amsterdam, IJmuiden, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Vlissingen

Netherlands Antilles

Bopec Terminal, Willemstad

New Caledonia

Noumea

New Zealand

Auckland, Lyttelton, Marsden Point, Tauranga,

Wellington, Whangarei

Nicaragua

Bluefields, Corinto, El Bluff

Nigeria

Bonny Inshore Terminal, Calabar, Lagos

Niue

none; offshore anchorage only

Norfolk Island

none; loading jetties at Kingston and Cascade

Northern Mariana Islands

Saipan, Tinian

Norway

Bergen, Borg Havn, Haugesund, Maaloy, Mongstad, Narvik, Oslo,

Sture

Oman

Mina' Qabus, Salalah

Pacific Ocean

Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong (China), Kao-hsiung

(Taiwan), Los Angeles (US), Manila (Philippines), Pusan (South

Korea), San Francisco (US), Seattle (US), Shanghai (China),

Singapore, Sydney (Australia), Vladivostok (Russia), Wellington

(NZ), Yokohama (Japan)

Pakistan

Karachi, Port Muhammad Bin Qasim

Palau

Koror

Panama

Balboa, Colon, Cristobal

Papua New Guinea

Kimbe, Lae, Madang, Rabaul, Wewak

Paracel Islands

small Chinese port facilities on Woody Island and

Duncan Island being expanded

Paraguay

Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion

Peru

Callao, Iquitos, Matarani, Paita, Pucallpa, Yurimaguas; note -

Iquitos, Pucallpa, and Yurimaguas are on the upper reaches of the

Amazon and its tributaries

Philippines

Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Liman, Manila, Nasipit

Harbor

Pitcairn Islands

Adamstown (on Bounty Bay)

Poland

Gdansk, Gdynia, Swinoujscie, Szczecin

Portugal

Leixoes, Lisbon, Setubal, Sines

Puerto Rico

Guayanilla, Mayaguez, San Juan

Qatar

Doha, Ra's Laffan

Romania

Braila, Constanta, Galati, Tulcea

Russia

Azov, Kaliningrad, Kavkaz, Nakhodka, Novorossiysk, Primorsk,

Saint Petersburg, Vostochnyy

Rwanda

Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye

Saint Helena

Saint Helena: Jamestown

Ascension Island: Georgetown

Tristan da Cunha: Calshot Harbor

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Basseterre

Saint Lucia

Castries, Cul-de-Sac, Vieux-Fort

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Saint-Pierre

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Kingstown

Samoa

Apia

Sao Tome and Principe

Sao Tome

Saudi Arabia

Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Jiddah, Yanbu' al Sinaiyah

Senegal

Dakar

Seychelles

Victoria

Sierra Leone

Freetown, Pepel, Sherbro Islands

Singapore

Singapore

Slovakia

Bratislava, Komarno

Slovenia

Koper

Solomon Islands

Honiara, Malloco Bay, Viru Harbor

Somalia

Berbera, Kismaayo

South Africa

Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay,

Saldanha Bay

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Grytviken

Southern Ocean

McMurdo, Palmer, and offshore anchorages in Antarctica

note: few ports or harbors exist on southern side of Southern Ocean;

ice conditions limit use of most to short periods in midsummer; even

then some cannot be entered without icebreaker escort; most

Antarctic ports are operated by government research stations and,

except in an emergency, are not open to commercial or private

vessels; vessels in any port south of 60 degrees south are subject

to inspection by observers under Article 7 of the Antarctic Treaty;

The Hydrographic Committee on Antarctica (HCA), a special

hydrographic commission of International Hydrographic Organization

(IHO), is responsible for hydrographic surveying and nautical

charting matters in Antarctic Treaty area; it coordinates and

facilitates provision of accurate and appropriate charts and other

aids to navigation in support of safety of navigation in region;

membership of HCA is open to any IHO Member State whose government

has acceded to the Antarctic Treaty and which contributes resources

and/or data to IHO Chart coverage of the area; members of HCA are

Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Ecuador, France,

Germany, Greece, India, Italy, NZ, Norway, Russia, South Africa,

Spain, UK, and US (2007)

Spain

Algeciras, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cartagena, Huelva, Tarragona,

Valencia

Spratly Islands

none; offshore anchorage only

Sri Lanka

Colombo

Sudan

Port Sudan

Suriname

Paramaribo, Wageningen

Svalbard

Barentsburg, Longyearbyen, Ny-Alesund, Pyramiden

Sweden

Brofjorden, Goteborg, Helsingborg, Lulea, Malmo, Stenungsund,

Stockholm, Trelleborg, Visby

Switzerland

Basel

Syria

Latakia, Tartus

Taiwan

Chilung (Keelung), Kaohsiung, Taichung

Tanzania

Dar es Salaam

Thailand

Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Prachuap Port, Si Racha

Timor-Leste

Dili

Togo

Kpeme, Lome

Tokelau

none; offshore anchorage only

Tonga

Nuku'alofa

Trinidad and Tobago

Point Fortin, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain

Tunisia

Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Rades, Sfax, Skhira

Turkey

Aliaga, Diliskelesi, Izmir, Kocaeli (Izmit), Mercin Limani,

Nemrut Limani

Turkmenistan

Turkmenbasy

Turks and Caicos Islands

Grand Turk, Providenciales

Tuvalu

Funafuti

Uganda

Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell

Ukraine

Feodosiya, Kerch, Kherson, Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa,

Yuzhnyy

United Arab Emirates

Mina' Zayid (Abu Dhabi), Al Fujayrah, Mina'

Jabal 'Ali (Dubai), Mina' Rashid (Dubai), Mina' Saqr (Ra's al

Khaymah), Khawr Fakkan (Sharjah)

United Kingdom

Dover, Felixstowe, Immingham, Liverpool, London,

Southampton, Teesport (England), Forth Ports, Hound Point

(Scotland), Milford Haven (Wales)

United States

Corpus Christi, Duluth, Hampton Roads, Houston, Long

Beach, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Tampa, Texas City

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Baker, Howland, and

Jarvis Islands, and Kingman Reef: none; offshore anchorage only

Johnston Atoll: Johnston Island

Midway Islands: Sand Island

Palmyra Atoll: West Lagoon

Uruguay

Montevideo

Uzbekistan

Termiz (Amu Darya)

Vanuatu

Forari, Port-Vila, Santo (Espiritu Santo)

Venezuela

La Guaira, Maracaibo, Puerto Cabello, Punta Cardon

Vietnam

Da Nang, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City

Virgin Islands

Charlotte Amalie, Limetree Bay

Wake Island

none; two offshore anchorages for large ships

Wallis and Futuna

Leava, Mata-Utu

Western Sahara

Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun)

World

top ten container ports (TEUs): Singapore - 24,792,400; Hong

Kong - 23,539,000; Shanghai - 21,710,000; Shenzhen (China) -

18,468,890; Busan (South Korea) - 12,030,000; Kaohsiung (Taiwan) -

9,774,670; - Rotterdam - 9,603,000; Dubai (UAE) - 8,923,465; Hamburg

- 8,861,545; Los Angeles - 8,469,853 (2006)

Yemen

Aden, Hudaydah, Mukalla

Zambia

Mpulungu

Zimbabwe

Binga, Kariba

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2121 Railways (km)

Albania total: 447 km standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Algeria

total: 3,973 km

standard gauge: 2,888 km 1.435-m gauge (283 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 1,085 km 1.055-m gauge (2006)

Angola

total: 2,761 km

narrow gauge: 2,638 km 1.067-m gauge; 123 km 0.600-m gauge (2006)

Argentina

total: 31,902 km

broad gauge: 20,858 km 1.676-m gauge (141 km electrified)

standard gauge: 2,885 km 1.435-m gauge (26 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 7,922 km 1.000-m gauge; 237 km 0.750-m gauge (2006)

Armenia

total: 839 km

broad gauge: 839 km 1.520-m gauge (828 km electrified)

note: some lines are out of service (2006)

Australia

total: 38,550 km

broad gauge: 3,727 km 1.600-m gauge

standard gauge: 20,519 km 1.435-m gauge (1,877 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 14,074 km 1.067-m gauge (2,453 km electrified)

dual gauge: 230 km dual gauge (2006)

Austria

total: 6,383 km

standard gauge: 5,924 km 1.435-m gauge (3,772 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 371 km 1.000-m gauge; 88 km 0.760-m gauge (25 km

electrified) (2006)

Azerbaijan

total: 2,122 km

broad gauge: 2,122 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified) (2006)

Bangladesh

total: 2,768 km

broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge

narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Belarus

total: 5,512 km

broad gauge: 5,497 km 1.520-m gauge (874 km electrified)

standard gauge: 15 km 1.435 m (2006)

Belgium

total: 3,536 km

standard gauge: 3,536 km 1.435-m gauge (2,950 km electrified) (2006)

Benin

total: 758 km

narrow gauge: 758 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Bolivia

total: 3,504 km

narrow gauge: 3,504 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

total: 608 km

standard gauge: 608 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Botswana

total: 888 km

narrow gauge: 888 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Brazil

total: 29,295 km

broad gauge: 4,932 km 1.600-m gauge (939 km electrified)

standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge

narrow gauge: 23,773 km 1.000-m gauge (581 km electrified)

dual gauge: 396 km 1.000 m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails) (78 km

electrified) (2006)

Bulgaria

total: 4,294 km

standard gauge: 4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,710 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (2006)

Burkina Faso

total: 622 km

narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge

note: another 660 km of this railway extends into Cote D'Ivoire

(2006)

Burma

total: 3,955 km

narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Cambodia

total: 602 km

narrow gauge: 602 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Cameroon

total: 987 km

narrow gauge: 987 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Canada

total: 48,068 km

standard gauge: 48,068 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Chile

total: 6,585 km

broad gauge: 2,831 km 1.676-m gauge (1,317 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 3,754 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

China

total: 75,438 km

standard gauge: 75,438 km 1.435-m gauge (20,151 km electrified)

(2005)

Colombia

total: 3,304 km

standard gauge: 150 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge: 3,154 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

total: 5,138 km

narrow gauge: 3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km

1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge (2006)

Congo, Republic of the

total: 894 km

narrow gauge: 894 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Costa Rica

total: 278 km

narrow gauge: 278 km 1.067-m gauge

note: none of the railway network is in use (2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

total: 660 km

narrow gauge: 660 km 1.000 meter gauge

note: an additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina

Faso (2006)

Croatia

total: 2,726 km

standard gauge: 2,726 km 1.435-m gauge (1,199 km electrified) (2006)

Cuba

total: 4,226 km

standard gauge: 4,226 km 1.435-m gauge (140 km electrified)

note: an additional 7,742 km of track is used by sugar plantations;

about 65% of this track is standard gauge; the rest is narrow gauge

(2006)

Czech Republic

total: 9,597 km

standard gauge: 9,597 km 1.435-m gauge (3,041 km electrified) (2006)

Denmark

total: 2,644 km

standard gauge: 2,644 km 1.435-m gauge (636 km electrified) (2007)

Djibouti

total: 100 km (Djibouti segment of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti

railway)

narrow gauge: 100 km 1.000-m gauge

note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia but

remains largely inoperable (2006)

Dominican Republic

total: 517 km

standard gauge: 375 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge: 142 km 0.762-m gauge

note: additional 1,226 km operated by sugar companies in 1.076 m,

0.889 m, and 0.762-m gauges (2006)

Ecuador

total: 966 km

narrow gauge: 966 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Egypt

total: 5,063 km

standard gauge: 5,063 km 1.435-m gauge (62 km electrified) (2006)

El Salvador

total: 562 km

narrow gauge: 562 km 0.914-m gauge

note: railways not in operation since 2005 because of disuse and

high costs that led to a lack of maintenance (2007)

Eritrea

total: 306 km

narrow gauge: 306 km 0.950-m gauge (2006)

Estonia

total: 968 km

broad gauge: 968 km 1.520 m/1.524-m gauge (2006)

Ethiopia

total: 699 km (Ethiopian segment of the Addis

Ababa-Djibouti railroad)

narrow gauge: 699 km 1.000-m gauge

note: railway under joint control of Djibouti and Ethiopia but

remains largely inoperable (2006)

European Union

total: 236,436 km

broad gauge: 28,250 km

standard gauge: 200,401 km

narrow gauge: 7,771 km

other: 23 km (2007)

Fiji

total: 597 km

narrow gauge: 597 km 0.600-m gauge

note: belongs to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation; used

to haul sugarcane during harvest season (May to December) (2006)

Finland

total: 5,741 km

broad gauge: 5,741 km 1.524-m gauge (2,619 km electrified) (2006)

France

total: 29,370 km

standard gauge: 29,203 km 1.435-m gauge (14,778 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 167 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Gabon

total: 814 km

standard gauge: 814 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Georgia

total: 1,612 km

broad gauge: 1,575 km 1.520-m gauge (1,575 electrified)

narrow gauge: 37 km 0.912-m gauge (37 electrified) (2006)

Germany

total: 48,215 km

standard gauge: 47,962 km 1.435-m gauge (20,278 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 229 km 1.000-m gauge (16 km electrified); 24 km

0.750-m gauge (2006)

Ghana

total: 953 km

narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Greece

total: 2,571 km

standard gauge: 1,565 km 1.435-m gauge (764 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 961 km 1.000-m gauge; 22 km 0.750-m gauge

dual gauge: 23 km combined 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (three rail

system) (2006)

Guatemala

total: 886 km

narrow gauge: 886 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)

Guinea

total: 837 km

standard gauge: 175 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge: 662 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Honduras

total: 699 km

narrow gauge: 279 km 1.067-m gauge; 420 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)

Hungary

total: 8,057 km

broad gauge: 36 km 1.524-m gauge

standard gauge: 7,802 km 1.435-m gauge (2,628 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 219 km 0.760-m gauge (2006)

India

total: 63,221 km

broad gauge: 46,807 km 1.676-m gauge (17,343 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 13,290 km 1.000-m gauge (165 km electrified); 3,124 km

0.762-m gauge and 0.610-m gauge (2006)

Indonesia

total: 6,458 km

narrow gauge: 5,961 km 1.067-m gauge (125 km electrified); 497 km

0.750-m gauge (2006)

Iran

total: 8,367 km

broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge

standard gauge: 8,273 km 1.435-m gauge (146 km electrified) (2006)

Iraq

total: 2,272 km

standard gauge: 2,272 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Ireland

total: 3,237 km

broad gauge: 1,872 km 1.600-m gauge (37 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 1,365 km 0.914-m gauge (operated by the Irish Peat

Board to transport peat to power stations and briquetting plants)

(2006)

Isle of Man

total: 65 km

standard gauge: 7 km 1.067-m gauge (7 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 58 km 0.914-m gauge (29 km electrified)

note: primarily summer tourist attractions (2006)

Israel

total: 853 km

standard gauge: 853 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Italy

total: 19,460 km

standard gauge: 18,038 km 1.435-m gauge (11,354 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 123 km 1.000-m gauge (123 km electrified); 1,299 km

0.950-m gauge (161 km electrified) (2006)

Japan

total: 23,474 km

standard gauge: 3,204 km 1.435-m gauge (3,204 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 77 km 1.372-m gauge (77 km electrified); 20,182 km

1.067-m gauge (13,334 km electrified); 11 km 0.762-m gauge (11 km

electrified) (2006)

Jordan

total: 505 km

narrow gauge: 505 km 1.050-m gauge (2006)

Kazakhstan

total: 13,700 km

broad gauge: 13,700 km 1.520-m gauge (3,700 km electrified) (2006)

Kenya

total: 2,778 km

narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Korea, North

total: 5,235 km

standard gauge: 5,235 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) (2006)

Korea, South

total: 3,472 km

standard gauge: 3,472 km 1.435-m gauge (1,342 km electrified) (2006)

Kosovo

total: 430 km (2005)

Kyrgyzstan

total: 470 km

broad gauge: 470 km 1.520-m gauge (2006)

Latvia

total: 2,303 km

broad gauge: 2,270 km 1.520-m gauge (257 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (2006)

Lebanon

total: 401 km

standard gauge: 319 km 1.435 m

narrow gauge: 82 km 1.050 m

note: rail system became unusable because of damage done during

fighting in the 1980s and in 2006 (2006)

Liberia

total: 490 km

standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge

note: sections of railway are inoperable because of damage suffered

during the civil war (2008)

Libya

0 km

note: Libya has announced plans to build seven lines totaling 2,757

km of 1.435-m gauge track (2006)

Liechtenstein

9 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified)

note: belongs to the Austrian Railway System connecting Austria and

Switzerland (2006)

Lithuania

total: 1,771 km

broad gauge: 1,749 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km electrified)

standard gauge: 22 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Luxembourg

total: 275 km

standard gauge: 275 km 1.435-m gauge (243 km electrified) (2006)

Macedonia

total: 699 km

standard gauge: 699 km 1.435-m gauge (223 km electrified) (2006)

Madagascar

total: 854 km

narrow gauge: 854 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Malawi

total: 797 km

narrow gauge: 797 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Malaysia

total: 1,890 km

standard gauge: 57 km 1.435-m gauge (57 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 1,833 km 1.000-m gauge (150 km electrified) (2006)

Mali

total: 729 km

narrow gauge: 729 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Mauritania

717 km

standard gauge: 717 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Mexico

total: 17,665 km

standard gauge: 17,665 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Moldova

total: 1,138 km

broad gauge: 1,124 km 1.520-m gauge

standard gauge: 14 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Mongolia

total: 1,810 km

broad gauge: 1,810 km 1.524-m gauge (2006)

Montenegro

total: 250 km

standard gauge: 250 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified 169 km) (2006)

Morocco

total: 1,907 km

standard gauge: 1,907 km 1.435-m gauge (1,003 km electrified) (2006)

Mozambique

total: 3,123 km

narrow gauge: 2,983 km 1.067-m gauge; 140 km 0.762-m gauge (2006)

Namibia

total: 2,382 km

narrow gauge: 2,382 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Nepal

total: 59 km

narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2006)

Netherlands

total: 2,797 km

standard gauge: 2,797 km 1.435-m gauge (2,064 km electrified) (2006)

New Zealand

total: 4,128 km

narrow gauge: 4,128 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2006)

Nicaragua

total: 6 km

narrow gauge: 6 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Nigeria

total: 3,505 km

narrow gauge: 3,505 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Norway

total: 4,114 km

standard gauge: 4,114 km 1.435-m gauge (2,552 km electrified) (2008)

Pakistan

total: 8,163 km

broad gauge: 7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (293 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 445 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Panama

total: 355 km

standard gauge: 77 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge: 278 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)

Paraguay

total: 36 km

standard gauge: 36 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Peru

total: 1,989 km

standard gauge: 1,726 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge: 263 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)

Philippines

total: 897 km

narrow gauge: 897 km 1.067-m gauge (492 km are in operation) (2006)

Poland

total: 23,072 km

broad gauge: 629 km 1.524-m gauge

standard gauge: 22,443 km 1.435-m gauge (20,555 km operational;

11,910 km electrified) (2006)

Portugal

total: 2,786 km

broad gauge: 2,603 km 1.668-m gauge (1,351 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 183 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Puerto Rico

total: 96 km

narrow gauge: 96 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Romania

total: 11,385 km

broad gauge: 60 km 1.524-m gauge

standard gauge: 10,898 km 1.435-m gauge (3,888 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 427 km 0.760-m gauge (2006)

Russia

total: 87,157 km

broad gauge: 86,200 km 1.520-m gauge (40,300 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 957 km 1.067-m gauge (on Sakhalin Island)

note: an additional 30,000 km of non-common carrier lines serve

industries (2006)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

total: 50 km

narrow gauge: 50 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts for tourists (2006)

Saudi Arabia

total: 1,392 km

standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and

sidings) (2006)

Senegal

total: 906 km

narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000 meter gauge (2006)

Serbia

total: 3,379 km

standard gauge: 3,379 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified 1,254 km) (2006)

Slovakia

total: 3,662 km

broad gauge: 100 km 1.520-m gauge

standard gauge: 3,512 km 1.435-m gauge (1,588 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 50 km (1.000-m or 0.750-m gauge) (2006)

Slovenia

total: 1,229 km

standard gauge: 1,229 km 1.435-m gauge (504 km electrified) (2006)

South Africa

total: 20,872 km

narrow gauge: 20,436 km 1.065-m gauge (8,931 km electrified); 436 km

0.610-m gauge (2006)

Spain

total: 14,974 km

broad gauge: 11,919 km 1.668-m gauge (6,950 km electrified)

standard gauge: 1,099 km 1.435-m gauge (1,054 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 1,928 km 1.000-m gauge (815 km electrified); 28 km

0.914-m gauge (28 km electrified) (2006)

Sri Lanka

total: 1,449 km

broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2006)

Sudan

total: 5,978 km

narrow gauge: 4,578 km 1.067-m gauge; 1,400 km 0.600-m gauge for

cotton plantations (2006)

Swaziland

total: 301 km

narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2006)

Sweden

total: 11,528 km

standard gauge: 11,528 km 1.435-m gauge (7,527 km electrified) (2006)

Switzerland

total: 4,839 km

standard gauge: 3,561 km 1.435-m gauge (3,195 km electrified)

narrow gauge: 1,268 km 1.000-m gauge (1,274 km electrified); 10 km

0.800-m gauge (10 km electrified) (2006)

Syria

total: 2,711 km

standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2006)

Taiwan

total: 1,588 km

standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge: 1,093 km 1.067-m gauge

note: 150 km .762-m gauge (belonging primarily to Taiwan Sugar

Corporation and Taiwan Forestry Bureau; some to other entities)

(2007)

Tajikistan

total: 482 km

broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2006)

Tanzania

total: 3,690 km

narrow gauge: 969 km 1.067-m gauge; 2,721 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Thailand

total: 4,071 km

narrow gauge: 4,071 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Togo

total: 568 km

narrow gauge: 568 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Tunisia

total: 2,153 km

standard gauge: 471 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge: 1,674 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified)

dual gauge: 8 km 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (three rails) (2006)

Turkey

total: 8,697 km

standard gauge: 8,697 km 1.435-m gauge (1,920 km electrified) (2006)

Turkmenistan

total: 2,440 km

broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2006)

Uganda

total: 1,244 km

narrow gauge: 1,244 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Ukraine

total: 22,473 km

broad gauge: 22,473 km 1.524-m gauge (9,250 km electrified) (2006)

United Kingdom

total: 16,567 km

broad gauge: 303 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland)

standard gauge: 16,264 km 1.435-m gauge (5,361 km electrified) (2006)

United States

total: 226,612 km

standard gauge: 226,612 km 1.435-m gauge (2005)

Uruguay

total: 2,073 km

standard gauge: 2,073 km 1.435-m gauge

note: 461 km have been taken out of service and 460 km are in

partial use (2006)

Uzbekistan

total: 3,950 km

broad gauge: 3,950 km 1.520-m gauge (620 km electrified) (2006)

Venezuela

total: 682 km

standard gauge: 682 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)

Vietnam

total: 2,600 km

standard gauge: 178 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge: 2,169 km 1.000-m gauge

dual gauge: 253 km three-rail track combining 1.435 m and 1.000-m

gauges (2006)

World

total: 1,370,782 km (2006)

Zambia

total: 2,157 km

narrow gauge: 2,157 km 1.067-m gauge

note: includes 891 km of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority

(TAZARA) (2006)

Zimbabwe total: 3,077 km narrow gauge: 3,077 km 1.067-m gauge (313 km electrified) (2006)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2122 Religions (%)

Afghanistan

Sunni Muslim 80%, Shia Muslim 19%, other 1%

Albania

Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%

note: percentages are estimates; there are no available current

statistics on religious affiliation; all mosques and churches were

closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November

1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice

Algeria

Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%

American Samoa

Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%,

Protestant and other 30%

Andorra

Roman Catholic (predominant)

Angola

indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15%

(1998 est.)

Anguilla

Anglican 29%, Methodist 23.9%, other Protestant 30.2%,

Roman Catholic 5.7%, other Christian 1.7%, other 5.2%, none or

unspecified 4.3% (2001 census)

Antigua and Barbuda

Anglican 25.7%, Seventh Day Adventist 12.3%,

Pentecostal 10.6%, Moravian 10.5%, Roman Catholic 10.4%, Methodist

7.9%, Baptist 4.9%, Church of God 4.5%, other Christian 5.4%, other

2%, none or unspecified 5.8% (2001 census)

Argentina

nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing),

Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%

Armenia

Armenian Apostolic 94.7%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi

(monotheist with elements of nature worship) 1.3%

Aruba

Roman Catholic 80.8%, Protestant 9%, other (includes Hindu,

Muslim, Confucian, Jewish) 5.6%, none or unspecified 4.6%

Australia

Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%,

Buddhist 1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 12.7%, none

15.3% (2001 Census)

Austria

Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other

3.5%, unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census)

Azerbaijan

Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox

2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.)

note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan;

percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower

Bahamas, The

Baptist 35.4%, Anglican 15.1%, Roman Catholic 13.5%,

Pentecostal 8.1%, Church of God 4.8%, Methodist 4.2%, other

Christian 15.2%, none or unspecified 2.9%, other 0.8% (2000 census)

Bahrain

Muslim (Shia and Sunni) 81.2%, Christian 9%, other 9.8%

(2001 census)

Bangladesh

Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)

Barbados

Protestant 63.4% (Anglican 28.3%, Pentecostal 18.7%,

Methodist 5.1%, other 11.3%), Roman Catholic 4.2%, other Christian

7%, other 4.8%, none or unspecified 20.6% (2008 est.)

Belarus

Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic,

Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20% (1997 est.)

Belgium

Roman Catholic 75%, other (includes Protestant) 25%

Belize

Roman Catholic 49.6%, Protestant 27% (Pentecostal 7.4%,

Anglican 5.3%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5.2%, Mennonite 4.1%, Methodist

3.5%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.5%), other 14%, none 9.4% (2000)

Benin

Christian 42.8% (Catholic 27.1%, Celestial 5%, Methodist 3.2%,

other Protestant 2.2%, other 5.3%), Muslim 24.4%, Vodoun 17.3%,

other 15.5% (2002 census)

Bermuda

Anglican 23%, Roman Catholic 15%, African Methodist

Episcopal 11%, other Protestant 18%, other 12%, unaffiliated 6%,

unspecified 1%, none 14% (2000 census)

Bhutan

Lamaistic Buddhist 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced

Hinduism 25%

Bolivia

Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist) 5%

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Roman Catholic 15%,

other 14%

Botswana

Christian 71.6%, Badimo 6%, other 1.4%, unspecified 0.4%,

none 20.6% (2001 census)

Brazil

Roman Catholic (nominal) 73.6%, Protestant 15.4%,

Spiritualist 1.3%, Bantu/voodoo 0.3%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.2%,

none 7.4% (2000 census)

British Virgin Islands

Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%,

Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's

Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, other 2%, none 2%

(1991)

Brunei

Muslim (official) 67%, Buddhist 13%, Christian 10%, other

(includes indigenous beliefs) 10%

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian

1.2%, other 4% (2001 census)

Burkina Faso

Muslim 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian (mainly

Roman Catholic) 10%

Burma

Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%),

Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%

Burundi

Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%),

indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10%

Cambodia

Theravada Buddhist 95%, other 5%

Cameroon

indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%

Canada

Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3% (including United

Church 9.5%, Anglican 6.8%, Baptist 2.4%, Lutheran 2%), other

Christian 4.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other and unspecified 11.8%, none 16%

(2001 census)

Cape Verde

Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs),

Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene)

Cayman Islands

Church of God 26%, United Church 11.8% (Presbyterian

and Congregational), Roman Catholic 11%, Baptist 8.7%, Seventh Day

Adventist 8.2%, Anglican 5.7%, Pentacostal 5.3%, other Christian

2.7%, non-denominational 5.8%, other 3.8%, none 9.8%, unspecified

1.1% (1999 census)

Central African Republic

indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%,

Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%

note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the

Christian majority

Chad

Muslim 53.1%, Catholic 20.1%, Protestant 14.2%, animist 7.3%,

other 0.5%, unknown 1.7%, atheist 3.1% (1993 census)

Chile

Roman Catholic 70%, Evangelical 15.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.1%,

other Christian 1%, other 4.6%, none 8.3% (2002 census)

China

Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2%

note: officially atheist (2002 est.)

Christmas Island

Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21%

(1997)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Sunni Muslim 80%, other 20% (2002 est.)

Colombia

Roman Catholic 90%, other 10%

Comoros

Sunni Muslim 98%, Roman Catholic 2%

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant

20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other (includes syncretic sects

and indigenous beliefs) 10%

Congo, Republic of the

Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%

Cook Islands

Cook Islands Christian Church 55.9%, Roman Catholic

16.8%, Seventh-Day Adventists 7.9%, Church of Latter Day Saints

3.8%, other Protestant 5.8%, other 4.2%, unspecified 2.6%, none 3%

(2001 census)

Costa Rica

Roman Catholic 76.3%, Evangelical 13.7%, Jehovah's

Witnesses 1.3%, other Protestant 0.7%, other 4.8%, none 3.2%

Cote d'Ivoire

Muslim 38.6%, Christian 32.8%, indigenous 11.9%, none

16.7% (2008 est)

note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim

(70%) and Christian (20%)

Croatia

Roman Catholic 87.8%, Orthodox 4.4%, other Christian 0.4%,

Muslim 1.3%, other and unspecified 0.9%, none 5.2% (2001 census)

Cuba

nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power;

Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also

represented

Cyprus

Greek Orthodox 78%, Muslim 18%, other (includes Maronite and

Armenian Apostolic) 4%

Czech Republic

Roman Catholic 26.8%, Protestant 2.1%, other 3.3%,

unspecified 8.8%, unaffiliated 59% (2001 census)

Denmark

Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Christian (includes

Protestant and Roman Catholic) 3%, Muslim 2%

Djibouti

Muslim 94%, Christian 6%

Dominica

Roman Catholic 61.4%, Seventh Day Adventist 6%, Pentecostal

5.6%, Baptist 4.1%, Methodist 3.7%, Church of God 1.2%, Jehovah's

Witnesses 1.2%, other Christian 7.7%, Rastafarian 1.3%, other or

unspecified 1.6%, none 6.1% (2001 census)

Dominican Republic

Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%

Ecuador

Roman Catholic 95%, other 5%

Egypt

Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic 9%, other Christian 1%

El Salvador

Roman Catholic 57.1%, Protestant 21.2%, Jehovah's

Witnesses 1.9%, Mormon 0.7%, other religions 2.3%, none 16.8% (2003

est.)

Equatorial Guinea

nominally Christian and predominantly Roman

Catholic, pagan practices

Eritrea

Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant

Estonia

Evangelical Lutheran 13.6%, Orthodox 12.8%, other Christian

(including Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic,

Pentecostal) 1.4%, unaffiliated 34.1%, other and unspecified 32%,

none 6.1% (2000 census)

Ethiopia

Christian 60.8% (Orthodox 50.6%, Protestant 10.2%), Muslim

32.8%, traditional 4.6%, other 1.8% (1994 census)

European Union

Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Christian 67.2%, none 31.5%, other

1.3% (2006 census)

Faroe Islands

Evangelical Lutheran 83.8%, other and unspecified

16.2% (2006 administrative data)

Fiji

Christian 53% (Methodist 34.5%, Roman Catholic 7.2%, Assembly

of God 3.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 2.6%, other 4.9%), Hindu 34%

(Sanatan 25%, Arya Samaj 1.2%, other 7.8%), Muslim 7% (Sunni 4.2%.

other 2.8%), other or unspecified 5.6%, none 0.3% (1996 census)

Finland

Lutheran Church of Finland 82.5%, Orthodox Church 1.1%,

other Christian 1.1%, other 0.1%, none 15.1% (2006)

France

Roman Catholic 83%-88%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim

5%-10%, unaffiliated 4%

overseas departments: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Muslim,

Buddhist, pagan

French Polynesia

Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no

religion 6%

Gabon

Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1%

Gambia, The

Muslim 90%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 2%

Gaza Strip

Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 99.3%, Christian 0.7%

Georgia

Orthodox Christian 83.9%, Muslim 9.9%, Armenian-Gregorian

3.9%, Catholic 0.8%, other 0.8%, none 0.7% (2002 census)

Germany

Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 3.7%,

unaffiliated or other 28.3%

Ghana

Christian 68.8% (Pentecostal/Charismatic 24.1%, Protestant

18.6%, Catholic 15.1%, other 11%), Muslim 15.9%, traditional 8.5%,

other 0.7%, none 6.1% (2000 census)

Gibraltar

Roman Catholic 78.1%, Church of England 7%, other

Christian 3.2%, Muslim 4%, Jewish 2.1%, Hindu 1.8%, other or

unspecified 0.9%, none 2.9% (2001 census)

Greece

Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%

Greenland

Evangelical Lutheran

Grenada

Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%

Guam

Roman Catholic 85%, other 15% (1999 est.)

Guatemala

Roman Catholic, Protestant, indigenous Mayan beliefs

Guernsey

Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist,

Congregational, Methodist

Guinea

Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%

Guinea-Bissau

Muslim 50%, indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 10%

Guyana

Hindu 28.4%, Pentecostal 16.9%, Roman Catholic 8.1%, Anglican

6.9%, Seventh Day Adventist 5%, Methodist 1.7%, Jehovah Witness

1.1%, other Christian 17.7%, Muslim 7.2%, other 4.3%, none 4.3%

(2002 census)

Haiti

Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal

4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3%

note: roughly half of the population practices voodoo

Holy See (Vatican City)

Roman Catholic

Honduras

Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant 3%

Hong Kong

eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%

Hungary

Roman Catholic 51.9%, Calvinist 15.9%, Lutheran 3%, Greek

Catholic 2.6%, other Christian 1%, other or unspecified 11.1%,

unaffiliated 14.5% (2001 census)

Iceland

Lutheran Church of Iceland 82.1%, Roman Catholic Church

2.4%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.3%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 1.6%,

other Christian 2.8%, other religions 0.9%, unaffiliated 2.6%, other

or unspecified 5.5% (2006 est.)

India

Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other

1.8%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)

Indonesia

Muslim 86.1%, Protestant 5.7%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu

1.8%, other or unspecified 3.4% (2000 census)

Iran

Muslim 98% (Shia 89%, Sunni 9%), other (includes Zoroastrian,

Jewish, Christian, and Baha'i) 2%

Iraq

Muslim 97% (Shia 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%

Ireland

Roman Catholic 87.4%, Church of Ireland 2.9%, other

Christian 1.9%, other 2.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.2% (2006 census)

Isle of Man

Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist,

Presbyterian, Society of Friends

Israel

Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other

Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)

Italy

Roman Catholic 90% (approximately; about one-third

practicing), other 10% (includes mature Protestant and Jewish

communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community)

Jamaica

Protestant 62.5% (Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, Pentecostal

9.5%, Other Church of God 8.3%, Baptist 7.2%, New Testament Church

of God 6.3%, Church of God in Jamaica 4.8%, Church of God of

Prophecy 4.3%, Anglican 3.6%, other Christian 7.7%), Roman Catholic

2.6%, other or unspecified 14.2%, none 20.9%, (2001 census)

Japan

observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including

Christian 0.7%)

Jersey

Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church,

Methodist, Presbyterian

Jordan

Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (majority Greek Orthodox, but

some Greek and Roman Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox,

Armenian Orthodox, and Protestant denominations), other 2% (several

small Shia Muslim and Druze populations) (2001 est.)

Kazakhstan

Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%

Kenya

Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, Muslim 10%, indigenous

beliefs 10%, other 2%

note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for

the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous

beliefs vary widely

Kiribati

Roman Catholic 52%, Protestant (Congregational) 40%, other

(includes Seventh-Day Adventist, Muslim, Baha'i, Latter-day Saints,

Church of God) 8% (1999)

Korea, North

traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian

and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)

note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent;

government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of

religious freedom

Korea, South

Christian 26.3% (Protestant 19.7%, Roman Catholic

6.6%), Buddhist 23.2%, other or unknown 1.3%, none 49.3% (1995

census)

Kosovo

Muslim, Serbian Orthodox, Roman Catholic

Kuwait

Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shia 30%), other (includes Christian,

Hindu, Parsi) 15%

Kyrgyzstan

Muslim 75%, Russian Orthodox 20%, other 5%

Laos

Buddhist 67%, Christian 1.5%, other and unspecified 31.5% (2005

census)

Latvia

Lutheran 19.6%, Orthodox 15.3%, other Christian 1%, other

0.4%, unspecified 63.7% (2006)

Lebanon

Muslim 59.7% (Shia, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or

Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite

Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic,

Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Copt,

Protestant), other 1.3%

note: 17 religious sects recognized

Lesotho

Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%

Liberia

Christian 40%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 40%

Libya

Sunni Muslim 97%, other 3%

Liechtenstein

Roman Catholic 76.2%, Protestant 7%, unknown 10.6%,

other 6.2% (June 2002)

Lithuania

Roman Catholic 79%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%, Protestant

(including Lutheran and Evangelical Christian Baptist) 1.9%, other

or unspecified 5.5%, none 9.5% (2001 census)

Luxembourg

Roman Catholic 87%, other (includes Protestant, Jewish,

and Muslim) 13% (2000)

Macau

Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none and other 35% (1997

est.)

Macedonia

Macedonian Orthodox 64.7%, Muslim 33.3%, other Christian

0.37%, other and unspecified 1.63% (2002 census)

Madagascar

indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian 41%, Muslim 7%

Malawi

Christian 79.9%, Muslim 12.8%, other 3%, none 4.3% (1998

census)

Malaysia

Muslim 60.4%, Buddhist 19.2%, Christian 9.1%, Hindu 6.3%,

Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 2.6%,

other or unknown 1.5%, none 0.8% (2000 census)

Maldives

Sunni Muslim

Mali

Muslim 90%, Christian 1%, indigenous beliefs 9%

Malta

Roman Catholic 98%

Marshall Islands

Protestant 54.8%, Assembly of God 25.8%, Roman

Catholic 8.4%, Bukot nan Jesus 2.8%, Mormon 2.1%, other Christian

3.6%, other 1%, none 1.5% (1999 census)

Mauritania

Muslim 100%

Mauritius

Hindu 48%, Roman Catholic 23.6%, Muslim 16.6%, other

Christian 8.6%, other 2.5%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.4% (2000 census)

Mayotte

Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic) 3%

Mexico

Roman Catholic 76.5%, Protestant 6.3% (Pentecostal 1.4%,

Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other 3.8%), other 0.3%, unspecified

13.8%, none 3.1% (2000 census)

Micronesia, Federated States of

Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 47%,

other 3%

Moldova

Eastern Orthodox 98%, Jewish 1.5%, Baptist and other 0.5%

(2000)

Monaco

Roman Catholic 90%, other 10%

Mongolia

Buddhist Lamaist 50%, Shamanist and Christian 6%, Muslim

4%, none 40% (2004)

Montenegro

Orthodox 74.2%, Muslim 17.7%, Catholic 3.5%, other 0.6%,

unspecified 3%, atheist 1% (2003 census)

Montserrat

Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal,

Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations

Morocco

Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2%

Mozambique

Catholic 23.8%, Muslim 17.8%, Zionist Christian 17.5%,

other 17.8%, none 23.1% (1997 census)

Namibia

Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous

beliefs 10% to 20%

Nauru

Nauru Congregational 35.4%, Roman Catholic 33.2%, Nauru

Independent Church 10.4%, other 14.1%, none 4.5%, unspecified 2.4%

(2002 census)

Nepal

Hindu 80.6%, Buddhist 10.7%, Muslim 4.2%, Kirant 3.6%, other

0.9% (2001 census)

note: only official Hindu state in the world

Netherlands

Roman Catholic 30%, Dutch Reformed 11%, Calvinist 6%,

other Protestant 3%, Muslim 5.8%, other 2.2%, none 42% (2006)

Netherlands Antilles

Roman Catholic 72%, Pentecostal 4.9%,

Protestant 3.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.1%, Methodist 2.9%,

Jehovah's Witnesses 1.7%, other Christian 4.2%, Jewish 1.3%, other

or unspecified 1.2%, none 5.2% (2001 census)

New Caledonia

Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10%

New Zealand

Anglican 14.9%, Roman Catholic 12.4%, Presbyterian

10.9%, Methodist 2.9%, Pentecostal 1.7%, Baptist 1.3%, other

Christian 9.4%, other 3.3%, unspecified 17.2%, none 26% (2001 census)

Nicaragua

Roman Catholic 58.5%, Evangelical 21.6%, Moravian 1.6%,

Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 1.7%, none 15.7% (2005 census)

Niger

Muslim 80%, other (includes indigenous beliefs and Christian)

20%

Nigeria

Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%

Niue

Ekalesia Niue (Niuean Church - a Protestant church closely

related to the London Missionary Society) 61.1%, Latter-Day Saints

8.8%, Roman Catholic 7.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2.4%, Seventh-Day

Adventist 1.4%, other 8.4%, unspecified 8.7%, none 1.9% (2001 census)

Norfolk Island

Anglican 31.8%, Roman Catholic 11.5%, Uniting Church

in Australia 10.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.2%, other Christian

5.6%, none 19.9%, unspecified 16.6% (2006 census)

Northern Mariana Islands

Christian (Roman Catholic majority,

although traditional beliefs and taboos may still be found)

Norway

Church of Norway 85.7%, Pentecostal 1%, Roman Catholic 1%,

other Christian 2.4%, Muslim 1.8%, other 8.1% (2004)

Oman

Ibadhi Muslim 75%, other (includes Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim,

Hindu) 25%

Pakistan

Muslim 95% (Sunni 75%, Shia 20%), other (includes Christian

and Hindu) 5%

Palau

Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei 8.8%

(indigenous to Palau), Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah's Witness

0.9%, Latter-Day Saints 0.6%, other 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4%

(2000 census)

Panama

Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%

Papua New Guinea

Roman Catholic 27%, Evangelical Lutheran 19.5%,

United Church 11.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, Pentecostal 8.6%,

Evangelical Alliance 5.2%, Anglican 3.2%, Baptist 2.5%, other

Protestant 8.9%, Bahai 0.3%, indigenous beliefs and other 3.3% (2000

census)

Paraguay

Roman Catholic 89.6%, Protestant 6.2%, other Christian

1.1%, other or unspecified 1.9%, none 1.1% (2002 census)

Peru

Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, other Christian

0.7%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 16.3% (2003 est.)

Philippines

Roman Catholic 80.9%, Muslim 5%, Evangelical 2.8%,

Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%, Aglipayan 2%, other Christian 4.5%, other

1.8%, unspecified 0.6%, none 0.1% (2000 census)

Pitcairn Islands

Seventh-Day Adventist 100%

Poland

Roman Catholic 89.8% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox

1.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 8.3% (2002)

Portugal

Roman Catholic 84.5%, other Christian 2.2%, other 0.3%,

unknown 9%, none 3.9% (2001 census)

Puerto Rico

Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15%

Qatar

Muslim 77.5%, Christian 8.5%, other 14% (2004 census)

Romania

Eastern Orthodox (including all sub-denominations) 86.8%,

Protestant (various denominations including Reformate and

Pentecostal) 7.5%, Roman Catholic 4.7%, other (mostly Muslim) and

unspecified 0.9%, none 0.1% (2002 census)

Russia

Russian Orthodox 15-20%, Muslim 10-15%, other Christian 2%

(2006 est.)

note: estimates are of practicing worshipers; Russia has large

populations of non-practicing believers and non-believers, a legacy

of over seven decades of Soviet rule

Rwanda

Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim

4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001)

Saint Barthelemy

Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jehovah's Witness

Saint Helena

Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist,

Roman Catholic

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Anglican, other Protestant, Roman Catholic

Saint Lucia

Roman Catholic 67.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.5%,

Pentecostal 5.7%, Rastafarian 2.1%, Anglican 2%, Evangelical 2%,

other Christian 5.1%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.5% (2001

census)

Saint Martin

Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Hindu

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman

Catholic 13%, other (includes Hindu, Seventh-Day Adventist, other

Protestant) 12%

Samoa

Congregationalist 34.8%, Roman Catholic 19.6%, Methodist 15%,

Latter-Day Saints 12.7%, Assembly of God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist

3.5%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.9%,

unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)

San Marino

Roman Catholic

Sao Tome and Principe

Catholic 70.3%, Evangelical 3.4%, New

Apostolic 2%, Adventist 1.8%, other 3.1%, none 19.4% (2001 census)

Saudi Arabia

Muslim 100%

Senegal

Muslim 94%, Christian 5% (mostly Roman Catholic), indigenous

beliefs 1%

Serbia

Serbian Orthodox 85%, Catholic 5.5%, Protestant 1.1%, Muslim

3.2%, unspecified 2.6%, other, unknown, or atheist 2.6% (2002 census)

Seychelles

Roman Catholic 82.3%, Anglican 6.4%, Seventh Day

Adventist 1.1%, other Christian 3.4%, Hindu 2.1%, Muslim 1.1%, other

non-Christian 1.5%, unspecified 1.5%, none 0.6% (2002 census)

Sierra Leone

Muslim 60%, Christian 10%, indigenous beliefs 30%

Singapore

Buddhist 42.5%, Muslim 14.9%, Taoist 8.5%, Hindu 4%,

Catholic 4.8%, other Christian 9.8%, other 0.7%, none 14.8% (2000

census)

Slovakia

Roman Catholic 68.9%, Protestant 10.8%, Greek Catholic

4.1%, other or unspecified 3.2%, none 13% (2001 census)

Slovenia

Catholic 57.8%, Muslim 2.4%, Orthodox 2.3%, other Christian

0.9%, unaffiliated 3.5%, other or unspecified 23%, none 10.1% (2002

census)

Solomon Islands

Church of Melanesia 32.8%, Roman Catholic 19%, South

Seas Evangelical 17%, Seventh-Day Adventist 11.2%, United Church

10.3%, Christian Fellowship Church 2.4%, other Christian 4.4%, other

2.4%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.2% (1999 census)

Somalia

Sunni Muslim

South Africa

Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%,

Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%,

Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none

15.1% (2001 census)

Spain

Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%

Sri Lanka

Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%,

unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)

Sudan

Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), Christian 5% (mostly in south and

Khartoum), indigenous beliefs 25%

Suriname

Hindu 27.4%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian),

Roman Catholic 22.8%, Muslim 19.6%, indigenous beliefs 5%

Swaziland

Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous

ancestral worship), Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, other (includes

Anglican, Bahai, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish) 30%

Sweden

Lutheran 87%, other (includes Roman Catholic, Orthodox,

Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist) 13%

Switzerland

Roman Catholic 41.8%, Protestant 35.3%, Muslim 4.3%,

Orthodox 1.8%, other Christian 0.4%, other 1%, unspecified 4.3%,

none 11.1% (2000 census)

Syria

Sunni Muslim 74%, other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%,

Christian (various denominations) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in

Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)

Taiwan

mixture of Buddhist and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%, other 2.5%

Tajikistan

Sunni Muslim 85%, Shia Muslim 5%, other 10% (2003 est.)

Tanzania

mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs

35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim

Thailand

Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1%

(2000 census)

Timor-Leste

Roman Catholic 98%, Muslim 1%, Protestant 1% (2005)

Togo

Christian 29%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 51%

Tokelau

Congregational Christian Church 70%, Roman Catholic 28%,

other 2%

note: on Atafu, all Congregational Christian Church of Samoa; on

Nukunonu, all Roman Catholic; on Fakaofo, both denominations, with

the Congregational Christian Church predominant

Tonga

Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents)

Trinidad and Tobago

Roman Catholic 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%,

Baptist 7.2%, Pentecostal 6.8%, Muslim 5.8%, Seventh Day Adventist

4%, other Christian 5.8%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9%

(2000 census)

Tunisia

Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%

Turkey

Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians

and Jews)

Turkmenistan

Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%

Turks and Caicos Islands

Baptist 40%, Anglican 18%, Methodist 16%,

Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990)

Tuvalu

Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day

Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%

Uganda

Roman Catholic 41.9%, Protestant 42% (Anglican 35.9%,

Pentecostal 4.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.5%), Muslim 12.1%, other

3.1%, none 0.9% (2002 census)

Ukraine

Ukrainian Orthodox - Kyiv Patriarchate 50.4%, Ukrainian

Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate 26.1%, Ukrainian Greek Catholic 8%,

Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox 7.2%, Roman Catholic 2.2%,

Protestant 2.2%, Jewish 0.6%, other 3.2% (2006 est.)

United Arab Emirates

Muslim 96% (Shia 16%), other (includes

Christian, Hindu) 4%

United Kingdom

Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian,

Methodist) 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified or

none 23.1% (2001 census)

United States

Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%,

other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other

or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)

Uruguay

Roman Catholic 47.1%, non-Catholic Christians 11.1%,

nondenominational 23.2%, Jewish 0.3%, atheist or agnostic 17.2%,

other 1.1% (2006)

Uzbekistan

Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%

Vanuatu

Presbyterian 31.4%, Anglican 13.4%, Roman Catholic 13.1%,

Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, other Christian 13.8%, indigenous

beliefs 5.6% (including Jon Frum cargo cult), other 9.6%, none 1%,

unspecified 1.3% (1999 Census)

Venezuela

nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%, other 2%

Vietnam

Buddhist 9.3%, Catholic 6.7%, Hoa Hao 1.5%, Cao Dai 1.1%,

Protestant 0.5%, Muslim 0.1%, none 80.8% (1999 census)

Virgin Islands

Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%,

other 7%

Wallis and Futuna

Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%

West Bank

Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian

and other 8%

Western Sahara

Muslim

World

Christians 33.32% (of which Roman Catholics 16.99%,

Protestants 5.78%, Orthodox 3.53%, Anglicans 1.25%), Muslims 21.01%,

Hindus 13.26%, Buddhists 5.84%, Sikhs 0.35%, Jews 0.23%, Baha'is

0.12%, other religions 11.78%, non-religious 11.77%, atheists 2.32%

(2007 est.)

Yemen

Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shia), small

numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu

Zambia

Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous

beliefs 1%

Zimbabwe

syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%,

Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1%

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2123 Suffrage

Afghanistan

18 years of age; universal

Albania

18 years of age; universal

Algeria

18 years of age; universal

American Samoa

18 years of age; universal

Andorra

18 years of age; universal

Angola

18 years of age; universal

Anguilla

18 years of age; universal

Antigua and Barbuda

18 years of age; universal

Argentina

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Armenia

18 years of age; universal

Aruba

18 years of age; universal

Australia

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Austria

16 years of age; universal; note - reduced from 18 years of

age in 2007

Azerbaijan

18 years of age; universal

Bahamas, The

18 years of age; universal

Bahrain

20 years of age; universal

Bangladesh

18 years of age; universal

Barbados

18 years of age; universal

Belarus

18 years of age; universal

Belgium

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Belize

18 years of age; universal

Benin

18 years of age; universal

Bermuda

18 years of age; universal

Bhutan

18 years of age; universal

Bolivia

18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married); 21

years of age, universal and compulsory (single)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

18 years of age, universal

Botswana

18 years of age; universal

Brazil

voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70;

compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age; note - military

conscripts do not vote

British Virgin Islands

18 years of age; universal

Brunei

18 years of age for village elections; universal

Bulgaria

18 years of age; universal

Burkina Faso

universal

Burma

18 years of age; universal

Burundi

NA years of age; universal (adult)

Cambodia

18 years of age; universal

Cameroon

20 years of age; universal

Canada

18 years of age; universal

Cape Verde

18 years of age; universal

Cayman Islands

18 years of age; universal

Central African Republic

21 years of age; universal

Chad

18 years of age; universal

Chile

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

China

18 years of age; universal

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

NA

Colombia

18 years of age; universal

Comoros

18 years of age; universal

Congo, Democratic Republic of the 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Congo, Republic of the

18 years of age; universal

Cook Islands

NA years of age; universal (adult)

Costa Rica

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Cote d'Ivoire

18 years of age; universal

Croatia

18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)

Cuba

16 years of age; universal

Cyprus

18 years of age; universal

Czech Republic

18 years of age; universal

Denmark

18 years of age; universal

Djibouti

18 years of age; universal

Dominica

18 years of age; universal

Dominican Republic

18 years of age, universal and compulsory;

married persons regardless of age; note - members of the armed

forces and national police cannot vote

Ecuador

18 years of age; universal, compulsory for literate persons

ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters

Egypt

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

El Salvador

18 years of age; universal

Equatorial Guinea

18 years of age; universal

Eritrea

18 years of age; universal

Estonia

18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens

Ethiopia

18 years of age; universal

European Union

18 years of age; universal

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

18 years of age; universal

Faroe Islands

18 years of age; universal

Fiji

21 years of age; universal

Finland

18 years of age; universal

France

18 years of age; universal

French Polynesia

18 years of age; universal

Gabon

21 years of age; universal

Gambia, The

18 years of age; universal

Georgia

18 years of age; universal

Germany

18 years of age; universal

Ghana

18 years of age; universal

Gibraltar

18 years of age; universal; and British citizens who have

been residents six months or more

Greece

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Greenland

18 years of age; universal

Grenada

18 years of age; universal

Guam

18 years of age; universal; US citizens, but do not vote in US

presidential elections

Guatemala

18 years of age; universal; note - active duty members of

the armed forces may not vote and are restricted to their barracks

on election day

Guernsey

18 years of age; universal

Guinea

18 years of age; universal

Guinea-Bissau

18 years of age; universal

Guyana

18 years of age; universal

Haiti

18 years of age; universal

Holy See (Vatican City)

limited to cardinals less than 80 years old

Honduras

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Hong Kong

direct election - 18 years of age for a number of

non-executive positions; universal for permanent residents living in

the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; indirect

election - limited to about 220,000 members of functional

constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad

regional groupings, central government bodies, and municipal

organizations

Hungary

18 years of age; universal

Iceland

18 years of age; universal

India

18 years of age; universal

Indonesia

17 years of age; universal and married persons regardless

of age

Iran

16 years of age; universal

Iraq

18 years of age; universal

Ireland

18 years of age; universal

Isle of Man

16 years of age; universal

Israel

18 years of age; universal

Italy

18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections,

where minimum age is 25)

Jamaica

18 years of age; universal

Japan

20 years of age; universal

Jersey

16 years of age; universal

Jordan

18 years of age; universal

Kazakhstan

18 years of age; universal

Kenya

18 years of age; universal

Kiribati

18 years of age; universal

Korea, North

17 years of age; universal

Korea, South

19 years of age; universal

Kosovo

18 years of age; universal

Kuwait

NA years of age; universal (adult); note - males in the

military or police are not allowed to vote; adult females were

allowed to vote as of 16 May 2005; all voters must have been

citizens for 20 years

Kyrgyzstan

18 years of age; universal

Laos

18 years of age; universal

Latvia

18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens

Lebanon

21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for

women at age 21 with elementary education

Lesotho

18 years of age; universal

Liberia

18 years of age; universal

Libya

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Liechtenstein

18 years of age; universal

Lithuania

18 years of age; universal

Luxembourg

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Macau

direct election 18 years of age for some non-executive

positions, universal for permanent residents living in Macau for the

past seven years; indirect election limited to organizations

registered as "corporate voters" (257 are currently registered) and

a 300-member Election Committee drawn from broad regional groupings,

municipal organizations, and central government bodies

Macedonia

18 years of age; universal

Madagascar

18 years of age; universal

Malawi

18 years of age; universal

Malaysia

21 years of age; universal

Maldives

21 years of age; universal

Mali

18 years of age; universal

Malta

18 years of age; universal

Marshall Islands

18 years of age; universal

Mauritania

18 years of age; universal

Mauritius

18 years of age; universal

Mayotte

18 years of age; universal

Mexico

18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)

Micronesia, Federated States of

18 years of age; universal

Moldova

18 years of age; universal

Monaco

18 years of age; universal

Mongolia

18 years of age; universal

Montenegro

18 years of age; universal

Montserrat

18 years of age; universal

Morocco

18 years of age; universal (as of January 2003)

Mozambique

18 years of age; universal

Namibia

18 years of age; universal

Nauru

20 years of age; universal and compulsory

Nepal

18 years of age; universal

Netherlands

18 years of age; universal

Netherlands Antilles

18 years of age; universal

New Caledonia

18 years of age; universal

New Zealand

18 years of age; universal

Nicaragua

16 years of age; universal

Niger

18 years of age; universal

Nigeria

18 years of age; universal

Niue

18 years of age; universal

Norfolk Island

18 years of age; universal

Northern Mariana Islands 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections

Norway

18 years of age; universal

Oman

21 years of age; universal; note - members of the military and

security forces are not allowed to vote

Pakistan

18 years of age; universal; joint electorates and reserved

parliamentary seats for women and non-Muslims

Palau

18 years of age; universal

Panama

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Papua New Guinea

18 years of age; universal

Paraguay

18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75

Peru

18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70;

note - for the first time in recent elections, members of the

military and national police were eligible to vote in the 2006

elections

Philippines

18 years of age; universal

Pitcairn Islands 18 years of age; universal with three years residency

Poland

18 years of age; universal

Portugal

18 years of age; universal

Puerto Rico

18 years of age; universal; island residents are US

citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections

Qatar

18 years of age; universal

Romania

18 years of age; universal

Russia

18 years of age; universal

Rwanda

18 years of age; universal

Saint Barthelemy

18 years of age, universal

Saint Helena

NA years of age

Saint Kitts and Nevis

18 years of age; universal

Saint Lucia

18 years of age; universal

Saint Martin

18 years of age, universal

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

18 years of age; universal

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

18 years of age; universal

Samoa

21 years of age; universal

San Marino

18 years of age; universal

Sao Tome and Principe

18 years of age; universal

Saudi Arabia

21 years of age; male

Senegal

18 years of age; universal

Serbia

18 years of age; universal

Seychelles

17 years of age; universal

Sierra Leone

18 years of age; universal

Singapore

21 years of age; universal and compulsory

Slovakia

18 years of age; universal

Slovenia

18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)

Solomon Islands

21 years of age; universal

Somalia

18 years of age; universal

South Africa

18 years of age; universal

Spain

18 years of age; universal

Sri Lanka

18 years of age; universal

Sudan

17 years of age; universal

Suriname

18 years of age; universal

Swaziland

18 years of age

Sweden

18 years of age; universal

Switzerland

18 years of age; universal

Syria

18 years of age; universal

Taiwan

20 years of age; universal

Tajikistan

18 years of age; universal

Tanzania

18 years of age; universal

Thailand

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Timor-Leste

17 years of age; universal

Togo

NA years of age; universal (adult)

Tokelau

21 years of age; universal

Tonga

21 years of age; universal

Trinidad and Tobago

18 years of age; universal

Tunisia

18 years of age; universal except for active government

security forces (including the police and the military), people with

mental disabilities, people who have served more than three months

in prison (criminal cases only), and people given a suspended

sentence of more than six months

Turkey

18 years of age; universal

Turkmenistan

18 years of age; universal

Turks and Caicos Islands

18 years of age; universal

Tuvalu

18 years of age; universal

Uganda

18 years of age; universal

Ukraine

18 years of age; universal

United Arab Emirates

none

United Kingdom

18 years of age; universal

United States

18 years of age; universal

Uruguay

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Uzbekistan

18 years of age; universal

Vanuatu

18 years of age; universal

Venezuela

18 years of age; universal

Vietnam

18 years of age; universal

Virgin Islands

18 years of age; universal; island residents are US

citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections

Wallis and Futuna

18 years of age; universal

Western Sahara

none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign

not yet completed

Yemen

18 years of age; universal

Zambia

18 years of age; universal

Zimbabwe

18 years of age; universal

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2124 Telephone system

Afghanistan

general assessment: limited landline telephone service;

an increasing number of Afghans utilize mobile-cellular phone

networks in major cities

domestic: aided by the presence of multiple providers,

mobile-cellular telephone service is improving rapidly

international: country code - 93; five VSAT's installed in Kabul,

Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, and Jalalabad provide international

and domestic voice and data connectivity (2007)

Albania

general assessment: despite new investment in fixed lines,

the density of main lines remains low with roughly 10 lines per 100

people; cellular telephone use is widespread and generally

effective; combined fixed line and mobile telephone density is

approximately 75 telephones per 100 persons

domestic: offsetting the shortage of fixed line capacity, mobile

phone service has been available since 1996; by 2003, two companies

were providing mobile services at a greater density than some of

Albania's neighbors; Internet broadband services initiated in 2005;

Internet cafes are popular in Tirana and have started to spread

outside the capital

international: country code - 355; submarine cable provides

connectivity to Italy, Croatia, and Greece; the Trans-Balkan Line, a

combination submarine cable and land fiber-optic system, provides

additional connectivity to Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Turkey;

international traffic carried by fiber-optic cable and, when

necessary, by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to

Italy and Greece (2007)

Algeria

general assessment: a weak network of fixed-main lines,

which remains low at less than 10 telephones per 100 persons, is

partially offset by the rapid increase in mobile cellular

subscribership; in 2007, combined fixed-line and mobile telephone

density surpassed 90 telephones per 100 persons

domestic: privatization of Algeria's telecommunications sector began

in 2000; three mobile cellular licenses have been issued and, in

2005, a consortium led by Egypt's Orascom Telecom won a 15-year

license to build and operate a fixed-line network in Algeria; the

license will allow Orascom to develop high-speed data and other

specialized services and contribute to meeting the large unfulfilled

demand for basic residential telephony; Internet broadband services

began in 2003 with approximately 200,000 subscribers in 2006

international: country code - 213; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4

fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe,

the Middle East, and Asia; microwave radio relay to Italy, France,

Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and Tunisia;

participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations - 51 (Intelsat,

Intersputnik, and Arabsat) (2007)

American Samoa

general assessment: NA

domestic: good telex, telegraph, facsimile, and cellular telephone

services; domestic satellite system with 1 Comsat earth station

international: country code - 1-684; satellite earth station - 1

(Intelsat-Pacific Ocean)

Andorra

general assessment: NA

domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections

between exchanges

international: country code - 376; landline circuits to France and

Spain

Angola

general assessment: system inadequate; fewer than one

fixed-line per 100 persons; combined fixed line and mobile telephone

density exceeded 25 telephones per 100 persons in 2007

domestic: state-owned telecom had monopoly for fixed-lines until

2005; demand outstripped capacity, prices were high, and services

poor; Telecom Namibia, through an Angolan company, became the first

private licensed operator in Angola's fixed-line telephone network;

Angola Telecom established mobile-cellular service in Luanda in 1993

and the network has been extended to larger towns; a

privately-owned, mobile-cellular service provider began operations

in 2001

international: country code - 244; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC

fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and

Asia; satellite earth stations - 29 (2007)

Anguilla

general assessment: NA

domestic: modern internal telephone system

international: country code - 1-264; landing point for the East

Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other

islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin

Islands to Trinidad; microwave radio relay to island of Saint Martin

(Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) (2007)

Antarctica

general assessment: local systems at some research

stations

domestic: commercial cellular networks operating in a small number

of locations

international: country code - none allocated; via satellite

(including mobile Inmarsat and Iridium systems) to and from all

research stations, ships, aircraft, and most field parties (2007)

Antigua and Barbuda

general assessment: NA

domestic: good automatic telephone system

international: country code - 1-268; landing point for the East

Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other

islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin

Islands to Trinidad; satellite earth stations - 2; tropospheric

scatter to Saba (Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe (2007)

Argentina

general assessment: by opening the telecommunications

market to competition and foreign investment with the

"Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1998," Argentina

encouraged the growth of modern telecommunications technology;

fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being installed between all major

cities; major networks are entirely digital and the availability of

telephone service is improving; fixed-line telephone density is

gradually increasing reaching nearly 25 lines per 100 people in

2007; mobile telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly

and has reached a level of 100 telephones per 100 persons

domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic

satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network;

more than 110,000 pay telephones are installed and mobile telephone

use is rapidly expanding; broadband services are gaining ground

international: country code - 54; landing point for the Atlantis-2,

UNISUR, and South America-1 optical submarine cable systems that

provide links to Europe, Africa, South and Central America, and US;

satellite earth stations - 112; 2 international gateways near Buenos

Aires (2007)

Armenia

general assessment: telecommunications investments have made

major inroads in modernizing and upgrading the outdated

telecommunications network inherited from the Soviet era; now 100%

privately owned and undergoing modernization and expansion;

mobile-cellular services monopoly terminated in late 2004 and a

second provider began operations in mid-2005

domestic: reliable modern landline and mobile-cellular services are

available across Yerevan in major cities and towns; significant but

ever-shrinking gaps remain in mobile-cellular coverage in rural areas

international: country code - 374; Yerevan is connected to the

Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable through Iran; additional

international service is available by microwave radio relay and

landline connections to the other countries of the Commonwealth of

Independent States, through the Moscow international switch, and by

satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 3

(2007)

Aruba

general assessment: modern fully automatic telecommunications

system

domestic: increased competition through privatization; 3 wireless

service providers are now licensed

international: country code - 297; landing site for the PAN-AM

submarine telecommunications cable system that extends from the US

Virgin Islands through Aruba to Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and the

west coast of South America; extensive interisland microwave radio

relay links (2007)

Australia

general assessment: excellent domestic and international

service

domestic: domestic satellite system; significant use of

radiotelephone in areas of low population density; rapid growth of

mobile cellular telephones

international: country code - 61; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3

optical telecommunications submarine cable with links to Asia, the

Middle East, and Europe; the Southern Cross fiber optic submarine

cable provides links to New Zealand and the United States; satellite

earth stations - 19 (10 Intelsat - 4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific

Ocean, 2 Inmarsat - Indian and Pacific Ocean regions, 2 Globalstar,

5 other) (2007)

Austria

general assessment: highly developed and efficient

domestic: fixed-line subscribership has been in decline since the

mid-1990s with mobile-cellular subscribership eclipsing it by the

late 1990s; the fiber-optic net is very extensive; all telephone

applications and Internet services are available

international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 15; in

addition, there are about 600 VSATs (very small aperture terminals)

(2007)

Azerbaijan

general assessment: inadequate; requires considerable

expansion and modernization; teledensity of 15 main lines per 100

persons is low; mobile-cellular penetration is increasing and is

currently about 50 telephones per 100 persons

domestic: fixed-line telephony and a broad range of other telecom

services are controlled by a state-owned telecommunications monopoly

and growth has been stagnant; more competition exists in the

mobile-cellular market with three providers in 2006; satellite

service connects Baku to a modern switch in its exclave of Naxcivan

international: country code - 994; the old Soviet system of cable

and microwave is still serviceable; satellite earth stations - 2

(2007)

Bahamas, The

general assessment: modern facilities

domestic: totally automatic system; highly developed; the Bahamas

Domestic Submarine Network links 14 of the islands and is designed

to satisfy increasing demand for voice and broadband internet

services

international: country code - 1-242; landing point for the Americas

Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic submarine cable

that provides links to South and Central America, parts of the

Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 (2007)

Bahrain

general assessment: modern system

domestic: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital network

with rapidly growing use of mobile-cellular telephones

international: country code - 973; landing point for the Fiber-Optic

Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides

links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and US; tropospheric scatter to

Qatar and UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; satellite

earth station - 1 (2007)

Bangladesh

general assessment: inadequate for a modern country;

fixed-line telephone density remains less than 1 per 100 persons;

mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly

and is approaching 25 per 100 persons

domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems

include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some

fiber-optic cable in cities

international: country code - 880; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4

fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe,

the Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 6;

international radiotelephone communications and landline service to

neighboring countries (2007)

Barbados

general assessment: fixed-line teledensity of roughly 50

per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density of about 85 per

100 persons

domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system

international: country code - 1-246; landing point for the East

Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13 other

islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British Virgin

Islands to Trinidad; satellite earth stations - 1 (Intelsat

-Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia

(2007)

Belarus

general assessment: Belarus lags behind its neighbors in

upgrading telecommunications infrastructure; state-owned Beltelcom

is the sole provider of fixed-line local and long distance service;

fixed-line teledensity of roughly 35 per 100 persons;

mobile-cellular telephone density of about 60 per 100 persons;

modernization of the network progressing with roughly two-thirds of

switching equipment now digital

domestic: fixed-line penetration is improving although rural areas

continue to be underserved; 3 GSM wireless networks are experiencing

rapid growth; strict government controls on telecommunications

technologies

international: country code - 375; Belarus is a member of the

Trans-European Line (TEL), Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line,

and has access to the Trans-Siberia Line (TSL); 3 fiber-optic

segments provide connectivity to Latvia, Poland, Russia, and

Ukraine; worldwide service is available to Belarus through this

infrastructure; additional analog lines to Russia; Intelsat,

Eutelsat, and Intersputnik earth stations (2007)

Belgium

general assessment: highly developed, technologically

advanced, and completely automated domestic and international

telephone and telegraph facilities

domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable

network; limited microwave radio relay network

international: country code - 32; landing point for a number of

submarine cables that provide links to Europe, the Middle East, and

Asia; satellite earth stations - 7 (Intelsat - 3) (2007)

Belize

general assessment: above-average system; fixed-line

teledensity of 12 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density

of about 40 per 100 persons

domestic: trunk network depends primarily on microwave radio relay

international: country code - 501; landing point for the Americas

Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic

telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to South and

Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth

station - 8 (Intelsat - 2, unknown - 6) (2007)

Benin

general assessment: inadequate; fixed-line network

characterized by aging, deteriorating equipment with fixed-line

teledensity stuck at 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone

subscribership is increasing

domestic: system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and cellular

connections; multiple mobile-cellular providers

international: country code - 229; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC

fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and

Asia; satellite earth stations - 7 (Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Bermuda

general assessment: good

domestic: fully automatic digital telephone system; fiber optic

trunk lines

international: country code - 1-441; landing point for the

Atlantica-1 telecommunications submarine cable that extends from the

US to Brazil; satellite earth stations - 3 (2007)

Bhutan

general assessment: urban towns and district headquarters

have telecommunications services

domestic: very low teledensity; domestic service is very poor

especially in rural areas; wireless service available since 2003

international: country code - 975; international telephone and

telegraph service via landline and microwave relay through India;

satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (2007)

Bolivia

general assessment: privatization begun in 1995; reliability

has steadily improved; new subscribers face bureaucratic

difficulties; most telephones are concentrated in La Paz and other

cities; mobile-cellular telephone use expanding rapidly; fixed-line

teledensity of 7 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone density

of 35 per 100 persons

domestic: primary trunk system, which is being expanded, employs

digital microwave radio relay; some areas are served by fiber-optic

cable; mobile cellular systems are being expanded

international: country code - 591; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

general assessment: post-war reconstruction

of the telecommunications network, aided by a internationally

sponsored program under ERBD, resulted in sharp increases in the

number of main telephone lines available; mobile cellular

subscribership has been increasing rapidly

domestic: fixed-line teledensity roughly 25 per 100 persons;

mobile-cellular telephone density exceeds 50 per 100 persons

international: country code - 387; no satellite earth stations (2007)

Botswana

general assessment: the system is expanding with the growth

of mobile-cellular service and participation in regional

development; system is fully digital with fiber-optic cables linking

the major population centers in the east; fixed-line connections

declined in recent years and now stand at roughly 8 per 100 persons;

mobile-cellular telephone density currently is about 80 per 100

persons

domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay

links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations;

mobile-cellular service is growing fast

international: country code - 267; international calls are made via

satellite, using international direct dialing; 2 international

exchanges; digital microwave radio relay links to Namibia, Zambia,

Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat

(Indian Ocean) (2007)

Brazil

general assessment: good working system; fixed-line

connections have remained relatively stable in recent years and

stand at about 20 per 100 persons; less expensive mobile cellular

technology is a major driver in expanding telephone service to the

low-income segment of the population with mobile-cellular telephone

density reaching nearly 65 per 100 persons

domestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic

satellite system with 64 earth stations; mobile-cellular usage has

more than tripled in the past 5 years

international: country code - 55; landing point for a number of

submarine cables that provide direct links to South and Central

America, the Caribbean, the US, Africa, and Europe; satellite earth

stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean

region east), connected by microwave relay system to Mercosur

Brazilsat B3 satellite earth station (2007)

British Indian Ocean Territory general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: country code (Diego Garcia) - 246; international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)

British Virgin Islands

general assessment: worldwide telephone

service

domestic: NA

international: country code - 1-284; connected via submarine cable

to Bermuda; the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) submarine cable

provides connectivity to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean

(2007)

Brunei

general assessment: service throughout the country is

excellent; international service is good to Southeast Asia, Middle

East, Western Europe, and the US

domestic: every service available

international: country code - 673; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3

optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to

Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; the Asia-America Gateway

submarine cable network, scheduled for completion by late 2008, will

provide new links to Asia and the US; satellite earth stations - 2

Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) (2007)

Bulgaria

general assessment: an extensive but antiquated

telecommunications network inherited from the Soviet era; quality

has improved; the Bulgaria Telecommunications Company's fixed-line

monopoly terminated in 2005 when alternative fixed-line operators

were given access to its network; a drop in fixed-line connections

in recent years has been more than offset by a sharp increase in

mobile-cellular telephone use fostered by multiple service

providers; the number of cellular telephone subscriptions now

exceeds the population

domestic: a fairly modern digital cable trunk line now connects

switching centers in most of the regions; the others are connected

by digital microwave radio relay

international: country code - 359; submarine cable provides

connectivity to Ukraine and Russia; a combination submarine cable

and land fiber-optic system provides connectivity to Italy, Albania,

and Macedonia; satellite earth stations - 3 (1 Intersputnik in the

Atlantic Ocean region, 2 Intelsat in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean

regions) (2007)

Burkina Faso

general assessment: services only fair; in 2006 the

government sold a 51 percent stake in the national telephone company

and ultimately plans to retain only a 23 percent stake in the

company; fixed-line connections stand at less than 1 per 100

persons; mobile-cellular usage, fostered by multiple providers, is

increasing rapidly from a low base

domestic: microwave radio relay, open-wire, and radiotelephone

communication stations

international: country code - 226; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Burma

general assessment: meets minimum requirements for local and

intercity service for business and government

domestic: system barely capable of providing basic service; cellular

phone system is grossly underdeveloped with a subscribership base of

less than 1 per 100 persons

international: country code - 95; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3

optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to

Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2,

Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and ShinSat (2007)

Burundi

general assessment: primitive system; telephone density one

of the lowest in the world; fixed-line connections stand at well

less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage is increasing but

remains at a meager 3 per 100 persons

domestic: sparse system of open-wire, radiotelephone communications,

and low-capacity microwave radio relay

international: country code - 257; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2007)

Cambodia

general assessment: mobile-phone systems are widely used in

urban areas to bypass deficiencies in the fixed-line network;

fixed-line connections stand at well less than 1 per 100 persons;

mobile-cellular usage, aided by increasing competition among service

providers, is increasing and stands at nearly 20 per 100 persons

domestic: adequate landline and/or cellular service in Phnom Penh

and other provincial cities; mobile-phone coverage is rapidly

expanding in rural areas

international: country code - 855; adequate but expensive landline

and cellular service available to all countries from Phnom Penh and

major provincial cities; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik

(Indian Ocean region) (2007)

Cameroon

general assessment: fixed-line connections stand at less

than 1 per 100 persons; equipment is old and outdated, and

connections with many parts of the country are unreliable;

mobile-cellular usage, in part a reflection of the poor condition

and general inadequacy of the fixed-line network, increased more

than 6-fold between 2002 and 2007 reaching a subscribership base of

25 per 100 persons

domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter

international: country code - 237; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC

fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and

Asia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Canada

general assessment: excellent service provided by modern

technology

domestic: domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations

international: country code - 1; submarine cables provide links to

the US and Europe; satellite earth stations - 7 (5 Intelsat - 4

Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean, and 2 Intersputnik - Atlantic

Ocean region) (2007)

Cape Verde

general assessment: effective system, extensive

modernization from 1996-2000 following partial privatization in 1995

domestic: major service provider is Cabo Verde Telecom (CVT);

fiber-optic ring, completed in 2001, links all islands providing

Internet access and ISDN services; cellular service introduced in

1998; broadband services launched in 2004

international: country code - 238; landing point for the Atlantis-2

fiber-optic transatlantic telephone cable that provides links to

South America, Senegal, and Europe; HF radiotelephone to Senegal and

Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

(2007)

Cayman Islands

general assessment: reasonably good system

domestic: liberalization of telecom market in 2003; introduction of

competition in the mobile-cellular market in 2004

international: country code - 1-345; landing point for the MAYA-1

submarine telephone cable network that provides links to the US and

parts of Central and South America; submarine cable provides

connectivity to Jamaica; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat

(Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Central African Republic

general assessment: limited telephone

service; fixed-line connections for well less than 1 per 100 persons

coupled with mobile-cellular usage of only about 3 per 100 persons;

most fixed-line and cellular telephone services are concentrated in

Bangui

domestic: network consists principally of microwave radio relay and

low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication

international: country code - 236; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Chad

general assessment: primitive system with high costs and low

telephone density; fixed-line connections for only about 1 per 1000

persons coupled with mobile-cellular usage of only about 9 per 100

persons

domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations

international: country code - 235; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Chile

general assessment: privatization begun in 1988; most advanced

telecommunications infrastructure in South America; modern system

based on extensive microwave radio relay facilities; fixed-line

connections have dropped in recent years as mobile-cellular usage

continues to increase, reaching a level of 85 telephones per 100

persons

domestic: extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic satellite

system with 3 earth stations

international: country code - 56; submarine cables provide links to

the US and to Central and South America; satellite earth stations -

2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

China

general assessment: domestic and international services are

increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed

domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and

many towns; nonetheless, by the end of 2006, more than 95% of

China's villages had been connected to the telephone network; China

continues to develop its telecommunications infrastructure, and is

partnering with foreign providers to expand its global reach; 3 of

China's 6 major telecommunications operators are part of an

international consortium which, in December 2006, signed an

agreement with Verizon Business to build the first next-generation

fiber optic submarine cable system directly linking the US mainland

and China

domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular

telephone systems have been installed; mobile-cellular

subscribership is increasing rapidly; the number of Internet users

reached 253 million in 2008; a domestic satellite system with 55

earth stations is in place

international: country code - 86; a number of submarine cables

provide connectivity to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the US;

satellite earth stations - 7 (5 Intelsat - 4 Pacific Ocean and 1

Indian Ocean; 1 Intersputnik - Indian Ocean region; and 1 Inmarsat -

Pacific and Indian Ocean regions) (2007)

Christmas Island

general assessment: service provided by the

Australian network

domestic: GSM mobile telephone service replaced older analog system

in February 2005

international: country code - 61-8; satellite earth station - 1

(Intelsat provides telephone and telex service) (2005)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

general assessment: connected within

Australia's telecommunication system; a local mobile-cellular

network is in operation

domestic: NA

international: country code - 61; telephone, telex, and facsimile

communications with Australia and elsewhere via satellite; satellite

earth station - 1 (Intelsat) (2001)

Colombia

general assessment: modern system in many respects;

telecommunications sector liberalized during the 1990s; multiple

providers of both fixed-line and mobile-cellular services;

fixed-line connections stand at about 18 per 100 persons; mobile

cellular usage is about 75 per 100 persons; competition among

cellular service providers is resulting in falling local and

international calling rates and contributing to the steep decline in

the market share of fixed line services

domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system; domestic

satellite system with 41 earth stations; fiber-optic network linking

50 cities

international: country code - 57; submarine cables provide links to

the US, parts of the Caribbean, and Central and South America;

satellite earth stations - 10 (6 Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 3 fully

digitalized international switching centers) (2007)

Comoros

general assessment: sparse system of microwave radio relay

and HF radiotelephone communication stations; fixed-line connections

only about 3 per 100 persons; mobile cellular usage about 5 per 100

persons

domestic: HF radiotelephone communications and microwave radio relay

international: country code - 269; HF radiotelephone communications

to Madagascar and Reunion

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

general assessment: inadequate;

state-owned fixed-line operator has been unable to expand fixed-line

connections and there are now fewer than 10,000 connections - less

than 1 per 1000 persons; given the backdrop of a wholly inadequate

fixed-line infrastructure, the use of cellular services has surged

and subscribership in 2007 reached 6.6 million - 10 per 100 persons

domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in

and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth

stations

international: country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Congo, Republic of the

general assessment: services barely adequate

for government use; key exchanges are in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire,

and Loubomo; intercity lines frequently out of order; fixed-line

infrastructure inadequate providing less than 1 connection per 100

persons; in the absence of an adequate fixed line infrastructure,

mobile-cellular subscribership has surged reaching 35 per 100 persons

domestic: primary network consists of microwave radio relay and

coaxial cable

international: country code - 242; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Cook Islands

general assessment: Telecom Cook Islands offers

international direct dialing, Internet, email, fax, and Telex

domestic: individual islands are connected by a combination of

satellite earth stations, microwave systems, and VHF and HF

radiotelephone; within the islands, service is provided by small

exchanges connected to subscribers by open-wire, cable, and

fiber-optic cable

international: country code - 682; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Costa Rica

general assessment: good domestic telephone service in

terms of breadth of coverage; restricted cellular telephone service;

state-run monopoly provider is struggling with the demand for new

lines, resulting in long waiting times

domestic: point-to-point and point-to-multi-point microwave,

fiber-optic, and coaxial cable link rural areas; Internet service is

available

international: country code - 506; landing point for the Americas

Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic

telecommunications submarine cable and the MAYA-1 submarine cable

that provide links to South and Central America, parts of the

Caribbean, and the US; connected to Central American Microwave

System; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

general assessment: well developed by African

standards; telecommunications sector privatized in late 1990s and

operational fixed-lines have more than quadrupled since that time;

with multiple cellular service providers competing in the market,

cellular usage has increased sharply to roughly 40 per 100 persons

domestic: open-wire lines and microwave radio relay; 90% digitalized

international: country code - 225; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC

fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and

Asia; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1

Indian Ocean) (2007)

Croatia

general assessment: the telecommunications network has

improved steadily since the mid-1990s; the number of fixed telephone

lines holding steady at about 40 per 100 persons; the number of

cellular telephone subscriptions exceeds the population

domestic: more than 90 percent of local lines are digital

international: country code - 385; digital international service is

provided through the main switch in Zagreb; Croatia participates in

the Trans-Asia-Europe (TEL) fiber-optic project, which consists of 2

fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a fiber-optic trunk

line from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik; the ADRIA-1 submarine cable

provides connectivity to Albania and Greece (2007)

Cuba

general assessment: greater investment beginning in 1994 and

the establishment of a new Ministry of Information Technology and

Communications in 2000 has resulted in improvements in the system;

wireless service is expensive and must be paid in convertible pesos

which effectively limits mobile cellular subscribership

domestic: national fiber-optic system under development; 95% of

switches digitized by end of 2006; fixed telephone line density

remains low, at less than 10 per 100 inhabitants; domestic cellular

service expanding but remains at only about 2 per 100 persons

international: country code - 53; fiber-optic cable laid to but not

linked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik

(Atlantic Ocean region) (2007)

Cyprus

general assessment: excellent in both area under government

control and area administered by Turkish Cypriots

domestic: open-wire, fiber-optic cable, and microwave radio relay

international: country code - 357 (area administered by Turkish

Cypriots uses the country code of Turkey - 90); a number of

submarine cables, including the SEA-ME-WE-3, combine to provide

connectivity to Western Europe, the Middle East, and Asia;

tropospheric scatter; satellite earth stations - 8 (3 Intelsat - 1

Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean, 2 Eutelsat, 2 Intersputnik, and 1

Arabsat)

Czech Republic

general assessment: privatization and modernization

of the Czech telecommunication system got a late start but is

advancing steadily; access to the fixed-line telephone network

expanded throughout the 1990s but the number of fixed line

connections has been dropping since then; mobile telephone usage

increased sharply beginning in the mid-1990s and the number of

cellular telephone subscriptions now greatly exceeds the population

domestic: virtually all exchanges now digital; existing copper

subscriber systems enhanced with Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

(ADSL) equipment to accommodate Internet and other digital signals;

trunk systems include fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay

international: country code - 420; satellite earth stations - 6 (2

Intersputnik - Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions, 1 Intelsat, 1

Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat, 1 Globalstar) (2007)

Denmark

general assessment: excellent telephone and telegraph

services

domestic: buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay form

trunk network, 4 cellular mobile communications systems

international: country code - 45; a series of fiber-optic submarine

cables link Denmark with Canada, Faroe Islands, Germany, Iceland,

Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and UK; satellite earth

stations - 18 (6 Intelsat, 10 Eutelsat, 1 Orion, 1 Inmarsat

(Blaavand-Atlantic-East)); note - the Nordic countries (Denmark,

Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) share the Danish earth station

and the Eik, Norway, station for worldwide Inmarsat access

Djibouti

general assessment: telephone facilities in the city of

Djibouti are adequate, as are the microwave radio relay connections

to outlying areas of the country

domestic: microwave radio relay network; mobile cellular coverage is

primarily limited to the area in and around Djibouti city

international: country code - 253; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3

optical telecommunications submarine cable with links to Asia, the

Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat -

Indian Ocean and 1 Arabsat); Medarabtel regional microwave radio

relay telephone network (2007)

Dominica

general assessment: NA

domestic: fully automatic network

international: country code - 1-767; landing point for the East

Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13

other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British

Virgin Islands to Trinidad; microwave radio relay and SHF

radiotelephone links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; VHF and UHF

radiotelephone links to Saint Lucia

Dominican Republic

general assessment: relatively efficient system

based on island-wide microwave radio relay network

domestic: fixed telephone line density is about 10 per 100 persons;

multiple providers of mobile cellular service with a subscribership

of roughly 60 per 100 persons

international: country code - 1-809; landing point for the Americas

Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber-optic

telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to South and

Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and US; satellite earth

station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Ecuador

general assessment: generally elementary but being expanded

domestic: fixed-line services provided by three state-owned

enterprises; plans to transfer the state-owned operators to private

ownership have repeatedly failed; fixed-line density stands at about

13 per 100 persons; mobile cellular use has surged and has a

subscribership of nearly 75 per 100 persons

international: country code - 593; landing point for the PAN-AM

submarine telecommunications cable that provides links to the west

coast of South America, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and extending

onward to Aruba and the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean;

satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Egypt

general assessment: large system; underwent extensive

upgrading during 1990s and is reasonably modern; Telecom Egypt, the

landline monopoly, has been increasing service availability and in

2007 fixed-line density stood at 14 per 100 persons; as of 2007

there were three mobile-cellular networks and service is expanding

rapidly

domestic: principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah,

Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and

microwave radio relay

international: country code - 20; landing point for both the

SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks; linked to the

international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the

Globe); satellite earth stations - 4 (2 Intelsat - Atlantic Ocean

and Indian Ocean, 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat); tropospheric scatter

to Sudan; microwave radio relay to Israel; a participant in

Medarabtel (2007)

El Salvador

general assessment: multiple mobile-cellular service

providers are expanding services rapidly and in 2007 mobile-cellular

density stood at nearly 90 per 100 persons; growth in fixed-line

services has slowed in the face of mobile-cellular competition

domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system

international: country code - 503; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave

System (2007)

Equatorial Guinea

general assessment: digital fixed-line network in

most major urban areas and good mobile coverage

domestic: fixed-line density is about 2 per 100 persons;

mobile-cellular subscribership has been increasing and in 2007 stood

at about 40 percent of the population

international: country code - 240; international communications from

Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth

station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2007)

Eritrea

general assessment: inadequate; combined fixed-line and

mobile cellular subscribership is only about 2 per 100 persons

domestic: inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government is

seeking international tenders to improve the system (2002)

international: country code - 291; note - international connections

exist

Estonia

general assessment: foreign investment in the form of joint

business ventures greatly improved telephone service; substantial

fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone, TV, and radio traffic in

the digital mode; Internet services are widely available; schools

and libraries are connected to the Internet, a large percentage of

the population files income-tax returns online, and online voting

was used for the first time in the 2005 local elections

domestic: a wide range of high quality voice, data, and Internet

services is available throughout the country

international: country code - 372; fiber-optic cables to Finland,

Sweden, Latvia, and Russia provide worldwide packet-switched

service; 2 international switches are located in Tallinn (2001)

Ethiopia

general assessment: inadequate telephone system; the number

of fixed lines and mobile telephones is increasing from a very small

base; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is only about 2

per 100 persons

domestic: open-wire; microwave radio relay; radio communication in

the HF, VHF, and UHF frequencies; 2 domestic satellites provide the

national trunk service

international: country code - 251; open-wire to Sudan and Djibouti;

microwave radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; satellite earth

stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Pacific Ocean)

European Union

note - see individual country entries of member states

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

general assessment: NA

domestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB

radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all

points on both islands

international: country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other

countries

Faroe Islands

general assessment: good international communications;

good domestic facilities

domestic: digitalization was completed in 1998; both NMT (analog)

and GSM (digital) mobile telephone systems are installed

international: country code - 298; satellite earth stations - 1

Orion; 1 fiber-optic submarine cable to the Shetland Islands,

linking the Faroe Islands with Denmark and Iceland; fiber-optic

submarine cable connection to Canada-Europe cable

Fiji

general assessment: modern local, interisland, and

international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose

telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio

communications center

domestic: telephone or radio telephone links to almost all inhabited

islands; most towns and large villages have automatic telephone

exchanges and direct dialing; combined fixed and mobile-cellular

density is about 60 per 100 persons

international: country code - 679; access to important cable links

between US and Canada as well as between NZ and Australia; satellite

earth stations - 2 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean) (2007)

Finland

general assessment: modern system with excellent service

domestic: digital fiber-optic fixed-line network and an extensive

cellular network provide domestic needs

international: country code - 358; submarine cables provide links to

Estonia and Sweden; satellite earth stations - access to Intelsat

transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1

Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Finland shares

the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark,

Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)

France

general assessment: highly developed

domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay; extensive

introduction of fiber-optic cable; domestic satellite system

international: country code - 33; numerous submarine cables provide

links throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and US;

satellite earth stations - more than 3 (2 Intelsat (with total of 5

antennas - 2 for Indian Ocean and 3 for Atlantic Ocean), NA

Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat - Atlantic Ocean region); HF radiotelephone

communications with more than 20 countries

overseas departments: country codes: French Guiana - 594; Guadeloupe

- 590; Martinique - 596; Reunion - 262

French Polynesia

general assessment: NA

domestic: NA

international: country code - 689; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Gabon

general assessment: adequate service by African standards and

improving with the help of a growing mobile cell network system with

multiple providers; mobile-cellular subscribership reached 80 per

100 persons in 2007

domestic: adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay,

tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and a

domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations

international: country code - 241; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC

fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and

Asia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Gambia, The

general assessment: adequate; a packet switched data

network is available; two mobile-cellular service providers

domestic: adequate network of microwave radio relay and open-wire;

combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity reached 50

telephones per 100 persons in 2007

international: country code - 220; microwave radio relay links to

Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat

(Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Gaza Strip

general assessment: NA

domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL

are responsible for fixed line services; the Palestinian JAWAL

company provides cellular services

international: country code - 970 (2004)

Georgia

general assessment: fixed-line telecommunications network

has only limited coverage outside Tbilisi; multiple mobile-cellular

providers provide services to an increasing subscribership

throughout the country

domestic: cellular telephone networks now cover the entire country;

urban telephone density is about 20 per 100 people; rural telephone

density is about 4 per 100 people; intercity facilities include a

fiber-optic line between T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi; nationwide pager

service is available

international: country code - 995; the Georgia-Russia fiber optic

submarine cable provides connectivity to Russia; international

service is available by microwave, landline, and satellite through

the Moscow switch; international electronic mail and telex service

are available

Germany

general assessment: Germany has one of the world's most

technologically advanced telecommunications systems; as a result of

intensive capital expenditures since reunification, the formerly

backward system of the eastern part of the country, dating back to

World War II, has been modernized and integrated with that of the

western part

domestic: Germany is served by an extensive system of automatic

telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic

cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic

satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available,

expanding rapidly, and includes roaming service to many foreign

countries

international: country code - 49; Germany's international service is

excellent worldwide, consisting of extensive land and undersea cable

facilities as well as earth stations in the Inmarsat, Intelsat,

Eutelsat, and Intersputnik satellite systems (2001)

Ghana

general assessment: outdated and unreliable fixed-line

infrastructure heavily concentrated in Accra; competition among

multiple mobile-cellular providers has spurred growth with

subscribership about 35 per 100 persons and rising

domestic: primarily microwave radio relay; wireless local loop has

been installed

international: country code - 233; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC

fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and

Asia; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean);

microwave radio relay link to Panaftel system connects Ghana to its

neighbors (2007)

Gibraltar

general assessment: adequate, automatic domestic system

and adequate international facilities

domestic: automatic exchange facilities

international: country code - 350; radiotelephone; microwave radio

relay; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Greece

general assessment: adequate, modern networks reach all

areas; good mobile telephone and international service

domestic: microwave radio relay trunk system; extensive open-wire

connections; submarine cable to offshore islands

international: country code - 30; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3

optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides links to

Europe, Middle East, and Asia; a number of smaller submarine cables

provide connectivity to various parts of Europe, the Middle East,

and Cyprus; tropospheric scatter; satellite earth stations - 4 (2

Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Eutelsat, and 1

Inmarsat - Indian Ocean region)

Greenland

general assessment: adequate domestic and international

service provided by satellite, cables and microwave radio relay;

totally digitalized in 1995

domestic: microwave radio relay and satellite

international: country code - 299; satellite earth stations - 15 (12

Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean)) (2000)

Grenada

general assessment: automatic, islandwide telephone system

domestic: interisland VHF and UHF radiotelephone links

international: country code - 1-473; landing point for the East

Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) submarine cable with links to 13

other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British

Virgin Islands to Trinidad; SHF radiotelephone links to Trinidad and

Tobago and Saint Vincent; VHF and UHF radio links to Trinidad

Guam

general assessment: modern system, integrated with US

facilities for direct dialing, including free use of 800 numbers

domestic: modern digital system, including cellular mobile service

and local access to the Internet

international: country code - 1-671; major landing point for

submarine cables between Asia and the US (Guam is a trans-Pacific

communications hub for major carriers linking the US and Asia);

satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Guatemala

general assessment: fairly modern network centered in the

city of Guatemala

domestic: state-owned telecommunications company privatized in the

late 1990s opening the way for competition; fixed-line teledensity

11 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity 80 per 100 persons

international: country code - 502; landing point for both the

Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the SAM-1 fiber

optic submarine cable system that together provide connectivity to

South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US;

connected to Central American Microwave System; satellite earth

station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Guernsey

general assessment: NA

domestic: NA

international: 1 submarine cable

Guinea

general assessment: inadequate system of open-wire lines,

small radiotelephone communication stations, and new microwave radio

relay system

domestic: Conakry reasonably well served; coverage elsewhere remains

inadequate and large companies tend to rely on their own systems for

nationwide links; combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is

about 2 per 100 persons

international: country code - 224; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Guinea-Bissau

general assessment: small system

domestic: combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines,

radiotelephone, and cellular communications; fixed-line teledensity

less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity reached 20

per 100 in 2007

international: country code - 245

Guyana

general assessment: fair system for long-distance service

domestic: microwave radio relay network for trunk lines; fixed-line

teledensity is about 15 per 100 persons; many areas still lack

fixed-line telephone services; mobile-cellular teledensity reached

37 per 100 persons in 2005

international: country code - 592; tropospheric scatter to Trinidad;

satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Haiti

general assessment: domestic facilities barely adequate;

international facilities slightly better; telephone density in Haiti

remains the lowest in the Latin American and Caribbean region

domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay trunk service;

combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 25 per 100

persons

international: country code - 509; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Holy See (Vatican City)

general assessment: automatic digital

exchange

domestic: connected via fiber optic cable to Telecom Italia network

international: country code - 39; uses Italian system

Honduras

general assessment: inadequate system

domestic: beginning in 2003, private sub-operators allowed to

provide fixed-lines in order to expand telephone coverage;

fixed-line teledensity has increased to about 10 per 100 persons;

mobile-cellular telephone service has been increasing rapidly and

subscribership in 2006 exceeded 30 per 100 persons

international: country code - 504; landing point for both the

Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the MAYA-1 fiber

optic submarine cable system that together provide connectivity to

South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US;

satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to

Central American Microwave System

Hong Kong

general assessment: modern facilities provide excellent

domestic and international services

domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic

network

international: country code - 852; multiple international submarine

cables provide connections to Asia, US, Australia, the Middle East,

and Western Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific

Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China

Hungary

general assessment: the telephone system has been modernized

and is capable of satisfying all requests for telecommunication

service

domestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunk

services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave

radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was

initiated in 1996; competition among mobile-cellular service

providers has led to a sharp increase in the use of mobile cellular

phones since 2000 and a decrease in the number of fixed-line

connections

international: country code - 36; Hungary has fiber-optic cable

connections with all neighboring countries; the international switch

is in Budapest; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic

Ocean and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small aperture

terminal (VSAT) system of ground terminals

Iceland

general assessment: telecommunications infrastructure is

modern and fully digitized, with satellite-earth stations,

fiber-optic cables, and an extensive broadband network

domestic: liberalization of the telecommunications sector beginning

in the late 1990s has led to increased competition especially in the

mobile services segment of the market

international: country code - 354; the CANTAT-3 and FARICE-1

submarine cable systems provide connectivity to Canada, the Faroe

Islands, UK, Denmark, and Germany; a planned new section of the

Hibernia-Atlantic submarine cable will provide additional

connectivity to Canada, US, and Ireland; satellite earth stations -

2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean

regions); note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the

other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden)

India

general assessment: recent deregulation and liberalization of

telecommunications laws and policies have prompted rapid growth;

local and long distance service provided throughout all regions of

the country, with services primarily concentrated in the urban

areas; steady improvement is taking place with the recent admission

of private and private-public investors, but combined fixed and

mobile telephone density remains low at about 30 for each 100

persons nationwide and much lower for persons in rural areas; rapid

growth in cellular service with modest declines in fixed lines

domestic: mobile cellular service introduced in 1994 and organized

nationwide into four metropolitan areas and 19 telecom circles each

with about three private service providers and one state-owned

service provider; in recent years significant trunk capacity added

in the form of fiber-optic cable and one of the world's largest

domestic satellite systems, the Indian National Satellite system

(INSAT), with 6 satellites supporting 33,000 very small aperture

terminals (VSAT)

international: country code - 91; a number of major international

submarine cable systems, including Sea-Me-We-3 with landing sites at

Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay), Sea-Me-We-4 with a landing site at

Chennai, Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with a landing

site at Mumbai (Bombay), South Africa - Far East (SAFE) with a

landing site at Cochin, the i2i cable network linking to Singapore

with landing sites at Mumbai (Bombay) and Chennai (Madras), and Tata

Indicom linking Singapore and Chennai (Madras), provide a

significant increase in the bandwidth available for both voice and

data traffic; satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); 9 gateway exchanges operating

from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai

(Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, and Ernakulam

(2008)

Indonesia

general assessment: domestic service fair, international

service good

domestic: interisland microwave system and HF radio police net;

domestic satellite communications system; coverage provided by

existing network has been expanded by use of over 200,000 telephone

kiosks many located in remote areas; mobile cellular subscribership

growing rapidly

international: country code - 62; landing point for both the

SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks that provide

links throughout Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth

stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)

Iran

general assessment: currently being modernized and expanded

with the goal of not only improving the efficiency and increasing

the volume of the urban service but also bringing telephone service

to several thousand villages, not presently connected

domestic: the addition of new fiber cables and modern switching and

exchange systems installed by Iran's state-owned telecom company

have improved and expanded the main line network greatly; main line

availability has more than doubled to nearly 24 million lines since

2000; additionally, mobile service has increased dramatically

serving nearly 30 million subscribers in 2007

international: country code - 98; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE

with access to Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG);

Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line runs from Azerbaijan

through the northern portion of Iran to Turkmenistan with expansion

to Georgia and Azerbaijan; HF radio and microwave radio relay to

Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Syria,

Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; satellite earth stations - 13 (9

Intelsat and 4 Inmarsat) (2007)

Iraq

general assessment: the 2003 liberation of Iraq severely

disrupted telecommunications throughout Iraq including international

connections; widespread government efforts to rebuild domestic and

international communications through fiber optic links are in

progress; the mobile cellular market has expanded rapidly with an

estimated 14 million current users in 2007

domestic: repairs to switches and lines destroyed during 2003

continue; additional switching capacity is improving access;

cellular service is available and centered on 3 GSM networks which

are being expanded beyond their regional roots, improving

country-wide connectivity; wireless local loop licenses have been

issued with the hope of overcoming the lack of fixed-line

infrastructure

international: country code - 964; satellite earth stations - 4 (2

Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Intersputnik -

Atlantic Ocean region, and 1 Arabsat (inoperative)); local microwave

radio relay connects border regions to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and

Turkey; planned international fiber-optic connections to Iran

(terrestrial) with a link to the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe

(FLAG) submarine fiber-optic cable (2007)

Ireland

general assessment: modern digital system using cable and

microwave radio relay

domestic: microwave radio relay

international: country code - 353; landing point for the

Hibernia-Atlantic submarine cable with links to the US, Canada, and

UK; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Isle of Man

general assessment: NA

domestic: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system

international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite

earth station, submarine cable

Israel

general assessment: most highly developed system in the

Middle East although not the largest

domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay;

all systems are digital; four privately-owned mobile-cellular

service providers with countrywide coverage; mobile-cellular

teledensity is 140 per 100 persons

international: country code - 972; submarine cables provide links to

Europe, Cyprus, and parts of the Middle East; satellite earth

stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2007)

Italy

general assessment: modern, well developed, fast; fully

automated telephone, telex, and data services

domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks

international: country code - 39; a series of submarine cables

provide links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, North Africa, and US;

satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas -

3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic

Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat

Jamaica

general assessment: fully automatic domestic telephone

network

domestic: the 1999 agreement to open the market for

telecommunications services resulted in rapid growth in

mobile-cellular telephone usage while the number of fixed-lines in

use has declined; combined mobile-cellular teledensity now exceeds

100 per 100 persons

international: country code - 1-876; the Fibralink submarine cable

network provides enhanced delivery of business and broadband traffic

and is linked to the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1)

submarine cable in the Dominican Republic; the link to ARCOS-1

provides seamless connectivity to US, parts of the Caribbean,

Central America, and South America; satellite earth stations - 2

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2006)

Japan

general assessment: excellent domestic and international

service

domestic: high level of modern technology and excellent service of

every kind

international: country code - 81; numerous submarine cables provide

links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US;

satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian

Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and 1 Inmarsat

(Pacific and Indian Ocean regions

Jersey

general assessment: NA

domestic: NA

international: submarine cable connectivity to Guernsey and UK

Jordan

general assessment: service has improved recently with

increased use of digital switching equipment; microwave radio relay

transmission and coaxial and fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk

lines; growing mobile-cellular usage in both urban and rural areas

is reducing use of fixed-line services; Internet penetration remains

modest and slow-growing

domestic: 1995 telecommunications law opened all non-fixed-line

services to private competition; in 2005, monopoly over fixed-line

services terminated and the entire telecommunications sector was

opened to competition; mobile-cellular usage is increasing rapidly

and teledensity reached 80 per 100 persons in 2007

international: country code - 962; landing point for the Fiber-Optic

Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides

links to Asia, Middle East, Europe; satellite earth stations - 33 (3

Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals);

fiber-optic cable to Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link

with Egypt and Syria; participant in Medarabtel (2007)

Kazakhstan

general assessment: inherited an outdated

telecommunications network from the Soviet era requiring

modernization

domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; number of

fixed-line connections is gradually increasing and fixed-line

teledensity is about 20 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage is

increasing rapidly and subscriptions now exceed 80 per 100 persons

international: country code - 7; international traffic with other

former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave

radio relay and with other countries by satellite and by the

Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations

- 2 Intelsat (2007)

Kenya

general assessment: inadequate; fixed-line telephone system is

small and inefficient; trunks are primarily microwave radio relay;

business data commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal

(VSAT) system

domestic: no recent growth in fixed-line infrastructure and the sole

provider, Telkom Kenya, is slated for privatization; multiple

providers in the mobile-cellular segment of the market fostering a

boom in mobile-cellular telephone usage

international: country code - 254; satellite earth stations - 4

Intelsat

Kiribati

general assessment: generally good quality national and

international service

domestic: wire line service available on Tarawa and Kiritimati

(Christmas Island); connections to outer islands by HF/VHF

radiotelephone; wireless service available in Tarawa since 1999

international: country code - 686; Kiribati is being linked to the

Pacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which should

improve telephone service; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat

(Pacific Ocean)

Korea, North

general assessment: inadequate system; currently no

mobile cellular telephone services

domestic: fiber-optic links installed between cities; telephone

directories unavailable; mobile cellular service, initiated in 2002,

terminated in 2004; in January 2008 Orascom Telecom, an Egyptian

company, announced that it had been granted a commercial license to

provide mobile telephone services in North Korea

international: country code - 850; satellite earth stations - 2 (1

Intelsat - Indian Ocean, 1 Russian - Indian Ocean region); other

international connections through Moscow and Beijing (2008)

Korea, South

general assessment: excellent domestic and

international services featuring rapid incorporation of new

technologies

domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone

subscribership exceeds 140 per 100 persons; rapid assimilation of a

full range of telecommunications technologies leading to a boom in

e-commerce

international: country code - 82; numerous submarine cables provide

links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US;

satellite earth stations - 6 (3 Intelsat - 1 Pacific Ocean and 2

Indian Ocean; 3 Inmarsat - 1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean)

Kuwait

general assessment: the quality of service is excellent

domestic: new telephone exchanges provide a large capacity for new

subscribers; trunk traffic is carried by microwave radio relay,

coaxial cable, and open-wire and fiber-optic cable; a cellular

telephone system operates throughout Kuwait, and the country is well

supplied with pay telephones

international: country code - 965; linked to international submarine

cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); linked to Bahrain,

Qatar, UAE via the Fiber-Optic Gulf (FOG) cable; coaxial cable and

microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 6

(3 Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean, 1 Inmarsat -

Atlantic Ocean, and 2 Arabsat)

Kyrgyzstan

general assessment: telecommunications infrastructure is

growing; fixed line penetration remains low and concentrated in

urban areas

domestic: multiple mobile cellular service providers with growing

coverage; mobile cellular subscribership reached 40 per 100 persons

in 2007

international: country code - 996; connections with other CIS

countries by landline or microwave radio relay and with other

countries by leased connections with Moscow international gateway

switch and by satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 (1

Intersputnik, 1 Intelsat); connected internationally by the

Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line (2007)

Laos

general assessment: service to general public is poor but

improving; the government relies on a radiotelephone network to

communicate with remote areas

domestic: multiple service providers; mobile cellular usage growing

rapidly; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership

about 25 per 100 persons

international: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1

Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) (2007)

Latvia

general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing

competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed

lines is decreasing as wireless telephone service expands

domestic: number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly

since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003; combined

fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership is roughly 125 per 100

persons

international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now

connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden

(2007)

Lebanon

general assessment: repair of the telecommunications system,

severely damaged during the civil war, now complete

domestic: two wireless networks provide good service; political

instability hampers privatization and deployment of new

technologies; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership

50 per 100 persons

international: country code - 961; submarine cable link to Cyprus;

satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic

Ocean); coaxial cable to Syria (2007)

Lesotho

general assessment: rudimentary system consisting of a

modest but growing number of landlines, a small microwave radio

relay system, and a small radiotelephone communication system;

mobile-cellular telephone system is expanding

domestic: privatized in 2001, Telecom Lesotho tasked with providing

an additional 50,000 fixed-line connections within five years, a

target not met; mobile-cellular service is expanding with a

subscribership approaching 25 per 100 persons; rural services are

scant

international: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Liberia

general assessment: the limited services available are found

almost exclusively in the capital Monrovia; coverage extended to a

number of other towns and rural areas by four mobile-cellular

network operators

domestic: fixed line service stagnant and extremely limited;

mobile-cellular subscription base growing and teledensity

approaching 20 per 100 persons

international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Libya

general assessment: telecommunications system is being

modernized; mobile cellular telephone system became operational in

1996; combined fixed line and mobile telephone density approached 90

telephones per 100 persons in 2007

domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, cellular,

tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth

stations

international: country code - 218; satellite earth stations - 4

Intelsat, NA Arabsat, and NA Intersputnik; submarine cables to

France and Italy; microwave radio relay to Tunisia and Egypt;

tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in Medarabtel (2007)

Liechtenstein

general assessment: automatic telephone system

domestic: NA

international: country code - 423; linked to Swiss networks by cable

and microwave radio relay

Lithuania

general assessment: adequate; being modernized to provide

improved international capability and better residential access

domestic: rapid expansion of mobile-cellular services has resulted

in a steady decline in the number of main line subscriptions;

mobile-cellular teledensity has increased to about 135 per 100

persons while fixed-line teledensity has dropped to 22 per 100

persons

international: country code - 370; major international connections

to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by submarine cable for further

transmission by satellite; landline connections to Latvia and Poland

(2007)

Luxembourg

general assessment: highly developed, completely

automated and efficient system, mainly buried cables

domestic: fixed line teledensity over 50 per 100 persons; nationwide

cellular telephone system with market for mobile-cellular phones

virtually saturated

international: country code - 352 (2007)

Macau

general assessment: fairly modern communication facilities

maintained for domestic and international services

domestic: termination of monopoly over mobile-cellular telephone

services in 2001 spurred sharp increase in subscriptions with

mobile-cellular teledensity approaching 190 per 100 persons in 2008;

fixed-line subscribership appears to have peaked and is now in

decline

international: country code - 853; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3

submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, the Middle

East, and Europe; HF radiotelephone communication facility;

satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2008)

Macedonia

general assessment: competition from the mobile-cellular

segment of the telecommunications market has led to a drop in

fixed-line telephone subscriptions

domestic: combined fixed line and mobile telephone density

approaching 100 per 100 persons

international: country code - 389 (2007)

Madagascar

general assessment: system is above average for the

region; Antananarivo's main telephone exchange modernized in the

late 1990s, but the rest of the analogue-based telephone system is

poorly developed; have added more than 50,000 new fixed lines since

2005

domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile telephone density only

about 12 per 100 persons

international: country code - 261; submarine cable to Bahrain;

satellite earth stations - 2 (1 Intelsat - Indian Ocean, 1

Intersputnik - Atlantic Ocean region) (2007)

Malawi

general assessment: rudimentary

domestic: fixed-line subscribership about 1 per 100 persons;

privatization of Malawi Telecommunications (MTL), a necessary step

in bringing improvement to telecommunications services, completed in

2006; mobile-cellular services are expanding but cellular network

coverage is limited and is based around the main urban areas; mobile

cellular subscribership roughly 8 per 100 persons

international: country code - 265; satellite earth stations - 2

Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean, 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Malaysia

general assessment: modern system; international service

excellent

domestic: good intercity service provided on Peninsular Malaysia

mainly by microwave radio relay; adequate intercity microwave radio

relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; domestic

satellite system with 2 earth stations; combined fixed-line and

mobile cellular teledensity exceeds 110 per 100 persons

international: country code - 60; landing point for several major

international submarine cable networks that provide connectivity to

Asia, Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat

(1 Indian Ocean, 1 Pacific Ocean) (2007)

Maldives

general assessment: telephone services have improved; each

island now has at least 1 public telephone, and there are mobile

cellular networks with a rapidly expanding subscribership

approaching 90 per 100 persons

domestic: interatoll communication through microwave links; all

inhabited islands and resorts are connected with telephone and fax

service

international: country code - 960; linked to international submarine

cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); satellite earth

station - 3 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2007)

Mali

general assessment: domestic system unreliable but improving;

provides only minimal service

domestic: fixed-line availability is gradually increasing, but

subscribership remains less than 1 per 100 persons; increasing use

of local radio loops to extend network coverage to remote areas;

mobile-cellular subscribership has increased sharply to 20 per 100

persons

international: country code - 223; satellite earth stations - 2

Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean) (2007)

Malta

general assessment: automatic system satisfies normal

requirements; fixed-line teledensity 50 per 100 persons;

mobile-cellular teledensity about 90 per 100 persons

domestic: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands

international: country code - 356; submarine cable connects to

Italy; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Marshall Islands

general assessment: digital switching equipment;

modern services include telex, cellular, Internet, international

calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits

domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular,

seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by

high frequency radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes)

and mini-satellite telephones

international: country code - 692; satellite earth stations - 2

Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications

system on Kwajalein (2005)

Mauritania

general assessment: limited system of cable and open-wire

lines, minor microwave radio relay links, and radiotelephone

communications stations; mobile-cellular services expanding rapidly

domestic: Mauritel, the national telecommunications company, was

privatized in 2001 but remains the monopoly provider of fixed-line

services; fixed-line teledensity 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular

network coverage extends mainly to urban areas with a teledensity

approaching 40 per 100 persons; mostly cable and open-wire lines; a

domestic satellite telecommunications system links Nouakchott with

regional capitals

international: country code - 222; satellite earth stations - 3 (1

Intelsat - Atlantic Ocean, 2 Arabsat)

Mauritius

general assessment: small system with good service

domestic: monopoly over fixed-line services terminated in 2005;

fixed-line teledensity roughly 30 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular

services launched in 1989 with teledensity in 2007 reaching 75 per

100 persons

international: country code - 230; landing point for the SAFE

submarine cable that provides links to Asia and South Africa where

it connects to the SAT-3/WASC submarine cable that provides further

links to parts of East Africa, and Europe; satellite earth station -

1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); new microwave link to Reunion; HF

radiotelephone links to several countries

Mayotte

general assessment: small system administered by French

Department of Posts and Telecommunications

domestic: NA

international: country code - 262; microwave radio relay and HF

radiotelephone communications to Comoros

Mexico

general assessment: adequate telephone service for business

and government, but the population is poorly served; mobile

subscribers far outnumber fixed-line subscribers; domestic satellite

system with 120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay

network; considerable use of fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable

domestic: low telephone density with about 18 fixed lines per 100

persons; privatized in December 1990; despite the opening to

competition in January 1997, Telmex remains dominant; legal

challenges to Telmex's alleged anti-competitive behavior in the

mobile and fixed-line markets culminated in a World Trade

Organization ruling in 2004 against Mexico prompting some

strengthening of the powers granted Mexico's telecom regulator;

mobile cellular teledensity approaching 65 per 100 persons

international: country code - 52; Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine

cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Spain,

and Italy; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and

the MAYA-1 submarine cable system together provide access to Central

America, parts of South America and the Caribbean, and the US;

satellite earth stations - 120 (32 Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving

Mexico improved access to South America, Central America, and much

of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications), 1 Panamsat,

numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations); linked to Central American

Microwave System of trunk connections (2007)

Micronesia, Federated States of general assessment: adequate system domestic: islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes), satellite (Intelsat) ground stations, and some coaxial and fiber-optic cable; cellular service available on Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap international: country code - 691; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2002)

Moldova

general assessment: inadequate, outmoded, poor service

outside Chisinau; some modernization is under way

domestic: depending on location, new subscribers may face long wait

for service; multiple private operators of GSM mobile-cellular

telephone service are operating; GPRS system is being introduced; a

CDMA mobile telephone network began operations in 2007; combined

fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity approaching 70 per 100

persons

international: country code - 373; service through Romania and

Russia via landline; satellite earth stations - at least 3

(Intelsat, Eutelsat, and Intersputnik) (2007)

Monaco

general assessment: modern automatic telephone system

domestic: NA

international: country code - 377; no satellite earth stations;

connected by cable into the French communications system

Mongolia

general assessment: network is improving with international

direct dialing available in many areas

domestic: very low fixed-line density; there are multiple mobile

cellular service providers and subscribership is increasing rapidly;

a fiber-optic network is also being installed that will improve

broadband and communication services between major urban centers

international: country code - 976; satellite earth stations - 7

Montenegro

general assessment: modern telecommunications system with

access to European satellites

domestic: GSM wireless service, available through 2 providers with

national coverage, is growing rapidly

international: country code - 382; 2 international switches connect

the national system

Montserrat

general assessment: modern and fully digitalized

domestic: NA

international: country code - 1-664; landing point for the East

Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine cable with links to 13

other islands in the eastern Caribbean extending from the British

Virgin Islands to Trinidad

Morocco

general assessment: modern system with all important

capabilities; however, density is low with only 7 fixed lines

available for each 100 persons; mobile-cellular subscribership is

approaching 60 per 100 persons

domestic: good system composed of open-wire lines, cables, and

microwave radio relay links; Internet available but expensive;

principal switching centers are Casablanca and Rabat; national

network nearly 100% digital using fiber-optic links; improved rural

service employs microwave radio relay

international: country code - 212; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3

optical telecommunications submarine cable that provides

connectivity to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth

stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; microwave

radio relay to Gibraltar, Spain, and Western Sahara; coaxial cable

and microwave radio relay to Algeria; participant in Medarabtel;

fiber-optic cable link from Agadir to Algeria and Tunisia (2007)

Mozambique

general assessment: fair system with an extremely low

density of less than 1 fixed line per 100 persons

domestic: the telecommunications sector is shackled with a heavy

state presence, lack of competition, and high operating costs and

charges; stagnation in the fixed-line network contrasts with rapid

growth in the mobile-cellular network; mobile-cellular coverage now

includes all the main cities and key roads, including those from

Maputo to the South African and Swaziland borders, the national

highway through Gaza and Inhambane provinces, the Beira corridor,

and from Nampula to Nacala

international: country code - 258; satellite earth stations - 5

Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean)

Namibia

general assessment: good system with a combined fixed-line

and mobile-cellular teledensity of about 45 per 100 persons

domestic: core fiber-optic network links most centers and

connections are now digital; Namibia's first mobile-cellular

network, launched in 1994, provides coverage to 86 percent of

Namibia by area

international: country code - 264; fiber-optic cable to South

Africa, microwave radio relay link to Botswana, direct links to

other neighboring countries; connected to the South African Far East

(SAFE) submarine cable through South Africa; satellite earth

stations - 4 Intelsat (2007)

Nauru

general assessment: adequate local and international

radiotelephone communication provided via Australian facilities

domestic: NA

international: country code - 674; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Nepal

general assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair

radiotelephone communication service and mobile-cellular telephone

network

domestic: NA

international: country code - 977; radiotelephone communications;

microwave landline to India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat

(Indian Ocean)

Netherlands

general assessment: highly developed and well maintained

domestic: extensive fixed-line fiber-optic network; large cellular

telephone system with 5 major operators utilizing the third

generation of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)

technology

international: country code - 31; submarine cables provide links to

the US and Europe; satellite earth stations - 5 (3 Intelsat - 1

Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (2007)

Netherlands Antilles

general assessment: generally adequate

facilities

domestic: extensive interisland microwave radio relay links

international: country code - 599; the Americas Region Caribbean

Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the Americas-2 submarine cable systems

provide connectivity to Central America, parts of South America and

the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat

(Atlantic Ocean)

New Caledonia

general assessment: NA

domestic: a submarine cable network connection between New Caledonia

and Australia, completed in 2007, is expected to significantly

increase network capacity and improve high-speed connectivity and

access to international networks

international: country code - 687; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2007)

New Zealand

general assessment: excellent domestic and international

systems

domestic: NA

international: country code - 64; the Southern Cross submarine cable

system provides links to Australia, Fiji, and the US; satellite

earth stations - 8 (1 Inmarsat - Pacific Ocean, 7 other)

Nicaragua

general assessment: system being upgraded by foreign

investment; nearly all installed telecommunications capacity now

uses digital technology, owing to investments since privatization of

the formerly state-owned telecommunications company

domestic: since privatization, access to fixed-line and

mobile-cellular services has improved but teledensity still lags

behind other Central American countries; connected to Central

American Microwave System

international: country code - 505; the Americas Region Caribbean

Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber optic submarine cable provides

connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean,

and the US; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic

Ocean region) and 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Niger

general assessment: inadequate; small system of wire, radio

telephone communications, and microwave radio relay links

concentrated in the southwestern area of Niger

domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity only

about 7 per 100 persons; domestic satellite system with 3 earth

stations and 1 planned

international: country code - 227; satellite earth stations - 2

Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)

Nigeria

general assessment: further expansion and modernization of

the fixed-line telephone network is needed

domestic: the addition of a second fixed-line provider in 2002

resulted in faster growth but subscribership remains only about 1

per 100 persons; wireless telephony has grown rapidly, in part

responding to the shortcomings of the fixed-line network; multiple

service providers operate nationally; mobile-cellular teledensity

reached 30 per 100 persons in 2007

international: country code - 234; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC

fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and

Asia; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1

Indian Ocean) (2007)

Niue

domestic: single-line telephone system connects all villages on

island

international: country code - 683 (2001)

Norfolk Island

general assessment: adequate

domestic: free local calls

international: country code - 672; undersea coaxial cable links with

Australia and New Zealand; satellite earth station - 1

Northern Mariana Islands

general assessment: NA

domestic: NA

international: country code - 1-670; satellite earth stations - 2

Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Norway

general assessment: modern in all respects; one of the most

advanced telecommunications networks in Europe

domestic: Norway has a domestic satellite system; moreover, the

prevalence of rural areas encourages the wide use of cellular-mobile

systems instead of fixed-wire systems

international: country code - 47; 2 buried coaxial cable systems;

submarine cables provide links to other Nordic countries and Europe;

satellite earth stations - NA Eutelsat, NA Intelsat (Atlantic

Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note -

Norway shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic

countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden) (1999)

Oman

general assessment: modern system consisting of open-wire,

microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited

coaxial cable

domestic: fixed-line phone service gradually being introduced to

remote villages using wireless local loop systems; fixed-line and

mobile-cellular subscribership both increasing; open-wire,

microwave, radiotelephone communications, and a domestic satellite

system with 8 earth stations

international: country code - 968; the Fiber-Optic Link Around the

Globe (FLAG) and the SEA-ME-WE-3 submarine cable provide

connectivity to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth

stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat (2007)

Pakistan

general assessment: the telecommunications infrastructure

is improving dramatically with foreign and domestic investments into

fixed-line and mobile networks; mobile-cellular subscribership has

skyrocketed, reaching some 88 million in 2008, up from only about

300,000 in 2000; fiber systems are being constructed throughout the

country to aid in network growth; main line availability has risen

only marginally over the same period and there are still

difficulties getting main line service to rural areas

domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable,

cellular, and satellite networks

international: country code - 92; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3

and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable systems that provide links to Asia,

the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat

(1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); 3 operational international

gateway exchanges (1 at Karachi and 2 at Islamabad); microwave radio

relay to neighboring countries (2008)

Palau

general assessment: NA

domestic: NA

international: country code - 680; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Panama

general assessment: domestic and international facilities

well developed

domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is

approaching 90 per 100 persons

international: country code - 507; landing point for the Americas

Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1), the MAYA-1, and PAN-AM

submarine cable systems that together provide links to the US and

parts of the Caribbean, Central America, and South America;

satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to

the Central American Microwave System (2007)

Papua New Guinea

general assessment: services are minimal;

facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio,

aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services

domestic: access to telephone services is not widely available;

combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is 6 per 100

persons

international: country code - 675; submarine cables to Australia and

Guam; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean);

international radio communication service (2007)

Paraguay

general assessment: meager telephone service; principal

switching center is in Asuncion

domestic: the fixed-line market is a state monopoly; deficiencies in

provision of fixed-line service have resulted in a rapid expansion

of mobile-cellular services fostered by competition among multiple

providers

international: country code - 595; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Peru

general assessment: adequate for most requirements

domestic: fixed-line teledensity is only about 9 per 100 persons;

mobile-cellular teledensity, spurred by competition among multiple

providers, has increased to roughly 55 telephones per 100 persons;

nationwide microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite

system with 12 earth stations

international: country code - 51; the South America-1 (SAM-1) and

Pan American (PAN-AM) submarine cable systems provide links to parts

of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and US; satellite earth

stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Philippines

general assessment: good international radiotelephone

and submarine cable services; domestic and interisland service

adequate

domestic: domestic satellite system with 11 earth stations; cellular

communications now dominate the industry; combined fixed-line and

mobile-cellular telephone density about 60 telephones per 100 persons

international: country code - 63; a series of submarine cables

together provide connectivity to Asia, US, the Middle East, and

Europe; multiple international gateways (2007)

Pitcairn Islands

general assessment: satellite phone services

domestic: domestic communication via radio (CB)

international: country code - 872; satellite earth station - 1

(Inmarsat)

Poland

general assessment: modernization of the telecommunications

network has accelerated with market based competition finalized in

2003; fixed-line service, dominated by the former state-owned

company, is dwarfed by the growth in wireless telephony

domestic: mobile-cellular service available since 1993 and provided

by three nation-wide networks with a fourth provider beginning

operations in late 2006; cellular coverage is generally good with

some gaps in the east; fixed-line service is growing slowly and

still lags in rural areas

international: country code - 48; international direct dialing with

automated exchanges; satellite earth station - 1 with access to

Intelsat, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik (2007)

Portugal

general assessment: Portugal's telephone system has

achieved a state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed

capabilities

domestic: integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwave

radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations

international: country code - 351; a combination of submarine cables

provide connectivity to Europe, North and East Africa, South Africa,

the Middle East, Asia, and the US; satellite earth stations - 3

Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat;

tropospheric scatter to Azores (1998)

Puerto Rico

general assessment: modern system integrated with that

of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with

high-speed data capability

domestic: digital telephone system; cellular telephone service

international: country code - 1-787, 939; submarine cables provide

connectivity to the US, Caribbean, Central and South America;

satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat

Qatar

general assessment: modern system centered in Doha

domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone density

is roughly 165 telephones per 100 persons

international: country code - 974; landing point for the Fiber-Optic

Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides

links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and the US; tropospheric scatter

to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and the UAE;

satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian

Ocean) and 1 Arabsat

Romania

general assessment: domestic and international service

improving rapidly, especially in wireless telephony

domestic: more than 90 percent of telephone network is automatic;

liberalization in 2003 is transforming telecommunications;

fixed-line teledensity is roughly 20 telephones per 100 persons;

mobile-cellular teledensity now slightly exceeds 100 telephones per

100 persons

international: country code - 40; the Black Sea Fiber Optic System

provides connectivity to Bulgaria and Turkey; satellite earth

stations - 10; digital, international, direct-dial exchanges operate

in Bucharest (2007)

Russia

general assessment: the telephone system is experiencing

significant changes; there are more than 1,000 companies licensed to

offer communication services; access to digital lines has improved,

particularly in urban centers; Internet and e-mail services are

improving; Russia has made progress toward building the

telecommunications infrastructure necessary for a market economy;

the estimated number of mobile subscribers jumped from fewer than 1

million in 1998 to 170 million in 2007; a large demand for main line

service remains unsatisfied, but fixed-line operators continue to

grow their services

domestic: cross-country digital trunk lines run from Saint

Petersburg to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk; the

telephone systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digital

infrastructures; cellular services, both analog and digital, are

available in many areas; in rural areas, the telephone services are

still outdated, inadequate, and low density

international: country code - 7; Russia is connected internationally

by undersea fiber optic cables; digital switches in several cities

provide more than 50,000 lines for international calls; satellite

earth stations provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat,

Inmarsat, and Orbita systems

Rwanda

general assessment: small, inadequate telephone system

primarily serves business and government

domestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the

provinces by microwave radio relay and, recently, by cellular

telephone service; much of the network depends on wire and HF

radiotelephone; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone

density is only about 7 telephones per 100 persons

international: country code - 250; international connections employ

microwave radio relay to neighboring countries and satellite

communications to more distant countries; satellite earth stations -

1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefax

service)

Saint Barthelemy

general assessment: fully integrated access

domestic: direct dial capability with both fixed and wireless systems

international: country code - 590; undersea fiber-optic cable

provides voice and data connectivity to Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe

Saint Helena

general assessment: can communicate worldwide

domestic: automatic digital network

international: country code (Saint Helena) - 290, (Ascension Island)

- 247; international direct dialing; satellite voice and data

communications; satellite earth stations - 5 (Ascension Island - 4,

Saint Helena - 1)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

general assessment: good interisland and

international connections

domestic: interisland links via Eastern Caribbean Fiber Optic cable;

construction of enhanced wireless infrastructure launched in

November 2004

international: country code - 1-869; connected internationally by

the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbean

fiber optic system (SCF) submarine cables

Saint Lucia

general assessment: adequate system

domestic: system is automatically switched

international: country code - 1-758; the East Caribbean Fiber Optic

System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbean fiber optic system (SCF)

submarine cables, along with Intelsat from Martinique, carry calls

internationally; direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique

and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to

Barbados

Saint Martin

general assessment: fully integrated access

domestic: direct dial capability with both fixed and wireless systems

international: country code - 590; undersea fiber-optic cable

provides voice and data connectivity to Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

general assessment: adequate

domestic: NA

international: country code - 508; radiotelephone communication with

most countries in the world; satellite earth station - 1 in French

domestic satellite system

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

general assessment: adequate system

domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHF

radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of the

Grenadines; mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 100 telephones per

100 persons

international: country code - 1-784; the East Caribbean Fiber Optic

System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbean fiber optic system (SCF)

submarine cables carry international calls; connectivity also

provided by VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to Barbados;

SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat

earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia

Samoa

general assessment: adequate

domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity

roughly 50 telephones per 100 persons

international: country code - 685; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

San Marino

general assessment: adequate connections

domestic: automatic telephone system completely integrated into

Italian system; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity

exceeds 130 telephones per 100 persons

international: country code - 378; connected to Italian

international network

Sao Tome and Principe

general assessment: local telephone network of

adequate quality with most lines connected to digital switches

domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity

approaching 20 telephones per 100 persons

international: country code - 239; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Saudi Arabia

general assessment: modern system

domestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and

fiber-optic cable systems; mobile-cellular subscribership has been

increasing rapidly

international: country code - 966; landing point for the

international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe

(FLAG) and for both the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable

networks providing connectivity to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and

US; microwave radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE,

Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait and Jordan; satellite

earth stations - 5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1

Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)

Senegal

general assessment: good system

domestic: above-average urban system with a fiber-optic network;

nearly two-thirds of all fixed-line connections are in Dakar where a

call-center industry is emerging; expansion of fixed-line services

in rural areas needed; mobile-cellular service is expanding rapidly;

microwave radio relay, coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk

system

international: country code - 221; the SAT-3/WASC fiber optic cable

provides connectivity to Europe and Asia while Atlantis-2 provides

connectivity to South America; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat

(Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Serbia

general assessment: modernization of the telecommunications

network has been slow as a result of damage stemming from the 1999

war and transition to a competitive market-based system; network was

only 65% digitalized in 2005

domestic: teledensity remains below the average for neighboring

states; GSM wireless service, available through multiple providers

with national coverage, is growing very rapidly; best

telecommunications service limited to urban centers

international: country code - 381

Seychelles

general assessment: effective system

domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is

nearly 125 telephones per 100 persons; radiotelephone communications

between islands in the archipelago

international: country code - 248; direct radiotelephone

communications with adjacent island countries and African coastal

countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Sierra Leone

general assessment: marginal telephone service

domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects

Freetown to Bo and Kenema; mobile-cellular service is growing

rapidly from a small base

international: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Singapore

general assessment: excellent service

domestic: excellent domestic facilities; launched 3G wireless

service in February 2005; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular

teledensity is about 165 telephones per 100 persons

international: country code - 65; numerous submarine cables provide

links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and US;

satellite earth stations -4; supplemented by VSAT coverage (2007)

Slovakia

general assessment: Slovakia has a modern

telecommunications system that has expanded dramatically in recent

years with the growth in cellular services

domestic: analog system is now receiving digital equipment and is

being enlarged with fiber-optic cable, especially in the larger

cities; 3 companies provide nationwide cellular services

international: country code - 421; 3 international exchanges (1 in

Bratislava and 2 in Banska Bystrica) are available; Slovakia is

participating in several international telecommunications projects

that will increase the availability of external services

Slovenia

general assessment: well-developed telecommunications

infrastructure

domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity

roughly 140 telephones per 100 persons

international: country code - 386

Solomon Islands

general assessment: NA

domestic: NA

international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Somalia

general assessment: the public telecommunications system was

almost completely destroyed or dismantled during the civil war;

private wireless companies offer service in most major cities and

charge the lowest international rates on the continent

domestic: local cellular telephone systems have been established in

Mogadishu and in several other population centers

international: country code - 252; international connections are

available from Mogadishu by satellite (2001)

South Africa

general assessment: the system is the best developed

and most modern in Africa

domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is

nearly 110 telephones per 100 persons; consists of carrier-equipped

open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links,

fiber-optic cable, radiotelephone communication stations, and

wireless local loops; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town,

Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria

international: country code - 27; the SAT-3/WASC and SAFE fiber

optic cable systems connect South Africa to Europe and Asia;

satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic

Ocean)

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

general assessment: NA

domestic: NA

international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken

Spain

general assessment: well developed, modern facilities;

fixed-line teledensity is about 45 per 100 persons

domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is

nearly 170 telephones per 100 persons

international: country code - 34; submarine cables provide

connectivity to Europe, Middle East, Asia, and US; satellite earth

stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA

Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries

Sri Lanka

general assessment: telephone services have improved

significantly and are available in most parts of the country

domestic: national trunk network consists mostly of digital

microwave radio relay; fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo area

and fixed wireless local loops have been installed; competition is

strong in mobile cellular systems and mobile cellular subscribership

is increasing; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity

is about 50 per 100 persons

international: country code - 94; the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4

submarine cables provide connectivity to Asia, Australia, Middle

East, Europe, US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian

Ocean)

Sudan

general assessment: well-equipped system by regional standards

and being upgraded; cellular communications started in 1996 and have

expanded substantially

domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone

communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite

system with 14 earth stations

international: country code - 249; linked to international submarine

cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); satellite earth

stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Arabsat (2000)

Suriname

general assessment: international facilities are good

domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity about

90 telephones per 100 persons; microwave radio relay network

international: country code - 597; satellite earth stations - 2

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Svalbard

general assessment: probably adequate

domestic: local telephone service

international: country code - 47-790; satellite earth station - 1 of

unknown type (for communication with Norwegian mainland only)

Swaziland

general assessment: a somewhat modern but not an advanced

system

domestic: mobile-cellular subscribership is increasing; combined

fixed-line and mobile cellular teledensity approaching 40 telephones

per 100 persons; telephone system consists of carrier-equipped,

open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay

international: country code - 268; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2007)

Sweden

general assessment: highly developed telecommunications

infrastructure; ranked among leading countries for fixed-line,

mobile-cellular, Internet and broadband penetration

domestic: coaxial and multiconductor cables carry most of the voice

traffic; parallel microwave radio relay systems carry some

additional telephone channels

international: country code - 46; submarine cables provide links to

other Nordic countries and Europe; satellite earth stations - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and

Indian Ocean regions); note - Sweden shares the Inmarsat earth

station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland,

and Norway)

Switzerland

general assessment: highly developed telecommunications

infrastructure with excellent domestic and international services

domestic: ranked among leading countries for fixed-line teledensity

and infrastructure; mobile-cellular subscribership roughly 100 per

100 persons; extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks

international: country code - 41; satellite earth stations - 2

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean)

Syria

general assessment: fair system currently undergoing

significant improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic

technology

domestic: the number of fixed-line connections has increased

markedly since 2000; mobile-cellular service growing rapidly and

teledensity about 35 wireless telephones per 100 persons; coaxial

cable and microwave radio relay network

international: country code - 963; submarine cable connection to

Cyprus; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1

Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); coaxial cable and microwave

radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; participant in

Medarabtel

Taiwan

general assessment: provides telecommunications service for

every business and private need

domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized

international: country code - 886; numerous submarine cables provide

links throughout Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and the

US; satellite earth stations - 2

Tajikistan

general assessment: poorly developed and not well

maintained; many towns are not linked to the national network

domestic: the domestic telecommunications network has historically

been under funded and poorly maintained; main line availability has

not changed significantly since 1998; cellular telephone use is

growing but geographic coverage remains limited

international: country code - 992; linked by cable and microwave

radio relay to other CIS republics and by leased connections to the

Moscow international gateway switch; Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to

international gateway switch in Ankara (Turkey); satellite earth

stations - 3 (2 Intelsat and 1 Orbita) (2006)

Tanzania

general assessment: telecommunications services are

inadequate; system operating below capacity and being modernized for

better service; small aperture terminal (VSAT) system under

construction

domestic: fixed-line telephone network inadequate with less than 1

connection per 100 persons; mobile-cellular service, aided by

multiple providers, is increasing; trunk service provided by

open-wire, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and

fiber-optic cable; some links being made digital

international: country code - 255; satellite earth stations - 2

Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean, 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Thailand

general assessment: high quality system, especially in

urban areas like Bangkok

domestic: fixed line system provided by both a government owned and

commercial provider; wireless service expanding rapidly and

outpacing fixed lines

international: country code - 66; connected to major submarine cable

systems providing links throughout Asia, Australia, Middle East,

Europe, and US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian

Ocean, 1 Pacific Ocean)

Timor-Leste

general assessment: rudimentary service limited to urban

areas

domestic: system suffered significant damage during the violence

associated with independence; extremely limited fixed-line services;

mobile-cellular services and coverage limited primarily to urban

areas

international: country code - 670; international service is

available in major urban centers

Togo

general assessment: fair system based on a network of microwave

radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and a

mobile-cellular system

domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional

system; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly

15 telephones per 100 persons

international: country code - 228; satellite earth stations - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Symphonie

Tokelau

general assessment: modern satellite-based communications

system

domestic: radiotelephone service between islands

international: country code - 690; radiotelephone service to Samoa;

government-regulated telephone service (TeleTok); satellite earth

stations - 3

Tonga

general assessment: competition between Tonga

Telecommunications Corporation (TCC) and Shoreline Communications

Tonga (SCT) is accelerating expansion of telecommunications; SCT

recently granted authority to develop high-speed digital service for

telephone, Internet, and television

domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity

roughly 40 telephones per 100 persons; fully automatic switched

network

international: country code - 676; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2004)

Trinidad and Tobago

general assessment: excellent international

service; good local service

domestic: mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 125 telephones per 100

persons

international: country code - 1-868; submarine cable systems provide

connectivity to US and parts of the Caribbean and South America;

satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric

scatter to Barbados and Guyana

Tunisia

general assessment: above the African average and continuing

to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis;

Internet access available

domestic: in an effort jumpstart expansion of the fixed-line

network, the government has awarded a concession to build and

operate a VSAT network with international connectivity; competition

between the two mobile-cellular service providers has resulted in

lower activation and usage charges and a strong surge in

subscribership; expansion of mobile-cellular services to include

multimedia messaging and e-mail and Internet to mobile phone

services also leading to a surge in subscribership; overall

fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 90 telephones

per 100 persons

international: country code - 216; a landing point for the

SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable system that provides links to Europe,

Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat

(Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio

relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; 2

international gateway digital switches

Turkey

general assessment: undergoing rapid modernization and

expansion especially with cellular telephones

domestic: additional digital exchanges are permitting a rapid

increase in subscribers; the construction of a network of

technologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using both

fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay, is facilitating

communication between urban centers; remote areas are reached by a

domestic satellite system; the number of subscribers to

mobile-cellular telephone service is growing rapidly

international: country code - 90; international service is provided

by the SEA-ME-WE-3 submarine cable and by submarine fiber-optic

cables in the Mediterranean and Black Seas that link Turkey with

Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia; satellite

earth stations - 12 Intelsat; mobile satellite terminals - 328 in

the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems (2002)

Turkmenistan

general assessment: poorly developed

domestic: Turkmentelekom, in cooperation with foreign investors, is

planning to upgrade the country's telephone exchanges and install a

new digital switching system; mobile-cellular usage remains limited

international: country code - 993; linked by cable and microwave

radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased

connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; a new

telephone link from Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new

exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey

via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat

(2006)

Turks and Caicos Islands

general assessment: fully digital system

with international direct dialing

domestic: full range of services available; GSM wireless service

available

international: country code - 1-649; the Americas Region Caribbean

Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber optic telecommunications submarine cable

provides connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the

Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat

(Atlantic Ocean)

Tuvalu

general assessment: serves particular needs for internal

communications

domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands

international: country code - 688; international calls can be made

by satellite

Uganda

general assessment: seriously inadequate; mobile cellular

service is increasing rapidly, but the number of main lines is still

deficient; e-mail and Internet services are available

domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and

radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile-cellular

systems for short-range traffic

international: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1

Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and

Tanzania

Ukraine

general assessment: Ukraine's telecommunication development

plan emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines, international

connections, and the mobile-cellular system

domestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a

telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair;

more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be

satisfied; telephone density is rising and the domestic trunk system

is being improved; about one-third of Ukraine's networks are digital

and a majority of regional centers now have digital switching

stations; improvements in local networks and local exchanges

continue to lag; the mobile-cellular telephone system is expanding

rapidly

international: country code - 380; 2 new domestic trunk lines are a

part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and 3

Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic

Trans-European Lines (TEL) project that connects 18 countries;

additional international service is provided by the

Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and

by an unknown number of earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat,

and Intersputnik satellite systems

United Arab Emirates

general assessment: modern fiber-optic

integrated services; digital network with rapidly growing use of

mobile-cellular telephones; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai

domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber optic and coaxial cable

international: country code - 971; linked to the international

submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe); landing

point for both the SEA-ME-WE-3 and SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable

networks; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean

and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain;

microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia

United Kingdom

general assessment: technologically advanced domestic

and international system

domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and

fiber-optic systems

international: country code - 44; numerous submarine cables provide

links throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and US;

satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3

Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat;

at least 8 large international switching centers

United States

general assessment: a large, technologically advanced,

multipurpose communications system

domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio

relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of

telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile

telephone traffic throughout the country

international: country code - 1; multiple ocean cable systems

provide international connectivity; satellite earth stations - 61

Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik

(Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean

regions) (2000)

Uruguay

general assessment: fully digitalized

domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new

nationwide microwave radio relay network; overall fixed-line and

mobile-cellular teledensity is 115 telephones per 100 persons

international: country code - 598; the UNISOR submarine cable system

provides direct connectivity to Brazil and Argentina; satellite

earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2002)

Uzbekistan

general assessment: antiquated and inadequate; in serious

need of modernization

domestic: the main line telecommunications system is dilapidated and

telephone density is low; the state-owned telecommunications

company, Uzbektelecom, is working on improving main line services;

mobile services are growing swiftly, with the subscriber base more

than doubling in 2007 to 5.8 million

international: country code - 998; linked by landline or microwave

radio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leased

connection via the Moscow international gateway switch; after the

completion of the Uzbek link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE)

fiber-optic cable, Uzbekistan will be independent of Russian

facilities for international communications (2007)

Vanuatu

general assessment: NA

domestic: NA

international: country code - 678; satellite earth station - 1

Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Venezuela

general assessment: modern and expanding

domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations; recent

substantial improvement in telephone service in rural areas;

substantial increase in digitalization of exchanges and trunk lines;

installation of a national interurban fiber-optic network capable of

digital multimedia services; fixed-line teledensity 20 per 100

persons; mobile-cellular teledensity more than 90 per 100 persons

international: country code - 58; submarine cable systems provide

connectivity to the Caribbean, Central and South America, and US;

satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1

PanAmSat; participating with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in

the construction of an international fiber-optic network (2007)

Vietnam

general assessment: Vietnam is putting considerable effort

into modernization and expansion of its telecommunication system,

but its performance continues to lag behind that of its more modern

neighbors

domestic: all provincial exchanges are digitalized and connected to

Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City by fiber-optic cable or

microwave radio relay networks; main lines have been substantially

increased, and the use of mobile telephones is growing rapidly

international: country code - 84; a landing point for the

SEA-ME-WE-3, the C2C, and Thailand-Vietnam-Hong Kong submarine cable

systems; the Asia-America Gateway submarine cable system, scheduled

for completion by the end of 2008, will provide new access links to

Asia and the US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intersputnik (Indian

Ocean region)

Virgin Islands

general assessment: modern system with total digital

switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay

domestic: full range of services available

international: country code - 1-340; submarine cable connections to

US, the Caribbean, Central and South America; satellite earth

stations - NA

Wake Island

general assessment: satellite communications; 2 DSN

circuits off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS)

domestic: NA

international: NA

Wallis and Futuna

general assessment: NA

domestic: NA

international: country code - 681

West Bank

general assessment: NA

domestic: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL

are responsible for fixed line services; the Palestinian JAWAL

company provides cellular services

international: country code - 970 (2004)

Western Sahara

general assessment: sparse and limited system

domestic: NA

international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by

microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite;

satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to

Rabat, Morocco

World

general assessment: NA

domestic: NA

international: NA

Yemen

general assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts have

been made to create a national telecommunications network

domestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay,

cable, tropospheric scatter, and GSM mobile-cellular telephone

systems; fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity remains low by

regional standards

international: country code - 967; landing point for the

international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe

(FLAG); satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and 1

Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 2

Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti

Zambia

general assessment: facilities are aging but still among the

best in Sub-Saharan Africa

domestic: high-capacity microwave radio relay connects most larger

towns and cities; several cellular telephone services in operation

and network coverage is improving; Internet service is widely

available; very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks are operated

by private firms

international: country code - 260; satellite earth stations - 2

Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Zimbabwe

general assessment: system was once one of the best in

Africa, but now suffers from poor maintenance; more than 100,000

outstanding requests for connection despite an equally large number

of installed but unused main lines

domestic: consists of microwave radio relay links, open-wire lines,

radiotelephone communication stations, fixed wireless local loop

installations, and a substantial mobile-cellular network; Internet

connection is available in Harare and planned for all major towns

and for some of the smaller ones

international: country code - 263; satellite earth stations - 2

Intelsat; 2 international digital gateway exchanges (in Harare and

Gweru)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2125 Terrain

Afghanistan

mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest

Albania

mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast

Algeria

mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow,

discontinuous coastal plain

American Samoa

five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited

coastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island)

Andorra

rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys

Angola

narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau

Anguilla

flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone

Antarctica

about 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock,

with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountain

ranges up to nearly 5,000 meters; ice-free coastal areas include

parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the Antarctic

Peninsula area, and parts of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciers

form ice shelves along about half of the coastline, and floating ice

shelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent

Antigua and Barbuda

mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands,

with some higher volcanic areas

Arctic Ocean

central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar

icepack that, on average, is about 3 meters thick, although pressure

ridges may be three times that thickness; clockwise drift pattern in

the Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight-line movement from

the New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between

Greenland and Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas

during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter

and extends to the encircling landmasses; the ocean floor is about

50% continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the

remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges

(Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge)

Argentina

rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to

rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western

border

Armenia

Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast

flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley

Aruba

flat with a few hills; scant vegetation

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

low with sand and coral

Atlantic Ocean

surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea,

Denmark Strait, and coastal portions of the Baltic Sea from October

to June; clockwise warm-water gyre (broad, circular system of

currents) in the northern Atlantic, counterclockwise warm-water gyre

in the southern Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the

Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire

Atlantic basin

Australia

mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast

Austria

in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the

eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping

Azerbaijan

large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much

of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north,

Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron

Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea

Bahamas, The

long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills

Bahrain

mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central

escarpment

Bangladesh

mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast

Barbados

relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region

Belarus

generally flat and contains much marshland

Belgium

flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills,

rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast

Belize

flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south

Benin

mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains

Bermuda

low hills separated by fertile depressions

Bhutan

mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna

Bolivia

rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano),

hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin

Bosnia and Herzegovina

mountains and valleys

Botswana

predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari

Desert in southwest

Bouvet Island

volcanic; coast is mostly inaccessible

Brazil

mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills,

mountains, and narrow coastal belt

British Indian Ocean Territory

flat and low (most areas do not

exceed two meters in elevation)

British Virgin Islands

coral islands relatively flat; volcanic

islands steep, hilly

Brunei

flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland

in west

Bulgaria

mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast

Burkina Faso

mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in

west and southeast

Burma

central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands

Burundi

hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some

plains

Cambodia

mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north

Cameroon

diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau

in center, mountains in west, plains in north

Canada

mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast

Cape Verde

steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic

Cayman Islands

low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs

Central African Republic

vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau;

scattered hills in northeast and southwest

Chad

broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in

northwest, lowlands in south

Chile

low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in

east

China

mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains,

deltas, and hills in east

Christmas Island

steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central

plateau

Clipperton Island

coral atoll

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

flat, low-lying coral atolls

Colombia

flat coastal lowlands, central highlands, high Andes

Mountains, eastern lowland plains

Comoros

volcanic islands, interiors vary from steep mountains to low

hills

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

vast central basin is a low-lying

plateau; mountains in east

Congo, Republic of the

coastal plain, southern basin, central

plateau, northern basin

Cook Islands

low coral atolls in north; volcanic, hilly islands in

south

Coral Sea Islands

sand and coral reefs and islands (or cays)

Costa Rica

coastal plains separated by rugged mountains including

over 100 volcanic cones, of which several are major volcanoes

Cote d'Ivoire

mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in

northwest

Croatia

geographically diverse; flat plains along Hungarian border,

low mountains and highlands near Adriatic coastline and islands

Cuba

mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains

in the southeast

Cyprus

central plain with mountains to north and south; scattered

but significant plains along southern coast

Czech Republic

Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains,

hills, and plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east

consists of very hilly country

Denmark

low and flat to gently rolling plains

Djibouti

coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains

Dominica

rugged mountains of volcanic origin

Dominican Republic

rugged highlands and mountains with fertile

valleys interspersed

Ecuador

coastal plain (costa), inter-Andean central highlands

(sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (oriente)

Egypt

vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta

El Salvador

mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central

plateau

Equatorial Guinea

coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are

volcanic

Eritrea

dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending

highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the

northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling

plains

Estonia

marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south

Ethiopia

high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great

Rift Valley

European Union

fairly flat along the Baltic and Atlantic coast;

mountainous in the central and southern areas

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

rocky, hilly, mountainous with

some boggy, undulating plains

Faroe Islands

rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of

coast

Fiji

mostly mountains of volcanic origin

Finland

mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes

and low hills

France

metropolitan France: mostly flat plains or gently rolling

hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially

Pyrenees in south, Alps in east

French Guiana: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small

mountains

Guadeloupe: Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior

mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the

seven other islands are volcanic in origin

Martinique: mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano

Reunion: mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast

French Polynesia

mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with

reefs

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et

Ile Saint-Paul): a volcanic island with steep coastal cliffs; the

center floor of the volcano is a large plateau

Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): triangular in

shape, the island is the top of a volcano, rocky with steep cliffs

on the eastern side; has active thermal springs

Iles Crozet: a large archipelago formed from the Crozet Plateau is

divided into two groups of islands

Iles Kerguelen: the interior of the large island of Ile Kerguelen is

composed of rugged terrain of high mountains, hills, valleys, and

plains with a number of peninsulas stretching off its coasts

Bassas da India (Iles Eparses): atoll, awash at high tide; shallow

(15 m) lagoon

Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: low, flat, and

sandy

Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): low, flat, sandy; likely volcanic

seamount

Gabon

narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south

Gambia, The

flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills

Gaza Strip

flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain

Georgia

largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the

north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi

(Kolkhida Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River

Basin in the east; good soils in river valley flood plains,

foothills of Kolkhida Lowland

Germany

lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south

Ghana

mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area

Gibraltar

a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar

Greece

mostly mountains with ranges extending into the sea as

peninsulas or chains of islands

Greenland

flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow,

mountainous, barren, rocky coast

Grenada

volcanic in origin with central mountains

Guam

volcanic origin, surrounded by coral reefs; relatively flat

coralline limestone plateau (source of most fresh water), with steep

coastal cliffs and narrow coastal plains in north, low hills in

center, mountains in south

Guatemala

mostly mountains with narrow coastal plains and rolling

limestone plateau

Guernsey

mostly level with low hills in southwest

Guinea

generally flat coastal plain, hilly to mountainous interior

Guinea-Bissau

mostly low coastal plain rising to savanna in east

Guyana

mostly rolling highlands; low coastal plain; savanna in south

Haiti

mostly rough and mountainous

Heard Island and McDonald Islands Heard Island - 80% ice-covered, bleak and mountainous, dominated by a large massif (Big Ben) and an active volcano (Mawson Peak); McDonald Islands - small and rocky

Holy See (Vatican City)

urban; low hill

Honduras

mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains

Hong Kong

hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north

Hungary

mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on

the Slovakian border

Iceland

mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields;

coast deeply indented by bays and fiords

India

upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain

along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north

Indian Ocean

surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad,

circular system of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean; unique

reversal of surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean; low

atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer

air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast

winds and currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from

cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and

northeast-to-southwest winds and currents; ocean floor is dominated

by the Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast Indian

Ocean Ridge, Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninetyeast Ridge

Indonesia

mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior

mountains

Iran

rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts,

mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts

Iraq

mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in

south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran

and Turkey

Ireland

mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged

hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast

Isle of Man

hills in north and south bisected by central valley

Israel

Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central

mountains; Jordan Rift Valley

Italy

mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands

Jamaica

mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Jan Mayen

volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers

Japan

mostly rugged and mountainous

Jersey

gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast

Jordan

mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great

Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River

Kazakhstan

extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from

the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia

Kenya

low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift

Valley; fertile plateau in west

Kiribati

mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs

Korea, North

mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow

valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east

Korea, South

mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west

and south

Kosovo

flat fluvial basin with an elevation of 400-700 m above sea

level surrounded by several high mountain ranges with elevations of

2,000 to 2,500 m

Kuwait

flat to slightly undulating desert plain

Kyrgyzstan

peaks of Tien Shan and associated valleys and basins

encompass entire nation

Laos

mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus

Latvia

low plain

Lebanon

narrow coastal plain; El Beqaa (Bekaa Valley) separates

Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains

Lesotho

mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

Liberia

mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling

plateau and low mountains in northeast

Libya

mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions

Liechtenstein

mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western

third

Lithuania

lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil

Luxembourg

mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow

valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope

down to Moselle flood plain in the southeast

Macau

generally flat

Macedonia

mountainous territory covered with deep basins and

valleys; three large lakes, each divided by a frontier line; country

bisected by the Vardar River

Madagascar

narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center

Malawi

narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills,

some mountains

Malaysia

coastal plains rising to hills and mountains

Maldives

flat, with white sandy beaches

Mali

mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna

in south, rugged hills in northeast

Malta

mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal

cliffs

Marshall Islands

low coral limestone and sand islands

Mauritania

mostly barren, flat plains of the Sahara; some central

hills

Mauritius

small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains

encircling central plateau

Mayotte

generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic

peaks

Mexico

high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus;

desert

Micronesia, Federated States of islands vary geologically from high mountainous islands to low, coral atolls; volcanic outcroppings on Pohnpei, Kosrae, and Chuuk

Moldova

rolling steppe, gradual slope south to Black Sea

Monaco

hilly, rugged, rocky

Mongolia

vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains

in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central

Montenegro

highly indented coastline with narrow coastal plain

backed by rugged high limestone mountains and plateaus

Montserrat

volcanic island, mostly mountainous, with small coastal

lowland

Morocco

northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas

of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains

Mozambique

mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus

in northwest, mountains in west

Namibia

mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari

Desert in east

Nauru

sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs

with phosphate plateau in center

Navassa Island

raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to

undulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)

Nepal

Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill

region, rugged Himalayas in north

Netherlands

mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders);

some hills in southeast

Netherlands Antilles

generally hilly, volcanic interiors

New Caledonia

coastal plains with interior mountains

New Zealand

predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains

Nicaragua

extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central

interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by

volcanoes

Niger

predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling

plains in south; hills in north

Nigeria

southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus;

mountains in southeast, plains in north

Niue

steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau

Norfolk Island

volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains

Northern Mariana Islands

southern islands are limestone with level

terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic

Norway

glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken

by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply

indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north

Oman

central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south

Pacific Ocean

surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated

by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents)

and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre;

in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of

Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica

reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the

eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the

western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana

Trench, which is the world's deepest

Pakistan

flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest;

Balochistan plateau in west

Palau

varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of

Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier

reefs

Panama

interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland

plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills

Papua New Guinea

mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling

foothills

Paracel Islands

mostly low and flat

Paraguay

grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; Gran

Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the

river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere

Peru

western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center

(sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)

Philippines

mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal

lowlands

Pitcairn Islands

rugged volcanic formation; rocky coastline with

cliffs

Poland

mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border

Portugal

mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in

south

Puerto Rico

mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north;

mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most

coastal areas

Qatar

mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and

gravel

Romania

central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of

Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from

the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps

Russia

broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous

forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern

border regions

Rwanda

mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with

altitude declining from west to east

Saint Barthelemy

hilly, almost completely surrounded by

shallow-water reefs, with 20 beaches

Saint Helena

the islands of this group result from volcanic activity

associated with the Atlantic Mid-Ocean Ridge

Saint Helena: rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains

Ascension: surface covered by lava flows and cinder cones of 44

dormant volcanoes; ground rises to the east

Tristan da Cunha: sheer cliffs line the coastline of the nearly

circular island; the flanks of the central volcanic peak are deeply

dissected; narrow coastal plain lies between The Peak and the

coastal cliffs

Saint Kitts and Nevis

volcanic with mountainous interiors

Saint Lucia

volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

mostly barren rock

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

volcanic, mountainous

Samoa

two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands

and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky,

rugged mountains in interior

San Marino

rugged mountains

Sao Tome and Principe

volcanic, mountainous

Saudi Arabia

mostly uninhabited, sandy desert

Senegal

generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in

southeast

Serbia

extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile plains; to the

east, limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast, ancient

mountains and hills

Seychelles

Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky,

hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs

Sierra Leone

coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country,

upland plateau, mountains in east

Singapore

lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water

catchment area and nature preserve

Slovakia

rugged mountains in the central and northern part and

lowlands in the south

Slovenia

a short coastal strip on the Adriatic, an alpine mountain

region adjacent to Italy and Austria, mixed mountains and valleys

with numerous rivers to the east

Solomon Islands

mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls

Somalia

mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north

South Africa

vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow

coastal plain

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

most of the islands,

rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South

Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains;

the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active

volcanoes

Southern Ocean

the Southern Ocean is deep, 4,000 to 5,000 m over

most of its extent with only limited areas of shallow water; the

Antarctic continental shelf is generally narrow and unusually deep,

its edge lying at depths of 400 to 800 m (the global mean is 133 m);

the Antarctic icepack grows from an average minimum of 2.6 million

sq km in March to about 18.8 million sq km in September, better than

a sixfold increase in area; the Antarctic Circumpolar Current

(21,000 km in length) moves perpetually eastward; it is the world's

largest ocean current, transporting 130 million cubic meters of

water per second - 100 times the flow of all the world's rivers

Spain

large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills;

Pyrenees in north

Spratly Islands

flat

Sri Lanka

mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in

south-central interior

Sudan

generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in far south,

northeast and west; desert dominates the north

Suriname

mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps

Svalbard

wild, rugged mountains; much of high land ice covered; west

coast clear of ice about one-half of the year; fjords along west and

north coasts

Swaziland

mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains

Sweden

mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west

Switzerland

mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with

a central plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes

Syria

primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain;

mountains in west

Taiwan

eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently

rolling plains in west

Tajikistan

Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western

Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest

Tanzania

plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north,

south

Thailand

central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains

elsewhere

Timor-Leste

mountainous

Togo

gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern

plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes

Tokelau

low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons

Tonga

most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral

formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base

Trinidad and Tobago

mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

Tunisia

mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south

merges into the Sahara

Turkey

high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain;

several mountain ranges

Turkmenistan

flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to

mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran;

borders Caspian Sea in west

Turks and Caicos Islands low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps

Tuvalu

very low-lying and narrow coral atolls

Uganda

mostly plateau with rim of mountains

Ukraine

most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and

plateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians),

and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south

United Arab Emirates

flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling

sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east

United Kingdom

mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to

rolling plains in east and southeast

United States

vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low

mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in

Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

low and nearly level

sandy coral islands with narrow fringing reefs that have developed

at the top of submerged volcanic mountains, which in most cases rise

steeply from the ocean floor

Uruguay

mostly rolling plains and low hills; fertile coastal lowland

Uzbekistan

mostly flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; broad,

flat intensely irrigated river valleys along course of Amu Darya,

Syr Darya (Sirdaryo), and Zarafshon; Fergana Valley in east

surrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; shrinking Aral

Sea in west

Vanuatu

mostly mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrow

coastal plains

Venezuela

Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest;

central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast

Vietnam

low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands;

hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest

Virgin Islands

mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little

level land

Wake Island

atoll of three low coral islands, Peale, Wake, and

Wilkes, built up on an underwater volcano; central lagoon is former

crater, islands are part of the rim

Wallis and Futuna

volcanic origin; low hills

West Bank

mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west,

but barren in east

Western Sahara

mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or

sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast

World

the greatest ocean depth is the Mariana Trench at 10,924 m in

the Pacific Ocean

Yemen

narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged

mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the

desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula

Zambia

mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains

Zimbabwe

mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high

veld); mountains in east

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2127 Total fertility rate (children born/woman)

Afghanistan

6.58 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Albania

2.02 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Algeria

1.82 children born/woman (2008 est.)

American Samoa

3.35 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Andorra

1.32 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Angola

6.2 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Anguilla

1.75 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

2.08 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Argentina

2.37 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Armenia

1.35 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Aruba

1.85 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Australia

1.78 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Austria

1.38 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Azerbaijan

2.05 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Bahamas, The

2.13 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Bahrain

2.53 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Bangladesh

3.08 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Barbados

1.65 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Belarus

1.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Belgium

1.65 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Belize

3.44 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Benin

5.58 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Bermuda

1.88 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Bhutan

2.48 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Bolivia

2.67 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

1.24 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Botswana

2.66 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Brazil

2.22 children born/woman (2008 est.)

British Virgin Islands

1.71 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Brunei

1.94 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Bulgaria

1.4 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Burkina Faso

6.34 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Burma

1.92 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Burundi

6.4 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Cambodia

3.08 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Cameroon

4.41 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Canada

1.57 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Cape Verde

3.17 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Cayman Islands

1.89 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Central African Republic

4.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Chad

5.43 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Chile

1.95 children born/woman (2008 est.)

China

1.77 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Christmas Island

NA (2008 est.)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

NA (2008 est.)

Colombia

2.49 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Comoros

4.9 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the 6.28 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

5.92 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Cook Islands

3.1 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Costa Rica

2.17 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

4.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Croatia

1.41 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Cuba

1.6 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Cyprus

1.79 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Czech Republic

1.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Denmark

1.74 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Djibouti

5.14 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Dominica

2.1 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Dominican Republic

2.78 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Ecuador

2.59 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Egypt

2.72 children born/woman (2008 est.)

El Salvador

3.04 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

5.16 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Eritrea

4.84 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Estonia

1.42 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Ethiopia

6.17 children born/woman (2008 est.)

European Union

1.5 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

NA (2008 est.)

Faroe Islands

2.45 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Fiji

2.68 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Finland

1.73 children born/woman (2008 est.)

France

1.98 children born/woman (2008 est.)

French Polynesia

1.95 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Gabon

4.68 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Gambia, The

5.13 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Gaza Strip

5.19 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Georgia

1.43 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Germany

1.41 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Ghana

3.78 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Gibraltar

1.65 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Greece

1.36 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Greenland

2.22 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Grenada

2.27 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Guam

2.55 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Guatemala

3.59 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Guernsey

1.4 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Guinea

5.25 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

4.72 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Guyana

2.03 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Haiti

4.79 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Honduras

3.38 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Hong Kong

1 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Hungary

1.34 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Iceland

1.91 children born/woman (2008 est.)

India

2.76 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Indonesia

2.34 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Iran

1.71 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Iraq

3.97 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Ireland

1.85 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Isle of Man

1.65 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Israel

2.77 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Italy

1.3 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Jamaica

2.3 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Japan

1.22 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Jersey

1.58 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Jordan

2.47 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Kazakhstan

1.88 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Kenya

4.7 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Kiribati

4.08 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Korea, North

2 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Korea, South

1.2 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Kuwait

2.81 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

2.67 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Laos

4.5 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Latvia

1.29 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Lebanon

1.87 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Lesotho

3.13 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Liberia

5.87 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Libya

3.15 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Liechtenstein

1.51 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Lithuania

1.22 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Luxembourg

1.78 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Macau

0.9 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Macedonia

1.58 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Madagascar

5.19 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Malawi

5.67 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Malaysia

2.98 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Maldives

1.97 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Mali

7.34 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Malta

1.51 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Marshall Islands

3.68 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Mauritania

5.69 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Mauritius

1.83 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Mayotte

5.6 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Mexico

2.37 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

2.98 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Moldova

1.26 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Monaco

1.75 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Mongolia

2.24 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Montserrat

1.22 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Morocco

2.57 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Mozambique

5.24 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Namibia

2.81 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Nauru

2.94 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Nepal

3.91 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Netherlands

1.66 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

1.98 children born/woman (2008 est.)

New Caledonia

2.21 children born/woman (2008 est.)

New Zealand

2.11 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Nicaragua

2.63 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Niger

7.29 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Nigeria

5.01 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Niue

NA (2008 est.)

Norfolk Island

NA (2008 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands

1.18 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Norway

1.78 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Oman

5.62 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Pakistan

3.73 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Palau

2.45 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Panama

2.57 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Papua New Guinea

3.71 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Paraguay

3.8 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Peru

2.42 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Philippines

3.32 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

NA (2008 est.)

Poland

1.27 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Portugal

1.49 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Puerto Rico

1.76 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Qatar

2.47 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Romania

1.38 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Russia

1.4 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Rwanda

5.31 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Saint Helena

1.56 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

2.28 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Saint Lucia

1.86 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

1.98 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

1.79 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Samoa

4.18 children born/woman (2008 est.)

San Marino

1.35 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

5.43 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Saudi Arabia

3.89 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Senegal

4.86 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Serbia

1.69 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Seychelles

1.73 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Sierra Leone

5.95 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Singapore

1.08 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Slovakia

1.34 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Slovenia

1.27 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Solomon Islands

3.65 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Somalia

6.6 children born/woman (2008 est.)

South Africa

2.43 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Spain

1.3 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Sri Lanka

2.02 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Sudan

4.58 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Suriname

2.01 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Svalbard

NA (2008 est.)

Swaziland

3.34 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Sweden

1.67 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Switzerland

1.44 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Syria

3.21 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Taiwan

1.13 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Tajikistan

3.04 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Tanzania

4.62 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Thailand

1.64 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Timor-Leste

3.36 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Togo

4.85 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Tokelau

NA (2008 est.)

Tonga

2.5 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

1.73 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Tunisia

1.73 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Turkey

1.87 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Turkmenistan

3.07 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

2.98 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Tuvalu

2.94 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Uganda

6.81 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Ukraine

1.25 children born/woman (2008 est.)

United Arab Emirates

2.43 children born/woman (2008 est.)

United Kingdom

1.66 children born/woman (2008 est.)

United States

2.1 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Uruguay

1.94 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Uzbekistan

2.01 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Vanuatu

2.57 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Venezuela

2.52 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Vietnam

1.86 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Virgin Islands

1.88 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

NA (2008 est.)

West Bank

3.31 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Western Sahara

NA 5.69 children born/woman (2008 est.)

World

2.61 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Yemen

6.41 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Zambia

5.23 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Zimbabwe

3.72 children born/woman (2008 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2128 Government type

Afghanistan

Islamic republic

Albania

emerging democracy

Algeria

republic

American Samoa

NA

Andorra

parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that retains as

its chiefs of state a coprincipality; the two princes are the

president of France and bishop of Seo de Urgel, Spain, who are

represented locally by coprinces' representatives

Angola

republic; multiparty presidential regime

Anguilla

NA

Antarctica Antarctic Treaty Summary - the Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961, establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica; the 30th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was held in Delhi, India in April/May 2007; at these periodic meetings, decisions are made by consensus (not by vote) of all consultative member nations; at the end of 2007, there were 46 treaty member nations: 28 consultative and 18 non-consultative; consultative (decision-making) members include the seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica as national territory (some claims overlap) and 21 non-claimant nations; the US and Russia have reserved the right to make claims; the US does not recognize the claims of others; Antarctica is administered through meetings of the consultative member nations; decisions from these meetings are carried out by these member nations (with respect to their own nationals and operations) in accordance with their own national laws; the years in parentheses indicate when a consultative member-nation acceded to the Treaty and when it was accepted as a consultative member, while no date indicates the country was an original 1959 treaty signatory; claimant nations are - Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant consultative nations are - Belgium, Brazil (1975/1983), Bulgaria (1978/1998) China (1983/1985), Ecuador (1987/1990), Finland (1984/1989), Germany (1979/1981), India (1983/1983), Italy (1981/1987), Japan, South Korea (1986/1989), Netherlands (1967/1990), Peru (1981/1989), Poland (1961/1977), Russia, South Africa, Spain (1982/1988), Sweden (1984/1988), Ukraine (1992/2004), Uruguay (1980/1985), and the US; non-consultative members, with year of accession in parentheses, are - Austria (1987), Belarus (2006), Canada (1988), Colombia (1989), Cuba (1984), Czech Republic (1962/1993), Denmark (1965), Estonia (2001), Greece (1987), Guatemala (1991), Hungary (1984), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Romania (1971), Slovakia (1962/1993), Switzerland (1990), Turkey (1996), and Venezuela (1999); note - Czechoslovakia acceded to the Treaty in 1962 and separated into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993; Article 1 - area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel and equipment may be used for scientific research or any other peaceful purpose; Article 2 - freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue; Article 3 - free exchange of information and personnel, cooperation with the UN and other international agencies; Article 4 - does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force; Article 5 - prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes; Article 6 - includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees 00 minutes south and reserves high seas rights; Article 7 - treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance notice of all expeditions and of the introduction of military personnel must be given; Article 8 - allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own states; Article 9 - frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations; Article 10 - treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the treaty; Article 11 - disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ; Articles 12, 13, 14 - deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations; other agreements - some 200 recommendations adopted at treaty consultative meetings and ratified by governments include - Agreed Measures for Fauna and Flora (1964) which were later incorporated into the Environmental Protocol; Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980); a mineral resources agreement was signed in 1988 but remains unratified; the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed 4 October 1991 and entered into force 14 January 1998; this agreement provides for the protection of the Antarctic environment through six specific annexes: 1) environmental impact assessment, 2) conservation of Antarctic fauna and flora, 3) waste disposal and waste management, 4) prevention of marine pollution, 5) area protection and management and 6) liability arising from environmental emergencies; it prohibits all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific research; a permanent Antarctic Treaty Secretariat was established in 2004 in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Antigua and Barbuda constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government

Argentina

republic

Armenia

republic

Aruba

parliamentary democracy

Australia

federal parliamentary democracy

Austria

federal republic

Azerbaijan

republic

Bahamas, The

constitutional parliamentary democracy

Bahrain

constitutional monarchy

Bangladesh

parliamentary democracy

Barbados

parliamentary democracy

Belarus

republic in name, although in fact a dictatorship

Belgium

federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional

monarchy

Belize

parliamentary democracy

Benin

republic

Bermuda

parliamentary; self-governing territory

Bhutan

in transition to constitutional monarchy; special treaty

relationship with India

Bolivia

republic

Bosnia and Herzegovina

emerging federal democratic republic

Botswana

parliamentary republic

Brazil

federal republic

British Virgin Islands

NA

Brunei

constitutional sultanate

Bulgaria

parliamentary democracy

Burkina Faso

parliamentary republic

Burma

military junta

Burundi

republic

Cambodia

multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy

Cameroon

republic; multiparty presidential regime

Canada

constitutional monarchy that is also a parliamentary

democracy and a federation

Cape Verde

republic

Cayman Islands

British crown colony

Central African Republic

republic

Chad

republic

Chile

republic

China

Communist state

Christmas Island

NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

NA

Colombia

republic; executive branch dominates government structure

Comoros

republic

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

republic

Congo, Republic of the

republic

Cook Islands

self-governing parliamentary democracy

Costa Rica

democratic republic

Cote d'Ivoire

republic; multiparty presidential regime established

1960

note: the government is currently operating under a power-sharing

agreement mandated by international mediators

Croatia

presidential/parliamentary democracy

Cuba

Communist state

Cyprus

republic

note: a separation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the

island began following the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this

separation was further solidified after the Turkish intervention in

July 1974 that followed a Greek junta-supported coup attempt gave

the Turkish Cypriots de facto control in the north; Greek Cypriots

control the only internationally recognized government; on 15

November 1983 Turkish Cypriot "President" Rauf DENKTASH declared

independence and the formation of a "Turkish Republic of Northern

Cyprus" (TRNC), which is recognized only by Turkey

Czech Republic

parliamentary democracy

Denmark

constitutional monarchy

Djibouti

republic

Dominica

parliamentary democracy

Dominican Republic

democratic republic

Ecuador

republic

Egypt

republic

El Salvador

republic

Equatorial Guinea

republic

Eritrea

transitional government

note: following a successful referendum on independence for the

Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National

Assembly, composed entirely of the People's Front for Democracy and

Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a

Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a

constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the

transitional legislature; the constitution, ratified in May 1997,

did not enter into effect, pending parliamentary and presidential

elections; parliamentary elections were scheduled in December 2001,

but were postponed indefinitely; currently the sole legal party is

the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ)

Estonia

parliamentary republic

Ethiopia

federal republic

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

NA

Faroe Islands

NA

Fiji

republic

Finland

republic

France

republic

French Polynesia

NA

Gabon

republic; multiparty presidential regime

Gambia, The

republic

Georgia

republic

Germany

federal republic

Ghana

constitutional democracy

Gibraltar

NA

Greece

parliamentary republic

Greenland

parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy

Grenada

parliamentary democracy

Guam

NA

Guatemala

constitutional democratic republic

Guernsey

parliamentary democracy

Guinea

republic

Guinea-Bissau

republic

Guyana

republic

Haiti

republic

Holy See (Vatican City)

ecclesiastical

Honduras

democratic constitutional republic

Hong Kong

limited democracy

Hungary

parliamentary democracy

Iceland

constitutional republic

India

federal republic

Indonesia

republic

Iran

theocratic republic

Iraq

parliamentary democracy

Ireland

republic, parliamentary democracy

Isle of Man

parliamentary democracy

Israel

parliamentary democracy

Italy

republic

Jamaica

constitutional parliamentary democracy

Japan

constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government

Jersey

parliamentary democracy

Jordan

constitutional monarchy

Kazakhstan

republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little

power outside the executive branch

Kenya

republic

Kiribati

republic

Korea, North

Communist state one-man dictatorship

Korea, South

republic

Kosovo

republic

Kuwait

constitutional emirate

Kyrgyzstan

republic

Laos

Communist state

Latvia

parliamentary democracy

Lebanon

republic

Lesotho

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Liberia

republic

Libya

Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the

populace through local councils; in practice, an authoritarian state

Liechtenstein

constitutional monarchy

Lithuania

parliamentary democracy

Luxembourg

constitutional monarchy

Macau

limited democracy

Macedonia

parliamentary democracy

Madagascar

republic

Malawi

multiparty democracy

Malaysia

constitutional monarchy

note: nominally headed by paramount ruler and a bicameral Parliament

consisting of a nonelected upper house and an elected lower house;

all Peninsular Malaysian states have hereditary rulers except Melaka

and Pulau Pinang (Penang); those two states along with Sabah and

Sarawak in East Malaysia have governors appointed by government;

powers of state governments are limited by federal constitution;

under terms of federation, Sabah and Sarawak retain certain

constitutional prerogatives (e.g., right to maintain their own

immigration controls); Sabah holds 25 seats in House of

Representatives; Sarawak has 31 seats

Maldives

republic

Mali

republic

Malta

republic

Marshall Islands

constitutional government in free association with

the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 21

October 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force in May 2004

Mauritania

Democratic Republic

Mauritius

parliamentary democracy

Mayotte

NA

Mexico

federal republic

Micronesia, Federated States of constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 3 November 1986 and the Amended Compact entered into force May 2004

Moldova

republic

Monaco

constitutional monarchy

Mongolia

mixed parliamentary/presidential

Montenegro

republic

Montserrat

NA

Morocco

constitutional monarchy

Mozambique

republic

Namibia

republic

Nauru

republic

Nepal

democratic republic

Netherlands

constitutional monarchy

Netherlands Antilles

parliamentary

New Caledonia

NA

New Zealand

parliamentary democracy

Nicaragua

republic

Niger

republic

Nigeria

federal republic

Niue

self-governing parliamentary democracy

Norfolk Island

NA

Northern Mariana Islands commonwealth; self-governing with locally elected governor, lieutenant governor, and legislature

Norway

constitutional monarchy

Oman

monarchy

Pakistan

federal republic

Palau

constitutional government in free association with the US; the

Compact of Free Association entered into force 1 October 1994

Panama

constitutional democracy

Papua New Guinea

constitutional parliamentary democracy

Paraguay

constitutional republic

Peru

constitutional republic

Philippines

republic

Pitcairn Islands

NA

Poland

republic

Portugal

republic; parliamentary democracy

Puerto Rico

commonwealth

Qatar

emirate

Romania

republic

Russia

federation

Rwanda

republic; presidential, multiparty system

Saint Helena

NA

Saint Kitts and Nevis

parliamentary democracy

Saint Lucia

parliamentary democracy

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

NA

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

parliamentary democracy

Samoa

parliamentary democracy

San Marino

republic

Sao Tome and Principe

republic

Saudi Arabia

monarchy

Senegal

republic

Serbia

republic

Seychelles

republic

Sierra Leone

constitutional democracy

Singapore

parliamentary republic

Slovakia

parliamentary democracy

Slovenia

parliamentary republic

Solomon Islands

parliamentary democracy

Somalia

no permanent national government; transitional,

parliamentary federal government

South Africa

republic

Spain

parliamentary monarchy

Sri Lanka

republic

Sudan

Government of National Unity (GNU) - the National Congress

Party (NCP) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) formed a

power-sharing government under the 2005 Comprehensive Peace

Agreement (CPA); the NCP, which came to power by military coup in

1989, is the majority partner; the agreement stipulates national

elections in 2009

Suriname

constitutional democracy

Svalbard

NA

Swaziland

monarchy

Sweden

constitutional monarchy

Switzerland

formally a confederation but similar in structure to a

federal republic

Syria

republic under an authoritarian military-dominated regime

Taiwan

multiparty democracy

Tajikistan

republic

Tanzania

republic

Thailand

constitutional monarchy

Timor-Leste

republic

Togo

republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule

Tokelau

NA

Tonga

constitutional monarchy

Trinidad and Tobago

parliamentary democracy

Tunisia

republic

Turkey

republican parliamentary democracy

Turkmenistan

republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little

power outside the executive branch

Turks and Caicos Islands

NA

Tuvalu

constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy

Uganda

republic

Ukraine

republic

United Arab Emirates

federation with specified powers delegated to

the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member

emirates

United Kingdom

constitutional monarchy

United States

Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic

tradition

Uruguay

constitutional republic

Uzbekistan

republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little

power outside the executive branch

Vanuatu

parliamentary republic

Venezuela

federal republic

Vietnam

Communist state

Virgin Islands

NA

Wallis and Futuna

NA

Western Sahara

legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty

unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front

(Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de

Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a

government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR),

led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ; territory partitioned between

Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring

northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario

guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979;

Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since

asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile

was seated as an Organization of African Unity (OAU) member in 1984;

guerrilla activities continued sporadically until a UN-monitored

cease-fire was implemented on 6 September 1991 (Security Council

Resolution 690) by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in

Western Sahara or MINURSO

Yemen

republic

Zambia

republic

Zimbabwe

parliamentary democracy

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2129 Unemployment rate (%)

Afghanistan

40% (2005 est.)

Albania

13.2% official rate, but may exceed 30% due to preponderance

of near-subsistence farming (2007 est.)

Algeria

11.8% (2007 est.)

American Samoa

29.8% (2005)

Andorra

0% (1996 est.)

Angola

extensive unemployment and underemployment affecting more

than half the population (2001 est.)

Anguilla

8% (2002)

Antigua and Barbuda

11% (2001 est.)

Argentina

8.5% (2007 est.)

Armenia

7.1% (2007 est.)

Aruba

6.9% (2005 est.)

Australia

4.4% (2007 est.)

Austria

4.4% (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

1% official rate (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

7.6% (2006 est.)

Bahrain

15% (2005 est.)

Bangladesh

2.5% (includes underemployment) (2007 est.)

Barbados

10.7% (2003 est.)

Belarus

1.6% officially registered unemployed; large number of

underemployed workers (2005)

Belgium

7.5% (2007 est.)

Belize

9.4% (2006)

Benin

NA%

Bermuda

2.1% (2004 est.)

Bhutan

2.5% (2004)

Bolivia

7.5% in urban areas; widespread underemployment (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina 45.5% official rate; grey economy may reduce actual unemployment to 25-30% (31 December 2004 est.)

Botswana

7.5% (2007 est.)

Brazil

9.3% (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

3.6% (1997)

Brunei

4% (2006)

Bulgaria

7.7% (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

77% (2004)

Burma

5.2% (2007 est.)

Burundi

NA%

Cambodia

2.5% (2000 est.)

Cameroon

30% (2001 est.)

Canada

6% (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

21% (2000 est.)

Cayman Islands

4.4% (2004)

Central African Republic

8% (23% for Bangui) (2001 est.)

Chad

NA%

Chile

7% (2007 est.)

China

4% unemployment in urban areas; substantial unemployment and

underemployment in rural areas (2007 est.)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

60% (2000 est.)

Colombia

11.2% (2007 est.)

Comoros

20% (1996 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

NA%

Congo, Republic of the

NA%

Cook Islands

13.1% (2005)

Costa Rica

4.6% (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

unemployment may have climbed to 40-50% as a result of

the civil war

Croatia

11.8% (2007 est.)

Cuba

1.8% (2007 est.)

Cyprus

3.9% (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

6.6% (2007 est.)

Denmark

2.8% (2007 est.)

Djibouti

59% in urban areas, 83% in rural areas (2007 est.)

Dominica

23% (2000 est.)

Dominican Republic

15.6% (2007 est.)

Ecuador

8.8% (2007 est.)

Egypt

9.1% (2007 est.)

El Salvador

6.2% official rate; but the economy has much

underemployment (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

30% (1998 est.)

Eritrea

NA%

Estonia

4.7% (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

NA%

European Union

8.5% (2006 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) full employment; labor shortage (2001)

Faroe Islands

2.1% (2006)

Fiji

7.6% (1999)

Finland

6.9% (2007 est.)

France

7.9% (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

11.7% (2005)

Gabon

21% (2006 est.)

Gambia, The

NA%

Gaza Strip

34.8% (2006)

Georgia

13.6% (2006 est.)

Germany

9%

note: this is the International Labor Organization's estimated rate

for international comparisons; Germany's Federal Employment Office

estimated a seasonally adjusted rate of 10.8% (2007 est.)

Ghana

11% (2000 est.)

Gibraltar

3% (2005 est.)

Greece

8.3% (2007 est.)

Greenland

9.3% (2005 est.)

Grenada

12.5% (2000)

Guam

11.4% (2002 est.)

Guatemala

3.2% (2005 est.)

Guernsey

0.9% (March 2006 est.)

Guinea

NA%

Guinea-Bissau

NA%

Guyana

9.1% (understated) (2000)

Haiti

widespread unemployment and underemployment; more than

two-thirds of the labor force do not have formal jobs (2002 est.)

Honduras

27.8% (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

4% (2007 est.)

Hungary

7.3% (2007 est.)

Iceland

1% (2007 est.)

India

7.2% (2007 est.)

Indonesia

9.1% (2007 est.)

Iran

12% according to the Iranian government (2007 est.)

Iraq

18% to 30% (2006 est.)

Ireland

4.6% (2007 est.)

Isle of Man

1.5% (December 2006 est.)

Israel

7.3% (2007 est.)

Italy

6.2% (2007 est.)

Jamaica

9.9% (2007 est.)

Japan

3.8% (2007 est.)

Jersey

2.2% (2006 est.)

Jordan

13.5% official rate; unofficial rate is approximately 30%

(2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

7.3% (2007 est.)

Kenya

40% (2001 est.)

Kiribati

2% official rate; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)

Korea, North

NA%

Korea, South

3.3% (2007 est.)

Kosovo

43% (2007 est.)

Kuwait

2.2% (2004 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

18% (2004 est.)

Laos

2.4% (2005 est.)

Latvia

5.7% (2007 est.)

Lebanon

20% (2006 est.)

Lesotho

45% (2002)

Liberia

85% (2003 est.)

Libya

30% (2004 est.)

Liechtenstein

1.3% (September 2002)

Lithuania

3.5%

note: based on survey data, official registered unemployment of 5.7%

(2007 est.)

Luxembourg

4.4% (2007 est.)

Macau

3.1% (2006)

Macedonia

34.9% (2007 est.)

Malawi

NA%

Malaysia

3.2% (2007 est.)

Maldives

NEGL% (2003 est.)

Mali

30% (2004 est.)

Malta

6.4% (2007 est.)

Marshall Islands

30.9% (2000 est.)

Mauritania

20% (2004 est.)

Mauritius

8.8% (2007 est.)

Mayotte

25.4% (2005)

Mexico

3.7% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2007 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

22% (2000 est.)

Moldova

2.1%; note - roughly 25% of working age Moldovans are

employed abroad (2007 est.)

Monaco

0% (2005)

Mongolia

3% (2007)

Montenegro

14.7% (2007 est.)

Montserrat

6% (1998 est.)

Morocco

9.8% (2007 est.)

Mozambique

21% (1997 est.)

Namibia

5.2% (2007 est.)

Nauru

90% (2004 est.)

Nepal

42% (2004 est.)

Netherlands

4.6% (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

17% (2002 est.)

New Caledonia

17.1% (2004)

New Zealand

3.6% (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

4.9% plus underemployment of 46.5% (2007 est.)

Niger

NA%

Nigeria

4.9% (2007 est.)

Niue

12% (2001)

Northern Mariana Islands

3.9% (2001)

Norway

2.5% (2007 est.)

Oman

15% (2004 est.)

Pakistan

5.6% plus substantial underemployment (2007 est.)

Palau

4.2% (2005 est.)

Panama

6.4% (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

1.9% up to 80% in urban areas (2004)

Paraguay

5.6% (2007 est.)

Peru

6.9% in metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment (2007

est.)

Philippines

7.3% (2007 est.)

Poland

12.8% (2007 est.)

Portugal

8% (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

12% (2002)

Qatar

0.7% (2007 est.)

Romania

4.1% (2007 est.)

Russia

6.2% (2007 est.)

Rwanda

NA%

Saint Helena

14% (1998 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

4.5% (1997)

Saint Lucia

20% (2003 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

10.3% (1999)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

15% (2001 est.)

Samoa

NA%

San Marino

3.8% (2004)

Sao Tome and Principe

NA%

Saudi Arabia

13% among Saudi males only (local bank estimate; some

estimates range as high as 25%) (2004 est.)

Senegal

48% (2007 est.)

Serbia

18.8% (2007 est.)

Seychelles

2% (2006 est.)

Sierra Leone

NA%

Singapore

2.1% (2007 est.)

Slovakia

8.4% (2007 est.)

Slovenia

7.7% (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

NA%

Somalia

NA%

South Africa

24.3% (2007 est.)

Spain

8.3% (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

6% (2007 est.)

Sudan

18.7% (2002 est.)

Suriname

9.5% (2004)

Swaziland

40% (2006 est.)

Sweden

6.1% (2007 est.)

Switzerland

2.8% (2007 est.)

Syria

9% (2007 est.)

Taiwan

3.9% (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

2.4% official rate; actual unemployment is higher (2007

est.)

Tanzania

NA%

Thailand

1.4% (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

50% estimated; note - unemployment in urban areas

reached 20%; data do not include underemployed (2001 est.)

Togo

NA%

Tokelau

NA%

Tonga

13% (FY03/04 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

4.5% (2007 est.)

Tunisia

14.1% (2007 est.)

Turkey

9.9% plus underemployment of 4% (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

60% (2004 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

10% (1997 est.)

Tuvalu

NA%

Uganda

NA%

Ukraine

2.3% officially registered; large number of unregistered or

underemployed workers; the International Labor Organization

calculates that Ukraine's real unemployment level is nearly 7% (2007

est.)

United Arab Emirates

2.4% (2001)

United Kingdom

5.3% (2007 est.)

United States

4.6% (2007 est.)

Uruguay

9.2% (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

0.8% officially by the Ministry of Labor, plus another

20% underemployed (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

1.7% (1999)

Venezuela

8.5% (2007 est.)

Vietnam

4.3% (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

6.2% (2004)

Wallis and Futuna

15.2% (2003)

West Bank

18.6% (2006)

Western Sahara

NA%

World

30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many

non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 4%-12%

unemployment (2007 est.)

Yemen

35% (2003 est.)

Zambia

50% (2000 est.)

Zimbabwe

80% (2005 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2137 Military - note

Akrotiri

Akrotiri has a full RAF base, Headquarters for British

Forces on Cyprus, and Episkopi Support Unit

American Samoa

defense is the responsibility of the US

Andorra

defense is the responsibility of France and Spain

Anguilla

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Antarctica

the Antarctic Treaty prohibits any measures of a military

nature, such as the establishment of military bases and

fortifications, the carrying out of military maneuvers, or the

testing of any type of weapon; it permits the use of military

personnel or equipment for scientific research or for any other

peaceful purposes

Argentina

the Argentine military is a well-organized force

constrained by the country's prolonged economic hardship; the

country has recently experienced a strong recovery, and the military

is implementing a modernization plan aimed at making the ground

forces lighter and more responsive (2008)

Aruba

defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

defense is the responsibility of

Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal

Australian Air Force

Barbados

the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based

Troop Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role of the land

element is to defend the island against external aggression; the

Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small

regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it

increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to

prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2007)

Bermuda

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Bouvet Island

defense is the responsibility of Norway

British Indian Ocean Territory

defense is the responsibility of the

UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016

British Virgin Islands

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Cayman Islands

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Christmas Island

defense is the responsibility of Australia

Clipperton Island

defense is the responsibility of France

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

defense is the responsibility of Australia;

the territory has a five-person police force

Cook Islands

defense is the responsibility of New Zealand, in

consultation with the Cook Islands and at its request

Coral Sea Islands

defense is the responsibility of Australia

Cuba

the collapse of the Soviet Union deprived the Cuban Army of its

major economic and logistic support, and had a significant impact on

equipment numbers and serviceability; the army remains well trained

and professional in nature; while the lack of replacement parts for

its existing equipment and the current severe shortage of fuel have

increasingly affected operational capabilities, Cuba remains able to

offer considerable resistance to any regional power (2008)

Dhekelia

includes Dhekelia Garrison and Ayios Nikolaos Station

connected by a roadway

European Union

the five-nation Eurocorps - created in 1992 by

France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Luxembourg - has deployed

troops and police on peacekeeping missions to Bosnia-Herzegovina,

Macedonia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and assumed

command of the ISAF in Afghanistan in August 2004; Eurocorps

directly commands the 5,000-man Franco-German Brigade, the

Multinational Command Support Brigade, and EUFOR in Bosnia and

Herzegovina; in November 2004, the EU Council of Ministers formally

committed to creating 13 1,500-man battle groups by the end of 2007,

to respond to international crises on a rotating basis; 22 of the

EU's 25 nations have agreed to supply troops; France, Italy, and the

UK formed the first of three battle groups in 2005; Norway, Sweden,

Estonia, and Finland established the Nordic Battle Group effective 1

January 2008; nine other groups are to be formed; a rapid-reaction

naval EU Maritime Task Group was stood up in March 2007 (2007)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) defense is the responsibility of the UK

Faroe Islands

defense is the responsibility of Denmark

French Polynesia

defense is the responsibility of France

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

defense is the responsibility of

France

Georgia

a CIS peacekeeping force of Russian troops is deployed in

the Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a UN military observer

group; a Russian peacekeeping battalion is deployed in South Ossetia

Gibraltar

defense is the responsibility of the UK; the Royal

Gibraltar Regiment replaced the last British regular infantry forces

in 1992

Greenland

defense is the responsibility of Denmark

Guam

defense is the responsibility of the US

Guernsey

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

defense is the responsibility of

Australia; Australia conducts fisheries patrols

Holy See (Vatican City) defense is the responsibility of Italy; ceremonial and limited security duties performed by Pontifical Swiss Guard

Hong Kong

defense is the responsibility of China

Iceland

Iceland has no standing military force; under a 1951

bilateral agreement - still valid - its defense was provided by the

US-manned Icelandic Defense Force (IDF) headquartered at Keflavik;

however, all US military forces in Iceland were withdrawn as of

October 2006; although wartime defense of Iceland remains a NATO

commitment, in April 2007, Iceland and Norway signed a bilateral

agreement providing for Norwegian aerial surveillance and defense of

Icelandic airspace (2008)

Isle of Man

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Jan Mayen

defense is the responsibility of Norway

Jersey

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Kiribati

Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance

is provided by Australia and NZ

Laos

serving one of the world's least developed countries, the Lao

People's Armed Forces (LPAF) is small, poorly funded, and

ineffectively resourced; its mission focus is border and internal

security, primarily in countering ethnic Hmong insurgent groups;

together with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the

government, the Lao People's Army (LPA) is the third pillar of state

machinery, and as such is expected to suppress political and civil

unrest and similar national emergencies, but the LPA also has

upgraded skills to respond to avian influenza outbreaks; there is no

perceived external threat to the state and the LPA maintains strong

ties with the neighboring Vietnamese military (2008)

Lesotho

Lesotho's declared policy is maintenance of its independent

sovereignty and preservation of internal security; in practice,

external security is guaranteed by South Africa; restructuring of

the Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) and Ministry of Defense and Public

Service over the past five years has focused on subordinating the

defense apparatus to civilian control and restoring the LDF's

cohesion; the restructuring has considerably improved capabilities

and professionalism, but the LDF is disproportionately large for a

small, poor country; the government has outlined a reduction to a

planned 1,500-man strength, but these plans have met with vociferous

resistance from the political opposition and from inside the LDF

(2008)

Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein has no military forces, but is

interested in European security policy and is an active member of

the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

Macau

defense is the responsibility of China

Maldives

the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF), with its small

size and with little serviceable equipment, is inadequate to prevent

external aggression and is primarily tasked to reinforce the

Maldives Police Service (MPS) and ensure security in the exclusive

economic zone (2008)

Marshall Islands

defense is the responsibility of the US

Mayotte

defense is the responsibility of France; a small contingent

of French forces is stationed on the island

Micronesia, Federated States of

defense is the responsibility of the

US

Monaco

defense is the responsibility of France

Montenegro

Montenegrin plans call for the establishment of a fully

professional armed forces

Montserrat

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Nauru

Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal

agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia

Navassa Island

defense is the responsibility of the US

Netherlands Antilles defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

New Caledonia

defense is the responsibility of France

Niue

defense is the responsibility of New Zealand

Norfolk Island

defense is the responsibility of Australia

Northern Mariana Islands

defense is the responsibility of the US

Palau

defense is the responsibility of the US; under a Compact of

Free Association between Palau and the US, the US military is

granted access to the islands for 50 years, but it has not stationed

any military forces there (2008)

Panama

on 10 February 1990, the government of then President ENDARA

abolished Panama's military and reformed the security apparatus by

creating the Panamanian Public Forces; in October 1994, Panama's

Legislative Assembly approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting

the creation of a standing military force but allowing the temporary

establishment of special police units to counter acts of "external

aggression"

Paracel Islands

occupied by China

Pitcairn Islands

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Puerto Rico

defense is the responsibility of the US

Saint Barthelemy

defense is the responsibility of France

Saint Helena

defense is the responsibility of the UK

Saint Martin

defense is the responsibility of France

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

defense is the responsibility of France

Samoa

Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces;

informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required to consider

any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship

San Marino

defense is the responsibility of Italy

Sao Tome and Principe

Sao Tome and Principe's army is a tiny force

with almost no resources at its disposal and would be wholly

ineffective operating unilaterally; infantry equipment is considered

simple to operate and maintain but may require refurbishment or

replacement after 25 years in tropical climates; poor pay, working

conditions, and alleged nepotism in the promotion of officers have

been problems in the past, as reflected in the 1995 and 2003 coups;

these issues are being addressed with foreign assistance aimed at

improving the army and its focus on realistic security concerns;

command is exercised from the president, through the Minister of

Defense, to the Chief of the Armed Forces staff (2005)

South Africa

with the end of apartheid and the establishment of

majority rule, former military, black homelands forces, and

ex-opposition forces were integrated into the South African National

Defense Force (SANDF); as of 2003 the integration process was

considered complete

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

defense is the

responsibility of the UK

Spratly Islands

Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small

islands or reefs of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by

China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam

Svalbard

Svalbard is a territory of Norway, demilitarized by treaty

on 9 February 1920

Tokelau

defense is the responsibility of New Zealand

Turkey

a "National Security Policy Document" adopted in October 2005

increases the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) role in internal security,

augmenting the General Directorate of Security and Gendarmerie

General Command (Jandarma); the TSK leadership continues to play a

key role in politics and considers itself guardian of Turkey's

secular state; in April 2007, it warned the ruling party about any

pro-Islamic appointments; despite on-going negotiations on EU

accession since October 2005, progress has been limited in

establishing required civilian supremacy over the military; primary

domestic threats are listed as fundamentalism (with the definition

in some dispute with the civilian government), separatism (the

Kurdish problem), and the extreme left wing; Ankara strongly opposed

establishment of an autonomous Kurdish region; an overhaul of the

Turkish Land Forces Command (TLFC) taking place under the "Force

2014" program is to produce 20-30% smaller, more highly trained

forces characterized by greater mobility and firepower and capable

of joint and combined operations; the TLFC has taken on increasing

international peacekeeping responsibilities, and took charge of a

NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) command in

Afghanistan in April 2007; the Turkish Navy is a regional naval

power that wants to develop the capability to project power beyond

Turkey's coastal waters; the Navy is heavily involved in NATO,

multinational, and UN operations; its roles include control of

territorial waters and security for sea lines of communications; the

Turkish Air Force adopted an "Aerospace and Missile Defense Concept"

in 2002 and has initiated project work on an integrated missile

defense system; Air Force priorities include attaining a modern

deployable, survivable, and sustainable force structure, and

establishing a sustainable command and control system (2008)

Turks and Caicos Islands

defense is the responsibility of the UK

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges defense is the responsibility of the US

Virgin Islands

defense is the responsibility of the US

Wake Island

defense is the responsibility of the US; the US Air

Force is responsible for overall administration and operation of the

island; the launch support facility is administered by the US

Missile Defense Agency (MDA)

Wallis and Futuna

defense is the responsibility of France

Yemen

a Coast Guard was established in 2002

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2138 Communications - note

Afghanistan

Internet access is growing through Internet cafes as

well as public "telekiosks" in Kabul (2005)

Bouvet Island

automatic meteorological station

Coral Sea Islands there are automatic weather stations on many of the isles and reefs relaying data to the mainland

French Southern and Antarctic Lands one or more meteorological stations on each possession; note - meteorological station on Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses) is important for forecasting cyclones

Saint Helena

South Africa maintains a meteorological station on

Gough Island

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2140 Government - note

French Polynesia

under certain acts of France, French Polynesia has

acquired autonomy in all areas except those relating to police and

justice, monetary policy, tertiary education, immigration, and

defense and foreign affairs; the duties of its president are

fashioned after those of the French prime minister

Malawi

no party has a majority in the fractured legislature

New Zealand

while not an official symbol, the Kiwi, a small native

flightless bird, represents New Zealand

Solomon Islands

by the end of 2007, the Regional Assistance Mission

to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) - originally made up of police and

troops from Australia, NZ, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga - had

been scaled back to 303 police officers, 197 civilian technical

advisers, and 72 military advisers from 15 countries across the

region

Somalia

although an interim government was created in 2004, other

regional and local governing bodies continue to exist and control

various regions of the country, including the self-declared Republic

of Somaliland in northwestern Somalia and the semi-autonomous State

of Puntland in northeastern Somalia

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2142 Country name

Afghanistan

conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

conventional short form: Afghanistan

local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Afghanestan

local short form: Afghanestan

former: Republic of Afghanistan

Akrotiri

conventional long form: Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area

conventional short form: Akrotiri

Albania

conventional long form: Republic of Albania

conventional short form: Albania

local long form: Republika e Shqiperise

local short form: Shqiperia

former: People's Socialist Republic of Albania

Algeria

conventional long form: People's Democratic Republic of

Algeria

conventional short form: Algeria

local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash

Sha'biyah

local short form: Al Jaza'ir

American Samoa

conventional long form: Territory of American Samoa

conventional short form: American Samoa

abbreviation: AS

Andorra

conventional long form: Principality of Andorra

conventional short form: Andorra

local long form: Principat d'Andorra

local short form: Andorra

Angola

conventional long form: Republic of Angola

conventional short form: Angola

local long form: Republica de Angola

local short form: Angola

former: People's Republic of Angola

Anguilla

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Anguilla

Antarctica

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Antarctica

Antigua and Barbuda

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

conventional long form: Argentine Republic

conventional short form: Argentina

local long form: Republica Argentina

local short form: Argentina

Armenia

conventional long form: Republic of Armenia

conventional short form: Armenia

local long form: Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun

local short form: Hayastan

former: Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, Armenian Republic

Aruba

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Aruba

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

conventional long form: Territory of

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Australia

conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia

conventional short form: Australia

Austria

conventional long form: Republic of Austria

conventional short form: Austria

local long form: Republik Oesterreich

local short form: Oesterreich

Azerbaijan

conventional long form: Republic of Azerbaijan

conventional short form: Azerbaijan

local long form: Azarbaycan Respublikasi

local short form: Azarbaycan

former: Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic

Bahamas, The

conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas

conventional short form: The Bahamas

Bahrain

conventional long form: Kingdom of Bahrain

conventional short form: Bahrain

local long form: Mamlakat al Bahrayn

local short form: Al Bahrayn

former: Dilmun

Bangladesh

conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh

conventional short form: Bangladesh

local long form: Gana Prajatantri Banladesh

local short form: Banladesh

former: East Bengal, East Pakistan

Barbados

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Barbados

Belarus

conventional long form: Republic of Belarus

conventional short form: Belarus

local long form: Respublika Byelarus'

local short form: Byelarus'

former: Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic

Belgium

conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium

conventional short form: Belgium

local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie

local short form: Belgique/Belgie

Belize

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Belize

former: British Honduras

Benin

conventional long form: Republic of Benin

conventional short form: Benin

local long form: Republique du Benin

local short form: Benin

former: Dahomey

Bermuda

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Bermuda

former: Somers Islands

Bhutan

conventional long form: Kingdom of Bhutan

conventional short form: Bhutan

local long form: Druk Gyalkhap

local short form: Druk Yul

Bolivia

conventional long form: Republic of Bolivia

conventional short form: Bolivia

local long form: Republica de Bolivia

local short form: Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bosnia and Herzegovina local long form: none local short form: Bosna i Hercegovina former: People's Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

conventional long form: Republic of Botswana

conventional short form: Botswana

local long form: Republic of Botswana

local short form: Botswana

former: Bechuanaland

Bouvet Island

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Bouvet Island

Brazil

conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil

conventional short form: Brazil

local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil

local short form: Brasil

British Indian Ocean Territory

conventional long form: British

Indian Ocean Territory

conventional short form: none

abbreviation: BIOT

British Virgin Islands

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: British Virgin Islands

abbreviation: BVI

Brunei

conventional long form: Brunei Darussalam

conventional short form: Brunei

local long form: Negara Brunei Darussalam

local short form: Brunei

Bulgaria

conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria

conventional short form: Bulgaria

local long form: Republika Balgariya

local short form: Balgariya

Burkina Faso

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Burkina Faso

local long form: none

local short form: Burkina Faso

former: Upper Volta, Republic of Upper Volta

Burma

conventional long form: Union of Burma

conventional short form: Burma

local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the

US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of

Myanmar)

local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw

former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma

note: since 1989 the military authorities in Burma have promoted the

name Myanmar as a conventional name for their state; this decision

was not approved by any sitting legislature in Burma, and the US

Government did not adopt the name, which is a derivative of the

Burmese short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw

Burundi

conventional long form: Republic of Burundi

conventional short form: Burundi

local long form: Republique du Burundi/Republika y'u Burundi

local short form: Burundi

former: Urundi

Cambodia

conventional long form: Kingdom of Cambodia

conventional short form: Cambodia

local long form: Preahreacheanachakr Kampuchea (phonetic

pronunciation)

local short form: Kampuchea

former: Khmer Republic, Democratic Kampuchea, People's Republic of

Kampuchea, State of Cambodia

Cameroon

conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon

conventional short form: Cameroon

local long form: Republique du Cameroun/Republic of Cameroon

local short form: Cameroun/Cameroon

former: French Cameroon, British Cameroon, Federal Republic of

Cameroon, United Republic of Cameroon

Canada

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Canada

Cape Verde

conventional long form: Republic of Cape Verde

conventional short form: Cape Verde

local long form: Republica de Cabo Verde

local short form: Cabo Verde

Cayman Islands

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Cayman Islands

Central African Republic

conventional long form: Central African

Republic

conventional short form: none

local long form: Republique Centrafricaine

local short form: none

former: Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire

abbreviation: CAR

Chad

conventional long form: Republic of Chad

conventional short form: Chad

local long form: Republique du Tchad/Jumhuriyat Tshad

local short form: Tchad/Tshad

Chile

conventional long form: Republic of Chile

conventional short form: Chile

local long form: Republica de Chile

local short form: Chile

China

conventional long form: People's Republic of China

conventional short form: China

local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo

local short form: Zhongguo

abbreviation: PRC

Christmas Island

conventional long form: Territory of Christmas

Island

conventional short form: Christmas Island

Clipperton Island conventional long form: none conventional short form: Clipperton Island local long form: none local short form: Ile Clipperton former: sometimes called Ile de la Passion

Cocos (Keeling) Islands conventional long form: Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands conventional short form: Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Colombia

conventional long form: Republic of Colombia

conventional short form: Colombia

local long form: Republica de Colombia

local short form: Colombia

Comoros

conventional long form: Union of the Comoros

conventional short form: Comoros

local long form: Union des Comores

local short form: Comores

Congo, Democratic Republic of the conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo conventional short form: none local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo local short form: none former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire abbreviation: DRC

Congo, Republic of the conventional long form: Republic of the Congo conventional short form: Congo (Brazzaville) local long form: Republique du Congo local short form: none former: Middle Congo, Congo/Brazzaville, Congo

Cook Islands

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Cook Islands

former: Harvey Islands

Coral Sea Islands

conventional long form: Coral Sea Islands Territory

conventional short form: Coral Sea Islands

Costa Rica

conventional long form: Republic of Costa Rica

conventional short form: Costa Rica

local long form: Republica de Costa Rica

local short form: Costa Rica

Cote d'Ivoire

conventional long form: Republic of Cote d'Ivoire

conventional short form: Cote d'Ivoire

local long form: Republique de Cote d'Ivoire

local short form: Cote d'Ivoire

note: pronounced coat-div-whar

former: Ivory Coast

Croatia

conventional long form: Republic of Croatia

conventional short form: Croatia

local long form: Republika Hrvatska

local short form: Hrvatska

former: People's Republic of Croatia, Socialist Republic of Croatia

Cuba

conventional long form: Republic of Cuba

conventional short form: Cuba

local long form: Republica de Cuba

local short form: Cuba

Cyprus

conventional long form: Republic of Cyprus

conventional short form: Cyprus

local long form: Kypriaki Dimokratia/Kibris Cumhuriyeti

local short form: Kypros/Kibris

note: the Turkish Cypriot community, which administers the northern

part of the island, refers to itself as the "Turkish Republic of

Northern Cyprus" (TRNC)

Czech Republic

conventional long form: Czech Republic

conventional short form: Czech Republic

local long form: Ceska Republika

local short form: Cesko

Denmark

conventional long form: Kingdom of Denmark

conventional short form: Denmark

local long form: Kongeriget Danmark

local short form: Danmark

Dhekelia

conventional long form: Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area

conventional short form: Dhekelia

Djibouti

conventional long form: Republic of Djibouti

conventional short form: Djibouti

local long form: Republique de Djibouti/Jumhuriyat Jibuti

local short form: Djibouti/Jibuti

former: French Territory of the Afars and Issas, French Somaliland

Dominica

conventional long form: Commonwealth of Dominica

conventional short form: Dominica

Dominican Republic

conventional long form: Dominican Republic

conventional short form: The Dominican

local long form: Republica Dominicana

local short form: La Dominicana

Ecuador

conventional long form: Republic of Ecuador

conventional short form: Ecuador

local long form: Republica del Ecuador

local short form: Ecuador

Egypt

conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt

conventional short form: Egypt

local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah

local short form: Misr

former: United Arab Republic (with Syria)

El Salvador

conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador

conventional short form: El Salvador

local long form: Republica de El Salvador

local short form: El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial

Guinea

conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea

local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial/Republique de Guinee

equatoriale

local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial/Guinee equatoriale

former: Spanish Guinea

Eritrea

conventional long form: State of Eritrea

conventional short form: Eritrea

local long form: Hagere Ertra

local short form: Ertra

former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia

Estonia

conventional long form: Republic of Estonia

conventional short form: Estonia

local long form: Eesti Vabariik

local short form: Eesti

former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic

Ethiopia

conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of

Ethiopia

conventional short form: Ethiopia

local long form: Ityop'iya Federalawi Demokrasiyawi Ripeblik

local short form: Ityop'iya

former: Abyssinia, Italian East Africa

abbreviation: FDRE

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Faroe Islands

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Faroe Islands

local long form: none

local short form: Foroyar

Fiji

conventional long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands

conventional short form: Fiji

local long form: Republic of the Fiji Islands/Matanitu ko Viti

local short form: Fiji/Viti

Finland

conventional long form: Republic of Finland

conventional short form: Finland

local long form: Suomen tasavalta/Republiken Finland

local short form: Suomi/Finland

France

conventional long form: French Republic

conventional short form: France

local long form: Republique francaise

local short form: France

French Polynesia

conventional long form: Overseas Lands of French

Polynesia

conventional short form: French Polynesia

local long form: Pays d'outre-mer de la Polynesie Francaise

local short form: Polynesie Francaise

former: French Colony of Oceania

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

conventional long form:

Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands

conventional short form: French Southern and Antarctic Lands

local long form: Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques

Francaises

local short form: Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises

abbreviation: TAAF

Gabon

conventional long form: Gabonese Republic

conventional short form: Gabon

local long form: Republique gabonaise

local short form: Gabon

Gambia, The

conventional long form: Republic of The Gambia

conventional short form: The Gambia

Gaza Strip

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Gaza Strip

local long form: none

local short form: Qita Ghazzah

Georgia

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Georgia

local long form: none

local short form: Sak'art'velo

former: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic

Germany

conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany

conventional short form: Germany

local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland

local short form: Deutschland

former: German Empire, German Republic, German Reich

Ghana

conventional long form: Republic of Ghana

conventional short form: Ghana

former: Gold Coast

Gibraltar

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Gibraltar

Greece

conventional long form: Hellenic Republic

conventional short form: Greece

local long form: Elliniki Dhimokratia

local short form: Ellas or Ellada

former: Kingdom of Greece

Greenland

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Greenland

local long form: none

local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat

Grenada

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Grenada

Guam

conventional long form: Territory of Guam

conventional short form: Guam

local long form: Guahan

local short form: Guahan

Guatemala

conventional long form: Republic of Guatemala

conventional short form: Guatemala

local long form: Republica de Guatemala

local short form: Guatemala

Guernsey

conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey

conventional short form: Guernsey

Guinea

conventional long form: Republic of Guinea

conventional short form: Guinea

local long form: Republique de Guinee

local short form: Guinee

former: French Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau

conventional short form: Guinea-Bissau

local long form: Republica da Guine-Bissau

local short form: Guine-Bissau

former: Portuguese Guinea

Guyana

conventional long form: Cooperative Republic of Guyana

conventional short form: Guyana

former: British Guiana

Haiti

conventional long form: Republic of Haiti

conventional short form: Haiti

local long form: Republique d'Haiti/Repiblik d' Ayiti

local short form: Haiti/Ayiti

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

conventional long form: Territory

of Heard Island and McDonald Islands

conventional short form: Heard Island and McDonald Islands

abbreviation: HIMI

Holy See (Vatican City) conventional long form: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City) conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City) local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano) local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)

Honduras

conventional long form: Republic of Honduras

conventional short form: Honduras

local long form: Republica de Honduras

local short form: Honduras

Hong Kong

conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative

Region

conventional short form: Hong Kong

local long form: Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu

local short form: Xianggang

abbreviation: HK

Hungary

conventional long form: Republic of Hungary

conventional short form: Hungary

local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag

local short form: Magyarorszag

Iceland

conventional long form: Republic of Iceland

conventional short form: Iceland

local long form: Lydveldid Island

local short form: Island

India

conventional long form: Republic of India

conventional short form: India

local long form: Republic of India/Bharatiya Ganarajya

local short form: India/Bharat

Indonesia

conventional long form: Republic of Indonesia

conventional short form: Indonesia

local long form: Republik Indonesia

local short form: Indonesia

former: Netherlands East Indies, Dutch East Indies

Iran

conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Iran

conventional short form: Iran

local long form: Jomhuri-ye Eslami-ye Iran

local short form: Iran

former: Persia

Iraq

conventional long form: Republic of Iraq

conventional short form: Iraq

local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al-Iraqiyah

local short form: Al Iraq

Ireland

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Ireland

local long form: none

local short form: Eire

Isle of Man

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Isle of Man

abbreviation: I.O.M.

Israel

conventional long form: State of Israel

conventional short form: Israel

local long form: Medinat Yisra'el

local short form: Yisra'el

Italy

conventional long form: Italian Republic

conventional short form: Italy

local long form: Repubblica Italiana

local short form: Italia

former: Kingdom of Italy

Jamaica

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Jamaica

Jan Mayen

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Jan Mayen

Japan

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Japan

local long form: Nihon-koku/Nippon-koku

local short form: Nihon/Nippon

Jersey

conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey

conventional short form: Jersey

Jordan

conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

conventional short form: Jordan

local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah

local short form: Al Urdun

former: Transjordan

Kazakhstan

conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan

conventional short form: Kazakhstan

local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy

local short form: Qazaqstan

former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic

Kenya

conventional long form: Republic of Kenya

conventional short form: Kenya

local long form: Republic of Kenya/Jamhuri ya Kenya

local short form: Kenya

former: British East Africa

Kiribati

conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati

conventional short form: Kiribati

local long form: Republic of Kiribati

local short form: Kiribati

note: pronounced keer-ree-bahss

former: Gilbert Islands

Korea, North

conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of

Korea

conventional short form: North Korea

local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk

local short form: Choson

abbreviation: DPRK

Korea, South

conventional long form: Republic of Korea

conventional short form: South Korea

local long form: Taehan-min'guk

local short form: Han'guk

abbreviation: ROK

Kosovo

conventional long form: Republic of Kosovo

conventional short form: Kosovo

local long form: Republika e Kosoves (Republika Kosova)

local short form: Kosova (Kosovo)

former: Kosovo and Metohija Autonomous Province

Kuwait

conventional long form: State of Kuwait

conventional short form: Kuwait

local long form: Dawlat al Kuwayt

local short form: Al Kuwayt

Kyrgyzstan

conventional long form: Kyrgyz Republic

conventional short form: Kyrgyzstan

local long form: Kyrgyz Respublikasy

local short form: Kyrgyzstan

former: Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic

Laos

conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic

conventional short form: Laos

local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao

local short form: none

Latvia

conventional long form: Republic of Latvia

conventional short form: Latvia

local long form: Latvijas Republika

local short form: Latvija

former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic

Lebanon

conventional long form: Lebanese Republic

conventional short form: Lebanon

local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah

local short form: Lubnan

former: Greater Lebanon

Lesotho

conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho

conventional short form: Lesotho

local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho

local short form: Lesotho

former: Basutoland

Liberia

conventional long form: Republic of Liberia

conventional short form: Liberia

Libya

conventional long form: Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab

Jamahiriya

conventional short form: Libya

local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah

al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma

local short form: none

Liechtenstein

conventional long form: Principality of Liechtenstein

conventional short form: Liechtenstein

local long form: Fuerstentum Liechtenstein

local short form: Liechtenstein

Lithuania

conventional long form: Republic of Lithuania

conventional short form: Lithuania

local long form: Lietuvos Respublika

local short form: Lietuva

former: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic

Luxembourg

conventional long form: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

conventional short form: Luxembourg

local long form: Grand Duche de Luxembourg

local short form: Luxembourg

Macau

conventional long form: Macau Special Administrative Region

conventional short form: Macau

local long form: Aomen Tebie Xingzhengqu (Chinese); Regiao

Administrativa Especial de Macau (Portuguese)

local short form: Aomen (Chinese); Macau (Portuguese)

Macedonia

conventional long form: Republic of Macedonia

conventional short form: Macedonia

local long form: Republika Makedonija

local short form: Makedonija

note: the provisional designation used by the UN, EU, and NATO is

the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)

former: People's Republic of Macedonia, Socialist Republic of

Macedonia

Madagascar

conventional long form: Republic of Madagascar

conventional short form: Madagascar

local long form: Republique de Madagascar/Repoblikan'i Madagasikara

local short form: Madagascar/Madagasikara

former: Malagasy Republic

Malawi

conventional long form: Republic of Malawi

conventional short form: Malawi

local long form: Dziko la Malawi

local short form: Malawi

former: British Central African Protectorate, Nyasaland

Protectorate, Nyasaland

Malaysia

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Malaysia

local long form: none

local short form: Malaysia

former: Federation of Malaya

Maldives

conventional long form: Republic of Maldives

conventional short form: Maldives

local long form: Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa

local short form: Dhivehi Raajje

Mali

conventional long form: Republic of Mali

conventional short form: Mali

local long form: Republique de Mali

local short form: Mali

former: French Sudan and Sudanese Republic

Malta

conventional long form: Republic of Malta

conventional short form: Malta

local long form: Repubblika ta' Malta

local short form: Malta

Marshall Islands

conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall

Islands

conventional short form: Marshall Islands

local long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands

local short form: Marshall Islands

abbreviation: RMI

former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Marshall Islands

District

Mauritania

conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Mauritania

conventional short form: Mauritania

local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Islamiyah al Muritaniyah

local short form: Muritaniyah

Mauritius

conventional long form: Republic of Mauritius

conventional short form: Mauritius

local long form: Republic of Mauritius

local short form: Mauritius

Mayotte

conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte

conventional short form: Mayotte

Mexico

conventional long form: United Mexican States

conventional short form: Mexico

local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos

local short form: Mexico

Micronesia, Federated States of

conventional long form: Federated

States of Micronesia

conventional short form: none

local long form: Federated States of Micronesia

local short form: none

former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Ponape, Truk, and

Yap Districts

abbreviation: FSM

Moldova

conventional long form: Republic of Moldova

conventional short form: Moldova

local long form: Republica Moldova

local short form: Moldova

former: Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, Moldovan Soviet

Socialist Republic

Monaco

conventional long form: Principality of Monaco

conventional short form: Monaco

local long form: Principaute de Monaco

local short form: Monaco

Mongolia

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Mongolia

local long form: none

local short form: Mongol Uls

former: Outer Mongolia

Montenegro

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Montenegro

local long form: none

local short form: Crna Gora

former: People's Republic of Montenegro, Socialist Republic of

Montenegro, Republic of Montenegro

Montserrat

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Montserrat

Morocco

conventional long form: Kingdom of Morocco

conventional short form: Morocco

local long form: Al Mamlakah al Maghribiyah

local short form: Al Maghrib

Mozambique

conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique

conventional short form: Mozambique

local long form: Republica de Mocambique

local short form: Mocambique

former: Portuguese East Africa

Namibia

conventional long form: Republic of Namibia

conventional short form: Namibia

local long form: Republic of Namibia

local short form: Namibia

former: German Southwest Africa, South-West Africa

Nauru

conventional long form: Republic of Nauru

conventional short form: Nauru

local long form: Republic of Nauru

local short form: Nauru

former: Pleasant Island

Navassa Island

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Navassa Island

Nepal

conventional long form: Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal

conventional short form: Nepal

local long form: Sanghiya Loktantrik Ganatantra Nepal

local short form: Nepal

Netherlands

conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands

conventional short form: Netherlands

local long form: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden

local short form: Nederland

Netherlands Antilles

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles

local long form: none

local short form: Nederlandse Antillen

former: Curacao and Dependencies

New Caledonia

conventional long form: Territory of New Caledonia and

Dependencies

conventional short form: New Caledonia

local long form: Territoire des Nouvelle-Caledonie et Dependances

local short form: Nouvelle-Caledonie

New Zealand

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: New Zealand

abbreviation: NZ

Nicaragua

conventional long form: Republic of Nicaragua

conventional short form: Nicaragua

local long form: Republica de Nicaragua

local short form: Nicaragua

Niger

conventional long form: Republic of Niger

conventional short form: Niger

local long form: Republique du Niger

local short form: Niger

Nigeria

conventional long form: Federal Republic of Nigeria

conventional short form: Nigeria

Niue

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Niue

note: pronounciation falls between nyu-way and new-way, but not like

new-wee

former: Savage Island

Norfolk Island

conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island

conventional short form: Norfolk Island

Northern Mariana Islands conventional long form: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands conventional short form: Northern Mariana Islands abbreviation: CNMI former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Mariana Islands District

Norway

conventional long form: Kingdom of Norway

conventional short form: Norway

local long form: Kongeriket Norge

local short form: Norge

Oman

conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman

conventional short form: Oman

local long form: Saltanat Uman

local short form: Uman

former: Muscat and Oman

Pakistan

conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Pakistan

conventional short form: Pakistan

local long form: Jamhuryat Islami Pakistan

local short form: Pakistan

former: West Pakistan

Palau

conventional long form: Republic of Palau

conventional short form: Palau

local long form: Beluu er a Belau

local short form: Belau

former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Palau District

Panama

conventional long form: Republic of Panama

conventional short form: Panama

local long form: Republica de Panama

local short form: Panama

Papua New Guinea

conventional long form: Independent State of Papua

New Guinea

conventional short form: Papua New Guinea

local short form: Papuaniugini

former: Territory of Papua and New Guinea

abbreviation: PNG

Paracel Islands

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Paracel Islands

Paraguay

conventional long form: Republic of Paraguay

conventional short form: Paraguay

local long form: Republica del Paraguay

local short form: Paraguay

Peru

conventional long form: Republic of Peru

conventional short form: Peru

local long form: Republica del Peru

local short form: Peru

Philippines

conventional long form: Republic of the Philippines

conventional short form: Philippines

local long form: Republika ng Pilipinas

local short form: Pilipinas

Pitcairn Islands

conventional long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie,

and Oeno Islands

conventional short form: Pitcairn Islands

Poland

conventional long form: Republic of Poland

conventional short form: Poland

local long form: Rzeczpospolita Polska

local short form: Polska

Portugal

conventional long form: Portuguese Republic

conventional short form: Portugal

local long form: Republica Portuguesa

local short form: Portugal

Puerto Rico

conventional long form: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

conventional short form: Puerto Rico

Qatar

conventional long form: State of Qatar

conventional short form: Qatar

local long form: Dawlat Qatar

local short form: Qatar

note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation falls

between cutter and gutter, but not like guitar

Romania

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Romania

local long form: none

local short form: Romania

Russia

conventional long form: Russian Federation

conventional short form: Russia

local long form: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya

local short form: Rossiya

former: Russian Empire, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic

Rwanda

conventional long form: Republic of Rwanda

conventional short form: Rwanda

local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda

local short form: Rwanda

former: Ruanda, German East Africa

Saint Barthelemy

conventional long form: Overseas Collectivity of

Saint Barthelemy

conventional short form: Saint Barthelemy

local long form: Collectivite d'outre mer de Saint-Barthelemy

local short form: Saint-Barthelemy

Saint Helena conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Helena

Saint Kitts and Nevis conventional long form: Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis conventional short form: Saint Kitts and Nevis former: Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis

Saint Lucia conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Lucia

Saint Martin

conventional long form: Overseas Collectivity of Saint

Martin

conventional short form: Saint Martin

local long form: Collectivity d'outre mer de Saint-Martin

local short form: Saint-Martin

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

conventional long form: Territorial

Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon

conventional short form: Saint Pierre and Miquelon

local long form: Departement de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon

local short form: Saint-Pierre et Miquelon

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

conventional long form: Independent State of Samoa

conventional short form: Samoa

local long form: Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa

local short form: Samoa

former: Western Samoa

San Marino

conventional long form: Republic of San Marino

conventional short form: San Marino

local long form: Repubblica di San Marino

local short form: San Marino

Sao Tome and Principe conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe conventional short form: Sao Tome and Principe local long form: Republica Democratica de Sao Tome e Principe local short form: Sao Tome e Principe

Saudi Arabia

conventional long form: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

conventional short form: Saudi Arabia

local long form: Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah

local short form: Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah

Senegal

conventional long form: Republic of Senegal

conventional short form: Senegal

local long form: Republique du Senegal

local short form: Senegal

former: Senegambia (along with The Gambia), Mali Federation

Serbia

conventional long form: Republic of Serbia

conventional short form: Serbia

local long form: Republika Srbija

local short form: Srbija

former: People's Republic of Serbia, Socialist Republic of Serbia

Seychelles

conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles

conventional short form: Seychelles

local long form: Republic of Seychelles

local short form: Seychelles

Sierra Leone

conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone

conventional short form: Sierra Leone

local long form: Republic of Sierra Leone

local short form: Sierra Leone

Singapore

conventional long form: Republic of Singapore

conventional short form: Singapore

local long form: Republic of Singapore

local short form: Singapore

Slovakia

conventional long form: Slovak Republic

conventional short form: Slovakia

local long form: Slovenska Republika

local short form: Slovensko

Slovenia

conventional long form: Republic of Slovenia

conventional short form: Slovenia

local long form: Republika Slovenija

local short form: Slovenija

former: People's Republic of Slovenia, Socialist Republic of Slovenia

Solomon Islands

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Solomon Islands

local long form: none

local short form: Solomon Islands

former: British Solomon Islands

Somalia

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Somalia

local long form: Jamhuuriyada Demuqraadiga Soomaaliyeed

local short form: Soomaaliya

former: Somali Republic, Somali Democratic Republic

South Africa

conventional long form: Republic of South Africa

conventional short form: South Africa

former: Union of South Africa

abbreviation: RSA

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

conventional long form:

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

conventional short form: none

abbreviation: SGSSI

Spain

conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain

conventional short form: Spain

local long form: Reino de Espana

local short form: Espana

Spratly Islands

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Spratly Islands

Sri Lanka

conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of

Sri Lanka

conventional short form: Sri Lanka

local long form: Shri Lamka Prajatantrika Samajaya di

Janarajaya/Ilankai Jananayaka Choshalichak Kutiyarachu

local short form: Shri Lamka/Ilankai

former: Serendib, Ceylon

Sudan

conventional long form: Republic of the Sudan

conventional short form: Sudan

local long form: Jumhuriyat as-Sudan

local short form: As-Sudan

former: Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

Suriname

conventional long form: Republic of Suriname

conventional short form: Suriname

local long form: Republiek Suriname

local short form: Suriname

former: Netherlands Guiana, Dutch Guiana

Svalbard

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Svalbard (sometimes referred to as

Spitzbergen)

Swaziland

conventional long form: Kingdom of Swaziland

conventional short form: Swaziland

local long form: Umbuso weSwatini

local short form: eSwatini

Sweden

conventional long form: Kingdom of Sweden

conventional short form: Sweden

local long form: Konungariket Sverige

local short form: Sverige

Switzerland

conventional long form: Swiss Confederation

conventional short form: Switzerland

local long form: Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German);

Confederation Suisse (French); Confederazione Svizzera (Italian);

Confederaziun Svizra (Romansh)

local short form: Schweiz (German); Suisse (French); Svizzera

(Italian); Svizra (Romansh)

Syria

conventional long form: Syrian Arab Republic

conventional short form: Syria

local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah

local short form: Suriyah

former: United Arab Republic (with Egypt)

Taiwan

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Taiwan

local long form: none

local short form: T'ai-wan

former: Formosa

Tajikistan

conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistan

conventional short form: Tajikistan

local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston

local short form: Tojikiston

former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic

Tanzania

conventional long form: United Republic of Tanzania

conventional short form: Tanzania

local long form: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania

local short form: Tanzania

former: United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar

Thailand

conventional long form: Kingdom of Thailand

conventional short form: Thailand

local long form: Ratcha Anachak Thai

local short form: Prathet Thai

former: Siam

Timor-Leste

conventional long form: Democratic Republic of

Timor-Leste

conventional short form: Timor-Leste

local long form: Republika Demokratika Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum];

Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste [Portuguese]

local short form: Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Timor-Leste [Portuguese]

former: East Timor, Portuguese Timor

Togo

conventional long form: Togolese Republic

conventional short form: Togo

local long form: Republique togolaise

local short form: none

former: French Togoland

Tokelau

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Tokelau

Tonga

conventional long form: Kingdom of Tonga

conventional short form: Tonga

local long form: Pule'anga Tonga

local short form: Tonga

former: Friendly Islands

Trinidad and Tobago

conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and

Tobago

conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

conventional long form: Tunisian Republic

conventional short form: Tunisia

local long form: Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah

local short form: Tunis

Turkey

conventional long form: Republic of Turkey

conventional short form: Turkey

local long form: Turkiye Cumhuriyeti

local short form: Turkiye

Turkmenistan

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Turkmenistan

local long form: none

local short form: Turkmenistan

former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic

Turks and Caicos Islands

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands

abbreviation: TCI

Tuvalu

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Tuvalu

local long form: none

local short form: Tuvalu

former: Ellice Islands

note: "Tuvalu" means "group of eight," referring to the country's

eight traditionally inhabited islands

Uganda

conventional long form: Republic of Uganda

conventional short form: Uganda

Ukraine

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Ukraine

local long form: none

local short form: Ukrayina

former: Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian

Soviet Socialist Republic

United Arab Emirates

conventional long form: United Arab Emirates

conventional short form: none

local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah

local short form: none

former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States

abbreviation: UAE

United Kingdom

conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great

Britain and Northern Ireland; note - Great Britain includes England,

Scotland, and Wales

conventional short form: United Kingdom

abbreviation: UK

United States

conventional long form: United States of America

conventional short form: United States

abbreviation: US or USA

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

conventional long

form: none

conventional short form: Baker Island; Howland Island; Jarvis

Island; Johnston Atoll; Kingman Reef; Midway Islands; Palmyra Atoll

Uruguay

conventional long form: Oriental Republic of Uruguay

conventional short form: Uruguay

local long form: Republica Oriental del Uruguay

local short form: Uruguay

former: Banda Oriental, Cisplatine Province

Uzbekistan

conventional long form: Republic of Uzbekistan

conventional short form: Uzbekistan

local long form: Ozbekiston Respublikasi

local short form: Ozbekiston

former: Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic

Vanuatu

conventional long form: Republic of Vanuatu

conventional short form: Vanuatu

local long form: Ripablik blong Vanuatu

local short form: Vanuatu

former: New Hebrides

Venezuela

conventional long form: Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

conventional short form: Venezuela

local long form: Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela

local short form: Venezuela

Vietnam

conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam

conventional short form: Vietnam

local long form: Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam

local short form: Viet Nam

abbreviation: SRV

Virgin Islands

conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands

conventional short form: Virgin Islands

former: Danish West Indies

abbreviation: USVI

Wake Island

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Wake Island

Wallis and Futuna

conventional long form: Territory of the Wallis

and Futuna Islands

conventional short form: Wallis and Futuna

local long form: Territoire des Iles Wallis et Futuna

local short form: Wallis et Futuna

West Bank

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: West Bank

Western Sahara

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Western Sahara

former: Spanish Sahara

Yemen

conventional long form: Republic of Yemen

conventional short form: Yemen

local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah

local short form: Al Yaman

former: Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and

People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]

Zambia

conventional long form: Republic of Zambia

conventional short form: Zambia

former: Northern Rhodesia

Zimbabwe

conventional long form: Republic of Zimbabwe

conventional short form: Zimbabwe

former: Southern Rhodesia, Rhodesia

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2144 Location

Afghanistan

Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran

Akrotiri

Eastern Mediterranean, peninsula on the southwest coast of

Cyprus

Albania

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian

Sea, between Greece in the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the

north

Algeria

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between

Morocco and Tunisia

American Samoa

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean,

about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand

Andorra

Southwestern Europe, between France and Spain

Angola

Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between

Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Anguilla

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North

Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico

Antarctica

continent mostly south of the Antarctic Circle

Antigua and Barbuda

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and

the North Atlantic Ocean, east-southeast of Puerto Rico

Arctic Ocean

body of water between Europe, Asia, and North America,

mostly north of the Arctic Circle

Argentina

Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic

Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay

Armenia

Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey

Aruba

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian

Ocean, midway between northwestern Australia and Timor island

Atlantic Ocean

body of water between Africa, Europe, the Southern

Ocean, and the Western Hemisphere

Australia

Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South

Pacific Ocean

Austria

Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia

Azerbaijan

Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between

Iran and Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus

range

Bahamas, The

Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic

Ocean, southeast of Florida, northeast of Cuba

Bahrain

Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi

Arabia

Bangladesh

Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma

and India

Barbados

Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of

Venezuela

Belarus

Eastern Europe, east of Poland

Belgium

Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and

the Netherlands

Belize

Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between

Guatemala and Mexico

Benin

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria

and Togo

Bermuda

North America, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean,

east of South Carolina (US)

Bhutan

Southern Asia, between China and India

Bolivia

Central South America, southwest of Brazil

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic

Sea and Croatia

Botswana

Southern Africa, north of South Africa

Bouvet Island

island in the South Atlantic Ocean, southwest of the

Cape of Good Hope (South Africa)

Brazil

Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean

British Indian Ocean Territory

archipelago in the Indian Ocean,

south of India, about halfway between Africa and Indonesia

British Virgin Islands

Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the

North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico

Brunei

Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia

Bulgaria

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between

Romania and Turkey

Burkina Faso

Western Africa, north of Ghana

Burma

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of

Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand

Burundi

Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Cambodia

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between

Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos

Cameroon

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between

Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria

Canada

Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on

the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on

the north, north of the conterminous US

Cape Verde

Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic

Ocean, west of Senegal

Cayman Islands

Caribbean, three-island group (Grand Cayman, Cayman

Brac, Little Cayman) in Caribbean Sea, 240 km south of Cuba and 268

km northwest of Jamaica

Central African Republic

Central Africa, north of Democratic

Republic of the Congo

Chad

Central Africa, south of Libya

Chile

Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean,

between Argentina and Peru

China

Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow

Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam

Christmas Island

Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean,

south of Indonesia

Clipperton Island

Middle America, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean,

1,120 km southwest of Mexico

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the

Indian Ocean, southwest of Indonesia, about halfway from Australia

to Sri Lanka

Colombia

Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea,

between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean,

between Ecuador and Panama

Comoros

Southern Africa, group of islands at the northern mouth of

the Mozambique Channel, about two-thirds of the way between northern

Madagascar and northern Mozambique

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Central Africa, northeast of Angola

Congo, Republic of the

Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic

Ocean, between Angola and Gabon

Cook Islands

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean,

about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand

Coral Sea Islands

Oceania, islands in the Coral Sea, northeast of

Australia

Costa Rica

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the

North Pacific Ocean, between Nicaragua and Panama

Cote d'Ivoire

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,

between Ghana and Liberia

Croatia

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between

Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia

Cuba

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North

Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida

Cyprus

Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey

Czech Republic

Central Europe, southeast of Germany

Denmark

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea,

on a peninsula north of Germany (Jutland); also includes two major

islands (Sjaelland and Fyn)

Dhekelia

Eastern Mediterranean, on the southeast coast of Cyprus

near Famagusta

Djibouti

Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea,

between Eritrea and Somalia

Dominica

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North

Atlantic Ocean, about half way between Puerto Rico and Trinidad and

Tobago

Dominican Republic

Caribbean, eastern two-thirds of the island of

Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean,

east of Haiti

Ecuador

Western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the

Equator, between Colombia and Peru

Egypt

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between

Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and

includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula

El Salvador

Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean,

between Guatemala and Honduras

Equatorial Guinea

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra,

between Cameroon and Gabon

Eritrea

Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and

Sudan

Estonia

Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of

Finland, between Latvia and Russia

Ethiopia

Eastern Africa, west of Somalia

European Union

Europe between the North Atlantic Ocean in the west

and Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine to the east

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

Southern South America, islands in

the South Atlantic Ocean, east of southern Argentina

Faroe Islands

Northern Europe, island group between the Norwegian

Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about half way between Iceland and

Norway

Fiji

Oceania, island group in the South Pacific Ocean, about

two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Finland

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia,

and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia

France

metropolitan France: Western Europe, bordering the Bay of

Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain, southeast of

the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain

French Guiana: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic

Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname

Guadeloupe: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the

North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Puerto Rico

Martinique: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North

Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Reunion: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of

Madagascar

French Polynesia

Oceania, archipelagoes in the South Pacific Ocean

about half way between South America and Australia

French Southern and Antarctic Lands southeast and east of Africa, islands in the southern Indian Ocean, some near Madagascar and others about equidistant between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia; note - French Southern and Antarctic Lands include Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Crozet, Iles Kerguelen, Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island in the southern Indian Ocean, along with the French-claimed sector of Antarctica, "Adelie Land"; the US does not recognize the French claim to "Adelie Land"

Gabon

Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator,

between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea

Gambia, The

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and

Senegal

Gaza Strip

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between

Egypt and Israel

Georgia

Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey

and Russia

Germany

Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea,

between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark

Ghana

Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote

d'Ivoire and Togo

Gibraltar

Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar,

which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on

the southern coast of Spain

Greece

Southern Europe, bordering the Aegean Sea, Ionian Sea, and

the Mediterranean Sea, between Albania and Turkey

Greenland

Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean

and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada

Grenada

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic

Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Guam

Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about

three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines

Guatemala

Central America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean,

between El Salvador and Mexico, and bordering the Gulf of Honduras

(Caribbean Sea) between Honduras and Belize

Guernsey

Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest

of France

Guinea

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between

Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone

Guinea-Bissau

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,

between Guinea and Senegal

Guyana

Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,

between Suriname and Venezuela

Haiti

Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola,

between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the

Dominican Republic

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

islands in the Indian Ocean, about

two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica

Holy See (Vatican City)

Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy)

Honduras

Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between

Guatemala and Nicaragua and bordering the Gulf of Fonseca (North

Pacific Ocean), between El Salvador and Nicaragua

Hong Kong

Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Hungary

Central Europe, northwest of Romania

Iceland

Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the

North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK

India

Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of

Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan

Indian Ocean

body of water between Africa, the Southern Ocean, Asia,

and Australia

Indonesia

Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean

and the Pacific Ocean

Iran

Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf, and

the Caspian Sea, between Iraq and Pakistan

Iraq

Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait

Ireland

Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of

Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain

Isle of Man

Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great

Britain and Ireland

Israel

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt

and Lebanon

Italy

Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central

Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia

Jamaica

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Jan Mayen

Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the

Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland

Japan

Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and

the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula

Jersey

Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of

France

Jordan

Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia

Kazakhstan

Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of

the Ural River in eastern-most Europe

Kenya

Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia

and Tanzania

Kiribati

Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in the Pacific Ocean,

straddling the Equator; the capital Tarawa is about half way between

Hawaii and Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed

that all of its territory lies in the same time zone as its Gilbert

Islands group (UTC +12) even though the Phoenix Islands and the Line

Islands under its jurisdiction lie on the other side of the

International Date Line

Korea, North

Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula

bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and

South Korea

Korea, South

Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula

bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea

Kosovo

Southeast Europe, between Serbia and Macedonia

Kuwait

Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and

Saudi Arabia

Kyrgyzstan

Central Asia, west of China

Laos

Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam

Latvia

Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and

Lithuania

Lebanon

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Israel

and Syria

Lesotho

Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

Liberia

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between

Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone

Libya

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between

Egypt and Tunisia

Liechtenstein

Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland

Lithuania

Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia

and Russia

Luxembourg

Western Europe, between France and Germany

Macau

Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Macedonia

Southeastern Europe, north of Greece

Madagascar

Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of

Mozambique

Malawi

Southern Africa, east of Zambia

Malaysia

Southeastern Asia, peninsula bordering Thailand and

northern one-third of the island of Borneo, bordering Indonesia,

Brunei, and the South China Sea, south of Vietnam

Maldives

Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean,

south-southwest of India

Mali

Western Africa, southwest of Algeria

Malta

Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of

Sicily (Italy)

Marshall Islands

Oceania, two archipelagic island chains of 29

atolls, each made up of many small islets, and five single islands

in the North Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and

Australia

Mauritania

Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,

between Senegal and Western Sahara

Mauritius

Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of

Madagascar

Mayotte

Southern Indian Ocean, island in the Mozambique Channel,

about half way between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique

Mexico

Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of

Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific

Ocean, between Guatemala and the US

Micronesia, Federated States of

Oceania, island group in the North

Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to

Indonesia

Moldova

Eastern Europe, northeast of Romania

Monaco

Western Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea on the

southern coast of France, near the border with Italy

Mongolia

Northern Asia, between China and Russia

Montenegro

Southeastern Europe, between the Adriatic Sea and Serbia

Montserrat

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of

Puerto Rico

Morocco

Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the

Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara

Mozambique

Southeastern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel,

between South Africa and Tanzania

Namibia

Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between

Angola and South Africa

Nauru

Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the

Marshall Islands

Navassa Island

Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, 35 miles west

of Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti

Nepal

Southern Asia, between China and India

Netherlands

Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium

and Germany

Netherlands Antilles

Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean

Sea - composed of five islands, Curacao and Bonaire located off the

coast of Venezuela, and Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius lie

east of the US Virgin Islands

New Caledonia

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of

Australia

New Zealand

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast

of Australia

Nicaragua

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the

North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras

Niger

Western Africa, southeast of Algeria

Nigeria

Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Benin

and Cameroon

Niue

Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Tonga

Norfolk Island

Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of

Australia

Northern Mariana Islands

Oceania, islands in the North Pacific

Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines

Norway

Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North

Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden

Oman

Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and

Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE

Pacific Ocean

body of water between the Southern Ocean, Asia,

Australia, and the Western Hemisphere

Pakistan

Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on

the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north

Palau

Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean,

southeast of the Philippines

Panama

Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the

North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica

Papua New Guinea

Oceania, group of islands including the eastern

half of the island of New Guinea between the Coral Sea and the South

Pacific Ocean, east of Indonesia

Paracel Islands

Southeastern Asia, group of small islands and reefs

in the South China Sea, about one-third of the way from central

Vietnam to the northern Philippines

Paraguay

Central South America, northeast of Argentina

Peru

Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean,

between Chile and Ecuador

Philippines

Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine

Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam

Pitcairn Islands

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about

midway between Peru and New Zealand

Poland

Central Europe, east of Germany

Portugal

Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,

west of Spain

Puerto Rico

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the

North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic

Qatar

Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi

Arabia

Romania

Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between

Bulgaria and Ukraine

Russia

Northern Asia (the area west of the Urals is considered part

of Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North

Pacific Ocean

Rwanda

Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Saint Barthelemy

located approximately 125 miles northwest of

Guadeloupe

Saint Helena

islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway

between South America and Africa; Ascension Island lies 700 nm

northwest of Saint Helena; Tristan da Cunha lies 2300 nm southwest

of Saint Helena

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about

one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago

Saint Lucia

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North

Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Saint Martin

island 300 km southeast of Puerto Rico

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Northern North America, islands in the

North Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Caribbean, islands between the

Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Samoa

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about

half way between Hawaii and New Zealand

San Marino

Southern Europe, an enclave in central Italy

Sao Tome and Principe

Western Africa, islands in the Gulf of Guinea,

straddling the Equator, west of Gabon

Saudi Arabia

Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red

Sea, north of Yemen

Senegal

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between

Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania

Serbia

Southeastern Europe, between Macedonia and Hungary

Seychelles

archipelago in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar

Sierra Leone

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,

between Guinea and Liberia

Singapore

Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia

Slovakia

Central Europe, south of Poland

Slovenia

Central Europe, eastern Alps bordering the Adriatic Sea,

between Austria and Croatia

Solomon Islands

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific

Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea

Somalia

Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the Indian

Ocean, east of Ethiopia

South Africa

Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent

of Africa

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Southern South America,

islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America

Southern Ocean

body of water between 60 degrees south latitude and

Antarctica

Spain

Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay,

Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains,

southwest of France

Spratly Islands

Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the

South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam

to the southern Philippines

Sri Lanka

Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India

Sudan

Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and

Eritrea

Suriname

Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,

between French Guiana and Guyana

Svalbard

Northern Europe, islands between the Arctic Ocean, Barents

Sea, Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea, north of Norway

Swaziland

Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa

Sweden

Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia,

Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway

Switzerland

Central Europe, east of France, north of Italy

Syria

Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Lebanon

and Turkey

Taiwan

Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea,

Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the

Philippines, off the southeastern coast of China

Tajikistan

Central Asia, west of China

Tanzania

Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya

and Mozambique

Thailand

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf

of Thailand, southeast of Burma

Timor-Leste

Southeastern Asia, northwest of Australia in the Lesser

Sunda Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago; note

- Timor-Leste includes the eastern half of the island of Timor, the

Oecussi (Ambeno) region on the northwest portion of the island of

Timor, and the islands of Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco

Togo

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and

Ghana

Tokelau

Oceania, group of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean,

about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Tonga

Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about

two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Trinidad and Tobago

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and

the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela

Tunisia

Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between

Algeria and Libya

Turkey

Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of

Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe),

bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering

the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria

Turkmenistan

Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran

and Kazakhstan

Turks and Caicos Islands

Caribbean, two island groups in the North

Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti

Tuvalu

Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the

South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to

Australia

Uganda

Eastern Africa, west of Kenya

Ukraine

Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland,

Romania, and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east

United Arab Emirates

Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the

Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

United Kingdom

Western Europe, islands including the northern

one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean

and the North Sea, northwest of France

United States

North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean

and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Oceania

Baker Island: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 1,830 nm (3,389 km)

southwest of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and Australia

Howland Island: island in the North Pacific Ocean 1,815 nm (3,361

km) southwest of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and

Australia

Jarvis Island: island in the South Pacific Ocean 1,305 nm (2,417 km)

south of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and Cook Islands

Johnston Atoll: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 717 nm (1,328 km)

southwest of Honolulu, about one-third of the way from Hawaii to the

Marshall Islands

Kingman Reef: reef in the North Pacific Ocean 930 nm (1,722 km)

south of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa

Midway Islands: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 1,260 nm (2,334 km)

northwest of Honolulu near the end of the Hawaiian Archipelago,

about one-third of the way from Honolulu to Tokyo

Palmyra Atoll: atoll in the North Pacific Ocean 960 nm (1,778 km)

south of Honolulu, about half way between Hawaii and American Samoa

Uruguay

Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean,

between Argentina and Brazil

Uzbekistan

Central Asia, north of Afghanistan

Vanuatu

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about

three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia

Venezuela

Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and

the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana

Vietnam

Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of

Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia

Virgin Islands

Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the

North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico

Wake Island

Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about

two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to the Northern Mariana Islands

Wallis and Futuna

Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about

two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

West Bank

Middle East, west of Jordan

Western Sahara

Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,

between Mauritania and Morocco

Yemen

Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red

Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Zambia

Southern Africa, east of Angola

Zimbabwe

Southern Africa, between South Africa and Zambia

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2145 Map references

Afghanistan

Asia

Akrotiri

Middle East

Albania

Europe

Algeria

Africa

American Samoa

Oceania

Andorra

Europe

Angola

Africa

Anguilla

Central America and the Caribbean

Antarctica

Antarctic Region

Antigua and Barbuda

Central America and the Caribbean

Arctic Ocean

Arctic Region

Argentina

South America

Armenia

Asia

Aruba

Central America and the Caribbean

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Southeast Asia

Atlantic Ocean

Political Map of the World

Australia

Oceania

Austria

Europe

Azerbaijan

Asia

Bahamas, The

Central America and the Caribbean

Bahrain

Middle East

Bangladesh

Asia

Barbados

Central America and the Caribbean

Belarus

Europe

Belgium

Europe

Belize

Central America and the Caribbean

Benin

Africa

Bermuda

North America

Bhutan

Asia

Bolivia

South America

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Europe

Botswana

Africa

Bouvet Island

Antarctic Region

Brazil

South America

British Indian Ocean Territory

Political Map of the World

British Virgin Islands

Central America and the Caribbean

Brunei

Southeast Asia

Bulgaria

Europe

Burkina Faso

Africa

Burma

Southeast Asia

Burundi

Africa

Cambodia

Southeast Asia

Cameroon

Africa

Canada

North America

Cape Verde

Political Map of the World

Cayman Islands

Central America and the Caribbean

Central African Republic

Africa

Chad

Africa

Chile

South America

China

Asia

Christmas Island

Southeast Asia

Clipperton Island

Political Map of the World

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Southeast Asia

Colombia

South America

Comoros

Africa

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Africa

Congo, Republic of the

Africa

Cook Islands

Oceania

Coral Sea Islands

Oceania

Costa Rica

Central America and the Caribbean

Cote d'Ivoire

Africa

Croatia

Europe

Cuba

Central America and the Caribbean

Cyprus

Middle East

Czech Republic

Europe

Denmark

Europe

Dhekelia

Middle East

Djibouti

Africa

Dominica

Central America and the Caribbean

Dominican Republic

Central America and the Caribbean

Ecuador

South America

Egypt

Africa

El Salvador

Central America and the Caribbean

Equatorial Guinea

Africa

Eritrea

Africa

Estonia

Europe

Ethiopia

Africa

European Union

Europe

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

South America

Faroe Islands

Europe

Fiji

Oceania

Finland

Europe

France

metropolitan France: Europe

French Guiana: South America

Guadeloupe: Central America and the Caribbean

Martinique: Central America and the Caribbean

Reunion: World

French Polynesia

Oceania

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Antarctic Region, Africa

Gabon

Africa

Gambia, The

Africa

Gaza Strip

Middle East

Georgia

Asia

Germany

Europe

Ghana

Africa

Gibraltar

Europe

Greece

Europe

Greenland

Arctic Region

Grenada

Central America and the Caribbean

Guam

Oceania

Guatemala

Central America and the Caribbean

Guernsey

Europe

Guinea

Africa

Guinea-Bissau

Africa

Guyana

South America

Haiti

Central America and the Caribbean

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Antarctic Region

Holy See (Vatican City)

Europe

Honduras

Central America and the Caribbean

Hong Kong

Southeast Asia

Hungary

Europe

Iceland

Arctic Region

India

Asia

Indian Ocean

Political Map of the World

Indonesia

Southeast Asia

Iran

Middle East

Iraq

Middle East

Ireland

Europe

Isle of Man

Europe

Israel

Middle East

Italy

Europe

Jamaica

Central America and the Caribbean

Jan Mayen

Arctic Region

Japan

Asia

Jersey

Europe

Jordan

Middle East

Kazakhstan

Asia

Kenya

Africa

Kiribati

Oceania

Korea, North

Asia

Korea, South

Asia

Kosovo

Europe

Kuwait

Middle East

Kyrgyzstan

Asia

Laos

Southeast Asia

Latvia

Europe

Lebanon

Middle East

Lesotho

Africa

Liberia

Africa

Libya

Africa

Liechtenstein

Europe

Lithuania

Europe

Luxembourg

Europe

Macau

Southeast Asia

Macedonia

Europe

Madagascar

Africa

Malawi

Africa

Malaysia

Southeast Asia

Maldives

Asia

Mali

Africa

Malta

Europe

Marshall Islands

Oceania

Mauritania

Africa

Mauritius

Political Map of the World

Mayotte

Africa

Mexico

North America

Micronesia, Federated States of

Oceania

Moldova

Europe

Monaco

Europe

Mongolia

Asia

Montenegro

Europe

Montserrat

Central America and the Caribbean

Morocco

Africa

Mozambique

Africa

Namibia

Africa

Nauru

Oceania

Navassa Island

Central America and the Caribbean

Nepal

Asia

Netherlands

Europe

Netherlands Antilles

Central America and the Caribbean

New Caledonia

Oceania

New Zealand

Oceania

Nicaragua

Central America and the Caribbean

Niger

Africa

Nigeria

Africa

Niue

Oceania

Norfolk Island

Oceania

Northern Mariana Islands

Oceania

Norway

Europe

Oman

Middle East

Pacific Ocean

Political Map of the World

Pakistan

Asia

Palau

Oceania

Panama

Central America and the Caribbean

Papua New Guinea

Oceania

Paracel Islands

Southeast Asia

Paraguay

South America

Peru

South America

Philippines

Southeast Asia

Pitcairn Islands

Oceania

Poland

Europe

Portugal

Europe

Puerto Rico

Central America and the Caribbean

Qatar

Middle East

Romania

Europe

Russia

Asia

Rwanda

Africa

Saint Barthelemy

Central America and the Caribbean

Saint Helena

Africa

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Central America and the Caribbean

Saint Lucia

Central America and the Caribbean

Saint Martin

Central America and the Caribbean

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

North America

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Central America and the Caribbean

Samoa

Oceania

San Marino

Europe

Sao Tome and Principe

Africa

Saudi Arabia

Middle East

Senegal

Africa

Serbia

Europe

Seychelles

Africa

Sierra Leone

Africa

Singapore

Southeast Asia

Slovakia

Europe

Slovenia

Europe

Solomon Islands

Oceania

Somalia

Africa

South Africa

Africa

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Antarctic Region

Southern Ocean

Antarctic Region

Spain

Europe

Spratly Islands

Southeast Asia

Sri Lanka

Asia

Sudan

Africa

Suriname

South America

Svalbard

Arctic Region

Swaziland

Africa

Sweden

Europe

Switzerland

Europe

Syria

Middle East

Taiwan

Southeast Asia

Tajikistan

Asia

Tanzania

Africa

Thailand

Southeast Asia

Timor-Leste

Southeast Asia

Togo

Africa

Tokelau

Oceania

Tonga

Oceania

Trinidad and Tobago

Central America and the Caribbean

Tunisia

Africa

Turkey

Middle East

Turkmenistan

Asia

Turks and Caicos Islands

Central America and the Caribbean

Tuvalu

Oceania

Uganda

Africa

Ukraine

Asia, Europe

United Arab Emirates

Middle East

United Kingdom

Europe

United States

North America

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

Oceania

Uruguay

South America

Uzbekistan

Asia

Vanuatu

Oceania

Venezuela

South America

Vietnam

Southeast Asia

Virgin Islands

Central America and the Caribbean

Wake Island

Oceania

Wallis and Futuna

Oceania

West Bank

Middle East

Western Sahara

Africa

World

Physical Map of the World, Political Map of the World,

Standard Time Zones of the World

Yemen

Middle East

Zambia

Africa

Zimbabwe

Africa

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2146 Irrigated land (sq km)

Afghanistan

27,200 sq km (2003)

Albania

3,530 sq km (2003)

Algeria

5,690 sq km (2003)

American Samoa

NA

Andorra

NA

Angola

800 sq km (2003)

Anguilla

NA

Antigua and Barbuda

NA

Argentina

15,500 sq km (2003)

Armenia

2,860 sq km (2003)

Aruba

0.01 sq km (1998 est.)

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

0 sq km

Australia

25,450 sq km (2003)

Austria

40 sq km (2003)

Azerbaijan

14,550 sq km (2003)

Bahamas, The

10 sq km (2003)

Bahrain

40 sq km (2003)

Bangladesh

47,250 sq km (2003)

Barbados

50 sq km (2003)

Belarus

1,310 sq km (2003)

Belgium

400 sq km (2003)

Belize

30 sq km (2003)

Benin

120 sq km (2003)

Bermuda

NA

Bhutan

400 sq km (2003)

Bolivia

1,320 sq km (2003)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

30 sq km (2003)

Botswana

10 sq km (2003)

Bouvet Island

0 sq km

Brazil

29,200 sq km (2003)

British Indian Ocean Territory

0 sq km

British Virgin Islands

NA

Brunei

10 sq km (2003)

Bulgaria

5,880 sq km (2003)

Burkina Faso

250 sq km (2003)

Burma

18,700 sq km (2003)

Burundi

210 sq km (2003)

Cambodia

2,700 sq km (2003)

Cameroon

260 sq km (2003)

Canada

7,850 sq km (2003)

Cape Verde

30 sq km (2003)

Cayman Islands

NA

Central African Republic

20 sq km (2003)

Chad

300 sq km (2003)

Chile

19,000 sq km (2003)

China

545,960 sq km (2003)

Christmas Island

NA

Clipperton Island

0 sq km

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

NA

Colombia

9,000 sq km (2003)

Comoros

NA

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

110 sq km (2003)

Congo, Republic of the

20 sq km (2003)

Cook Islands

NA

Coral Sea Islands

0 sq km

Costa Rica

1,080 sq km (2003)

Cote d'Ivoire

730 sq km (2003)

Croatia

110 sq km (2003)

Cuba

8,700 sq km (2003)

Cyprus

400 sq km (2003)

Czech Republic

240 sq km (2003)

Denmark

4,490 sq km (2003)

Djibouti

10 sq km (2003)

Dominica

NA

Dominican Republic

2,750 sq km (2003)

Ecuador

8,650 sq km (2003)

Egypt

34,220 sq km (2003)

El Salvador

450 sq km (2003)

Equatorial Guinea

NA

Eritrea

210 sq km (2003)

Estonia

40 sq km (2003)

Ethiopia

2,900 sq km (2003)

European Union

168,050 sq km (2003 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

NA

Faroe Islands

0 sq km

Fiji

30 sq km (2003)

Finland

640 sq km (2003)

France

total: 26,190 sq km;

metropolitan France: 26,000 sq km (2003)

French Polynesia

10 sq km (2003)

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

0 sq km

Gabon

70 sq km (2003)

Gambia, The

20 sq km (2003)

Gaza Strip

150 sq km; note - includes West Bank (2003)

Georgia

4,690 sq km (2003)

Germany

4,850 sq km (2003)

Ghana

310 sq km (2003)

Gibraltar

NA

Greece

14,530 sq km (2003)

Greenland

NA

Grenada

NA

Guam

NA

Guatemala

1,300 sq km (2003)

Guernsey

NA

Guinea

950 sq km (2003)

Guinea-Bissau

250 sq km (2003)

Guyana

1,500 sq km (2003)

Haiti

920 sq km (2003)

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

0 sq km

Holy See (Vatican City)

0 sq km

Honduras

800 sq km (2003)

Hong Kong

20 sq km (1998 est.)

Hungary

2,300 sq km (2003)

Iceland

NA

India

558,080 sq km (2003)

Indonesia

45,000 sq km (2003)

Iran

76,500 sq km (2003)

Iraq

35,250 sq km (2003)

Ireland

NA

Isle of Man

0 sq km

Israel

1,940 sq km (2003)

Italy

27,500 sq km (2003)

Jamaica

250 sq km (2002)

Jan Mayen

0 sq km

Japan

25,920 sq km (2003)

Jersey

NA

Jordan

750 sq km (2003)

Kazakhstan

35,560 sq km (2003)

Kenya

1,030 sq km (2003)

Kiribati

NA

Korea, North

14,600 sq km (2003)

Korea, South

8,780 sq km (2003)

Kuwait

130 sq km (2003)

Kyrgyzstan

10,720 sq km (2003)

Laos

1,750 sq km (2003)

Latvia

200 sq km

note: land in Latvia is often too wet, and in need of drainage, not

irrigation; approximately 16,000 sq km or 85% of agricultural land

has been improved by drainage (2003)

Lebanon

1,040 sq km (2003)

Lesotho

30 sq km (2003)

Liberia

30 sq km (2003)

Libya

4,700 sq km (2003)

Liechtenstein

NA

Lithuania

70 sq km (2003)

Luxembourg

NA

Macau

NA

Macedonia

550 sq km (2003)

Madagascar

10,860 sq km (2003)

Malawi

560 sq km (2003)

Malaysia

3,650 sq km (2003)

Maldives

NA

Mali

2,360 sq km (2003)

Malta

20 sq km (2003)

Marshall Islands

0 sq km

Mauritania

490 sq km (2002)

Mauritius

220 sq km (2003)

Mayotte

NA

Mexico

63,200 sq km (2003)

Micronesia, Federated States of

NA

Moldova

3,000 sq km (2003)

Monaco

NA

Mongolia

840 sq km (2003)

Montenegro

NA

Montserrat

NA

Morocco

14,450 sq km (2003)

Mozambique

1,180 sq km (2003)

Namibia

80 sq km (2003)

Nauru

NA

Nepal

11,700 sq km (2003)

Netherlands

5,650 sq km (2003)

Netherlands Antilles

NA

New Caledonia

100 sq km (2003)

New Zealand

2,850 sq km (2003)

Nicaragua

610 sq km (2003)

Niger

730 sq km (2003)

Nigeria

2,820 sq km (2003)

Niue

NA

Norfolk Island

NA

Northern Mariana Islands

NA

Norway

1,270 sq km (2003)

Oman

720 sq km (2003)

Pakistan

182,300 sq km (2003)

Palau

NA

Panama

430 sq km (2003)

Papua New Guinea

NA

Paracel Islands

0 sq km

Paraguay

670 sq km (2003)

Peru

12,000 sq km (2003)

Philippines

15,500 sq km (2003)

Pitcairn Islands

NA

Poland

1,000 sq km (2003)

Portugal

6,500 sq km (2003)

Puerto Rico

400 sq km (2003)

Qatar

130 sq km (2002)

Romania

30,770 sq km (2003)

Russia

46,000 sq km (2003)

Rwanda

90 sq km (2003)

Saint Helena

NA

Saint Kitts and Nevis

NA

Saint Lucia

30 sq km (2003)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

NA

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

10 sq km (2003)

Samoa

NA

San Marino

NA

Sao Tome and Principe

100 sq km (2003)

Saudi Arabia

16,200 sq km (2003)

Senegal

1,200 sq km (2003)

Serbia

NA

Seychelles

NA

Sierra Leone

300 sq km (2003)

Singapore

NA

Slovakia

1,830 sq km (2003)

Slovenia

30 sq km (2003)

Solomon Islands

NA

Somalia

2,000 sq km (2003)

South Africa

14,980 sq km (2003)

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

0 sq km

Spain

37,800 sq km (2003)

Spratly Islands

0 sq km

Sri Lanka

7,430 sq km (2003)

Sudan

18,630 sq km (2003)

Suriname

510 sq km (2003)

Svalbard

NA

Swaziland

500 sq km (2003)

Sweden

1,150 sq km (2003)

Switzerland

250 sq km (2003)

Syria

13,330 sq km (2003)

Taiwan

NA

Tajikistan

7,220 sq km (2003)

Tanzania

1,840 sq km (2003)

Thailand

49,860 sq km (2003)

Timor-Leste

1,065 sq km (2003)

Togo

70 sq km (2003)

Tokelau

NA

Tonga

NA

Trinidad and Tobago

40 sq km (2003)

Tunisia

3,940 sq km (2003)

Turkey

52,150 sq km (2003)

Turkmenistan

18,000 sq km (2003)

Turks and Caicos Islands

NA

Tuvalu

NA

Uganda

90 sq km (2003)

Ukraine

22,080 sq km (2003)

United Arab Emirates

760 sq km (2003)

United Kingdom

1,700 sq km (2003)

United States

223,850 sq km (2003)

Uruguay

2,100 sq km (2003)

Uzbekistan

42,810 sq km (2003)

Vanuatu

NA

Venezuela

5,750 sq km (2003)

Vietnam

30,000 sq km (2003)

Virgin Islands

NA

Wake Island

0 sq km

Wallis and Futuna

NA

West Bank

150 sq km; note - includes Gaza Strip (2003)

Western Sahara

NA

World

2,770,980 sq km (2003)

Yemen

5,500 sq km (2003)

Zambia

1,560 sq km (2003)

Zimbabwe

1,740 sq km (2003)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2147 Area (sq km)

Afghanistan total: 647,500 sq km land: 647,500 sq km water: 0 sq km

Akrotiri total: 123 sq km note: includes a salt lake and wetlands

Albania

total: 28,748 sq km

land: 27,398 sq km

water: 1,350 sq km

Algeria

total: 2,381,740 sq km

land: 2,381,740 sq km

water: 0 sq km

American Samoa total: 199 sq km land: 199 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Rose Island and Swains Island

Andorra

total: 468 sq km

land: 468 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Angola

total: 1,246,700 sq km

land: 1,246,700 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Anguilla

total: 102 sq km

land: 102 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Antarctica

total: 14 million sq km

land: 14 million sq km (280,000 sq km ice-free, 13.72 million sq km

ice-covered) (est.)

note: fifth-largest continent, following Asia, Africa, North

America, and South America, but larger than Australia and the

subcontinent of Europe

Antigua and Barbuda total: 442.6 sq km (Antigua 280 sq km; Barbuda 161 sq km) land: 442.6 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Redonda, 1.6 sq km

Arctic Ocean

total: 14.056 million sq km

note: includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea,

East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara

Sea, Laptev Sea, Northwest Passage, and other tributary water bodies

Argentina

total: 2,766,890 sq km

land: 2,736,690 sq km

water: 30,200 sq km

Armenia

total: 29,743 sq km

land: 28,454 sq km

water: 1,289 sq km

Aruba

total: 193 sq km

land: 193 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

total: 5 sq km

land: 5 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and

Cartier Island

Atlantic Ocean

total: 76.762 million sq km

note: includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait,

Denmark Strait, part of the Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Labrador

Sea, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, almost all of the

Scotia Sea, and other tributary water bodies

Australia

total: 7,686,850 sq km

land: 7,617,930 sq km

water: 68,920 sq km

note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island

Austria

total: 83,870 sq km

land: 82,444 sq km

water: 1,426 sq km

Azerbaijan

total: 86,600 sq km

land: 86,100 sq km

water: 500 sq km

note: includes the exclave of Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the

Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy was abolished by

Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991

Bahamas, The

total: 13,940 sq km

land: 10,070 sq km

water: 3,870 sq km

Bahrain

total: 665 sq km

land: 665 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Bangladesh

total: 144,000 sq km

land: 133,910 sq km

water: 10,090 sq km

Barbados

total: 431 sq km

land: 431 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Belarus

total: 207,600 sq km

land: 207,600 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Belgium

total: 30,528 sq km

land: 30,278 sq km

water: 250 sq km

Belize

total: 22,966 sq km

land: 22,806 sq km

water: 160 sq km

Benin

total: 112,620 sq km

land: 110,620 sq km

water: 2,000 sq km

Bermuda

total: 53.3 sq km

land: 53.3 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Bhutan

total: 47,000 sq km

land: 47,000 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Bolivia

total: 1,098,580 sq km

land: 1,084,390 sq km

water: 14,190 sq km

Bosnia and Herzegovina

total: 51,209.2 sq km

land: 51,197 sq km

water: 12.2 sq km

Botswana

total: 600,370 sq km

land: 585,370 sq km

water: 15,000 sq km

Bouvet Island

total: 49 sq km

land: 49 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Brazil

total: 8,511,965 sq km

land: 8,456,510 sq km

water: 55,455 sq km

note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas,

Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao

Paulo

British Indian Ocean Territory total: 54,400 sq km land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km water: 54,340 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands

British Virgin Islands

total: 153 sq km

land: 153 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited

islands; includes the islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda,

Jost van Dyke

Brunei

total: 5,770 sq km

land: 5,270 sq km

water: 500 sq km

Bulgaria

total: 110,910 sq km

land: 110,550 sq km

water: 360 sq km

Burkina Faso

total: 274,200 sq km

land: 273,800 sq km

water: 400 sq km

Burma

total: 678,500 sq km

land: 657,740 sq km

water: 20,760 sq km

Burundi

total: 27,830 sq km

land: 25,650 sq km

water: 2,180 sq km

Cambodia

total: 181,040 sq km

land: 176,520 sq km

water: 4,520 sq km

Cameroon

total: 475,440 sq km

land: 469,440 sq km

water: 6,000 sq km

Canada

total: 9,984,670 sq km

land: 9,093,507 sq km

water: 891,163 sq km

Cape Verde

total: 4,033 sq km

land: 4,033 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Cayman Islands

total: 262 sq km

land: 262 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Central African Republic

total: 622,984 sq km

land: 622,984 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Chad

total: 1.284 million sq km

land: 1,259,200 sq km

water: 24,800 sq km

Chile

total: 756,950 sq km

land: 748,800 sq km

water: 8,150 sq km

note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez

China

total: 9,596,960 sq km

land: 9,326,410 sq km

water: 270,550 sq km

Christmas Island

total: 135 sq km

land: 135 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Clipperton Island

total: 6 sq km

land: 6 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

total: 14 sq km

land: 14 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: includes the two main islands of West Island and Home Island

Colombia

total: 1,138,910 sq km

land: 1,038,700 sq km

water: 100,210 sq km

note: includes Isla de Malpelo, Roncador Cay, and Serrana Bank

Comoros

total: 2,170 sq km

land: 2,170 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

total: 2,345,410 sq km

land: 2,267,600 sq km

water: 77,810 sq km

Congo, Republic of the

total: 342,000 sq km

land: 341,500 sq km

water: 500 sq km

Cook Islands

total: 236.7 sq km

land: 236.7 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Coral Sea Islands

total: less than 3 sq km

land: less than 3 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: includes numerous small islands and reefs scattered over a sea

area of about 780,000 sq km, with the Willis Islets the most

important

Costa Rica total: 51,100 sq km land: 50,660 sq km water: 440 sq km note: includes Isla del Coco

Cote d'Ivoire

total: 322,460 sq km

land: 318,000 sq km

water: 4,460 sq km

Croatia

total: 56,542 sq km

land: 56,414 sq km

water: 128 sq km

Cuba

total: 110,860 sq km

land: 110,860 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Cyprus

total: 9,250 sq km (of which 3,355 sq km are in north Cyprus)

land: 9,240 sq km

water: 10 sq km

Czech Republic

total: 78,866 sq km

land: 77,276 sq km

water: 1,590 sq km

Denmark

total: 43,094 sq km

land: 42,394 sq km

water: 700 sq km

note: includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest

of metropolitan Denmark (the Jutland Peninsula, and the major

islands of Sjaelland and Fyn), but excludes the Faroe Islands and

Greenland

Dhekelia

total: 130.8 sq km

note: area surrounds three Cypriot enclaves

Djibouti

total: 23,000 sq km

land: 22,980 sq km

water: 20 sq km

Dominica

total: 754 sq km

land: 754 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Dominican Republic

total: 48,730 sq km

land: 48,380 sq km

water: 350 sq km

Ecuador

total: 283,560 sq km

land: 276,840 sq km

water: 6,720 sq km

note: includes Galapagos Islands

Egypt

total: 1,001,450 sq km

land: 995,450 sq km

water: 6,000 sq km

El Salvador

total: 21,040 sq km

land: 20,720 sq km

water: 320 sq km

Equatorial Guinea

total: 28,051 sq km

land: 28,051 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Eritrea

total: 121,320 sq km

land: 121,320 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Estonia

total: 45,226 sq km

land: 43,211 sq km

water: 2,015 sq km

note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea

Ethiopia

total: 1,127,127 sq km

land: 1,119,683 sq km

water: 7,444 sq km

European Union

total: 4,324,782 sq km

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) total: 12,173 sq km land: 12,173 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and about 200 small islands

Faroe Islands

total: 1,399 sq km

land: 1,399 sq km

water: 0 sq km (some lakes and streams)

Fiji

total: 18,270 sq km

land: 18,270 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Finland

total: 338,145 sq km

land: 304,473 sq km

water: 33,672 sq km

France

total: 643,427 sq km; 547,030 sq km (metropolitan France)

land: 640,053 sq km; 545,630 sq km (metropolitan France)

water: 3,374 sq km; 1,400 sq km (metropolitan France)

note: the first numbers include the overseas regions of French

Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Reunion

French Polynesia

total: 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls)

land: 3,660 sq km

water: 507 sq km

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Ile Amsterdam (Ile Amsterdam et

Ile Saint-Paul): total - 55 sq km; land - 55 sq km; water - 0 sq km

Ile Saint-Paul (Ile Amsterdam et Ile Saint-Paul): total - 7 sq km;

land - 7 sq km; water - 0 sq km

Iles Crozet: total - 352 sq km; land - 352 sq km; water - 0 sq km

Iles Kerguelen: total - 7,215 sq km; land - 7,215 sq km; water - 0

sq km

Bassas da India (Iles Eparses): total - 80 sq km; land - 0.2 sq km;

water - 79.8 sq km (lagoon)

Europa Island (Iles Eparses): total - 28 sq km; land - 28 sq km;

water - 0 sq km

Glorioso Islands (Iles Eparses): total - 5 sq km; land - 5 sq km;

water - 0 sq km

Juan de Nova Island (Iles Eparses): total - 4.4 sq km; land - 4.4 sq

km; water - 0 sq km

Tromelin Island (Iles Eparses): total - 1 sq km; land - 1 sq km;

water - 0 sq km

note: excludes "Adelie Land" claim of about 500,000 sq km in

Antarctica that is not recognized by the US

Gabon

total: 267,667 sq km

land: 257,667 sq km

water: 10,000 sq km

Gambia, The

total: 11,300 sq km

land: 10,000 sq km

water: 1,300 sq km

Gaza Strip

total: 360 sq km

land: 360 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Georgia

total: 69,700 sq km

land: 69,700 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Germany

total: 357,021 sq km

land: 349,223 sq km

water: 7,798 sq km

Ghana

total: 239,460 sq km

land: 230,940 sq km

water: 8,520 sq km

Gibraltar

total: 6.5 sq km

land: 6.5 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Greece

total: 131,940 sq km

land: 130,800 sq km

water: 1,140 sq km

Greenland

total: 2,166,086 sq km

land: 2,166,086 sq km (410,449 sq km ice-free, 1,755,637 sq km

ice-covered) (2000 est.)

Grenada

total: 344 sq km

land: 344 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Guam

total: 541.3 sq km

land: 541.3 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Guatemala

total: 108,890 sq km

land: 108,430 sq km

water: 460 sq km

Guernsey

total: 78 sq km

land: 78 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other

smaller islands

Guinea

total: 245,857 sq km

land: 245,857 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Guinea-Bissau

total: 36,120 sq km

land: 28,000 sq km

water: 8,120 sq km

Guyana

total: 214,970 sq km

land: 196,850 sq km

water: 18,120 sq km

Haiti

total: 27,750 sq km

land: 27,560 sq km

water: 190 sq km

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

total: 412 sq km

land: 412 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Holy See (Vatican City)

total: 0.44 sq km

land: 0.44 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Honduras

total: 112,090 sq km

land: 111,890 sq km

water: 200 sq km

Hong Kong

total: 1,092 sq km

land: 1,042 sq km

water: 50 sq km

Hungary

total: 93,030 sq km

land: 92,340 sq km

water: 690 sq km

Iceland

total: 103,000 sq km

land: 100,250 sq km

water: 2,750 sq km

India

total: 3,287,590 sq km

land: 2,973,190 sq km

water: 314,400 sq km

Indian Ocean

total: 68.556 million sq km

note: includes Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Flores Sea,

Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Java Sea,

Mozambique Channel, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Savu Sea, Strait of

Malacca, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies

Indonesia

total: 1,919,440 sq km

land: 1,826,440 sq km

water: 93,000 sq km

Iran

total: 1.648 million sq km

land: 1.636 million sq km

water: 12,000 sq km

Iraq

total: 437,072 sq km

land: 432,162 sq km

water: 4,910 sq km

Ireland

total: 70,280 sq km

land: 68,890 sq km

water: 1,390 sq km

Isle of Man

total: 572 sq km

land: 572 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Israel

total: 20,770 sq km

land: 20,330 sq km

water: 440 sq km

Italy

total: 301,230 sq km

land: 294,020 sq km

water: 7,210 sq km

note: includes Sardinia and Sicily

Jamaica

total: 10,991 sq km

land: 10,831 sq km

water: 160 sq km

Jan Mayen

total: 377 sq km

land: 377 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Japan

total: 377,835 sq km

land: 374,744 sq km

water: 3,091 sq km

note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto,

Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and

Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)

Jersey

total: 116 sq km

land: 116 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Jordan

total: 92,300 sq km

land: 91,971 sq km

water: 329 sq km

Kazakhstan

total: 2,717,300 sq km

land: 2,669,800 sq km

water: 47,500 sq km

Kenya

total: 582,650 sq km

land: 569,250 sq km

water: 13,400 sq km

Kiribati

total: 811 sq km

land: 811 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands,

Phoenix Islands

Korea, North

total: 120,540 sq km

land: 120,410 sq km

water: 130 sq km

Korea, South

total: 98,480 sq km

land: 98,190 sq km

water: 290 sq km

Kosovo

total: 10,887 sq km

land: 10,887 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Kuwait

total: 17,820 sq km

land: 17,820 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Kyrgyzstan

total: 198,500 sq km

land: 191,300 sq km

water: 7,200 sq km

Laos

total: 236,800 sq km

land: 230,800 sq km

water: 6,000 sq km

Latvia

total: 64,589 sq km

land: 63,589 sq km

water: 1,000 sq km

Lebanon

total: 10,400 sq km

land: 10,230 sq km

water: 170 sq km

Lesotho

total: 30,355 sq km

land: 30,355 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Liberia

total: 111,370 sq km

land: 96,320 sq km

water: 15,050 sq km

Libya

total: 1,759,540 sq km

land: 1,759,540 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Liechtenstein

total: 160 sq km

land: 160 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Lithuania

total: 65,300 sq km

land: NA sq km

water: NA sq km

Luxembourg

total: 2,586 sq km

land: 2,586 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Macau

total: 28.2 sq km

land: 28.2 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Macedonia

total: 25,333 sq km

land: 24,856 sq km

water: 477 sq km

Madagascar

total: 587,040 sq km

land: 581,540 sq km

water: 5,500 sq km

Malawi

total: 118,480 sq km

land: 94,080 sq km

water: 24,400 sq km

Malaysia

total: 329,750 sq km

land: 328,550 sq km

water: 1,200 sq km

Maldives

total: 300 sq km

land: 300 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Mali

total: 1.24 million sq km

land: 1.22 million sq km

water: 20,000 sq km

Malta

total: 316 sq km

land: 316 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Marshall Islands

total: 181.3 sq km

land: 181.3 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: the archipelago includes 11,673 sq km of lagoon waters and

includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro,

Rongelap, and Utirik

Mauritania

total: 1,030,700 sq km

land: 1,030,400 sq km

water: 300 sq km

Mauritius

total: 2,040 sq km

land: 2,030 sq km

water: 10 sq km

note: includes Agalega Islands, Cargados Carajos Shoals (Saint

Brandon), and Rodrigues

Mayotte

total: 374 sq km

land: 374 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Mexico

total: 1,972,550 sq km

land: 1,923,040 sq km

water: 49,510 sq km

Micronesia, Federated States of total: 702 sq km land: 702 sq km water: 0 sq km (fresh water only) note: includes Pohnpei (Ponape), Chuuk (Truk) Islands, Yap Islands, and Kosrae (Kosaie)

Moldova

total: 33,843 sq km

land: 33,371 sq km

water: 472 sq km

Monaco

total: 1.95 sq km

land: 1.95 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Mongolia

total: 1,564,116 sq km

land: 1,554,731 sq km

water: 9,385 sq km

Montenegro

total: 14,026 sq km

land: 13,812 sq km

water: 214 sq km

Montserrat

total: 102 sq km

land: 102 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Morocco

total: 446,550 sq km

land: 446,300 sq km

water: 250 sq km

Mozambique

total: 801,590 sq km

land: 784,090 sq km

water: 17,500 sq km

Namibia

total: 825,418 sq km

land: 825,418 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Nauru

total: 21 sq km

land: 21 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Navassa Island

total: 5.4 sq km

land: 5.4 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Nepal

total: 147,181 sq km

land: 143,181 sq km

water: 4,000 sq km

Netherlands

total: 41,526 sq km

land: 33,883 sq km

water: 7,643 sq km

Netherlands Antilles total: 960 sq km land: 960 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)

New Caledonia total: 19,060 sq km land: 18,575 sq km water: 485 sq km

New Zealand

total: 268,680 sq km

land: 268,021 sq km

water: NA

note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands,

Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands

Nicaragua

total: 129,494 sq km

land: 120,254 sq km

water: 9,240 sq km

Niger

total: 1.267 million sq km

land: 1,266,700 sq km

water: 300 sq km

Nigeria

total: 923,768 sq km

land: 910,768 sq km

water: 13,000 sq km

Niue

total: 260 sq km

land: 260 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Norfolk Island

total: 34.6 sq km

land: 34.6 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Northern Mariana Islands total: 477 sq km land: 477 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes 14 islands including Saipan, Rota, and Tinian

Norway

total: 323,802 sq km

land: 307,442 sq km

water: 16,360 sq km

Oman

total: 212,460 sq km

land: 212,460 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Pacific Ocean

total: 155.557 million sq km

note: includes Bali Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East

China Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Philippine Sea, Sea of

Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea, and other

tributary water bodies

Pakistan

total: 803,940 sq km

land: 778,720 sq km

water: 25,220 sq km

Palau

total: 458 sq km

land: 458 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Panama

total: 78,200 sq km

land: 75,990 sq km

water: 2,210 sq km

Papua New Guinea

total: 462,840 sq km

land: 452,860 sq km

water: 9,980 sq km

Paracel Islands

total: NA sq km

land: NA sq km

water: 0 sq km

Paraguay

total: 406,750 sq km

land: 397,300 sq km

water: 9,450 sq km

Peru

total: 1,285,220 sq km

land: 1.28 million sq km

water: 5,220 sq km

Philippines

total: 300,000 sq km

land: 298,170 sq km

water: 1,830 sq km

Pitcairn Islands

total: 47 sq km

land: 47 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Poland

total: 312,679 sq km

land: 304,459 sq km

water: 8,220 sq km

Portugal

total: 92,391 sq km

land: 91,951 sq km

water: 440 sq km

note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands

Puerto Rico

total: 13,790 sq km

land: 8,870 sq km

water: 4,921 sq km

Qatar

total: 11,437 sq km

land: 11,437 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Romania

total: 237,500 sq km

land: 230,340 sq km

water: 7,160 sq km

Russia

total: 17,075,200 sq km

land: 16,995,800 sq km

water: 79,400 sq km

Rwanda

total: 26,338 sq km

land: 24,948 sq km

water: 1,390 sq km

Saint Barthelemy

21 sq km

Saint Helena

total: 413 sq km

land: Saint Helena Island 122 sq km; Ascension Island 90 sq km;

Tristan da Cunha island group 201 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Saint Kitts and Nevis

total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis

93 sq km)

land: 261 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Saint Lucia

total: 616 sq km

land: 606 sq km

water: 10 sq km

Saint Martin

total: 54.4 sq km

land: 54.4 sq km

water: NEGL

Saint Pierre and Miquelon total: 242 sq km land: 242 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes eight small islands in the Saint Pierre and the Miquelon groups

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344

sq km)

land: 389 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Samoa

total: 2,944 sq km

land: 2,934 sq km

water: 10 sq km

San Marino

total: 61.2 sq km

land: 61.2 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Sao Tome and Principe

total: 1,001 sq km

land: 1,001 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Saudi Arabia

total: 2,149,690 sq km

land: 2,149,690 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Senegal

total: 196,190 sq km

land: 192,000 sq km

water: 4,190 sq km

Serbia

total: 77,474 sq km

land: 77,474 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Seychelles

total: 455 sq km

land: 455 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Sierra Leone

total: 71,740 sq km

land: 71,620 sq km

water: 120 sq km

Singapore

total: 692.7 sq km

land: 682.7 sq km

water: 10 sq km

Slovakia

total: 48,845 sq km

land: 48,800 sq km

water: 45 sq km

Slovenia

total: 20,273 sq km

land: 20,151 sq km

water: 122 sq km

Solomon Islands

total: 28,450 sq km

land: 27,540 sq km

water: 910 sq km

Somalia

total: 637,657 sq km

land: 627,337 sq km

water: 10,320 sq km

South Africa

total: 1,219,912 sq km

land: 1,219,912 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince

Edward Island)

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

total: 3,903 sq km

land: 3,903 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia

Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist

of 11 islands

Southern Ocean

total: 20.327 million sq km

note: includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake

Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and

other tributary water bodies

Spain

total: 504,782 sq km

land: 499,542 sq km

water: 5,240 sq km

note: there are two autonomous cities - Ceuta and Melilla - and 17

autonomous communities including Balearic Islands and Canary

Islands, and three small Spanish possessions off the coast of

Morocco - Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez

de la Gomera

Spratly Islands

total: less than 5 sq km

land: less than 5 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts

scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South

China Sea

Sri Lanka

total: 65,610 sq km

land: 64,740 sq km

water: 870 sq km

Sudan

total: 2,505,810 sq km

land: 2.376 million sq km

water: 129,810 sq km

Suriname

total: 163,270 sq km

land: 161,470 sq km

water: 1,800 sq km

Svalbard

total: 61,020 sq km

land: 61,020 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island)

Swaziland

total: 17,363 sq km

land: 17,203 sq km

water: 160 sq km

Sweden

total: 449,964 sq km

land: 410,934 sq km

water: 39,030 sq km

Switzerland

total: 41,290 sq km

land: 39,770 sq km

water: 1,520 sq km

Syria

total: 185,180 sq km

land: 184,050 sq km

water: 1,130 sq km

note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory

Taiwan

total: 35,980 sq km

land: 32,260 sq km

water: 3,720 sq km

note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy islands

Tajikistan

total: 143,100 sq km

land: 142,700 sq km

water: 400 sq km

Tanzania

total: 945,087 sq km

land: 886,037 sq km

water: 59,050 sq km

note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar

Thailand

total: 514,000 sq km

land: 511,770 sq km

water: 2,230 sq km

Timor-Leste

total: 15,007 sq km

land: NA sq km

water: NA sq km

Togo

total: 56,785 sq km

land: 54,385 sq km

water: 2,400 sq km

Tokelau

total: 10 sq km

land: 10 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Tonga

total: 748 sq km

land: 718 sq km

water: 30 sq km

Trinidad and Tobago

total: 5,128 sq km

land: 5,128 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Tunisia

total: 163,610 sq km

land: 155,360 sq km

water: 8,250 sq km

Turkey

total: 780,580 sq km

land: 770,760 sq km

water: 9,820 sq km

Turkmenistan

total: 488,100 sq km

land: 488,100 sq km

water: NEGL

Turks and Caicos Islands

total: 430 sq km

land: 430 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Tuvalu

total: 26 sq km

land: 26 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Uganda

total: 236,040 sq km

land: 199,710 sq km

water: 36,330 sq km

Ukraine

total: 603,700 sq km

land: 603,700 sq km

water: 0 sq km

United Arab Emirates

total: 83,600 sq km

land: 83,600 sq km

water: 0 sq km

United Kingdom

total: 244,820 sq km

land: 241,590 sq km

water: 3,230 sq km

note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands

United States

total: 9,826,630 sq km

land: 9,161,923 sq km

water: 664,707 sq km

note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia

United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges

total - 6,959.41 sq

km; emergent land - 22.41 sq km; submerged - 6,937 sq km

Baker Island: total - 129.1 sq km; emergent land - 2.1 sq km;

submerged - 127 sq km

Howland Island: total - 138.6 sq km; emergent land - 2.6 sq km;

submerged - 136 sq km

Jarvis Island: total - 152 sq km; emergent land - 5 sq km; submerged

- 147 sq km

Johnston Atoll: total - 276.6 sq km; emergent land - 2.6 sq km;

submerged - 274 sq km

Kingman Reef: total - 1,958.01 sq km; emergent land - 0.01 sq km;

submerged - 1,958 sq km

Midway Islands: total - 2,355.2 sq km; emergent land - 6.2 sq km;

submerged - 2,349 sq km

Palmyra Atoll: total - 1,949.9 sq km; emergent land - 3.9 sq km;

submerged - 1,946 sq km

Uruguay

total: 176,220 sq km

land: 173,620 sq km

water: 2,600 sq km

Uzbekistan

total: 447,400 sq km

land: 425,400 sq km

water: 22,000 sq km

Vanuatu

total: 12,200 sq km

land: 12,200 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: includes more than 80 islands, about 65 of which are inhabited

Venezuela

total: 912,050 sq km

land: 882,050 sq km

water: 30,000 sq km

Vietnam

total: 329,560 sq km

land: 325,360 sq km

water: 4,200 sq km

Virgin Islands

total: 1,910 sq km

land: 346 sq km

water: 1,564 sq km

Wake Island

total: 6.5 sq km

land: 6.5 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Wallis and Futuna total: 274 sq km land: 274 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island), Ile Alofi, and 20 islets

West Bank

total: 5,860 sq km

land: 5,640 sq km

water: 220 sq km

note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter

of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and

Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of

depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967

Western Sahara

total: 266,000 sq km

land: 266,000 sq km

water: 0 sq km

World

total: 510.072 million sq km

land: 148.94 million sq km

water: 361.132 million sq km

note: 70.9% of the world's surface is water, 29.1% is land

Yemen

total: 527,970 sq km

land: 527,970 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR

or North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of

Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen)

Zambia

total: 752,614 sq km

land: 740,724 sq km

water: 11,890 sq km

Zimbabwe

total: 390,580 sq km

land: 386,670 sq km

water: 3,910 sq km

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2149 Diplomatic representation in the US

Afghanistan

chief of mission: Ambassador Said Tayeb JAWAD

chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 483-6410

FAX: [1] (202) 483-6488

consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Akrotiri

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Albania

chief of mission: Ambassador Aleksander SALLABANDA

chancery: 2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 223-4942

FAX: [1] (202) 628-7342

Algeria

chief of mission: Ambassador Abdallah BAALI

chancery: 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 265-2800

FAX: [1] (202) 667-2174

American Samoa

none (territory of the US)

Andorra

chief of mission: Ambassador Carles FONT-ROSSELL

chancery: 2 United Nations Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017

telephone: [1] (212) 750-8064

FAX: [1] (212) 750-6630

Angola

chief of mission: Ambassador Josefina Perpetua Pitra DIAKITE

chancery: 2108 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 785-1156

FAX: [1] (202) 785-1258

consulate(s) general: Houston, New York

Anguilla

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Antigua and Barbuda chief of mission: Ambassador Deborah Mae LOVELL chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 362-5122 FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225 consulate(s) general: Miami

Argentina

chief of mission: Ambassador Hector Marcos TIMERMAN

chancery: 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 238-6400

FAX: [1] (202) 332-3171

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,

New York

Armenia

chief of mission: Ambassador Tatoul MARKARIAN

chancery: 2225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 319-1976

FAX: [1] (202) 319-2982

consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Aruba

none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note -

Mr. Henry BAARH, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy

of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

none (territory of Australia)

Australia

chief of mission: Ambassador Dennis J. RICHARDSON

chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000

FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New

York, San Francisco

Austria

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Deputy Chief of

Mission Andreas Riecken

chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035

telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700

FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Azerbaijan

chief of mission: Ambassador Yashar ALIYEV

chancery: 2741 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 337-3500

FAX: [1] (202) 337-5911

Consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Bahamas, The

chief of mission: Ambassador Cornelius A. SMITH

chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 319-2660

FAX: [1] (202) 319-2668

consulate(s) general: Miami, New York

Bahrain

chief of mission: Ambassador Houda Ezra Ibrahim NUNU

chancery: 3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 342-1111

FAX: [1] (202) 362-2192

consulate(s) general: New York

Bangladesh

chief of mission: Ambassador M. Humayun KABIR

chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183

FAX: [1] (202) 244-7830/2771

consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Barbados

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING

chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200

FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467

consulate(s) general: Miami, New York

consulate(s): Los Angeles

Belarus

chief of mission: Ambassador Mikhail KHVOSTOV

chancery: 1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 986-1604

FAX: [1] (202) 986-1805

consulate(s) general: New York

Belgium

chief of mission: Ambassador Dominique STRUYE DE SWIELANDE

chancery: 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 333-6900

FAX: [1] (202) 333-3079

consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

consulate(s): Atlanta

Belize

chief of mission: Ambassador Nestor MENDEZ

chancery: 2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 332-9636

FAX: [1] (202) 332-6888

consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Benin

chief of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN

chancery: 2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 232-6656

FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996

Bermuda

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Bhutan

none; note - the Permanent Mission to the UN for Bhutan has

consular jurisdiction in the US; address: 763 First Avenue, New

York, NY 10017; telephone [1] (212) 682-2268; FAX [1] (212) 661-0551

consulate(s) general: New York

Bolivia

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires

Erika DUENAS

chancery: 3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 483-4410

FAX: [1] (202) 328-3712

consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York,

Oklahoma City, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC

Bosnia and Herzegovina chief of mission: Ambassador Bisera TURKOVIC chancery: 2109 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 337-1500 FAX: [1] (202) 337-1502 consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York

Botswana

chief of mission: Ambassador Lapologang Caesar LEKOA

chancery: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 244-4990

FAX: [1] (202) 244-4164

Brazil

chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio de Aguiar PATRIOTA

chancery: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 238-2700

FAX: [1] (202) 238-2827

consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,

New York, San Francisco

British Indian Ocean Territory

none (overseas territory of the UK)

British Virgin Islands

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Brunei

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires

Angela SHIM

chancery: 3520 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 237-1838

FAX: [1] (202) 885-0560

Bulgaria

chief of mission: Ambassador Latechezar PETKOV

chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 387-0174

FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Burkina Faso

chief of mission: Ambassador Paramanga Ernest YONLI

chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577

FAX: [1] (202) 667-1882

Burma

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires MYINT

LWIN

chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 332-3344

FAX: [1] (202) 332-4351

consulate(s) general: New York

Burundi

chief of mission: Ambassador Celestin NIYONGABO

chancery: Suite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone: [1] (202) 342-2574

FAX: [1] (202) 342-2578

Cambodia

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires

MENG EANG NAY

chancery: 4530 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011

telephone: [1] (202) 726-7742

FAX: [1] (202) 726-8381

Cameroon

chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph FOE-ATANGANA

chancery: 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 265-8790

FAX: [1] (202) 387-3826

Canada

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael WILSON

chancery: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001

telephone: [1] (202) 682-1740

FAX: [1] (202) 682-7701

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas,

Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix,

San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tucson

consulate(s): Anchorage, Houston, Philadelphia, Princeton (New

Jersey), Raleigh, San Jose (California)

Cape Verde

chief of mission: Ambassador Fatima Lima VEIGA

chancery: 3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone: [1] (202) 965-6820

FAX: [1] (202) 965-1207

consulate(s) general: Boston

Cayman Islands

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Central African Republic

chief of mission: Ambassador Emmanuel

TOUABOY

chancery: 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 483-7800

FAX: [1] (202) 332-9893

Chad

chief of mission: Ambassador Mahamat Adam BECHIR

chancery: 2002 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 462-4009

FAX: [1] (202) 265-1937

Chile

chief of mission: Ambassador Mariano FERNANDEZ

chancery: 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 785-1746

FAX: [1] (202) 887-5579

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New

York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

China

chief of mission: Ambassador ZHOU Wenzhong

chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 328-2500

FAX: [1] (202) 328-2582

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San

Francisco

Christmas Island

none (territory of Australia)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

none (territory of Australia)

Colombia

chief of mission: Ambassador Carolina BARCO Isakson

chancery: 2118 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 387-8338

FAX: [1] (202) 232-8643

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los

Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico),

Washington, DC

Comoros

chief of mission: Representative to the US and Ambassador to

the UN Mohamed TOIHIRI

chancery: Mission to the US, 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 418,

New York, NY 10017

telephone: [1] (212) 750-1637

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

chief of mission: Ambassador Faida

MITIFU

chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009: note -

Consular Office at 1726 M Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691

FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609

Congo, Republic of the

chief of mission: Ambassador Serge MOMBOULI

chancery: 4891 Colorado Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20011

telephone: [1] (202) 726-5500

FAX: [1] (202) 726-1860

Cook Islands

none (self-governing in free association with New

Zealand)

Coral Sea Islands

none (territory of Australia)

Costa Rica

chief of mission: Ambassador Tomas DUENAS

chancery: 2114 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 234-2945

FAX: [1] (202) 265-4795

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,

New Orleans, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Tampa (temporarily

closed), Washington, DC

consulate(s): San Francisco

Cote d'Ivoire

chief of mission: Ambassador Yao Charles KOFFI

chancery: 3421 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone: [1] (202) 797-0300

FAX: [1] (202) 244-3088

Croatia

chief of mission: Ambassador Kolinda GRABAR-KITAROVIC

chancery: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 588-5899

FAX: [1] (202) 588-8936

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Cuba

none; note - Cuba has an Interests Section in the Swiss

Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Jorge BOLANOS Suarez; address:

Cuban Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW,

Washington, DC 20009; telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518; FAX: [1] (202)

797-8521

Cyprus

chief of mission: Ambassador Andreas KAKOURIS

chancery: 2211 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 462-5772, 462-0873

FAX: [1] (202) 483-6710

consulate(s) general: New York

note: representative of the Turkish Cypriot community in the US is

Hilmi AKIL; office at 1667 K Street NW, Washington, DC; telephone

[1] (202) 887-6198

Czech Republic

chief of mission: Ambassador Petr KOLAR

chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 274-9100

FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Denmark

chief of mission: Ambassador Friis Arne PETERSEN

chancery: 3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 234-4300

FAX: [1] (202) 328-1470

consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York

Dhekelia

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Djibouti

chief of mission: Ambassador Roble OLHAYE Oudine

chancery: Suite 515, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005

telephone: [1] (202) 331-0270

FAX: [1] (202) 331-0302

Dominica

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); note - Judith Ann

ROLLE (Charge d'Affaires)

chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016

telephone: [1] (202) 364-6781

FAX: [1] (202) 364-6791

consulate(s) general: New York

Dominican Republic

chief of mission: Ambassador Flavio Dario ESPINAL

Jacobo

chancery: 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 332-6280

FAX: [1] (202) 265-8057

consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Boston, Chicago, Mayaguez (Puerto

Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto

Rico)

Ecuador

chief of mission: Ambassador Luis Benigno GALLEGOS Chiriboga

chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 234-7200

FAX: [1] (202) 667-3482

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver,

Houston, Jersey City (New Jersey), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans,

New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Washington, DC

Egypt

chief of mission: Ambassador (designate) Sameh SHOUKRY

chancery: 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 895-5400

FAX: [1] (202) 244-4319

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco

El Salvador

chief of mission: Ambassador Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez

chancery: 1400 16th Street, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 265-9671

FAX: [1] (202) 234-3763

consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Elizabeth (New

Jersey), Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York (2),

Nogales (Arizona), Santa Ana (California), San Francisco, Washington

(DC), Woodbridge (Virginia), Woodstock (Georgia)

Equatorial Guinea

chief of mission: Ambassador Purificacion ANGUE

ONDO

chancery: 2020 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 518-5700

FAX: [1] (202) 518-5252

Eritrea

chief of mission: Ambassador GHIRMAI Ghebremariam

chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 319-1991

FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304

consulate(s) general: Oakland (California)

Estonia

chief of mission: Ambassador Vaino REINART

chancery: 2131 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101

FAX: [1] (202) 588-0108

consulate(s) general: New York

Ethiopia

chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel ASSEFA

chancery: 3506 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 364-1200

FAX: [1] (202) 587-0195

consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

consulate(s): New York

European Union

chief of mission: Ambassador John BRUTON

chancery: 2300 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037

telephone: [1] (202) 862-9500

FAX: [1] (202) 429-1766

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

none (overseas territory of the

UK; also claimed by Argentina)

Faroe Islands

none (self-governing overseas administrative division

of Denmark)

Fiji

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); note - Penijamini R.

LOMALOMA (Charge d'Affaires)

chancery: 2000 M Street, NW, Suite 710, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 466-8320

FAX: [1] (202) 466-8325

Finland

chief of mission: Ambassador Pekka LINTU

chancery: 3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 298-5800

FAX: [1] (202) 298-6030

consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

France

chief of mission: Ambassador Pierre VIMONT

chancery: 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone: [1] (202) 944-6000

FAX: [1] (202) 944-6166

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los

Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC

French Polynesia

none (overseas lands of France)

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

none (overseas territory of

France)

Gabon

chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos BOUNGOU

chancery: Suite 200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000

FAX: [1] (202) 332-0668

consulate(s): New York

Gambia, The

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires

Abdul Rahman COLE

chancery: Suite 600, 1424 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005

telephone: [1] (202) 785-1379

FAX: [1] (202) 785-1430

Georgia

chief of mission: Ambassador Vasil SIKHARULIDZE

chancery: 2209 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 387-2390

FAX: [1] (202) 393-4537

Germany

chief of mission: Ambassador Klaus SCHARIOTH

chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone: [1] (202) 298-4000

FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los

Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

Ghana

chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Kwame BAWUAH-EDUSEI

chancery: 3512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 785-1379

FAX: [1] (202) 785-1430

consulate(s) general: New York

Gibraltar

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Greece

chief of mission: Ambassador Alexandros P. MALLIAS

chancery: 2217 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 939-1300

FAX: [1] (202) 939-1324

consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San

Francisco, Tampa

consulate(s): Atlanta, Houston

Greenland

none (self-governing overseas administrative division of

Denmark)

Grenada

chief of mission: Ambassador Denis G. ANTOINE

chancery: 1701 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 265-2561

FAX: [1] (202) 265-2468

consulate(s) general: New York

Guam

none (territory of the US)

Guatemala

chief of mission: Ambassador Francisco VILLAGRAN de Leon

chancery: 2220 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 745-4952

FAX: [1] (202) 745-1908

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,

New York, Providence, San Francisco

Guernsey

none (British crown dependency)

Guinea

chief of mission: Ambassador Mory Karamoko KABA

chancery: 2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 483-9420

FAX: [1] (202) 483-8688

Guinea-Bissau

chief of mission: none; note - Guinea-Bissau does not

have official representation in Washington, DC

Guyana

chief of mission: Ambassador Bayney KARRAN

chancery: 2490 Tracy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 265-6900

FAX: [1] (202) 232-1297

consulate(s) general: New York

Haiti

chief of mission: Ambassador Raymond JOSEPH

chancery: 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 332-4090

FAX: [1] (202) 745-7215

consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, San Juan

(Puerto Rico)

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

none (territory of Australia)

Holy See (Vatican City)

chief of mission: Apostolic Nuncio

Archbishop Pietro SAMBI

chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121

FAX: [1] (202) 337-4036

Honduras

chief of mission: Ambassador Roberto FLORES BERMUDEZ

chancery: Suite 4-M, 3007 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 966-7702

FAX: [1] (202) 966-9751

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,

New Orleans, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco

honorary consulate(s): Boston, Detroit, Jacksonville

Hong Kong

none (special administrative region of China); Hong Kong

Economic and Trade Office in Washington and two other cities carries

out normal liaison and communication with the US Government and

other US entities

Hungary

chief of mission: Ambassador Ferenc SOMOGYI

chancery: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 362-6730

FAX: [1] (202) 966-8135

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Iceland

chief of mission: Ambassador Albert JONSSON

chancery: Suite 1200, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005-1704

telephone: [1] (202) 265-6653

FAX: [1] (202) 265-6656

consulate(s) general: New York

India

chief of mission: Ambassador Ranendra SEN

chancery: 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; note -

Consular Wing located at 2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington,

DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 939-7000

FAX: [1] (202) 265-4351

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco

Indonesia

chief of mission: Ambassador SUDJADNAN Parnohadiningrat

chancery: 2020 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 775-5200

FAX: [1] (202) 775-5365

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San

Francisco

Iran

none; note - Iran has an Interests Section in the Pakistani

Embassy; address: Iranian Interests Section, Pakistani Embassy, 2209

Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone: [1] (202)

965-4990; FAX [1] (202) 965-1073

Iraq

chief of mission: Ambassador Samir Shakir al-SUMAYDI

chancery: 3421 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone: [1] (202) 742-1600

FAX: [1] (202) 333-1129

Ireland

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael COLLINS

chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 462-3939

FAX: [1] (202) 232-5993

consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco

Isle of Man

none (British crown dependency)

Israel

chief of mission: Ambassador Salai MERIDOR

chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 364-5500

FAX: [1] (202) 364-5607

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los

Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco

Italy

chief of mission: Ambassador Giovanni CASTELLANETA

chancery: 3000 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 612-4400

FAX: [1] (202) 518-2151

consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los

Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco

consulate(s): Detroit

Jamaica

chief of mission: Ambassador Anthony JOHNSON

chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660

FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081

consulate(s) general: Miami, New York

Japan

chief of mission: Ambassador Ichiro FUJISAKI

chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 238-6700

FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187

consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver,

Detroit, Agana (Guam), Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New

Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, Seattle

Jersey

none (British crown dependency)

Jordan

chief of mission: Ambassador ZEID Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein,

Prince

chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664

FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110

Kazakhstan

chief of mission: Ambassador Yerlan IDRISOV

chancery: 1401 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 232-5488

FAX: [1] (202) 232-5845

consulate(s): New York

Kenya

chief of mission: Ambassador Peter Rateng Oginga OGEGO

chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101

FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829

consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

Kiribati

Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an

honorary consulate in Honolulu

Korea, North

none; North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in

New York

Korea, South

chief of mission: Ambassador LEE Tae-sik

chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600

FAX: [1] (202) 387-0205

consulate(s) general: Agana (Guam), Atlanta, Boston, Chicago,

Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle

Kuwait

chief of mission: Ambassador SALIM al-Abdallah al-Jabir

al-Sabah

chancery: 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 966-0702

FAX: [1] (202) 966-0517

Kyrgyzstan

chief of mission: Ambassador Zamira SYDYKOVA

chancery: 2360 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 449-9822

FAX: [1] (202) 386-7550

consulate(s): New York

Laos

chief of mission: Ambassador PHIANE Philakone

chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416

FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923

Latvia

chief of mission: Ambassador Andrejs PILDEGOVICS

chancery: 2306 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 328-2840

FAX: [1] (202) 328-2860

Lebanon

chief of mission: Ambassador Antoine CHEDID

chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 939-6300

FAX: [1] (202) 939-6324

consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, Los Angeles

Lesotho

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires

Mabasia MOHOBANE

chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533 through 5536

FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815

Liberia

chief of mission: Ambassador Milton Nathaniel BARNES

chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011

telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437

FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436

consulate(s) general: New York

Libya

chief of mission: ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Ali

Suleiman AUJALI

chancery: 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Suite 705, Washington, DC 20037

telephone: [1] (202) 944-9601

FAX: [1] (202) 944-9060

Liechtenstein

chief of mission: Ambassador Claudia FRITSCHE

chancery: 888 17th Street NW, Suite 1250, Washington, DC 20006

telephone: [1] (202) 331-0590

FAX: [1] (202) 331-3221

Lithuania

chief of mission: Ambassador Audrius BRUZGA

chancery: temporary address: 2300 Clarendon Boulevard, Suite 302,

Arlington, VA 22201

telephone: [1] (202) 234-5860

FAX: [1] (202) 328-0466

consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York

Luxembourg

chief of mission: Ambassador Jean-Paul SENNINGER

chancery: 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 265-4171/72

FAX: [1] (202) 328-8270

consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco

Macau

none (special administrative region of China)

Macedonia

chief of mission: Ambassador Zoran JOLEVSKI

chancery: 2129 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 667-0501

FAX: [1] (202) 667-2131

consulate(s) general: New York, Southfield (Michigan); note -

consulate general in Chicago is due to open in 2008

Madagascar

chief of mission: Ambassador Jocelyn Bertin RADIFERA

chancery: 2374 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 265-5525, 5526

FAX: [1] (202) 265-3034

consulate(s) general: New York

Malawi

chief of mission: Ambassador Hawa NDILOWE

chancery: 1029 Vermont Avenue, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005

telephone: [1] (202) 721-0270

FAX: [1] (202) 721-0288

Malaysia

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires

Ilango KARUPPANNAN

chancery: 3516 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 572-9700

FAX: [1] (202) 572-9882

consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Maldives

chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamed Hussain MANIKU

chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400E, New York, NY 10017

telephone: [1] (212) 599-6194

FAX: [1] (212) 599-6195

Mali

chief of mission: Ambassador Abdoulaye DIOP

chancery: 2130 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 332-2249, 939-8950

FAX: [1] (202) 332-6603

Malta

chief of mission: Ambassador Mark MICELI-FARRUGIA

chancery: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 462-3611, 3612

FAX: [1] (202) 387-5470

consulate(s): New York

Marshall Islands

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge

d'Affaires Charles A. PAUL

chancery: 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 234-5414

FAX: [1] (202) 232-3236

consulate(s) general: Honolulu

Mauritania

chief of mission: Ambassador Ibrahima DIA

chancery: 2129 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 232-5700, 5701

FAX: [1] (202) 319-2623

Mauritius

chief of mission: Ambassador Keerteecoomar RUHEE

chancery: 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 441, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 244-1491, 1492

FAX: [1] (202) 966-0983

Mayotte

none (territorial overseas collectivity of France)

Mexico

chief of mission: Ambassador Arturo SARUKHAN Casamitjana

chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006

telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600

FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas,

Denver, El Paso, Houston, Laredo (Texas), Los Angeles, Miami, New

Orleans, New York, Nogales (Arizona), Omaha, Orlando, Phoenix,

Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San

Juan (Puerto Rico)

consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico

(California), Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle

Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Indianapolis (Indiana), Kansas

City (Missouri), Laredo (Texas), Las Vegas, Little Rock (Arkansas),

McAllen (Texas), New Orleans, Omaha, Orlando, Oxnard (California),

Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, Saint

Paul (Minnesota), Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana

(California), Seattle, Tucson, Yuma (Arizona)

Micronesia, Federated States of

chief of mission: Ambassador Yosiwo

GEORGE

chancery: 1725 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 223-4383

FAX: [1] (202) 223-4391

consulate(s) general: Honolulu, Tamuning (Guam)

Moldova

chief of mission: Ambassador Nicolae CHIRTOACA

chancery: 2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 667-1130

FAX: [1] (202) 667-1204

Monaco

chief of mission: Ambassador to the US and UN Gilles NOGHES

chancery: 2314 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: (202) 234-1530

FAX: (202) 552-5778

Mongolia

chief of mission: Ambassador Khasbazaryn BEKHBAT

chancery: 2833 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone: [1] (202) 333-7117

FAX: [1] (202) 298-9227

Montenegro

chief of mission: Ambassador Miodrag VLAHOVIC

chancery: 1610 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 234-6108

FAX: [1] (202) 234-6109

consulate(s) general: New York

Montserrat

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Morocco

chief of mission: Ambassador Aziz MEKOUAR

chancery: 1601 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 462-7979

FAX: [1] (202) 265-0161

consulate(s) general: New York

Mozambique

chief of mission: Ambassador Armando Alexandre PANGUENE

chancery: 1525 New Hampshire Avenue, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 293-7146

FAX: [1] (202) 835-0245

Namibia

chief of mission: Ambassador Patrick NANDAGO

chancery: 1605 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 986-0540

FAX: [1] (202) 986-0443

Nauru

chief of mission: Ambassador Marlene I. MOSES

chancery: 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, NY 10017

telephone: [1] (212) 937-0074

FAX: [1] (212) 937-0079

consulate(s): Agana (Guam)

Nepal

chief of mission: Ambassador Suresh Chandra CHALISE

chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550

FAX: [1] (202) 667-5534

consulate(s) general:

New York:

Netherlands

chief of mission: Ambassador Regina "Renee" JONES-BOS

chancery: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 244-5300, [1] 877-388-2443

FAX: [1] (202) 362-3430

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York

Netherlands Antilles

none (represented by the Kingdom of the

Netherlands); note - Mr. Jeffrey CORRION, Minister Plenipotentiary

for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

New Caledonia

none (overseas territory of France)

New Zealand

chief of mission: Ambassador Roy N. FERGUSON

chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800

FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227

consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Nicaragua

chief of mission: Ambassador Arturo CRUZ Sequeira, Jr.

chancery: 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 939-6570, [1] (202) 939-6573

FAX: [1] (202) 939-6545

consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San

Francisco

Niger

chief of mission: Ambassador Aminata Djibrilla Maiga TOURE

chancery: 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227

FAX: [1] (202)483-3169

Nigeria

chief of mission: Ambassador Oluwole ROTIMI

chancery: 3519 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 986-8400

FAX: [1] (202) 775-1385

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, New York

Niue

none (self-governing territory in free association with New

Zealand)

Norfolk Island

none (territory of Australia)

Norway

chief of mission: Ambassador Wegger C. STROMMEN

chancery: 2720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 333-6000

FAX: [1] (202) 337-0870

consulate(s) general: Houston, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco

Oman

chief of mission: Ambassador Hunaina bint Sultan bin Ahmad

al-MUGHAIRI

chancery: 2535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 387-1980

FAX: [1] (202) 745-4933

Pakistan

chief of mission: Ambassador Husain HAQQANI

chancery: 3517 International Court, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 243-6500

FAX: [1] (202) 686-1544

consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New

York, Sunnyvale (California)

Palau

chief of mission: Ambassador Hersey KYOTA

chancery: 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC

20006

telephone: [1] (202) 452-6814

FAX: [1] (202) 452-6281

consulate(s) general: Honolulu

consulate(s): Tamuning (Guam)

Panama

chief of mission: Ambassador Federico HUMBERT Arias

chancery: 2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 483-1407

FAX: [1] (202) 483-8416

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Honolulu, Houston, Miami, New

Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan

(Puerto Rico), Tampa

Papua New Guinea

chief of mission: Ambassador Evan Jeremy PAKI

chancery: 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Suite 805, Washington, DC

20036

telephone: [1] (202) 745-3680

FAX: [1] (202) 745-3679

Paraguay

chief of mission: Ambassador James SPALDING Hellmers

chancery: 2400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 483-6960 through 6962

FAX: [1] (202) 234-4508

consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, Miami, New York

Peru

chief of mission: Ambassador Felipe ORTIZ de Zevallos

chancery: 1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 833-9860 through 9869

FAX: [1] (202) 659-8124

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Hartford,

Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paterson (New Jersey), San

Francisco, Washington, DC

Philippines

chief of mission: Ambassador Willy C. GAA

chancery: 1600 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 467-9300

FAX: [1] (202) 467-9417

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San

Francisco, Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands), Tamuning (Guam)

Pitcairn Islands

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Poland

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert KUPIECKI

chancery: 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 234-3800 through 3802

FAX: [1] (202) 328-6271

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Portugal

chief of mission: Ambassador Joao DE VALLERA

chancery: 2012 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 350-5400

FAX: [1] (202) 462-3726

consulate(s) general: Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), San

Francisco

consulate(s): New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence (Rhode Island)

Puerto Rico

none (territory of the US with commonwealth status)

Qatar

chief of mission: Ambassador Ali Fahad al-Shahwany al-HAJRI

chancery: 2555 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20037

telephone: [1] (202) 274-1600 and 274-1603

FAX: [1] (202) 237-0061

consulate(s) general: Houston

Romania

chief of mission: Ambassador Adrian Cosmin VIERITA

chancery: 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851, 4852

FAX: [1] (202) 232-4748

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Russia

chief of mission: Ambassador Yuriy Viktorovich USHAKOV

chancery: 2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone: [1] (202) 298-5700, 5701, 5704, 5708

FAX: [1] (202) 298-5735

consulate(s) general: Houston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle

Rwanda

chief of mission: Ambassador James KOMONYO

chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 232-2882

FAX: [1] (202) 232-4544

Saint Barthelemy

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Saint Helena

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Saint Kitts and Nevis chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Izben Cordinal WILLIAMS chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 686-2636 FAX: [1] (202) 686-5740 consulate(s) general: New York

Saint Lucia

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael LOUIS

chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016

telephone: [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795

FAX: [1] (202) 364-6723

consulate(s) general: Miami, New York

Saint Martin

none (overseas collectivity of France)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

none (territorial overseas collectivity of

France)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines chief of mission: Ambassador La Celia A. PRINCE chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736 consulate(s) general: New York

Samoa

chief of mission: Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA

chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017

telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197

FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797

San Marino

chief of mission: Ambassador Paolo RONDELLI

chancery: 888 27th Street NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20006

telephone: 202-337-2260

Sao Tome and Principe chief of mission: First Secretary Domingos Augusto FERREIRA chancery: 400 Park Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (212) 317-0580 FAX: [1] (212) 935-7348 consulate(s): Atlanta

Saudi Arabia

chief of mission: Ambassador Adil al-Ahmad al-JUBAYR

chancery: 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037

telephone: [1] (202) 342-3800

FAX: [1] (202) 944-3113

consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, New York

Senegal

chief of mission: Ambassador Amadou Lamine BA

chancery: 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 234-0540

FAX: [1] (202) 332-6315

consulate(s) general: Houston, New York

Serbia

chief of mission: Ambassador Ivan VUJACIC

chancery: 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 332-0333

FAX: [1] (202) 332-3933

consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York

Seychelles

chief of mission: Ambassador Jean Ronald JUMEAU

chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, NY 10017

telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785

FAX: [1] (212) 972-1786

Sierra Leone

chief of mission: Ambassador Bockari Kortu STEVENS

chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263

FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793

Singapore

chief of mission: Ambassador CHAN Heng Chee

chancery: 3501 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 537-3100

FAX: [1] (202) 537-0876

consulate(s) general: San Francisco

consulate(s): New York

Slovakia

chief of mission: Ambassador Peter BURIAN

chancery: 3523 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 237-1054

FAX: [1] (202) 237-6438

consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Slovenia

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires

Mariam MOZGAN

chancery: 2410 California Street N.W., Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 386-6601

FAX: [1] (202) 386-6633

consulate(s) general: Cleveland, New York

Solomon Islands

chief of mission: Ambassador Collin David BECK

chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017

telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193

FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925

Somalia

Somalia does not have an embassy in the US (ceased

operations on 8 May 1991); note - the TFG is represented in the

United States through its Permanent Mission to the United Nations

South Africa

chief of mission: Ambassador Welile Augustine NHLAPO

chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 232-4400

FAX: [1] (202) 265-1607

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

none (overseas

territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)

Spain

chief of mission: Ambassador Jorge DEZCALLAR de Mazarredo

chancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037

telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2340

FAX: [1] (202) 833-5670

consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,

New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Sri Lanka

chief of mission: Ambassador Jaliya WICKRAMASURIYA

chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 483-4025 (through 4028)

FAX: [1] (202) 232-7181

consulate(s) general: Los Angeles

consulate(s): New York

Sudan

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Akec

KHOC Aciew Khoc

chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565

FAX: [1] (202) 667-2406

Suriname

chief of mission: Ambassador Jacques Ruben Constantijn KROSS

chancery: Suite 460, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 244-7488

FAX: [1] (202) 244-5878

consulate(s) general: Miami

Swaziland

chief of mission: Ambassador Ephraim Mandla HLOPHE

chancery: 1712 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 234-5002

FAX: [1] (202) 234-8254

Sweden

chief of mission: Ambassador Jonas HAFSTROM

chancery: 2900 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone: [1] (202) 467-2600

FAX: [1] (202) 467-2699

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Switzerland

chief of mission: Ambassador Urs ZISWILER

chancery: 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 745-7900

FAX: [1] (202) 387-2564

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San

Francisco

Syria

chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA

chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313

FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548

Taiwan

none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the

people of the US are maintained through an unofficial

instrumentality, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative

Office (TECRO), which has its headquarters in Taipei and in the US

in Washington, DC; there are also branch offices called Taipei

Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in 12 other US cities

Tajikistan

chief of mission: Ambassador Abdujabbor SHIRINOV

chancery: 1005 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037

telephone: [1] (202) 223-6090

FAX: [1] (202) 223-6091

Tanzania

chief of mission: Ambassador Ombeni Yohana SEFUE

chancery: 2139 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 939-6125

FAX: [1] (202) 797-7408

Thailand

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires

DAMRONG Kraikruan

chancery: 1024 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 401, Washington, DC 20007

telephone: [1] (202) 944-3600

FAX: [1] (202) 944-3611

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Timor-Leste

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires

Jorge CAMEO

chancery: 4201 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 504,Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 966-3202

FAX: [1] (202) 966-3205

consulate(s) general: New York

Togo

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires

Lorempo LANDJERGUE

chancery: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 234-4212

FAX: [1] (202) 232-3190

Tokelau

none (territory of New Zealand)

Tonga

chief of mission: Ambassador Fekitamoeloa 'UTOIKAMANU

chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022

telephone: [1] (917) 369-1025

FAX: [1] (917) 369-1024

consulate(s) general: San Francisco

Trinidad and Tobago chief of mission: Ambassador Glenda MOREAN-PHILLIP chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490 FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130 consulate(s) general: Miami, New York

Tunisia

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge D'Affaires

Tarek Ben YOUSSEF

chancery: 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005

telephone: [1] (202) 862-1850

FAX: [1] (202) 862-1858

Turkey

chief of mission: Ambassador Nabi SENSOY

chancery: 2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 612-6700

FAX: [1] (202) 612-6744

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York

Turkmenistan

chief of mission: Ambassador Meret Bairamovich ORAZOW

chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500

FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697

Turks and Caicos Islands

none (overseas territory of the UK)

Tuvalu

Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US - the country's

only diplomatic post is in Fiji - Tuvalu does, however, have a UN

office located at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017,

telephone: [1] (212) 490-0534

Uganda

chief of mission: Ambassador Perezi Karukubiro KAMUNANWIRE

chancery: 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011

telephone: [1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416

FAX: [1] (202) 726-1727

Ukraine

chief of mission: Ambassador Oleh V. SHAMSHUR

chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone: [1] (202) 333-0606

FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817

consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York, San Francisco

United Arab Emirates

chief of mission: Ambassador Yousef bin Mani

Saeed al-OTAIBA

chancery: 3522 International Court NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC

20008

telephone: [1] (202) 243-2400

FAX: [1] (202) 243-2432

consulate(s): New York, Houston

United Kingdom

chief of mission: Ambassador Sir Nigel E. SHEINWALD

chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500

FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los

Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

consulate(s): Denver, Orlando

Uruguay

chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos Alberto GIANELLI Derois

chancery: 1913 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20006

telephone: [1] (202) 331-1313 through 1316

FAX: [1] (202) 331-8142

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York,

Washington, DC

consulate(s): San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Uzbekistan

chief of mission: Ambassador Abdulaziz KAMILOV

chancery: 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 887-5300

FAX: [1] (202) 293-6804

consulate(s) general: New York

Vanuatu

Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US; it does,

however, have a Permanent Mission to the UN

Venezuela

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires

Angelo SANTOS

chancery: 1099 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone: [1] (202) 342-2214

FAX: [1] (202) 342-6820

consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans,

New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Vietnam

chief of mission: Ambassador Le Cong PHUNG

chancery: 1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 861-0737

FAX: [1] (202) 861-0917

consulate(s) general: San Francisco

Virgin Islands

none (territory of the US)

Wallis and Futuna

none (overseas territory of France)

Western Sahara

none

Yemen

chief of mission: Ambassador Abd al-Wahab Abdallah al-HAJRI

chancery: 2319 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760

FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017

Zambia

chief of mission: Ambassador Inonge MBIKUSITA-LEWANIKA

chancery: 2419 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 265-9717 through 9719

FAX: [1] (202) 332-0826

Zimbabwe

chief of mission: Ambassador Marina Annette VALERE

chancery: 1608 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 332-7100

FAX: [1] (202) 483-9326

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2150 Telephones - main lines in use

Afghanistan

280,000 (2005)

Albania

353,600 (2005)

Algeria

3.068 million (2007)

American Samoa

10,400 (2004)

Andorra

37,200 (2007)

Angola

98,200 (2006)

Anguilla

6,200 (2002)

Antarctica

0; note - information for US bases only (2001)

Antigua and Barbuda

37,500 (2006)

Argentina

9.5 million (2007)

Armenia

603,900 (2006)

Aruba

38,700 (2006)

Australia

9.76 million (2007)

Austria

3.374 million (2007)

Azerbaijan

1.254 million (2007)

Bahamas, The

132,900 (2007)

Bahrain

194,200 (2006)

Bangladesh

1.187 million (2007)

Barbados

134,900 (2005)

Belarus

3.672 million (2007)

Belgium

4.668 million (2007)

Belize

33,900 (2007)

Benin

110,300 (2007)

Bermuda

57,700 (2006)

Bhutan

29,900 (2007)

Bolivia

678,200 (2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

1.065 million (2007)

Botswana

136,900 (2006)

Brazil

39.4 million (2007)

British Indian Ocean Territory

NA

British Virgin Islands

11,700 (2002)

Brunei

79,200 (2007)

Bulgaria

2.3 million (2007)

Burkina Faso

94,800 (2006)

Burma

503,900 (2005)

Burundi

35,000 (2006)

Cambodia

37,500 (2007)

Cameroon

130,700 (2006)

Canada

21 million (2006)

Cape Verde

71,600 (2006)

Cayman Islands

38,000 (2002)

Central African Republic

12,000 (2006)

Chad

13,000 (2006)

Chile

3.379 million (2007)

China

365.4 million (2007)

Christmas Island

NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

287 (1992)

Colombia

7.936 million (2007)

Comoros

19,100 (2006)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

9,700 (2006)

Congo, Republic of the

15,900 (2005)

Cook Islands

6,200 (2002)

Costa Rica

1.437 million (2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

730,000 (2007)

Croatia

1.825 million (2007)

Cuba

1.043 million (2007)

Cyprus

area under government control: 376,000 (2007); area

administered by Turkish Cypriots: 86,228 (2002)

Czech Republic

2.888 million (2006)

Denmark

2.824 million (2007)

Djibouti

10,800 (2005)

Dominica

21,000 (2004)

Dominican Republic

907,000 (2007)

Ecuador

1.805 million (2007)

Egypt

11.229 million (2007)

El Salvador

1.08 million (2007)

Equatorial Guinea

10,000 (2005)

Eritrea

37,500 (2006)

Estonia

495,500 (2007)

Ethiopia

880,100 (2007)

European Union

238 million (2005)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

2,400 (2002)

Faroe Islands

23,000 (2006)

Fiji

108,400 (2007)

Finland

1.74 million (2007)

France

35.533 million; 34.8 million (metropolitan France) (2007)

French Polynesia

53,600 (2006)

Gabon

26,500 (2007)

Gambia, The

76,400 (2007)

Gaza Strip

350,400 (includes West Bank) (2007)

Georgia

544,000 (2007)

Germany

53.75 million (2007)

Ghana

376,500 (2007)

Gibraltar

24,512 (2002)

Greece

6.227 million (2007)

Greenland

36,000 (2006)

Grenada

27,700 (2006)

Guam

65,500 (2003)

Guatemala

1.355 million (2006)

Guernsey

45,100 (2005)

Guinea

26,300 (2005)

Guinea-Bissau

4,600 (2007)

Guyana

110,100 (2005)

Haiti

150,000 (2006)

Holy See (Vatican City)

5,120 (2005)

Honduras

713,600 (2006)

Hong Kong

3.875 million (2007)

Hungary

3.251 million (2007)

Iceland

186,700 (2007)

India

38.76 million (2008)

Indonesia

17.828 million (2007)

Iran

23.835 million (2007)

Iraq

1.547 million (2005)

Ireland

2.112 million (2007)

Isle of Man

51,000 (1999)

Israel

3.005 million (2006)

Italy

26.89 million (2006)

Jamaica

342,000 (2006)

Japan

51.232 million (2007)

Jersey

73,900 (2001)

Jordan

585,500 (2007)

Kazakhstan

3.237 million (2007)

Kenya

264,800 (2007)

Kiribati

4,500 (2002)

Korea, North

1.18 million (2007)

Korea, South

23.905 million (2007)

Kosovo

106,300 (2006)

Kuwait

517,000 (2006)

Kyrgyzstan

482,100 (2007)

Laos

94,800 (2007)

Latvia

644,000 (2007)

Lebanon

681,400 (2006)

Lesotho

53,100 (2006)

Liberia

6,900 (2002)

Libya

852,300 (2005)

Liechtenstein

20,000 (2005)

Lithuania

799,400 (2007)

Luxembourg

248,200 (2007)

Macau

177,851 (2008)

Macedonia

463,600 (2007)

Madagascar

133,900 (2007)

Malawi

175,200 (2007)

Malaysia

4.35 million (2007)

Maldives

33,200 (2007)

Mali

85,000 (2007)

Malta

198,100 (2007)

Marshall Islands

4,500 (2004)

Mauritania

34,900 (2006)

Mauritius

357,300 (2006)

Mayotte

10,000 (2002)

Mexico

19.754 million (2007)

Micronesia, Federated States of

8,700 (2007)

Moldova

1.08 million (2007)

Monaco

34,000 (2005)

Mongolia

158,900 (2006)

Montenegro

353,300 (2006)

Montserrat

NA

Morocco

2.394 million (2007)

Mozambique

67,000 (2006)

Namibia

138,100 (2007)

Nauru

1,900 (2002)

Nepal

766,400 (2007)

Netherlands

7.334 million (2007)

Netherlands Antilles

81,000 (2001)

New Caledonia

60,200 (2007)

New Zealand

1.706 million (2007)

Nicaragua

247,900 (2006)

Niger

24,000 (2005)

Nigeria

1.58 million (2007)

Niue

1,100 (2002 est.)

Norfolk Island

2,532; note - a mix of analog (2500) and digital (32)

circuits (2004)

Northern Mariana Islands

21,000 (2000)

Norway

1.988 million (2007)

Oman

268,100 (2007)

Pakistan

4.546 million (2008)

Palau

6,700 (2002)

Panama

491,900 (2007)

Papua New Guinea

60,000 (2007)

Paraguay

453,800 (2007)

Peru

2.673 million (2007)

Philippines

3.633 million (2006)

Pitcairn Islands 1 (there are 17 telephones on one party line); (2004)

Poland

10.336 million (2007)

Portugal

4.139 million (2007)

Puerto Rico

1.038 million (2005)

Qatar

237,400 (2007)

Romania

4.3 million (2007)

Russia

43.9 million (2006)

Rwanda

23,100 (2007)

Saint Helena

2,200 (2002)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

25,000 (2004)

Saint Lucia

51,100 (2002)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

4,800 (2002)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

22,800 (2007)

Samoa

19,500 (2005)

San Marino

21,000 (2006)

Sao Tome and Principe

7,700 (2007)

Saudi Arabia

3.996 million (2007)

Senegal

269,100 (2007)

Serbia

2.993 million (2007)

Seychelles

22,700 (2007)

Sierra Leone

24,000 (2002)

Singapore

1.859 million (2007)

Slovakia

1.151 million (2007)

Slovenia

857,100 (2007)

Solomon Islands

7,600 (2006)

Somalia

100,000 (2007)

South Africa

4.642 million (2007)

Spain

18.583 million (2007)

Sri Lanka

2.742 million (2007)

Sudan

345,200 (2007)

Suriname

81,500 (2006)

Svalbard

NA

Swaziland

44,000 (2006)

Sweden

5.506 million (2007)

Switzerland

5 million (2007)

Syria

3.452 million (2007)

Taiwan

14.313 million (2007)

Tajikistan

280,200 (2005)

Tanzania

165,013 (2008)

Thailand

7.024 million (2007)

Timor-Leste

2,400 (2006)

Togo

82,100 (2006)

Tokelau

300 (2002)

Tonga

21,000 (2007)

Trinidad and Tobago

323,800 (2007)

Tunisia

1.273 million (2007)

Turkey

18.413 million (2007)

Turkmenistan

398,100 (2005)

Turks and Caicos Islands

5,700 (2002)

Tuvalu

900 (2005)

Uganda

162,300 (2007)

Ukraine

12.858 million (2007)

United Arab Emirates

1.385 million (2007)

United Kingdom

33.682 million (2007)

United States

163.2 million (2007)

Uruguay

965,200 (2007)

Uzbekistan

1.793 million (2005)

Vanuatu

8,800 (2007)

Venezuela

5.082 million (2007)

Vietnam

10.8 million (2007)

Virgin Islands

71,700 (2005)

Wallis and Futuna

1,900 (2002)

West Bank

350,400 (includes Gaza Strip) (2007)

Western Sahara

about 2,000 (1999 est.)

World

1,263,367,600 (2005)

Yemen

968,300 (2006)

Zambia

91,800 (2007)

Zimbabwe

344,500 (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2151 Telephones - mobile cellular

Afghanistan

5.4 million (2008)

Albania

2.3 million (2007)

Algeria

27.563 million (2007)

American Samoa

2,200 (2004)

Andorra

68,500 (2007)

Angola

3.307 million (2007)

Anguilla

1,800 (2002)

Antigua and Barbuda

110,200 (2006)

Argentina

40.402 million (2007)

Armenia

1,185,400 (2006)

Aruba

105,700 (2006)

Australia

21.26 million (2007)

Austria

9.768 million (2007)

Azerbaijan

4.3 million (2007)

Bahamas, The

374,000 (2007)

Bahrain

1.116 million (2007)

Bangladesh

34.37 million (2007)

Barbados

237,100 (2006)

Belarus

5.96 million (2006)

Belgium

10.23 million (2007)

Belize

118,300 (2007)

Benin

1.895 million (2007)

Bermuda

60,100 (2006)

Bhutan

149,400 (2007)

Bolivia

3.254 million (2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

2.45 million (2007)

Botswana

1.427 million (2007)

Brazil

120.98 million (2007)

British Virgin Islands

8,000 (2002)

Brunei

339,800 (2007)

Bulgaria

9.897 million (2007)

Burkina Faso

1.611 million (2007)

Burma

214,200 (2006)

Burundi

250,000 (2007)

Cambodia

2.583 million (2007)

Cameroon

4.536 million (2007)

Canada

18.749 million (2006)

Cape Verde

148,000 (2007)

Cayman Islands

33,800 (2004)

Central African Republic

130,000 (2007)

Chad

918,400 (2007)

Chile

13.955 million (2007)

China

547.286 million (2007)

Colombia

33.941 million (2007)

Comoros

40,000 (2007)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

6.592 million (2007)

Congo, Republic of the

1.334 million (2007)

Cook Islands

1,500 (2002)

Costa Rica

1.503 million (2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

7.05 million (2007)

Croatia

5.035 million (2007)

Cuba

198,300 (2007)

Cyprus

area under government control: 962,200 (2007); area

administered by Turkish Cypriots: 147,522 (2002)

Czech Republic

13.075 million (2007)

Denmark

6.243 million (2007)

Djibouti

45,000 (2007)

Dominica

41,800 (2004)

Dominican Republic

5.513 million (2007)

Ecuador

10.086 million (2007)

Egypt

30.065 million (2007)

El Salvador

6.137 million (2007)

Equatorial Guinea

220,000 (2007)

Eritrea

70,000 (2007)

Estonia

1.982 million (2007)

Ethiopia

1.208 million (2007)

European Union

466 million (2005)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

0 (2001)

Faroe Islands

50,000 (2006)

Fiji

437,000 (2007)

Finland

6.08 million (2007)

France

56.719 million; 55.358 million (metropolitan France) (2007)

French Polynesia

174,800 (2007)

Gabon

1.169 million (2007)

Gambia, The

795,900 (2007)

Gaza Strip

1.026 million (includes West Bank) (2007)

Georgia

2.4 million (2007)

Germany

97.151 million (2007)

Ghana

7.604 million (2007)

Gibraltar

9,797 (2002)

Greece

11.997 million (2007)

Greenland

66,400 (2007)

Grenada

46,200 (2006)

Guam

98,000 (2004)

Guatemala

10.15 million (2007)

Guernsey

43,800 (2004)

Guinea

189,000 (2005)

Guinea-Bissau

296,200 (2007)

Guyana

281,400 (2005)

Haiti

2.2 million (2007)

Honduras

2.241 million (2006)

Hong Kong

10.55 million (2007)

Hungary

11.03 million (2007)

Iceland

347,500 (2007)

India

296.08 million (2008)

Indonesia

81.835 million (2007)

Iran

29.77 million (2007)

Iraq

14.021 million (2007)

Ireland

4.94 million (2007)

Israel

8.902 million (2007)

Italy

78.571 million (2006)

Jamaica

2.495 million (2006)

Japan

107.339 million (2007)

Jersey

83,900 (2004)

Jordan

4.771 million (2007)

Kazakhstan

12.588 million (2007)

Kenya

11.44 million (2007)

Kiribati

700 (2005)

Korea, South

43.5 million (2007)

Kosovo

562,000 (2006)

Kuwait

2.774 million (2007)

Kyrgyzstan

2.152 million (2007)

Laos

1.478 million (2007)

Latvia

2.217 million (2007)

Lebanon

1.26 million (2007)

Lesotho

456,000 (2007)

Liberia

563,000 (2007)

Libya

4.5 million (2007)

Liechtenstein

27,500 (2005)

Lithuania

4.912 million (2007)

Luxembourg

604,200 (2007)

Macau

856,200 (2008)

Macedonia

1.518 million (2007)

Madagascar

2.218 million (2007)

Malawi

1.051 million (2007)

Malaysia

23.347 million (2007)

Maldives

317,800 (2007)

Mali

2.483 million (2007)

Malta

371,500 (2007)

Marshall Islands

700 (2005)

Mauritania

1.3 million (2007)

Mauritius

936,000 (2007)

Mayotte

48,100 (2005)

Mexico

68.254 million (2007)

Micronesia, Federated States of

27,400 (2007)

Moldova

1.883 million (2007)

Monaco

17,200 (2005)

Mongolia

775,300 (2006)

Montenegro

643,700 (2006)

Montserrat

NA

Morocco

20.029 million (2007)

Mozambique

3.3 million (2007)

Namibia

800,300 (2007)

Nauru

1,500 (2002)

Nepal

1.157 million (2006)

Netherlands

17.3 million (2006)

Netherlands Antilles

200,000 (2004)

New Caledonia

176,400 (2007)

New Zealand

4.245 million (2007)

Nicaragua

2.123 million (2007)

Niger

900,000 (2007)

Nigeria

40.395 million (2007)

Niue

400 (2002)

Norfolk Island

0; note - proposed cellular service disallowed in

August 2002 island referendum (2002)

Northern Mariana Islands

20,500 (2004)

Norway

5.192 million (2007)

Oman

2.5 million (2007)

Pakistan

88.02 million (2008)

Palau

1,000 (2002)

Panama

2.392 million (2007)

Papua New Guinea

300,000 (2007)

Paraguay

4.33 million (2007)

Peru

15.417 million (2007)

Philippines

51.795 million (2007)

Poland

41.389 million (2007)

Portugal

13.413 million (2007)

Puerto Rico

3.354 million (2005)

Qatar

1.264 million (2007)

Romania

22.875 million (2007)

Russia

170 million (2007)

Rwanda

635,100 (2007)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

10,000 (2004)

Saint Lucia

105,700 (2005)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

104,000 (2007)

Samoa

86,000 (2007)

San Marino

17,390 (2006)

Sao Tome and Principe

30,100 (2007)

Saudi Arabia

28.381 million (2007)

Senegal

4.123 million (2007)

Serbia

8.453 million (2007)

Seychelles

77,300 (2007)

Sierra Leone

776,000 (2007)

Singapore

5.619 million (2007)

Slovakia

6.068 million (2007)

Slovenia

1.928 million (2007)

Solomon Islands

10,900 (2007)

Somalia

600,000 (2007)

South Africa

42.3 million (2007)

Spain

48.813 million (2007)

Sri Lanka

7.983 million (2007)

Sudan

7.464 million (2007)

Suriname

320,000 (2006)

Swaziland

380,000 (2007)

Sweden

10.371 million (2007)

Switzerland

8.096 million (2007)

Syria

6.7 million (2007)

Taiwan

24.302 million (2007)

Tajikistan

265,000 (2005)

Tanzania

9.358 million (2008)

Thailand

51.377 million (2007)

Timor-Leste

69,000 (2007)

Togo

1.19 million (2007)

Tonga

46,500 (2007)

Trinidad and Tobago

1.008 million (2007)

Tunisia

7.842 million (2007)

Turkey

61.976 million (2007)

Turkmenistan

216,900 (2006)

Turks and Caicos Islands

1,700 (1999)

Tuvalu

1,300 (2005)

Uganda

4.195 million (2007)

Ukraine

55.24 million (2007)

United Arab Emirates

7.595 million (2007)

United Kingdom

71.992 million (2007)

United States

255 million (2007)

Uruguay

3.004 million (2007)

Uzbekistan

5.8 million (2007)

Vanuatu

26,000 (2007)

Venezuela

23.82 million (2007)

Vietnam

33.2 million (2007)

Virgin Islands

80,300 (2005)

Wallis and Futuna

NA

West Bank

1.026 million (includes Gaza Strip) (2007)

Western Sahara

0 (1999)

World

2,168,433,600 (2005)

Yemen

2.978 million (2006)

Zambia

2.639 million (2007)

Zimbabwe

1.226 million (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2153 Internet users

Afghanistan

580,000 (2007)

Albania

471,200 (2006)

Algeria

3.5 million (2007)

American Samoa

NA

Andorra

58,900 (2007)

Angola

100,000 (2007)

Anguilla

3,000 (2002)

Antigua and Barbuda

60,000 (2007)

Argentina

9.309 million (2007)

Armenia

172,800 (2006)

Aruba

24,000 (2007)

Australia

11.24 million (2007)

Austria

4.277 million (2007)

Azerbaijan

1.036 million (2007)

Bahamas, The

120,000 (2007)

Bahrain

250,000 (2007)

Bangladesh

500,000 (2007)

Barbados

160,000 (2005)

Belarus

6 million (2007)

Belgium

5.22 million (2007)

Belize

32,000 (2007)

Benin

150,000 (2007)

Bermuda

48,000 (2007)

Bhutan

40,000 (2007)

Bolivia

1 million (2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

1.055 million (2007)

Botswana

80,000 (2007)

Brazil

50 million (2007)

British Virgin Islands

4,000 (2002)

Brunei

199,532 (2007)

Bulgaria

1.899 million (2007)

Burkina Faso

80,000 (2006)

Burma

40,000 (2007)

Burundi

60,000 (2006)

Cambodia

70,000 (2007)

Cameroon

370,000 (2006)

Canada

28 million (2007)

Cape Verde

37,000 (2007)

Cayman Islands

22,000 (2007)

Central African Republic

13,000 (2006)

Chad

60,000 (2006)

Chile

5.57 million (2007)

China

253 million (2008)

Christmas Island

464 (2001)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

NA

Colombia

12.1 million (2007)

Comoros

21,000 (2006)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

230,400 (2007)

Congo, Republic of the

70,000 (2006)

Cook Islands

3,600 (2002)

Costa Rica

1.5 million (2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

300,000 (2006)

Croatia

1.995 million (2007)

Cuba

1.31 million

note: private citizens are prohibited from buying computers or

accessing the Internet without special authorization; foreigners may

access the Internet in large hotels but are subject to firewalls;

some Cubans buy illegal passwords on the black market or take

advantage of public outlets to access limited email and the

government-controlled "intranet" (2007)

Cyprus

380,000 (2007)

Czech Republic

4.4 million (2007)

Denmark

3.5 million (2007)

Djibouti

11,000 (2006)

Dominica

26,500 (2006)

Dominican Republic

1.677 million (2007)

Ecuador

1.549 million (2006)

Egypt

8.62 million (2007)

El Salvador

700,000 (2006)

Equatorial Guinea

8,000 (2006)

Eritrea

120,000 (2007)

Estonia

780,000 (2007)

Ethiopia

291,000 (2007)

European Union

247 million (2006)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

1,900 (2002)

Faroe Islands

34,000 (2006)

Fiji

80,000 (2006)

Finland

3.6 million (2007)

France

31.295 million; 30.838 million (metropolitan France) (2007)

French Polynesia

75,000 (2007)

Gabon

145,000 (2007)

Gambia, The

100,200 (2007)

Gaza Strip

355,500 (includes West Bank) (2007)

Georgia

360,000 (2007)

Germany

42.5 million (2007)

Ghana

650,000 (2007)

Gibraltar

6,200 (2002)

Greece

2.54 million (2007)

Greenland

52,000 (2007)

Grenada

23,000 (2007)

Guam

65,000 (2005)

Guatemala

1.32 million (2006)

Guernsey

36,000 (2005)

Guinea

50,000 (2006)

Guinea-Bissau

37,000 (2006)

Guyana

190,000 (2007)

Haiti

1 million (2007)

Holy See (Vatican City)

93 (2000)

Honduras

344,100 (2006)

Hong Kong

3.961 million (2007)

Hungary

4.2 million (2007)

Iceland

202,300 (2007)

India

80 million (2007)

Indonesia

13 million (2007)

Iran

23 million (2007)

Iraq

54,000 (2007)

Ireland

1.708 million (2007)

Isle of Man

NA

Israel

2 million (2007)

Italy

32 million (2007)

Jamaica

1.5 million (2007)

Japan

88.11 million (2007)

Jersey

27,000 (2005)

Jordan

1.127 million (2007)

Kazakhstan

1.901 million (2006)

Kenya

3 million (2007)

Kiribati

2,000 (2007)

Korea, North

NA

Korea, South

35.59 million (2007)

Kuwait

900,000 (2007)

Kyrgyzstan

750,000 (2007)

Laos

100,000 (2007)

Latvia

1.177 million (2007)

Lebanon

950,000 (2006)

Lesotho

70,000 (2007)

Liberia

1,000 (2002)

Libya

260,000 (2006)

Liechtenstein

22,000 (2006)

Lithuania

1.333 million (2007)

Luxembourg

345,000 (2007)

Macau

300,000 (2007)

Macedonia

685,000 (2007)

Madagascar

110,000 (2006)

Malawi

139,500 (2007)

Malaysia

15.868 million (2007)

Maldives

33,000 (2007)

Mali

100,000 (2007)

Malta

158,000 (2007)

Marshall Islands

2,200 (2006)

Mauritania

30,000 (2006)

Mauritius

340,000 (2007)

Mayotte

NA

Mexico

22.812 million (2007)

Micronesia, Federated States of

15,000 (2007)

Moldova

700,000 (2007)

Monaco

20,000 (2006)

Mongolia

320,000 (2007)

Montenegro

280,000 (2007)

Montserrat

NA

Morocco

7.3 million (2007)

Mozambique

200,000 (2007)

Namibia

101,000 (2007)

Nauru

300 (2002)

Nepal

337,100 (2007)

Netherlands

15 million (2007)

Netherlands Antilles

2,000 (2000)

New Caledonia

80,000 (2006)

New Zealand

3.36 million (2007)

Nicaragua

155,000 (2006)

Niger

40,000 (2006)

Nigeria

10 million (2007)

Niue

900 (2002)

Norfolk Island

700 (2002 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands

10,000 (2003)

Norway

3.8 million (2007)

Oman

340,000 (2007)

Pakistan

17.5 million (2007)

Panama

525,200 (2007)

Papua New Guinea

110,000 (2006)

Paraguay

280,000 (2007)

Peru

7.636 million (2007)

Philippines

5.3 million (2007)

Pitcairn Islands

NA

Poland

16 million (2007)

Portugal

3.549 million (2007)

Puerto Rico

1 million (2007)

Qatar

351,000 (2007)

Romania

12 million (2007)

Russia

30 million (2007)

Rwanda

100,000 (2007)

Saint Helena

1,000; note - includes Ascension Island (2003)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

10,000 (2002)

Saint Lucia

110,000 (2007)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

NA

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

57,000 (2007)

Samoa

8,000 (2006)

San Marino

15,400 (2006)

Sao Tome and Principe

23,000 (2007)

Saudi Arabia

6.2 million (2007)

Senegal

820,000 (2007)

Serbia

1.5 million (2007)

Seychelles

32,000 (2007)

Sierra Leone

13,000 (2007)

Singapore

3.105 million (2007)

Slovakia

2.35 million (2007)

Slovenia

1.3 million (2007)

Solomon Islands

8,000 (2006)

Somalia

98,000 (2007)

South Africa

5.1 million (2005)

Spain

19.69 million (2007)

Sri Lanka

771,700 (2007)

Sudan

1.5 million (2007)

Suriname

44,000 (2007)

Svalbard

NA

Swaziland

42,000 (2006)

Sweden

7 million (2007)

Switzerland

4.61 million (2007)

Syria

3.47 million (2007)

Taiwan

14.76 million (2007)

Tajikistan

19,500 (2005)

Tanzania

400,000 (2007)

Thailand

13.416 million (2007)

Timor-Leste

1,200 (2006)

Togo

320,000 (2006)

Tokelau

NA

Tonga

8,400 (2007)

Trinidad and Tobago

430,800 (2007)

Tunisia

1.722 million (2007)

Turkey

13.15 million (2006)

Turkmenistan

70,000 (2007)

Turks and Caicos Islands

NA

Tuvalu

1,300 (2002)

Uganda

2 million (2007)

Ukraine

10 million (2007)

United Arab Emirates

2.3 million (2007)

United Kingdom

40.2 million (2007)

United States

223 million (2008)

Uruguay

968,000 (2007)

Uzbekistan

1.2 million (2007)

Vanuatu

17,000 (2007)

Venezuela

5.72 million (2007)

Vietnam

17.87 million (2007)

Virgin Islands

30,000 (2007)

Wallis and Futuna

900 (2002)

West Bank

355,500 (includes Gaza Strip) (2007)

Western Sahara

NA

World

1,018,057,389 (2005)

Yemen

320,000 (2007)

Zambia

500,000 (2007)

Zimbabwe

1.351 million (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2154 Internet country code

Afghanistan

.af

Albania

.al

Algeria

.dz

American Samoa

.as

Andorra

.ad

Angola

.ao

Anguilla

.ai

Antarctica

.aq

Antigua and Barbuda

.ag

Argentina

.ar

Armenia

.am

Aruba

.aw

Australia

.au

Austria

.at

Azerbaijan

.az

Bahamas, The

.bs

Bahrain

.bh

Bangladesh

.bd

Barbados

.bb

Belarus

.by

Belgium

.be

Belize

.bz

Benin

.bj

Bermuda

.bm

Bhutan

.bt

Bolivia

.bo

Bosnia and Herzegovina

.ba

Botswana

.bw

Bouvet Island

.bv

Brazil

.br

British Indian Ocean Territory

.io

British Virgin Islands

.vg

Brunei

.bn

Bulgaria

.bg

Burkina Faso

.bf

Burma

.mm

Burundi

.bi

Cambodia

.kh

Cameroon

.cm

Canada

.ca

Cape Verde

.cv

Cayman Islands

.ky

Central African Republic

.cf

Chad

.td

Chile

.cl

China

.cn

Christmas Island

.cx

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

.cc

Colombia

.co

Comoros

.km

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

.cd

Congo, Republic of the

.cg

Cook Islands

.ck

Costa Rica

.cr

Cote d'Ivoire

.ci

Croatia

.hr

Cuba

.cu

Cyprus

.cy

Czech Republic

.cz

Denmark

.dk

Djibouti

.dj

Dominica

.dm

Dominican Republic

.do

Ecuador

.ec

Egypt

.eg

El Salvador

.sv

Equatorial Guinea

.gq

Eritrea

.er

Estonia

.ee

Ethiopia

.et

European Union

.eu (effective 2005); note - see country entries of

member states for individual country codes

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

.fk

Faroe Islands

.fo

Fiji

.fj

Finland

.fi; note - Aland Islands assigned .ax

France

metropolitan France - .fr; French Guiana - .gf; Guadeloupe -

.gp; Martinique - .mq; Reunion - .re

French Polynesia

.pf

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

.tf

Gabon

.ga

Gambia, The

.gm

Gaza Strip

.ps; note - same as West Bank

Georgia

.ge

Germany

.de

Ghana

.gh

Gibraltar

.gi

Greece

.gr

Greenland

.gl

Grenada

.gd

Guam

.gu

Guatemala

.gt

Guernsey

.gg

Guinea

.gn

Guinea-Bissau

.gw

Guyana

.gy

Haiti

.ht

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

.hm

Holy See (Vatican City)

.va

Honduras

.hn

Hong Kong

.hk

Hungary

.hu

Iceland

.is

India

.in

Indonesia

.id

Iran

.ir

Iraq

.iq

Ireland

.ie

Isle of Man

.im

Israel

.il

Italy

.it

Jamaica

.jm

Japan

.jp

Jersey

.je

Jordan

.jo

Kazakhstan

.kz

Kenya

.ke

Kiribati

.ki

Korea, North

.kp

Korea, South

.kr

Kuwait

.kw

Kyrgyzstan

.kg

Laos

.la

Latvia

.lv

Lebanon

.lb

Lesotho

.ls

Liberia

.lr

Libya

.ly

Liechtenstein

.li

Lithuania

.lt

Luxembourg

.lu

Macau

.mo

Macedonia

.mk

Madagascar

.mg

Malawi

.mw

Malaysia

.my

Maldives

.mv

Mali

.ml

Malta

.mt

Marshall Islands

.mh

Mauritania

.mr

Mauritius

.mu

Mayotte

.yt

Mexico

.mx

Micronesia, Federated States of

.fm

Moldova

.md

Monaco

.mc

Mongolia

.mn

Montenegro

.me

Montserrat

.ms

Morocco

.ma

Mozambique

.mz

Namibia

.na

Nauru

.nr

Nepal

.np

Netherlands

.nl

Netherlands Antilles

.an

New Caledonia

.nc

New Zealand

.nz

Nicaragua

.ni

Niger

.ne

Nigeria

.ng

Niue

.nu

Norfolk Island

.nf

Northern Mariana Islands

.mp

Norway

.no

Oman

.om

Pakistan

.pk

Palau

.pw

Panama

.pa

Papua New Guinea

.pg

Paraguay

.py

Peru

.pe

Philippines

.ph

Pitcairn Islands

.pn

Poland

.pl

Portugal

.pt

Puerto Rico

.pr

Qatar

.qa

Romania

.ro

Russia

.ru; note - Russia also has responsibility for a legacy

domain ".su" that was allocated to the Soviet Union and is being

phased out

Rwanda

.rw

Saint Barthelemy

.bl; note - .gp, the ccTLD for Guadeloupe, and .fr,

the ccTLD for France, might also be encountered

Saint Helena

.sh; note - Ascension Island assigned .ac

Saint Kitts and Nevis

.kn

Saint Lucia

.lc

Saint Martin

.mf; note - .gp, the ccTLD for Guadeloupe, and .fr, the

ccTLD for France, might also be encountered

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

.pm

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

.vc

Samoa

.ws

San Marino

.sm

Sao Tome and Principe

.st

Saudi Arabia

.sa

Senegal

.sn

Serbia

.rs

Seychelles

.sc

Sierra Leone

.sl

Singapore

.sg

Slovakia

.sk

Slovenia

.si

Solomon Islands

.sb

Somalia

.so

South Africa

.za

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

.gs

Spain

.es

Sri Lanka

.lk

Sudan

.sd

Suriname

.sr

Svalbard

.sj

Swaziland

.sz

Sweden

.se

Switzerland

.ch

Syria

.sy

Taiwan

.tw

Tajikistan

.tj

Tanzania

.tz

Thailand

.th

Timor-Leste

.tl

Togo

.tg

Tokelau

.tk

Tonga

.to

Trinidad and Tobago

.tt

Tunisia

.tn

Turkey

.tr

Turkmenistan

.tm

Turks and Caicos Islands

.tc

Tuvalu

.tv

Uganda

.ug

Ukraine

.ua

United Arab Emirates

.ae

United Kingdom

.uk

United States

.us

Uruguay

.uy

Uzbekistan

.uz

Vanuatu

.vu

Venezuela

.ve

Vietnam

.vn

Virgin Islands

.vi

Wallis and Futuna

.wf

West Bank

.ps; note - same as Gaza Strip

Western Sahara

.eh

Yemen

.ye

Zambia

.zm

Zimbabwe

.zw

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2155 HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate (%)

Afghanistan

0.01% (2001 est.)

Albania

NA

Algeria

0.1%; note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.)

American Samoa

NA

Andorra

NA

Angola

3.9% (2003 est.)

Anguilla

NA

Antigua and Barbuda

NA

Argentina

0.7% (2001 est.)

Armenia

0.1% (2003 est.)

Aruba

NA

Australia

0.1% (2003 est.)

Austria

0.3% (2003 est.)

Azerbaijan

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

Bahamas, The

3% (2003 est.)

Bahrain

0.2% (2001 est.)

Bangladesh

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Barbados

1.5% (2003 est.)

Belarus

0.3% (2001 est.)

Belgium

0.2% (2003 est.)

Belize

2.4% (2003 est.)

Benin

1.9% (2003 est.)

Bermuda

0.297% (2005)

Bhutan

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Bolivia

0.1% (2003 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Botswana

37.3% (2003 est.)

Brazil

0.7% (2003 est.)

British Virgin Islands

NA

Brunei

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

Bulgaria

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Burkina Faso

4.2% (2003 est.)

Burma

1.2% (2003 est.)

Burundi

6% (2003 est.)

Cambodia

2.6% (2003 est.)

Cameroon

6.9% (2003 est.)

Canada

0.3% (2003 est.)

Cape Verde

0.035% (2001 est.)

Cayman Islands

NA

Central African Republic

13.5% (2003 est.)

Chad

4.8% (2003 est.)

Chile

0.3% (2003 est.)

China

0.1% (2003 est.)

Christmas Island

NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

NA

Colombia

0.7% (2003 est.)

Comoros

0.12% (2001 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

4.2% (2003 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

4.9% (2003 est.)

Cook Islands

NA

Costa Rica

0.6% (2003 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

7% (2003 est.)

Croatia

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Cuba

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

Cyprus

0.1% (2003 est.)

Czech Republic

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Denmark

0.2% (2003 est.)

Djibouti

2.9% (2003 est.)

Dominica

NA

Dominican Republic

1.7% (2003 est.)

Ecuador

0.3% (2003 est.)

Egypt

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

El Salvador

0.7% (2003 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

3.4% (2001 est.)

Eritrea

2.7% (2003 est.)

Estonia

1.1% (2001 est.)

Ethiopia

4.4% (2003 est.)

European Union

note - see individual country entries of member states

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

NA

Faroe Islands

NA

Fiji

0.1% (2003 est.)

Finland

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

France

0.4% (2003 est.)

French Polynesia

NA

Gabon

8.1% (2003 est.)

Gambia, The

1.2% (2003 est.)

Gaza Strip

NA

Georgia

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Germany

0.1% (2001 est.)

Ghana

3.1% (2003 est.)

Gibraltar

NA

Greece

0.2% (2001 est.)

Greenland

NA

Grenada

NA

Guam

NA

Guatemala

1.1% (2003 est.)

Guernsey

NA

Guinea

3.2% (2003 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

10% (2003 est.)

Guyana

2.5% (2003 est.)

Haiti

5.6% (2003 est.)

Holy See (Vatican City)

NA

Honduras

1.8% (2003 est.)

Hong Kong

0.1% (2003 est.)

Hungary

0.1% (2001 est.)

Iceland

0.2% (2001 est.)

India

0.9% (2001 est.)

Indonesia

0.1% (2003 est.)

Iran

0.2% (2005 est.)

Iraq

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Ireland

0.1% (2001 est.)

Isle of Man

NA

Israel

0.1% (2001 est.)

Italy

0.5% (2001 est.)

Jamaica

1.2% (2003 est.)

Japan

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

Jersey

NA

Jordan

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Kazakhstan

0.2% (2001 est.)

Kenya

6.7% (2003 est.)

Kiribati

NA

Korea, North

NA

Korea, South

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

Kuwait

0.12% (2001 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Laos

0.1% (2003 est.)

Latvia

0.6% (2001 est.)

Lebanon

0.1% (2001 est.)

Lesotho

28.9% (2003 est.)

Liberia

5.9% (2003 est.)

Libya

0.3% (2001 est.)

Liechtenstein

NA

Lithuania

0.1% (2001 est.)

Luxembourg

0.2% (2001 est.)

Macau

NA

Macedonia

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Madagascar

1.7% (2003 est.)

Malawi

14.2% (2003 est.)

Malaysia

0.4% (2003 est.)

Maldives

0.1% (2001 est.)

Mali

1.9% (2003 est.)

Malta

0.2% (2001 est.)

Marshall Islands

NA

Mauritania

0.6% (2003 est.)

Mauritius

0.1% (2001 est.)

Mayotte

NA

Mexico

0.3% (2003 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

NA

Moldova

0.2% (2001 est.)

Monaco

NA

Mongolia

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

Montserrat

NA

Morocco

0.1% (2001 est.)

Mozambique

12.2% (2003 est.)

Namibia

21.3% (2003 est.)

Nauru

NA

Nepal

0.5% (2001 est.)

Netherlands

0.2% (2001 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

NA

New Caledonia

NA

New Zealand

0.1% (2003 est.)

Nicaragua

0.2% (2003 est.)

Niger

1.2% (2003 est.)

Nigeria

5.4% (2003 est.)

Niue

NA

Norfolk Island

NA

Northern Mariana Islands

NA

Norway

0.1% (2001 est.)

Oman

0.1% (2001 est.)

Pakistan

0.1% (2001 est.)

Palau

NA

Panama

0.9% (2003 est.)

Papua New Guinea

0.6% (2003 est.)

Paraguay

0.5% (2003 est.)

Peru

0.5% (2003 est.)

Philippines

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

NA

Poland

0.1%; note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.)

Portugal

0.4% (2001 est.)

Puerto Rico

NA

Qatar

0.09% (2001 est.)

Romania

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Russia

1.1% (2001 est.)

Rwanda

5.1% (2003 est.)

Saint Helena

NA

Saint Kitts and Nevis

NA

Saint Lucia

NA

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

NA

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

NA

Samoa

NA

San Marino

NA

Sao Tome and Principe

NA

Saudi Arabia

0.01% (2001 est.)

Senegal

0.8% (2003 est.)

Seychelles

NA

Sierra Leone

7% (2001 est.)

Singapore

0.2% (2003 est.)

Slovakia

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Slovenia

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Solomon Islands

NA

Somalia

1% (2001 est.)

South Africa

21.5% (2003 est.)

Spain

0.7% (2001 est.)

Sri Lanka

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Sudan

2.3% (2001 est.)

Suriname

1.7% (2001 est.)

Svalbard

0% (2001)

Swaziland

38.8% (2003 est.)

Sweden

0.1% (2001 est.)

Switzerland

0.4% (2001 est.)

Syria

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Taiwan

NA

Tajikistan

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Tanzania

8.8% (2003 est.)

Thailand

1.5% (2003 est.)

Timor-Leste

NA

Togo

4.1% (2003 est.)

Tokelau

NA

Tonga

NA

Trinidad and Tobago

3.2% (2003 est.)

Tunisia

less than 0.1% (2005 est.)

Turkey

less than 0.1%; note - no country specific models provided

(2001 est.)

Turkmenistan

less than 0.1% (2004 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

NA

Tuvalu

NA

Uganda

4.1% (2003 est.)

Ukraine

1.4% (2003 est.)

United Arab Emirates

0.18% (2001 est.)

United Kingdom

0.2% (2001 est.)

United States

0.6% (2003 est.)

Uruguay

0.3% (2001 est.)

Uzbekistan

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

Vanuatu

NA

Venezuela

0.7%; note - no country specific models provided (2001

est.)

Vietnam

0.4% (2003 est.)

Virgin Islands

NA

Wallis and Futuna

NA

West Bank

NA

Western Sahara

NA

World

NA

Yemen

0.1% (2001 est.)

Zambia

16.5% (2003 est.)

Zimbabwe

24.6% (2001 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2156 HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

Afghanistan

NA

Albania

NA

Algeria

9,100 (2003 est.)

American Samoa

NA

Andorra

NA

Angola

240,000 (2003 est.)

Anguilla

NA

Antigua and Barbuda

NA

Argentina

130,000 (2001 est.)

Armenia

2,600 (2003 est.)

Aruba

NA

Australia

14,000 (2003 est.)

Austria

10,000 (2003 est.)

Azerbaijan

1,400 (2003 est.)

Bahamas, The

5,600 (2003 est.)

Bahrain

fewer than 600 (2003 est.)

Bangladesh

13,000 (2001 est.)

Barbados

2,500 (2003 est.)

Belarus

15,000 (2001 est.)

Belgium

10,000 (2003 est.)

Belize

3,600 (2003 est.)

Benin

68,000 (2003 est.)

Bermuda

163 (2005)

Bhutan

fewer than 100 (1999 est.)

Bolivia

4,900 (2003 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

900 (2003 est.)

Botswana

350,000 (2003 est.)

Brazil

660,000 (2003 est.)

British Virgin Islands

NA

Brunei

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Bulgaria

346 (2001 est.)

Burkina Faso

300,000 (2003 est.)

Burma

330,000 (2003 est.)

Burundi

250,000 (2003 est.)

Cambodia

170,000 (2003 est.)

Cameroon

560,000 (2003 est.)

Canada

56,000 (2003 est.)

Cape Verde

775 (2001)

Cayman Islands

NA

Central African Republic

260,000 (2003 est.)

Chad

200,000 (2003 est.)

Chile

26,000 (2003 est.)

China

840,000 (2003 est.)

Christmas Island

NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

NA

Colombia

190,000 (2003 est.)

Comoros

NA

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

1.1 million (2003 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

90,000 (2003 est.)

Cook Islands

NA

Costa Rica

12,000 (2003 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

570,000 (2003 est.)

Croatia

200 (2001 est.)

Cuba

3,300 (2003 est.)

Cyprus

fewer than 1,000 (1999 est.)

Czech Republic

2,500 (2001 est.)

Denmark

5,000 (2003 est.)

Djibouti

9,100 (2003 est.)

Dominica

NA

Dominican Republic

88,000 (2003 est.)

Ecuador

21,000 (2003 est.)

Egypt

12,000 (2001 est.)

El Salvador

29,000 (2003 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

5,900 (2001 est.)

Eritrea

60,000 (2003 est.)

Estonia

7,800 (2003 est.)

Ethiopia

1.5 million (2003 est.)

European Union

note - see individual country entries of member states

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

NA

Faroe Islands

NA

Fiji

600 (2003 est.)

Finland

1,500 (2003 est.)

France

120,000 (2003 est.)

French Polynesia

NA

Gabon

48,000 (2003 est.)

Gambia, The

6,800 (2003 est.)

Gaza Strip

NA

Georgia

3,000 (2003 est.)

Germany

43,000 (2001 est.)

Ghana

350,000 (2003 est.)

Gibraltar

NA

Greece

9,100 (2001 est.)

Greenland

100 (1999)

Grenada

NA

Guam

NA

Guatemala

78,000 (2003 est.)

Guernsey

NA

Guinea

140,000 (2003 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

17,000 (2001 est.)

Guyana

11,000 (2003 est.)

Haiti

280,000 (2003 est.)

Holy See (Vatican City)

NA

Honduras

63,000 (2003 est.)

Hong Kong

2,600 (2003 est.)

Hungary

2,800 (2001 est.)

Iceland

220 (2001 est.)

India

5.1 million (2001 est.)

Indonesia

110,000 (2003 est.)

Iran

66,000 (2005 est.)

Iraq

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Ireland

2,800 (2001 est.)

Isle of Man

NA

Israel

3,000 (1999 est.)

Italy

140,000 (2001 est.)

Jamaica

22,000 (2003 est.)

Japan

12,000 (2003 est.)

Jersey

NA

Jordan

600 (2003 est.)

Kazakhstan

16,500 (2001 est.)

Kenya

1.2 million (2003 est.)

Kiribati

NA

Korea, North

NA

Korea, South

8,300 (2003 est.)

Kuwait

NA

Kyrgyzstan

3,900 (2003 est.)

Laos

1,700 (2003 est.)

Latvia

7,600 (2001 est.)

Lebanon

2,800 (2003 est.)

Lesotho

320,000 (2003 est.)

Liberia

100,000 (2003 est.)

Libya

10,000 (2001 est.)

Liechtenstein

NA

Lithuania

1,300 (2003 est.)

Luxembourg

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Macau

NA

Macedonia

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Madagascar

140,000 (2003 est.)

Malawi

900,000 (2003 est.)

Malaysia

52,000 (2003 est.)

Maldives

fewer than 100 (2001 est.)

Mali

140,000 (2003 est.)

Malta

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Marshall Islands

NA

Mauritania

9,500 (2003 est.)

Mauritius

700 (2001 est.)

Mayotte

NA

Mexico

160,000 (2003 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

NA

Moldova

5,500 (2001 est.)

Monaco

NA

Mongolia

fewer than 500 (2003 est)

Montserrat

NA

Morocco

15,000 (2001 est.)

Mozambique

1.3 million (2003 est.)

Namibia

210,000 (2001 est.)

Nauru

NA

Nepal

61,000 (2001 est.)

Netherlands

19,000 (2001 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

NA

New Caledonia

NA

New Zealand

1,400 (2003 est.)

Nicaragua

6,400 (2003 est.)

Niger

70,000 (2003 est.)

Nigeria

3.6 million (2003 est.)

Niue

NA

Norfolk Island

NA

Northern Mariana Islands

NA

Norway

2,100 (2001 est.)

Oman

1,300 (2001 est.)

Pakistan

74,000 (2001 est.)

Palau

NA

Panama

16,000 (2003 est.)

Papua New Guinea

60,000 (2005 est.)

Paraguay

15,000 (1999 est.)

Peru

82,000 (2003 est.)

Philippines

9,000 (2003 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

NA

Poland

14,000 (2003 est.)

Portugal

22,000 (2001 est.)

Puerto Rico

7,397 (1997)

Qatar

NA

Romania

6,500 (2001 est.)

Russia

860,000 (2001 est.)

Rwanda

250,000 (2003 est.)

Saint Helena

NA

Saint Kitts and Nevis

NA

Saint Lucia

NA

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

NA

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

NA

Samoa

NA

San Marino

NA

Sao Tome and Principe

NA

Saudi Arabia

NA

Senegal

44,000 (2003 est.)

Seychelles

NA

Sierra Leone

170,000 (2001 est.)

Singapore

4,100 (2003 est.)

Slovakia

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Slovenia

280 (2001 est.)

Solomon Islands

NA

Somalia

43,000 (2001 est.)

South Africa

5.3 million (2003 est.)

Spain

140,000 (2001 est.)

Sri Lanka

3,500 (2001 est.)

Sudan

400,000 (2001 est.)

Suriname

5,200 (2001 est.)

Svalbard

0 (2001)

Swaziland

220,000 (2003 est.)

Sweden

3,600 (2001 est.)

Switzerland

13,000 (2001 est.)

Syria

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Taiwan

NA

Tajikistan

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Tanzania

1.6 million (2003 est.)

Thailand

570,000 (2003 est.)

Timor-Leste

NA

Togo

110,000 (2003 est.)

Tokelau

NA

Tonga

NA

Trinidad and Tobago

29,000 (2003 est.)

Tunisia

1,000 (2003 est.)

Turkey

NA

Turkmenistan

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

NA

Tuvalu

NA

Uganda

530,000 (2001 est.)

Ukraine

360,000 (2001 est.)

United Arab Emirates

NA

United Kingdom

51,000 (2001 est.)

United States

950,000 (2003 est.)

Uruguay

6,000 (2001 est.)

Uzbekistan

11,000 (2003 est.)

Vanuatu

NA

Venezuela

110,000 (1999 est.)

Vietnam

220,000 (2003 est.)

Virgin Islands

NA

Wallis and Futuna

NA

West Bank

NA

Western Sahara

NA

World

NA

Yemen

12,000 (2001 est.)

Zambia

920,000 (2003 est.)

Zimbabwe

1.8 million (2001 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2157 HIV/AIDS - deaths

Afghanistan

NA

Albania

NA

Algeria

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

American Samoa

NA

Andorra

NA

Angola

21,000 (2003 est.)

Anguilla

NA

Antigua and Barbuda

NA

Argentina

1,500 (2003 est.)

Armenia

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Aruba

NA

Australia

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Austria

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Azerbaijan

fewer than 100 (2001 est.)

Bahamas, The

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Bahrain

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Bangladesh

650 (2001 est.)

Barbados

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Belarus

1,000 (2001 est.)

Belgium

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Belize

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Benin

5,800 (2003 est.)

Bermuda

392 (2005)

Bhutan

NA

Bolivia

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

100 (2001 est.)

Botswana

33,000 (2003 est.)

Brazil

15,000 (2003 est.)

British Virgin Islands

NA

Brunei

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Bulgaria

100 (2001 est.)

Burkina Faso

29,000 (2003 est.)

Burma

20,000 (2003 est.)

Burundi

25,000 (2003 est.)

Cambodia

15,000 (2003 est.)

Cameroon

49,000 (2003 est.)

Canada

1,500 (2003 est.)

Cape Verde

225 (as of 2001)

Cayman Islands

NA

Central African Republic

23,000 (2003 est.)

Chad

18,000 (2003 est.)

Chile

1,400 (2003 est.)

China

44,000 (2003 est.)

Christmas Island

NA

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

NA

Colombia

3,600 (2003 est.)

Comoros

NA

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

100,000 (2003 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

9,700 (2003 est.)

Cook Islands

NA

Costa Rica

900 (2003 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

47,000 (2003 est.)

Croatia

fewer than 10 (2001 est.)

Cuba

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Cyprus

NA

Czech Republic

fewer than 10 (2001 est.)

Denmark

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Djibouti

690 (2003 est.)

Dominica

NA

Dominican Republic

7,900 (2003 est.)

Ecuador

1,700 (2003 est.)

Egypt

700 (2003 est.)

El Salvador

2,200 (2003 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

370 (2001 est.)

Eritrea

6,300 (2003 est.)

Estonia

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Ethiopia

120,000 (2003 est.)

European Union

note - see individual country entries of member states

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

NA

Faroe Islands

NA

Fiji

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Finland

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

France

fewer than 1,000 (2003 est.)

French Polynesia

NA

Gabon

3,000 (2003 est.)

Gambia, The

600 (2003 est.)

Gaza Strip

NA

Georgia

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Germany

fewer than 1,000 (2003 est.)

Ghana

30,000 (2003 est.)

Gibraltar

NA

Greece

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Greenland

NA

Grenada

NA

Guam

NA

Guatemala

5,800 (2003 est.)

Guernsey

NA

Guinea

9,000 (2003 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

1,200 (2001 est.)

Guyana

1,100 (2003 est.)

Haiti

24,000 (2003 est.)

Holy See (Vatican City)

NA

Honduras

4,100 (2003 est.)

Hong Kong

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Hungary

fewer than 100 (2001 est.)

Iceland

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

India

310,000 (2001 est.)

Indonesia

2,400 (2003 est.)

Iran

1,600 (2005 est.)

Iraq

NA

Ireland

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Isle of Man

NA

Israel

100 (2001 est.)

Italy

fewer than 1,000 (2003 est.)

Jamaica

900 (2003 est.)

Japan

500 (2003 est.)

Jersey

NA

Jordan

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Kazakhstan

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Kenya

150,000 (2003 est.)

Kiribati

NA

Korea, North

NA

Korea, South

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Kuwait

NA

Kyrgyzstan

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Laos

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Latvia

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Lebanon

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Lesotho

29,000 (2003 est.)

Liberia

7,200 (2003 est.)

Libya

NA

Liechtenstein

NA

Lithuania

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Luxembourg

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Macau

NA

Macedonia

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Madagascar

7,500 (2003 est.)

Malawi

84,000 (2003 est.)

Malaysia

2,000 (2003 est.)

Maldives

NA

Mali

12,000 (2003 est.)

Malta

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Marshall Islands

NA

Mauritania

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Mauritius

fewer than 100 (2001 est.)

Mayotte

NA

Mexico

5,000 (2003 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

NA

Moldova

fewer than 300 (2001 est.)

Monaco

NA

Mongolia

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Montserrat

NA

Morocco

NA

Mozambique

110,000 (2003 est.)

Namibia

16,000 (2003 est.)

Nauru

NA

Nepal

3,100 (2003 est.)

Netherlands

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

NA

New Caledonia

NA

New Zealand

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Nicaragua

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Niger

4,800 (2003 est.)

Nigeria

310,000 (2003 est.)

Niue

NA

Norfolk Island

NA

Northern Mariana Islands

NA

Norway

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Oman

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Pakistan

4,900 (2003 est.)

Palau

NA

Panama

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Papua New Guinea

600 (2003 est.)

Paraguay

600 (2003 est.)

Peru

4,200 (2003 est.)

Philippines

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Pitcairn Islands

NA

Poland

100 (2001 est.)

Portugal

fewer than 1,000 (2003 est.)

Puerto Rico

NA

Qatar

NA

Romania

350 (2001 est.)

Russia

9,000 (2001 est.)

Rwanda

22,000 (2003 est.)

Saint Helena

NA

Saint Kitts and Nevis

NA

Saint Lucia

NA

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

NA

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

NA

Samoa

NA

San Marino

NA

Sao Tome and Principe

NA

Saudi Arabia

NA

Senegal

3,500 (2003 est.)

Seychelles

NA

Sierra Leone

11,000 (2001 est.)

Singapore

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Slovakia

fewer than 100 (2001 est.)

Slovenia

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Solomon Islands

NA

Somalia

NA

South Africa

370,000 (2003 est.)

Spain

fewer than 1,000 (2003 est.)

Sri Lanka

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Sudan

23,000 (2003 est.)

Suriname

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Svalbard

0 (2001)

Swaziland

17,000 (2003 est.)

Sweden

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Switzerland

fewer than 100 (2003 est.)

Syria

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Taiwan

NA

Tajikistan

fewer than 100 (2001 est.)

Tanzania

160,000 (2003 est.)

Thailand

58,000 (2003 est.)

Timor-Leste

NA

Togo

10,000 (2003 est.)

Tokelau

NA

Tonga

NA

Trinidad and Tobago

1,900 (2003 est.)

Tunisia

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

Turkey

NA

Turkmenistan

fewer than 100 (2004 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

NA

Tuvalu

NA

Uganda

78,000 (2003 est.)

Ukraine

20,000 (2003 est.)

United Arab Emirates

NA

United Kingdom

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

United States

17,011 (2005 est.)

Uruguay

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Uzbekistan

fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Vanuatu

NA

Venezuela

4,100 (2003 est.)

Vietnam

9,000 (2003 est.)

Virgin Islands

NA

Wallis and Futuna

NA

West Bank

NA

Western Sahara

NA

World

NA

Yemen

NA

Zambia

89,000 (2003 est.)

Zimbabwe

170,000 (2003 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2172 Distribution of family income - Gini index

Albania

26.7 (2005)

Algeria

35.3 (1995)

Argentina

49 (2006)

Armenia

37 (2006)

Australia

30.5 (2006)

Austria

26 (2005)

Azerbaijan

36.5 (2001)

Bangladesh

33.4 (2000)

Belarus

29.7 (2002)

Belgium

28 (2005)

Benin

36.5 (2003)

Bolivia

59.2 (2006)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

26.2 (2001)

Botswana

63 (1993)

Brazil

56.7 (2005)

Bulgaria

31.6 (2005)

Burkina Faso

39.5 (2007)

Burundi

42.4 (1998)

Cambodia

41.7 (2004 est.)

Cameroon

44.6 (2001)

Canada

32.1 (2005)

Central African Republic

61.3 (1993)

Chile

54.9 (2003)

China

47 (2007)

Colombia

53.8 (2005)

Costa Rica

49.8 (2003)

Cote d'Ivoire

44.6 (2002)

Croatia

29 (2001)

Cyprus

29 (2005)

Czech Republic

26 (2005)

Denmark

24 (2005)

Dominican Republic

51.6 (2004)

Ecuador 46 note: data are for urban households (2006)

Egypt

34.4 (2001)

El Salvador

52.4 (2002)

Estonia

34 (2005)

Ethiopia

30 (2000)

European Union

30.7 (2003 est.)

Finland

26 (2005)

France

28 (2005)

Gambia, The

50.2 (1998)

Georgia

40.4 (2003)

Germany

28 (2005)

Ghana

39.4 (2005-06)

Greece

33 (2005)

Guatemala

55.1 (2007)

Guinea

38.1 (2006)

Guyana

43.2 (1999)

Haiti

59.2 (2001)

Honduras

53.8 (2003)

Hong Kong

53.3 (2007)

Hungary

28 (2005)

Iceland

25 (2005)

India

36.8 (2004)

Indonesia

36.3 (2005)

Iran

44.5 (2006)

Ireland

32 (2005)

Israel

38.6 (2005)

Italy

33 (2005)

Jamaica

45.5 (2004)

Japan

38.1 (2002)

Jordan

38.8 (2003)

Kazakhstan

30.4 (2005)

Kenya

44.5 (1997)

Korea, South

35.1 (2006)

Kosovo

30 (FY05/06)

Kyrgyzstan

30.3 (2003)

Laos

34.6 (2002)

Latvia

37.7 (2003)

Lesotho

63.2 (1995)

Lithuania

36 (2005)

Luxembourg

26 (2005)

Macedonia

39 (2003)

Madagascar

47.5 (2001)

Malawi

39 (2004)

Malaysia

46.1 (2002)

Mali

40.1 (2001)

Malta

28 (2005)

Mauritania

39 (2000)

Mauritius

39 (2006 est.)

Mexico

50.9 (2005)

Moldova

33.2 (2003)

Mongolia

32.8 (2002)

Montenegro

30 (2003)

Morocco

40 (2005 est.)

Mozambique

47.3 (2002)

Namibia

70.7 (2003)

Nepal

47.2 (2004)

Netherlands

30.9 (2005)

New Zealand

36.2 (1997)

Nicaragua

43.1 (2001)

Niger

50.5 (1995)

Nigeria

43.7 (2003)

Norway

28 (2005)

Pakistan

30.6 (2002)

Panama

56.1 (2003)

Papua New Guinea

50.9 (1996)

Paraguay

56.8 (2008)

Peru

52 (2003)

Philippines

45.8 (2006)

Poland

36 (2005)

Portugal

38.5 (2007)

Romania

31 (2005)

Russia

41.3 (September 2007)

Rwanda

46.8 (2000)

Senegal

41.3 (2001)

Serbia

30 (2003)

Sierra Leone

62.9 (1989)

Singapore

52.2 (2005)

Slovakia

26 (2005)

Slovenia

24 (2005)

South Africa

65 (2005)

Spain

32 (2005)

Sri Lanka

50 (FY03/04)

Swaziland

50.4 (2001)

Sweden

23 (2005)

Switzerland

33.7 (2000)

Tajikistan

32.6 (2003)

Tanzania

34.6 (2000)

Thailand

42 (2002)

Timor-Leste

38 (2002 est.)

Tunisia

40 (2005 est.)

Turkey

43.6 (2003)

Turkmenistan

40.8 (1998)

Uganda

45.7 (2002)

Ukraine

31 (2006)

United Kingdom

34 (2005)

United States

45 (2007)

Uruguay

45.2 (2006)

Uzbekistan

36.8 (2003)

Venezuela

48.2 (2003)

Vietnam

37 (2004)

Yemen

33.4 (1998)

Zambia

50.8 (2004)

Zimbabwe

50.1 (2006)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2173 Oil - production (bbl/day)

Afghanistan

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Albania

6,425 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Algeria

2.173 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

American Samoa

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Angola

1.91 million bbl/day (2008 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Argentina

790,800 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Armenia

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Aruba

2,356 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Australia

600,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Austria

24,920 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

1.099 million bbl/day (2008 est.)

Bahamas, The

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Bahrain

48,610 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

6,746 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Barbados

1,111 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Belarus

33,700 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Belgium

8,671 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Belize

3,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Benin

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Bermuda

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Bhutan

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Bolivia

61,790 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Botswana

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Brazil

2.277 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Brunei

180,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Bulgaria

3,661 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Burma

21,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Burundi

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Cambodia

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Cameroon

87,400 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Canada

3.425 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Central African Republic

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Chad

156,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Chile

11,610 bbl/day (2007 est.)

China

3.725 million bbl/day (2008 est.)

Colombia

550,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Comoros

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

22,160 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

261,000 bbl/day

Cook Islands

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Costa Rica

0 bbl/day (2004)

Cote d'Ivoire

54,400 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Croatia

23,620 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Cuba

61,300 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Cyprus

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Czech Republic

13,530 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Denmark

313,800 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Djibouti

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Dominica

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Dominican Republic

12 bbl/day (2004)

Ecuador

511,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Egypt

664,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

El Salvador

0 bbl/day (2005)

Equatorial Guinea

368,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Eritrea

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Estonia

7,430 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

7.334 bbl/day (2007 est.)

European Union

2.674 million bbl/day (2007)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Faroe Islands

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Fiji

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Finland

8,951 bbl/day (2007 est.)

France

69,680 bbl/day (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Gabon

243,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Georgia

979.1 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Germany

148,100 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Ghana

7,571 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Gibraltar

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Greece

4,265 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Greenland

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Grenada

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Guam

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Guatemala

15,820 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Guinea

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Guyana

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Haiti

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Honduras

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Hungary

32,580 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Iceland

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

India

880,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Indonesia

1.044 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Iran

4.033 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Iraq

2.094 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Ireland

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Israel

5,966 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Italy

166,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Jamaica

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Japan

129,800 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Jordan

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Kazakhstan

1.445 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Kenya

0 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Kiribati

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Korea, North

141 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Korea, South

20,970 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Kosovo

0 bbl/day (2007)

Kuwait

2.613 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

964.7 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Laos

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Latvia

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Lebanon

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Lesotho

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Liberia

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Libya

1.845 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Lithuania

8,250 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Macau

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Macedonia

0 bbl/day (2007)

Madagascar

92.18 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Malawi

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Malaysia

753,700 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Maldives

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Mali

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Malta

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Mauritania

14,990 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Mauritius

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Mexico

3.501 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Moldova

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Mongolia

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Montenegro

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Montserrat

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Morocco

3,746 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Mozambique

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Namibia

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Nauru

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Nepal

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Netherlands

88,950 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

New Caledonia

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

New Zealand

47,850 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Niger

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Nigeria

2.352 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Niue

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Norway

2.565 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oman

714,300 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Pakistan

68,670 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Panama

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

42,100 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Paraguay

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Peru

125,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Philippines

23,930 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Poland

37,670 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Portugal

6,281 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

1,354 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Qatar

1.125 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Romania

112,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Russia

9.876 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Rwanda

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Saint Helena

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Saint Lucia

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Samoa

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

10.25 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Senegal

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Serbia

11,410 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Seychelles

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

0.7008 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Singapore

9,836 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Slovakia

12,770 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Slovenia

5 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Somalia

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

South Africa

199,100 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Spain

29,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Sudan

466,100 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Suriname

13,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Swaziland

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Sweden

2,350 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Switzerland

3,202 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Syria

433,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Taiwan

10,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

281.1 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Tanzania

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Thailand

348,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

78,480 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Togo

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Tonga

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

163,300 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Tunisia

86,210 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Turkey

42,800 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

180,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Uganda

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Ukraine

102,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

2.948 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

1.69 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

United States

8.457 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Uruguay

935.7 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

99,260 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Venezuela

2.667 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Vietnam

350,700 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

17,620 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Western Sahara

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

World

84.79 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Yemen

320,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Zambia

150 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2174 Oil - consumption (bbl/day)

Afghanistan

5,036 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Albania

30,900 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Algeria

279,800 bbl/day (2006 est.)

American Samoa

4,053 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Angola

55,640 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

4,109 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Argentina

525,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Armenia

41,090 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Aruba

7,102 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Australia

966,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Austria

289,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

160,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

26,830 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Bahrain

32,830 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Bangladesh

89,940 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Barbados

8,674 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Belarus

179,700 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Belgium

628,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Belize

7,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Benin

9,232 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Bermuda

4,566 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Bhutan

1,250 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Bolivia

31,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

27,590 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Botswana

11,640 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Brazil

2.372 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

650 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Brunei

13,200 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Bulgaria

109,600 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Burkina Faso

8,470 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Burma

43,140 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Burundi

2,956 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Cambodia

3,736 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Cameroon

24,500 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Canada

2.371 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

2,117 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Cayman Islands

2,767 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Central African Republic

2,322 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Chad

1,352 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Chile

253,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

China

7.578 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Colombia

265,400 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Comoros

712.3 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

10,460 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

7,677 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Cook Islands

463.7 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Costa Rica

45,600 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

25,950 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Croatia

101,800 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Cuba

203,500 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Cyprus

57,830 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Czech Republic

207,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Denmark

190,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Djibouti

12,170 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Dominica

850.5 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Dominican Republic

117,300 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Ecuador

160,500 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Egypt

652,700 bbl/day (2006 est.)

El Salvador

44,330 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

918.3 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Eritrea

5,186 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Estonia

30,440 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Ethiopia

30,450 bbl/day (2006 est.)

European Union

14.39 million bbl/day (2007)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

252.3 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Faroe Islands

4,628 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Fiji

9,971 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Finland

228,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)

France

1.95 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

6,082 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Gabon

13,170 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Gambia, The

2,082 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Georgia

12,980 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Germany

2.456 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Ghana

49,300 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Gibraltar

22,620 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Greece

441,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Greenland

3,927 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Grenada

2,043 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Guam

12,780 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Guatemala

74,230 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Guinea

8,559 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

2,520 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Guyana

10,440 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Haiti

12,370 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Honduras

46,830 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Hong Kong

293,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Hungary

162,800 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Iceland

21,120 bbl/day (2007 est.)

India

2.722 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Indonesia

1.219 million bbl/day (2006 est.)

Iran

1.679 million bbl/day (2006 est.)

Iraq

295,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Ireland

200,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Israel

232,300 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Italy

1.702 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Jamaica

73,370 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Japan

5.007 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Jordan

110,700 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Kazakhstan

243,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Kenya

65,530 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Kiribati

232.4 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Korea, North

24,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Korea, South

2.214 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Kosovo

NA bbl

Kuwait

334,700 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

12,330 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Laos

2,996 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Latvia

35,180 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Lebanon

106,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Lesotho

1,400 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Liberia

3,687 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Libya

278,700 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Lithuania

57,170 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Luxembourg

60,640 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Macau

16,570 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Macedonia

19,590 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Madagascar

18,190 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Malawi

6,160 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Malaysia

501,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Maldives

5,490 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Mali

4,640 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Malta

18,680 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Mauritania

19,320 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Mauritius

22,450 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Mexico

2.119 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Moldova

15,770 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Mongolia

12,860 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Montenegro

450 bbl/day (2004)

Montserrat

505.5 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Morocco

179,700 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Mozambique

14,390 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Namibia

19,840 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Nauru

1,070 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Nepal

16,960 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Netherlands

984,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

67,450 bbl/day (2006 est.)

New Caledonia

11,560 bbl/day (2006 est.)

New Zealand

158,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

28,880 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Niger

5,550 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Nigeria

312,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Niue

20 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Norway

224,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oman

69,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Pakistan

345,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Panama

92,790 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Papua New Guinea

29,050 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Paraguay

27,410 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Peru

167,900 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Philippines

340,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Poland

524,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Portugal

301,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

215,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Qatar

108,900 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Romania

238,200 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Russia

2.858 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Rwanda

5,320 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Saint Helena

60 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

950 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Saint Lucia

2,780 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

560 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

1,570 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Samoa

1,130 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

660 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Saudi Arabia

2.311 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Senegal

36,200 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Serbia

85,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Seychelles

6,560 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Sierra Leone

8,430 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Singapore

834,600 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Slovakia

82,860 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Slovenia

54,310 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Solomon Islands

1,320 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Somalia

5,040 bbl/day (2006 est.)

South Africa

504,900 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Spain

1.611 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

86,030 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Sudan

79,760 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Suriname

12,370 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Swaziland

3,490 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Sweden

353,700 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Switzerland

244,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Syria

261,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Taiwan

950,500 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Tajikistan

31,590 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Tanzania

27,270 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Thailand

928,600 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Togo

17,770 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Tonga

870 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

28,730 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Tunisia

91,110 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Turkey

676,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

107,400 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

80 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Uganda

11,570 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Ukraine

344,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

United Arab Emirates

381,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

United Kingdom

1.763 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

United States

20.68 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Uruguay

33,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

157,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Vanuatu

660 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Venezuela

738,300 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Vietnam

271,100 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

91,680 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Western Sahara

1,760 bbl/day (2006 est.)

World

85.27 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Yemen

135,400 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Zambia

14,760 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Zimbabwe

14,590 bbl/day (2006 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2175 Oil - imports (bbl/day)

Afghanistan

4,534 bbl/day (2005)

Albania

24,860 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Algeria

13,110 bbl/day (2005 est.)

American Samoa

4,066 bbl/day (2005)

Angola

19,550 bbl/day (2005)

Antigua and Barbuda

4,556 bbl/day (2005)

Argentina

23,380 bbl/day (2005)

Armenia

44,670 bbl/day (2005)

Aruba

238,200 bbl/day (2005)

Australia

615,000 bbl/day (2005)

Austria

313,500 bbl/day (2005)

Azerbaijan

4,267 bbl/day (2005)

Bahamas, The

69,780 bbl/day (2005)

Bahrain

221,500 bbl/day (2005)

Bangladesh

83,220 bbl/day (2005)

Barbados

10,710 bbl/day (2005)

Belarus

394,100 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Belgium

1.119 million bbl/day (2005)

Belize

7,122 bbl/day (2005)

Benin

16,830 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Bermuda

4,378 bbl/day (2005)

Bhutan

1,152 bbl/day (2005)

Bolivia

8,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

27,370 bbl/day (2005)

Botswana

14,500 bbl/day (2005)

Brazil

648,800 bbl/day (2005)

British Virgin Islands

649.8 bbl/day (2005)

Brunei

304 bbl/day (2005)

Bulgaria

158,400 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Burkina Faso

8,446 bbl/day (2005)

Burma

22,180 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Burundi

2,635 bbl/day (2005)

Cambodia

3,618 bbl/day (2005)

Cameroon

50,750 bbl/day (2005)

Canada

1.229 million bbl/day (2005)

Cape Verde

1,785 bbl/day (2005)

Cayman Islands

2,818 bbl/day (2005)

Central African Republic

2,057 bbl/day (2005)

Chad

1,492 bbl/day (2005)

Chile

222,900 bbl/day (2006 est.)

China

3.19 million bbl/day (2007)

Colombia

12,480 bbl/day (2005)

Comoros

755.4 bbl/day (2005)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

8,220 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

1,702 bbl/day (2005)

Cook Islands

475.5 bbl/day (2005)

Costa Rica

43,110 bbl/day (2005)

Cote d'Ivoire

71,850 bbl/day (2005)

Croatia

112,200 bbl/day (2005)

Cuba

123,200 bbl/day (2005)

Cyprus

55,970 bbl/day (2005)

Czech Republic

224,600 bbl/day (2005)

Denmark

164,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Djibouti

11,810 bbl/day (2005)

Dominica

669.6 bbl/day (2005)

Dominican Republic

116,600 bbl/day (2005)

Ecuador

47,060 bbl/day (2005)

Egypt

140,000 bbl/day (2005)

El Salvador

45,210 bbl/day (2006)

Equatorial Guinea

1,070 bbl/day (2005)

Eritrea

4,924 bbl/day (2005)

Estonia

28,170 bbl/day (2005)

Ethiopia

29,820 bbl/day (2005)

European Union

17.71 million bbl/day (2001)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

248.9 bbl/day (2005)

Faroe Islands

4,636 bbl/day (2005)

Fiji

10,900 bbl/day (2005)

Finland

281,300 bbl/day (January-September 2007 est.)

France

2.465 million bbl/day (2005)

French Polynesia

6,271 bbl/day (2005)

Gabon

2,485 bbl/day (2005)

Gambia, The

2,123 bbl/day (2005)

Georgia

15,820 bbl/day (2005)

Germany

3.026 million bbl/day (2005)

Ghana

45,520 bbl/day (2005)

Gibraltar

25,080 bbl/day (2005)

Greece

527,200 bbl/day (2005)

Greenland

4,089 bbl/day (2005)

Grenada

1,844 bbl/day (2005)

Guam

13,530 bbl/day (2005)

Guatemala

72,960 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Guinea

8,811 bbl/day (2005)

Guinea-Bissau

2,560 bbl/day (2005)

Guyana

10,960 bbl/day (2005)

Haiti

11,980 bbl/day (2005)

Honduras

44,040 bbl/day (2005)

Hong Kong

314,700 bbl/day (2006)

Hungary

178,400 bbl/day (2005)

Iceland

17,450 bbl/day (2005)

India

2.159 million bbl/day (2005 est.)

Indonesia

500,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Iran

167,800 bbl/day (2005)

Iraq

NA bbl/day

Ireland

194,000 bbl/day (2005)

Israel

334,300 bbl/day (2005)

Italy

2.223 million bbl/day (2005)

Jamaica

71,280 bbl/day (2005)

Japan

5.47 million bbl/day (2005)

Jordan

112,300 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Kazakhstan

127,600 bbl/day (2005)

Kenya

72,780 bbl/day (2005)

Kiribati

259.1 bbl/day (2005)

Korea, North

10,520 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Korea, South

2.41 million bbl/day (2006)

Kuwait

8,022 bbl/day (2005)

Kyrgyzstan

14,240 bbl/day (2005)

Laos

3,036 bbl/day (2005)

Latvia

45,340 bbl/day (2005)

Lebanon

97,590 bbl/day (2005)

Lesotho

1,500 bbl/day (2005)

Liberia

3,593 bbl/day (2005)

Libya

575.3 bbl/day (2005)

Lithuania

206,700 bbl/day (2005)

Luxembourg

63,760 bbl/day (2005)

Macau

13,870 bbl/day (2006)

Macedonia

26,470 bbl/day (2005)

Madagascar

17,100 bbl/day (2005)

Malawi

6,788 bbl/day (2005)

Malaysia

308,500 bbl/day (2005)

Maldives

5,362 bbl/day (2005)

Mali

4,860 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Malta

18,910 bbl/day (2005)

Mauritania

23,630 bbl/day (2005)

Mauritius

23,650 bbl/day (2006)

Mexico

385,400 bbl/day (2005)

Moldova

14,450 bbl/day (2005)

Mongolia

12,630 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Montserrat

482.6 bbl/day (2005)

Morocco

192,500 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Mozambique

13,240 bbl/day (2005)

Namibia

17,750 bbl/day (2005)

Nauru

1,049 bbl/day (2005)

Nepal

11,530 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Netherlands

2.648 million bbl/day (2005)

Netherlands Antilles

277,600 bbl/day (2005)

New Caledonia

11,780 bbl/day (2005)

New Zealand

137,300 bbl/day (2005)

Nicaragua

29,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Niger

5,425 bbl/day (2005)

Nigeria

154,300 bbl/day (2005)

Niue

26.57 bbl/day (2005)

Norway

92,650 bbl/day (2005)

Oman

15,440 bbl/day (2005)

Pakistan

290,600 bbl/day (2005)

Panama

88,790 bbl/day (2005)

Papua New Guinea

24,150 bbl/day (2005)

Paraguay

25,940 bbl/day (2007)

Peru

115,600 bbl/day (2005)

Philippines

355,800 bbl/day (2005)

Poland

499,200 bbl/day (2005)

Portugal

390,300 bbl/day (2005)

Puerto Rico

230,700 bbl/day (2005)

Qatar

0 bbl/day (2005)

Romania

219,000 bbl/day (2005)

Russia

73,140 bbl/day (2005)

Rwanda

5,597 bbl/day (2005)

Saint Helena

85.42 bbl/day (2005)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

917.8 bbl/day (2005)

Saint Lucia

2,631 bbl/day (2005)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

556.8 bbl/day (2005)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

1,460 bbl/day (2005)

Samoa

1,128 bbl/day (2005)

Sao Tome and Principe

659.5 bbl/day (2005)

Saudi Arabia

41,680 bbl/day (2005)

Senegal

40,450 bbl/day (2005)

Serbia

NA bbl/day

Seychelles

5,722 bbl/day (2005)

Sierra Leone

8,271 bbl/day (2005)

Singapore

2.003 million bbl/day (2005)

Slovakia

134,100 bbl/day (2005)

Slovenia

59,110 bbl/day (2005)

Solomon Islands

1,426 bbl/day (2005)

Somalia

4,772 bbl/day (2005)

South Africa

319,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Spain

1.777 million bbl/day (2005)

Sri Lanka

87,090 bbl/day (2005)

Sudan

7,558 bbl/day (2005)

Suriname

6,369 bbl/day (2005)

Swaziland

3,530 bbl/day (2005)

Sweden

581,000 bbl/day (2005)

Switzerland

274,900 bbl/day (2005)

Syria

160,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Taiwan

1.208 million bbl/day (2006)

Tajikistan

7,600 bbl/day (2007)

Tanzania

26,760 bbl/day (2005)

Thailand

832,900 bbl/day (2005)

Togo

16,650 bbl/day (2005)

Tonga

1,035 bbl/day (2005)

Trinidad and Tobago

72,780 bbl/day (2005)

Tunisia

89,130 bbl/day (2005)

Turkey

714,100 bbl/day (2005)

Turkmenistan

5,283 bbl/day (2005)

Turks and Caicos Islands

83.78 bbl/day (2005)

Uganda

11,540 bbl/day (2005)

Ukraine

441,200 bbl/day (2005)

United Arab Emirates

232,300 bbl/day (2005)

United Kingdom

1.673 million bbl/day (2005)

United States

13.71 million bbl/day (2005)

Uruguay

43,670 bbl/day (2007)

Uzbekistan

31,440 bbl/day (2005)

Vanuatu

671.1 bbl/day (2005)

Venezuela

0 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Vietnam

271,100 bbl/day (2007)

Virgin Islands

492,300 bbl/day (2005)

Western Sahara

1,925 bbl/day (2005)

World

65.41 million bbl/day (2005)

Yemen

62,850 bbl/day (2005)

Zambia

13,810 bbl/day (2005)

Zimbabwe

15,800 bbl/day (2005 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2176 Oil - exports (bbl/day)

Afghanistan

0 bbl/day (2005)

Albania

748.9 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Algeria

1.844 million bbl/day (2005 est.)

American Samoa

0 bbl/day (2005)

Angola

1.23 million bbl/day (2005)

Antigua and Barbuda

157.7 bbl/day (2005)

Argentina

339,900 bbl/day (2005)

Armenia

0 bbl/day (2005)

Aruba

233,300 bbl/day (2005)

Australia

337,400 bbl/day (2005)

Austria

46,300 bbl/day (2005)

Azerbaijan

795,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

transshipments of 38,740 bbl/day (2005)

Bahrain

238,900 bbl/day (2005)

Bangladesh

1,351 bbl/day (2005)

Barbados

1,750 bbl/day (2005)

Belarus

256,400 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Belgium

528,700 bbl/day (2005)

Belize

1,960 bbl/day (2006)

Benin

6,484 bbl/day (2005)

Bermuda

0 bbl/day (2005)

Bhutan

0 bbl/day (2005)

Bolivia

18,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

0 bbl/day (2005)

Botswana

0 bbl/day (2005)

Brazil

481,100 bbl/day (2005)

British Virgin Islands

0 bbl/day (2005)

Brunei

200,000 bbl/day (2005)

Bulgaria

50,530 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Burkina Faso

0 bbl/day (2005)

Burma

5,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Burundi

0 bbl/day (2005)

Cambodia

0 bbl/day (2005)

Cameroon

108,800 bbl/day (2005)

Canada

2.225 million bbl/day (2005)

Cape Verde

0 bbl/day (2005)

Cayman Islands

0 bbl/day (2005)

Central African Republic

0 bbl/day (2005)

Chad

176,700 bbl/day (2005)

Chile

32,500 bbl/day (2005)

China

79,060 bbl/day (2007)

Colombia

276,100 bbl/day (2005)

Comoros

0 bbl/day (2005)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

19,820 bbl/day (2005)

Congo, Republic of the

230,200 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Cook Islands

0 bbl/day (2005)

Costa Rica

2,115 bbl/day (2005)

Cote d'Ivoire

84,940 bbl/day (2005)

Croatia

43,680 bbl/day (2005)

Cuba

0 bbl/day (2006)

Cyprus

0 bbl/day (2005)

Czech Republic

27,360 bbl/day (2005)

Denmark

320,000 bbl/day (2006)

Djibouti

19.18 bbl/day (2005)

Dominica

0 bbl/day (2005)

Dominican Republic

0 bbl/day (2005)

Ecuador

421,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Egypt

204,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)

El Salvador

4,963 bbl/day (2006)

Equatorial Guinea

375,400 bbl/day (2005)

Eritrea

54.74 bbl/day (2005)

Estonia

7,000 bbl/day (2005)

Ethiopia

0 bbl/day (2005)

European Union

6.979 million bbl/day (2001)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

0 bbl/day (2005)

Faroe Islands

0 bbl/day (2005)

Fiji

2,848 bbl/day (2005)

Finland

126,300 bbl/day (January-September 2007 est.)

France

584,700 bbl/day (2005)

French Polynesia

0 bbl/day (2005)

Gabon

255,500 bbl/day (2005)

Gambia, The

41.62 bbl/day (2005)

Georgia

2,492 bbl/day (2005)

Germany

563,400 bbl/day (2005)

Ghana

5,709 bbl/day (2005)

Gibraltar

0 bbl/day (2005)

Greece

125,100 bbl/day (2005)

Greenland

149.5 bbl/day (2005)

Grenada

0 bbl/day (2005)

Guam

0 bbl/day (2005)

Guatemala

15,560 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Guinea

0 bbl/day (2005)

Guinea-Bissau

0 bbl/day (2005)

Guyana

0 bbl/day (2005)

Haiti

0 bbl/day (2005)

Honduras

417.9 bbl/day (2005)

Hong Kong

22,420 bbl/day (2006)

Hungary

66,660 bbl/day (2005)

Iceland

860.8 bbl/day (2005)

India

450,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Indonesia

470,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Iran

2.52 million bbl/day (2006 est.)

Iraq

1.67 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Ireland

29,780 bbl/day (2005)

Israel

82,910 bbl/day (2005)

Italy

616,700 bbl/day (2005)

Jamaica

1,535 bbl/day (2005)

Japan

168,800 bbl/day (2005)

Jordan

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Kazakhstan

1.236 million bbl/day (2005 est.)

Kenya

5,137 bbl/day (2005)

Kiribati

0 bbl/day (2005)

Korea, North

0 bbl/day (2006)

Korea, South

NA bbl/day

Kuwait

2.356 million bbl/day (2005)

Kyrgyzstan

2,534 bbl/day (2005)

Laos

0 bbl/day (2005)

Latvia

10,070 bbl/day (2005)

Lebanon

0 bbl/day (2005)

Lesotho

0 bbl/day (2005)

Liberia

23.37 bbl/day (2005)

Libya

1.455 million bbl/day (2005)

Lithuania

148,400 bbl/day (2005)

Luxembourg

281.5 bbl/day (2005)

Macau

0 bbl/day (2005)

Macedonia

6,768 bbl/day (2005)

Madagascar

480.3 bbl/day (2005)

Malawi

0 bbl/day (2005)

Malaysia

546,300 bbl/day (2005)

Maldives

1,499 bbl/day (2005)

Mali

0 bbl/day (2006)

Malta

0 bbl/day (2005)

Mauritania

0 bbl/day (2005)

Mauritius

0 bbl/day (2006)

Mexico

2.204 million bbl/day (2005)

Moldova

50.03 bbl/day (2005)

Mongolia

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Montserrat

0 bbl/day (2005)

Morocco

24,360 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Mozambique

0 bbl/day (2005)

Namibia

0 bbl/day (2005)

Nauru

0 bbl/day (2005)

Nepal

0 bbl/day (2005)

Netherlands

1.639 million bbl/day (2005)

Netherlands Antilles

206,900 bbl/day (2005)

New Caledonia

356.2 bbl/day (2005)

New Zealand

14,570 bbl/day (2005)

Nicaragua

808.5 bbl/day (2005)

Niger

0 bbl/day (2005)

Nigeria

2.473 million bbl/day (2005)

Niue

0 bbl/day (2005)

Norway

2.714 million bbl/day (2005)

Oman

722,000 bbl/day (2005)

Pakistan

28,060 bbl/day (2005)

Panama

4,447 bbl/day (2005)

Papua New Guinea

39,310 bbl/day (2005)

Paraguay

0 bbl/day (2007)

Peru

69,090 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Philippines

41,160 bbl/day (2005)

Poland

57,920 bbl/day (2005)

Portugal

50,490 bbl/day (2005)

Puerto Rico

10,610 bbl/day (2005)

Qatar

1.026 million bbl/day (2005)

Romania

125,200 bbl/day (2005)

Russia

5.08 million bbl/day (2007)

Rwanda

0 bbl/day (2005)

Saint Helena

0 bbl/day (2005)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

0 bbl/day (2005)

Saint Lucia

0 bbl/day (2005)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

0 bbl/day (2005)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

0 bbl/day (2005)

Samoa

0 bbl/day (2005)

Sao Tome and Principe

0 bbl/day (2005)

Saudi Arabia

8.9 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Senegal

4,298 bbl/day (2005)

Serbia

NA bbl/day

Seychelles

0 bbl/day (2006)

Sierra Leone

432.3 bbl/day (2005)

Singapore

1.203 million bbl/day (2005)

Slovakia

72,240 bbl/day (2005)

Slovenia

4,535 bbl/day (2005)

Solomon Islands

0 bbl/day (2005)

Somalia

0 bbl/day (2005)

South Africa

267,700 bbl/day (2005)

Spain

181,800 bbl/day (2005)

Sri Lanka

291.9 bbl/day (2005)

Sudan

282,100 bbl/day (2005)

Suriname

2,899 bbl/day (2005)

Swaziland

0 bbl/day (2005)

Sweden

219,200 bbl/day (2005)

Switzerland

9,370 bbl/day (2005)

Syria

254,500 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Taiwan

289,200 bbl/day (2006)

Tajikistan

247.7 bbl/day (2005)

Tanzania

0 bbl/day (2005)

Thailand

207,400 bbl/day (2005)

Togo

1,547 bbl/day (2005)

Tonga

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

218,800 bbl/day (2005)

Tunisia

73,790 bbl/day (2005)

Turkey

114,600 bbl/day (2005)

Turkmenistan

40,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

0 bbl/day (2005)

Uganda

115.2 bbl/day (2005)

Ukraine

190,500 bbl/day (2005)

United Arab Emirates

2.703 million bbl/day (2005 est.)

United Kingdom

1.749 million bbl/day (2005)

United States

1.165 million bbl/day (2005)

Uruguay

4,410 bbl/day (2007)

Uzbekistan

11,940 bbl/day (2005)

Vanuatu

0 bbl/day (2005)

Venezuela

2.203 million bbl/day (2006 est.)

Vietnam

394,400 bbl/day (2005)

Virgin Islands

398,500 bbl/day (2005)

Western Sahara

0 bbl/day (2005)

World

66.19 million bbl/day (2005)

Yemen

336,600 bbl/day (2005)

Zambia

190.6 bbl/day (2005)

Zimbabwe

0 bbl/day (2005 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2177 Median age (years)

Afghanistan

total: 17.6 years

male: 17.6 years

female: 17.6 years (2008 est.)

Albania

total: 29.5 years

male: 28.9 years

female: 30.2 years (2008 est.)

Algeria

total: 26 years

male: 25.8 years

female: 26.2 years (2008 est.)

American Samoa

total: 22.8 years

male: 22.7 years

female: 23 years (2008 est.)

Andorra

total: 38.9 years

male: 39.2 years

female: 38.6 years (2008 est.)

Angola

total: 18 years

male: 18 years

female: 18 years (2008 est.)

Anguilla

total: 32.3 years

male: 31.3 years

female: 33.4 years (2008 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

total: 29.5 years

male: 28 years

female: 30.8 years (2008 est.)

Argentina

total: 29.7 years

male: 28.8 years

female: 30.8 years (2008 est.)

Armenia

total: 31.1 years

male: 28.4 years

female: 34 years (2008 est.)

Aruba

total: 37.6 years

male: 35.8 years

female: 39.3 years (2008 est.)

Australia

total: 37.1 years

male: 36.4 years

female: 37.9 years (2008 est.)

Austria

total: 41.7 years

male: 40.7 years

female: 42.8 years (2008 est.)

Azerbaijan

total: 27.9 years

male: 26.3 years

female: 29.7 years (2008 est.)

Bahamas, The

total: 28.4 years

male: 27.6 years

female: 29.2 years (2008 est.)

Bahrain

total: 29.9 years

male: 33 years

female: 26.4 years (2008 est.)

Bangladesh

total: 22.8 years

male: 22.8 years

female: 22.9 years (2008 est.)

Barbados

total: 35.4 years

male: 34.2 years

female: 36.4 years (2008 est.)

Belarus

total: 38.4 years

male: 35.4 years

female: 41.3 years (2008 est.)

Belgium

total: 41.4 years

male: 40.2 years

female: 42.7 years (2008 est.)

Belize

total: 20.1 years

male: 20 years

female: 20.3 years (2008 est.)

Benin

total: 17.1 years

male: 16.7 years

female: 17.6 years (2008 est.)

Bermuda

total: 41 years

male: 40.1 years

female: 41.8 years (2008 est.)

Bhutan

total: 23.5 years

male: 24.1 years

female: 22.8 years (2008 est.)

Bolivia

total: 22.6 years

male: 21.9 years

female: 23.3 years (2008 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

total: 39.4 years

male: 38.2 years

female: 40.5 years (2008 est.)

Botswana

total: 21.2 years

male: 21 years

female: 21.4 years (2008 est.)

Brazil

total: 28.3 years

male: 27.5 years

female: 29 years (2008 est.)

British Virgin Islands

total: 32 years

male: 32.1 years

female: 31.9 years (2008 est.)

Brunei

total: 27.5 years

male: 27.5 years

female: 27.5 years (2008 est.)

Bulgaria

total: 41.1 years

male: 38.9 years

female: 43.4 years (2008 est.)

Burkina Faso

total: 16.7 years

male: 16.5 years

female: 16.9 years (2008 est.)

Burma

total: 27.8 years

male: 27.2 years

female: 28.4 years (2008 est.)

Burundi

total: 16.7 years

male: 16.4 years

female: 17 years (2008 est.)

Cambodia

total: 21.7 years

male: 21 years

female: 22.5 years (2008 est.)

Cameroon

total: 19 years

male: 18.9 years

female: 19.2 years (2008 est.)

Canada

total: 40.1 years

male: 39 years

female: 41.2 years (2008 est.)

Cape Verde

total: 20.6 years

male: 19.9 years

female: 21.5 years (2008 est.)

Cayman Islands

total: 37.8 years

male: 37.4 years

female: 38.2 years (2008 est.)

Central African Republic

total: 18.7 years

male: 18.4 years

female: 19 years (2008 est.)

Chad

total: 16.4 years

male: 15.2 years

female: 17.5 years (2008 est.)

Chile

total: 31.1 years

male: 30.1 years

female: 32.1 years (2008 est.)

China

total: 33.6 years

male: 33.1 years

female: 34.2 years (2008 est.)

Colombia

total: 26.8 years

male: 25.9 years

female: 27.8 years (2008 est.)

Comoros

total: 18.7 years

male: 18.5 years

female: 19 years (2008 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

total: 16.3 years

male: 16.1 years

female: 16.5 years (2008 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

total: 16.7 years

male: 16.5 years

female: 17 years (2008 est.)

Cook Islands

total: 29.8 years

male: 29 years

female: 30.4 years (2001 census)

Costa Rica

total: 27.1 years

male: 26.7 years

female: 27.6 years (2008 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

total: 19 years

male: 19.2 years

female: 18.9 years (2008 est.)

Croatia

total: 40.8 years

male: 38.9 years

female: 42.6 years (2008 est.)

Cuba

total: 36.8 years

male: 36.1 years

female: 37.5 years (2008 est.)

Cyprus

total: 35.3 years

male: 34.3 years

female: 36.4 years (2008 est.)

Czech Republic

total: 39.8 years

male: 38.2 years

female: 41.6 years (2008 est.)

Denmark

total: 40.3 years

male: 39.4 years

female: 41.2 years (2008 est.)

Djibouti

total: 18.2 years

male: 18.6 years

female: 17.7 years (2008 est.)

Dominica

total: 29.4 years

male: 29 years

female: 29.8 years (2008 est.)

Dominican Republic

total: 24.7 years

male: 24.6 years

female: 24.8 years (2008 est.)

Ecuador

total: 24.2 years

male: 23.7 years

female: 24.7 years (2008 est.)

Egypt

total: 24.5 years

male: 24.1 years

female: 24.9 years (2008 est.)

El Salvador

total: 22.2 years

male: 21.1 years

female: 23.4 years (2008 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

total: 18.9 years

male: 18.3 years

female: 19.5 years (2008 est.)

Eritrea

total: 18.3 years

male: 17.9 years

female: 18.7 years (2008 est.)

Estonia

total: 39.6 years

male: 36.2 years

female: 43.2 years (2008 est.)

Ethiopia

total: 16.9 years

male: 16.6 years

female: 17.2 years (2008 est.)

European Union

note - see individual country entries of member states

Faroe Islands

total: 36.7 years

male: 36 years

female: 37.5 years (2008 est.)

Fiji

total: 25.2 years

male: 24.7 years

female: 25.7 years (2008 est.)

Finland

total: 41.8 years

male: 40.3 years

female: 43.4 years (2008 est.)

France

total: 39.2 years

male: 37.7 years

female: 40.7 years (2008 est.)

French Polynesia

total: 28.7 years

male: 29 years

female: 28.4 years (2008 est.)

Gabon

total: 18.6 years

male: 18.4 years

female: 18.9 years (2008 est.)

Gambia, The

total: 17.9 years

male: 17.7 years

female: 18 years (2008 est.)

Gaza Strip

total: 17.2 years

male: 17 years

female: 17.4 years (2008 est.)

Georgia

total: 38.3 years

male: 35.8 years

female: 40.7 years (2008 est.)

Germany

total: 43.4 years

male: 42.2 years

female: 44.7 years (2008 est.)

Ghana

total: 20.4 years

male: 20.2 years

female: 20.7 years (2008 est.)

Gibraltar

total: 40.3 years

male: 39.8 years

female: 40.7 years (2008 est.)

Greece

total: 41.5 years

male: 40.4 years

female: 42.6 years (2008 est.)

Greenland

total: 33.5 years

male: 34.9 years

female: 31.8 years (2008 est.)

Grenada

total: 22.4 years

male: 22.9 years

female: 21.9 years (2008 est.)

Guam

total: 28.9 years

male: 28.7 years

female: 29.2 years (2008 est.)

Guatemala

total: 19.2 years

male: 18.6 years

female: 19.7 years (2008 est.)

Guernsey

total: 42.1 years

male: 41 years

female: 43 years (2008 est.)

Guinea

total: 18.4 years

male: 18.2 years

female: 18.7 years (2008 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

total: 19.2 years

male: 18.6 years

female: 19.8 years (2008 est.)

Guyana

total: 28.2 years

male: 27.7 years

female: 28.7 years (2008 est.)

Haiti

total: 18.5 years

male: 18.1 years

female: 19 years (2008 est.)

Honduras

total: 20 years

male: 19.7 years

female: 20.4 years (2008 est.)

Hong Kong

total: 41.7 years

male: 41.4 years

female: 42 years (2008 est.)

Hungary

total: 39.1 years

male: 36.8 years

female: 41.8 years (2008 est.)

Iceland

total: 34.8 years

male: 34.4 years

female: 35.3 years (2008 est.)

India

total: 25.1 years

male: 24.7 years

female: 25.5 years (2008 est.)

Indonesia

total: 27.2 years

male: 26.7 years

female: 27.7 years (2008 est.)

Iran

total: 26.4 years

male: 26.2 years

female: 26.7 years (2008 est.)

Iraq

total: 20.2 years

male: 20.1 years

female: 20.2 years (2008 est.)

Ireland

total: 34.6 years

male: 33.9 years

female: 35.4 years (2008 est.)

Isle of Man

total: 40 years

male: 38.8 years

female: 41.3 years (2008 est.)

Israel

total: 28.9 years

male: 28.2 years

female: 29.7 years (2008 est.)

Italy

total: 42.9 years

male: 41.4 years

female: 44.4 years (2008 est.)

Jamaica

total: 23.4 years

male: 22.9 years

female: 24 years (2008 est.)

Japan

total: 43.8 years

male: 42.1 years

female: 45.7 years (2008 est.)

Jersey

total: 42.3 years

male: 41.6 years

female: 43.1 years (2008 est.)

Jordan

total: 23.9 years

male: 24.6 years

female: 23.2 years (2008 est.)

Kazakhstan

total: 29.3 years

male: 27.8 years

female: 31.1 years (2008 est.)

Kenya

total: 18.6 years

male: 18.5 years

female: 18.8 years (2008 est.)

Kiribati

total: 20.6 years

male: 20.1 years

female: 21.1 years (2008 est.)

Korea, North

total: 32.7 years

male: 31.2 years

female: 34.2 years (2008 est.)

Korea, South

total: 36.7 years

male: 35.5 years

female: 37.9 years (2008 est.)

Kuwait

total: 26.1 years

male: 28 years

female: 22.6 years (2008 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

total: 24.2 years

male: 23.3 years

female: 25 years (2008 est.)

Laos

total: 19.2 years

male: 18.9 years

female: 19.5 years (2008 est.)

Latvia

total: 39.9 years

male: 36.9 years

female: 43 years (2008 est.)

Lebanon

total: 28.8 years

male: 27.6 years

female: 30 years (2008 est.)

Lesotho

total: 21.2 years

male: 20.6 years

female: 21.8 years (2008 est.)

Liberia

total: 18 years

male: 17.8 years

female: 18.2 years (2008 est.)

Libya

total: 23.6 years

male: 23.7 years

female: 23.5 years (2008 est.)

Liechtenstein

total: 40.5 years

male: 40 years

female: 41 years (2008 est.)

Lithuania

total: 39 years

male: 36.4 years

female: 41.6 years (2008 est.)

Luxembourg

total: 39 years

male: 38 years

female: 40 years (2008 est.)

Macau

total: 35 years

male: 35.6 years

female: 34.5 years (2008 est.)

Macedonia

total: 34.8 years

male: 33.8 years

female: 35.8 years (2008 est.)

Madagascar

total: 17.9 years

male: 17.7 years

female: 18.1 years (2008 est.)

Malawi

total: 16.8 years

male: 16.7 years

female: 16.8 years (2008 est.)

Malaysia

total: 24.6 years

male: 24 years

female: 25.3 years (2008 est.)

Maldives

total: 25.1 years

male: 26 years

female: 23.7 years (2008 est.)

Mali

total: 15.8 years

male: 15.4 years

female: 16.2 years (2008 est.)

Malta

total: 39.2 years

male: 37.9 years

female: 40.6 years (2008 est.)

Marshall Islands

total: 21 years

male: 21 years

female: 20.9 years (2008 est.)

Mauritania

total: 17.2 years

male: 16.9 years

female: 17.4 years (2008 est.)

Mauritius

total: 31.5 years

male: 30.6 years

female: 32.3 years (2008 est.)

Mayotte

total: 17.2 years

male: 18.1 years

female: 16.2 years (2008 est.)

Mexico

total: 26 years

male: 24.9 years

female: 27 years (2008 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

total: 21.6 years

male: 21.1 years

female: 22.1 years (2008 est.)

Moldova

total: 34.3 years

male: 32.4 years

female: 36.4 years (2008 est.)

Monaco

total: 45.5 years

male: 43.5 years

female: 47.5 years (2008 est.)

Mongolia

total: 24.9 years

male: 24.6 years

female: 25.3 years (2008 est.)

Montserrat

total: 28.1 years

male: 28 years

female: 28.1 years (2008 est.)

Morocco

total: 24.7 years

male: 24.1 years

female: 25.2 years (2008 est.)

Mozambique

total: 17.4 years

male: 17 years

female: 17.8 years (2008 est.)

Namibia

total: 20.7 years

male: 20.6 years

female: 20.8 years (2008 est.)

Nauru

total: 21.3 years

male: 20.7 years

female: 21.9 years (2008 est.)

Nepal

total: 20.7 years

male: 20.5 years

female: 20.8 years (2008 est.)

Netherlands

total: 40 years

male: 39.2 years

female: 40.9 years (2008 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

total: 33.4 years

male: 31.6 years

female: 35.2 years (2008 est.)

New Caledonia

total: 28.4 years

male: 28 years

female: 28.8 years (2008 est.)

New Zealand

total: 36.3 years

male: 35.6 years

female: 37.1 years (2008 est.)

Nicaragua

total: 21.7 years

male: 21.3 years

female: 22.1 years (2008 est.)

Niger

total: 16.4 years

male: 16.5 years

female: 16.4 years (2008 est.)

Nigeria

total: 18.9 years

male: 18.8 years

female: 19 years (2008 est.)

Northern Mariana Islands

total: 29.9 years

male: 32 years

female: 28.9 years (2008 est.)

Norway

total: 39 years

male: 38.2 years

female: 39.9 years (2008 est.)

Oman

total: 18.9 years

male: 21.3 years

female: 16.6 years (2008 est.)

Pakistan

total: 20.5 years

male: 20.3 years

female: 20.6 years (2008 est.)

Palau

total: 32.3 years

male: 33.3 years

female: 31.3 years (2008 est.)

Panama

total: 26.7 years

male: 26.3 years

female: 27.1 years (2008 est.)

Papua New Guinea

total: 21.5 years

male: 21.6 years

female: 21.4 years (2008 est.)

Paraguay

total: 21.7 years

male: 21.5 years

female: 22 years (2008 est.)

Peru

total: 25.8 years

male: 25.5 years

female: 26.1 years (2008 est.)

Philippines

total: 22.3 years

male: 21.8 years

female: 22.8 years (2008 est.)

Poland

total: 37.6 years

male: 35.8 years

female: 39.5 years (2008 est.)

Portugal

total: 39.1 years

male: 37 years

female: 41.3 years (2008 est.)

Puerto Rico

total: 35.6 years

male: 33.8 years

female: 37.3 years (2008 est.)

Qatar

total: 30.7 years

male: 32.8 years

female: 25.4 years (2008 est.)

Romania

total: 37.3 years

male: 35.9 years

female: 38.7 years (2008 est.)

Russia

total: 38.3 years

male: 35.1 years

female: 41.4 years (2008 est.)

Rwanda

total: 18.7 years

male: 18.5 years

female: 18.9 years (2008 est.)

Saint Helena

total: 37.1 years

male: 37.2 years

female: 37 years (2008 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

total: 28.4 years

male: 27.7 years

female: 29.1 years (2008 est.)

Saint Lucia

total: 29.2 years

male: 28.2 years

female: 30.2 years (2008 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

total: 34.9 years

male: 34.3 years

female: 35.3 years (2008 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

total: 28 years

male: 27.8 years

female: 28.1 years (2008 est.)

Samoa

total: 20.6 years

male: 20.8 years

female: 20.4 years (2008 est.)

San Marino

total: 41.2 years

male: 40.9 years

female: 41.6 years (2008 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

total: 16.3 years

male: 15.8 years

female: 16.9 years (2008 est.)

Saudi Arabia

total: 21.5 years

male: 22.9 years

female: 19.8 years (2008 est.)

Senegal

total: 18.8 years

male: 18.6 years

female: 19 years (2008 est.)

Serbia

total: 37.5 years

male: 36.1 years

female: 39 years (2008 est.)

Seychelles

total: 28.7 years

male: 27.6 years

female: 29.8 years (2008 est.)

Sierra Leone

total: 17.5 years

male: 17.2 years

female: 17.8 years (2008 est.)

Singapore

total: 38.4 years

male: 38 years

female: 38.8 years (2008 est.)

Slovakia

total: 36.5 years

male: 34.8 years

female: 38.2 years (2008 est.)

Slovenia

total: 41.4 years

male: 39.8 years

female: 42.9 years (2008 est.)

Solomon Islands

total: 19.4 years

male: 19.3 years

female: 19.6 years (2008 est.)

Somalia

total: 17.5 years

male: 17.4 years

female: 17.6 years (2008 est.)

South Africa

total: 24.2 years

male: 23.8 years

female: 24.6 years (2008 est.)

Spain

total: 40.7 years

male: 39.3 years

female: 42.1 years (2008 est.)

Sri Lanka

total: 30.4 years

male: 29.5 years

female: 31.4 years (2008 est.)

Sudan

total: 18.9 years

male: 18.7 years

female: 19.1 years (2008 est.)

Suriname

total: 27.5 years

male: 27.1 years

female: 27.9 years (2008 est.)

Swaziland

total: 18.7 years

male: 18 years

female: 19.4 years (2008 est.)

Sweden

total: 41.3 years

male: 40.2 years

female: 42.4 years (2008 est.)

Switzerland

total: 40.7 years

male: 39.6 years

female: 41.7 years (2008 est.)

Syria

total: 21.4 years

male: 21.3 years

female: 21.5 years (2008 est.)

Taiwan

total: 36 years

male: 35.5 years

female: 36.6 years (2008 est.)

Tajikistan

total: 21.6 years

male: 21.2 years

female: 22.1 years (2008 est.)

Tanzania

total: 17.8 years

male: 17.6 years

female: 18.1 years (2008 est.)

Thailand

total: 32.8 years

male: 32 years

female: 33.7 years (2008 est.)

Timor-Leste

total: 21.5 years

male: 21.5 years

female: 21.5 years (2008 est.)

Togo

total: 18.6 years

male: 18.2 years

female: 19 years (2008 est.)

Tonga

total: 21.8 years

male: 21.3 years

female: 22.3 years (2008 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

total: 32.3 years

male: 31.9 years

female: 32.8 years (2008 est.)

Tunisia

total: 28.8 years

male: 28.2 years

female: 29.3 years (2008 est.)

Turkey

total: 29 years

male: 28.8 years

female: 29.2 years (2008 est.)

Turkmenistan

total: 22.6 years

male: 22 years

female: 23.1 years (2008 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

total: 27.8 years

male: 28.5 years

female: 27 years (2008 est.)

Tuvalu

total: 25.2 years

male: 24.2 years

female: 26.4 years (2008 est.)

Uganda

total: 15 years

male: 14.9 years

female: 15.1 years (2008 est.)

Ukraine

total: 39.4 years

male: 36.1 years

female: 42.5 years (2008 est.)

United Arab Emirates

total: 30.1 years

male: 32 years

female: 24.6 years (2008 est.)

United Kingdom

total: 39.9 years

male: 38.8 years

female: 41 years (2008 est.)

United States

total: 36.7 years

male: 35.4 years

female: 38.1 years (2008 est.)

Uruguay

total: 33.2 years

male: 31.8 years

female: 34.6 years (2008 est.)

Uzbekistan

total: 24.3 years

male: 23.8 years

female: 24.8 years (2008 est.)

Vanuatu

total: 23.8 years

male: 23.8 years

female: 23.8 years (2008 est.)

Venezuela

total: 25.2 years

male: 24.6 years

female: 25.8 years (2008 est.)

Vietnam

total: 26.9 years

male: 25.8 years

female: 28 years (2008 est.)

Virgin Islands

total: 38.5 years

male: 38 years

female: 39 years (2008 est.)

West Bank

total: 20.2 years

male: 20 years

female: 20.4 years (2008 est.)

World

total:

male: 27.4 years

female: 28.7 years (2008 est.)

Yemen

total: 16.7 years

male: 16.7 years

female: 16.8 years (2008 est.)

Zambia

total: 16.9 years

male: 16.8 years

female: 17.1 years (2008 est.)

Zimbabwe

total: 17.6 years

male: 16.4 years

female: 18.8 years (2008 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2178 Oil - proved reserves (bbl)

Afghanistan

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Albania

199.1 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Algeria

12.2 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

American Samoa

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Angola

9.035 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Argentina

2.587 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Armenia

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Aruba

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Australia

1.5 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Austria

50 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Azerbaijan

7 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Bahamas, The

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Bahrain

124.6 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Bangladesh

28 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Barbados

2.2 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Belarus

198 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Belgium

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Belize

6.7 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Benin

8 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Bermuda

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Bhutan

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Bolivia

465 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Botswana

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Brazil

12.18 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

British Virgin Islands

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Brunei

1.1 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Bulgaria

15 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Burkina Faso

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Burma

50 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Burundi

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Cambodia

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Cameroon

200 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Canada

178.6 billion bbl

note: includes oil sands (1 January 2008 est.)

Cape Verde

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Cayman Islands

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Central African Republic

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Chad

1.5 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Chile

150 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

China

16 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Colombia

1.506 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Comoros

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the 180 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

1.6 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Cook Islands

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Costa Rica

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

100 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Croatia

79.15 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Cuba

124 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Cyprus

NA

Czech Republic

15 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Denmark

1.188 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Djibouti

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Dominica

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Dominican Republic

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Ecuador

4.517 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Egypt

3.7 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

El Salvador

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

1.1 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Eritrea

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Estonia

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Ethiopia

428,000 bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

European Union

6.144 billion bbl (1 January 2008)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Faroe Islands

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Fiji

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Finland

NA bbl

France

119.8 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

French Polynesia

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Gabon

2 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Gambia, The

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Georgia

35 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Germany

367 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Ghana

15 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Gibraltar

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Greece

10 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Greenland

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Grenada

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Guam

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Guatemala

83.07 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Guinea

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Guyana

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Haiti

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Honduras

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Hong Kong

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Hungary

20.18 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Iceland

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

India

5.625 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Indonesia

4.37 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Iran

138.4 billion bbl based on Iranian claims (1 January 2008 est.)

Iraq

115 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Ireland

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Israel

1.94 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Italy

406.5 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Jamaica

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Japan

44.12 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Jordan

1 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Kazakhstan

30 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Kenya

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Kiribati

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Korea, North

NA bbl

Korea, South

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Kosovo

NA bbl

Kuwait

104 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

40 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Laos

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Latvia

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Lebanon

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Lesotho

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Liberia

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Libya

41.46 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Lithuania

12 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Luxembourg

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Macau

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Macedonia

0 bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Madagascar

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Malawi

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Malaysia

4 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Maldives

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Mali

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Malta

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Mauritania

100 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Mauritius

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Mexico

11.65 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Moldova

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Mongolia

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Montenegro

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Montserrat

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Morocco

836,000 bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Mozambique

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Namibia

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Nauru

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Nepal

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Netherlands

100 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

New Caledonia

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

New Zealand

55 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Nicaragua

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Niger

NA bbl

Nigeria

36.22 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Niue

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Norway

6.865 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Oman

5.5 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Pakistan

289.2 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Panama

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Papua New Guinea

88 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Paraguay

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Peru

382.9 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Philippines

138.5 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Poland

96.38 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Portugal

NA bbl

Puerto Rico

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Qatar

15.21 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Romania

600 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Russia

60 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Rwanda

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Saint Helena

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Saint Lucia

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Samoa

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Saudi Arabia

266.8 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Senegal

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Serbia

77.5 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Seychelles

0 bbl (1 January 2006)

Sierra Leone

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Singapore

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Slovakia

9 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Slovenia

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Solomon Islands

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Somalia

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

South Africa

15 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Spain

150 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Sri Lanka

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Sudan

5 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Suriname

88 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Swaziland

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Sweden

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Switzerland

NA

Syria

2.5 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Taiwan

2.38 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Tajikistan

12 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Tanzania

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Thailand

460 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Timor-Leste

NA

Togo

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Tonga

0 bbl (1 January 2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

728.3 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Tunisia

400 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Turkey

300 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Turkmenistan

600 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Uganda

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Ukraine

395 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

United Arab Emirates

97.8 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

United Kingdom

3.6 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

United States

20.97 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Uruguay

NA

Uzbekistan

594 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Vanuatu

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Venezuela

87.04 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Vietnam

600 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Virgin Islands

NA

Western Sahara

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

World

1.332 trillion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Yemen

3 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Zambia

NA

Zimbabwe

0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2179 Natural gas - proved reserves (cu m)

Afghanistan

49.55 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Albania

849.5 million cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Algeria

4.502 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

American Samoa

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Angola

269.8 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Argentina

446 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Armenia

0 cu m (1 January 2006)

Aruba

0 cu m (1 January 2006)

Australia

849.5 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Austria

16.14 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Azerbaijan

849.5 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Bahamas, The

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Bahrain

92.03 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Bangladesh

141.6 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Barbados

141.6 million cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Belarus

2.832 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Belgium

0 cu m (1 January 2006)

Belize

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Benin

1.133 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Bermuda

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Bhutan

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Bolivia

750.4 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

0 cu m (1 January 2006)

Botswana

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Brazil

347.7 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

British Virgin Islands

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Brunei

390.8 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Bulgaria

5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Burkina Faso

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Burma

283.2 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Burundi

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Cambodia

NA

Cameroon

135.1 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Canada

1.648 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Cape Verde

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Cayman Islands

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Central African Republic

0 cu m (1 January 2006)

Chad

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Chile

97.97 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

China

2.265 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Colombia

122.9 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Comoros

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the 991.1 million cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

90.61 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Cook Islands

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Costa Rica

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Croatia

28.54 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Cuba

70.79 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Cyprus

0 cu m (1 January 2006)

Czech Republic

3.964 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Denmark

70.51 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Djibouti

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Dominica

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Dominican Republic

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Ecuador

9.369 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Egypt

1.656 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

El Salvador

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

36.81 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Eritrea

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Estonia

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Ethiopia

24.92 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

European Union

2.476 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Faroe Islands

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Fiji

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Finland

0 cu m (1 January 2006)

France

7.277 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

French Polynesia

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Gabon

28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Gambia, The

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Georgia

8.495 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Germany

254.8 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Ghana

22.65 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Gibraltar

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Greece

1.982 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Greenland

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Grenada

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Guam

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Guatemala

2.96 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Guinea

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Guyana

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Haiti

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Honduras

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Hong Kong

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Hungary

8.098 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Iceland

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

India

1.075 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Indonesia

2.659 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Iran

26.85 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Iraq

3.17 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Ireland

9.911 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Israel

30.44 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Italy

94.15 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Jamaica

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Japan

20.9 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Jordan

6.031 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Kazakhstan

2.832 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Kenya

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Kiribati

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Korea, North

0 cu m (1 January 2007)

Korea, South

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Kosovo

NA cu m

Kuwait

1.586 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Laos

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Lebanon

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Lesotho

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Liberia

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Libya

1.419 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Lithuania

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Luxembourg

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Macau

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Macedonia

0 cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Madagascar

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Malawi

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Malaysia

2.35 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Maldives

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Mali

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Malta

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Mauritania

28.32 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Mauritius

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Mexico

392.2 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Moldova

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Mongolia

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Montserrat

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Morocco

1.557 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Mozambique

127.4 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Namibia

62.29 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Nauru

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Nepal

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Netherlands

1.416 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

New Caledonia

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

New Zealand

29.67 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Nicaragua

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Niger

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Nigeria

5.21 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Niue

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Norway

2.241 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Oman

849.5 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Pakistan

792.8 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Panama

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Papua New Guinea

226.5 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Paraguay

0 cu m (1 January 2007 est.)

Peru

337.8 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Philippines

98.54 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Poland

164.8 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Portugal

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Puerto Rico

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Qatar

25.63 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Romania

63 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Russia

47.57 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Rwanda

56.63 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Saint Helena

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Saint Lucia

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Samoa

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Saudi Arabia

7.167 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Senegal

NA cu m

Serbia

48.14 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Seychelles

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Sierra Leone

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Singapore

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Slovakia

14.16 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Slovenia

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Solomon Islands

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Somalia

5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

South Africa

27.16 million cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Spain

2.548 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Sri Lanka

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Sudan

84.95 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Suriname

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Swaziland

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Sweden

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Switzerland

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Syria

240.7 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Taiwan

6.229 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Tajikistan

5.663 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Tanzania

6.513 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Thailand

331.2 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Timor-Leste

200 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Togo

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Tonga

0 cu m (1 January 2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

531.5 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Tunisia

65.13 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Turkey

8.495 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Turkmenistan

2.832 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Uganda

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Ukraine

1.104 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

United Arab Emirates

6.071 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

United Kingdom

412 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

United States

5.977 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Uruguay

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Uzbekistan

1.841 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Vanuatu

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Venezuela

4.708 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Vietnam

192.5 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Virgin Islands

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Western Sahara

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

World

175.4 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Yemen

478.5 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Zambia

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Zimbabwe

0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2180 Natural gas - production (cu m)

Afghanistan

20 million cu m (2006 est.)

Albania

30 million cu m (2006 est.)

Algeria

85.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

American Samoa

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Angola

680 million cu m (2006 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Argentina

44.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Armenia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Aruba

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Australia

43.62 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Austria

1.848 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

9.77 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bahrain

11.33 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Bangladesh

15.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Barbados

29.17 million cu m (2006 est.)

Belarus

164 million cu m (2007 est.)

Belgium

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Belize

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Benin

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bermuda

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bhutan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bolivia

14.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Botswana

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Brazil

9.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Brunei

13.8 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Bulgaria

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Burma

12.6 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Burundi

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cambodia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cameroon

20 million cu m (2006 est.)

Canada

187 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Central African Republic

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Chad

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Chile

1.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

China

69.27 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Colombia

7.22 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Comoros

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

180 million cu m (2006 est.)

Cook Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Costa Rica

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

1.3 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Croatia

1.58 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Cuba

1.058 billion cu m (2006)

Cyprus

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

172 million cu m (2007 est.)

Denmark

9.223 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Djibouti

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Dominica

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Dominican Republic

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Ecuador

280 million cu m (2006 est.)

Egypt

47.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

El Salvador

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

1.3 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Eritrea

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Estonia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

European Union

197.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Faroe Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Fiji

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Finland

0 cu m (2007 est.)

France

953 million cu m (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Gabon

100 million cu m (2006 est.)

Gambia, The

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Georgia

10 million cu m (2007 est.)

Germany

17.96 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Ghana

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Gibraltar

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Greece

24 million cu m (2007 est.)

Greenland

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Grenada

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guam

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guatemala

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guinea

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guyana

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Haiti

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Honduras

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Hungary

2.545 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Iceland

0 cu m (2007 est.)

India

31.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Indonesia

56 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Iran

111.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Iraq

3.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Ireland

457 million cu m (2007 est.)

Israel

970 million cu m (2006 est.)

Italy

9.706 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Jamaica

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Japan

3.729 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Jordan

320 million cu m (2006 est.)

Kazakhstan

27.88 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Kenya

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Kiribati

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Korea, North

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Korea, South

390 million cu m (2007 est.)

Kosovo

0 cu m (2007)

Kuwait

12.5 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

18 million cu m (2007 est.)

Laos

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Latvia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Lebanon

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Lesotho

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Liberia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Libya

14.8 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Lithuania

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Macau

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Macedonia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Madagascar

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Malawi

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Malaysia

64.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Maldives

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mali

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Malta

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mauritania

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mauritius

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mexico

55.98 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Moldova

50 million cu m (2006 est.)

Mongolia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Montserrat

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Morocco

60 million cu m (2006 est.)

Mozambique

1.65 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Namibia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Nauru

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Nepal

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Netherlands

76.33 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

0 cu m (2007 est.)

New Caledonia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

New Zealand

4.573 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Niger

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Nigeria

34.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Niue

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Norway

92.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Oman

24.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Pakistan

30.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Panama

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

140 million cu m (2006 est.)

Paraguay

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Peru

1.78 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Philippines

2.2 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Poland

6.025 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Portugal

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Qatar

59.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Romania

12.5 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Russia

656.2 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Rwanda

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Helena

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Lucia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Samoa

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

75.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Senegal

50 million cu m (2006 est.)

Serbia

650 million cu m (2005 est.)

Seychelles

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Singapore

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Slovakia

128 million cu m (2007 est.)

Slovenia

4 million cu m (2006 est.)

Solomon Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Somalia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

South Africa

2.9 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Spain

88 million cu m (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Sudan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Suriname

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Swaziland

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Sweden

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Switzerland

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Syria

7.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Taiwan

400 million cu m (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

32 million cu m (2007 est.)

Tanzania

146 million cu m (2006 est.)

Thailand

25.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Togo

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Tonga

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

39 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Tunisia

2.55 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Turkey

893 million cu m (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

68.88 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Uganda

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Ukraine

19.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

48.79 billion cu m (2006 est.)

United Kingdom

72.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

United States

545.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Uruguay

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

65.19 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Venezuela

26.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Vietnam

6.86 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Western Sahara

0 cu m (2007 est.)

World

3.021 trillion cu m (2007 est.)

Yemen

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Zambia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

0 cu m (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2181 Natural gas - consumption (cu m)

Afghanistan

20 million cu m (2006 est.)

Albania

30 million cu m (2006 est.)

Algeria

26.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

American Samoa

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Angola

680 million cu m (2006 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Argentina

44.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Armenia

2.05 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Aruba

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Australia

29.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Austria

8.436 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

9.77 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bahrain

11.33 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Bangladesh

15.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Barbados

29.17 million cu m (2006 est.)

Belarus

21.76 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Belgium

17.39 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Belize

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Benin

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bermuda

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bhutan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bolivia

3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

400 million cu m (2006 est.)

Botswana

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Brazil

19.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Brunei

3.99 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Bulgaria

5.6 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Burkina Faso

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Burma

3.62 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Burundi

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cambodia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cameroon

20 million cu m (2006 est.)

Canada

92.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Central African Republic

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Chad

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Chile

4.2 billion cu m (2007 est.)

China

70.51 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Colombia

7.22 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Comoros

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

180 million cu m (2006 est.)

Cook Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Costa Rica

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

1.3 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Croatia

2.73 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Cuba

1.058 billion cu m (2006)

Cyprus

NA

Czech Republic

8.622 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Denmark

4.555 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Djibouti

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Dominica

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Dominican Republic

250 million cu m (2006 est.)

Ecuador

280 million cu m (2006 est.)

Egypt

31.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

El Salvador

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

1.3 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Eritrea

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Estonia

1.48 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

European Union

500.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Faroe Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Fiji

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Finland

4.581 billion cu m (2007 est.)

France

42.69 billion cu m (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Gabon

100 million cu m (2006 est.)

Gambia, The

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Georgia

1.49 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Germany

97.44 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Ghana

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Gibraltar

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Greece

4.069 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Greenland

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Grenada

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guam

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guatemala

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guinea

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guyana

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Haiti

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Honduras

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

2.69 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Hungary

13.36 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Iceland

0 cu m (2007 est.)

India

41.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Indonesia

23.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Iran

111.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Iraq

1.8 billion cu m

note: 1.48 billion cu m were flared (2006 est.)

Ireland

4.984 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Israel

970 million cu m (2006 est.)

Italy

84.89 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Jamaica

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Japan

100.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Jordan

2.25 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Kazakhstan

30.58 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Kenya

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Kiribati

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Korea, North

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Korea, South

34.83 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Kosovo

0 cu m (2007)

Kuwait

12.5 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

768 million cu m (2007 est.)

Laos

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Latvia

2.04 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Lebanon

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Lesotho

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Liberia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Libya

6.39 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Lithuania

3.44 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

1.329 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Macau

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Macedonia

100 million cu m (2006 est.)

Madagascar

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Malawi

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Malaysia

32.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Maldives

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mali

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Malta

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mauritania

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mauritius

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mexico

68.29 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Moldova

2.44 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Mongolia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Montenegro

NA cu m

Montserrat

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Morocco

60 million cu m (2006 est.)

Mozambique

1.45 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Namibia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Nauru

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Nepal

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Netherlands

46.42 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

0 cu m (2007 est.)

New Caledonia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

New Zealand

4.572 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Niger

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Nigeria

12.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Niue

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Norway

6.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Oman

11 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Pakistan

30.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Panama

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

140 million cu m (2006 est.)

Paraguay

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Peru

1.78 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Philippines

2.2 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Poland

16.38 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Portugal

4.112 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

736.2 million cu m (2007 est.)

Qatar

20.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Romania

17.09 billion cu m (2007)

Russia

610 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Rwanda

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Helena

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Lucia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Samoa

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

75.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Senegal

50 million cu m (2006 est.)

Serbia

2.55 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Seychelles

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Singapore

6.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Slovakia

6.216 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Slovenia

1.105 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Solomon Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Somalia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

South Africa

3.1 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Spain

34.43 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Sudan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Suriname

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Swaziland

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Sweden

1.006 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Switzerland

3.232 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Syria

4.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Taiwan

11.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

842 million cu m (2007 est.)

Tanzania

146 million cu m (2006 est.)

Thailand

35.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Togo

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Tonga

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

20.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Tunisia

3.85 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Turkey

36.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

19.48 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Uganda

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Ukraine

84.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

43.11 billion cu m (2006 est.)

United Kingdom

91.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

United States

652.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Uruguay

102.8 million cu m (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

51.18 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Venezuela

26.5 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Vietnam

6.86 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Western Sahara

0 cu m (2007 est.)

World

3.198 trillion cu m (2007 est.)

Yemen

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Zambia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

0 cu m (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2182 Natural gas - imports (cu m)

Afghanistan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Albania

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Algeria

0 cu m (2007 est.)

American Samoa

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Angola

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Argentina

1.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Armenia

2.05 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Aruba

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Australia

5.689 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Austria

9.658 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

0 cu m (2005)

Bahamas, The

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bahrain

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Barbados

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Belarus

21.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Belgium

17.34 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Belize

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Benin

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bermuda

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bhutan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bolivia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

0 cu m (2005)

Botswana

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Brazil

10 billion cu m (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Brunei

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bulgaria

5.179 billion cu m (2005)

Burkina Faso

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Burma

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Burundi

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cambodia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cameroon

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Canada

13.2 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Central African Republic

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Chad

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Chile

2.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

China

3.92 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Colombia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Comoros

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cook Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Costa Rica

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Croatia

1.103 billion cu m (2005)

Cuba

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cyprus

NA

Czech Republic

8.628 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Denmark

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Djibouti

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Dominica

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Dominican Republic

239.8 million cu m (2005)

Ecuador

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Egypt

0 cu m (2007 est.)

El Salvador

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Eritrea

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Estonia

1.48 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

European Union

361.2 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Faroe Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Fiji

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Finland

4.576 billion cu m (2007 est.)

France

42.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Gabon

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Georgia

1.48 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Germany

88.35 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Ghana

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Gibraltar

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Greece

4.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Greenland

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Grenada

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guam

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guatemala

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guinea

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guyana

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Haiti

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Honduras

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

2.69 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Hungary

10.45 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Iceland

0 cu m (2007 est.)

India

10 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Indonesia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Iran

6.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Iraq

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Ireland

4.552 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Israel

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Italy

73.95 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Jamaica

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Japan

95.62 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Jordan

2.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

10.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Kenya

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Kiribati

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Korea, North

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Korea, South

33.38 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Kuwait

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

750 million cu m (2007 est.)

Laos

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Latvia

2.04 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Lebanon

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Lesotho

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Liberia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Libya

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Lithuania

3.44 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

1.329 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Macau

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Macedonia

102.8 million cu m (2007)

Madagascar

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Malawi

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Malaysia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Maldives

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mali

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Malta

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mauritania

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mauritius

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mexico

11.69 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Moldova

2.44 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Mongolia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Montserrat

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Morocco

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mozambique

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Namibia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Nauru

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Nepal

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Netherlands

25.73 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

0 cu m (2007 est.)

New Caledonia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

New Zealand

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Niger

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Nigeria

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Niue

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Norway

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Oman

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Pakistan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Panama

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Paraguay

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Peru

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Philippines

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Poland

10.12 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Portugal

4.095 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

736.2 million cu m (2007 est.)

Qatar

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Romania

4.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Russia

58.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Rwanda

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Helena

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Lucia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Samoa

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Senegal

NA cu m

Serbia

2.1 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Seychelles

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Singapore 6.5 billion cu m note: from Indonesia and Malaysia (2007 est.)

Slovakia

6.268 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Slovenia

1.073 billion cu m (2005)

Solomon Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Somalia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

South Africa

0 cu m (2005)

Spain

34.47 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Sudan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Suriname

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Swaziland

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Sweden

1.006 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Switzerland

3.232 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Syria

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Taiwan

10.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

810 million cu m (2007 est.)

Tanzania

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Thailand

9.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Togo

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Tonga

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Tunisia

0 cu m (2005)

Turkey

35.83 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Uganda

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Ukraine

65.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

1.343 billion cu m (2005)

United Kingdom

29.2 billion cu m (2007 est.)

United States

130.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Uruguay

116.9 million cu m (2007)

Uzbekistan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Venezuela

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Vietnam

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Western Sahara

0 cu m (2007 est.)

World

957.6 billion cu m (2007)

Yemen

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Zambia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

0 cu m (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2183 Natural gas - exports (cu m)

Afghanistan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Albania

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Algeria

59.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

American Samoa

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Angola

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Argentina

2.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Armenia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Aruba

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Australia

19.91 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Austria

2.767 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bahrain

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Barbados

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Belarus

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Belgium

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Belize

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Benin

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bermuda

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bhutan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Bolivia

11.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Botswana

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Brazil

0 cu m (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Brunei

9.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Bulgaria

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Burma

9.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Burundi

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cambodia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cameroon

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Canada

107.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Central African Republic

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Chad

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Chile

0 cu m (2007 est.)

China

2.69 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Colombia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Comoros

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cook Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Costa Rica

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Croatia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cuba

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Cyprus

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

402 million cu m (2007 est.)

Denmark

4.517 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Djibouti

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Dominica

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Dominican Republic

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Ecuador

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Egypt

15.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

El Salvador

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Eritrea

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Estonia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

European Union

76.48 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Faroe Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Fiji

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Finland

0 cu m (2007 est.)

France

966 million cu m (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Gabon

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Georgia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Germany

12.22 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Ghana

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Gibraltar

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Greece

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Greenland

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Grenada

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guam

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guatemala

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guinea

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Guyana

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Haiti

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Honduras

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Hungary

138 million cu m (2007 est.)

Iceland

0 cu m (2007 est.)

India

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Indonesia

32.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Iran

6.2 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Iraq

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Ireland

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Israel

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Italy

68 million cu m (2007 est.)

Jamaica

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Japan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Jordan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

8.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Kenya

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Kiribati

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Korea, North

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Korea, South

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Kuwait

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Laos

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Latvia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Lebanon

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Lesotho

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Liberia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Libya

9.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Lithuania

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Macau

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Macedonia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Madagascar

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Malawi

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Malaysia

31.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Maldives

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mali

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Malta

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mauritania

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mauritius

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mexico

2.973 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Moldova

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mongolia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Montserrat

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Morocco

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Mozambique

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Namibia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Nauru

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Nepal

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Netherlands

55.66 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

0 cu m (2007 est.)

New Caledonia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

New Zealand

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Niger

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Nigeria

21.2 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Niue

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Norway

86.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Oman

13.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Pakistan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Panama

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Paraguay

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Peru

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Philippines

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Poland

45 million cu m (2007 est.)

Portugal

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Qatar

39.3 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Romania

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Russia

237.2 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Rwanda

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Helena

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Lucia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Samoa

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Senegal

NA cu m

Serbia

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Seychelles

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Singapore

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Slovakia

180 million cu m (2007 est.)

Slovenia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Somalia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

South Africa

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Spain

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Sudan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Suriname

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Swaziland

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Sweden

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Switzerland

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Syria

NA cu m

Taiwan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Tanzania

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Thailand

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Togo

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Tonga

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

18.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Tunisia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Turkey

31 million cu m (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

49.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Uganda

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Ukraine

4 billion cu m (2006 est.)

United Arab Emirates

6.848 billion cu m (2005 est.)

United Kingdom

10.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)

United States

23.28 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Uruguay

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

14.01 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Venezuela

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Vietnam

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Western Sahara

0 cu m (2007 est.)

World

929.9 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Yemen

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Zambia

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

0 cu m (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2184 Internet hosts

Afghanistan

31 (2008)

Albania

10,162 (2008)

Algeria

477 (2008)

American Samoa

1,923 (2008)

Andorra

23,368 (2008)

Angola

3,562 (2008)

Anguilla

205 (2008)

Antarctica

7,748 (2008)

Antigua and Barbuda

2,215 (2008)

Argentina

3.813 million (2008)

Armenia

26,081 (2008)

Aruba

17,661 (2008)

Australia

11.134 million (2008)

Austria

2.806 million (2008)

Azerbaijan

6,995 (2008)

Bahamas, The

41 (2008)

Bahrain

2,621 (2008)

Bangladesh

1,440 (2008)

Barbados

104 (2008)

Belarus

68,118 (2008)

Belgium

3.841 million (2008)

Belize

2,751 (2008)

Benin

848 (2008)

Bermuda

1,628 (2008)

Bhutan

9,046 (2008)

Bolivia

68,428 (2008)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

56,032 (2008)

Botswana

6,374 (2008)

Bouvet Island

6 (2008)

Brazil

9.573 million (2008)

British Indian Ocean Territory

89 (2008)

British Virgin Islands

465 (2008)

Brunei

14,950 (2008)

Bulgaria

513,470 (2008)

Burkina Faso

116 (2008)

Burma

108 (2008)

Burundi

162 (2008)

Cambodia

1,230 (2008)

Cameroon

69 (2008)

Canada

5.119 million (2008)

Cape Verde

20 (2008)

Cayman Islands

4,648 (2008)

Central African Republic

21 (2008)

Chad

5 (2008)

Chile

847,215 (2008)

China

14.306 million (2008)

Christmas Island

1,821 (2008)

Colombia

1.554 million (2008)

Comoros

8 (2008)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

3,211 (2008)

Congo, Republic of the

5 (2008)

Cook Islands

2,234 (2008)

Costa Rica

16,440 (2008)

Cote d'Ivoire

5,569 (2008)

Croatia

1.111 million (2008)

Cuba

3,664 (2008)

Cyprus

143,099 (2008)

Czech Republic

2.434 million (2008)

Denmark

3.642 million (2008)

Djibouti

161 (2008)

Dominica

29 (2008)

Dominican Republic

105,546 (2008)

Ecuador

45,404 (2008)

Egypt

175,342 (2008)

El Salvador

11,434 (2008)

Equatorial Guinea

9 (2008)

Eritrea

1,074 (2008)

Estonia

645,495 (2008)

Ethiopia

128 (2008)

European Union

31,693 (2008); note - this sum reflects the number of

internet hosts assigned the .eu internet country code

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

91 (2008)

Faroe Islands

8,516 (2008)

Fiji

12,592 (2008)

Finland

3.877 million (2008)

France

14.256 million; 14,256,000 (metropolitan France) (2008)

French Polynesia

14,070 (2008)

French Southern and Antarctic Lands

38 (2008)

Gabon

88 (2008)

Gambia, The

320 (2008)

Georgia

27,905 (2008)

Germany

22.606 million (2008)

Ghana

24,018 (2008)

Gibraltar

1,904 (2008)

Greece

1.626 million (2008)

Greenland

14,132 (2008)

Grenada

9 (2008)

Guam

36 (2008)

Guatemala

124,095 (2008)

Guernsey

156 (2008)

Guinea

16 (2008)

Guinea-Bissau

82 (2008)

Guyana

6,218 (2008)

Haiti

7 (2008)

Holy See (Vatican City)

55 (2008)

Honduras

13,370 (2008)

Hong Kong

817,766 (2008)

Hungary

1.879 million (2008)

Iceland

263,980 (2008)

India

2.707 million (2008)

Indonesia

753,200 (2008)

Iran

2,860 (2008)

Iraq

3 (2008)

Ireland

1.242 million (2008)

Isle of Man

426 (2008)

Israel

1.415 million (2008)

Italy

17.702 million (2008)

Jamaica

1,292 (2008)

Japan

39.909 million (2008)

Jersey

190 (2008)

Jordan

21,150 (2008)

Kazakhstan

36,417 (2008)

Kenya

27,376 (2008)

Kiribati

9 (2008)

Korea, South

333,823 (2008)

Kuwait

3,289 (2008)

Kyrgyzstan

56,905 (2008)

Laos

1,015 (2008)

Latvia

220,082 (2008)

Lebanon

36,681 (2008)

Lesotho

83 (2008)

Liberia

7 (2008)

Libya

31 (2008)

Liechtenstein

7,639 (2008)

Lithuania

812,083 (2008)

Luxembourg

180,756 (2008)

Macau

263 (2008)

Macedonia

36,905 (2008)

Madagascar

11,016 (2008)

Malawi

107 (2008)

Malaysia

377,716 (2008)

Maldives

1,600 (2008)

Mali

387 (2008)

Malta

26,494 (2008)

Marshall Islands

3 (2008)

Mauritania

34 (2008)

Mauritius

9,609 (2008)

Mayotte

1 (2008)

Mexico

10.653 million (2008)

Micronesia, Federated States of

866 (2008)

Moldova

223,869 (2008)

Monaco

21,058 (2008)

Mongolia

356 (2008)

Montserrat

409 (2008)

Morocco

275,889 (2008)

Mozambique

22,532 (2008)

Namibia

6,296 (2008)

Nauru

42 (2008)

Nepal

42,219 (2008)

Netherlands

10.983 million (2008)

Netherlands Antilles

47,597 (2008)

New Caledonia

15,487 (2008)

New Zealand

1.72 million (2008)

Nicaragua

58,157 (2008)

Niger

216 (2008)

Nigeria

1,048 (2008)

Niue

382,599 (2008)

Norfolk Island

51 (2008)

Northern Mariana Islands

6 (2008)

Norway

2.995 million (2008)

Oman

4,785 (2008)

Pakistan

197,264 (2008)

Palau

0 (2008)

Panama

7,858 (2008)

Papua New Guinea

3,422 (2008)

Paraguay

19,691 (2008)

Peru

271,745 (2008)

Philippines

283,579 (2008)

Pitcairn Islands

12 (2008)

Poland

7.808 million (2008)

Portugal

1.858 million (2008)

Puerto Rico

404 (2008)

Qatar

563 (2008)

Romania

2.195 million (2008)

Russia

4.822 million (2008)

Rwanda

2,363 (2008)

Saint Helena

306 (2008)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

45 (2008)

Saint Lucia

17 (2008)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

0 (2008)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

124 (2008)

Samoa

11,307 (2008)

San Marino

6,665 (2008)

Sao Tome and Principe

1,355 (2008)

Saudi Arabia

141,232 (2008)

Senegal

217 (2008)

Serbia

NA

Seychelles

284 (2008)

Sierra Leone

8 (2008)

Singapore

837,559 (2008)

Slovakia

717,744 (2008)

Slovenia

75,984 (2008)

Solomon Islands

3,804 (2008)

Somalia

1 (2008)

South Africa

1.297 million (2008)

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

196 (2008)

Spain

3.264 million (2008)

Sri Lanka

4,940 (2008)

Sudan

33 (2008)

Suriname

33 (2008)

Swaziland

2,582 (2008)

Sweden

3.579 million (2008)

Switzerland

3.437 million (2008)

Syria

7,857 (2008)

Taiwan

5.225 million (2008)

Tajikistan

1,158 (2008)

Tanzania

24,271 (2008)

Thailand

1.116 million (2008)

Timor-Leste

285 (2008)

Togo

769 (2008)

Tokelau

273 (2008)

Tonga

19,231 (2008)

Trinidad and Tobago

155,722 (2008)

Tunisia

376 (2008)

Turkey

2.667 million (2008)

Turkmenistan

640 (2008)

Turks and Caicos Islands

2,352 (2008)

Tuvalu

56,209 (2008)

Uganda

1,090 (2008)

Ukraine

524,202 (2008)

United Arab Emirates

381,915 (2008)

United Kingdom

8.269 million (2008)

United States

316 million (2008); note - the US Internet total host

count includes the following top level domain host addresses: .us,

.com, .edu, .gov, .mil, .net, and .org

Uruguay

480,593 (2008)

Uzbekistan

38,183 (2008)

Vanuatu

990 (2008)

Venezuela

145,394 (2008)

Vietnam

84,151 (2008)

Virgin Islands

4,610 (2008)

Wallis and Futuna

1 (2008)

Yemen

167 (2008)

Zambia

7,610 (2008)

Zimbabwe

19,157 (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2185 Investment (gross fixed) (% of GDP)

Albania

23.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Algeria

24.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Angola

9.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Argentina

24.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Armenia

33.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Australia

27.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Austria

20.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

20% of GDP (2007 est.)

Bahrain

22.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

24.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Belarus

30.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Belgium

21.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Belize

19.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Benin

19.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Bolivia

16.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Botswana

19.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Brazil

17.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Bulgaria

29.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

21.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Burma

13.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Burundi

24.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Cambodia

19.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Cameroon

17.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Canada

22.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

37% of GDP (2007 est.)

Chad

11.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Chile

20.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

China

42.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Colombia

22.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

40.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Costa Rica

21.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

8.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Croatia

30.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Cuba

13.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Cyprus

20.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

24.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Denmark

22.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Dominican Republic

18.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Ecuador

21.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Egypt

21.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

El Salvador

16.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

37.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Eritrea

19.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Estonia

31.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

25.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

European Union

21.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Finland

20.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

France

21.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Gabon

24.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

25.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Georgia

29.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Germany

18.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Ghana

31.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Greece

25.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Guatemala

17.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Guinea

11.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Guyana

34.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Haiti

28.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Honduras

30.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

20.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Hungary

20.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Iceland

27.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

India

33.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Indonesia

24.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Iran

27.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Ireland

26.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Israel

18.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Italy

21% of GDP (2007 est.)

Jamaica

34.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Japan

23.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Jordan

27.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

30.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Kenya

20.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Korea, South

28.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Kosovo

29% of GDP (2006 est.)

Kuwait

19.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

25.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Latvia

32.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Lebanon

22% of GDP (2007 est.)

Lesotho

51.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Libya

8.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Lithuania

26.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

20.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Macedonia

17.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Madagascar

25.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Malawi

8.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Malaysia

21.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Malta

18.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Mauritius

25.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Mexico

20.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Moldova

33.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Montenegro

30.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Morocco

29.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Mozambique

21.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Namibia

23.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Netherlands

20% of GDP (2007 est.)

New Zealand

23.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

31.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Nigeria

23.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Norway

20.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Oman

20% of GDP (2007 est.)

Pakistan

21.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Panama

20.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

19.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Paraguay

18.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Peru

23% of GDP (2007 est.)

Philippines

14.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Poland

21.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Portugal

21.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Qatar

43.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Romania

28% of GDP (2007 est.)

Russia

21% of GDP (2007 est.)

Rwanda

22% of GDP (2007 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

36.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

20% of GDP (2007 est.)

Senegal

25.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Serbia

20.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Seychelles

8.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Singapore

24.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Slovakia

25.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Slovenia

28.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

South Africa

20.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Spain

31.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

24.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Sudan

19% of GDP (2007 est.)

Swaziland

18.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Sweden

19% of GDP (2007 est.)

Switzerland

21.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Syria

21.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Taiwan

21.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

12.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Tanzania

23.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Thailand

26.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Togo

24.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

16.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Tunisia

23.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Turkey

21.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

32.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Uganda

25.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Ukraine

27.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

20.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

18.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

United States

15.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Uruguay

13.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Venezuela

23.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Vietnam

37.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

World

22.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Yemen

25% of GDP (2007 est.)

Zambia

26.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

16.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2186 Public debt (% of GDP)

Albania

51.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Algeria

18% of GDP (2007 est.)

Angola

12% of GDP (2007 est.)

Argentina

56.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Aruba

46.3% of GDP (2005)

Australia

15.6% of GDP

note: the Commonwealth government eliminated its net debt in 2006,

but continues a gross debt issue to support the market for risk-free

securities (2007 est.)

Austria

59.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

6.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Bahrain

31.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

37.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Belgium

84.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Bhutan

81.4% of GDP (2004)

Bolivia

46.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

34% of GDP (2007 est.)

Botswana

5.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Brazil

45.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Bulgaria

10.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Cameroon

15.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Canada

64.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Chile

4.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

China

18.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Colombia

52.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Costa Rica

46.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

75.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Croatia

47.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Cuba

36.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Cyprus

59.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

26% of GDP (2007 est.)

Denmark

26% of GDP (2007 est.)

Dominican Republic

41% of GDP (2007 est.)

Ecuador

33.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Egypt

105.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

El Salvador

37.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

1.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Estonia

3.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

44.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Finland

35.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

France

63.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Gabon

52.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Germany

64.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Ghana

58.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Gibraltar

15.7% of GDP (2005 est.)

Greece

89.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Guatemala

20.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Honduras

24.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

12.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Hungary

67% of GDP (2007 est.)

Iceland

27.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

India

58.2% of GDP (federal and state debt combined) (2007 est.)

Indonesia

34% of GDP (2007 est.)

Iran

17.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Ireland

24.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Israel

80.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Italy

104% of GDP (2007 est.)

Jamaica

126.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Japan

170% of GDP (2007 est.)

Jordan

72.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

7.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Kenya

48.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Korea, South

28.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Kosovo

NA

Kuwait

9.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Latvia

7.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Lebanon

186.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Libya

4.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Lithuania

17.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

6.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Macedonia

30.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Malawi

50.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Malaysia

41.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Mauritius

63.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Mexico

22.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Moldova

23.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Montenegro

38% of GDP (2006)

Morocco

67.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Mozambique

22.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Namibia

22.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Netherlands

45.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

New Zealand

20.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

62.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Nigeria

14.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Norway

83.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Oman

3.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Pakistan

50.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Panama

53% of GDP (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

40.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Paraguay

27% of GDP (2007 est.)

Peru

29.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Philippines

55.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Poland

43.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Portugal

63.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Qatar

11% of GDP (2007 est.)

Romania

13% of GDP (2007 est.)

Russia

5.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

24.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Senegal

22.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Serbia

37% of GDP (2007 est.)

Seychelles

92.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Singapore

96.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Slovakia

35.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Slovenia

23.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

South Africa

31.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Spain

36.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

85.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Sudan

105.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Sweden

41.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Switzerland

44.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Syria

37.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Taiwan

27.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Tanzania

19.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Thailand

37.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

27.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Tunisia

55.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Turkey

38.9% of GDP (2007 est.)

Uganda

20.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

Ukraine

11.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

21.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

43.6% of GDP (2007 est.)

United States

60.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Uruguay

64.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

18.7% of GDP (2007 est.)

Venezuela

19.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Vietnam

42% of GDP (2007 est.)

Wallis and Futuna

5.6% of GDP (2004 est.)

Yemen

33.5% of GDP (2007 est.)

Zambia

28.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

218.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2187 Current account balance

Afghanistan

NA

Albania

-$1.202 billion (2007 est.)

Algeria

$32.05 billion (2007 est.)

Angola

$13.58 billion (2007 est.)

Anguilla

-$42.87 million (2003 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

$-211 million (2007 est.)

Argentina

$7.438 billion (2007 est.)

Armenia

-$571.4 million (2007 est.)

Australia

-$56.78 billion (2007 est.)

Austria

$12.03 billion (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

$9.019 billion (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

-$1.442 billion (2007 est.)

Bahrain

$2.907 billion (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

$804.7 million (2007 est.)

Barbados

-$254 million (2007 est.)

Belarus

-$2.876 billion (2007 est.)

Belgium

$3.282 billion (2007 est.)

Belize

-$43 million (2007 est.)

Benin

-$441 million (2007 est.)

Bhutan

$116 million (2007 est.)

Bolivia

$1.796 billion (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

-$1.939 billion (2007 est.)

Botswana

$1.973 billion (2007 est.)

Brazil

$1.712 billion (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

$134.3 million (1999)

Brunei

$7.101 billion (2007 est.)

Bulgaria

-$8.53 billion (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

-$706 million (2007 est.)

Burma

$1.427 billion (2007 est.)

Burundi

-$101 million (2007 est.)

Cambodia

-$506.3 million (2007 est.)

Cameroon

-$325 million (2007 est.)

Canada

$12.67 billion (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

-$132.6 million (2007 est.)

Central African Republic

-$77 million (2007 est.)

Chad

-$171 million (2007 est.)

Chile

$7.2 billion (2007 est.)

China

$371.8 billion (2007 est.)

Colombia

-$5.862 billion (2007 est.)

Comoros

$8 million (2007 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

-$402 million (2007 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

-$1.491 billion (2007 est.)

Cook Islands

$26.67 million (2005)

Costa Rica

-$1.499 billion (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

-$146 million (2007 est.)

Croatia

-$4.85 billion (2007 est.)

Cuba

$240 million (2007 est.)

Cyprus

-$2.144 billion (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

-$4.534 billion (2007 est.)

Denmark

$4.279 billion (2007 est.)

Djibouti

-$212 million (2007 est.)

Dominica

-$72 million (2007 est.)

Dominican Republic

-$2.231 billion (2007 est.)

Ecuador

$1.064 billion (2007 est.)

Egypt

$500.9 million (2007 est.)

El Salvador

-$1.119 billion (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

$415 million (2007 est.)

Eritrea

-$205 million (2007 est.)

Estonia

-$3.771 billion (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

-$826.8 million (2007 est.)

European Union

$NA

Fiji

-$507 million (2007 est.)

Finland

$11.4 billion (2007 est.)

France

-$31.25 billion (2007 est.)

Gabon

$1.552 billion (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

-$71 million (2007 est.)

Georgia

-$2.044 billion (2007 est.)

Germany

$254.5 billion (2007 est.)

Ghana

-$1.549 billion (2007 est.)

Greece

-$44.4 billion (2007 est.)

Grenada

-$138 million (2007 est.)

Guatemala

-$1.663 billion (2007 est.)

Guinea

-$424 million (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

-$6 million (2007 est.)

Guyana

-$157 million (2007 est.)

Haiti

-$467 million (2007 est.)

Honduras

-$1.225 billion (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

$28.04 billion (2007 est.)

Hungary

-$8.018 billion (2007 est.)

Iceland

-$3.189 billion (2007 est.)

India

-$12.11 billion (2007 est.)

Indonesia

$11.01 billion (2007 est.)

Iran

$28.95 billion (2007 est.)

Iraq

$6.025 billion (2007 est.)

Ireland

-$14.12 billion (2007 est.)

Israel

$5.197 billion (2007 est.)

Italy

-$51.03 billion (2007 est.)

Jamaica

-$1.83 billion (2007 est.)

Japan

$210.5 billion (2007 est.)

Jordan

-$2.767 billion (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

-$7.184 billion (2007 est.)

Kenya

-$1.147 billion (2007 est.)

Kiribati

-$21 million (2007 est.)

Korea, South

$5.954 billion (2007 est.)

Kosovo

-$58.3 million (2007)

Kuwait

$47.5 billion (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

-$267.9 million (2007 est.)

Laos

-$285 million (2007 est.)

Latvia

-$6.231 billion (2007 est.)

Lebanon

-$2.046 billion (2007 est.)

Lesotho

$49 million (2007 est.)

Liberia

-$224 million (2007)

Libya

$26.38 billion (2007 est.)

Lithuania

-$5.26 billion (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

$4.921 billion (2007 est.)

Macedonia

-$249 million (2007 est.)

Madagascar

-$890 million (2007 est.)

Malawi

-$318 million (2007 est.)

Malaysia

$28.93 billion (2007 est.)

Maldives

-$472 million (2007)

Mali

-$446 million (2007 est.)

Malta

-$424.5 million (2007 est.)

Mauritania

-$184 million (2007 est.)

Mauritius

-$408.3 million (2007 est.)

Mexico

-$5.525 billion (2007 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

-$34.3 million (FY05 est.)

Moldova

-$694.7 million (2007 est.)

Mongolia

-$23 million (2007 est.)

Montenegro

$NA

Morocco

-$1.834 billion (2007 est.)

Mozambique

-$795.1 million (2007 est.)

Namibia

$805.2 million (2007 est.)

Nepal

$58 million (2007)

Netherlands

$47.31 billion (2007 est.)

New Zealand

-$10.23 billion (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

-$1.001 billion (2007 est.)

Niger

-$321 million (2007 est.)

Nigeria

$2.514 billion (2007 est.)

Norway

$64.07 billion (2007 est.)

Oman

$4.866 billion (2007 est.)

Pakistan

-$8.255 billion (2007 est.)

Palau

$15.09 million (FY03/04)

Panama

-$1.577 billion (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

$125.8 million (2007 est.)

Paraguay

$119 million (2007 est.)

Peru

$1.516 billion (2007 est.)

Philippines

$6.351 billion (2007 est.)

Poland

-$15.91 billion (2007 est.)

Portugal

-$21.75 billion (2007 est.)

Qatar

$10.41 billion (2007 est.)

Romania

-$23.02 billion (2007 est.)

Russia

$78.31 billion (2007 est.)

Rwanda

-$147 million (2007 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

-$163 million (2007 est.)

Saint Lucia

-$199 million (2007 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

-$149 million (2007 est.)

Samoa

-$24 million (2007 est.)

Sao Tome and Principe

-$55 million (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

$86.62 billion (2007 est.)

Senegal

-$1.458 billion (2007 est.)

Serbia

-$6.889 billion (2007 est.)

Seychelles

-$272 million (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

-$63 million (2007 est.)

Singapore

$46.39 billion (2007 est.)

Slovakia

-$3.998 billion (2007 est.)

Slovenia

-$2.181 billion (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

-$143 million (2007 est.)

South Africa

-$20.63 billion (2007 est.)

Spain

-$145.3 billion (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

-$1.019 billion (2007 est.)

Sudan

-$3.447 billion (2007 est.)

Suriname

$24 million (2007 est.)

Swaziland

-$24 million (2007 est.)

Sweden

$37.97 billion (2007 est.)

Switzerland

$72.35 billion (2007 est.)

Syria

$908 million (2007 est.)

Taiwan

$32.88 billion (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

-$351 million (2007 est.)

Tanzania

-$1.856 billion (2007 est.)

Thailand

$14.92 billion (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

$1.161 billion (2007 est.)

Togo

-$159 million (2007 est.)

Tonga

-$23 million (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

$5.378 billion (2007 est.)

Tunisia

-$905 million (2007 est.)

Turkey

-$37.58 billion (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

$1.705 billion (2007 est.)

Tuvalu

-$11.68 million (2003)

Uganda

-$744.7 million (2007 est.)

Ukraine

-$5.918 billion (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

$34.53 billion (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

-$119.2 billion (2007 est.)

United States

-$731.2 billion (2007 est.)

Uruguay

-$185.6 million (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

$4.615 billion (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

-$60 million (2007 est.)

Venezuela

$20 billion (2007 est.)

Vietnam

-$6.993 billion (2007 est.)

Yemen

-$362 million (2007 est.)

Zambia

-$228 million (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

-$649 million (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2188 Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Albania

$2.162 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Algeria

$110.6 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Angola

$11.2 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Argentina

$46.12 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Armenia

$1.657 billion (December 2007 est.)

Australia

$26.91 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Austria

$18.22 billion (2006 est.)

Azerbaijan

$4.273 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Bahrain

$4.101 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Bangladesh

$5.278 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Barbados

$620 million (2007)

Belarus

$4.266 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Belgium

$16.51 billion (2007 est.)

Belize

$109 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Benin

$1.209 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Bolivia

$5.318 billion (31 October 2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

$4.525 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Botswana

$9.79 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Brazil

$180.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Bulgaria

$17.38 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

$1.029 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Burma

$2.262 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Burundi

$177.1 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Cambodia

$2.143 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Cameroon

$2.932 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Canada

$41.08 billion (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

$398 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Chad

$969 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Chile

$16.84 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

China

$1.534 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)

Colombia

$20.95 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

$2.206 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Costa Rica

$4.114 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

$2.519 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Croatia

$13.67 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Cuba

$4.247 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Cyprus

$6.507 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Czech Republic

$34.59 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Denmark

$34.32 billion (2006 est.)

Dominican Republic

$2.562 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Ecuador

$3.521 billion (30 November 2007 est.)

Egypt

$31.37 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

El Salvador

$2.199 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

$3.846 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Eritrea

$23 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Estonia

$3.27 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Ethiopia

$1.294 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

European Union

$NA

Finland

$8.385 billion (2007)

France

$115.7 billion (2006 est.)

Gabon

$1.238 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Gambia, The

$142.8 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Georgia

$1.361 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Germany

$136.2 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Ghana

$2.204 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Greece

$3.658 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Guatemala

$4.139 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Guinea

$119 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Guyana

$313 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Haiti

$444 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Honduras

$2.546 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Hong Kong

$152.7 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Hungary

$24.05 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Iceland

$2.436 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

India

$275 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Indonesia

$56.92 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Iran

$69.2 billion (2007 est.)

Iraq

$25.66 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Ireland

$926.2 million (2006 est.)

Israel

$28.52 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Italy

$94.33 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Jamaica

$1.905 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Japan

$954.1 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Jordan

$7.929 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

$17.63 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Kenya

$3.355 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Korea, South

$262.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Kosovo

$NA

Kuwait

$16.78 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

$1.177 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Laos

$540 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Latvia

$5.758 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Lebanon

$20.55 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Lesotho

$852 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Libya

$79.6 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Lithuania

$7.721 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Luxembourg

$205.5 million (2006 est.)

Macedonia

$2.265 billion (31 December 2007)

Madagascar

$846.7 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Malawi

$217.2 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Malaysia

$101.1 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Malta

$3.798 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Mauritius

$1.822 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Mexico

$87.19 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Moldova

$1.334 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Montenegro

$NA

Morocco

$24.72 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Mozambique

$1.445 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Namibia

$896 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Netherlands

$26.98 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

New Zealand

$17.25 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Nicaragua

$1.103 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Nigeria

$51.33 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Norway

$60.84 billion (2006 est.)

Oman

$9.524 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Pakistan

$15.69 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Panama

$1.935 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

$2.087 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Paraguay

$2.463 billion (31 December 2007)

Peru

$27.78 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Philippines

$33.75 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Poland

$65.75 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Portugal

$11.55 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Qatar

$9.752 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Romania

$39.96 billion (31 December 2007)

Russia

$476.4 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Rwanda

$552.8 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Samoa

$70.15 million (FY03/04)

Sao Tome and Principe

$34.6 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

$34.01 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Senegal

$1.66 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Serbia

$14.22 billion (2007 est.)

Seychelles

$40.8 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Singapore

$163 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Slovakia

$18.98 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Slovenia

$5.682 billion (30 September 2007 est.)

South Africa

$32.94 billion (31 December 2007)

Spain

$19.05 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

$3.644 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Sudan

$1.378 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Suriname

$263.3 million (2006)

Swaziland

$762.7 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Sweden

$31.04 billion (2006 est.)

Switzerland

$75.37 billion (2006 est.)

Syria

$6.046 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Taiwan

$275 billion (31 December 2007)

Tajikistan

$242 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Tanzania

$2.91 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Thailand

$87.46 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Togo

$438 million (31 December 2007 est.)

Tonga

$40.83 million (yearend, FY04/05)

Trinidad and Tobago

$6.745 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Tunisia

$7.854 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Turkey

$76.51 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

$5.172 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Uganda

$2.56 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Ukraine

$32.48 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

$77.24 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

United Kingdom

$57.3 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

United States

$70.57 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Uruguay

$4.121 billion (December 2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

$6.75 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Vanuatu

$40.54 million (2003)

Venezuela

$33.48 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Vietnam

$23.87 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Yemen

$7.76 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Zambia

$1.09 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

$120 million (31 December 2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2193 Major infectious diseases

Afghanistan

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria

animal contact disease: rabies

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Angola

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria, African trypanosomiasis (sleeping

sickness)

water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Argentina

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Bangladesh

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in

some locations

water contact disease: leptospirosis

animal contact disease: rabies

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Belize

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Benin

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever

respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

Bhutan

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Bolivia

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Botswana

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Burkina Faso

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Burma

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

water contact disease: leptospirosis

animal contact disease: rabies

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Burundi

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Cambodia

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and

malaria

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Cameroon

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis

animal contact disease: rabies (2008)

Central African Republic degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

Chad

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

China

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, Japanese

encephalitis, and malaria

water contact disease: leptospirosis

animal contact disease: rabies

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Colombia

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, plague, and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) water contact disease: schistosomiasis animal contact disease: rabies (2008)

Congo, Republic of the

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping

sickness)

animal contact disease: rabies (2008)

Costa Rica

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever (2008)

Cote d'Ivoire

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever

water contact: schistosomiasis

animal contact disease: rabies

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Croatia

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Cuba

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever (2008)

Djibouti

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Dominican Republic

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Ecuador

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Egypt

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

El Salvador

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Equatorial Guinea

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Eritrea

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Estonia

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne disease: tickborne encephalitis (2008)

Ethiopia

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria

respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis

animal contact disease: rabies

water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Gabon

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Gambia, The

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Crimean-Congo

hemorrhagic fever, and yellow fever

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

Ghana

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Guatemala

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria (2008)

Guinea

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis

aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2008)

Guinea-Bissau

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

Guyana

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Haiti

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Honduras

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Hungary

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis (2008)

India

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E,

and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: chikungunya, dengue fever, Japanese

encephalitis, and malaria

animal contact disease: rabies

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Indonesia

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E,

and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: chikungunya, dengue fever, and malaria

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Iran

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne diseases: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever and malaria

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Iraq

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Kenya

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria

water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Laos

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and

malaria

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Latvia

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis (2008)

Liberia

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever

animal contact disease: rabies (2008)

Lithuania

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis (2008)

Madagascar

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: chikungunya, malaria, and plague

water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Malawi

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague

water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Malaysia

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Mali

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

Mauritania

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and Rift Valley fever (2008)

Mexico

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: dengue fever

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Montenegro

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne disease: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (2008)

Mozambique

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague

water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Namibia

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria

water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Nepal

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: Japanese encephalitis and malaria (2008)

Nicaragua

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Niger

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria

respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nigeria

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria and yellow fever

respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis

aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: one of the most highly

endemic areas for Lassa fever

water contact disease: leptospirosis and shistosomiasis

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Pakistan

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E,

and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

animal contact disease: rabies

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Panama

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Papua New Guinea

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria (2008)

Paraguay

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria (2008)

Peru

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial, hepatitis A, and typhoid

fever

vectorborne disease: dengue fever, malaria, Oroya fever, and yellow

fever

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Philippines

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria (2008)

Poland

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea

vectorborne disease: tickborne encephalitis

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Russia

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne disease: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever and tickborne

encephalitis

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Rwanda

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Sao Tome and Principe

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Senegal

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, dengue fever,

malaria, Rift Valley fever, and yellow fever

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

Serbia

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne disease: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Sierra Leone

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever (2008)

Somalia

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Rift Valley fever

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

animal contact disease: rabies (2008)

South Africa

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever and malaria

water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Sri Lanka

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Sudan

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, African trypanosomiasis

(sleeping sickness)

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Suriname

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: dengue fever, Mayaro virus, and malaria

water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Swaziland

degree of risk: intermediate

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria

water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Tajikistan

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria (2008)

Tanzania

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague

water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Thailand

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and

malaria

animal contact disease: rabies

water contact disease: leptospirosis

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Timor-Leste

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: chikungunya, dengue fever and malaria (2008)

Togo

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Uganda

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: chikungunya, malaria, plague, and African

trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)

water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Venezuela

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

vectorborne disease: dengue fever, malaria, and Venezuelan equine

encephalitis (2008)

Vietnam

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and

typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis,

and plague

water contact disease: leptospirosis

note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in

this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases

possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Yemen

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Zambia

degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague are high risks in some

locations

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

animal contact disease: rabies (2008)

Zimbabwe

degree of risk: high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,

hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease: malaria

water contact disease: schistosomiasis

animal contact disease: rabies (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2194 Refugees and internally displaced persons

Afghanistan

IDPs: 132,246 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in

south and west due to drought and instability) (2007)

Algeria

refugees (country of origin): 90,000 (Western Saharan

Sahrawi, mostly living in Algerian-sponsored camps in the

southwestern Algerian town of Tindouf)

IDPs: undetermined (civil war during 1990s) (2007)

Angola

refugees (country of origin): 12,615 (Democratic Republic of

Congo)

IDPs: 61,700 (27-year civil war ending in 2002; 4 million IDPs

already have returned) (2007)

Armenia

refugees (country of origin): 113,295 (Azerbaijan)

IDPs: 8,400 (conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh,

majority have returned home since 1994 ceasefire) (2007)

Azerbaijan

refugees (country of origin): 2,400 (Russia)

IDPs: 580,000-690,000 (conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh)

(2007)

Bangladesh

refugees (country of origin): 26,268 (Burma)

IDPs: 65,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2007)

Benin

refugees (country of origin): 9,444 (Togo) (2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

refugees (country of origin): 7,269 (Croatia)

IDPs: 131,600 (Bosnian Croats, Serbs, and Muslims displaced in

1992-95 war) (2007)

Burma

IDPs: 503,000 (government offensives against ethnic insurgent

groups near the eastern borders; most IDPs are ethnic Karen,

Karenni, Shan, Tavoyan, and Mon) (2007)

Burundi

refugees (country of origin): 9,849 (Democratic Republic of

the Congo)

IDPs: 100,000 (armed conflict between government and rebels; most

IDPs in northern and western Burundi) (2007)

Cameroon

refugees (country of origin): 20,000-30,000 (Chad); 3,000

(Nigeria); 24,000 (Central African Republic) (2007)

Central African Republic

refugees (country of origin): 7,900

(Sudan); 3,700 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); note - UNHCR

resumed repatriation of Southern Sudanese refugees in 2006

IDPs: 197,000 (ongoing unrest following coup in 2003) (2007)

Chad

refugees (country of origin): 234,000 (Sudan); 54,200 (Central

African Republic)

IDPs: 178,918 (2007)

China

refugees (country of origin): 300,897 (Vietnam); estimated

30,000-50,000 (North Korea)

IDPs: 90,000 (2007)

Colombia

IDPs: 1.8-3.5 million (conflict between government and

illegal armed groups and drug traffickers) (2007)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

refugees (country of origin):

132,295 (Angola); 37,313 (Rwanda); 17,777 (Burundi); 13,904

(Uganda); 6,181 (Sudan); 5,243 (Republic of Congo)

IDPs: 1.4 million (fighting between government forces and rebels

since mid-1990s; most IDPs are in eastern provinces) (2007)

Congo, Republic of the

refugees (country of origin): 46,341

(Democratic Republic of Congo); 6,564 (Rwanda)

IDPs: 48,000 (multiple civil wars since 1992; most IDPs are ethnic

Lari) (2007)

Costa Rica

refugees (country of origin): 9,699-11,500 (Colombia)

(2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

refugees (country of origin): 25,615 (Liberia)

IDPs: 709,000 (2002 coup; most IDPs are in western regions) (2007)

Croatia

IDPs: 2,900-7,000 (Croats and Serbs displaced in 1992-95

war) (2007)

Cyprus

IDPs: 210,000 (both Turkish and Greek Cypriots; many

displaced for over 30 years) (2007)

Djibouti

refugees (country of origin): 8,642 (Somalia) (2007)

Ecuador

refugees (country of origin): 11,526 (Colombia); note -

UNHCR estimates as many as 250,000 Columbians are seeking asylum in

Ecuador, many of whom do not register as refugees for fear of

deportation (2007)

Egypt

refugees (country of origin): 60,000 - 80,000 (Iraq); 70,198

(Palestinian Territories); 12,157 (Sudan) (2007)

Eritrea

IDPs: 32,000 (border war with Ethiopia from 1998-2000; most

IDPs are near the central border region) (2007)

Ethiopia

refugees (country of origin): 66,980 (Sudan); 16,576

(Somalia); 13,078 (Eritrea)

IDPs: 200,000 (border war with Eritrea from 1998-2000, ethnic

clashes in Gambela, and ongoing Ethiopian military counterinsurgency

in Somali region; most IDPs are in Tigray and Gambela Provinces)

(2007)

Gabon

refugees (country of origin): 7,178 (Republic of Congo) (2007)

Gambia, The

refugees (country of origin): 5,955 (Sierra Leone) (2007)

Gaza Strip

refugees (country of origin): 1.017 million (Palestinian

Refugees (UNRWA)) (2007)

Georgia

refugees (country of origin): 1,100 (Russia)

IDPs: 220,000-240,000 (displaced from Abkhazia and South Ossetia)

(2007)

Ghana

refugees (country of origin): 35,653 (Liberia); 8,517 (Togo)

(2007)

Guatemala

IDPs: undetermined (the UN does not estimate there are any

IDPs, although some NGOs estimate over 200,000 IDPs as a result of

over three decades of internal conflict that ended in 1996) (2007)

Guinea

refugees (country of origin): 21,856 (Liberia); 5,259 (Sierra

Leone); 3,900 (Cote d'Ivoire)

IDPs: 19,000 (cross-border incursions from Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia,

Sierra Leone) (2007)

Guinea-Bissau

refugees (country of origin): 7,454 (Senegal) (2007)

India

refugees (country of origin): 77,200 (Tibet/China); 69,609

(Sri Lanka); 9,472 (Afghanistan)

IDPs: at least 600,000 (about half are Kashmiri Pandits from Jammu

and Kashmir) (2007)

Indonesia

IDPs: 200,000-350,000 (government offensives against

rebels in Aceh; most IDPs in Aceh, Central Kalimantan, Central

Sulawesi Provinces, and Maluku) (2007)

Iran

refugees (country of origin): 914,268 (Afghanistan); 54,024

(Iraq) (2007)

Iraq

refugees (country of origin): 10,000-15,000 (Palestinian

Territories); 11,773 (Iran); 16,832 (Turkey)

IDPs: 2.4 million (ongoing US-led war and ethno-sectarian violence)

(2007)

Israel

IDPs: 150,000-420,000 (Arab villagers displaced from homes in

northern Israel) (2007)

Jordan

refugees (country of origin): 1,835,704 (Palestinian Refugees

(UNRWA)); 500,000 (Iraq)

IDPs: 160,000 (1967 Arab-Israeli War) (2007)

Kazakhstan

refugees (country of origin): 3,700 (Russia); 508

(Afghanistan) (2007)

Kenya

refugees (country of origin): 173,702 (Somalia); 73,004

(Sudan); 16,428 (Ethiopia)

IDPs: 250,000-400,000 (2007 post-election violence; KANU attacks on

opposition tribal groups in 1990s) (2007)

Korea, North

IDPs: undetermined (flooding in mid-2007 and famine

during mid-1990s) (2007)

Kosovo

IDP's: 21,000 (2007)

Lebanon

refugees (country of origin): 405,425 (Palestinian refugees

(UNRWA)); 50,000-60,000 (Iraq)

IDPs: 17,000 (1975-90 civil war, Israeli invasions); 200,000

(July-August 2006 war) (2007)

Liberia

refugees (country of origin): 12,600 (Cote d'Ivoire)

IDPs: 13,000 (civil war from 1990-2004; IDP resettlement began in

November 2004) (2007)

Libya

refugees (country of origin): 8,000 (Palestinian Territories)

(2007)

Macedonia

IDPs: fewer than 1,000 (ethnic conflict in 2001) (2007)

Malaysia

refugees (country of origin): 15,174 (Indonesia); 21,544

(Burma) (2007)

Maldives

IDPs: 1,000-10,000 (December 2004 tsunami victims) (2007)

Mali

refugees (country of origin): 6,300 (Mauritania) (2007)

Mexico

IDPs: 5,500-10,000 (government's quashing of Zapatista

uprising in 1994 in eastern Chiapas Region) (2007)

Montenegro

refugees (country of origin): 7,000 (Kosovo); note -

mostly ethnic Serbs and Roma who fled Kosovo in 1999

IDPs: 16,192 (ethnic conflict in 1999 and riots in 2004) (2007)

Namibia

refugees (country of origin): 4,700 (Angola) (2007)

Nepal

refugees (country of origin): 107,803 (Bhutan); 20,153

(Tibet/China)

IDPs: 50,000-70,000 (remaining from ten-year Maoist insurgency that

officially ended in 2006; displacement spread across the country)

(2007)

Nigeria

refugees (country of origin): 5,778 (Liberia)

IDPs: undetermined (communal violence between Christians and Muslims

since President OBASANJO's election in 1999; displacement is mostly

short-term) (2007)

Pakistan

refugees (country of origin): 1,043,984 (Afghanistan)

IDPs: undetermined (government strikes on Islamic militants in South

Waziristan); 34,000 (October 2005 earthquake; most of those

displaced returned to their home villages in the spring of 2006)

(2007)

Papua New Guinea

refugees (country of origin): 10,177 (Indonesia)

(2007)

Peru

IDPs: 60,000-150,000 (civil war from 1980-2000; most IDPs are

indigenous peasants in Andean and Amazonian regions) (2007)

Philippines

IDPs: 300,000 (fighting between government troops and

MILF and Abu Sayyaf groups) (2007)

Russia

IDPs: 18,000-160,000 (displacement from Chechnya and North

Ossetia) (2007)

Rwanda

refugees (country of origin): 46,272 (Democratic Republic of

the Congo); 4,400 (Burundi) (2007)

Saudi Arabia

refugees (country of origin): 240,015 (Palestinian

Territories) (2007)

Senegal

refugees (country of origin): 19,630 (Mauritania)

IDPs: 22,400 (approximately 65% of the IDP population returned in

2005, but new displacement is occurring due to clashes between

government troops and separatists in Casamance region) (2007)

Serbia

refugees (country of origin): 71,111 (Croatia); 27,414

(Bosnia and Herzegovina); 206,000 (Kosovo), note - mostly ethnic

Serbs and Roma who fled Kosovo in 1999 (2007)

Sierra Leone

refugees (country of origin): 27,311 (Liberia) (2007)

Solomon Islands

IDPs: 5,400 (displaced by tsunami on 2 April 2007)

(2007)

Somalia

IDPs: 1.1 million (civil war since 1988, clan-based

competition for resources) (2007)

South Africa

refugees (country of origin): 10,772 (Democratic

Republic of Congo); 7,818 (Somalia); 5,759 (Angola) (2007)

Sri Lanka

IDPs: 460,000 (both Tamils and non-Tamils displaced due to

long-term civil war between the government and the separatist

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)) (2007)

Sudan

refugees (country of origin): 157,220 (Eritrea); 25,023

(Chad); 11,009 (Ethiopia); 7,895 (Uganda); 5,023 (Central African

Republic)

IDPs: 5.3 - 6.2 million (civil war 1983-2005; ongoing conflict in

Darfur region) (2007)

Syria

refugees (country of origin): 1-1.4 million (Iraq); 522,100

(Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA))

IDPs: 305,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967

Arab-Israeli War) (2007)

Tanzania

refugees (country of origin): 352,640 (Burundi); 127,973

(Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2007)

Thailand

refugees (country of origin): 132,241 (Burma) (2007)

Timor-Leste

IDPs: 100,000 (2007)

Togo

refugees (country of origin): 5,000 (Ghana)

IDPs: 1,500 (2007)

Turkey

IDPs: 1-1.2 million (fighting 1984-99 between Kurdish PKK and

Turkish military; most IDPs in southeastern provinces) (2007)

Turkmenistan

refugees (country of origin): 11,173 (Tajikistan); less

than 1,000 (Afghanistan) (2007)

Uganda

refugees (country of origin): 215,700 (Sudan); 28,880

(Democratic Republic of Congo); 24,900 (Rwanda)

IDPs: 1.27 million (350,000 IDPs returned in 2006 following ongoing

peace talks between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the

Government of Uganda) (2007)

United States

refugees (country of origin): the US admitted 62,643

refugees during FY04/05 including; 10,586 (Somalia); 8,549 (Laos);

6,666 (Russia); 6,479 (Cuba); 3,100 (Haiti); 2,136 (Iran) (2006)

Uzbekistan

refugees (country of origin): 39,202 (Tajikistan); 1,060

(Afghanistan)

IDPs: 3,400 (forced population transfers by government from villages

near Tajikistan border) (2007)

West Bank

refugees (country of origin): 722,000 (Palestinian

Refugees (UNRWA)) (2007)

World

the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

estimated that in December 2006 there was a global population of 8.8

million registered refugees and as many as 24.5 million IDPs in more

than 50 countries; the actual global population of refugees is

probably closer to 10 million given the estimated 1.5 million Iraqi

refugees displaced throughout the Middle East (2007)

Yemen

refugees (country of origin): 91,587 (Somalia) (2007)

Zambia

refugees (country of origin): 42,565 (Angola); 60,874

(Democratic Republic of the Congo); 4,100 (Rwanda) (2007)

Zimbabwe

refugees (country of origin): 2,500 (Democratic Republic of

Congo)

IDPs: 569,685 (MUGABE-led political violence, human rights

violations, land reform, and economic collapse) (2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2195 GDP (official exchange rate)

Afghanistan

$8.842 billion (2007 est.)

Albania

$10.62 billion (2007 est.)

Algeria

$131.6 billion (2007 est.)

American Samoa

$333.8 million (2005)

Andorra

$NA

Angola

$61.36 billion (2007 est.)

Anguilla

$108.9 million (2004 est.)

Antigua and Barbuda

$1.089 billion (2007 est.)

Argentina

$260 billion (2007 est.)

Armenia

$7.974 billion (2007 est.)

Aruba

$2.258 billion (2005 est.)

Australia

$908.8 billion (2007 est.)

Austria

$373.9 billion (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

$31.32 billion (2007 est.)

Bahamas, The

$6.586 billion (2007 est.)

Bahrain

$19.66 billion (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

$72.42 billion (2007 est.)

Barbados

$3.739 billion (2007 est.)

Belarus

$44.77 billion (2007 est.)

Belgium

$453.6 billion (2007 est.)

Belize

$1.274 billion (2007 est.)

Benin

$5.433 billion (2007 est.)

Bermuda

$NA

Bhutan

$1.308 billion (2007 est.)

Bolivia

$13.19 billion (2007 est.)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

$14.78 billion (2007 est.)

Botswana

$12.31 billion (2007 est.)

Brazil

$1.314 trillion (2007 est.)

British Virgin Islands

$839.7 million (2003)

Brunei

$12.39 billion (2007 est.)

Bulgaria

$39.61 billion (2007 est.)

Burkina Faso

$6.977 billion (2007 est.)

Burma

$13.53 billion (2007 est.)

Burundi

$1.001 billion (2007 est.)

Cambodia

$8.604 billion (2007 est.)

Cameroon

$20.65 billion (2007 est.)

Canada

$1.432 trillion (2007 est.)

Cape Verde

$1.428 billion (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

$NA

Central African Republic

$1.714 billion (2007 est.)

Chad

$7.095 billion (2007 est.)

Chile

$163.8 billion (2007 est.)

China

$3.251 trillion (2007 est.)

Colombia

$171.6 billion (2007 est.)

Comoros

$442 million (2007 est.)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

$10.14 billion (2007 est.)

Congo, Republic of the

$7.657 billion (2007 est.)

Cook Islands

$183.2 million (2005 est.)

Costa Rica

$26.24 billion (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

$19.6 billion (2007 est.)

Croatia

$51.36 billion (2007 est.)

Cuba

$45.58 billion (2007 est.)

Cyprus

$21.3 billion (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

$175.3 billion (2007 est.)

Denmark

$311.9 billion (2007 est.)

Djibouti

$841 million (2007 est.)

Dominica

$311 million (2007 est.)

Dominican Republic

$36.4 billion (2007 est.)

Ecuador

$44.18 billion (2007 est.)

Egypt

$127.9 billion (2007 est.)

El Salvador

$20.37 billion (2007 est.)

Equatorial Guinea

$10.49 billion (2007 est.)

Eritrea

$1.316 billion (2007 est.)

Estonia

$21.28 billion (2007 est.)

Ethiopia

$19.43 billion (2007 est.)

European Union

$16.62 trillion (2007 est.)

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)

$NA

Faroe Islands

$1.7 billion (2005 est.)

Fiji

$3.409 billion (2007 est.)

Finland

$245 billion (2007 est.)

France

$2.56 trillion (2007 est.)

French Polynesia

$3.8 billion (2002)

Gabon

$11.3 billion (2007 est.)

Gambia, The

$653 million (2007 est.)

Gaza Strip

$5.328 billion (includes West Bank) (2006 est.)

Georgia

$10.29 billion (2007 est.)

Germany

$3.322 trillion (2007 est.)

Ghana

$14.86 billion (2007 est.)

Gibraltar

$1.066 billion (2005 est.)

Greece

$314.6 billion (2007 est.)

Greenland

$1.7 billion (2005)

Grenada

$590 million (2007 est.)

Guam

$2.773 billion (2001)

Guatemala

$33.69 billion (2007 est.)

Guernsey

$2.742 billion (2005)

Guinea

$4.714 billion (2007 est.)

Guinea-Bissau

$343 million (2007 est.)

Guyana

$1.039 billion (2007 est.)

Haiti

$5.435 billion (2007 est.)

Honduras

$12.28 billion (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

$206.7 billion (2007 est.)

Hungary

$138.4 billion (2007 est.)

Iceland

$20 billion (2007 est.)

India

$1.099 trillion (2007 est.)

Indonesia

$432.9 billion (2007 est.)

Iran

$294.1 billion (2007 est.)

Iraq

$60.12 billion (2007 est.)

Ireland

$258.6 billion (2007 est.)

Isle of Man

$2.719 billion (2005 est.)

Israel

$161.9 billion (2007 est.)

Italy

$2.105 trillion (2007 est.)

Jamaica

$11.21 billion (2007 est.)

Japan

$4.384 trillion (2007 est.)

Jersey

$5.1 billion (2005 est.)

Jordan

$16.01 billion (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

$103.8 billion (2007 est.)

Kenya

$29.3 billion (2007 est.)

Kiribati

$67 million (2007 est.)

Korea, North

$25.96 billion (2007 est.)

Korea, South

$957.1 billion (2007 est.)

Kosovo

$3.237 billion (2007 est.)

Kuwait

$111.3 billion (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

$3.748 billion (2007 est.)

Laos

$4.028 billion (2007 est.)

Latvia

$27.34 billion (2007 est.)

Lebanon

$24.64 billion (2007 est.)

Lesotho

$1.6 billion (2007 est.)

Liberia

$730 million (2007 est.)

Libya

$57.06 billion (2007 est.)

Liechtenstein

$36.33 billion (2007 est.)

Lithuania

$38.35 billion (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

$50.16 billion (2007 est.)

Macau

$14.3 billion (2006)

Macedonia

$7.497 billion (2007 est.)

Madagascar

$7.322 billion (2007 est.)

Malawi

$3.538 billion (2007 est.)

Malaysia

$186.5 billion (2007 est.)

Maldives

$1.049 billion (2007 est.)

Mali

$6.745 billion (2007 est.)

Malta

$7.419 billion (2007 est.)

Marshall Islands

$144 million (2005)

Mauritania

$2.756 billion (2007 est.)

Mauritius

$6.959 billion (2007 est.)

Mayotte

$NA

Mexico

$893.4 billion (2007 est.)

Micronesia, Federated States of

$232 million (2005)

Moldova

$4.227 billion (2007 est.)

Monaco

$NA

Mongolia

$3.905 billion (2007 est.)

Montenegro

$2.974 billion (2007 est.)

Montserrat

$NA

Morocco

$73.43 billion (2007 est.)

Mozambique

$7.559 billion (2007 est.)

Namibia

$7.4 billion (2007 est.)

Nauru

$NA

Nepal

$9.627 billion (2007 est.)

Netherlands

$768.7 billion (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

$NA

New Caledonia

$3.3 billion (2003 est.)

New Zealand

$128.1 billion (2007 est.)

Nicaragua

$5.723 billion (2007 est.)

Niger

$4.174 billion (2007 est.)

Nigeria

$166.8 billion (2007 est.)

Niue

$10.01 million (2003)

Northern Mariana Islands

$633.4 million (2000)

Norway

$391.5 billion (2007 est.)

Oman

$40.06 billion (2007 est.)

Pakistan

$143.8 billion (2007 est.)

Palau

$145 million (2005)

Panama

$19.74 billion (2007 est.)

Papua New Guinea

$6.001 billion (2007 est.)

Paraguay

$10.87 billion (2007 est.)

Peru

$109.1 billion (2007 est.)

Philippines

$144.1 billion (2007 est.)

Poland

$420.3 billion (2007 est.)

Portugal

$223.3 billion (2007 est.)

Puerto Rico

$NA (2007 est.)

Qatar

$67.76 billion (2007 est.)

Romania

$166 billion (2007 est.)

Russia

$1.29 trillion (2007 est.)

Rwanda

$3.32 billion (2007 est.)

Saint Helena

$NA

Saint Kitts and Nevis

$527 million (2007 est.)

Saint Lucia

$958 million (2007 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

$NA

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

$559 million (2007 est.)

Samoa

$397 million (2007 est.)

San Marino

$1.048 billion (2004)

Sao Tome and Principe

$144 million (2007 est.)

Saudi Arabia

$376 billion (2007 est.)

Senegal

$11.12 billion (2007 est.)

Serbia

$41.68 billion (2007 est.)

Seychelles

$710 million (2007 est.)

Sierra Leone

$1.664 billion (2007 est.)

Singapore

$161.3 billion (2007 est.)

Slovakia

$74.99 billion (2007 est.)

Slovenia

$46.08 billion (2007 est.)

Solomon Islands

$358 million (2007 est.)

Somalia

$2.509 billion (2007 est.)

South Africa

$282.6 billion (2007 est.)

Spain

$1.439 trillion (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

$30.01 billion (2007 est.)

Sudan

$46.16 billion (2007 est.)

Suriname

$2.404 billion (2007 est.)

Swaziland

$2.936 billion (2007 est.)

Sweden

$455.3 billion (2007 est.)

Switzerland

$423.9 billion (2007 est.)

Syria

$37.76 billion (2007 est.)

Taiwan

$383.3 billion (2007 est.)

Tajikistan

$3.712 billion (2007 est.)

Tanzania

$16.18 billion (2007 est.)

Thailand

$245.7 billion (2007 est.)

Timor-Leste

$459 million (2007 est.)

Togo

$2.497 billion (2007 est.)

Tokelau

$NA

Tonga

$219 million (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

$20.7 billion (2007 est.)

Tunisia

$35.01 billion (2007 est.)

Turkey

$663.4 billion (2007 est.)

Turkmenistan

$26.91 billion (2007 est.)

Turks and Caicos Islands

$NA

Tuvalu

$14.94 million (2002)

Uganda

$11.23 billion (2007 est.)

Ukraine

$140.5 billion (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

$192.6 billion (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

$2.773 trillion (2007 est.)

United States

$13.84 trillion (2007 est.)

Uruguay

$22.95 billion (2007 est.)

Uzbekistan

$22.31 billion (2007 est.)

Vanuatu

$455 million (2007 est.)

Venezuela

$236.4 billion (2007 est.)

Vietnam

$70.02 billion (2007 est.)

Virgin Islands

$NA

Wallis and Futuna

$NA

West Bank

$5.328 billion (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)

Western Sahara

$NA

World

GWP (gross world product): $54.62 trillion (2007 est.)

Yemen

$21.66 billion (2007 est.)

Zambia

$11.16 billion (2007 est.)

Zimbabwe

$641 million

note: hyperinflation and the plunging value of the Zimbabwean dollar

makes Zimbabwe's GDP at the official exchange rate a highly

inaccurate statistic (2007 est.)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2196 Trafficking in persons

Albania

current situation: Albania is a source country for women and

girls trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation

and forced labor; it is no longer considered a major country of

transit; Albanian victims are trafficked to Greece, Italy,

Macedonia, and Kosovo, with many trafficked onward to Western

European countries; children were also trafficked to Greece for

begging and other forms of child labor; approximately half of all

Albanian trafficking victims are under age 18; internal sex

trafficking of women and children is on the rise

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Albania is on the Tier 2 Watch List

for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat

trafficking in persons in 2007, particularly in the area of victim

protection; the government did not appropriately identify

trafficking victims during 2007, and has not demonstrated that it is

vigorously investigating or prosecuting complicit officials (2008)

Algeria

current situation: Algeria is a transit country for men and

women trafficked from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe for the purposes

of commercial sexual exploitation and involuntary servitude;

Algerian children are trafficked internally for the purpose of

domestic servitude or street vending

tier rating: Tier 3 - Algeria did not report any serious law

enforcement actions to punish traffickers who force women into

commercial sexual exploitation or men into involuntary servitude in

2007; the government again reported no investigations of trafficking

of children for domestic servitude or improvements in protection

services available to victims of trafficking; Algeria still lacks

victim protection services, and its failure to distinguish between

trafficking and illegal migration may result in the punishment of

victims of trafficking (2008)

Argentina

current situation: Argentina is a source, transit, and

destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the

purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; most

victims are trafficked within the country, from rural to urban

areas; child sex tourism is a problem; foreign women and children,

primarily from Paraguay, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic, are

trafficked to Argentina for commercial sexual exploitation;

Argentine women and girls are also trafficked to neighboring

countries, Mexico, and Western Europe for sexual exploitation; a

significant number of Bolivians, Peruvians, and Paraguayans are

trafficked into the country for forced labor in sweatshops,

agriculture, and as domestic servants

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - despite some progress, Argentina

remains on the Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year for

its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat human

trafficking, particularly in terms of providing adequate assistance

to victims and curbing official complicity with trafficking

activity, especially on the provincial and local levels; the

Argentine Congress has demonstrated progress by enacting much-needed

and first-ever federal anti-trafficking legislation (2008)

Armenia

current situation: Armenia is primarily a source country for

women and girls trafficked to the UAE and Turkey for the purpose of

commercial sexual exploitation; Armenian men and women are

trafficked to Turkey and Russia for the purpose of forced labor

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Armenia is placed on the Tier 2

Watch List for a fourth consecutive year; its efforts to increase

compliance with the minimum standards were assessed based on its

commitments to undertake future actions, particularly in the areas

of improving victim protection and assistance; while the government

elevated anti-trafficking responsibilities to the ministerial level,

adopted a new National Action Plan, and drafted a National Referral

Mechanism, it has yet to show tangible progress in identifying and

protecting victims or in tackling trafficking complicity of

government officials; the Armenian Government made some notable

improvements in its anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts, but it

failed to demonstrate evidence of investigations, prosecutions,

convictions, and sentences of officials complicit in trafficking

(2008)

Azerbaijan

current situation: Azerbaijan is primarily a source and

transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the

purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; women

and some children from Azerbaijan are trafficked to Turkey and the

UAE for the purpose of sexual exploitation; men and boys are

trafficked to Russia for the purpose of forced labor; Azerbaijan

serves as a transit country for victims from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan,

Kazakhstan, and Moldova trafficked to Turkey and the UAE for sexual

exploitation

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Azerbaijan is on the Tier 2 Watch

List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to

combat trafficking in persons, particularly efforts to investigate,

prosecute, and punish traffickers; to address complicity among law

enforcement personnel; and to adequately identify and protect

victims in Azerbaijan; the government has yet to develop a

much-needed mechanism to identify potential trafficking victims and

refer them to safety and care; poor treatment of trafficking victims

in courtrooms continues to be a problem (2008)

Bahrain

current situation: Bahrain is a destination country for men

and women trafficked for the purposes of involuntary servitude and

commercial sexual exploitation; men and women from Africa, South

Asia, and Southeast Asia migrate voluntarily to Bahrain to work as

laborers or domestic servants where some face conditions of

involuntary servitude such as unlawful withholding of passports,

restrictions on movements, non-payment of wages, threats, and

physical or sexual abuse; women from Thailand, Morocco, Eastern

Europe, and Central Asia are trafficked to Bahrain for the purpose

of commercial sexual exploitation

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Bahrain is on the Tier 2 Watch List

for failing to show evidence of increased efforts to combat human

trafficking, particularly efforts that enforce laws against

trafficking in persons, and that prevent the punishment of victims

of trafficking; during 2007, Bahrain passed a comprehensive law

prohibiting all forms of trafficking in persons; the government also

established a specialized anti-trafficking unit within the Ministry

of Interior to investigate trafficking crimes; however, the

government did not report any prosecutions or convictions for

trafficking offenses during 2007, despite reports of a substantial

problem of involuntary servitude and sex trafficking (2008)

Burma

current situation: Burma is a source country for women,

children, and men trafficked for the purpose of forced labor and

commercial sexual exploitation; Burmese women and children are

trafficked to East and Southeast Asia for commercial sexual

exploitation, domestic servitude, and forced labor; Burmese children

are subjected to conditions of forced labor in Thailand as hawkers,

beggars, and for work in shops, agriculture, fish processing, and

small-scale industries; women are trafficked for commercial sexual

exploitation to Malaysia and China; some trafficking victims transit

Burma from Bangladesh to Malaysia and from China to Thailand;

internal trafficking occurs primarily from villages to urban centers

and economic hubs for labor in industrial zones, agricultural

estates, and commercial sexual exploitation; military and civilian

officials continue to use a significant amount of forced labor;

ethnic insurgent groups also used compulsory labor of adults and

unlawful recruitment of children; the military junta's gross

economic mismanagement, human rights abuses, and its policy of using

forced labor are the top causal factors for Burma's significant

trafficking problem

tier rating: Tier 3 - Burma does not fully comply with the minimum

standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making

significant efforts to do so; military and civilian officials remain

directly involved in significant acts of forced labor and unlawful

conscription of child soldiers (2008)

Burundi

current situation: Burundi is a source country for children

trafficked for the purposes of child soldiering, domestic servitude,

and commercial sexual exploitation; a small number of Burundian

children may be trafficked internally for domestic servitude or

commercial sexual exploitation; in early 2008, Burundian children

were allegedly trafficked to Uganda, via Rwanda, for agricultural

labor and commercial sexual exploitation

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Burundi is on the Tier 2 Watch List

for the second consecutive year for its failure to provide

sufficient evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in

persons in 2007; the government's inability to provide adequate

protective services to children accused of association with armed

groups and to conduct anti-trafficking law enforcement activities

continue to be causes for concern; Burundi has not ratified the 2000

UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Cameroon

current situation: Cameroon is a source, transit, and

destination country for women and children trafficked for the

purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; most

victims are children trafficked within country, with girls primarily

trafficked for domestic servitude and sexual exploitation; both boys

and girls are also trafficked within Cameroon for forced labor in

sweatshops, bars, restaurants, and on tea and cocoa plantations;

children are trafficked into Cameroon from neighboring states for

forced labor in agriculture, fishing, street vending, and

spare-parts shops; Cameroon is a transit country for children

trafficked between Gabon and Nigeria, and from Nigeria to Saudi

Arabia; it is a source country for women transported by

sex-trafficking rings to Europe

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cameroon is on the Tier 2 Watch

List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to

combat human trafficking in 2007, particularly in terms of efforts

to prosecute and convict trafficking offenders; while Cameroon

reported some arrests of traffickers, none of them were prosecuted

or punished; the government does not identify trafficking victims

among vulnerable populations nor does it monitor the number of

victims it intercepts (2008)

Central African Republic

current situation: Central African Republic

is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and

children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual

exploitation; the majority of victims are children trafficked within

the country for sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, street

vending, and forced agricultural, mine, market and restaurant labor;

to a lesser extent, children are trafficked from the Central African

Republic to Cameroon, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo;

rebels conscript children into armed forces within the country

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Central African Republic is on the

Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year for its failure to

show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in 2007;

efforts to address trafficking through vigorous law enforcement

measures and victim protection efforts were minimal, though

awareness about trafficking appeared to be increasing in the

country; the government does not actively investigate cases, work to

identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, or rescue

and provide care to victims; the government has not taken measures

to reduce demand for commercial sex acts (2008)

Chad

current situation: Chad is a source, transit, and destination

country for children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and

commercial sexual exploitation; the majority of children are

trafficked within Chad for involuntary domestic servitude, forced

cattle herding, forced begging, forced labor in petty commerce or

the fishing industry, or for commercial sexual exploitation; to a

lesser extent, Chadian children are also trafficked to Cameroon, the

Central African Republic, and Nigeria for cattle herding; children

may also be trafficked from Cameroon and the Central African

Republic to Chad's oil producing regions for sexual exploitation

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Chad is on the Tier 2 Watch List

for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat

human trafficking in 2007; Chad was destabilized during 2007 by

civil conflict leading to a declared state of emergency in February

2008, and a steady influx of refugees fleeing Sudan and the Central

African Republic; the government demonstrated insufficient overall

efforts to combat trafficking; Chad has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP

Protocol (2008)

China

current situation: China is a source, transit, and destination

country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of

sexual exploitation and forced labor; the majority of trafficking in

China occurs within the country's borders, but there is also

considerable international trafficking of Chinese citizens to

Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North

America; Chinese women are lured abroad through false promises of

legitimate employment, only to be forced into commercial sexual

exploitation, largely in Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan;

women and children are trafficked to China from Mongolia, Burma,

North Korea, Russia, and Vietnam for forced labor, marriage, and

prostitution; some North Korean women and children seeking to leave

their country voluntarily cross the border into China and are then

sold into prostitution, marriage, or forced labor

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - China is on the Tier 2 Watch List

for the fourth consecutive year for its failure to provide evidence

of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly in

terms of punishment of trafficking crimes and the protection of

Chinese and foreign victims of trafficking; victims are sometimes

punished for unlawful acts that were committed as a direct result of

their being trafficked, such as violations of prostitution or

immigration/emigration controls; the Chinese Government continued to

treat North Korean victims of trafficking solely as economic

migrants, routinely deporting them back to horrendous conditions in

North Korea; additional challenges facing the Chinese Government

include the enormous size of its trafficking problem and the

significant level of corruption and complicity in trafficking by

some local government officials (2008)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the current situation: Democratic Republic of the Congo is a source and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; much of this trafficking occurs within the country's unstable eastern provinces and is perpetrated by armed groups outside government control tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Democratic Republic of the Congo is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007; while some significant initial advances were noted, the government's capacity to apprehend, convict, or imprison traffickers remained weak; the government lacks sufficient financial, technical, and human resources to effectively address not only trafficking crimes, but also to provide basic levels of security in some parts of the country (2008)

Congo, Republic of the

current situation: Republic of the Congo is a

source and destination country for children trafficked for the

purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; girls

are trafficked from rural areas within the country for commercial

sexual exploitation, forced street vending, and domestic servitude;

children are trafficked from other African countries for domestic

servitude, forced market vending, and forced labor in the fishing

industry

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Republic of the Congo is on the

Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing

efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007; struggling to

recover from six years of civil conflict that ended in 2003, the

Republic of the Congo's capacity to address trafficking is

handicapped; the government neither monitors its borders for

trafficking activity nor provides specialized anti-trafficking

training for law enforcement officials; the government does not

encourage victims to assist in trafficking investigations or

prosecutions, and has not taken measures to reduce demand for

commercial sex acts in the Republic of the Congo (2008)

Costa Rica

current situation: Costa Rica is a source, transit, and

destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the

purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; women

and girls from neighboring states, Russia, Uzbekistan, and the

Philippines are trafficked into the country for sexual exploitation;

Costa Rica also serves as a transit point for victims trafficked to

North America and Europe; the government identifies child sex

tourism as a serious problem; men, women, and children are also

trafficked within the country for forced labor in fishing and

construction, and as domestic servants

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Costa Rica is on the Tier 2 Watch

List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to

combat human trafficking, particularly in terms of its failure to

improve its inadequate assistance to victims; while Costa Rican

officials recognize human trafficking as a serious problem, the lack

of a stronger response by the government is of concern (2008)

Cote d'Ivoire

Cote d'Ivoire is a source, transit, and destination

country for women and children trafficked for forced labor and

commercial sexual exploitation; trafficking within the country is

more prevalent than international trafficking and the majority of

victims are children; women and girls are trafficked from northern

areas to southern cities for domestic servitude, restaurant labor,

and sexual exploitation; boys are trafficked internally for

agricultural and service labor and transnationally for forced labor

in agriculture, mining, construction, and in the fishing industry;

women and girls are trafficked to and from other West and Central

African countries for domestic servitude and forced street vending

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cote d'Ivoire is on the Tier 2

Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts

to eliminate trafficking in 2007, particularly with regard to its

law enforcement efforts and protection of sex trafficking victims;

in addition, Ivoirian law does not prohibit all forms of

trafficking, and Cote d'Ivoire has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP

Protocol (2008)

Cuba

current situation: Cuba is principally a source country for

women and children trafficked within the country for the purpose of

commercial sexual exploitation and possibly for forced labor; the

country is a destination for sex tourism, including child sex

tourism, which is a problem in many areas of the country; some Cuban

nationals willingly migrate to the United States, but are

subsequently exploited for forced labor by their smugglers; Cuba is

also a transit point for the smuggling of migrants from China, Sri

Lanka, Bangladesh, Lebanon, and other nations to the United States

and Canada

tier rating: Tier 3 - Cuba does not fully comply with the minimum

standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making

significant efforts to do so; exact information about trafficking in

Cuba is difficult to obtain because the government does not

acknowledge or condemn human trafficking as a problem in Cuba;

tangible efforts to prosecute offenders, protect victims, or prevent

human trafficking activity do not appear to have been made during

2007; Cuba has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Cyprus

current situation: Cyprus is primarily a destination country

for a large number of women trafficked from Eastern and Central

Europe, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic for the purpose

of sexual exploitation; traffickers continued to fraudulently

recruit victims for work as dancers in cabarets and nightclubs on

short-term "artiste" visas, for work in pubs and bars on employment

visas, or for illegal work on tourist or student visas

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Cyprus is on the Tier 2 Watch List

for a third consecutive year for failure to show evidence of

increasing efforts to combat human trafficking during 2007; although

Cyprus passed a new trafficking law and opened a government

trafficking shelter, these efforts are outweighed by its failure to

show tangible and critically needed progress in the areas of law

enforcement, victim protection, and the prevention of trafficking

(2008)

Dominican Republic

current situation: the Dominican Republic is a

source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and

children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual

exploitation and forced labor; a large number of Dominican women are

trafficked into prostitution and sexual exploitation in Western

Europe, Australia, Central and South America, and Caribbean

destinations; a significant number of women, boys, and girls are

trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation and domestic

servitude

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, the

Dominican Republic is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to

show evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking,

particularly in terms of not adequately investigating and

prosecuting public officials who may be complicit with trafficking

activity, and inadequate government efforts to protect trafficking

victims; the government has taken measures to reduce demand for

commercial sex acts with children through criminal prosecutions

(2008)

Egypt

current situation: Egypt is a transit country for women

trafficked from Eastern European countries to Israel for sexual

exploitation, and is a source for children trafficked within the

country for commercial sexual exploitation and domestic servitude,

although the extent to which children are trafficked internally is

unknown; children were also recruited for domestic and agricultural

work; some of these children face conditions of involuntary

servitude, such as restrictions on movement, non-payment of wages,

threats, and physical or sexual abuse

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Egypt is on the Tier 2 Watch List

for the third year in a row because it did not provide evidence of

increasing efforts to investigate and prosecute traffickers;

however, in July 2007, the government established the "National

Coordinating Committee to Combat and Prevent Trafficking in

Persons," which improved inter-governmental coordination on

anti-trafficking initiatives; Egypt made no discernible efforts to

punish trafficking crimes in 2007 and the Egyptian penal code does

not prohibit all forms of trafficking; Egypt did not increase its

services to trafficking victims during the reporting period (2008)

Equatorial Guinea

current situation: Equatorial Guinea is primarily

a destination country for children trafficked for the purpose of

forced labor and possibly for the purpose of sexual exploitation;

children have been trafficked from nearby countries for domestic

servitude, market labor, ambulant vending, and possibly sexual

exploitation; women may also be trafficked to Equatorial Guinea from

Cameroon, Benin, other neighboring countries, and China for sexual

exploitation

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Equatorial Guinea is on the Tier 2

Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts

to eliminate trafficking, particularly in the areas of prosecuting

and convicting trafficking offenders and failing to formalize

mechanisms to provide assistance to victims; although the government

made some effort to enforce laws against child labor exploitation,

it failed to report any trafficking prosecutions or convictions in

2007; the government continued to lack shelters or formal procedures

for providing care to victims (2008)

Fiji

current situation: Fiji is a source country for children

trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation and a

destination country for a small number of women from China and India

trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual

exploitation

tier rating: Tier 3 - Fiji does not fully comply with the minimum

standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making

significant efforts to do so; the government has demonstrated no

action to investigate or prosecute traffickers, assist victims, take

steps to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts, or support any

anti-trafficking information or education campaigns; Fiji has not

ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Gabon

current situation: Gabon is predominantly a destination

country for children trafficked from other African countries for the

purpose of forced labor; girls are primarily trafficked for domestic

servitude, forced market vending, forced restaurant labor, and

sexual exploitation, while boys are trafficked for forced street

hawking and forced labor in small workshops

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Gabon is on the Tier 2 Watch List

for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat

human trafficking in 2007, particularly in terms of efforts to

convict and punish trafficking offenders; the government has not

reported the convictions or sentences of any trafficking offenders;

the government did not take steps to reduce demand for commercial

sex acts (2008)

Gambia, The

current situation: The Gambia is a source, transit, and

destination country for children and women trafficked for the

purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; women

and girls, and to a lesser extent boys, are trafficked for sexual

exploitation - in particular to meet the demand for European sex

tourism - and for domestic servitude; boys are trafficked within the

country for forced begging and street vending; Gambian women and

children may be trafficked to Europe through trafficking schemes

disguised as migrant smuggling

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, The

Gambia is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide

evidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking; The Gambia

failed to report any trafficking arrests, prosecutions, or

convictions in 2007, and the government demonstrated weak victim

protection efforts during the reporting period (2008)

Guatemala

current situation: Guatemala is a source, transit, and

destination country for Guatemalans and Central Americans trafficked

for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor;

human trafficking is a significant and growing problem in the

country; Guatemalan women and children are trafficked within the

country for commercial sexual exploitation, primarily to Mexico and

the United States; Guatemalan men, women, and children are also

trafficked within the country, and to Mexico and the United States,

for forced labor

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year,

Guatemala is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide

evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons,

particularly with respect to ensuring that trafficking offenders are

appropriately prosecuted for their crimes; while prosecutors

initiated trafficking prosecutions, they continued to face problems

in court with application of Guatemala's comprehensive

anti-trafficking law; the government made modest improvements to its

protection efforts, but assistance remained inadequate overall in

2007 (2008)

Guinea

current situation: Guinea is a source, transit, and

destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the

purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; the majority of

victims are children, and internal trafficking is more prevalent

than transnational trafficking; within the country, girls are

trafficked primarily for domestic servitude and sexual exploitation,

while boys are trafficked for forced agricultural labor, and as

forced beggars, street vendors, shoe shiners, and laborers in gold

and diamond mines; some Guinean men are also trafficked for

agricultural labor within Guinea; transnationally, girls are

trafficked into Guinea for domestic servitude and likely also for

sexual exploitation

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Guinea is on the Tier 2 Watch List

for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to

eliminate trafficking over 2006; Guinea demonstrated minimal law

enforcement efforts for a second year in a row, while protection

efforts diminished over efforts in 2006; the government did not

report any trafficking convictions in 2007; due to a lack of

resources, the government does not provide shelter services for

trafficking victims; the government took no measures to reduce the

demand for commercial sexual exploitation (2008)

Guinea-Bissau

current situation: Guinea-Bissau is a source country

for children trafficked primarily for forced begging and forced

agricultural labor to other West African countries

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for the second year in a row,

Guinea-Bissau is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to combat

severe forms of trafficking in persons, as evidenced by the

continued failure to pass an anti-trafficking law and inadequate

efforts to investigate or prosecute trafficking crimes or convict

and punish trafficking offenders (2008)

Guyana

current situation: Guyana is a source, transit, and

destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the

purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; most

trafficking appears to take place in remote mining camps in the

country's interior; some women and girls are trafficked from

northern Brazil; reporting from other nations suggests Guyanese

women and girls are trafficked for sexual exploitation to

neighboring countries and Guyanese men and boys are subject to labor

exploitation in construction and agriculture; trafficking victims

from Suriname, Brazil, and Venezuela transit Guyana en route to

Caribbean destinations

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year,

Guyana is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to provide evidence

of increasing efforts to combat trafficking, particularly in the

area of law enforcement actions against trafficking offenders; the

government has yet to produce an anti-trafficking conviction under

the comprehensive Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act, which

became law in 2005; the government operates no shelters for

trafficking victims, but did include limited funding for

anti-trafficking NGOs in its 2008 budget; the government did not

make any effort to reduce demand for commercial sex acts during 2007

(2008)

India

current situation: India is a source, destination, and transit

country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of

forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; internal forced

labor may constitute India's largest trafficking problem; men,

women, and children are held in debt bondage and face forced labor

working in brick kilns, rice mills, agriculture, and embroidery

factories; women and girls are trafficked within the country for the

purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage;

children are subjected to forced labor as factory workers, domestic

servants, beggars, and agriculture workers, and have been used as

armed combatants by some terrorist and insurgent groups; India is

also a destination for women and girls from Nepal and Bangladesh

trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; Indian

women are trafficked to the Middle East for commercial sexual

exploitation; men and women from Bangladesh and Nepal are trafficked

through India for forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation in

the Middle East

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - India is on the Tier 2 Watch List

for a fifth consecutive year for its failure to provide evidence of

increasing efforts to combat human trafficking in 2007; despite the

reported extent of the trafficking crisis in India, government

authorities made uneven efforts to prosecute traffickers and protect

trafficking victims; government authorities continued to rescue

victims of commercial sexual exploitation and forced child labor and

child armed combatants, and began to show progress in law

enforcement against these forms of trafficking; a critical challenge

overall is the lack of punishment for traffickers, effectively

resulting in impunity for acts of human trafficking; India has not

ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Iran

current situation: Iran is a source, transit, and destination

country for women trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation

and involuntary servitude; Iranian women are trafficked internally

for the purpose of forced prostitution and for forced marriages to

settle debts; Iranian children are trafficked internally and Afghan

children are trafficked into Iran for the purpose of forced

marriages, commercial sexual exploitation, and involuntary servitude

as beggars or laborers

tier rating: Tier 3 - Iran did not provide evidence of law

enforcement activities against trafficking, and credible reports

indicate that Iranian authorities punish victims of trafficking with

beatings, imprisonment, and execution; Iran has not ratified the

2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Jordan

current situation: Jordan is a destination and transit

country for women and men from South and Southeast Asia trafficked

for the purpose of forced labor; Jordan is also a destination for

women from Eastern Europe and Morocco for prostitution; women from

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines migrate

willingly to work as domestic servants, but some are subjected to

conditions of forced labor, including unlawful withholding of

passports, restrictions on movement, non-payment of wages, threats,

and physical or sexual abuse

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Jordan is on the Tier 2 Watch List

for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat

trafficking in persons in 2007, particularly in the area of law

enforcement against trafficking for forced labor; the government

made minimal efforts to investigate or prosecute numerous

allegations related to exploitation of foreign domestic workers;

Jordan failed for a second year to criminally prosecute and punish

those who committed acts of forced labor; Jordan also continues to

lack victim protection services; Jordan has not ratified the 2000 UN

TIP Protocol (2008)

Korea, North

current situation: North Korea is a source country for

men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor

and commercial sexual exploitation; the most common form of

trafficking involves North Korean women and girls who cross the

border into China voluntarily; additionally, North Korean women and

girls are lured out of North Korea to escape poor social and

economic conditions by the promise of food, jobs, and freedom, only

to be forced into prostitution, marriage, or exploitative labor

arrangements once in China

tier rating: Tier 3 - North Korea does not fully comply with minimum

standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making

significant efforts to do so; the government does not acknowledge

the existence of human rights abuses in the country or recognize

trafficking, either within the country or transnationally; North

Korea has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Kuwait

current situation: Kuwait is a destination country for men

and women who migrate legally from South and Southeast Asia for

domestic or low-skilled labor, but are subjected to conditions of

involuntary servitude by employers in Kuwait including conditions of

physical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages, confinement to the

home, and withholding of passports to restrict their freedom of

movement; Kuwait is reportedly a transit point for South and East

Asian workers recruited for low-skilled work in Iraq; some of these

workers are deceived as to the true location and nature of this

work, and others are subjected to conditions of involuntary

servitude in Iraq

tier rating: Tier 3 - insufficient efforts in 2007 to prosecute and

punish abusive employers and those who traffic women for sexual

exploitation; the government failed for the fourth year in a row to

live up to promises to provide shelter and protective services for

victims of involuntary domestic servitude and other forms of

trafficking (2008)

Libya

current situation: Libya is a transit and destination country

for men and women from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia trafficked for

the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Libya is on the Tier 2 Watch List

for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to address

trafficking in persons in 2007 when compared to 2006, particularly

in the area of investigating and prosecuting trafficking offenses;

Libya did not publicly release any data on investigations or

punishment of any trafficking offenses (2008)

Malaysia

current situation: Malaysia is a destination and, to a

lesser extent, a source and transit country for women and children

trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation, and

men, women, and children for forced labor; Malaysia is mainly a

destination country for men, women, and children who migrate

willingly from South and Southeast Asia to work, some of whom are

subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude by Malaysian

employers in the domestic, agricultural, construction, plantation,

and industrial sectors; to a lesser extent, some Malaysian women,

primarily of Chinese ethnicity, are trafficked abroad for commercial

sexual exploitation

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Malaysia improved from Tier 3 to

the Tier 2 Watch List for 2008 when it enacted comprehensive

anti-trafficking legislation in July 2007; however, it did not take

action against exploitative employers or labor traffickers in 2007;

the government has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Moldova

current situation: Moldova is a major source and, to a

lesser extent, a transit country for women and girls trafficked for

the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; Moldovan women are

trafficked to the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe;

girls and young women are trafficked within the country from rural

areas to Chisinau; children are also trafficked to neighboring

countries for forced labor and begging; labor trafficking of men to

work in the construction, agriculture, and service sectors of Russia

is increasingly a problem

tier rating: Tier 3 - Moldova does not fully comply with the minimum

standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making

significant efforts to do so; the government failed to follow-up on

allegations of officials complicit in trafficking cited in the 2007

Report, and it did not demonstrate proactive efforts to identify

trafficking victims (2008)

Montenegro

current situation: Montenegro is primarily a transit

country for the trafficking of women and girls to Western Europe for

the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; women and girls from

the Balkans and Eastern Europe are trafficked across Montenegro to

Western European countries

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Montenegro is on the Tier 2 Watch

List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to

combat trafficking in persons in 2007; public attention to the issue

of trafficking has diminished considerably in Montenegro in recent

years (2008)

Mozambique

current situation: Mozambique is a source and, to a much

lesser extent, a destination country for men, women, and children

trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation;

the use of forced and bonded child laborers is a common practice in

Mozambique's rural areas; women and girls are trafficked from rural

to urban areas of Mozambique, as well as to South Africa, for

domestic servitude and commercial sexual exploitation; young men and

boys are trafficked to South Africa for farm work and mining

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for the second consecutive year,

Mozambique is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide

evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking in 2007;

while the government conducted investigations into cases of human

trafficking, there were no prosecutions or convictions of

traffickers; government efforts to protect victims of trafficking

continued to suffer from limited resources and a lack of political

commitment (2008)

Niger

current situation: Niger is a source, transit, and destination

country for children and women trafficked for forced labor and

sexual exploitation; caste-based slavery practices, rooted in

ancestral master-slave relationships, continue in isolated areas of

the country - an estimated 8,800 to 43,000 Nigeriens live under

conditions of traditional slavery; children are trafficked within

Niger for forced begging, forced labor in gold mines, domestic

servitude, sexual exploitation, and possibly for forced labor in

agriculture and stone quarries; women and children from neighboring

states are trafficked to and through Niger for domestic servitude,

sexual exploitation, forced labor in mines and on farms, and as

mechanics and welders

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Niger is on the Tier 2 Watch List

for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to

eliminate trafficking in 2007; in particular, measures to combat and

eliminate traditional slavery practices were weak; the government's

overall law enforcement efforts have stalled from 2006; while

efforts to protect child trafficking victims were steady, the

government failed to provide services to or rescue adult victims

subjected to traditional slavery practices, and made poor efforts to

educate the public about traditional slavery practices in general

(2008)

Oman

current situation: Oman is a destination country for men and

women primarily from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan who

migrate willingly, but some of whom become victims of trafficking

when subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude as domestic

workers and laborers; mistreatment includes non-payment of wages,

restrictions on movement and withholding of passports, threats, and

physical or sexual abuse; Oman may also be a destination country for

women from Asia, Eastern Europe, and North Africa for commercial

sexual exploitation

tier rating: Tier 3 - Oman was rated as Tier 3 for the second

consecutive year because it did not report any law enforcement

efforts to prosecute and punish trafficking offenses in 2007 and

continues to lack victim protection services or a systematic

procedure to identify victims of trafficking (2008)

Panama

current situation: Panama is a source, transit, and

destination country for women and children trafficked for the

purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; the majority of victims

are Panamanian women and children trafficked within the country into

the sex trade; rural children in Panama may be trafficked internally

to urban areas for labor exploitation

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Panama is on the Tier 2 Watch List

for failing to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat human

trafficking, particularly with respect to prosecuting, convicting,

and sentencing human traffickers for their crimes, and for failing

to provide adequate victim assistance (2008)

Papua New Guinea

current situation: Papua New Guinea is a country of

destination for women and children from Malaysia, the Philippines,

Thailand, and China trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual

exploitation; internal trafficking of women and children for the

purposes of sexual exploitation and involuntary domestic servitude

occurs as well

tier rating: Tier 3 - Papua New Guinea does not fully comply with

the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not

making significant efforts to do so; the current legal framework

does not contain elements of crimes that characterize trafficking;

the government lacks victim protection services or a systematic

procedure to identify victims of trafficking; the government did not

prosecute anyone in 2007 for trafficking; Papua New Guinea has not

ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Qatar

current situation: Qatar is a destination country for men and

women from South and Southeast Asia who migrate willingly, but are

subsequently trafficked into involuntary servitude as domestic

workers and laborers, and, to a lesser extent, commercial sexual

exploitation; the most common offense was forcing workers to accept

worse contract terms than those under which they were recruited;

other conditions include bonded labor, withholding of pay,

restrictions on movement, arbitrary detention, and physical, mental,

and sexual abuse

tier rating: Tier 3 - Qatar failed, for the second consecutive year,

to enforce criminal laws against traffickers, or to provide an

effective mechanism to identify and protect victims; it continues to

detain and deport victims rather than providing them protection; the

government made little progress to increase prosecutions for

trafficking in a meaningful way in 2007; workers complaining of

working conditions or non-payment of wages were sometimes penalized

(2008)

Russia

current situation: Russia is a source, transit, and

destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for

various purposes; it remains a significant source of women

trafficked to over 50 countries for commercial sexual exploitation;

Russia is also a transit and destination country for men and women

trafficked from Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and North Korea to

Central and Western Europe and the Middle East for purposes of

forced labor and sexual exploitation; internal trafficking remains a

problem in Russia with women trafficked from rural areas to urban

centers for commercial sexual exploitation, and men trafficked

internally and from Central Asia for forced labor in the

construction and agricultural industries; debt bondage is common

among trafficking victims, and child sex tourism remains a concern

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Russia is on the Tier 2 Watch List

for a fifth consecutive year for its failure to show evidence of

increasing efforts to combat trafficking over the previous year,

particularly in providing assistance to victims of trafficking;

comprehensive trafficking victim assistance legislation, which would

address key deficiencies, has been pending before the Duma since

2003 and was neither passed nor enacted in 2007 (2008)

Saudi Arabia

current situation: Saudi Arabia is a destination

country for workers from South and Southeast Asia who are subjected

to conditions that constitute involuntary servitude including being

subjected to physical and sexual abuse, non-payment of wages,

confinement, and withholding of passports as a restriction on their

movement; domestic workers are particularly vulnerable because some

are confined to the house in which they work unable to seek help;

Saudi Arabia is also a destination country for Nigerian, Yemeni,

Pakistani, Afghan, Somali, Malian, and Sudanese children trafficked

for forced begging and involuntary servitude as street vendors; some

Nigerian women were reportedly trafficked into Saudi Arabia for

commercial sexual exploitation

tier rating: Tier 3 - Saudi Arabia does not fully comply with the

minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not

making significant efforts to do so; the government continues to

lack adequate anti-trafficking laws and, despite evidence of

widespread trafficking abuses, did not report any criminal

prosecutions, convictions, or prison sentences for trafficking

crimes committed against foreign domestic workers (2008)

South Africa

current situation: South Africa is a source, transit,

and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for

forced labor and sexual exploitation; women and girls are trafficked

internally - and occasionally to European and Asian countries - for

sexual exploitation; women from other African countries are

trafficked to South Africa and, less frequently, onward to Europe

for sexual exploitation; men and boys are trafficked from

neighboring countries for forced agricultural labor; Asian and

Eastern European women are trafficked to South Africa for

debt-bonded sexual exploitation

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - South Africa is on the Tier 2 Watch

List for a fourth consecutive year for its failure to show

increasing efforts to address trafficking; the government provided

inadequate data in 2007 on trafficking crimes investigated or

prosecuted, or on resulting convictions or sentences; it also did

not provide information on its efforts to protect victims of

trafficking; the country continues to deport and/or prosecute

suspected foreign victims without providing appropriate protective

services (2008)

Sri Lanka

current situation: Sri Lanka is a source and destination

country for men and women trafficked for the purposes of involuntary

servitude and commercial sexual exploitation; Sri Lankan men and

women migrate willingly to the Persian Gulf, Middle East, and East

Asia to work as construction workers, domestic servants, or garment

factory workers, where some find themselves in situations of

involuntary servitude when faced with restrictions on movement,

withholding of passports, threats, physical or sexual abuse, and

debt bondage; children are trafficked internally for commercial

sexual exploitation and, less frequently, for forced labor

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - for a second consecutive year, Sri

Lanka is on the Tier 2 Watch List for failing to provide evidence of

increasing efforts to combat severe forms of human trafficking,

particularly in the area of law enforcement; the government failed

to arrest, prosecute, or convict any person for trafficking offenses

and continued to punish some victims of trafficking for crimes

committed as a result of being trafficked; Sri Lanka has not

ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Sudan

current situation: Sudan is a source country for men, women,

and children trafficked internally for the purposes of forced labor

and sexual exploitation; Sudan is also a transit and destination

country for Ethiopian women trafficked abroad for domestic

servitude; Sudanese women and girls are trafficked within the

country, as well as possibly to Middle Eastern countries for

domestic servitude; the terrorist rebel organization, Lord's

Resistance Army, continues to harbor small numbers of Sudanese and

Ugandan children in the southern part of the country for use as

cooks, porters, and combatants; some of these children are also

trafficked across borders into Uganda or the Democratic Republic of

the Congo; militia groups in Darfur, some of which are linked to the

government, abduct women for short periods of forced labor and to

perpetrate sexual violence; during the two decades-long north-south

civil war, thousands of Dinka women and children were abducted and

subsequently enslaved by members of the Missiriya and Rezeigat

tribes; while there have been no known new abductions of Dinka by

members of Baggara tribes in the last few years, inter-tribal

abductions continue in southern Sudan

tier rating: Tier 3 - Sudan does not fully comply with the minimum

standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making

significant efforts to do so; combating human trafficking through

law enforcement or prevention measures was not a priority for the

government in 2007 (2008)

Syria

current situation: Syria is a destination and transit country

for women and children trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation

and forced labor; a significant number of women and children in the

large and expanding Iraqi refugee community in Syria are reportedly

forced into commercial sexual exploitation by Iraqi gangs or, in

some cases, their families; women from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the

Philippines, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone are recruited for work in

Syria as domestic servants, but some face conditions of involuntary

servitude, including long hours, non-payment of wages, withholding

of passports, restrictions on movement, threats, and physical or

sexual abuse

tier rating: Tier 3 - Syria again failed to report any law

enforcement efforts to punish trafficking offenses in 2007; in

addition, the government did not offer protection services to

victims of trafficking and may have arrested, prosecuted, or

deported some victims for prostitution or immigration violations;

Syria has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)

Tajikistan

current situation: Tajikistan is a source country for

women trafficked through Kyrgyzstan and Russia to the UAE, Turkey,

and Russia for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; men

are trafficked to Russia and Kazakhstan for the purpose of forced

labor, primarily in the construction and agricultural industries;

boys and girls are trafficked internally for various purposes,

including forced labor and forced begging

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Tajikistan is on the Tier 2 Watch

List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to

combat human trafficking, especially efforts to investigate,

prosecute, convict, and sentence traffickers; despite evidence of

low- and mid-level officials' complicity in trafficking, the

government did not punish any public officials for trafficking

complicity during 2007; lack of capacity and poor coordination

between government institutions remained key obstacles to effective

anti-trafficking efforts (2008)

Uzbekistan

current situation: Uzbekistan is a source country for

women and girls trafficked to Kazakhstan, Russia, Middle East, and

Asia for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; men are

trafficked to Kazakhstan and Russia for purposes of forced labor in

the construction, cotton, and tobacco industries; men and women are

also trafficked internally for the purposes of domestic servitude,

forced labor in the agricultural and construction industries, and

for commercial sexual exploitation

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Uzbekistan is on the Tier 2 Watch

List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to

combat severe forms of trafficking in 2007; the government did not

amend its criminal code to increase penalties for convicted

traffickers; in March 2008, Uzbekistan adopted ILO Conventions on

minimum age of employment and on the elimination of the worst forms

of child labor and is working with the ILO on implementation; the

government also demonstrated its increasing commitment to combat

trafficking in March 2008 by adopting a comprehensive

anti-trafficking law; Uzbekistan has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP

Protocol (2008)

Venezuela

current situation: Venezuela is a source, transit, and

destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the

purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor;

Venezuelan women and girls are trafficked within the country for

sexual exploitation, lured from the nation's interior to urban and

tourist areas; child prostitution in urban areas and child sex

tourism in resort destinations appear to be growing; Venezuelan

women and girls are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation to

Western Europe, Mexico, and Caribbean destinations

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Venezuela is placed on the Tier 2

Watch List, up from Tier 3, as it showed greater resolve to address

trafficking through law enforcement measures and prevention efforts

in 2007, although stringent punishment of offenders and victim

assistance remain lacking (2008)

World

current situation: approximately 800,000 people, mostly women

and children, are trafficked annually across national borders, not

including millions trafficked within their own countries; at least

80% of the victims are female and up to 50% are minors; 75% of all

victims are trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation; almost

two-thirds of the global victims are trafficked intra-regionally

within East Asia and the Pacific (260,000 to 280,000 people) and

Europe and Eurasia (170,000 to 210,000 people)

Tier 2 Watch List: Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain,

Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Costa

Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo,

Dominican Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, The Gambia,

Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, India, Jordan, Libya,

Malaysia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Niger, Panama, Republic of the

Congo, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan,

Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Tier 3: Algeria, Burma, Cuba, Fiji, Iran, Kuwait, Moldova, North

Korea, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria

(2008)

Zambia

current situation: Zambia is a source, transit, and

destination country for women and children trafficked for the

purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; many Zambian child

laborers, particularly those in the agriculture, domestic service,

and fishing sectors, are also victims of human trafficking; Zambian

women, lured by false employment or marriage offers abroad, are

trafficked to South Africa via Zimbabwe and to Europe via Malawi for

sexual exploitation; Zambia is a transit point for regional

trafficking of women and children, particularly from Angola to

Namibia and from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to South

Africa for agricultural labor

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Zambia is on the Tier 2 Watch List

for failing to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat

severe forms of trafficking, particularly in regard to its inability

to bring alleged traffickers to justice through prosecutions and

convictions; unlike 2006, there were no new prosecutions or

convictions of alleged traffickers in 2007; government efforts to

protect victims of trafficking remained extremely limited throughout

the year (2008)

Zimbabwe

current situation: Zimbabwe is a source, transit, and

destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the

purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; large scale

migration of Zimbabweans to surrounding countries - as they flee a

progressively more desperate situation at home - has increased;

rural Zimbabwean men, women, and children are trafficked internally

to farms for agricultural labor and domestic servitude and to cities

for domestic labor and commercial sexual exploitation; young men and

boys are trafficked to South Africa for farm work, often laboring

for months in South Africa without pay before "employers" have them

arrested and deported as illegal immigrants; young women and girls

are lured abroad with false employment offers that result in

involuntary domestic servitude or commercial sexual exploitation;

men, women, and children from neighboring states are trafficked

through Zimbabwe en route to South Africa

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Zimbabwe is on the Tier 2 Watch

List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to

combat severe forms of human trafficking, and because the absolute

number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is significantly

increasing; the trafficking situation in the country is worsening as

more of the population is made vulnerable by declining

socio-economic conditions (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2198 Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

Algeria

$12.04 billion (2007 est.)

Angola

$17.23 billion (2007 est.)

Argentina

$65.31 billion (2007 est.)

Australia

$315 billion (2007 est.)

Austria

$222.9 billion (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

$7.829 billion (2007 est.)

Bahrain

$13.31 billion (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

$4.971 billion (2007 est.)

Belgium

$678.2 billion (2007 est.)

Bermuda

$NA

Bolivia

$6.88 billion (31 December 2004)

Brazil

$248.9 billion (2007 est.)

Bulgaria

$33.91 billion (2007 est.)

Canada

$527.4 billion (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

$NA

Chad

$4.5 billion (2006 est.)

Chile

$91.49 billion (2007 est.)

China

$758.9 billion (2007 est.)

Colombia

$56.19 billion (2007 est.)

Costa Rica

$8.53 billion (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

$NA

Croatia

$23.13 billion (2007 est.)

Cuba

$11.24 billion (2006 est.)

Cyprus

$13.36 billion (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

$86.75 billion (2007 est.)

Denmark

$149.7 billion (2007 est.)

Dominican Republic

$12.75 billion (2007 est.)

Ecuador

$16.31 billion (2007 est.)

Egypt

$48.46 billion (2007 est.)

El Salvador

$5.918 billion (2007 est.)

Estonia

$16.59 billion (2007 est.)

Fiji

$NA

Finland

$85.24 billion (2007 est.)

France

$942.3 billion (2007 est.)

Germany

$855.8 billion (2007 est.)

Ghana

$NA

Greece

$52.84 billion (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

$1.185 trillion (2007 est.)

Hungary

$108.6 billion (2007 est.)

Iceland

$NA

India

$95.96 billion (2007 est.)

Indonesia

$57.6 billion (2007 est.)

Iran

$6.026 billion (2007 est.)

Ireland

$191.4 billion (2007 est.)

Israel

$57.97 billion (2007 est.)

Italy

$364.8 billion (2007 est.)

Japan

$110.8 billion (2007 est.)

Jordan

$18.18 billion (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

$40.16 billion (2007 est.)

Kenya

$1.249 billion (2007 est.)

Korea, South

$119.6 billion (2007 est.)

Kuwait

$898 million (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

$NA

Latvia

$8.62 billion (2007 est.)

Lebanon

$NA

Liberia

$NA

Libya

$6.286 billion (2007 est.)

Lithuania

$14.63 billion (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

$NA

Macau

$6.5 billion (2006)

Macedonia

$2.405 billion (2007 est.)

Madagascar

$NA

Malawi

$NA

Malaysia

$86.16 billion (2007 est.)

Malta

$NA

Mauritius

$NA

Mexico

$260.9 billion (2007 est.)

Moldova

$NA

Mongolia

$NA

Morocco

$32.9 billion (2007 est.)

Namibia

$NA

Nepal

$NA

Netherlands

$673.4 billion (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

$NA

New Zealand

$71.31 billion (2007 est.)

Nigeria

$33.64 billion (2007 est.)

Norway

$62.63 billion (2007 est.)

Oman

$NA

Pakistan

$20.01 billion (2007 est.)

Panama

$NA

Papua New Guinea

$NA

Paraguay

$2.057 million (2007)

Peru

$24.72 billion (2007 est.)

Philippines

$19.88 billion (2007 est.)

Poland

$143 billion (2007 est.)

Portugal

$91.19 billion (2007 est.)

Qatar

$11.18 billion (2007 est.)

Romania

$60.82 billion (2007 est.)

Russia

$271.6 billion (2006)

Saudi Arabia

$NA

Serbia

$11.95 billion (2006 est.)

Singapore

$214.5 billion (2007 est.)

Slovakia

$45.25 billion (2007 est.)

Slovenia

$10.41 billion (2007 est.)

South Africa

$93.51 billion (2007 est.)

Spain

$568.8 billion (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

$NA

Swaziland

$NA

Sweden

$216.6 billion (2007 est.)

Switzerland

$306.4 billion (2007 est.)

Taiwan

$92.83 billion (2007)

Tanzania

$NA

Thailand

$80.83 billion (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

$12.44 billion (2007)

Tunisia

$26.22 billion (2007 est.)

Turkey

$106.4 billion (2007 est.)

Uganda

$NA

Ukraine

$31.08 billion (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

$44.37 billion (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

$1.288 trillion (2007 est.)

United States

$2.093 trillion (2007 est.)

Uruguay

$4.19 billion (2007)

Uzbekistan

$NA

Venezuela

$43.96 billion (2007 est.)

Vietnam

$32.74 billion (2007 est.)

World

World total DFI $14 trillion

top ten recipients of DFI: US $1.966 trillion; UK $1.324 trillion;

France $872.4 billion; Germany $811.0 billion; HK $780.4 billion;

China $758.9 billion; Belgium $703.9 billion; Netherlands $535.1

billion; Canada $527.4 billion; Spain $487.8 billion (year-end 2007

est.)

Zambia

$NA

Zimbabwe

$NA

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2199 Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

Algeria

$851 million (2007 est.)

Angola

$227 million (2006 est.)

Argentina

$26.26 billion (2007 est.)

Australia

$280.6 billion (2007 est.)

Austria

$208.1 billion (2007 est.)

Azerbaijan

$4.912 billion (2007 est.)

Bahrain

$7.72 billion (2007 est.)

Bangladesh

$104 million (2007 est.)

Belgium

$540.1 billion (2007 est.)

Bermuda

$NA

Bolivia

$NA

Brazil

$107.1 billion (2007 est.)

Bulgaria

$559 million (2007 est.)

Canada

$514.7 billion (2007 est.)

Cayman Islands

$NA

Chad

$NA

Chile

$24.68 billion (2007 est.)

China

$93.75 billion ( 2007 est.)

Colombia

$10.38 billion (2007 est.)

Costa Rica

$490 million (2007 est.)

Cote d'Ivoire

$NA

Croatia

$3.161 billion (2007 est.)

Cuba

$4.138 billion (2006 est.)

Cyprus

$5.419 billion (2007 est.)

Czech Republic

$6.058 billion (2007 est.)

Denmark

$166.6 billion (2007 est.)

Dominican Republic

$59 million (2007 est.)

Ecuador

$1.456 billion (2007 est.)

Egypt

$1.295 billion (2007 est.)

El Salvador

$384 million (2007 est.)

Estonia

$5.873 billion (2007 est.)

Fiji

$NA

Finland

$113 billion (2007 est.)

France

$1.307 trillion (2007 est.)

Germany

$1.218 trillion (2007 est.)

Ghana

$NA

Greece

$30.8 billion (2007 est.)

Hong Kong

$1.027 trillion (2007 est.)

Hungary

$45.54 billion (2007 est.)

Iceland

$NA

India

$37.5 billion (2007 est.)

Indonesia

$9.225 billion (2006 est.)

Iran

$903 million (2007 est.)

Ireland

$139.6 billion (2007 est.)

Israel

$41.96 billion (2007 est.)

Italy

$520.1 billion (2007 est.)

Japan

$533.1 billion (2007 est.)

Kazakhstan

$3.97 billion (September 2007)

Kenya

$47 million (2007 est.)

Korea, South

$82.1 billion (2006)

Kuwait

$24.22 billion (2007 est.)

Kyrgyzstan

$NA

Latvia

$699 million (2007 est.)

Lebanon

$NA

Liberia

$NA

Libya

$3.333 billion (2007 est.)

Lithuania

$1.642 billion (2007 est.)

Luxembourg

$NA

Macau

$1.1 billion (2006)

Macedonia

$NA

Madagascar

$NA

Malawi

$NA

Malaysia

$42.55 billion (2007 est.)

Malta

$NA

Mauritius

$NA

Mexico

$39.01 billion (2007 est.)

Moldova

$NA

Mongolia

$NA

Morocco

$882 million (2006 est.)

Namibia

$NA

Nepal

$NA

Netherlands

$851.3 billion (2007 est.)

Netherlands Antilles

$NA

New Zealand

$NA

Nigeria

$12.63 billion (2007 est.)

Norway

$126.1 billion (2007 est.)

Oman

$NA

Pakistan

$982 million (2007 est.)

Panama

$NA

Papua New Guinea

$NA

Paraguay

$NA

Peru

$1.476 billion (2007 est.)

Philippines

$5.584 billion (2007 est.)

Poland

$19.69 billion (2007 est.)

Portugal

$54.85 billion (2007 est.)

Qatar

$5.625 billion (2007 est.)

Romania

$915 million (2007 est.)

Russia

$209.6 billion (2006)

Saudi Arabia

$NA

Serbia

$NA

Singapore

$111.2 billion (2005)

Slovakia

$1.509 billion (2007 est.)

Slovenia

$6.127 billion (2007 est.)

South Africa

$53.98 billion (2007 est.)

Spain

$681.7 billion (2007 est.)

Sri Lanka

$NA

Swaziland

$NA

Sweden

$261.5 billion (2007 est.)

Switzerland

$605.6 billion (2007 est.)

Taiwan

$108.9 billion (2007)

Tanzania

$NA

Thailand

$7.013 billion (2007 est.)

Trinidad and Tobago

$1.419 billion (2007)

Tunisia

$118 million (2007 est.)

Turkey

$11.35 billion (2007 est.)

Uganda

$NA

Ukraine

$895 million (2007 est.)

United Arab Emirates

$14.14 billion (2007 est.)

United Kingdom

$1.707 trillion (2007 est.)

United States

$2.791 trillion (2007 est.)

Uruguay

$156 million (2007)

Uzbekistan

$NA

Venezuela

$13.81 billion (2007 est.)

Vietnam

$NA

World

World total DFI $14 trillion

top ten sources of DFI: US $2.627 trillion; UK $1.741 trillion;

France $1.211 trillion; Germany $1.123 trillion; Netherlands $811.4

billion; HK $716.2 billion; Spain $613.9 billion; Switzerland $591.5

billion; Belgium $537.6 billion; Japan $527.8 billion (year-end 2007

est.)

Zambia

$NA

Zimbabwe

$NA

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2200 Market value of publicly traded shares

Afghanistan

$NA

Albania

$NA

Algeria

$NA

Argentina

$79.73 billion (2006)

Armenia

$42.8 million (2005)

Australia

$804.1 billion (2005)

Austria

$126.3 billion (2005)

Azerbaijan

$NA

Bahamas, The

$NA

Bahrain

$21.12 billion (2006)

Bangladesh

$3.61 billion (2006)

Barbados

$5.513 billion (2005)

Belarus

$NA

Belgium

$422.7 billion (2006)

Belize

$NA

Benin

$NA

Bermuda

$2.125 billion (2005)

Bhutan

$NA

Bolivia

$2.2 billion (2005)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

$NA

Botswana

$3.947 billion (2006)

Brazil

$711.1 billion (2006)

Brunei

$NA

Bulgaria

$10.32 billion (2006)

Burkina Faso

$NA

Burma

$NA

Burundi

$NA

Cambodia

$NA

Cameroon

$NA

Canada

$1.481 trillion (2005)

Cayman Islands

$130 million (2005)

Central African Republic

$NA

Chad

$NA

Chile

$174.6 billion (2006)

China

$4.477 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)

Colombia

$56.2 billion (2006)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

$NA

Congo, Republic of the

$NA

Costa Rica

$1.478 billion (2005)

Cote d'Ivoire

$4.155 billion (2006)

Croatia

$29.01 billion (2006)

Cyprus

$48.2 billion (2005)

Czech Republic

$48.6 billion (2006)

Denmark

$178 billion (2005)

Dominican Republic

$NA

Ecuador

$4.04 billion (2006)

Egypt

$93.48 billion (2006)

El Salvador

$3.623 billion (2005)

Estonia

$5.963 billion (2006)

Ethiopia

$NA

European Union

$11.64 trillion (2006)

Fiji

$586.7 million (2005)

Finland

$1.095 trillion (January 2008)

France

$1.71 trillion (2005)

French Polynesia

$NA

Gabon

$NA

Gambia, The

$NA

Georgia

$1.39 billion (2007)

Germany

$1.221 trillion (2005)

Ghana

$13.01 billion (2007)

Greece

$145 billion (2005)

Grenada

$NA

Guatemala

$NA

Guinea

$NA

Guinea-Bissau

$NA

Guyana

$187.3 million (2005)

Haiti

$NA

Honduras

$NA

Hong Kong

$2.97 trillion (2007 est.)

Hungary

$41.93 billion (2006)

Iceland

$27.8 billion (2005)

India

$818.9 billion (2006)

Indonesia

$138.9 billion (2006)

Iran

$45.2 billion (December 2007)

Iraq

$NA

Ireland

$114.1 billion (2005)

Isle of Man

$NA

Israel

$173.3 billion (2006)

Italy

$798.2 billion (2005)

Jamaica

$12.28 billion (2006)

Japan

$4.737 trillion (2005)

Jersey

$NA

Jordan

$29.73 billion (2006)

Kazakhstan

$10.52 billion (2005)

Kenya

$11.38 billion (2006)

Kiribati

$NA

Korea, South

$1.051 trillion (2007)

Kuwait

$128.9 billion (2006)

Kyrgyzstan

$41.99 million (2005)

Latvia

$2.705 billion (2006)

Lebanon

$8.279 billion (2006)

Liberia

$NA

Libya

$NA

Liechtenstein

$NA

Lithuania

$10.19 billion (2006)

Luxembourg

$79.4 billion (2006)

Macau

$413.1 million (2004)

Macedonia

$646 million (2005)

Madagascar

$NA

Malawi

$NA

Malaysia

$235.4 billion (2006)

Maldives

$NA

Mali

$NA

Malta

$4.097 billion (2005)

Mauritania

$NA

Mauritius

$5.7 billion (2007)

Mayotte

$NA

Mexico

$348.3 billion (2006)

Micronesia, Federated States of

$NA

Moldova

$573.9 million (2004)

Monaco

$NA

Mongolia

$613.3 million (2007)

Montenegro

$NA

Morocco

$49.6 billion (2006)

Mozambique

$NA

Namibia

$541.8 million (2006)

Nepal

$963.5 million (2005)

Netherlands

$924.4 billion (November 2007)

Netherlands Antilles

$488.6 billion (2003)

New Caledonia

$NA

New Zealand

$40.62 billion (2005)

Nicaragua

$NA

Niger

$NA

Nigeria

$32.82 billion (2006)

Norway

$191 billion (2005)

Oman

$16.16 billion (2006)

Pakistan

$45.52 billion (2006)

Palau

$NA

Panama

$5.074 billion (2005)

Papua New Guinea

$4.863 billion (2005)

Paraguay

$233.8 million (2005)

Peru

$59.66 billion (2006)

Philippines

$103.4 billion (2007)

Poland

$149.1 billion (2006)

Portugal

$66.98 billion (2005)

Puerto Rico

$NA

Qatar

$61.56 billion (2006)

Romania

$45.42 billion (2007)

Russia

$1.322 trillion (2006)

Rwanda

$NA

Samoa

$NA

San Marino

$NA

Sao Tome and Principe

$NA

Saudi Arabia

$326.9 billion (2006)

Senegal

$NA

Serbia

$5.409 billion (2005)

Seychelles

$NA

Sierra Leone

$NA

Singapore

$382.4 billion (2007)

Slovakia

$5.574 billion (2006)

Slovenia

$15.18 billion (2006)

South Africa

$842 billion (January 2008)

Spain

$960 billion (2005)

Sri Lanka

$7.769 billion (2006)

Sudan

$NA

Suriname

$NA

Swaziland

$196.8 million (2005)

Sweden

$403.9 billion (2005)

Switzerland

$938.6 billion (2005)

Syria

$NA

Taiwan

$654 billion (28 December 2007)

Tajikistan

$NA

Tanzania

$587.9 million (2005)

Thailand

$139.6 billion (2006)

Timor-Leste

$NA

Togo

$NA

Tonga

$NA

Trinidad and Tobago

$15.57 billion (2006)

Tunisia

$4.446 billion (2006)

Turkey

$162.4 billion (2006)

Turkmenistan

$NA

Uganda

$103.4 million (2005)

Ukraine

$42.87 billion (2006)

United Arab Emirates

$138.5 billion (2006)

United Kingdom

$3.058 trillion (2005)

United States

$17 trillion (2005)

Uruguay

$224 million (2007)

Uzbekistan

$36.89 million (2005)

Vanuatu

$NA

Venezuela

$8.251 billion (2006)

Vietnam

$NA

West Bank

$4.461 billion (2005)

World

$53.51 trillion (2006)

Yemen

$NA

Zambia

$4.5 billion (2007)

Zimbabwe

$26.56 billion (2006)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2201 Total renewable water resources (cu km)

Afghanistan

65 cu km (1997)

Albania

41.7 cu km (2001)

Algeria

14.3 cu km (1997)

Angola

184 cu km (1987)

Antigua and Barbuda

0.1 cu km (2000)

Argentina

814 cu km (2000)

Armenia

10.5 cu km (1997)

Australia

398 cu km (1995)

Austria

84 cu km (2005)

Azerbaijan

30.3 cu km (1997)

Bahamas, The

NA

Bahrain

0.1 cu km (1997)

Bangladesh

1,210.6 cu km (1999)

Barbados

0.1 cu km (2003)

Belarus

58 cu km (1997)

Belgium

20.8 cu km (2005)

Belize

18.6 cu km (2000)

Benin

25.8 cu km (2001)

Bhutan

95 cu km (1987)

Bolivia

622.5 cu km (2000)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

37.5 cu km (2003)

Botswana

14.7 cu km (2001)

Brazil

8,233 cu km (2000)

Brunei

8.5 cu km (1999)

Bulgaria

19.4 cu km (2005)

Burkina Faso

17.5 cu km (2001)

Burma

1,045.6 cu km (1999)

Burundi

3.6 cu km (1987)

Cambodia

476.1 cu km (1999)

Cameroon

285.5 cu km (2003)

Canada

3,300 cu km (1985)

Cape Verde

0.3 cu km (1990)

Central African Republic

144.4 cu km (2003)

Chad

43 cu km (1987)

Chile

922 cu km (2000)

China

2,829.6 cu km (1999)

Colombia

2,132 cu km (2000)

Comoros

1.2 cu km (2003)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

1,283 cu km (2001)

Congo, Republic of the

832 cu km (1987)

Costa Rica

112.4 cu km (2000)

Cote d'Ivoire

81 cu km (2001)

Croatia

105.5 cu km (1998)

Cuba

38.1 cu km (2000)

Cyprus

0.4 cu km (2005)

Czech Republic

16 cu km (2005)

Denmark

6.1 cu km (2003)

Djibouti

0.3 cu km (1997)

Dominica

NA

Dominican Republic

21 cu km (2000)

Ecuador

432 cu km (2000)

Egypt

86.8 cu km (1997)

El Salvador

25.2 cu km (2001)

Equatorial Guinea

26 cu km (2001)

Eritrea

6.3 cu km (2001)

Estonia

21.1 cu km (2005)

Ethiopia

110 cu km (1987)

Fiji

28.6 cu km (1987)

Finland

110 cu km (2005)

France

189 cu km (2005)

Gabon

164 cu km (1987)

Gambia, The

8 cu km (1982)

Georgia

63.3 cu km (1997)

Germany

188 cu km (2005)

Ghana

53.2 cu km (2001)

Greece

72 cu km (2005)

Grenada

NA

Guatemala

111.3 cu km (2000)

Guinea

226 cu km (1987)

Guinea-Bissau

31 cu km (2003)

Guyana

241 cu km (2000)

Haiti

14 cu km (2000)

Honduras

95.9 cu km (2000)

Hungary

120 cu km (2005)

Iceland

170 cu km (2005)

India

1,907.8 cu km (1999)

Indonesia

2,838 cu km (1999)

Iran

137.5 cu km (1997)

Iraq

96.4 cu km (1997)

Ireland

46.8 cu km (2003)

Israel

1.7 cu km (2001)

Italy

175 cu km (2005)

Jamaica

9.4 cu km (2000)

Japan

430 cu km (1999)

Jordan

0.9 cu km (1997)

Kazakhstan

109.6 cu km (1997)

Kenya

30.2 cu km (1990)

Korea, North

77.1 cu km (1999)

Korea, South

69.7 cu km (1999)

Kuwait

0.02 cu km (1997)

Kyrgyzstan

46.5 cu km (1997)

Laos

333.6 cu km (2003)

Latvia

49.9 cu km (2005)

Lebanon

4.8 cu km (1997)

Lesotho

5.2 cu km (1987)

Liberia

232 cu km (1987)

Libya

0.6 cu km (1997)

Lithuania

24.5 cu km (2005)

Luxembourg

1.6 cu km (2005)

Macedonia

6.4 cu km (2001)

Madagascar

337 cu km (1984)

Malawi

17.3 cu km (2001)

Malaysia

580 cu km (1999)

Maldives

0.03 cu km (1999)

Mali

100 cu km (2001)

Malta

0.07 cu km (2005)

Mauritania

11.4 cu km (1997)

Mauritius

2.2 cu km (2001)

Mexico

457.2 cu km (2000)

Moldova

11.7 cu km (1997)

Mongolia

34.8 cu km (1999)

Morocco

29 cu km (2003)

Mozambique

216 cu km (1992)

Namibia

45.5 cu km (1991)

Nepal

210.2 cu km (1999)

Netherlands

89.7 cu km (2005)

New Zealand

397 cu km (1995)

Nicaragua

196.7 cu km (2000)

Niger

33.7 cu km (2003)

Nigeria

286.2 cu km (2003)

Norway

381.4 cu km (2005)

Oman

1 cu km (1997)

Pakistan

233.8 cu km (2003)

Panama

148 cu km (2000)

Papua New Guinea

801 cu km (1987)

Paraguay

336 cu km (2000)

Peru

1,913 cu km (2000)

Philippines

479 cu km (1999)

Poland

63.1 cu km (2005)

Portugal

73.6 cu km (2005)

Qatar

0.1 cu km (1997)

Romania

42.3 cu km (2003)

Russia

4,498 cu km (1997)

Rwanda

5.2 cu km (2003)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

0.02 cu km (2000)

Saudi Arabia

2.4 cu km (1997)

Senegal

39.4 cu km (1987)

Serbia

208.5 cu km (note - includes Kosovo) (2003)

Sierra Leone

160 cu km (1987)

Singapore

0.6 cu km (1975)

Slovakia

50.1 cu km (2003)

Slovenia

32.1 cu km (2005)

Solomon Islands

44.7 cu km (1987)

Somalia

15.7 cu km (1997)

South Africa

50 cu km (1990)

Spain

111.1 cu km (2005)

Sri Lanka

50 cu km (1999)

Sudan

154 cu km (1997)

Suriname

122 cu km (2003)

Swaziland

4.5 cu km (1987)

Sweden

179 cu km (2005)

Switzerland

53.3 cu km (2005)

Syria

46.1 cu km (1997)

Taiwan

67 cu km (2000)

Tajikistan

99.7 cu km (1997)

Tanzania

91 cu km (2001)

Thailand

409.9 cu km (1999)

Togo

14.7 cu km (2001)

Trinidad and Tobago

3.8 cu km (2000)

Tunisia

4.6 cu km (2003)

Turkey

234 cu km (2003)

Turkmenistan

60.9 cu km (1997)

Uganda

66 cu km (1970)

Ukraine

139.5 cu km (1997)

United Arab Emirates

0.2 cu km (1997)

United Kingdom

160.6 cu km (2005)

United States

3,069 cu km (1985)

Uruguay

139 cu km (2000)

Uzbekistan

72.2 cu km (2003)

Venezuela

1,233.2 cu km (2000)

Vietnam

891.2 cu km (1999)

Yemen

4.1 cu km (1997)

Zambia

105.2 cu km (2001)

Zimbabwe

20 cu km (1987)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2202 Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) ()

Afghanistan

total: 23.26 cu km/yr (2%/0%/98%)

per capita: 779 cu m/yr (2000)

Albania

total: 1.71 cu km/yr (27%/11%/62%)

per capita: 546 cu m/yr (2000)

Algeria

total: 6.07 cu km/yr (22%/13%/65%)

per capita: 185 cu m/yr (2000)

Angola

total: 0.35 cu km/yr (23%/17%/60%)

per capita: 22 cu m/yr (2000)

Antigua and Barbuda

total: 0.005 cu km/yr (60%/20%/20%)

per capita: 63 cu m/yr (1990)

Argentina

total: 29.19 cu km/yr (17%/9%/74%)

per capita: 753 cu m/yr (2000)

Armenia

total: 2.95 cu km/yr (30%/4%/66%)

per capita: 977 cu m/yr (2000)

Australia

total: 24.06 cu km/yr (15%/10%/75%)

per capita: 1,193 cu m/yr (2000)

Austria

total: 3.67 cu km/yr (35%/64%/1%)

per capita: 448 cu m/yr (1999)

Azerbaijan

total: 17.25 cu km/yr (5%/28%/68%)

per capita: 2,051 cu m/yr (2000)

Bahrain

total: 0.3 cu km/yr (40%/3%/57%)

per capita: 411 cu m/yr (2000)

Bangladesh

total: 79.4 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%)

per capita: 560 cu m/yr (2000)

Barbados

total: 0.09 cu km/yr (33%/44%/22%)

per capita: 333 cu m/yr (2000)

Belarus

total: 2.79 cu km/yr (23%/47%/30%)

per capita: 286 cu m/yr (2000)

Belgium

total: 7.44 cu km/yr (13%/85%/1%)

per capita: 714 cu m/yr (1998)

Belize

total: 0.15 cu km/yr (7%/73%/20%)

per capita: 556 cu m/yr (2000)

Benin

total: 0.13 cu km/yr (32%/23%/45%)

per capita: 15 cu m/yr (2001)

Bhutan

total: 0.43 cu km/yr (5%/1%/94%)

per capita: 199 cu m/yr (2000)

Bolivia

total: 1.44 cu km/yr (13%/7%/81%)

per capita: 157 cu m/yr (2000)

Botswana

total: 0.19 cu km/yr (41%/18%/41%)

per capita: 107 cu m/yr (2000)

Brazil

total: 59.3 cu km/yr (20%/18%/62%)

per capita: 318 cu m/yr (2000)

Brunei

total: 0.09

per capita: 243 cu m/yr (1994)

Bulgaria

total: 6.92 cu km/yr (3%/78%/19%)

per capita: 895 cu m/yr (2003)

Burkina Faso

total: 0.8 cu km/yr (13%/1%/86%)

per capita: 60 cu m/yr (2000)

Burma

total: 33.23 cu km/yr (1%/1%/98%)

per capita: 658 cu m/yr (2000)

Burundi

total: 0.29 cu km/yr (17%/6%/77%)

per capita: 38 cu m/yr (2000)

Cambodia

total: 4.08 cu km/yr (1%/0%/98%)

per capita: 290 cu m/yr (2000)

Cameroon

total: 0.99 cu km/yr (18%/8%/74%)

per capita: 61 cu m/yr (2000)

Canada

total: 44.72 cu km/yr (20%/69%/12%)

per capita: 1,386 cu m/yr (1996)

Cape Verde

total: 0.02 cu km/yr (7%/2%/91%)

per capita: 39 cu m/yr (2000)

Central African Republic

total: 0.03 cu km/yr (80%/16%/4%)

per capita: 7 cu m/yr (2000)

Chad

total: 0.23 cu km/yr (17%/0%/83%)

per capita: 24 cu m/yr (2000)

Chile

total: 12.55 cu km/yr (11%/25%/64%)

per capita: 770 cu m/yr (2000)

China

total: 549.76 cu km/yr (7%/26%/68%)

per capita: 415 cu m/yr (2000)

Colombia

total: 10.71 cu km/yr (50%/4%/46%)

per capita: 235 cu m/yr (2000)

Comoros

total: 0.01 cu km/yr (48%/5%/47%)

per capita: 13 cu m/yr (1999)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

total: 0.36 cu km/yr (53%/17%/31%)

per capita: 6 cu m/yr (2000)

Congo, Republic of the

total: 0.03 cu km/yr (59%/29%/12%)

per capita: 8 cu m/yr (2000)

Costa Rica

total: 2.68 cu km/yr (29%/17%/53%)

per capita: 619 cu m/yr (2000)

Cote d'Ivoire

total: 0.93 cu km/yr (24%/12%/65%)

per capita: 51 cu m/yr (2000)

Cuba

total: 8.2 cu km/yr (19%/12%/69%)

per capita: 728 cu m/yr (2000)

Cyprus

total: 0.21 cu km/yr (27%/1%/71%)

per capita: 250 cu m/yr (2000)

Czech Republic

total: 1.91 cu km/yr (41%/57%/2%)

per capita: 187 cu m/yr (2002)

Denmark

total: 0.67 cu km/yr (32%/26%/42%)

per capita: 123 cu m/yr (2002)

Djibouti

total: 0.02 cu km/yr (84%/0%/16%)

per capita: 25 cu m/yr (2000)

Dominica

total: 0.02 cu km/yr

per capita: 213 cu m/yr (1996)

Dominican Republic

total: 3.39 cu km/yr (32%/2%/66%)

per capita: 381 cu m/yr (2000)

Ecuador

total: 16.98 cu km/yr (12%/5%/82%)

per capita: 1,283 cu m/yr (2000)

Egypt

total: 68.3 cu km/yr (8%/6%/86%)

per capita: 923 cu m/yr (2000)

El Salvador

total: 1.28 cu km/yr (25%/16%/59%)

per capita: 186 cu m/yr (2000)

Equatorial Guinea

total: 0.11 cu km/yr (83%/16%/1%)

per capita: 220 cu m/yr (2000)

Eritrea

total: 0.3 cu km/yr (3%/0%/97%)

per capita: 68 cu m/yr (2000)

Estonia

total: 1.41 cu km/yr (56%/39%/5%)

per capita: 1,060 cu m/yr (2002)

Ethiopia

total: 5.56 cu km/yr (6%/0%/94%)

per capita: 72 cu m/yr (2002)

Fiji

total: 0.07 cu km/yr (14%/14%/71%)

per capita: 82 cu m/yr (2000)

Finland

total: 2.33 cu km/yr (14%/84%/3%)

per capita: 444 cu m/yr (1999)

France

total: 33.16 cu km/yr (16%/74%/10%)

per capita: 548 cu m/yr (2000)

Gabon

total: 0.12 cu km/yr (50%/8%/42%)

per capita: 87 cu m/yr (2000)

Gambia, The

total: 0.03 cu km/yr (23%/12%/65%)

per capita: 20 cu m/yr (2000)

Georgia

total: 3.61 cu km/yr (20%/21%/59%)

per capita: 808 cu m/yr (2000)

Germany

total: 38.01 cu km/yr (12%/68%/20%)

per capita: 460 cu m/yr (2001)

Ghana

total: 0.98 cu km/yr (24%/10%/66%)

per capita: 44 cu m/yr (2000)

Greece

total: 8.7 cu km/yr (16%/3%/81%)

per capita: 782 cu m/yr (1997)

Guatemala

total: 2.01 cu km/yr (6%/13%/80%)

per capita: 160 cu m/yr (2000)

Guinea

total: 1.51 cu km/yr (8%/2%/90%)

per capita: 161 cu m/yr (2000)

Guinea-Bissau

total: 0.18 cu km/yr (13%/5%/82%)

per capita: 113 cu m/yr (2000)

Guyana

total: 1.64 cu km/yr (2%/1%/98%)

per capita: 2,187 cu m/yr (2000)

Haiti

total: 0.99 cu km/yr (5%/1%/94%)

per capita: 116 cu m/yr (2000)

Honduras

total: 0.86 cu km/yr (8%/12%/80%)

per capita: 119 cu m/yr (2000)

Hungary

total: 21.03 cu km/yr (9%/59%/32%)

per capita: 2,082 cu m/yr (2001)

Iceland

total: 0.17 cu km/yr (34%/66%/0%)

per capita: 567 cu m/yr (2003)

India

total: 645.84 cu km/yr (8%/5%/86%)

per capita: 585 cu m/yr (2000)

Indonesia

total: 82.78 cu km/yr (8%/1%/91%)

per capita: 372 cu m/yr (2000)

Iran

total: 72.88 cu km/yr (7%/2%/91%)

per capita: 1,048 cu m/yr (2000)

Iraq

total: 42.7 cu km/yr (3%/5%/92%)

per capita: 1,482 cu m/yr (2000)

Ireland

total: 1.18 cu km/yr (23%/77%/0%)

per capita: 284 cu m/yr (1994)

Israel

total: 2.05 cu km/yr (31%/7%/62%)

per capita: 305 cu m/yr (2000)

Italy

total: 41.98 cu km/yr (18%/37%/45%)

per capita: 723 cu m/yr (1998)

Jamaica

total: 0.41 cu km/yr (34%/17%/49%)

per capita: 155 cu m/yr (2000)

Japan

total: 88.43 cu km/yr (20%/18%/62%)

per capita: 690 cu m/yr (2000)

Jordan

total: 1.01 cu km/yr (21%/4%/75%)

per capita: 177 cu m/yr (2000)

Kazakhstan

total: 35 cu km/yr (2%/17%/82%)

per capita: 2,360 cu m/yr (2000)

Kenya

total: 1.58 cu km/yr (30%/6%/64%)

per capita: 46 cu m/yr (2000)

Korea, North

total: 9.02 cu km/yr (20%/25%/55%)

per capita: 401 cu m/yr (2000)

Korea, South

total: 18.59 cu km/yr (36%/16%/48%)

per capita: 389 cu m/yr (2000)

Kuwait

total: 0.44 cu km/yr (45%/2%/52%)

per capita: 164 cu m/yr (2000)

Kyrgyzstan

total: 10.08 cu km/yr (3%/3%/94%)

per capita: 1,916 cu m/yr (2000)

Laos

total: 3 cu km/yr (4%/6%/90%)

per capita: 507 cu m/yr (2000)

Latvia

total: 0.25 cu km/yr (55%/33%/12%)

per capita: 108 cu m/yr (2003)

Lebanon

total: 1.38 cu km/yr (33%/1%/67%)

per capita: 385 cu m/yr (2000)

Lesotho

total: 0.05 cu km/yr (40%/40%/20%)

per capita: 28 cu m/yr (2000)

Liberia

total: 0.11 cu km/yr (27%/18%/55%)

per capita: 34 cu m/yr (2000)

Libya

total: 4.27 cu km/yr (14%/3%/83%)

per capita: 730 cu m/yr (2000)

Lithuania

total: 3.33 cu km/yr (78%/15%/7%)

per capita: 971 cu m/yr (2003)

Luxembourg

total: 0.06 cu km/yr (42%/45%/13%)

per capita: 121 cu m/yr (1999)

Macedonia

total: 2.27

per capita: 1,118 cu m/yr (2000)

Madagascar

total: 14.96 cu km/yr (3%/2%/96%)

per capita: 804 cu m/yr (2000)

Malawi

total: 1.01 cu km/yr (15%/5%/80%)

per capita: 78 cu m/yr (2000)

Malaysia

total: 9.02 cu km/yr (17%/21%/62%)

per capita: 356 cu m/yr (2000)

Maldives

total: 0.003 cu km/yr (98%/2%/0%)

per capita: 9 cu m/yr (1987)

Mali

total: 6.55 cu km/yr (9%/1%/90%)

per capita: 484 cu m/yr (2000)

Malta

total: 0.02 cu km/yr (74%/1%/25%)

per capita: 50 cu m/yr (2000)

Mauritania

total: 1.7 cu km/yr (9%/3%/88%)

per capita: 554 cu m/yr (2000)

Mauritius

total: 0.61 cu km/yr (25%/14%/60%)

per capita: 488 cu m/yr (2000)

Mexico

total: 78.22 cu km/yr (17%/5%/77%)

per capita: 731 cu m/yr (2000)

Moldova

total: 2.31 cu km/yr (10%/58%/33%)

per capita: 549 cu m/yr (2000)

Mongolia

total: 0.44 cu km/yr (20%/27%/52%)

per capita: 166 cu m/yr (2000)

Morocco

total: 12.6 cu km/yr (10%/3%/87%)

per capita: 400 cu m/yr (2000)

Mozambique

total: 0.63 cu km/yr (11%/2%/87%)

per capita: 32 cu m/yr (2000)

Namibia

total: 0.3 cu km/yr (24%/5%/71%)

per capita: 148 cu m/yr (2000)

Nepal

total: 10.18 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%)

per capita: 375 cu m/yr (2000)

Netherlands

total: 8.86 cu km/yr (6%/60%/34%)

per capita: 544 cu m/yr (2001)

New Zealand

total: 2.11 cu km/yr (48%/9%/42%)

per capita: 524 cu m/yr (2000)

Nicaragua

total: 1.3 cu km/yr (15%/2%/83%)

per capita: 237 cu m/yr (2000)

Niger

total: 2.18 cu km/yr (4%/0%/95%)

per capita: 156 cu m/yr (2000)

Nigeria

total: 8.01 cu km/yr (21%/10%/69%)

per capita: 61 cu m/yr (2000)

Norway

total: 2.4 cu km/yr (23%/67%/10%)

per capita: 519 cu m/yr (1996)

Oman

total: 1.36 cu km/yr (7%/2%/90%)

per capita: 529 cu m/yr (2000)

Pakistan

total: 169.39 cu km/yr (2%/2%/96%)

per capita: 1,072 cu m/yr (2000)

Panama

total: 0.82 cu km/yr (67%/5%/28%)

per capita: 254 cu m/yr (2000)

Papua New Guinea

total: 0.1 cu km/yr (56%/43%/1%)

per capita: 17 cu m/yr (1987)

Paraguay

total: 0.49 cu km/yr (20%/8%/71%)

per capita: 80 cu m/yr (2000)

Peru

total: 20.13 cu km/yr (8%/10%/82%)

per capita: 720 cu m/yr (2000)

Philippines

total: 28.52 cu km/yr (17%/9%/74%)

per capita: 343 cu m/yr (2000)

Poland

total: 11.73 cu km/yr (13%/79%/8%)

per capita: 304 cu m/yr (2002)

Portugal

total: 11.09 cu km/yr (10%/12%/78%)

per capita: 1,056 cu m/yr (1998)

Qatar

total: 0.29 cu km/yr (24%/3%/72%)

per capita: 358 cu m/yr (2000)

Romania

total: 6.5 cu km/yr (9%/34%/57%)

per capita: 299 cu m/yr (2003)

Russia

total: 76.68 cu km/yr (19%/63%/18%)

per capita: 535 cu m/yr (2000)

Rwanda

total: 0.15 cu km/yr (24%/8%/68%)

per capita: 17 cu m/yr (2000)

Saint Lucia

total: 0.01

per capita: 81 cu m/yr (1997)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

total: 0.01

per capita: 83 cu m/yr (1995)

Saudi Arabia

total: 17.32 cu km/yr (10%/1%/89%)

per capita: 705 cu m/yr (2000)

Senegal

total: 2.22 cu km/yr (4%/3%/93%)

per capita: 190 cu m/yr (2002)

Sierra Leone

total: 0.38 cu km/yr (5%/3%/92%)

per capita: 69 cu m/yr (2000)

Singapore

total: 0.19 cu km/yr (45%/51%/4%)

per capita: 44 cu m/yr (1975)

Slovakia

total: 1.04

per capita: 193 cu m/yr (2003)

Slovenia

total: 0.9

per capita: 457 cu m/yr (2002)

Somalia

total: 3.29 cu km/yr (0%/0%/100%)

per capita: 400 cu m/yr (2000)

South Africa

total: 12.5 cu km/yr (31%/6%/63%)

per capita: 264 cu m/yr (2000)

Spain

total: 37.22 cu km/yr (13%/19%/68%)

per capita: 864 cu m/yr (2002)

Sri Lanka

total: 12.61 cu km/yr (2%/2%/95%)

per capita: 608 cu m/yr (2000)

Sudan

total: 37.32 cu km/yr (3%/1%/97%)

per capita: 1,030 cu m/yr (2000)

Suriname

total: 0.67 cu km/yr (4%/3%/93%)

per capita: 1,489 cu m/yr (2000)

Swaziland

total: 1.04 cu km/yr (2%/1%/97%)

per capita: 1,010 cu m/yr (2000)

Sweden

total: 2.68 cu km/yr (37%/54%/9%)

per capita: 296 cu m/yr (2002)

Switzerland

total: 2.52 cu km/yr (24%/74%/2%)

per capita: 348 cu m/yr (2002)

Syria

total: 19.95 cu km/yr (3%/2%/95%)

per capita: 1,048 cu m/yr (2000)

Tajikistan

total: 11.96 cu km/yr (4%/5%/92%)

per capita: 1,837 cu m/yr (2000)

Tanzania

total: 5.18 cu km/yr (10%/0%/89%)

per capita: 135 cu m/yr (2000)

Thailand

total: 82.75 cu km/yr (2%/2%/95%)

per capita: 1,288 cu m/yr (2000)

Togo

total: 0.17 cu km/yr (53%/2%/45%)

per capita: 28 cu m/yr (2000)

Trinidad and Tobago

total: 0.31 cu km/yr (68%/26%/6%)

per capita: 237 cu m/yr (2000)

Tunisia

total: 2.64 cu km/yr (14%/4%/82%)

per capita: 261 cu m/yr (2000)

Turkey

total: 39.78 cu km/yr (15%/11%/74%)

per capita: 544 cu m/yr (2001)

Turkmenistan

total: 24.65 cu km/yr (2%/1%/98%)

per capita: 5,104 cu m/yr (2000)

Uganda

total: 0.3 cu km/yr (43%/17%/40%)

per capita: 10 cu m/yr (2002)

Ukraine

total: 37.53 cu km/yr (12%/35%/52%)

per capita: 807 cu m/yr (2000)

United Arab Emirates

total: 2.3 cu km/yr (23%/9%/68%)

per capita: 511 cu m/yr (2000)

United Kingdom

total: 11.75 cu km/yr (22%/75%/3%)

per capita: 197 cu m/yr (1994)

United States

total: 477 cu km/yr (13%/46%/41%)

per capita: 1,600 cu m/yr (2000)

Uruguay

total: 3.15 cu km/yr (2%/1%/96%)

per capita: 910 cu m/yr (2000)

Uzbekistan

total: 58.34 cu km/yr (5%/2%/93%)

per capita: 2,194 cu m/yr (2000)

Venezuela

total: 8.37 cu km/yr (6%/7%/47%)

per capita: 313 cu m/yr (2000)

Vietnam

total: 71.39 cu km/yr (8%/24%/68%)

per capita: 847 cu m/yr (2000)

Yemen

total: 6.63 cu km/yr (4%/1%/95%)

per capita: 316 cu m/yr (2000)

Zambia

total: 1.74 cu km/yr (17%/7%/76%)

per capita: 149 cu m/yr (2000)

Zimbabwe

total: 4.21 cu km/yr (14%/7%/79%)

per capita: 324 cu m/yr (2002)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2203 Geographic overview

World

The surface of the earth is approximately 70.9% water and

29.1% land. The former portion is divided into large water bodies

termed oceans. The World Factbook recognizes and describes five

oceans, which are in decreasing order of size: the Pacific Ocean,

Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean.

The land portion is generally divided into several, large, discrete

landmasses termed continents. Depending on the convention used, the

number of continents can vary from five to seven. The most common

classification recognizes seven, which are (from largest to

smallest): Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica,

Europe, and Australia. Asia and Europe are sometimes lumped together

into a Eurasian continent resulting in six continents.

Alternatively, North and South America are sometimes grouped as

simply the Americas, resulting in a continent total of six (or five,

if the Eurasia designation is used).

North America is commonly understood to include the island of

Greenland, the isles of the Caribbean, and to extend south all the

way to the Isthmus of Panama. The easternmost extent of Europe is

generally defined as being the Ural Mountains and the Ural River; on

the southeast the Caspian Sea; and on the south the Caucasus

Mountains, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean. Africa's northeast

extremity is frequently delimited at the Isthmus of Suez, but for

geopolitical purposes, the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula is often

included as part of Africa. Asia usually incorporates all the

islands of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The islands of

the Pacific are often lumped with Australia into a "land mass"

termed Oceania or Australasia.

Although the above groupings are the most common, different

continental dispositions are recognized or taught in certain parts

of the world, with some arrangements more heavily based on cultural

spheres rather than physical geographic considerations.

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2204 Economy of the area administered by Turkish Cypriots

Cyprus

Economy - overview: The Turkish Cypriot economy has roughly

30% of the per capita GDP of the south, and economic growth tends to

be volatile, given the north's relative isolation, bloated public

sector, reliance on the Turkish lira, and small market size.

Agriculture and services, together, employ more than half of the

work force. The Turkish Cypriot economy grew around 10.6% in 2006,

fueled by growth in the construction and education sectors, as well

as increased employment of Turkish Cypriots in the area under

government control. GDP declined about 2.0% in 2007. The Turkish

Cypriots are heavily dependent on transfers from the Turkish

Government. Ankara directly finances around one-third of the

"TRNC's" budget. Aid from Turkey has exceeded $400 million annually

in recent years.

GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.865 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: -2% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita: $11,800 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 8.6%, industry: 22.5%,

services: 69.1% (2006 est.)

Labor force: 95,030 (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 14.5%, industry: 29%,

services: 56.5% (2004)

Unemployment rate: 9.4% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line: %NA

Inflation rate: 11.4% (2006)

Budget: revenues: $2.5 billion, expenditures: $2.5 billion (2006)

Agriculture - products: citrus fruit, dairy, potatoes, grapes,

olives, poultry, lamb

Industries: foodstuffs, textiles, clothing, ship repair, clay,

gypsum, copper, furniture

Industrial production growth rate: -0.3% (2007 est.)

Electricity production: 998.9 million kWh (2005)

Electricity consumption: 797.9 million kWh (2005)

Exports: $68.1 million, f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Export - commodities: citrus, dairy, potatoes, textiles

Export - partners: Turkey 40%; direct trade between the area

administered by Turkish Cypriots and the area under government

control remains limited

Imports: $1.2 billion, f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Import - commodities: vehicles, fuel, cigarettes, food, minerals,

chemicals, machinery

Import - partners: Turkey 60%; direct trade between the area

administered by Turkish Cypriots and the area under government

control remains limited

Economic aid - recipient: under a July 2006 agreement, Turkey plans

to provide the area administered by Turkish Cypriots 1.875 billion

YTL ($1.3 billion) over three years (600 million YTL in 2006, 625

million YTL in 2007 and 650 million YTL in 2008); Turkey has

forgiven most past aid; additionally, the EU pledged financial

assistance of Euro 259 million ($388 million) in 2004, which is yet

to be disbursed.

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $NA

Debt - external: $NA

Currency (code): Turkish new lira (YTL)

Exchange rates: Turkish new lira per US dollar: 1.319 (2007) 1.4286

(2006) 1.3436 (2005) 1.4255 (2004) 1.5009 (2003)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2205 School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) (years)

Afghanistan

total: 8 years

male: 11 years

female: 4 years (2004)

Albania

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 11 years (2004)

Algeria

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 13 years (2005)

Andorra

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 11 years (2006)

Anguilla

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 11 years (2006)

Argentina

total: 15 years

male: 14 years

female: 16 years (2005)

Armenia

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 12 years (2006)

Aruba

total: 14 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Australia

total: 20 years

male: 20 years

female: 21 years (2006)

Austria

total: 15 years

male: 15 years

female: 16 years (2006)

Azerbaijan

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 11 years (2006)

Bahrain

total: 15 years

male: 14 years

female: 16 years (2006)

Bangladesh

total: 8 years

male: 8 years

female: 8 years (2004)

Barbados

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2001)

Belarus

total: 15 years

male: 14 years

female: 15 years (2006)

Belgium

total: 16 years

male: 16 years

female: 16 years (2006)

Belize

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 13 years (2004)

Benin

total: 7 years

male: 9 years

female: 6 years (2001)

Bermuda

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2005)

Bhutan

total: 10 years

male: 11 years

female: 10 years (2006)

Botswana

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 12 years (2005)

Brazil

total: 14 years

male: 14 years

female: 15 years (2005)

British Virgin Islands

total: 17 years

male: 15 years

female: 19 years (2005)

Brunei

total: 14 years

male: 14 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Bulgaria

total: 14 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Burkina Faso

total: 5 years

male: 5 years

female: 4 years (2006)

Burma

total: 8 years

male: 8 years

female: 8 years (2001)

Burundi

total: 7 years

male: 8 years

female: 7 years (2006)

Cambodia

total: 10 years

male: 10 years

female: 9 years (2006)

Cameroon

total: 9 years

male: 10 years

female: 8 years (2006)

Canada

total: 17 years

male: 17 years

female: 17 years (2004)

Cape Verde

total: 12 years

male: 11 years

female: 12 years (2006)

Cayman Islands

total: 13 years

male: 12 years

female: 13 years (2001)

Chad

total: 6 years

male: 7 years

female: 4 years (2005)

Chile

total: 14 years

male: 14 years

female: 14 years (2006)

China

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 11 years (2006)

Colombia

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 13 years (2006)

Comoros

total: 8 years

male: 9 years

female: 7 years (2004)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

total: 9 years

male: 10 years

female: 8 years (2003)

Congo, Republic of the

total: 9 years

male: 10 years

female: 8 years (2003)

Cook Islands

total: 10 years

male: 10 years

female: 10 years (2005)

Costa Rica

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 12 years (2005)

Croatia

total: 14 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Cuba

total: 16 years

male: 15 years

female: 17 years (2006)

Cyprus

total: 14 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Czech Republic

total: 15 years

male: 15 years

female: 15 years (2006)

Denmark

total: 17 years

male: 16 years

female: 17 years (2006)

Djibouti

total: 4 years

male: 5 years

female: 4 years (2006)

Dominica

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2005)

Dominican Republic

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 13 years (2004)

El Salvador

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 12 years (2006)

Equatorial Guinea

total: 10 years

male: 10 years

female: 9 years (2000)

Eritrea

total: 5 years

male: 6 years

female: 4 years (2004)

Estonia

total: 16 years

male: 15 years

female: 17 years (2006)

Ethiopia

total: 8 years

male: 8 years

female: 7 years (2007)

Fiji

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 13 years (2005)

Finland

total: 17 years

male: 17 years

female: 18 years (2006)

France

total: 16 years

male: 16 years

female: 17 years (2006)

Gambia, The

total: 7 years

male: 7 years

female: 7 years (2004)

Gaza Strip

total: 14 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Georgia

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 13 years (2006)

Germany

total: 16 years

male: 16 years

female: 16 years (2006)

Ghana

total: 9 years

male: 10 years

female: 9 years (2007)

Greece

total: 17 years

male: 17 years

female: 17 years (2006)

Grenada

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 12 years (2005)

Guatemala

total: 10 years

male: 11 years

female: 10 years (2006)

Guinea

total: 8 years

male: 10 years

female: 7 years (2006)

Guinea-Bissau

total: 5 years

male: 7 years

female: 4 years (2001)

Guyana

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2005)

Honduras

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 12 years (2004)

Hong Kong

total: 14 years

male: 14 years

female: 13 years (2006)

Hungary

total: 15 years

male: 15 years

female: 16 years (2006)

Iceland

total: 18 years

male: 17 years

female: 19 years (2006)

India

total: 10 years

male: 11 years

female: 9 years (2005)

Indonesia

total: 11 years

male: 12 years

female: 11 years (2005)

Iran

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 13 years (2005)

Iraq

total: 10 years

male: 11 years

female: 8 years (2005)

Ireland

total: 18 years

male: 17 years

female: 18 years (2006)

Israel

total: 15 years

male: 15 years

female: 16 years (2006)

Italy

total: 16 years

male: 16 years

female: 17 years (2006)

Jamaica

total: 12 years

male: 11 years

female: 12 years (2003)

Japan

total: 15 years

male: 15 years

female: 15 years (2006)

Jordan

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 13 years (2006)

Kazakhstan

total: 15 years

male: 15 years

female: 16 years (2007)

Kenya

total: 10 years

male: 10 years

female: 9 years (2004)

Kiribati

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 13 years (2005)

Korea, South

total: 17 years

male: 18 years

female: 15 years (2007)

Kuwait

total: 13 years

male: 12 years

female: 13 years (2006)

Kyrgyzstan

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 13 years (2006)

Laos

total: 9 years

male: 10 years

female: 8 years (2006)

Latvia

total: 16 years

male: 14 years

female: 17 years (2006)

Lebanon

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 13 years (2006)

Lesotho

total: 10 years

male: 10 years

female: 10 years (2006)

Liberia

total: 10 years

male: 11 years

female: 8 years (2000)

Libya

total: 17 years

male: 16 years

female: 17 years (2003)

Liechtenstein

total: 15 years

male: 16 years

female: 13 years (2004)

Lithuania

total: 16 years

male: 15 years

female: 17 years (2006)

Luxembourg

total: 14 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Macau

total: 15 years

male: 16 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Macedonia

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 12 years (2005)

Madagascar

total: 9 years

male: 10 years

female: 9 years (2006)

Malawi

total: 9 years

male: 10 years

female: 9 years (2004)

Malaysia

total: 13 years

male: 12 years

female: 13 years (2005)

Maldives

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 12 years (2006)

Mali

total: 7 years

male: 8 years

female: 5 years (2005)

Malta

total: 15 years

male: 15 years

female: 15 years (2005)

Marshall Islands

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 13 years (2003)

Mauritania

total: 8 years

male: 8 years

female: 8 years (2006)

Mauritius

total: 14 years

male: 14 years

female: 13 years (2005)

Mexico

total: 13 years

male: 14 years

female: 13 years (2006)

Moldova

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 13 years (2006)

Mongolia

total: 13 years

male: 12 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Montserrat

total: 16 years

male: 15 years

female: 16 years (2006)

Morocco

total: 10 years

male: 11 years

female: 9 years (2005)

Mozambique

total: 8 years

male: 9 years

female: 7 years (2005)

Namibia

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 11 years (2006)

Nauru

total: 8 years

male: 8 years

female: 9 years (2006)

Nepal

total: 9 years

male: 10 years

female: 8 years (2003)

Netherlands

total: 16 years

male: 17 years

female: 16 years (2006)

Netherlands Antilles

total: 14 years

male: 14 years

female: 15 years (2002)

New Zealand

total: 19 years

male: 19 years

female: 20 years (2006)

Nicaragua

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 11 years (2003)

Niger

total: 4 years

male: 5 years

female: 3 years (2006)

Nigeria

total: 8 years

male: 9 years

female: 7 years (2004)

Niue

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 12 years (2005)

Norway

total: 17 years

male: 17 years

female: 18 years (2006)

Oman

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 11 years (2006)

Pakistan

total: 7 years

male: 7 years

female: 6 years (2006)

Palau

total: 15 years

male: 14 years

female: 15 years (2000)

Panama

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Paraguay

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 12 years (2005)

Peru

total: 14 years

male: 14 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Philippines

total: 12 years

male: 11 years

female: 12 years (2006)

Poland

total: 15 years

male: 15 years

female: 16 years (2006)

Portugal

total: 15 years

male: 15 years

female: 16 years (2006)

Qatar

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Romania

total: 14 years

male: 14 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Russia

total: 14 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Rwanda

total: 9 years

male: 8 years

female: 9 years (2005)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 13 years (2005)

Saint Lucia

total: 14 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 12 years (2005)

Samoa

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 12 years (2001)

Sao Tome and Principe

total: 10 years

male: 10 years

female: 10 years (2006)

Seychelles

total: 15 years

male: 14 years

female: 15 years (2007)

Sierra Leone

total: 7 years

male: 8 years

female: 6 years (2001)

Slovakia

total: 15 years

male: 14 years

female: 15 years (2006)

Slovenia

total: 17 years

male: 16 years

female: 17 years (2006)

Solomon Islands

total: 8 years

male: 9 years

female: 8 years (2005)

South Africa

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 13 years (2004)

Spain

total: 16 years

male: 16 years

female: 17 years (2006)

Suriname

total: 12 years

male: 11 years

female: 13 years (2002)

Swaziland

total: 10 years

male: 10 years

female: 10 years (2005)

Sweden

total: 16 years

male: 15 years

female: 17 years (2006)

Switzerland

total: 15 years

male: 15 years

female: 15 years (2006)

Tajikistan

total: 11 years

male: 12 years

female: 10 years (2006)

Thailand

total: 14 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Togo

total: 9 years

male: 11 years

female: 7 years (2000)

Tokelau

total: 11 years

male: 10 years

female: 11 years (2004)

Tonga

total: 13 years

male: 13 years

female: 13 years (2004)

Trinidad and Tobago

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 11 years (2005)

Tunisia

total: 14 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Turkey

total: 11 years

male: 12 years

female: 11 years (2006)

Turks and Caicos Islands

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 12 years (2005)

Tuvalu

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 11 years (2001)

Uganda

total: 10 years

male: 11 years

female: 10 years (2004)

Ukraine

total: 14 years

male: 14 years

female: 15 years (2006)

United Arab Emirates

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 12 years (2003)

United Kingdom

total: 16 years

male: 16 years

female: 17 years (2006)

United States

total: 16 years

male: 15 years

female: 16 years (2006)

Uruguay

total: 15 years

male: 14 years

female: 16 years (2006)

Uzbekistan

total: 11 years

male: 12 years

female: 11 years (2007)

Vanuatu

total: 10 years

male: 11 years

female: 10 years (2004)

Venezuela

total: 12 years

male: 11 years

female: 12 years (2003)

Vietnam

total: 10 years

male: 11 years

female: 10 years (2000)

West Bank

total: 14 years

male: 13 years

female: 14 years (2006)

Yemen

total: 9 years

male: 11 years

female: 7 years (2005)

Zambia

total: 7 years

male: 7 years

female: 7 years (2000)

Zimbabwe

total: 9 years

male: 9 years

female: 9 years (2003)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2206 Education expenditures (% of GDP)

Afghanistan

NA

Albania

2.9% of GDP (2002)

Algeria

5.1% of GDP (1999)

American Samoa

NA

Andorra

2.3% of GDP (2006)

Angola

2.4% of GDP (2005)

Anguilla

4% of GDP (2005)

Antigua and Barbuda

3.9% of GDP (2002)

Argentina

3.8% of GDP (2004)

Armenia

3.2% of GDP (2001)

Aruba

4.8% of GDP (2005)

Australia

4.5% of GDP (2005)

Austria

5.4% of GDP (2005)

Azerbaijan

2.1% of GDP (2006)

Bahamas, The

3.6% of GDP (2000)

Bahrain

3.9% of GDP (1991)

Bangladesh

2.7% of GDP (2005)

Barbados

6.9% of GDP (2005)

Belarus

6.1% of GDP (2006)

Belgium

6% of GDP (2004)

Belize

5.3% of GDP (2004)

Benin

4.4% of GDP (2004)

Bermuda

1.2% of GDP (2006)

Bhutan

7% of GDP (2005)

Bolivia

6.4% of GDP (2003)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

NA

Botswana

8.7% of GDP (2007)

Brazil

4% of GDP (2004)

British Virgin Islands

3.7% of GDP (2006)

Brunei

5.2% of GDP (2000)

Bulgaria

4.5% of GDP (2005)

Burkina Faso

4.2% of GDP (2006)

Burma

1.2% of GDP (2001)

Burundi

5.1% of GDP (2005)

Cambodia

1.7% of GDP (2004)

Cameroon

3.3% of GDP (2006)

Canada

5.2% of GDP (2002)

Cape Verde

6.3% of GDP (2006)

Cayman Islands

2.8% of GDP (2005)

Central African Republic

1.4% of GDP (2006)

Chad

1.9% of GDP (2005)

Chile

3.2% of GDP (2006)

China

1.9% of GDP (1999)

Colombia

4.7% of GDP (2006)

Comoros

3.8% of GDP (2002)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

NA

Congo, Republic of the

1.9% of GDP (2005)

Cook Islands

0.2% of GDP (2001)

Costa Rica

4.9% of GDP (2004)

Cote d'Ivoire

4.6% of GDP (2001)

Croatia

4.5% of GDP (2004)

Cuba

9.1% of GDP (2006)

Cyprus

6.3% of GDP (2004)

Czech Republic

4.4% of GDP (2004)

Denmark

8.3% of GDP (2005)

Djibouti

8.4% of GDP (2006)

Dominica

5% of GDP (1999)

Dominican Republic

3.6% of GDP (2006)

Ecuador

1% of GDP (2001)

Egypt

4.2% of GDP (2006)

El Salvador

3.1% of GDP (2006)

Equatorial Guinea

0.6% of GDP (2003)

Eritrea

2.4% of GDP (2006)

Estonia

5.1% of GDP (2004)

Ethiopia

6% of GDP (2006)

Fiji

6.5% of GDP (2004)

Finland

6.4% of GDP (2005)

France

5.7% of GDP (2005)

French Polynesia

( )

Gabon

3.8% of GDP (2000)

Gambia, The

2% of GDP (2004)

Gaza Strip

NA

Georgia

3.1% of GDP (2006)

Germany

4.6% of GDP (2004)

Ghana

5.4% of GDP (2005)

Gibraltar

NA

Greece

4.4% of GDP (2005)

Greenland

NA

Grenada

5.2% of GDP (2003)

Guam

NA

Guatemala

2.6% of GDP (2006)

Guernsey

NA

Guinea

1.6% of GDP (2005)

Guinea-Bissau

5.2% of GDP (1999)

Guyana

8.3% of GDP (2006)

Haiti

1.4% of GDP (1991)

Honduras

3.8% of GDP (1991)

Hong Kong

3.9% of GDP (2006)

Hungary

5.5% of GDP (2005)

Iceland

7.6% of GDP (2004)

India

3.2% of GDP (2005)

Indonesia

3.6% of GDP (2006)

Iran

5.1% of GDP (2006)

Iraq

NA

Ireland

4.7% of GDP (2005)

Isle of Man

NA

Israel

6.9% of GDP (2004)

Italy

4.5% of GDP (2005)

Jamaica

5.3% of GDP (2005)

Japan

3.5% of GDP (2005)

Jersey

NA

Jordan

4.9% of GDP (1999)

Kazakhstan

2.3% of GDP (2005)

Kenya

6.9% of GDP (2006)

Kiribati

17.8% of GDP (2002)

Korea, North

NA

Korea, South

4.6% of GDP (2004)

Kuwait

3.8% of GDP (2006)

Kyrgyzstan

4.9% of GDP (2005)

Laos

3% of GDP (2006)

Latvia

5.1% of GDP (2004)

Lebanon

2.7% of GDP (2006)

Lesotho

13% of GDP (2006)

Liberia

NA

Libya

2.7% of GDP (1999)

Liechtenstein

NA

Lithuania

5% of GDP (2005)

Luxembourg

3.4% of GDP (1999)

Macau

2.4% of GDP (2005)

Macedonia

3.5% of GDP (2002)

Madagascar

3.1% of GDP (2006)

Malawi

5.8% of GDP (2003)

Malaysia

6.2% of GDP (2004)

Maldives

8% of GDP (2006)

Mali

4.5% of GDP (2006)

Malta

5.1% of GDP (2004)

Marshall Islands

11.8% of GDP (2004)

Mauritania

2.9% of GDP (2006)

Mauritius

3.9% of GDP (2006)

Mayotte

NA

Mexico

5.5% of GDP (2005)

Micronesia, Federated States of

7.3% of GDP (2000)

Moldova

7.6% of GDP (2006)

Monaco

4.4% of GDP (2004)

Mongolia

5% of GDP (2004)

Montenegro

NA

Montserrat

3.3% of GDP (2004)

Morocco

NA

Mozambique

5% of GDP (2005)

Namibia

6.9% of GDP (2003)

Nauru

NA

Nepal

3.4% of GDP (2003)

Netherlands

5.3% of GDP (2005)

Netherlands Antilles

NA

New Zealand

6.2% of GDP (2006)

Nicaragua

3.1% of GDP (2003)

Niger

3.4% of GDP (2006)

Nigeria

0.9% of GDP (1991)

Niue

NA

Norfolk Island

NA

Northern Mariana Islands

NA

Norway

7.2% of GDP (2005)

Oman

4% of GDP (2006)

Pakistan

2.6% of GDP (2006)

Palau

10.3% of GDP (2002)

Panama

3.8% of GDP (2004)

Papua New Guinea

NA

Paraguay

4% of GDP (2004)

Peru

2.5% of GDP (2006)

Philippines

2.5% of GDP (2005)

Poland

5.5% of GDP (2005)

Portugal

5.5% of GDP (2005)

Puerto Rico

NA

Qatar

3.3% of GDP (2005)

Romania

3.5% of GDP (2005)

Russia

3.8% of GDP (2005)

Rwanda

3.8% of GDP (2005)

Saint Helena

NA

Saint Kitts and Nevis

9.3% of GDP (2005)

Saint Lucia

6.6% of GDP (2006)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

NA

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

8.1% of GDP (2005)

Samoa

4.3% of GDP (2002)

San Marino

NA

Sao Tome and Principe

NA

Saudi Arabia

6.8% of GDP (2004)

Senegal

5% of GDP (2006)

Serbia

NA

Seychelles

6.5% of GDP (2006)

Sierra Leone

3.8% of GDP (2005)

Singapore

3.7% of GDP (2001)

Slovakia

3.9% of GDP (2005)

Slovenia

6% of GDP (2005)

Solomon Islands

3.3% of GDP (1999)

Somalia

NA

South Africa

5.4% of GDP (2006)

Spain

4.2% of GDP (2005)

Sri Lanka

NA

Sudan

6% of GDP (1991)

Suriname

NA

Swaziland

7% of GDP (2005)

Sweden

7.1% of GDP (2005)

Switzerland

5.8% of GDP (2005)

Syria

3.9% of GDP (1999)

Taiwan

NA

Tajikistan

3.4% of GDP (2006)

Tanzania

2.2% of GDP (1999)

Thailand

4.2% of GDP (2005)

Timor-Leste

NA

Togo

2.6% of GDP (2002)

Tokelau

NA

Tonga

5% of GDP (2004)

Trinidad and Tobago

4.2% of GDP (200)

Tunisia

7.3% of GDP (2005)

Turkey

4% of GDP (2004)

Turkmenistan

3.9% of GDP (1991)

Turks and Caicos Islands

NA

Tuvalu

NA

Uganda

5.2% of GDP (2004)

Ukraine

6.3% of GDP (2006)

United Arab Emirates

1.3% of GDP (2005)

United Kingdom

5.6% of GDP (2005)

United States

5.3% of GDP (2005)

Uruguay

2.9% of GDP (2006)

Uzbekistan

9.4% of GDP (1991)

Vanuatu

9.5% of GDP (2003)

Venezuela

3.7% of GDP (2006)

Vietnam

1.8% of GDP (1991)

Virgin Islands

NA

West Bank

NA

Yemen

9.6% of GDP (2001)

Zambia

2% of GDP (2005)

Zimbabwe

4.6% of GDP (2000)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2207 Central bank discount rate (%)

Afghanistan

NA

Albania

6.25% (31 December 2007)

Algeria

4% (31 December 2007)

Angola

19.57% (31 December 2007)

Anguilla

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Antigua and Barbuda

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Argentina

NA

Aruba

5% (31 December 2007)

Australia

NA

Azerbaijan

13% (31 December 2007)

Bahamas, The

5.25% (31 December 2007)

Bangladesh

5% (31 December 2007)

Barbados

12% (31 December 2007)

Belarus

10% (31 December 2007)

Belize

12% (31 December 2007)

Benin

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Bolivia

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Botswana

14.5% (31 December 2007)

Brazil

17.85% (31 December 2007)

Bulgaria

4.58% (31 December 2007)

Burkina Faso

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Burma

12% (31 December 2007)

Burundi

10.12% (31 December 2007)

Cambodia

5.25% (31 December 2007)

Canada

4.5% (31 December 2007)

Cape Verde

8.5% (31 December 2007)

Central African Republic

5.25% (31 December 2007)

Chad

5.25% (31 December 2007)

Chile

6% (31 December 2007)

China

3.33% (31 December 2007)

Colombia

11.5% (31 December 2007)

Comoros

5.36% (31 December 2007)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

5.25% (31 December 2007)

Costa Rica

17% (31 December 2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Croatia

9% (31 December 2007)

Cuba

NA

Cyprus

5% (31 December 2007)

Czech Republic

3.5% (31 December 2007)

Denmark

4% (31 December 2007)

Dominica

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Ecuador

10.72% (31 December 2007)

Egypt

9% (31 December 2007)

Equatorial Guinea

5.25% (31 December 2007)

European Union

5%

note: This is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal

lending facility, which offers overnight credit to banks from the

Eurosystem (31 December 2007)

Fiji

9.25% (31 December 2007)

France

NA

Gabon

5.25% (31 December 2007)

Gambia, The

10% (31 December 2007)

Germany

NA

Ghana

13.5% (31 December 2007)

Greece

NA

Grenada

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Guatemala

NA (31 December 2007)

Guinea

22.25% (31 December 2005)

Guinea-Bissau

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Guyana

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Honduras

NA (31 December 2007)

Hong Kong

5.75% (31 December 2007)

Hungary

7.5% (31 December 2007)

Iceland

15.25% (31 December 2007)

India

6% (31 December 2007)

Indonesia

8% (31 December 2007)

Iraq

20% (31 December 2007)

Ireland

NA

Israel

4% (31 December 2007)

Italy

NA

Jamaica

NA (31 December 2007)

Japan

0.75% (31 December 2007)

Jordan

7% (31 December 2007)

Kazakhstan

11% (31 December 2007)

Korea, South

3.25% (31 December 2007)

Kuwait

6.25% (31 December 2007)

Laos

12.67% (31 December 2007)

Latvia

6% (31 December 2007)

Lebanon

12% (31 December 2007)

Lesotho

12.82% (31 December 2007)

Libya

4% (31 December 2007)

Lithuania

4.85% (31 December 2007)

Macedonia

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Malawi

15% (31 December 2007)

Maldives

12.5% (31 December 2007)

Mali

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Malta

NA (31 December 2007)

Mauritania

NA

Mexico

NA

Mongolia

9.87% (31 December 2007)

Montserrat

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Morocco

3.25% (31 December 2007)

Mozambique

9.95% (31 December 2007)

Namibia

10.5% (31 December 2007)

Nepal

6.25% (31 December 2007)

Netherlands

NA (31 December 2007)

Netherlands Antilles

NA (31 December 2007)

New Zealand

8.25% (31 December 2007)

Nicaragua

NA (31 December 2007)

Niger

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Nigeria

9.5% (31 December 2007)

Norway

6.25% (31 December 2007)

Oman

1.98% (31 December 2007)

Pakistan

10% (31 December 2007)

Papua New Guinea

7.38% (31 December 2007)

Paraguay

20% (31 December 2007)

Peru

5.75% (31 December 2007)

Philippines

4.28% (31 December 2007)

Poland

5% (31 December 2007)

Qatar

NA

Romania

NA

Russia

10% (31 December 2007)

Rwanda

12.5% (31 December 2007)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Saint Lucia

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Sao Tome and Principe

28% (31 December 2007)

Saudi Arabia

NA

Senegal

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Serbia

9.57% (31 December 2007)

Seychelles

5.13% (31 December 2007)

Sierra Leone

NA (31 December 2007)

Slovakia

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Slovenia

NA (31 December 2007)

South Africa

11% (31 December 2007)

Spain

NA

Sri Lanka

15% (31 December 2007)

Swaziland

11% (31 December 2007)

Sweden

3.5% (31 December 2007)

Switzerland

2.05% (31 December 2007)

Taiwan

NA

Tajikistan

15% (31 December 2007)

Tanzania

16.4% (31 December 2007)

Thailand

3.75% (31 December 2007)

Togo

4.25% (31 December 2007)

Trinidad and Tobago

10% (31 December 2007)

Turkey

25% (31 December 2007)

Uganda

14.68% (31 December 2007)

Ukraine

8% (31 December 2007)

United Arab Emirates

NA

United Kingdom

NA

United States

4.83% (31 December 2007)

Uruguay

10% (31 December 2007)

Vanuatu

6% (31 December 2007)

Venezuela

28.5% (31 December 2007)

Vietnam

6.5% (31 December 2007)

Yemen

NA

Zambia

11.73% (31 December 2007)

Zimbabwe

975% (31 December 2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2208 Commercial bank prime lending rate (%)

Afghanistan

18.14% (31 December 2007)

Albania

14.1% (31 December 2007)

Algeria

8% (31 December 2007)

Angola

17.7% (31 December 2007)

Anguilla

9.76% (31 December 2007)

Antigua and Barbuda

10.44% (31 December 2007)

Argentina

11.05% (31 December 2007)

Armenia

17.52% (31 December 2007)

Aruba

11.01% (31 December 2007)

Australia

10.02% (31 December 2007)

Austria

6.3% (31 December 2007)

Azerbaijan

19.13% (31 December 2007)

Bahamas, The

5.5% (31 December 2007)

Bahrain

8.35% (31 December 2007)

Bangladesh

16% (31 December 2007)

Barbados

10.8% (31 December 2007)

Belarus

8.58% (31 December 2007)

Belgium

6.98% (31 December 2007)

Belize

14.33% (31 December 2007)

Benin

NA

Bhutan

14% (31 December 2007)

Bolivia

12.86% (31 December 2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

7.17% (31 December 2007)

Botswana

16.22% (31 December 2007)

Brazil

43.72% (31 December 2007)

Brunei

5.5% (31 December 2007)

Bulgaria

10% (31 December 2007)

Burkina Faso

NA

Burma

17% (31 December 2007)

Burundi

16.84% (31 December 2007)

Cameroon

15% (31 December 2007)

Canada

6.1% (31 December 2007)

Cape Verde

10.55% (31 December 2007)

Central African Republic

15% (31 December 2007)

Chad

15% (31 December 2007)

Chile

8.67% (31 December 2007)

China

7.47% (31 December 2007)

Colombia

15.38% (31 December 2007)

Comoros

10.5% (31 December 2007)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

NA

Congo, Republic of the

15% (31 December 2007)

Costa Rica

12.8% (31 December 2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

NA

Croatia

9.33% (31 December 2007)

Cuba

NA

Cyprus

6.74% (31 December 2007)

Czech Republic

5.79% (31 December 2007)

Denmark

NA

Djibouti

NA

Dominica

9.17% (31 December 2007)

Dominican Republic

15.83% (31 December 2007)

Ecuador

12.08% (31 December 2007)

Egypt

12.51% (31 December 2007)

El Salvador

NA

Equatorial Guinea

15% (31 December 2007)

Estonia

6.46% (31 December 2007)

Ethiopia

7% (31 December 2006)

European Union

8.03% (31 December 2007)

Fiji

9.01% (31 December 2007)

Finland

5.62% (31 December 2007)

France

7.28% (31 December 2007)

Gabon

15% (31 December 2007)

Gambia, The

27.92% (31 December 2007)

Gaza Strip

7.73% (31 December 2006)

Georgia

20.41% (31 December 2007)

Germany

5.96% (31 December 2007)

Ghana

NA

Greece

7.71% (31 December 2007)

Grenada

9.76% (31 December 2007)

Guatemala

12.84% (31 December 2007)

Guinea

NA (31 December 2007)

Guyana

14.61% (31 December 2007)

Haiti

46.99% (31 December 2007)

Honduras

16.61% (31 December 2007)

Hong Kong

6.75% (31 December 2007)

Hungary

9.09% (31 December 2007)

Iceland

19.29% (31 December 2007)

India

13.02% (31 December 2007)

Indonesia

13.86% (31 December 2007)

Iran

12% (31 December 2007)

Iraq

19.74% (31 December 2007)

Ireland

6.52% (31 December 2007)

Israel

6.27% (31 December 2007)

Italy

10.93% (31 December 2007)

Jamaica

17.2% (31 December 2007)

Japan

1.88% (31 December 2007)

Jordan

8.68% (31 December 2007)

Kenya

13.34% (31 December 2007)

Korea, South

6.55% (31 December 2007)

Kuwait

8.54% (31 December 2007)

Kyrgyzstan

25.32% (31 December 2007)

Laos

28.5% (31 December 2007)

Latvia

10.91% (31 December 2007)

Lebanon

10.26% (31 December 2007)

Lesotho

14.13% (31 December 2007)

Liberia

15.05% (31 December 2007)

Libya

6% (31 December 2007)

Lithuania

6.86% (31 December 2007)

Macau

7.81% (31 December 2007)

Macedonia

10.23% (31 December 2007)

Madagascar

45% (31 December 2007)

Malawi

27.72% (31 December 2007)

Malaysia

6.41% (31 December 2007)

Maldives

13% (31 December 2007)

Mali

NA (31 December 2007)

Malta

6.24% (31 December 2007)

Mauritius

21.87% (31 December 2007)

Mexico

7.56% (31 December 2007)

Micronesia, Federated States of

14.03% (31 December 2007)

Moldova

18.83% (31 December 2007)

Mongolia

17.54% (31 December 2007)

Montenegro

9.09% (31 December 2007)

Montserrat

10.4% (31 December 2007)

Morocco

NA (31 December 2007)

Mozambique

19.52% (31 December 2007)

Namibia

12.88% (31 December 2007)

Nepal

8% (31 December 2007)

Netherlands

8.72% (31 December 2007)

Netherlands Antilles

9.21% (31 December 2007)

New Zealand

12.83% (31 December 2007)

Nicaragua

13.04% (31 December 2007)

Niger

NA (31 December 2007)

Nigeria

16.94% (31 December 2007)

Norway

6.65% (31 December 2007)

Oman

7.29% (31 December 2007)

Panama

8.25% (31 December 2007)

Papua New Guinea

9.78% (31 December 2007)

Paraguay

25.03% (31 December 2007)

Peru

22.86% (31 December 2007)

Philippines

8.69% (31 December 2007)

Poland

5.48% (31 December 2006)

Portugal

7.92% (31 December 2007)

Qatar

7.43% (31 December 2007)

Romania

13.35% (31 December 2007)

Russia

10.03% (31 December 2007)

Rwanda

15.84% (31 December 2007)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

9.28% (31 December 2007)

Saint Lucia

10.12% (31 December 2007)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

9.61% (31 December 2007)

Samoa

12.65% (31 December 2007)

San Marino

7.58% (31 December 2007)

Sao Tome and Principe

32.4% (31 December 2007)

Saudi Arabia

NA

Senegal

NA (31 December 2007)

Serbia

11.13% (31 December 2007)

Seychelles

10.89% (31 December 2007)

Sierra Leone

25% (31 December 2007)

Singapore

5.33% (31 December 2007)

Slovakia

7.99% (31 December 2007)

Slovenia

6.82% (31 December 2007)

Solomon Islands

14.12% (31 December 2007)

South Africa

13.17% (31 December 2007)

Spain

9.89% (31 December 2007)

Sri Lanka

17.08% (31 December 2007)

Suriname

13.77% (31 December 2007)

Swaziland

13.17% (31 December 2007)

Sweden

4% (31 December 2004)

Switzerland

3.15% (31 December 2007)

Syria

8% (31 December 2005)

Taiwan

NA

Tajikistan

22.87% (31 December 2007)

Tanzania

16.03% (31 December 2007)

Thailand

7.05% (31 December 2007)

Timor-Leste

15.05% (31 December 2007)

Togo

NA (31 December 2007)

Tonga

12.16% (31 December 2007)

Trinidad and Tobago

11.75% (31 December 2007)

Uganda

19.11% (31 December 2007)

Ukraine

13.9% (31 December 2007)

United Kingdom

5.52% (31 December 2007)

United States

8.05% (31 December 2007)

Uruguay

8.94% (31 December 2007)

Vanuatu

8.16% (31 December 2007)

Venezuela

17.11% (31 December 2007)

Vietnam

11.18% (31 December 2007)

West Bank

7.73% (31 December 2006)

Yemen

18% (31 December 2007)

Zambia

18.89% (31 December 2007)

Zimbabwe

578.96% (31 December 2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2209 Stock of money

Afghanistan

$1.426 billion (31 December 2007)

Albania

$2.707 billion (31 December 2007)

Algeria

$55.43 billion (31 December 2007)

Angola

$4.153 billion (31 December 2007)

Anguilla

$23.57 million (31 December 2007)

Antigua and Barbuda

$294.8 million (31 December 2007)

Argentina

$33.93 billion (31 December 2007)

Armenia

$1.507 billion (31 December 2007)

Aruba

$640.9 million (31 December 2007)

Australia

$298.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Austria

NA

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro

Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for

the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual

members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi

money circulating within their own borders

Azerbaijan

$4.261 billion (31 December 2007)

Bahamas, The

$1.274 billion (31 December 2007)

Bahrain

$4.169 billion (31 December 2007)

Bangladesh

$8.444 billion (31 December 2007)

Barbados

$1.478 billion (31 December 2007)

Belarus

$4.065 billion (31 December 2007)

Belgium

NA

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro

Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for

the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual

members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi

money circulating within their own borders

Belize

$323.9 million (31 December 2007)

Benin

$1.324 billion (31 December 2007)

Bhutan

$381.1 million (31 December 2007)

Bolivia

$3.032 billion (31 December 2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

$5.13 billion (31 December 2007)

Botswana

$1.026 billion (31 December 2007)

Brazil

$131.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Brunei

$2.674 billion (31 December 2007)

Bulgaria

$15.58 billion (31 December 2007)

Burkina Faso

$1.051 billion (31 December 2007)

Burma

$598 billion

note: This number reflects the vastly overvalued official exchange

rate of 5.38 kyat per dollar. At the unofficial black market rate of

1305 kyat per dollar, the stock of kyats would equal only US$2.465

billion and Burma's velocity of money (the number of times money

turns over in the course of a year) would be six, in line with the

velocity of money for other countries in the region. (31 December

2007)

Burundi

$208.7 million (31 December 2007)

Cambodia

$513.6 million (31 December 2007)

Cameroon

$2.616 billion (31 December 2007)

Canada

$391.6 billion (31 December 2007)

Cape Verde

$574 million (31 December 2007)

Central African Republic

$218.3 million (31 December 2007)

Chad

$874.5 million (31 December 2007)

Chile

$16.6 billion (31 December 2007)

China

$2.09 trillion (31 December 2007)

Colombia

$21.81 billion (31 December 2007)

Comoros

$76.68 million (31 December 2007)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

$597 million (31 December 2007)

Congo, Republic of the

$1.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Costa Rica

$4.504 billion (31 December 2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

$4.451 billion (31 December 2007)

Croatia

$11.61 billion (31 December 2007)

Cuba

NA

Cyprus

$4.094 billion

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro

Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for

the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual

members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi

money circulating within their own borders (31 December 2007)

Czech Republic

$84.43 billion (31 December 2007)

Denmark

$148.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Djibouti

$380 million (31 December 2007)

Dominica

$73.71 million (31 December 2007)

Dominican Republic

$4.074 billion (31 December 2007)

Ecuador

$4.395 billion (31 December 2007)

Egypt

$27.6 billion (31 December 2007)

El Salvador

$1.802 billion (31 December 2007)

Equatorial Guinea

$835.2 million (31 December 2007)

Eritrea

$749.1 million (31 December 2007)

Estonia

$7.158 billion (31 December 2007)

Ethiopia

$3.651 billion (31 December 2006)

European Union

$5.742 trillion

note: this is the quantity of money, M1, for the Euro Area,

converted into US dollars at the exchange rate for the date

indicated; it excludes the stock of money carried by non-Eurozone

members of the European Union

Fiji

$1.042 billion (31 December 2007)

Finland

NA

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro

Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for

the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual

members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi

money circulating within their own borders

France

NA

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro

Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for

the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual

members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi

money circulating within their own borders

Gabon

$1.547 billion (31 December 2007)

Gambia, The

$186.7 million (31 December 2007)

Gaza Strip

$1.574 billion (31 December 2007)

Georgia

$1.154 billion (31 December 2007)

Germany

NA

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro

Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for

the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual

members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi

money circulating within their own borders

Ghana

$2.179 billion (31 December 2006)

Greece

NA

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro

Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for

the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual

members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi

money circulating within their own borders

Grenada

$151.2 million (31 December 2007)

Guatemala

$6.227 billion (31 December 2007)

Guinea

$309.8 million (31 December 2005)

Guinea-Bissau

$142.5 million (31 December 2007)

Guyana

$315.2 million (31 December 2007)

Haiti

$704.7 million (31 December 2007)

Honduras

$1.573 billion (31 December 2007)

Hong Kong

$51.25 billion (31 December 2007)

Hungary

$36.78 billion (31 December 2007)

Iceland

$6.64 billion (31 December 2007)

India

$250.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Indonesia

$47.78 billion (31 December 2007)

Iran

$46.13 billion (31 December 2007)

Iraq

$18.81 billion (31 December 2007)

Ireland

NA

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro

Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for

the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual

members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi

money circulating within their own borders

Israel

$15.36 billion (31 December 2006)

Italy

NA

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro

Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for

the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual

members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi

money circulating within their own borders

Jamaica

$1.369 billion (31 December 2007)

Japan

$4.37 trillion (31 December 2007)

Jordan

$6.765 billion (31 December 2007)

Kazakhstan

$12.74 billion (31 December 2007)

Kenya

$5.932 billion (31 December 2007)

Korea, South

$92.59 billion (31 December 2007)

Kuwait

$15.12 billion (31 December 2007)

Kyrgyzstan

$911.1 million (31 December 2007)

Laos

$327.9 million (31 December 2007)

Latvia

$8.196 billion (31 December 2007)

Lebanon

$2.374 billion (31 December 2007)

Lesotho

$439.2 million (31 December 2007)

Liberia

$145.6 million (31 December 2007)

Libya

$18.04 billion (31 December 2007)

Lithuania

$11.84 billion (31 December 2007)

Luxembourg

NA

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro

Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for

the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual

members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi

money circulating within their own borders

Macau

$1.16 billion (31 December 2007)

Macedonia

$1.173 billion (31 December 2007)

Madagascar

$1.161 billion (31 December 2007)

Malawi

$361.5 million (31 December 2007)

Malaysia

$49.41 billion (31 December 2007)

Maldives

$344.1 million (31 December 2007)

Mali

$1.58 billion (31 December 2007)

Malta

$4.603 billion

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro

Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for

the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual

members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi

money circulating within their own borders (31 December 2007)

Mauritania

NA (31 December 2007)

Mauritius

$1.673 billion (31 December 2007)

Mexico

$103.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Micronesia, Federated States of

$22.45 million (31 December 2007)

Moldova

$965 million (31 December 2007)

Mongolia

$504.7 million (31 December 2007)

Montenegro

$1.172 billion (31 December 2007)

Montserrat

$17.9 million (31 December 2007)

Morocco

$67.42 billion (31 December 2007)

Mozambique

$1.261 billion (31 December 2007)

Namibia

$2.149 billion (31 December 2007)

Nepal

$2.184 billion (31 December 2007)

Netherlands

NA

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro

Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for

the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual

members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi

money circulating within their own borders

Netherlands Antilles

$1.133 billion (31 December 2007)

New Zealand

$24.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Nicaragua

$465.1 million (31 December 2007)

Niger

$604.5 million (31 December 2007)

Nigeria

$21.72 billion (31 December 2007)

Norway

NA (31 December 2007)

Oman

$5.044 billion (31 December 2007)

Pakistan

$52.76 billion (31 December 2007)

Panama

$3.054 billion (31 December 2007)

Papua New Guinea

$1.685 billion (31 December 2007)

Paraguay

$1.943 billion (31 December 2007)

Peru

$14.66 billion (31 December 2007)

Philippines

$21.27 billion (31 December 2007)

Poland

$137.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Portugal

NA

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro

Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for

the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual

members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi

money circulating within their own borders

Qatar

$9.718 billion (31 December 2007)

Romania

$25.17 billion (31 December 2007)

Russia

$303.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Rwanda

$233.6 million (31 December 2005)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

$97.31 million (31 December 2007)

Saint Lucia

$264.7 million (31 December 2007)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

$155.5 million (31 December 2007)

Samoa

$69.97 million (31 December 2007)

San Marino

$1.326 billion (31 December 2007)

Sao Tome and Principe

$19.99 million (31 December 2007)

Saudi Arabia

$102.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Senegal

$2.842 billion (31 December 2007)

Serbia

$4.632 billion (31 December 2007)

Seychelles

$330.8 million (31 December 2007)

Sierra Leone

$184.6 million (31 December 2007)

Singapore

$44.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Slovakia

$26.17 billion (31 December 2007)

Slovenia

$9.347 billion

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro

Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for

the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual

members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi

money circulating within their own borders (31 December 2006)

Solomon Islands

$118.3 million (31 December 2007)

South Africa

$58.49 billion (31 December 2007)

Spain

NA

note: see entry for the European Union for money supply in the Euro

Area; the European Central Bank (ECB) controls monetary policy for

the 15 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual

members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money and quasi

money circulating within their own borders

Sri Lanka

$2.465 billion (31 December 2007)

Sudan

$5.549 billion (31 December 2007)

Suriname

$416.6 million (31 December 2007)

Swaziland

$244.8 million (31 December 2007)

Sweden

$217.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Switzerland

$213.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Syria

$58.84 billion

note: This number reflects the greatly overvalued official exchange

rate of 11.23 Syrian pounds per dollar. At the unofficial rate of 50

Syrian pounds per dollar, the stock of Syrian pounds would equal

US$13.22 billion and Syria's velocity of money (the number of times

money turns over in the course of a year) would be three, in line

with the velocity of money for other countries in the region. (31

December 2006)

Taiwan

NA

Tajikistan

$91.59 million (31 December 2006)

Tanzania

$2.263 billion (31 December 2007)

Thailand

$28.62 billion (31 December 2007)

Timor-Leste

$74.94 million (31 December 2007)

Togo

$624.9 million (31 December 2007)

Tonga

$46.38 million (31 December 2007)

Trinidad and Tobago

$2.646 billion (31 December 2007)

Tunisia

$9.491 billion (31 December 2007)

Turkey

$64.43 billion (31 December 2007)

Uganda

$1.363 billion (31 December 2007)

Ukraine

$35.97 billion (31 December 2007)

United Arab Emirates

$49.5 billion (31 December 2007)

United States

$1.374 trillion (31 December 2007)

Uruguay

$2.145 billion (31 December 2007)

Vanuatu

$107.1 million (31 December 2007)

Venezuela

$63.18 billion (31 December 2007)

Vietnam

$27.15 billion (31 December 2007)

West Bank

$1.574 billion (31 December 2007)

Yemen

$3.076 billion (31 December 2007)

Zambia

$995.8 million (31 December 2007)

Zimbabwe

$14.18 billion

note: This number reflects the vastly overvalued official exchange

rate of 30,000 Zimbabwe dollars per US dollar. At an unofficial rate

of 800,000 Zimbabwe dollars per US dollar, the stock of Zimbabwe

dollars would equal only about US$500 million and Zimbabwe's

velocity of money (the number of times money turns over in the

course of a year) would be nine, in line with the velocity of money

for other countries in the region. (31 December 2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2210 Stock of quasi money

Afghanistan

$958.6 million (31 December 2007)

Albania

$6.433 billion (31 December 2007)

Algeria

$28.59 billion (31 December 2007)

Angola

$7.216 billion (31 December 2007)

Anguilla

$470.1 million (31 December 2007)

Antigua and Barbuda

$902 million (31 December 2007)

Argentina

$45.92 billion (31 December 2007)

Armenia

$765.2 million (31 December 2007)

Aruba

$792.9 million (31 December 2007)

Australia

$667.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Austria

NA

Azerbaijan

$2.593 billion (31 December 2007)

Bahamas, The

$4.324 billion (31 December 2007)

Bahrain

$10.63 billion (31 December 2007)

Bangladesh

$32.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Barbados

$2.717 billion (31 December 2007)

Belarus

$6.823 billion (31 December 2007)

Belgium

NA

Belize

$549 million (31 December 2007)

Benin

$627.2 million (31 December 2007)

Bhutan

$220.3 million (31 December 2007)

Bolivia

$4.729 billion (31 December 2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

$5.597 billion (31 December 2007)

Botswana

$4.336 billion (31 December 2007)

Brazil

$792.8 billion (31 December 2007)

Brunei

$4.258 billion (31 December 2007)

Bulgaria

$17.03 billion (31 December 2007)

Burkina Faso

$663 million (31 December 2007)

Burma

$216.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Burundi

$141 million (31 December 2007)

Cambodia

$2.309 billion (31 December 2007)

Cameroon

$1.698 billion (31 December 2007)

Canada

$1.381 trillion (31 December 2007)

Cape Verde

$689 million (31 December 2007)

Central African Republic

$47.58 million (31 December 2007)

Chad

$55.23 million (31 December 2007)

Chile

$80.42 billion (31 December 2007)

China

$3.437 trillion (31 December 2007)

Colombia

$27.25 billion (31 December 2007)

Comoros

$23.39 million (31 December 2007)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

$677.9 million (31 December 2007)

Congo, Republic of the

$204.3 million (31 December 2007)

Costa Rica

$2.87 billion (31 December 2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

$1.915 billion (31 December 2007)

Croatia

$31.86 billion (31 December 2007)

Cuba

NA

Cyprus

$43.93 billion (31 December 2007)

Czech Republic

$58.77 billion (31 December 2007)

Denmark

$81.64 billion (31 December 2007)

Djibouti

$284.1 million (31 December 2007)

Dominica

$269.1 million (31 December 2007)

Dominican Republic

$5.631 billion (31 December 2007)

Ecuador

$7.974 billion (31 December 2007)

Egypt

$102.6 billion (31 December 2007)

El Salvador

$764.1 million (31 December 2007)

Equatorial Guinea

$174.5 million (31 December 2007)

Eritrea

$932.9 million (31 December 2007)

Estonia

$4.253 billion (31 December 2007)

Ethiopia

$3.258 billion (31 December 2007)

European Union

$10.93 trillion

note: this is the quantity of quasi money, M2, for the Euro Area,

converted into US dollars at the exchange rate for the date

indicated; it excludes the stock of quasi money carried by

non-Eurozone members of the European Union

Fiji

$1.088 billion (31 December 2007)

Finland

NA

France

NA

Gabon

$799.3 million (31 December 2007)

Gambia, The

$180.4 million (31 December 2007)

Gaza Strip

$3.048 billion (31 December 2007)

Georgia

$1.379 billion (31 December 2007)

Germany

NA

Ghana

$2.174 billion (31 December 2006)

Greece

NA

Grenada

$533.4 million (31 December 2007)

Guatemala

$8.928 billion (31 December 2007)

Guinea

NA (31 December 2007)

Guinea-Bissau

$12.04 million (31 December 2007)

Guyana

$728.8 million (31 December 2007)

Haiti

$1.561 billion (31 December 2007)

Honduras

$5.266 billion (31 December 2007)

Hong Kong

$578.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Hungary

$43.07 billion (31 December 2007)

Iceland

$15.05 billion (31 December 2006)

India

$647.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Indonesia

$127 billion (31 December 2007)

Iran

$68.71 billion (31 December 2007)

Iraq

$3.67 billion (31 December 2007)

Ireland

NA (31 December 2007)

Israel

$154.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Italy

NA (31 December 2007)

Jamaica

$4.54 billion (31 December 2007)

Japan

$4.783 trillion (31 December 2007)

Jordan

$15.38 billion (31 December 2007)

Kazakhstan

$25.75 billion (31 December 2007)

Kenya

$6.273 billion (31 December 2007)

Korea, South

$541.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Kuwait

$55.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Kyrgyzstan

$303.7 million (31 December 2007)

Laos

$717.9 million (31 December 2007)

Latvia

$5.113 billion (31 December 2007)

Lebanon

$57.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Lesotho

$160.2 million (31 December 2007)

Liberia

$49.89 million (31 December 2007)

Libya

$3.192 billion (31 December 2007)

Lithuania

$6.917 billion (31 December 2007)

Luxembourg

NA (31 December 2007)

Macau

$21.91 billion (31 December 2007)

Macedonia

$3.127 billion (31 December 2007)

Madagascar

$577.4 million (31 December 2007)

Malawi

$250.4 million (31 December 2007)

Malaysia

$187.6 billion (31 December 2007)

Maldives

$434.9 million (31 December 2007)

Mali

$697.1 million (31 December 2007)

Malta

$7.645 billion (31 December 2007)

Mauritania

NA (31 December 2007)

Mauritius

$6.759 billion (31 December 2007)

Mexico

$168.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Micronesia, Federated States of

$72.49 million (31 December 2007)

Moldova

$1.449 billion (31 December 2007)

Mongolia

$1.539 billion (31 December 2007)

Montenegro

$1.446 billion (31 December 2007)

Montserrat

$43.9 million (31 December 2007)

Morocco

$16.23 billion (31 December 2007)

Mozambique

$1.467 billion (31 December 2007)

Namibia

$1.493 billion (31 December 2007)

Nepal

$4.745 billion (31 December 2007)

Netherlands

NA (31 December 2007)

Netherlands Antilles

$2.309 billion (31 December 2007)

New Zealand

$117.8 billion (31 December 2007)

Nicaragua

$1.802 billion (31 December 2007)

Niger

$193.7 million (31 December 2007)

Nigeria

$19.07 billion (31 December 2007)

Norway

NA (31 December 2007)

Oman

$11.04 billion (31 December 2007)

Pakistan

$18.42 billion (31 December 2007)

Panama

$14.26 billion (31 December 2007)

Papua New Guinea

$1.482 billion (31 December 2007)

Paraguay

$1.368 billion (31 December 2007)

Peru

$19.95 billion (31 December 2007)

Philippines

$65.85 billion (31 December 2007)

Poland

$93.99 billion (31 December 2007)

Portugal

NA (31 December 2007)

Qatar

$22.6 billion (31 December 2007)

Romania

$34.96 billion (31 December 2007)

Russia

$292.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Rwanda

$227.4 million (31 December 2005)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

$688.6 million (31 December 2007)

Saint Lucia

$720.9 million (31 December 2007)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

$280.2 million (31 December 2007)

Samoa

$168.7 million (31 December 2007)

San Marino

$4.584 billion (31 December 2007)

Sao Tome and Principe

$33.5 million (31 December 2007)

Saudi Arabia

$109.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Senegal

$1.579 billion (31 December 2007)

Serbia

$12.19 billion (31 December 2007)

Seychelles

$249 million (31 December 2007)

Sierra Leone

$177.7 million (31 December 2007)

Singapore

$162.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Slovakia

$21.11 billion (31 December 2007)

Slovenia

$12.69 billion (31 December 2006)

Solomon Islands

$57.89 million (31 December 2007)

South Africa

$141.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Spain

NA (31 December 2007)

Sri Lanka

$10.46 billion (31 December 2007)

Sudan

$4.068 billion (31 December 2007)

Suriname

$824.4 million (31 December 2007)

Swaziland

$529.4 million (31 December 2007)

Sweden

$48.49 billion (31 December 2007)

Switzerland

$450.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Syria

$45.93 billion (31 December 2006)

Taiwan

NA

Tajikistan

$161 million (31 December 2006)

Tanzania

$2.885 billion (31 December 2007)

Thailand

$216.6 billion (31 December 2007)

Timor-Leste

$68.78 million (31 December 2007)

Togo

$383.9 million (31 December 2007)

Tonga

$106.8 million (31 December 2007)

Trinidad and Tobago

$5.707 billion (31 December 2007)

Tunisia

$13.56 billion (31 December 2007)

Turkey

$254.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Uganda

$1.302 billion (31 December 2007)

Ukraine

$41.51 billion (31 December 2007)

United Arab Emirates

$104.6 billion (31 December 2007)

United States

$10.1 trillion (31 December 2007)

Uruguay

$7.919 billion (31 December 2007)

Vanuatu

$421.8 million (31 December 2007)

Venezuela

$8.889 billion (31 December 2007)

Vietnam

$51.08 billion (31 December 2007)

West Bank

$3.048 billion (31 December 2007)

Yemen

$4.526 billion (31 December 2007)

Zambia

$1.709 billion (31 December 2007)

Zimbabwe

$5.349 billion (31 December 2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

@2211 Stock of domestic credit

Afghanistan

$20.06 million (31 December 2007)

Albania

$7.341 billion (31 December 2007)

Algeria

NA

Angola

$1.385 billion (31 December 2007)

Anguilla

$447.7 million (31 December 2007)

Antigua and Barbuda

$1.002 billion (31 December 2007)

Argentina

$72.55 billion (31 December 2007)

Armenia

$1.256 billion (31 December 2007)

Aruba

$1.348 billion (31 December 2007)

Australia

$1.312 trillion (31 December 2007)

Austria

$599.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Azerbaijan

$5.726 billion (31 December 2007)

Bahamas, The

$7.395 billion (31 December 2007)

Bahrain

$10.32 billion (31 December 2007)

Bangladesh

$40.15 billion (31 December 2007)

Barbados

$3.533 billion (31 December 2007)

Belarus

$12.16 billion (31 December 2007)

Belgium

$767.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Belize

$877.6 million (31 December 2007)

Benin

$520.6 million (31 December 2007)

Bhutan

$169.9 million (31 December 2007)

Bolivia

$4.759 billion (31 December 2007)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

$8.895 billion (31 December 2007)

Botswana

NA

Brazil

$1.377 trillion (31 December 2007)

Brunei

$2.38 billion (31 December 2007)

Bulgaria

$25.18 billion (31 December 2007)

Burkina Faso

$905.1 million (31 December 2007)

Burma

$887.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Burundi

$342 million (31 December 2007)

Cambodia

$1.131 billion (31 December 2007)

Cameroon

$1.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Canada

$2.382 trillion (31 December 2007)

Cape Verde

$1.049 billion (31 December 2007)

Central African Republic

$320.2 million (31 December 2007)

Chad

$82.81 million (31 December 2007)

Chile

$127.1 billion (31 December 2007)

China

$4.653 trillion (31 December 2007)

Colombia

$85.34 billion (31 December 2007)

Comoros

$45.09 million (31 December 2007)

Congo, Democratic Republic of the

$559.5 million (31 December 2007)

Congo, Republic of the

NA

Costa Rica

$12.91 billion (31 December 2007)

Cote d'Ivoire

$4.404 billion (31 December 2007)

Croatia

$45.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Cuba

NA

Cyprus

$52.09 billion (31 December 2007)

Czech Republic

$103.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Denmark

$684.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Djibouti

$224.7 million (31 December 2007)

Dominica

$193.1 million (31 December 2007)

Dominican Republic

$15.92 billion (31 December 2007)

Ecuador

$8.926 billion (31 December 2007)

Egypt

$113.9 billion (31 December 2007)

El Salvador

$9.729 billion (31 December 2007)

Equatorial Guinea

NA

Eritrea

$1.711 billion (31 December 2007)

Estonia

$21.35 billion (31 December 2007)

Ethiopia

$6.694 billion (31 December 2006)

European Union

$20.94 trillion

note: this figure refers to the Euro area only; it excludes credit

data for members of the EU outside the Eurozone (31 December 2007)

Fiji

$1.948 billion (31 December 2007)

Finland

$240.7 billion (31 December 2007)

France

$4.105 trillion (31 December 2007)

Gabon

$359.8 million (31 December 2007)

Gambia, The

$169.9 million (31 December 2007)

Gaza Strip

$1.455 billion (31 December 2007)

Georgia

$3.374 billion (31 December 2007)

Germany

$5.081 trillion (31 December 2007)

Ghana

$4.173 billion (31 December 2006)

Greece

$392.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Grenada

$575.8 million (31 December 2007)

Guatemala

$13.96 billion (31 December 2007)

Guinea

$422.1 million (31 December 2005)

Guinea-Bissau

$46.44 million (31 December 2007)

Guyana

$739.3 million (31 December 2007)

Haiti

$1.537 billion (31 December 2007)

Honduras

$6.298 billion (31 December 2007)

Hong Kong

$259.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Hungary

$109.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Iceland

$49.67 billion (31 December 2006)

India

$769.3 billion (31 December 2007)

Indonesia

$170.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Iran

$109.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Iraq

NA (31 December 2007)

Ireland

$768.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Israel

$113.4 billion (31 December 2006)

Italy

$3.084 trillion (31 December 2007)

Jamaica

$6.609 billion (31 December 2007)

Japan

$9.653 trillion (31 December 2007)

Jordan

$19.53 billion (31 December 2007)

Kazakhstan

$43.75 billion (31 December 2007)

Kenya

$10.43 billion (31 December 2007)

Korea, South

$1.061 trillion (31 December 2007)

Kuwait

$78.25 billion (31 December 2007)

Kyrgyzstan

$558.3 million (31 December 2007)

Laos

$285.8 million (31 December 2007)

Latvia

$27.56 billion (31 December 2007)

Lebanon

$45.51 billion (31 December 2007)

Lesotho

NA (31 December 2007)

Liberia

$1.157 billion (31 December 2007)

Libya

NA (31 December 2007)

Lithuania

$25.05 billion (31 December 2007)

Luxembourg

$357.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Macau

NA (31 December 2007)

Macedonia

$2.924 billion (31 December 2007)

Madagascar

$767.5 million (31 December 2007)

Malawi

$406.2 million (31 December 2007)

Malaysia

$220 billion (31 December 2007)

Maldives

$1.08 billion (31 December 2007)

Mali

$1.099 billion (31 December 2007)

Malta

$10.99 billion (31 December 2007)

Mauritania

NA (31 December 2007)

Mauritius

$8.582 billion (31 December 2007)

Mexico

$349.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Micronesia, Federated States of

NA (31 December 2007)

Moldova

$1.896 billion (31 December 2007)

Mongolia

$1.191 billion (31 December 2007)

Montenegro

$3.083 billion (31 December 2007)

Montserrat

$5.537 million (31 December 2007)

Morocco

$71.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Mozambique

$877.2 million (31 December 2007)

Namibia

$4.446 billion (31 December 2007)

Nepal

$5.636 billion (31 December 2007)

Netherlands

$1.876 trillion (31 December 2007)

Netherlands Antilles

$2.927 billion (31 December 2007)

New Zealand

$200.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Nicaragua

$4.133 billion (31 December 2007)

Niger

$318.9 million (31 December 2007)

Nigeria

$16.15 billion (31 December 2007)

Norway

NA (31 December 2007)

Oman

$13.88 billion (31 December 2007)

Pakistan

$65.05 billion (31 December 2007)

Panama

$17.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Papua New Guinea

$1.486 billion (31 December 2007)

Paraguay

$2.457 billion (31 December 2007)

Peru

$17.88 billion (31 December 2007)

Philippines

$65.66 billion (31 December 2007)

Poland

$223.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Portugal

$451.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Qatar

$30.52 billion (31 December 2007)

Romania

$58.76 billion (31 December 2007)

Russia

$339.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Rwanda

$209.2 million (31 December 2005)

Saint Kitts and Nevis

$782.4 million (31 December 2007)

Saint Lucia

$1.217 billion (31 December 2007)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

$387.8 million (31 December 2007)

Samoa

$215.1 million (31 December 2007)

San Marino

$7.513 billion (31 December 2007)

Sao Tome and Principe

$31.84 million (31 December 2007)

Saudi Arabia

$66.94 billion (31 December 2007)

Senegal

$2.97 billion (31 December 2007)

Serbia

$13.44 billion (31 December 2007)

Seychelles

$660.2 million (31 December 2007)

Sierra Leone

$162.9 million (31 December 2007)

Singapore

$129.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Slovakia

$41.76 billion (31 December 2007)

Slovenia

NA (31 December 2007)

Solomon Islands

$126.9 million (31 December 2007)

South Africa

$254.9 billion (31 December 2007)

Spain

$3.177 trillion (31 December 2007)

Sri Lanka

$14.82 billion (31 December 2007)

Sudan

$8.659 billion (31 December 2007)

Suriname

$651 million (31 December 2007)

Swaziland

$204.1 million (31 December 2007)

Sweden

$630.8 billion (31 December 2007)

Switzerland

$855.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Syria

$50.92 billion (31 December 2006)

Taiwan

NA

Tajikistan

$417.4 million (31 December 2006)

Tanzania

$2.25 billion (31 December 2007)

Thailand

$241.8 billion (31 December 2007)

Timor-Leste

NA (31 December 2007)

Togo

$590.7 million (31 December 2007)

Tonga

$163.1 million (31 December 2007)

Trinidad and Tobago

$3.721 billion (31 December 2007)

Tunisia

$25.23 billion (31 December 2007)

Turkey

$358.1 billion (31 December 2007)

Uganda

$907.3 million (31 December 2007)

Ukraine

$87.13 billion (31 December 2007)

United Arab Emirates

$155.4 billion (31 December 2007)

United Kingdom

$5.278 trillion (31 December 2007)

United States

$14.15 trillion (31 December 2007)

Uruguay

$6.396 billion (31 December 2007)

Vanuatu

$229.5 million (31 December 2007)

Venezuela

$50.24 billion (31 December 2007)

Vietnam

$68.63 billion (31 December 2007)

West Bank

$1.455 billion (31 December 2007)

Yemen

$2.224 billion (31 December 2007)

Zambia

$1.968 billion (31 December 2007)

Zimbabwe

$24.91 billion (31 December 2007)

This page was last updated on 18 December 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2001

Rank Country GDP (purchasing power parity) Date of Information

1 World $ 65,610,000,000,000 2007 est. 2 European Union $ 14,430,000,000,000 2007 est. 3 United States $ 13,780,000,000,000 2007 est. 4 China $ 7,099,000,000,000 2007 est. 5 Japan $ 4,272,000,000,000 2007 est. 6 India $ 2,966,000,000,000 2007 est. 7 Germany $ 2,807,000,000,000 2007 est. 8 United Kingdom $ 2,130,000,000,000 2007 est. 9 Russia $ 2,097,000,000,000 2007 est. 10 France $ 2,075,000,000,000 2007 est. 11 Brazil $ 1,849,000,000,000 2007 est. 12 Italy $ 1,800,000,000,000 2007 est. 13 Spain $ 1,361,000,000,000 2007 est. 14 Mexico $ 1,353,000,000,000 2007 est. 15 Canada $ 1,271,000,000,000 2007 est. 16 Korea, South $ 1,206,000,000,000 2007 est. 17 Turkey $ 853,900,000,000 2007 est. 18 Indonesia $ 843,700,000,000 2007 est. 19 Australia $ 773,000,000,000 2007 est. 20 Iran $ 762,900,000,000 2007 est. 21 Taiwan $ 698,600,000,000 2007 est. 22 Netherlands $ 645,500,000,000 2007 est. 23 Poland $ 623,100,000,000 2007 est. 24 Saudi Arabia $ 546,000,000,000 2007 est. 25 Argentina $ 526,400,000,000 2007 est. 26 Thailand $ 521,500,000,000 2007 est. 27 South Africa $ 467,800,000,000 2007 est. 28 Pakistan $ 411,900,000,000 2007 est. 29 Egypt $ 405,400,000,000 2007 est. 30 Belgium $ 376,500,000,000 2007 est. 31 Malaysia $ 361,200,000,000 2007 est. 32 Sweden $ 338,500,000,000 2007 est. 33 Venezuela $ 334,300,000,000 2007 est. 34 Colombia $ 327,700,000,000 2007 est. 35 Greece $ 327,600,000,000 2007 est. 36 Ukraine $ 324,800,000,000 2007 est. 37 Austria $ 322,000,000,000 2007 est. 38 Switzerland $ 303,200,000,000 2007 est. 39 Philippines $ 300,100,000,000 2007 est. 40 Nigeria $ 296,100,000,000 2007 est. 41 Hong Kong $ 293,300,000,000 2007 est. 42 Czech Republic $ 251,000,000,000 2007 est. 43 Romania $ 247,100,000,000 2007 est. 44 Norway $ 246,600,000,000 2007 est. 45 Chile $ 232,800,000,000 2007 est. 46 Portugal $ 232,300,000,000 2007 est. 47 Singapore $ 227,100,000,000 2007 est. 48 Algeria $ 222,300,000,000 2007 est. 49 Vietnam $ 221,100,000,000 2007 est. 50 Peru $ 219,600,000,000 2007 est. 51 Bangladesh $ 208,300,000,000 2007 est. 52 Denmark $ 203,300,000,000 2007 est. 53 Hungary $ 191,700,000,000 2007 est. 54 Ireland $ 191,600,000,000 2007 est. 55 Finland $ 188,400,000,000 2007 est. 56 Israel $ 185,800,000,000 2007 est. 57 Kazakhstan $ 168,200,000,000 2007 est. 58 United Arab Emirates $ 164,400,000,000 2007 est. 59 Kuwait $ 140,000,000,000 2007 est. 60 Cuba $ 125,500,000,000 2007 est. 61 Morocco $ 125,000,000,000 2007 est. 62 New Zealand $ 112,400,000,000 2007 est. 63 Slovakia $ 110,200,000,000 2007 est. 64 Belarus $ 103,500,000,000 2007 est. 65 Iraq $ 102,400,000,000 2007 est. 66 Ecuador $ 98,710,000,000 2007 est. 67 Angola $ 95,460,000,000 2007 est. 68 Burma $ 91,130,000,000 2007 est. 69 Syria $ 90,370,000,000 2007 est. 70 Bulgaria $ 86,710,000,000 2007 est. 71 Sri Lanka $ 82,020,000,000 2007 est. 72 Sudan $ 80,980,000,000 2007 est. 73 Serbia $ 77,280,000,000 2007 est. 74 Tunisia $ 76,070,000,000 2007 est. 75 Libya $ 74,720,000,000 2007 est. 76 Puerto Rico $ 72,610,000,000 2007 est. 77 Qatar $ 71,420,000,000 2007 est. 78 Croatia $ 69,590,000,000 2007 est. 79 Guatemala $ 64,760,000,000 2007 est. 80 Azerbaijan $ 64,660,000,000 2007 est. 81 Uzbekistan $ 64,400,000,000 2007 est. 82 Dominican Republic $ 61,670,000,000 2007 est. 83 Kenya $ 61,220,000,000 2007 est. 84 Oman $ 60,890,000,000 2007 est. 85 Lithuania $ 59,980,000,000 2007 est. 86 Yemen $ 56,240,000,000 2007 est. 87 Slovenia $ 56,190,000,000 2007 est. 88 Ethiopia $ 56,050,000,000 2007 est. 89 Tanzania $ 51,070,000,000 2007 est. 90 Costa Rica $ 45,770,000,000 2007 est. 91 El Salvador $ 41,630,000,000 2007 est. 92 Lebanon $ 40,440,000,000 2007 est. 93 Cameroon $ 40,240,000,000 2007 est. 94 Latvia $ 40,050,000,000 2007 est. 95 Korea, North $ 40,000,000,000 2007 est. 96 Bolivia $ 39,750,000,000 2007 est. 97 Luxembourg $ 38,140,000,000 2007 est. 98 Uruguay $ 37,500,000,000 2007 est. 99 Afghanistan $ 35,000,000,000 2007 est. 100 Panama $ 34,810,000,000 2007 est. 101 Cote d'Ivoire $ 32,850,000,000 2007 est. 102 Honduras $ 32,260,000,000 2007 est. 103 Ghana $ 31,130,000,000 2007 est. 104 Nepal $ 29,290,000,000 2007 est. 105 Uganda $ 29,130,000,000 2007 est. 106 Estonia $ 28,690,000,000 2007 est. 107 Jordan $ 28,450,000,000 2007 est. 108 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ 27,700,000,000 2007 est. 109 Turkmenistan $ 26,920,000,000 2007 est. 110 Trinidad and Tobago $ 26,790,000,000 2007 est. 111 Paraguay $ 26,700,000,000 2007 est. 112 Cambodia $ 26,190,000,000 2007 est. 113 Botswana $ 26,040,000,000 2007 est. 114 Bahrain $ 24,010,000,000 2007 est. 115 Cyprus $ 21,400,000,000 2007 est. 116 Senegal $ 21,020,000,000 2007 est. 117 Albania $ 20,870,000,000 2007 est. 118 Georgia $ 20,600,000,000 2007 est. 119 Jamaica $ 20,480,000,000 2007 est. 120 Gabon $ 20,440,000,000 2007 est. 121 Brunei $ 19,640,000,000 2007 est. 122 Congo, Democratic Republic of the $ 19,030,000,000 2007 est. 123 Madagascar $ 18,440,000,000 2007 est. 124 Mozambique $ 17,640,000,000 2007 est. 125 Burkina Faso $ 17,410,000,000 2007 est. 126 Macedonia $ 17,350,000,000 2007 est. 127 Armenia $ 17,170,000,000 2007 est. 128 Nicaragua $ 16,170,000,000 2007 est. 129 Zambia $ 16,100,000,000 2007 est. 130 Equatorial Guinea $ 15,540,000,000 2007 est. 131 Chad $ 15,260,000,000 2007 est. 132 Mauritius $ 14,270,000,000 2007 est. 133 Mali $ 13,630,000,000 2007 est. 134 Congo, Republic of the $ 12,860,000,000 2007 est. 135 Laos $ 12,800,000,000 2007 est. 136 Macau $ 12,500,000,000 2006 137 Iceland $ 12,190,000,000 2007 est. 138 Papua New Guinea $ 12,050,000,000 2007 est. 139 Benin $ 12,000,000,000 2007 est. 140 Tajikistan $ 11,960,000,000 2007 est. 141 Haiti $ 11,380,000,000 2007 est. 142 Guinea $ 10,960,000,000 2007 est. 143 Namibia $ 10,690,000,000 2007 est. 144 Malawi $ 10,590,000,000 2007 est. 145 Kyrgyzstan $ 10,550,000,000 2007 est. 146 Moldova $ 9,756,000,000 2007 est. 147 Malta $ 9,400,000,000 2007 est. 148 Niger $ 8,859,000,000 2007 est. 149 Bahamas, The $ 8,553,000,000 2007 est. 150 Mongolia $ 8,542,000,000 2007 est. 151 Rwanda $ 8,057,000,000 2007 est. 152 Mauritania $ 5,974,000,000 2007 est. 153 Montenegro $ 5,918,000,000 2007 est. 154 Somalia $ 5,387,000,000 2007 est. 155 Swaziland $ 5,364,000,000 2007 est. 156 Barbados $ 5,310,000,000 2007 est. 157 Jersey $ 5,100,000,000 2005 est. 158 Fiji $ 5,079,000,000 2007 est. 159 Togo $ 5,042,000,000 2007 est. 160 Gaza Strip $ 5,034,000,000 2006 est. 161 West Bank $ 5,034,000,000 2006 est. 162 French Polynesia $ 4,580,000,000 2003 est. 163 Bermuda $ 4,500,000,000 2004 est. 164 Kosovo $ 4,000,000,000 2007 est. 165 Sierra Leone $ 3,991,000,000 2007 est. 166 Suriname $ 3,846,000,000 2007 est. 167 Eritrea $ 3,619,000,000 2007 est. 168 Bhutan $ 3,359,000,000 2007 est. 169 New Caledonia $ 3,158,000,000 2003 est. 170 Lesotho $ 3,063,000,000 2007 est. 171 Central African Republic $ 3,007,000,000 2007 est. 172 Burundi $ 2,907,000,000 2007 est. 173 Guyana $ 2,819,000,000 2007 est. 174 Netherlands Antilles $ 2,800,000,000 2004 est. 175 Andorra $ 2,770,000,000 2005 176 Guernsey $ 2,742,000,000 2005 177 Isle of Man $ 2,719,000,000 2005 est. 178 Timor-Leste $ 2,608,000,000 2007 est. 179 Guam $ 2,500,000,000 2005 est. 180 Belize $ 2,444,000,000 2007 est. 181 Zimbabwe $ 2,342,000,000 2007 est. 182 Aruba $ 2,258,000,000 2005 est. 183 Gambia, The $ 2,061,000,000 2007 est. 184 Cayman Islands $ 1,939,000,000 2004 est. 185 Saint Lucia $ 1,794,000,000 2007 est. 186 Liechtenstein $ 1,786,000,000 2001 est. 187 Djibouti $ 1,738,000,000 2007 est. 188 Cape Verde $ 1,603,000,000 2007 est. 189 Maldives $ 1,588,000,000 2007 est. 190 Virgin Islands $ 1,577,000,000 2004 est. 191 Antigua and Barbuda $ 1,526,000,000 2007 est. 192 Liberia $ 1,525,000,000 2007 est. 193 Seychelles $ 1,378,000,000 2007 est. 194 Comoros $ 1,262,000,000 2007 est. 195 Grenada $ 1,108,000,000 2007 est. 196 Greenland $ 1,100,000,000 2001 est. 197 Gibraltar $ 1,066,000,000 2005 est. 198 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $ 1,042,000,000 2007 est. 199 Samoa $ 1,029,000,000 2007 est. 200 Faroe Islands $ 1,000,000,000 2001 est. 201 Monaco $ 976,300,000 2006 est. 202 Mayotte $ 953,600,000 2005 est. 203 Solomon Islands $ 948,000,000 2007 est. 204 Northern Mariana Islands $ 900,000,000 2000 est. 205 Vanuatu $ 897,000,000 2007 est. 206 British Virgin Islands $ 853,400,000 2004 est. 207 San Marino $ 850,000,000 2004 est. 208 Guinea-Bissau $ 826,400,000 2007 est. 209 Saint Kitts and Nevis $ 721,000,000 2007 est. 210 Dominica $ 648,000,000 2007 est. 211 Tonga $ 526,000,000 2007 est. 212 American Samoa $ 510,100,000 2003 est. 213 Kiribati $ 348,000,000 2007 est. 214 Micronesia, Federated States of $ 277,000,000 2002 est. 215 Sao Tome and Principe $ 256,000,000 2007 est. 216 Turks and Caicos Islands $ 216,000,000 2002 est. 217 Cook Islands $ 183,200,000 2005 est. 218 Palau $ 124,500,000 2004 est. 219 Marshall Islands $ 115,000,000 2001 est. 220 Anguilla $ 108,900,000 2004 est. 221 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) $ 75,000,000 2002 est. 222 Nauru $ 60,000,000 2005 est. 223 Wallis and Futuna $ 60,000,000 2004 est. 224 Saint Pierre and Miquelon $ 48,300,000 2003 est. 225 Montserrat $ 29,000,000 2002 est. 226 Saint Helena $ 18,000,000 1998 est. 227 Tuvalu $ 14,940,000 2002 est. 228 Niue $ 7,600,000 2000 est. 229 Tokelau $ 1,500,000 1993 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2002

Rank Country Population growth rate(%) Date of Information

1 Maldives 5.57 2008 est. 2 United Arab Emirates 3.83 2008 est. 3 Liberia 3.66 2008 est. 4 Uganda 3.60 2008 est. 5 Kuwait 3.59 2008 est. 6 Mayotte 3.47 2008 est. 7 Yemen 3.46 2008 est. 8 Burundi 3.44 2008 est. 9 Gaza Strip 3.42 2008 est. 10 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 3.24 2008 est. 11 Ethiopia 3.21 2008 est. 12 Oman 3.19 2008 est. 13 Macau 3.15 2008 est. 14 Sao Tome and Principe 3.12 2008 est. 15 Burkina Faso 3.11 2008 est. 16 Benin 3.01 2008 est. 17 Madagascar 3.01 2008 est. 18 Niger 2.88 2008 est. 19 Western Sahara 2.87 2008 est. 20 Mauritania 2.85 2008 est. 21 Somalia 2.82 2008 est. 22 Comoros 2.80 2008 est. 23 Rwanda 2.78 2008 est. 24 Kenya 2.76 2008 est. 25 Equatorial Guinea 2.73 2008 est. 26 Mali 2.73 2008 est. 27 Gambia, The 2.72 2008 est. 28 Togo 2.72 2008 est. 29 Congo, Republic of the 2.70 2008 est. 30 Turks and Caicos Islands 2.64 2008 est. 31 Eritrea 2.63 2008 est. 32 Afghanistan 2.63 2008 est. 33 Senegal 2.58 2008 est. 34 Iraq 2.56 2008 est. 35 Haiti 2.49 2008 est. 36 Guinea 2.49 2008 est. 37 Solomon Islands 2.47 2008 est. 38 Cayman Islands 2.45 2008 est. 39 Malawi 2.39 2008 est. 40 Paraguay 2.39 2008 est. 41 Northern Mariana Islands 2.38 2008 est. 42 Laos 2.34 2008 est. 43 Jordan 2.34 2008 est. 44 Anguilla 2.33 2008 est. 45 Sierra Leone 2.28 2008 est. 46 Kiribati 2.24 2008 est. 47 West Bank 2.23 2008 est. 48 Cameroon 2.22 2008 est. 49 Libya 2.22 2008 est. 50 Belize 2.21 2008 est. 51 Chad 2.20 2008 est. 52 Syria 2.19 2008 est. 53 Cote d'Ivoire 2.16 2008 est. 54 Marshall Islands 2.14 2008 est. 55 Angola 2.14 2008 est. 56 Sudan 2.13 2008 est. 57 Papua New Guinea 2.12 2008 est. 58 Guatemala 2.11 2008 est. 59 Nepal 2.10 2008 est. 60 Tanzania 2.07 2008 est. 61 Timor-Leste 2.05 2008 est. 62 Guinea-Bissau 2.04 2008 est. 63 Nigeria 2.03 2008 est. 64 Honduras 2.02 2008 est. 65 Bangladesh 2.02 2008 est. 66 Pakistan 2.00 2008 est. 67 Philippines 1.99 2008 est. 68 Gabon 1.95 2008 est. 69 Saudi Arabia 1.95 2008 est. 70 Djibouti 1.95 2008 est. 71 Ghana 1.93 2008 est. 72 Andorra 1.90 2008 est. 73 Tajikistan 1.89 2008 est. 74 British Virgin Islands 1.88 2008 est. 75 Nicaragua 1.83 2008 est. 76 Mozambique 1.79 2008 est. 77 Brunei 1.79 2008 est. 78 Nauru 1.77 2008 est. 79 Cambodia 1.75 2008 est. 80 Malaysia 1.74 2008 est. 81 Israel 1.71 2008 est. 82 Egypt 1.68 2008 est. 83 El Salvador 1.68 2008 est. 84 Tonga 1.67 2008 est. 85 Zambia 1.65 2008 est. 86 Turkmenistan 1.60 2008 est. 87 India 1.58 2008 est. 88 Tuvalu 1.58 2008 est. 89 Panama 1.54 2008 est. 90 Central African Republic 1.51 2008 est. 91 Morocco 1.51 2008 est. 92 Aruba 1.50 2008 est. 93 Venezuela 1.50 2008 est. 94 Dominican Republic 1.50 2008 est. 95 Mongolia 1.49 2008 est. 96 Botswana 1.43 2008 est. 97 Vanuatu 1.43 2008 est. 98 French Polynesia 1.43 2008 est. 99 Colombia 1.41 2008 est. 100 Costa Rica 1.39 2008 est. 101 Fiji 1.39 2008 est. 102 Bolivia 1.38 2008 est. 103 Kyrgyzstan 1.38 2008 est. 104 Guam 1.37 2008 est. 105 Bahrain 1.34 2008 est. 106 Samoa 1.32 2008 est. 107 Antigua and Barbuda 1.31 2008 est. 108 Bhutan 1.30 2008 est. 109 Peru 1.26 2008 est. 110 American Samoa 1.24 2008 est. 111 Brazil 1.23 2008 est. 112 Australia 1.22 2008 est. 113 Algeria 1.21 2008 est. 114 Luxembourg 1.19 2008 est. 115 World 1.19 2008 est. 116 San Marino 1.18 2008 est. 117 Indonesia 1.18 2008 est. 118 New Caledonia 1.18 2008 est. 119 Palau 1.16 2008 est. 120 Lebanon 1.15 2008 est. 121 Mexico 1.14 2008 est. 122 Singapore 1.14 2008 est. 123 Ireland 1.13 2008 est. 124 Suriname 1.10 2008 est. 125 Qatar 1.09 2008 est. 126 Argentina 1.07 2008 est. 127 Turkey 1.01 2008 est. 128 Vietnam 0.99 2008 est. 129 Tunisia 0.99 2008 est. 130 New Zealand 0.97 2008 est. 131 Uzbekistan 0.97 2008 est. 132 Namibia 0.95 2008 est. 133 Sri Lanka 0.94 2008 est. 134 Ecuador 0.94 2008 est. 135 Chile 0.91 2008 est. 136 United States 0.88 2008 est. 137 Canada 0.83 2008 est. 138 South Africa 0.83 2008 est. 139 Burma 0.80 2008 est. 140 Mauritius 0.80 2008 est. 141 Iran 0.79 2008 est. 142 Iceland 0.78 2008 est. 143 Jamaica 0.78 2008 est. 144 Netherlands Antilles 0.75 2008 est. 145 Korea, North 0.73 2008 est. 146 Azerbaijan 0.72 2008 est. 147 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.72 2008 est. 148 Liechtenstein 0.71 2008 est. 149 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.67 2008 est. 150 Thailand 0.64 2008 est. 151 China 0.63 2008 est. 152 Cape Verde 0.60 2008 est. 153 France 0.57 2008 est. 154 Bahamas, The 0.57 2008 est. 155 Bermuda 0.55 2008 est. 156 Albania 0.54 2008 est. 157 Hong Kong 0.53 2008 est. 158 Cyprus 0.52 2008 est. 159 Isle of Man 0.51 2008 est. 160 Saint Helena 0.49 2008 est. 161 Uruguay 0.49 2008 est. 162 Netherlands 0.44 2008 est. 163 Saint Lucia 0.44 2008 est. 164 Seychelles 0.43 2008 est. 165 Malta 0.41 2008 est. 166 Grenada 0.41 2008 est. 167 Faroe Islands 0.38 2008 est. 168 Monaco 0.38 2008 est. 169 Kazakhstan 0.37 2008 est. 170 Puerto Rico 0.37 2008 est. 171 Barbados 0.36 2008 est. 172 Norway 0.35 2008 est. 173 Switzerland 0.33 2008 est. 174 Montserrat 0.32 2008 est. 175 Portugal 0.31 2008 est. 176 Denmark 0.30 2008 est. 177 United Kingdom 0.28 2008 est. 178 Korea, South 0.27 2008 est. 179 Macedonia 0.26 2008 est. 180 Cuba 0.25 2008 est. 181 Taiwan 0.24 2008 est. 182 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.23 2008 est. 183 Guernsey 0.23 2008 est. 184 Jersey 0.22 2008 est. 185 Guyana 0.21 2008 est. 186 Dominica 0.20 2008 est. 187 Sweden 0.16 2008 est. 188 Greece 0.15 2008 est. 189 Slovakia 0.14 2008 est. 190 Lesotho 0.13 2008 est. 191 Gibraltar 0.13 2008 est. 192 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0.11 2008 est. 193 Finland 0.11 2008 est. 194 European Union 0.11 2008 est. 195 Belgium 0.11 2008 est. 196 Spain 0.10 2008 est. 197 Austria 0.06 2008 est. 198 Greenland 0.06 2008 est. 199 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0.01 2008 est. 200 Norfolk Island 0.01 2008 est. 201 Holy See (Vatican City) 0.00 2008 est. 202 Virgin Islands 0.00 2008 est. 203 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 0.00 2008 est. 204 Christmas Island 0.00 2008 est. 205 Pitcairn Islands 0.00 2008 est. 206 Tokelau -0.01 2008 est. 207 Italy -0.02 2008 est. 208 Svalbard -0.02 2008 est. 209 Niue -0.03 2008 est. 210 Croatia -0.04 2008 est. 211 Germany -0.04 2008 est. 212 Poland -0.05 2008 est. 213 Armenia -0.08 2008 est. 214 Czech Republic -0.08 2008 est. 215 Slovenia -0.09 2008 est. 216 Moldova -0.09 2008 est. 217 Romania -0.14 2008 est. 218 Japan -0.14 2008 est. 219 Micronesia, Federated States of -0.19 2008 est. 220 Hungary -0.25 2008 est. 221 Lithuania -0.28 2008 est. 222 Georgia -0.33 2008 est. 223 Belarus -0.39 2008 est. 224 Swaziland -0.41 2008 est. 225 Russia -0.47 2008 est. 226 Latvia -0.63 2008 est. 227 Estonia -0.63 2008 est. 228 Ukraine -0.65 2008 est. 229 Zimbabwe -0.79 2008 est. 230 Bulgaria -0.81 2008 est. 231 Trinidad and Tobago -0.89 2008 est. 232 Montenegro -0.93 2008 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2003

Rank Country GDP - real growth rate(%) Date of Information

1 Azerbaijan 23.40 2007 est. 2 Bhutan 22.40 2007 est. 3 Timor-Leste 19.80 2007 est. 4 Angola 16.70 2007 est. 5 Macau 16.60 2006 6 Armenia 13.70 2007 est. 7 Equatorial Guinea 12.40 2007 est. 8 Georgia 12.00 2007 est. 9 China 11.90 2007 est. 10 Afghanistan 11.50 2007 est. 11 Turkmenistan 11.50 2007 est. 12 Panama 11.20 2007 est. 13 Ethiopia 11.10 2007 est. 14 Liechtenstein 11.00 1999 est. 15 Slovakia 10.40 2007 est. 16 Latvia 10.30 2007 est. 17 Anguilla 10.20 2004 est. 18 Sudan 10.20 2007 est. 19 Cambodia 10.10 2007 est. 20 Mongolia 9.90 2007 est. 21 Uzbekistan 9.50 2007 est. 22 Liberia 9.40 2007 est. 23 India 9.00 2007 est. 24 Peru 9.00 2007 est. 25 Lithuania 8.80 2007 est. 26 Argentina 8.70 2007 est. 27 Dominican Republic 8.50 2007 est. 28 Vietnam 8.50 2007 est. 29 Kazakhstan 8.50 2007 est. 30 Qatar 8.40 2007 est. 31 Venezuela 8.40 2007 est. 32 Belarus 8.20 2007 est. 33 Kyrgyzstan 8.20 2007 est. 34 Colombia 8.20 2007 est. 35 Russia 8.10 2007 est. 36 Malawi 8.00 2007 est. 37 Tajikistan 7.80 2007 est. 38 Singapore 7.70 2007 est. 39 Ukraine 7.70 2007 est. 40 United Arab Emirates 7.50 2007 est. 41 Montenegro 7.50 2007 est. 42 Laos 7.50 2007 est. 43 Uruguay 7.40 2007 est. 44 Mozambique 7.30 2007 est. 45 Philippines 7.30 2007 est. 46 Tanzania 7.30 2007 est. 47 Serbia 7.30 2007 est. 48 Egypt 7.10 2007 est. 49 Estonia 7.10 2007 est. 50 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 7.00 2007 est. 51 Gibraltar 7.00 2005 est. 52 Sierra Leone 7.00 2007 est. 53 Kenya 7.00 2007 est. 54 Gambia, The 7.00 2007 est. 55 Cape Verde 6.90 2007 est. 56 Sri Lanka 6.80 2007 est. 57 Costa Rica 6.80 2007 est. 58 Bahrain 6.70 2007 est. 59 Czech Republic 6.60 2007 est. 60 Paraguay 6.60 2007 est. 61 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6.60 2007 est. 62 Poland 6.60 2007 est. 63 Maldives 6.60 2007 est. 64 Cuba 6.50 2007 est. 65 Hong Kong 6.40 2007 est. 66 Nigeria 6.40 2007 est. 67 Bangladesh 6.30 2007 est. 68 Tunisia 6.30 2007 est. 69 Honduras 6.30 2007 est. 70 Madagascar 6.30 2007 est. 71 Indonesia 6.30 2007 est. 72 Malaysia 6.30 2007 est. 73 Bulgaria 6.20 2007 est. 74 Gabon 6.20 2007 est. 75 Niue 6.20 2003 est. 76 Iran 6.20 2007 est. 77 Antigua and Barbuda 6.10 2007 est. 78 Slovenia 6.10 2007 est. 79 Albania 6.00 2007 est. 80 Ireland 6.00 2007 est. 81 Papua New Guinea 6.00 2007 est. 82 Rwanda 6.00 2007 est. 83 Romania 6.00 2007 est. 84 Jordan 6.00 2007 est. 85 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6.00 2007 est. 86 Zambia 6.00 2007 est. 87 Samoa 6.00 2007 est. 88 Uganda 6.00 2007 est. 89 Sao Tome and Principe 6.00 2007 est. 90 Iraq 5.90 2007 est. 91 Libya 5.80 2007 est. 92 Guatemala 5.70 2007 est. 93 Croatia 5.70 2007 est. 94 Taiwan 5.70 2007 est. 95 Oman 5.60 2007 est. 96 Ghana 5.50 2007 est. 97 Trinidad and Tobago 5.50 2007 est. 98 Palau 5.50 2005 est. 99 Solomon Islands 5.40 2007 est. 100 Mauritius 5.40 2007 est. 101 Brazil 5.40 2007 est. 102 Guyana 5.30 2007 est. 103 Seychelles 5.30 2007 est. 104 Pakistan 5.30 2007 est. 105 Israel 5.30 2007 est. 106 Djibouti 5.20 2007 est. 107 Isle of Man 5.20 2005 108 World 5.20 2007 est. 109 Chile 5.10 2007 est. 110 French Polynesia 5.10 2002 111 Macedonia 5.10 2007 est. 112 South Africa 5.10 2007 est. 113 Suriname 5.10 2007 est. 114 Korea, South 5.00 2007 est. 115 Vanuatu 5.00 2007 est. 116 Turks and Caicos Islands 4.90 2000 est. 117 Botswana 4.80 2007 est. 118 Thailand 4.80 2007 est. 119 Lesotho 4.80 2007 est. 120 El Salvador 4.70 2007 est. 121 Kuwait 4.70 2007 est. 122 Bermuda 4.60 2004 est. 123 Bolivia 4.60 2007 est. 124 Senegal 4.60 2007 est. 125 San Marino 4.60 2004 est. 126 Algeria 4.50 2007 est. 127 Finland 4.50 2007 est. 128 Benin 4.50 2007 est. 129 Turkey 4.50 2007 est. 130 Luxembourg 4.50 2007 est. 131 Cyprus 4.40 2007 est. 132 Australia 4.30 2007 est. 133 Barbados 4.30 2007 est. 134 Syria 4.30 2007 est. 135 Burkina Faso 4.20 2007 est. 136 Central African Republic 4.00 2007 est. 137 Greece 4.00 2007 est. 138 Burma 3.80 2007 est. 139 Spain 3.80 2007 est. 140 Iceland 3.80 2007 est. 141 Malta 3.80 2007 est. 142 Nicaragua 3.80 2007 est. 143 Norway 3.70 2007 est. 144 Burundi 3.60 2007 est. 145 Lebanon 3.60 2007 est. 146 Namibia 3.60 2007 est. 147 Andorra 3.50 2005 est. 148 Saudi Arabia 3.50 2007 est. 149 Netherlands 3.50 2007 est. 150 Marshall Islands 3.50 2005 est. 151 Saint Kitts and Nevis 3.30 2007 est. 152 Haiti 3.20 2007 est. 153 Saint Lucia 3.20 2007 est. 154 Nepal 3.20 2007 est. 155 Niger 3.20 2007 est. 156 Mexico 3.20 2007 est. 157 Austria 3.10 2007 est. 158 Grenada 3.10 2007 est. 159 New Zealand 3.10 2007 est. 160 Switzerland 3.10 2007 est. 161 United Kingdom 3.10 2007 est. 162 American Samoa 3.00 2003 est. 163 European Union 3.00 2007 est. 164 Moldova 3.00 2007 est. 165 Guernsey 3.00 2005 est. 166 Tuvalu 3.00 2006 est. 167 Belgium 2.80 2007 est. 168 Mali 2.80 2007 est. 169 Yemen 2.80 2007 est. 170 Bahamas, The 2.80 2007 est. 171 Canada 2.70 2007 est. 172 Sweden 2.70 2007 est. 173 Guinea-Bissau 2.70 2007 est. 174 Cameroon 2.70 2007 est. 175 Kosovo 2.60 2007 est. 176 Somalia 2.60 2007 est. 177 Germany 2.50 2007 est. 178 Aruba 2.40 2005 est. 179 Faroe Islands 2.40 2005 est. 180 Swaziland 2.30 2007 est. 181 Belize 2.20 2007 est. 182 Morocco 2.20 2007 est. 183 France 2.10 2007 est. 184 Togo 2.10 2007 est. 185 Ecuador 2.00 2007 est. 186 Greenland 2.00 2005 est. 187 Virgin Islands 2.00 2002 est. 188 United States 2.00 2007 est. 189 Kiribati 2.00 2007 est. 190 Japan 2.00 2007 est. 191 Portugal 1.80 2007 est. 192 Denmark 1.70 2007 est. 193 Cote d'Ivoire 1.60 2007 est. 194 Guinea 1.50 2007 est. 195 Italy 1.40 2007 est. 196 Chad 1.30 2007 est. 197 Eritrea 1.30 2007 est. 198 Hungary 1.30 2007 est. 199 Jamaica 1.20 2007 est. 200 Mauritania 1.00 2007 est. 201 British Virgin Islands 1.00 2002 est. 202 Netherlands Antilles 1.00 2004 est. 203 Cayman Islands 0.90 2004 est. 204 Monaco 0.90 2000 est. 205 Dominica 0.90 2007 est. 206 Brunei 0.40 2007 est. 207 Micronesia, Federated States of 0.30 2005 est. 208 Cook Islands 0.10 2005 est. 209 Comoros -1.00 2007 est. 210 Montserrat -1.00 2002 est. 211 Korea, North -1.10 2007 est. 212 Puerto Rico -1.20 2007 est. 213 Congo, Republic of the -1.60 2007 est. 214 Tonga -3.50 2007 est. 215 Fiji -4.40 2007 est. 216 Zimbabwe -5.50 2007 est. 217 Gaza Strip -8.00 2006 est. 218 West Bank -8.00 2006 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2004

Rank Country GDP - per capita (PPP) Date of Information

1 Qatar $ 87,600 2007 est. 2 Luxembourg $ 79,400 2007 est. 3 Bermuda $ 69,900 2004 est. 4 Jersey $ 57,000 2005 est. 5 Kuwait $ 55,900 2007 est. 6 Norway $ 53,300 2007 est. 7 Brunei $ 51,000 2007 est. 8 Singapore $ 49,900 2007 est. 9 Ireland $ 46,600 2007 est. 10 United States $ 45,800 2007 est. 11 Guernsey $ 44,600 2005 12 Cayman Islands $ 43,800 2004 est. 13 Hong Kong $ 42,000 2007 est. 14 Iceland $ 40,400 2007 est. 15 Switzerland $ 40,100 2007 est. 16 Austria $ 39,300 2007 est. 17 Netherlands $ 39,000 2007 est. 18 Andorra $ 38,800 2005 19 Canada $ 38,600 2007 est. 20 British Virgin Islands $ 38,500 2004 est. 21 Gibraltar $ 38,200 2005 est. 22 Sweden $ 37,500 2007 est. 23 Australia $ 37,300 2007 est. 24 Denmark $ 37,200 2007 est. 25 United Arab Emirates $ 37,000 2007 est. 26 Belgium $ 36,200 2007 est. 27 Finland $ 36,000 2007 est. 28 Isle of Man $ 35,000 2005 est. 29 United Kingdom $ 35,000 2007 est. 30 Germany $ 34,100 2007 est. 31 San Marino $ 34,100 2004 est. 32 Bahrain $ 33,900 2007 est. 33 Spain $ 33,600 2007 est. 34 Japan $ 33,500 2007 est. 35 European Union $ 32,700 2007 est. 36 France $ 32,600 2007 est. 37 Faroe Islands $ 31,000 2001 est. 38 Italy $ 30,900 2007 est. 39 Greece $ 30,600 2007 est. 40 Taiwan $ 30,100 2007 est. 41 Monaco $ 30,000 2006 est. 42 Macau $ 28,400 2006 43 Equatorial Guinea $ 28,200 2007 est. 44 Bahamas, The $ 28,000 2007 est. 45 Slovenia $ 28,000 2007 est. 46 New Zealand $ 27,200 2007 est. 47 Cyprus $ 27,100 2007 est. 48 Israel $ 26,600 2007 est. 49 Trinidad and Tobago $ 25,400 2007 est. 50 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) $ 25,000 2002 est. 51 Liechtenstein $ 25,000 1999 est. 52 Korea, South $ 25,000 2007 est. 53 Czech Republic $ 24,500 2007 est. 54 Malta $ 23,400 2007 est. 55 Aruba $ 21,800 2004 est. 56 Portugal $ 21,800 2007 est. 57 Estonia $ 21,800 2007 est. 58 Slovakia $ 20,200 2007 est. 59 Greenland $ 20,000 2001 est. 60 Saudi Arabia $ 19,800 2007 est. 61 Hungary $ 19,300 2007 est. 62 Oman $ 19,000 2007 est. 63 Barbados $ 18,900 2007 est. 64 Puerto Rico $ 18,400 2007 est. 65 Antigua and Barbuda $ 18,300 2007 est. 66 Latvia $ 17,700 2007 est. 67 French Polynesia $ 17,500 2003 est. 68 Lithuania $ 16,800 2007 est. 69 Seychelles $ 16,600 2007 est. 70 Poland $ 16,200 2007 est. 71 Netherlands Antilles $ 16,000 2004 est. 72 Croatia $ 15,500 2007 est. 73 Guam $ 15,000 2005 est. 74 New Caledonia $ 15,000 2003 est. 75 Russia $ 14,800 2007 est. 76 Malaysia $ 14,500 2007 est. 77 Virgin Islands $ 14,500 2004 est. 78 Botswana $ 14,300 2007 est. 79 Chile $ 14,300 2007 est. 80 Gabon $ 14,000 2007 est. 81 Saint Kitts and Nevis $ 13,900 2007 est. 82 Argentina $ 13,100 2007 est. 83 Venezuela $ 12,800 2007 est. 84 Northern Mariana Islands $ 12,500 2000 est. 85 Libya $ 12,400 2007 est. 86 Mexico $ 12,400 2007 est. 87 Turkey $ 12,000 2007 est. 88 Bulgaria $ 11,800 2007 est. 89 Iran $ 11,700 2007 est. 90 Turks and Caicos Islands $ 11,500 2002 est. 91 Mauritius $ 11,300 2007 est. 92 Costa Rica $ 11,100 2007 est. 93 Romania $ 11,100 2007 est. 94 Cuba $ 11,000 2007 est. 95 Kazakhstan $ 11,000 2007 est. 96 Uruguay $ 10,800 2007 est. 97 Panama $ 10,700 2007 est. 98 Saint Lucia $ 10,700 2007 est. 99 Belarus $ 10,600 2007 est. 100 Grenada $ 10,500 2007 est. 101 Serbia $ 10,400 2007 est. 102 Lebanon $ 10,300 2007 est. 103 World $ 10,000 2007 est. 104 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $ 9,800 2007 est. 105 South Africa $ 9,700 2007 est. 106 Brazil $ 9,500 2007 est. 107 Cook Islands $ 9,100 2005 est. 108 Dominica $ 9,000 2007 est. 109 Anguilla $ 8,800 2004 est. 110 Suriname $ 8,700 2007 est. 111 Macedonia $ 8,400 2007 est. 112 Azerbaijan $ 8,000 2007 est. 113 Thailand $ 8,000 2007 est. 114 Belize $ 7,900 2007 est. 115 Angola $ 7,800 2007 est. 116 Peru $ 7,600 2007 est. 117 Palau $ 7,600 2005 est. 118 Colombia $ 7,400 2007 est. 119 Jamaica $ 7,400 2007 est. 120 Tunisia $ 7,400 2007 est. 121 Ecuador $ 7,200 2007 est. 122 Saint Pierre and Miquelon $ 7,000 2001 est. 123 Ukraine $ 7,000 2007 est. 124 Algeria $ 6,700 2007 est. 125 Dominican Republic $ 6,600 2007 est. 126 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ 6,100 2007 est. 127 El Salvador $ 6,000 2007 est. 128 Albania $ 5,800 2007 est. 129 Armenia $ 5,800 2007 est. 130 American Samoa $ 5,800 2005 est. 131 Niue $ 5,800 2003 est. 132 China $ 5,400 2007 est. 133 Samoa $ 5,400 2007 est. 134 Turkmenistan $ 5,300 2007 est. 135 Bhutan $ 5,200 2007 est. 136 Namibia $ 5,200 2007 est. 137 Guatemala $ 5,100 2007 est. 138 Tonga $ 5,100 2007 est. 139 Egypt $ 5,000 2007 est. 140 Nauru $ 5,000 2005 est. 141 Mayotte $ 4,900 2005 est. 142 Jordan $ 4,700 2007 est. 143 Swaziland $ 4,700 2007 est. 144 Syria $ 4,700 2007 est. 145 Maldives $ 4,600 2007 est. 146 Bolivia $ 4,400 2007 est. 147 Georgia $ 4,400 2007 est. 148 Honduras $ 4,300 2007 est. 149 Sri Lanka $ 4,000 2007 est. 150 Paraguay $ 4,000 2007 est. 151 Fiji $ 3,900 2007 est. 152 Vanuatu $ 3,900 2007 est. 153 Montenegro $ 3,800 2005 est. 154 Wallis and Futuna $ 3,800 2004 est. 155 Guyana $ 3,700 2007 est. 156 Morocco $ 3,700 2007 est. 157 Iraq $ 3,700 2007 est. 158 Indonesia $ 3,600 2007 est. 159 Kiribati $ 3,600 2007 est. 160 Congo, Republic of the $ 3,400 2007 est. 161 Montserrat $ 3,400 2002 est. 162 Cape Verde $ 3,200 2007 est. 163 Philippines $ 3,200 2007 est. 164 Mongolia $ 2,900 2007 est. 165 Marshall Islands $ 2,900 2005 est. 166 Nicaragua $ 2,800 2007 est. 167 India $ 2,600 2007 est. 168 Vietnam $ 2,600 2007 est. 169 Saint Helena $ 2,500 1998 est. 170 Timor-Leste $ 2,500 2007 est. 171 Yemen $ 2,500 2007 est. 172 Pakistan $ 2,400 2007 est. 173 Uzbekistan $ 2,400 2007 est. 174 Djibouti $ 2,300 2007 est. 175 Micronesia, Federated States of $ 2,300 2005 est. 176 Moldova $ 2,300 2007 est. 177 Cameroon $ 2,200 2007 est. 178 Nigeria $ 2,100 2007 est. 179 Papua New Guinea $ 2,100 2007 est. 180 Kyrgyzstan $ 2,000 2007 est. 181 Laos $ 2,000 2007 est. 182 Burma $ 1,900 2007 est. 183 Solomon Islands $ 1,900 2007 est. 184 Sudan $ 1,900 2007 est. 185 Cambodia $ 1,900 2007 est. 186 Kosovo $ 1,800 2007 est. 187 Mauritania $ 1,800 2007 est. 188 Cote d'Ivoire $ 1,700 2007 est. 189 Korea, North $ 1,700 2007 est. 190 Kenya $ 1,700 2007 est. 191 Senegal $ 1,700 2007 est. 192 Tajikistan $ 1,600 2007 est. 193 Sao Tome and Principe $ 1,600 2007 est. 194 Tuvalu $ 1,600 2002 est. 195 Chad $ 1,500 2007 est. 196 Bangladesh $ 1,400 2007 est. 197 Zambia $ 1,400 2007 est. 198 Benin $ 1,400 2007 est. 199 Lesotho $ 1,400 2007 est. 200 Ghana $ 1,400 2007 est. 201 Haiti $ 1,300 2007 est. 202 Tanzania $ 1,300 2007 est. 203 Gambia, The $ 1,200 2007 est. 204 Burkina Faso $ 1,200 2007 est. 205 Comoros $ 1,100 2007 est. 206 Guinea $ 1,100 2007 est. 207 West Bank $ 1,100 2006 est. 208 Mali $ 1,100 2007 est. 209 Gaza Strip $ 1,100 2006 est. 210 Afghanistan $ 1,000 2007 est. 211 Uganda $ 1,000 2007 est. 212 Nepal $ 1,000 2007 est. 213 Tokelau $ 1,000 1993 est. 214 Madagascar $ 900 2007 est. 215 Togo $ 900 2007 est. 216 Eritrea $ 800 2007 est. 217 Rwanda $ 800 2007 est. 218 Malawi $ 800 2007 est. 219 Mozambique $ 800 2007 est. 220 Central African Republic $ 700 2007 est. 221 Niger $ 700 2007 est. 222 Ethiopia $ 700 2007 est. 223 Guinea-Bissau $ 600 2007 est. 224 Sierra Leone $ 600 2007 est. 225 Somalia $ 600 2007 est. 226 Liberia $ 500 2007 est. 227 Burundi $ 300 2007 est. 228 Congo, Democratic Republic of the $ 300 2007 est. 229 Zimbabwe $ 200 2007 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2034

Rank Country Military expenditures(% of GDP) Date of Information

1 Oman 11.40 2005 est. 2 Qatar 10.00 2005 est. 3 Saudi Arabia 10.00 2005 est. 4 Iraq 8.60 2006 5 Jordan 8.60 2006 6 Israel 7.30 2006 7 Yemen 6.60 2006 8 Armenia 6.50 FY01 9 Eritrea 6.30 2006 est. 10 Macedonia 6.00 2005 est. 11 Burundi 5.90 2006 est. 12 Syria 5.90 2005 est. 13 Angola 5.70 2006 14 Mauritania 5.50 2006 15 Maldives 5.50 2005 est. 16 Kuwait 5.30 2006 17 Turkey 5.30 2005 est. 18 El Salvador 5.00 2006 19 Morocco 5.00 2003 est. 20 Singapore 4.90 2005 est. 21 Swaziland 4.70 2006 22 Bahrain 4.50 2006 23 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4.50 2005 est. 24 Brunei 4.50 2006 25 China 4.30 2006 26 Greece 4.30 2005 est. 27 Chad 4.20 2006 28 United States 4.06 2005 est. 29 Libya 3.90 2005 est. 30 Russia 3.90 2005 31 Tajikistan 3.90 2005 est. 32 Cuba 3.80 2006 est. 33 Djibouti 3.80 2006 34 Cyprus 3.80 2005 est. 35 Zimbabwe 3.80 2006 36 Namibia 3.70 2006 37 Colombia 3.40 2005 est. 38 Gabon 3.40 2005 est. 39 Egypt 3.40 2005 est. 40 Turkmenistan 3.40 2005 est. 41 Algeria 3.30 2006 42 Botswana 3.30 2006 43 United Arab Emirates 3.10 2005 est. 44 Guinea-Bissau 3.10 2005 est. 45 Lebanon 3.10 2005 est. 46 Congo, Republic of the 3.10 2006 47 Solomon Islands 3.00 2006 48 Cambodia 3.00 2005 est. 49 Ethiopia 3.00 2006 50 Indonesia 3.00 2005 est. 51 Sudan 3.00 2005 est. 52 Pakistan 3.00 2007 est. 53 Rwanda 2.90 2006 est. 54 Comoros 2.80 2006 55 Ecuador 2.80 2006 56 Kenya 2.80 2006 57 Chile 2.70 2006 58 Korea, South 2.70 2006 59 Azerbaijan 2.60 2005 est. 60 Lesotho 2.60 2006 61 France 2.60 2005 est. 62 Brazil 2.60 2006 est. 63 Sri Lanka 2.60 2006 64 Bulgaria 2.60 2005 est. 65 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 2.50 2006 66 India 2.50 2006 67 Iran 2.50 2006 68 Vietnam 2.50 2005 est. 69 Australia 2.40 2006 70 United Kingdom 2.40 2005 est. 71 Croatia 2.39 2005 est. 72 Portugal 2.30 2005 est. 73 Sierra Leone 2.30 2006 74 Fiji 2.20 2005 est. 75 Taiwan 2.20 76 Uganda 2.20 2006 77 Burma 2.10 2005 est. 78 Malaysia 2.03 2005 est. 79 Estonia 2.00 2005 est. 80 World 2.00 2005 est. 81 Uzbekistan 2.00 2005 est. 82 Seychelles 2.00 2006 est. 83 Finland 2.00 2005 est. 84 Afghanistan 1.90 2006 est. 85 Romania 1.90 2007 est. 86 Norway 1.90 2005 est. 87 Mali 1.90 2006 88 Bolivia 1.90 2006 89 Slovakia 1.87 2005 est. 90 Guyana 1.80 2006 91 Thailand 1.80 2005 est. 92 Zambia 1.80 2005 est. 93 Italy 1.80 2005 est. 94 Hungary 1.75 2005 est. 95 Poland 1.71 2005 est. 96 Benin 1.70 2006 97 Guinea 1.70 2006 98 South Africa 1.70 2006 99 Slovenia 1.70 2005 est. 100 Cote d'Ivoire 1.60 2005 est 101 Netherlands 1.60 2005 est. 102 Togo 1.60 2005 est. 103 Uruguay 1.60 2006 104 Nepal 1.60 2006 105 Bangladesh 1.50 2006 106 Sweden 1.50 2005 est. 107 Peru 1.50 2006 108 Nigeria 1.50 2006 109 Denmark 1.50 110 Germany 1.50 2005 est. 111 Albania 1.49 2005 est. 112 Czech Republic 1.46 2007 est. 113 Belize 1.40 2006 114 Ukraine 1.40 2005 est. 115 Belarus 1.40 2005 est. 116 Kyrgyzstan 1.40 2005 est. 117 Papua New Guinea 1.40 2005 est. 118 Tunisia 1.40 2006 119 Senegal 1.40 2005 est. 120 Mongolia 1.40 2006 121 Argentina 1.30 2005 est. 122 Cameroon 1.30 2006 123 Niger 1.30 2006 124 Malawi 1.30 2006 125 Liberia 1.30 2006 est. 126 Belgium 1.30 2005 est. 127 Latvia 1.20 2005 est. 128 Burkina Faso 1.20 2006 129 Venezuela 1.20 2005 est. 130 Spain 1.20 2005 est. 131 Lithuania 1.20 132 Canada 1.10 2005 est. 133 Central African Republic 1.10 2006 est. 134 Bhutan 1.00 2005 est. 135 Madagascar 1.00 2006 136 Switzerland 1.00 2005 est. 137 Panama 1.00 2006 138 Paraguay 1.00 2006 est. 139 New Zealand 1.00 2005 est. 140 Austria 0.90 2005 est. 141 Kazakhstan 0.90 FY02 142 Luxembourg 0.90 2005 est. 143 Tonga 0.90 2006 est. 144 Somalia 0.90 2005 est. 145 Philippines 0.90 2005 est. 146 Ireland 0.90 2005 est. 147 Dominican Republic 0.80 2006 148 Sao Tome and Principe 0.80 2006 149 Japan 0.80 2006 150 Mozambique 0.80 2006 151 Ghana 0.80 2006 est. 152 Cape Verde 0.70 2005 153 Malta 0.70 2006 est. 154 Honduras 0.60 2006 est. 155 Nicaragua 0.60 2006 156 Suriname 0.60 2006 est. 157 Jamaica 0.60 2006 est. 158 Georgia 0.59 2005 est. 159 Barbados 0.50 2006 est. 160 Gambia, The 0.50 2006 161 Bahamas, The 0.50 2006 162 Mexico 0.50 2006 est. 163 Laos 0.50 2006 164 Costa Rica 0.40 2006 165 Guatemala 0.40 2006 166 Moldova 0.40 2005 est. 167 Haiti 0.40 2006 168 Mauritius 0.30 2006 est. 169 Trinidad and Tobago 0.30 2006 170 Tanzania 0.20 2005 est. 171 Bermuda 0.11 2005 est. 172 Equatorial Guinea 0.10 2006 est. 173 Iceland 0.00 2005 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2038

Rank Country Electricity - production(kWh) Date of Information

1 World 18,960,000,000,000 2007 est. 2 United States 4,167,000,000,000 2007 est. 3 China 3,256,000,000,000 2007 4 European Union 3,056,000,000,000 2007 est. 5 Japan 1,082,000,000,000 2007 est. 6 Russia 964,200,000,000 2007 est. 7 India 665,300,000,000 2007 est. 8 Canada 612,600,000,000 2007 est. 9 Germany 594,700,000,000 2007 est. 10 France 537,900,000,000 2007 est. 11 Brazil 437,300,000,000 2007 est. 12 Korea, South 412,700,000,000 2007 est. 13 United Kingdom 371,000,000,000 2007 est. 14 Italy 292,100,000,000 2007 est. 15 Spain 287,400,000,000 2007 est. 16 South Africa 264,000,000,000 2007 17 Australia 244,200,000,000 2007 est. 18 Mexico 243,300,000,000 2007 est. 19 Taiwan 216,600,000,000 2006 est. 20 Iran 189,900,000,000 2006 est. 21 Ukraine 182,400,000,000 2006 est. 22 Turkey 181,600,000,000 2007 est. 23 Saudi Arabia 179,100,000,000 2007 est. 24 Poland 149,300,000,000 2007 est. 25 Sweden 143,800,000,000 2007 est. 26 Norway 135,000,000,000 2007 est. 27 Thailand 130,700,000,000 2006 est. 28 Indonesia 125,700,000,000 2006 est. 29 Venezuela 110,700,000,000 2007 est. 30 Argentina 109,400,000,000 2006 est. 31 Egypt 109,100,000,000 2006 est. 32 Malaysia 102,900,000,000 2007 est. 33 Netherlands 97,330,000,000 2007 est. 34 Pakistan 93,260,000,000 2007 est. 35 Belgium 82,940,000,000 2007 est. 36 Czech Republic 82,880,000,000 2007 est. 37 Finland 77,020,000,000 2007 est. 38 Kazakhstan 74,930,000,000 2007 est. 39 Paraguay 70,000,000,000 2007 40 Switzerland 64,560,000,000 2007 est. 41 United Arab Emirates 62,760,000,000 2006 est. 42 Vietnam 61,020,000,000 2007 est. 43 Greece 59,330,000,000 2007 est. 44 Austria 59,310,000,000 2007 est. 45 Romania 58,250,000,000 2007 est. 46 Philippines 56,510,000,000 2007 est. 47 Colombia 51,830,000,000 2006 est. 48 Chile 50,370,000,000 2006 est. 49 Uzbekistan 48,790,000,000 2007 est. 50 Israel 48,700,000,000 2006 est. 51 Portugal 44,830,000,000 2007 est. 52 Kuwait 44,750,000,000 2006 est. 53 Bulgaria 43,150,000,000 2006 est. 54 New Zealand 42,410,000,000 2007 est. 55 Singapore 38,680,000,000 2007 est. 56 Hungary 37,660,000,000 2007 est. 57 Denmark 36,990,000,000 2007 est. 58 Hong Kong 36,610,000,000 2007 est. 59 Syria 34,940,000,000 2007 est. 60 Serbia 33,870,000,000 2004 61 Iraq 33,530,000,000 2007 est. 62 Algeria 33,120,000,000 2006 est. 63 Belarus 29,910,000,000 2006 est. 64 Slovakia 26,170,000,000 2007 est. 65 Ireland 25,770,000,000 2007 est. 66 Peru 24,920,000,000 2006 est. 67 Libya 23,980,000,000 2007 est. 68 Puerto Rico 23,840,000,000 2006 est. 69 Azerbaijan 23,800,000,000 2007 est. 70 Bangladesh 22,780,000,000 2007 est. 71 Nigeria 22,110,000,000 2006 est. 72 Morocco 21,880,000,000 2006 est. 73 Korea, North 21,720,000,000 2006 est. 74 Tajikistan 17,400,000,000 2007 75 Cuba 16,970,000,000 2007 est. 76 Kyrgyzstan 15,620,000,000 2006 est. 77 Ecuador 14,840,000,000 2006 est. 78 Mozambique 14,620,000,000 2006 est. 79 Qatar 14,410,000,000 2006 est. 80 Slovenia 14,130,000,000 2007 est. 81 Oman 13,580,000,000 2007 est. 82 Dominican Republic 13,370,000,000 2006 est. 83 Bosnia and Herzegovina 12,840,000,000 2006 est. 84 Turkmenistan 12,830,000,000 2006 est. 85 Tunisia 12,650,000,000 2006 est. 86 Croatia 12,410,000,000 2006 est. 87 Lithuania 11,910,000,000 2006 est. 88 Iceland 11,710,000,000 2007 est. 89 Jordan 10,870,000,000 2006 est. 90 Zimbabwe 9,467,000,000 2006 est. 91 Zambia 9,289,000,000 2006 est. 92 Bahrain 9,233,000,000 2006 est. 93 Uruguay 9,200,000,000 2007 94 Estonia 9,158,000,000 2006 est. 95 Lebanon 8,764,000,000 2006 est. 96 Costa Rica 8,521,000,000 2006 est. 97 Sri Lanka 8,317,000,000 2006 est. 98 Ghana 8,204,000,000 2006 est. 99 Trinidad and Tobago 7,704,000,000 2007 100 Guatemala 7,643,000,000 2006 est. 101 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 7,243,000,000 2006 est. 102 Georgia 7,116,000,000 2006 est. 103 Jamaica 7,040,000,000 2006 est. 104 Kenya 6,264,000,000 2006 est. 105 Macedonia 6,051,000,000 2007 106 Burma 5,961,000,000 2006 est. 107 Panama 5,805,000,000 2006 est. 108 Honduras 5,753,000,000 2006 est. 109 Bolivia 5,668,000,000 2007 est. 110 Armenia 5,544,000,000 2007 est. 111 El Salvador 5,338,000,000 2007 est. 112 Cote d'Ivoire 5,274,000,000 2006 est. 113 Yemen 5,017,000,000 2006 est. 114 Latvia 4,734,000,000 2006 est. 115 Cyprus 4,520,000,000 2007 est. 116 Bhutan 4,475,000,000 2007 est. 117 Sudan 4,037,000,000 2006 est. 118 Kosovo 3,996,000,000 2006 119 Cameroon 3,903,000,000 2006 est. 120 Moldova 3,824,000,000 2006 est. 121 Angola 3,513,000,000 2006 est. 122 Ethiopia 3,268,000,000 2006 est. 123 Brunei 3,100,000,000 2006 est. 124 Mongolia 3,078,000,000 2007 est. 125 Nicaragua 3,012,000,000 2006 est. 126 Luxembourg 3,010,000,000 2007 est. 127 Albania 2,892,000,000 2007 est. 128 Papua New Guinea 2,875,000,000 2006 est. 129 Montenegro 2,864,000,000 2005 est. 130 Nepal 2,703,000,000 2007 est. 131 Tanzania 2,682,000,000 2006 est. 132 Mauritius 2,321,000,000 2007 est. 133 Senegal 2,280,000,000 2006 est. 134 Malta 2,146,000,000 2007 est. 135 Bahamas, The 2,050,000,000 2007 est. 136 Guam 1,789,000,000 2006 est. 137 Gabon 1,671,000,000 2006 est. 138 Laos 1,639,000,000 2006 est. 139 Namibia 1,606,000,000 2007 est. 140 New Caledonia 1,602,000,000 2006 est. 141 Suriname 1,595,000,000 2006 est. 142 Macau 1,454,000,000 2007 est. 143 Netherlands Antilles 1,195,000,000 2006 est. 144 Cambodia 1,163,000,000 2006 est. 145 Uganda 1,161,000,000 2006 est. 146 Malawi 1,130,000,000 2006 est. 147 Madagascar 1,045,000,000 2007 est. 148 Barbados 1,003,000,000 2007 est. 149 Botswana 979,000,000 2006 est. 150 Virgin Islands 960,000,000 2006 est. 151 Fiji 928,000,000 2007 est. 152 Guyana 901,000,000 2006 est. 153 Afghanistan 839,000,000 2007 est. 154 Aruba 800,000,000 2006 est. 155 Guinea 800,000,000 2006 est. 156 Bermuda 675,600,000 2007 est. 157 Burkina Faso 611,600,000 2007 est. 158 Haiti 549,000,000 2006 est. 159 Cayman Islands 546,100,000 2007 est. 160 Mali 505,000,000 2006 est. 161 French Polynesia 475,000,000 2006 est. 162 Swaziland 460,000,000 2007 163 Congo, Republic of the 444,000,000 2006 est. 164 Mauritania 412,300,000 2006 est. 165 Saint Lucia 325,000,000 2007 est. 166 Liberia 320,000,000 2006 est. 167 Greenland 305,000,000 2006 est. 168 Faroe Islands 295,000,000 2006 est. 169 Somalia 280,000,000 2006 est. 170 Eritrea 253,000,000 2006 est. 171 Djibouti 250,000,000 2006 est. 172 Sierra Leone 250,000,000 2006 est. 173 Niger 240,000,000 2006 est. 174 Maldives 230,000,000 2007 est. 175 Belize 213,500,000 2007 est. 176 Seychelles 208,000,000 2006 est. 177 Togo 203,000,000 2006 est. 178 Gambia, The 200,200,000 2007 est. 179 Lesotho 200,000,000 2006 est. 180 Micronesia, Federated States of 192,000,000 2002 181 American Samoa 180,000,000 2006 est. 182 Grenada 167,200,000 2006 est. 183 Gibraltar 142,000,000 2006 est. 184 Rwanda 134,000,000 2006 est. 185 Saint Kitts and Nevis 130,000,000 2006 est. 186 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 129,000,000 2006 est. 187 Benin 120,000,000 2006 est. 188 Central African Republic 110,000,000 2006 est. 189 Samoa 109,000,000 2006 est. 190 Antigua and Barbuda 105,000,000 2006 est. 191 Chad 95,000,000 2006 est. 192 Dominica 90,000,000 2006 est. 193 Western Sahara 90,000,000 2006 est. 194 Burundi 87,000,000 2006 est. 195 Solomon Islands 70,000,000 2007 est. 196 Guinea-Bissau 60,000,000 2006 est. 197 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 53,000,000 2006 est. 198 Cape Verde 47,000,000 2006 est. 199 Vanuatu 46,000,000 2007 est. 200 British Virgin Islands 45,000,000 2006 est. 201 Tonga 43,000,000 2007 est. 202 Nauru 31,000,000 2006 est. 203 Cook Islands 30,000,000 2006 est. 204 Equatorial Guinea 27,000,000 2006 est. 205 Montserrat 22,000,000 2006 est. 206 Comoros 20,000,000 2006 est. 207 Sao Tome and Principe 18,000,000 2006 est. 208 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 16,000,000 2006 est. 209 Kiribati 10,000,000 2006 est. 210 Turks and Caicos Islands 10,000,000 2006 est. 211 Saint Helena 8,000,000 2006 est. 212 Niue 4,000,000 2006 est. 213 Gaza Strip 140,000 2005

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2042

Rank Country Electricity - consumption(kWh) Date of Information

1 World 16,880,000,000,000 2007 est. 2 United States 3,892,000,000,000 2007 est. 3 China 2,859,000,000,000 2006 4 European Union 2,858,000,000,000 2007 est. 5 Japan 982,500,000,000 2006 est. 6 Russia 819,600,000,000 2006 est. 7 Germany 549,100,000,000 2006 est. 8 Canada 530,000,000,000 2006 est. 9 India 517,200,000,000 2006 est. 10 France 447,300,000,000 2006 est. 11 Brazil 402,200,000,000 2007 est. 12 Korea, South 368,600,000,000 2007 13 United Kingdom 348,500,000,000 2006 est. 14 Italy 316,300,000,000 2006 est. 15 Spain 254,100,000,000 2006 est. 16 South Africa 241,400,000,000 2007 17 Australia 220,000,000,000 2006 est. 18 Taiwan 208,700,000,000 2006 est. 19 Mexico 202,000,000,000 2007 est. 20 Saudi Arabia 156,800,000,000 2006 est. 21 Iran 149,400,000,000 2006 est. 22 Ukraine 148,100,000,000 2006 est. 23 Turkey 141,500,000,000 2006 est. 24 Sweden 133,600,000,000 2006 est. 25 Poland 126,200,000,000 2006 est. 26 Thailand 123,900,000,000 2006 est. 27 Norway 111,500,000,000 2006 est. 28 Indonesia 110,700,000,000 2006 est. 29 Netherlands 109,600,000,000 2006 est. 30 Argentina 97,720,000,000 2006 est. 31 Egypt 96,200,000,000 2006 est. 32 Malaysia 95,980,000,000 2006 est. 33 Finland 86,040,000,000 2006 est. 34 Belgium 85,540,000,000 2006 est. 35 Venezuela 83,840,000,000 2006 est. 36 Pakistan 68,400,000,000 2006 est. 37 Austria 62,350,000,000 2006 est. 38 Kazakhstan 61,810,000,000 2006 est. 39 Czech Republic 61,520,000,000 2006 est. 40 Switzerland 58,770,000,000 2006 est. 41 United Arab Emirates 57,880,000,000 2006 est. 42 Greece 55,980,000,000 2006 est. 43 Romania 48,430,000,000 2006 est. 44 Vietnam 48,080,000,000 2006 est. 45 Portugal 48,020,000,000 2006 est. 46 Philippines 47,040,000,000 2006 est. 47 Chile 45,520,000,000 2006 est. 48 Israel 44,740,000,000 2006 est. 49 Uzbekistan 42,230,000,000 2006 est. 50 Colombia 39,580,000,000 2006 est. 51 Kuwait 39,540,000,000 2006 est. 52 New Zealand 38,930,000,000 2006 est. 53 Hong Kong 38,020,000,000 2006 est. 54 Hungary 37,110,000,000 2006 est. 55 Iraq 35,840,000,000 2007 est. 56 Singapore 35,130,000,000 2006 est. 57 Denmark 34,680,000,000 2006 est. 58 Syria 34,000,000,000 2007 est. 59 Bulgaria 30,500,000,000 2006 est. 60 Belarus 30,430,000,000 2006 est. 61 Azerbaijan 27,500,000,000 2007 est. 62 Algeria 26,910,000,000 2006 est. 63 Slovakia 26,000,000,000 2006 est. 64 Ireland 25,670,000,000 2006 est. 65 Peru 22,370,000,000 2006 est. 66 Puerto Rico 22,170,000,000 2006 est. 67 Bangladesh 21,370,000,000 2006 est. 68 Libya 20,710,000,000 2006 est. 69 Morocco 19,580,000,000 2006 est. 70 Korea, North 18,180,000,000 2006 est. 71 Tajikistan 17,900,000,000 2007 72 Nigeria 15,850,000,000 2006 est. 73 Croatia 15,570,000,000 2006 est. 74 Cuba 14,020,000,000 2007 est. 75 Slovenia 13,400,000,000 2006 est. 76 Qatar 13,190,000,000 2006 est. 77 Ecuador 12,900,000,000 2006 est. 78 Dominican Republic 11,810,000,000 2006 est. 79 Zimbabwe 11,590,000,000 2006 est. 80 Tunisia 10,750,000,000 2006 est. 81 Oman 10,530,000,000 2006 est. 82 Lithuania 10,400,000,000 2006 est. 83 Jordan 9,852,000,000 2006 est. 84 Turkmenistan 9,584,000,000 2006 est. 85 Mozambique 9,555,000,000 2006 est. 86 Iceland 9,312,000,000 2006 est. 87 Kyrgyzstan 8,997,000,000 2006 est. 88 Bahrain 8,742,000,000 2006 est. 89 Macedonia 8,651,000,000 2007 90 Zambia 8,625,000,000 2006 est. 91 Bosnia and Herzegovina 8,501,000,000 2006 est. 92 Lebanon 8,161,000,000 2006 est. 93 Costa Rica 7,779,000,000 2006 est. 94 Estonia 7,331,000,000 2006 est. 95 Trinidad and Tobago 7,083,000,000 2007 96 Uruguay 7,030,000,000 2007 97 Sri Lanka 6,884,000,000 2006 est. 98 Ghana 6,760,000,000 2006 est. 99 Luxembourg 6,748,000,000 2006 est. 100 Georgia 6,694,000,000 2006 est. 101 Guatemala 6,617,000,000 2006 est. 102 Latvia 6,424,000,000 2006 est. 103 Jamaica 6,100,000,000 2006 est. 104 Paraguay 6,000,000,000 2007 105 Moldova 5,806,000,000 2006 est. 106 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 5,158,000,000 2006 est. 107 Kenya 5,124,000,000 2006 est. 108 Bolivia 5,092,000,000 2007 est. 109 Panama 4,768,000,000 2006 est. 110 Armenia 4,539,000,000 2006 est. 111 El Salvador 4,426,000,000 2007 est. 112 Burma 4,289,000,000 2006 est. 113 Kosovo 4,281,000,000 2006 114 Honduras 4,233,000,000 2006 est. 115 Cyprus 4,151,000,000 2006 est. 116 Yemen 3,804,000,000 2006 est. 117 Albania 3,607,000,000 2007 est. 118 Sudan 3,398,000,000 2006 est. 119 Cameroon 3,323,000,000 2006 est. 120 Namibia 3,194,000,000 2006 est. 121 Cote d'Ivoire 3,177,000,000 2006 est. 122 Angola 3,084,000,000 2006 est. 123 Macau 2,984,000,000 2007 est. 124 Ethiopia 2,941,000,000 2006 est. 125 Brunei 2,924,000,000 2006 est. 126 Papua New Guinea 2,674,000,000 2006 est. 127 Mongolia 2,638,000,000 2006 est. 128 Botswana 2,574,000,000 2006 est. 129 Nicaragua 2,413,000,000 2006 est. 130 Nepal 2,276,000,000 2006 est. 131 Tanzania 2,225,000,000 2006 est. 132 Mauritius 2,058,000,000 2006 est. 133 Malta 1,850,000,000 2006 est. 134 Bahamas, The 1,793,000,000 2006 est. 135 Guam 1,664,000,000 2006 est. 136 Senegal 1,657,000,000 2006 est. 137 New Caledonia 1,490,000,000 2006 est. 138 Suriname 1,457,000,000 2006 est. 139 Gabon 1,365,000,000 2006 est. 140 Laos 1,344,000,000 2006 est. 141 Swaziland 1,200,000,000 2007 142 Cambodia 1,178,000,000 2006 est. 143 Afghanistan 1,088,000,000 2006 est. 144 Malawi 1,051,000,000 2006 est. 145 Fiji 1,016,000,000 2006 est. 146 Netherlands Antilles 992,000,000 2006 est. 147 Barbados 939,900,000 2007 est. 148 Madagascar 907,000,000 2006 est. 149 Uganda 899,700,000 2006 est. 150 Virgin Islands 892,800,000 2006 est. 151 Guyana 747,000,000 2006 est. 152 Aruba 744,000,000 2006 est. 153 Guinea 744,000,000 2006 est. 154 Jersey 630,100,000 2004 est. 155 Bermuda 619,800,000 2006 est. 156 Togo 607,000,000 2006 est. 157 Benin 595,000,000 2006 est. 158 Congo, Republic of the 564,000,000 2006 est. 159 Cayman Islands 546,100,000 2007 est. 160 Bhutan 528,800,000 2007 est. 161 Burkina Faso 509,300,000 2006 est. 162 Mali 469,700,000 2006 est. 163 Niger 443,200,000 2006 est. 164 French Polynesia 441,800,000 2006 est. 165 Mauritania 383,400,000 2006 est. 166 Haiti 330,000,000 2006 est. 167 Liberia 297,600,000 2006 est. 168 Saint Lucia 289,200,000 2006 est. 169 Greenland 283,700,000 2006 est. 170 Faroe Islands 274,400,000 2006 est. 171 Somalia 260,400,000 2006 est. 172 Rwanda 234,600,000 2006 est. 173 Djibouti 232,500,000 2006 est. 174 Sierra Leone 232,500,000 2006 est. 175 Lesotho 226,000,000 2006 est. 176 Eritrea 216,000,000 2006 est. 177 Maldives 203,700,000 2006 est. 178 Seychelles 193,400,000 2006 est. 179 Belize 193,300,000 2006 est. 180 Micronesia, Federated States of 178,600,000 2002 181 American Samoa 167,400,000 2006 est. 182 Grenada 144,200,000 2006 est. 183 Gambia, The 143,600,000 2006 est. 184 Gibraltar 142,000,000 2006 est. 185 Mayotte 139,200,000 2005 186 Burundi 120,900,000 2006 est. 187 Saint Kitts and Nevis 120,900,000 2006 est. 188 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 120,000,000 2006 est. 189 Central African Republic 102,300,000 2006 est. 190 Samoa 101,400,000 2006 est. 191 Antigua and Barbuda 97,650,000 2006 est. 192 Chad 88,350,000 2006 est. 193 Dominica 83,700,000 2006 est. 194 Western Sahara 83,700,000 2006 est. 195 Solomon Islands 70,000,000 2007 est. 196 Guinea-Bissau 55,800,000 2006 est. 197 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 49,290,000 2006 est. 198 Cape Verde 43,710,000 2006 est. 199 British Virgin Islands 41,850,000 2006 est. 200 Vanuatu 39,990,000 2006 est. 201 Tonga 39,990,000 2006 est. 202 Nauru 28,830,000 2006 est. 203 Cook Islands 27,900,000 2006 est. 204 Equatorial Guinea 25,110,000 2006 est. 205 Montserrat 20,460,000 2006 est. 206 Comoros 18,600,000 2006 est. 207 Montenegro 18,600,000 2005 208 Sao Tome and Principe 16,740,000 2006 est. 209 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 14,880,000 2006 est. 210 Kiribati 9,300,000 2006 est. 211 Turks and Caicos Islands 9,300,000 2006 est. 212 Saint Helena 7,440,000 2006 est. 213 Niue 3,720,000 2006 est. 214 Gaza Strip 230,000 2005

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2053

Rank Country Airports Date of Information

1 World 49,024 2006 2 United States 14,947 2007 3 Brazil 4,263 2007 4 Mexico 1,834 2007 5 Canada 1,343 2007 6 Argentina 1,272 2007 7 Russia 1,260 2007 8 Bolivia 1,061 2007 9 Colombia 934 2007 10 Paraguay 838 2007 11 South Africa 728 2007 12 Indonesia 652 2007 13 Papua New Guinea 578 2007 14 Germany 550 2007 15 France 476 2007 16 China 467 2007 17 Australia 461 2007 18 United Kingdom 449 2007 19 Ukraine 437 2007 20 Ecuador 406 2007 21 Guatemala 402 2007 22 Venezuela 390 2007 23 Chile 358 2007 24 India 346 2007 25 Zimbabwe 341 2007 26 Iran 331 2007 27 Philippines 255 2007 28 Sweden 250 2007 29 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 237 2007 30 Peru 237 2007 31 Angola 232 2007 32 Kenya 225 2007 33 Bulgaria 214 2007 34 Saudi Arabia 213 2007 35 Japan 176 2007 36 Cuba 165 2007 37 Nicaragua 163 2007 38 Spain 154 2007 39 Costa Rica 151 2007 40 Algeria 150 2007 41 Finland 148 2007 42 Mozambique 147 2007 43 Pakistan 146 2007 44 Libya 141 2007 45 Oman 137 2007 46 Namibia 137 2007 47 Italy 132 2007 48 Tanzania 124 2007 49 Poland 123 2007 50 Czech Republic 122 2007 51 New Zealand 121 2007 52 Turkey 117 2007 53 Malaysia 116 2007 54 Panama 116 2007 55 Honduras 112 2007 56 Iraq 110 2007 57 Zambia 107 2007 58 Thailand 106 2007 59 Korea, South 105 2007 60 Madagascar 104 2007 61 Sudan 101 2007 62 Iceland 99 2007 63 Norway 98 2007 64 Kazakhstan 97 2007 65 Guyana 93 2007 66 Denmark 91 2007 67 Syria 90 2007 68 Egypt 88 2007 69 Lithuania 87 2007 70 Burma 86 2007 71 Botswana 85 2007 72 Ethiopia 84 2007 73 Greece 81 2007 74 Korea, North 77 2007 75 Nigeria 70 2007 76 Croatia 68 2007 77 Belarus 67 2007 78 Somalia 67 2007 79 Portugal 66 2007 80 El Salvador 65 2007 81 Switzerland 65 2007 82 Bahamas, The 62 2007 83 Romania 61 2007 84 Morocco 60 2007 85 Uruguay 60 2007 86 Austria 55 2007 87 Chad 55 2007 88 French Polynesia 54 2007 89 Uzbekistan 54 2007 90 Gabon 53 2007 91 Israel 53 2007 92 Liberia 53 2007 93 Central African Republic 51 2007 94 Suriname 50 2007 95 Yemen 50 2007 96 Nepal 47 2007 97 Afghanistan 46 2007 98 Hungary 46 2007 99 Cameroon 45 2007 100 Belize 44 2007 101 Mongolia 44 2007 102 Vietnam 44 2007 103 Belgium 43 2007 104 Laos 42 2007 105 Latvia 42 2007 106 Taiwan 41 2007 107 United Arab Emirates 39 2007 108 Serbia 39 2007 109 Malawi 39 2007 110 Azerbaijan 35 2007 111 Solomon Islands 35 2007 112 Slovakia 35 2007 113 Dominican Republic 34 2007 114 Ireland 34 2007 115 Jamaica 34 2007 116 Cote d'Ivoire 34 2007 117 Burkina Faso 33 2007 118 Uganda 32 2007 119 Congo, Republic of the 31 2007 120 Vanuatu 31 2007 121 Kyrgyzstan 30 2007 122 Tunisia 30 2007 123 Mali 29 2007 124 Puerto Rico 29 2007 125 Bosnia and Herzegovina 28 2007 126 Fiji 28 2007 127 Turkmenistan 28 2007 128 Niger 28 2007 129 Lesotho 28 2007 130 Antarctica 27 2008 131 Guinea-Bissau 27 2007 132 Netherlands 27 2007 133 Tajikistan 26 2007 134 Mauritania 25 2007 135 New Caledonia 25 2007 136 Georgia 23 2007 137 Senegal 20 2007 138 Estonia 19 2007 139 Kiribati 19 2007 140 Sri Lanka 18 2007 141 Eritrea 18 2007 142 Swaziland 18 2007 143 Cambodia 17 2007 144 Macedonia 17 2007 145 Jordan 17 2007 146 Bangladesh 16 2007 147 Guinea 16 2007 148 Cyprus 16 2007 149 Marshall Islands 15 2007 150 Seychelles 15 2007 151 Greenland 14 2007 152 Slovenia 14 2007 153 Haiti 14 2007 154 Djibouti 13 2007 155 Armenia 12 2007 156 Ghana 12 2007 157 Albania 11 2007 158 Kosovo 10 2008 159 Moldova 10 2007 160 Sierra Leone 10 2007 161 Cook Islands 9 2007 162 Rwanda 9 2007 163 Western Sahara 9 2007 164 Togo 9 2007 165 Burundi 8 2007 166 Cape Verde 8 2007 167 Singapore 8 2007 168 Turks and Caicos Islands 8 2007 169 Timor-Leste 8 2007 170 Kuwait 7 2007 171 Lebanon 7 2007 172 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 6 2007 173 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6 2007 174 Tonga 6 2007 175 Trinidad and Tobago 6 2007 176 Micronesia, Federated States of 6 2007 177 Benin 5 2007 178 Equatorial Guinea 5 2007 179 Northern Mariana Islands 5 2007 180 Mauritius 5 2007 181 Netherlands Antilles 5 2007 182 Qatar 5 2007 183 Maldives 5 2007 184 Montenegro 5 2007 185 Guam 5 2007 186 Comoros 4 2007 187 French Southern and Antarctic Lands 4 2006 188 Samoa 4 2007 189 Svalbard 4 2007 190 Antigua and Barbuda 3 2007 191 West Bank 3 2007 192 British Virgin Islands 3 2007 193 Palau 3 2007 194 Spratly Islands 3 2007 195 Grenada 3 2007 196 Bahrain 3 2007 197 Anguilla 3 2007 198 American Samoa 3 2007 199 Cayman Islands 3 2007 200 Bhutan 2 2007 201 Luxembourg 2 2007 202 Wallis and Futuna 2 2007 203 Virgin Islands 2 2007 204 Sao Tome and Principe 2 2007 205 Saint Lucia 2 2007 206 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 2007 207 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 2 2007 208 Montserrat 2 2007 209 Hong Kong 2 2007 210 Brunei 2 2007 211 Dominica 2 2007 212 Gaza Strip 2 2007 213 Guernsey 2 2007 214 Aruba 1 2007 215 Barbados 1 2007 216 Wake Island 1 2007 217 Tuvalu 1 2007 218 Saint Barthelemy 1 219 Saint Helena 1 2007 220 Saint Martin 1 221 Paracel Islands 1 2007 222 Nauru 1 2007 223 Norfolk Island 1 2007 224 Niue 1 2007 225 Malta 1 2007 226 Mayotte 1 2007 227 Macau 1 2007 228 Christmas Island 1 2007 229 Jan Mayen 1 2007 230 Jersey 1 2007 231 British Indian Ocean Territory 1 2007 232 Isle of Man 1 2007 233 Gibraltar 1 2007 234 Gambia, The 1 2007 235 Faroe Islands 1 2007 236 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 1 2007 237 Bermuda 1 2007

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2054

Rank Country Birth rate(births/1,000 population) Date of Information

1 Niger 49.62 2008 est. 2 Mali 49.38 2008 est. 3 Uganda 48.15 2008 est. 4 Afghanistan 45.82 2008 est. 5 Sierra Leone 45.08 2008 est. 6 Burkina Faso 44.68 2008 est. 7 Somalia 44.12 2008 est. 8 Angola 44.09 2008 est. 9 Ethiopia 43.97 2008 est. 10 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 43.00 2008 est. 11 Liberia 42.92 2008 est. 12 Yemen 42.42 2008 est. 13 Malawi 41.79 2008 est. 14 Congo, Republic of the 41.76 2008 est. 15 Burundi 41.72 2008 est. 16 Chad 41.61 2008 est. 17 Zambia 40.52 2008 est. 18 Mauritania 40.14 2008 est. 19 Rwanda 39.97 2008 est. 20 Western Sahara 39.95 2008 est. 21 Benin 39.80 2008 est. 22 Mayotte 39.79 2008 est. 23 Sao Tome and Principe 39.12 2008 est. 24 Djibouti 38.61 2008 est. 25 Madagascar 38.38 2008 est. 26 Gambia, The 38.36 2008 est. 27 Mozambique 38.21 2008 est. 28 Kenya 37.89 2008 est. 29 Guinea 37.84 2008 est. 30 Gaza Strip 37.75 2008 est. 31 Nigeria 37.23 2008 est. 32 Equatorial Guinea 37.04 2008 est. 33 Togo 36.66 2008 est. 34 Senegal 36.52 2008 est. 35 Guinea-Bissau 36.40 2008 est. 36 Comoros 35.78 2008 est. 37 Gabon 35.75 2008 est. 38 Haiti 35.69 2008 est. 39 Oman 35.26 2008 est. 40 Tanzania 35.12 2008 est. 41 Eritrea 34.94 2008 est. 42 Cameroon 34.59 2008 est. 43 Laos 34.46 2008 est. 44 Sudan 34.31 2008 est. 45 Central African Republic 33.13 2008 est. 46 Cote d'Ivoire 32.73 2008 est. 47 Zimbabwe 31.62 2008 est. 48 Marshall Islands 31.52 2008 est. 49 Iraq 30.77 2008 est. 50 Kiribati 30.31 2008 est. 51 Nepal 29.92 2008 est. 52 Ghana 29.22 2008 est. 53 Bangladesh 28.86 2008 est. 54 Saudi Arabia 28.85 2008 est. 55 Guatemala 28.55 2008 est. 56 Solomon Islands 28.48 2008 est. 57 Paraguay 28.47 2008 est. 58 Pakistan 28.35 2008 est. 59 Samoa 28.20 2008 est. 60 Papua New Guinea 28.14 2008 est. 61 Belize 27.84 2008 est. 62 Tajikistan 27.18 2008 est. 63 Honduras 26.93 2008 est. 64 Swaziland 26.60 2008 est. 65 Syria 26.57 2008 est. 66 Timor-Leste 26.52 2008 est. 67 Philippines 26.42 2008 est. 68 West Bank 25.95 2008 est. 69 El Salvador 25.72 2008 est. 70 Cambodia 25.68 2008 est. 71 Libya 25.62 2008 est. 72 Turkmenistan 25.07 2008 est. 73 Lesotho 24.41 2008 est. 74 Nauru 24.26 2008 est. 75 Cape Verde 23.95 2008 est. 76 Nicaragua 23.70 2008 est. 77 American Samoa 23.66 2008 est. 78 Micronesia, Federated States of 23.66 2008 est. 79 Kyrgyzstan 23.31 2008 est. 80 Namibia 23.19 2008 est. 81 Botswana 22.96 2008 est. 82 Tuvalu 22.75 2008 est. 83 Dominican Republic 22.65 2008 est. 84 Malaysia 22.44 2008 est. 85 Bolivia 22.31 2008 est. 86 India 22.22 2008 est. 87 Fiji 22.15 2008 est. 88 Egypt 22.12 2008 est. 89 Vanuatu 21.95 2008 est. 90 Kuwait 21.90 2008 est. 91 Tonga 21.81 2008 est. 92 Grenada 21.61 2008 est. 93 Ecuador 21.54 2008 est. 94 Morocco 21.31 2008 est. 95 Turks and Caicos Islands 21.12 2008 est. 96 Mongolia 21.09 2008 est. 97 Venezuela 20.92 2008 est. 98 Panama 20.68 2008 est. 99 Bhutan 20.56 2008 est. 100 South Africa 20.23 2008 est. 101 World 20.18 2008 est. 102 Jordan 20.13 2008 est. 103 Jamaica 20.04 2008 est. 104 Mexico 20.04 2008 est. 105 Israel 20.02 2008 est. 106 Colombia 19.86 2008 est. 107 Peru 19.77 2008 est. 108 Indonesia 19.24 2008 est. 109 Northern Mariana Islands 19.04 2008 est. 110 Brazil 18.72 2008 est. 111 Brunei 18.39 2008 est. 112 Guam 18.37 2008 est. 113 Argentina 18.11 2008 est. 114 Uzbekistan 17.99 2008 est. 115 Guyana 17.85 2008 est. 116 Saint Kitts and Nevis 17.73 2008 est. 117 Costa Rica 17.71 2008 est. 118 Lebanon 17.61 2008 est. 119 Azerbaijan 17.52 2008 est. 120 Palau 17.40 2008 est. 121 New Caledonia 17.39 2008 est. 122 Bahrain 17.26 2008 est. 123 Burma 17.23 2008 est. 124 Bahamas, The 17.06 2008 est. 125 Algeria 17.03 2008 est. 126 Suriname 17.02 2008 est. 127 Iran 16.89 2008 est. 128 Antigua and Barbuda 16.78 2008 est. 129 Cook Islands 16.71 2008 est. 130 Sri Lanka 16.63 2008 est. 131 Vietnam 16.47 2008 est. 132 Kazakhstan 16.44 2008 est. 133 French Polynesia 16.16 2008 est. 134 Turkey 16.15 2008 est. 135 United Arab Emirates 16.06 2008 est. 136 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 15.82 2008 est. 137 Dominica 15.73 2008 est. 138 Qatar 15.69 2008 est. 139 Seychelles 15.60 2008 est. 140 Tunisia 15.50 2008 est. 141 Saint Lucia 15.40 2008 est. 142 Albania 15.22 2008 est. 143 Greenland 14.87 2008 est. 144 Maldives 14.84 2008 est. 145 Chile 14.82 2008 est. 146 British Virgin Islands 14.72 2008 est. 147 Mauritius 14.64 2008 est. 148 Korea, North 14.61 2008 est. 149 Netherlands Antilles 14.37 2008 est. 150 Ireland 14.33 2008 est. 151 United States 14.18 2008 est. 152 Uruguay 14.17 2008 est. 153 New Zealand 14.09 2008 est. 154 China 13.71 2008 est. 155 Thailand 13.57 2008 est. 156 Iceland 13.50 2008 est. 157 Faroe Islands 13.25 2008 est. 158 Trinidad and Tobago 13.22 2008 est. 159 Anguilla 13.11 2008 est. 160 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 12.92 2008 est. 161 Aruba 12.81 2008 est. 162 France 12.73 2008 est. 163 Puerto Rico 12.61 2008 est. 164 Cyprus 12.56 2008 est. 165 Australia 12.55 2008 est. 166 Armenia 12.53 2008 est. 167 Barbados 12.48 2008 est. 168 Cayman Islands 12.43 2008 est. 169 Virgin Islands 12.29 2008 est. 170 Montserrat 12.01 2008 est. 171 Macedonia 12.00 2008 est. 172 Luxembourg 11.77 2008 est. 173 Saint Helena 11.45 2008 est. 174 Cuba 11.27 2008 est. 175 Montenegro 11.17 2008 est. 176 Bermuda 11.15 2008 est. 177 Norway 11.12 2008 est. 178 Russia 11.03 2008 est. 179 Moldova 11.01 2008 est. 180 Isle of Man 10.86 2008 est. 181 Denmark 10.71 2008 est. 182 Gibraltar 10.71 2008 est. 183 United Kingdom 10.65 2008 est. 184 Slovakia 10.64 2008 est. 185 Georgia 10.62 2008 est. 186 Romania 10.61 2008 est. 187 Andorra 10.59 2008 est. 188 Netherlands 10.53 2008 est. 189 Portugal 10.45 2008 est. 190 Finland 10.39 2008 est. 191 Malta 10.33 2008 est. 192 Canada 10.29 2008 est. 193 Estonia 10.28 2008 est. 194 European Union 10.25 2008 est. 195 Belgium 10.22 2008 est. 196 Sweden 10.15 2008 est. 197 Poland 10.01 2008 est. 198 Spain 9.87 2008 est. 199 Liechtenstein 9.86 2008 est. 200 San Marino 9.74 2008 est. 201 Croatia 9.64 2008 est. 202 Belarus 9.62 2008 est. 203 Switzerland 9.62 2008 est. 204 Latvia 9.62 2008 est. 205 Hungary 9.59 2008 est. 206 Bulgaria 9.58 2008 est. 207 Ukraine 9.55 2008 est. 208 Greece 9.54 2008 est. 209 Korea, South 9.09 2008 est. 210 Monaco 9.09 2008 est. 211 Lithuania 9.00 2008 est. 212 Slovenia 8.99 2008 est. 213 Taiwan 8.99 2008 est. 214 Singapore 8.99 2008 est. 215 Czech Republic 8.89 2008 est. 216 Jersey 8.84 2008 est. 217 Bosnia and Herzegovina 8.82 2008 est. 218 Macau 8.69 2008 est. 219 Austria 8.66 2008 est. 220 Guernsey 8.57 2008 est. 221 Italy 8.36 2008 est. 222 Germany 8.18 2008 est. 223 Japan 7.87 2008 est. 224 Hong Kong 7.37 2008 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2066

Rank Country Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) Date of Information

1 Swaziland 30.70 2008 est. 2 Angola 24.44 2008 est. 3 Lesotho 22.33 2008 est. 4 Sierra Leone 22.26 2008 est. 5 Liberia 21.45 2008 est. 6 Zambia 21.35 2008 est. 7 Mozambique 20.29 2008 est. 8 Niger 20.26 2008 est. 9 Afghanistan 19.56 2008 est. 10 Djibouti 19.16 2008 est. 11 Central African Republic 18.04 2008 est. 12 Malawi 17.89 2008 est. 13 Zimbabwe 17.29 2008 est. 14 South Africa 16.94 2008 est. 15 Nigeria 16.88 2008 est. 16 Chad 16.39 2008 est. 17 Mali 16.16 2008 est. 18 Russia 16.06 2008 est. 19 Guinea-Bissau 16.05 2008 est. 20 Ukraine 15.93 2008 est. 21 Somalia 15.89 2008 est. 22 Rwanda 14.46 2008 est. 23 Bulgaria 14.30 2008 est. 24 Namibia 14.07 2008 est. 25 Botswana 14.02 2008 est. 26 Belarus 13.92 2008 est. 27 Sudan 13.64 2008 est. 28 Latvia 13.63 2008 est. 29 Burkina Faso 13.59 2008 est. 30 Estonia 13.35 2008 est. 31 Hungary 12.99 2008 est. 32 Monaco 12.96 2008 est. 33 Tanzania 12.92 2008 est. 34 Burundi 12.91 2008 est. 35 Gabon 12.59 2008 est. 36 Cameroon 12.41 2008 est. 37 Uganda 12.32 2008 est. 38 Congo, Republic of the 12.28 2008 est. 39 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 11.88 2008 est. 40 Romania 11.84 2008 est. 41 Ethiopia 11.83 2008 est. 42 Gambia, The 11.74 2008 est. 43 Western Sahara 11.74 2008 est. 44 Croatia 11.66 2008 est. 45 Mauritania 11.61 2008 est. 46 Guinea 11.29 2008 est. 47 Cote d'Ivoire 11.17 2008 est. 48 Lithuania 11.12 2008 est. 49 Isle of Man 11.02 2008 est. 50 Laos 11.02 2008 est. 51 Trinidad and Tobago 10.93 2008 est. 52 Germany 10.80 2008 est. 53 Moldova 10.80 2008 est. 54 Senegal 10.72 2008 est. 55 Czech Republic 10.69 2008 est. 56 Portugal 10.62 2008 est. 57 Italy 10.61 2008 est. 58 Slovenia 10.51 2008 est. 59 Greece 10.42 2008 est. 60 European Union 10.39 2008 est. 61 Belgium 10.38 2008 est. 62 Kenya 10.30 2008 est. 63 Denmark 10.25 2008 est. 64 Sweden 10.24 2008 est. 65 Haiti 10.15 2008 est. 66 Guernsey 10.09 2008 est. 67 United Kingdom 10.05 2008 est. 68 Finland 10.00 2008 est. 69 Poland 9.99 2008 est. 70 Austria 9.91 2008 est. 71 Spain 9.90 2008 est. 72 Equatorial Guinea 9.72 2008 est. 73 Benin 9.69 2008 est. 74 Georgia 9.51 2008 est. 75 Slovakia 9.50 2008 est. 76 Togo 9.48 2008 est. 77 Gibraltar 9.46 2008 est. 78 Ghana 9.39 2008 est. 79 Kazakhstan 9.39 2008 est. 80 Jersey 9.36 2008 est. 81 Norway 9.33 2008 est. 82 Japan 9.26 2008 est. 83 Burma 9.23 2008 est. 84 Bahamas, The 9.22 2008 est. 85 Uruguay 9.12 2008 est. 86 Nepal 8.97 2008 est. 87 Montserrat 8.86 2008 est. 88 Macedonia 8.81 2008 est. 89 Netherlands 8.71 2008 est. 90 Faroe Islands 8.67 2008 est. 91 Eritrea 8.63 2008 est. 92 Barbados 8.58 2008 est. 93 Bosnia and Herzegovina 8.54 2008 est. 94 Switzerland 8.54 2008 est. 95 Montenegro 8.51 2008 est. 96 France 8.48 2008 est. 97 Luxembourg 8.43 2008 est. 98 San Marino 8.37 2008 est. 99 Armenia 8.34 2008 est. 100 Azerbaijan 8.32 2008 est. 101 Madagascar 8.32 2008 est. 102 Dominica 8.32 2008 est. 103 Guyana 8.29 2008 est. 104 Malta 8.29 2008 est. 105 United States 8.27 2008 est. 106 Greenland 8.23 2008 est. 107 World 8.23 2008 est. 108 Saint Kitts and Nevis 8.19 2008 est. 109 Cambodia 8.16 2008 est. 110 Bangladesh 8.00 2008 est. 111 Bermuda 7.98 2008 est. 112 Kiribati 7.97 2008 est. 113 Puerto Rico 7.88 2008 est. 114 Pakistan 7.85 2008 est. 115 Yemen 7.83 2008 est. 116 Ireland 7.77 2008 est. 117 Comoros 7.76 2008 est. 118 Cyprus 7.76 2008 est. 119 Aruba 7.65 2008 est. 120 Canada 7.61 2008 est. 121 Vanuatu 7.61 2008 est. 122 Bhutan 7.54 2008 est. 123 Argentina 7.43 2008 est. 124 Liechtenstein 7.42 2008 est. 125 Mayotte 7.36 2008 est. 126 Bolivia 7.35 2008 est. 127 Korea, North 7.29 2008 est. 128 Cuba 7.19 2008 est. 129 Thailand 7.17 2008 est. 130 China 7.03 2008 est. 131 New Zealand 7.00 2008 est. 132 Tuvalu 6.98 2008 est. 133 Kyrgyzstan 6.97 2008 est. 134 Papua New Guinea 6.96 2008 est. 135 Tajikistan 6.94 2008 est. 136 Iceland 6.81 2008 est. 137 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 6.81 2008 est. 138 Palau 6.73 2008 est. 139 Saint Lucia 6.71 2008 est. 140 Australia 6.68 2008 est. 141 Taiwan 6.65 2008 est. 142 Hong Kong 6.60 2008 est. 143 Saint Helena 6.58 2008 est. 144 Mauritius 6.55 2008 est. 145 Virgin Islands 6.55 2008 est. 146 Nauru 6.54 2008 est. 147 Netherlands Antilles 6.43 2008 est. 148 India 6.40 2008 est. 149 Jamaica 6.37 2008 est. 150 Brazil 6.35 2008 est. 151 Grenada 6.31 2008 est. 152 Cape Verde 6.26 2008 est. 153 Indonesia 6.24 2008 est. 154 Seychelles 6.21 2008 est. 155 Vietnam 6.18 2008 est. 156 Mongolia 6.16 2008 est. 157 Peru 6.16 2008 est. 158 Antigua and Barbuda 6.14 2008 est. 159 Turkmenistan 6.11 2008 est. 160 Sri Lanka 6.07 2008 est. 161 Lebanon 6.06 2008 est. 162 Timor-Leste 6.02 2008 est. 163 Turkey 6.02 2008 est. 164 Sao Tome and Principe 5.98 2008 est. 165 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5.96 2008 est. 166 Samoa 5.84 2008 est. 167 Belize 5.77 2008 est. 168 Chile 5.77 2008 est. 169 Korea, South 5.73 2008 est. 170 Iran 5.69 2008 est. 171 Fiji 5.66 2008 est. 172 New Caledonia 5.64 2008 est. 173 Andorra 5.59 2008 est. 174 Colombia 5.54 2008 est. 175 El Salvador 5.53 2008 est. 176 Suriname 5.51 2008 est. 177 Morocco 5.49 2008 est. 178 Albania 5.44 2008 est. 179 Israel 5.41 2008 est. 180 Honduras 5.36 2008 est. 181 Dominican Republic 5.30 2008 est. 182 Uzbekistan 5.30 2008 est. 183 Guatemala 5.19 2008 est. 184 Tunisia 5.17 2008 est. 185 Philippines 5.15 2008 est. 186 Iraq 5.14 2008 est. 187 Tonga 5.12 2008 est. 188 Venezuela 5.10 2008 est. 189 Egypt 5.09 2008 est. 190 Malaysia 5.02 2008 est. 191 Cayman Islands 4.83 2008 est. 192 Mexico 4.78 2008 est. 193 Panama 4.71 2008 est. 194 Syria 4.68 2008 est. 195 French Polynesia 4.67 2008 est. 196 Guam 4.65 2008 est. 197 Algeria 4.62 2008 est. 198 Marshall Islands 4.57 2008 est. 199 Micronesia, Federated States of 4.53 2008 est. 200 Singapore 4.53 2008 est. 201 Paraguay 4.49 2008 est. 202 Anguilla 4.39 2008 est. 203 British Virgin Islands 4.37 2008 est. 204 Nicaragua 4.33 2008 est. 205 Costa Rica 4.31 2008 est. 206 Bahrain 4.29 2008 est. 207 Ecuador 4.21 2008 est. 208 Turks and Caicos Islands 4.16 2008 est. 209 American Samoa 4.13 2008 est. 210 Solomon Islands 3.81 2008 est. 211 West Bank 3.70 2008 est. 212 Oman 3.68 2008 est. 213 Maldives 3.66 2008 est. 214 Gaza Strip 3.53 2008 est. 215 Libya 3.46 2008 est. 216 Macau 3.43 2008 est. 217 Brunei 3.28 2008 est. 218 Jordan 2.72 2008 est. 219 Saudi Arabia 2.49 2008 est. 220 Qatar 2.47 2008 est. 221 Kuwait 2.37 2008 est. 222 Northern Mariana Islands 2.31 2008 est. 223 United Arab Emirates 2.13 2008 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2067

Rank Country Death rate(deaths/1,000 population) Date of Information

This file was last updated on 3 October, 2007

======================================================================

Rank code: @2078

Rank Country Exports Date of Information

1 World $ 13,890,000,000,000 2006 est. 2 Germany $ 1,354,000,000,000 2007 est. 3 European Union $ 1,330,000,000,000 2005 4 China $ 1,220,000,000,000 2007 est. 5 United States $ 1,148,000,000,000 2007 est. 6 Japan $ 678,100,000,000 2007 est. 7 France $ 546,000,000,000 2007 est. 8 Italy $ 502,400,000,000 2007 est. 9 Netherlands $ 456,800,000,000 2007 est. 10 United Kingdom $ 442,200,000,000 2007 est. 11 Canada $ 431,100,000,000 2007 est. 12 Korea, South $ 379,000,000,000 2007 est. 13 Russia $ 355,500,000,000 2007 est. 14 Hong Kong $ 345,900,000,000 2007 est. 15 Belgium $ 322,200,000,000 2007 est. 16 Singapore $ 302,700,000,000 2007 est. 17 Mexico $ 271,900,000,000 2007 est. 18 Spain $ 256,700,000,000 2007 est. 19 Taiwan $ 246,500,000,000 2007 est. 20 Saudi Arabia $ 226,700,000,000 2007 est. 21 Switzerland $ 200,100,000,000 2007 est. 22 United Arab Emirates $ 178,900,000,000 2007 est. 23 Malaysia $ 176,400,000,000 2007 est. 24 Sweden $ 170,100,000,000 2007 est. 25 Austria $ 162,100,000,000 2007 est. 26 Brazil $ 160,600,000,000 2007 est. 27 India $ 151,300,000,000 2007 est. 28 Thailand $ 151,100,000,000 2007 est. 29 Poland $ 144,600,000,000 2007 est. 30 Australia $ 142,100,000,000 2007 est. 31 Norway $ 140,300,000,000 2007 est. 32 Czech Republic $ 122,300,000,000 2007 est. 33 Indonesia $ 118,000,000,000 2007 est. 34 Ireland $ 115,500,000,000 2007 est. 35 Turkey $ 115,300,000,000 2007 est. 36 Denmark $ 101,200,000,000 2007 est. 37 Finland $ 89,910,000,000 2007 est. 38 Iran $ 88,260,000,000 2007 est. 39 Hungary $ 87,770,000,000 2007 est. 40 South Africa $ 76,190,000,000 2007 est. 41 Venezuela $ 69,170,000,000 2007 est. 42 Chile $ 67,640,000,000 2007 est. 43 Kuwait $ 63,720,000,000 2007 est. 44 Nigeria $ 61,790,000,000 2007 est. 45 Algeria $ 60,510,000,000 2007 est. 46 Slovakia $ 57,530,000,000 2007 est. 47 Argentina $ 55,780,000,000 2007 est. 48 Portugal $ 51,500,000,000 2007 est. 49 Israel $ 50,370,000,000 2007 est. 50 Ukraine $ 49,840,000,000 2007 est. 51 Philippines $ 49,320,000,000 2007 est. 52 Vietnam $ 48,560,000,000 2007 est. 53 Kazakhstan $ 48,350,000,000 2007 est. 54 Puerto Rico $ 46,900,000,000 2001 55 Angola $ 45,030,000,000 2007 est. 56 Libya $ 42,970,000,000 2007 est. 57 Qatar $ 42,020,000,000 2007 est. 58 Romania $ 40,320,000,000 2007 est. 59 Iraq $ 38,140,000,000 2007 est. 60 Colombia $ 30,580,000,000 2007 est. 61 Peru $ 27,960,000,000 2007 est. 62 New Zealand $ 27,350,000,000 2007 est. 63 Slovenia $ 27,060,000,000 2007 est. 64 Belarus $ 24,470,000,000 2007 est. 65 Egypt $ 24,450,000,000 2007 est. 66 Greece $ 23,910,000,000 2007 est. 67 Oman $ 23,100,000,000 2007 est. 68 Azerbaijan $ 21,270,000,000 2007 est. 69 Bulgaria $ 18,440,000,000 2007 est. 70 Luxembourg $ 18,420,000,000 2007 est. 71 Pakistan $ 18,120,000,000 2007 est. 72 Lithuania $ 17,180,000,000 2007 est. 73 Tunisia $ 15,150,000,000 2007 est. 74 Ecuador $ 14,370,000,000 2007 est. 75 Bahrain $ 13,790,000,000 2007 est. 76 Trinidad and Tobago $ 13,390,000,000 2007 est. 77 Morocco $ 12,750,000,000 2007 est. 78 Croatia $ 12,620,000,000 2007 est. 79 Bangladesh $ 12,450,000,000 2007 est. 80 Syria $ 11,140,000,000 2007 est. 81 Estonia $ 11,080,000,000 2007 est. 82 Equatorial Guinea $ 9,904,000,000 2007 est. 83 Panama $ 9,312,000,000 2007 est. 84 Costa Rica $ 9,268,000,000 2007 est. 85 Sudan $ 8,879,000,000 2007 est. 86 Serbia $ 8,824,000,000 2007 est. 87 Cote d'Ivoire $ 8,476,000,000 2007 est. 88 Latvia $ 8,143,000,000 2007 est. 89 Sri Lanka $ 8,135,000,000 2007 est. 90 Uzbekistan $ 8,050,000,000 2007 est. 91 Turkmenistan $ 7,567,000,000 2007 est. 92 Yemen $ 7,311,000,000 2007 est. 93 Dominican Republic $ 7,237,000,000 2007 est. 94 Gabon $ 6,956,000,000 2007 est. 95 Guatemala $ 6,940,000,000 2007 est. 96 Brunei $ 6,767,000,000 2006 97 Burma $ 6,122,000,000 2007 est. 98 Congo, Republic of the $ 5,800,000,000 2007 est. 99 Jordan $ 5,700,000,000 2007 est. 100 Honduras $ 5,594,000,000 2007 est. 101 Paraguay $ 5,463,000,000 2007 est. 102 Uruguay $ 5,063,000,000 2007 est. 103 Botswana $ 5,025,000,000 2007 est. 104 Iceland $ 4,793,000,000 2007 est. 105 Papua New Guinea $ 4,686,000,000 2007 est. 106 Zambia $ 4,594,000,000 2007 est. 107 Bolivia $ 4,490,000,000 2007 est. 108 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ 4,243,000,000 2007 est. 109 Virgin Islands $ 4,234,000,000 2001 110 Chad $ 4,201,000,000 2007 est. 111 Ghana $ 4,162,000,000 2007 est. 112 Kenya $ 4,127,000,000 2007 est. 113 Cambodia $ 4,089,000,000 2007 est. 114 Lebanon $ 4,077,000,000 2007 est. 115 El Salvador $ 4,035,000,000 2007 est. 116 Cameroon $ 3,827,000,000 2007 est. 117 Cuba $ 3,734,000,000 2007 est. 118 Netherlands Antilles $ 3,710,000,000 2006 119 Macedonia $ 3,350,000,000 2007 est. 120 Malta $ 3,238,000,000 2007 est. 121 Namibia $ 2,919,000,000 2007 est. 122 Macau $ 2,557,000,000 2006 123 Liechtenstein $ 2,470,000,000 1996 124 Mozambique $ 2,412,000,000 2007 est. 125 Jamaica $ 2,331,000,000 2007 est. 126 Nicaragua $ 2,313,000,000 2007 est. 127 Mauritius $ 2,231,000,000 2007 est. 128 Tanzania $ 2,227,000,000 2007 est. 129 Georgia $ 2,104,000,000 2007 est. 130 Swaziland $ 1,926,000,000 2007 est. 131 Mongolia $ 1,889,000,000 2007 132 Uganda $ 1,686,000,000 2007 est. 133 Senegal $ 1,650,000,000 2007 est. 134 Tajikistan $ 1,606,000,000 2007 est. 135 Congo, Democratic Republic of the $ 1,587,000,000 2006 136 Zimbabwe $ 1,520,000,000 2007 est. 137 Cyprus $ 1,495,000,000 2007 est. 138 Korea, North $ 1,466,000,000 2006 139 Mauritania $ 1,395,000,000 2006 140 Suriname $ 1,391,000,000 2006 est. 141 Moldova $ 1,361,000,000 2007 est. 142 New Caledonia $ 1,341,000,000 2006 143 Kyrgyzstan $ 1,337,000,000 2007 est. 144 San Marino $ 1,291,000,000 2004 145 Ethiopia $ 1,288,000,000 2007 est. 146 Fiji $ 1,202,000,000 2006 147 Armenia $ 1,200,000,000 2007 est. 148 Liberia $ 1,197,000,000 2006 149 Guinea $ 1,128,000,000 2007 est. 150 Albania $ 1,076,000,000 2007 est. 151 Madagascar $ 986,000,000 2007 est. 152 Laos $ 970,000,000 2007 est. 153 Lesotho $ 853,000,000 2007 est. 154 Nepal $ 830,000,000 2006 155 Bermuda $ 763,000,000 2006 156 Monaco $ 716,300,000 2005 157 Togo $ 702,000,000 2007 est. 158 Guyana $ 683,000,000 2007 est. 159 Bahamas, The $ 674,000,000 2006 160 Faroe Islands $ 634,000,000 2006 161 Burkina Faso $ 617,000,000 2007 est. 162 Malawi $ 604,000,000 2007 est. 163 Benin $ 586,000,000 2007 est. 164 Haiti $ 522,000,000 2007 est. 165 Greenland $ 480,000,000 2006 166 American Samoa $ 445,600,000 FY04 est. 167 Belize $ 429,000,000 2007 est. 168 Niger $ 428,000,000 2006 169 Seychelles $ 395,000,000 2007 est. 170 Barbados $ 385,000,000 2006 171 Bhutan $ 350,000,000 2006 172 Djibouti $ 340,000,000 2006 173 Gaza Strip $ 301,000,000 2005 174 West Bank $ 301,000,000 2005 175 Somalia $ 300,000,000 2006 176 Mali $ 294,000,000 2006 177 Saint Lucia $ 288,000,000 2006 178 Afghanistan $ 274,000,000 2006 179 Gibraltar $ 271,000,000 2004 est. 180 Solomon Islands $ 237,000,000 2006 181 Sierra Leone $ 216,000,000 2006 182 French Polynesia $ 211,000,000 2005 est. 183 Svalbard $ 197,600,000 2004 184 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $ 193,000,000 2006 185 Rwanda $ 184,000,000 2007 est. 186 Montenegro $ 171,300,000 2003 187 Turks and Caicos Islands $ 169,200,000 2000 188 Maldives $ 167,000,000 2006 189 Andorra $ 148,700,000 2005 190 Kosovo $ 148,400,000 2007 191 Central African Republic $ 146,700,000 2007 est. 192 Guinea-Bissau $ 133,000,000 2006 193 Samoa $ 131,000,000 2006 194 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) $ 125,000,000 2004 est. 195 Aruba $ 124,000,000 2006 196 Dominica $ 94,000,000 2006 197 Gambia, The $ 88,000,000 2007 est. 198 Antigua and Barbuda $ 84,300,000 2007 est. 199 Saint Kitts and Nevis $ 84,000,000 2006 200 Cape Verde $ 76,500,000 2007 est. 201 Guam $ 45,000,000 2004 est. 202 Burundi $ 44,000,000 2007 est. 203 Vanuatu $ 40,000,000 2006 204 Grenada $ 38,000,000 2006 205 Comoros $ 32,000,000 2006 206 British Virgin Islands $ 25,300,000 2002 207 Tonga $ 22,000,000 2006 208 Saint Helena $ 19,000,000 2004 est. 209 Kiribati $ 17,000,000 2004 est. 210 Micronesia, Federated States of $ 14,000,000 2004 est. 211 Anguilla $ 13,000,000 2006 212 Eritrea $ 12,000,000 2007 est. 213 Timor-Leste $ 10,000,000 2005 est. 214 Marshall Islands $ 9,100,000 2000 215 Sao Tome and Principe $ 9,000,000 2007 est. 216 Mayotte $ 6,500,000 2005 217 Palau $ 5,882,000 2004 est. 218 Saint Pierre and Miquelon $ 5,500,000 2005 est. 219 Cook Islands $ 5,222,000 2005 220 Cayman Islands $ 2,520,000 2004 221 Norfolk Island $ 1,500,000 FY91/92 222 Tuvalu $ 1,000,000 2004 est. 223 Montserrat $ 700,000 2001 224 Niue $ 201,400 2004 225 Nauru $ 64,000 2005 est. 226 Wallis and Futuna $ 47,450 2004 227 Tokelau $ 0 2002

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2079

Rank Country Debt - external Date of Information

1 World $ 51,780,000,000,000 2004 est. 2 United States $ 12,250,000,000,000 30 June 2007 3 United Kingdom $ 10,450,000,000,000 30 June 2007 4 Germany $ 4,489,000,000,000 30 June 2007 5 France $ 4,396,000,000,000 30 June 2007 6 Netherlands $ 2,277,000,000,000 30 June 2007 7 Ireland $ 1,841,000,000,000 30 June 2007 8 Japan $ 1,492,000,000,000 30 June 2007 9 Switzerland $ 1,340,000,000,000 30 June 2007 10 Belgium $ 1,313,000,000,000 30 June 2007 11 Spain $ 1,084,000,000,000 30 June 2007 est. 12 Italy $ 996,300,000,000 31 December 2007 13 Australia $ 826,400,000,000 31 December 2007 14 Canada $ 758,600,000,000 30 June 2007 15 Austria $ 752,500,000,000 30 June 2007 16 Sweden $ 598,200,000,000 30 June 2006 17 Hong Kong $ 588,000,000,000 2007 est. 18 Denmark $ 492,600,000,000 30 June 2007 19 Norway $ 469,100,000,000 30 June 2007 20 Portugal $ 461,200,000,000 31 December 2007 21 China $ 363,000,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 22 Russia $ 356,500,000,000 31 December 2007 23 Finland $ 271,200,000,000 30 June 2007 24 Turkey $ 247,100,000,000 31 December 2007 25 Brazil $ 229,400,000,000 31 December 2007 26 Korea, South $ 220,100,000,000 31 December 2007 27 Mexico $ 179,800,000,000 31 December 2007 28 Poland $ 169,800,000,000 31 December 2007 29 India $ 149,200,000,000 31 December 2007 30 Indonesia $ 140,000,000,000 31 December 2007 31 Argentina $ 135,800,000,000 31 December 2007 32 Hungary $ 125,900,000,000 31 December 2007 33 Iraq $ 100,900,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 34 Taiwan $ 97,850,000,000 31 December 2007 35 Kazakhstan $ 96,360,000,000 31 December 2007 36 Israel $ 89,950,000,000 31 December 2007 37 Greece $ 86,720,000,000 31 December 2007 38 Czech Republic $ 74,700,000,000 31 December 2007 39 Romania $ 74,540,000,000 31 December 2007 40 Ukraine $ 69,040,000,000 31 December 2007 41 Philippines $ 61,780,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 42 United Arab Emirates $ 61,680,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 43 Thailand $ 59,520,000,000 31 December 2007 44 Saudi Arabia $ 58,600,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 45 Chile $ 57,600,000,000 31 December 2007 46 Malaysia $ 53,090,000,000 31 December 2007 47 New Zealand $ 51,440,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 48 Croatia $ 46,300,000,000 30 June 2007 49 Venezuela $ 43,330,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 50 Colombia $ 41,390,000,000 30 June 2007 51 Slovenia $ 40,420,000,000 30 June 2007 52 South Africa $ 39,780,000,000 31 December 2007 53 Pakistan $ 38,800,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 54 Slovakia $ 36,630,000,000 31 December 2007 55 Bulgaria $ 34,880,000,000 30 June 2007 56 Kuwait $ 33,620,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 57 Latvia $ 33,530,000,000 31 December 2007 58 Qatar $ 33,090,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 59 Peru $ 32,830,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 60 Lebanon $ 31,600,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 61 Sudan $ 29,420,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 62 Egypt $ 29,200,000,000 30 June 2007 63 Lithuania $ 27,190,000,000 31 December 2007 64 Cyprus $ 26,970,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 65 Serbia $ 26,240,000,000 2007 est. 66 Singapore $ 25,590,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 67 Estonia $ 24,820,000,000 30 June 2007 68 Vietnam $ 21,830,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 69 Bangladesh $ 21,230,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 70 Iran $ 20,680,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 71 Morocco $ 19,910,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 72 Tunisia $ 19,270,000,000 December 2007 73 Monaco $ 18,000,000,000 2000 est. 74 Ecuador $ 17,120,000,000 31 December 2007 75 Cuba $ 16,790,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 76 Cote d'Ivoire $ 13,790,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 77 Korea, North $ 12,500,000,000 2001 est. 78 Sri Lanka $ 12,200,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 79 Uruguay $ 11,420,000,000 31 December 2007 80 Panama $ 10,450,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 81 Dominican Republic $ 10,210,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 82 Congo, Democratic Republic of the $ 10,000,000,000 2006 est. 83 Jamaica $ 9,657,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 84 El Salvador $ 9,574,000,000 December 2007 85 Angola $ 8,357,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 86 Jordan $ 8,133,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 87 Nigeria $ 8,007,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 88 Afghanistan $ 8,000,000,000 2004 89 Bahrain $ 7,858,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 90 Costa Rica $ 7,416,000,000 30 June 2007 91 Belarus $ 7,347,000,000 31 December 2007 92 Burma $ 7,022,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 93 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ 6,734,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 94 Kenya $ 6,713,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 95 Syria $ 6,633,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 96 Yemen $ 6,044,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 97 Guatemala $ 5,908,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 98 Oman $ 5,297,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 99 Zimbabwe $ 5,155,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 100 Congo, Republic of the $ 5,000,000,000 2000 est. 101 Gabon $ 4,895,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 102 Ghana $ 4,891,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 103 Libya $ 4,837,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 104 Madagascar $ 4,600,000,000 2002 105 Georgia $ 4,500,000,000 2007 106 Bolivia $ 4,495,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 107 Tanzania $ 4,382,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 108 Mozambique $ 4,189,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 109 Macedonia $ 3,967,000,000 31 December 2007 110 Algeria $ 3,957,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 111 Uzbekistan $ 3,927,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 112 Cambodia $ 3,890,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 113 Paraguay $ 3,492,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 114 Honduras $ 3,411,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 115 Guinea $ 3,351,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 116 Nicaragua $ 3,341,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 117 Moldova $ 3,300,000,000 31 December 2007 118 Liberia $ 3,200,000,000 2005 est. 119 Laos $ 3,179,000,000 2006 120 Iceland $ 3,073,000,000 2002 121 Nepal $ 3,070,000,000 March 2006 122 Somalia $ 3,000,000,000 2001 est. 123 Kyrgyzstan $ 2,966,000,000 30 June 2007 124 Trinidad and Tobago $ 2,869,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 125 Mali $ 2,800,000,000 2002 126 Netherlands Antilles $ 2,680,000,000 2004 127 Ethiopia $ 2,621,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 128 Zambia $ 2,596,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 129 Cameroon $ 2,554,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 130 Azerbaijan $ 2,439,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 131 Senegal $ 2,190,000,000 31 December 2007 132 Mauritius $ 2,149,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 133 Niger $ 2,100,000,000 2003 est. 134 Togo $ 2,000,000,000 2005 135 Papua New Guinea $ 1,646,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 136 Sierra Leone $ 1,610,000,000 2003 est. 137 Chad $ 1,600,000,000 2005 est. 138 Tajikistan $ 1,560,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 139 Albania $ 1,550,000,000 2004 140 Uganda $ 1,498,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 141 Haiti $ 1,475,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 142 Mongolia $ 1,438,000,000 2007 143 Rwanda $ 1,400,000,000 2004 est. 144 Turkmenistan $ 1,400,000,000 2004 est. 145 Armenia $ 1,372,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 146 Burkina Faso $ 1,330,000,000 2007 147 Belize $ 1,200,000,000 June 2005 est. 148 Burundi $ 1,200,000,000 2003 149 Guyana $ 1,200,000,000 2002 150 Benin $ 1,200,000,000 2007 151 Central African Republic $ 1,153,000,000 2007 est. 152 Seychelles $ 1,059,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 153 Namibia $ 1,003,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 154 Guinea-Bissau $ 941,500,000 2000 est. 155 Malawi $ 894,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 156 Bhutan $ 713,300,000 2006 157 Lesotho $ 689,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 158 Barbados $ 668,000,000 2003 159 Montenegro $ 650,000,000 2006 160 Gambia, The $ 628,800,000 2003 est. 161 Swaziland $ 524,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 162 Suriname $ 504,300,000 2005 est. 163 Maldives $ 482,000,000 2006 est. 164 Aruba $ 478,600,000 2005 est. 165 Djibouti $ 428,000,000 2006 166 Botswana $ 408,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 167 Antigua and Barbuda $ 359,800,000 June 2006 168 Grenada $ 347,000,000 2004 169 Bahamas, The $ 342,600,000 2004 est. 170 Equatorial Guinea $ 338,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 171 Cape Verde $ 325,000,000 2002 172 Sao Tome and Principe $ 318,000,000 2002 173 Saint Kitts and Nevis $ 314,000,000 2004 174 Eritrea $ 311,000,000 2000 est. 175 Saint Lucia $ 257,000,000 2004 176 Comoros $ 232,000,000 2000 est. 177 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $ 223,000,000 2004 178 Dominica $ 213,000,000 2004 179 Malta $ 188,800,000 2005 180 Samoa $ 177,000,000 2004 181 Solomon Islands $ 166,000,000 2004 182 Bermuda $ 160,000,000 FY99/00 183 Cook Islands $ 141,000,000 1996 est. 184 Fiji $ 127,000,000 2004 est. 185 Marshall Islands $ 86,500,000 FY99/00 est. 186 Vanuatu $ 81,200,000 2004 187 Tonga $ 80,700,000 2004 188 New Caledonia $ 79,000,000 1998 est. 189 Cayman Islands $ 70,000,000 1996 190 Faroe Islands $ 64,000,000 1999 191 Micronesia, Federated States of $ 60,800,000 FY05 est. 192 British Virgin Islands $ 36,100,000 1997 193 Nauru $ 33,300,000 2002 194 Greenland $ 25,000,000 1999 195 Kiribati $ 10,000,000 1999 est. 196 Montserrat $ 8,900,000 1997 197 Anguilla $ 8,800,000 1998 198 Wallis and Futuna $ 3,670,000 2004 199 Niue $ 418,000 2002 est. 200 Brunei $ 0 2005 201 Liechtenstein $ 0 2001 202 Palau $ 0 FY99/00 203 Macau $ 0 2006

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2085

Rank Country Roadways(km) Date of Information

1 World 68,937,575 2008 2 United States 6,465,799 2007 3 European Union 5,454,446 2008 4 India 3,316,452 2006 5 China 1,930,544 2005 6 Brazil 1,751,868 2004 7 Japan 1,196,999 2006 8 Canada 1,042,300 2006 9 France 951,500 2006 10 Russia 933,000 2006 11 Australia 812,972 2004 12 Spain 681,224 2006 13 Germany 644,480 2006 14 Italy 487,700 2005 15 Turkey 426,951 2006 16 Sweden 425,300 2008 17 Poland 423,997 2006 18 United Kingdom 398,366 2006 19 Indonesia 391,009 2005 20 South Africa 362,099 2002 21 Mexico 356,945 2006 22 Pakistan 259,758 2005 23 Bangladesh 239,226 2003 24 Argentina 231,374 2004 25 Vietnam 222,179 2004 26 Saudi Arabia 221,372 2006 27 Philippines 200,037 2003 28 Romania 198,817 2004 29 Nigeria 193,200 2004 30 Thailand 180,053 2006 31 Iran 172,927 2006 32 Ukraine 169,422 2007 33 Colombia 164,257 2005 34 Hungary 159,568 2005 35 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 153,497 2004 36 Belgium 152,256 2006 37 Netherlands 134,981 2006 38 Czech Republic 128,512 2007 39 Greece 117,533 2005 40 Algeria 108,302 2004 41 Austria 107,262 2006 42 Korea, South 102,062 2006 43 Libya 100,024 2003 44 Malaysia 98,721 2004 45 Syria 97,401 2006 46 Sri Lanka 97,286 2003 47 Zimbabwe 97,267 2002 48 Ireland 96,602 2003 49 Venezuela 96,155 2002 50 Belarus 94,797 2005 51 New Zealand 93,576 2006 52 Norway 92,946 2007 53 Burkina Faso 92,495 2004 54 Egypt 92,370 2004 55 Kazakhstan 91,563 2006 56 Zambia 91,440 2001 57 Uzbekistan 86,496 2000 58 Portugal 82,900 2005 59 Chile 80,505 2004 60 Cote d'Ivoire 80,000 2006 61 Lithuania 79,984 2006 62 Tanzania 78,891 2003 63 Peru 78,829 2004 64 Finland 78,821 2008 65 Uruguay 77,732 2004 66 Denmark 72,362 2006 67 Yemen 71,300 2005 68 Switzerland 71,298 2006 69 Uganda 70,746 2003 70 Latvia 69,675 2006 71 Madagascar 65,663 2003 72 Kenya 63,265 2004 73 Bolivia 62,479 2004 74 Ghana 62,221 2006 75 Cuba 60,858 2000 76 Azerbaijan 59,141 2004 77 Turkmenistan 58,592 2002 78 Morocco 57,625 2006 79 Estonia 57,016 2005 80 Angola 51,429 2001 81 Cameroon 50,000 2004 82 Mongolia 49,250 2002 83 Iraq 44,900 2002 84 Guinea 44,348 2003 85 Slovakia 43,761 2006 86 Ecuador 43,670 2006 87 Oman 42,300 2005 88 Namibia 42,237 2002 89 Afghanistan 42,150 2006 90 Taiwan 40,262 2007 91 Bulgaria 40,231 2005 92 Slovenia 38,562 2006 93 Cambodia 38,257 2004 94 Serbia 36,875 2006 95 Ethiopia 36,469 2004 96 Costa Rica 35,330 2004 97 Chad 33,400 2002 98 Mozambique 30,400 2000 99 Laos 29,811 2006 100 Paraguay 29,500 2000 101 Croatia 28,788 2006 102 Tajikistan 27,767 2000 103 Burma 27,000 2006 104 Puerto Rico 26,186 2007 105 Botswana 25,798 2005 106 Korea, North 25,554 2006 107 Central African Republic 24,307 2000 108 Somalia 22,100 2000 109 Bosnia and Herzegovina 21,846 2006 110 Jamaica 21,552 2005 111 Georgia 20,329 2006 112 Dominican Republic 19,705 2002 113 Papua New Guinea 19,600 2000 114 Tunisia 19,232 2004 115 Nicaragua 19,036 2005 116 Mali 18,709 2004 117 Niger 18,550 2006 118 Kyrgyzstan 18,500 2003 119 Albania 18,000 2002 120 Israel 17,870 2007 121 Congo, Republic of the 17,289 2004 122 Nepal 17,280 2004 123 Benin 16,000 2006 124 Malawi 15,451 2003 125 Cyprus 14,630 2006 126 Guatemala 14,095 2000 127 Rwanda 14,008 2004 128 Honduras 13,600 2000 129 Senegal 13,576 2003 130 Macedonia 13,182 2002 131 Iceland 13,058 2007 132 Moldova 12,666 2007 133 Burundi 12,322 2004 134 Panama 11,978 2002 135 Sudan 11,900 2000 136 Sierra Leone 11,300 2002 137 Mauritania 11,066 2006 138 El Salvador 10,886 2000 139 Liberia 10,600 2000 140 Gabon 9,170 2004 141 Trinidad and Tobago 8,320 2000 142 Bhutan 8,050 2003 143 Guyana 7,970 2000 144 Qatar 7,790 2006 145 Armenia 7,700 2006 146 Jordan 7,694 2006 147 Togo 7,520 2000 148 Montenegro 7,368 2006 149 Lesotho 7,091 2003 150 Lebanon 6,970 2005 151 Timor-Leste 6,040 2005 152 Kuwait 5,749 2004 153 New Caledonia 5,622 2006 154 Luxembourg 5,227 2004 155 West Bank 5,147 2006 156 Suriname 4,304 2003 157 Haiti 4,160 2000 158 United Arab Emirates 4,080 2008 159 Eritrea 4,010 2000 160 Gambia, The 3,742 2004 161 Brunei 3,650 2005 162 Swaziland 3,594 2002 163 Bahrain 3,498 2003 164 Guinea-Bissau 3,455 2002 165 Fiji 3,440 2000 166 Singapore 3,262 2006 167 Djibouti 3,065 2000 168 Belize 3,007 2006 169 Equatorial Guinea 2,880 2000 170 Bahamas, The 2,717 2002 171 French Polynesia 2,590 1999 172 Samoa 2,337 2001 173 Malta 2,227 2005 174 Mauritius 2,028 2007 175 Marshall Islands 2,028 2007 176 Hong Kong 2,009 2007 177 Kosovo 1,924 2006 178 Barbados 1,600 2004 179 Solomon Islands 1,360 2002 180 Cape Verde 1,350 2000 181 Virgin Islands 1,257 2007 182 Saint Lucia 1,210 2002 183 Antigua and Barbuda 1,165 2002 184 Grenada 1,127 2000 185 Vanuatu 1,070 1999 186 Guam 1,045 2007 187 Comoros 880 2002 188 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 829 2003 189 Cayman Islands 785 2007 190 Dominica 780 2000 191 Tonga 680 2000 192 Kiribati 670 2000 193 Northern Mariana Islands 536 2007 194 Isle of Man 500 2008 195 Faroe Islands 463 2006 196 Seychelles 458 2003 197 Bermuda 447 2007 198 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 440 2008 199 Macau 384 2006 200 Liechtenstein 380 2007 201 Jersey 358 2002 202 Cook Islands 320 2003 203 Saint Kitts and Nevis 320 2002 204 Sao Tome and Principe 320 2000 205 San Marino 292 2006 206 Andorra 270 207 Micronesia, Federated States of 240 2000 208 American Samoa 221 2007 209 British Virgin Islands 200 2007 210 Saint Helena 198 2002 211 Anguilla 175 2004 212 Christmas Island 140 2007 213 Turks and Caicos Islands 121 2003 214 Niue 120 2008 215 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 117 2000 216 Maldives 88 2006 217 Norfolk Island 80 2008 218 Monaco 50 2007 219 Gibraltar 29 2007 220 Nauru 24 2002 221 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 22 2006 222 Tuvalu 8 2002

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2087

Rank Country Imports Date of Information

1 World $ 13,740,000,000,000 2006 est. 2 United States $ 1,968,000,000,000 2007 est. 3 European Union $ 1,466,000,000,000 2005 4 Germany $ 1,075,000,000,000 2007 est. 5 China $ 904,600,000,000 2007 est. 6 United Kingdom $ 621,400,000,000 2007 est. 7 France $ 600,900,000,000 2007 est. 8 Japan $ 573,300,000,000 2007 est. 9 Italy $ 498,100,000,000 2007 est. 10 Netherlands $ 406,300,000,000 2007 est. 11 Canada $ 386,400,000,000 2007 est. 12 Spain $ 380,200,000,000 2007 est. 13 Hong Kong $ 365,600,000,000 2007 est. 14 Korea, South $ 349,600,000,000 2007 est. 15 Belgium $ 323,200,000,000 2007 est. 16 Mexico $ 281,900,000,000 2007 est. 17 Singapore $ 252,000,000,000 2007 est. 18 India $ 230,500,000,000 2007 est. 19 Russia $ 223,400,000,000 2007 est. 20 Taiwan $ 215,100,000,000 2007 est. 21 Switzerland $ 187,100,000,000 2007 est. 22 Turkey $ 162,000,000,000 2007 est. 23 Austria $ 160,300,000,000 2007 est. 24 Poland $ 160,200,000,000 2007 est. 25 Australia $ 160,000,000,000 2007 est. 26 Sweden $ 151,400,000,000 2007 est. 27 Malaysia $ 139,100,000,000 2007 est. 28 Thailand $ 125,200,000,000 2007 est. 29 Brazil $ 120,600,000,000 2007 est. 30 United Arab Emirates $ 116,600,000,000 2007 est. 31 Czech Republic $ 116,600,000,000 2007 est. 32 Denmark $ 102,000,000,000 2007 est. 33 Hungary $ 86,880,000,000 2007 est. 34 Indonesia $ 84,930,000,000 2007 est. 35 Ireland $ 84,760,000,000 2007 est. 36 Saudi Arabia $ 82,640,000,000 2007 est. 37 South Africa $ 81,890,000,000 2007 est. 38 Greece $ 80,790,000,000 2007 est. 39 Finland $ 78,050,000,000 2007 est. 40 Norway $ 77,240,000,000 2007 est. 41 Portugal $ 75,300,000,000 2007 est. 42 Romania $ 64,540,000,000 2007 est. 43 Ukraine $ 60,410,000,000 2007 est. 44 Vietnam $ 58,920,000,000 2007 est. 45 Slovakia $ 58,400,000,000 2007 est. 46 Philippines $ 57,560,000,000 2007 est. 47 Israel $ 55,790,000,000 2007 est. 48 Iran $ 53,880,000,000 2007 est. 49 Venezuela $ 45,460,000,000 2007 est. 50 Egypt $ 44,950,000,000 2007 est. 51 Chile $ 43,990,000,000 2007 est. 52 Argentina $ 42,530,000,000 2007 est. 53 Nigeria $ 38,500,000,000 2007 est. 54 Kazakhstan $ 33,210,000,000 2007 est. 55 Colombia $ 31,170,000,000 2007 est. 56 Slovenia $ 29,390,000,000 2007 est. 57 Puerto Rico $ 29,100,000,000 2001 58 New Zealand $ 29,060,000,000 2007 est. 59 Pakistan $ 28,760,000,000 2007 est. 60 Bulgaria $ 28,670,000,000 2007 est. 61 Morocco $ 28,500,000,000 2007 est. 62 Belarus $ 28,320,000,000 2007 est. 63 Algeria $ 26,250,000,000 2007 est. 64 Croatia $ 25,990,000,000 2007 est. 65 Iraq $ 25,670,000,000 2007 est. 66 Luxembourg $ 23,130,000,000 2007 est. 67 Lithuania $ 22,800,000,000 2007 est. 68 Kuwait $ 20,640,000,000 2007 est. 69 Qatar $ 19,860,000,000 2007 est. 70 Peru $ 19,600,000,000 2007 est. 71 Serbia $ 18,350,000,000 2007 est. 72 Tunisia $ 18,020,000,000 2007 est. 73 Bangladesh $ 16,670,000,000 2007 est. 74 Netherlands Antilles $ 15,740,000,000 2006 75 Latvia $ 14,820,000,000 2007 est. 76 Estonia $ 14,750,000,000 2007 est. 77 Libya $ 14,430,000,000 2007 est. 78 Dominican Republic $ 13,820,000,000 2007 est. 79 Ecuador $ 12,760,000,000 2007 est. 80 Guatemala $ 12,620,000,000 2007 est. 81 Panama $ 12,620,000,000 2007 est. 82 Angola $ 12,290,000,000 2007 est. 83 Costa Rica $ 12,260,000,000 2007 est. 84 Jordan $ 12,020,000,000 2007 est. 85 Lebanon $ 11,930,000,000 2007 est. 86 Oman $ 11,000,000,000 2007 est. 87 Bahrain $ 10,930,000,000 2007 est. 88 Syria $ 10,500,000,000 2007 est. 89 Sri Lanka $ 10,360,000,000 2007 est. 90 Cuba $ 10,080,000,000 2007 est. 91 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ 9,947,000,000 2007 est. 92 Honduras $ 8,556,000,000 2007 est. 93 Kenya $ 8,540,000,000 2007 est. 94 El Salvador $ 8,108,000,000 2007 est. 95 Ghana $ 8,053,000,000 2007 est. 96 Cyprus $ 7,840,000,000 2007 est. 97 Sudan $ 7,722,000,000 2007 est. 98 Trinidad and Tobago $ 7,670,000,000 2007 est. 99 Liberia $ 7,143,000,000 2006 100 Yemen $ 6,735,000,000 2007 est. 101 Iceland $ 6,181,000,000 2007 est. 102 Paraguay $ 6,094,000,000 2007 est. 103 Azerbaijan $ 6,045,000,000 2007 est. 104 Cote d'Ivoire $ 5,932,000,000 2007 est. 105 Jamaica $ 5,784,000,000 2007 est. 106 Uruguay $ 5,554,000,000 2007 est. 107 Cambodia $ 5,424,000,000 2007 est. 108 Ethiopia $ 5,165,000,000 2007 est. 109 Georgia $ 4,977,000,000 2007 est. 110 Macedonia $ 4,977,000,000 2007 est. 111 Tanzania $ 4,861,000,000 2007 est. 112 Virgin Islands $ 4,609,000,000 2001 113 Macau $ 4,559,000,000 2006 114 Malta $ 4,541,000,000 2007 est. 115 Turkmenistan $ 4,516,000,000 2007 est. 116 Uzbekistan $ 4,480,000,000 2007 est. 117 Nicaragua $ 4,078,000,000 2007 est. 118 Albania $ 3,999,000,000 2007 est. 119 Afghanistan $ 3,823,000,000 2006 120 Senegal $ 3,731,000,000 2007 est. 121 Cameroon $ 3,714,000,000 2007 est. 122 Moldova $ 3,677,000,000 2007 est. 123 Mauritius $ 3,656,000,000 2007 est. 124 Zambia $ 3,611,000,000 2007 est. 125 Botswana $ 3,403,000,000 2007 est. 126 Bolivia $ 3,249,000,000 2007 est. 127 Fiji $ 3,120,000,000 2006 128 Namibia $ 3,091,000,000 2007 est. 129 Equatorial Guinea $ 3,083,000,000 2007 est. 130 Uganda $ 2,983,000,000 2007 est. 131 Gibraltar $ 2,967,000,000 2004 est. 132 Burma $ 2,942,000,000 2007 est. 133 Korea, North $ 2,879,000,000 2006 134 Mozambique $ 2,811,000,000 2007 est. 135 Armenia $ 2,807,000,000 2007 est. 136 Tajikistan $ 2,762,000,000 2007 est. 137 Kyrgyzstan $ 2,636,000,000 2007 est. 138 Congo, Republic of the $ 2,634,000,000 2007 est. 139 Papua New Guinea $ 2,629,000,000 2007 est. 140 Gaza Strip $ 2,440,000,000 2005 141 West Bank $ 2,440,000,000 2005 142 Bahamas, The $ 2,401,000,000 2006 143 Nepal $ 2,398,000,000 2006 144 Mali $ 2,358,000,000 2006 145 Congo, Democratic Republic of the $ 2,263,000,000 2006 146 Zimbabwe $ 2,183,000,000 2007 est. 147 Mongolia $ 2,117,000,000 2007 148 Gabon $ 2,107,000,000 2007 est. 149 San Marino $ 2,035,000,000 2004 150 Brunei $ 2,000,000,000 2006 151 New Caledonia $ 1,998,000,000 2006 152 Madagascar $ 1,918,000,000 2007 est. 153 Swaziland $ 1,914,000,000 2007 est. 154 Andorra $ 1,879,000,000 2005 155 Haiti $ 1,734,000,000 2007 est. 156 French Polynesia $ 1,706,000,000 2005 est. 157 Barbados $ 1,586,000,000 2006 158 Djibouti $ 1,555,000,000 2006 159 Lesotho $ 1,536,000,000 2007 est. 160 Mauritania $ 1,475,000,000 2006 161 Laos $ 1,378,000,000 2007 est. 162 Suriname $ 1,297,000,000 2006 est. 163 Burkina Faso $ 1,296,000,000 2007 est. 164 Guinea $ 1,202,000,000 2007 est. 165 Togo $ 1,201,000,000 2007 est. 166 Bermuda $ 1,162,000,000 2006 167 Chad $ 1,158,000,000 2007 est. 168 Benin $ 1,085,000,000 2007 est. 169 Aruba $ 1,054,000,000 2006 170 Guyana $ 1,006,000,000 2007 est. 171 Maldives $ 930,000,000 2006 172 Liechtenstein $ 917,300,000 1996 173 Monaco $ 916,100,000 2005 174 Cayman Islands $ 866,900,000 2004 175 Malawi $ 866,000,000 2007 est. 176 Seychelles $ 823,000,000 2007 est. 177 Niger $ 800,000,000 2006 178 Somalia $ 798,000,000 2006 179 Saint Lucia $ 791,000,000 2006 180 Faroe Islands $ 751,000,000 2006 181 Cape Verde $ 743,600,000 2007 est. 182 Greenland $ 712,000,000 2006 183 Guam $ 701,000,000 2004 est. 184 Belize $ 642,000,000 2007 est. 185 Rwanda $ 637,000,000 2007 est. 186 Montenegro $ 601,700,000 2003 187 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $ 578,000,000 2006 188 Eritrea $ 573,000,000 2007 est. 189 Sierra Leone $ 560,000,000 2006 190 Antigua and Barbuda $ 522,800,000 2007 est. 191 Saint Kitts and Nevis $ 383,000,000 2006 192 Grenada $ 343,000,000 2006 193 Mayotte $ 341,000,000 2005 194 Samoa $ 324,000,000 2006 195 Bhutan $ 320,000,000 2006 196 American Samoa $ 308,800,000 FY04 est. 197 Dominica $ 296,000,000 2006 198 Burundi $ 272,000,000 2007 est. 199 Gambia, The $ 271,000,000 2007 est. 200 Solomon Islands $ 256,000,000 2006 201 Central African Republic $ 237,300,000 2007 est. 202 Northern Mariana Islands $ 214,400,000 2001 203 Timor-Leste $ 202,000,000 2004 est. 204 Guinea-Bissau $ 200,000,000 2006 205 British Virgin Islands $ 187,000,000 2002 est. 206 Turks and Caicos Islands $ 175,600,000 2000 207 Vanuatu $ 156,000,000 2006 208 Anguilla $ 143,000,000 2006 209 Comoros $ 143,000,000 2006 210 Tonga $ 139,000,000 2006 211 Micronesia, Federated States of $ 132,700,000 2004 212 Palau $ 107,300,000 2004 est. 213 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) $ 90,000,000 2004 est. 214 Cook Islands $ 81,040,000 2005 215 Saint Pierre and Miquelon $ 68,200,000 2005 est. 216 Sao Tome and Principe $ 66,000,000 2007 est. 217 Kiribati $ 62,000,000 2004 est. 218 Wallis and Futuna $ 61,170,000 2004 219 Marshall Islands $ 54,700,000 2000 220 Saint Helena $ 45,000,000 2004 est. 221 Nauru $ 20,000,000 2004 est. 222 Norfolk Island $ 17,900,000 FY91/92 223 Montserrat $ 17,000,000 2001 224 Tuvalu $ 12,910,000 2005 225 Niue $ 9,038,000 2004 226 Tokelau $ 969,200 2002

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2089

Rank Country Industrial production growth rate(%) Date of Information

1 Azerbaijan 25.00 2007 est. 2 Angola 23.90 2007 est. 3 Sudan 22.00 2007 est. 4 Slovakia 17.20 2007 est. 5 Cambodia 15.00 2007 est. 6 Bulgaria 14.00 2007 est. 7 China 13.40 2007 est. 8 Georgia 13.40 2007 est. 9 Rwanda 13.10 2007 est. 10 Uzbekistan 12.10 2007 est. 11 Laos 12.00 2007 est. 12 Lesotho 12.00 2007 est. 13 Chile 11.10 2007 est. 14 Ethiopia 11.00 2007 est. 15 Romania 10.60 2007 est. 16 Vietnam 10.60 2007 est. 17 Panama 10.50 2007 est. 18 Turkmenistan 10.30 2007 est. 19 Equatorial Guinea 10.10 2007 est. 20 Mozambique 10.00 2007 est. 21 Colombia 9.80 2007 est. 22 Czech Republic 9.80 2007 est. 23 Peru 9.80 2007 est. 24 Slovenia 9.50 2007 est. 25 Tanzania 9.50 2007 est. 26 Bhutan 9.30 1996 est. 27 Kyrgyzstan 9.30 2007 est. 28 Taiwan 9.20 2007 est. 29 Burma 9.00 2007 est. 30 Namibia 9.00 2007 est. 31 Iceland 9.00 2007 est. 32 Poland 8.90 2007 est. 33 India 8.50 2007 est. 34 Timor-Leste 8.50 2004 est. 35 Bangladesh 8.40 2007 est. 36 Finland 8.10 2007 est. 37 Faroe Islands 8.00 1999 est. 38 Pakistan 8.00 2007 est. 39 Qatar 8.00 2007 est. 40 Iraq 7.90 2007 est. 41 Uruguay 7.90 2007 est. 42 Ghana 7.80 2007 est. 43 Estonia 7.70 2007 est. 44 Jordan 7.70 2007 est. 45 Sri Lanka 7.60 2007 est. 46 Guinea 7.60 2007 est. 47 Argentina 7.50 2007 est. 48 Egypt 7.50 2007 est. 49 Cape Verde 7.50 2007 est. 50 Lithuania 7.40 2007 est. 51 Russia 7.40 2007 est. 52 Singapore 7.40 2007 est. 53 Costa Rica 7.30 2007 est. 54 Kazakhstan 7.20 2007 est. 55 Tunisia 7.20 2007 est. 56 Philippines 7.10 2007 est. 57 Seychelles 7.00 2007 est. 58 Sao Tome and Principe 7.00 2007 est. 59 Kenya 6.80 2007 est. 60 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6.70 2007 est. 61 Suriname 6.50 1994 est. 62 Trinidad and Tobago 6.50 2007 est. 63 Switzerland 6.50 2006 est. 64 Burundi 6.40 2007 est. 65 Papua New Guinea 6.40 2007 est. 66 Zambia 6.30 2007 est. 67 Madagascar 6.00 2007 est. 68 Ukraine 6.00 2007 est. 69 Uganda 5.80 2007 est. 70 Austria 5.70 2007 est. 71 Libya 5.60 2007 est. 72 San Marino 5.60 2005 est. 73 Korea, South 5.50 2007 est. 74 Latvia 5.40 2007 est. 75 Turkey 5.40 2007 est. 76 Thailand 5.40 2007 est. 77 Croatia 5.30 2007 est. 78 Bahrain 5.20 2007 est. 79 Germany 5.20 2007 est. 80 Senegal 5.20 2007 est. 81 Gabon 5.20 2007 est. 82 Burkina Faso 5.20 2007 est. 83 Niger 5.10 2003 est. 84 Algeria 5.00 2007 est. 85 Belarus 5.00 2007 est. 86 Ireland 5.00 2007 est. 87 World 5.00 2007 est. 88 Tajikistan 5.00 2007 est. 89 Nicaragua 5.00 2007 est. 90 Morocco 5.00 2007 est. 91 Brazil 4.90 2007 est. 92 Guatemala 4.80 2007 est. 93 Iran 4.80 2007 est. 94 Indonesia 4.70 2007 est. 95 Guinea-Bissau 4.70 2003 est. 96 Mauritius 4.70 2007 est. 97 Benin 4.50 2007 est. 98 Honduras 4.40 2007 est. 99 South Africa 4.40 2007 est. 100 Malawi 4.40 2007 est. 101 United Arab Emirates 4.30 2007 est. 102 Botswana 4.20 2007 est. 103 Australia 4.10 2007 est. 104 Israel 4.10 2007 est. 105 Albania 4.00 2007 est. 106 Venezuela 3.90 2007 est. 107 Cyprus 3.80 2007 est. 108 Macau 3.80 3rd quarter, 2007 109 Cameroon 3.50 2007 est. 110 Hungary 3.50 2007 est. 111 El Salvador 3.40 2007 est. 112 Malaysia 3.30 2007 est. 113 Armenia 3.20 2007 est. 114 Oman 3.20 2007 est. 115 Yemen 3.20 2007 est. 116 Nigeria 3.20 2007 est. 117 Isle of Man 3.20 FY96/97 118 European Union 3.20 2006 est. 119 Anguilla 3.10 1997 est. 120 Spain 3.10 2007 est. 121 Netherlands 3.10 2007 est. 122 Central African Republic 3.00 2002 123 Sweden 3.00 2007 est. 124 Djibouti 3.00 1996 est. 125 Mongolia 3.00 2006 est. 126 Saudi Arabia 2.90 2007 est. 127 Belgium 2.80 2007 est. 128 Samoa 2.80 2000 129 Cuba 2.50 2007 est. 130 Haiti 2.50 2007 est. 131 Syria 2.50 2007 est. 132 Dominican Republic 2.40 2007 est. 133 West Bank 2.40 2005 134 Gaza Strip 2.40 2005 135 Portugal 2.30 2007 est. 136 Greece 2.20 2007 est. 137 Nepal 2.20 FY05/06 138 Chad 2.00 2007 est. 139 Mauritania 2.00 2000 est. 140 Eritrea 2.00 2007 est. 141 Brunei 1.80 2005 est. 142 France 1.80 2007 est. 143 Serbia 1.80 2007 est. 144 Kuwait 1.70 2007 est. 145 Luxembourg 1.70 2007 est. 146 Macedonia 1.70 2007 est. 147 New Zealand 1.50 2007 est. 148 Ecuador 1.40 2007 est. 149 Mexico 1.40 2007 est. 150 Japan 1.30 2007 est. 151 Jamaica 1.20 2007 est. 152 Bolivia 1.10 2007 est. 153 Swaziland 1.10 2007 est. 154 Cook Islands 1.00 2002 155 Moldova 1.00 2007 est. 156 Tonga 1.00 2003 est. 157 Togo 1.00 2007 est. 158 Vanuatu 1.00 1997 est. 159 Grenada 0.70 1997 est. 160 Kiribati 0.70 1991 est. 161 Italy 0.60 2007 est. 162 Belize 0.50 2007 est. 163 United Kingdom 0.50 2007 est. 164 Denmark 0.50 2007 est. 165 Canada 0.30 2007 est. 166 Norway 0.10 2007 est. 167 New Caledonia -0.60 1996 168 Hong Kong -0.80 2007 est. 169 Maldives -0.90 2004 est. 170 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -0.90 1997 est. 171 Paraguay -1.00 2007 est. 172 United States -1.70 2007 est. 173 Cote d'Ivoire -1.80 2007 est. 174 Comoros -2.00 1999 est. 175 Gambia, The -2.30 2007 est. 176 Barbados -3.20 2000 est. 177 Zimbabwe -5.00 2007 est. 178 Saint Lucia -8.90 1997 est. 179 Dominica -10.00 1997 est. 180 Congo, Republic of the -12.00 2007 est. 181 Guyana -26.40 2007 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2091

Rank Country Infant mortality rate(deaths/1,000 live births) Date of Information

1 Angola 182.31 2008 est. 2 Sierra Leone 156.48 2008 est. 3 Afghanistan 154.67 2008 est. 4 Liberia 143.89 2008 est. 5 Niger 115.42 2008 est. 6 Somalia 110.97 2008 est. 7 Mozambique 107.84 2008 est. 8 Mali 103.83 2008 est. 9 Guinea-Bissau 101.64 2008 est. 10 Zambia 100.96 2008 est. 11 Chad 100.36 2008 est. 12 Djibouti 99.13 2008 est. 13 Nigeria 95.74 2008 est. 14 Malawi 90.55 2008 est. 15 Sudan 86.98 2008 est. 16 Burkina Faso 86.02 2008 est. 17 Equatorial Guinea 83.75 2008 est. 18 Rwanda 83.42 2008 est. 19 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 83.11 2008 est. 20 Ethiopia 82.64 2008 est. 21 Central African Republic 82.13 2008 est. 22 Congo, Republic of the 81.29 2008 est. 23 Laos 79.61 2008 est. 24 Lesotho 78.59 2008 est. 25 Western Sahara 71.13 2008 est. 26 Tanzania 70.46 2008 est. 27 Cote d'Ivoire 69.76 2008 est. 28 Swaziland 69.59 2008 est. 29 Gambia, The 68.72 2008 est. 30 Comoros 68.58 2008 est. 31 Guinea 67.41 2008 est. 32 Pakistan 66.94 2008 est. 33 Mauritania 66.65 2008 est. 34 Benin 66.20 2008 est. 35 Uganda 65.99 2008 est. 36 Cameroon 64.57 2008 est. 37 Haiti 62.33 2008 est. 38 Nepal 62.00 2008 est. 39 Burundi 60.77 2008 est. 40 Senegal 58.93 2008 est. 41 Mayotte 57.88 2008 est. 42 Togo 57.66 2008 est. 43 Bangladesh 57.45 2008 est. 44 Cambodia 56.59 2008 est. 45 Azerbaijan 56.43 2008 est. 46 Yemen 56.27 2008 est. 47 Kenya 56.01 2008 est. 48 Madagascar 55.59 2008 est. 49 Gabon 52.65 2008 est. 50 Ghana 52.31 2008 est. 51 Bhutan 51.92 2008 est. 52 Turkmenistan 51.81 2008 est. 53 Vanuatu 50.77 2008 est. 54 Burma 49.12 2008 est. 55 Bolivia 49.09 2008 est. 56 Papua New Guinea 46.67 2008 est. 57 Namibia 45.64 2008 est. 58 Iraq 45.43 2008 est. 59 South Africa 45.11 2008 est. 60 Kiribati 44.69 2008 est. 61 Eritrea 44.34 2008 est. 62 Botswana 44.01 2008 est. 63 Cape Verde 42.55 2008 est. 64 Tajikistan 42.31 2008 est. 65 World 42.09 2008 est. 66 Timor-Leste 41.98 2008 est. 67 Mongolia 41.24 2008 est. 68 Sao Tome and Principe 38.36 2008 est. 69 Morocco 38.22 2008 est. 70 Turkey 36.98 2008 est. 71 Iran 36.93 2008 est. 72 Zimbabwe 33.86 2008 est. 73 India 32.31 2008 est. 74 Kyrgyzstan 32.30 2008 est. 75 Indonesia 31.04 2008 est. 76 Maldives 30.63 2008 est. 77 Guyana 30.43 2008 est. 78 Peru 29.53 2008 est. 79 Guatemala 28.79 2008 est. 80 Algeria 28.75 2008 est. 81 Egypt 28.36 2008 est. 82 Micronesia, Federated States of 27.03 2008 est. 83 Dominican Republic 26.93 2008 est. 84 Syria 26.78 2008 est. 85 Kazakhstan 26.56 2008 est. 86 Marshall Islands 26.36 2008 est. 87 Nicaragua 25.91 2008 est. 88 Paraguay 25.55 2008 est. 89 Samoa 25.04 2008 est. 90 Honduras 24.61 2008 est. 91 Uzbekistan 24.23 2008 est. 92 Romania 23.73 2008 est. 93 Bahamas, The 23.67 2008 est. 94 Belize 23.65 2008 est. 95 Vietnam 23.61 2008 est. 96 Trinidad and Tobago 23.59 2008 est. 97 Tunisia 23.43 2008 est. 98 Brazil 23.33 2008 est. 99 Lebanon 22.59 2008 est. 100 El Salvador 22.19 2008 est. 101 Venezuela 22.02 2008 est. 102 Libya 21.94 2008 est. 103 Korea, North 21.86 2008 est. 104 Ecuador 21.35 2008 est. 105 Philippines 21.20 2008 est. 106 China 21.16 2008 est. 107 Armenia 20.94 2008 est. 108 Solomon Islands 19.67 2008 est. 109 Colombia 19.51 2008 est. 110 Suriname 19.45 2008 est. 111 Albania 19.31 2008 est. 112 Sri Lanka 19.01 2008 est. 113 Mexico 19.01 2008 est. 114 Gaza Strip 19.00 2008 est. 115 Tuvalu 18.97 2008 est. 116 Bulgaria 18.51 2008 est. 117 Saint Helena 18.31 2008 est. 118 Thailand 18.23 2008 est. 119 Antigua and Barbuda 17.49 2008 est. 120 Oman 17.45 2008 est. 121 Georgia 16.78 2008 est. 122 West Bank 16.51 2008 est. 123 Montserrat 16.46 2008 est. 124 Malaysia 16.39 2008 est. 125 Bahrain 15.64 2008 est. 126 Jamaica 15.57 2008 est. 127 Jordan 15.57 2008 est. 128 British Virgin Islands 15.20 2008 est. 129 Seychelles 14.36 2008 est. 130 Turks and Caicos Islands 14.35 2008 est. 131 Saint Kitts and Nevis 14.34 2008 est. 132 Aruba 14.26 2008 est. 133 Dominica 14.12 2008 est. 134 Saint Lucia 13.80 2008 est. 135 Palau 13.69 2008 est. 136 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13.62 2008 est. 137 Grenada 13.58 2008 est. 138 Moldova 13.50 2008 est. 139 Panama 13.40 2008 est. 140 United Arab Emirates 13.11 2008 est. 141 Qatar 13.09 2008 est. 142 Brunei 12.69 2008 est. 143 Mauritius 12.56 2008 est. 144 Saudi Arabia 11.94 2008 est. 145 Fiji 11.88 2008 est. 146 Tonga 11.88 2008 est. 147 Argentina 11.78 2008 est. 148 Uruguay 11.66 2008 est. 149 Greenland 11.20 2008 est. 150 Barbados 11.05 2008 est. 151 Russia 10.81 2008 est. 152 American Samoa 10.46 2008 est. 153 Nauru 9.43 2008 est. 154 Netherlands Antilles 9.36 2008 est. 155 Bosnia and Herzegovina 9.34 2008 est. 156 Macedonia 9.27 2008 est. 157 Ukraine 9.23 2008 est. 158 Kuwait 9.22 2008 est. 159 Costa Rica 9.01 2008 est. 160 Latvia 8.96 2008 est. 161 Puerto Rico 8.65 2008 est. 162 Hungary 8.03 2008 est. 163 Chile 7.90 2008 est. 164 Bermuda 7.87 2008 est. 165 Virgin Islands 7.72 2008 est. 166 French Polynesia 7.70 2008 est. 167 Estonia 7.45 2008 est. 168 New Caledonia 7.19 2008 est. 169 Cayman Islands 7.10 2008 est. 170 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 7.04 2008 est. 171 Slovakia 6.98 2008 est. 172 Poland 6.93 2008 est. 173 Cyprus 6.75 2008 est. 174 Northern Mariana Islands 6.72 2008 est. 175 Lithuania 6.57 2008 est. 176 Guam 6.55 2008 est. 177 Belarus 6.53 2008 est. 178 Croatia 6.49 2008 est. 179 Faroe Islands 6.46 2008 est. 180 European Union 6.38 2008 est. 181 United States 6.30 2008 est. 182 Cuba 5.93 2008 est. 183 Isle of Man 5.62 2008 est. 184 Italy 5.61 2008 est. 185 Taiwan 5.45 2008 est. 186 San Marino 5.44 2008 est. 187 Greece 5.25 2008 est. 188 Monaco 5.18 2008 est. 189 Ireland 5.14 2008 est. 190 Canada 5.08 2008 est. 191 Jersey 5.01 2008 est. 192 New Zealand 4.99 2008 est. 193 United Kingdom 4.93 2008 est. 194 Gibraltar 4.91 2008 est. 195 Portugal 4.85 2008 est. 196 Australia 4.82 2008 est. 197 Netherlands 4.81 2008 est. 198 Luxembourg 4.62 2008 est. 199 Guernsey 4.53 2008 est. 200 Liechtenstein 4.52 2008 est. 201 Belgium 4.50 2008 est. 202 Austria 4.48 2008 est. 203 Denmark 4.40 2008 est. 204 Slovenia 4.30 2008 est. 205 Korea, South 4.29 2008 est. 206 Israel 4.28 2008 est. 207 Spain 4.26 2008 est. 208 Switzerland 4.23 2008 est. 209 Germany 4.03 2008 est. 210 Czech Republic 3.83 2008 est. 211 Malta 3.79 2008 est. 212 Andorra 3.68 2008 est. 213 Norway 3.61 2008 est. 214 Anguilla 3.54 2008 est. 215 Finland 3.50 2008 est. 216 France 3.36 2008 est. 217 Iceland 3.25 2008 est. 218 Macau 3.23 2008 est. 219 Hong Kong 2.93 2008 est. 220 Japan 2.80 2008 est. 221 Sweden 2.75 2008 est. 222 Singapore 2.30 2008 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2092

Rank Country Inflation rate (consumer prices)(%) Date of Information

1 Nauru -3.60 1993 2 San Marino -1.50 2006 3 Northern Mariana Islands -0.80 2000 4 Burkina Faso -0.20 2007 est. 5 Japan 0.10 2007 est. 6 Niger 0.10 2007 est. 7 Kiribati 0.20 2007 est. 8 Brunei 0.40 2007 est. 9 Israel 0.50 2007 est. 10 Switzerland 0.70 2007 est. 11 Norway 0.80 2007 est. 12 Central African Republic 0.90 2007 est. 13 Papua New Guinea 0.90 2007 est. 14 Greenland 1.00 2005 est. 15 Liechtenstein 1.00 2001 16 Togo 1.00 2007 est. 17 Cameroon 1.10 2007 est. 18 French Polynesia 1.10 2006 est. 19 Benin 1.30 2007 est. 20 Malta 1.30 2007 est. 21 New Caledonia 1.40 2000 est. 22 Antigua and Barbuda 1.50 2007 est. 23 France 1.50 2007 est. 24 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.60 2007 est. 25 Netherlands 1.60 2007 est. 26 Denmark 1.70 2007 est. 27 Mayotte 1.70 2005 28 Belgium 1.80 2007 est. 29 Taiwan 1.80 2007 est. 30 Peru 1.80 2007 est. 31 Italy 1.80 2007 est. 32 Faroe Islands 1.80 2005 33 European Union 1.80 2006 est. 34 Cote d'Ivoire 1.90 2007 est. 35 Monaco 1.90 2000 36 Saint Lucia 1.90 2007 est. 37 Hong Kong 2.00 2007 est. 38 Kosovo 2.00 2007 est. 39 Morocco 2.00 2007 est. 40 British Virgin Islands 2.00 2005 41 Malaysia 2.00 2007 est. 42 Canada 2.10 2007 est. 43 Cook Islands 2.10 2005 est. 44 Singapore 2.10 2007 est. 45 Netherlands Antilles 2.10 2003 est. 46 Austria 2.20 2007 est. 47 Virgin Islands 2.20 2003 48 Thailand 2.20 2007 est. 49 Micronesia, Federated States of 2.20 2005 50 Sweden 2.20 2007 est. 51 Australia 2.30 2007 est. 52 Luxembourg 2.30 2007 est. 53 Macedonia 2.30 2007 est. 54 Belize 2.30 2007 est. 55 United Kingdom 2.30 2007 est. 56 Germany 2.30 2007 est. 57 Ecuador 2.30 2007 est. 58 Bahamas, The 2.40 2007 est. 59 Portugal 2.40 2007 est. 60 New Zealand 2.40 2007 est. 61 Cyprus 2.40 2007 est. 62 Finland 2.50 2007 est. 63 Korea, South 2.50 2007 est. 64 Poland 2.50 2007 est. 65 Mali 2.50 2007 est. 66 Guam 2.50 2005 est. 67 Montserrat 2.60 2002 est. 68 Congo, Republic of the 2.70 2007 est. 69 Palau 2.70 2005 est. 70 Dominica 2.70 2007 est. 71 Bermuda 2.80 November 2005 72 Slovakia 2.80 2007 est. 73 Philippines 2.80 2007 est. 74 Spain 2.80 2007 est. 75 Wallis and Futuna 2.80 2005 76 Albania 2.90 2007 est. 77 Gibraltar 2.90 2005 78 United States 2.90 2007 est. 79 Greece 2.90 2007 est. 80 Czech Republic 2.90 2007 est. 81 Comoros 3.00 2007 est. 82 Marshall Islands 3.00 2005 est. 83 Cuba 3.10 2007 est. 84 Tunisia 3.10 2007 est. 85 Isle of Man 3.10 December 2006 est. 86 Andorra 3.20 2005 87 Saint Helena 3.20 1997 est. 88 Bahrain 3.30 2007 est. 89 Aruba 3.40 2005 90 Montenegro 3.40 2007 91 Guernsey 3.40 June 2006 92 Algeria 3.50 2007 est. 93 Brazil 3.60 2007 est. 94 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 3.60 1998 95 Gaza Strip 3.60 2006 96 Slovenia 3.60 2007 est. 97 West Bank 3.60 2006 98 Grenada 3.70 2007 est. 99 Jersey 3.70 December 2006 100 Guinea-Bissau 3.80 2007 est. 101 Tuvalu 3.80 2006 est. 102 Vanuatu 3.90 2007 est. 103 Chad 4.00 2007 est. 104 Mexico 4.00 2007 est. 105 Niue 4.00 2005 106 Turks and Caicos Islands 4.00 1995 107 Saudi Arabia 4.10 2007 est. 108 Lebanon 4.20 2007 est. 109 Panama 4.20 2007 est. 110 Armenia 4.40 2007 est. 111 Cape Verde 4.40 2007 est. 112 Cayman Islands 4.40 2004 113 Chile 4.40 2007 est. 114 Croatia 4.50 2007 est. 115 Saint Kitts and Nevis 4.50 2007 est. 116 Laos 4.50 2007 est. 117 El Salvador 4.60 2007 est. 118 Iraq 4.70 2007 est. 119 China 4.80 2007 est. 120 Fiji 4.80 2007 121 Romania 4.80 2007 est. 122 Bhutan 4.90 2007 est. 123 Ireland 4.90 2007 est. 124 Djibouti 5.00 2007 est. 125 Gabon 5.00 2007 est. 126 Maldives 5.00 2007 est. 127 Gambia, The 5.10 2007 est. 128 Iceland 5.10 2007 est. 129 Anguilla 5.30 2006 est. 130 Seychelles 5.30 2007 est. 131 Jordan 5.40 2007 est. 132 Nigeria 5.40 2007 est. 133 Barbados 5.50 2007 est. 134 Kuwait 5.50 2007 est. 135 Colombia 5.50 2007 est. 136 Lithuania 5.70 2007 est. 137 Cambodia 5.90 2007 est. 138 Tonga 5.90 2007 est. 139 Senegal 5.90 2007 est. 140 Oman 5.90 2007 est. 141 Equatorial Guinea 6.00 2007 est. 142 Samoa 6.00 2007 est. 143 Dominican Republic 6.10 2007 est. 144 Uganda 6.10 2007 est. 145 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6.10 2007 est. 146 Solomon Islands 6.30 2007 est. 147 Indonesia 6.30 2007 est. 148 Libya 6.30 2007 est. 149 India 6.40 2007 est. 150 Suriname 6.40 2007 est. 151 Nepal 6.40 2007 est. 152 Puerto Rico 6.50 2003 est. 153 South Africa 6.50 2007 est. 154 Estonia 6.60 2007 est. 155 Namibia 6.70 2007 est. 156 Guatemala 6.80 2007 est. 157 Serbia 6.80 2007 158 Honduras 6.90 2007 est. 159 Tanzania 7.00 2007 est. 160 Botswana 7.10 2007 est. 161 Macau 7.20 2006 162 Mauritania 7.30 2007 est. 163 Pakistan 7.60 2007 est. 164 Timor-Leste 7.80 2007 est. 165 Malawi 7.90 2007 est. 166 Trinidad and Tobago 7.90 2007 est. 167 Hungary 8.00 2007 est. 168 Sudan 8.00 2007 est. 169 Lesotho 8.00 2007 est. 170 Paraguay 8.10 2007 est. 171 Swaziland 8.10 2007 est. 172 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 8.10 2005 173 Uruguay 8.10 2007 est. 174 Mozambique 8.20 2007 est. 175 Burundi 8.30 2007 est. 176 Vietnam 8.30 2007 est. 177 Belarus 8.40 2007 est. 178 Haiti 8.50 2007 est. 179 Bolivia 8.70 2007 est. 180 Turkey 8.70 2007 est. 181 Argentina 8.80 2007 est. 182 Mauritius 8.80 2007 est. 183 Mongolia 9.00 2007 184 Russia 9.00 2007 est. 185 Bangladesh 9.10 2007 est. 186 Rwanda 9.10 2007 est. 187 Georgia 9.30 2007 est. 188 Costa Rica 9.40 2007 est. 189 Egypt 9.50 2007 est. 190 Jamaica 9.50 2007 est. 191 Kenya 9.70 2007 est. 192 Bulgaria 9.80 2007 est. 193 Yemen 10.00 2007 est. 194 Latvia 10.10 2007 est. 195 Kyrgyzstan 10.20 2007 est. 196 Madagascar 10.30 2007 est. 197 Zambia 10.60 2007 est. 198 Ghana 10.70 2007 est. 199 Kazakhstan 10.80 2007 est. 200 Nicaragua 11.10 2007 est. 201 Liberia 11.20 2007 est. 202 Turkmenistan 11.30 2007 est. 203 Sierra Leone 11.70 2007 est. 204 Uzbekistan 12.00 2007 est. 205 Angola 12.20 2007 est. 206 Syria 12.20 2007 est. 207 Guyana 12.30 2007 est. 208 Moldova 12.30 2007 est. 209 Ukraine 12.80 2007 est. 210 Afghanistan 13.00 2007 est. 211 Tajikistan 13.10 2007 est. 212 Qatar 13.70 2007 est. 213 United Arab Emirates 14.00 2007 est. 214 Sri Lanka 15.80 2007 est. 215 Azerbaijan 16.70 2007 est. 216 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 16.70 2007 est. 217 Eritrea 17.00 2007 est. 218 Iran 17.10 2007 est. 219 Ethiopia 17.20 2007 est. 220 Sao Tome and Principe 18.00 2007 est. 221 Venezuela 18.70 2007 est. 222 Guinea 23.40 2007 est. 223 Burma 35.00 2007 est. 224 Zimbabwe 12,563.00 2007 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2093

Rank Country Waterways(km) Date of Information

1 World 671,886 2004 2 China 124,000 2006 3 Russia 102,000 2006 4 European Union 52,332 2006 5 Brazil 50,000 2007 6 United States 41,009 2007 7 Indonesia 21,579 2007 8 Colombia 18,000 2006 9 Vietnam 17,702 2005 10 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 15,000 2005 11 India 14,500 2006 12 Burma 12,800 2007 13 Argentina 11,000 2006 14 Papua New Guinea 11,000 2006 15 Bolivia 10,000 2007 16 Peru 8,808 2007 17 Nigeria 8,600 2007 18 France 8,500 2006 19 Bangladesh 8,370 2006 20 Finland 7,842 2006 21 Germany 7,467 2006 22 Malaysia 7,200 2005 23 Venezuela 7,100 2005 24 Netherlands 6,211 2006 25 Iraq 5,279 2006 26 Laos 4,600 2007 27 Sudan 4,068 2006 28 Kazakhstan 4,000 2006 29 Thailand 4,000 2005 30 Poland 3,997 2006 31 France 3,760 2006 32 Egypt 3,500 2006 33 Philippines 3,219 2007 34 United Kingdom 3,200 2003 35 Paraguay 3,100 2007 36 Mexico 2,900 2007 37 Central African Republic 2,800 2006 38 Belarus 2,500 2003 39 Cambodia 2,400 2005 40 Italy 2,400 2006 41 Ukraine 2,253 2006 42 Korea, North 2,250 2007 43 Zambia 2,250 2005 44 Nicaragua 2,220 2007 45 Sweden 2,052 2005 46 Belgium 2,043 2006 47 Australia 2,000 2006 48 Mali 1,800 2007 49 Japan 1,770 2007 50 Romania 1,731 2006 51 Hungary 1,622 2007 52 Korea, South 1,608 2007 53 Gabon 1,600 2007 54 Uruguay 1,600 2005 55 Norway 1,577 2007 56 Ecuador 1,500 2006 57 Angola 1,300 2007 58 Turkmenistan 1,300 2006 59 Guinea 1,300 2005 60 Ghana 1,293 2007 61 Afghanistan 1,200 2007 62 Turkey 1,200 2005 63 Suriname 1,200 2005 64 Congo, Republic of the 1,125 2006 65 Uzbekistan 1,100 2006 66 Senegal 1,000 2005 67 Spain 1,000 2003 68 Guatemala 990 2007 69 Cote d'Ivoire 980 2006 70 Ireland 956 2007 71 Syria 900 2005 72 Iran 850 2006 73 Belize 825 2007 74 Panama 800 2007 75 Sierra Leone 800 2005 76 Croatia 785 2007 77 Costa Rica 730 2007 78 Malawi 700 2007 79 Czech Republic 664 2006 80 Canada 636 2007 81 Kyrgyzstan 600 2007 82 Madagascar 600 2006 83 Serbia 587 2005 84 Mongolia 580 2004 85 Bulgaria 470 2007 86 Honduras 465 2007 87 Mozambique 460 2007 88 Lithuania 441 2006 89 Moldova 424 2007 90 Denmark 400 2007 91 Gambia, The 390 2006 92 Austria 358 2007 93 Estonia 320 2006 94 Latvia 300 2006 95 Niger 300 2005 96 Cuba 240 2007 97 Portugal 210 2006 98 Brunei 209 2007 99 Fiji 203 2006 100 Tajikistan 200 2006 101 Slovakia 172 2005 102 Sri Lanka 160 2006 103 Benin 150 2005 104 Switzerland 65 2003 105 Togo 50 2005 106 Albania 43 2007 107 Luxembourg 37 2007 108 Liechtenstein 28 2006 109 Greece 6 2007 110 Kiribati 5 2007

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2095

Rank Country Labor force Date of Information

1 World 3,131,000,000 2007 est. 2 China 800,700,000 2007 est. 3 India 516,400,000 2007 est. 4 European Union 222,700,000 2006 est. 5 United States 153,100,000 2007 est. 6 Indonesia 109,900,000 2007 est. 7 Brazil 99,230,000 2007 est. 8 Russia 75,100,000 2007 est. 9 Bangladesh 69,400,000 2007 est. 10 Japan 66,690,000 2007 est. 11 Nigeria 50,130,000 2007 est. 12 Pakistan 48,230,000 2007 est. 13 Vietnam 46,420,000 2007 est. 14 Mexico 44,710,000 2007 est. 15 Germany 43,540,000 2007 est. 16 Thailand 36,900,000 2007 est. 17 Philippines 36,220,000 2007 est. 18 United Kingdom 30,890,000 2007 est. 19 Burma 29,260,000 2007 est. 20 Iran 28,700,000 2006 est. 21 France 27,910,000 2007 est. 22 Ethiopia 27,270,000 1999 23 Italy 24,740,000 2007 est. 24 Korea, South 24,220,000 2007 est. 25 Turkey 23,530,000 2007 est. 26 Spain 22,190,000 2007 est. 27 Egypt 22,100,000 2007 est. 28 Ukraine 21,580,000 2007 est. 29 Colombia 20,500,000 2007 est. 30 South Africa 20,490,000 2007 est. 31 Tanzania 20,040,000 2007 est. 32 Korea, North 20,000,000 2004 est. 33 Canada 17,950,000 2007 est. 34 Poland 16,860,000 2007 est. 35 Argentina 16,030,000 2007 est. 36 Afghanistan 15,000,000 2004 est. 37 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 15,000,000 2006 est. 38 Uzbekistan 14,600,000 2007 est. 39 Uganda 14,020,000 2007 est. 40 Venezuela 12,370,000 2007 est. 41 Kenya 11,850,000 2005 est. 42 Morocco 11,390,000 2007 est. 43 Ghana 11,290,000 2007 est. 44 Nepal 11,110,000 2006 est. 45 Australia 10,950,000 2007 est. 46 Malaysia 10,940,000 2007 est. 47 Taiwan 10,710,000 2007 est. 48 Peru 9,839,000 2007 est. 49 Mozambique 9,600,000 2007 est. 50 Algeria 9,380,000 2007 est. 51 Romania 9,300,000 2007 est. 52 Kazakhstan 8,229,000 2007 est. 53 Netherlands 7,604,000 2007 est. 54 Sri Lanka 7,489,000 2007 est. 55 Sudan 7,415,000 1996 est. 56 Iraq 7,400,000 2004 est. 57 Madagascar 7,300,000 2000 58 Chile 7,167,000 2007 est. 59 Angola 7,148,000 2007 est. 60 Cambodia 7,000,000 2003 est. 61 Cote d'Ivoire 6,907,000 2007 est. 62 Cameroon 6,674,000 2007 est. 63 Saudi Arabia 6,563,000 2007 est. 64 Yemen 6,305,000 2007 est. 65 Portugal 5,618,000 2007 est. 66 Syria 5,462,000 2007 est. 67 Mali 5,400,000 2007 est. 68 Benin 5,380,000 2007 est. 69 Czech Republic 5,360,000 2007 est. 70 Azerbaijan 5,243,000 2007 est. 71 Burkina Faso 5,000,000 2003 72 Zambia 4,989,000 2007 est. 73 Cuba 4,956,000 2007 est. 74 Belgium 4,940,000 2007 est. 75 Greece 4,920,000 2007 est. 76 Senegal 4,850,000 2007 est. 77 Sweden 4,839,000 2007 est. 78 Rwanda 4,600,000 2000 79 Ecuador 4,510,000 2007 est. 80 Malawi 4,500,000 2001 est. 81 Bolivia 4,377,000 2007 est. 82 Belarus 4,300,000 31 December 2005 83 Hungary 4,190,000 2007 est. 84 Zimbabwe 4,032,000 2007 est. 85 Dominican Republic 4,027,000 2007 est. 86 Guatemala 3,958,000 2007 est. 87 Switzerland 3,954,000 2007 est. 88 Chad 3,747,000 2006 89 Guinea 3,700,000 2006 est. 90 Somalia 3,700,000 1975 91 Hong Kong 3,640,000 2007 est. 92 Haiti 3,600,000 1995 93 Tunisia 3,593,000 2007 est. 94 Austria 3,566,000 2007 est. 95 Papua New Guinea 3,557,000 2007 est. 96 United Arab Emirates 3,065,000 2007 est. 97 Burundi 2,990,000 2002 98 Serbia 2,961,000 2002 est. 99 El Salvador 2,913,000 2007 est. 100 Israel 2,894,000 2007 est. 101 Denmark 2,860,000 2007 est. 102 Paraguay 2,787,000 2007 est. 103 Honduras 2,779,000 2007 est. 104 Singapore 2,751,000 2007 est. 105 Kyrgyzstan 2,700,000 2000 106 Finland 2,675,000 2007 est. 107 Slovakia 2,654,000 2007 est. 108 Bulgaria 2,593,000 2007 est. 109 Norway 2,507,000 2007 est. 110 Nicaragua 2,262,000 2007 est. 111 New Zealand 2,236,000 2007 est. 112 Ireland 2,217,000 2007 est. 113 Laos 2,100,000 2006 est. 114 Tajikistan 2,100,000 2007 115 Kuwait 2,093,000 2007 est. 116 Turkmenistan 2,089,000 2004 est. 117 Georgia 2,020,000 2007 est. 118 Costa Rica 1,920,000 2007 est. 119 Central African Republic 1,857,000 2006 120 Libya 1,830,000 2007 est. 121 Croatia 1,749,000 2007 est. 122 Uruguay 1,631,000 2007 est. 123 Lithuania 1,603,000 2007 est. 124 Jordan 1,563,000 2007 est. 125 Lebanon 1,500,000 2005 est. 126 Sierra Leone 1,369,000 1981 est. 127 Panama 1,362,000 2007 est. 128 Moldova 1,333,000 2007 est. 129 Togo 1,302,000 1998 130 Puerto Rico 1,300,000 2000 131 Jamaica 1,255,000 2007 est. 132 Armenia 1,200,000 2007 est. 133 Latvia 1,167,000 2007 est. 134 Albania 1,090,000 September 2006 est. 135 Mongolia 1,042,000 2006 136 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1,026,000 2001 137 Slovenia 925,000 2007 est. 138 Oman 920,000 2002 est. 139 Macedonia 890,000 2007 est. 140 Qatar 881,000 2007 est. 141 Lesotho 838,000 2000 est. 142 Kosovo 832,000 June 2007 est. 143 Mauritania 786,000 2001 144 Estonia 687,000 2007 est. 145 Namibia 660,000 2007 est. 146 Trinidad and Tobago 622,000 2007 est. 147 West Bank 605,000 2006 148 Gabon 582,000 2007 est. 149 Mauritius 574,000 2007 est. 150 Guinea-Bissau 480,000 1999 151 Bahrain 437,000 2007 est. 152 Guyana 418,000 2001 est. 153 Gambia, The 400,000 1996 154 Cyprus 393,000 2007 est. 155 Swaziland 300,000 2006 156 Botswana 288,400 2004 157 Djibouti 282,000 2000 158 Macau 275,000 2006 159 Gaza Strip 267,000 2006 160 Montenegro 259,100 2004 161 Solomon Islands 249,200 1999 162 Luxembourg 205,000 2007 est. 163 Bahamas, The 181,900 2006 164 Iceland 181,000 2007 est. 165 Brunei 180,400 2006 est. 166 Malta 166,000 2007 est. 167 Suriname 156,700 2004 168 Comoros 144,500 1996 est. 169 Barbados 128,500 2001 est. 170 Cape Verde 120,600 1990 171 Fiji 117,500 2006 est. 172 Belize 113,000 2006 est. 173 Maldives 101,300 2004 174 Samoa 90,000 2000 est. 175 Netherlands Antilles 83,600 2005 176 New Caledonia 78,990 2004 177 Vanuatu 76,410 1999 178 Niger 70,000 1995 179 French Polynesia 65,930 December 2005 180 Guam 62,050 2002 est. 181 Jersey 53,560 June 2006 182 Mayotte 44,560 2002 183 Northern Mariana Islands 44,470 2000 184 Monaco 44,000 2005 est. 185 Virgin Islands 43,980 2004 est. 186 Saint Lucia 43,800 2001 est. 187 Andorra 42,420 2005 188 Grenada 42,300 1996 189 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 41,680 1991 est. 190 Aruba 41,500 2004 est. 191 Isle of Man 39,690 2001 192 Seychelles 39,560 2006 193 Bermuda 38,360 2004 194 Micronesia, Federated States of 37,410 2000 195 Sao Tome and Principe 35,050 1991 196 Tonga 33,910 2003 197 Greenland 32,120 2004 198 Guernsey 31,470 March 2006 199 Antigua and Barbuda 30,000 1991 200 Liechtenstein 29,500 31 December 2001 201 Dominica 25,000 2000 est. 202 Faroe Islands 24,250 October 2000 203 Cayman Islands 23,450 2004 204 San Marino 20,470 2004 205 Saint Kitts and Nevis 18,170 June 1995 206 American Samoa 17,630 2005 207 Marshall Islands 14,680 2000 208 British Virgin Islands 12,770 2004 209 Gibraltar 12,690 2001 210 Western Sahara 12,000 2005 est. 211 Palau 9,777 2005 212 Kiribati 7,870 2001 est. 213 Cook Islands 6,820 2001 214 Anguilla 6,049 2001 215 Turks and Caicos Islands 4,848 1990 est. 216 Montserrat 4,521 2000 est. 217 Tuvalu 3,615 2004 est. 218 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 3,450 2005 219 Wallis and Futuna 3,104 2003 220 Saint Helena 2,486 1998 est. 221 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 1,724 1996 222 Niue 663 2001 223 Tokelau 440 2001 224 Pitcairn Islands 15 2004

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2102

Rank Country Life expectancy at birth(years) Date of Information

1 Macau 84.33 2008 est. 2 Andorra 82.67 2008 est. 3 Japan 82.07 2008 est. 4 Singapore 81.89 2008 est. 5 San Marino 81.88 2008 est. 6 Hong Kong 81.77 2008 est. 7 Australia 81.53 2008 est. 8 Canada 81.16 2008 est. 9 France 80.87 2008 est. 10 Sweden 80.74 2008 est. 11 Switzerland 80.74 2008 est. 12 Guernsey 80.65 2008 est. 13 Israel 80.61 2008 est. 14 Iceland 80.55 2008 est. 15 Anguilla 80.53 2008 est. 16 Cayman Islands 80.32 2008 est. 17 New Zealand 80.24 2008 est. 18 Italy 80.07 2008 est. 19 Gibraltar 80.06 2008 est. 20 Monaco 79.96 2008 est. 21 Liechtenstein 79.95 2008 est. 22 Spain 79.92 2008 est. 23 Norway 79.81 2008 est. 24 Jersey 79.65 2008 est. 25 Greece 79.52 2008 est. 26 Austria 79.36 2008 est. 27 Malta 79.30 2008 est. 28 Faroe Islands 79.29 2008 est. 29 Netherlands 79.25 2008 est. 30 Luxembourg 79.18 2008 est. 31 Germany 79.10 2008 est. 32 Belgium 79.07 2008 est. 33 Guam 78.93 2008 est. 34 Virgin Islands 78.92 2008 est. 35 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 78.91 2008 est. 36 United Kingdom 78.85 2008 est. 37 Finland 78.82 2008 est. 38 Isle of Man 78.80 2008 est. 39 Jordan 78.71 2008 est. 40 Korea, South 78.64 2008 est. 41 Puerto Rico 78.58 2008 est. 42 Bosnia and Herzegovina 78.33 2008 est. 43 Bermuda 78.30 2008 est. 44 Saint Helena 78.27 2008 est. 45 Cyprus 78.15 2008 est. 46 United States 78.14 2008 est. 47 Denmark 78.13 2008 est. 48 Ireland 78.07 2008 est. 49 Portugal 78.04 2008 est. 50 Albania 77.78 2008 est. 51 Taiwan 77.76 2008 est. 52 Kuwait 77.53 2008 est. 53 Costa Rica 77.40 2008 est. 54 European Union 77.32 2008 est. 55 Cuba 77.27 2008 est. 56 Chile 77.15 2008 est. 57 Libya 77.07 2008 est. 58 British Virgin Islands 77.07 2008 est. 59 Panama 76.88 2008 est. 60 Ecuador 76.81 2008 est. 61 Slovenia 76.73 2008 est. 62 Czech Republic 76.62 2008 est. 63 French Polynesia 76.51 2008 est. 64 Georgia 76.51 2008 est. 65 Northern Mariana Islands 76.50 2008 est. 66 Netherlands Antilles 76.45 2008 est. 67 Argentina 76.36 2008 est. 68 Saint Lucia 76.25 2008 est. 69 Uruguay 76.14 2008 est. 70 Saudi Arabia 76.09 2008 est. 71 United Arab Emirates 75.89 2008 est. 72 Mexico 75.84 2008 est. 73 Paraguay 75.56 2008 est. 74 Tunisia 75.56 2008 est. 75 Brunei 75.52 2008 est. 76 Poland 75.41 2008 est. 77 Dominica 75.33 2008 est. 78 Serbia 75.29 2008 est. 79 Qatar 75.19 2008 est. 80 Turks and Caicos Islands 75.19 2008 est. 81 Slovakia 75.17 2008 est. 82 Croatia 75.13 2008 est. 83 Aruba 75.06 2008 est. 84 Sri Lanka 74.97 2008 est. 85 Bahrain 74.92 2008 est. 86 New Caledonia 74.75 2008 est. 87 Lithuania 74.67 2008 est. 88 Macedonia 74.45 2008 est. 89 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 74.34 2008 est. 90 West Bank 74.29 2008 est. 91 Antigua and Barbuda 74.25 2008 est. 92 Oman 73.91 2008 est. 93 Algeria 73.77 2008 est. 94 Mauritius 73.75 2008 est. 95 Maldives 73.72 2008 est. 96 Jamaica 73.59 2008 est. 97 Suriname 73.48 2008 est. 98 American Samoa 73.47 2008 est. 99 Venezuela 73.45 2008 est. 100 Solomon Islands 73.44 2008 est. 101 Lebanon 73.41 2008 est. 102 Dominican Republic 73.39 2008 est. 103 Barbados 73.21 2008 est. 104 China 73.18 2008 est. 105 Hungary 73.18 2008 est. 106 Gaza Strip 73.16 2008 est. 107 Turkey 73.14 2008 est. 108 Malaysia 73.03 2008 est. 109 Saint Kitts and Nevis 72.94 2008 est. 110 Bulgaria 72.83 2008 est. 111 Thailand 72.83 2008 est. 112 Montserrat 72.60 2008 est. 113 Seychelles 72.60 2008 est. 114 Estonia 72.56 2008 est. 115 Colombia 72.54 2008 est. 116 Armenia 72.40 2008 est. 117 Korea, North 72.20 2008 est. 118 Romania 72.18 2008 est. 119 El Salvador 72.06 2008 est. 120 Latvia 71.88 2008 est. 121 Egypt 71.85 2008 est. 122 Brazil 71.71 2008 est. 123 Uzbekistan 71.69 2008 est. 124 Samoa 71.58 2008 est. 125 Morocco 71.52 2008 est. 126 Cape Verde 71.33 2008 est. 127 Vietnam 71.33 2008 est. 128 Nicaragua 71.21 2008 est. 129 Palau 71.00 2008 est. 130 Marshall Islands 70.90 2008 est. 131 Syria 70.90 2008 est. 132 Iran 70.86 2008 est. 133 Philippines 70.80 2008 est. 134 Micronesia, Federated States of 70.65 2008 est. 135 Moldova 70.50 2008 est. 136 Indonesia 70.46 2008 est. 137 Fiji 70.44 2008 est. 138 Peru 70.44 2008 est. 139 Tonga 70.44 2008 est. 140 Belarus 70.34 2008 est. 141 Guatemala 69.99 2008 est. 142 Iraq 69.62 2008 est. 143 Greenland 69.46 2008 est. 144 Honduras 69.37 2008 est. 145 India 69.25 2008 est. 146 Kyrgyzstan 69.12 2008 est. 147 Tuvalu 68.97 2008 est. 148 Turkmenistan 68.60 2008 est. 149 Belize 68.19 2008 est. 150 Ukraine 68.06 2008 est. 151 Sao Tome and Principe 68.00 2008 est. 152 Kazakhstan 67.55 2008 est. 153 Mongolia 67.32 2008 est. 154 Trinidad and Tobago 67.00 2008 est. 155 Timor-Leste 66.94 2008 est. 156 Bolivia 66.53 2008 est. 157 Guyana 66.43 2008 est. 158 Azerbaijan 66.31 2008 est. 159 World 66.26 2008 est. 160 Papua New Guinea 66.00 2008 est. 161 Russia 65.94 2008 est. 162 Bahamas, The 65.72 2008 est. 163 Grenada 65.60 2008 est. 164 Bhutan 65.53 2008 est. 165 Tajikistan 64.97 2008 est. 166 Pakistan 64.13 2008 est. 167 Nauru 63.81 2008 est. 168 Vanuatu 63.61 2008 est. 169 Bangladesh 63.21 2008 est. 170 Comoros 63.10 2008 est. 171 Burma 62.94 2008 est. 172 Yemen 62.90 2008 est. 173 Kiribati 62.85 2008 est. 174 Mayotte 62.54 2008 est. 175 Madagascar 62.52 2008 est. 176 Cambodia 61.69 2008 est. 177 Eritrea 61.38 2008 est. 178 Equatorial Guinea 61.23 2008 est. 179 Nepal 60.94 2008 est. 180 Ghana 59.49 2008 est. 181 Benin 58.56 2008 est. 182 Togo 58.28 2008 est. 183 Haiti 57.56 2008 est. 184 Senegal 57.08 2008 est. 185 Kenya 56.64 2008 est. 186 Guinea 56.58 2008 est. 187 Laos 56.29 2008 est. 188 Ethiopia 54.99 2008 est. 189 Gambia, The 54.95 2008 est. 190 Cote d'Ivoire 54.64 2008 est. 191 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 53.98 2008 est. 192 Western Sahara 53.92 2008 est. 193 Mauritania 53.91 2008 est. 194 Congo, Republic of the 53.74 2008 est. 195 Gabon 53.52 2008 est. 196 Cameroon 53.30 2008 est. 197 Burkina Faso 52.55 2008 est. 198 Uganda 52.34 2008 est. 199 Burundi 51.71 2008 est. 200 Tanzania 51.45 2008 est. 201 Sudan 50.28 2008 est. 202 Botswana 50.16 2008 est. 203 Mali 49.94 2008 est. 204 Namibia 49.89 2008 est. 205 Rwanda 49.76 2008 est. 206 Somalia 49.25 2008 est. 207 South Africa 48.89 2008 est. 208 Guinea-Bissau 47.52 2008 est. 209 Chad 47.43 2008 est. 210 Nigeria 46.53 2008 est. 211 Niger 44.28 2008 est. 212 Zimbabwe 44.28 2008 est. 213 Central African Republic 44.22 2008 est. 214 Afghanistan 44.21 2008 est. 215 Malawi 43.45 2008 est. 216 Djibouti 43.31 2008 est. 217 Liberia 41.13 2008 est. 218 Mozambique 41.04 2008 est. 219 Sierra Leone 40.93 2008 est. 220 Lesotho 40.17 2008 est. 221 Zambia 38.59 2008 est. 222 Angola 37.92 2008 est. 223 Swaziland 31.99 2008 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2108

Rank Country Merchant marine Date of Information

1 Panama 6,323 2008 2 Liberia 2,204 2008 3 China 1,826 2008 4 Malta 1,438 2008 5 Singapore 1,292 2008 6 Bahamas, The 1,223 2008 7 Antigua and Barbuda 1,146 2008 8 Hong Kong 1,114 2008 9 Russia 1,074 2008 10 Marshall Islands 1,049 2008 11 Indonesia 971 2008 12 Greece 869 2008 13 Cyprus 858 2008 14 Korea, South 812 2008 15 Norway 688 2008 16 Japan 683 2008 17 Cambodia 626 2008 18 Netherlands 622 2008 19 Turkey 612 2008 20 Italy 609 2008 21 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 525 2008 22 United Kingdom 518 2008 23 India 501 2008 24 United States 422 2008 25 Thailand 398 2008 26 Germany 393 2008 27 Philippines 391 2008 28 Vietnam 387 2008 29 Denmark 327 2008 30 Malaysia 306 2008 31 Isle of Man 273 2008 32 Gibraltar 240 2008 33 Belize 216 2008 34 Sweden 195 2008 35 Georgia 191 2008 36 Ukraine 189 2008 37 Sierra Leone 182 2008 38 Canada 175 2008 39 Korea, North 167 2008 40 Saint Kitts and Nevis 159 2008 41 Spain 158 2008 42 Netherlands Antilles 147 2008 43 France 138 2008 44 Bermuda 137 2008 45 Brazil 136 2008 46 Comoros 136 2008 47 Honduras 123 2008 48 Portugal 117 2008 49 Cayman Islands 109 2008 50 Taiwan 102 2008 51 Finland 98 2008 52 Azerbaijan 89 2008 53 Barbados 85 2008 54 Croatia 80 2008 55 Tuvalu 80 2008 56 Belgium 79 2008 57 Mongolia 77 2008 58 Syria 77 2008 59 Bulgaria 74 2008 60 Iran 74 2008 61 Monaco 70 2008 62 Nigeria 68 2008 63 Egypt 67 2008 64 Saudi Arabia 62 2008 65 Venezuela 62 2008 66 United Arab Emirates 58 2008 67 Mexico 55 2008 68 Vanuatu 54 2008 69 Dominica 53 2008 70 Slovakia 51 2008 71 Australia 50 2008 72 Argentina 46 2008 73 Lithuania 45 2008 74 Luxembourg 45 2008 75 Chile 44 2008 76 Kiribati 43 2008 77 Bangladesh 40 2008 78 Moldova 39 2008 79 Kuwait 38 2008 80 Ecuador 37 2008 81 Morocco 35 2008 82 Switzerland 35 2008 83 Algeria 33 2008 84 Lebanon 33 2008 85 Ireland 29 2008 86 Maldives 29 2008 87 Estonia 29 2008 88 Slovenia 29 2008 89 Sri Lanka 26 2008 90 Cook Islands 26 2008 91 Albania 24 2008 92 Burma 24 2008 93 Bolivia 23 2008 94 Paraguay 23 2008 95 Latvia 22 2008 96 Qatar 22 2008 97 Jordan 21 2008 98 Papua New Guinea 21 2008 99 Jamaica 20 2008 100 Colombia 17 2008 101 Libya 17 2008 102 Uruguay 17 2008 103 Romania 17 2008 104 French Polynesia 15 2008 105 Pakistan 15 2008 106 Poland 15 2008 107 Iraq 14 2008 108 New Zealand 13 2008 109 Tonga 13 2008 110 Faroe Islands 12 2008 111 Cuba 11 2008 112 Israel 11 2008 113 Togo 10 2008 114 Bahrain 9 2008 115 Ethiopia 9 2008 116 Fiji 9 2008 117 Tanzania 9 2008 118 Trinidad and Tobago 9 2008 119 Brunei 8 2008 120 Madagascar 8 2008 121 Seychelles 8 2008 122 Wallis and Futuna 8 2008 123 Peru 8 2008 124 Guyana 8 2008 125 Cape Verde 8 2008 126 Tunisia 7 2008 127 Turkmenistan 7 2008 128 Angola 6 2008 129 Montenegro 6 2008 130 Sao Tome and Principe 6 2008 131 Eritrea 5 2008 132 Kazakhstan 5 2008 133 Gambia, The 5 2008 134 Austria 4 2008 135 Yemen 4 2008 136 Ghana 4 2008 137 Micronesia, Federated States of 3 2008 138 South Africa 3 2008 139 Sudan 3 2008 140 Puerto Rico 3 2008 141 Mauritius 3 2008 142 Oman 3 2008 143 Gabon 2 2008 144 Greenland 2 2008 145 Iceland 2 2008 146 New Caledonia 2 2008 147 Mozambique 2 2008 148 Congo, Republic of the 1 2008 149 Dominican Republic 1 2008 150 Czech Republic 1 2008 151 Suriname 1 2008 152 Turks and Caicos Islands 1 2008 153 British Virgin Islands 1 2008 154 Samoa 1 2008 155 Namibia 1 2008 156 Timor-Leste 1 2008 157 Somalia 1 2008 158 Equatorial Guinea 1 2008 159 Laos 1 2008 160 Kenya 1 2008 161 Costa Rica 1 2008 162 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1 2008

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2112

Rank Country Net migration rate(migrant(s)/1,000 population) Date of Information

1 Macau 26.21 2008 est. 2 United Arab Emirates 24.41 2008 est. 3 Afghanistan 21.00 2008 est. 4 Cayman Islands 16.88 2008 est. 5 Kuwait 16.39 2008 est. 6 Liberia 15.14 2008 est. 7 Anguilla 14.60 2008 est. 8 Andorra 13.99 2008 est. 9 San Marino 10.44 2008 est. 10 Aruba 9.85 2008 est. 11 Turks and Caicos Islands 9.48 2008 est. 12 Luxembourg 8.54 2008 est. 13 British Virgin Islands 8.44 2008 est. 14 Monaco 7.62 2008 est. 15 Northern Mariana Islands 7.04 2008 est. 16 Singapore 6.88 2008 est. 17 Bosnia and Herzegovina 6.38 2008 est. 18 Australia 6.34 2008 est. 19 Jordan 5.97 2008 est. 20 Burundi 5.62 2008 est. 21 Canada 5.62 2008 est. 22 Botswana 5.41 2008 est. 23 Isle of Man 5.25 2008 est. 24 South Africa 4.98 2008 est. 25 Ireland 4.76 2008 est. 26 Liechtenstein 4.70 2008 est. 27 Hong Kong 4.55 2008 est. 28 Guernsey 3.80 2008 est. 29 Portugal 3.23 2008 est. 30 United States 2.92 2008 est. 31 French Polynesia 2.77 2008 est. 32 Brunei 2.74 2008 est. 33 Jersey 2.73 2008 est. 34 New Zealand 2.62 2008 est. 35 Netherlands 2.55 2008 est. 36 Israel 2.52 2008 est. 37 Denmark 2.49 2008 est. 38 Antigua and Barbuda 2.41 2008 est. 39 Greece 2.33 2008 est. 40 Rwanda 2.29 2008 est. 41 Bermuda 2.28 2008 est. 42 Mayotte 2.22 2008 est. 43 Switzerland 2.21 2008 est. 44 Germany 2.19 2008 est. 45 United Kingdom 2.17 2008 est. 46 Italy 2.06 2008 est. 47 Malta 2.03 2008 est. 48 Austria 1.88 2008 est. 49 Angola 1.72 2008 est. 50 Norway 1.71 2008 est. 51 Sweden 1.66 2008 est. 52 Croatia 1.58 2008 est. 53 France 1.48 2008 est. 54 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1.24 2008 est. 55 European Union 1.23 2008 est. 56 Belgium 1.22 2008 est. 57 Iceland 1.13 2008 est. 58 Spain 0.99 2008 est. 59 Czech Republic 0.97 2008 est. 60 Palau 0.90 2008 est. 61 Hungary 0.86 2008 est. 62 Finland 0.73 2008 est. 63 Sudan 0.67 2008 est. 64 Slovenia 0.64 2008 est. 65 Gambia, The 0.61 2008 est. 66 Costa Rica 0.48 2008 est. 67 Cyprus 0.42 2008 est. 68 Bahrain 0.40 2008 est. 69 Belarus 0.38 2008 est. 70 Namibia 0.35 2008 est. 71 Oman 0.33 2008 est. 72 Slovakia 0.30 2008 est. 73 Russia 0.28 2008 est. 74 Uganda 0.21 2008 est. 75 Taiwan 0.04 2008 est. 76 Argentina 0.00 2008 est. 77 Gibraltar 0.00 2008 est. 78 Benin 0.00 2008 est. 79 Gaza Strip 0.00 2008 est. 80 Kenya 0.00 2008 est. 81 West Bank 0.00 2008 est. 82 Turkey 0.00 2008 est. 83 Somalia 0.00 2008 est. 84 Sierra Leone 0.00 2008 est. 85 Senegal 0.00 2008 est. 86 Guinea-Bissau 0.00 2008 est. 87 India -0.05 2008 est. 88 Paraguay -0.07 2008 est. 89 Brazil -0.09 2008 est. 90 Mauritius -0.09 2008 est. 91 Nigeria -0.10 2008 est. 92 Ukraine -0.12 2008 est. 93 Romania -0.13 2008 est. 94 Uruguay -0.18 2008 est. 95 Egypt -0.21 2008 est. 96 Colombia -0.28 2008 est. 97 Algeria -0.31 2008 est. 98 Barbados -0.31 2008 est. 99 China -0.39 2008 est. 100 Vietnam -0.39 2008 est. 101 Netherlands Antilles -0.39 2008 est. 102 Tunisia -0.44 2008 est. 103 Poland -0.46 2008 est. 104 Pakistan -0.51 2008 est. 105 Suriname -0.52 2008 est. 106 Panama -0.53 2008 est. 107 Ghana -0.55 2008 est. 108 Macedonia -0.57 2008 est. 109 Niger -0.57 2008 est. 110 Haiti -0.61 2008 est. 111 Bangladesh -0.65 2008 est. 112 Lithuania -0.72 2008 est. 113 Morocco -0.77 2008 est. 114 Lesotho -0.78 2008 est. 115 Faroe Islands -0.82 2008 est. 116 Venezuela -0.84 2008 est. 117 Peru -0.97 2008 est. 118 Puerto Rico -1.03 2008 est. 119 Sri Lanka -1.12 2008 est. 120 Moldova -1.13 2008 est. 121 Nicaragua -1.13 2008 est. 122 Bolivia -1.14 2008 est. 123 Indonesia -1.25 2008 est. 124 Tajikistan -1.31 2008 est. 125 Honduras -1.33 2008 est. 126 Philippines -1.36 2008 est. 127 Tanzania -1.48 2008 est. 128 Cuba -1.57 2008 est. 129 Guinea -1.63 2008 est. 130 Azerbaijan -1.97 2008 est. 131 Sao Tome and Principe -1.97 2008 est. 132 Bahamas, The -2.14 2008 est. 133 Guatemala -2.26 2008 est. 134 Qatar -2.28 2008 est. 135 Latvia -2.29 2008 est. 136 Saint Kitts and Nevis -2.31 2008 est. 137 Dominican Republic -2.40 2008 est. 138 Congo, Republic of the -2.52 2008 est. 139 Kyrgyzstan -2.55 2008 est. 140 Fiji -2.62 2008 est. 141 Zambia -2.63 2008 est. 142 Turkmenistan -3.00 2008 est. 143 Uzbekistan -3.04 2008 est. 144 Estonia -3.24 2008 est. 145 Chad -3.27 2008 est. 146 Iran -3.28 2008 est. 147 Kazakhstan -3.31 2008 est. 148 El Salvador -3.40 2008 est. 149 Bulgaria -3.41 2008 est. 150 Gabon -3.62 2008 est. 151 Mexico -3.84 2008 est. 152 Saint Lucia -4.33 2008 est. 153 Georgia -4.36 2008 est. 154 Albania -4.41 2008 est. 155 Armenia -4.95 2008 est. 156 Saint Pierre and Miquelon -4.97 2008 est. 157 Seychelles -5.11 2008 est. 158 Dominica -5.46 2008 est. 159 Marshall Islands -5.52 2008 est. 160 Virgin Islands -5.72 2008 est. 161 Jamaica -5.88 2008 est. 162 Mali -5.97 2008 est. 163 Greenland -5.99 2008 est. 164 Saudi Arabia -6.82 2008 est. 165 American Samoa -7.17 2008 est. 166 Guyana -7.45 2008 est. 167 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines -7.56 2008 est. 168 Ecuador -7.98 2008 est. 169 Samoa -9.14 2008 est. 170 Trinidad and Tobago -11.20 2008 est. 171 Grenada -11.23 2008 est. 172 Cape Verde -11.74 2008 est. 173 Micronesia, Federated States of -21.04 2008 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2119

Rank Country Population Date of Information

1 World 6,706,993,152 July 2008 est. 2 China 1,330,044,544 July 2008 est. 3 India 1,147,995,904 July 2008 est. 4 European Union 491,018,683 July 2008 est. 5 United States 303,824,640 July 2008 est. 6 Indonesia 237,512,352 July 2008 est. 7 Brazil 196,342,592 July 2008 est. 8 Pakistan 172,800,048 July 2008 est. 9 Bangladesh 153,546,896 July 2008 est. 10 Nigeria 146,255,312 July 2008 est. 11 Russia 140,702,096 July 2008 est. 12 Japan 127,288,416 July 2008 est. 13 Mexico 109,955,400 July 2008 est. 14 Philippines 96,061,680 July 2008 est. 15 Vietnam 86,116,560 July 2008 est. 16 Ethiopia 82,544,840 July 2008 est. 17 Germany 82,369,552 July 2008 est. 18 Egypt 81,713,520 July 2008 est. 19 Turkey 71,892,808 July 2008 est. 20 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 66,514,504 July 2008 est. 21 Iran 65,875,224 July 2008 est. 22 Thailand 65,493,296 July 2008 est. 23 France 64,057,792 July 2008 est. 24 United Kingdom 60,943,912 July 2008 est. 25 Italy 58,145,320 July 2008 est. 26 South Africa 48,782,756 July 2008 est. 27 Korea, South 48,379,392 July 2008 est. 28 Burma 47,758,180 July 2008 est. 29 Ukraine 45,994,288 July 2008 est. 30 Colombia 45,013,672 July 2008 est. 31 Spain 40,491,052 July 2008 est. 32 Argentina 40,482,000 July 2008 est. 33 Sudan 40,218,456 July 2008 est. 34 Tanzania 40,213,160 July 2008 est. 35 Poland 38,500,696 July 2008 est. 36 Kenya 37,953,840 July 2008 est. 37 Morocco 34,343,220 July 2008 est. 38 Algeria 33,769,668 July 2008 est. 39 Canada 33,212,696 July 2008 est. 40 Afghanistan 32,738,376 July 2008 est. 41 Uganda 31,367,972 July 2008 est. 42 Nepal 29,519,114 July 2008 est. 43 Peru 29,180,900 July 2008 est. 44 Iraq 28,221,180 July 2008 est. 45 Saudi Arabia 28,146,656 July 2008 est. 46 Uzbekistan 27,345,026 July 2008 est. 47 Venezuela 26,414,816 July 2008 est. 48 Malaysia 25,274,132 July 2008 est. 49 Korea, North 23,479,088 July 2008 est. 50 Ghana 23,382,848 July 2008 est. 51 Yemen 23,013,376 July 2008 est. 52 Taiwan 22,920,946 July 2008 est. 53 Romania 22,246,862 July 2008 est. 54 Mozambique 21,284,700 July 2008 est. 55 Sri Lanka 21,128,772 July 2008 est. 56 Australia 21,007,310 July 2008 est. 57 Cote d'Ivoire 20,179,602 July 2008 est. 58 Madagascar 20,042,552 July 2008 est. 59 Syria 19,747,586 July 2008 est. 60 Cameroon 18,467,692 July 2008 est. 61 Netherlands 16,645,313 July 2008 est. 62 Chile 16,454,143 July 2008 est. 63 Kazakhstan 15,340,533 July 2008 est. 64 Burkina Faso 15,264,735 July 2008 est. 65 Cambodia 14,241,640 July 2008 est. 66 Malawi 13,931,831 July 2008 est. 67 Ecuador 13,927,650 July 2008 est. 68 Niger 13,272,679 July 2008 est. 69 Guatemala 13,002,206 July 2008 est. 70 Senegal 12,853,259 July 2008 est. 71 Angola 12,531,357 July 2008 est. 72 Mali 12,324,029 July 2008 est. 73 Zambia 11,669,534 July 2008 est. 74 Cuba 11,423,952 July 2008 est. 75 Zimbabwe 11,350,111 July 2008 est. 76 Greece 10,722,816 July 2008 est. 77 Portugal 10,676,910 July 2008 est. 78 Belgium 10,403,951 July 2008 est. 79 Tunisia 10,383,577 July 2008 est. 80 Czech Republic 10,220,911 July 2008 est. 81 Rwanda 10,186,063 July 2008 est. 82 Serbia 10,159,046 July 2008 est. 83 Chad 10,111,337 July 2008 est. 84 Hungary 9,930,915 July 2008 est. 85 Guinea 9,806,509 July 2008 est. 86 Belarus 9,685,768 July 2008 est. 87 Somalia 9,558,666 July 2008 est. 88 Dominican Republic 9,507,133 July 2008 est. 89 Bolivia 9,247,816 July 2008 est. 90 Sweden 9,045,389 July 2008 est. 91 Haiti 8,924,553 July 2008 est. 92 Burundi 8,691,005 July 2008 est. 93 Benin 8,532,547 July 2008 est. 94 Austria 8,205,533 July 2008 est. 95 Azerbaijan 8,177,717 July 2008 est. 96 Honduras 7,639,327 July 2008 est. 97 Switzerland 7,581,520 July 2008 est. 98 Bulgaria 7,262,675 July 2008 est. 99 Tajikistan 7,211,884 July 2008 est. 100 Israel 7,112,359 July 2008 est. 101 El Salvador 7,066,403 July 2008 est. 102 Hong Kong 7,018,636 July 2008 est. 103 Paraguay 6,831,306 July 2008 est. 104 Laos 6,677,534 July 2008 est. 105 Sierra Leone 6,294,774 July 2008 est. 106 Jordan 6,198,677 July 2008 est. 107 Libya 6,173,579 July 2008 est. 108 Papua New Guinea 5,931,769 July 2008 est. 109 Togo 5,858,673 July 2008 est. 110 Nicaragua 5,785,846 July 2008 est. 111 Eritrea 5,502,026 July 2008 est. 112 Denmark 5,484,723 July 2008 est. 113 Slovakia 5,455,407 July 2008 est. 114 Kyrgyzstan 5,356,869 July 2008 est. 115 Finland 5,244,749 July 2008 est. 116 Turkmenistan 5,179,571 July 2008 est. 117 Norway 4,644,457 July 2008 est. 118 Georgia 4,630,841 July 2008 est. 119 United Arab Emirates 4,621,399 July 2008 est. 120 Singapore 4,608,167 July 2008 est. 121 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4,590,310 July 2008 est. 122 Croatia 4,491,543 July 2008 est. 123 Central African Republic 4,444,330 July 2008 est. 124 Moldova 4,324,450 July 2008 est. 125 Costa Rica 4,195,914 July 2008 est. 126 New Zealand 4,173,460 July 2008 est. 127 Ireland 4,156,119 July 2008 est. 128 Lebanon 3,971,941 July 2008 est. 129 Puerto Rico 3,958,128 July 2008 est. 130 Congo, Republic of the 3,903,318 July 2008 est. 131 Albania 3,619,778 July 2008 est. 132 Lithuania 3,565,205 July 2008 est. 133 Uruguay 3,477,778 July 2008 est. 134 Mauritania 3,364,940 July 2008 est. 135 Liberia 3,334,587 July 2008 est. 136 Oman 3,311,640 July 2008 est. 137 Panama 3,309,679 July 2008 est. 138 Mongolia 2,996,081 July 2008 est. 139 Armenia 2,968,586 July 2008 est. 140 Jamaica 2,804,332 July 2008 est. 141 Kuwait 2,596,799 July 2008 est. 142 West Bank 2,407,681 July 2008 est. 143 Latvia 2,245,423 July 2008 est. 144 Lesotho 2,128,180 July 2008 est. 145 Kosovo 2,126,708 2007 est. 146 Namibia 2,088,669 July 2008 est. 147 Macedonia 2,061,315 July 2008 est. 148 Slovenia 2,007,711 July 2008 est. 149 Botswana 1,842,323 July 2008 est. 150 Gambia, The 1,735,464 July 2008 est. 151 Guinea-Bissau 1,503,182 July 2008 est. 152 Gaza Strip 1,500,202 July 2008 est. 153 Gabon 1,485,832 July 2008 est. 154 Estonia 1,307,605 July 2008 est. 155 Mauritius 1,274,189 July 2008 est. 156 Swaziland 1,128,814 July 2008 est. 157 Timor-Leste 1,108,777 July 2008 est. 158 Trinidad and Tobago 1,047,366 July 2008 est. 159 Fiji 931,741 July 2008 est. 160 Qatar 824,789 July 2008 est. 161 Cyprus 792,604 July 2008 est. 162 Guyana 770,794 July 2008 est. 163 Comoros 731,775 July 2008 est. 164 Bahrain 718,306 July 2008 est. 165 Bhutan 682,321 July 2008 est. 166 Montenegro 678,177 July 2008 est. 167 Equatorial Guinea 616,459 July 2008 est. 168 Solomon Islands 581,318 July 2008 est. 169 Macau 545,674 July 2008 est. 170 Djibouti 506,221 July 2008 est. 171 Luxembourg 486,006 July 2008 est. 172 Suriname 475,996 July 2008 est. 173 Cape Verde 426,998 July 2008 est. 174 Malta 403,532 July 2008 est. 175 Western Sahara 393,831 July 2008 est. 176 Maldives 385,925 July 2008 est. 177 Brunei 381,371 July 2008 est. 178 Bahamas, The 307,451 July 2008 est. 179 Iceland 304,367 July 2008 est. 180 Belize 301,270 July 2008 est. 181 French Polynesia 283,019 July 2008 est. 182 Barbados 281,968 July 2008 est. 183 Netherlands Antilles 225,369 July 2008 est. 184 New Caledonia 224,824 July 2008 est. 185 Samoa 217,083 July 2008 est. 186 Mayotte 216,306 July 2008 est. 187 Vanuatu 215,446 July 2008 est. 188 Sao Tome and Principe 206,178 July 2008 est. 189 Guam 175,877 July 2008 est. 190 Saint Lucia 159,585 July 2008 est. 191 Tonga 119,009 July 2008 est. 192 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 118,432 July 2008 est. 193 Kiribati 110,356 July 2008 est. 194 Virgin Islands 109,840 July 2008 est. 195 Micronesia, Federated States of 107,665 July 2008 est. 196 Aruba 101,541 July 2008 est. 197 Jersey 91,533 July 2008 est. 198 Grenada 90,343 July 2008 est. 199 Northern Mariana Islands 86,616 July 2008 est. 200 Antigua and Barbuda 84,522 July 2008 est. 201 Andorra 82,627 July 2008 est. 202 Seychelles 82,247 July 2008 est. 203 Isle of Man 76,220 July 2008 est. 204 Dominica 72,514 July 2008 est. 205 Bermuda 66,536 July 2008 est. 206 Guernsey 65,726 July 2008 est. 207 American Samoa 64,827 July 2008 est. 208 Marshall Islands 63,174 July 2008 est. 209 Greenland 57,564 July 2008 est. 210 Faroe Islands 48,668 July 2008 est. 211 Cayman Islands 47,862 July 2008 est. 212 Saint Kitts and Nevis 39,817 July 2008 est. 213 Liechtenstein 34,498 July 2008 est. 214 Monaco 32,796 July 2008 est. 215 San Marino 29,973 July 2008 est. 216 Saint Martin 29,376 July 2008 est. 217 Gibraltar 28,002 July 2008 est. 218 British Virgin Islands 24,041 July 2008 est. 219 Turks and Caicos Islands 22,352 July 2008 est. 220 Palau 21,093 July 2008 est. 221 Akrotiri 15,700 222 Dhekelia 15,700 223 Wallis and Futuna 15,237 July 2008 est. 224 Anguilla 14,108 July 2008 est. 225 Nauru 13,770 July 2008 est. 226 Cook Islands 12,271 July 2008 est. 227 Tuvalu 12,177 July 2008 est. 228 Saint Helena 7,601 July 2008 est. 229 Saint Barthelemy 7,492 July 2008 est. 230 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 7,044 July 2008 est. 231 Montserrat 5,079 July 2008 est. 232 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 3,140 July 2008 est. 233 Svalbard 2,165 July 2008 est. 234 Norfolk Island 2,128 July 2008 est. 235 Niue 1,444 July 2008 est. 236 Tokelau 1,433 July 2008 est. 237 Christmas Island 1,402 July 2007 est. 238 Holy See (Vatican City) 824 July 2008 est. 239 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 596 July 2007 est. 240 Pitcairn Islands 48 July 2008 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2121

Rank Country Railways(km) Date of Information

1 World 1,370,782 2006 2 European Union 236,436 2007 3 United States 226,612 2005 4 Russia 87,157 2006 5 China 75,438 2005 6 India 63,221 2006 7 Germany 48,215 2006 8 Canada 48,068 2006 9 Australia 38,550 2006 10 Argentina 31,902 2006 11 France 29,370 2006 12 Brazil 29,295 2006 13 Japan 23,474 2006 14 Poland 23,072 2006 15 Ukraine 22,473 2006 16 South Africa 20,872 2006 17 Italy 19,460 2006 18 Mexico 17,665 2006 19 United Kingdom 16,567 2006 20 Spain 14,974 2006 21 Kazakhstan 13,700 2006 22 Sweden 11,528 2006 23 Romania 11,385 2006 24 Czech Republic 9,597 2006 25 Turkey 8,697 2006 26 Iran 8,367 2006 27 Pakistan 8,163 2006 28 Hungary 8,057 2006 29 Chile 6,585 2006 30 Indonesia 6,458 2006 31 Austria 6,383 2006 32 Sudan 5,978 2006 33 Finland 5,741 2006 34 Belarus 5,512 2006 35 Korea, North 5,235 2006 36 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 5,138 2006 37 Egypt 5,063 2006 38 Switzerland 4,839 2006 39 Bulgaria 4,294 2006 40 Cuba 4,226 2006 41 New Zealand 4,128 2006 42 Norway 4,114 2008 43 Thailand 4,071 2006 44 Algeria 3,973 2006 45 Burma 3,955 2006 46 Uzbekistan 3,950 2006 47 Tanzania 3,690 2006 48 Slovakia 3,662 2006 49 Belgium 3,536 2006 50 Nigeria 3,505 2006 51 Bolivia 3,504 2006 52 Korea, South 3,472 2006 53 Serbia 3,379 2006 54 Colombia 3,304 2006 55 Ireland 3,237 2006 56 Mozambique 3,123 2006 57 Zimbabwe 3,077 2006 58 Netherlands 2,797 2006 59 Portugal 2,786 2006 60 Kenya 2,778 2006 61 Bangladesh 2,768 2006 62 Angola 2,761 2006 63 Croatia 2,726 2006 64 Syria 2,711 2006 65 Denmark 2,644 2007 66 Vietnam 2,600 2006 67 Greece 2,571 2006 68 Turkmenistan 2,440 2006 69 Namibia 2,382 2006 70 Latvia 2,303 2006 71 Iraq 2,272 2006 72 Zambia 2,157 2006 73 Tunisia 2,153 2006 74 Azerbaijan 2,122 2006 75 Uruguay 2,073 2006 76 Peru 1,989 2006 77 Morocco 1,907 2006 78 Malaysia 1,890 2006 79 Mongolia 1,810 2006 80 Lithuania 1,771 2006 81 Georgia 1,612 2006 82 Taiwan 1,588 2007 83 Sri Lanka 1,449 2006 84 Saudi Arabia 1,392 2006 85 Uganda 1,244 2006 86 Slovenia 1,229 2006 87 Moldova 1,138 2006 88 Cameroon 987 2006 89 Estonia 968 2006 90 Ecuador 966 2006 91 Ghana 953 2006 92 Senegal 906 2006 93 Philippines 897 2006 94 Congo, Republic of the 894 2006 95 Botswana 888 2006 96 Guatemala 886 2006 97 Madagascar 854 2006 98 Israel 853 2006 99 Armenia 839 2006 100 Guinea 837 2006 101 Gabon 814 2006 102 Malawi 797 2006 103 Benin 758 2006 104 Mali 729 2006 105 Ethiopia 699 2006 106 Macedonia 699 2006 107 Honduras 699 2006 108 Venezuela 682 2006 109 Cote d'Ivoire 660 2006 110 Burkina Faso 622 2006 111 Bosnia and Herzegovina 608 2006 112 Cambodia 602 2006 113 Fiji 597 2006 114 Togo 568 2006 115 El Salvador 562 2007 116 Dominican Republic 517 2006 117 Jordan 505 2006 118 Liberia 490 2008 119 Tajikistan 482 2006 120 Kyrgyzstan 470 2006 121 Albania 447 2006 122 Kosovo 430 2005 123 Lebanon 401 2006 124 Panama 355 2006 125 Eritrea 306 2006 126 Swaziland 301 2006 127 Costa Rica 278 2007 128 Luxembourg 275 2006 129 Montenegro 250 2006 130 Djibouti 100 2006 131 Puerto Rico 96 2006 132 Isle of Man 65 2006 133 Nepal 59 2006 134 Saint Kitts and Nevis 50 2006 135 Paraguay 36 2006 136 Nicaragua 6 2006

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2127

Rank Country Total fertility rate(children born/woman) Date of Information

1 Mali 7.34 2008 est. 2 Niger 7.29 2008 est. 3 Uganda 6.81 2008 est. 4 Somalia 6.60 2008 est. 5 Afghanistan 6.58 2008 est. 6 Yemen 6.41 2008 est. 7 Burundi 6.40 2008 est. 8 Burkina Faso 6.34 2008 est. 9 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 6.28 2008 est. 10 Angola 6.20 2008 est. 11 Ethiopia 6.17 2008 est. 12 Sierra Leone 5.95 2008 est. 13 Congo, Republic of the 5.92 2008 est. 14 Liberia 5.87 2008 est. 15 Mauritania 5.69 2008 est. 16 Western Sahara 5.69 2008 est. 17 Malawi 5.67 2008 est. 18 Oman 5.62 2008 est. 19 Mayotte 5.60 2008 est. 20 Benin 5.58 2008 est. 21 Chad 5.43 2008 est. 22 Sao Tome and Principe 5.43 2008 est. 23 Rwanda 5.31 2008 est. 24 Guinea 5.25 2008 est. 25 Mozambique 5.24 2008 est. 26 Zambia 5.23 2008 est. 27 Gaza Strip 5.19 2008 est. 28 Madagascar 5.19 2008 est. 29 Equatorial Guinea 5.16 2008 est. 30 Djibouti 5.14 2008 est. 31 Gambia, The 5.13 2008 est. 32 Nigeria 5.01 2008 est. 33 Comoros 4.90 2008 est. 34 Senegal 4.86 2008 est. 35 Togo 4.85 2008 est. 36 Eritrea 4.84 2008 est. 37 Haiti 4.79 2008 est. 38 Guinea-Bissau 4.72 2008 est. 39 Kenya 4.70 2008 est. 40 Gabon 4.68 2008 est. 41 Tanzania 4.62 2008 est. 42 Sudan 4.58 2008 est. 43 Laos 4.50 2008 est. 44 Cameroon 4.41 2008 est. 45 Central African Republic 4.23 2008 est. 46 Cote d'Ivoire 4.23 2008 est. 47 Samoa 4.18 2008 est. 48 Kiribati 4.08 2008 est. 49 Iraq 3.97 2008 est. 50 Nepal 3.91 2008 est. 51 Saudi Arabia 3.89 2008 est. 52 Paraguay 3.80 2008 est. 53 Ghana 3.78 2008 est. 54 Pakistan 3.73 2008 est. 55 Zimbabwe 3.72 2008 est. 56 Papua New Guinea 3.71 2008 est. 57 Marshall Islands 3.68 2008 est. 58 Solomon Islands 3.65 2008 est. 59 Guatemala 3.59 2008 est. 60 Belize 3.44 2008 est. 61 Honduras 3.38 2008 est. 62 Timor-Leste 3.36 2008 est. 63 American Samoa 3.35 2008 est. 64 Swaziland 3.34 2008 est. 65 Philippines 3.32 2008 est. 66 West Bank 3.31 2008 est. 67 Syria 3.21 2008 est. 68 Cape Verde 3.17 2008 est. 69 Libya 3.15 2008 est. 70 Lesotho 3.13 2008 est. 71 Bangladesh 3.08 2008 est. 72 Cambodia 3.08 2008 est. 73 Turkmenistan 3.07 2008 est. 74 El Salvador 3.04 2008 est. 75 Tajikistan 3.04 2008 est. 76 Micronesia, Federated States of 2.98 2008 est. 77 Malaysia 2.98 2008 est. 78 Turks and Caicos Islands 2.98 2008 est. 79 Nauru 2.94 2008 est. 80 Tuvalu 2.94 2008 est. 81 Kuwait 2.81 2008 est. 82 Namibia 2.81 2008 est. 83 Dominican Republic 2.78 2008 est. 84 Israel 2.77 2008 est. 85 India 2.76 2008 est. 86 Egypt 2.72 2008 est. 87 Fiji 2.68 2008 est. 88 Bolivia 2.67 2008 est. 89 Kyrgyzstan 2.67 2008 est. 90 Botswana 2.66 2008 est. 91 Nicaragua 2.63 2008 est. 92 World 2.61 2008 est. 93 Ecuador 2.59 2008 est. 94 Morocco 2.57 2008 est. 95 Vanuatu 2.57 2008 est. 96 Panama 2.57 2008 est. 97 Guam 2.55 2008 est. 98 Bahrain 2.53 2008 est. 99 Venezuela 2.52 2008 est. 100 Tonga 2.50 2008 est. 101 Colombia 2.49 2008 est. 102 Bhutan 2.48 2008 est. 103 Jordan 2.47 2008 est. 104 Qatar 2.47 2008 est. 105 Faroe Islands 2.45 2008 est. 106 Palau 2.45 2008 est. 107 United Arab Emirates 2.43 2008 est. 108 South Africa 2.43 2008 est. 109 Peru 2.42 2008 est. 110 Argentina 2.37 2008 est. 111 Mexico 2.37 2008 est. 112 Indonesia 2.34 2008 est. 113 Jamaica 2.30 2008 est. 114 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2.28 2008 est. 115 Grenada 2.27 2008 est. 116 Mongolia 2.24 2008 est. 117 Brazil 2.22 2008 est. 118 Greenland 2.22 2008 est. 119 New Caledonia 2.21 2008 est. 120 Costa Rica 2.17 2008 est. 121 Bahamas, The 2.13 2008 est. 122 New Zealand 2.11 2008 est. 123 Dominica 2.10 2008 est. 124 United States 2.10 2008 est. 125 Antigua and Barbuda 2.08 2008 est. 126 Azerbaijan 2.05 2008 est. 127 Guyana 2.03 2008 est. 128 Albania 2.02 2008 est. 129 Sri Lanka 2.02 2008 est. 130 Suriname 2.01 2008 est. 131 Uzbekistan 2.01 2008 est. 132 Korea, North 2.00 2008 est. 133 France 1.98 2008 est. 134 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 1.98 2008 est. 135 Netherlands Antilles 1.98 2008 est. 136 Maldives 1.97 2008 est. 137 Chile 1.95 2008 est. 138 French Polynesia 1.95 2008 est. 139 Brunei 1.94 2008 est. 140 Uruguay 1.94 2008 est. 141 Burma 1.92 2008 est. 142 Iceland 1.91 2008 est. 143 Cayman Islands 1.89 2008 est. 144 Bermuda 1.88 2008 est. 145 Kazakhstan 1.88 2008 est. 146 Virgin Islands 1.88 2008 est. 147 Lebanon 1.87 2008 est. 148 Turkey 1.87 2008 est. 149 Saint Lucia 1.86 2008 est. 150 Vietnam 1.86 2008 est. 151 Aruba 1.85 2008 est. 152 Ireland 1.85 2008 est. 153 Mauritius 1.83 2008 est. 154 Algeria 1.82 2008 est. 155 Cyprus 1.79 2008 est. 156 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1.79 2008 est. 157 Australia 1.78 2008 est. 158 Luxembourg 1.78 2008 est. 159 Norway 1.78 2008 est. 160 China 1.77 2008 est. 161 Puerto Rico 1.76 2008 est. 162 Anguilla 1.75 2008 est. 163 Monaco 1.75 2008 est. 164 Denmark 1.74 2008 est. 165 Finland 1.73 2008 est. 166 Seychelles 1.73 2008 est. 167 Tunisia 1.73 2008 est. 168 Trinidad and Tobago 1.73 2008 est. 169 Iran 1.71 2008 est. 170 British Virgin Islands 1.71 2008 est. 171 Serbia 1.69 2008 est. 172 Sweden 1.67 2008 est. 173 Netherlands 1.66 2008 est. 174 United Kingdom 1.66 2008 est. 175 Barbados 1.65 2008 est. 176 Isle of Man 1.65 2008 est. 177 Gibraltar 1.65 2008 est. 178 Belgium 1.65 2008 est. 179 Thailand 1.64 2008 est. 180 Cuba 1.60 2008 est. 181 Jersey 1.58 2008 est. 182 Macedonia 1.58 2008 est. 183 Canada 1.57 2008 est. 184 Saint Helena 1.56 2008 est. 185 Liechtenstein 1.51 2008 est. 186 Malta 1.51 2008 est. 187 European Union 1.50 2008 est. 188 Portugal 1.49 2008 est. 189 Switzerland 1.44 2008 est. 190 Georgia 1.43 2008 est. 191 Estonia 1.42 2008 est. 192 Germany 1.41 2008 est. 193 Croatia 1.41 2008 est. 194 Bulgaria 1.40 2008 est. 195 Russia 1.40 2008 est. 196 Guernsey 1.40 2008 est. 197 Austria 1.38 2008 est. 198 Romania 1.38 2008 est. 199 Greece 1.36 2008 est. 200 Armenia 1.35 2008 est. 201 San Marino 1.35 2008 est. 202 Hungary 1.34 2008 est. 203 Slovakia 1.34 2008 est. 204 Andorra 1.32 2008 est. 205 Italy 1.30 2008 est. 206 Spain 1.30 2008 est. 207 Latvia 1.29 2008 est. 208 Poland 1.27 2008 est. 209 Slovenia 1.27 2008 est. 210 Moldova 1.26 2008 est. 211 Ukraine 1.25 2008 est. 212 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.24 2008 est. 213 Belarus 1.23 2008 est. 214 Czech Republic 1.23 2008 est. 215 Japan 1.22 2008 est. 216 Montserrat 1.22 2008 est. 217 Lithuania 1.22 2008 est. 218 Korea, South 1.20 2008 est. 219 Northern Mariana Islands 1.18 2008 est. 220 Taiwan 1.13 2008 est. 221 Singapore 1.08 2008 est. 222 Hong Kong 1.00 2008 est. 223 Macau 0.90 2008 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2129

Rank Country Unemployment rate(%) Date of Information

1 Andorra 0.00 1996 est. 2 Monaco 0.00 2005 3 Qatar 0.70 2007 est. 4 Uzbekistan 0.80 2007 est. 5 Guernsey 0.90 March 2006 est. 6 Azerbaijan 1.00 2007 est. 7 Iceland 1.00 2007 est. 8 Liechtenstein 1.30 September 2002 9 Thailand 1.40 2007 est. 10 Isle of Man 1.50 December 2006 est. 11 Belarus 1.60 2005 12 Vanuatu 1.70 1999 13 Cuba 1.80 2007 est. 14 Papua New Guinea 1.90 2004 15 Kiribati 2.00 1992 est. 16 Seychelles 2.00 2006 est. 17 Bermuda 2.10 2004 est. 18 Singapore 2.10 2007 est. 19 Moldova 2.10 2007 est. 20 Faroe Islands 2.10 2006 21 Jersey 2.20 2006 est. 22 Kuwait 2.20 2004 est. 23 Ukraine 2.30 2007 est. 24 United Arab Emirates 2.40 2001 25 Laos 2.40 2005 est. 26 Tajikistan 2.40 2007 est. 27 Bangladesh 2.50 2007 est. 28 Cambodia 2.50 2000 est. 29 Bhutan 2.50 2004 30 Norway 2.50 2007 est. 31 Denmark 2.80 2007 est. 32 Switzerland 2.80 2007 est. 33 Gibraltar 3.00 2005 est. 34 Mongolia 3.00 2007 35 Macau 3.10 2006 36 Guatemala 3.20 2005 est. 37 Malaysia 3.20 2007 est. 38 Korea, South 3.30 2007 est. 39 Lithuania 3.50 2007 est. 40 New Zealand 3.60 2007 est. 41 British Virgin Islands 3.60 1997 42 Mexico 3.70 2007 est. 43 Japan 3.80 2007 est. 44 San Marino 3.80 2004 45 Northern Mariana Islands 3.90 2001 46 Cyprus 3.90 2007 est. 47 Taiwan 3.90 2007 est. 48 Brunei 4.00 2006 49 China 4.00 2007 est. 50 Hong Kong 4.00 2007 est. 51 Romania 4.10 2007 est. 52 Palau 4.20 2005 est. 53 Vietnam 4.30 2007 est. 54 Australia 4.40 2007 est. 55 Austria 4.40 2007 est. 56 Cayman Islands 4.40 2004 57 Luxembourg 4.40 2007 est. 58 Saint Kitts and Nevis 4.50 1997 59 Trinidad and Tobago 4.50 2007 est. 60 Costa Rica 4.60 2007 est. 61 Ireland 4.60 2007 est. 62 Netherlands 4.60 2007 est. 63 United States 4.60 2007 est. 64 Estonia 4.70 2007 est. 65 Nigeria 4.90 2007 est. 66 Nicaragua 4.90 2007 est. 67 Burma 5.20 2007 est. 68 Namibia 5.20 2007 est. 69 United Kingdom 5.30 2007 est. 70 Paraguay 5.60 2007 est. 71 Pakistan 5.60 2007 est. 72 Latvia 5.70 2007 est. 73 Canada 6.00 2007 est. 74 Montserrat 6.00 1998 est. 75 Sri Lanka 6.00 2007 est. 76 Sweden 6.10 2007 est. 77 El Salvador 6.20 2007 est. 78 Italy 6.20 2007 est. 79 Virgin Islands 6.20 2004 80 Russia 6.20 2007 est. 81 Malta 6.40 2007 est. 82 Panama 6.40 2007 est. 83 Czech Republic 6.60 2007 est. 84 Aruba 6.90 2005 est. 85 Peru 6.90 2007 est. 86 Finland 6.90 2007 est. 87 Chile 7.00 2007 est. 88 Armenia 7.10 2007 est. 89 India 7.20 2007 est. 90 Hungary 7.30 2007 est. 91 Israel 7.30 2007 est. 92 Kazakhstan 7.30 2007 est. 93 Philippines 7.30 2007 est. 94 Botswana 7.50 2007 est. 95 Belgium 7.50 2007 est. 96 Bolivia 7.50 2007 est. 97 Bahamas, The 7.60 2006 est. 98 Fiji 7.60 1999 99 Bulgaria 7.70 2007 est. 100 Slovenia 7.70 2007 est. 101 France 7.90 2007 est. 102 Anguilla 8.00 2002 103 Portugal 8.00 2007 est. 104 Central African Republic 8.00 2001 est. 105 Greece 8.30 2007 est. 106 Spain 8.30 2007 est. 107 Slovakia 8.40 2007 est. 108 Argentina 8.50 2007 est. 109 Venezuela 8.50 2007 est. 110 European Union 8.50 2006 est. 111 Ecuador 8.80 2007 est. 112 Mauritius 8.80 2007 est. 113 Germany 9.00 2007 est. 114 Syria 9.00 2007 est. 115 Egypt 9.10 2007 est. 116 Indonesia 9.10 2007 est. 117 Uruguay 9.20 2007 est. 118 Brazil 9.30 2007 est. 119 Greenland 9.30 2005 est. 120 Belize 9.40 2006 121 Suriname 9.50 2004 122 Morocco 9.80 2007 est. 123 Jamaica 9.90 2007 est. 124 Turkey 9.90 2007 est. 125 Turks and Caicos Islands 10.00 1997 est. 126 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 10.30 1999 127 Barbados 10.70 2003 est. 128 Antigua and Barbuda 11.00 2001 est. 129 Ghana 11.00 2000 est. 130 Colombia 11.20 2007 est. 131 Guam 11.40 2002 est. 132 French Polynesia 11.70 2005 133 Algeria 11.80 2007 est. 134 Croatia 11.80 2007 est. 135 Iran 12.00 2007 est. 136 Niue 12.00 2001 137 Puerto Rico 12.00 2002 138 Grenada 12.50 2000 139 Poland 12.80 2007 est. 140 Saudi Arabia 13.00 2004 est. 141 Tonga 13.00 FY03/04 est. 142 Cook Islands 13.10 2005 143 Albania 13.20 2007 est. 144 Jordan 13.50 2007 est. 145 Georgia 13.60 2006 est. 146 Saint Helena 14.00 1998 est. 147 Tunisia 14.10 2007 est. 148 Montenegro 14.70 2007 est. 149 Bahrain 15.00 2005 est. 150 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 15.00 2001 est. 151 Oman 15.00 2004 est. 152 Wallis and Futuna 15.20 2003 153 Dominican Republic 15.60 2007 est. 154 Netherlands Antilles 17.00 2002 est. 155 New Caledonia 17.10 2004 156 Iraq 18.00 2006 est. 157 Kyrgyzstan 18.00 2004 est. 158 West Bank 18.60 2006 159 Sudan 18.70 2002 est. 160 Serbia 18.80 2007 est. 161 Comoros 20.00 1996 est. 162 Lebanon 20.00 2006 est. 163 Mauritania 20.00 2004 est. 164 Saint Lucia 20.00 2003 est. 165 Cape Verde 21.00 2000 est. 166 Gabon 21.00 2006 est. 167 Mozambique 21.00 1997 est. 168 Micronesia, Federated States of 22.00 2000 est. 169 Dominica 23.00 2000 est. 170 South Africa 24.30 2007 est. 171 Mayotte 25.40 2005 172 Honduras 27.80 2007 est. 173 American Samoa 29.80 2005 174 Cameroon 30.00 2001 est. 175 Libya 30.00 2004 est. 176 Equatorial Guinea 30.00 1998 est. 177 Mali 30.00 2004 est. 178 World 30.00 2007 est. 179 Marshall Islands 30.90 2000 est. 180 Gaza Strip 34.80 2006 181 Macedonia 34.90 2007 est. 182 Yemen 35.00 2003 est. 183 Afghanistan 40.00 2005 est. 184 Kenya 40.00 2001 est. 185 Swaziland 40.00 2006 est. 186 Nepal 42.00 2004 est. 187 Kosovo 43.00 2007 est. 188 Lesotho 45.00 2002 189 Bosnia and Herzegovina 45.50 31 December 2004 est. 190 Senegal 48.00 2007 est. 191 Timor-Leste 50.00 2001 est. 192 Zambia 50.00 2000 est. 193 Djibouti 59.00 2007 est. 194 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 60.00 2000 est. 195 Turkmenistan 60.00 2004 est. 196 Burkina Faso 77.00 2004 197 Zimbabwe 80.00 2005 est. 198 Liberia 85.00 2003 est. 199 Nauru 90.00 2004 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2147

Rank Country Area(sq km) Date of Information

1 World 510,072,000 2 Pacific Ocean 155,557,000 3 Atlantic Ocean 76,762,000 4 Indian Ocean 68,556,000 5 Southern Ocean 20,327,000 6 Russia 17,075,200 7 Arctic Ocean 14,056,000 8 Antarctica 14,000,000 9 Canada 9,984,670 10 United States 9,826,630 11 China 9,596,960 12 Brazil 8,511,965 13 Australia 7,686,850 14 European Union 4,324,782 15 India 3,287,590 16 Argentina 2,766,890 17 Kazakhstan 2,717,300 18 Sudan 2,505,810 19 Algeria 2,381,740 20 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 2,345,410 21 Greenland 2,166,086 22 Saudi Arabia 2,149,690 23 Mexico 1,972,550 24 Indonesia 1,919,440 25 Libya 1,759,540 26 Iran 1,648,000 27 Mongolia 1,564,116 28 Peru 1,285,220 29 Chad 1,284,000 30 Niger 1,267,000 31 Angola 1,246,700 32 Mali 1,240,000 33 South Africa 1,219,912 34 Colombia 1,138,910 35 Ethiopia 1,127,127 36 Bolivia 1,098,580 37 Mauritania 1,030,700 38 Egypt 1,001,450 39 Tanzania 945,087 40 Nigeria 923,768 41 Venezuela 912,050 42 Namibia 825,418 43 Pakistan 803,940 44 Mozambique 801,590 45 Turkey 780,580 46 Chile 756,950 47 Zambia 752,614 48 Burma 678,500 49 Afghanistan 647,500 50 France 643,427 51 Somalia 637,657 52 Central African Republic 622,984 53 Ukraine 603,700 54 Botswana 600,370 55 Madagascar 587,040 56 Kenya 582,650 57 Yemen 527,970 58 Thailand 514,000 59 Spain 504,782 60 Turkmenistan 488,100 61 Cameroon 475,440 62 Papua New Guinea 462,840 63 Sweden 449,964 64 Uzbekistan 447,400 65 Morocco 446,550 66 Iraq 437,072 67 Paraguay 406,750 68 Zimbabwe 390,580 69 Japan 377,835 70 Germany 357,021 71 Congo, Republic of the 342,000 72 Finland 338,145 73 Malaysia 329,750 74 Vietnam 329,560 75 Norway 323,802 76 Cote d'Ivoire 322,460 77 Poland 312,679 78 Italy 301,230 79 Philippines 300,000 80 Ecuador 283,560 81 Burkina Faso 274,200 82 New Zealand 268,680 83 Gabon 267,667 84 Western Sahara 266,000 85 Guinea 245,857 86 United Kingdom 244,820 87 Ghana 239,460 88 Romania 237,500 89 Laos 236,800 90 Uganda 236,040 91 Guyana 214,970 92 Oman 212,460 93 Belarus 207,600 94 Kyrgyzstan 198,500 95 Senegal 196,190 96 Syria 185,180 97 Cambodia 181,040 98 Uruguay 176,220 99 Tunisia 163,610 100 Suriname 163,270 101 Nepal 147,181 102 Bangladesh 144,000 103 Tajikistan 143,100 104 Greece 131,940 105 Nicaragua 129,494 106 Eritrea 121,320 107 Korea, North 120,540 108 Malawi 118,480 109 Benin 112,620 110 Honduras 112,090 111 Liberia 111,370 112 Bulgaria 110,910 113 Cuba 110,860 114 Guatemala 108,890 115 Iceland 103,000 116 Korea, South 98,480 117 Hungary 93,030 118 Portugal 92,391 119 Jordan 92,300 120 Azerbaijan 86,600 121 Austria 83,870 122 United Arab Emirates 83,600 123 Czech Republic 78,866 124 Panama 78,200 125 Serbia 77,474 126 Sierra Leone 71,740 127 Ireland 70,280 128 Georgia 69,700 129 Sri Lanka 65,610 130 Lithuania 65,300 131 Latvia 64,589 132 Svalbard 61,020 133 Togo 56,785 134 Croatia 56,542 135 British Indian Ocean Territory 54,400 136 Bosnia and Herzegovina 51,209 137 Costa Rica 51,100 138 Slovakia 48,845 139 Dominican Republic 48,730 140 Bhutan 47,000 141 Estonia 45,226 142 Denmark 43,094 143 Netherlands 41,526 144 Switzerland 41,290 145 Guinea-Bissau 36,120 146 Taiwan 35,980 147 Moldova 33,843 148 Belgium 30,528 149 Lesotho 30,355 150 Armenia 29,743 151 Albania 28,748 152 Solomon Islands 28,450 153 Equatorial Guinea 28,051 154 Burundi 27,830 155 Haiti 27,750 156 Rwanda 26,338 157 Macedonia 25,333 158 Djibouti 23,000 159 Belize 22,966 160 El Salvador 21,040 161 Israel 20,770 162 Slovenia 20,273 163 New Caledonia 19,060 164 Fiji 18,270 165 Kuwait 17,820 166 Swaziland 17,363 167 Timor-Leste 15,007 168 Montenegro 14,026 169 Bahamas, The 13,940 170 Puerto Rico 13,790 171 Vanuatu 12,200 172 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 12,173 173 Qatar 11,437 174 Gambia, The 11,300 175 Jamaica 10,991 176 Kosovo 10,887 177 Lebanon 10,400 178 Cyprus 9,250 179 West Bank 5,860 180 Brunei 5,770 181 Trinidad and Tobago 5,128 182 French Polynesia 4,167 183 Cape Verde 4,033 184 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 3,903 185 Samoa 2,944 186 Luxembourg 2,586 187 Comoros 2,170 188 Mauritius 2,040 189 Virgin Islands 1,910 190 Faroe Islands 1,399 191 Hong Kong 1,092 192 Sao Tome and Principe 1,001 193 Netherlands Antilles 960 194 Kiribati 811 195 Dominica 754 196 Tonga 748 197 Micronesia, Federated States of 702 198 Singapore 693 199 Bahrain 665 200 Saint Lucia 616 201 Isle of Man 572 202 Guam 541 203 Northern Mariana Islands 477 204 Andorra 468 205 Palau 458 206 Seychelles 455 207 Antigua and Barbuda 443 208 Barbados 431 209 Turks and Caicos Islands 430 210 Saint Helena 413 211 Heard Island and McDonald Islands 412 212 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 389 213 Jan Mayen 377 214 Mayotte 374 215 Gaza Strip 360 216 Grenada 344 217 Malta 316 218 Maldives 300 219 Wallis and Futuna 274 220 Cayman Islands 262 221 Saint Kitts and Nevis 261 222 Niue 260 223 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 242 224 Cook Islands 237 225 American Samoa 199 226 Aruba 193 227 Marshall Islands 181 228 Liechtenstein 160 229 British Virgin Islands 153 230 Christmas Island 135 231 Dhekelia 131 232 Akrotiri 123 233 Jersey 116 234 Anguilla 102 235 Montserrat 102 236 Guernsey 78 237 San Marino 61 238 French Southern and Antarctic Lands 55 239 Saint Martin 54 240 Bermuda 53 241 Bouvet Island 49 242 Pitcairn Islands 47 243 Norfolk Island 35 244 Macau 28 245 Tuvalu 26 246 United States Pacific Island Wildlife Refuges 22 247 Nauru 21 248 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 14 249 Tokelau 10 250 Gibraltar 7 251 Wake Island 7 252 Clipperton Island 6 253 Navassa Island 5 254 Ashmore and Cartier Islands 5 255 Spratly Islands 5 256 Coral Sea Islands 3 257 Monaco 2 258 Holy See (Vatican City) 0

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2150

Rank Country Telephones - main lines in use Date of Information

1 World 1,263,367,600 2005 2 China 365,400,000 2007 3 European Union 238,000,000 2005 4 United States 163,200,000 2007 5 Germany 53,750,000 2007 6 Japan 51,232,000 2007 7 Russia 43,900,000 2006 8 Brazil 39,400,000 2007 9 India 38,760,000 2008 10 France 35,533,000 2007 11 United Kingdom 33,682,000 2007 12 Italy 26,890,000 2006 13 Korea, South 23,905,000 2007 14 Iran 23,835,000 2007 15 Canada 21,000,000 2006 16 Mexico 19,754,000 2007 17 Spain 18,583,000 2007 18 Turkey 18,413,000 2007 19 Indonesia 17,828,000 2007 20 Taiwan 14,313,000 2007 21 Ukraine 12,858,000 2007 22 Egypt 11,229,000 2007 23 Vietnam 10,800,000 2007 24 Poland 10,336,000 2007 25 Australia 9,760,000 2007 26 Argentina 9,500,000 2007 27 Colombia 7,936,000 2007 28 Netherlands 7,334,000 2007 29 Thailand 7,024,000 2007 30 Greece 6,227,000 2007 31 Sweden 5,506,000 2007 32 Venezuela 5,082,000 2007 33 Switzerland 5,000,000 2007 34 Belgium 4,668,000 2007 35 South Africa 4,642,000 2007 36 Pakistan 4,546,000 2008 37 Malaysia 4,350,000 2007 38 Romania 4,300,000 2007 39 Portugal 4,139,000 2007 40 Saudi Arabia 3,996,000 2007 41 Hong Kong 3,875,000 2007 42 Belarus 3,672,000 2007 43 Philippines 3,633,000 2006 44 Syria 3,452,000 2007 45 Chile 3,379,000 2007 46 Austria 3,374,000 2007 47 Hungary 3,251,000 2007 48 Kazakhstan 3,237,000 2007 49 Algeria 3,068,000 2007 50 Israel 3,005,000 2006 51 Serbia 2,993,000 2007 52 Czech Republic 2,888,000 2006 53 Denmark 2,824,000 2007 54 Sri Lanka 2,742,000 2007 55 Peru 2,673,000 2007 56 Morocco 2,394,000 2007 57 Bulgaria 2,300,000 2007 58 Ireland 2,112,000 2007 59 Norway 1,988,000 2007 60 Singapore 1,859,000 2007 61 Croatia 1,825,000 2007 62 Ecuador 1,805,000 2007 63 Uzbekistan 1,793,000 2005 64 Finland 1,740,000 2007 65 New Zealand 1,706,000 2007 66 Nigeria 1,580,000 2007 67 Iraq 1,547,000 2005 68 Costa Rica 1,437,000 2007 69 United Arab Emirates 1,385,000 2007 70 Guatemala 1,355,000 2006 71 Tunisia 1,273,000 2007 72 Azerbaijan 1,254,000 2007 73 Bangladesh 1,187,000 2007 74 Korea, North 1,180,000 2007 75 Slovakia 1,151,000 2007 76 El Salvador 1,080,000 2007 77 Moldova 1,080,000 2007 78 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1,065,000 2007 79 Cuba 1,043,000 2007 80 Puerto Rico 1,038,000 2005 81 Yemen 968,300 2006 82 Uruguay 965,200 2007 83 Dominican Republic 907,000 2007 84 Ethiopia 880,100 2007 85 Slovenia 857,100 2007 86 Libya 852,300 2005 87 Lithuania 799,400 2007 88 Nepal 766,400 2007 89 Cote d'Ivoire 730,000 2007 90 Honduras 713,600 2006 91 Lebanon 681,400 2006 92 Bolivia 678,200 2007 93 Latvia 644,000 2007 94 Armenia 603,900 2006 95 Jordan 585,500 2007 96 Georgia 544,000 2007 97 Kuwait 517,000 2006 98 Burma 503,900 2005 99 Estonia 495,500 2007 100 Panama 491,900 2007 101 Kyrgyzstan 482,100 2007 102 Macedonia 463,600 2007 103 Paraguay 453,800 2007 104 Turkmenistan 398,100 2005 105 Ghana 376,500 2007 106 Cyprus 376,000 107 Mauritius 357,300 2006 108 Albania 353,600 2005 109 Montenegro 353,300 2006 110 Gaza Strip 350,400 2007 111 West Bank 350,400 2007 112 Sudan 345,200 2007 113 Zimbabwe 344,500 2007 114 Jamaica 342,000 2006 115 Trinidad and Tobago 323,800 2007 116 Tajikistan 280,200 2005 117 Afghanistan 280,000 2005 118 Senegal 269,100 2007 119 Oman 268,100 2007 120 Kenya 264,800 2007 121 Luxembourg 248,200 2007 122 Nicaragua 247,900 2006 123 Qatar 237,400 2007 124 Malta 198,100 2007 125 Bahrain 194,200 2006 126 Iceland 186,700 2007 127 Macau 177,851 2008 128 Malawi 175,200 2007 129 Tanzania 165,013 2008 130 Uganda 162,300 2007 131 Mongolia 158,900 2006 132 Haiti 150,000 2006 133 Namibia 138,100 2007 134 Botswana 136,900 2006 135 Barbados 134,900 2005 136 Madagascar 133,900 2007 137 Bahamas, The 132,900 2007 138 Cameroon 130,700 2006 139 Benin 110,300 2007 140 Guyana 110,100 2005 141 Fiji 108,400 2007 142 Kosovo 106,300 2006 143 Somalia 100,000 2007 144 Angola 98,200 2006 145 Laos 94,800 2007 146 Burkina Faso 94,800 2006 147 Zambia 91,800 2007 148 Mali 85,000 2007 149 Togo 82,100 2006 150 Suriname 81,500 2006 151 Netherlands Antilles 81,000 2001 152 Brunei 79,200 2007 153 Gambia, The 76,400 2007 154 Jersey 73,900 2001 155 Virgin Islands 71,700 2005 156 Cape Verde 71,600 2006 157 Mozambique 67,000 2006 158 Guam 65,500 2003 159 New Caledonia 60,200 2007 160 Papua New Guinea 60,000 2007 161 Bermuda 57,700 2006 162 French Polynesia 53,600 2006 163 Lesotho 53,100 2006 164 Saint Lucia 51,100 2002 165 Isle of Man 51,000 1999 166 Guernsey 45,100 2005 167 Swaziland 44,000 2006 168 Aruba 38,700 2006 169 Cayman Islands 38,000 2002 170 Antigua and Barbuda 37,500 2006 171 Eritrea 37,500 2006 172 Cambodia 37,500 2007 173 Andorra 37,200 2007 174 Greenland 36,000 2006 175 Burundi 35,000 2006 176 Mauritania 34,900 2006 177 Monaco 34,000 2005 178 Belize 33,900 2007 179 Maldives 33,200 2007 180 Bhutan 29,900 2007 181 Grenada 27,700 2006 182 Gabon 26,500 2007 183 Guinea 26,300 2005 184 Saint Kitts and Nevis 25,000 2004 185 Gibraltar 24,512 2002 186 Niger 24,000 2005 187 Sierra Leone 24,000 2002 188 Rwanda 23,100 2007 189 Faroe Islands 23,000 2006 190 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 22,800 2007 191 Seychelles 22,700 2007 192 Northern Mariana Islands 21,000 2000 193 San Marino 21,000 2006 194 Tonga 21,000 2007 195 Dominica 21,000 2004 196 Liechtenstein 20,000 2005 197 Samoa 19,500 2005 198 Comoros 19,100 2006 199 Congo, Republic of the 15,900 2005 200 Chad 13,000 2006 201 Central African Republic 12,000 2006 202 British Virgin Islands 11,700 2002 203 Djibouti 10,800 2005 204 American Samoa 10,400 2004 205 Equatorial Guinea 10,000 2005 206 Mayotte 10,000 2002 207 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 9,700 2006 208 Vanuatu 8,800 2007 209 Micronesia, Federated States of 8,700 2007 210 Sao Tome and Principe 7,700 2007 211 Solomon Islands 7,600 2006 212 Liberia 6,900 2002 213 Palau 6,700 2002 214 Anguilla 6,200 2002 215 Cook Islands 6,200 2002 216 Turks and Caicos Islands 5,700 2002 217 Holy See (Vatican City) 5,120 2005 218 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 4,800 2002 219 Guinea-Bissau 4,600 2007 220 Kiribati 4,500 2002 221 Marshall Islands 4,500 2004 222 Norfolk Island 2,532 2004 223 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 2,400 2002 224 Timor-Leste 2,400 2006 225 Saint Helena 2,200 2002 226 Nauru 1,900 2002 227 Wallis and Futuna 1,900 2002 228 Niue 1,100 2002 est. 229 Tuvalu 900 2005 230 Tokelau 300 2002 231 Cocos (Keeling) Islands 287 1992 232 Pitcairn Islands 1 2004 233 Antarctica 0 2001

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2151

Rank Country Telephones - mobile cellular Date of Information

1 World 2,168,433,600 2005 2 China 547,286,000 2007 3 European Union 466,000,000 2005 4 India 296,080,000 2008 5 United States 255,000,000 2007 6 Russia 170,000,000 2007 7 Brazil 120,980,000 2007 8 Japan 107,339,000 2007 9 Germany 97,151,000 2007 10 Pakistan 88,020,000 2008 11 Indonesia 81,835,000 2007 12 Italy 78,571,000 2006 13 United Kingdom 71,992,000 2007 14 Mexico 68,254,000 2007 15 Turkey 61,976,000 2007 16 France 56,719,000 2007 17 Ukraine 55,240,000 2007 18 Philippines 51,795,000 2007 19 Thailand 51,377,000 2007 20 Spain 48,813,000 2007 21 Korea, South 43,500,000 2007 22 South Africa 42,300,000 2007 23 Poland 41,389,000 2007 24 Argentina 40,402,000 2007 25 Nigeria 40,395,000 2007 26 Bangladesh 34,370,000 2007 27 Colombia 33,941,000 2007 28 Vietnam 33,200,000 2007 29 Egypt 30,065,000 2007 30 Iran 29,770,000 2007 31 Saudi Arabia 28,381,000 2007 32 Algeria 27,563,000 2007 33 Taiwan 24,302,000 2007 34 Venezuela 23,820,000 2007 35 Malaysia 23,347,000 2007 36 Romania 22,875,000 2007 37 Australia 21,260,000 2007 38 Morocco 20,029,000 2007 39 Canada 18,749,000 2006 40 Netherlands 17,300,000 2006 41 Peru 15,417,000 2007 42 Iraq 14,021,000 2007 43 Chile 13,955,000 2007 44 Portugal 13,413,000 2007 45 Czech Republic 13,075,000 2007 46 Kazakhstan 12,588,000 2007 47 Greece 11,997,000 2007 48 Kenya 11,440,000 2007 49 Hungary 11,030,000 2007 50 Hong Kong 10,550,000 2007 51 Sweden 10,371,000 2007 52 Belgium 10,230,000 2007 53 Guatemala 10,150,000 2007 54 Ecuador 10,086,000 2007 55 Bulgaria 9,897,000 2007 56 Austria 9,768,000 2007 57 Tanzania 9,358,000 2008 58 Israel 8,902,000 2007 59 Serbia 8,453,000 2007 60 Switzerland 8,096,000 2007 61 Sri Lanka 7,983,000 2007 62 Tunisia 7,842,000 2007 63 Ghana 7,604,000 2007 64 United Arab Emirates 7,595,000 2007 65 Sudan 7,464,000 2007 66 Cote d'Ivoire 7,050,000 2007 67 Syria 6,700,000 2007 68 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 6,592,000 2007 69 Denmark 6,243,000 2007 70 El Salvador 6,137,000 2007 71 Finland 6,080,000 2007 72 Slovakia 6,068,000 2007 73 Belarus 5,960,000 2006 74 Uzbekistan 5,800,000 2007 75 Singapore 5,619,000 2007 76 Dominican Republic 5,513,000 2007 77 Afghanistan 5,400,000 2008 78 Norway 5,192,000 2007 79 Croatia 5,035,000 2007 80 Ireland 4,940,000 2007 81 Lithuania 4,912,000 2007 82 Jordan 4,771,000 2007 83 Cameroon 4,536,000 2007 84 Libya 4,500,000 2007 85 Paraguay 4,330,000 2007 86 Azerbaijan 4,300,000 2007 87 New Zealand 4,245,000 2007 88 Uganda 4,195,000 2007 89 Senegal 4,123,000 2007 90 Puerto Rico 3,354,000 2005 91 Angola 3,307,000 2007 92 Mozambique 3,300,000 2007 93 Bolivia 3,254,000 2007 94 Uruguay 3,004,000 2007 95 Yemen 2,978,000 2006 96 Kuwait 2,774,000 2007 97 Zambia 2,639,000 2007 98 Cambodia 2,583,000 2007 99 Oman 2,500,000 2007 100 Jamaica 2,495,000 2006 101 Mali 2,483,000 2007 102 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2,450,000 2007 103 Georgia 2,400,000 2007 104 Panama 2,392,000 2007 105 Albania 2,300,000 2007 106 Honduras 2,241,000 2006 107 Madagascar 2,218,000 2007 108 Latvia 2,217,000 2007 109 Haiti 2,200,000 2007 110 Kyrgyzstan 2,152,000 2007 111 Nicaragua 2,123,000 2007 112 Estonia 1,982,000 2007 113 Slovenia 1,928,000 2007 114 Benin 1,895,000 2007 115 Moldova 1,883,000 2007 116 Burkina Faso 1,611,000 2007 117 Macedonia 1,518,000 2007 118 Costa Rica 1,503,000 2007 119 Laos 1,478,000 2007 120 Botswana 1,427,000 2007 121 Congo, Republic of the 1,334,000 2007 122 Mauritania 1,300,000 2007 123 Qatar 1,264,000 2007 124 Lebanon 1,260,000 2007 125 Zimbabwe 1,226,000 2007 126 Ethiopia 1,208,000 2007 127 Togo 1,190,000 2007 128 Armenia 1,185,400 2006 129 Gabon 1,169,000 2007 130 Nepal 1,157,000 2006 131 Bahrain 1,116,000 2007 132 Malawi 1,051,000 2007 133 Gaza Strip 1,026,000 2007 134 West Bank 1,026,000 2007 135 Trinidad and Tobago 1,008,000 2007 136 Cyprus 962,200 137 Mauritius 936,000 2007 138 Chad 918,400 2007 139 Niger 900,000 2007 140 Macau 856,200 2008 141 Namibia 800,300 2007 142 Gambia, The 795,900 2007 143 Sierra Leone 776,000 2007 144 Mongolia 775,300 2006 145 Montenegro 643,700 2006 146 Rwanda 635,100 2007 147 Luxembourg 604,200 2007 148 Somalia 600,000 2007 149 Liberia 563,000 2007 150 Kosovo 562,000 2006 151 Lesotho 456,000 2007 152 Fiji 437,000 2007 153 Swaziland 380,000 2007 154 Bahamas, The 374,000 2007 155 Malta 371,500 2007 156 Iceland 347,500 2007 157 Brunei 339,800 2007 158 Suriname 320,000 2006 159 Maldives 317,800 2007 160 Papua New Guinea 300,000 2007 161 Guinea-Bissau 296,200 2007 162 Guyana 281,400 2005 163 Tajikistan 265,000 2005 164 Burundi 250,000 2007 165 Barbados 237,100 2006 166 Equatorial Guinea 220,000 2007 167 Turkmenistan 216,900 2006 168 Burma 214,200 2006 169 Netherlands Antilles 200,000 2004 170 Cuba 198,300 2007 171 Guinea 189,000 2005 172 New Caledonia 176,400 2007 173 French Polynesia 174,800 2007 174 Bhutan 149,400 2007 175 Cape Verde 148,000 2007 176 Central African Republic 130,000 2007 177 Belize 118,300 2007 178 Antigua and Barbuda 110,200 2006 179 Aruba 105,700 2006 180 Saint Lucia 105,700 2005 181 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 104,000 2007 182 Guam 98,000 2004 183 Samoa 86,000 2007 184 Jersey 83,900 2004 185 Virgin Islands 80,300 2005 186 Seychelles 77,300 2007 187 Eritrea 70,000 2007 188 Timor-Leste 69,000 2007 189 Andorra 68,500 2007 190 Greenland 66,400 2007 191 Bermuda 60,100 2006 192 Faroe Islands 50,000 2006 193 Mayotte 48,100 2005 194 Tonga 46,500 2007 195 Grenada 46,200 2006 196 Djibouti 45,000 2007 197 Guernsey 43,800 2004 198 Dominica 41,800 2004 199 Comoros 40,000 2007 200 Cayman Islands 33,800 2004 201 Sao Tome and Principe 30,100 2007 202 Liechtenstein 27,500 2005 203 Micronesia, Federated States of 27,400 2007 204 Vanuatu 26,000 2007 205 Northern Mariana Islands 20,500 2004 206 San Marino 17,390 2006 207 Monaco 17,200 2005 208 Solomon Islands 10,900 2007 209 Saint Kitts and Nevis 10,000 2004 210 Gibraltar 9,797 2002 211 British Virgin Islands 8,000 2002 212 American Samoa 2,200 2004 213 Anguilla 1,800 2002 214 Turks and Caicos Islands 1,700 1999 215 Cook Islands 1,500 2002 216 Nauru 1,500 2002 217 Tuvalu 1,300 2005 218 Palau 1,000 2002 219 Kiribati 700 2005 220 Marshall Islands 700 2005 221 Niue 400 2002 222 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 2001 223 Norfolk Island 0 2002 224 Western Sahara 0 1999

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2153

Rank Country Internet users Date of Information

1 World 1,018,057,389 2005 2 China 253,000,000 2008 3 European Union 247,000,000 2006 4 United States 223,000,000 2008 5 Japan 88,110,000 2007 6 India 80,000,000 2007 7 Brazil 50,000,000 2007 8 Germany 42,500,000 2007 9 United Kingdom 40,200,000 2007 10 Korea, South 35,590,000 2007 11 Italy 32,000,000 2007 12 France 31,295,000 2007 13 Russia 30,000,000 2007 14 Canada 28,000,000 2007 15 Iran 23,000,000 2007 16 Mexico 22,812,000 2007 17 Spain 19,690,000 2007 18 Vietnam 17,870,000 2007 19 Pakistan 17,500,000 2007 20 Poland 16,000,000 2007 21 Malaysia 15,868,000 2007 22 Netherlands 15,000,000 2007 23 Taiwan 14,760,000 2007 24 Thailand 13,416,000 2007 25 Turkey 13,150,000 2006 26 Indonesia 13,000,000 2007 27 Colombia 12,100,000 2007 28 Romania 12,000,000 2007 29 Australia 11,240,000 2007 30 Nigeria 10,000,000 2007 31 Ukraine 10,000,000 2007 32 Argentina 9,309,000 2007 33 Egypt 8,620,000 2007 34 Peru 7,636,000 2007 35 Morocco 7,300,000 2007 36 Sweden 7,000,000 2007 37 Saudi Arabia 6,200,000 2007 38 Belarus 6,000,000 2007 39 Venezuela 5,720,000 2007 40 Chile 5,570,000 2007 41 Philippines 5,300,000 2007 42 Belgium 5,220,000 2007 43 South Africa 5,100,000 2005 44 Switzerland 4,610,000 2007 45 Czech Republic 4,400,000 2007 46 Austria 4,277,000 2007 47 Hungary 4,200,000 2007 48 Hong Kong 3,961,000 2007 49 Norway 3,800,000 2007 50 Finland 3,600,000 2007 51 Portugal 3,549,000 2007 52 Algeria 3,500,000 2007 53 Denmark 3,500,000 2007 54 Syria 3,470,000 2007 55 New Zealand 3,360,000 2007 56 Singapore 3,105,000 2007 57 Kenya 3,000,000 2007 58 Greece 2,540,000 2007 59 Slovakia 2,350,000 2007 60 United Arab Emirates 2,300,000 2007 61 Israel 2,000,000 2007 62 Uganda 2,000,000 2007 63 Croatia 1,995,000 2007 64 Kazakhstan 1,901,000 2006 65 Bulgaria 1,899,000 2007 66 Tunisia 1,722,000 2007 67 Ireland 1,708,000 2007 68 Dominican Republic 1,677,000 2007 69 Ecuador 1,549,000 2006 70 Costa Rica 1,500,000 2007 71 Sudan 1,500,000 2007 72 Serbia 1,500,000 2007 73 Jamaica 1,500,000 2007 74 Zimbabwe 1,351,000 2007 75 Lithuania 1,333,000 2007 76 Guatemala 1,320,000 2006 77 Cuba 1,310,000 2007 78 Slovenia 1,300,000 2007 79 Uzbekistan 1,200,000 2007 80 Latvia 1,177,000 2007 81 Jordan 1,127,000 2007 82 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1,055,000 2007 83 Azerbaijan 1,036,000 2007 84 Bolivia 1,000,000 2007 85 Puerto Rico 1,000,000 2007 86 Haiti 1,000,000 2007 87 Uruguay 968,000 2007 88 Lebanon 950,000 2006 89 Kuwait 900,000 2007 90 Senegal 820,000 2007 91 Estonia 780,000 2007 92 Sri Lanka 771,700 2007 93 Kyrgyzstan 750,000 2007 94 El Salvador 700,000 2006 95 Moldova 700,000 2007 96 Macedonia 685,000 2007 97 Ghana 650,000 2007 98 Afghanistan 580,000 2007 99 Panama 525,200 2007 100 Bangladesh 500,000 2007 101 Zambia 500,000 2007 102 Albania 471,200 2006 103 Trinidad and Tobago 430,800 2007 104 Tanzania 400,000 2007 105 Cyprus 380,000 2007 106 Cameroon 370,000 2006 107 Georgia 360,000 2007 108 Gaza Strip 355,500 2007 109 West Bank 355,500 2007 110 Qatar 351,000 2007 111 Luxembourg 345,000 2007 112 Honduras 344,100 2006 113 Mauritius 340,000 2007 114 Oman 340,000 2007 115 Nepal 337,100 2007 116 Mongolia 320,000 2007 117 Togo 320,000 2006 118 Yemen 320,000 2007 119 Cote d'Ivoire 300,000 2006 120 Macau 300,000 2007 121 Ethiopia 291,000 2007 122 Montenegro 280,000 2007 123 Paraguay 280,000 2007 124 Libya 260,000 2006 125 Bahrain 250,000 2007 126 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 230,400 2007 127 Iceland 202,300 2007 128 Mozambique 200,000 2007 129 Brunei 199,532 2007 130 Guyana 190,000 2007 131 Armenia 172,800 2006 132 Barbados 160,000 2005 133 Malta 158,000 2007 134 Nicaragua 155,000 2006 135 Benin 150,000 2007 136 Gabon 145,000 2007 137 Malawi 139,500 2007 138 Bahamas, The 120,000 2007 139 Eritrea 120,000 2007 140 Madagascar 110,000 2006 141 Papua New Guinea 110,000 2006 142 Saint Lucia 110,000 2007 143 Namibia 101,000 2007 144 Gambia, The 100,200 2007 145 Angola 100,000 2007 146 Rwanda 100,000 2007 147 Mali 100,000 2007 148 Laos 100,000 2007 149 Somalia 98,000 2007 150 Botswana 80,000 2007 151 New Caledonia 80,000 2006 152 Burkina Faso 80,000 2006 153 Fiji 80,000 2006 154 French Polynesia 75,000 2007 155 Cambodia 70,000 2007 156 Lesotho 70,000 2007 157 Turkmenistan 70,000 2007 158 Congo, Republic of the 70,000 2006 159 Guam 65,000 2005 160 Antigua and Barbuda 60,000 2007 161 Burundi 60,000 2006 162 Chad 60,000 2006 163 Andorra 58,900 2007 164 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 57,000 2007 165 Iraq 54,000 2007 166 Greenland 52,000 2007 167 Guinea 50,000 2006 168 Bermuda 48,000 2007 169 Suriname 44,000 2007 170 Swaziland 42,000 2006 171 Burma 40,000 2007 172 Bhutan 40,000 2007 173 Niger 40,000 2006 174 Cape Verde 37,000 2007 175 Guinea-Bissau 37,000 2006 176 Guernsey 36,000 2005 177 Faroe Islands 34,000 2006 178 Maldives 33,000 2007 179 Belize 32,000 2007 180 Seychelles 32,000 2007 181 Mauritania 30,000 2006 182 Virgin Islands 30,000 2007 183 Jersey 27,000 2005 184 Dominica 26,500 2006 185 Aruba 24,000 2007 186 Grenada 23,000 2007 187 Sao Tome and Principe 23,000 2007 188 Cayman Islands 22,000 2007 189 Liechtenstein 22,000 2006 190 Comoros 21,000 2006 191 Monaco 20,000 2006 192 Tajikistan 19,500 2005 193 Vanuatu 17,000 2007 194 San Marino 15,400 2006 195 Micronesia, Federated States of 15,000 2007 196 Central African Republic 13,000 2006 197 Sierra Leone 13,000 2007 198 Djibouti 11,000 2006 199 Northern Mariana Islands 10,000 2003 200 Saint Kitts and Nevis 10,000 2002 201 Tonga 8,400 2007 202 Solomon Islands 8,000 2006 203 Equatorial Guinea 8,000 2006 204 Samoa 8,000 2006 205 Gibraltar 6,200 2002 206 British Virgin Islands 4,000 2002 207 Cook Islands 3,600 2002 208 Anguilla 3,000 2002 209 Marshall Islands 2,200 2006 210 Kiribati 2,000 2007 211 Netherlands Antilles 2,000 2000 212 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 1,900 2002 213 Tuvalu 1,300 2002 214 Timor-Leste 1,200 2006 215 Liberia 1,000 2002 216 Saint Helena 1,000 2003 217 Niue 900 2002 218 Wallis and Futuna 900 2002 219 Norfolk Island 700 2002 est. 220 Christmas Island 464 2001 221 Nauru 300 2002 222 Holy See (Vatican City) 93 2000

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2155

Rank Country HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate(%) Date of Information

1 Swaziland 38.80 2003 est. 2 Botswana 37.30 2003 est. 3 Lesotho 28.90 2003 est. 4 Zimbabwe 24.60 2001 est. 5 South Africa 21.50 2003 est. 6 Namibia 21.30 2003 est. 7 Zambia 16.50 2003 est. 8 Malawi 14.20 2003 est. 9 Central African Republic 13.50 2003 est. 10 Mozambique 12.20 2003 est. 11 Guinea-Bissau 10.00 2003 est. 12 Tanzania 8.80 2003 est. 13 Gabon 8.10 2003 est. 14 Cote d'Ivoire 7.00 2003 est. 15 Sierra Leone 7.00 2001 est. 16 Cameroon 6.90 2003 est. 17 Kenya 6.70 2003 est. 18 Burundi 6.00 2003 est. 19 Liberia 5.90 2003 est. 20 Haiti 5.60 2003 est. 21 Nigeria 5.40 2003 est. 22 Rwanda 5.10 2003 est. 23 Congo, Republic of the 4.90 2003 est. 24 Chad 4.80 2003 est. 25 Ethiopia 4.40 2003 est. 26 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 4.20 2003 est. 27 Burkina Faso 4.20 2003 est. 28 Togo 4.10 2003 est. 29 Uganda 4.10 2003 est. 30 Angola 3.90 2003 est. 31 Equatorial Guinea 3.40 2001 est. 32 Guinea 3.20 2003 est. 33 Trinidad and Tobago 3.20 2003 est. 34 Ghana 3.10 2003 est. 35 Bahamas, The 3.00 2003 est. 36 Djibouti 2.90 2003 est. 37 Eritrea 2.70 2003 est. 38 Cambodia 2.60 2003 est. 39 Guyana 2.50 2003 est. 40 Belize 2.40 2003 est. 41 Sudan 2.30 2001 est. 42 Benin 1.90 2003 est. 43 Mali 1.90 2003 est. 44 Honduras 1.80 2003 est. 45 Dominican Republic 1.70 2003 est. 46 Madagascar 1.70 2003 est. 47 Suriname 1.70 2001 est. 48 Barbados 1.50 2003 est. 49 Thailand 1.50 2003 est. 50 Ukraine 1.40 2003 est. 51 Burma 1.20 2003 est. 52 Niger 1.20 2003 est. 53 Jamaica 1.20 2003 est. 54 Gambia, The 1.20 2003 est. 55 Estonia 1.10 2001 est. 56 Russia 1.10 2001 est. 57 Guatemala 1.10 2003 est. 58 Somalia 1.00 2001 est. 59 India 0.90 2001 est. 60 Panama 0.90 2003 est. 61 Senegal 0.80 2003 est. 62 Argentina 0.70 2001 est. 63 Brazil 0.70 2003 est. 64 Venezuela 0.70 2001 est. 65 Spain 0.70 2001 est. 66 El Salvador 0.70 2003 est. 67 Colombia 0.70 2003 est. 68 Costa Rica 0.60 2003 est. 69 Mauritania 0.60 2003 est. 70 Latvia 0.60 2001 est. 71 United States 0.60 2003 est. 72 Papua New Guinea 0.60 2003 est. 73 Italy 0.50 2001 est. 74 Paraguay 0.50 2003 est. 75 Peru 0.50 2003 est. 76 Nepal 0.50 2001 est. 77 France 0.40 2003 est. 78 Vietnam 0.40 2003 est. 79 Switzerland 0.40 2001 est. 80 Portugal 0.40 2001 est. 81 Malaysia 0.40 2003 est. 82 Austria 0.30 2003 est. 83 Ecuador 0.30 2003 est. 84 Belarus 0.30 2001 est. 85 Uruguay 0.30 2001 est. 86 Chile 0.30 2003 est. 87 Mexico 0.30 2003 est. 88 Libya 0.30 2001 est. 89 Canada 0.30 2003 est. 90 Bermuda 0.30 2005 91 Bahrain 0.20 2001 est. 92 Belgium 0.20 2003 est. 93 United Kingdom 0.20 2001 est. 94 Singapore 0.20 2003 est. 95 Nicaragua 0.20 2003 est. 96 Netherlands 0.20 2001 est. 97 Malta 0.20 2001 est. 98 Moldova 0.20 2001 est. 99 Luxembourg 0.20 2001 est. 100 Kazakhstan 0.20 2001 est. 101 Iran 0.20 2005 est. 102 Iceland 0.20 2001 est. 103 Greece 0.20 2001 est. 104 Denmark 0.20 2003 est. 105 United Arab Emirates 0.18 2001 est. 106 Comoros 0.12 2001 est. 107 Kuwait 0.12 2001 est. 108 Algeria 0.10 2001 est. 109 Australia 0.10 2003 est. 110 Bangladesh 0.10 2001 est. 111 Bolivia 0.10 2003 est. 112 Bulgaria 0.10 2001 est. 113 Sri Lanka 0.10 2001 est. 114 Mauritius 0.10 2001 est. 115 Morocco 0.10 2001 est. 116 Georgia 0.10 2001 est. 117 Fiji 0.10 2003 est. 118 Finland 0.10 2003 est. 119 Czech Republic 0.10 2001 est. 120 Ireland 0.10 2001 est. 121 Egypt 0.10 2001 est. 122 Cyprus 0.10 2003 est. 123 Cuba 0.10 2003 est. 124 China 0.10 2003 est. 125 Tajikistan 0.10 2001 est. 126 Syria 0.10 2001 est. 127 Sweden 0.10 2001 est. 128 Slovenia 0.10 2001 est. 129 Philippines 0.10 2003 est. 130 Romania 0.10 2001 est. 131 Poland 0.10 2001 est. 132 Pakistan 0.10 2001 est. 133 Macedonia 0.10 2001 est. 134 Yemen 0.10 2001 est. 135 Uzbekistan 0.10 2001 est. 136 Turkmenistan 0.10 2004 est. 137 Turkey 0.10 2001 est. 138 Tunisia 0.10 2005 est. 139 Mongolia 0.10 2003 est. 140 Slovakia 0.10 2001 est. 141 Lithuania 0.10 2001 est. 142 Lebanon 0.10 2001 est. 143 Laos 0.10 2003 est. 144 Korea, South 0.10 2003 est. 145 Kyrgyzstan 0.10 2001 est. 146 Jordan 0.10 2001 est. 147 New Zealand 0.10 2003 est. 148 Norway 0.10 2001 est. 149 Maldives 0.10 2001 est. 150 Oman 0.10 2001 est. 151 Japan 0.10 2003 est. 152 Iraq 0.10 2001 est. 153 Israel 0.10 2001 est. 154 Indonesia 0.10 2003 est. 155 Hungary 0.10 2001 est. 156 Croatia 0.10 2001 est. 157 Hong Kong 0.10 2003 est. 158 Germany 0.10 2001 est. 159 Brunei 0.10 2003 est. 160 Bhutan 0.10 2001 est. 161 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.10 2001 est. 162 Azerbaijan 0.10 2003 est. 163 Armenia 0.10 2003 est. 164 Qatar 0.09 2001 est. 165 Cape Verde 0.04 166 Afghanistan 0.01 2001 est. 167 Saudi Arabia 0.01 2001 est. 168 Svalbard 0.00 2001

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2156

Rank Country HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS Date of Information

1 South Africa 5,300,000 2003 est. 2 India 5,100,000 2001 est. 3 Nigeria 3,600,000 2003 est. 4 Zimbabwe 1,800,000 2001 est. 5 Tanzania 1,600,000 2003 est. 6 Ethiopia 1,500,000 2003 est. 7 Mozambique 1,300,000 2003 est. 8 Kenya 1,200,000 2003 est. 9 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 1,100,000 2003 est. 10 United States 950,000 2003 est. 11 Zambia 920,000 2003 est. 12 Malawi 900,000 2003 est. 13 Russia 860,000 2001 est. 14 China 840,000 2003 est. 15 Brazil 660,000 2003 est. 16 Cote d'Ivoire 570,000 2003 est. 17 Thailand 570,000 2003 est. 18 Cameroon 560,000 2003 est. 19 Uganda 530,000 2001 est. 20 Sudan 400,000 2001 est. 21 Ukraine 360,000 2001 est. 22 Botswana 350,000 2003 est. 23 Ghana 350,000 2003 est. 24 Burma 330,000 2003 est. 25 Lesotho 320,000 2003 est. 26 Burkina Faso 300,000 2003 est. 27 Haiti 280,000 2003 est. 28 Central African Republic 260,000 2003 est. 29 Burundi 250,000 2003 est. 30 Rwanda 250,000 2003 est. 31 Angola 240,000 2003 est. 32 Vietnam 220,000 2003 est. 33 Swaziland 220,000 2003 est. 34 Namibia 210,000 2001 est. 35 Chad 200,000 2003 est. 36 Colombia 190,000 2003 est. 37 Cambodia 170,000 2003 est. 38 Sierra Leone 170,000 2001 est. 39 Mexico 160,000 2003 est. 40 Guinea 140,000 2003 est. 41 Madagascar 140,000 2003 est. 42 Italy 140,000 2001 est. 43 Mali 140,000 2003 est. 44 Spain 140,000 2001 est. 45 Argentina 130,000 2001 est. 46 France 120,000 2003 est. 47 Indonesia 110,000 2003 est. 48 Togo 110,000 2003 est. 49 Venezuela 110,000 1999 est. 50 Liberia 100,000 2003 est. 51 Congo, Republic of the 90,000 2003 est. 52 Dominican Republic 88,000 2003 est. 53 Peru 82,000 2003 est. 54 Guatemala 78,000 2003 est. 55 Pakistan 74,000 2001 est. 56 Niger 70,000 2003 est. 57 Benin 68,000 2003 est. 58 Iran 66,000 2005 est. 59 Honduras 63,000 2003 est. 60 Nepal 61,000 2001 est. 61 Eritrea 60,000 2003 est. 62 Papua New Guinea 60,000 2005 est. 63 Canada 56,000 2003 est. 64 Malaysia 52,000 2003 est. 65 United Kingdom 51,000 2001 est. 66 Gabon 48,000 2003 est. 67 Senegal 44,000 2003 est. 68 Germany 43,000 2001 est. 69 Somalia 43,000 2001 est. 70 El Salvador 29,000 2003 est. 71 Trinidad and Tobago 29,000 2003 est. 72 Chile 26,000 2003 est. 73 Jamaica 22,000 2003 est. 74 Portugal 22,000 2001 est. 75 Ecuador 21,000 2003 est. 76 Netherlands 19,000 2001 est. 77 Guinea-Bissau 17,000 2001 est. 78 Kazakhstan 16,500 2001 est. 79 Panama 16,000 2003 est. 80 Belarus 15,000 2001 est. 81 Morocco 15,000 2001 est. 82 Paraguay 15,000 1999 est. 83 Australia 14,000 2003 est. 84 Poland 14,000 2003 est. 85 Bangladesh 13,000 2001 est. 86 Switzerland 13,000 2001 est. 87 Costa Rica 12,000 2003 est. 88 Yemen 12,000 2001 est. 89 Japan 12,000 2003 est. 90 Egypt 12,000 2001 est. 91 Guyana 11,000 2003 est. 92 Uzbekistan 11,000 2003 est. 93 Austria 10,000 2003 est. 94 Belgium 10,000 2003 est. 95 Libya 10,000 2001 est. 96 Mauritania 9,500 2003 est. 97 Algeria 9,100 2003 est. 98 Greece 9,100 2001 est. 99 Djibouti 9,100 2003 est. 100 Philippines 9,000 2003 est. 101 Korea, South 8,300 2003 est. 102 Estonia 7,800 2003 est. 103 Latvia 7,600 2001 est. 104 Puerto Rico 7,397 105 Gambia, The 6,800 2003 est. 106 Romania 6,500 2001 est. 107 Nicaragua 6,400 2003 est. 108 Uruguay 6,000 2001 est. 109 Equatorial Guinea 5,900 2001 est. 110 Bahamas, The 5,600 2003 est. 111 Moldova 5,500 2001 est. 112 Suriname 5,200 2001 est. 113 Denmark 5,000 2003 est. 114 Bolivia 4,900 2003 est. 115 Singapore 4,100 2003 est. 116 Kyrgyzstan 3,900 2003 est. 117 Belize 3,600 2003 est. 118 Sweden 3,600 2001 est. 119 Sri Lanka 3,500 2001 est. 120 Cuba 3,300 2003 est. 121 Georgia 3,000 2003 est. 122 Israel 3,000 1999 est. 123 Ireland 2,800 2001 est. 124 Lebanon 2,800 2003 est. 125 Hungary 2,800 2001 est. 126 Armenia 2,600 2003 est. 127 Hong Kong 2,600 2003 est. 128 Barbados 2,500 2003 est. 129 Czech Republic 2,500 2001 est. 130 Norway 2,100 2001 est. 131 Laos 1,700 2003 est. 132 Finland 1,500 2003 est. 133 Azerbaijan 1,400 2003 est. 134 New Zealand 1,400 2003 est. 135 Lithuania 1,300 2003 est. 136 Oman 1,300 2001 est. 137 Cyprus 1,000 1999 est. 138 Tunisia 1,000 2003 est. 139 Bosnia and Herzegovina 900 2003 est. 140 Cape Verde 775 141 Mauritius 700 2001 est. 142 Bahrain 600 2003 est. 143 Jordan 600 2003 est. 144 Fiji 600 2003 est. 145 Iraq 500 2003 est. 146 Mongolia 500 2003 est 147 Syria 500 2003 est. 148 Malta 500 2003 est. 149 Luxembourg 500 2003 est. 150 Bulgaria 346 2001 est. 151 Slovenia 280 2001 est. 152 Iceland 220 2001 est. 153 Brunei 200 2003 est. 154 Slovakia 200 2003 est. 155 Croatia 200 2001 est. 156 Macedonia 200 2003 est. 157 Turkmenistan 200 2003 est. 158 Tajikistan 200 2003 est. 159 Bermuda 163 2005 160 Bhutan 100 1999 est. 161 Maldives 100 2001 est. 162 Greenland 100 163 Svalbard 0 2001

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2157

Rank Country HIV/AIDS - deaths Date of Information

1 South Africa 370,000 2003 est. 2 India 310,000 2001 est. 3 Nigeria 310,000 2003 est. 4 Zimbabwe 170,000 2003 est. 5 Tanzania 160,000 2003 est. 6 Kenya 150,000 2003 est. 7 Ethiopia 120,000 2003 est. 8 Mozambique 110,000 2003 est. 9 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 100,000 2003 est. 10 Zambia 89,000 2003 est. 11 Malawi 84,000 2003 est. 12 Uganda 78,000 2003 est. 13 Thailand 58,000 2003 est. 14 Cameroon 49,000 2003 est. 15 Cote d'Ivoire 47,000 2003 est. 16 China 44,000 2003 est. 17 Botswana 33,000 2003 est. 18 Ghana 30,000 2003 est. 19 Lesotho 29,000 2003 est. 20 Burkina Faso 29,000 2003 est. 21 Burundi 25,000 2003 est. 22 Haiti 24,000 2003 est. 23 Central African Republic 23,000 2003 est. 24 Sudan 23,000 2003 est. 25 Rwanda 22,000 2003 est. 26 Angola 21,000 2003 est. 27 Burma 20,000 2003 est. 28 Ukraine 20,000 2003 est. 29 Chad 18,000 2003 est. 30 United States 17,011 2005 est. 31 Swaziland 17,000 2003 est. 32 Namibia 16,000 2003 est. 33 Brazil 15,000 2003 est. 34 Cambodia 15,000 2003 est. 35 Mali 12,000 2003 est. 36 Sierra Leone 11,000 2001 est. 37 Togo 10,000 2003 est. 38 Congo, Republic of the 9,700 2003 est. 39 Guinea 9,000 2003 est. 40 Russia 9,000 2001 est. 41 Vietnam 9,000 2003 est. 42 Dominican Republic 7,900 2003 est. 43 Madagascar 7,500 2003 est. 44 Liberia 7,200 2003 est. 45 Eritrea 6,300 2003 est. 46 Benin 5,800 2003 est. 47 Guatemala 5,800 2003 est. 48 Mexico 5,000 2003 est. 49 Pakistan 4,900 2003 est. 50 Niger 4,800 2003 est. 51 Peru 4,200 2003 est. 52 Honduras 4,100 2003 est. 53 Venezuela 4,100 2003 est. 54 Colombia 3,600 2003 est. 55 Senegal 3,500 2003 est. 56 Nepal 3,100 2003 est. 57 Gabon 3,000 2003 est. 58 Indonesia 2,400 2003 est. 59 El Salvador 2,200 2003 est. 60 Malaysia 2,000 2003 est. 61 Trinidad and Tobago 1,900 2003 est. 62 Ecuador 1,700 2003 est. 63 Iran 1,600 2005 est. 64 Argentina 1,500 2003 est. 65 Canada 1,500 2003 est. 66 Chile 1,400 2003 est. 67 Guinea-Bissau 1,200 2001 est. 68 Guyana 1,100 2003 est. 69 Belarus 1,000 2001 est. 70 France 1,000 2003 est. 71 Italy 1,000 2003 est. 72 Spain 1,000 2003 est. 73 Portugal 1,000 2003 est. 74 Germany 1,000 2003 est. 75 Costa Rica 900 2003 est. 76 Jamaica 900 2003 est. 77 Egypt 700 2003 est. 78 Djibouti 690 2003 est. 79 Bangladesh 650 2001 est. 80 Gambia, The 600 2003 est. 81 Paraguay 600 2003 est. 82 Papua New Guinea 600 2003 est. 83 Algeria 500 2003 est. 84 Japan 500 2003 est. 85 Bolivia 500 2003 est. 86 Jordan 500 2003 est. 87 Latvia 500 2003 est. 88 Suriname 500 2003 est. 89 Uzbekistan 500 2003 est. 90 Uruguay 500 2003 est. 91 United Kingdom 500 2003 est. 92 Philippines 500 2003 est. 93 Panama 500 2003 est. 94 Nicaragua 500 2003 est. 95 Mauritania 500 2003 est. 96 Bermuda 392 2005 97 Equatorial Guinea 370 2001 est. 98 Romania 350 2001 est. 99 Moldova 300 2001 est. 100 Cape Verde 225 101 Armenia 200 2003 est. 102 Belize 200 2003 est. 103 Oman 200 2003 est. 104 Lithuania 200 2003 est. 105 Lebanon 200 2003 est. 106 Laos 200 2003 est. 107 Kazakhstan 200 2003 est. 108 Korea, South 200 2003 est. 109 Kyrgyzstan 200 2003 est. 110 Hong Kong 200 2003 est. 111 Georgia 200 2003 est. 112 Fiji 200 2003 est. 113 Tunisia 200 2003 est. 114 Syria 200 2003 est. 115 Singapore 200 2003 est. 116 New Zealand 200 2003 est. 117 Mongolia 200 2003 est. 118 Estonia 200 2003 est. 119 Cuba 200 2003 est. 120 Sri Lanka 200 2003 est. 121 Brunei 200 2003 est. 122 Bahamas, The 200 2003 est. 123 Barbados 200 2003 est. 124 Bahrain 200 2003 est. 125 Azerbaijan 100 2001 est. 126 Turkmenistan 100 2004 est. 127 Tajikistan 100 2001 est. 128 Switzerland 100 2003 est. 129 Sweden 100 2003 est. 130 Slovenia 100 2003 est. 131 Poland 100 2001 est. 132 Norway 100 2003 est. 133 Netherlands 100 2003 est. 134 Malta 100 2003 est. 135 Mauritius 100 2001 est. 136 Macedonia 100 2003 est. 137 Luxembourg 100 2003 est. 138 Slovakia 100 2001 est. 139 Israel 100 2001 est. 140 Iceland 100 2003 est. 141 Hungary 100 2001 est. 142 Greece 100 2003 est. 143 Finland 100 2003 est. 144 Bulgaria 100 2001 est. 145 Bosnia and Herzegovina 100 2001 est. 146 Denmark 100 2003 est. 147 Ireland 100 2003 est. 148 Belgium 100 2003 est. 149 Austria 100 2003 est. 150 Czech Republic 10 2001 est. 151 Croatia 10 2001 est. 152 Svalbard 0 2001

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2173

Rank Country Oil - production(bbl/day) Date of Information

1 World 84,790,000 2007 est. 2 Saudi Arabia 10,250,000 2007 est. 3 Russia 9,876,000 2007 est. 4 United States 8,457,000 2007 est. 5 Iran 4,033,000 2007 est. 6 China 3,725,000 2008 est. 7 Mexico 3,501,000 2007 est. 8 Canada 3,425,000 2007 est. 9 United Arab Emirates 2,948,000 2007 est. 10 European Union 2,674,000 2007 11 Venezuela 2,667,000 2007 est. 12 Kuwait 2,613,000 2007 est. 13 Norway 2,565,000 2007 est. 14 Nigeria 2,352,000 2007 est. 15 Brazil 2,277,000 2007 est. 16 Algeria 2,173,000 2007 est. 17 Iraq 2,094,000 2007 est. 18 Angola 1,910,000 2008 est. 19 Libya 1,845,000 2007 est. 20 United Kingdom 1,690,000 2007 est. 21 Kazakhstan 1,445,000 2007 est. 22 Qatar 1,125,000 2007 est. 23 Azerbaijan 1,099,000 2008 est. 24 Indonesia 1,044,000 2007 est. 25 India 880,500 2007 est. 26 Argentina 790,800 2007 est. 27 Malaysia 753,700 2008 est. 28 Oman 714,300 2007 est. 29 Egypt 664,000 2007 est. 30 Australia 600,000 2008 est. 31 Colombia 550,000 2008 est. 32 Ecuador 511,600 2007 est. 33 Sudan 466,100 2007 est. 34 Syria 433,200 2007 est. 35 Equatorial Guinea 368,500 2007 est. 36 Vietnam 350,700 2007 est. 37 Thailand 348,600 2007 est. 38 Yemen 320,600 2007 est. 39 Denmark 313,800 2007 est. 40 Congo, Republic of the 261,000 41 Gabon 243,900 2007 est. 42 South Africa 199,100 2007 est. 43 Brunei 180,500 2007 est. 44 Turkmenistan 180,400 2007 est. 45 Italy 166,600 2007 est. 46 Trinidad and Tobago 163,300 2007 est. 47 Chad 156,000 2008 est. 48 Germany 148,100 2007 est. 49 Japan 129,800 2007 est. 50 Peru 125,000 2008 est. 51 Romania 112,400 2007 est. 52 Ukraine 102,400 2007 est. 53 Uzbekistan 99,260 2007 est. 54 Netherlands 88,950 2007 est. 55 Cameroon 87,400 2008 est. 56 Tunisia 86,210 2007 est. 57 Timor-Leste 78,480 2007 est. 58 France 69,680 2007 est. 59 Pakistan 68,670 2007 est. 60 Bolivia 61,790 2007 est. 61 Cuba 61,300 2008 est. 62 Cote d'Ivoire 54,400 2008 est. 63 Bahrain 48,610 2007 est. 64 New Zealand 47,850 2007 est. 65 Turkey 42,800 2007 est. 66 Papua New Guinea 42,100 2008 est. 67 Poland 37,670 2007 est. 68 Belarus 33,700 2007 est. 69 Hungary 32,580 2007 est. 70 Spain 29,000 2007 est. 71 Austria 24,920 2007 est. 72 Philippines 23,930 2007 est. 73 Croatia 23,620 2007 est. 74 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 22,160 2007 est. 75 Burma 21,900 2007 est. 76 Korea, South 20,970 2007 est. 77 Virgin Islands 17,620 2007 est. 78 Guatemala 15,820 2007 est. 79 Mauritania 14,990 2007 est. 80 Czech Republic 13,530 2007 est. 81 Suriname 13,000 2007 est. 82 Slovakia 12,770 2007 est. 83 Chile 11,610 2007 est. 84 Serbia 11,410 2007 est. 85 Taiwan 10,600 2007 est. 86 Singapore 9,836 2007 est. 87 Finland 8,951 2007 est. 88 Belgium 8,671 2007 est. 89 Lithuania 8,250 2007 est. 90 Ghana 7,571 2007 est. 91 Estonia 7,430 2007 est. 92 Bangladesh 6,746 2007 est. 93 Albania 6,425 2007 est. 94 Portugal 6,281 2007 est. 95 Israel 5,966 2007 est. 96 Greece 4,265 2007 est. 97 Morocco 3,746 2007 est. 98 Bulgaria 3,661 2007 est. 99 Switzerland 3,202 2007 est. 100 Belize 3,000 2007 est. 101 Aruba 2,356 2007 est. 102 Sweden 2,350 2007 est. 103 Puerto Rico 1,354 2007 est. 104 Barbados 1,111 2007 est. 105 Georgia 979 2007 est. 106 Kyrgyzstan 965 2007 est. 107 Uruguay 936 2007 est. 108 Tajikistan 281 2007 est. 109 Zambia 150 2007 est. 110 Korea, North 141 2007 est. 111 Madagascar 92 2007 est. 112 Dominican Republic 12 2004 113 Ethiopia 7 2007 est. 114 Slovenia 5 2007 est. 115 Sierra Leone 1 2007 est. 116 Antigua and Barbuda 0 2007 est. 117 Botswana 0 2007 est. 118 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 2007 est. 119 Solomon Islands 0 2007 est. 120 Zimbabwe 0 2007 est. 121 Swaziland 0 2007 est. 122 Samoa 0 2007 est. 123 Western Sahara 0 2007 est. 124 Namibia 0 2007 est. 125 British Virgin Islands 0 2007 est. 126 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 2007 est. 127 Burkina Faso 0 2007 est. 128 Uganda 0 2007 est. 129 Tanzania 0 2007 est. 130 Sao Tome and Principe 0 2007 est. 131 Togo 0 2007 est. 132 Tonga 0 2007 est. 133 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 2007 est. 134 Saint Lucia 0 2007 est. 135 Somalia 0 2007 est. 136 Saint Helena 0 2007 est. 137 Senegal 0 2005 est. 138 Seychelles 0 2007 est. 139 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 2007 est. 140 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 2007 est. 141 Rwanda 0 2007 est. 142 Guinea-Bissau 0 2007 est. 143 Panama 0 2007 est. 144 Paraguay 0 2007 est. 145 Nicaragua 0 2005 est. 146 Netherlands Antilles 0 2005 est. 147 Nauru 0 2007 est. 148 Nepal 0 2007 est. 149 Vanuatu 0 2007 est. 150 Niger 0 2007 est. 151 Niue 0 2007 est. 152 New Caledonia 0 2007 est. 153 Mozambique 0 2007 est. 154 Maldives 0 2007 est. 155 Malta 0 2007 est. 156 Mauritius 0 2007 est. 157 Macau 0 2007 est. 158 Luxembourg 0 2007 est. 159 Lesotho 0 2007 est. 160 Liberia 0 2007 est. 161 Latvia 0 2007 est. 162 Lebanon 0 2007 est. 163 Laos 0 2007 est. 164 Kosovo 0 2007 165 Kiribati 0 2007 est. 166 Mali 0 2007 est. 167 Macedonia 0 2007 168 Montenegro 0 2007 est. 169 Malawi 0 2007 est. 170 Montserrat 0 2007 est. 171 Mongolia 0 2007 est. 172 Moldova 0 2007 est. 173 Kenya 0 2008 est. 174 Jordan 0 2005 est. 175 Jamaica 0 2005 est. 176 Iceland 0 2007 est. 177 Gambia, The 0 2007 est. 178 French Polynesia 0 2007 est. 179 Faroe Islands 0 2007 est. 180 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 2007 est. 181 Fiji 0 2007 est. 182 El Salvador 0 2005 183 Eritrea 0 2007 est. 184 Ireland 0 2005 est. 185 Dominica 0 2007 est. 186 Djibouti 0 2007 est. 187 Cyprus 0 2008 est. 188 Cook Islands 0 2007 est. 189 Honduras 0 2007 est. 190 Hong Kong 0 2007 est. 191 Haiti 0 2007 est. 192 Guyana 0 2007 est. 193 Guinea 0 2007 est. 194 Guam 0 2007 est. 195 Greenland 0 2007 est. 196 Grenada 0 2007 est. 197 Gibraltar 0 2007 est. 198 Cape Verde 0 2007 est. 199 Central African Republic 0 2007 est. 200 Costa Rica 0 2004 201 Comoros 0 2007 est. 202 Cayman Islands 0 2007 est. 203 Sri Lanka 0 2005 est. 204 Cambodia 0 2007 est. 205 Burundi 0 2007 est. 206 Bhutan 0 2007 est. 207 Benin 0 2007 est. 208 Bahamas, The 0 2007 est. 209 Bermuda 0 2007 est. 210 Armenia 0 2007 est. 211 American Samoa 0 2007 est. 212 Afghanistan 0 2007 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2174

Rank Country Oil - consumption(bbl/day) Date of Information

1 World 85,270,000 2007 est. 2 United States 20,680,000 2007 est. 3 European Union 14,390,000 2007 4 China 7,578,000 2007 est. 5 Japan 5,007,000 2007 est. 6 Russia 2,858,000 2007 est. 7 India 2,722,000 2007 est. 8 Germany 2,456,000 2007 est. 9 Brazil 2,372,000 2007 est. 10 Canada 2,371,000 2007 est. 11 Saudi Arabia 2,311,000 2007 est. 12 Korea, South 2,214,000 2007 est. 13 Mexico 2,119,000 2007 est. 14 France 1,950,000 2007 est. 15 United Kingdom 1,763,000 2007 est. 16 Italy 1,702,000 2007 est. 17 Iran 1,679,000 2006 est. 18 Spain 1,611,000 2007 est. 19 Indonesia 1,219,000 2006 est. 20 Netherlands 984,200 2007 est. 21 Australia 966,200 2007 est. 22 Taiwan 950,500 2006 est. 23 Thailand 928,600 2006 est. 24 Singapore 834,600 2006 est. 25 Venezuela 738,300 2007 est. 26 Turkey 676,600 2007 est. 27 Egypt 652,700 2006 est. 28 Belgium 628,500 2007 est. 29 Argentina 525,100 2006 est. 30 Poland 524,000 2007 est. 31 South Africa 504,900 2006 est. 32 Malaysia 501,100 2006 est. 33 Greece 441,400 2007 est. 34 United Arab Emirates 381,000 2006 est. 35 Sweden 353,700 2007 est. 36 Pakistan 345,000 2006 est. 37 Ukraine 344,000 2006 est. 38 Philippines 340,100 2006 est. 39 Kuwait 334,700 2006 est. 40 Nigeria 312,000 2006 est. 41 Portugal 301,000 2007 est. 42 Iraq 295,000 2007 est. 43 Hong Kong 293,100 2006 est. 44 Austria 289,400 2007 est. 45 Algeria 279,800 2006 est. 46 Libya 278,700 2006 est. 47 Vietnam 271,100 2007 est. 48 Colombia 265,400 2006 est. 49 Syria 261,000 2006 est. 50 Chile 253,000 2006 est. 51 Switzerland 244,900 2007 est. 52 Kazakhstan 243,100 2006 est. 53 Romania 238,200 2006 est. 54 Israel 232,300 2006 est. 55 Finland 228,200 2007 est. 56 Norway 224,500 2007 est. 57 Puerto Rico 215,000 2007 est. 58 Czech Republic 207,400 2007 est. 59 Cuba 203,500 2006 est. 60 Ireland 200,900 2007 est. 61 Denmark 190,600 2007 est. 62 Belarus 179,700 2006 est. 63 Morocco 179,700 2006 est. 64 Peru 167,900 2006 est. 65 Hungary 162,800 2007 est. 66 Ecuador 160,500 2006 est. 67 Azerbaijan 160,000 2007 est. 68 New Zealand 158,400 2007 est. 69 Uzbekistan 157,100 2006 est. 70 Yemen 135,400 2006 est. 71 Dominican Republic 117,300 2006 est. 72 Jordan 110,700 2006 est. 73 Bulgaria 109,600 2006 est. 74 Qatar 108,900 2006 est. 75 Turkmenistan 107,400 2006 est. 76 Lebanon 106,000 2006 est. 77 Croatia 101,800 2006 est. 78 Panama 92,790 2006 est. 79 Virgin Islands 91,680 2007 est. 80 Tunisia 91,110 2006 est. 81 Bangladesh 89,940 2006 est. 82 Sri Lanka 86,030 2006 est. 83 Serbia 85,000 2003 est. 84 Slovakia 82,860 2007 est. 85 Sudan 79,760 2006 est. 86 Guatemala 74,230 2006 est. 87 Jamaica 73,370 2006 est. 88 Oman 69,100 2006 est. 89 Netherlands Antilles 67,450 2006 est. 90 Kenya 65,530 2006 est. 91 Luxembourg 60,640 2007 est. 92 Cyprus 57,830 2006 est. 93 Lithuania 57,170 2006 est. 94 Angola 55,640 2006 est. 95 Slovenia 54,310 2006 est. 96 Ghana 49,300 2006 est. 97 Honduras 46,830 2006 est. 98 Costa Rica 45,600 2006 est. 99 El Salvador 44,330 2006 est. 100 Burma 43,140 2006 est. 101 Armenia 41,090 2006 est. 102 Senegal 36,200 2006 est. 103 Latvia 35,180 2006 est. 104 Uruguay 33,400 2007 est. 105 Bahrain 32,830 2006 est. 106 Tajikistan 31,590 2006 est. 107 Bolivia 31,500 2007 est. 108 Albania 30,900 2006 est. 109 Ethiopia 30,450 2006 est. 110 Estonia 30,440 2006 est. 111 Papua New Guinea 29,050 2006 est. 112 Nicaragua 28,880 2006 est. 113 Trinidad and Tobago 28,730 2006 est. 114 Bosnia and Herzegovina 27,590 2006 est. 115 Paraguay 27,410 2006 est. 116 Tanzania 27,270 2006 est. 117 Bahamas, The 26,830 2006 est. 118 Cote d'Ivoire 25,950 2006 est. 119 Cameroon 24,500 2006 est. 120 Korea, North 24,000 2006 est. 121 Gibraltar 22,620 2006 est. 122 Mauritius 22,450 2006 est. 123 Iceland 21,120 2007 est. 124 Namibia 19,840 2006 est. 125 Macedonia 19,590 2006 est. 126 Mauritania 19,320 2006 est. 127 Malta 18,680 2006 est. 128 Madagascar 18,190 2006 est. 129 Togo 17,770 2006 est. 130 Nepal 16,960 2006 est. 131 Macau 16,570 2006 est. 132 Moldova 15,770 2006 est. 133 Zambia 14,760 2006 est. 134 Zimbabwe 14,590 2006 est. 135 Mozambique 14,390 2006 est. 136 Brunei 13,200 2006 est. 137 Gabon 13,170 2006 est. 138 Georgia 12,980 2006 est. 139 Mongolia 12,860 2006 est. 140 Guam 12,780 2007 est. 141 Haiti 12,370 2006 est. 142 Suriname 12,370 2006 est. 143 Kyrgyzstan 12,330 2006 est. 144 Djibouti 12,170 2006 est. 145 Botswana 11,640 2006 est. 146 Uganda 11,570 2006 est. 147 New Caledonia 11,560 2006 est. 148 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 10,460 2006 est. 149 Guyana 10,440 2006 est. 150 Fiji 9,971 2006 est. 151 Benin 9,232 2007 est. 152 Barbados 8,674 2006 est. 153 Guinea 8,559 2006 est. 154 Burkina Faso 8,470 2006 est. 155 Sierra Leone 8,430 2006 est. 156 Congo, Republic of the 7,677 2006 est. 157 Aruba 7,102 2006 est. 158 Belize 7,000 2006 est. 159 Seychelles 6,560 2006 est. 160 Malawi 6,160 2006 est. 161 French Polynesia 6,082 2006 est. 162 Niger 5,550 2006 est. 163 Maldives 5,490 2006 est. 164 Rwanda 5,320 2006 est. 165 Eritrea 5,186 2006 est. 166 Somalia 5,040 2006 est. 167 Afghanistan 5,036 2006 est. 168 Mali 4,640 2006 est. 169 Faroe Islands 4,628 2006 est. 170 Bermuda 4,566 2006 est. 171 Antigua and Barbuda 4,109 2006 est. 172 American Samoa 4,053 2006 est. 173 Greenland 3,927 2006 est. 174 Cambodia 3,736 2006 est. 175 Liberia 3,687 2006 est. 176 Swaziland 3,490 2006 est. 177 Laos 2,996 2006 est. 178 Burundi 2,956 2006 est. 179 Saint Lucia 2,780 2006 est. 180 Cayman Islands 2,767 2006 est. 181 Guinea-Bissau 2,520 2006 est. 182 Central African Republic 2,322 2006 est. 183 Cape Verde 2,117 2006 est. 184 Gambia, The 2,082 2006 est. 185 Grenada 2,043 2006 est. 186 Western Sahara 1,760 2006 est. 187 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1,570 2006 est. 188 Lesotho 1,400 2006 est. 189 Chad 1,352 2006 est. 190 Solomon Islands 1,320 2006 est. 191 Bhutan 1,250 2006 est. 192 Samoa 1,130 2006 est. 193 Nauru 1,070 2006 est. 194 Saint Kitts and Nevis 950 2006 est. 195 Equatorial Guinea 918 2006 est. 196 Tonga 870 2006 est. 197 Dominica 851 2006 est. 198 Comoros 712 2006 est. 199 Vanuatu 660 2006 est. 200 Sao Tome and Principe 660 2006 est. 201 British Virgin Islands 650 2006 est. 202 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 560 2006 est. 203 Montserrat 506 2006 est. 204 Cook Islands 464 2006 est. 205 Montenegro 450 2004 206 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 252 2006 est. 207 Kiribati 232 2006 est. 208 Turks and Caicos Islands 80 2006 est. 209 Saint Helena 60 2006 est. 210 Niue 20 2006 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2175

Rank Country Oil - imports(bbl/day) Date of Information

1 World 65,410,000 2005 2 European Union 17,710,000 2001 3 United States 13,710,000 2005 4 Japan 5,470,000 2005 5 China 3,190,000 2007 6 Germany 3,026,000 2005 7 Netherlands 2,648,000 2005 8 France 2,465,000 2005 9 Korea, South 2,410,000 2006 10 Italy 2,223,000 2005 11 India 2,159,000 2005 est. 12 Singapore 2,003,000 2005 13 Spain 1,777,000 2005 14 United Kingdom 1,673,000 2005 15 Canada 1,229,000 2005 16 Taiwan 1,208,000 2006 17 Belgium 1,119,000 2005 18 Thailand 832,900 2005 19 Turkey 714,100 2005 20 Brazil 648,800 2005 21 Australia 615,000 2005 22 Sweden 581,000 2005 23 Greece 527,200 2005 24 Indonesia 500,000 2006 est. 25 Poland 499,200 2005 26 Virgin Islands 492,300 2005 27 Ukraine 441,200 2005 28 Belarus 394,100 2005 est. 29 Portugal 390,300 2005 30 Mexico 385,400 2005 31 Philippines 355,800 2005 32 Israel 334,300 2005 33 South Africa 319,000 2006 est. 34 Hong Kong 314,700 2006 35 Austria 313,500 2005 36 Malaysia 308,500 2005 37 Pakistan 290,600 2005 38 Finland 281,300 January-September 2007 est. 39 Netherlands Antilles 277,600 2005 40 Switzerland 274,900 2005 41 Vietnam 271,100 2007 42 Aruba 238,200 2005 43 United Arab Emirates 232,300 2005 44 Puerto Rico 230,700 2005 45 Czech Republic 224,600 2005 46 Chile 222,900 2006 est. 47 Bahrain 221,500 2005 48 Romania 219,000 2005 49 Lithuania 206,700 2005 50 Ireland 194,000 2005 51 Morocco 192,500 2005 est. 52 Hungary 178,400 2005 53 Iran 167,800 2005 54 Denmark 164,000 2006 est. 55 Syria 160,000 2007 est. 56 Bulgaria 158,400 2005 est. 57 Nigeria 154,300 2005 58 Egypt 140,000 2005 59 New Zealand 137,300 2005 60 Slovakia 134,100 2005 61 Kazakhstan 127,600 2005 62 Cuba 123,200 2005 63 Dominican Republic 116,600 2005 64 Peru 115,600 2005 65 Jordan 112,300 2005 est. 66 Croatia 112,200 2005 67 Lebanon 97,590 2005 68 Norway 92,650 2005 69 Tunisia 89,130 2005 70 Panama 88,790 2005 71 Sri Lanka 87,090 2005 72 Bangladesh 83,220 2005 73 Russia 73,140 2005 74 Guatemala 72,960 2006 est. 75 Kenya 72,780 2005 76 Trinidad and Tobago 72,780 2005 77 Cote d'Ivoire 71,850 2005 78 Jamaica 71,280 2005 79 Bahamas, The 69,780 2005 80 Luxembourg 63,760 2005 81 Yemen 62,850 2005 82 Slovenia 59,110 2005 83 Cyprus 55,970 2005 84 Cameroon 50,750 2005 85 Ecuador 47,060 2005 86 Ghana 45,520 2005 87 Latvia 45,340 2005 88 El Salvador 45,210 2006 89 Armenia 44,670 2005 90 Honduras 44,040 2005 91 Uruguay 43,670 2007 92 Costa Rica 43,110 2005 93 Saudi Arabia 41,680 2005 94 Senegal 40,450 2005 95 Uzbekistan 31,440 2005 96 Ethiopia 29,820 2005 97 Nicaragua 29,700 2005 est. 98 Estonia 28,170 2005 99 Bosnia and Herzegovina 27,370 2005 100 Tanzania 26,760 2005 101 Macedonia 26,470 2005 102 Paraguay 25,940 2007 103 Gibraltar 25,080 2005 104 Albania 24,860 2005 est. 105 Papua New Guinea 24,150 2005 106 Mauritius 23,650 2006 107 Mauritania 23,630 2005 108 Argentina 23,380 2005 109 Burma 22,180 2005 est. 110 Angola 19,550 2005 111 Malta 18,910 2005 112 Namibia 17,750 2005 113 Iceland 17,450 2005 114 Madagascar 17,100 2005 115 Benin 16,830 2007 est. 116 Togo 16,650 2005 117 Georgia 15,820 2005 118 Zimbabwe 15,800 2005 est. 119 Oman 15,440 2005 120 Botswana 14,500 2005 121 Moldova 14,450 2005 122 Kyrgyzstan 14,240 2005 123 Macau 13,870 2006 124 Zambia 13,810 2005 125 Guam 13,530 2005 126 Mozambique 13,240 2005 127 Algeria 13,110 2005 est. 128 Mongolia 12,630 2005 est. 129 Colombia 12,480 2005 130 Haiti 11,980 2005 131 Djibouti 11,810 2005 132 New Caledonia 11,780 2005 133 Uganda 11,540 2005 134 Nepal 11,530 2006 est. 135 Guyana 10,960 2005 136 Fiji 10,900 2005 137 Barbados 10,710 2005 138 Korea, North 10,520 2006 est. 139 Guinea 8,811 2005 140 Bolivia 8,600 2007 est. 141 Burkina Faso 8,446 2005 142 Sierra Leone 8,271 2005 143 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 8,220 2006 est. 144 Kuwait 8,022 2005 145 Tajikistan 7,600 2007 146 Sudan 7,558 2005 147 Belize 7,122 2005 148 Malawi 6,788 2005 149 Suriname 6,369 2005 150 French Polynesia 6,271 2005 151 Seychelles 5,722 2005 152 Rwanda 5,597 2005 153 Niger 5,425 2005 154 Maldives 5,362 2005 155 Turkmenistan 5,283 2005 156 Eritrea 4,924 2005 157 Mali 4,860 2005 est. 158 Somalia 4,772 2005 159 Faroe Islands 4,636 2005 160 Antigua and Barbuda 4,556 2005 161 Afghanistan 4,534 2005 162 Bermuda 4,378 2005 163 Azerbaijan 4,267 2005 164 Greenland 4,089 2005 165 American Samoa 4,066 2005 166 Cambodia 3,618 2005 167 Liberia 3,593 2005 168 Swaziland 3,530 2005 169 Laos 3,036 2005 170 Cayman Islands 2,818 2005 171 Burundi 2,635 2005 172 Saint Lucia 2,631 2005 173 Guinea-Bissau 2,560 2005 174 Gabon 2,485 2005 175 Gambia, The 2,123 2005 176 Central African Republic 2,057 2005 177 Western Sahara 1,925 2005 178 Grenada 1,844 2005 179 Cape Verde 1,785 2005 180 Congo, Republic of the 1,702 2005 181 Lesotho 1,500 2005 182 Chad 1,492 2005 183 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1,460 2005 184 Solomon Islands 1,426 2005 185 Bhutan 1,152 2005 186 Samoa 1,128 2005 187 Equatorial Guinea 1,070 2005 188 Nauru 1,049 2005 189 Tonga 1,035 2005 190 Saint Kitts and Nevis 918 2005 191 Comoros 755 2005 192 Vanuatu 671 2005 193 Dominica 670 2005 194 Sao Tome and Principe 660 2005 195 British Virgin Islands 650 2005 196 Libya 575 2005 197 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 557 2005 198 Montserrat 483 2005 199 Cook Islands 476 2005 200 Brunei 304 2005 201 Kiribati 259 2005 202 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 249 2005 203 Saint Helena 85 2005 204 Turks and Caicos Islands 84 2005 205 Niue 27 2005 206 Qatar 0 2005 207 Venezuela 0 2006 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2176

Rank Country Oil - exports(bbl/day) Date of Information

1 World 66,190,000 2005 2 Saudi Arabia 8,900,000 2007 est. 3 European Union 6,979,000 2001 4 Russia 5,080,000 2007 5 Norway 2,714,000 2005 6 United Arab Emirates 2,703,000 2005 est. 7 Iran 2,520,000 2006 est. 8 Nigeria 2,473,000 2005 9 Kuwait 2,356,000 2005 10 Canada 2,225,000 2005 11 Mexico 2,204,000 2005 12 Venezuela 2,203,000 2006 est. 13 Algeria 1,844,000 2005 est. 14 United Kingdom 1,749,000 2005 15 Iraq 1,670,000 2007 est. 16 Netherlands 1,639,000 2005 17 Libya 1,455,000 2005 18 Kazakhstan 1,236,000 2005 est. 19 Angola 1,230,000 2005 20 Singapore 1,203,000 2005 21 United States 1,165,000 2005 22 Qatar 1,026,000 2005 23 Azerbaijan 795,600 2007 est. 24 Oman 722,000 2005 25 Italy 616,700 2005 26 France 584,700 2005 27 Germany 563,400 2005 28 Malaysia 546,300 2005 29 Belgium 528,700 2005 30 Brazil 481,100 2005 31 Indonesia 470,000 2006 est. 32 India 450,700 2005 est. 33 Ecuador 421,700 2005 est. 34 Virgin Islands 398,500 2005 35 Vietnam 394,400 2005 36 Equatorial Guinea 375,400 2005 37 Argentina 339,900 2005 38 Australia 337,400 2005 39 Yemen 336,600 2005 40 Denmark 320,000 2006 41 Taiwan 289,200 2006 42 Sudan 282,100 2005 43 Colombia 276,100 2005 44 South Africa 267,700 2005 45 Belarus 256,400 2005 est. 46 Gabon 255,500 2005 47 Syria 254,500 2005 est. 48 Bahrain 238,900 2005 49 Aruba 233,300 2005 50 Congo, Republic of the 230,200 2005 est. 51 Sweden 219,200 2005 52 Trinidad and Tobago 218,800 2005 53 Thailand 207,400 2005 54 Netherlands Antilles 206,900 2005 55 Egypt 204,700 2005 est. 56 Brunei 200,000 2005 57 Ukraine 190,500 2005 58 Spain 181,800 2005 59 Chad 176,700 2005 60 Japan 168,800 2005 61 Lithuania 148,400 2005 62 Finland 126,300 January-September 2007 est. 63 Romania 125,200 2005 64 Greece 125,100 2005 65 Turkey 114,600 2005 66 Cameroon 108,800 2005 67 Cote d'Ivoire 84,940 2005 68 Israel 82,910 2005 69 China 79,060 2007 70 Tunisia 73,790 2005 71 Slovakia 72,240 2005 72 Peru 69,090 2005 est. 73 Hungary 66,660 2005 74 Poland 57,920 2005 75 Bulgaria 50,530 2005 est. 76 Portugal 50,490 2005 77 Austria 46,300 2005 78 Croatia 43,680 2005 79 Philippines 41,160 2005 80 Turkmenistan 40,000 2007 est. 81 Papua New Guinea 39,310 2005 82 Bahamas, The 38,740 2005 83 Chile 32,500 2005 84 Ireland 29,780 2005 85 Pakistan 28,060 2005 86 Czech Republic 27,360 2005 87 Morocco 24,360 2005 est. 88 Hong Kong 22,420 2006 89 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 19,820 2005 90 Bolivia 18,500 2007 est. 91 Guatemala 15,560 2006 est. 92 New Zealand 14,570 2005 93 Uzbekistan 11,940 2005 94 Puerto Rico 10,610 2005 95 Latvia 10,070 2005 96 Switzerland 9,370 2005 97 Estonia 7,000 2005 98 Macedonia 6,768 2005 99 Benin 6,484 2005 100 Ghana 5,709 2005 101 Kenya 5,137 2005 102 Burma 5,000 2006 est. 103 El Salvador 4,963 2006 104 Slovenia 4,535 2005 105 Panama 4,447 2005 106 Uruguay 4,410 2007 107 Senegal 4,298 2005 108 Suriname 2,899 2005 109 Fiji 2,848 2005 110 Kyrgyzstan 2,534 2005 111 Georgia 2,492 2005 112 Costa Rica 2,115 2005 113 Belize 1,960 2006 114 Barbados 1,750 2005 115 Togo 1,547 2005 116 Jamaica 1,535 2005 117 Maldives 1,499 2005 118 Bangladesh 1,351 2005 119 Iceland 861 2005 120 Nicaragua 809 2005 121 Albania 749 2005 est. 122 Madagascar 480 2005 123 Sierra Leone 432 2005 124 Honduras 418 2005 125 New Caledonia 356 2005 126 Sri Lanka 292 2005 127 Luxembourg 282 2005 128 Tajikistan 248 2005 129 Zambia 191 2005 130 Antigua and Barbuda 158 2005 131 Greenland 150 2005 132 Uganda 115 2005 133 Eritrea 55 2005 134 Moldova 50 2005 135 Gambia, The 42 2005 136 Liberia 23 2005 137 Djibouti 19 2005 138 Afghanistan 0 2005 139 Bermuda 0 2005 140 American Samoa 0 2005 141 Bhutan 0 2005 142 Cayman Islands 0 2005 143 Central African Republic 0 2005 144 Saint Lucia 0 2005 145 Somalia 0 2005 146 Saint Helena 0 2005 147 Seychelles 0 2006 148 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 2005 149 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 2005 150 Rwanda 0 2005 151 Guinea-Bissau 0 2005 152 Mongolia 0 2005 est. 153 Zimbabwe 0 2005 est. 154 Swaziland 0 2005 155 Samoa 0 2005 156 Western Sahara 0 2005 157 Namibia 0 2005 158 British Virgin Islands 0 2005 159 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 2005 160 Burkina Faso 0 2005 161 Tanzania 0 2005 162 Sao Tome and Principe 0 2005 163 Tonga 0 2007 est. 164 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 2005 165 Macau 0 2005 166 Lesotho 0 2005 167 Lebanon 0 2005 168 Laos 0 2005 169 Kiribati 0 2005 170 Korea, North 0 2006 171 Jordan 0 2005 est. 172 Faroe Islands 0 2005 173 Paraguay 0 2007 174 Nauru 0 2005 175 Nepal 0 2005 176 Vanuatu 0 2005 177 Niger 0 2005 178 Niue 0 2005 179 Mozambique 0 2005 180 Malta 0 2005 181 Mauritania 0 2005 182 Mauritius 0 2006 183 Mali 0 2006 184 Malawi 0 2005 185 Montserrat 0 2005 186 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 2005 187 Ethiopia 0 2005 188 Dominican Republic 0 2005 189 Dominica 0 2005 190 Cyprus 0 2005 191 Cook Islands 0 2005 192 Cape Verde 0 2005 193 Cuba 0 2006 194 Haiti 0 2005 195 Guyana 0 2005 196 Guinea 0 2005 197 Guam 0 2005 198 Grenada 0 2005 199 Gibraltar 0 2005 200 French Polynesia 0 2005 201 Comoros 0 2005 202 Cambodia 0 2005 203 Burundi 0 2005 204 Solomon Islands 0 2005 205 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 2005 206 Botswana 0 2005 207 Armenia 0 2005

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2178

Rank Country Oil - proved reserves(bbl) Date of Information

1 World 1,332,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 2 Saudi Arabia 266,800,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 3 Canada 178,600,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 4 Iran 138,400,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 5 Iraq 115,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 6 Kuwait 104,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 7 United Arab Emirates 97,800,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 8 Venezuela 87,040,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 9 Russia 60,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 10 Libya 41,460,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 11 Nigeria 36,220,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 12 Kazakhstan 30,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 13 United States 20,970,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 14 China 16,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 15 Qatar 15,210,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 16 Algeria 12,200,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 17 Brazil 12,180,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 18 Mexico 11,650,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 19 Angola 9,035,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 20 Azerbaijan 7,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 21 Norway 6,865,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 22 European Union 6,144,000,000 1 January 2008 23 India 5,625,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 24 Oman 5,500,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 25 Sudan 5,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 26 Ecuador 4,517,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 27 Indonesia 4,370,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 28 Malaysia 4,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 29 Egypt 3,700,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 30 United Kingdom 3,600,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 31 Yemen 3,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 32 Argentina 2,587,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 33 Syria 2,500,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 34 Gabon 2,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 35 Congo, Republic of the 1,600,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 36 Colombia 1,506,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 37 Australia 1,500,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 38 Chad 1,500,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 39 Denmark 1,188,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 40 Brunei 1,100,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 41 Equatorial Guinea 1,100,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 42 Trinidad and Tobago 728,300,000 1 January 2008 est. 43 Romania 600,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 44 Turkmenistan 600,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 45 Vietnam 600,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 46 Uzbekistan 594,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 47 Bolivia 465,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 48 Thailand 460,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 49 Italy 406,500,000 1 January 2008 est. 50 Tunisia 400,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 51 Ukraine 395,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 52 Peru 382,900,000 1 January 2008 est. 53 Germany 367,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 54 Turkey 300,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 55 Pakistan 289,200,000 1 January 2008 est. 56 Cameroon 200,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 57 Albania 199,100,000 1 January 2008 est. 58 Belarus 198,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 59 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 180,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 60 Chile 150,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 61 Spain 150,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 62 Philippines 138,500,000 1 January 2008 est. 63 Bahrain 124,600,000 1 January 2008 est. 64 Cuba 124,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 65 France 119,800,000 1 January 2008 est. 66 Cote d'Ivoire 100,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 67 Mauritania 100,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 68 Netherlands 100,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 69 Poland 96,380,000 1 January 2008 est. 70 Suriname 88,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 71 Papua New Guinea 88,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 72 Guatemala 83,070,000 1 January 2008 est. 73 Croatia 79,150,000 1 January 2008 est. 74 Serbia 77,500,000 1 January 2008 est. 75 New Zealand 55,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 76 Austria 50,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 77 Burma 50,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 78 Japan 44,120,000 1 January 2008 est. 79 Kyrgyzstan 40,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 80 Georgia 35,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 81 Bangladesh 28,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 82 Hungary 20,180,000 1 January 2008 est. 83 Bulgaria 15,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 84 Czech Republic 15,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 85 South Africa 15,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 86 Ghana 15,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 87 Lithuania 12,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 88 Tajikistan 12,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 89 Greece 10,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 90 Slovakia 9,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 91 Benin 8,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 92 Belize 6,700,000 1 January 2008 est. 93 Taiwan 2,380,000 1 January 2008 est. 94 Barbados 2,200,000 1 January 2008 est. 95 Israel 1,940,000 1 January 2008 est. 96 Jordan 1,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 97 Morocco 836,000 1 January 2008 est. 98 Ethiopia 428,000 1 January 2008 est. 99 Aruba 0 1 January 2006 est. 100 Afghanistan 0 1 January 2006 est. 101 Botswana 0 1 January 2006 est. 102 Zimbabwe 0 1 January 2006 est. 103 Swaziland 0 1 January 2006 est. 104 Samoa 0 1 January 2006 est. 105 Western Sahara 0 1 January 2006 est. 106 Namibia 0 1 January 2006 est. 107 British Virgin Islands 0 1 January 2006 est. 108 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 1 January 2006 est. 109 Burkina Faso 0 1 January 2006 est. 110 Uganda 0 1 January 2006 est. 111 Tanzania 0 1 January 2006 est. 112 Sao Tome and Principe 0 1 January 2006 est. 113 Togo 0 1 January 2006 est. 114 Tonga 0 1 January 2007 est. 115 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 1 January 2006 est. 116 Sweden 0 1 January 2006 est. 117 Saint Lucia 0 1 January 2006 est. 118 Somalia 0 1 January 2006 est. 119 Singapore 0 1 January 2006 est. 120 Sierra Leone 0 1 January 2006 est. 121 Slovenia 0 1 January 2006 est. 122 Saint Helena 0 1 January 2006 est. 123 Senegal 0 1 January 2006 est. 124 Seychelles 0 1 January 2006 125 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 1 January 2006 est. 126 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 1 January 2006 est. 127 Rwanda 0 1 January 2006 est. 128 Puerto Rico 0 1 January 2006 est. 129 New Caledonia 0 1 January 2006 est. 130 Mozambique 0 1 January 2006 est. 131 Maldives 0 1 January 2006 est. 132 Malta 0 1 January 2006 est. 133 Mauritius 0 1 January 2006 est. 134 Mali 0 1 January 2006 est. 135 Macedonia 0 1 January 2008 est. 136 Montenegro 0 1 January 2006 est. 137 Malawi 0 1 January 2006 est. 138 Guinea-Bissau 0 1 January 2006 est. 139 Panama 0 1 January 2006 est. 140 Paraguay 0 1 January 2006 est. 141 Nicaragua 0 1 January 2006 est. 142 Netherlands Antilles 0 1 January 2006 est. 143 Nauru 0 1 January 2006 est. 144 Nepal 0 1 January 2006 est. 145 Vanuatu 0 1 January 2006 est. 146 Niue 0 1 January 2006 est. 147 Montserrat 0 1 January 2006 est. 148 Mongolia 0 1 January 2006 est. 149 Moldova 0 1 January 2006 est. 150 Macau 0 1 January 2006 est. 151 Madagascar 0 1 January 2006 est. 152 Luxembourg 0 1 January 2006 est. 153 Iceland 0 1 January 2006 est. 154 Grenada 0 1 January 2006 est. 155 Gibraltar 0 1 January 2006 est. 156 Gambia, The 0 1 January 2006 est. 157 French Polynesia 0 1 January 2006 est. 158 Faroe Islands 0 1 January 2006 est. 159 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 1 January 2006 est. 160 Fiji 0 1 January 2006 est. 161 El Salvador 0 1 January 2006 est. 162 Eritrea 0 1 January 2006 est. 163 Honduras 0 1 January 2006 est. 164 Hong Kong 0 1 January 2006 est. 165 Haiti 0 1 January 2006 est. 166 Guyana 0 1 January 2006 est. 167 Guinea 0 1 January 2006 est. 168 Guam 0 1 January 2006 est. 169 Greenland 0 1 January 2006 est. 170 Estonia 0 1 January 2006 est. 171 Ireland 0 1 January 2006 est. 172 Dominican Republic 0 1 January 2006 est. 173 Dominica 0 1 January 2006 est. 174 Djibouti 0 1 January 2006 est. 175 Cook Islands 0 1 January 2006 est. 176 Cape Verde 0 1 January 2006 est. 177 Central African Republic 0 1 January 2006 est. 178 Lesotho 0 1 January 2006 est. 179 Liberia 0 1 January 2006 est. 180 Latvia 0 1 January 2006 est. 181 Lebanon 0 1 January 2006 est. 182 Laos 0 1 January 2006 est. 183 Korea, South 0 1 January 2006 est. 184 Kiribati 0 1 January 2006 est. 185 Kenya 0 1 January 2006 est. 186 Jamaica 0 1 January 2006 est. 187 Costa Rica 0 1 January 2006 est. 188 Comoros 0 1 January 2006 est. 189 Cayman Islands 0 1 January 2006 est. 190 Sri Lanka 0 1 January 2006 est. 191 Cambodia 0 1 January 2006 est. 192 Burundi 0 1 January 2006 est. 193 Bhutan 0 1 January 2006 est. 194 Solomon Islands 0 1 January 2006 est. 195 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 1 January 2006 est. 196 Belgium 0 1 January 2006 est. 197 Bahamas, The 0 1 January 2006 est. 198 Bermuda 0 1 January 2006 est. 199 Armenia 0 1 January 2006 est. 200 American Samoa 0 1 January 2006 est. 201 Antigua and Barbuda 0 1 January 2006 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2179

Rank Country Natural gas - proved reserves(cu m) Date of Information

1 World 175,400,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 2 Russia 47,570,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 3 Iran 26,850,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 4 Qatar 25,630,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 5 Saudi Arabia 7,167,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 6 United Arab Emirates 6,071,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 7 United States 5,977,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 8 Nigeria 5,210,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 9 Venezuela 4,708,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 10 Algeria 4,502,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 11 Iraq 3,170,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 12 Kazakhstan 2,832,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 13 Turkmenistan 2,832,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 14 Indonesia 2,659,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 15 European Union 2,476,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 16 Malaysia 2,350,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 17 China 2,265,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 18 Norway 2,241,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 19 Uzbekistan 1,841,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 20 Egypt 1,656,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 21 Canada 1,648,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 22 Kuwait 1,586,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 23 Libya 1,419,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 24 Netherlands 1,416,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 25 Ukraine 1,104,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 26 India 1,075,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 27 Azerbaijan 849,500,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 28 Australia 849,500,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 29 Oman 849,500,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 30 Pakistan 792,800,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 31 Bolivia 750,400,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 32 Trinidad and Tobago 531,500,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 33 Yemen 478,500,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 34 Argentina 446,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 35 United Kingdom 412,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 36 Mexico 392,200,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 37 Brunei 390,800,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 38 Brazil 347,700,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 39 Peru 337,800,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 40 Thailand 331,200,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 41 Burma 283,200,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 42 Angola 269,800,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 43 Germany 254,800,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 44 Syria 240,700,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 45 Papua New Guinea 226,500,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 46 Timor-Leste 200,000,000,000 1 January 2006 est. 47 Vietnam 192,500,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 48 Poland 164,800,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 49 Bangladesh 141,600,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 50 Cameroon 135,100,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 51 Mozambique 127,400,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 52 Colombia 122,900,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 53 Philippines 98,540,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 54 Chile 97,970,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 55 Italy 94,150,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 56 Bahrain 92,030,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 57 Congo, Republic of the 90,610,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 58 Sudan 84,950,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 59 Cuba 70,790,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 60 Denmark 70,510,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 61 Tunisia 65,130,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 62 Romania 63,000,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 63 Namibia 62,290,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 64 Rwanda 56,630,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 65 Afghanistan 49,550,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 66 Serbia 48,140,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 67 Equatorial Guinea 36,810,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 68 Israel 30,440,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 69 New Zealand 29,670,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 70 Croatia 28,540,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 71 Gabon 28,320,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 72 Mauritania 28,320,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 73 Cote d'Ivoire 28,320,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 74 Ethiopia 24,920,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 75 Ghana 22,650,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 76 Japan 20,900,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 77 Austria 16,140,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 78 Slovakia 14,160,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 79 Ireland 9,911,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 80 Ecuador 9,369,000,000 1 January 2006 est. 81 Georgia 8,495,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 82 Turkey 8,495,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 83 Hungary 8,098,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 84 France 7,277,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 85 Tanzania 6,513,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 86 Taiwan 6,229,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 87 Jordan 6,031,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 88 Bulgaria 5,663,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 89 Somalia 5,663,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 90 Tajikistan 5,663,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 91 Kyrgyzstan 5,663,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 92 Czech Republic 3,964,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 93 Guatemala 2,960,000,000 1 January 2006 est. 94 Belarus 2,832,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 95 Spain 2,548,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 96 Greece 1,982,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 97 Morocco 1,557,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 98 Benin 1,133,000,000 1 January 2008 est. 99 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 991,100,000 1 January 2008 est. 100 Albania 849,500,000 1 January 2008 est. 101 Barbados 141,600,000 1 January 2008 est. 102 South Africa 27,160,000 1 January 2006 est. 103 Aruba 0 1 January 2006 104 Botswana 0 1 January 2006 est. 105 Belgium 0 1 January 2006 106 Solomon Islands 0 1 January 2006 est. 107 Mali 0 1 January 2006 est. 108 Macedonia 0 1 January 2008 est. 109 Malawi 0 1 January 2006 est. 110 Montserrat 0 1 January 2006 est. 111 Mongolia 0 1 January 2006 est. 112 Moldova 0 1 January 2006 est. 113 Macau 0 1 January 2006 est. 114 Madagascar 0 1 January 2006 est. 115 Lithuania 0 1 January 2006 est. 116 Zimbabwe 0 1 January 2006 est. 117 Zambia 0 1 January 2006 est. 118 Swaziland 0 1 January 2006 est. 119 Samoa 0 1 January 2006 est. 120 Western Sahara 0 1 January 2006 est. 121 Virgin Islands 0 1 January 2006 est. 122 British Virgin Islands 0 1 January 2006 est. 123 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 1 January 2006 est. 124 Uruguay 0 1 January 2006 est. 125 Burkina Faso 0 1 January 2006 est. 126 Uganda 0 1 January 2006 est. 127 Sao Tome and Principe 0 1 January 2006 est. 128 Togo 0 1 January 2006 est. 129 Tonga 0 1 January 2007 est. 130 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 1 January 2006 est. 131 Switzerland 0 1 January 2006 est. 132 Sweden 0 1 January 2006 est. 133 Saint Lucia 0 1 January 2006 est. 134 Singapore 0 1 January 2006 est. 135 Sierra Leone 0 1 January 2006 est. 136 Slovenia 0 1 January 2006 est. 137 Saint Helena 0 1 January 2006 est. 138 Seychelles 0 1 January 2006 est. 139 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 1 January 2006 est. 140 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 1 January 2006 est. 141 Puerto Rico 0 1 January 2006 est. 142 Guinea-Bissau 0 1 January 2006 est. 143 Portugal 0 1 January 2006 est. 144 Panama 0 1 January 2006 est. 145 Paraguay 0 1 January 2007 est. 146 Nicaragua 0 1 January 2006 est. 147 Netherlands Antilles 0 1 January 2006 est. 148 Suriname 0 1 January 2006 est. 149 Nauru 0 1 January 2006 est. 150 Nepal 0 1 January 2006 est. 151 Vanuatu 0 1 January 2006 est. 152 Niger 0 1 January 2006 est. 153 Niue 0 1 January 2006 est. 154 New Caledonia 0 1 January 2006 est. 155 Maldives 0 1 January 2006 est. 156 Malta 0 1 January 2006 est. 157 Mauritius 0 1 January 2006 est. 158 Lebanon 0 1 January 2006 est. 159 Laos 0 1 January 2006 est. 160 Korea, South 0 1 January 2006 est. 161 Kiribati 0 1 January 2006 est. 162 Korea, North 0 1 January 2007 163 Kenya 0 1 January 2006 est. 164 Jamaica 0 1 January 2006 est. 165 Iceland 0 1 January 2006 est. 166 Luxembourg 0 1 January 2006 est. 167 Lesotho 0 1 January 2006 est. 168 Liberia 0 1 January 2006 est. 169 Honduras 0 1 January 2006 est. 170 Hong Kong 0 1 January 2006 est. 171 Haiti 0 1 January 2006 est. 172 Guyana 0 1 January 2006 est. 173 Guinea 0 1 January 2006 est. 174 Guam 0 1 January 2006 est. 175 Greenland 0 1 January 2006 est. 176 Grenada 0 1 January 2006 est. 177 Gibraltar 0 1 January 2006 est. 178 Gambia, The 0 1 January 2006 est. 179 French Polynesia 0 1 January 2006 est. 180 Faroe Islands 0 1 January 2006 est. 181 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 1 January 2006 est. 182 Fiji 0 1 January 2006 est. 183 Finland 0 1 January 2006 184 El Salvador 0 1 January 2006 est. 185 Eritrea 0 1 January 2006 est. 186 Estonia 0 1 January 2006 est. 187 Dominican Republic 0 1 January 2006 est. 188 Dominica 0 1 January 2006 est. 189 Djibouti 0 1 January 2006 est. 190 Cyprus 0 1 January 2006 191 Cook Islands 0 1 January 2006 est. 192 Cape Verde 0 1 January 2006 est. 193 Central African Republic 0 1 January 2006 194 Costa Rica 0 1 January 2006 est. 195 Comoros 0 1 January 2006 est. 196 Cayman Islands 0 1 January 2006 est. 197 Sri Lanka 0 1 January 2006 est. 198 Chad 0 1 January 2006 est. 199 Burundi 0 1 January 2006 est. 200 Bhutan 0 1 January 2006 est. 201 Belize 0 1 January 2006 est. 202 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 1 January 2006 203 Bahamas, The 0 1 January 2006 est. 204 Bermuda 0 1 January 2006 est. 205 Armenia 0 1 January 2006 206 American Samoa 0 1 January 2006 est. 207 Antigua and Barbuda 0 1 January 2006 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2180

Rank Country Natural gas - production(cu m) Date of Information

1 World 3,021,000,000,000 2007 est. 2 Russia 656,200,000,000 2007 est. 3 United States 545,900,000,000 2007 est. 4 European Union 197,800,000,000 2007 est. 5 Canada 187,000,000,000 2007 est. 6 Iran 111,900,000,000 2007 est. 7 Norway 92,600,000,000 2007 est. 8 Algeria 85,700,000,000 2007 est. 9 Netherlands 76,330,000,000 2007 est. 10 Saudi Arabia 75,900,000,000 2007 est. 11 United Kingdom 72,300,000,000 2007 est. 12 China 69,270,000,000 2007 est. 13 Turkmenistan 68,880,000,000 2007 est. 14 Uzbekistan 65,190,000,000 2007 est. 15 Malaysia 64,500,000,000 2007 est. 16 Qatar 59,800,000,000 2007 est. 17 Indonesia 56,000,000,000 2007 est. 18 Mexico 55,980,000,000 2007 est. 19 United Arab Emirates 48,790,000,000 2006 est. 20 Egypt 47,500,000,000 2007 est. 21 Argentina 44,800,000,000 2007 est. 22 Australia 43,620,000,000 2007 est. 23 Trinidad and Tobago 39,000,000,000 2007 est. 24 Nigeria 34,100,000,000 2007 est. 25 India 31,700,000,000 2007 est. 26 Pakistan 30,800,000,000 2007 est. 27 Kazakhstan 27,880,000,000 2007 est. 28 Venezuela 26,500,000,000 2007 est. 29 Thailand 25,400,000,000 2007 est. 30 Oman 24,100,000,000 2007 est. 31 Ukraine 19,500,000,000 2007 est. 32 Germany 17,960,000,000 2007 est. 33 Bangladesh 15,700,000,000 2007 est. 34 Libya 14,800,000,000 2006 est. 35 Bolivia 14,700,000,000 2007 est. 36 Brunei 13,800,000,000 2006 est. 37 Burma 12,600,000,000 2006 est. 38 Kuwait 12,500,000,000 2006 est. 39 Romania 12,500,000,000 2006 est. 40 Bahrain 11,330,000,000 2006 est. 41 Brazil 9,800,000,000 2007 est. 42 Azerbaijan 9,770,000,000 2007 est. 43 Italy 9,706,000,000 2007 est. 44 Denmark 9,223,000,000 2007 est. 45 Syria 7,800,000,000 2007 est. 46 Colombia 7,220,000,000 2006 est. 47 Vietnam 6,860,000,000 2007 est. 48 Poland 6,025,000,000 2007 est. 49 New Zealand 4,573,000,000 2007 est. 50 Japan 3,729,000,000 2007 est. 51 Iraq 3,500,000,000 2007 est. 52 South Africa 2,900,000,000 2006 est. 53 Tunisia 2,550,000,000 2006 est. 54 Hungary 2,545,000,000 2007 est. 55 Philippines 2,200,000,000 2006 est. 56 Austria 1,848,000,000 2007 est. 57 Chile 1,800,000,000 2007 est. 58 Peru 1,780,000,000 2006 est. 59 Mozambique 1,650,000,000 2006 est. 60 Croatia 1,580,000,000 2006 est. 61 Equatorial Guinea 1,300,000,000 2006 est. 62 Cote d'Ivoire 1,300,000,000 2006 est. 63 Cuba 1,058,000,000 2006 64 Israel 970,000,000 2006 est. 65 France 953,000,000 2007 est. 66 Turkey 893,000,000 2007 est. 67 Angola 680,000,000 2006 est. 68 Serbia 650,000,000 2005 est. 69 Ireland 457,000,000 2007 est. 70 Taiwan 400,000,000 2007 est. 71 Korea, South 390,000,000 2007 est. 72 Jordan 320,000,000 2006 est. 73 Ecuador 280,000,000 2006 est. 74 Congo, Republic of the 180,000,000 2006 est. 75 Czech Republic 172,000,000 2007 est. 76 Belarus 164,000,000 2007 est. 77 Tanzania 146,000,000 2006 est. 78 Papua New Guinea 140,000,000 2006 est. 79 Slovakia 128,000,000 2007 est. 80 Gabon 100,000,000 2006 est. 81 Spain 88,000,000 2007 est. 82 Morocco 60,000,000 2006 est. 83 Moldova 50,000,000 2006 est. 84 Senegal 50,000,000 2006 est. 85 Tajikistan 32,000,000 2007 est. 86 Albania 30,000,000 2006 est. 87 Barbados 29,170,000 2006 est. 88 Greece 24,000,000 2007 est. 89 Afghanistan 20,000,000 2006 est. 90 Cameroon 20,000,000 2006 est. 91 Kyrgyzstan 18,000,000 2007 est. 92 Georgia 10,000,000 2007 est. 93 Slovenia 4,000,000 2006 est. 94 Aruba 0 2007 est. 95 Botswana 0 2007 est. 96 Belgium 0 2007 est. 97 Belize 0 2007 est. 98 Benin 0 2007 est. 99 Bhutan 0 2007 est. 100 Guinea 0 2007 est. 101 Guatemala 0 2007 est. 102 Guam 0 2007 est. 103 Greenland 0 2007 est. 104 Grenada 0 2007 est. 105 Gibraltar 0 2007 est. 106 Ghana 0 2007 est. 107 Gambia, The 0 2007 est. 108 French Polynesia 0 2007 est. 109 Zimbabwe 0 2007 est. 110 Zambia 0 2007 est. 111 Yemen 0 2007 est. 112 Swaziland 0 2007 est. 113 Samoa 0 2007 est. 114 Western Sahara 0 2007 est. 115 Namibia 0 2007 est. 116 Virgin Islands 0 2007 est. 117 British Virgin Islands 0 2007 est. 118 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 2007 est. 119 Uruguay 0 2007 est. 120 Burkina Faso 0 2007 est. 121 Uganda 0 2007 est. 122 Timor-Leste 0 2007 est. 123 Sao Tome and Principe 0 2007 est. 124 Togo 0 2007 est. 125 Tonga 0 2007 est. 126 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 2007 est. 127 Switzerland 0 2007 est. 128 Sweden 0 2007 est. 129 Sudan 0 2007 est. 130 Saint Lucia 0 2007 est. 131 Somalia 0 2007 est. 132 Singapore 0 2007 est. 133 Sierra Leone 0 2007 est. 134 Saint Helena 0 2007 est. 135 Seychelles 0 2007 est. 136 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 2007 est. 137 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 2007 est. 138 Rwanda 0 2007 est. 139 Puerto Rico 0 2007 est. 140 Guinea-Bissau 0 2007 est. 141 Portugal 0 2007 est. 142 Panama 0 2007 est. 143 Nepal 0 2007 est. 144 Vanuatu 0 2007 est. 145 Niger 0 2007 est. 146 Niue 0 2007 est. 147 New Caledonia 0 2007 est. 148 Maldives 0 2007 est. 149 Malta 0 2007 est. 150 Mauritania 0 2007 est. 151 Mauritius 0 2007 est. 152 Paraguay 0 2007 est. 153 Nicaragua 0 2007 est. 154 Netherlands Antilles 0 2007 est. 155 Suriname 0 2007 est. 156 Nauru 0 2007 est. 157 Mali 0 2007 est. 158 Macedonia 0 2007 est. 159 Malawi 0 2007 est. 160 Montserrat 0 2007 est. 161 Mongolia 0 2007 est. 162 Macau 0 2007 est. 163 Madagascar 0 2007 est. 164 Luxembourg 0 2007 est. 165 Lesotho 0 2007 est. 166 Liberia 0 2007 est. 167 Lithuania 0 2007 est. 168 Latvia 0 2007 est. 169 Lebanon 0 2007 est. 170 Laos 0 2007 est. 171 Kosovo 0 2007 172 Kiribati 0 2007 est. 173 Korea, North 0 2007 est. 174 Kenya 0 2007 est. 175 Jamaica 0 2007 est. 176 Iceland 0 2007 est. 177 Honduras 0 2007 est. 178 Hong Kong 0 2007 est. 179 Haiti 0 2007 est. 180 Guyana 0 2007 est. 181 Faroe Islands 0 2007 est. 182 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 2007 est. 183 Fiji 0 2007 est. 184 Finland 0 2007 est. 185 Ethiopia 0 2007 est. 186 El Salvador 0 2007 est. 187 Eritrea 0 2007 est. 188 Estonia 0 2007 est. 189 Dominican Republic 0 2007 est. 190 Dominica 0 2007 est. 191 Djibouti 0 2007 est. 192 Cyprus 0 2007 est. 193 Cook Islands 0 2007 est. 194 Cape Verde 0 2007 est. 195 Central African Republic 0 2007 est. 196 Costa Rica 0 2007 est. 197 Comoros 0 2007 est. 198 Cayman Islands 0 2007 est. 199 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0 2007 est. 200 Sri Lanka 0 2007 est. 201 Chad 0 2007 est. 202 Cambodia 0 2007 est. 203 Burundi 0 2007 est. 204 Bulgaria 0 2007 est. 205 Solomon Islands 0 2007 est. 206 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 2007 est. 207 Bahamas, The 0 2007 est. 208 Bermuda 0 2007 est. 209 Armenia 0 2007 est. 210 American Samoa 0 2007 est. 211 Antigua and Barbuda 0 2007 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2181

Rank Country Natural gas - consumption(cu m) Date of Information

1 World 3,198,000,000,000 2007 est. 2 United States 652,900,000,000 2007 est. 3 Russia 610,000,000,000 2007 est. 4 European Union 500,100,000,000 2007 est. 5 Iran 111,800,000,000 2007 est. 6 Japan 100,300,000,000 2007 est. 7 Germany 97,440,000,000 2007 est. 8 Canada 92,900,000,000 2007 est. 9 United Kingdom 91,100,000,000 2007 est. 10 Ukraine 84,900,000,000 2007 est. 11 Italy 84,890,000,000 2007 est. 12 Saudi Arabia 75,900,000,000 2007 est. 13 China 70,510,000,000 2007 est. 14 Mexico 68,290,000,000 2007 est. 15 Uzbekistan 51,180,000,000 2007 est. 16 Netherlands 46,420,000,000 2007 est. 17 Argentina 44,100,000,000 2007 est. 18 United Arab Emirates 43,110,000,000 2006 est. 19 France 42,690,000,000 2007 est. 20 India 41,700,000,000 2007 est. 21 Turkey 36,600,000,000 2007 est. 22 Thailand 35,300,000,000 2007 est. 23 Korea, South 34,830,000,000 2007 est. 24 Spain 34,430,000,000 2007 est. 25 Malaysia 32,900,000,000 2007 est. 26 Egypt 31,800,000,000 2007 est. 27 Pakistan 30,800,000,000 2007 est. 28 Kazakhstan 30,580,000,000 2007 est. 29 Australia 29,400,000,000 2007 est. 30 Venezuela 26,500,000,000 2007 est. 31 Algeria 26,300,000,000 2007 est. 32 Indonesia 23,400,000,000 2007 est. 33 Belarus 21,760,000,000 2007 est. 34 Trinidad and Tobago 20,800,000,000 2007 est. 35 Qatar 20,500,000,000 2007 est. 36 Brazil 19,800,000,000 2007 est. 37 Turkmenistan 19,480,000,000 2007 est. 38 Belgium 17,390,000,000 2007 est. 39 Romania 17,090,000,000 2007 40 Poland 16,380,000,000 2007 est. 41 Bangladesh 15,700,000,000 2007 est. 42 Hungary 13,360,000,000 2007 est. 43 Nigeria 12,900,000,000 2007 est. 44 Kuwait 12,500,000,000 2006 est. 45 Bahrain 11,330,000,000 2006 est. 46 Taiwan 11,300,000,000 2007 est. 47 Oman 11,000,000,000 2007 est. 48 Azerbaijan 9,770,000,000 2007 est. 49 Czech Republic 8,622,000,000 2007 est. 50 Austria 8,436,000,000 2007 est. 51 Colombia 7,220,000,000 2006 est. 52 Vietnam 6,860,000,000 2007 est. 53 Norway 6,500,000,000 2007 est. 54 Singapore 6,500,000,000 2007 est. 55 Libya 6,390,000,000 2006 est. 56 Slovakia 6,216,000,000 2007 est. 57 Bulgaria 5,600,000,000 2006 est. 58 Ireland 4,984,000,000 2007 est. 59 Finland 4,581,000,000 2007 est. 60 New Zealand 4,572,000,000 2007 est. 61 Denmark 4,555,000,000 2007 est. 62 Syria 4,400,000,000 2007 est. 63 Chile 4,200,000,000 2007 est. 64 Portugal 4,112,000,000 2007 est. 65 Greece 4,069,000,000 2007 est. 66 Brunei 3,990,000,000 2006 est. 67 Tunisia 3,850,000,000 2006 est. 68 Burma 3,620,000,000 2006 est. 69 Lithuania 3,440,000,000 2007 est. 70 Switzerland 3,232,000,000 2007 est. 71 South Africa 3,100,000,000 2006 est. 72 Bolivia 3,000,000,000 2007 est. 73 Croatia 2,730,000,000 2006 est. 74 Hong Kong 2,690,000,000 2007 est. 75 Serbia 2,550,000,000 2005 est. 76 Moldova 2,440,000,000 2007 est. 77 Jordan 2,250,000,000 2006 est. 78 Philippines 2,200,000,000 2006 est. 79 Armenia 2,050,000,000 2007 est. 80 Latvia 2,040,000,000 2007 est. 81 Iraq 1,800,000,000 2006 est. 82 Peru 1,780,000,000 2006 est. 83 Georgia 1,490,000,000 2007 est. 84 Estonia 1,480,000,000 2007 est. 85 Mozambique 1,450,000,000 2006 est. 86 Luxembourg 1,329,000,000 2007 est. 87 Equatorial Guinea 1,300,000,000 2006 est. 88 Cote d'Ivoire 1,300,000,000 2006 est. 89 Slovenia 1,105,000,000 2006 est. 90 Cuba 1,058,000,000 2006 91 Sweden 1,006,000,000 2007 est. 92 Israel 970,000,000 2006 est. 93 Tajikistan 842,000,000 2007 est. 94 Kyrgyzstan 768,000,000 2007 est. 95 Puerto Rico 736,200,000 2007 est. 96 Angola 680,000,000 2006 est. 97 Bosnia and Herzegovina 400,000,000 2006 est. 98 Ecuador 280,000,000 2006 est. 99 Dominican Republic 250,000,000 2006 est. 100 Congo, Republic of the 180,000,000 2006 est. 101 Tanzania 146,000,000 2006 est. 102 Papua New Guinea 140,000,000 2006 est. 103 Uruguay 102,800,000 2007 est. 104 Gabon 100,000,000 2006 est. 105 Macedonia 100,000,000 2006 est. 106 Morocco 60,000,000 2006 est. 107 Senegal 50,000,000 2006 est. 108 Albania 30,000,000 2006 est. 109 Barbados 29,170,000 2006 est. 110 Afghanistan 20,000,000 2006 est. 111 Cameroon 20,000,000 2006 est. 112 Aruba 0 2007 est. 113 Bahamas, The 0 2007 est. 114 Solomon Islands 0 2007 est. 115 Burundi 0 2007 est. 116 Zimbabwe 0 2007 est. 117 Zambia 0 2007 est. 118 Yemen 0 2007 est. 119 Swaziland 0 2007 est. 120 Samoa 0 2007 est. 121 Western Sahara 0 2007 est. 122 Namibia 0 2007 est. 123 Virgin Islands 0 2007 est. 124 British Virgin Islands 0 2007 est. 125 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 2007 est. 126 Burkina Faso 0 2007 est. 127 Uganda 0 2007 est. 128 Timor-Leste 0 2007 est. 129 Sao Tome and Principe 0 2007 est. 130 Togo 0 2007 est. 131 Tonga 0 2007 est. 132 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 2007 est. 133 Sudan 0 2007 est. 134 Saint Lucia 0 2007 est. 135 Somalia 0 2007 est. 136 Sierra Leone 0 2007 est. 137 Saint Helena 0 2007 est. 138 Guinea-Bissau 0 2007 est. 139 Panama 0 2007 est. 140 Paraguay 0 2007 est. 141 Nicaragua 0 2007 est. 142 Netherlands Antilles 0 2007 est. 143 Suriname 0 2007 est. 144 Nauru 0 2007 est. 145 Nepal 0 2007 est. 146 Maldives 0 2007 est. 147 Seychelles 0 2007 est. 148 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 2007 est. 149 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 2007 est. 150 Rwanda 0 2007 est. 151 Malta 0 2007 est. 152 Mauritania 0 2007 est. 153 Mauritius 0 2007 est. 154 Mali 0 2007 est. 155 Malawi 0 2007 est. 156 Montserrat 0 2007 est. 157 Mongolia 0 2007 est. 158 Macau 0 2007 est. 159 Vanuatu 0 2007 est. 160 Niger 0 2007 est. 161 Niue 0 2007 est. 162 New Caledonia 0 2007 est. 163 Kenya 0 2007 est. 164 Jamaica 0 2007 est. 165 Iceland 0 2007 est. 166 Honduras 0 2007 est. 167 Haiti 0 2007 est. 168 Guyana 0 2007 est. 169 Guinea 0 2007 est. 170 Guatemala 0 2007 est. 171 Guam 0 2007 est. 172 Ethiopia 0 2007 est. 173 El Salvador 0 2007 est. 174 Eritrea 0 2007 est. 175 Dominica 0 2007 est. 176 Djibouti 0 2007 est. 177 Cook Islands 0 2007 est. 178 Cape Verde 0 2007 est. 179 Central African Republic 0 2007 est. 180 Costa Rica 0 2007 est. 181 Comoros 0 2007 est. 182 Cayman Islands 0 2007 est. 183 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0 2007 est. 184 Sri Lanka 0 2007 est. 185 Chad 0 2007 est. 186 Cambodia 0 2007 est. 187 Madagascar 0 2007 est. 188 Lesotho 0 2007 est. 189 Liberia 0 2007 est. 190 Lebanon 0 2007 est. 191 Laos 0 2007 est. 192 Kosovo 0 2007 193 Kiribati 0 2007 est. 194 Korea, North 0 2007 est. 195 Greenland 0 2007 est. 196 Grenada 0 2007 est. 197 Gibraltar 0 2007 est. 198 Ghana 0 2007 est. 199 Gambia, The 0 2007 est. 200 French Polynesia 0 2007 est. 201 Faroe Islands 0 2007 est. 202 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 2007 est. 203 Fiji 0 2007 est. 204 Bhutan 0 2007 est. 205 Benin 0 2007 est. 206 Belize 0 2007 est. 207 Bermuda 0 2007 est. 208 American Samoa 0 2007 est. 209 Botswana 0 2007 est. 210 Antigua and Barbuda 0 2007 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2182

Rank Country Natural gas - imports(cu m) Date of Information

1 World 957,600,000,000 2007 2 European Union 361,200,000,000 2005 est. 3 United States 130,300,000,000 2007 est. 4 Japan 95,620,000,000 2007 est. 5 Germany 88,350,000,000 2007 est. 6 Italy 73,950,000,000 2007 est. 7 Ukraine 65,400,000,000 2007 est. 8 Russia 58,300,000,000 2007 est. 9 France 42,900,000,000 2007 est. 10 Turkey 35,830,000,000 2007 est. 11 Spain 34,470,000,000 2007 est. 12 Korea, South 33,380,000,000 2007 est. 13 United Kingdom 29,200,000,000 2007 est. 14 Netherlands 25,730,000,000 2007 est. 15 Belarus 21,600,000,000 2007 est. 16 Belgium 17,340,000,000 2007 est. 17 Canada 13,200,000,000 2007 est. 18 Mexico 11,690,000,000 2007 est. 19 Taiwan 10,900,000,000 2007 est. 20 Kazakhstan 10,800,000,000 2007 est. 21 Hungary 10,450,000,000 2007 est. 22 Poland 10,120,000,000 2007 est. 23 Brazil 10,000,000,000 2007 est. 24 India 10,000,000,000 2007 est. 25 Thailand 9,800,000,000 2007 est. 26 Austria 9,658,000,000 2007 est. 27 Czech Republic 8,628,000,000 2007 est. 28 Singapore 6,500,000,000 2007 est. 29 Slovakia 6,268,000,000 2007 est. 30 Iran 6,100,000,000 2007 est. 31 Australia 5,689,000,000 2007 est. 32 Bulgaria 5,179,000,000 2005 33 Romania 4,800,000,000 2007 est. 34 Finland 4,576,000,000 2007 est. 35 Ireland 4,552,000,000 2007 est. 36 Greece 4,100,000,000 2007 est. 37 Portugal 4,095,000,000 2007 est. 38 China 3,920,000,000 2007 est. 39 Lithuania 3,440,000,000 2007 est. 40 Switzerland 3,232,000,000 2007 est. 41 Hong Kong 2,690,000,000 2007 est. 42 Moldova 2,440,000,000 2007 est. 43 Chile 2,400,000,000 2007 est. 44 Jordan 2,400,000,000 2007 est. 45 Serbia 2,100,000,000 2004 est. 46 Armenia 2,050,000,000 2007 est. 47 Latvia 2,040,000,000 2007 est. 48 Argentina 1,900,000,000 2007 est. 49 Estonia 1,480,000,000 2007 est. 50 Georgia 1,480,000,000 2007 est. 51 United Arab Emirates 1,343,000,000 2005 52 Luxembourg 1,329,000,000 2007 est. 53 Croatia 1,103,000,000 2005 54 Slovenia 1,073,000,000 2005 55 Sweden 1,006,000,000 2007 est. 56 Tajikistan 810,000,000 2007 est. 57 Kyrgyzstan 750,000,000 2007 est. 58 Puerto Rico 736,200,000 2007 est. 59 Dominican Republic 239,800,000 2005 60 Uruguay 116,900,000 2007 61 Macedonia 102,800,000 2007 62 Aruba 0 2007 est. 63 Afghanistan 0 2007 est. 64 Bahrain 0 2007 est. 65 Botswana 0 2007 est. 66 Solomon Islands 0 2007 est. 67 Benin 0 2007 est. 68 Burma 0 2007 est. 69 Bolivia 0 2007 est. 70 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 2005 71 Belize 0 2007 est. 72 Bangladesh 0 2007 est. 73 Bahamas, The 0 2007 est. 74 Bermuda 0 2007 est. 75 Faroe Islands 0 2007 est. 76 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 2007 est. 77 Fiji 0 2007 est. 78 Ethiopia 0 2007 est. 79 El Salvador 0 2007 est. 80 Eritrea 0 2007 est. 81 Equatorial Guinea 0 2007 est. 82 Egypt 0 2007 est. 83 Denmark 0 2007 est. 84 Lebanon 0 2007 est. 85 Laos 0 2007 est. 86 Kuwait 0 2007 est. 87 Kiribati 0 2007 est. 88 Korea, North 0 2007 est. 89 Kenya 0 2007 est. 90 Jamaica 0 2007 est. 91 Iraq 0 2007 est. 92 Cote d'Ivoire 0 2007 est. 93 Mozambique 0 2007 est. 94 Malaysia 0 2007 est. 95 Maldives 0 2007 est. 96 Oman 0 2007 est. 97 Malta 0 2007 est. 98 Mauritania 0 2007 est. 99 Mauritius 0 2007 est. 100 Morocco 0 2007 est. 101 Mali 0 2007 est. 102 Zimbabwe 0 2007 est. 103 Zambia 0 2007 est. 104 Yemen 0 2007 est. 105 Swaziland 0 2007 est. 106 Samoa 0 2007 est. 107 Western Sahara 0 2007 est. 108 Namibia 0 2007 est. 109 Virgin Islands 0 2007 est. 110 Vietnam 0 2007 est. 111 British Virgin Islands 0 2007 est. 112 Venezuela 0 2007 est. 113 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 2007 est. 114 Uzbekistan 0 2007 est. 115 Burkina Faso 0 2007 est. 116 Uganda 0 2007 est. 117 Tanzania 0 2007 est. 118 Turkmenistan 0 2007 est. 119 Timor-Leste 0 2007 est. 120 Tunisia 0 2005 121 Sao Tome and Principe 0 2007 est. 122 Togo 0 2007 est. 123 Tonga 0 2007 est. 124 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 2007 est. 125 Trinidad and Tobago 0 2007 est. 126 Syria 0 2007 est. 127 Sudan 0 2007 est. 128 Saint Lucia 0 2007 est. 129 Somalia 0 2007 est. 130 Sierra Leone 0 2007 est. 131 Saint Helena 0 2007 est. 132 South Africa 0 2005 133 Seychelles 0 2007 est. 134 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 2007 est. 135 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 2007 est. 136 Saudi Arabia 0 2007 est. 137 Rwanda 0 2007 est. 138 Philippines 0 2007 est. 139 Qatar 0 2007 est. 140 Guinea-Bissau 0 2007 est. 141 Papua New Guinea 0 2007 est. 142 Panama 0 2007 est. 143 Pakistan 0 2007 est. 144 Peru 0 2007 est. 145 Paraguay 0 2007 est. 146 New Zealand 0 2007 est. 147 Nicaragua 0 2007 est. 148 Netherlands Antilles 0 2007 est. 149 Suriname 0 2007 est. 150 Nauru 0 2007 est. 151 Nepal 0 2007 est. 152 Norway 0 2007 est. 153 Nigeria 0 2007 est. 154 Vanuatu 0 2007 est. 155 Niger 0 2007 est. 156 Niue 0 2007 est. 157 New Caledonia 0 2007 est. 158 Malawi 0 2007 est. 159 Montserrat 0 2007 est. 160 Mongolia 0 2007 est. 161 Macau 0 2007 est. 162 Madagascar 0 2007 est. 163 Libya 0 2007 est. 164 Lesotho 0 2007 est. 165 Liberia 0 2007 est. 166 Israel 0 2007 est. 167 Indonesia 0 2007 est. 168 Iceland 0 2007 est. 169 Honduras 0 2007 est. 170 Haiti 0 2007 est. 171 Guyana 0 2007 est. 172 Guinea 0 2007 est. 173 Guatemala 0 2007 est. 174 Guam 0 2007 est. 175 Greenland 0 2007 est. 176 Grenada 0 2007 est. 177 Gibraltar 0 2007 est. 178 Ghana 0 2007 est. 179 Gabon 0 2007 est. 180 Gambia, The 0 2007 est. 181 French Polynesia 0 2007 est. 182 Cook Islands 0 2007 est. 183 Cape Verde 0 2007 est. 184 Cuba 0 2007 est. 185 Central African Republic 0 2007 est. 186 Costa Rica 0 2007 est. 187 Colombia 0 2007 est. 188 Comoros 0 2007 est. 189 Cameroon 0 2007 est. 190 Ecuador 0 2007 est. 191 Dominica 0 2007 est. 192 Djibouti 0 2007 est. 193 Cayman Islands 0 2007 est. 194 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0 2007 est. 195 Congo, Republic of the 0 2007 est. 196 Chad 0 2007 est. 197 Cambodia 0 2007 est. 198 Burundi 0 2007 est. 199 Brunei 0 2007 est. 200 Bhutan 0 2007 est. 201 Barbados 0 2007 est. 202 Azerbaijan 0 2005 203 American Samoa 0 2007 est. 204 Angola 0 2007 est. 205 Albania 0 2007 est. 206 Algeria 0 2007 est. 207 Antigua and Barbuda 0 2007 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2183

Rank Country Natural gas - exports(cu m) Date of Information

1 World 929,900,000,000 2007 est. 2 Russia 237,200,000,000 2007 est. 3 Canada 107,300,000,000 2007 est. 4 Norway 86,100,000,000 2007 est. 5 European Union 76,480,000,000 2005 est. 6 Algeria 59,400,000,000 2007 est. 7 Netherlands 55,660,000,000 2007 est. 8 Turkmenistan 49,400,000,000 2007 est. 9 Qatar 39,300,000,000 2007 est. 10 Indonesia 32,600,000,000 2007 est. 11 Malaysia 31,600,000,000 2007 est. 12 United States 23,280,000,000 2007 est. 13 Nigeria 21,200,000,000 2007 est. 14 Australia 19,910,000,000 2007 est. 15 Trinidad and Tobago 18,100,000,000 2007 est. 16 Egypt 15,700,000,000 2007 est. 17 Uzbekistan 14,010,000,000 2007 est. 18 Oman 13,100,000,000 2007 est. 19 Germany 12,220,000,000 2007 est. 20 Bolivia 11,700,000,000 2007 est. 21 United Kingdom 10,400,000,000 2007 est. 22 Burma 9,900,000,000 2007 est. 23 Libya 9,900,000,000 2007 est. 24 Brunei 9,400,000,000 2007 est. 25 Kazakhstan 8,100,000,000 2007 est. 26 United Arab Emirates 6,848,000,000 2005 est. 27 Iran 6,200,000,000 2007 est. 28 Denmark 4,517,000,000 2007 est. 29 Ukraine 4,000,000,000 2006 est. 30 Mexico 2,973,000,000 2007 est. 31 Austria 2,767,000,000 2007 est. 32 China 2,690,000,000 2007 est. 33 Argentina 2,600,000,000 2007 est. 34 France 966,000,000 2007 est. 35 Czech Republic 402,000,000 2007 est. 36 Slovakia 180,000,000 2007 est. 37 Hungary 138,000,000 2007 est. 38 Italy 68,000,000 2007 est. 39 Poland 45,000,000 2007 est. 40 Turkey 31,000,000 2007 est. 41 Aruba 0 2007 est. 42 Azerbaijan 0 2007 est. 43 Bahrain 0 2007 est. 44 Botswana 0 2007 est. 45 Solomon Islands 0 2007 est. 46 Belarus 0 2007 est. 47 Benin 0 2007 est. 48 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0 2007 est. 49 Belize 0 2007 est. 50 Bangladesh 0 2007 est. 51 Bahamas, The 0 2007 est. 52 Belgium 0 2007 est. 53 Bermuda 0 2007 est. 54 Cuba 0 2007 est. 55 Central African Republic 0 2007 est. 56 Costa Rica 0 2007 est. 57 Colombia 0 2007 est. 58 Comoros 0 2007 est. 59 Cameroon 0 2007 est. 60 Cayman Islands 0 2007 est. 61 Chile 0 2007 est. 62 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 0 2007 est. 63 Greenland 0 2007 est. 64 Grenada 0 2007 est. 65 Gibraltar 0 2007 est. 66 Ghana 0 2007 est. 67 Georgia 0 2007 est. 68 Gabon 0 2007 est. 69 Gambia, The 0 2007 est. 70 French Polynesia 0 2007 est. 71 Faroe Islands 0 2007 est. 72 Jordan 0 2007 est. 73 Jamaica 0 2007 est. 74 Japan 0 2007 est. 75 Iraq 0 2007 est. 76 Cote d'Ivoire 0 2007 est. 77 Israel 0 2007 est. 78 India 0 2007 est. 79 Iceland 0 2007 est. 80 Croatia 0 2007 est. 81 Mongolia 0 2007 est. 82 Moldova 0 2007 est. 83 Macau 0 2007 est. 84 Madagascar 0 2007 est. 85 Luxembourg 0 2007 est. 86 Lesotho 0 2007 est. 87 Liberia 0 2007 est. 88 Lithuania 0 2007 est. 89 Latvia 0 2007 est. 90 Zimbabwe 0 2007 est. 91 Zambia 0 2007 est. 92 Yemen 0 2007 est. 93 Swaziland 0 2007 est. 94 Samoa 0 2007 est. 95 Western Sahara 0 2007 est. 96 Namibia 0 2007 est. 97 Virgin Islands 0 2007 est. 98 Vietnam 0 2007 est. 99 British Virgin Islands 0 2007 est. 100 Venezuela 0 2007 est. 101 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0 2007 est. 102 Uruguay 0 2007 est. 103 Burkina Faso 0 2007 est. 104 Uganda 0 2007 est. 105 Tanzania 0 2007 est. 106 Taiwan 0 2007 est. 107 Timor-Leste 0 2007 est. 108 Tunisia 0 2007 est. 109 Sao Tome and Principe 0 2007 est. 110 Togo 0 2007 est. 111 Tonga 0 2007 est. 112 Turks and Caicos Islands 0 2007 est. 113 Tajikistan 0 2007 est. 114 Thailand 0 2007 est. 115 Switzerland 0 2007 est. 116 Sweden 0 2007 est. 117 Sudan 0 2007 est. 118 Saint Lucia 0 2007 est. 119 Spain 0 2007 est. 120 Somalia 0 2007 est. 121 Singapore 0 2007 est. 122 Sierra Leone 0 2007 est. 123 Slovenia 0 2007 est. 124 Saint Helena 0 2007 est. 125 South Africa 0 2007 est. 126 Seychelles 0 2007 est. 127 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0 2007 est. 128 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 2007 est. 129 Saudi Arabia 0 2007 est. 130 Rwanda 0 2007 est. 131 Puerto Rico 0 2007 est. 132 Philippines 0 2007 est. 133 Romania 0 2007 est. 134 Serbia 0 2005 est. 135 Guinea-Bissau 0 2007 est. 136 Papua New Guinea 0 2007 est. 137 Portugal 0 2007 est. 138 Panama 0 2007 est. 139 Pakistan 0 2007 est. 140 Peru 0 2007 est. 141 Paraguay 0 2007 est. 142 New Zealand 0 2007 est. 143 Nicaragua 0 2007 est. 144 Netherlands Antilles 0 2007 est. 145 Suriname 0 2007 est. 146 Nauru 0 2007 est. 147 Nepal 0 2007 est. 148 Vanuatu 0 2007 est. 149 Niger 0 2007 est. 150 Niue 0 2007 est. 151 New Caledonia 0 2007 est. 152 Mozambique 0 2005 est. 153 Maldives 0 2007 est. 154 Malta 0 2007 est. 155 Mauritania 0 2007 est. 156 Mauritius 0 2007 est. 157 Morocco 0 2007 est. 158 Mali 0 2007 est. 159 Macedonia 0 2007 est. 160 Malawi 0 2007 est. 161 Montserrat 0 2007 est. 162 Lebanon 0 2007 est. 163 Laos 0 2007 est. 164 Kuwait 0 2007 est. 165 Korea, South 0 2007 est. 166 Kiribati 0 2007 est. 167 Korea, North 0 2007 est. 168 Kyrgyzstan 0 2007 est. 169 Kenya 0 2007 est. 170 Honduras 0 2007 est. 171 Hong Kong 0 2007 est. 172 Haiti 0 2007 est. 173 Guyana 0 2007 est. 174 Guinea 0 2007 est. 175 Guatemala 0 2007 est. 176 Greece 0 2007 est. 177 Guam 0 2007 est. 178 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 0 2007 est. 179 Fiji 0 2007 est. 180 Finland 0 2007 est. 181 Ethiopia 0 2007 est. 182 El Salvador 0 2007 est. 183 Eritrea 0 2007 est. 184 Estonia 0 2007 est. 185 Equatorial Guinea 0 2007 est. 186 Ireland 0 2007 est. 187 Ecuador 0 2007 est. 188 Dominican Republic 0 2007 est. 189 Dominica 0 2007 est. 190 Djibouti 0 2007 est. 191 Cyprus 0 2007 est. 192 Cook Islands 0 2007 est. 193 Cape Verde 0 2007 est. 194 Congo, Republic of the 0 2007 est. 195 Sri Lanka 0 2007 est. 196 Chad 0 2007 est. 197 Cambodia 0 2007 est. 198 Burundi 0 2007 est. 199 Bulgaria 0 2007 est. 200 Bhutan 0 2007 est. 201 Brazil 0 2007 est. 202 Barbados 0 2007 est. 203 Armenia 0 2007 est. 204 American Samoa 0 2007 est. 205 Angola 0 2007 est. 206 Albania 0 2007 est. 207 Afghanistan 0 2007 est. 208 Antigua and Barbuda 0 2007 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2184

Rank Country Internet hosts Date of Information

1 United States 316,000,000 2 Japan 39,909,000 2008 3 Germany 22,606,000 2008 4 Italy 17,702,000 2008 5 China 14,306,000 2008 6 France 14,256,000 2008 7 Australia 11,134,000 2008 8 Netherlands 10,983,000 2008 9 Mexico 10,653,000 2008 10 Brazil 9,573,000 2008 11 United Kingdom 8,269,000 2008 12 Poland 7,808,000 2008 13 Taiwan 5,225,000 2008 14 Canada 5,119,000 2008 15 Russia 4,822,000 2008 16 Finland 3,877,000 2008 17 Belgium 3,841,000 2008 18 Argentina 3,813,000 2008 19 Denmark 3,642,000 2008 20 Sweden 3,579,000 2008 21 Switzerland 3,437,000 2008 22 Spain 3,264,000 2008 23 Norway 2,995,000 2008 24 Austria 2,806,000 2008 25 India 2,707,000 2008 26 Turkey 2,667,000 2008 27 Czech Republic 2,434,000 2008 28 Romania 2,195,000 2008 29 Hungary 1,879,000 2008 30 Portugal 1,858,000 2008 31 New Zealand 1,720,000 2008 32 Greece 1,626,000 2008 33 Colombia 1,554,000 2008 34 Israel 1,415,000 2008 35 South Africa 1,297,000 2008 36 Ireland 1,242,000 2008 37 Thailand 1,116,000 2008 38 Croatia 1,111,000 2008 39 Chile 847,215 2008 40 Singapore 837,559 2008 41 Hong Kong 817,766 2008 42 Lithuania 812,083 2008 43 Indonesia 753,200 2008 44 Slovakia 717,744 2008 45 Estonia 645,495 2008 46 Ukraine 524,202 2008 47 Bulgaria 513,470 2008 48 Uruguay 480,593 2008 49 Niue 382,599 2008 50 United Arab Emirates 381,915 2008 51 Malaysia 377,716 2008 52 Korea, South 333,823 2008 53 Philippines 283,579 2008 54 Morocco 275,889 2008 55 Peru 271,745 2008 56 Iceland 263,980 2008 57 Moldova 223,869 2008 58 Latvia 220,082 2008 59 Pakistan 197,264 2008 60 Luxembourg 180,756 2008 61 Egypt 175,342 2008 62 Trinidad and Tobago 155,722 2008 63 Venezuela 145,394 2008 64 Cyprus 143,099 2008 65 Saudi Arabia 141,232 2008 66 Guatemala 124,095 2008 67 Dominican Republic 105,546 2008 68 Vietnam 84,151 2008 69 Slovenia 75,984 2008 70 Bolivia 68,428 2008 71 Belarus 68,118 2008 72 Nicaragua 58,157 2008 73 Kyrgyzstan 56,905 2008 74 Tuvalu 56,209 2008 75 Bosnia and Herzegovina 56,032 2008 76 Netherlands Antilles 47,597 2008 77 Ecuador 45,404 2008 78 Nepal 42,219 2008 79 Uzbekistan 38,183 2008 80 Macedonia 36,905 2008 81 Lebanon 36,681 2008 82 Kazakhstan 36,417 2008 83 European Union 31,693 84 Georgia 27,905 2008 85 Kenya 27,376 2008 86 Malta 26,494 2008 87 Armenia 26,081 2008 88 Tanzania 24,271 2008 89 Ghana 24,018 2008 90 Andorra 23,368 2008 91 Mozambique 22,532 2008 92 Jordan 21,150 2008 93 Monaco 21,058 2008 94 Paraguay 19,691 2008 95 Tonga 19,231 2008 96 Zimbabwe 19,157 2008 97 Aruba 17,661 2008 98 Costa Rica 16,440 2008 99 New Caledonia 15,487 2008 100 Brunei 14,950 2008 101 Greenland 14,132 2008 102 French Polynesia 14,070 2008 103 Honduras 13,370 2008 104 Fiji 12,592 2008 105 El Salvador 11,434 2008 106 Samoa 11,307 2008 107 Madagascar 11,016 2008 108 Albania 10,162 2008 109 Mauritius 9,609 2008 110 Bhutan 9,046 2008 111 Faroe Islands 8,516 2008 112 Panama 7,858 2008 113 Syria 7,857 2008 114 Antarctica 7,748 2008 115 Liechtenstein 7,639 2008 116 Zambia 7,610 2008 117 Azerbaijan 6,995 2008 118 San Marino 6,665 2008 119 Botswana 6,374 2008 120 Namibia 6,296 2008 121 Guyana 6,218 2008 122 Cote d'Ivoire 5,569 2008 123 Sri Lanka 4,940 2008 124 Oman 4,785 2008 125 Cayman Islands 4,648 2008 126 Virgin Islands 4,610 2008 127 Solomon Islands 3,804 2008 128 Cuba 3,664 2008 129 Angola 3,562 2008 130 Papua New Guinea 3,422 2008 131 Kuwait 3,289 2008 132 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 3,211 2008 133 Iran 2,860 2008 134 Belize 2,751 2008 135 Bahrain 2,621 2008 136 Swaziland 2,582 2008 137 Rwanda 2,363 2008 138 Turks and Caicos Islands 2,352 2008 139 Cook Islands 2,234 2008 140 Antigua and Barbuda 2,215 2008 141 American Samoa 1,923 2008 142 Gibraltar 1,904 2008 143 Christmas Island 1,821 2008 144 Bermuda 1,628 2008 145 Maldives 1,600 2008 146 Bangladesh 1,440 2008 147 Sao Tome and Principe 1,355 2008 148 Jamaica 1,292 2008 149 Cambodia 1,230 2008 150 Tajikistan 1,158 2008 151 Uganda 1,090 2008 152 Eritrea 1,074 2008 153 Nigeria 1,048 2008 154 Laos 1,015 2008 155 Vanuatu 990 2008 156 Micronesia, Federated States of 866 2008 157 Benin 848 2008 158 Togo 769 2008 159 Turkmenistan 640 2008 160 Qatar 563 2008 161 Algeria 477 2008 162 British Virgin Islands 465 2008 163 Isle of Man 426 2008 164 Montserrat 409 2008 165 Puerto Rico 404 2008 166 Mali 387 2008 167 Tunisia 376 2008 168 Mongolia 356 2008 169 Gambia, The 320 2008 170 Saint Helena 306 2008 171 Timor-Leste 285 2008 172 Seychelles 284 2008 173 Tokelau 273 2008 174 Macau 263 2008 175 Senegal 217 2008 176 Niger 216 2008 177 Anguilla 205 2008 178 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 196 2008 179 Jersey 190 2008 180 Yemen 167 2008 181 Burundi 162 2008 182 Djibouti 161 2008 183 Guernsey 156 2008 184 Ethiopia 128 2008 185 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 124 2008 186 Burkina Faso 116 2008 187 Burma 108 2008 188 Malawi 107 2008 189 Barbados 104 2008 190 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 91 2008 191 British Indian Ocean Territory 89 2008 192 Gabon 88 2008 193 Lesotho 83 2008 194 Guinea-Bissau 82 2008 195 Cameroon 69 2008 196 Holy See (Vatican City) 55 2008 197 Norfolk Island 51 2008 198 Saint Kitts and Nevis 45 2008 199 Nauru 42 2008 200 Bahamas, The 41 2008 201 French Southern and Antarctic Lands 38 2008 202 Guam 36 2008 203 Mauritania 34 2008 204 Suriname 33 2008 205 Sudan 33 2008 206 Afghanistan 31 2008 207 Libya 31 2008 208 Dominica 29 2008 209 Central African Republic 21 2008 210 Cape Verde 20 2008 211 Saint Lucia 17 2008 212 Guinea 16 2008 213 Pitcairn Islands 12 2008 214 Equatorial Guinea 9 2008 215 Kiribati 9 2008 216 Grenada 9 2008 217 Comoros 8 2008 218 Sierra Leone 8 2008 219 Haiti 7 2008 220 Liberia 7 2008 221 Bouvet Island 6 2008 222 Northern Mariana Islands 6 2008 223 Chad 5 2008 224 Congo, Republic of the 5 2008 225 Iraq 3 2008 226 Marshall Islands 3 2008 227 Mayotte 1 2008 228 Wallis and Futuna 1 2008 229 Somalia 1 2008 230 Palau 0 2008 231 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0 2008

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2185

Rank Country Investment (gross fixed)(% of GDP) Date of Information

1 Lesotho 51.90 2007 est. 2 Qatar 43.30 2007 est. 3 China 42.70 2007 est. 4 Congo, Republic of the 40.40 2007 est. 5 Equatorial Guinea 37.90 2007 est. 6 Vietnam 37.10 2007 est. 7 Cape Verde 37.00 2007 est. 8 Sao Tome and Principe 36.90 2007 est. 9 Guyana 34.90 2007 est. 10 Jamaica 34.20 2007 est. 11 India 33.90 2007 est. 12 Armenia 33.60 2007 est. 13 Moldova 33.30 2007 est. 14 Latvia 32.50 2007 est. 15 Turkmenistan 32.50 2007 est. 16 Estonia 31.90 2007 est. 17 Nicaragua 31.80 2007 est. 18 Ghana 31.60 2007 est. 19 Spain 31.10 2007 est. 20 Belarus 30.80 2007 est. 21 Montenegro 30.50 2006 est. 22 Honduras 30.40 2007 est. 23 Kazakhstan 30.30 2007 est. 24 Croatia 30.10 2007 est. 25 Bulgaria 29.80 2007 est. 26 Morocco 29.70 2007 est. 27 Georgia 29.40 2007 est. 28 Kosovo 29.00 2006 est. 29 Haiti 28.90 2006 est. 30 Korea, South 28.80 2007 est. 31 Slovenia 28.70 2007 est. 32 Romania 28.00 2007 est. 33 Jordan 27.90 2007 est. 34 Iran 27.60 2007 est. 35 Iceland 27.50 2007 est. 36 Ukraine 27.40 2007 est. 37 Australia 27.30 2007 est. 38 Thailand 26.80 2007 est. 39 Lithuania 26.60 2007 est. 40 Ireland 26.30 2007 est. 41 Zambia 26.20 2007 est. 42 Ethiopia 25.90 2007 est. 43 Madagascar 25.90 2007 est. 44 Greece 25.70 2007 est. 45 Slovakia 25.70 2007 est. 46 Kyrgyzstan 25.60 2007 est. 47 Gambia, The 25.40 2007 est. 48 Uganda 25.40 2007 est. 49 Senegal 25.20 2007 est. 50 Mauritius 25.10 2007 est. 51 Yemen 25.00 2007 est. 52 Indonesia 24.90 2007 est. 53 Singapore 24.90 2007 est. 54 Sri Lanka 24.70 2007 est. 55 Algeria 24.50 2007 est. 56 Burundi 24.40 2007 est. 57 Bangladesh 24.30 2007 est. 58 Argentina 24.20 2007 est. 59 Gabon 24.20 2007 est. 60 Togo 24.20 2007 est. 61 Czech Republic 24.10 2007 est. 62 Namibia 23.80 2007 est. 63 Nigeria 23.70 2007 est. 64 Venezuela 23.70 2007 est. 65 Tunisia 23.60 2007 est. 66 Albania 23.30 2007 est. 67 New Zealand 23.30 2007 est. 68 Japan 23.20 2007 est. 69 Tanzania 23.20 2007 est. 70 Peru 23.00 2007 est. 71 Denmark 22.90 2007 est. 72 World 22.70 2007 est. 73 Canada 22.60 2007 est. 74 Colombia 22.50 2007 est. 75 Bahrain 22.30 2007 est. 76 Lebanon 22.00 2007 est. 77 Rwanda 22.00 2007 est. 78 Ecuador 21.90 2007 est. 79 Malaysia 21.70 2007 est. 80 Poland 21.70 2007 est. 81 Portugal 21.70 2007 est. 82 Costa Rica 21.60 2007 est. 83 European Union 21.50 2006 est. 84 Syria 21.50 2007 est. 85 Switzerland 21.50 2007 est. 86 Turkey 21.50 2007 est. 87 France 21.50 2007 est. 88 Belgium 21.30 2007 est. 89 Mozambique 21.30 2007 est. 90 Pakistan 21.30 2007 est. 91 Egypt 21.20 2007 est. 92 Taiwan 21.20 2007 est. 93 Burkina Faso 21.10 2007 est. 94 Italy 21.00 2007 est. 95 Russia 21.00 2007 est. 96 Hungary 20.90 2007 est. 97 Cyprus 20.80 2007 est. 98 Mexico 20.80 2007 est. 99 Norway 20.80 2007 est. 100 Kenya 20.70 2007 est. 101 Austria 20.60 2007 est. 102 South Africa 20.60 2007 est. 103 Chile 20.60 2007 est. 104 United Arab Emirates 20.30 2007 est. 105 Hong Kong 20.30 2007 est. 106 Finland 20.30 2007 est. 107 Luxembourg 20.20 2007 est. 108 Panama 20.20 2007 est. 109 Serbia 20.10 2007 est. 110 Azerbaijan 20.00 2007 est. 111 Oman 20.00 2007 est. 112 Netherlands 20.00 2007 est. 113 Saudi Arabia 20.00 2007 est. 114 Belize 19.70 2007 est. 115 Kuwait 19.70 2007 est. 116 Benin 19.30 2007 est. 117 Papua New Guinea 19.30 2007 est. 118 Botswana 19.20 2007 est. 119 Cambodia 19.20 2007 est. 120 Eritrea 19.10 2007 est. 121 Sudan 19.00 2007 est. 122 Sweden 19.00 2007 est. 123 Malta 18.90 2007 est. 124 Paraguay 18.90 2007 est. 125 Dominican Republic 18.80 2007 est. 126 Swaziland 18.60 2007 est. 127 Germany 18.50 2007 est. 128 Israel 18.50 2007 est. 129 United Kingdom 18.20 2007 est. 130 Macedonia 17.70 2007 est. 131 Brazil 17.60 2007 est. 132 Cameroon 17.30 2007 est. 133 Guatemala 17.10 2007 est. 134 Trinidad and Tobago 16.70 2007 est. 135 Zimbabwe 16.70 2007 est. 136 Bolivia 16.10 2007 est. 137 El Salvador 16.10 2007 est. 138 United States 15.50 2007 est. 139 Philippines 14.80 2007 est. 140 Uruguay 13.90 2007 est. 141 Burma 13.10 2007 est. 142 Cuba 13.10 2007 est. 143 Tajikistan 12.40 2007 est. 144 Chad 11.40 2007 est. 145 Guinea 11.30 2007 est. 146 Angola 9.10 2007 est. 147 Seychelles 8.90 2007 est. 148 Cote d'Ivoire 8.80 2007 est. 149 Libya 8.80 2007 est. 150 Malawi 8.40 2007 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2186

Rank Country Public debt(% of GDP) Date of Information

1 Zimbabwe 218.20 2007 est. 2 Lebanon 186.60 2007 est. 3 Japan 170.00 2007 est. 4 Jamaica 126.50 2007 est. 5 Sudan 105.90 2007 est. 6 Egypt 105.80 2007 est. 7 Italy 104.00 2007 est. 8 Singapore 96.30 2007 est. 9 Seychelles 92.30 2007 est. 10 Greece 89.50 2007 est. 11 Sri Lanka 85.80 2007 est. 12 Belgium 84.60 2007 est. 13 Norway 83.10 2007 est. 14 Bhutan 81.40 2004 15 Israel 80.60 2007 est. 16 Cote d'Ivoire 75.20 2007 est. 17 Jordan 72.40 2007 est. 18 Morocco 67.40 2007 est. 19 Hungary 67.00 2007 est. 20 Germany 64.90 2007 est. 21 Uruguay 64.80 2007 est. 22 Canada 64.20 2007 est. 23 France 63.90 2007 est. 24 Portugal 63.60 2007 est. 25 Mauritius 63.10 2007 est. 26 Nicaragua 62.90 2007 est. 27 United States 60.80 2007 est. 28 Cyprus 59.60 2007 est. 29 Austria 59.10 2007 est. 30 Ghana 58.50 2007 est. 31 India 58.20 2007 est. 32 Argentina 56.10 2007 est. 33 Philippines 55.80 2007 est. 34 Tunisia 55.40 2007 est. 35 Panama 53.00 2007 est. 36 Colombia 52.80 2007 est. 37 Gabon 52.80 2007 est. 38 Albania 51.40 2007 est. 39 Malawi 50.60 2007 est. 40 Pakistan 50.60 2007 est. 41 Kenya 48.70 2007 est. 42 Croatia 47.80 2007 est. 43 Costa Rica 46.60 2007 est. 44 Aruba 46.30 2005 45 Bolivia 46.30 2007 est. 46 Netherlands 45.50 2007 est. 47 Brazil 45.10 2007 est. 48 Ethiopia 44.50 2007 est. 49 Switzerland 44.20 2007 est. 50 United Kingdom 43.60 2007 est. 51 Poland 43.10 2007 est. 52 Vietnam 42.00 2007 est. 53 Sweden 41.70 2007 est. 54 Malaysia 41.60 2007 est. 55 Dominican Republic 41.00 2007 est. 56 Papua New Guinea 40.10 2007 est. 57 Turkey 38.90 2007 est. 58 Montenegro 38.00 2006 59 Thailand 37.90 2007 est. 60 Syria 37.70 2007 est. 61 Bangladesh 37.40 2007 est. 62 El Salvador 37.30 2007 est. 63 Serbia 37.00 2007 est. 64 Cuba 36.80 2007 est. 65 Spain 36.20 2007 est. 66 Finland 35.90 2007 est. 67 Slovakia 35.90 2007 est. 68 Bosnia and Herzegovina 34.00 2007 est. 69 Indonesia 34.00 2007 est. 70 Yemen 33.50 2007 est. 71 Ecuador 33.10 2007 est. 72 South Africa 31.30 2007 est. 73 Bahrain 31.20 2007 est. 74 Macedonia 30.80 2007 est. 75 Peru 29.20 2007 est. 76 Korea, South 28.20 2007 est. 77 Zambia 28.10 2007 est. 78 Trinidad and Tobago 27.90 2007 est. 79 Taiwan 27.90 2007 est. 80 Iceland 27.60 2007 est. 81 Paraguay 27.00 2007 est. 82 Denmark 26.00 2007 est. 83 Czech Republic 26.00 2007 est. 84 Ireland 24.90 2007 est. 85 Saudi Arabia 24.30 2007 est. 86 Honduras 24.10 2007 est. 87 Slovenia 23.60 2007 est. 88 Moldova 23.30 2007 est. 89 Senegal 22.90 2007 est. 90 Mexico 22.80 2007 est. 91 Namibia 22.30 2007 est. 92 Mozambique 22.20 2007 est. 93 United Arab Emirates 21.20 2007 est. 94 Guatemala 20.90 2007 est. 95 New Zealand 20.70 2007 est. 96 Uganda 20.60 2007 est. 97 Tanzania 19.60 2007 est. 98 Venezuela 19.30 2007 est. 99 Uzbekistan 18.70 2007 est. 100 China 18.40 2007 est. 101 Algeria 18.00 2007 est. 102 Lithuania 17.30 2007 est. 103 Iran 17.20 2007 est. 104 Gibraltar 15.70 2005 est. 105 Australia 15.60 2007 est. 106 Cameroon 15.50 2007 est. 107 Nigeria 14.40 2007 est. 108 Romania 13.00 2007 est. 109 Hong Kong 12.50 2007 est. 110 Angola 12.00 2007 est. 111 Ukraine 11.70 2007 est. 112 Qatar 11.00 2007 est. 113 Bulgaria 10.50 2007 est. 114 Kuwait 9.70 2007 est. 115 Kazakhstan 7.70 2007 est. 116 Latvia 7.40 2007 est. 117 Azerbaijan 6.70 2007 est. 118 Luxembourg 6.40 2007 est. 119 Russia 5.90 2007 est. 120 Wallis and Futuna 5.60 2004 est. 121 Botswana 5.40 2007 est. 122 Libya 4.70 2007 est. 123 Chile 4.10 2007 est. 124 Oman 3.70 2007 est. 125 Estonia 3.40 2007 est. 126 Equatorial Guinea 1.60 2007 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2187

Rank Country Current account balance Date of Information

1 China $ 371,800,000,000 2007 est. 2 Germany $ 254,500,000,000 2007 est. 3 Japan $ 210,500,000,000 2007 est. 4 Saudi Arabia $ 86,620,000,000 2007 est. 5 Russia $ 78,310,000,000 2007 est. 6 Switzerland $ 72,350,000,000 2007 est. 7 Norway $ 64,070,000,000 2007 est. 8 Kuwait $ 47,500,000,000 2007 est. 9 Netherlands $ 47,310,000,000 2007 est. 10 Singapore $ 46,390,000,000 2007 est. 11 Sweden $ 37,970,000,000 2007 est. 12 United Arab Emirates $ 34,530,000,000 2007 est. 13 Taiwan $ 32,880,000,000 2007 est. 14 Algeria $ 32,050,000,000 2007 est. 15 Iran $ 28,950,000,000 2007 est. 16 Malaysia $ 28,930,000,000 2007 est. 17 Hong Kong $ 28,040,000,000 2007 est. 18 Libya $ 26,380,000,000 2007 est. 19 Venezuela $ 20,000,000,000 2007 est. 20 Thailand $ 14,920,000,000 2007 est. 21 Angola $ 13,580,000,000 2007 est. 22 Canada $ 12,670,000,000 2007 est. 23 Austria $ 12,030,000,000 2007 est. 24 Finland $ 11,400,000,000 2007 est. 25 Indonesia $ 11,010,000,000 2007 est. 26 Qatar $ 10,410,000,000 2007 est. 27 Azerbaijan $ 9,019,000,000 2007 est. 28 Argentina $ 7,438,000,000 2007 est. 29 Chile $ 7,200,000,000 2007 est. 30 Brunei $ 7,101,000,000 2007 est. 31 Philippines $ 6,351,000,000 2007 est. 32 Iraq $ 6,025,000,000 2007 est. 33 Korea, South $ 5,954,000,000 2007 est. 34 Trinidad and Tobago $ 5,378,000,000 2007 est. 35 Israel $ 5,197,000,000 2007 est. 36 Luxembourg $ 4,921,000,000 2007 est. 37 Oman $ 4,866,000,000 2007 est. 38 Uzbekistan $ 4,615,000,000 2007 est. 39 Denmark $ 4,279,000,000 2007 est. 40 Belgium $ 3,282,000,000 2007 est. 41 Bahrain $ 2,907,000,000 2007 est. 42 Nigeria $ 2,514,000,000 2007 est. 43 Botswana $ 1,973,000,000 2007 est. 44 Bolivia $ 1,796,000,000 2007 est. 45 Brazil $ 1,712,000,000 2007 est. 46 Turkmenistan $ 1,705,000,000 2007 est. 47 Gabon $ 1,552,000,000 2007 est. 48 Peru $ 1,516,000,000 2007 est. 49 Burma $ 1,427,000,000 2007 est. 50 Timor-Leste $ 1,161,000,000 2007 est. 51 Ecuador $ 1,064,000,000 2007 est. 52 Syria $ 908,000,000 2007 est. 53 Namibia $ 805,200,000 2007 est. 54 Bangladesh $ 804,700,000 2007 est. 55 Egypt $ 500,900,000 2007 est. 56 Equatorial Guinea $ 415,000,000 2007 est. 57 Cuba $ 240,000,000 2007 est. 58 British Virgin Islands $ 134,300,000 1999 59 Papua New Guinea $ 125,800,000 2007 est. 60 Paraguay $ 119,000,000 2007 est. 61 Bhutan $ 116,000,000 2007 est. 62 Nepal $ 58,000,000 2007 63 Lesotho $ 49,000,000 2007 est. 64 Cook Islands $ 26,670,000 2005 65 Suriname $ 24,000,000 2007 est. 66 Palau $ 15,090,000 FY03/04 67 Comoros $ 8,000,000 2007 est. 68 Guinea-Bissau $ -6,000,000 2007 est. 69 Tuvalu $ -11,680,000 2003 70 Kiribati $ -21,000,000 2007 est. 71 Mongolia $ -23,000,000 2007 est. 72 Tonga $ -23,000,000 2007 est. 73 Samoa $ -24,000,000 2007 est. 74 Swaziland $ -24,000,000 2007 est. 75 Micronesia, Federated States of $ -34,300,000 FY05 est. 76 Anguilla $ -42,870,000 2003 est. 77 Belize $ -43,000,000 2007 est. 78 Sao Tome and Principe $ -55,000,000 2007 est. 79 Kosovo $ -58,300,000 2007 80 Vanuatu $ -60,000,000 2007 est. 81 Sierra Leone $ -63,000,000 2007 est. 82 Gambia, The $ -71,000,000 2007 est. 83 Dominica $ -72,000,000 2007 est. 84 Central African Republic $ -77,000,000 2007 est. 85 Burundi $ -101,000,000 2007 est. 86 Cape Verde $ -132,600,000 2007 est. 87 Grenada $ -138,000,000 2007 est. 88 Solomon Islands $ -143,000,000 2007 est. 89 Cote d'Ivoire $ -146,000,000 2007 est. 90 Rwanda $ -147,000,000 2007 est. 91 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines $ -149,000,000 2007 est. 92 Guyana $ -157,000,000 2007 est. 93 Togo $ -159,000,000 2007 est. 94 Saint Kitts and Nevis $ -163,000,000 2007 est. 95 Chad $ -171,000,000 2007 est. 96 Mauritania $ -184,000,000 2007 est. 97 Uruguay $ -185,600,000 2007 est. 98 Saint Lucia $ -199,000,000 2007 est. 99 Eritrea $ -205,000,000 2007 est. 100 Antigua and Barbuda $ -211,000,000 2007 est. 101 Djibouti $ -212,000,000 2007 est. 102 Liberia $ -224,000,000 2007 103 Zambia $ -228,000,000 2007 est. 104 Macedonia $ -249,000,000 2007 est. 105 Barbados $ -254,000,000 2007 est. 106 Kyrgyzstan $ -267,900,000 2007 est. 107 Seychelles $ -272,000,000 2007 est. 108 Laos $ -285,000,000 2007 est. 109 Malawi $ -318,000,000 2007 est. 110 Niger $ -321,000,000 2007 est. 111 Cameroon $ -325,000,000 2007 est. 112 Tajikistan $ -351,000,000 2007 est. 113 Yemen $ -362,000,000 2007 est. 114 Congo, Democratic Republic of the $ -402,000,000 2007 est. 115 Mauritius $ -408,300,000 2007 est. 116 Guinea $ -424,000,000 2007 est. 117 Malta $ -424,500,000 2007 est. 118 Benin $ -441,000,000 2007 est. 119 Mali $ -446,000,000 2007 est. 120 Haiti $ -467,000,000 2007 est. 121 Maldives $ -472,000,000 2007 122 Cambodia $ -506,300,000 2007 est. 123 Fiji $ -507,000,000 2007 est. 124 Armenia $ -571,400,000 2007 est. 125 Zimbabwe $ -649,000,000 2007 est. 126 Moldova $ -694,700,000 2007 est. 127 Burkina Faso $ -706,000,000 2007 est. 128 Uganda $ -744,700,000 2007 est. 129 Mozambique $ -795,100,000 2007 est. 130 Ethiopia $ -826,800,000 2007 est. 131 Madagascar $ -890,000,000 2007 est. 132 Tunisia $ -905,000,000 2007 est. 133 Nicaragua $ -1,001,000,000 2007 est. 134 Sri Lanka $ -1,019,000,000 2007 est. 135 El Salvador $ -1,119,000,000 2007 est. 136 Kenya $ -1,147,000,000 2007 est. 137 Albania $ -1,202,000,000 2007 est. 138 Honduras $ -1,225,000,000 2007 est. 139 Bahamas, The $ -1,442,000,000 2007 est. 140 Senegal $ -1,458,000,000 2007 est. 141 Congo, Republic of the $ -1,491,000,000 2007 est. 142 Costa Rica $ -1,499,000,000 2007 est. 143 Ghana $ -1,549,000,000 2007 est. 144 Panama $ -1,577,000,000 2007 est. 145 Guatemala $ -1,663,000,000 2007 est. 146 Jamaica $ -1,830,000,000 2007 est. 147 Morocco $ -1,834,000,000 2007 est. 148 Tanzania $ -1,856,000,000 2007 est. 149 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ -1,939,000,000 2007 est. 150 Georgia $ -2,044,000,000 2007 est. 151 Lebanon $ -2,046,000,000 2007 est. 152 Cyprus $ -2,144,000,000 2007 est. 153 Slovenia $ -2,181,000,000 2007 est. 154 Dominican Republic $ -2,231,000,000 2007 est. 155 Jordan $ -2,767,000,000 2007 est. 156 Belarus $ -2,876,000,000 2007 est. 157 Iceland $ -3,189,000,000 2007 est. 158 Sudan $ -3,447,000,000 2007 est. 159 Estonia $ -3,771,000,000 2007 est. 160 Slovakia $ -3,998,000,000 2007 est. 161 Czech Republic $ -4,534,000,000 2007 est. 162 Croatia $ -4,850,000,000 2007 est. 163 Lithuania $ -5,260,000,000 2007 est. 164 Mexico $ -5,525,000,000 2007 est. 165 Colombia $ -5,862,000,000 2007 est. 166 Ukraine $ -5,918,000,000 2007 est. 167 Latvia $ -6,231,000,000 2007 est. 168 Serbia $ -6,889,000,000 2007 est. 169 Vietnam $ -6,993,000,000 2007 est. 170 Kazakhstan $ -7,184,000,000 2007 est. 171 Hungary $ -8,018,000,000 2007 est. 172 Pakistan $ -8,255,000,000 2007 est. 173 Bulgaria $ -8,530,000,000 2007 est. 174 New Zealand $ -10,230,000,000 2007 est. 175 India $ -12,110,000,000 2007 est. 176 Ireland $ -14,120,000,000 2007 est. 177 Poland $ -15,910,000,000 2007 est. 178 South Africa $ -20,630,000,000 2007 est. 179 Portugal $ -21,750,000,000 2007 est. 180 Romania $ -23,020,000,000 2007 est. 181 France $ -31,250,000,000 2007 est. 182 Turkey $ -37,580,000,000 2007 est. 183 Greece $ -44,400,000,000 2007 est. 184 Italy $ -51,030,000,000 2007 est. 185 Australia $ -56,780,000,000 2007 est. 186 United Kingdom $ -119,200,000,000 2007 est. 187 Spain $ -145,300,000,000 2007 est. 188 United States $ -731,200,000,000 2007 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2188

Rank Country Reserves of foreign exchange and gold Date of Information

1 China $ 1,534,000,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 2 Japan $ 954,100,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 3 Russia $ 476,400,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 4 India $ 275,000,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 5 Taiwan $ 275,000,000,000 31 December 2007 6 Korea, South $ 262,200,000,000 31 December 2007 7 Brazil $ 180,300,000,000 31 December 2007 8 Singapore $ 163,000,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 9 Hong Kong $ 152,700,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 10 Germany $ 136,200,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 11 France $ 115,700,000,000 2006 est. 12 Algeria $ 110,600,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 13 Malaysia $ 101,100,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 14 Italy $ 94,330,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 15 Thailand $ 87,460,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 16 Mexico $ 87,190,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 17 Libya $ 79,600,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 18 United Arab Emirates $ 77,240,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 19 Turkey $ 76,510,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 20 Switzerland $ 75,370,000,000 2006 est. 21 United States $ 70,570,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 22 Iran $ 69,200,000,000 2007 est. 23 Poland $ 65,750,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 24 Norway $ 60,840,000,000 2006 est. 25 United Kingdom $ 57,300,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 26 Indonesia $ 56,920,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 27 Nigeria $ 51,330,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 28 Argentina $ 46,120,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 29 Canada $ 41,080,000,000 2007 est. 30 Romania $ 39,960,000,000 31 December 2007 31 Czech Republic $ 34,590,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 32 Denmark $ 34,320,000,000 2006 est. 33 Saudi Arabia $ 34,010,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 34 Philippines $ 33,750,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 35 Venezuela $ 33,480,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 36 South Africa $ 32,940,000,000 31 December 2007 37 Ukraine $ 32,480,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 38 Egypt $ 31,370,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 39 Sweden $ 31,040,000,000 2006 est. 40 Israel $ 28,520,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 41 Peru $ 27,780,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 42 Netherlands $ 26,980,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 43 Australia $ 26,910,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 44 Iraq $ 25,660,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 45 Morocco $ 24,720,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 46 Hungary $ 24,050,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 47 Vietnam $ 23,870,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 48 Colombia $ 20,950,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 49 Lebanon $ 20,550,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 50 Spain $ 19,050,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 51 Slovakia $ 18,980,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 52 Austria $ 18,220,000,000 2006 est. 53 Kazakhstan $ 17,630,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 54 Bulgaria $ 17,380,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 55 New Zealand $ 17,250,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 56 Chile $ 16,840,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 57 Kuwait $ 16,780,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 58 Belgium $ 16,510,000,000 2007 est. 59 Pakistan $ 15,690,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 60 Serbia $ 14,220,000,000 2007 est. 61 Croatia $ 13,670,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 62 Portugal $ 11,550,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 63 Angola $ 11,200,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 64 Botswana $ 9,790,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 65 Qatar $ 9,752,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 66 Oman $ 9,524,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 67 Finland $ 8,385,000,000 2007 68 Jordan $ 7,929,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 69 Tunisia $ 7,854,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 70 Yemen $ 7,760,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 71 Lithuania $ 7,721,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 72 Uzbekistan $ 6,750,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 73 Trinidad and Tobago $ 6,745,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 74 Cyprus $ 6,507,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 75 Syria $ 6,046,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 76 Latvia $ 5,758,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 77 Slovenia $ 5,682,000,000 30 September 2007 est. 78 Bolivia $ 5,318,000,000 31 October 2007 79 Bangladesh $ 5,278,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 80 Turkmenistan $ 5,172,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 81 Bosnia and Herzegovina $ 4,525,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 82 Azerbaijan $ 4,273,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 83 Belarus $ 4,266,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 84 Cuba $ 4,247,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 85 Guatemala $ 4,139,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 86 Uruguay $ 4,121,000,000 December 2007 est. 87 Costa Rica $ 4,114,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 88 Bahrain $ 4,101,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 89 Equatorial Guinea $ 3,846,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 90 Malta $ 3,798,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 91 Greece $ 3,658,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 92 Sri Lanka $ 3,644,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 93 Ecuador $ 3,521,000,000 30 November 2007 est. 94 Kenya $ 3,355,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 95 Estonia $ 3,270,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 96 Cameroon $ 2,932,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 97 Tanzania $ 2,910,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 98 Dominican Republic $ 2,562,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 99 Uganda $ 2,560,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 100 Honduras $ 2,546,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 101 Cote d'Ivoire $ 2,519,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 102 Paraguay $ 2,463,000,000 31 December 2007 103 Iceland $ 2,436,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 104 Macedonia $ 2,265,000,000 31 December 2007 105 Burma $ 2,262,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 106 Congo, Republic of the $ 2,206,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 107 Ghana $ 2,204,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 108 El Salvador $ 2,199,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 109 Albania $ 2,162,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 110 Cambodia $ 2,143,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 111 Papua New Guinea $ 2,087,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 112 Panama $ 1,935,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 113 Jamaica $ 1,905,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 114 Mauritius $ 1,822,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 115 Senegal $ 1,660,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 116 Armenia $ 1,657,000,000 December 2007 est. 117 Mozambique $ 1,445,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 118 Sudan $ 1,378,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 119 Georgia $ 1,361,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 120 Moldova $ 1,334,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 121 Ethiopia $ 1,294,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 122 Gabon $ 1,238,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 123 Benin $ 1,209,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 124 Kyrgyzstan $ 1,177,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 125 Nicaragua $ 1,103,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 126 Zambia $ 1,090,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 127 Burkina Faso $ 1,029,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 128 Chad $ 969,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 129 Ireland $ 926,200,000 2006 est. 130 Namibia $ 896,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 131 Lesotho $ 852,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 132 Madagascar $ 846,700,000 31 December 2007 est. 133 Swaziland $ 762,700,000 31 December 2007 est. 134 Barbados $ 620,000,000 2007 135 Rwanda $ 552,800,000 31 December 2007 est. 136 Laos $ 540,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 137 Haiti $ 444,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 138 Togo $ 438,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 139 Cape Verde $ 398,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 140 Guyana $ 313,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 141 Suriname $ 263,300,000 2006 142 Tajikistan $ 242,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 143 Malawi $ 217,200,000 31 December 2007 est. 144 Luxembourg $ 205,500,000 2006 est. 145 Burundi $ 177,100,000 31 December 2007 est. 146 Gambia, The $ 142,800,000 31 December 2007 est. 147 Zimbabwe $ 120,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 148 Guinea $ 119,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 149 Belize $ 109,000,000 31 December 2007 est. 150 Samoa $ 70,150,000 FY03/04 151 Tonga $ 40,830,000 yearend, FY04/05 152 Seychelles $ 40,800,000 31 December 2007 est. 153 Vanuatu $ 40,540,000 2003 154 Sao Tome and Principe $ 34,600,000 31 December 2007 est. 155 Eritrea $ 23,000,000 31 December 2007 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2198

Rank Country Stock of direct foreign investment - at home Date of Information

1 World 14,000,000,000,000.00 year-end 2007 est. 2 United States 2,093,000,000,000.00 2007 est. 3 United Kingdom 1,288,000,000,000.00 2007 est. 4 Hong Kong 1,185,000,000,000.00 2007 est. 5 France 942,300,000,000.00 2007 est. 6 Germany 855,800,000,000.00 2007 est. 7 China 758,900,000,000.00 2007 est. 8 Belgium 678,200,000,000.00 2007 est. 9 Netherlands 673,400,000,000.00 2007 est. 10 Spain 568,800,000,000.00 2007 est. 11 Canada 527,400,000,000.00 2007 est. 12 Italy 364,800,000,000.00 2007 est. 13 Australia 315,000,000,000.00 2007 est. 14 Switzerland 306,400,000,000.00 2007 est. 15 Russia 271,600,000,000.00 2006 16 Mexico 260,900,000,000.00 2007 est. 17 Brazil 248,900,000,000.00 2007 est. 18 Austria 222,900,000,000.00 2007 est. 19 Sweden 216,600,000,000.00 2007 est. 20 Singapore 214,500,000,000.00 2007 est. 21 Ireland 191,400,000,000.00 2007 est. 22 Denmark 149,700,000,000.00 2007 est. 23 Poland 143,000,000,000.00 2007 est. 24 Korea, South 119,600,000,000.00 2007 est. 25 Japan 110,800,000,000.00 2007 est. 26 Hungary 108,600,000,000.00 2007 est. 27 Turkey 106,400,000,000.00 2007 est. 28 India 95,960,000,000.00 2007 est. 29 South Africa 93,510,000,000.00 2007 est. 30 Taiwan 92,830,000,000.00 2007 31 Chile 91,490,000,000.00 2007 est. 32 Portugal 91,190,000,000.00 2007 est. 33 Czech Republic 86,750,000,000.00 2007 est. 34 Malaysia 86,160,000,000.00 2007 est. 35 Finland 85,240,000,000.00 2007 est. 36 Thailand 80,830,000,000.00 2007 est. 37 New Zealand 71,310,000,000.00 2007 est. 38 Argentina 65,310,000,000.00 2007 est. 39 Norway 62,630,000,000.00 2007 est. 40 Romania 60,820,000,000.00 2007 est. 41 Israel 57,970,000,000.00 2007 est. 42 Indonesia 57,600,000,000.00 2007 est. 43 Colombia 56,190,000,000.00 2007 est. 44 Greece 52,840,000,000.00 2007 est. 45 Egypt 48,460,000,000.00 2007 est. 46 Slovakia 45,250,000,000.00 2007 est. 47 United Arab Emirates 44,370,000,000.00 2007 est. 48 Venezuela 43,960,000,000.00 2007 est. 49 Kazakhstan 40,160,000,000.00 2007 est. 50 Bulgaria 33,910,000,000.00 2007 est. 51 Nigeria 33,640,000,000.00 2007 est. 52 Morocco 32,900,000,000.00 2007 est. 53 Vietnam 32,740,000,000.00 2007 est. 54 Ukraine 31,080,000,000.00 2007 est. 55 Tunisia 26,220,000,000.00 2007 est. 56 Peru 24,720,000,000.00 2007 est. 57 Croatia 23,130,000,000.00 2007 est. 58 Pakistan 20,010,000,000.00 2007 est. 59 Philippines 19,880,000,000.00 2007 est. 60 Jordan 18,180,000,000.00 2007 est. 61 Angola 17,230,000,000.00 2007 est. 62 Estonia 16,590,000,000.00 2007 est. 63 Ecuador 16,310,000,000.00 2007 est. 64 Lithuania 14,630,000,000.00 2007 est. 65 Cyprus 13,360,000,000.00 2007 est. 66 Bahrain 13,310,000,000.00 2007 est. 67 Dominican Republic 12,750,000,000.00 2007 est. 68 Trinidad and Tobago 12,440,000,000.00 2007 69 Algeria 12,040,000,000.00 2007 est. 70 Serbia 11,950,000,000.00 2006 est. 71 Cuba 11,240,000,000.00 2006 est. 72 Qatar 11,180,000,000.00 2007 est. 73 Slovenia 10,410,000,000.00 2007 est. 74 Latvia 8,620,000,000.00 2007 est. 75 Costa Rica 8,530,000,000.00 2007 est. 76 Azerbaijan 7,829,000,000.00 2007 est. 77 Bolivia 6,880,000,000.00 31 December 2004 78 Macau 6,500,000,000.00 2006 79 Libya 6,286,000,000.00 2007 est. 80 Iran 6,026,000,000.00 2007 est. 81 El Salvador 5,918,000,000.00 2007 est. 82 Bangladesh 4,971,000,000.00 2007 est. 83 Chad 4,500,000,000.00 2006 est. 84 Uruguay 4,190,000,000.00 2007 85 Macedonia 2,405,000,000.00 2007 est. 86 Kenya 1,249,000,000.00 2007 est. 87 Kuwait 898,000,000.00 2007 est. 88 Paraguay 2,057,000.00 2007

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2199

Rank Country Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad Date of Information

1 World 14,000,000,000,000.00 year-end 2007 est. 2 United States 2,791,000,000,000.00 2007 est. 3 United Kingdom 1,707,000,000,000.00 2007 est. 4 France 1,307,000,000,000.00 2007 est. 5 Germany 1,218,000,000,000.00 2007 est. 6 Hong Kong 1,027,000,000,000.00 2007 est. 7 Netherlands 851,300,000,000.00 2007 est. 8 Spain 681,700,000,000.00 2007 est. 9 Switzerland 605,600,000,000.00 2007 est. 10 Belgium 540,100,000,000.00 2007 est. 11 Japan 533,100,000,000.00 2007 est. 12 Italy 520,100,000,000.00 2007 est. 13 Canada 514,700,000,000.00 2007 est. 14 Australia 280,600,000,000.00 2007 est. 15 Sweden 261,500,000,000.00 2007 est. 16 Russia 209,600,000,000.00 2006 17 Austria 208,100,000,000.00 2007 est. 18 Denmark 166,600,000,000.00 2007 est. 19 Ireland 139,600,000,000.00 2007 est. 20 Norway 126,100,000,000.00 2007 est. 21 Finland 113,000,000,000.00 2007 est. 22 Singapore 111,200,000,000.00 2005 23 Taiwan 108,900,000,000.00 2007 24 Brazil 107,100,000,000.00 2007 est. 25 China 93,750,000,000.00 2007 est. 26 Korea, South 82,100,000,000.00 2006 27 Portugal 54,850,000,000.00 2007 est. 28 South Africa 53,980,000,000.00 2007 est. 29 Hungary 45,540,000,000.00 2007 est. 30 Malaysia 42,550,000,000.00 2007 est. 31 Israel 41,960,000,000.00 2007 est. 32 Mexico 39,010,000,000.00 2007 est. 33 India 37,500,000,000.00 2007 est. 34 Greece 30,800,000,000.00 2007 est. 35 Argentina 26,260,000,000.00 2007 est. 36 Chile 24,680,000,000.00 2007 est. 37 Kuwait 24,220,000,000.00 2007 est. 38 Poland 19,690,000,000.00 2007 est. 39 United Arab Emirates 14,140,000,000.00 2007 est. 40 Venezuela 13,810,000,000.00 2007 est. 41 Nigeria 12,630,000,000.00 2007 est. 42 Turkey 11,350,000,000.00 2007 est. 43 Colombia 10,380,000,000.00 2007 est. 44 Indonesia 9,225,000,000.00 2006 est. 45 Bahrain 7,720,000,000.00 2007 est. 46 Thailand 7,013,000,000.00 2007 est. 47 Slovenia 6,127,000,000.00 2007 est. 48 Czech Republic 6,058,000,000.00 2007 est. 49 Estonia 5,873,000,000.00 2007 est. 50 Qatar 5,625,000,000.00 2007 est. 51 Philippines 5,584,000,000.00 2007 est. 52 Cyprus 5,419,000,000.00 2007 est. 53 Azerbaijan 4,912,000,000.00 2007 est. 54 Cuba 4,138,000,000.00 2006 est. 55 Kazakhstan 3,970,000,000.00 September 2007 56 Libya 3,333,000,000.00 2007 est. 57 Croatia 3,161,000,000.00 2007 est. 58 Lithuania 1,642,000,000.00 2007 est. 59 Slovakia 1,509,000,000.00 2007 est. 60 Peru 1,476,000,000.00 2007 est. 61 Ecuador 1,456,000,000.00 2007 est. 62 Trinidad and Tobago 1,419,000,000.00 2007 63 Egypt 1,295,000,000.00 2007 est. 64 Macau 1,100,000,000.00 2006 65 Pakistan 982,000,000.00 2007 est. 66 Romania 915,000,000.00 2007 est. 67 Iran 903,000,000.00 2007 est. 68 Ukraine 895,000,000.00 2007 est. 69 Morocco 882,000,000.00 2006 est. 70 Algeria 851,000,000.00 2007 est. 71 Latvia 699,000,000.00 2007 est. 72 Bulgaria 559,000,000.00 2007 est. 73 Costa Rica 490,000,000.00 2007 est. 74 El Salvador 384,000,000.00 2007 est. 75 Angola 227,000,000.00 2006 est. 76 Uruguay 156,000,000.00 2007 77 Tunisia 118,000,000.00 2007 est. 78 Bangladesh 104,000,000.00 2007 est. 79 Dominican Republic 59,000,000.00 2007 est. 80 Kenya 47,000,000.00 2007 est.

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2200

Rank Country Market value of publicly traded shares Date of Information

1 World 53,510,000,000,000.00 2006 2 United States 17,000,000,000,000.00 2005 3 European Union 11,640,000,000,000.00 2006 4 Japan 4,737,000,000,000.00 2005 5 China 4,477,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 est. 6 United Kingdom 3,058,000,000,000.00 2005 7 Hong Kong 2,970,000,000,000.00 2007 est. 8 France 1,710,000,000,000.00 2005 9 Canada 1,481,000,000,000.00 2005 10 Russia 1,322,000,000,000.00 2006 11 Germany 1,221,000,000,000.00 2005 12 Finland 1,095,000,000,000.00 January 2008 13 Korea, South 1,051,000,000,000.00 2007 14 Spain 960,000,000,000.00 2005 15 Switzerland 938,600,000,000.00 2005 16 Netherlands 924,400,000,000.00 November 2007 17 South Africa 842,000,000,000.00 January 2008 18 India 818,900,000,000.00 2006 19 Australia 804,100,000,000.00 2005 20 Italy 798,200,000,000.00 2005 21 Brazil 711,100,000,000.00 2006 22 Taiwan 654,000,000,000.00 28 December 2007 23 Netherlands Antilles 488,600,000,000.00 2003 24 Belgium 422,700,000,000.00 2006 25 Sweden 403,900,000,000.00 2005 26 Singapore 382,400,000,000.00 2007 27 Mexico 348,300,000,000.00 2006 28 Saudi Arabia 326,900,000,000.00 2006 29 Malaysia 235,400,000,000.00 2006 30 Norway 191,000,000,000.00 2005 31 Denmark 178,000,000,000.00 2005 32 Chile 174,600,000,000.00 2006 33 Israel 173,300,000,000.00 2006 34 Turkey 162,400,000,000.00 2006 35 Poland 149,100,000,000.00 2006 36 Greece 145,000,000,000.00 2005 37 Thailand 139,600,000,000.00 2006 38 Indonesia 138,900,000,000.00 2006 39 United Arab Emirates 138,500,000,000.00 2006 40 Kuwait 128,900,000,000.00 2006 41 Austria 126,300,000,000.00 2005 42 Ireland 114,100,000,000.00 2005 43 Philippines 103,400,000,000.00 2007 44 Egypt 93,480,000,000.00 2006 45 Argentina 79,730,000,000.00 2006 46 Luxembourg 79,400,000,000.00 2006 47 Portugal 66,980,000,000.00 2005 48 Qatar 61,560,000,000.00 2006 49 Peru 59,660,000,000.00 2006 50 Colombia 56,200,000,000.00 2006 51 Morocco 49,600,000,000.00 2006 52 Czech Republic 48,600,000,000.00 2006 53 Cyprus 48,200,000,000.00 2005 54 Pakistan 45,520,000,000.00 2006 55 Romania 45,420,000,000.00 2007 56 Iran 45,200,000,000.00 December 2007 57 Ukraine 42,870,000,000.00 2006 58 Hungary 41,930,000,000.00 2006 59 New Zealand 40,620,000,000.00 2005 60 Nigeria 32,820,000,000.00 2006 61 Jordan 29,730,000,000.00 2006 62 Croatia 29,010,000,000.00 2006 63 Iceland 27,800,000,000.00 2005 64 Zimbabwe 26,560,000,000.00 2006 65 Bahrain 21,120,000,000.00 2006 66 Oman 16,160,000,000.00 2006 67 Trinidad and Tobago 15,570,000,000.00 2006 68 Slovenia 15,180,000,000.00 2006 69 Ghana 13,010,000,000.00 2007 70 Jamaica 12,280,000,000.00 2006 71 Kenya 11,380,000,000.00 2006 72 Kazakhstan 10,520,000,000.00 2005 73 Bulgaria 10,320,000,000.00 2006 74 Lithuania 10,190,000,000.00 2006 75 Lebanon 8,279,000,000.00 2006 76 Venezuela 8,251,000,000.00 2006 77 Sri Lanka 7,769,000,000.00 2006 78 Estonia 5,963,000,000.00 2006 79 Mauritius 5,700,000,000.00 2007 80 Slovakia 5,574,000,000.00 2006 81 Barbados 5,513,000,000.00 2005 82 Serbia 5,409,000,000.00 2005 83 Panama 5,074,000,000.00 2005 84 Papua New Guinea 4,863,000,000.00 2005 85 Zambia 4,500,000,000.00 2007 86 West Bank 4,461,000,000.00 2005 87 Tunisia 4,446,000,000.00 2006 88 Cote d'Ivoire 4,155,000,000.00 2006 89 Malta 4,097,000,000.00 2005 90 Ecuador 4,040,000,000.00 2006 91 Botswana 3,947,000,000.00 2006 92 El Salvador 3,623,000,000.00 2005 93 Bangladesh 3,610,000,000.00 2006 94 Latvia 2,705,000,000.00 2006 95 Bolivia 2,200,000,000.00 2005 96 Bermuda 2,125,000,000.00 2005 97 Costa Rica 1,478,000,000.00 2005 98 Georgia 1,390,000,000.00 2007 99 Nepal 963,500,000.00 2005 100 Macedonia 646,000,000.00 2005 101 Mongolia 613,300,000.00 2007 102 Tanzania 587,900,000.00 2005 103 Fiji 586,700,000.00 2005 104 Moldova 573,900,000.00 2004 105 Namibia 541,800,000.00 2006 106 Macau 413,100,000.00 2004 107 Paraguay 233,800,000.00 2005 108 Uruguay 224,000,000.00 2007 109 Swaziland 196,800,000.00 2005 110 Guyana 187,300,000.00 2005 111 Cayman Islands 130,000,000.00 2005 112 Uganda 103,400,000.00 2005 113 Armenia 42,800,000.00 2005 114 Kyrgyzstan 41,990,000.00 2005 115 Uzbekistan 36,890,000.00 2005

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2206

Rank Country Education expenditures(% of GDP) Date of Information

1 Kiribati 17.80 2002 2 Lesotho 13.00 2006 3 Marshall Islands 11.80 2004 4 Palau 10.30 2002 5 Yemen 9.60 2001 6 Vanuatu 9.50 2003 7 Uzbekistan 9.40 1991 8 Saint Kitts and Nevis 9.30 2005 9 Cuba 9.10 2006 10 Botswana 8.70 2007 11 Djibouti 8.40 2006 12 Denmark 8.30 2005 13 Guyana 8.30 2006 14 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8.10 2005 15 Maldives 8.00 2006 16 Iceland 7.60 2004 17 Moldova 7.60 2006 18 Micronesia, Federated States of 7.30 2000 19 Tunisia 7.30 2005 20 Norway 7.20 2005 21 Sweden 7.10 2005 22 Bhutan 7.00 2005 23 Swaziland 7.00 2005 24 Barbados 6.90 2005 25 Israel 6.90 2004 26 Namibia 6.90 2003 27 Kenya 6.90 2006 28 Saudi Arabia 6.80 2004 29 Saint Lucia 6.60 2006 30 Fiji 6.50 2004 31 Seychelles 6.50 2006 32 Bolivia 6.40 2003 33 Finland 6.40 2005 34 Cape Verde 6.30 2006 35 Cyprus 6.30 2004 36 Ukraine 6.30 2006 37 Malaysia 6.20 2004 38 New Zealand 6.20 2006 39 Belarus 6.10 2006 40 Belgium 6.00 2004 41 Slovenia 6.00 2005 42 Sudan 6.00 1991 43 Ethiopia 6.00 2006 44 Malawi 5.80 2003 45 Switzerland 5.80 2005 46 France 5.70 2005 47 United Kingdom 5.60 2005 48 Hungary 5.50 2005 49 Mexico 5.50 2005 50 Portugal 5.50 2005 51 Poland 5.50 2005 52 Austria 5.40 2005 53 South Africa 5.40 2006 54 Ghana 5.40 2005 55 Belize 5.30 2004 56 Jamaica 5.30 2005 57 United States 5.30 2005 58 Netherlands 5.30 2005 59 Brunei 5.20 2000 60 Guinea-Bissau 5.20 1999 61 Uganda 5.20 2004 62 Grenada 5.20 2003 63 Canada 5.20 2002 64 Algeria 5.10 1999 65 Malta 5.10 2004 66 Latvia 5.10 2004 67 Iran 5.10 2006 68 Estonia 5.10 2004 69 Burundi 5.10 2005 70 Dominica 5.00 1999 71 Tonga 5.00 2004 72 Lithuania 5.00 2005 73 Mongolia 5.00 2004 74 Senegal 5.00 2006 75 Mozambique 5.00 2005 76 Costa Rica 4.90 2004 77 Jordan 4.90 1999 78 Kyrgyzstan 4.90 2005 79 Aruba 4.80 2005 80 Colombia 4.70 2006 81 Ireland 4.70 2005 82 Germany 4.60 2004 83 Cote d'Ivoire 4.60 2001 84 Zimbabwe 4.60 2000 85 Korea, South 4.60 2004 86 Australia 4.50 2005 87 Mali 4.50 2006 88 Italy 4.50 2005 89 Croatia 4.50 2004 90 Bulgaria 4.50 2005 91 Benin 4.40 2004 92 Greece 4.40 2005 93 Monaco 4.40 2004 94 Czech Republic 4.40 2004 95 Samoa 4.30 2002 96 Egypt 4.20 2006 97 Spain 4.20 2005 98 Burkina Faso 4.20 2006 99 Thailand 4.20 2005 100 Trinidad and Tobago 4.20 200 101 Anguilla 4.00 2005 102 Turkey 4.00 2004 103 Oman 4.00 2006 104 Paraguay 4.00 2004 105 Brazil 4.00 2004 106 Antigua and Barbuda 3.90 2002 107 Bahrain 3.90 1991 108 Turkmenistan 3.90 1991 109 Syria 3.90 1999 110 Mauritius 3.90 2006 111 Slovakia 3.90 2005 112 Hong Kong 3.90 2006 113 Argentina 3.80 2004 114 Panama 3.80 2004 115 Rwanda 3.80 2005 116 Sierra Leone 3.80 2005 117 Russia 3.80 2005 118 Gabon 3.80 2000 119 Kuwait 3.80 2006 120 Comoros 3.80 2002 121 Honduras 3.80 1991 122 Singapore 3.70 2001 123 British Virgin Islands 3.70 2006 124 Venezuela 3.70 2006 125 Bahamas, The 3.60 2000 126 Dominican Republic 3.60 2006 127 Indonesia 3.60 2006 128 Japan 3.50 2005 129 Romania 3.50 2005 130 Macedonia 3.50 2002 131 Luxembourg 3.40 1999 132 Tajikistan 3.40 2006 133 Nepal 3.40 2003 134 Niger 3.40 2006 135 Solomon Islands 3.30 1999 136 Qatar 3.30 2005 137 Montserrat 3.30 2004 138 Cameroon 3.30 2006 139 Armenia 3.20 2001 140 India 3.20 2005 141 Chile 3.20 2006 142 El Salvador 3.10 2006 143 Nicaragua 3.10 2003 144 Madagascar 3.10 2006 145 Georgia 3.10 2006 146 Laos 3.00 2006 147 Albania 2.90 2002 148 Uruguay 2.90 2006 149 Mauritania 2.90 2006 150 Cayman Islands 2.80 2005 151 Bangladesh 2.70 2005 152 Libya 2.70 1999 153 Lebanon 2.70 2006 154 Guatemala 2.60 2006 155 Pakistan 2.60 2006 156 Togo 2.60 2002 157 Peru 2.50 2006 158 Philippines 2.50 2005 159 Angola 2.40 2005 160 Macau 2.40 2005 161 Eritrea 2.40 2006 162 Andorra 2.30 2006 163 Kazakhstan 2.30 2005 164 Tanzania 2.20 1999 165 Azerbaijan 2.10 2006 166 Gambia, The 2.00 2004 167 Zambia 2.00 2005 168 Chad 1.90 2005 169 Congo, Republic of the 1.90 2005 170 China 1.90 1999 171 Vietnam 1.80 1991 172 Cambodia 1.70 2004 173 Guinea 1.60 2005 174 Central African Republic 1.40 2006 175 Haiti 1.40 1991 176 United Arab Emirates 1.30 2005 177 Bermuda 1.20 2006 178 Burma 1.20 2001 179 Ecuador 1.00 2001 180 Nigeria 0.90 1991 181 Equatorial Guinea 0.60 2003 182 Cook Islands 0.20 2001

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2207

Rank Country Central bank discount rate(%) Date of Information

1 Zimbabwe 975.00 31 December 2007 2 Venezuela 28.50 31 December 2007 3 Sao Tome and Principe 28.00 31 December 2007 4 Turkey 25.00 31 December 2007 5 Guinea 22.25 31 December 2005 6 Iraq 20.00 31 December 2007 7 Paraguay 20.00 31 December 2007 8 Angola 19.57 31 December 2007 9 Brazil 17.85 31 December 2007 10 Costa Rica 17.00 31 December 2007 11 Tanzania 16.40 31 December 2007 12 Iceland 15.25 31 December 2007 13 Sri Lanka 15.00 31 December 2007 14 Tajikistan 15.00 31 December 2007 15 Malawi 15.00 31 December 2007 16 Uganda 14.68 31 December 2007 17 Botswana 14.50 31 December 2007 18 Ghana 13.50 31 December 2007 19 Azerbaijan 13.00 31 December 2007 20 Lesotho 12.82 31 December 2007 21 Laos 12.67 31 December 2007 22 Maldives 12.50 31 December 2007 23 Rwanda 12.50 31 December 2007 24 Barbados 12.00 31 December 2007 25 Burma 12.00 31 December 2007 26 Belize 12.00 31 December 2007 27 Lebanon 12.00 31 December 2007 28 Zambia 11.73 31 December 2007 29 Colombia 11.50 31 December 2007 30 Kazakhstan 11.00 31 December 2007 31 South Africa 11.00 31 December 2007 32 Swaziland 11.00 31 December 2007 33 Ecuador 10.72 31 December 2007 34 Namibia 10.50 31 December 2007 35 Burundi 10.12 31 December 2007 36 Belarus 10.00 31 December 2007 37 Trinidad and Tobago 10.00 31 December 2007 38 Uruguay 10.00 31 December 2007 39 Russia 10.00 31 December 2007 40 Gambia, The 10.00 31 December 2007 41 Pakistan 10.00 31 December 2007 42 Mozambique 9.95 31 December 2007 43 Mongolia 9.87 31 December 2007 44 Serbia 9.57 31 December 2007 45 Nigeria 9.50 31 December 2007 46 Fiji 9.25 31 December 2007 47 Egypt 9.00 31 December 2007 48 Croatia 9.00 31 December 2007 49 Cape Verde 8.50 31 December 2007 50 New Zealand 8.25 31 December 2007 51 Indonesia 8.00 31 December 2007 52 Ukraine 8.00 31 December 2007 53 Hungary 7.50 31 December 2007 54 Papua New Guinea 7.38 31 December 2007 55 Jordan 7.00 31 December 2007 56 Antigua and Barbuda 6.50 31 December 2007 57 Anguilla 6.50 31 December 2007 58 Vietnam 6.50 31 December 2007 59 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6.50 31 December 2007 60 Saint Lucia 6.50 31 December 2007 61 Saint Kitts and Nevis 6.50 31 December 2007 62 Macedonia 6.50 31 December 2007 63 Montserrat 6.50 31 December 2007 64 Guyana 6.50 31 December 2007 65 Grenada 6.50 31 December 2007 66 Dominica 6.50 31 December 2007 67 Bolivia 6.50 31 December 2007 68 Albania 6.25 31 December 2007 69 Norway 6.25 31 December 2007 70 Nepal 6.25 31 December 2007 71 Kuwait 6.25 31 December 2007 72 Chile 6.00 31 December 2007 73 Vanuatu 6.00 31 December 2007 74 Latvia 6.00 31 December 2007 75 India 6.00 31 December 2007 76 Hong Kong 5.75 31 December 2007 77 Peru 5.75 31 December 2007 78 Comoros 5.36 31 December 2007 79 Bahamas, The 5.25 31 December 2007 80 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 5.25 31 December 2007 81 Cambodia 5.25 31 December 2007 82 Chad 5.25 31 December 2007 83 Gabon 5.25 31 December 2007 84 Equatorial Guinea 5.25 31 December 2007 85 Central African Republic 5.25 31 December 2007 86 Seychelles 5.13 31 December 2007 87 Aruba 5.00 31 December 2007 88 Poland 5.00 31 December 2007 89 European Union 5.00 31 December 2007 90 Cyprus 5.00 31 December 2007 91 Bangladesh 5.00 31 December 2007 92 Lithuania 4.85 31 December 2007 93 United States 4.83 31 December 2007 94 Bulgaria 4.58 31 December 2007 95 Canada 4.50 31 December 2007 96 Philippines 4.28 31 December 2007 97 Benin 4.25 31 December 2007 98 Slovakia 4.25 31 December 2007 99 Mali 4.25 31 December 2007 100 Senegal 4.25 31 December 2007 101 Burkina Faso 4.25 31 December 2007 102 Togo 4.25 31 December 2007 103 Guinea-Bissau 4.25 31 December 2007 104 Niger 4.25 31 December 2007 105 Cote d'Ivoire 4.25 31 December 2007 106 Algeria 4.00 31 December 2007 107 Israel 4.00 31 December 2007 108 Libya 4.00 31 December 2007 109 Denmark 4.00 31 December 2007 110 Thailand 3.75 31 December 2007 111 Czech Republic 3.50 31 December 2007 112 Sweden 3.50 31 December 2007 113 China 3.33 31 December 2007 114 Korea, South 3.25 31 December 2007 115 Morocco 3.25 31 December 2007 116 Switzerland 2.05 31 December 2007 117 Oman 1.98 31 December 2007 118 Japan 0.75 31 December 2007

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2208

Rank Country Commercial bank prime lending rate(%) Date of Information

1 Zimbabwe 578.96 31 December 2007 2 Haiti 46.99 31 December 2007 3 Madagascar 45.00 31 December 2007 4 Brazil 43.72 31 December 2007 5 Sao Tome and Principe 32.40 31 December 2007 6 Laos 28.50 31 December 2007 7 Gambia, The 27.92 31 December 2007 8 Malawi 27.72 31 December 2007 9 Kyrgyzstan 25.32 31 December 2007 10 Paraguay 25.03 31 December 2007 11 Sierra Leone 25.00 31 December 2007 12 Tajikistan 22.87 31 December 2007 13 Peru 22.86 31 December 2007 14 Mauritius 21.87 31 December 2007 15 Georgia 20.41 31 December 2007 16 Iraq 19.74 31 December 2007 17 Mozambique 19.52 31 December 2007 18 Iceland 19.29 31 December 2007 19 Azerbaijan 19.13 31 December 2007 20 Uganda 19.11 31 December 2007 21 Zambia 18.89 31 December 2007 22 Moldova 18.83 31 December 2007 23 Afghanistan 18.14 31 December 2007 24 Yemen 18.00 31 December 2007 25 Angola 17.70 31 December 2007 26 Mongolia 17.54 31 December 2007 27 Armenia 17.52 31 December 2007 28 Jamaica 17.20 31 December 2007 29 Venezuela 17.11 31 December 2007 30 Sri Lanka 17.08 31 December 2007 31 Burma 17.00 31 December 2007 32 Nigeria 16.94 31 December 2007 33 Burundi 16.84 31 December 2007 34 Honduras 16.61 31 December 2007 35 Botswana 16.22 31 December 2007 36 Tanzania 16.03 31 December 2007 37 Bangladesh 16.00 31 December 2007 38 Rwanda 15.84 31 December 2007 39 Dominican Republic 15.83 31 December 2007 40 Colombia 15.38 31 December 2007 41 Liberia 15.05 31 December 2007 42 Timor-Leste 15.05 31 December 2007 43 Chad 15.00 31 December 2007 44 Congo, Republic of the 15.00 31 December 2007 45 Gabon 15.00 31 December 2007 46 Equatorial Guinea 15.00 31 December 2007 47 Central African Republic 15.00 31 December 2007 48 Cameroon 15.00 31 December 2007 49 Guyana 14.61 31 December 2007 50 Belize 14.33 31 December 2007 51 Lesotho 14.13 31 December 2007 52 Solomon Islands 14.12 31 December 2007 53 Albania 14.10 31 December 2007 54 Micronesia, Federated States of 14.03 31 December 2007 55 Bhutan 14.00 31 December 2007 56 Ukraine 13.90 31 December 2007 57 Indonesia 13.86 31 December 2007 58 Suriname 13.77 31 December 2007 59 Romania 13.35 31 December 2007 60 Kenya 13.34 31 December 2007 61 South Africa 13.17 31 December 2007 62 Swaziland 13.17 31 December 2007 63 Nicaragua 13.04 31 December 2007 64 India 13.02 31 December 2007 65 Maldives 13.00 31 December 2007 66 Namibia 12.88 31 December 2007 67 Bolivia 12.86 31 December 2007 68 Guatemala 12.84 31 December 2007 69 New Zealand 12.83 31 December 2007 70 Costa Rica 12.80 31 December 2007 71 Samoa 12.65 31 December 2007 72 Egypt 12.51 31 December 2007 73 Tonga 12.16 31 December 2007 74 Ecuador 12.08 31 December 2007 75 Iran 12.00 31 December 2007 76 Trinidad and Tobago 11.75 31 December 2007 77 Vietnam 11.18 31 December 2007 78 Serbia 11.13 31 December 2007 79 Argentina 11.05 31 December 2007 80 Aruba 11.01 31 December 2007 81 Italy 10.93 31 December 2007 82 Latvia 10.91 31 December 2007 83 Seychelles 10.89 31 December 2007 84 Barbados 10.80 31 December 2007 85 Cape Verde 10.55 31 December 2007 86 Comoros 10.50 31 December 2007 87 Antigua and Barbuda 10.44 31 December 2007 88 Montserrat 10.40 31 December 2007 89 Lebanon 10.26 31 December 2007 90 Macedonia 10.23 31 December 2007 91 Saint Lucia 10.12 31 December 2007 92 Russia 10.03 31 December 2007 93 Australia 10.02 31 December 2007 94 Bulgaria 10.00 31 December 2007 95 Spain 9.89 31 December 2007 96 Papua New Guinea 9.78 31 December 2007 97 Anguilla 9.76 31 December 2007 98 Grenada 9.76 31 December 2007 99 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 9.61 31 December 2007 100 Croatia 9.33 31 December 2007 101 Saint Kitts and Nevis 9.28 31 December 2007 102 Netherlands Antilles 9.21 31 December 2007 103 Dominica 9.17 31 December 2007 104 Hungary 9.09 31 December 2007 105 Montenegro 9.09 31 December 2007 106 Fiji 9.01 31 December 2007 107 Uruguay 8.94 31 December 2007 108 Netherlands 8.72 31 December 2007 109 Philippines 8.69 31 December 2007 110 Jordan 8.68 31 December 2007 111 Chile 8.67 31 December 2007 112 Belarus 8.58 31 December 2007 113 Kuwait 8.54 31 December 2007 114 Bahrain 8.35 31 December 2007 115 Panama 8.25 31 December 2007 116 Vanuatu 8.16 31 December 2007 117 United States 8.05 31 December 2007 118 European Union 8.03 31 December 2007 119 Algeria 8.00 31 December 2007 120 Nepal 8.00 31 December 2007 121 Syria 8.00 31 December 2005 122 Slovakia 7.99 31 December 2007 123 Portugal 7.92 31 December 2007 124 Macau 7.81 31 December 2007 125 Gaza Strip 7.73 31 December 2006 126 West Bank 7.73 31 December 2006 127 Greece 7.71 31 December 2007 128 San Marino 7.58 31 December 2007 129 Mexico 7.56 31 December 2007 130 China 7.47 31 December 2007 131 Qatar 7.43 31 December 2007 132 Oman 7.29 31 December 2007 133 France 7.28 31 December 2007 134 Bosnia and Herzegovina 7.17 31 December 2007 135 Thailand 7.05 31 December 2007 136 Ethiopia 7.00 31 December 2006 137 Belgium 6.98 31 December 2007 138 Lithuania 6.86 31 December 2007 139 Slovenia 6.82 31 December 2007 140 Hong Kong 6.75 31 December 2007 141 Cyprus 6.74 31 December 2007 142 Norway 6.65 31 December 2007 143 Korea, South 6.55 31 December 2007 144 Ireland 6.52 31 December 2007 145 Estonia 6.46 31 December 2007 146 Malaysia 6.41 31 December 2007 147 Austria 6.30 31 December 2007 148 Israel 6.27 31 December 2007 149 Malta 6.24 31 December 2007 150 Canada 6.10 31 December 2007 151 Libya 6.00 31 December 2007 152 Germany 5.96 31 December 2007 153 Czech Republic 5.79 31 December 2007 154 Finland 5.62 31 December 2007 155 United Kingdom 5.52 31 December 2007 156 Bahamas, The 5.50 31 December 2007 157 Brunei 5.50 31 December 2007 158 Poland 5.48 31 December 2006 159 Singapore 5.33 31 December 2007 160 Sweden 4.00 31 December 2004 161 Switzerland 3.15 31 December 2007 162 Japan 1.88 31 December 2007

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2209

Rank Country Stock of money Date of Information

1 European Union 5,742,000,000,000.00 2 Japan 4,370,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 3 China 2,090,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 4 United States 1,374,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 5 Burma 598,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 6 Canada 391,600,000,000.00 31 December 2007 7 Russia 303,700,000,000.00 31 December 2007 8 Australia 298,500,000,000.00 31 December 2007 9 India 250,900,000,000.00 31 December 2007 10 Sweden 217,100,000,000.00 31 December 2007 11 Switzerland 213,900,000,000.00 31 December 2007 12 Denmark 148,700,000,000.00 31 December 2007 13 Poland 137,400,000,000.00 31 December 2007 14 Brazil 131,100,000,000.00 31 December 2007 15 Mexico 103,500,000,000.00 31 December 2007 16 Saudi Arabia 102,400,000,000.00 31 December 2007 17 Korea, South 92,590,000,000.00 31 December 2007 18 Czech Republic 84,430,000,000.00 31 December 2007 19 Morocco 67,420,000,000.00 31 December 2007 20 Turkey 64,430,000,000.00 31 December 2007 21 Venezuela 63,180,000,000.00 31 December 2007 22 Syria 58,840,000,000.00 31 December 2006 23 South Africa 58,490,000,000.00 31 December 2007 24 Algeria 55,430,000,000.00 31 December 2007 25 Pakistan 52,760,000,000.00 31 December 2007 26 Hong Kong 51,250,000,000.00 31 December 2007 27 United Arab Emirates 49,500,000,000.00 31 December 2007 28 Malaysia 49,410,000,000.00 31 December 2007 29 Indonesia 47,780,000,000.00 31 December 2007 30 Iran 46,130,000,000.00 31 December 2007 31 Singapore 44,400,000,000.00 31 December 2007 32 Hungary 36,780,000,000.00 31 December 2007 33 Ukraine 35,970,000,000.00 31 December 2007 34 Argentina 33,930,000,000.00 31 December 2007 35 Thailand 28,620,000,000.00 31 December 2007 36 Egypt 27,600,000,000.00 31 December 2007 37 Vietnam 27,150,000,000.00 31 December 2007 38 Slovakia 26,170,000,000.00 31 December 2007 39 Romania 25,170,000,000.00 31 December 2007 40 New Zealand 24,200,000,000.00 31 December 2007 41 Colombia 21,810,000,000.00 31 December 2007 42 Nigeria 21,720,000,000.00 31 December 2007 43 Philippines 21,270,000,000.00 31 December 2007 44 Iraq 18,810,000,000.00 31 December 2007 45 Libya 18,040,000,000.00 31 December 2007 46 Chile 16,600,000,000.00 31 December 2007 47 Bulgaria 15,580,000,000.00 31 December 2007 48 Israel 15,360,000,000.00 31 December 2006 49 Kuwait 15,120,000,000.00 31 December 2007 50 Peru 14,660,000,000.00 31 December 2007 51 Zimbabwe 14,180,000,000.00 31 December 2007 52 Kazakhstan 12,740,000,000.00 31 December 2007 53 Lithuania 11,840,000,000.00 31 December 2007 54 Croatia 11,610,000,000.00 31 December 2007 55 Qatar 9,718,000,000.00 31 December 2007 56 Tunisia 9,491,000,000.00 31 December 2007 57 Slovenia 9,347,000,000.00 31 December 2006 58 Bangladesh 8,444,000,000.00 31 December 2007 59 Latvia 8,196,000,000.00 31 December 2007 60 Estonia 7,158,000,000.00 31 December 2007 61 Jordan 6,765,000,000.00 31 December 2007 62 Iceland 6,640,000,000.00 31 December 2007 63 Guatemala 6,227,000,000.00 31 December 2007 64 Kenya 5,932,000,000.00 31 December 2007 65 Sudan 5,549,000,000.00 31 December 2007 66 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5,130,000,000.00 31 December 2007 67 Oman 5,044,000,000.00 31 December 2007 68 Serbia 4,632,000,000.00 31 December 2007 69 Malta 4,603,000,000.00 31 December 2007 70 Costa Rica 4,504,000,000.00 31 December 2007 71 Cote d'Ivoire 4,451,000,000.00 31 December 2007 72 Ecuador 4,395,000,000.00 31 December 2007 73 Azerbaijan 4,261,000,000.00 31 December 2007 74 Bahrain 4,169,000,000.00 31 December 2007 75 Angola 4,153,000,000.00 31 December 2007 76 Cyprus 4,094,000,000.00 31 December 2007 77 Dominican Republic 4,074,000,000.00 31 December 2007 78 Belarus 4,065,000,000.00 31 December 2007 79 Ethiopia 3,651,000,000.00 31 December 2006 80 Yemen 3,076,000,000.00 31 December 2007 81 Panama 3,054,000,000.00 31 December 2007 82 Bolivia 3,032,000,000.00 31 December 2007 83 Senegal 2,842,000,000.00 31 December 2007 84 Albania 2,707,000,000.00 31 December 2007 85 Brunei 2,674,000,000.00 31 December 2007 86 Trinidad and Tobago 2,646,000,000.00 31 December 2007 87 Cameroon 2,616,000,000.00 31 December 2007 88 Sri Lanka 2,465,000,000.00 31 December 2007 89 Lebanon 2,374,000,000.00 31 December 2007 90 Tanzania 2,263,000,000.00 31 December 2007 91 Nepal 2,184,000,000.00 31 December 2007 92 Ghana 2,179,000,000.00 31 December 2006 93 Namibia 2,149,000,000.00 31 December 2007 94 Uruguay 2,145,000,000.00 31 December 2007 95 Paraguay 1,943,000,000.00 31 December 2007 96 El Salvador 1,802,000,000.00 31 December 2007 97 Papua New Guinea 1,685,000,000.00 31 December 2007 98 Mauritius 1,673,000,000.00 31 December 2007 99 Mali 1,580,000,000.00 31 December 2007 100 Gaza Strip 1,574,000,000.00 31 December 2007 101 West Bank 1,574,000,000.00 31 December 2007 102 Honduras 1,573,000,000.00 31 December 2007 103 Gabon 1,547,000,000.00 31 December 2007 104 Armenia 1,507,000,000.00 31 December 2007 105 Barbados 1,478,000,000.00 31 December 2007 106 Afghanistan 1,426,000,000.00 31 December 2007 107 Congo, Republic of the 1,400,000,000.00 31 December 2007 108 Jamaica 1,369,000,000.00 31 December 2007 109 Uganda 1,363,000,000.00 31 December 2007 110 San Marino 1,326,000,000.00 31 December 2007 111 Benin 1,324,000,000.00 31 December 2007 112 Bahamas, The 1,274,000,000.00 31 December 2007 113 Mozambique 1,261,000,000.00 31 December 2007 114 Macedonia 1,173,000,000.00 31 December 2007 115 Montenegro 1,172,000,000.00 31 December 2007 116 Madagascar 1,161,000,000.00 31 December 2007 117 Macau 1,160,000,000.00 31 December 2007 118 Georgia 1,154,000,000.00 31 December 2007 119 Netherlands Antilles 1,133,000,000.00 31 December 2007 120 Burkina Faso 1,051,000,000.00 31 December 2007 121 Fiji 1,042,000,000.00 31 December 2007 122 Botswana 1,026,000,000.00 31 December 2007 123 Zambia 995,800,000.00 31 December 2007 124 Moldova 965,000,000.00 31 December 2007 125 Kyrgyzstan 911,100,000.00 31 December 2007 126 Chad 874,500,000.00 31 December 2007 127 Equatorial Guinea 835,200,000.00 31 December 2007 128 Eritrea 749,100,000.00 31 December 2007 129 Haiti 704,700,000.00 31 December 2007 130 Aruba 640,900,000.00 31 December 2007 131 Togo 624,900,000.00 31 December 2007 132 Niger 604,500,000.00 31 December 2007 133 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 597,000,000.00 31 December 2007 134 Cape Verde 574,000,000.00 31 December 2007 135 Cambodia 513,600,000.00 31 December 2007 136 Mongolia 504,700,000.00 31 December 2007 137 Nicaragua 465,100,000.00 31 December 2007 138 Lesotho 439,200,000.00 31 December 2007 139 Suriname 416,600,000.00 31 December 2007 140 Bhutan 381,100,000.00 31 December 2007 141 Djibouti 380,000,000.00 31 December 2007 142 Malawi 361,500,000.00 31 December 2007 143 Maldives 344,100,000.00 31 December 2007 144 Seychelles 330,800,000.00 31 December 2007 145 Laos 327,900,000.00 31 December 2007 146 Belize 323,900,000.00 31 December 2007 147 Guyana 315,200,000.00 31 December 2007 148 Guinea 309,800,000.00 31 December 2005 149 Antigua and Barbuda 294,800,000.00 31 December 2007 150 Saint Lucia 264,700,000.00 31 December 2007 151 Swaziland 244,800,000.00 31 December 2007 152 Rwanda 233,600,000.00 31 December 2005 153 Central African Republic 218,300,000.00 31 December 2007 154 Burundi 208,700,000.00 31 December 2007 155 Gambia, The 186,700,000.00 31 December 2007 156 Sierra Leone 184,600,000.00 31 December 2007 157 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 155,500,000.00 31 December 2007 158 Grenada 151,200,000.00 31 December 2007 159 Liberia 145,600,000.00 31 December 2007 160 Guinea-Bissau 142,500,000.00 31 December 2007 161 Solomon Islands 118,300,000.00 31 December 2007 162 Vanuatu 107,100,000.00 31 December 2007 163 Saint Kitts and Nevis 97,310,000.00 31 December 2007 164 Tajikistan 91,590,000.00 31 December 2006 165 Comoros 76,680,000.00 31 December 2007 166 Timor-Leste 74,940,000.00 31 December 2007 167 Dominica 73,710,000.00 31 December 2007 168 Samoa 69,970,000.00 31 December 2007 169 Tonga 46,380,000.00 31 December 2007 170 Anguilla 23,570,000.00 31 December 2007 171 Micronesia, Federated States of 22,450,000.00 31 December 2007 172 Sao Tome and Principe 19,990,000.00 31 December 2007 173 Montserrat 17,900,000.00 31 December 2007

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2210

Rank Country Stock of quasi money Date of Information

1 European Union 10,930,000,000,000.00 2 United States 10,100,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 3 Japan 4,783,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 4 China 3,437,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 5 Canada 1,381,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 6 Brazil 792,800,000,000.00 31 December 2007 7 Australia 667,200,000,000.00 31 December 2007 8 India 647,300,000,000.00 31 December 2007 9 Hong Kong 578,100,000,000.00 31 December 2007 10 Korea, South 541,700,000,000.00 31 December 2007 11 Switzerland 450,700,000,000.00 31 December 2007 12 Russia 292,500,000,000.00 31 December 2007 13 Turkey 254,300,000,000.00 31 December 2007 14 Burma 216,900,000,000.00 31 December 2007 15 Thailand 216,600,000,000.00 31 December 2007 16 Malaysia 187,600,000,000.00 31 December 2007 17 Mexico 168,400,000,000.00 31 December 2007 18 Singapore 162,200,000,000.00 31 December 2007 19 Israel 154,300,000,000.00 31 December 2007 20 South Africa 141,900,000,000.00 31 December 2007 21 Indonesia 127,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 22 New Zealand 117,800,000,000.00 31 December 2007 23 Saudi Arabia 109,500,000,000.00 31 December 2007 24 United Arab Emirates 104,600,000,000.00 31 December 2007 25 Egypt 102,600,000,000.00 31 December 2007 26 Poland 93,990,000,000.00 31 December 2007 27 Denmark 81,640,000,000.00 31 December 2007 28 Chile 80,420,000,000.00 31 December 2007 29 Iran 68,710,000,000.00 31 December 2007 30 Philippines 65,850,000,000.00 31 December 2007 31 Czech Republic 58,770,000,000.00 31 December 2007 32 Lebanon 57,400,000,000.00 31 December 2007 33 Kuwait 55,200,000,000.00 31 December 2007 34 Vietnam 51,080,000,000.00 31 December 2007 35 Sweden 48,490,000,000.00 31 December 2007 36 Syria 45,930,000,000.00 31 December 2006 37 Argentina 45,920,000,000.00 31 December 2007 38 Cyprus 43,930,000,000.00 31 December 2007 39 Hungary 43,070,000,000.00 31 December 2007 40 Ukraine 41,510,000,000.00 31 December 2007 41 Romania 34,960,000,000.00 31 December 2007 42 Bangladesh 32,400,000,000.00 31 December 2007 43 Croatia 31,860,000,000.00 31 December 2007 44 Algeria 28,590,000,000.00 31 December 2007 45 Colombia 27,250,000,000.00 31 December 2007 46 Kazakhstan 25,750,000,000.00 31 December 2007 47 Qatar 22,600,000,000.00 31 December 2007 48 Macau 21,910,000,000.00 31 December 2007 49 Slovakia 21,110,000,000.00 31 December 2007 50 Peru 19,950,000,000.00 31 December 2007 51 Nigeria 19,070,000,000.00 31 December 2007 52 Pakistan 18,420,000,000.00 31 December 2007 53 Bulgaria 17,030,000,000.00 31 December 2007 54 Morocco 16,230,000,000.00 31 December 2007 55 Jordan 15,380,000,000.00 31 December 2007 56 Iceland 15,050,000,000.00 31 December 2006 57 Panama 14,260,000,000.00 31 December 2007 58 Tunisia 13,560,000,000.00 31 December 2007 59 Slovenia 12,690,000,000.00 31 December 2006 60 Serbia 12,190,000,000.00 31 December 2007 61 Oman 11,040,000,000.00 31 December 2007 62 Bahrain 10,630,000,000.00 31 December 2007 63 Sri Lanka 10,460,000,000.00 31 December 2007 64 Guatemala 8,928,000,000.00 31 December 2007 65 Venezuela 8,889,000,000.00 31 December 2007 66 Ecuador 7,974,000,000.00 31 December 2007 67 Uruguay 7,919,000,000.00 31 December 2007 68 Malta 7,645,000,000.00 31 December 2007 69 Angola 7,216,000,000.00 31 December 2007 70 Lithuania 6,917,000,000.00 31 December 2007 71 Belarus 6,823,000,000.00 31 December 2007 72 Mauritius 6,759,000,000.00 31 December 2007 73 Albania 6,433,000,000.00 31 December 2007 74 Kenya 6,273,000,000.00 31 December 2007 75 Trinidad and Tobago 5,707,000,000.00 31 December 2007 76 Dominican Republic 5,631,000,000.00 31 December 2007 77 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5,597,000,000.00 31 December 2007 78 Zimbabwe 5,349,000,000.00 31 December 2007 79 Honduras 5,266,000,000.00 31 December 2007 80 Latvia 5,113,000,000.00 31 December 2007 81 Nepal 4,745,000,000.00 31 December 2007 82 Bolivia 4,729,000,000.00 31 December 2007 83 San Marino 4,584,000,000.00 31 December 2007 84 Jamaica 4,540,000,000.00 31 December 2007 85 Yemen 4,526,000,000.00 31 December 2007 86 Botswana 4,336,000,000.00 31 December 2007 87 Bahamas, The 4,324,000,000.00 31 December 2007 88 Brunei 4,258,000,000.00 31 December 2007 89 Estonia 4,253,000,000.00 31 December 2007 90 Sudan 4,068,000,000.00 31 December 2007 91 Iraq 3,670,000,000.00 31 December 2007 92 Ethiopia 3,258,000,000.00 31 December 2007 93 Libya 3,192,000,000.00 31 December 2007 94 Macedonia 3,127,000,000.00 31 December 2007 95 Gaza Strip 3,048,000,000.00 31 December 2007 96 West Bank 3,048,000,000.00 31 December 2007 97 Tanzania 2,885,000,000.00 31 December 2007 98 Costa Rica 2,870,000,000.00 31 December 2007 99 Barbados 2,717,000,000.00 31 December 2007 100 Azerbaijan 2,593,000,000.00 31 December 2007 101 Cambodia 2,309,000,000.00 31 December 2007 102 Netherlands Antilles 2,309,000,000.00 31 December 2007 103 Ghana 2,174,000,000.00 31 December 2006 104 Cote d'Ivoire 1,915,000,000.00 31 December 2007 105 Nicaragua 1,802,000,000.00 31 December 2007 106 Zambia 1,709,000,000.00 31 December 2007 107 Cameroon 1,698,000,000.00 31 December 2007 108 Senegal 1,579,000,000.00 31 December 2007 109 Haiti 1,561,000,000.00 31 December 2007 110 Mongolia 1,539,000,000.00 31 December 2007 111 Namibia 1,493,000,000.00 31 December 2007 112 Papua New Guinea 1,482,000,000.00 31 December 2007 113 Mozambique 1,467,000,000.00 31 December 2007 114 Moldova 1,449,000,000.00 31 December 2007 115 Montenegro 1,446,000,000.00 31 December 2007 116 Georgia 1,379,000,000.00 31 December 2007 117 Paraguay 1,368,000,000.00 31 December 2007 118 Uganda 1,302,000,000.00 31 December 2007 119 Fiji 1,088,000,000.00 31 December 2007 120 Afghanistan 958,600,000.00 31 December 2007 121 Eritrea 932,900,000.00 31 December 2007 122 Antigua and Barbuda 902,000,000.00 31 December 2007 123 Suriname 824,400,000.00 31 December 2007 124 Gabon 799,300,000.00 31 December 2007 125 Aruba 792,900,000.00 31 December 2007 126 Armenia 765,200,000.00 31 December 2007 127 El Salvador 764,100,000.00 31 December 2007 128 Guyana 728,800,000.00 31 December 2007 129 Saint Lucia 720,900,000.00 31 December 2007 130 Laos 717,900,000.00 31 December 2007 131 Mali 697,100,000.00 31 December 2007 132 Cape Verde 689,000,000.00 31 December 2007 133 Saint Kitts and Nevis 688,600,000.00 31 December 2007 134 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 677,900,000.00 31 December 2007 135 Burkina Faso 663,000,000.00 31 December 2007 136 Benin 627,200,000.00 31 December 2007 137 Madagascar 577,400,000.00 31 December 2007 138 Belize 549,000,000.00 31 December 2007 139 Grenada 533,400,000.00 31 December 2007 140 Swaziland 529,400,000.00 31 December 2007 141 Anguilla 470,100,000.00 31 December 2007 142 Maldives 434,900,000.00 31 December 2007 143 Vanuatu 421,800,000.00 31 December 2007 144 Togo 383,900,000.00 31 December 2007 145 Kyrgyzstan 303,700,000.00 31 December 2007 146 Djibouti 284,100,000.00 31 December 2007 147 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 280,200,000.00 31 December 2007 148 Dominica 269,100,000.00 31 December 2007 149 Malawi 250,400,000.00 31 December 2007 150 Seychelles 249,000,000.00 31 December 2007 151 Rwanda 227,400,000.00 31 December 2005 152 Bhutan 220,300,000.00 31 December 2007 153 Congo, Republic of the 204,300,000.00 31 December 2007 154 Niger 193,700,000.00 31 December 2007 155 Gambia, The 180,400,000.00 31 December 2007 156 Sierra Leone 177,700,000.00 31 December 2007 157 Equatorial Guinea 174,500,000.00 31 December 2007 158 Samoa 168,700,000.00 31 December 2007 159 Tajikistan 161,000,000.00 31 December 2006 160 Lesotho 160,200,000.00 31 December 2007 161 Burundi 141,000,000.00 31 December 2007 162 Tonga 106,800,000.00 31 December 2007 163 Micronesia, Federated States of 72,490,000.00 31 December 2007 164 Timor-Leste 68,780,000.00 31 December 2007 165 Solomon Islands 57,890,000.00 31 December 2007 166 Chad 55,230,000.00 31 December 2007 167 Liberia 49,890,000.00 31 December 2007 168 Central African Republic 47,580,000.00 31 December 2007 169 Montserrat 43,900,000.00 31 December 2007 170 Sao Tome and Principe 33,500,000.00 31 December 2007 171 Comoros 23,390,000.00 31 December 2007 172 Guinea-Bissau 12,040,000.00 31 December 2007

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Rank code: @2211

Rank Country Stock of domestic credit Date of Information

1 European Union 20,940,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 2 United States 14,150,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 3 Japan 9,653,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 4 United Kingdom 5,278,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 5 Germany 5,081,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 6 China 4,653,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 7 France 4,105,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 8 Spain 3,177,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 9 Italy 3,084,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 10 Canada 2,382,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 11 Netherlands 1,876,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 12 Brazil 1,377,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 13 Australia 1,312,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 14 Korea, South 1,061,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 15 Burma 887,700,000,000.00 31 December 2007 16 Switzerland 855,400,000,000.00 31 December 2007 17 India 769,300,000,000.00 31 December 2007 18 Ireland 768,900,000,000.00 31 December 2007 19 Belgium 767,700,000,000.00 31 December 2007 20 Denmark 684,700,000,000.00 31 December 2007 21 Sweden 630,800,000,000.00 31 December 2007 22 Austria 599,500,000,000.00 31 December 2007 23 Portugal 451,900,000,000.00 31 December 2007 24 Greece 392,400,000,000.00 31 December 2007 25 Turkey 358,100,000,000.00 31 December 2007 26 Luxembourg 357,900,000,000.00 31 December 2007 27 Mexico 349,100,000,000.00 31 December 2007 28 Russia 339,100,000,000.00 31 December 2007 29 Hong Kong 259,700,000,000.00 31 December 2007 30 South Africa 254,900,000,000.00 31 December 2007 31 Thailand 241,800,000,000.00 31 December 2007 32 Finland 240,700,000,000.00 31 December 2007 33 Poland 223,200,000,000.00 31 December 2007 34 Malaysia 220,000,000,000.00 31 December 2007 35 New Zealand 200,100,000,000.00 31 December 2007 36 Indonesia 170,200,000,000.00 31 December 2007 37 United Arab Emirates 155,400,000,000.00 31 December 2007 38 Singapore 129,200,000,000.00 31 December 2007 39 Chile 127,100,000,000.00 31 December 2007 40 Egypt 113,900,000,000.00 31 December 2007 41 Israel 113,400,000,000.00 31 December 2006 42 Iran 109,700,000,000.00 31 December 2007 43 Hungary 109,500,000,000.00 31 December 2007 44 Czech Republic 103,900,000,000.00 31 December 2007 45 Ukraine 87,130,000,000.00 31 December 2007 46 Colombia 85,340,000,000.00 31 December 2007 47 Kuwait 78,250,000,000.00 31 December 2007 48 Argentina 72,550,000,000.00 31 December 2007 49 Morocco 71,900,000,000.00 31 December 2007 50 Vietnam 68,630,000,000.00 31 December 2007 51 Saudi Arabia 66,940,000,000.00 31 December 2007 52 Philippines 65,660,000,000.00 31 December 2007 53 Pakistan 65,050,000,000.00 31 December 2007 54 Romania 58,760,000,000.00 31 December 2007 55 Cyprus 52,090,000,000.00 31 December 2007 56 Syria 50,920,000,000.00 31 December 2006 57 Venezuela 50,240,000,000.00 31 December 2007 58 Iceland 49,670,000,000.00 31 December 2006 59 Croatia 45,700,000,000.00 31 December 2007 60 Lebanon 45,510,000,000.00 31 December 2007 61 Kazakhstan 43,750,000,000.00 31 December 2007 62 Slovakia 41,760,000,000.00 31 December 2007 63 Bangladesh 40,150,000,000.00 31 December 2007 64 Qatar 30,520,000,000.00 31 December 2007 65 Latvia 27,560,000,000.00 31 December 2007 66 Tunisia 25,230,000,000.00 31 December 2007 67 Bulgaria 25,180,000,000.00 31 December 2007 68 Lithuania 25,050,000,000.00 31 December 2007 69 Zimbabwe 24,910,000,000.00 31 December 2007 70 Estonia 21,350,000,000.00 31 December 2007 71 Jordan 19,530,000,000.00 31 December 2007 72 Peru 17,880,000,000.00 31 December 2007 73 Panama 17,400,000,000.00 31 December 2007 74 Nigeria 16,150,000,000.00 31 December 2007 75 Dominican Republic 15,920,000,000.00 31 December 2007 76 Sri Lanka 14,820,000,000.00 31 December 2007 77 Guatemala 13,960,000,000.00 31 December 2007 78 Oman 13,880,000,000.00 31 December 2007 79 Serbia 13,440,000,000.00 31 December 2007 80 Costa Rica 12,910,000,000.00 31 December 2007 81 Belarus 12,160,000,000.00 31 December 2007 82 Malta 10,990,000,000.00 31 December 2007 83 Kenya 10,430,000,000.00 31 December 2007 84 Bahrain 10,320,000,000.00 31 December 2007 85 El Salvador 9,729,000,000.00 31 December 2007 86 Ecuador 8,926,000,000.00 31 December 2007 87 Bosnia and Herzegovina 8,895,000,000.00 31 December 2007 88 Sudan 8,659,000,000.00 31 December 2007 89 Mauritius 8,582,000,000.00 31 December 2007 90 San Marino 7,513,000,000.00 31 December 2007 91 Bahamas, The 7,395,000,000.00 31 December 2007 92 Albania 7,341,000,000.00 31 December 2007 93 Ethiopia 6,694,000,000.00 31 December 2006 94 Jamaica 6,609,000,000.00 31 December 2007 95 Uruguay 6,396,000,000.00 31 December 2007 96 Honduras 6,298,000,000.00 31 December 2007 97 Azerbaijan 5,726,000,000.00 31 December 2007 98 Nepal 5,636,000,000.00 31 December 2007 99 Bolivia 4,759,000,000.00 31 December 2007 100 Namibia 4,446,000,000.00 31 December 2007 101 Cote d'Ivoire 4,404,000,000.00 31 December 2007 102 Ghana 4,173,000,000.00 31 December 2006 103 Nicaragua 4,133,000,000.00 31 December 2007 104 Trinidad and Tobago 3,721,000,000.00 31 December 2007 105 Barbados 3,533,000,000.00 31 December 2007 106 Georgia 3,374,000,000.00 31 December 2007 107 Montenegro 3,083,000,000.00 31 December 2007 108 Senegal 2,970,000,000.00 31 December 2007 109 Netherlands Antilles 2,927,000,000.00 31 December 2007 110 Macedonia 2,924,000,000.00 31 December 2007 111 Paraguay 2,457,000,000.00 31 December 2007 112 Brunei 2,380,000,000.00 31 December 2007 113 Tanzania 2,250,000,000.00 31 December 2007 114 Yemen 2,224,000,000.00 31 December 2007 115 Zambia 1,968,000,000.00 31 December 2007 116 Fiji 1,948,000,000.00 31 December 2007 117 Moldova 1,896,000,000.00 31 December 2007 118 Eritrea 1,711,000,000.00 31 December 2007 119 Haiti 1,537,000,000.00 31 December 2007 120 Papua New Guinea 1,486,000,000.00 31 December 2007 121 Gaza Strip 1,455,000,000.00 31 December 2007 122 West Bank 1,455,000,000.00 31 December 2007 123 Angola 1,385,000,000.00 31 December 2007 124 Aruba 1,348,000,000.00 31 December 2007 125 Cameroon 1,300,000,000.00 31 December 2007 126 Armenia 1,256,000,000.00 31 December 2007 127 Saint Lucia 1,217,000,000.00 31 December 2007 128 Mongolia 1,191,000,000.00 31 December 2007 129 Liberia 1,157,000,000.00 31 December 2007 130 Cambodia 1,131,000,000.00 31 December 2007 131 Mali 1,099,000,000.00 31 December 2007 132 Maldives 1,080,000,000.00 31 December 2007 133 Cape Verde 1,049,000,000.00 31 December 2007 134 Antigua and Barbuda 1,002,000,000.00 31 December 2007 135 Uganda 907,300,000.00 31 December 2007 136 Burkina Faso 905,100,000.00 31 December 2007 137 Belize 877,600,000.00 31 December 2007 138 Mozambique 877,200,000.00 31 December 2007 139 Saint Kitts and Nevis 782,400,000.00 31 December 2007 140 Madagascar 767,500,000.00 31 December 2007 141 Guyana 739,300,000.00 31 December 2007 142 Seychelles 660,200,000.00 31 December 2007 143 Suriname 651,000,000.00 31 December 2007 144 Togo 590,700,000.00 31 December 2007 145 Grenada 575,800,000.00 31 December 2007 146 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 559,500,000.00 31 December 2007 147 Kyrgyzstan 558,300,000.00 31 December 2007 148 Benin 520,600,000.00 31 December 2007 149 Anguilla 447,700,000.00 31 December 2007 150 Guinea 422,100,000.00 31 December 2005 151 Tajikistan 417,400,000.00 31 December 2006 152 Malawi 406,200,000.00 31 December 2007 153 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 387,800,000.00 31 December 2007 154 Gabon 359,800,000.00 31 December 2007 155 Burundi 342,000,000.00 31 December 2007 156 Central African Republic 320,200,000.00 31 December 2007 157 Niger 318,900,000.00 31 December 2007 158 Laos 285,800,000.00 31 December 2007 159 Vanuatu 229,500,000.00 31 December 2007 160 Djibouti 224,700,000.00 31 December 2007 161 Samoa 215,100,000.00 31 December 2007 162 Rwanda 209,200,000.00 31 December 2005 163 Swaziland 204,100,000.00 31 December 2007 164 Dominica 193,100,000.00 31 December 2007 165 Bhutan 169,900,000.00 31 December 2007 166 Gambia, The 169,900,000.00 31 December 2007 167 Tonga 163,100,000.00 31 December 2007 168 Sierra Leone 162,900,000.00 31 December 2007 169 Solomon Islands 126,900,000.00 31 December 2007 170 Chad 82,810,000.00 31 December 2007 171 Guinea-Bissau 46,440,000.00 31 December 2007 172 Comoros 45,090,000.00 31 December 2007 173 Sao Tome and Principe 31,840,000.00 31 December 2007 174 Afghanistan 20,060,000.00 31 December 2007 175 Montserrat 5,537,000.00 31 December 2007

This file was last updated on 18 December, 2008

======================================================================

Appendix A - Abbreviations

ABEDA: Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa

ACCT: Agency for the French-Speaking Community (see International

Organization of the French-speaking World)

ACP Group: African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States

AfDB: African Development Bank

AFESD: Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development

Air Pollution: Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution

Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides: Protocol to the 1979 Convention on

Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of

Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or Their Transboundary Fluxes

Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants: Protocol to the 1979

Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Persistent

Organic Pollutants

Air Pollution-Sulphur 85: Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long- Range Transboundary Air Pollution on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions or Their Transboundary Fluxes by at Least 30%

Air Pollution-Sulphur 94: Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-

Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Further Reduction of Sulphur

Emissions

Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds: Protocol to the 1979

Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the

Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds or Their

Transboundary Fluxes

AMF: Arab Monetary Fund

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol: Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty

Antarctic Marine Living Resources: Convention on the Conservation of

Antarctic Marine Living Resources

Antarctic Seals: Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals

ANZUS: Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty

APEC: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

Arabsat: Arab Satellite Communications Organization

ARF: ASEAN Regional Forum

ADB: Asian Development Bank

ASEAN: Association of Southeast Asian Nations

AU: African Union

Autodin: Automatic Digital Network

BA: Baltic Assembly

bbl/day: barrels per day

BCIE: Central American Bank for Economic Integration

BDEAC: Central African States Development Bank

Benelux: Benelux Economic Union

BIMSTEC: Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and

Economic Cooperation

Biodiversity: Convention on Biological Diversity

BGN: United States Board on Geographic Names

BIS: Bank for International Settlements

BSEC: Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone

C: Commonwealth

c.i.f.: cost, insurance, and freight

CACM: Central American Common Market

CAEU: Council of Arab Economic Unity

CAN: Andean Community of Nations

Caricom: Caribbean Community and Common Market

CB: citizen's band mobile radio communications

CBSS: Council of the Baltic Sea States

CCC: Customs Cooperation Council

CDB: Caribbean Development Bank

CE: Council of Europe

CEI: Central European Initiative

CEMAC: Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa

CEPGL: Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries

CERN: European Organization for Nuclear Research

CEPT: Conference Europeanne des Poste et Telecommunications

CIS: Commonwealth of Independent States

CITES: see Endangered Species

Climate Change: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol: Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change

COCOM: Coordinating Committee on Export Controls

Comsat: Communications Satellite Corporation

COMESA: Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa

CP: Colombo Plan

CPLP: Comunidade dos Paises de Lingua Portuguesa

CSTO: Collective Security Treaty Organization

CTBTO: Preparation commission for the Nuclear-Ban-Treaty Operation

CY: calendar year

DC: developed country

DDT: dichloro-diphenyl-trichloro-ethane

Desertification: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa

DIA: United States Defense Intelligence Agency

DSN: Defense Switched Network

DST: daylight savings time

DWT: deadweight ton

EAC: East African Community

EADB: East African Development Bank

EAEC: Eurasian Economic Community

EAPC: Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council

EBRD: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

EC: European Community

ECA: Economic Commission for Africa

ECE: Economic Commission for Europe

ECLAC: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

ECO: Economic Cooperation Organization

ECOSOC: Economic and Social Council

ECOWAS: Economic Community of West African States

ECSC: European Coal and Steel Community

EEC: European Economic Community

EFTA: European Free Trade Association

EEZ: exclusive economic zone

EIB: European Investment Bank

EMU: European Monetary Union

Endangered Species: Convention on the International Trade in

Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES)

Entente: Council of the Entente

Environmental Modification: Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques

ESA: European Space Agency

ESCAP: Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

ESCWA: Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

est.: estimate

EU: European Union

Euratom: European Atomic Energy Community

Eutelsat: European Telecommunications Satellite Organization

Ex-Im: Export-Import Bank of the United States

f.o.b.: free on board

FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization

FAX: facsimile

FLS: Front Line States

FOC: flags of convenience

FSU: former Soviet Union

FY: fiscal year

FZ: Franc Zone

G-2: Group of 2

G-3: Group of 3

G-5: Group of 5

G-6: Group of 6

G-7: Group of 7

G-8: Group of 8

G-9: Group of 9

G-10: Group of 10

G-15: Group of 15

G-11: Group of 11

G-24: Group of 24

G-77: Group of 77

GATT: General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; now WTO

GCC: Gulf Cooperation Council

GCTU: General Confederation of Trade Unions

GDP: gross domestic product

GMT: Greenwich Mean Time

GNP: gross national product

GRT: gross register ton

GSM: global system for mobile cellular communications

GUAM: Organization for Democracy and Economic Development; acronym for member states - Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova

GWP: gross world product

Hazardous Wastes: Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary

Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal

HF: high-frequency

HIV/AIDS: human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome

IADB: Inter-American Development Bank

IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency

IANA: Internet Assigned Numbers Authority

IBRD: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World

Bank)

ICAO: International Civil Aviation Organization

ICC: International Chamber of Commerce

ICCt: International Criminal Court

ICJ: International Court of Justice (World Court)

ICRC: International Committee of the Red Cross

ICRM: International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement

ICSID: International Center for Secretariat of Investment Disputes

ICTR: International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda

ICTY: International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

IDA: International Development Association

IDB: Islamic Development Bank

IDP: Internally Displaced Person

IEA: International Energy Agency

IFAD: International Fund for Agricultural Development

IFC: International Finance Corporation

IFRCS: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent

Societies

IGAD: Inter-Governmental Authority on Development

IHO: International Hydrographic Organization

ILO: International Labor Organization

IMF: International Monetary Fund

IMO: International Maritime Organization

IMSO: International Mobile Satellite Organization

Inmarsat: International Maritime Satellite Organization

InOC: Indian Ocean Commission

INSTRAW: International Research and Training Institute for the

Advancement of Women

Intelsat: International Telecommunications Satellite Organization

Interpol: International Criminal Police Organization

Intersputnik: International Organization of Space Communications

IOC: International Olympic Committee

IOM: International Organization for Migration

IPU: Inter-parliamentary Union

ISO: International Organization for Standardization

ISP: Internet Service Provider

ITSO: International Telecommunications Satellites Organization

ITU: International Telecommunication Union

ITUC: International Trade Union Confederation, the successor to ICFTU

(International Confederation of Free Trade Unions) and the WCL (World

Confederation of Labor)

kHz: kilohertz

km: kilometer

kW: kilowatt

kWh: kilowatt-hour

LAES: Latin American Economic System

LAIA: Latin American Integration Association

LAS: League of Arab States

Law of the Sea: United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS)

LDC: less developed country

LLDC: least developed country

London Convention: see Marine Dumping

LOS: see Law of the Sea

m: meter

Marecs: Maritime European Communications Satellite

Marine Dumping: Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by

Dumping Wastes and Other Matter

Marine Life Conservation: Convention on Fishing and Conservation of

Living Resources of the High Seas

MARPOL: see Ship Pollution

Medarabtel: Middle East Telecommunications Project of the

International Telecommunications Union

Mercosur: Southern Cone Common Market

MHz: megahertz

MICAH: International Civilian Support Mission in Haiti

MINURSO: United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara

MIGA: Multilateral Investment Geographic Agency

MINUSTAH: United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti

MONUC: United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

NA: not available

NAFTA: North American Free Trade Agreement

NAM: Nonaligned Movement

NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization

NC: Nordic Council

NEA: Nuclear Energy Agency

NEGL: negligible

NGA: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

NIB: Nordic Investment Bank

NIC: newly industrializing country

NIE: newly industrializing economy

NIS: new independent states

nm: nautical mile

NMT: Nordic Mobile Telephone

NSG: Nuclear Suppliers Group

Nuclear Test Ban: Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the

Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water

NZ: New Zealand

OAPEC: Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries

OAS: Organization of American States

OAU: Organization of African Unity; see African Union

ODA: official development assistance

OECD: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

OECS: Organization of Eastern Caribbean States

OHCHR: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

OIC: Organization of the Islamic Conference

OIF: International Organization of the French-speaking World

ONUB: United Nations Operation in Burundi

OOF: other official flows

OPANAL: Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean

OPCW: Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

OPEC: Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

OSCE: Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

Ozone Layer Protection: Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer

PCA: Permanent Court of Arbitration

PFP: Partnership for Peace

PIF: Pacific Islands Forum

PPP: purchasing power parity

Ramsar: see Wetlands

RG: Rio Group

SAARC: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

SACU: Southern African Customs Union

SACEP: South Asia Co-opeative Environment Programme

SADC: Southern African Development Community

SCO: Shanghai Cooperation Organization

SAFE: South African Far East Cable

SECI: Southeast European Cooperative Initiative

SHF: super-high-frequency

Ship Pollution: Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International

Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 (MARPOL)

Sparteca: South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation

Agreement

SPC: Secretariat of the Pacific Communities

SPF: South Pacific Forum

sq km: square kilometer

sq mi: square mile

TAT: Trans-Atlantic Telephone

TEU: Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit

Tropical Timber 83: International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1983

Tropical Timber 94: International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994

UAE: United Arab Emirates

UDEAC: Central African Customs and Economic Union

UHF: ultra-high-frequency

UK: United Kingdom

UMA: Arab Maghreb Union

UN: United Nations

UNAMSIL: United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone

UNCLOS: United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, also know as

LOS

UNCTAD: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

UNDCP: United Nations Drug Control Program

UNDOF: United Nations Disengagement Observer Force

UNDP: United Nations Development Program

UNEP: United Nations Environment Program

UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural

Organization

UNFICYP: United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus

UNFPA: United Nations Population Fund

UNHCR: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

UNICEF: United Nations Children's Fund

UNICRI: United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research

Institute

UNIDIR: United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research

UNIDO: United Nations Industrial Development Organization

UNIFIL: United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon

UNITAR: United Nations Institute for Training and Research

UNMEE: United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea

UNMIK: United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo

UNMIL: United Nations Mission in Liberia

UNMIT: United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste

UNMOGIP: United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan

UNMOVIC: United Nations Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection

Commission

UNOCI: United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire

UNOMIG: United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia

UNOPS: United Nations Office of Project Services

UNRISD: United Nations Research Institute for Social Development

UNRWA: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

UNSC: United Nations Security Council

UNSSC: Untied Nations System Staff College

UNTSO: United Nations Truce Supervision Organization

UNU: United Nations University

UNWTO: World Tourism Organization

UPU: Universal Postal Union

US: United States

USSR: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Soviet Union); used for information dated before 25 December 1991

UTC: Coordinated Universal Time

UV: ultra violet

VHF: very-high-frequency

VSAT: very small aperture terminal

WADB: West African Development Bank

WAEMU: West African Economic and Monetary Union

WCL: World Confederation of Labor

WCO: World Customs Organization

Wetlands: Convention on Wetlands of International Importance

Especially As Waterfowl Habitat

WEU: Western European Union

WFP: World Food Program

WFTU: World Federation of Trade Unions

Whaling: International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling

WHO: World Health Organization

WIPO: World Intellectual Property Organization

WMO: World Meteorological Organization

WP: Warsaw Pact

WTO: World Trade Organization

ZC: Zangger Committee

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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Appendix B - International Organizations and Groups

advanced developing countries: another term for those less developed countries (LDCs) with particularly rapid industrial development; see newly industrializing economies (NIEs)

advanced economies: a term used by the International Monetary FUND (IMF) for the top group in its hierarchy of advanced economies, countries in transition, and developing countries; it includes the following 28 advanced economies: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, US; note - this group would presumably also cover the following seven smaller countries of Andorra, Bermuda, Faroe Islands, Holy See, Liechtenstein, Monaco, and San Marino that are included in the more comprehensive group of "developed countries"

African Development Bank Group (AfDB): note - regional multilateral development finance institution temporarily located in Tunis, Tunisia; the Bank Group consists of the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund, and the Nigerian Trust Fund

established - 10 September 1964

aim - to promote economic development and social progress

regional members - (53) Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso,

Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros,

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire,

Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The

Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya,

Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique,

Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal,

Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland,

Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

nonregional members - (24) Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada,

China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South

Korea, Kuwait, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain,

Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US

African Union (AU): note - replaces Organization of African Unity

(OAU)

established - 8 July 2001

aim - to achieve greater unity among African States; to defend states' integrity and independence; to accelerate political, social, and economic integration; to encourage international cooperation; to promote democratic principles and institutions

members - (53) Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi,

Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros,

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire,

Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The

Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya,

Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia,

Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western

Sahara), Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,

Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia,

Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of States (ACP Group): established - 6 June 1975

aim - to manage their preferential economic and aid relationship with the EU

members - (79) Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados,

Belize, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde,

Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the

Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba,

Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea,

Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-

Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia,

Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius,

Federated States of Micronesia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Niger,

Nigeria, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis,

Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and

Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia,

South Africa, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo,

Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Agency for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean (OPANAL): note - acronym from Organismo para la Proscripcion de las Armas Nucleares en la America Latina y el Caribe (OPANAL)

established - 14 February 1967 under the Treaty of Tlatelolco; effective - 25 April 1969 on the 11th ratification

aim - to encourage the peaceful uses of atomic energy and prohibit nuclear weapons

members - (33) Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados,

Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica,

Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana,

Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru,

Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,

Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela

Andean Community of Nations (CAN): note - formerly known as the Andean

Group (AG) and the Andean Common Market (Ancom)

established - 26 May 1969; present name established 1 October 1992; effective - 16 October 1969

aim - to promote harmonious development through economic integration

members - (4) Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

associate members - (5) Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay

observers - (2) Mexico, Panama

Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (ABEDA): note - also known as Banque Arabe de Developpement Economique en Afrique (BADEA)

established - 18 February 1974; effective - 16 September 1974

aim - to promote economic development

members - (17 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Palestine Liberation Organization; note - these are all the members of the Arab League excluding Comoros, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen

Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD): established - 16 May 1968

aim - to promote economic and social development

members - (20 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq (suspended 1993), Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia (suspended 1993), Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization

Arab Maghreb Union (AMU): established - 17 February 1989

aim - to promote cooperation and integration among the Arab states of northern Africa

members - (5) Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia

Arab Monetary Fund (AMF): established - 27 April 1976; effective - 2

February 1977

aim - to promote Arab cooperation, development, and integration in monetary and economic affairs

members - (21 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria,

Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon,

Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan,

Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization

Arctic Council: established - 18 September 1996

aim - to address the common concerns and challenges faced by Arctic governments and the people of the Arctic; to protect the Arctic environment

members - (8) Canada, Denmark (Greenland, Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, US

permanent participants - (6) Aleut International Association, Arctic

Athabaskan Council, Gwich'in Council International, Inuit Circumpolar

Conference, Russian Association of Indigenous People of the North,

Saami Council

observers - (8) China, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, UK

ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF): established - 25 July 1994

aim - to foster constructive dialogue and consultation on political and security issues of common interest and concern

members - (26) Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Canada,

China, EU, India, Indonesia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Laos,

Malaysia, Mongolia, NZ, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines,

Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, US, Vietnam

Asian Development Bank (ADB): established - 19 December 1966

aim - to promote regional economic cooperation

members - (48) Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh,

Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, Georgia,

Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, South Korea,

Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Federated

States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Palau,

Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri

Lanka, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkmenistan,

Tuvalu, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam

nonregional members - (19) Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC): established - 7 November 1989

aim - to promote trade and investment in the Pacific basin

members - (21) Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, NZ, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, US, Vietnam

observers - (3) Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): established - 8 August 1967

aim - to encourage regional economic, social, and cultural cooperation among the non-Communist countries of Southeast Asia

members - (10) Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

dialogue partners - (11) Australia, Canada, China, EU, India, Japan, South Korea, NZ, Russia, US, UNDP; note - ASEAN promotes cooperation with Pakistan in some areas of mutual interest

observers - (1) Papua New Guinea

Australia Group (AG): established - June 1985

aim - to consult on and coordinate export controls related to chemical and biological weapons

members - (41) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,

Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, European

Commission, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,

Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg,

Malta, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia,

Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, US

Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty (ANZUS): established - 1 September 1951; effective - 29 April 1952

aim - to implement a trilateral mutual security agreement, although the US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986; Australia and the US continue to hold annual meetings

members - (3) Australia, NZ, US

Baltic Assembly (BA): established - 12 May 1990

aim - to thoroughly discuss various cooperation issues between Baltic states

members - (3) Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

Bank for International Settlements (BIS): established - 20 January 1930; effective - 17 March 1930

aim - to promote cooperation among central banks in international financial settlements

members - (55) Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, European Central Bank, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, UK, US; note - Serbia and Montenegro have separate central banks; their links with BIS are currently under review

Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic

Cooperation (BIMSTEC): established - June 1997

aim - to foster socio-economic cooperation among members

members - (7) Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand

Benelux Economic Union (Benelux): note - acronym from Belgium,

Netherlands, and Luxembourg

established - 3 February 1958; effective - 1 November 1960

aim - to develop closer economic cooperation and integration

members - (3) Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands

Big Seven: note - membership is the same as the Group of 7

established - 1975

aim - to discuss and coordinate major economic policies

members - (7) Big Six (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK) plus the US

Black Sea Economic Cooperation Zone (BSEC): established - 25 June 1992

aim - to enhance regional stability through economic cooperation

members - (12) Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine; note - Macedonia is in the process of joining

observers - (17) Austria, Belarus, Black Sea Commission, Commission of the EC, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Energy Charter Secretariat, France, Germany, International Black Sea Club, Israel, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Tunisia, US; note - Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia have applied for observer status

Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom): established - 4 July 1973; effective - 1 August 1973

aim - to promote economic integration and development, especially among the less developed countries

members - (15) Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize,

Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and

Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname,

Trinidad and Tobago

associate members - (5) Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands

observers - (7) Aruba, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Venezuela

Caribbean Development Bank (CDB): established - 18 October 1969; effective - 26 January 1970

aim - to promote economic development and cooperation

regional members - (21) Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas,

Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Colombia,

Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Saint

Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,

Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Venezuela

nonregional members - (5) Canada, China, Germany, Italy, UK

Central African Customs and Economic Union (UDEAC): see Economic and

Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC)

Central African States Development Bank (BDEAC): note - acronym from

Banque de Developpement des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale

established - 3 December 1975

aim - to provide loans for economic development

members - (10) African Development Bank (AfDB), Cameroon, Central African States Bank (BEAC), Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Kuwait

Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE): note - acronym from Banco Centroamericano de Integracion Economico

established - 13 December 1960 signature of Articles of Agreement; 31 May 1961 began operations

aim - to promote economic integration and development

members - (5) Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua

nonregional members - (7) Argentina, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Spain, Taiwan

Central American Common Market (CACM): established - 13 December 1960, collapsed in 1969, reinstated in 1991

aim - to promote establishment of a Central American Common Market

members - (5) Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua; note - Panama, although not a member, pursues full regional cooperation

Central European Initiative (CEI): note - evolved from the

Quadrilateral Initiative and the Hexagonal Initiative

established - 11 November 1989 as the Quadrilateral Initiative, 27 July 1991 became the Hexagonal Initiative, July 1992 its present name was adopted

aim - to form an economic and political cooperation group for the region between the Adriatic and the Baltic Seas

members - (18) Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine

centrally planned economies: a term applied mainly to the traditionally Communist states that looked to the former USSR for leadership; most are now evolving toward more democratic and market- oriented systems; also known formerly as the Second World or as the Communist countries; through the 1980s, this group included Albania, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic, Hungary, North Korea, Laos, Mongolia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, USSR, Vietnam

Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO): established - 7

October 2002

aim - to coordinate military and political cooperation, to develop multilateral structures and mechanisms of cooperation for ensuring national security of the member states

members - (7) Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan

Colombo Plan (CP): established - May 1950 proposal was adopted; 1 July 1951 commenced full operations

aim - to promote economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific

members - (25) Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Fiji,

India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives,

Mongolia, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines,

Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, US, Vietnam

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA): note - formerly known as Preferential Trade Area for Eastern and Southern Africa (PTA)

established - 5 November 1993

aim - recognizing, promoting and protecting fundamental human rights, commitment to the principles of liberty and rule of law, maintaining peace and stability through the promotion and strengthening of good neighborliness, commitment to peaceful settlement of disputes among member states

members - (19) Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo,

Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi,

Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia,

Zimbabwe

Commonwealth (C): note - also known as Commonwealth of Nations

established - 31 December 1931

aim - to foster multinational cooperation and assistance, as a voluntary association that evolved from the British Empire

members - (53) Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Cameroon, Canada, Cyprus, Dominica, Fiji (suspended), The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, NZ, Nigeria, Pakistan (reinstated 2004), Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, UK, Vanuatu, Zambia; note - on 7 December 2003 Zimbabwe withdrew its membership from the Commonwealth

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): established - 8 December 1991; effective - 21 December 1991

aim - to coordinate intercommonwealth relations and to provide a mechanism for the orderly dissolution of the USSR

members - (12) Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Communist countries: traditionally the Marxist-Leninist states with authoritarian governments and command economies based on the Soviet model; most of the original and the successor states are no longer Communist; see centrally planned economies

Comuinidade dos Paises de Lingua Portuguesa (CPLP): established - 1996

aim - to establish a forum for friendship among Portuguese-speaking nations where Portuguese is an official language

members - (8) Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe, Timor-Leste

associate observers - (3) Equatorial Guinea, Mauritius, Senegal

Coordinating Committee on Export Controls (COCOM): established in 1949 to control the export of strategic products and technical data from member countries to proscribed destinations; members were: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, UK, US; abolished 31 March 1994; COCOM members established a new organization, the Wassenaar Arrangement, with expanded membership on 12 July 1996 that focuses on nonproliferation export controls as opposed to East- West control of advanced technology

Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CEMA): note - also known as

CMEA or Comecon

established 25 January 1949 to promote the development of socialist economies and abolished 1 January 1991; members included Afghanistan (observer), Albania (had not participated since 1961 break with USSR), Angola (observer), Bulgaria, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia (observer), GDR, Hungary, Laos (observer), Mongolia, Mozambique (observer), Nicaragua (observer), Poland, Romania, USSR, Vietnam, Yemen (observer), Yugoslavia (associate)

Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU): established - 3 June 1957; effective - 30 May 1964

aim - to promote economic integration among Arab nations

members - (10 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization

Council of Europe (CE): established - 5 May 1949; effective - 3 August 1949

aim - to promote increased unity and quality of life in Europe

members - (47) Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium,

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,

Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary,

Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,

Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway,

Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia,

Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK

observers - (5) Canada, Holy See, Japan, Mexico, US

Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS): established - 6 March 1992

aim - to promote cooperation among the Baltic Sea states in the areas of aid to new democratic institutions, economic development, humanitarian aid, energy and the environment, cultural programs and education, and transportation and communication

members - (12) Denmark, Estonia, EC, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden

observers - (7) France, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia, Ukraine, UK, US

Council of the Entente (Entente): established - 29 May 1959

aim - to promote economic, social, and political coordination

members - (5) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Niger, Togo

countries in transition: a term used by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the middle group in its hierarchy of advanced economies, countries in transition, and developing countries; IMF statistics include the following 28 countries in transition: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan; note - this group is identical to the group traditionally referred to as the "former USSR/Eastern Europe" except for the addition of Mongolia

Customs Cooperation Council (CCC): note - see World Customs

Organization (WCO)

developed countries (DCs): the top group in the hierarchy of developed countries (DCs), former USSR/Eastern Europe (former USSR/EE), and less developed countries (LDCs); includes the market-oriented economies of the mainly democratic nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Bermuda, Israel, South Africa, and the European ministates; also known as the First World, high-income countries, the North, industrial countries; generally have a per capita GDP in excess of $10,000 although four OECD countries and South Africa have figures well under $10,000 and two of the excluded OPEC countries have figures of more than $10,000; the 34 DCs are: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US; note - similar to the new International Monetary Fund (IMF) term "advanced economies" that adds Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan but drops Malta, Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey

developing countries: a term used by the International Monetary Fund

(IMF) for the bottom group in its hierarchy of advanced economies,

countries in transition, and developing countries; IMF statistics

include the following 126 developing countries: Afghanistan, Algeria,

Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, The Bahamas, Bahrain,

Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil,

Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central

African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic

Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote

d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,

Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The

Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana,

Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya,

Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar,

Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania,

Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Morocco, Mozambique,

Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman,

Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar,

Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,

Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri

Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo,

Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu,

Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe; note - this category would

presumably also cover the following 46 other countries that are

traditionally included in the more comprehensive group of "less

developed countries": American Samoa, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands,

Brunei, Cayman Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, Cook Islands,

Cuba, Eritrea, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gaza

Strip, Gibraltar, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guernsey, Isle

of Man, Jersey, North Korea, Macau, Martinique, Mayotte, Montserrat,

Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands,

Palau, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saint Helena, Saint

Pierre and Miquelon, Tokelau, Tonga, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu,

Virgin Islands, Wallis and Futuna, West Bank, Western Sahara

Developing Eight (D-8): established - 15 June 1997

aim - to improve developing countries' positions in the world economy, diversify and create new opportunities in trade relations, enhance participation in decision-making at the international level, provide better standards of living

member - (8) Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Turkey

East African Community (EAC): note - originally established in 1967, it was disbanded in 1977

established - January 2001

aim - to establish a political and economic union among the countries

members - (5) Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda

East African Development Bank (EADB): established - 6 June 1967; effective - 1 December 1967

aim - to promote economic development

members - (4) Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda

East Asia Summit (EAS): established - 14 December 2005

aim - to promote cooperation in political and security issues; to promote development, financial stability, energy security, economic integration and growth; to eradicate poverty and narrow the development gap in East Asia, and to promote deeper cultural understanding

members - (16) Australia, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, NZ, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC): note - was formerly the Central African Customs and Economic Union (UDEAC)

established - 8 December 1964; effective - 1 January 1966

aim - to promote the establishment of a Central African Common Market

members - (6) Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon

Economic and Monetary Union (EMU): note - an integral part of the

European Union; also known as the European Economic and Monetary Union

established - 1-2 December 1969 (proposed at summit conference of heads of government; 7 February 1992 (Maastricht Treaty signed)

aim - to promote a single market by creating a single currency, the euro; timetable - 2 May 1998: European exchange rates fixed for 1 January 1999; 1 January 1999: all banks and stock exchanges begin using euros; 1 January 2002: the euro goes into circulation; 1 July 2002 local currencies no longer accepted

members - (15) Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC): established - 26 June 1945; effective - 24 October 1945

aim - to coordinate the economic and social work of the UN; includes five regional commissions (Economic Commission for Africa, Economic Commission for Europe, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia) and nine functional commissions (Commission for Social Development, Commission on Human Rights, Commission on Narcotic Drugs, Commission on the Status of Women, Commission on Population and Development, Statistical Commission, Commission on Science and Technology for Development, Commission on Sustainable Development, and Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice)

members - (54) selected on a rotating basis from all regions

Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL): note - acronym from Communaute Economique des Pays des Grands Lacs

established - 20 September 1976

aim - to promote regional economic cooperation and integration

members - (3) Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda; note - organization collapsed because of fighting in 1998; reactivated in 2006

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS): established - 28

May 1975

aim - to promote regional economic cooperation

members - (15) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo

Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO): established - 27-29 January 1985

aim - to promote regional cooperation in trade, transportation, communications, tourism, cultural affairs, and economic development

members - (10) Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC or EurasEC): note - merged with

Central Asian Cooperation Organization (CACO) in 2005

established - May 2001

aim - to create a common economic and energy policy

members - (6) Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan

observers - (3) Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine

Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC): note - began as the North

Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC); an extension of NATO

established - 8 November 1991; effective - 20 December 1991

aim - to discuss cooperation on mutual political and security issues

members - (50) Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium,

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic,

Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary,

Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania,

Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway,

Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain,

Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, UK, US,

Uzbekistan

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD): established - 8-9 January 1990 (proposals made); 15 April 1991 (bank inaugurated)

aim - to facilitate the transition of seven centrally planned economies in Europe (Bulgaria, former Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, former USSR, and former Yugoslavia) to market economies by committing 60% of its loans to privatization

members - (63) Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan,

Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia,

Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, EC, European Investment Bank

(EIB), Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary,

Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea,

Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia,

Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, NZ,

Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia,

Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine,

UK, US, Uzbekistan

European Community (or European Communities, EC): established 8 April 1965 to integrate the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom), the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Economic Community (EEC or Common Market), and to establish a completely integrated common market and an eventual federation of Europe; merged into the European Union (EU) on 7 February 1992; member states at the time of merger were Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, UK

European Free Trade Association (EFTA): established - 4 January 1960; effective - 3 May 1960

aim - to promote expansion of free trade

members - (4) Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland

European Investment Bank (EIB): established - 25 March 1957; effective - 1 January 1958

aim - to promote economic development of the EU and its predecessors, the EEC and the EC

members - (27) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic,

Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland,

Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland,

Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, UK

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN): note - acronym retained from the predecessor organization Conseil Europeenne pour la Recherche Nucleaire

established - 1 July 1953; effective - 29 September 1954

aim - to foster nuclear research for peaceful purposes only

members - (20) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK

observers - (8) EC, India, Israel, Japan, Russia, Turkey, United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), US

European Space Agency (ESA): established - 31 May 1975

aim - to promote peaceful cooperation in space research and technology

members - (17) Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK

cooperating states - (5) Canada, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania

European Union (EU): note - see European Union entry at the end of the "country" listings

First World: another term for countries with advanced, industrialized economies; this term is fading from use; see developed countries (DCs)

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): established - 16 October 1945

aim - to raise living standards and increase availability of agricultural products; a UN specialized agency

members - (192) includes all UN member countries except Brunei, Liechtenstein, and Singapore (189 total); plus Cook Islands, EC, Faroe Islands, and Niue

former Soviet Union (FSU): former term often used to identify as a group the successor nations to the Soviet Union or USSR; this group of 15 countries consists of: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

former USSR/Eastern Europe (former USSR/EE): the middle group in the hierarchy of developed countries (DCs), former USSR/Eastern Europe (former USSR/EE), and less developed countries (LDCs); these countries are in political and economic transition and may well be grouped differently in the near future; this group of 27 countries consists of: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia; this group is identical to the IMF group "countries in transition" except for the IMF's inclusion of Mongolia

Four Dragons: the four small Asian less developed countries (LDCs) that have experienced unusually rapid economic growth; also known as the Four Tigers; this group consists of Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan; these countries are included in the IMF's "advanced economies" group

Franc Zone (FZ): note - also known as Conference des Ministres des

Finances des Pays de la Zone Franc

established - 1964

aim - to form a monetary union among countries whose currencies were linked to the French franc

members - (16) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo

Front Line States (FLS): established to achieve black majority rule in

South Africa; has since gone out of existence; members included Angola,

Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT): see the World Trade

Organization (WTO)

General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU): established - 16 April 1992

aim - to consolidate trade union actions to protect citizens' social and labor rights and interests, to help secure trade unions' rights and guarantees, and to strengthen international trade union solidarity

members - (11) Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Group of 2 (G-2): informal term that came into use about 1986; to facilitate bilateral economic cooperation between the two most powerful economic giants; members were Japan, US

Group of 3 (G-3): established - September 1990

aim - mechanism for policy coordination

members - (2) Colombia, Mexico; note - Panama shows interest in joining

Group of 5 (G-5): established - 22 September 1985

aim - to coordinate the economic policies of five major noncommunist economic powers

members - (5) France, Germany, Japan, UK, US

Group of 6 (G-6): also known as Groupe des Six Sur le Desarmement (not to be confused with the Big Six) was established in 22 May 1984 with the aim of achieving nuclear disarmament; its members were Argentina, Greece, India, Mexico, Sweden, Tanzania

Group of 7 (G-7): note - membership is the same as the Big Seven

established - 22 September 1985

aim - to facilitate economic cooperation among the seven major noncommunist economic powers

members - (7) Group of 5 (France, Germany, Japan, UK, US) plus Canada and Italy

Group of 8 (G-8): established - October 1975

aim - to facilitate economic cooperation among the developed countries (DCs) that participated in the Conference on International Economic Cooperation (CIEC), held in several sessions between December 1975 and 3 June 1977

members - (8) Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, UK, US

Group of 9 (G-9): established - NA

aim - to discuss matters of mutual interest on an informal basis

members - (9) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Sweden

Group of 10 (G-10): note - also known as the Paris Club; includes the wealthiest members of the IMF who provide most of the money to be loaned and act as the informal steering committee; name persists despite increased membership

established - October 1962

aim - to coordinate credit policy

members - (11) Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US

observers - (4) BIS, EU, IMF, OECD

Group of 11 (G-11): note - also known as the Cartagena Group

established in 21-22 June 1984, in Cartagena, Colombia, aim was to provide a forum for largest debtor nations in Latin America; members were: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela

Group of 15 (G-15): note - byproduct of the Nonaligned Movement; name persists despite increased membership

established - September 1989

aim - to promote economic cooperation among developing nations; to act as the main political organ for the Nonaligned Movement

members - (18) Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Venezuela, Zimbabwe

Group of 24 (G-24): established - 1 August 1989

aim - to promote the interests of developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America within the IMF

members - (24) Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Democratic

Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana,

Guatemala, India, Iran, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru,

Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago,

Venezuela

observers - (1) China

Group of 77 (G-77): established - 15 June1964; October 1967 first ministerial meeting

aim - to promote economic cooperation among developing countries; name persists in spite of increased membership

members - (129 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan,

Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Bahrain,

Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and

Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi,

Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile,

China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of

the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica,

Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea,

Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala,

Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran,

Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, North Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon,

Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali,

Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Federated States of

Micronesia, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua,

Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay,

Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia,

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi

Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands,

Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria,

Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago,

Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, UAE, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela,

Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Palestine Liberation Organization

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): note - also known as the Cooperation

Council for the Arab States of the Gulf

established - 25 May 1981

aim - to promote regional cooperation in economic, social, political, and military affairs

members - (6) Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE

Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (GUAM): note- acronym standing for the member countries, Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova; formerly known as GUUAM before Uzbekistan withdrew in 5 May 2005

established - 7 June 2001

aim - commits the countries to cooperation and assistance in social and economic development, the strengthening and broadening of trade and economic relations, and the development and effective use of transport and communications, highways, and related infrastructure crossing the boundaries of the member states

members - (4) Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine

high income countries: another term for the industrialized countries with high per capita GDPs; see developed countries (DCs)

Indian Ocean Commission (InOC): established - 21 December 1982

aim - to organize and promote regional cooperation in all sectors, especially economic

members - (5) Comoros, France (for Reunion and Mayotte), Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles

industrial countries: another term for the developed countries; see developed countries (DCs)

Inter-American Development Bank (IADB): note - also known as Banco

Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID)

established - 8 April 1959; effective - 30 December 1959

aim - to promote economic and social development in Latin America

members - (47) Argentina, Austria, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium,

Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia,

Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, France,

Germany, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Israel, Italy, Jamaica,

Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama,

Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden,

Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela

Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD): note - formerly known as Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and Development (IGADD)

established - 15-16 January 1986 as the Inter-Governmental Authority on Drought and Development; revitalized - 21 March 1996 as the Inter- Governmental Authority on Development

aim - to promote a social, economic, and scientific community among its members

members - (6) Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda; note - Eritrea declared its suspension in 2007

Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU): established - 1889

aim - fosters contacts among parliamentarians, considers and expresses views of international interest and concern with the purpose of bringing about action by parliaments and parliamentarians, contributes to the defense and promotion of human rights, contributes to better knowledge of representative institutions

members - (154 and the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan,

Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia,

Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia

and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi,

Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia,

Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa

Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,

Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia,

Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece,

Guatemala, Guinea, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland,

Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, North Korea, South

Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia,

Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar,

Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico,

Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia,

Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman,

Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines,

Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Somalia, Samoa, San

Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra

Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,

Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Tajikistan,

Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK,

Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Palestine

Liberation Organization

associate members - (8) Andean Parliament, Central American Parliament, East African Legislative Assembly, European Parliament, Inter- Parliamentary Committee of the West African Economic and Monetary Union, Latin American Parliament, Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): established - 26 October 1956; effective - 29 July 1957

aim - to promote peaceful uses of atomic energy

members - (145) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina,

Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium,

Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil,

Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Cameroon, Canada, Central African

Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the

Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech

Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador,

Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Georgia, Germany,

Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland,

India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan,

Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia,

Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,

Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands,

Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro,

Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger,

Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines,

Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,

Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South

Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria,

Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine,

UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia,

Zimbabwe; note - membership pending for Bahrain, Burundi, Cape Verde,

Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Oman, Nepal until the necessary legal

instruments are deposited with the IAEA

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD): note - also known as the World Bank

established - 22 July 1944; effective - 27 December 1945

aim - to provide economic development loans; a UN specialized agency

members - (185) includes all UN member countries except Andorra, Cuba, North Korea, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Nauru, and Tuvalu

International Chamber of Commerce (ICC): established - 1919

aim - to promote free trade and private enterprise and to represent business interests at national and international levels

members - (91 national committees) Algeria, Argentina, Australia,

Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso,

Cameroon, Canada, Caribbean, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica,

Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic,

Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana,

Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran,

Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon,

Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco,

Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines,

Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,

Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,

Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia,

Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela; note - Peru is

restructuring

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO): established - 7

December 1944; effective - 4 April 1947

aim - to promote international cooperation in civil aviation; a UN specialized agency

members - (190) includes all UN member countries except Dominica, Liechtenstein, and Tuvalu (189 total); plus Cook Islands

International Civilian Support Mission in Haiti (MICAH): established

17 December 1999 to promote respect for human rights; members included

Argentina, Benin, Canada, France, India, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo,

Tunisia, US; closed 2001

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): established - 17

February 1863

aim - to provide humanitarian aid in wartime

members - (15-25 individuals) all Swiss nationals

International Court of Justice (ICJ): note - also known as the World

Court

established - 3 February 1946 superseded Permanent Court of International Justice

aim - primary judicial organ of the UN

members - (15 judges) elected by the UN General Assembly and Security Council to represent all principal legal systems

International Criminal Court (ICCt): established - 11 April 2002

aim - to hold all individuals and countries accountable to international laws of conduct; to specify international standards of conduct; to provide an important mechanism for implementing these standards; to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice

members (countries that have ratified the treaty) - (108) Afghanistan,

Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria,

Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada,

Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Comoros, Cook Islands,

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica,

Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic,

Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia,

Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland,

Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Latvia, Lesotho,

Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar,

Malawi, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia,

Montenegro, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, NZ, Niger, Nigeria, Norway,

Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saint Vincent and

the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Samoa, San Marino, Senegal,

Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain,

Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste,

Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, UK, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia

International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol): established - September 1923 set up as the International Criminal Police Commission; 13 June 1956 constitution modified and present name adopted

aim - to promote international cooperation among police authorities in fighting crime

members - (187) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua

and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan,

The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize,

Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil,

Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon,

Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China,

Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the

Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech

Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,

Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia,

Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana,

Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy

See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland,

Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea,

Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya,

Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi,

Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania,

Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco,

Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles,

NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua

New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar,

Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint

Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi

Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia,

Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname,

Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand,

Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey,

Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,

Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

subbureaus - (11) American Samoa, Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Macau, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos Islands

International Development Association (IDA): established - 26 January 1960; effective - 24 September 1960

aim - to provide economic loans for low-income countries; UN specialized agency and IBRD affiliate

members - (168) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina,

Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bangladesh,

Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and

Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia,

Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile,

China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of

the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,

Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El

Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, EU, Fiji,

Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece,

Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras,

Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy,

Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait,

Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Luxembourg,

Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall

Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia,

Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ,

Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua

New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia,

Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,

Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands,

Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden,

Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo,

Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK,

US, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

International Energy Agency (IEA): established - 15 November 1974

aim - to promote cooperation on energy matters, especially emergency oil sharing and relations between oil consumers and oil producers; established by the OECD

members - (28) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic,

Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy,

Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland,

Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

(IFRCS): note - formerly known as League of Red Cross and Red Crescent

Societies (LORCS)

established - 5 May 1919

aim - to organize, coordinate, and direct international relief actions; to promote humanitarian activities; to represent and encourage the development of National Societies; to bring help to victims of armed conflicts, refugees, and displaced people; to reduce the vulnerability of people through development programs

members - (185 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan,

Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,

Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain,

Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia

and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso,

Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African

Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of

the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote

d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica,

Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea,

Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia,

Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,

Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran,

Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan,

Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos,

Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,

Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta,

Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova,

Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal,

Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palau,

Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland,

Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint

Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome

and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,

Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa,

Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland,

Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga,

Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine,

UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen,

Zambia, Zimbabwe, Palestine Liberation Organization

observers - (2) Eritrea and Tuvalu

International Finance Corporation (IFC): established - 25 May 1955; effective - 24 July 1956

aim - to support private enterprise in international economic development; a UN specialized agency and IBRD affiliate

members - (181) includes all UN member countries except Andorra, Brunei, Cuba, North Korea, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Nauru, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Suriname, Tuvalu

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD): established -

November 1974

aim - to promote agricultural development; a UN specialized agency

members - (165)

List A - (23 industrialized aid contributors) Austria, Belgium, Canada,

Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy,

Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden,

Switzerland, UK, US

List B - (12 petroleum-exporting aid contributors) Algeria, Gabon,

Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,

UAE, Venezuela

List C - (130 aid recipients) Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Antigua and

Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bangladesh,

Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon,

Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia,

Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook

Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Djibouti,

Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial

Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada,

Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India,

Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea,

South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Macedonia,

Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania,

Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia,

Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Niue, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New

Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and

Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome

and Principe, Senegal, Serbia (suspended since 1992), Seychelles,

Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan,

Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-

Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda,

Uruguay, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

International Hydrographic Organization (IHO): note - name changed from International Hydrographic Bureau on 22 September 1970

established - June 1919; effective - June 1921

aim - to train hydrographic surveyors and nautical cartographers to achieve standardization in nautical charts and electronic chart displays; to provide advice on nautical cartography and hydrography; to develop the sciences in the field of hydrography and techniques used for descriptive oceanograrphy

members - (80) Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh,

Belgium, Brazil, Burma, Canada, Chile, China (including Hong Kong and

Macau), Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (suspended),

Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic (suspended),

Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,

Guatemala, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica,

Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Malaysia, Mauritius,

Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Netherlands, NZ, Nigeria, Norway,

Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal,

Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia,

South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname (suspended), Sweden, Syria,

Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE,

UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela

International Labor Organization (ILO): established - 28 June 1919 set up as part of Treaty of Versailles; 11 April 1919 became operative; 14 December 1946 affiliated with the UN

aim - to deal with world labor issues; a UN specialized agency

members - (181) includes all UN member countries except Andorra, Bhutan, North Korea, Liechtenstein, Maldives, Federated States of Micronesia, Monaco, Nauru, Palau, Tonga, and Tuvalu; note - includes the following dependencies: Netherlands (Netherlands Antilles and Aruba)

International Maritime Organization (IMO): note - name changed from Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) on 22 May 1982

established - 6 March 1948 set up as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization; effective - 17 March 1958

aim - to deal with international maritime affairs; a UN specialized agency

members - (167) includes all UN member countries except Afghanistan,

Andorra, Armenia, Belarus, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi,

Central African Republic, Chad, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho,

Liechtenstein, Mali, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niger,

Palau, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Zambia

associate members - (3) Faroe Islands, Hong Kong, Macau

International Monetary Fund (IMF): established - 22 July 1944; effective - 27 December 1945

aim - to promote world monetary stability and economic development; a UN specialized agency

members - (185) includes all UN member countries except Andorra, Cuba, North Korea, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Nauru, Tuvalu; note - includes the following dependencies or areas of special interest: China (Hong Kong and Macau), Netherlands (Netherlands Antilles and Aruba)

International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO): established - 15

April 1999

aim - acts as watchdog over Inmarsat (International Maritime Satellite Organization), a private company, to make sure it follows ICAO standards and recommended practices; plays an active role in the development of international telecommunications policies

members - (92) Algeria, Argentina, Australia, The Bahamas, Bahrain,

Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei,

Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Cook

Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,

Egypt, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary,

Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya,

South Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Malaysia, Malta,

Marshall Islands, Maurtius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco,

Mozambique, Netherlands, NZ, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama,

Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi

Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri

Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey,

Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Venezuela, Vietnam

International Olympic Committee (IOC): established - 23 June 1894

aim - to promote the Olympic ideals and administer the Olympic games: 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada; 2012 Summer Olympics in London, UK; 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia

National Olympic Committees - (204 and the Palestine Liberation

Organization) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra,

Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia,

Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados,

Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and

Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei,

Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada,

Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile,

China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of

the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba,

Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican

Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea,

Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia,

Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-

Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India,

Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan,

Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait,

Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya,

Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi,

Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania,

Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco,

Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal,

Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria,

Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay,

Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania,

Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and

the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia,

Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia,

Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,

Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan,

Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and

Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE,

UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin

Islands, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Palestine Liberation Organization

International Organization for Migration (IOM): note - established as

Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants

from Europe; renamed Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration

(ICEM) on 15 November 1952; renamed Intergovernmental Committee for

Migration (ICM) in November 1980; current name adopted 14 November 1989

established - 5 December 1951

aim - to facilitate orderly international emigration and immigration

members - (122) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina,

Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bangladesh,

Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada,

Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic

of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech

Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador,

Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana,

Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary,

India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan,

Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Libya,

Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius,

Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ,

Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru,

Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra

Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,

Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo,

Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam,

Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

observers - (16) Bahrain, Bhutan, China, Cuba, Ethiopia, Guyana, Holy See, Indonesia, Macedonia, Mozambique, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, Russia, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Turkmenistan

International Organization for Standardization (ISO): established -

February 1947

aim - to promote the development of international standards with a view to facilitating international exchange of goods and services and to developing cooperation in the sphere of intellectual, scientific, technological and economic activity

members - (105 national standards organizations) Algeria, Argentina,

Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados,

Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria,

Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Costa

Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,

Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana,

Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland,

Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, North Korea,

South Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia,

Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, NZ,

Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland,

Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia,

Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan,

Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago,

Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela,

Vietnam, Zimbabwe

correspondent members - (41 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization)

Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brunei, Burkina

Faso, Burma, Cameroon, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Eritrea,

Estonia, Gabon, Georgia, Guatemala, Guinea, Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan,

Latvia, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Moldova, Montenegro, Mozambique,

Namibia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Rwanda, Senegal,

Seychelles, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Yemen,

Zambia, Palestine Liberation Organization

subscriber members - (10) Antigua and Barbuda, Burundi, Cambodia, Dominica, Guyana, Honduras, Laos, Lesotho, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname

International Organization of the French-speaking World (OIF): note - name changed from Agency of Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT) in 1997; also known as Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie

established - 20 March 1970

aim - founded around a common language to promote and spread the cultures of its members and to reinforce cultural and technical cooperation between them

members - (53) Albania, Andorra, Belgium, Benin, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Canada - New Brunswick, Canada - Quebec, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, France, French Community of Belgium, Gabon, Greece, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Laos, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Niger, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, Vanuatu, Vietnam

associates - (3) Armenia, Cyprus, Ghana

observers - (14) Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Mozambique, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Thailand, Ukraine

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM): established - 1928

aim - to promote worldwide humanitarian aid through the International

Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in wartime, and International

Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS; formerly

League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies or LORCS) in peacetime

National Societies - (185 countries and the Palestine Liberation Organization); note - same as membership for International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS)

International Telecommunications Satellites Organization (ITSO): established - August 1964

aim - to act as a watchdog over Intelsat, Ltd., a private company, to make sure it provides on a global and non-discriminatory basis public telecommunication services

members - (148) Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia,

Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh,

Barbados, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada,

Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia,

Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa

Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,

Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea,

Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany,

Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Holy See,

Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland,

Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, North Korea,

South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein,

Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania,

Mauritius, Mexico, the Federated States of Micronesia, Monaco,

Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ,

Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New

Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania,

Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Somalia,

South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland,

Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago,

Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela,

Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

International Telecommunication Union (ITU): established - 17 May 1865 set up as the International Telegraph Union; 9 December 1932 adopted present name; effective - 1 January 1934; affiliated with the UN - 15 November 1947

aim - to deal with world telecommunications issues; a UN specialized agency

members - (191) includes all UN member countries except Palau, Timor- Leste (190 total); plus Holy See

International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC): note - its predecessors were the Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and the World Confederation of Labor (WCL)

established - 3 November 2006

aim - to promote the trade union movement

members - (311 affiliated organizations in the following 154 countries

and the Palestine Liberation Organization as of December 2007) Albania,

Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Argentina, Australia,

Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium,

Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bonaire, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana,

Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde,

Central African Republic, Comoros, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Democratic

Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica,

Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,

Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eritrea,

Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Polynesia, Gabon, The

Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea,

Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary,

Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan,

Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Liberia,

Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali,

Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco,

Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger,

Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland,

Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint

Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe,

Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South

Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland,

Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia,

Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, UK, US, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia,

Zimbabwe, and the Palestine Liberation Organization

Islamic Development Bank (IDB): established - 15 December 1973 by declaration of intent; effective - 12 August 1974

aim - to promote Islamic economic aid and social development

members - (55 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan,

Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Brunei,

Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt,

Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq,

Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia,

Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Oman,

Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan,

Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan,

Uganda, UAE, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization

Latin American Economic System (LAES): note - also known as Sistema

Economico Latinoamericana (SELA)

established - 17 October 1975

aim - to promote economic and social development through regional cooperation

members - (27) Argentina, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia,

Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,

Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama,

Paraguay, Peru, Secretaria General Iberoamericana (SEGIB), Suriname,

Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela

Latin American Integration Association (LAIA): note - also known as

Asociacion Latinoamericana de Integracion (ALADI)

established - 12 August 1980; effective - 18 March 1981

aim - to promote freer regional trade

members - (12) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela

observers - (26) China, Corporacion Andina de Fomento, Costa Rica,

Dominican Republic, EC, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Inter-

American Development Bank, Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on

Agriculture, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latin America Economic System,

Nicaragua, Organization of American States, Panama, Pan-American Health

Organization, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine,

United Nations Development Program, United Nations Economic Commission

for Latin America and the Caribbean

League of Arab States (LAS): note - also known as Arab League (AL)

established - 22 March 1945

aim - aim - to promote economic, social, political, and military cooperation

members - (21 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Algeria,

Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon,

Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan,

Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization

observers - (3) Eritrea, India, Venezuela

least developed countries (LLDCs): that subgroup of the less developed countries (LDCs) initially identified by the UN General Assembly in 1971 as having no significant economic growth, per capita GDPs normally less than $1,000, and low literacy rates; also known as the undeveloped countries; the 42 LLDCs are: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Laos, Lesotho, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen

less developed countries (LDCs): the bottom group in the hierarchy of developed countries (DCs), former USSR/Eastern Europe (former USSR/EE), and less developed countries (LDCs); mainly countries and dependent areas with low levels of output, living standards, and technology; per capita GDPs are generally below $5,000 and often less than $1,500; however, the group also includes a number of countries with high per capita incomes, areas of advanced technology, and rapid rates of growth; includes the advanced developing countries, developing countries, Four Dragons (Four Tigers), least developed countries (LLDCs), low-income countries, middle-income countries, newly industrializing economies (NIEs), the South, Third World, underdeveloped countries, undeveloped countries; the 172 LDCs are: Afghanistan, Algeria, American Samoa, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Fiji, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, The Gambia, Gaza Strip, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jersey, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, Palau, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, UAE, Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, Wallis and Futuna, West Bank, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe; note - similar to the new International Monetary Fund (IMF) term "developing countries" which adds Malta, Mexico, South Africa, and Turkey but omits in its recently published statistics American Samoa, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cayman Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, Cook Islands, Cuba, Eritrea, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gaza Strip, Gibraltar, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, North Korea, Macau, Martinique, Mayotte, Montserrat, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Pitcairn Islands, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Saint Helena, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Tokelau, Tonga, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Virgin Islands, Wallis and Futuna, West Bank, Western Sahara

low-income countries: another term for those less developed countries with below-average per capita GDPs; see less developed countries (LDCs)

middle-income countries: another term for those less developed countries with above-average per capita GDPs; see less developed countries (LDCs)

Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA): established - 12

April 1988

aim - encourages flow of foreign direct investment among member countries by offering investment insurance, consultation, and negotiation on conditions for foreign investment and technical assistance; a UN specialized agency

members - (173) includes all UN member countries except Andorra,

Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Comoros, Cuba, Kiribati, North Korea,

Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Monaco, Nauru, NZ, Niger, San Marino,

Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia, Tonga, Tuvalu

Near Abroad: Russian term for the 14 non-Russian successor states of the USSR, in which 25 million ethnic Russians live and in which Moscow has expressed a strong national security interest; the 14 countries are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

new independent states (NIS): a term referring to all the countries of the FSU except the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)

newly industrializing countries (NICs): former term for the newly industrializing economies; see newly industrializing economies (NIEs)

newly industrializing economies (NIEs): that subgroup of the less developed countries (LDCs) that has experienced particularly rapid industrialization of their economies; formerly known as the newly industrializing countries (NICs); also known as advanced developing countries; usually includes the Four Dragons (Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan), and Brazil

Nonaligned Movement (NAM): established - 1-6 September 1961

aim - to establish political and military cooperation apart from the traditional East or West blocs

members - (117 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan,

Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda,The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh,

Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brunei,

Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central

African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic

of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti,

Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea,

Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala,

Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran,

Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, North Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon,

Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali,

Mauritania, Mauritius, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal,

Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea,

Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia,

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia,

Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa,

Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand,

Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uganda,

UAE, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Palestine Liberation Organization

observers - (15) Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvadore, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Paraguay, Serbia, Ukraine, Uruguay

guests - (24) Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech

Republic, Finland, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Hungary, Italy,

Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia,

Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

Nordic Council (NC): established - 16 March 1952; effective - 12

February 1953

aim - to promote regional economic, cultural, and environmental cooperation

members - (5) Denmark (including Faroe Islands and Greenland), Finland (including Aland Islands), Iceland, Norway, Sweden

observers - (3) the Sami (Lapp) local parliaments of Finland, Norway, and Sweden

Nordic Investment Bank (NIB): established - 4 December 1975; effective - 1 June 1976

aim - to promote economic cooperation and development

members - (8) Denmark (including Faroe Islands and Greenland), Estonia, Finland (including Aland Islands), Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden

North: a popular term for the rich industrialized countries generally located in the northern portion of the Northern Hemisphere; the counterpart of the South; see developed countries (DCs)

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): established - 17 December 1992

aim - to eliminate trade barriers, promote fair competition, increase investment opportunities, provide protection of intellectual property rights, and create procedures to settle disputes

members - (3) Canada, Mexico, US

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): established - 4 April 1949

aim - to promote mutual defense and cooperation

members - (26) Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark,

Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia,

Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania,

Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, UK, US

Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA): note - also known as OECD Nuclear Energy

Agency

established - 1 February 1958

aim - to promote the peaceful uses of nuclear energy; associated with OECD

members - (28) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic,

Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,

Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway,

Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US

Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG): note - also known as the London

Suppliers Group or the London Group

established - 1974; effective - 1975

aim - to establish guidelines for exports of nuclear materials, processing equipment for uranium enrichment, and technical information to countries of proliferation concern and regions of conflict and instability

members - (45) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil,

Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,

Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy,

Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,

Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia,

Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine,

UK, US

observer - (1) European Commission (a policy-planning body for the EU)

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD): established - 14 December 1960; effective - 30 September 1961

aim - to promote economic cooperation and development

members - (30) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic,

Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,

Italy, Japan, South Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, NZ, Norway,

Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, US

special member - (1) EC

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE): note - formerly the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) established 3 July 1975

established - 1 January 1995

aim - to foster the implementation of human rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy, and the rule of law; to act as an instrument of early warning, conflict prevention, and crisis management; and to serve as a framework for conventional arms control and confidence building measures

members - (56) Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus,

Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus,

Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany,

Greece, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan,

Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia,

Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland,

Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia,

Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine,

UK, US, Uzbekistan

partners for cooperation - (11) Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Mongolia, Morocco, Thailand, Tunisia

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW): established - 29 April 1997

aim - to enforce the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling, and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction; to provide a forum for consultation and cooperation among the signatories of the Convention

members (countries that have ratified the Convention) - (184)

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,

Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh,

Barbadoes, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and

Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi,

Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad,

Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo,

Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire,

Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Djibouti,

Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia,

Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana,

Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy

See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland,

Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South

Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya,

Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi,

Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania,

Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco,

Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal,

Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman,

Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines,

Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and

Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San

Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia,

Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon

Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland,

Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo,

Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu,

Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela,

Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

signatory states (countries that have signed, but not ratified, the Convention) - (5) The Bahamas, Burma, Dominican Republic, Guinea- Bissau, Israel

Organization of African Unity (OAU): see African Union

Organization of American States (OAS): established - 14 April 1890 as the International Union of American Republics; 30 April 1948 adopted present charter; effective - 13 December 1951

aim - to promote regional peace and security as well as economic and social development

members - (35) Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba (excluded from formal participation since 1962), Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, US, Uruguay, Venezuela

observers - (63) Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan,

Belgium, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Croatia,

Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, EU,

Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Holy See, Hungary,

Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea,

Latvia, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway,

Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi

Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden,

Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, Vanuatu, Yemen

Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC): established - 9 January 1968

aim - to promote cooperation in the petroleum industry

members - (11) Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia (suspended), UAE

Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS): established - 18 June 1981; effective - 4 July 1981

aim - to promote political, economic, and defense cooperation

members - (9) Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC): established - 14

September 1960

aim - to coordinate petroleum policies

members - (13) Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Venezuela

Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC): established - 22-25

September 1969

aim - to promote Islamic solidarity in economic, social, cultural, and political affairs

members - (56 plus the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan,

Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Brunei,

Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt,

Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Indonesia, Iran,

Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia,

Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Oman,

Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan,

Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan,

Uganda, UAE, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Palestine Liberation Organization

observers - (14) AU, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Central African Republic,

ECO, Islamic Conference Youth Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation, LAS,

Moro National Liberation Front, NAM, OAU, Parliamentary Union of the

OIC Member States, Russia, Thailand, Turkish Muslim Community of

Kibris, UN

Pacific Community (SPC): local name of the Secretariat of the Pacific

Community

Pacific Islands Forum (PIF): note - formerly known as South Pacific

Forum (SPF)

established - 5 August 1971

aim - to promote regional cooperation in political matters

members - (16) Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, NZ, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

associate members - (2) French Polynesia, New Caledonia

partners - (13) Canada, China, EU, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, UK, US

observers - (5) Asia Development Bank, The Commonwealth, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Wallis and Futuna

Paris Club: established - 1956

aim - to provide a forum for debtor countries to negotiate rescheduling of debt service payments or loans extended by governments or official agencies of participating countries; to help restore normal trade and project finance to debtor countries

members - (19) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US

Partnership for Peace (PFP): established - 10-11 January 1994

aim - to expand and intensify political and military cooperation throughout Europe, increase stability, diminish threats to peace, and build relationships by promoting the spirit of practical cooperation and commitment to democratic principles that underpin NATO; program under the auspices of NATO

members - (24) Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Finland, Georgia, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan; note - a nation that becomes a member of NATO is no longer a member of PFP

Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA): established - 29 July 1899

aim - to facilitate the settlement of international disputes

members - (108) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus,

Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso,

Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic

of the Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic,

Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea,

Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala,

Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland,

Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan,

Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,

Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco,

Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama,

Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia,

Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain,

Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand,

Togo, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia,

Zimbabwe

Rio Group (RG): note - formerly known as Grupo de los Ocho, established NA December 1986; composed of the Contadora Group and the Lima Group

established - 1988

aim - to consult on regional Latin American issues

members - (21) Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, CARICOM, Chile,

Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador,

Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru,

Uruguay, Venezuela

Schengen Convention: established - established - signed June 1990; effective March 1995

aim - aim - to allow free movement within an area without internal border controls

members - (25) Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland; note - UK and Ireland have not joined; Liechtenstein and Cyprus will probably join in 2009; Bulgaria and Romania are still not fully implemented

Second World: another term for the traditionally Marxist-Leninist states of the USSR and Eastern Europe, with authoritarian governments and command economies based on the Soviet model; the term is fading from use; see centrally planned economies

Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC): established - 6 February 1947; effective 29 July 1948

aim - to serve island development in 22 Pacific countries; to develop technical assistance and professional, scientific, and research support; to build planning and management capability

members - (26) America Samoa, Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, France,

French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of

Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, NZ,

Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands,

Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, US, Wallis and Futuna

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO): established - 15 June 2001

aim - to combat terrorism, extremism, and separatism; to safeguard regional security through mutual trust, disarmament, and cooperative security; and to increase cooperation in political, trade, economic, scientific and technological, cultural, and educational fields

members - (6) China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan

observers - (4) India, Iran, Mongolia, Pakistan

guests - (6) Afghanistan, ASEAN, CIS, EurAsEC, Turkmenistan, UN

socialist countries: in general, countries in which the government owns and plans the use of the major factors of production; note - the term is sometimes used incorrectly as a synonym for Communist countries

South: a popular term for the poorer, less industrialized countries generally located south of the developed countries; the counterpart of the North; see less developed countries (LDCs)

South American Community of Nations (CSN): established - 9 December 2004

aim - to coordinate common policies regarding multilateral organizations, to integrate physical infrastructure, and to consolidate the merger of CAN and Mercosur

members - (12) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay, Venezuela

observers - (2) Mexico, Panama

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC): established - 8 December 1985

aim - to promote economic, social, and cultural cooperation

members - (8) Afghanistan. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

observers - (9) Australia, Burma, China, EU, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Mauritius, US

South Asia Co-operative Environment Program (SACEP): established -

January 1983

aim - to promote regional cooperation in South Asia in the field of environment, both natural and human, and on issues of economic and social development; to support conservation and management of natural resources of the region

members - (8) Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

South Pacific Forum (SPF): note - see Pacific Island Forum

South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement

(Sparteca): established - 1981

aim - to redress unequal trade relationships of Australia and New Zealand with small island economies in the Pacific region

members - (16) Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, NZ, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

Southeast European Cooperative Initiative (SECI): established - 6

December 1996

aim - to encourage cooperation among participating states and to facilitate their integration into European structures

members - (13) Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey

observers - (18) Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Canada, France, Georgia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine, UK, US

Southern African Customs Union (SACU): established - 11 December 1969

aim - to promote free trade and cooperation in customs matters

members - (5) Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland

Southern African Development Community (SADC): note - evolved from the

Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC)

established - 17 August 1992

aim - to promote regional economic development and integration

members - (14) Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur) or Southern Common Market: note - also known as Mercado Comun del Cono Sur (Mercosur)

established - 26 March 1991

aim - to increase regional economic cooperation

members - (4) Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay

associate members - (5) Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Third World: another term for the less developed countries; the term is obsolescent; see less developed countries (LDCs)

African Union/United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID): established - 31 July 2007

aim - to contribute to the restoration of security conditions which will allow safe humanitarian assistance throughout Darfur, to contribute to the protection of civilian populations under imminent threat of physical attack, to monitor, observe compliance with, and verify the implementation of various ceasefire agreements

members - (31) Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Canada, China, Egypt,

Ethiopia, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya,

Libya, Malawi, Mali, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda,

Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, UK, Yemen,

Zambia

underdeveloped countries: refers to those less developed countries with the potential for above-average economic growth; see less developed countries (LDCs)

undeveloped countries: refers to those extremely poor less developed countries (LDCs) with little prospect for economic growth; see least developed countries (LLDCs)

Union Latina: established - 15 May 1954; became functional 1983

aim - to project, protect, and promote the common heritage and unifying idenitites of the Latin, and Latin-influenced, world

members - (37) Andorra, Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Chile,

Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,

El Salvador, France, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Italy,

Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru,

Philippines, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe,

Senegal, Spain, Timor-Leste, Uruguay, Venezuela

observers - (3) Argentina, Holy See, Order of Malta

Union of South American Nations (UNASUR - Spanish; UNASUL - Portuguese): formerly South American Community of Nations which terminated on 16 April 2007

established - 23 May 2008

aim - to model a community after the European Union which will include a common currency, parliament, and passport

members - (12) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

United Nations (UN): established - 26 June 1945; effective - 24

October 1945

aim - to maintain international peace and security and to promote cooperation involving economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems

constituent organizations - the UN is composed of six principal organs and numerous subordinate agencies and bodies as follows:

1) Secretariat

2) General Assembly: Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UN-

AIDS), International Research and Training Institute for the

Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Organization for the Prohibition

of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Preparation Committee for the Nuclear-Test-

Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), United Nations Center for Human

Settlements (UN-Habitat), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF),

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United

Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), United Nations Development Program

(UNDP), United Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP), United Nations

Environment Program (UNEP),United Nations Fund for International

Partnerships (UNFIP), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

(UNHCR), United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR),

United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), United

Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI),

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Office of

Project Services (UNOPS), United Nations Relief and Works Agency for

Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), United Nations Research

Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), United Nations System Staff

College (UNSSC), United Nations University (UNU), World Food Program

(WFP)

3) Security Council: International Criminal Tribunal for the Former

Yugoslavia (ICTY), International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR),

United Nations Compensation Commission, United Nations Disengagement

Observer Force (UNDOF), African Union/United Nations Hybrid Operation

in Darfur (UNAMID), United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste

(UNMIT), United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo

(UNMIK), United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), United

Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), United Nations Military Observer

Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), United Nations Operation in Cote

d'Ivoire (UNOCI), United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western

Sahara (MINURSO), United Nations Mission in the Central African

Republic and Chad (MINURCAT), United Nations Mission in the Sudan

(UNMIS), United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG), United

Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

(MONUC), United Nations Peace-Keeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), United

Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), and United Nations

Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO)

4) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC): Commission for Social

Development, Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice,

Commission on Narcotics Drugs, Commission on Population and

Development, Commission on Science and Technology for Development,

Commission on Sustainable Development, Commission on the Status of

Women, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP),

Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), Economic

Commission for Africa (ECA), Economic Commission for Europe (ECE),

Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Food

and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), International

Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Bank for Reconstruction and

Development (IBRD), International Center for Secretariat of Investment

Disputes (ICSID), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),

International Development Association (IDA), International Finance

Corporation (IFC), International Fund for Agricultural Development

(IFAD), International Labor Organization (ILO), International Maritime

Organization (IMO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International

Telecommunication Union (ITU), Multilateral Investment Geographic

Agency (MIGA), Statistical Commission, United Nations Educational,

Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Forum on

Forests, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO),

Universal Postal Union (UPU), World Health Organization (WHO), World

Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World Meteorological

Organization (WMO), World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and World Trade

Organization (WTO)

5) Trusteeship Council (inactive; no trusteeships at this time)

6) International Court of Justice (ICJ)

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF): note - acronym retained from the predecessor organization, UN International Children's Emergency Fund

established - 11 December 1946

aim - to help establish child health and welfare services

members - (36) selected on a rotating basis from all regions

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD): established - 30 December 1964

aim - to promote international trade

members - (193) all UN members plus Holy See

United Nations Development Program (UNDP): established - 22 November 1965

aim - to provide technical assistance to stimulate economic and social development

members (executive board) - (36) selected on a rotating basis from all regions

United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF): established - 31

May 1974

aim - to observe the 1973 Arab-Israeli cease-fire; established by the UN Security Council

members - (6) Austria, Canada, Croatia, India, Japan, Poland

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

(UNESCO): established - 16 November 1945; effective - 4 November 1946

aim - to promote cooperation in education, science, and culture

members - (193) includes all UN member countries except Liechtenstein (191 total); plus Cook Islands and Niue

associate members - (6) Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Macau, Netherlands Antilles, Tokelau

United Nations Environment Program (UNEP): established - 15 December 1972

aim - to promote international cooperation on all environmental matters

members - (58) selected on a rotating basis from all regions

United Nations General Assembly: established - 26 June 1945; effective - 24 October 1945

aim - to function as the primary deliberative organ of the UN

members - (192) all UN members are represented in the General Assembly

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): established - 3

December 1949; effective - 1 January 1951

aim - to ensure the humanitarian treatment of refugees and find permanent solutions to refugee problems

members (executive committee) - (76) Algeria, Argentina, Australia,

Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China,

Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire,

Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France,

Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Holy See, Hungary, India, Iran,

Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Lebanon,

Lesotho, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Mexico, Montenegro,

Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Nigeria,

Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia,

Serbia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland,

Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, UK, US, Venezuela, Yemen,

Zambia

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO): established - 17 November 1966; effective - 1 January 1967

aim - UN specialized agency that promotes industrial development especially among the members

members - (172) includes all UN member countries except Andorra,

Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Estonia, Iceland,

Kiribati, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Federated States of

Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, San Marino, Singapore, Solomon

Islands, Tuvalu, US

United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR): established - 11 December 1963 adoption of the resolution establishing the Institute; effective - 24 March 1965

aim - to help the UN become more effective through training and research

members (Board of Trustees) - (21) Algeria, Brazil, Burkino Faso, China, Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Estonia, France (2), Ghana, India, Iran, Japan, Kuwait, Norway, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland (2), Thailand, US; note - the UN Secretary General can appoint up to 30 members

United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT): established - 25 August 2006

aim - to support the Government, to support the electoral process, to ensure the restoration and maintenance of public security

members - (14) Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Fiji, India, Malaysia, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Sierra Leone, Singapore

United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK): established - 10 June 1999

aim - to promote the establishment of substantial autonomy and self- government in Kosovo; to perform basic civilian administrative functions; to support the reconstruction of key infrastructure and humanitarian and disaster relief

note - gives civilian support only; works closely with NATO Kosovo Force (KFOR)

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL): established - 19

March 1978

aim - to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and assist in reestablishing Lebanese authority in southern Lebanon; established by the UN Security Council

members - (28) Belgium, China, Croatia, Cyprus, El Salvador, France,

Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland,

Italy, South Korea, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Nepal, Norway,

Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Slovenia, Spain, Tanzania, Turkey

United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP): established - 24 January 1949

aim - to observe the 1949 India-Pakistan cease-fire; established by the UN Security Council

members - (8) Chile, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, Uruguay

United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO): established - 29 April 1991

aim - to supervise the cease-fire and conduct a referendum in Western Sahara; established by the UN Security Council

members - (28) Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Croatia,

Djibouti, Egypt, El Slavador, France, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Honduras,

Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Pakistan,

Paraguay, Poland, Russia, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, Yemen

United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad

(MINURCAT): established - 25 September 2007

aim - to create the security and conditions which will to contribute to the protection of refugees, displaced persons, and citizens in danger, to facilitate the provision of humanitarian assistance in eastern Chad and the northeastern Central African Republic, to create favorable conditions for the recontruction and economic and social development of these areas

members - (22) Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Rwanda, Senegal, Spain, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia

United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE): established 31

July 2000; aim was to monitor the cessation of hostilities; mandate

ended July 2008; members were Algeria, Austria, Bangladesh, Bolivia,

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech

Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece,

Guatemala, India, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Namibia,

Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Romania,

Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tanzania, Tunisia,

Ukraine, US, Uruguay, Zambia

United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL): established - 19 September 2003

aim - to support the cease-fire agreement and peace process, protect UN facilities and people, support humanitarian activities, and assist in national security reform

members - (45) Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Croatia,

Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia,

Finland, France, Ghana, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea,

Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Namibia,

Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland,

Romania, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Togo, Ukraine, UK, US, Yemen, Zambia,

Zimbabwe

United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL): established on 22 October 1999; aim was to to cooperate with the Government of Sierra Leone and the other parties to the Peace Agreement in the implementation of the agreement; to monitor the military and security situation in Sierra Leone; to monitor the disarmament and demobilization of combatants and members of the Civil Defense Forces (CFD); to assist in monitoring respect for international humanitarian law; mandate ended 31 December 2005; members were Bangladesh, Bolivia, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Tanzania, Thailand, Ukraine, UK, Uruguay, Zambia

United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS): established - March 2005

aim - to support implementation of the comprehensive Peace Agreement by Monitoring and verifying the implementation of the Cease Fire Agreement, by observing and monitoring movements of armed groups, and by helping disarm, demobilizing and reintegrating armed bands

members - (61) Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia,

Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia,

Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Finland, Gabon, Germany,

Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, South

Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia,

Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherland, NZ, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan,

Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Sri

Lanka, Sweden, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay,

UK, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET): established on 17 May 2002 to provide assistance to structures critical to public security and to assist in the development of law enforcement agencies; to contribute to extenal security; members were Australia, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Denmark, Fiji, Jordan, Malaysia, Mozambique, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Sweden; completed its mandate 20 May 2005

United Nations Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC): formerly known as United Nations Special Commission for the Elimination of Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction (UNSCOM); established December 1999 with the aim to identify, account for, and eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and the capacity to produce them; commissioners were from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, UN Department for Disarmament Affairs, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, Senegal, Ukraine, UK, US; finished operations 29 June 2007

United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG): established - 24

August 1993

aim - to verify compliance with the cease-fire agreement, to monitor weapons exclusion zone, and to supervise CIS peacekeeping force for Abkhazia; established by the UN Security Council

members - (32) Albania, Austria, Bangladesh, Croatia, Czech Republic,

Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia,

Jordan, South Korea, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria,

Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey,

Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay, Yemen

United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB): was established 21 May 2004 to support and help implement the efforts undertaken by Burundians to restore lasting peace and bring about national reconciliation; members were Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Chad, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, India, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mozambique, Nambia, Nepal, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uruguay, Yemen, Zambia; mandate was completed 31 December 2006

United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the

Congo (MONUC): established - 30 November 1999

aim - to establish contacts with the signatories to the cease-fire agreement and to plan for the observation of the cease-fire and disengagement of forces

members - (48) Algeria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and

Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark,

Egypt, France, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jordan,

Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal,

Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia,

Senegal, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland,

Tunisia, Ukraine, UK, Uruguay, Yemen, Zambia

United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI): established - 27

February 2004

aim - to facilitate the implementation by the Ivorian parties of the peace agreement signed by them in January 2003

members - (41) Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Chad, China,

Croatia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, The Gambia, Ghana,

Guatemala, Guinea, India, Ireland, Jordan, Moldova, Morocco, Namibia,

Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland,

Romania, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda,

Uruguay, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP): established - 4

March 1964

aim - to serve as a peacekeeping force between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in Cyprus; established by the UN Security Council

members - (7) Argentina, Austria, Canada, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, UK

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): note - acronym retained from predecessor organization UN Fund for Population Activities

established - July 1967

aim - to assist both developed and developing countries to deal with their population problems

members (executive board ) - (36) selected on a rotating basis from all regions

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the

Near East (UNRWA): established - 8 December 1949

aim - to provide assistance to Palestinian refugees

members (advisory commission) - (22) Australia, Belgium, Canada,

Denmark, EC, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon,

Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria,

Turkey, UK, US

United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD): established - 1963

aim - to conduct research into the problems of economic development during different phases of economic growth

members - no country members, but a Board of Directors consisting of a chairman appointed by the UN secretary general and 12 individual members

United Nations Secretariat: established - 26 June 1945; effective - 24

October 1945

aim - to serve as the primary administrative organ of the UN; a Secretary General is appointed for a five-year term by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council

members - the UN Secretary General and staff

United Nations Security Council (UNSC): established - 26 June 1945; effective - 24 October 1945

aim - to maintain international peace and security

permanent members - (5) China, France, Russia, UK, US

nonpermanent members - (10) elected for two-year terms by the UN General Assembly; Belgium (2007-08), Burkina Faso (2008-09), Costa Rica (2008-09), Croatia (2008-09), Indonesia (2007-08), Italy (2007-08), Libya (2008-09), Panama (2007-08), South Africa (2007-08), Vietnam (2008-09); note - Austria, Japan, Mexico, Turkey and Uganda have been elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms starting 1 January 2009

United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH): established - 30 April 2004

aim - to stabilize Haiti in many areas for at least six months

members - (17) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Ecuador, France, Guatemala, Jordan, Nepal, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Sri Lanka, US, Uruguay

United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO): established -

June 1948

aim - to supervise the 1948 Arab-Israeli cease-fire; currently supports timely deployment of reinforcements to other peacekeeping operations in the region as needed; initially established by the UN Security Council

members - (23) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile,

China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Nepal,

Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden,

Switzerland, US

United Nations Trusteeship Council: established on 26 June 1945, effective on 24 October 1945, to supervise the administration of the 11 UN trust territories; members were China, France, Russia, UK, US; it formally suspended operations 1 November 1995 after the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Palau) became the Republic of Palau, a constitutional government in free association with the US; the Trusteeship Council was not dissolved

United Nations University (UNU): established - 3 December 1973

aim - to conduct research in development, welfare, and human survival and to train scholars

members - (24 members of UNU Council and the Rector are appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations and the Director General of UNESCO)

Universal Postal Union (UPU): established - 9 October 1874, affiliated with the UN 15 November 1947; effective - 1 July 1948

aim - to promote international postal cooperation; a UN specialized agency

members - (191) includes all UN member countries except Andorra,

Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau (189

total); plus Holy See and Overseas Territories of the UK; note -

includes the following dependencies or areas of special interest:

Australia (Norfolk Island), China (Hong Kong, Macau), Denmark (Faroe

Islands, Greenland), France (French Polynesia including Clipperton

Island, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Mayotte, New Caledonia,

Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Scattered

Islands [Bassas da India, Europe, Juan de Nova, Glorioso Islands,

Tromelin], Wallis and Futuna), Netherlands (Aruba, Netherlands

Antilles), NZ (Cook Island, Niue, Tokelau), UK (Guernsey, Isle of Man,

Jersey; Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British

Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar,

Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and South

Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos), US (American Samoa, Guam, Northern

Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands)

Warsaw Pact (WP): established 14 May 1955 to promote mutual defense; members met 1 July 1991 to dissolve the alliance; member states at the time of dissolution were: Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the USSR; earlier members included German Democratic Republic (GDR) and Albania

West African Development Bank (WADB): note - also known as Banque

Ouest-Africaine de Developpement (BOAD); is a financial institution of

WAEMU

established - 14 November 1973

aim - to promote regional economic development and integration

regional members - (8) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea- Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo

West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU): note - also known as

Union Economique et Monetaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA)

established - 1 August 1994

aim - to increase competitiveness of members' economic markets; to create a common market

members - (8) Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo

Western European Union (WEU): established - 23 October 1954; effective - 6 May 1955

aim - to provide mutual defense and to move toward political unification

members - (10) Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, UK

associate members - (6) Czech Republic, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Turkey

associate partners - (7) Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia

observers - (5) Austria, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Sweden

World Bank Group: includes International Bank for Reconstruction and

Development (IBRD), International Development Association (IDA),

International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Multilateral Investment

Guarantee Agency (MIGA)

World Confederation of Labor (WCL): established 19 June 1920 as the

International Federation of Christian Trade Unions (IFCTU), renamed 4

October 1968; aim was to promote the trade union movement; on 31

October 2006 it merged with the International Confederation of Free

Trade Unions (ICFTU) to form the International Trade Union

Confederation (ITUC); members were (105 national organizations) Antigua

and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize,

Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada,

Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of

the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba,

Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,

El Salvador, France, French Guiana, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana,

Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong,

Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea,

Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia,

Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius,

Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles,

Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines,

Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint

Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Serbia,

Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,

Suriname, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago,

Ukraine, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe

World Customs Organization (WCO): note - began as the Customs

Cooperation Council (CCC)

established - 15 December 1950

aim - to promote international cooperation in customs matters

members - (175) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola,

Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas,

Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin,

Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil,

Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon,

Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China,

Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the

Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech

Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, EC, Ecuador, Egypt, El

Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The

Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana,

Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran,

Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan,

Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho,

Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar,

Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico,

Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal,

Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria,

Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru,

Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint

Lucia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,

Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan,

Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand,

Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey,

Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,

Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU): established - 3 October 1945

aim - to promote the trade union movement

members - (174 and the Palestine Liberation Organization) Afghanistan,

Albania, Algeria, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,

Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain,

Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan,

Bolivia, Bonaire, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British

Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi,

Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African

Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of

the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote

d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,

Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador,

Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France,

French Guiana, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece,

Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti,

Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia,

Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan,

Kenya, North Korea, South Korea, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos,

Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau,

Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta,

Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldovo, Monaco,

Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal,

Netherlands, New Caledonia, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway,

Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines,

Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russia, Rwanda,

Saint Barthelemy, Saint Eustatius, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis,

Saint Lucia, Saint Martaan, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San

Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia,

Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia,

Somaliland, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland,

Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tahiti, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania,

Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia,

Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, US Virgin Islands,

Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wallis and Futuna,

Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Palestine Liberation

Organization

World Food Program (WFP): established - 24 November 1961

aim - to provide food aid in support of economic development or disaster relief; an ECOSOC organization

members - (36) selected on a rotating basis from all regions

World Health Organization (WHO): established - 22 July 1946; effective - 7 April 1948

aim - to deal with health matters worldwide; a UN specialized agency

members - (193) includes all UN member countries except Liechtenstein (191 total); plus Cook Islands and Niue

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO): established - 14 July 1967; effective - 26 April 1970

aim - to furnish protection for literary, artistic, and scientific works; a UN specialized agency

members - (184) includes all UN member countries except Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Vanuatu (183 total); plus Holy See

World Meteorological Organization (WMO): established - 11 October 1947; effective - 4 April 1951

aim - to sponsor meteorological cooperation; a UN specialized agency

members - (188) includes all UN member countries except Andorra,

Equatorial Guinea, Grenada, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Nauru,

Palau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San

Marino, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu (180 total); plus Aruba and the Netherlands

Antilles, British Caribbean Territories, Cook Islands, French

Polynesia, Hong Kong, Macau, New Caledonia, and Niue

World Tourism Organization (UNWTO): established - 2 January 1975

aim - to promote tourism as a means of contributing to economic development, international understanding, and peace

members - (154) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola,

Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas,

Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and

Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi,

Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad,

Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of

the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech

Republic, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador,

Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Gabon, The Gambia,

Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,

Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy,

Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, North Korea, South Korea,

Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Lithuania,

Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta,

Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro,

Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Niger,

Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay,

Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda,

San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia,

Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri

Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania,

Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda,

Ukraine, UK, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia,

Zimbabwe

associate members - (7) Aruba, Flanders, Hong Kong, Macau, Madeira Islands, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico

observers - (1 plus Palestine Liberation Organization) Holy See, Palestine Liberation Organization

World Trade Organization (WTO): note - succeeded General Agreement on

Tariff and Trade (GATT)

established - 15 April 1994; effective - 1 January 1995

aim - to provide a forum to resolve trade conflicts between members and to carry on negotiations with the goal of further lowering and/or eliminating tariffs and other trade barriers

members - (153) Albania, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,

Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium,

Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina

Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central

African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of

the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia,

Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican

Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, EC, Fiji, Finland,

France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada,

Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong,

Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica,

Japan, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lesotho,

Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar,

Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico,

Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands,

NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua

New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar,

Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and

the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore,

Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,

Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand,

Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine,

UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe

observers - (30) Afghanistan, Algeria, Andorra, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Belarus, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Holy See, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Montenegro, Russia, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Sudan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Yemen; note - with the exception of the Holy See, an observer must start accession negotiations within five years of becoming observers

Zangger Committee (ZC): established - early 1970s

aim - to establish guidelines for the export control provisions of the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT)

members - (36) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,

Canada, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France,

Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea,

Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia,

Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey,

Ukraine, UK, US

observers - (1) European Commission

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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Appendix C - Selected International Environmental Agreements

Air Pollution

see Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution

Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides

see Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or Their Transboundary Fluxes

Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

see Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Persistent Organic Pollutants

Air Pollution-Sulphur 85

see Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions or Their Transboundary Fluxes by at least 30%

Air Pollution-Sulphur 94

see Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions

Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds

see Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds or Their Transboundary Fluxes

Antarctic - Environmental Protocol

see Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty

Antarctic Treaty

opened for signature - 1 December 1959

entered into force - 23 June 1961

objective - to ensure that Antarctica is used for peaceful purposes only (such as international cooperation in scientific research); to defer the question of territorial claims asserted by some nations and not recognized by others; to provide an international forum for management of the region; applies to land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees south latitude

parties - (45) Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil,

Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Czech Republic,

Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala,

Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Netherlands,

NZ, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia,

South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, US,

Uruguay, Venezuela

Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous

Wastes and Their Disposal

note - abbreviated as Hazardous Wastes

opened for signature - 22 March 1989

entered into force - 5 May 1992

objective - to reduce transboundary movements of wastes subject to the Convention to a minimum consistent with the environmentally sound and efficient management of such wastes; to minimize the amount and toxicity of wastes generated and ensure their environmentally sound management as closely as possible to the source of generation; and to assist LDCs in environmentally sound management of the hazardous and other wastes they generate

parties - (167) Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda,

Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas,

Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan,

Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria,

Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central

African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic

Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire,

Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica,

Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea,

Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, EU, Finland, France, The Gambia, Georgia,

Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary,

Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica,

Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait,

Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein,

Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia,

Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico,

Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro,

Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua,

Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea,

Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia,

Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles,

Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan,

Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and

Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK,

Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia

countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (3) Afghanistan, Haiti, US

Biodiversity

see Convention on Biological Diversity

Climate Change

see United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

see Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals

note - abbreviated as Antarctic Seals

opened for signature - 1 June 1972

entered into force - 11 March 1978

objective - to promote and achieve the protection, scientific study, and rational use of Antarctic seals, and to maintain a satisfactory balance within the ecological system of Antarctica

parties - (16) Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Poland, Russia, South Africa, UK, US

countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (1) NZ

Convention on Biological Diversity

note - abbreviated as Biodiversity

opened for signature - 5 June 1992

entered into force - 29 December 1993

objective - to develop national strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity

parties - (186) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua

and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The

Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize,

Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil,

Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon,

Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China,

Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the

Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus,

Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic,

Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia,

Ethiopia, EU, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia,

Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,

Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran,

Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan,

Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos,

Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,

Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali,

Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated

States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique,

Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria,

Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea,

Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia,

Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia,

Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia,

Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,

Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan,

Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey,

Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,

Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (1) US

Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High

Seas

note - abbreviated as Marine Life Conservation

opened for signature - 29 April 1958

entered into force - 20 March 1966

objective - to solve through international cooperation the problems involved in the conservation of living resources of the high seas, considering that because of the development of modern technology some of these resources are in danger of being overexploited

parties - (38) Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina

Faso, Cambodia, Colombia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Finland,

France, Haiti, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi,

Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, Senegal,

Serbia, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain,

Switzerland, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, UK, US,

Venezuela

countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (20) Afghanistan,

Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ghana, Iceland, Iran,

Ireland, Israel, Lebanon, Liberia, Nepal, NZ, Pakistan, Panama, Sri

Lanka, Tunisia, Uruguay

Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution

note - abbreviated as Air Pollution

opened for signature - 13 November 1979

entered into force - 16 March 1983

objective - to protect the human environment against air pollution and to gradually reduce and prevent air pollution, including long-range transboundary air pollution

parties - (49) Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, EU, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK, US

countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (2) Holy See, San Marino

Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as

Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar)

note - abbreviated as Wetlands

opened for signature - 2 February 1971

entered into force - 21 December 1975

objective - to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and recreational value

parties - (153) Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,

Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain,

Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia

and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi,

Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad,

Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo,

Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba,

Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,

Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France,

Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea,

Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran,

Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya,

South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya,

Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi,

Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico,

Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal,

Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palau,

Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland,

Portugal, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Sao Tome and

Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia,

Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden,

Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania, Tajikistan, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and

Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,

Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia

Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources

note - abbreviated as Antarctic-Marine Living Resources

opened for signature - 5 May 1980

entered into force - 7 April 1982

objective - to safeguard the environment and protect the integrity of the ecosystem of the seas surrounding Antarctica, and to conserve Antarctic marine living resources

parties - (31) Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada,

Chile, EU, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, South

Korea, Mauritius, Namibia, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Peru, Poland,

Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay, Vanuatu

Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild

Flora and Fauna (CITES)

note - abbreviated as Endangered Species

opened for signature - 3 March 1973

entered into force - 1 July 1975

objective - to protect certain endangered species from overexploitation by means of a system of import/export permits

parties - (168) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda,

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bangladesh,

Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana,

Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia,

Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile,

China, Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of

the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech

Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,

Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia,

Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana,

Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras,

Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy,

Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos,

Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,

Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania,

Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique,

Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway,

Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines,

Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and

Nevis, Palau, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome

and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,

Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,

Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tanzania,

Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine,

UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen,

Zambia, Zimbabwe

Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and

Other Matter (London Convention)

note - abbreviated as Marine Dumping

opened for signature - 29 December 1972

entered into force - 30 August 1975

objective - to control pollution of the sea by dumping and to encourage regional agreements supplementary to the Convention; the London Convention came into force in 1996

parties - (88) Afghanistan, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,

Australia, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil,

Bulgaria, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Democratic Republic of the

Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark,

Dominican Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Finland, France, Gabon,

Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong (associate

member), Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan,

Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Libya, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico,

Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Nauru, Netherlands, NZ, Nigeria, Norway,

Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland,

Portugal, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and

the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovenia, Solomon

Islands, South Africa, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tonga,

Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US, Vanuatu

associate members to the London Convention - (2) Faroe Islands, Macau countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (3) Chad, Kuwait, Uruguay

Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of

Environmental Modification Techniques

note - abbreviated as Environmental Modification

opened for signature - 10 December 1976

entered into force - 5 October 1978

objective - to prohibit the military or other hostile use of environmental modification techniques in order to further world peace and trust among nations

parties - (68) Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,

Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Brazil,

Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus,

Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Ghana,

Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, North Korea,

South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Malawi, Mauritius, Mongolia, Netherlands,

NZ, Niger, Norway, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Romania, Russia,

Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sao Tome and Principe,

Slovakia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland,

Tajikistan, Tunisia, Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vietnam,

Yemen

countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (17) Bolivia,

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Holy See, Iceland, Iran,

Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia, Luxembourg, Morocco, Nicaragua, Portugal,

Sierra Leone, Syria, Turkey, Uganda

Desertification

see United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa

Endangered Species

see Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES)

Environmental Modification

see Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques

Hazardous Wastes

see Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal

International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling

note - abbreviated as Whaling

opened for signature - 2 December 1946

entered into force - 10 November 1948

objective - to protect all species of whales from overhunting; to establish a system of international regulation for the whale fisheries to ensure proper conservation and development of whale stocks; and to safeguard for future generations the great natural resources represented by whale stocks

parties - (72) Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria,

Belgium, Belize, Benin, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chile, China, Costa

Rica, Cote D'Ivoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica,

Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Germany, Grenada, Guatemala,

Guinea, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya,

Kiribati, South Korea, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mexico,

Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Nauru, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Norway,

Oman, Palau, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Saint Kitts

and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino,

Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain,

Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Togo, Tuvalu, UK, US

International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1983

note - abbreviated as Tropical Timber 83

opened for signature - 18 November 1983

entered into force - 1 April 1985; this agreement expired when the International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994, went into force

objective - to provide an effective framework for cooperation between tropical timber producers and consumers and to encourage the development of national policies aimed at sustainable utilization and conservation of tropical forests and their genetic resources

parties - (54) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma,

Cameroon, Canada, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo,

Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, EU,

Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guyana, Honduras,

India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Liberia,

Luxembourg, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Norway, Panama, Papua New

Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden,

Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, US, Venezuela

International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994

note - abbreviated as Tropical Timber 94

opened for signature - 26 January 1994

entered into force - 1 January 1997

objective - to ensure that by the year 2000 exports of tropical timber originate from sustainably managed sources; to establish a fund to assist tropical timber producers in obtaining the resources necessary to reach this objective

parties - (58) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma,

Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, China, Colombia,

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivoire,

Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, EU, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany,

Ghana, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy,

Japan, South Korea, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands,

NZ, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Portugal,

Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and

Tobago, UK, US, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela

Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate

Change

note - abbreviated as Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

opened for signature - 16 March 1998

entered into force - 23 February 2005

objective - to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions by enhancing the national programs of developed countries aimed at this goal and by establishing percentage reduction targets for the developed countries

parties - (181) Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda,

Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas,

Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan,

Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina

Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Cental

African Republic, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire,

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook Island,

Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti,

Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial

Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, EU, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon,

The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala,

Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland,

India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan,

Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos,

Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,

Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali,

Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated

States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco,

Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger,

Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea,

Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia,

Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra

Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa,

Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland,

Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia,

Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,

Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia

countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (4) Kazakhstan, US

Law of the Sea

see United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS)

Marine Dumping

see Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention)

Marine Life Conservation

see Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas

Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer

note - abbreviated as Ozone Layer Protection

opened for signature - 16 September 1987

entered into force - 1 January 1989

objective - to protect the ozone layer by controlling emissions of substances that deplete it

parties - (189) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and

Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The

Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize,

Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei,

Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada,

Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia,

Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Cook

Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech

Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,

Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, EU,

Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana,

Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti,

Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel,

Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, North

Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho,

Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia,

Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands,

Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova,

Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal,

Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan,

Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland,

Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint

Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe,

Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore,

Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri

Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria,

Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago,

Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US,

Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia,

Zimbabwe

Nuclear Test Ban

see Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water

Ozone Layer Protection

see Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer

Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the

Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 (MARPOL)

note - abbreviated as Ship Pollution

opened for signature - 17 February 1978

entered into force - 2 October 1983

objective - to preserve the marine environment through the complete elimination of pollution by oil and other harmful substances and the minimization of accidental discharge of such substances

parties - (139) Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina,

Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados,

Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria,

Burma, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros,

Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech

Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,

Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France,

Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea,

Guyana, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran,

Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, North Korea,

South Korea, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Libya,

Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands,

Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro,

Morocco, Mozambique, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman,

Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland,

Portugal, Qatar Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia,

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi

Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia,

Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Sweden,

Switzerland, Syria, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey,

Tuvalu, Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam

Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty

note - abbreviated as Antarctic-Environmental Protocol

opened for signature - 4 October 1991

entered into force - 14 January 1998

objective - to provide for comprehensive protection of the Antarctic environment and dependent and associated ecosystems; applies to the area covered by the Antarctic Treaty

consultative parties - (31) Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil,

Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Finland,

France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Netherlands, NZ,

Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden,

Ukraine, UK, US, Uruguay

non consultative parties - (12) Austria, Colombia, Cuba, Denmark, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, North Korea, Papua New Guinea, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey

Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air

Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Nitrogen Oxides or

Their Transboundary Fluxes

note - abbreviated as Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides

opened for signature - 31 October 1988

entered into force - 14 February 1991

objective - to provide for the control or reduction of nitrogen oxides and their transboundary fluxes

parties - (31) Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus,

Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, EU, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,

Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,

Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,

Switzerland, Ukraine, UK, US

countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (1) Poland

Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air

Pollution Concerning the Control of Emissions of Volatile Organic

Compounds or Their Transboundary Fluxes

note - abbreviated as Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds

opened for signature - 18 November 1991

entered into force - 29 September 1997

objective - to provide for the control and reduction of emissions of volatile organic compounds in order to reduce their transboundary fluxes so as to protect human health and the environment from adverse effects

parties - (21) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark,

Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein,

Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden,

Switzerland, UK

countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (6) Canada, EU, Greece, Portugal, Ukraine, US

Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air

Pollution on Further Reduction of Sulphur Emissions

note - abbreviated as Air Pollution-Sulphur 94

opened for signature - 14 June 1994

entered into force - 5 August 1998

objective - to provide for a further reduction in sulfur emissions or transboundary fluxes

parties - (27) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus,

Czech Republic, Denmark, EU, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary,

Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway,

Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK

countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (3) Poland, Russia, Ukraine

Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air

Pollution on Persistent Organic Pollutants

note - abbreviated as Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

opened for signature - 24 June 1998

entered into force - 23 October 2003

objective - to provide for the control and reduction of emissions of persistent organic pollutants in order to reduce their transboundary fluxes so as to protect human health and the environment from adverse effects

parties - (27) Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Czech

Republic, Denmark, Estonia, EU, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary,

Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova,

Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, UK

countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (10) Armenia, Croatia, Greece, Ireland, Philippines Poland, Portugal, Spain, Ukraine, US

Protocol to the 1979 Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air

Pollution on the Reduction of Sulphur Emissions or Their Transboundary

Fluxes by at Least 30%

note - abbreviated as Air Pollution-Sulphur 85

opened for signature - 8 July 1985

entered into force - 2 September 1987

objective - to provide for a 30% reduction in sulfur emissions or transboundary fluxes by 1993

parties - (22) Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech

Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy,

Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Slovakia,

Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine

Ship Pollution

see Protocol of 1978 Relating to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 (MARPOL)

Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water

note - abbreviated as Nuclear Test Ban

opened for signature - 5 August 1963

entered into force - 10 October 1963

objective - to obtain an agreement on general and complete disarmament under strict international control in accordance with the objectives of the United Nations; to put an end to the armaments race and eliminate incentives for the production and testing of all kinds of weapons, including nuclear weapons

parties - (113) Afghanistan, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia,

Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan,

Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burma,

Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Democratic

Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus,

Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El

Salvador, Fiji, Finland, Gabon, The Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece,

Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq,

Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, South Korea,

Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi,

Malaysia, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal,

Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Papua New

Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Samoa, San

Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia,

Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland,

Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago,

Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, UK, US, Venezuela, Zambia

countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (17) Algeria,

Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, Ethiopia, Haiti, Libya, Mali,

Pakistan, Paraguay, Portugal, Somalia, Tanzania, Uruguay, Vietnam,

Yemen

Tropical Timber 83

see International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1983

Tropical Timber 94

see International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS)

note - abbreviated as Law of the Sea

opened for signature - 10 December 1982

entered into force - 16 November 1994

objective - to set up a comprehensive new legal regime for the sea and oceans; to include rules concerning environmental standards as well as enforcement provisions dealing with pollution of the marine environment

parties - (155) Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda,

Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Bahrain,

Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia

and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso,

Burma, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Comoros, Democratic

Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire,

Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica,

Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, EU, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon,

The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala,

Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland,

India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya,

Kiribati, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho,

Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali,

Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated

States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco,

Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Nigeria,

Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea,

Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint

Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa,

Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles,

Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia,

South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Tanzania,

Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UK,

Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

countries that have signed, but not yet ratified - (27) Afghanistan,

Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Chad,

Colombia, Republic of the Congo, Dominican Republic, El Salvador,

Ethiopia, Iran, North Korea, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein,

Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Niger, Rwanda, Swaziland, Switzerland,

Thailand, UAE

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries

Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in

Africa

note - abbreviated as Desertification

opened for signature - 14 October 1994

entered into force - 26 December 1996

objective - to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought through national action programs that incorporate long-term strategies supported by international cooperation and partnership arrangements

parties - (185) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua

and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The

Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize,

Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil,

Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon,

Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China,

Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the

Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus,

Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic,

Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, EU,

Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana,

Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti,

Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel,

Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South

Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya,

Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia,

Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico,

Federated States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco,

Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger,

Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea,

Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda,

Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,

Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,

Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon

Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland,

Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Timor-

Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan,

Tuvalu, Uganda, UAE, UK, US, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela,

Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

note - abbreviated as Climate Change

opened for signature - 9 May 1992

entered into force - 21 March 1994

objective - to achieve stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a low enough level to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system

parties - (195) Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and

Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The

Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize,

Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil,

Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon,

Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China,

Colombia, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the

Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus,

Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic,

Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia,

Ethiopia, EU, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, The Gambia, Georgia,

Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau,

Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia,

Iraq, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan,

Kenya, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos,

Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania,

Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali,

Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated

States of Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco,

Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, NZ, Nicaragua, Niger,

Nigeria, Niue, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea,

Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia,

Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the

Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia,

Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia,

Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,

Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan,

Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago,

Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, UAE, UK, US,

Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia,

Zimbabwe

Wetlands

see Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially As Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar)

Whaling

see International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

=====================================================================

Appendix D - Cross-Reference list of Country Data Codes

FIPS 10: Countries, Dependencies, Areas of Special Sovereignty, and Their Principal Administrative Divisions (FIPS 10) is maintained by the Office of Targeting and Transnational Issues, National Geospatial- Intelligence Agency, and published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Department of Commerce). FIPS 10 codes are intended for general use throughout the US Government, especially in activities associated with the mission of the Department of State and national defense programs.

ISO 3166:Codes for the Representation of Names of Countries (ISO 3166) is prepared by the International Organization for Standardization. ISO 3166 includes two- and three-character alphabetic codes and three-digit numeric codes that may be needed for activities involving exchange of data with international organizations that have adopted that standard. Except for the numeric codes, ISO 3166 codes have been adopted in the US as FIPS 104-1: American National Standard Codes for the Representation of Names of Countries, Dependencies, and Areas of Special Sovereignty for Information Interchange.

STANAG 1059: Letter Codes for Geographical Entities (8th edition, 2004) is a Standardization Agreement (STANAG) established and maintained by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO/OTAN) for the purpose of providing a common set of geo-spatial identifiers for countries, territories, and possessions. The 8th edition established trigraph codes for each country based upon the ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 character sets. These codes are used throughout NATO.

Internet: The Internet country code is the two-letter digraph maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in the ISO 3166 Alpha-2 list and used by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) to establish country-coded top-level domains (ccTLDs).

STANAG-

Entity FIPS 10 | ISO 3166 | 1059 Internet Comment

Afghanistan AF AF AFG 004 AFG .af

Albania AL AL ALB 008 ALB .al

Algeria AG DZ DZA 012 DZA .dz

American Samoa AQ AS ASM 016 ASM .as

Andorra AN AD AND 020 AND .ad

Angola AO AO AGO 024 AGO .ao

Anguilla AV AI AIA 660 AIA .ai

Antarctica AY AQ ATA 010 ATA .aq

ISO defines as the territory south of 60 degrees south latitude

Antigua and Barbuda AC AG ATG 028 ATG .ag

Argentina AR AR ARG 032 ARG .ar

Armenia AM AM ARM 051 ARM .am

Aruba AA AW ABW 533 ABW .aw

Ashmore and Cartier

Islands AT - - - AUS -

ISO includes with Australia

Australia AS AU AUS 036 AUS .au

ISO includes Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Coral Sea Islands

Austria AU AT AUT 040 AUT .at

Azerbaijan AJ AZ AZE 031 AZE .az

Bahamas, The BF BS BHS 044 BHS .bs

Bahrain BA BH BHR 048 BHR .bh

Baker Island FQ - - - UMI -

ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands

Bangladesh BG BD BGD 050 BGD .bd Barbados BB BB BRB 052 BRB .bb Bassas da India BS - - - - - administered as part of French Southern and Antarctic Lands; no ISO codes assigned

Belarus BO BY BLR 112 BLR .by

Belgium BE BE BEL 056 BEL .be

Belize BH BZ BLZ 084 BLZ .bz

Benin BN BJ BEN 204 BEN .bj

Bermuda BD BM BMU 060 BMU .bm

Bhutan BT BT BTN 064 BTN .bt

Bolivia BL BO BOL 068 BOL .bo

Bosnia and

Herzegovina BK BA BIH 070 BIH .ba

Botswana BC BW BWA 072 BWA .bw

Bouvet Island BV BV BVT 074 BVT .bv

Brazil BR BR BRA 076 BRA .br

British Indian

Ocean

Territory IO IO IOT 086 IOT .io

British Virgin

Islands VI VG VGB 092 VGB .vg

Brunei BX BN BRN 096 BRN .bn

Bulgaria BU BG BGR 100 BGR .bg

Burkina Faso UV BF BFA 854 BFA .bf

Burma BM MM MMR 104 MMR .mm

ISO uses the name Myanmar

Burundi BY BI BDI 108 BDI .bi

Cambodia CB KH KHM 116 KHM .kh

Cameroon CM CM CMR 120 CMR .cm

Canada CA CA CAN 124 CAN .ca

Cape Verde CV CV CPV 132 CPV .cv

Cayman Islands CJ KY CYM 136 CYM .ky

Central African

Republic CT CF CAF 140 CAF .cf

Chad CD TD TCD 148 TCD .td

Chile CI CL CHL 152 CHL .cl

China CH CN CHN 156 CHN .cn

see also Taiwan

Christmas Island KT CX CXR 162 CXR .cx

Clipperton Island IP - - - FYP -

ISO includes with French Polynesia

Cocos (Keeling) IslandsCK CC CCK 166 AUS .cc

Colombia CO CO COL 170 COL .co

Comoros CN KM COM 174 COM .km

Congo, Democratic

Republic of the CG CD COD 180 COD .cd

formerly Zaire

Congo,

Republic of the CF CG COG 178 COG .cg

Cook Islands CW CK COK 184 COK .ck

Coral Sea Islands CR - - - AUS -

ISO includes with Australia

Costa Rica CS CR CRI 188 CRI .cr

Cote d'Ivoire IV CI CIV 384 CIV .ci

Croatia HR HR HRV 191 HRV .hr

Cuba CU CU CUB 192 CUB .cu

Cyprus CY CY CYP 196 CYP .cy

Czech Republic EZ CZ CZE 203 CZE .cz

Denmark DA DK DNK 208 DNK .dk

Djibouti DJ DJ DJI 262 DJI .dj

Dominica DO DM DMA 212 DMA .dm

Dominican Republic DR DO DOM 214 DOM .do

Ecuador EC EC ECU 218 ECU .ec

Egypt EG EG EGY 818 EGY .eg

El Salvador ES SV SLV 222 SLV .sv

Equatorial Guinea EK GQ GNQ 226 GNQ .gq

Eritrea ER ER ERI 232 ERI .er

Estonia EN EE EST 233 EST .ee

Ethiopia ET ET ETH 231 ETH .et

Europa Island EU - - - - -

administered as part of French Southern and Antarctic Lands;

no ISO codes assigned

Falkland Islands

(Islas Malvinas) FK FK FLK 238 FLK .fk

Faroe Islands FO FO FRO 234 FRO .fo

Fiji FJ FJ FJI 242 FJI .fj

Finland FI FI FIN 246 FIN .fi

France FR FR FRA 250 FRA .fr

France,

Metropolitan - FX FXX 249 - .fx

ISO limits to the European part of France, excluding French

Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands,

Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Reunion, Saint

Pierre and Miquelon, Wallis and Futuna

French Guiana FG GF GUF 254 GUF .gf

French Polynesia FP PF PYF 258 PYF .pf

ISO includes Clipperton Island

French Southern

and Antarctic

Lands FS TF ATF 260 ATF .tf

FIPS 10-4 does not include the French-claimed portion of

Antarctica (Terre Adelie)

Gabon GB GA GAB 266 GAB .ga

Gambia, The GA GM GMB 270 GMB .gm

Gaza Strip GZ PS PSE 275 PSE .ps

ISO identifies as Occupied Palestinian Territory

Georgia GG GE GEO 268 GEO .ge Germany GM DE DEU 276 DEU .de Ghana GH GH GHA 288 GHA .gh Gibraltar GI GI GIB 292 GIB .gi Glorioso Islands GO - - - - - administered as part of French Southern and Antarctic Lands; no ISO codes assigned

Greece GR GR GRC 300 GRC .gr

Greenland GL GL GRL 304 GRL .gl

Grenada GJ GD GRD 308 GRD .gd

Guadeloupe GP GP GLP 312 GLP .gp

Guam GQ GU GUM 316 GUM .gu

Guatemala GT GT GTM 320 GTM .gt

Guernsey GK GG GGY 831 UK .gg

Guinea GV GN GIN 324 GIN .gn

Guinea-Bissau PU GW GNB 624 GNB .gw

Guyana GY GY GUY 328 GUY .gy

Haiti HA HT HTI 332 HTI .ht

Heard Island and

McDonald Islands HM HM HMD 334 HMD .hm

Holy See

(Vatican City) VT VA VAT 336 VAT .va

Honduras HO HN HND 340 HND .hn

Hong Kong HK HK HKG 344 HKG .hk

Howland Island HQ - - - UMI -

ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands

Hungary HU HU HUN 348 HUN .hu

Iceland IC IS ISL 352 ISL .is

India IN IN IND 356 IND .in

Indonesia ID ID IDN 360 IDN .id

Iran IR IR IRN 364 IRN .ir

Iraq IZ IQ IRQ 368 IRQ .iq

Ireland EI IE IRL 372 IRL .ie

Isle of Man IM IM IMN 833 UK .im

Israel IS IL ISR 376 ISR .il

Italy IT IT ITA 380 ITA .it

Jamaica JM JM JAM 388 JAM .jm

Jan Mayen JN - - - SJM -

ISO includes with Svalbard

Japan JA JP JPN 392 JPN .jp

Jarvis Island DQ - - - UMI -

ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands

Jersey JE JE JEY 832 UK .je

Johnston Atoll JQ - - - UMI -

ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands

Jordan JO JO JOR 400 JOR .jo

Juan de Nova Island JU - - - - -

administered as part of French Southern and Antarctic Lands;

no ISO codes assigned

Kazakhstan KZ KZ KAZ 398 KAZ .kz

Kenya KE KE KEN 404 KEN .ke

Kingman Reef KQ - - - UMI -

ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands

Kiribati KR KI KIR 296 KIR .ki

Korea, North KN KP PRK 408 PRK .kp

Korea, South KS KR KOR 410 KOR .kr

Kosovo KV - - - - -

ISO codes have not been designated

Kuwait KU KW KWT 414 KWT .kw

Kyrgyzstan KG KG KGZ 417 KGZ .kg

Laos LA LA LAO 418 LAO .la

Latvia LG LV LVA 428 LVA .lv

Lebanon LE LB LBN 422 LBN .lb

Lesotho LT LS LSO 426 LSO .ls

Liberia LI LR LBR 430 LBR .lr

Libya LY LY LBY 434 LBY .ly

Liechtenstein LS LI LIE 438 LIE .li

Lithuania LH LT LTU 440 LTU .lt

Luxembourg LU LU LUX 442 LUX .lu

Macau MC MO MAC 446 MAC .mo

Macedonia MK MK MKD 807 FYR .mk

Madagascar MA MG MDG 450 MDG .mg

Malawi MI MW MWI 454 MWI .mw

Malaysia MY MY MYS 458 MYS .my

Maldives MV MV MDV 462 MDV .mv

Mali ML ML MLI 466 MLI .ml

Malta MT MT MLT 470 MLT .mt

Marshall Islands RM MH MHL 584 MHL .mh

Martinique MB MQ MTQ 474 MTQ .mq

Mauritania MR MR MRT 478 MRT .mr

Mauritius MP MU MUS 480 MUS .mu

Mayotte MF YT MYT 175 FRA .yt

Mexico MX MX MEX 484 MEX .mx

Micronesia,

Federated

States of FM FM FSM 583 FSM .fm

Midway Islands MQ - - - UMI -

ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands

Moldova MD MD MDA 498 MDA .md

Monaco MN MC MCO 492 MCO .mc

Mongolia MG MN MNG 496 MNG .mn

Montenegro MJ ME MNE 499 - .me

Montserrat MH MS MSR 500 MSR .ms

Morocco MO MA MAR 504 MAR .ma

Mozambique MZ MZ MOZ 508 MOZ .mz

Myanmar - - - - - -

see Burma

Namibia WA NA NAM 516 NAM .na

Nauru NR NR NRU 520 NRU .nr

Navassa Island BQ - - - US -

ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands

Nepal NP NP NPL 524 NPL .np

Netherlands NL NL NLD 528 NLD .nl

Netherlands

Antilles NT AN ANT 530 ANT .an

New Caledonia NC NC NCL 540 NCL .nc

New Zealand NZ NZ NZL 554 NZL .nz

Nicaragua NU NI NIC 558 NIC .ni

Niger NG NE NER 562 NER .ne

Nigeria NI NG NGA 566 NGA .ng

Niue NE NU NIU 570 NIU .nu

Norfolk Island NF NF NFK 574 NFK .nf

Northern Mariana

Islands CQ MP MNP 580 MNP .mp

Norway NO NO NOR 578 NOR .no

Oman MU OM OMN 512 OMN .om

Pakistan PK PK PAK 586 PAK .pk

Palau PS PW PLW 585 PLW .pw

Palmyra Atoll LQ - - - UMI -

ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands

Panama PM PA PAN 591 PAN .pa

Papua New Guinea PP PG PNG 598 PNG .pg

Paracel Islands PF - - - - -

Paraguay PA PY PRY 600 PRY .py

Peru PE PE PER 604 PER .pe

Philippines RP PH PHL 608 PHL .ph

Pitcairn Islands PC PN PCN 612 PCN .pn

Poland PL PL POL 616 POL .pl

Portugal PO PT PRT 620 PRT .pt

Puerto Rico RQ PR PRI 630 PRI .pr

Qatar QA QA QAT 634 QAT .qa

Reunion RE RE REU 638 REU .re

Romania RO RO ROU 642 ROU .ro

Russia RS RU RUS 643 RUS .ru

Rwanda RW RW RWA 646 RWA .rw

Saint Barthelemy TB BL BLM 652 - .bl

ccTLD .fr and .gp may also be used

Saint Helena SH SH SHN 654 SHN .sh

Saint Kitts and NevisSC KN KNA 659 KNA .kn

Saint Lucia ST LC LCA 662 LCA .lc

Saint Martin RN MF MAF 663 - .mf

ccTLD .fr and .gp may also be used

Saint Pierre and

Miquelon SB PM SPM 666 SPM .pm

Saint Vincent and

the Grenadines VC VC VCT 670 VCT .vc

Samoa WS WS WSM 882 WSM .ws

San Marino SM SM SMR 674 SMR .sm

Sao Tome and

Principe TP ST STP 678 STP .st

Saudi Arabia SA SA SAU 682 SAU .sa

Senegal SG SN SEN 686 SEN .sn

Serbia RI RS SRB 688 - .rs

Seychelles SE SC SYC 690 SYC .sc

Sierra Leone SL SL SLE 694 SLE .sl

Singapore SN SG SGP 702 SGP .sg

Slovakia LO SK SVK 703 SVK .sk

Slovenia SI SI SVN 705 SVN .si

Solomon Islands BP SB SLB 090 SLB .sb

Somalia SO SO SOM 706 SOM .so

South Africa SF ZA ZAF 710 ZAF .za

South Georgia and

the Islands SX GS SGS 239 SGS .gs

Spain SP ES ESP 724 ESP .es

Spratly Islands PG - - - - -

Sri Lanka CE LK LKA 144 LKA .lk

Sudan SU SD SDN 736 SDN .sd

Suriname NS SR SUR 740 SUR .sr

Svalbard SV SJ SJM 744 SJM .sj

ISO includes Jan Mayen

Swaziland WZ SZ SWZ 748 SWZ .sz

Sweden SW SE SWE 752 SWE .se

Switzerland SZ CH CHE 756 CHE .ch

Syria SY SY SYR 760 SYR .sy

Taiwan TW TW TWN 158 TWN .tw

Tajikistan TI TJ TJK 762 TJK .tj

Tanzania TZ TZ TZA 834 TZA .tz

Thailand TH TH THA 764 THA .th

Timor-Leste TT TL TLS 626 TLS .tl

Togo TO TG TGO 768 TGO .tg

Tokelau TL TK TKL 772 TKL .tk

Tonga TN TO TON 776 TON .to

Trinidad and Tobago TD TT TTO 780 TTO .tt

Tromelin Island TE - - - - -

administered as part of French Southern and Antarctic Lands;

no ISO codes assigned

Tunisia TS TN TUN 788 TUN .tn

Turkey TU TR TUR 792 TUR .tr

Turkmenistan TX TM TKM 795 TKM .tm

Turks and

Caicos Islands TK TC TCA 796 TCA .tc

Tuvalu TV TV TUV 798 TUV .tv

Uganda UG UG UGA 800 UGA .ug

Ukraine UP UA UKR 804 UKR .ua

United Arab

Emirates AE AE ARE 784 ARE .ae

United Kingdom UK GB GBR 826 GBR .uk

United States US US USA 840 USA .us

United States Minor

Outlying Islands - UM UMI 581 - .um

ISO includes Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island,

Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island,

Palmyra Atoll, Wake Island

Uruguay UY UY URY 858 URY .uy

Uzbekistan UZ UZ UZB 860 UZB .uz

Vanuatu NH VU VUT 548 VUT .vu

Venezuela VE VE VEN 862 VEN .ve

Vietnam VM VN VNM 704 VNM .vn

Virgin Islands VQ VI VIR 850 VIR .vi

Virgin Islands (UK) - - - - - .vg

see British Virgin Islands

Virgin Islands (US) - - - - - .vi

see Virgin Islands

Wake Island WQ - - - UMI -

ISO includes with the US Minor Outlying Islands

Wallis and Futuna WF WF WLF 876 WLF .wf

West Bank WE PS PSE 275 PSE .ps

ISO identifies as Occupied Palestinian Territory

Western Sahara WI EH ESH 732 ESH .eh Western Samoa - - - - - .ws see Samoa

World - - - - - - the Factbook uses the W data code from DIAM 65-18 Geopolitical Data Elements and Related Features, Data Standard No. 3, December 1994, published by the Defense Intelligence Agency

Yemen YM YE YEM 887 YEM .ye Zaire - - - - - - see Democratic Republic of the Congo

Zambia ZA ZM ZMB 894 ZMB .zm

Zimbabwe ZI ZW ZWE 716 ZWE .zw

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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ference List of Hydrographic Data Codes

IHO 23-4th: Limits of Oceans and Seas, Special Publication 23, Draft 4th Edition 1986, published by the International Hydrographic Bureau of the International Hydrographic Organization; note - this document has not yet been ratified and only the 3rd Edition (1953) remains in force

IHO 23-3rd: Limits of Oceans and Seas, Special Publication 23, 3rd

Edition 1953, published by the International Hydrographic Organization

ACIC M 49-1: Chart of Limits of Seas and Oceans, revised January 1958,

published by the Aeronautical Chart and Information Center (ACIC),

United States Air Force; note - ACIC is now part of the National

Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA)

DIAM 65-18: Geopolitical Data Elements and Related Features, Data Standard No. 4, Defense Intelligence Agency Manual 65-18, December 1994, published by the Defense Intelligence Agency

The US Government has not yet adopted a standard for hydrographic codes similar to the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 10-4 country codes. The names and limits of the following oceans and seas are not always directly comparable because of differences in the customers, needs, and requirements of the individual organizations. Even the number of principal water bodies varies from organization to organization. Factbook users, for example, find the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean entries useful, but none of the following standards include those oceans in their entirety. Nor is there any provision for combining codes or overcodes to aggregate water bodies. The recently delimited Southern Ocean is not included.

Principal Oceans and Seas of the World

With Hydrographic Codes by Institution

IHO 23-4th IHO 23-3rd* ACIC M 49-1 DIAM 65-18

Arctic Ocean 9 17 A 5A

Atlantic Ocean - - - -

Baltic Sea 2 1 B26 7B

Eastern Mediterranean 3.1.2 28 B - 8E

Indian Ocean 5 45 F 6A

Mediterranean Sea 3.1 28 B11 -

North Atlantic Ocean 1 23 B 1A

North Pacific Ocean 7 57 D 3A

Pacific Ocean - - - -

South Atlantic Ocean 4 32 C 2A

South China and Eastern

Archipelagic Seas 6 49, 48 D18 plus 3U plus

others others

South Pacific Ocean 8 61 E 4A

Western Mediterranean 3.1.1 28 A - 8W

*The letters after the numbers are subdivisions, not footnotes.

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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Appendix F - Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names

Name Entry in The Latitude Longitude

World Factbook (deg min) (deg min)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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Appendix G - Weights and Measures

Note: At this time, only three countries - Burma, Liberia, and the US - have not adopted the International System of Units (SI, or metric system) as their official system of weights and measures. Although use of the metric system has been sanctioned by law in the US since 1866, it has been slow in displacing the American adaptation of the British Imperial System known as the US Customary System. The US is the only industrialized nation that does not mainly use the metric system in its commercial and standards activities, but there is increasing acceptance in science, medicine, government, and many sectors of industry.

Mathematical Notation

Mathematical Power Name

10^18 or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 one quintillion 10^15 or 1,000,000,000,000,000 one quadrillion 10^12 or 1,000,000,000,000 one trillion 10^9 or 1,000,000,000 one billion 10^6 or 1,000,000 one million 10^3 or 1,000 one thousand 10^2 or 100 one hundred 10^1 or 10 ten 10^0 or 1 one 10^-1 or 0.1 one-tenth 10^-2 or 0.01 one-hundredth 10^-3 or 0.001 one-thousandth 10^-6 or 0.000 001 one-millionth 10^-9 or 0.000 000 001 one-billionth 10^-12 or 0.000 000 000 001 one-trillionth 10^-15 or 0.000 000 000 000 001 one-quadrillionth 10^-18 or 0.000 000 000 000 000 001 one-quintillionth

Metric Interrelationships

Prefix Symbol Length, weight, or capacity

yotta Y 10^24 zetta Z 10^21 exa E 10^18 peta P 10^15 tera T 10^12 giga G 10^9 mega M 10^6 kilo k 10^3 hecto h 10^2 deka da 10^1 basic unit - 1 meter, 1 gram, 1 liter deci d 10^-1 centi c 10^-2 milli m 10^-3 micro u 10^-6 nano n 10^-9 pico p 10^-12 femto f 10^-15 atto a 10^-18 zepto z 10^-21 yocto y 10^-24

Conversion Factors

To Convert From To Multiply By

acres ares 40.468 564 224 acres hectares 0.404 685 642 24 acres square feet 43,560 acres square kilometers 0.004 046 856 422 4 acres square meters 4,046.856 422 4 acres square miles (statute) 0.001 562 50 acres square yards 4,840 ares square meters 100 ares square yards 119.599 barrels, US beer gallons 31 barrels, US beer liters 117.347 77 barrels, US petroleum gallons (British) 34.97 barrels, US petroleum gallons (US) 42 barrels, US petroleum liters 158.987 29 barrels, US proof spirits gallons 40 barrels, US proof spirits liters 151.416 47 bushels (US) bushels (British) 0.968 9 bushels (US) cubic feet 1.244 456 bushels (US) cubic inches 2,150.42 bushels (US) cubic meters 0.035 239 07 bushels (US) cubic yards 0.046 090 96 bushels (US) dekaliters 3.523 907 bushels (US) dry pints 64 bushels (US) dry quarts 32 bushels (US) liters 35.239 070 17 bushels (US) pecks 4 cables fathoms 120 cables meters 219.456 cables yards 240 carat milligrams 200 centimeters feet 0.032 808 40 centimeters inches 0.393 700 8 centimeters meters 0.01 centimeters yards 0.010 936 13 centimeters, cubic cubic inches 0.061 023 744 centimeters, square square feet 0.001 076 39 centimeters, square square inches 0.155 000 31 centimeters, square square meters 0.000 1 centimeters, square square yards 0.000 119 599 chains, square surveyor's ares 4.046 86 chains, square surveyor's square feet 4,356 chains, surveyor's feet 66 chains, surveyor's meters 20.116 8 chains, surveyor's rods 4 cords of wood cubic feet 128 cords of wood cubic meters 3.624 556 cords of wood cubic yards 4.740 7 cups liquid ounces (US) 8 cups liters 0.236 588 2 degrees Celsius degrees Fahrenheit multiply by 1.8 and add 32 degrees Fahrenheit degrees Celsius subtract 32 and divide by 1.8 dekaliters bushels 0.283 775 9 dekaliters cubic feet 0.353 146 7 dekaliters cubic inches 610.237 4 dekaliters dry pints 18.161 66 dekaliters dry quarts 9.080 829 8 dekaliters liters 10 dekaliters pecks 1.135 104 drams, avoirdupois avoirdupois ounces 0.062 55 drams, avoirdupois grains 27.344 drams, avoirdupois grams 1.771 845 2 drams, troy grains 60 drams, troy grams 3.887 934 6 drams, troy scruples 3 drams, troy troy ounces 0.125 drams, liquid (US) cubic inches 0.226 drams, liquid (US) liquid drams (British) 1.041 drams, liquid (US) liquid ounces 0.125 drams, liquid (US) milliliters 3.696 69 drams, liquid (US) minims 60 fathoms feet 6 fathoms meters 1.828 8 feet centimeters 30.48 feet inches 12 feet kilometers 0.000 304 8 feet meters 0.304 8 feet statute miles 0.000 189 39 feet yards 0.333 333 3 feet, cubic bushels 0.803 563 95 feet, cubic cubic decimeters 28.316 847 feet, cubic cubic inches 1,728 feet, cubic cubic meters 0.028 316 846 592 feet, cubic cubic yards 0.037 037 04 feet, cubic dry pints 51.428 09 feet, cubic dry quarts 25.714 05 feet, cubic gallons 7.480 519 feet, cubic gills 239.376 6 feet, cubic liquid ounces 957.506 5 feet, cubic liquid pints 59.844 16 feet, cubic liquid quarts 29.922 08 feet, cubic liters 28.316 846 592 feet, cubic pecks 3.214 256 feet, square acres 0.000 022 956 8 feet, square square centimeters 929.030 4 feet, square square decimeters 9.290 304 feet, square square inches 144 feet, square square meters 0.092 903 04 feet, square square yards 0.111 111 1 furlongs feet 660 furlongs inches 7,920 furlongs meters 201.168 furlongs statute miles 0.125 furlongs yards 220 gallons, liquid (US) cubic feet 0.133 680 6 gallons, liquid (US) cubic inches 231 gallons, liquid (US) cubic meters 0.003 785 411 784 gallons, liquid (US) cubic yards 0.004 951 13 gallons, liquid (US) gills (US) 32 gallons, liquid (US) liquid gallons (British) 0.832 67 gallons, liquid (US) liquid ounces 128 gallons, liquid (US) liquid pints 8 gallons, liquid (US) liquid quarts 4 gallons, liquid (US) liters 3.785 411 784 gallons, liquid (US) milliliters 3,785.411 784 gallons, liquid (US) minims 61,440 gills (US) centiliters 11.829 4 gills (US) cubic feet 0.004 177 517 gills (US) cubic inches 7.218 75 gills (US) gallons 0.031 25 gills (US) gills (British) 0.832 67 gills (US) liquid ounces 4 gills (US) liquid pints 0.25 gills (US) liquid quarts 0.125 gills (US) liters 0.118 294 118 25 gills (US) milliliters 118.294 118 25 gills (US) minims 1,920 grains avoirdupois drams 0.036 571 43 grains avoirdupois ounces 0.002 285 71 grains avoirdupois pounds 0.000 142 86 grains grams 0.064 798 91 grains kilograms 0.000 064 798 91 grains milligrams 64.798 910 grains pennyweights 0.042 grains scruples 0.05 grains troy drams 0.016 6 grains troy ounces 0.002 083 33 grains troy pounds 0.000 173 61 grams avoirdupois drams 0.564 383 39 grams avoirdupois ounces 0.035 273 961 grams avoirdupois pounds 0.002 204 622 6 grams grains 15.432 361 grams kilograms 0.001 grams milligrams 1,000 grams troy ounces 0.032 150 746 6 grams troy pounds 0.002 679 23 hands (height of horse) centimeters 10.16 hands (height of horse) inches 4 hectares acres 2.471 053 8 hectares square feet 107,639.1 hectares square kilometers 0.01 hectares square meters 10,000 hectares square miles 0.003 861 02 hectares square yards 11,959.90 hundredweights, long avoirdupois pounds 112 hundredweights, long kilograms 50.802 345 hundredweights, long long tons 0.05 hundredweights, long metric tons 0.050 802 345 hundredweights, long short tons 0.056 hundredweights, short avoirdupois pounds 100 hundredweights, short kilograms 45.359 237 hundredweights, short long tons 0.044 642 86 hundredweights, short metric tons 0.045 359 237 hundredweights, short short tons 0.05 inches centimeters 2.54 inches feet 0.083 333 33 inches meters 0.025 4 inches millimeters 25.4 inches yards 0.027 777 78 inches, cubic bushels 0.000 465 025 inches, cubic cubic centimeters 16.387 064 inches, cubic cubic feet 0.000 578 703 7 inches, cubic cubic meters 0.000 016 387 064 inches, cubic cubic yards 0.000 021 433 47 inches, cubic dry pints 0.029 761 6 inches, cubic dry quarts 0.014 880 8 inches, cubic gallons 0.004 329 0 inches, cubic gills 0.138 528 1 inches, cubic liquid ounces 0.554 112 6 inches, cubic liquid pints 0.034 632 03 inches, cubic liquid quarts 0.017 316 02 inches, cubic liters 0.016 387 064 inches, cubic milliliters 16.387 064 inches, cubic minims (US) 265.974 0 inches, cubic pecks 0.001 860 10 inches, square square centimeters 6.451 600 inches, square square feet 0.006 944 44 inches, square square meters 0.000 645 16 inches, square square yards 0.000 771 605 kilograms avoirdupois drams 564.383 4 kilograms avoirdupois ounces 35.273 962 kilograms avoirdupois pounds 2.204 622 622 kilograms grains 15,432.36 kilograms grams 1,000 kilograms long tons 0.000 984 2 kilograms metric tons 0.001 kilograms short hundredweights 0.022 046 23 kilograms short tons 0.001 102 31 kilograms troy ounces 32.150 75 kilograms troy pounds 2.679 229 kilometers meters 1,000 kilometers statute miles 0.621 371 192 kilometers, square acres 247.105 38 kilometers, square hectares 100 kilometers, square square meters 1,000,000 kilometers, square statute miles 0.386 102 16 knots (nautical mi/hr) kilometers/hour 1.852 knots (nautical mi/hr) statute miles/hour 1.151 leagues, nautical kilometers 5.556 leagues, nautical nautical miles 3 leagues, statute kilometers 4.828 032 leagues, statute statute miles 3 links, square surveyor's square centimeters 404.686 links, square surveyor's square inches 62.726 4 links, surveyor's centimeters 20.116 8 links, surveyor's chains 0.01 links, surveyor's inches 7.92 liters bushels 0.028 377 59 liters cubic feet 0.035 314 67 liters cubic inches 61.023 74 liters cubic meters 0.001 liters cubic yards 0.001 307 95 liters dekaliters 0.1 liters dry pints 1.816 166 liters dry quarts 0.908 082 98 liters gallons 0.264 172 052 liters gills (US) 8.453 506 liters liquid ounces 33.814 02 liters liquid pints 2.113 376 liters liquid quarts 1.056 688 2 liters milliliters 1,000 liters pecks 0.113 510 4 meters centimeters 100 meters feet 3.280 839 895 meters inches 39.370 079 meters kilometers 0.001 meters millimeters 1,000 meters statute miles 0.000 621 371 meters yards 1.093 613 298 meters, cubic bushels 28.377 59 meters, cubic cubic feet 35.314 666 7 meters, cubic cubic inches 61,023.744 meters, cubic cubic yards 1.307 950 619 meters, cubic gallons 264.172 05 meters, cubic liters 1,000 meters, cubic pecks 113.510 4 meters, square acres 0.000 247 105 38 meters, square hectares 0.000 1 meters, square square centimeters 10,000 meters, square square feet 10.763 910 4 meters, square square inches 1,550.003 1 meters, square square yards 1.195 990 046 microns meters 0.000 001 microns inches 0.000 039 4 mils inches 0.001 mils millimeters 0.025 4 miles, nautical kilometers 1.852 0 miles, nautical statute miles 1.150 779 4 miles, statute centimeters 160,934.4 miles, statute feet 5,280 miles, statute furlongs 8 miles, statute inches 63,360 miles, statute kilometers 1.609 344 miles, statute meters 1,609.344 miles, statute rods 320 miles, statute yards 1,760 miles, square nautical square kilometers 3.429 904 miles, square nautical square statute miles 1.325 miles, square statute acres 640 miles, square statute hectares 258.998 811 033 6 miles, square statute sections 1 miles, square statute square kilometers 2.589 988 110 336 miles, square statute square nautical miles 0.755 miles miles, square statute square rods 102,400 milligrams grains 0.015 432 358 35 milliliters cubic inches 0.061 023 744 milliliters gallons 0.000 264 17 milliliters gills (US) 0.008 453 5 milliliters liquid ounces 0.033 814 02 milliliters liquid pints 0.002 113 4 milliliters liquid quarts 0.001 056 7 milliliters liters 0.001 milliliters minims 16.230 73 millimeters inches 0.039 370 078 7 minims (US) cubic inches 0.003 759 77 minims (US) gills (US) 0.000 520 83 minims (US) liquid ounces 0.002 083 33 minims (US) milliliters 0.061 611 52 minims (US) minims (British) 1.041 ounces, avoirdupois avoirdupois drams 16 ounces, avoirdupois avoirdupois pounds 0.062 5 ounces, avoirdupois grains 437.5 ounces, avoirdupois grams 28.349 523 125 ounces, avoirdupois kilograms 0.028 349 523 125 ounces, avoirdupois troy ounces 0.911 458 3 ounces, avoirdupois troy pounds 0.075 954 86 ounces, liquid (US) cubic feet 0.001 044 38 ounces, liquid (US) centiliters 2.957 35 ounces, liquid (US) cubic inches 1.804 687 5 ounces, liquid (US) gallons 0.007 812 5 ounces, liquid (US) gills (US) 0.25 ounces, liquid (US) liquid drams 8 ounces, liquid (US) liquid ounces (British) 1.041 ounces, liquid (US) liquid pints 0.062 5 ounces, liquid (US) liquid quarts 0.031 25 ounces, liquid (US) liters 0.029 573 53 ounces, liquid (US) milliliters 29.573 529 6 ounces, liquid (US) minims 480 ounces, troy avoirdupois drams 17.554 29 ounces, troy avoirdupois ounces 1.097 143 ounces, troy avoirdupois pounds 0.068 571 43 ounces, troy grains 480 ounces, troy grams 31.103 476 8 ounces, troy pennyweights 20 ounces, troy troy drams 8 ounces, troy troy pounds 0.083 333 3 paces (US) centimeters 76.2 paces (US) inches 30 pecks (US) bushels 0.25 pecks (US) cubic feet 0.311 114 pecks (US) cubic inches 537.605 pecks (US) cubic meters 0.008 809 77 pecks (US) cubic yards 0.011 522 74 pecks (US) dekaliters 0.880 976 75 pecks (US) dry pints 16 pecks (US) dry quarts 8 pecks (US) liters 8.809 767 5 pecks (US) pecks (British) 0.968 9 pennyweights grains 24 pennyweights grams 1.555 173 84 pennyweights troy ounces 0.05 pints, dry (US) bushels 0.015 625 pints, dry (US) cubic feet 0.019 444 63 pints, dry (US) cubic inches 33.600 312 5 pints, dry (US) dekaliters 0.055 061 05 pints, dry (US) dry pints (British) 0.968 9 pints, dry (US) dry quarts 0.5 pints, dry (US) liters 0.550 610 47 pints, liquid (US) cubic feet 0.016 710 07 pints, liquid (US) cubic inches 28.875 pints, liquid (US) deciliters 4.731 76 pints, liquid (US) gallons 0.125 pints, liquid (US) gills (US) 4 pints, liquid (US) liquid ounces 16 pints, liquid (US) liquid pints (British) 0.832 67 pints, liquid (US) liquid quarts 0.5 pints, liquid (US) liters 0.473 176 473 pints, liquid (US) milliliters 473.176 473 pints, liquid (US) minims 7,680 points (typographical) inches 0.013 837 points (typographical) millimeters 0.351 459 8 pounds, avoirdupois avoirdupois drams 256 pounds, avoirdupois avoirdupois ounces 16 pounds, avoirdupois grains 7,000 pounds, avoirdupois grams 453.592 37 pounds, avoirdupois kilograms 0.453 592 37 pounds, avoirdupois long tons 0.000 446 428 6 pounds, avoirdupois metric tons 0.000 453 592 37 pounds, avoirdupois quintals 0.004 535 92 pounds, avoirdupois short tons 0.000 5 pounds, avoirdupois troy ounces 14.583 33 pounds, avoirdupois troy pounds 1.215 278 pounds, troy avoirdupois drams 210.651 4 pounds, troy avoirdupois ounces 13.165 71 pounds, troy avoirdupois pounds 0.822 857 1 pounds, troy grains 5,760 pounds, troy grams 373.241 721 6 pounds, troy kilograms 0.373 241 721 6 pounds, troy pennyweights 240 pounds, troy troy ounces 12 quarts, dry (US) bushels 0.031 25 quarts, dry (US) cubic feet 0.038 889 25 quarts, dry (US) cubic inches 67.200 625 quarts, dry (US) dekaliters 0.110 122 1 quarts, dry (US) dry pints 2 quarts, dry (US) dry quarts (British) 0.968 9 quarts, dry (US) liters 1.101 221 quarts, dry (US) pecks 0.125 quarts, dry (US) pints, dry (US) 2 quarts, liquid (US) cubic feet 0.033 420 14 quarts, liquid (US) cubic inches 57.75 quarts, liquid (US) deciliters 9.463 53 quarts, liquid (US) gallons 0.25 quarts, liquid (US) gills (US) 8 quarts, liquid (US) liquid ounces 32 quarts, liquid (US) liquid pints (US) 2 quarts, liquid (US) liquid quarts (British) 0.832 67 quarts, liquid (US) liters 0.946 352 946 quarts, liquid (US) milliliters 946.352 946 quarts, liquid (US) minims 15,360 quintals avoirdupois pounds 220.462 26 quintals kilograms 100 quintals metric tons 0.1 rods feet 16.5 rods meters 5.029 2 rods yards 5.5 rods, square acres 0.006 25 rods, square square meters 25.292 85 rods, square square yards 30.25 scruples grains 20 scruples grams 1.295 978 2 scruples troy drams 0.333 sections (US) square kilometers 2.589 988 1 sections (US) square statute miles 1 spans centimeters 22.86 spans inches 9 steres cubic meters 1 steres cubic yards 1.307 95 tablespoons milliliters 14.786 76 tablespoons teaspoons 3 teaspoons milliliters 4.928 922 teaspoons tablespoons 0.333 333 ton-miles, long metric ton-kilometers 1.635 169 ton-miles, short metric ton-kilometers 1.459 972 tons, gross register cubic feet of permanently enclosed space 100 tons, gross register cubic meters of permanently enclosed space 2.831 684 7 tons, long (deadweight) avoirdupois ounces 35,840 tons, long (deadweight) avoirdupois pounds 2,240 tons, long (deadweight) kilograms 1,016.046 909 8 tons, long (deadweight) long hundredweights 20 tons, long (deadweight) metric tons 1.016 046 908 8 tons, long (deadweight) short hundredweights 22.4 tons, long (deadweight) short tons 1.12 tons, metric avoirdupois pounds 2,204.623 tons, metric kilograms 1,000 tons, metric long hundredweights 19.684 130 3 tons, metric long tons 0.984 206 5 tons, metric quintals 10 tons, metric short hundredweights 22.046 23 tons, metric short tons 1.102 311 3 tons, metric troy ounces 32,150.75 tons, net register cubic feet of permanently enclosed space for cargo and passengers 100 tons, net register cubic meters of permanently enclosed space for cargo and passengers 2.831 684 7 tons, shipping cubic feet of permanently enclosed cargo space 42 tons, shipping cubic meters of permanently enclosed cargo space 1.189 307 574 tons, short avoirdupois pounds 2,000 tons, short kilograms 907.184 74 tons, short long hundredweights 17.857 14 tons, short long tons 0.892 857 1 tons, short metric tons 0.907 184 74 tons, short short hundredweights 20 townships (US) sections 36 townships (US) square kilometers 93.239 572 townships (US) square statute miles 36 miles, square statute acres 640 miles, square statute hectares 258.998 811 033 6 miles, square statute square feet 27,878,400 miles, square statute square meters 2,589,988.110 336 miles, square statute square yards 3,097,600 yards centimeters 91.44 yards feet 3 yards inches 36 yards meters 0.914 4 yards miles 0.000 568 18 yards, cubic bushels 21.696 227 yards, cubic cubic feet 27 yards, cubic cubic inches 46,656 yards, cubic cubic meters 0.764 554 857 984 yards, cubic gallons 201.974 0 yards, cubic liters 764.554 857 984 yards, cubic pecks 86.784 91 yards, square acres 0.000 206 611 6 yards, square hectares 0.000 083 612 736 yards, square square centimeters 8,361.273 6 yards, square square feet 9 yards, square square inches 1,296 yards, square square meters 0.836 127 36 yards, square square miles 0.000 000 322 830 6

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Table of Contents

THE CIA WORLD FACTBOOK 2008

CONTENTS

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Z

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